Eat for Life

Our world is filled with dis- mis- and mal- information.

I am amazed at how many articles and papers have diametrically opposed views about copper and zinc. So no wonder people are confused about the role these important nutrients play in human health. 

To be clear copper isn't bad and zinc isn't bad. Ideally, we want them in healthy, functional ranges. But myriad factors, including genetic susceptibility and environmental insults, are common among people that have an inability to regulate metals appropriately, especially copper.

When copper is elevated, it becomes a pro-inflammatory agent and can cause a wide variety of issues, including dysregulation of estrogen receptors, leading to PMS and PMDD, high anxiety, depression, ADHD, and even fibromyalgia to name a few.

Today I’m joined again by Dr. Judith Bowman to discuss the role copper and zinc play in regulating mood, hormone, and immune system function.

Judith Bowman, MD co-founded Mensah Medical in 2008 with her colleague, Albert Mensah, MD. Dr. Bowman combines traditional medicine with the biochemical approach to treat the symptoms of behavioral and cognitive disorders, autism spectrum disorder, depression (including postpartum depression), anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other biochemical imbalances.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why zinc is critical for enzyme production, cell reproduction, and methylation
• How zinc supports your body’s ability to regulate minerals and metals in your cells
• Why a healthy balance of zinc and copper is essential for mood regulation
• The testing that can accurately reflect your zinc and copper levels, and the tests that are often misinterpreted
• Copper’s links to reproductive cancers and tumor growth

Click here to read the full transcript as well as research and studies.

Kidney stones are a commonly known side effect of oxalate toxicity, but many people are unaware of the other serious symptoms oxalates can create.

Over-consumption of oxalates can lead to joint pain, gastrointestinal issues, genital and rectal pain, and other health issues.

Oxalate toxicity was uncovered over 100 years ago, yet few doctors are aware of the impact oxalates can have on human health, which is why I’m talking with Sally K. Norton, author of Toxic Superfoods, How Oxalate Overload is Making You Sick and How to Get Better.

Sally K. Norton holds a nutrition degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in Public Health. She uses a research-based approach to teaching about a simple way to reverse even serious health complaints with diet, by avoiding large quantities of natural toxic chemicals and crystals called oxalates. Oxalates are found in many of the foods we think are good for us. Much of her work involves re-educating people who have suffered from illnesses as a result from eating foods that are packed with oxalates.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• What oxalates are and how they create deposits in your body over time
• How oxalates impact the body across multiple organ systems and are even neurotoxic
• How oxalates both exacerbate and cause gut issues
• The “superfoods” that could actually be making you sick
• Why you may have periods of being symptomatic long after limiting oxalates in your diet

Click here to read the full article as well as resources and research links.

There is so much misinformation out there about hormones and women’s health, especially estrogen.

So I’m excited to share my in-depth conversation with Dr. Felice Gersh about women’s hormones and the different phases of perimenopause and menopause.

We discuss the flawed study that generated so much fear and misinformation about estrogen and cancer, the difference between synthetic and bioidentical hormones, the role diet and your gut microbiome play in balancing hormones, and so much more.

Dr. Felice Gersh is board certified in OB-GYN and Integrative Medicine. She taught as an assistant clinical professor at the Keck USC School of Medicine for 12 years and is the founder and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, California.

A globally recognized expert on women’s health, Dr. Gersh regularly speaks at conferences around the world and is also the best-selling author of PCOS SOS and her most recent book, Menopause: 50 Things You Need to Know about what to expect during the three phases of menopause.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why the hormone combination used in the Women’s Health Initiative study caused so many problems
• How estrogen can actually protect you from reproductive cancers and why this changes with age
• How chronic pro-inflammatory states and hormonal imbalances contribute to the negative effects of aging
• Why we are seeing more cancers in young, premenopausal women
• How endocrine disruptors in food and the environment contribute to rising rates of autoimmune disorders, cancers, and menstrual disorders like PCOS

Click here to read my full article along with research links.

Today I’ve brought back Steven Wright of the Healthy Gut Company to talk about the tremendous impact short-chain fatty acids have on the gut microbiome.

Short-chain fatty acids are produced when the good bacteria in your gut break down certain dietary fibers, which is why dietary and supplemental fiber sources are so important for optimal health.

Both clinical application and peer-reviewed research have shown that short-chain fatty acids enhance intestinal barrier function, regulate the immune system, and reduce oxidative stress. They can also help with insomnia, food sensitivities, histamine intolerance, and autoimmune diseases.

We discuss good sources of the right kinds of dietary and supplemental fibers, as well as how and when to supplement short-chain fatty acids like butyric acid.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How short-chain fatty acids are produced in the gut and why they’re so important for maintaining the health of your microbiome
• How butyrate interacts with the immune system to protect against leaky gut and autoimmune issues
• What to eat to support your body’s ability to produce short-chain fatty acids
• What to look for in a butyrate supplement

Click here for research links plus a coupon code for $15 off plus free shipping.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything you can to heal your gut from very low carb or low FODMAP diets to pre and probiotic therapies, and you are still struggling with digestive problems, this episode was made for you.

For years, Steven Wright struggled with a wide variety of severe digestive problems, which led him to create the SCD Lifestyle, and now the Healthy Gut Company.

In today's episode, Steven shares his healing journey and we take a deep dive into the systems that support optimal gut health and healing, as well as what you can do to start your own healing process.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How stomach acid is key to immune function, nutrient absorption, and even food sensitivities.
• How low stomach acid levels lead to bloating, poor transit time, gut dysbiosis, and other symptoms you may not know about.
• Why the function of your villi and brush border enzymes are root causes of carbohydrate malabsorption, not the carbs themselves.
• How highly restrictive diets can actually contribute to symptoms and reduce the resilience of your gut.
• Simple steps to test your gut function and begin to heal.

Click here to read the full article along with a coupon code for $15 off plus free shipping.

2021 was quite the year, but we made it to 2022!

To kick off the new year, my producer, Sean McMullin is flipping the script and interviewing me.

Today I’m sharing my personal journey to better health and wellbeing after surviving trauma and physical and mental health challenges.

From overworked, overstressed and struggling to keep my head above water, I’m telling the story of the wrong turns and mistakes and the moments that finally gave me hope and set me on the path to wholeness.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How understanding your biochemistry can change your relationship with your health
• Why making radical changes to your diet without understanding root causes leads to frustration
• Red flags to watch out for when you’re looking for answers
• What to expect when implementing a treatment protocol and why physical and mental healing is never linear

For December, I’m sharing a couple of my favorite episodes while we take a little break to spend time with friends and family. I hope you are also able to make room for the things you love this season, you so deserve it after the year we've had.

My second favorite episode for this month is my conversation with Kiran Krishnan about the gut microbiome.

I love this episode because of Kiran’s ability to explain why the health of our gut microbiome is so important, especially in early life and its impact on mental health.

Your body’s microbiome is a complex set of systems that contribute to your health and wellbeing in innumerable ways that we have barely begun to understand.

And you have multiple microbiomes that exist in your body, from your skin to your mouth to your gut that are comprised of multiple kinds of organisms at varying levels. It’s no wonder we’ve only scratched the surface in learning about these different ecosystems.

Kiran Krishnan joins me to break down what a microbiome is, what it’s made up of, and why the microbiome in your gut is so vital to your overall physical and mental health.

Kiran Krishnan is a Research Microbiologist and has been involved in the dietary supplement and nutrition market for the past 18 years. He spent several years with hands-on R&D in the fields of molecular medicine and microbiology at the University of Iowa. He is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Microbiome Labs.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• The various microbes that make up your microbiome and the different ecosystems that exist throughout your body
• How the gut microbiome connects to your brain through the enteric nervous system and vagus nerve
• The role of the gut microbiome in mental and behavioral health and how it impacts your response to stress
• The problem with most probiotics on the market today and what actually works to support your gut microbiome

Click here to read the full article as well as research links.

For December, I’m sharing a couple of my favorite episodes while we take a little break to spend time with friends and family. I hope you are also able to make room for the things you love this season, you so deserve it after the year we've had.

The first one is a powerful conversation with Dr. Albert Mensah about how flawed the MTHFR (the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene) testing approach is and its common resulting treatment: methylfolate.

In clinical practice, we’ve been seeing adverse reactions to methylfolate treatment for many years now.

We discuss why this testing approach is problematic, misconceptions about the different forms of folic acid, potential dangers and impacts on the in utero environment and neurotransmitter activity.

Dr. Mensah is a world-renowned leader and teacher in methylation disorders. He is the co-founder of Mensah Medical in Warrenville, Illinois, a clinic that specializes in the treatment of biochemical imbalances and the cognitive and physical disorders caused by those imbalances. Since 2005 Dr. Mensah has treated over 30,000 patients using all-natural, non-pharmaceutical targeted nutrient therapy.

His practice focuses on the management and treatment of cognitive disorders such as autism, behavior and learning disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, anxiety syndromes, childhood and adult schizophrenia or Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease, as well as family medicine.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How loading up on methylfolate can result in neurotransmitter changes and imbalances, especially with glutamate and serotonin
• Why the MTHFR gene test can’t determine methylation status
• How folic acid supplementation outside of the first trimester negatively impacts fetal and child development
• Testing that can help you discover your methylation status to accurately support physical and mental health

Click here to read the full transcript along with research links.

We talk a lot about toxins and you may think you’ve heard it all before, but hear me out!

We are exposed to environmental toxins every single day, by doing normal, everyday activities like eating, showering, using beauty products, and cleaning.

Many exposures are unavoidable, but there are many that you can address, especially when it comes to products that come into your home.

You might think that because something is on the shelf at your local store, that means it’s safe. But there are over 84,000 chemicals registered for use in the United States and many of them have never been tested for safety.

We’re finding that many of these chemicals are linked to conditions we’re all trying to avoid, like cancer, diabetes, depression, anxiety, ADHD, thyroid disease, hormonal imbalances, infertility and more.

But when it comes to reducing your exposure, it can be hard to know where to start and easy to get overwhelmed.

That’s why today, I’m talking with environmental toxins expert and educator Lara Adler.

Lara Adler is an Environmental Toxins Expert & Educator and a Certified Holistic Health Coach who teaches health coaches, nutritionists, and other health professionals how to eliminate the #1 thing holding their clients back from the results they are seeking – the unaddressed link between chemicals and chronic health problems. She trains practitioners to become experts in everyday toxic exposures so they can improve client outcomes without spending hundreds of hours researching on their own.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How the reactive, rather than proactive, mode of regulation and enforcement in the United States make it easy for toxins to end up in products we use every day.
• How industry mobilizes to manufacture positive research and suppress negative outcomes.
• Three simple, free steps to take today to begin reducing toxin exposure in your home.
• The truth about natural and organic labeling on personal care products, and what label claims you can actually trust.

Click here to read the full transcript along with research links.

In part two of our discussion, Danielle Valoras returns to dig into the science behind breast implants, why they cause some women to develop symptoms of Breast Implant Illness, and what we can do to hold the FDA, manufacturers, and surgeons accountable.

Despite increasing evidence that breast implants can and do cause complications and immune responses for many women, too many providers still dismiss their concerns.

If you’re experiencing a shift in your health and wellbeing following breast implant surgery, know that you are not alone. It is not all in your head. And there are compassionate providers out there who will help you navigate your choices so you can get your life back.

Danielle Valoras is a certified physician assistant and founder of NavWell RX, an integrative health practice.

She is also the originator of the Breast Implant Health Summit, a global initiative for education and better health for those with breast implants. Danielle brings over 20 years of experience in medical research and education to her clients.

She specializes in Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (P.N.E.I.), a burgeoning field that investigates the link between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems in relation to physical health.

For the last five years, Danielle's mission has been to inform, treat and advocate for women who have been diagnosed with breast implant illness and other implantable device-related issues.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How breast implants interact with your immune system, regardless of if you develop symptoms.
• Why rupture isn’t the only risk factor for breast implant contents to get into your system.
• How even small amounts of platinum leaching from an implant impact your GI tract.
• Why even saline implants expose you to silicone.
• Diagnostics to ask for and a functional medicine approach if you think your implants may be impacting your health.

Click here to read the full article along with for research links.