Phoenix Helix: Autoimmune Resilience

Most of you know Dr. Terry Wahls' story. She is a physician who developed multiple sclerosis, and in spite of the best that conventional medicine had to offer, she ended up confined to a tilt-recline wheelchair. She started to research nutrition and lifestyle interventions, eventually creating The Wahls Protocol. She's no longer in a wheelchair, and is now able to ride a bicycle to and from work. That said, she's not cured, even though she's often presented that way in the media. In this podcast we tackle the difficult conversation of what it means to heal, how not to compare your results to someone else's, the difference between progress vs. perfection, and the role acceptance plays in this journey. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Everything happens for a reason. What did you do to cause this? At least it's not cancer. Oh, I heard about this cure online... Is this sounding familiar? An interesting part of the human experience is that when faced with someone's pain, people are often at a loss about what to say and end up saying some really unhelpful and hurtful things. But occasionally, people say exactly the right thing. In this episode, we vent about some of the most outrageous things we’ve been told about our autoimmune diagnosis, and celebrate some of the most helpful. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

There’s some compelling research that suggests the inability to forgive leads to negative health consequences, and the practice of forgiveness can have health benefits. When it comes to small injustices, this seems relatively easy to do. But what if you have experienced something that you find unforgiveable? Is forgiveness a requirement for healing? The pressure to forgive can feel like getting re-victimized all over again. In this podcast, we take a deep look at this topic. My guest is clinical psychologist and bestselling author, Dr. Harriet Lerner. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Do you ever feel like your brain isn’t working quite right – that you can’t remember things, or think clearly, or focus and make decisions? That simple tasks feel challenging, and complex tasks feel impossible? This cluster of symptoms is often called Brain Fog, because that’s what it feels like – that there’s a fog bank surrounding your brain, making everything more difficult. It’s also common to feel physically clumsy on brain fog days as well. Today, we’re doing a deep dive into the root causes of brain fog, and how we can identify and treat them. Our guest is Dr. Tim Gerstmar, ND. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

In this podcast, we’re taking a big picture look at time. How can we gain clarity on where our time goes? How can we start to feel in control of time, rather than buffeted by it? What makes it slow down in some moments and speed up in others? Is it possible to be productive and feel relaxed at the same time? And how can we flex our expectations and our schedules when our health fluctuates? My guest is Laura Vanderkam, an expert on the subject of maximizing time. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Today we take a detailed look at Scleroderma. How does it differ from other autoimmune diseases, and how is it diagnosed? Can diet and lifestyle make a difference? What are the best supplements? Is medication always necessary, and how do you make that decision? My guest is integrative rheumatologist Dr. Aly Cohen. Her approach combines the wisdom of Western and Eastern Medicine together. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Fatigue is a common side effect of autoimmune disease, but it can have many other root causes as well. For some people, it's mild and manageable. For others, it can be disabling. In this episode, we take a detective's perspective on fatigue. If symptoms are messengers, what is our fatigue trying to communicate about our own unique body? And how can we restore our vitality again? My guest is Andrea Nakayama, a world-renowned functional nutritionist, educator and speaker, whose mission is to change the way we do healthcare by empowering patients to reclaim ownership over their own health. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

The ability to say no is a life skill that every human being needs, but it’s even more important when you are trying to heal from chronic illness. The truth is: self-care takes time – everything from preparing homemade meals, to taking time out to manage our stress, and also prioritizing sleep at night. If we say yes to these things, we will need to say no to other things. The opposite is also true: if we don’t set boundaries, we won’t have the time we need to take care of ourselves. But our conversation isn’t just about time. Boundaries are also about respect and relationships. How do we want to be treated? What types of people do we want to surround ourselves with? And how do we have difficult conversations with those we love? In today's podcast, we answer these questions and more. My guest is holistic psychologist, Dr. Nicole LePera. Together, we share our best tips for building our boundary muscles. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol is a challenging diet under the best of circumstances. But when you’re the only one in your household following this diet, and you’re surrounded by foods you cannot eat, how do you manage? Today, I’ve invited three people onto the podcast to share their experience with us. They all have autoimmune disease. They all went AIP to improve their symptoms and maximize their health. And they're all making this work in non-paleo households. We talk about everything from avoiding food temptations, to eating safely in a gluten-filled kitchen, to blending your dietary needs with those of your friends and family.

Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous? Or lost your appetite when you were deeply grieving? We’ve all felt emotions in our gut – there’s even the common saying “gut feeling.” In fact, the more relaxed and content we feel when we eat, the better we digest our food. But did you know the gut-brain connection also goes the other way? That the food we eat can impact how our brain functions. Inflammatory foods can result in brain fog, mood swings, and even mental health disorders. In this podcast, we talk about the science behind this connection, and how we can harness it for our health – both mental and physical. My guest is Dr. Lili Wagner, a psychologist who specializes in this intersection between diet, lifestyle, digestion, and mental health. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.