Your Ultimate Guide To Gut Health, Inflammation & Stress Relief From The Experts At VIVAMAYR
Everything you need to know about managing your gut health and changing your lifestyle for the better
If wellness is a game, the world is absolutely ready to play!
Never before has health & wellbeing been more of a priority, especially for men who’ve embraced their vanity with quite an insanity. Diets, workouts, nips and tucks, they’re doing it all. Ozempic isn’t just a hushed secret; nor is getting done one’s hair (not a cut, more a reset instead). Looking good is the pursuit, and all’s fair to get there.
But does this pursuit have to be this... well... intense?
Those Instagram reels might suggest it’s the only way, but the path towards true wellness doesn’t go through sweat, blood and tears necessarily. Sweat, sure, since working out is always a great idea but if you’re killing yourself trying to ‘kill it’, you’re missing out on the point. The word is balance, and you’ve got to find it for yourself. Between what you eat and what you don’t. How much you exercise and how you do it. Listening to your gut and also, listening to what your gut needs.
That’s what we wanted to know more about. That crucial balance, and everything else to help you achieve wellness in all its wonderful ways. And we got chatting with Dr. Doris Schuscha – Senior VIVAMAYR physician and specialist in functional and integrative medicine and Gabriel Wernig – Head of Sports Science at VIVAMAYR, Maria Wörth, to talk about it all. The two are here in India, again, for a week-long residency at Dhun Wellness in Mumbai.
Modern Men & Their Many Issues
It doesn’t really need to be said but men of today have way too many issues. Hold on to your horses – we’re only talking about health issues here. For everything else, please seek a therapist.
As per Dr. Doris Schuscha, not getting adequate sleep is one of the biggest concerns with men, not just in India but across the world. “Sleep disturbances have increased massively, with a growing lack of daytime energy. To compensate, many men rely on stimulants like coffee, energy drinks, or even medication during the day — and then alcohol or sleeping pills at night to switch off.” But it’s not all dark and gloomy. “However, we also notice something positive: men today are more open to preventive health and self-awareness. There’s a surge of interest in longevity, focus, and biological age — but also confusion due to over-information,” she adds.
Then there are the other physical issues such as weight gain and metabolic issues such as diabetes, hypertension and gout, along with “low libido, and a growing number of fertility challenges linked to poor gut health,” she adds. “Gastrointestinal complaints like heartburn, bloating, or abdominal discomfort are extremely common. Emotionally, many men report low mood, mood swings, irritability, and a loss of creativity and confidence. They often feel mentally fatigued, yet unable to switch off!”
Gabriel Wernig, on the other hand, identifies injuries caused due to incorrect training as a key issue. “Whether it’s improper form during strength training, a lack of understanding about recovery, or following poorly designed workout routines, more and more people are facing injuries and setbacks due to these training mistakes” he says. The problem stems from social media, of course, where too much information isn’t always the right one. “The rise of social media and fitness influencers, while providing easy access to workout plans and tips, has also contributed to the spread of misinformation. Many users follow exercises or programs without considering their individual fitness levels, body mechanics, or specific goals.”
Gut Grievances
But before you go about correcting any of those issues, you need to know that a lot of it actually stems from your gut. Whether you’re listening to it, yes, but also what you’re feeding it.
“The gut is the foundation — like the roots of a tree. If the roots are weak, the tree cannot flourish. A healthy gut absorbs essential nutrients, produces key hormones and neurotransmitters, and keeps inflammation in check,” says Dr. Doris. And that foundation needs your absolute attention at all times – daily habits that you need to be mindful of. “Chewing thoroughly, eating slowly, and enjoying meals in calm surroundings keep the body in rest and digest mode. Structured meal times and light or early dinners align with hormonal cycles, supporting testosterone, sleep, and cellular repair. Even strategic fasting — eating less rather than skipping meals — gives the gut a break, reduces acidity, and enhances metabolism”. The answer is discipline and balance, and you’ll soon both see and feel a difference in your gut and the rest of your body.
But what not to do, you’re wondering? Start with eating on time, as Dr. Doris suggests. “Men often socialize or attend business dinners in the evening, when digestive performance naturally slows down. Late heavy meals overwhelm the gut, leading to fermentation, inflammation, and poor sleep — creating a vicious cycle of fatigue and stress”. That whole obsession with protein? She’s certainly not a fan. “The modern obsession with high-protein intake — often exceeding what the body can metabolize — is silently straining men’s digestive, renal, and hormonal systems.
Surviving Stress
Next up, stress. Easily one of your modern-day lives’ biggest enemies. It’s everywhere, and even in our bodies, affecting our health in ways we don’t even think about. Like, for instance, too much stress results in poor sleep, which in turn causes hormonal imbalance, raising cortisol levels in your body. Which, then, suppresses testosterone, and triggers metabolic chaos, among many other things. You get the drift, right?
Dr. Doris advises a few simple yet effective practises to help you counter that stress. “Take time for meals — eating in a stressed state doubles digestive strain. Prioritize sleep and create a calming pre-sleep ritual. Limit stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol. Incorporate gentle movement, deep breathing, and mindful pauses during the day”. Along with that, do try a digital detox which she says will allow your entire nervous system to literally calm down and reset itself. “At VIVAMAYR, we call this structured regeneration — the art of resting consciously!” Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
Inflammation Is Real
Among the many other gut issues, inflammation is the most common one. Most people don’t even realise that they’re suffering from it, before it has become a chronic issue. If you’re someone in your 30s, 40s, 50s or older, it’s an important issue that you should definitely know about.
How should you tackle it? Start with managing your stress levels, as advised earlier, and then follow it by address how you live your life. As Dr. Doris says, “inflammation isn’t just a disease — it’s a lifestyle pattern!” A few ways to fix that pattern include “maintaining an acid-alkaline balance through proper nutrition, elimination, fasting & chewing, prioritizing sleep, eating mindfully and avoiding overeating”.
And, of course, don’t forget to include regular exercise in your weekly schedules. Easier said than done, you’re wondering? Nothing good comes from sitting on your backside all day!
Tell-Tale Tools
Ideally, you should be able to pick up lifestyle-induced issues with your gut and hormones on your own. Lack of sleep, bloating, inflammation, constipation, acid reflux, etc are all effective markers of your body screaming for your attention. But should you not be able to still figure it out, Dr. Doris advises regular check-ups for “blood sugar, cholesterol, liver function, PSA (for prostate), and cardiovascular markers” to help provide answers. “Early detection allows targeted action before chronic disease takes hold” she says.
But that’s not all. Nowadays, many other tools have gained prominence with men opting for them to go deeper in terms of information regarding their health and wellbeing. Yes, I’m talking about heart-rate variability (HRV) tracking and metabolic analysis.
HRV measures the variation in time between heartbeats and is considered a key indicator of autonomic nervous system balance. It also reflects how well the body is responding to stress, including physical exertion, emotional stress, and sleep quality. As per Gabriel, it’s great to gauge your body’s recovery post a workout. “If HRV is low, it suggests the body is under stress or hasn’t fully recovered, signalling that the athlete might need more rest or a lighter training session. Conversely, if HRV is high, it indicates the body is well-recovered and ready for more intense training”. Essentially, combining HRV insights with proper meal timings, light dinners, and structured fasting can help align your workouts with the body’s natural circadian and digestive rhythms, supporting better hormonal balance and recovery, he suggests. Dr. Doris too is all for integrating HRV data with medical diagnostics such as indirect calorimetry and metabolic profiling, “helping men adapt training intensity and recovery for maximum resilience”.
With metabolic analysis, you can measure how efficiently your body is burning fuel during different activities, be it rest, or high-intensity exercising. “Tools that measure factors like VO₂ max, resting metabolic rate (RMR), and lactate thresholds provide valuable insights into a man’s unique metabolic profile. When integrated with Modern Mayr diagnostics — such as acid-base balance, intestinal health, and micronutrient testing — this data helps fine-tune training and nutrition for long-term metabolic stability rather than short-term performance alone,” says Gabriel.
How To Bring About Change
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the information we’ve shared, it’s quite understandable. What you should know, however, is that it isn’t about implementing massive changes overnight but initiating small yet effective alternations in the way you eat, move and sleep through the day.
For starters, Dr. Doris shares some VIVAMAYR Golden Rules that'll truly turn your gut and life around.
No raw food after 4 pm — digestion slows later in the day, so raw foods tend to ferment in the small intestine, causing bloating, acidity, and poor sleep.
Chew each bite 30–40 times — digestion begins in the mouth; chewing thoroughly reduces the load on the gut and boosts energy.
No drinking with meals — fluids dilute stomach acid, weaken digestion, and increase bloating.
No snacking between meals — each meal needs 4–6 hours to digest; constant snacking overworks the gut and destabilizes insulin and testosterone balance.
Avoid stressful conversations during meals — stress activates the “fight or flight” mode, shutting down digestion. Eat calmly.
Keep consistent daily rhythms — regular meal times, sleep, and exercise stabilize hormonal and digestive cycles.
Eat less or skip dinner — evenings are for repair. A heavy dinner forces energy into digestion instead of hormonal renewal and cellular repair.
Let’s get started, shall we?