Blog & Podcast
Welcome to my blog, where you’ll find articles and links to my podcast episodes.
If you’d like to discuss your health concerns or ask some specific questions, please contact me and we can get started on your journey to balanced health!
Interview with Dr. Aristo Vojdani
On this day I had the significant honor of sitting down with a giant in the integrative and functional medicine arena, Dr. Aristo Vojdani. We do a deep-dive into autoimmunity, laboratory testing, food sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, and all things immunology.
“Who Are You Calling Fat?!” says the liver…
In this 72nd episode I discuss the aptly-named condition "fatty liver," otherwise known as Steatosis.
Just like any other tissue of the body, the liver can begin to accumulate fatty deposits. This can hinder the function of the liver and even lead to destruction and more significant disease.
In this episode we will cover just what a fatty liver condition involves, how people get there, why it is not something you want, and how to reverse it.
Much Ado About Mold - Is Mold Harming You?
In this 71st episode I discuss several concepts around mold exposure. For sure mold is a hot topic in many circles. But how do you know if it is really a significant concern for you?
We will discuss the pros and cons of different types of testing for blood and urine, and how a home / office test, can be an important step.
We also discuss some of the more common symptoms of mold exposure, and just how something like this can be a significant "driver" for other medical conditions like autoimmunity.
Eat Fat to Burn Fat - The Ketogenic Diet
In this 41st episode we discuss concepts around a ketogenic diet, otherwise known as nutritional ketosis.
We will discuss what a ketone is as compared to glucose, how best to get into ketosis, why a person would do such a thing, and how the benefits can extend way beyond simple weight loss efforts.
Listen in and look beyond the more well known faddish concepts of Keto dieting! There is so much more to the story.
Ketogenic Diet | Keto Diet | Ketosis
The Gluten-Anxiety Connection
In this 61st episode we explore just how something like gluten, a protein found in grains, can be a significant driving force in the development and expression of anxiety, depression, and really any other mental/emotional concern.
We will discuss the role of the vagus nerve, the blood brain barrier, the gut barrier, antibody cross-reaction, GAD enzymes, deep cerebellar nuclei, purkinjie cells, and more! Yep nerdy stuff here, but fascinating and empowering once you see the connections.
Don't let something like anxiety or depression go untreated. Often times it is something you are doing every day that drives the whole business.
Gluten Cross Reactions - It Isn’t Just in Your Gut!
In this episode we will discuss some less-known concepts around gluten and how it can impact areas of the body, seemingly unrelated to the digestive system. As it turns out, upwards of 70% of gluten reactions are located in the brain and nervous system... Not in the gut!
This episode will focus on the topic of "cross-reactivity," which translates into "cases of mistaken identity." Sometimes the immune system just can't tell the difference.
Learn some foods which look and act a lot like gluten for the gluten sensitive population, and what tissues in the body also look a lot like gluten.
Lastly, we will discuss how gluten and autoimmune disease can be linked. This episode takes the basic concepts of gluten sensitivity and exposes the darker reality.
“I’m leaking from where, now?”
In this episode we will discuss Intestinal Permeability... aka. "Leaky Gut." We will detail the physiology of Leaky Gut and some very common mechanisms which promote the development of the condition, and the inflammatory cascades which can create a viscous cycle that drives itself over time.
Listen and learn how a breech in the gut barrier can have so much to do with autoimmunity, food sensitivity, joint pain, brain fog, and much much more.
Introduction to Autoimmunity
In this 22nd episode, I will discuss some of the basic fundamentals of autoimmunity. We will explore the different stages of autoimmune expression, potential triggers, and how it might look before a full-blown diagnosis is given.
This is the first episode in a series of autoimmune episodes. Coming episodes will explore more about therapies/interventions, and specific autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmunity is an extremely common condition effecting many millions of people in this country. It is rare in fact not to have someone in your family with an autoimmune disease. That makes this episode, and mini-series on autoimmunity an important one to hear.
The Autoimmune-Gut Connection
It is important to understand one major concept regarding autoimmunity: no one is born with an autoimmune disease. People are often born with a genetic propensity to develop a disease, but it tends to be factors in that person’s life that turn autoimmunity on. In this article, I explain more about autoimmunity, what impacts this unfortunate condition, and what can be done to ease the symptoms.
Short-Chain Fatty Acids: A New Tool for Systemic Inflammation
To continue the conversation about probiotics and gut health, I dive deeper to explain what short chain fatty acids do and how they impact our overall health.
Why Does Food Hate Us So Much?
Why do so many of us struggle with how we feel after eating? Many people feel bloated, get indigestion, or get diarrhea after eating, and can't figure out why. There are many possible reasons for this, and things we can do about it! Get some insight on what's going on and some quick tips to help.
Autoimmunity: Early Detection Can Change Your Future
There is a good chance you will find some degree of autoimmunity in any random person off the street - one out of five Americans currently suffer from autoimmune disease. Their immune system loses the ability to determine self tissues from non-self tissues and launch deliberate attacks against them. This can come in many forms such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few. Some simple tests can help you stop or slow the progression. If you have concerns about your status or have a family history of autoimmune disease, this article is for you!
Fitbit Captures Patient Recovery
I wanted to take a moment and share a recent case study that I find to be particularly interesting. Most of the time when I work with a patient we start with a set of symptoms or even a known medical condition. Some tests are ordered, results observed and a plan of action is set in motion. An improvement in symptoms, and/or a follow up test weeks or months later tells us if our efforts were effective. But an interesting thing is starting to happen. My patients are coming in wearing a Fitbit or some other handy device that measures all sorts of things about their daily physiology. This provides for both of us some powerful feedback in real time as to how the strategies we are employing are actually working. The basis of this piece is in regards to just such a patient experience.
Leaky Gut Syndrome... I'm leaking from where now?!
Is anyone else out there fascinated with the colon… Or is it just me? And why on Earth would I want to talk about “Leaky Gut Syndrome” anyway? It is a rather eloquently named pathology don't you think? Contrary to the graphic image that it hints towards, Leaky Gut Syndrome does not have anything to do with that synthetic fat substitute that came out in the 80’s which caused anal leakage. I suppose that would be called "Leaky Butt Syndrome." Leaky Gut Syndrome is much more dangerous than that. And here’s why:
A Body Fighting Against Itself
Probably one of the most up and coming of serious medical problems facing Americans today is auto-immunity. An auto-immune condition is one in which the immune system works to attack a particular tissue in the body. This problem can lead to a huge variety of disorders including Type I Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s (auto-immune thyroid), and many many more. The title of this article is actually two fold. It points out that not only are our bodies fighting against themselves, but the medical establishment, and the population as a whole is also caught up in a system that is working towards self destruction.
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