Sandra Rodriguez, MD, ABOM

Sandra Rodriguez, MD, ABOM Dr. Sandra Rodríguez, MD, ABOM
Board certified
✨ Gastro doctor
✨ expert on digestive & liver health
✨ Obesity Medicine
📍 Miami & Homestead
📲 786-500-4644

06/04/2026

🚽 Can you actually get addicted to laxatives? Not in the way most people think. Laxatives don’t activate addiction pathways in the brain, so they don’t cause cravings or a true addiction. But some types can make your gut dependent on them if they’re used too often.

⚠️ Stimulant laxatives like senna and bisacodyl can train your colon to rely on them over time. That can lead to needing higher doses, difficulty p**ping without them, and slower natural motility. This is called physiologic dependence, not addiction and in most cases, your gut motility recovers after stopping them.

🌿 Not all laxatives work the same way. Osmotic laxatives like PEG or magnesium are generally considered safe for long term use, while fiber supplements are not habit forming at all. The key is understanding what you’re taking and why your constipation is happening in the first place.

06/02/2026

🧠 Could anxiety, grief, or emotional stress be affecting your gut health more than you realize?

🦠 Your gut produces neurotransmitters, helps regulate hormones, and communicates directly with the brain through the gut brain axis. Stress, trauma, inflammation, and changes in the gut microbiome can all impact both mental and digestive health at the same time.

💭 Sometimes the body speaks before the mind fully understands what is happening. Bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and persistent digestive discomfort may appear alongside anxiety, burnout, emotional overload, or chronic stress. Mental health and gut health are deeply connected and should never be treated separately.

05/28/2026

✨ As mental health awareness month ends, we have to talk about our second brain.

Did you know your gut has its own nervous system with over 100 million neurons? Your digestive system is constantly communicating with your brain through the gut brain axis and the vagus nerve, sending signals that influence mood, stress, focus, and even emotional balance.

🧠 Around 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, showing how deeply connected digestion and mental health really are. Your gut microbiome also helps regulate neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which directly affect how you feel every day.

🦠 Your brain isn’t working alone. It’s responding to signals from your gut every second. Supporting your gut health through nutrition, sleep, stress management, and lifestyle habits can also support your mental well being. Because without mental health, there is no health.

05/26/2026

🧠 Perimenopause doesn’t just affect your mood or cycle. It can also change how your gut functions. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone directly influence digestion and bowel movements.

⚖️ During perimenopause, estrogen becomes unpredictable. It can spike and crash for years before menopause. Since estrogen influences serotonin, and most serotonin is produced in the gut, these changes can affect gut motility.

💨 When estrogen drops, constipation, bloating, and sluggish digestion become more common. When estrogen spikes, some women experience urgency, loose stools, or diarrhea.

🌙 Progesterone also changes during perimenopause and often declines. Lower progesterone can worsen sleep and anxiety, while changes in gut motility may increase bloating and reflux symptoms.

🌿 If your stomach suddenly feels “off” during perimenopause, it’s not just stress or aging. There is real physiology behind it.

05/21/2026

🌿 Your gut health affects far more than digestion. Low energy, bloating, irritability, and even mood changes can start in your gut first thing in the morning. A simple morning routine can help your body function better throughout the day and support a healthier digestive system.

💧 Starting your morning with water helps wake up your digestive system and supports regular bowel movements. Then, a fiber rich breakfast like oats, fruit, or whole grains feeds the good bacteria in your gut and keeps you full longer.

🚶 A little movement goes a long way. Stretching, walking, or light exercise in the morning can reduce bloating, improve digestion, and help your body feel lighter and more energized during the day.

05/19/2026

💨 Patients are constantly worried they fart “too much.” But most of the time, gas is completely normal. Your gut naturally produces gas every single day as part of digestion.

🧠 On average, the intestines produce about 0.5 to 1.5 liters of gas daily, and depending on diet and gut transit, this can increase even more. Passing gas anywhere from 10 to 50 times a day can still be normal.

🦠 Most intestinal gas comes from bacterial fermentation in the colon, especially when fiber and carbohydrates are broken down into hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane.

🚩 What matters is not the number of times you pass gas, but the symptoms that come with it. Persistent bloating, abdominal pain, weight loss, blood in the stool, diarrhea, or constipation deserve medical evaluation.

🌿 Otherwise, “a lot of gas” is often just a normal part of how the gut works.

05/14/2026

🧠 Some colorectal cancer risk factors cannot be changed, like age and genetics. But many important risks are directly connected to lifestyle habits.

⚖️ Obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, and diets high in processed meat are all associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer. Chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and gut microbiome changes all play a role.

🥦 On the other hand, diets rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are associated with lower risk. Regular physical activity also helps improve gut health and reduce inflammation.

🚭 These risks add up. When multiple lifestyle factors are combined, colorectal cancer risk can become two to three times higher compared to someone with healthier habits.

🌿 Prevention is not about perfection. Small long-term changes can make a meaningful difference for colon health.

05/12/2026

Milk may feel soothing during acid reflux, but the relief is usually temporary 🥛🔥

In this video, I explain why milk can sometimes make reflux symptoms worse afterward and why it’s not considered an effective treatment for GERD.

05/07/2026

☕ Coffee and gut health is a lot more interesting than people think.

Coffee can stimulate the bowel movements and can actually help relieve constipation by increasing colonic motility and activating the gastrocolic reflex.

But for others, it may increase stomach acid secretion and relax the lower esophageal sphincter, triggering symptoms like heartburn or acid reflux.

What’s especially interesting is its effect on the liver. Large studies consistently associate regular coffee intake with lower risks of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer, likely due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds beyond caffeine itself.

🧠 So coffee isn’t inherently “good” or “bad” for gut health. The key is understanding how your own body responds to it.

05/05/2026

💩 What does normal p**p look like? “Normal” isn’t one single pattern. Anywhere from 3 times a day to 3 times a week can be healthy, as long as it’s consistent for you.

🧠 The ideal stool is soft, smooth, and easy to pass. On the Bristol Stool Chart, types 3 and 4 are considered the most balanced. No straining, no urgency.

🎨 Color matters too. Brown is typical, but green can happen with faster transit or leafy greens, and yellowish tones can appear after fatty meals.

🌿 Changes happen. Travel, stress, diet, medications, and even your menstrual cycle can temporarily affect your bowel movements. That doesn’t always mean something is wrong.
**phealth

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33033

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