The trouble with Dr. Shaw and his ilk is that they make up their advice making us a bit more anxious about advice and its pitfalls. Anyone who is ill should consult their doctor.

However doctors in general will know nothing about you and your particular circumstances. They do not know much about the gut biome and its relationship to mental or physical health. It is more guesswork than your average shmoe may realize.

The gut biome influences will become more accepted in time just as antibiotics gained favor in the early days of their discovery and now their declining effectiveness. If you got a flu shot this year it too is based upon guesswork regarding which variant will be sickening the most people.

Meanwhile a probiotic may be more helpful and cause no harm unlike some forms of anxious advice. The price of advice is rarely related to effectiveness. For some ailments only 2 doctors in the entire world may be qualified to diagnose and provide treatment.