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Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

Books

New book for health coaches: Functional Medicine Coaching

By Trudy Scott 3 Comments

If you’re a health coach or an aspiring health coach I want to make sure you know about the new book written by my colleagues Sandra Scheinbaum and Elyse Wagner. They are two of the key leaders in Functional Medicine coaching and founders of Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, a well-regarded learning platform for health coaches around the world.

Their new book is called Functional Medicine Coaching: How to Be Part of the Movement That’s Transforming Healthcare.

(You may even find it useful if you’ve worked with a health coach or plan to work with one in the future, and to get a better understanding of Functional Medicine and how it works)

The goal of this book is not only to help you understand the growing role of health coaches, but also to be inspired by the dozens of transformational stories and the impact of Functional Medicine overall.

Here is a snippet from Dr. Mark Hyman’s foreword for the book, describing the important role of health coaches:

Health coaches teach people how to change their diet and live better, more fulfilling lives. They do not act as experts, but educated in Functional Medicine principles and nutrition, they have enough information to guide clients to make better choices and change habits. Coaches provide the key ingredient: social support. The coach, rather than acting as the expert, empowers the client to take charge of his/her health and the two work as a team.

As a nutritionist, I believe that health coaches are an important part of the team for someone who is working with a functional medicine practitioner. This book covers all the important aspects about being a health coach, and why proper training is essential, as well as providing a clear understanding of the value and impact of Functional Medicine.

Dr Hyman sums it up perfectly:

Essentially, individuals engage with coaches to support them, either individually, or in groups. With this type of teamwork, individuals can transform their behavior. They can receive feedback and be held accountable. Health coaches have to be integrated into every facet of the health care system, beginning in the community.

The Functional Medicine movement cannot succeed without Functional Medicine health coaches, as inspiring behavior change is necessary if people are to actually get better. I can tell my patients what to do, but if they don’t do it, it doesn’t matter.

The authors are offering a no-cost Functional Medicine health coaching session for you if you buy the book and register your purchase through the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy. You will also have access to the dozens of bonuses being offered by some of the top leaders in the healthcare community.

Here is the link to purchase on Amazon

Here is the link to register your book (after purchasing it) and your no-cost Functional Medicine health coaching session + bonuses.

Here’s to transforming your health and the health of those around you!

Hashimoto’s Protocol by Dr. Izabella Wentz

By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

The great new book called Hashimoto’s Protocol by Dr. Izabella Wentz just made #1 on the New York Times bestseller list!

Since I’m in Australia I have a kindle edition of Dr. Izabella’s brilliant new book that just released last week: Hashimoto’s Protocol: A 90-Day Plan for Reversing Thyroid Symptoms and Getting Your Life Back. It’s a must-read if you are dealing with Hashimoto’s or actually any thyroid problems (or if you suspect you may have thyroid issues)!

If you are a practitioner I highly recommend it too!

Here’s the official blurb:

Dr. Izabella Wentz, the author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, returns with a long-awaited, groundbreaking prescription to reverse the symptoms of this serious autoimmune condition that is becoming one of the country’s fastest growing diseases.

More than thirty-five million Americans currently suffer from Hashimoto’s—an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland and causes the body to attack its own cells. To alleviate the symptoms of this debilitating condition—including chronic cough, acid reflux, IBS, allergies, chronic pain, hair loss, brain fog, and forgetfulness [plus anxiety and depression] —patients are often prescribed synthetic hormones that have numerous life-altering side effects.

But there is a better way.

Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at twenty-seven, pharmacist Dr. Izabella Wentz knows first-hand the effects of the disease, as well as the value—and limitations—of medication. The key to improved health, she argues, involves lifestyle interventions. In Hashimoto’s Protocol, she outlines a proven treatment that has helped thousands heal and many others feel better—in as fast as ninety days.

Drawing on her own personal experience as well as her work consulting with thousands of patients, Hashimoto’s Protocol offers a practical pathway for healing and reversing the autoimmune damage at the root of the disease. The first step is a quick-start two-week detox that includes foods to eat and inflammatory foods to avoid, advice on supplements to support the liver, and an adrenal recovery plan. Next, readers create a personalized plan with foods, supplements, and other lifestyle interventions tailored to their body’s own unique Hashimoto’s triggers, which they can identify using self-tests included in the book. Hashimoto’s Protocol also features original recipes.

Grounded in the latest science, Hashimoto’s Protocol is the first book to offer a proven protocol by an acknowledged expert in the field to treat this condition without dangerous hormones—and help sufferers reclaim their lives.

Izabella has done a wonderful job! I love that she covers the basics like liver support, the adrenals and gut health and then goes into advanced protocols for trauma, infections, toxins and nutrient deficiencies! I really LOVE how she dives deep into the newest research and connects ALL the dots in a really smart way!

And even if you don’t have thyroid issues you would benefit from these sections that are applicable for everyone:

  • Root Cause Liver Support Protocol — how to support your liver by clearing detox pathways so that you’re able to release toxins and get your energy back.
  • Adrenal Recovery Protocol — how to reset your response to stress so that you can regenerate your body.
  • The Gut Balancing Protocol — the right nutrients so that your gut starts working at its optimal level.

Here is a snippet from the Liver support section:

Halogens and halogen-containing chemicals: These chemicals include bromide, chloride, and fluoride; are structurally similar to iodine; and may take up receptor sites in the thyroid gland. Unfortunately, their presence in the thyroid gland can

lead to thyroid cell death and inflammation. Individuals exposed to high levels of halogen-containing substances have been found to have higher rates of thyroid antibodies.

Chlorine: When found in polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorine has been shown to be toxic to thyroid cells and to promote the onset of Hashimoto’s through increasing TSH, thyroid antibodies, and thyroid size. PCBs are found in industrial products. Chlorine is also found in water systems, pools, cleaning products, and plastics.

Bromide: This can be found in baked goods, plastics, soft drinks, and even our mattresses, which are coated with brominated flame retardants. Studies show bromine-containing substances—polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)—are connected to an increased incidence of Hashimoto’s.

Fluoride: This thyroid-suppressing halogen is found in water, toothpaste, and some medications as well as in black, green, and red tea. Using a reverse osmosis filter is the best way to get rid of fluoride.

The gentle two-week Liver support section

will guide you on how to eliminate hidden toxins from your everyday life and how to help your liver process out the toxins you may have in your body. Both are critical steps for anyone who’s had problems with taking supplements or is struggling with current symptoms. Most people see drastic changes just by completing this step alone.

 

Here is the Amazon link or support your local book store if you have one nearby!

Also enjoy the fabulous 2 week recipe plan Dr. Izabella is offering. It has 2 weeks worth of recipes, meal plans and shopping lists based on the autoimmune Paleo diet template. Click here to learn more and signup for the 2 week recipe plan.

Hope you enjoy these great thyroid resources!

If you already have a copy let us know what you think and which sections have helped you?

Stress, aging and turning off your bad genes: with Dr. Sara Gottfried

By Trudy Scott 23 Comments

At age 44, my friend and colleague Dr. Sara Gottfried, M.D., got a research opportunity few people would want. She performed a simple blood test of how fast she was aging, and she failed.

She was aging 20 years faster than her chronological years, as measured by her telomeres. Those are the protective caps on your chromosomes that determine how your cells age. You want telomeres that are long and lovely. Dr. Sara’s were short and stubby.

Despite what we’ve been told, it’s not normal to age fast, gain weight, feel anxious, and become disease-ridden. Just as the number on the bathroom scale isn’t always a simple reflection of calories consumed vs. calories burned, the number of years you’ve lived isn’t always a reflection of your biological age (meaning the age of your cells).

Dr. Sara’s telomeres and body needed rescuing, so she dove into the science and created a breakthrough protocol to slow down aging.

Dr. Sara also had adrenal fatigue, a slow thyroid, estrogen dominance, disrupted sleep, and insulin resistance. Because her cells were numb to insulin, her blood sugar was climbing. Not in the diabetes range, but prediabetes. These hormone problems added up to faster aging.

During the past five years of research, Dr. Sara discovered crucial truths locked in our genes—truths about how you age, how you gain weight, how your body handles stress, and so much more. In her new book, Younger: A Breakthrough Program to Reset Your Genes, Reverse Aging, and Turn Back the Clock 10 Years, she reveals important yet little-known truths to slow down aging and reverse anxiety. She helps you create hormonal harmony and turn on and off the appropriate longevity genes. Here are just a few highlights:

  • Breast cancer runs in her family, so she learned how to turn off her cancer-promoting genes using her fork and wine glass.
  • Sara doesn’t detox well—neither do half of Americans—so she needed to add a specific B vitamin to her daily regimen. Hint: we talk about the MTHFR gene and detox in our interview below).
  • Her grandmother died of Alzheimer’s disease, so Dr. Sara was thrilled to learn about the functional medicine protocol that preserves cognitive function regardless of age. Hint: it involves a specific way of eating, exercising, practicing yoga or meditation, flossing, brushing teeth, and sleeping.

In her new book, you’ll learn what happened to Dr. Sara’s telomeres over the past 5 years as she tested and refined her protocol, first on herself, and then on 1,000 other women.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of Younger and loved it so much that I wrote the following endorsement:

The brilliant book, Younger, by Dr. Sara Gottfried MD is mesmerizing, cutting-edge and a must-read! It teaches how you can turn your good genes on and your bad genes off via a healthy mix of science and gene information, together with simple assessment tools and powerful lifestyle changes. You’ll feel happier and calmer, look and feel younger, and actually reverse age-related diseases – even if you have anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, heart disease or obesity in your family. Why wouldn’t you want to influence your genes for the better? I know I do and so do my community of anxious women. We will all benefit immensely from Dr. Gottfried’s wisdom!

~ Trudy Scott, nutritionist and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution

I also had the opportunity to interview Dr. Sara about this topic and you can watch and listen below as we discuss some of the following:

  • Telomeres and aging (at 44 Dr. Sara had the telomeres of a 64 year old woman)
  • Healthspan and feeling fantastic
  • Walking on the beach for the adrenals, earthing and vagal toning
  • Forest bathing and the effects on cortisol levels [this isn’t in the book]
  • Ikaria “the island where they forgot to die” – herbal teas, tight social community, long lunches, no watches, 7.5 hours of sleep
  • Date night and chanting in the infrared sauna
  • Finnish study: saunas, longevity and the FOXO3 gene (a panacea? and even a form of exercise for those with heart failure)
  • MTHFR “detox” or methylation gene (depression and alcohol detox)
  • We can impact how our genes talk to our bodies in such profound ways
  • The FKBP5 Gene is turned on by severe trauma (studied in Holocaust victims) and affects how we handle stress
  • The TH gene is turned on by the cold
  • rs6330 – NGF/nerve growth factor gene and vagal tone (CC form = more anxious females; TT form = more anxious males) [this isn’t in the book]
  • Genetic testing is optional but can be done with 23andme, Pathway and SmartDNA (in Australia)
  • Testing telomeres with Lifelength and SpectraCell
  • Vagus nerve and parasympathetic system – affects anxiety levels, the gut, voice and brain – improved with meditation, prayer, chanting, social connection, singing, call girlfriends, sleeping on your right side
  • 7 day Younger challenge (most powerful levers from the book)
  • 7 week Younger challenge
  • Thing about your 75 year old self: “I want to make decisions that are kind to her” and “How can you kind be to your future self”

If this resonates with you, I encourage you to join Dr. Sara’s slow aging revolution by ordering your copy of Younger.

I hope you’ll join Dr. Sara and me in our quest to continue resetting genes and reversing aging in 2017. The science is yours for the taking!

If you are like Dr. Sara and have issues with your adrenals, thyroid, insulin, or sleep, you could be aging too fast, as she was. And while the genetic hand you’ve been dealt may seem like a fait accompli, the greatest truth Dr. Sara discovered is that you can “turn on” good genes and “turn off” bad ones using the seven-week protocol she developed based on the latest research. Thankfully, she’s done all the research so you don’t have to!

When you order the new book, feel free to click here to submit your receipt and get several bonuses for a limited time, including Dr. Sara’s Younger Quick Start Guide. This guide includes an overview of the Younger Protocol, Dr. Sara’s Anti-Aging Prerequisites, and a sample menu so that you’re ready when the book arrives.

 

Interview: Heal Your Pain Now + the fear-pain connection

By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

If you struggle with chronic pain from an injury, autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, joint pain, arthritis, anxiety, depression or have tried everything without success, Heal Your Pain Now provides natural solutions to eliminate pain and return you to a life worth living.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Joe Tatta, physical therapist and nutritionist, author of this wonderful new book and a dear friend!

You can watch the interview here:

 

And here is a summary from our great interview:

What is chronic pain – it’s about protection. Acute pain like an ankle sprain tells you to rest and heal; chronic pain – persists beyond 3 months and is less about protection and more about the brain being in a hyper-sensitive state.

The human body has innate ability to heal i.e. the body has a natural anti-inflammatory process and tissue will heal in 3 months. After those 3 months it becomes less about the actual tissue and more about what is going on centrally in the brain and nervous system.

Central sensitization or the hyper-sensitive brain: we have a neural signature specific to you and your pain experience.

It’s based on what you believe about pain, are told about pain, your memories, your emotions, input from body (such as tightness), your thoughts, touch and sound.

With central sensitization pathways light up in the brain causing pain and in some instances those pathways never quiet down. The more we can be educated about pain the faster we can release this central sensitization and the pain.

An example: You and I had backpain – my life: mom is a nurse, my backpain comes and goes, I can move a little, I go to work, do some chores and basic exercise; in your life your grandmother had really bad back pain, was in a wheelchair and said back pain is the worst pain you could ever have. This may make your pain persist. Fear causes pain to persist over a long period of time.

Fear and pain: it can be actual fear or perceived; fight or flight – muscles tense around the spinal column; blood is shunted away from the spinal muscles because you’re getting ready to run or fight; when it’s persistent there is no blood flow and no healthy nutrients going to the spinal muscles; cortisol levels become elevated – they are inflammatory and very powerful at laying down memory patterns (which can make pain persist).

When you lessen fear you promote relaxation and in general pain disappears very fast.

When you hear all this the brain repatterns – you’re doing a mini cognitive behavior session just listening to and watching the video of us interacting! (I love this!)

Myth: chronic pain has to be chronic – no! Replace the word chronic with persistent because language is really important for creating these pain memories.

Myth: imaging studies like xrays and MRIs are correlated with pain. Often we see intense pain with normal xrays, sometimes no pain with awful rays.

There is also the emotional aspect – when someone in a white coat holds up that xray and says you have this issue it can start that fear response and the pain can be worse.

This fear pain connection is fascinating and I asked if it common knowledge

  • The average physician only receives 4 hours of pain science education in 12 -16 years of education – most of what they learn focused on medications, injections and surgery. We currently have a biomedical model (xray and injection or surgery, injections or medications) but we are moving to a biopsychosocial model (movement, nutrition, mindset, the brain)
  • The book has 40 pages of evidence based research (if you’re a practitioner and would like access to the papers let me know in the comments and Dr. Joe can get them to you)
  • I suggest using the book to educate yourself and your doctor

Medications prescribed for pain: Opioids (oxycontin, codeine, morphine) #1 drug prescribed for pain. CDC and NIH: You should not prescribe opioids as first line of treatment for chronic pain. They are highly addictive – 3 million addicted to them; 2 million die each year; opioid-induced hyperalgesia – the more you take the more pain sensitivity you have and the more medication is needed.

Side effects: constipation caused by opioids and you’re prescribed medications for the constipation; called OIC (opioid induced constipation) – changes the microbiome, fecal matter is bound up, you get leaky gut, inflammation starts in gut and there are impacts on neurotransmitter production like GABA and serotonin (and then increased anxiety and depression).

Other medications used are SSRIs – depression looks very similar to pain in the brain – when you heal the gut you can balance serotonin

Gabapentin and NSAIDs and benzodiazepines are also prescribed.

The book covers ALL pain – any chronic (or persistent) pain that has been around for 3 months or longer

Nutrition: diet is the #1 way to reduce inflammation – food is medicine approach; 100% whole food (if it comes in a box or a can or is made by man it has no place in your diet especially if you have chronic pain); farm-raised beef, wild fish, fruit and vegetables, healthy fats i.e. a modified Mediterranean diet.

Then use a gut-healing protocol for removing inflammation and addressing autoimmunity – remove gluten, dairy and sugar. In 3-7 days people see their pain decrease from 8/10 to 2/10.

“I don’t think I have arthritis and I don’t think I need this Aleve – I think it was the gluten I was eating”

If you slip a little and have some gluten then you realize you can’t even have any and you’re educating yourself that food is medicine. It’s very powerful

With gut healing, if you have autoimmunity take out eggs and GMOs (soy and corn) too; there is more clinical evidence around nightshades – if you can heal the gut you can often tolerate small amounts.

The ketogenic diet is last phase: 65% – 75% fat, 5% carbs (from fibrous vegetables) and the rest is protein. It’s awesome to regulate blood sugar, helps central sensitization (we know because those with seizures do really well on a ketogenic diet). With seizures glutamate is high and GABA low and the ketogenic diet helps balance out these in your brain and calms the nervous system and decreases pain; upregulates ATP (energy molecule) which helps with pain. Brain fogs goes away.

The ketogenic diet is not for someone with type 1 diabetes, who is pregnant or in acute adrenal fatigue

Do a trial of 3-4 weeks and cycle into ketosis every 4-6 months.

Intermittent fasting tricks body into thinking body is starving.

A big plane flies over at the 41 minute mark! Enjoy the laugh with us!

With intermittent fasting do a 14-16 hour fast overnight, say 6pm to 9am the next day

Mini-fasts: protein shake in the morning or evening – the meal is smaller; or use bone broth – healing for gut and collagen for your joints!

Supplements: omega-3s (2000 to 4000mg); curcumin (in oil – really important to help absorption); vitamin D 5000-10,000 IU; some kind of proteolytic enzymes; GABA for pain and anxiety and central sensitization.

If this feels overwhelming and you feel you need more support (in addition to reading the book) Dr. Joe does have a group program

It’s called Heal your Pain Heal your Life  – 6 week process, a Facebook group group, Q and A calls, and social support (which is huge if you have pain and can’t get out of house, or if others can’t relate to your pain, plus for the community support)

Movement, sedentary syndrome, sit rise test: movement is medicine and has to be in your life in some form. Even 5 minutes twice a day can help. It sends signal to your brain “I can move a bit and I’m safe”, you build confidence and fear decreases, releases endorphins, quiets down the nervous system

Sit rise test – cross your legs and lower yourself down to the floor without your hands and then stand back up. It indicates a long life-expectancy; they are not sure why – cardio effects? Balance? It tests strength and vitality; if you can’t do it – practice each day. Third world cultures sit on the floor to communicate – when you move joints in full range it lubricates them.

I’m a climber, skier, mountain biker, windsurfer and have had many injuries and worked with wonderful physical therapist and yet I have learned so much from Dr. Joe and this book! I will use it for prevention of injuries and pain and for the next time I am injured and in pain.

Dr. Joe ended by saying

Keep moving forward, we’re going to change the pain paradigm and give people their lives back!

This is the book summary:

In Heal Your Pain Now, Dr. Joe Tatta teaches you how to regain control of your life by breaking the cycle of persistent pain. Following Dr. Tatta’s program, you learn the role of the brain in pain–and how to use your brain to STOP your pain; how nutrition can eliminate the inflammation in your body, which is exacerbating your pain; and how to overcome Sedentary Syndrome and choose the best movement strategy. Dr. Tatta provides quizzes, self-assessments, meal plans, shopping lists, recipes, and exercises to support you throughout the program.

As I mentioned in the interview I really appreciate the very unique perspective Dr. Joe brings to healing from pain. His expertise from the physical therapy and movement world is so beautifully meshed with the power of nutrition! He covers the foundational information for eating an anti-inflammatory diet, an excellent gut healing protocol, healing supplements and with much fascinating reading on intermittent fasting and the ketogenic diet.

Dr. Joe explains these concepts brilliantly: the brain in pain, central sensitization, myths around pain and the biospychosocial model of pain. With the work that I do with anxious women like you (and men too), the pain connection to fear is very relevant; and the fact that stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or depression are danger signals that can actually make the pain worse depending on how “sensitive” your nervous system has become.

Also, since many of the same pain medications are also often prescribed for anxiety, this book is a wonderful resource for someone with both pain and anxiety. But best of all, this book offers real solutions for everyone suffering from any kind of pain, and a solid understanding of the mechanisms.

I’m sure you’d like access to what we talked about during the interview:

 

Please let us know which parts of this really resonated with you and what you’re looking forward to implementing for your pain.

 

The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution – a new book by Dr. Aviva Romm

By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

Congrats to my colleague Aviva Romm, MD on the launch of her new book The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution: A Proven 4-Week Program to Rescue Your Metabolism, Hormones, Mind & Mood. This book addresses stress so well and is so needed because ….

According to the Annual Stress Survey by the American Psychological Association, 75 percent of women experience moderate to severe stress, 49 percent report sleep problems, and more than 40 percent report physical symptoms as a direct result of stress. Recent studies show that most are also experiencing chronic overwhelm and exhaustion.

She shares how common anxiety and depression are:

One in four women experiences an extended time of major depression in her life, and as many women are on an antidepressant, an antianxiety medication, or often, both, not living their lives with the joy and satisfaction we are meant to experience.

She shares that the stress and insomnia, the anxiety and depression, as well as obesity and autoimmunity has this at their root:

the fact that women are living in chronic overload emotionally and physically. We are stuck in survival mode.

It’s a brilliant book and she eloquently explains how to get out of survival mode and how to actually thrive:

  • with a big focus on finding the root causes of your adrenal and thyroid issues
  • removing food triggers and eating a “real- food, energy- boosting, fat-burning version of the Mediterranean diet”
  • tools and exercises to calm your mind
  • healing your gut, boosting immunity, supporting detoxification, and balancing your hormones

With Dr. Aviva Romm’s herbal expertise I particularly appreciate the section on nourishing your adrenals with herbal adaptogens:

Adaptogens are a category of herbal medicines that are specifically restorative to the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis. Used for centuries in China and India they are considered the “royalty” of herbs for helping you respond to stress, restore health, vitality, immunity, stamina and sense of well-being. Adaptogens help your body to cope more easily with the demands of everyday life, providing a sense of calm and energy at a deep level.  

She writes about these adaptogens for adrenal support for their calming effects, lowering high cortisol and to help with energy, insomnia and more: rhodiola (this is one of my favorites), schizandra, reishi mushrooms, maca, holy basil, eleuthero and shatavari.

Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is new to me and Dr. Romm shares about this adaptogen:

Shatavari is considered the “queen of herbs” in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is beloved as a rejuvenating tonic for women. It is nourishing and calming as well as hormonally balancing, and is used for irritability and many hormonal imbalances affecting the mood.

I’m impressed by the research on shatavari and will be sharing more as I learn more and may consider this as an option for some of my anxious female clients.

Rhodiola is an adaptogen I use with the majority of clients who have adrenal issues. Dr. Romm shares her feedback on rhodiola, which she calls “the spirit calmer”:

Rhodiola is perhaps the most important adaptogen for anxiety…. While it shouldn’t be taken before bed because it’s stimulating, its mood-regulating and nervous-system-supporting effects lead to improved sleep and reduced stress, irritability, and “burn-out.”

I really like her emphasis that the use of adaptogens does not mean you can keep going “at a twenty-first century pace.” You do need to address all the aspects she covers in the book!

The thyroid chapter is also very thorough with a detailed section on testing. I just received this positive feedback from a reader on Facebook:

I’ve been slowly reading it today and I can tell you there’s a heavy emphasis on both gut issues and Hashis. Her chapter on thyroid (I skipped ahead because I have a doctor appointment tomorrow to discuss test results) helped me understand it all like no one else has.

I was able to take my latest results, read the section on thyroid, actually understand what it all meant and compare my numbers with her charts. Now I feel more equipped to discuss with my own doctor.

Dr. Aviva Romm is a Yale-trained, board-certified family physician with a specialty in women’s health and obstetrics; certified professional midwife; and herbalist. Referred to as “the face of natural medicine in the 21st century” by Prevention Magazine, she is a member of the Yale Integrative Medicine Program’s Advisory Board, and currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.

She has been one of my favorite authors for a long time – long before I had the pleasure of meeting her in person. I’m really excited to be celebrating her book launch and sharing it here with you!

We’re planning a video interview so please let me know if you have questions for her.

If you’ve used shatavari personally or with clients/patients please share what you think. If you have questions about this adaptogen now is the time to ask them!

Be sure to check out her Adrenal Thyroid Revolution community here.

Check out the book and get your copy here on Amazon.

If you’ve already picked up the book and read it please do share areas that were highlights for you.

The New Fat Flush Plan book, poor bile production and anxiety

By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

fat-flush-plan

A new book by Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S., The New Fat Flush Plan, has just released and already it’s a New York Times bestseller. The first edition of this book was an all-time favorite with me and my clients when I first started working as a nutritionist. I’m really pleased to see she has a new edition and I am loving the updates.

I especially enjoy the new sections that address the Top 10 Hidden Weight Gain Factors (the notes in parentheses after each hidden factor are mine):

Hidden Factor #1: Your Tired, Toxic Liver (she has always been an expert on this topic)

Hidden Factor #2: False Fat (this one is intriguing, isn’t it?)

Hidden Factor #3: Fear of Eating Fat (I’m constantly amazed this fear still exists)

Hidden Factor #4: Insulin Resistance and Inflammation (a big factor in so many diseases)

Hidden Factor #5: Stress as a Fat Maker (we know all about this one, don’t we?)

Hidden Factor #6: Messy Microbiome (we’re seeing so much new research on this topic)

Hidden Factor #7: Poor Quality Bile (we don’t hear much about bile so I’m going to share more on this topic – I shared some of it from the Medicinal Supplements Summit here)

Hidden Factor #8: Tuckered Out Thyroid (more and more people are experiencing thyroid issues)

Hidden Factor #9: Hidden Hitchhikers – Parasites (you heard her share her expertise on this topic in our Parasite-Anxiety interview on the Anxiety Summit)

Hidden Factor #10: Missing Magnesium (this one is also a big factor for anxiety)

As you can see much of the above applies to both weight-gain and anxiety. I’d like to share some of the excellent information on poor quality bile because it’s not something we hear much about. Because it’s tied to fluctuating blood sugar levels, toxins and fat digestion, it has a direct impact on anxiety.

If you’ve been taking or are currently taking prescription anxiety or depression medications (SSRIs or benzodiazepines) or other medications then there is also the need for more liver and gallbladder support.

Let’s start with the function of bile:

Made from lecithin, cholesterol and bilirubin, your bile has two jobs. First it emulsifies and digests fat, breaking it down into small particles so that your intestines can absorb them. Second, it helps escort toxins that your liver has removed out of the body.

Ann Louise shares how bile deficiency affects your overall health, prevents weight-loss and encourages weight gain:

You know that erratic blood sugar levels, haywire hunger hormones, a tired toxic liver, and poor detoxification prime the body to accumulate excess fat.

What she shares next is very interesting:

Each of these factors are rooted to some degree in low quality bile as well as other causes. As a matter of fact, bile has such an important role in weight regulation that improving bile quality has been shown to increase metabolism by 50 percent. If you thin the bile you thin the body. Period.

I really enjoy the signs and symptoms she shares in the book. Here are some of the signs and symptoms of low quality bile:

  • Queasiness after a fatty meal (impaired bile flow)
  • Light-colored or floating stools (lack of bile output)
  • Nausea (not enough bile)
  • Dry skin and hair (lack of essential fatty acids)
  • Constipation (inadequate bile for lubrication)
  • Constant feeling of fullness
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Pain under the right rib cage (reflective pain from the gallbladder)
  • Hemorrhoids (congested liver)
  • Varicose veins (pressure from constipation due to thickened bile)
  • Pain between the shoulder blades (reflective pain from the gallbladder)
  • Bloating or gas
  • Headache over the eyes (gallbladder meridian passes over this region)
  • Bitter taste in the mouth after meals (sign of bile regurgitation)
  • History of prescription or recreational drug use (need for more liver and gallbladder support)
  • Sensitivities to chemicals
  • Easily intoxicated (need for more liver and gallbladder support)
  • Fibromyalgia (sign of liver and gallbladder overload)
  • Hypothyroidism (sign of deficient bile to stimulate active thyroid hormone in fat cells)

Here is a quick summary of the advice she offers to improve bile production:

  • Elimination of food allergies
  • Addressing low levels of hydrochloric acid or stomach acid
  • Controlling stress
  • Adding bitter greens to the diet
  • Hot lemon water in the morning (a favorite of the original Fat Flash Plan)
  • Adding non-GMO lecithin from soy and sunflowers to your morning smoothie
  • Using castor oil packs
  • Using a bile building formula that contains choline, taurine, beet root and pancreatic lipase

Here is the link to the New Fat Flush Plan on Amazon so you can check out the bile chapter in detail and read about all the other hidden factors and tools for weight-loss and overall health.

Get a copy for yourself as a gift or get a copy for a friend or sister or other family member. And let us know what you think? And how you do with improving your bile production?

I’m going to work on improving my bile production and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.