Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Understanding Inflammation and Chronic Disease with Dr. Tom O'Bryan
Feb 13, 2026
Dr. Tom O'Bryan, functional medicine practitioner and founder of theDR.com, focuses on gut health, the microbiome, and preventing chronic inflammatory disease. He discusses immune activation and how gluten and environmental toxins drive inflammation. He covers testing for toxic burdens, zonulin and leaky gut, microplastics, and practical clinical approaches to trace and remove triggers.
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Early Fertility Breakthroughs
- Tom O'Bryan describes using immune-focused protocols to help multiple couples conceive when conventional approaches failed.
- He used food-immune testing and lifestyle changes to resolve fertility and miscarriage cases in the early years of his practice.
Immune Activation Without Gut Symptoms
- Activated immune responses to foods can trigger systemic inflammation even without GI symptoms.
- O'Bryan links chronic inflammation from immune-activated foods to many top causes of death.
Test Total Toxic Burden First
- Test for total toxic burden using a sensitive urine panel for metals, mycotoxins, and pesticides before assuming diet is the sole cause.
- Use objective testing to reveal decades of accumulated environmental toxins that fuel inflammation.