Events

JJ Virgin inspires on The Unleash Your Greatness Summit

November 10, 2015 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

JJ Virgin, author of The Virgin Diet, The Sugar Impact Diet and the forthcoming book The Miracle Mindset inspires and motivates and changes lives. She is one incredibly gutsy woman, a true leader in the nutrition world and her interview on the upcoming Unleash your Greatness Summit being hosted by Lewis Howes, is not to be missed!

Here are some snippets from her inspiring and heart-warming interview where she talks about her son’s awful hit and run accident, his brain and heart surgery, coma and long recovery – and how she was able to finish and launch her book in the midst of all this!

She shares so much wisdom during this interview. The first one is asking for help:

one of the important lessons that I learned early on…I have always disliked asking for help. And I don’t think I am alone. I think most of us don’t like to ask for help, right. But the morning of the accident, standing in the ICU, I realized that most of my friends in the world are doctors, and not just any doctors, the biggest, best doctors around. And if they weren’t my direct friend, then they were friends with the ones. So I was like first off, if I don’t know them directly, I know their closest friends who do. So I’m going to work my network big time. I go, but I need help. There’s no way I can do this one on my own, especially with this book launch

Another one is pulling from everything that you have learned:

I think too much we play it safe. And then when something like this happens, you have no clue how to handle it. I looked at this whole thing, and I was like all right. I’m going to pull in from all of my lessons learned. And I’m going to go for it and do it. And I think it’s one thing if you lose your job, but when it’s your kid? It’s your kid. You’re going to do it. You’re going to do whatever it takes to save your child.

And this one – celebrating every small win:

I would look for any small win I could celebrate. His eyelash fluttered, or his pinkie. The first day in the hospital when they told me, “Oh, he’s in a deep coma. And we don’t know if he’ll ever come out,” I was holding his hand. And I said something about his girlfriend loving him. And he grabbed my fingers, squeezed them, lifted my hand up. And I’m like he’s in there. He’s so in there. So you find those things. There is a gift in every single thing that happens out there. It all depends on how you look at something, right. It’s all perspective. I think we’re never better than when we’re challenged.

She also shares many of the practical aspects of how she helped her son Grant recover from this traumatic brain injury (with the help and advice of trusted friends and colleagues) :

very high doses of fish oil (10g and then 20g/day)
no Ensure but salmon and kale instead
progesterone cream (for reducing inflammation and healing the brain)
essential oils and acupressure
probiotics and probiotic yogurt
amino acid therapy to help with muscle loss
vitamin D and much more

He is now doing incredibly well considering what he went through!

JJ also shared how she got her sleep, ate well and continued to exercise so she could be the best she could be. This is such an important point for care-givers!

Catch this and other inspiring interviews on The Unleash Your Greatness Summit! which runs from November 16-23, 2015

Discover the 8 secret principles of greatness to transform your life! The 28 expert speakers will reveal how to overcome adversity, find success and chart a new life path!

Each day will focus on one of the eight following principles of greatness:

Create a Vision
Turn Adversity Into Advantage
Cultivate a Champion’s Mindset
Develop Hustle, Master Your Body
Practice Positive Habits
Build a Winning Team
Be of Service to Others

The Unleash Your Greatness Summit was created to bring to life the eight principles of greatness that Lewis Howes reveals in his book, The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy.

Anyone who is looking to change their life for the better will benefit from this summit, as the principles apply across all facets of life – from career to family to health and beyond – and we all have the capacity within us to be great.

Although this summit is a little different from some of the other summit’s I share, many of topics intrigue me so I figure they’ll intrigue you too!

I’m really looking to some of the interviews on how to turn adversity into advantage (JJ Virgin’s story is such an inspiring one and I can’t wait for her new book) and the principle of being of service to others.

Registration details here https://xh265.isrefer.com/go/summitreg/tlsug/

How to Use Food to Rebalance Your Hormones

October 22, 2015 By Trudy Scott 22 Comments

hormone-balancing

It’s just around the corner so here’s your friendly reminder if you haven’t already signed up to attend this free webinar/live online workshop called: How to Use Food to Rebalance Your Hormones

If you have already signed up – I know you’ll enjoy it!

This webinar is being hosted by my friend and colleague, Magdalena Wszelaki, founder of Hormones Balance.

Here is how she introduces herself:

I’m a certified nutrition coach, speaker, educator and chef with a long history of my own hormonal challenges which resulted from a highly stressful life in advertising – starting from Graves’ and Hashimoto’s Disease (autoimmune conditions causing thyroid failure) to adrenal fatigue and estrogen dominance. Today I’m in full remission, live a symptoms-free, awesome life and I want to show you how to achieve the same. Food was instrumental in my own recovery. My mission is to help you figure out what food your body craves or rejects as there is no one diet or protocol that works for all. Knowing your body will be your fast-track to balanced hormones and to the person you want to be.

You may remember our great interviews on last season of The Anxiety Summit! She was a hit, is a wealth of knowledge and very hands-on when it comes to food for hormone balancing! I really love what she offers (and her cute accent)!

Here is a great image from Cooking for Balance showing you just how much caffeine is in your drink!

cooking-for-balance

Magdalena shares many ways on how caffeine impacts our hormones. Here are just two of them (and both can make anxiety worse):

Exhausts the adrenals

Coffee stimulates the adrenals to release more cortisol, our stress hormone; this is partly why we experience a wonderful but temporary and unsustainable burst of energy.

What many of us don’t realize is that our tired adrenals are often the cause of unexplained weight gain, sleeping problems, feeling emotionally fragile, depression, anxiety and fatigue. Drinking coffee while experiencing adrenal fatigue is only adding fuel to the fire.

Worsens PMS and lumpy breasts

It’s well-established that coffee contributes to estrogen dominance, which can mean one of two things: we either have too much estrogen in relation to progesterone, or we have an imbalance in the estrogen metabolites (some are protective and some are dangerous).

PMS, lumpy breasts, heavy periods, cellulite and even breast cancer (which is an estrogenic cancer) can be symptoms of estrogen dominance.

You can read the entire guest post from Magdalena here: 12 Ways Coffee Impacts Your Hormones

At the end of the webinar she’ll be sharing more about her upcoming Cooking for Balance online cooking program that helps women rebalance their hormones with food.

It will air Saturday October 24th (at 10am PST, 1pm EST). Seats are limited and Magdalena tells me they get snapped up quickly.

Here is the registration page: https://xa202.isrefer.com/go/CFB/trudys/

Tryptophan and 5-HTP combination for anxiety and sleep: when to use

October 19, 2015 By Trudy Scott 22 Comments

Here is a great question that came in from one of the attendees of the live Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program that I hosted earlier this year. This attendee is asking when to use a combination of tryptophan and 5-HTP for anxiety and sleep, and concerns about high cortisol when wanting to use 5-HTP:

The book says “for symptoms that occur earlier in the day, 50-150 mg of 5-HTP on waking and midmorning” but it also cautions about taking 5-HTP if one has severe insomnia (which I do) as it can raise cortisol. Is it okay to take tryptophan upon waking and mid-morning? I’m assuming the reason for holding off until late afternoon is to avoid daytime drowsiness, but am wondering if this is where the tyrosine may come in? (At the end of the program)

I started getting good results at 500 mg tryptophan. Sometimes I needed more so I doubled the dose to 1000 mg. Sometimes I got better results than others. It’s possible I may need to take more than that – the book says to take up to 1500 mg. Is consistency key (as opposed to PRN/as needed) when taking tryptophan, in the same way that one has to build up a blood level of serotonin when taking an SSRI? I also wanted to mention that prior to coming off my SSRI, my mood was fine

She is referring to my book The Antianxiety Food Solution and she had been taking these amino acids before starting the group program with me. Her goals were to address her insomnia, the anxiety and the depression. The tryptophan she had been taking was not the Lidtke tryptophan, which is the brand I recommend.

You can listen to the 4 minute snippet of this question and my answer here:

Before using any amino acids be sure to check the Amino Acid Precautions and work with your doctor if needed.

And a friendly reminder for you …. we are offering $100 off each of the 3 options of The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety homestudy programs. This offer expires today, Monday October 19^th at 9pm PST midnight EST (previous emails said 9pm EST – sorry about that)

This is a powerful home study program that results in you feeling

less stressed and overwhelmed, and happier
more energetic and focused
sleeping through the night
and no longer suffering from emotional eating/stress eating!

I walk you through, one week at a time, how to use five of the top individual amino acid supplements (tryptophan/5-HTP, GABA, glutamine, DPA/Endorphigen and tyrosine) to help you eliminate anxiety, social anxiety and panic attacks. We also cover pyroluria, other key nutrients, diet and lifestyle changes.

There are 3 program options available:

Basic: Homestudy if you’re a DIY person

Plus: Homestudy + 2 Q and A Live with Trudy (if you need some guidance and will have questions you can opt for this one)

Premium: Homestudy + 4 Q and A live with Trudy (if you need some guidance and will have questions) + private Facebook group for group discussions and interactions.

All 3 options include access to Questions and Answers from the previous program so you get to learn from others. Options 2 and 3 include the LIVE Question and Answer sessions i.e. you can ask your own questions (option 3 also includes the facebook support).

For #3 Premium program, we will also be closing the cart and not taking new registrations until January next year

You can check out the 3 program options and register here https://www.everywomanover29.com/aminosforanxietyhs/

Got questions about the program or tryptophan and 5-HTP? Feel free to ask them below and read some of the commonly asked questions on this blog post

The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety Homestudy program launch

October 8, 2015 By Trudy Scott 53 Comments

I’m so excited to launch the home study version of the Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program!

A powerful home study program on how to use five of the top individual amino acid supplements to help you eliminate anxiety, social anxiety and panic attacks. The added bonus is that you will also feel less stressed and overwhelmed, happier, more energetic and focused and will sleep through the night! Your cravings and emotional eating will be a thing of the past – no willpower required and no feelings of being deprived. You really do deserve to feel on top of the world and the amino acids may well be the answer!

Here’s what a past participant said about the live version I offered earlier this year:

This class was extremely helpful for me personally and professionally. I was intimidated with amino acids and Trudy’s class improved my understanding and confidence. In addition to her well organized class materials and information, she also shared personal experiences which made me feel like I wasn’t the only person with anxiety issues and there is a solution to managing anxiety.

I’m also seeing how gluten, alcohol and sugar really change my mood and anxiety/depression levels. I am very conscious of the consequences for me personally if I choose to eat/drink any of these. Before, I knew it was not good for me or anyone, now I know what happens with anxiety and brain function, in addition to the digestive and weight issues.

We’re offering 3 versions:

#1 Basic: Homestudy if you’re a DIY person OR
#2 Plus: Homestudy + 2 Q and A Live with Trudy (if you need some guidance and will have questions you can opt for this one) OR
#3 Premium: Homestudy + 4 Q and A live + private Facebook group for group discussions and interactions.

You can read all about it and sign up here:
https://www.everywomanover29.com/aminosforanxietyhs

Got questions or comments? Please comment below

Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease by Dr. Suruchi Chandra

September 25, 2015 By Trudy Scott 28 Comments

One of my favorite presentations at the recent IMMH/Integrative Medicine for Mental Health conference was Dr. Suruchi Chandra’s Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease talk.

Here is the description of her presentation:

“Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease and Associated Co-infections: Clinical Presentations, Diagnostic Challenges, and Treatment Options”

Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the United States. It can remain dormant for years and then later mimic a number of psychiatric illnesses, including anxiety disorders, mood disturbances, psychosis, and autism-like behaviors. It can be further complicated by the presence of co-infections. Both the diagnosis and treatment of these infections in the chronic stage can be challenging. We will review both standard treatment recommendations and integrative and holistic approaches, including dietary changes, herbal medicines, and nutritional supplements.

Dr. Chandra started by sharing the late stage neuropsychiatric symptoms of Lyme disease:

Depression
Mood swings
Anxiety, panic attacks, OCD
Psychosis
Violent behaviors and irritability
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Fibromyalgia
ADHD and autism like behaviors
Seizures
Sleep disorders

Here are some of the many very interesting facts she shared:

Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the USA (and it doesn’t seem to be only an issue in the USA)
Not everyone recalls a tick bite or bulls-eye rash
Lyme disease is not only isolated to the Northeast – a year ago a Stanford study found the bacterium Borrelia miyamotoi, as well as burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, in ticks they sampled throughout the San Francisco Bay area
Lyme disease may be due to tick borne complex i.e. it is hypothesized that there are multiple co-infections
Purple rashes that look like stretch marks are common with Bartonella
There can be maternal-fetal transmission of the disease
The involvement of the gut is under-rated with Lyme disease and cognitive decline is a big issue
Lyme and co-infections affects serotonin levels, due to IDO being increased
Low zinc (and high copper) and low manganese levels are often factors

Dr. Chandra is very unique in that she uses no antibiotics, “provokes” before testing and has some very interesting herbal protocols (many that are used with malaria). She stated that Lyme disease is worth treating even if there are no symptoms, simply because of the higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

She uses a wonderfully integrative approach with her patients who have chronic tick borne diseases:

integrative-approach-chronic-tick-borne-illnesses

Here is the last slide of her presentation: Consider Lyme disease and the associated co-infections when there is any severe or atypical psychiatric disease, and use a holistic and individualized approach.

Chandra-conclusion

Excellent presentation! This really is the top integrative mental health conference to attend!

Here are a few of my other favorite presentations include:

Julie Matthews’ talk on “Oxalates, Phenols, and FODMAPs: Food Substances and Diets that Impact Mental Health Conditions”
James Greenblatt’s talk “New Information on Nutritional Lithium for ADHD, Mood Disorders and Prevention of Cognitive Decline”
Andrea Gruszecki’s talk on “The Effects of Stress on the Gut-Brain Microbiome”
Dr Kurt Woeller’s talk on “Oxytocin and Cholesterol – Their Interactions and Effects on Mental Health and Autism Spectrum Disorders”

I’ll share some highlights from these in a future blog post.

All the presentations were recorded and I’ll let you know when the recordings are available for purchase. These presentations are not to be missed.

Please share what you know about Lyme disease or if you have been diagnosed with one of the co-infections. Feel free to ask questions too.

Say NO to benzodiazepines for anxiety! (webinar replay)

September 25, 2015 By Trudy Scott 32 Comments

benzo-webinar-replay

Professor Malcolm H. Lader says it well: “It is more difficult to withdraw people from benzodiazepines than it is from heroin.” For this reason we need to say NO to benzodiazepines for anxiety (and other conditions)!

Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive drugs that work by enhancing the effect of the calming neurotransmitter GABA, and are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, pain, muscle spasms and a range of other conditions. They are widely prescribed, particularly among elderly patients and may even be used off-label with children with autism.

Use of this medication is very controversial. We know long term use leads to tolerance, dependence, and many adverse psychological effects and even physical effects. Short term use is generally considered safe but even using them for 2 – 4 weeks can lead to problems for certain individuals.

This presentation provided an overview of benzodiazepines; when they are used; who they are prescribed to; details about tolerance, dependence, and the many adverse effects; how to taper, including nutritional support during the taper; what to do instead of saying yes to a benzodiazepine prescription in the first place; and additional resources.

I’d love questions/feedback/comments/your benzodiazepine experiences/additional resources etc. You can also comment on the other benzodiazepine blogs here and here.