Phoenix Helix: Autoimmune Resilience

This episode is all about making the paleo autoimmune protocol easier to follow. We share our best tips for easy breakfasts, easy lunches, easy dinners, easy snacks, easy sleep, and easy stress management. My guest, Mickey Trescott, is one of the women behind the Autoimmune Wellness blog and podcast, the author of three AIP cookbooks, and a pioneer in the paleo AIP community. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Why does exercise feel so different after an autoimmune diagnosis? Activities that our bodies loved in the past can now cause an autoimmune flare. Yet, not moving at all isn't healthy either. So, what do we do? In this podcast, we get professional insight into this topic. My guest, Andrea Wool, is a certified personal trainer and founder of Autoimmune Strong - a fitness website designed specifically for people with autoimmune disease. She'll be teaching us about the connection between stress, inflammation, and exercise, alongside its potential risks and benefits to our health. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys from rock bottom to reclaiming a vital life. But at least once a year, I dedicate an episode to back-to-back healing stories, and I make an effort to speak to people with different autoimmune diagnoses each time. In this episode, we talk about Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Crohn's Disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Adult Onset Stills Disease, but also Autoimmunity in general. And if you want to hear the prior Healing Stories podcasts, check out episodes 1, 14, 30, 43, 61, and 87. Let’s inspire each other!

In support of my own autoimmune health, I'm taking a sabbatical for the month of December and releasing two of my favorite episodes from the archives that you might have missed. Today's episode originally aired 3 years ago, but it's a timeless topic. As Dr. Sarah Ballantyne says, "Dietary changes aren't effective in isolation. If you don't address lifestyle factors as well, it won't matter how ideal your food choices are." In this podcast, I interview four people about one lifestyle change that has made a big difference in their autoimmune healing journey. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

In support of my own autoimmune health, I'm taking a sabbatical for the month of December and releasing two of my favorite episodes from the archives that you might have missed. Today's episode originally aired 3 years ago, but it's a timeless topic. When you first switch to a paleo diet, you lose a lot of your standard recipes, are introduced to a bunch of new ingredients, and it’s not uncommon to feel lost in your own kitchen. Today, we have expert paleo tour guides! Mel Joulwan is the author of the bestselling Well Fed Cookbook Series, Rachael Bryant is the author of the AIP cookbook Nourish, and Laura Vein from the blog Sweet Treats is a former pastry chef turned AIP baker. They share their best tips with us today. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Stem cell research is an exciting field with great potential for people with autoimmune disease. When we see the headlines, it’s easy to believe a cure is already here, especially since some commercial clinics promise that. In today's podcast, we separate the hope from the hype. We talk about current clinical trials and what they’re showing, the risks vs. benefits of these treatments, which autoimmune diseases are the focus of the studies, and what we still have to learn. My guest is Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, a physician and stem cell researcher who specializes in multiple sclerosis.

When I was at rock bottom with rheumatoid arthritis and experiencing excruciating pain on a daily basis, I started keeping a gratitude journal. That might seem like a strange time do this, but I deeply needed to focus on something beyond the pain and suffering that had become my entire world. And it helped! It didn’t alleviate my pain, but it did reduce my suffering, because it helped me remember there were still good things in my life. It turns out I’m not alone in feeling these benefits. Research is showing that gratitude can improve both mental and physical health. My guest is Dr. Fuschia Sirois, an expert in the field of gratitude and chronic illness. In this podcast, we discuss the research, alongside practical steps for making gratitude part of our daily lives. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

There's a strong link between trauma and autoimmunity. People who are diagnosed with a stress-related disorder like PTSD are 30-40% more likely to be diagnosed with autoimmune disease. Childhood trauma has an even bigger impact. And the shock of an autoimmune diagnosis combined with life-changing symptoms can qualify as a trauma itself. When it comes to maximizing our health, being aware of this connection is important. Thankfully, there are trauma therapies that can help rebuild our health resilience. My guest today is Dr. Maureen Pierce, a health psychologist who specializes in working with people with chronic pain and chronic illness. Not surprisingly, she’s a trauma specialist as well. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.

Here’s the deal – headlines are designed to grab our attention, and it’s not uncommon for reporters to simplify, exaggerate, or completely misrepresent a research study’s results. So, when we care about science and how our choices impact our health, how can we be sure we’re getting accurate information? Today, I’ve invited a research expert onto the podcast who many of you know and love: Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, also known as The Paleo Mom. She's going to teach us how to critique a scientific study for quality, bias, and limits of proof.

We all find ourselves in victim mode once in a while, especially when life is hard. There is a time and place for throwing ourselves a pity party. The key is not getting stuck in that pattern. How do we identify signs that we are in a victim mindset, and how can we shift to feeling empowered, strong and hopeful again? My guest today is Sarah Kolman, an expert in psychoneuroimmunology, the science of how our thoughts and emotions affect immune and autoimmune health.