In this podcast episode, Dr. Megan Saunders shares fundamental information for ending seasonal allergies! Dr. Megan discusses why we suffer from seasonal allergies and what we can do to support our body’s immune response so we no longer have allergies!
It will surprise you to learn what really causes allergies and, after applying holistic medicine and dietary changes, how easy it will be to help your body no longer have seasonal allergies!
Food can either harm us or heal us. When it comes to our gut health foods that continue to cause harm and inflammation can actually cause us to have allergies and food sensitivities!
Those with allergies and digestive issues should absolutely do the elimination diet to help them both determine which foods they should avoid and to help push the reset button.
Eight foods account for about 90 percent of all food-allergy reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts, wheat/gluten, soy, fish, and shellfish.
The elimination diet will cut out all common allergens, including:
Gluten
Dairy
Soy
Refined/added sugar
Peanuts
Corn
Alcohol
Eggs, in some cases
Usually, all packaged, processed or fast foods
Most elimination diets last for a few months. It’s believed that antibodies — the proteins your immune system makes when it negatively reacts to foods — take around three weeks to dissipate. So this is usually the minimum time needed for someone to fully heal from sensitives and to notice improvements in their symptoms.
When doing the elimination diet preparation is key to your success. It is a long and boring process of discovering which foods you are reacting to and monitoring your symptoms .
Those who complete the elimination diet are so glad they did because they notice more energy, better sleep, increases mental clarity, stronger digestion and for those who suffered from allergies often notice their allergies go away completely! Even seasonal allergies over time have been seen to completely go away once someone has dialed in their diet to exclude all those foods that triggered their immune system to create the allergies in the first place.
In the last episode, #43, Dr. Heidi discusses how to do the elimination diet to eliminate allergies.
For the supplements that Dr. Megan recommends visit takeyoursupplements.com
Elimination Diet: Reaping The Benefits Of Eating Right
Elimination diet is a means for figuring out what's causing your allergic responses. Through this diet, you can remove allergens harming your body.
Things to Ponder
Hello True Health Seekers! First of all, looking at all the topics we could explore on how you can improve your health, this topic of allergies keeps coming up---seasonal allergies, food allergies, reaction to external pollutants. Most of the time we resort to just buying over the counter medication to suppress those symptoms. But what is really going on underneath? What is causing all these symptoms?
Going back to our past episodes on Naturopaths, the body speaks to us in symptoms. Symptoms are actually the language of our body. If we want to master our health, achieve optimal health and learn how to achieve true health, we need to educate ourselves to understand our body.
My Personal Experience
I personally was habituated to all the foods I was eating. In effect, I was not feeling my best all the time. I was constantly lethargic and suffered frequent headaches. I thought this was as far as how my body works. A friend of mine was in a way was like me. My friend 'accepted' the fact that having arthritis pain is normal.
There are so many symptoms that we might completely pass off as the 'norm'. Consequently, we get to this mindset that this is how our body is supposed to feel.
When I shifted my diet and got rid of the things I was allergic to, I had so much energy. Headaches were now a thing of the past. I bounce out of bed whereas before, I thought I just needed coffee to feel alive.
Most noteworthy is that allergens end up lowering the inflammatory response which is known to decrease pain. In addition to that, tt also increases digestion and energy.
Importance Of The Elimination Diet
According to Naturopathic Doctor Dr. Heidi Semanie, try the elimination diet at least once in your life. There's always something in your diet that isn't the best for you. An elimination diet will give you more information after your body and the right foods for you.
"It is a step by step approach to finding out what your body does when exposed to different foods. Everybody has a different food group that their body will react to less postively," said Semanie.
Semanie also says it's not about not being able to breathe but it might be something you don't even notice until it's gone. The elimination diet offers an opportunity to see how your body functions at a very clean level. So you can make informed decisions about the foods you choose to included in your diet.
Elimination Diet As A Tool
First of all. it is to find out if your food source or supplement is causing an aggravation. There are reasons why your body is not absorbing nutrients in a way that is optimal.
Semanie says there are many ways to approach an elimination diet. There are different styles that work of different people. Her favorite approach is one of the 'strict' ways.
"If you're one of my patients, we first decide on your three foods. Typically those are brown rice, lamb, and pear. These are the only foods you'll be eating for four weeks," explains Semanie. "At the end of those four weeks, we'll have a list of foods you really want to get back into. And so we'll start challenging."
Furthermore, she expounds, "The challenge is, we'll take one food like tomatoes. This is to find out which foods you are allergic to. So we'll have you start on Monday and eat all the tomatoes as much as you can all day. And then at midnight, you stop. You go back to brown rice, lamb, and pear for the next three days."
Keeping A Journal
Dr. Semanie also suggests keeping a journal. This is to jot down any change you might notice or experience during the next three days. It could be headache, stuffy nose, gastrointestinal upsets, tummy rumbles, changes in your stool or more frequent urination.
Challenge weeks often take between 2 to 6 weeks depending how many foods you want to challenge. Furthermore, it also depends on how many symptoms you have.
"If you get to have adverse reactions on a certain food, we don't jump into another food challenge right away. We take a few days to go back to the elimination diet to allow your body to 'reset'," Semanie said.
Quality Matters
If you're on a budget, we can make sacrifices. And the sacrifice that we could make is we could say your pears don't have to be organic.
But you're going to choose a meat product that is as good as possible. This is because oftentimes, we react to the other things that the animal has been fed.
Adverse Reaction
But what if somebody reacts negatively to brown rice, lamb or pear?
Semanie says that for some people, when you start the elimination diet, you may have not exposed yourself to these foods. You may experiences some changes. What we're looking for are the changes that occur in your body.
"We keep in close contact in that first week or two. This is to make sure the changes that are happening are more along the lines of a detoxification pathway," said Semanie. "Your body should be clearing out junk rather than a response to what you're currently putting in."
In addition to that, Semanie says there are alternatives during worst scenarios. If you do not respond well the brown rice, lamb or pear, we look at more hypo-allergenic foods.
"If some people really can't eat lamb, we substitute it with turkey. Because turkey is less inflammatory. It has less adverse responses for most people compared to if they eat chicken or beef."
Vegetarians And the Elimination Diet
"We just find a plant-based substitute. So the person can still have protein in their diet. This can be a little tricky because a lot of the plant substitutes for protein are hard for the body to digest," said Semanie.
Semanie often just sticks to whatever their primary protein is, usually in supplement form.
Responding To The Challenge
Challenge day is different for most people. Some people will choose a less stringent program and eliminate one food at a time. Semanie says this is not the best way to do it but it does happen. Some practitioners may do it differently by breaking it down either food group or by food type.
Foods To Avoid
If you're not going to do an elimination diet, Semanie says these are the foods to avoid:
Furthermore, if you want to know more about the elimination diet and download the food mood journal, please click this link.
Dr. Heidi Semanie obtained her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. She also has a B.S. in Biological Science with minor degrees in English and Anthropology.
Official website: www.thenaturalpathtohealing.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSemanie/
Become A Health Coach
Learn More About The Institute for Integrative Nutrition's Health Coaching Certification Program by checking out these four resources:
1) Integrative Nutrition's Curriculum Guide:
http://geti.in/2cmUMxb
2) The IIN Curriculum Syllabus:
http://geti.in/2miXTej
3) Module One of the IIN curriculum:
http://geti.in/2cmWPl8
4) Get three free chapters of Joshua Rosenthal's book:
http://geti.in/2cksU87
Watch my little video on how to become a Certified Health Coach!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDDnofnSldI
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Ashley James
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Dr. Phil Carson is a pharmacist who thinks outside the box of traditional medicine. He believes in helping people find natural alternatives and integrative medicine solutions to their health problems.
He is committed to lead people to find the root cause of their health problems and not just treating the symptoms. Phil is passionate about encouraging and teaching people how to live more balanced, healthier and vibrant lives.
A registered pharmacist and Doctor of Pharmacy, with licenses in MS and TN, Phil is a 1985 graduate of the University of MS School of Pharmacy. Since earning his doctorate in pharmacy Phil has been certified as a Compounding Pharmacist, a Diabetes Care Pharmacist, and most recently a Consulting Pharmacist. Phil has also earned certifications in Lipid Management and Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). He has earned numerous certifications in Natural and Alternative Medicine Therapies for weight loss, fibromyalgia, ADD/ADHD, and many other health conditions.
- Founder of Carson Natural Health
- Co-founder of the Life Transformation Medical Center
- Certified Diabetes Care Pharmacist
- Certified Lifestyle Coach
- Certified 48 Days Coach
Here’s What You’ll Discover:
How To Achieve Healthy Digestion
We Do Not Need ADHD Medication
An Easy Trick To Ending Pain
Your Challenge:
Drink half your body weight in ounces of pure spring water each day. This can eliminate chronic pain!
Resources:
To order high-quality supplements:
http://takeyoursupplements.com/
Check out Dr. Carson's Fine In 49 Online Training & one-on-one coaching:
www.carsonnatural.com
Inspirational Book: Fully Alive: Lighten Up and Live - A Journey that Will Change Your LIfe by Ken Davis: http://amzn.to/28YdSWH
Suzanna McGee is a former Ms. Natural Olympia bodybuilding champion, now competitive tennis player, author, speaker, raw vegan athlete, and performance and injury prevention specialist with over 25 years of experience.
She is certified by National Academy of Sports Medicine and also holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell University. She is an author of “Tennis Fitness for the Love of it” and “The Athlete’s Simple Guide to a Plant-Based Lifestyle.”
Suzanna McGee loves to talk about plant-based nutrition for maximum athletic performance, health, and longevity.
She has personally experienced the power of plant-based nutrition, and the majority of her clients have also transitioned to a plant-based diet with great results.
Suzanna McGee also teaches mindful fitness and injury prevention by recreating musculoskeletal balance in the body.
Your Challenge:
Add more plants into your diet, preferably in the whole, natural state. Eat as many plants as you can. Add 5 extra servings of organic fruits to your diet every day for the next 7 days!
Ashley's Flourless Bread Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts
½ cup / 65g almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
2 tsp. fine grain sea salt
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water
For sweetness:
1 or 2 mashed bananas (more banana for sweetness)
1 diced apple or 1 can of mashed pineapple for sweetness
Optional: 1/2 cup dried blueberries, cranberries or raisins
Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick.
Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight.
Mix in the cooked quinoa with the dough and put the mix in flexible silicon loaf pans. Only fill the pans so the bread is about 2-3 inches tall.
To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it. Mix in a bit more water if the dough is too hard.
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for about 40 minutes. Watch bread to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down on a baking sheet and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.
You can toast the slices in a toaster oven or a regular oven and serve with ghee/coconut oil, cheese or nut butter!
Store bread in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
Be sure to drink a glass of water after eating a few slices. This flourless bread is FILLED with fiber and can cause constipation if you don't drink enough water!
Resources:
To order high-quality supplements:
http://takeyoursupplements.com/
Suzanna McGee: www.TennisFitnessLove.com
Books:
“The Athlete’s Simple Guide to a Plant-Based Lifestyle"
http://amzn.to/1VVuL7t
“Tennis Fitness for the Love of it”
http://amzn.to/25Yi0vD
"Pete Egoscue: Pain-Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain" http://amzn.to/1UOLMep
"Kelly Starrett: Becoming a Supple Leopard" http://amzn.to/1YnT52u
Jennifer has helped those in chronic pain experience relief through breath work techniques! She has even helped those who suffer from MS pain by teaching them these techniques.
Jennifer Houghton specializes in yoga for people over 50 years old. Many of her clients are coming to yoga for the first time at midlife seeking ways to deal with pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, surgery, injury, sciatica, and degenerative conditions.
"As a yoga teacher, I specialize in helping people find relief from pain using a unique breathing technique. I put the technique to the test myself last year when I broke a rib and managed to become so relaxed that I fell asleep within minutes!"
Because of their chronic pain they are no longer able to enjoy life - they can't be active anymore, their sleep is affected, they suffer from the side-effects of pain medication, their relationships are affected, they worry about who will take care of them as they get older.
Breath work is a tool that anyone can use to take control of pain, even if their mobility is limited. Jennifer shares that she loves being able to help people take control of their lives again.
• Most people do not breathe to their full capacity and don't realize this can add to stress and pain levels. Simply learning to breathe the way we were meant to reduce stress and pain levels.
• When people suffer from chronic pain, the 'stress response' aka the fight-or-flight response persists in the body. This causes the nervous system to stay wound up. The nervous system becomes hypersensitive and creates more pain sensations than are necessary. We can take control of the fight-or-flight response by moving from doing shallow, chest breathing into deep slow breathing.
The breath is the one aspect of the fight-or-flight response we have control over. Deep slow breathing sends this message to the nervous system:
• slow the heart rate
• stop producing pain and stress hormones
• start producing relaxation hormones (which block pain hormones)
• relax the muscles
• start digesting
• divert blood and resources back to the immune system, reproductive system, internal organs
Breath work can have a powerful effect not only on stress levels but on pain levels. When chronic pain is present, the nervous system learns to detect smaller problems and send more than normal pain signals back to the brain. With persistent pain, the nerves can act as if normal sensations, like touch, are dangerous. Deep breathing counteracts these responses.
So, although it is not a cure for chronic pain, deep breathing impacts the nervous system and can take the edge off the pain and make life livable again.
Deep breathing also strengthens the diaphragm muscle. Studies have found that people with weak diaphragm muscles are at greater risk of developing back pain and may develop neck and shoulder pain too.
1) the breath is a tool we can use to reduce stress and pain levels - when we recognize the ways we are not breathing to our full capacity, e.g. shallow chest breathing, mouth breathing, fast breathing, only using limited parts of our torsos - we can re-establish our natural ability to breathe deeply
2) strengthening the diaphragm through deep breathing can help reduce back, neck, and shoulder pain
3) doing a 10-minute breathing practice daily is all it takes to make deep breathing a habit and can make a significant impact over time to stress and pain levels
Jennifer leads listeners through a 6-minute breath practice. You will become instantly relaxed and may experience less pain as a result.
Resources:
To order high-quality supplements:
http://takeyoursupplements.com/
Website: http://www.bountifulyogaandwellness.com/
Jennifer's Online Courses:
1) The Release Method: Breathe Your Way to Pain Relief - http://www.bountifulyogaandwellness.com/the-release-method-pain-relief/
2) The Posture Project: Build a Better Back - http://www.bountifulyogaandwellness.com/the-posture-project/
BOOK: The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice by T.K.V. Desikachar: http://amzn.to/24I43Q9
Dr. Megan Saunders teaches how to support our body’s “energy hormones” using all natural herbal tinctures. Youngevity has a line of high quality herbal tinctures that contain strong botanical medicine designed to support the body in achieving balance and optimal health.
Each herb used in the Good Herbs blends, Dr. Megan explains, are wild crafted or organic, a good indicator of their quality and potency.
Dr. Megan explains that herbs are a safe way to stimulate and support the body’s endocrine system while also supporting the body, and it’s systems, as a whole.
You will also learn when to take your herbal tinctures, how much to take and, most importantly, HOW to take them!
For any questions, or to order high quality supplements that support your adrenal and energy health please visit http://takeyoursupplements.com/
Sherry is a food philosopher, author, chef, and nutritionist. In Australia Sherry was the Victorian Chair of Nutrition Australia, Melbourne President of Slow Food, Co-Founder of the World Wellness Project, and a TEDxTokyo presenter.
Sherry was once twice her size. She practices what she teaches and has obtained amazing health.
As founder of the Return to Food Academy, she trains people to become Food Coaches and through her 7 Day Challenge, she helps individuals gain health through learning new ways of eating that are satisfying and healthy. Take Sherry's 7 Day Food Challenge: http://learntruehealth.com/challenge/
Sherry's passion is training food coaches to make a living helping people develop a healthy relationship with food, their body and the planet using the philosophies and strategies that she has developed over the last +30 years.
Sherry teaches two lessons from her book during our interview:
1. Nature's Principle - Nutrition that is most present in our life is what we need the most of. Air and water are the most primary life dependent nutrient. Vegetation (vegetables) are the third. Easier to obtain nuts, seeds and berries are next. Fruit and then animal protein is last. In the wild, we would rather find and cook an egg or a fish than kill, bleed, gut and skin or pluck a chicken or lamb.
If we had to live in nature we would eat much differently. If we think of the hierarchy of how we would eat if we depended on nature we would eat more of the foods that are easy to obtain and less of the foods that are harder to obtain.
2. The Lethal Recipe - How we are producing our food has to lead to a huge rise in "lifestyle" diseases. These diseases are directly from how we eat. Many foods in our grocery store are as processed as heroin or cocaine. It's artificial, chemical, toxic and void of nutrition.
These foods are refined grains, sugars, oils, salts and chemicals. Also, dairy and soy products are often manipulated until they are unhealthy.
Through the process of making these packaged foods, they denature the nutrition, remove minerals and add addictive chemicals.
Here’s What You’ll Discover:
Why diets don't work
Dangers of the cult of thin & fit
The Power of Eating Together
The most vital nutrient deficiency facing mankind
The relationship between food addiction and connection
How does Nature tell us what to eat?
What is the Consumption Concept and how does that philosophy relate to real life?
Health AH-HA Moment:
There are just as many skinny people who develop diabetes as obese people. Obesity doesn't cause diabetes, it's the foods we are eating. Processed foods are highly addictive. Sugar lights up the brain 8x more than cocaine does.
Your Challenge:
1 - Take Sherry's 7 Day Food Challenge:
http://learntruehealth.com/challenge/
2 - Start looking at your food and ask yourself "Was this produced out of love or fear?" "Am I making this choice because I am loving my body or because I am afraid?"
Was the food manufactured or grown out of love? Think of the chain of custody from seed to your plate. The farmer, grocer, the company that made it and the person that cooked it. Finally, create an environment where you eat surrounded by those who love each other.
Resources:
Watch Sherry Strong's TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/w8u3q8hZtfo
Take Sherry's 7 Day Food Challenge:
http://learntruehealth.com/challenge/
BOOK - Return to Food: http://amzn.to/1RNZtZe
To order high-quality supplements:
http://takeyoursupplements.com/