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ann louise gittleman

Parasites, heavy metals and Lyme disease on the Parasite Summit

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Here are a few snippets from some of the interviews on the Parasite Summit:

The Trio of Parasites, Heavy Metals and Lyme Disease by Dr. Jay Davidson 

from what we understand research wise, Lyme disease, which is technically a bacteria or spirochete, has been shown to live inside of certain nematodes, which is essentially a type of parasite like a roundworm. So parasites can actually house Lyme disease, or bacteria, or other viruses, or other bacteria. And then, parasites are also a huge sponge for absorbing heavy metals.

And here’s what’s really crazy to think about. Parasites absorb heavy metals. So if you run a test and think, “Oh, man, I must have a ton of heavy metals because Dr. Jay and Dr. Scott are saying heavy metals are like this big thing,” and all of a sudden you have like no heavy metals show up or even false lows, and let’s say you “ran the test right,” it could mean that you also have a massive parasite issue because parasites absorb heavy metals. And if you didn’t deal with the parasites, then the heavy metals are still in the parasite, which then means that, from a testing standpoint, can still come up negative.

Digestion Strategies for Parasite Prevention by Dr. David Jockers

Now, somebody that does have their gallbladder taken out, you’re still producing bile. You just can’t produce as much. And so ultimately, therefore, you’re going to be at a much greater risk of developing something like a parasitic overgrowth if you don’t already have one. Which is typically one of the problems when you do have a sluggish gallbladder, oftentimes, it’s associated with a parasitic overgrowth or some sort of bacterial overgrowth in your small intestine.

I think it has to do with the ability of bile to be an emulsifier. Okay. So not only is it good for breaking up fatty acids in there, which is super key for digestion there, but the outer membrane of a lot of bacteria and microbes also is a fatty membrane. And so it can help break that up, as well. I believe that’s the main mechanism for it.

Parasites: Root Cause of Mystery Diseases by Ann Louise Gittleman

I think if any of your listeners have real difficulty in shaking off some of sort of illness, and if they’ve been feeling tired and listless and if they have a problem that the doctor simply can’t identify, then they have to begin to suspect that parasites could be the underlying cause. I also want them to remember that parasitic diseases don’t always happen to people just in other countries. The rate of parasite related disorders in our country is just about skyrocketing. And every single one of the 134 species that have been identified has been found on our shores.

The dark circles, the intermittent diarrhea, the persistent acne, anorexia, food intolerance, palpitations, puffy eyes, depression. Oh, that’s a good one. And there have been clinical studies from JAMA, as I recall, where they’ve connected toxoplasmosis with depression. So depression is big…who would connect it with a parasite? And the inability to relax and anxiety and being overly angry very oftentimes can have a toxoplasmosis connection.

I cover toxoplasma gondii in great detail in my interview on the Parasite Summit, as well as malaria and malaria medications.

At the Parasite Summit, experts will help you determine if parasites are silently impacting your health–they’re FAR MORE COMMON than you think! Parasites aren’t just found in third-world countries, millions are already infected in industrialized countries and could be silently hampering your health. Fortunately, with awareness and appropriate care, parasites can be prevented and treated, once detected.

If you’re struggling with any of the following, don’t miss this event:

  • Gastrointestinal: pain/cramps, excess gas, bloating, constipation/diarrhea
  • Infertility and hormone disorders
  • Skin issues: acne, itching, rashes
  • Mental health: depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia
  • Challenges with autoimmune disease recovery (Toxoplasma gondii may be a factor in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)

The Parasite Summit is online from September 11-18, 2017 and you can register here I hope you can join us!

Please share feedback and ask questions in the comments below.

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

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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.

Bile and modified citrus pectin for detox: Medicinal Supplements Summit

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Wendy Myers, co-host of the Medicinal Supplements Summit, addresses minerals, toxins and heavy metals and shares one her favorite supplements for detox support: modified citrus pectin. This entire interview is fascinating!

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I just love Ann Louise Gittleman’s interview on the importance of bile for absorbing fats, hormone production, removing toxins, thyroid health, digestion and anxiety, and so much more. For promoting bile production and thinning, she covers choline, taurine, beets, lipase, bitter greens, apple-cider vinegar, hot lemon water and more.

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Tune in to hear these entire interviews and all the other great speakers!

You can use this link to register for access https://qt247.isrefer.com/go/SUPP16reg/trudyscottcn/

And use this link to purchase at summit special prices https://qt247.isrefer.com/go/SUPP16order/trudyscottcn/

The Anxiety Summit – The Parasite/Anxiety Connection

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Ann Louise Gittleman PhD, CNS, author of The Fat Flush Plan and Guess What Came to Dinner, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

The Parasite/Anxiety Connection

  • How common are parasites and how do we become infected (even if we live in a first world country)
  • How do parasites contribute to anxiety and depression and even schizophrenia
  • Other symptoms of a parasitic infection
  • How to avoid being exposed to parasites
  • How to test for parasites and how do we get rid of the parasite/s

Here are some gems from our interview:

Parasitic infections in the USA are far more common than you would expect – in fact the estimates are that 1 in every 3 people have a parasite or more than one

Parasites can contribute to or cause anxiety and fear by altering “hormonal and neurotransmitter communication and/or direct interference with the neurons and brain regions that mediate behavioural expression”

According to folklore, parasites are more active around the full moon, so testing and treating around this time may yield better results

Toxoplasma gondii is one parasite that has been researched a great deal and is one that has big implications for anxiety and other mood conditions, especially schizophrenia.

Ann Louise shared this interesting article from Scientific American called Toxoplasma’s Dark Side: The Link Between Parasite and Suicide

In 2003, E. Fuller Torrey of the Stanley Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland his colleagues noted a link between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia – specifically, that women with high levels of the parasite were more likely to give birth to schizophrenics-to-be

scientists have discovered a link between suicide and parasite infection

In 2006, researchers linked Toxoplasma infection to neuroticism in both men and women.

When we are infected with a parasite like Toxoplasma gondii, our immune system goes on the offensive, producing a group of molecules called cytokines that activate various immune cell types. The exact mechanism by which cytokines cause depression and other mental illnesses is poorly understood, but we do know they are able to pass the blood-brain barrier and alter neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

Here is the parasite testing and products we discussed:  

The Expanded GI panel (for testing)

Colon Cleaning kit with Verma-Plus and Para- Key (together with a probiotic)

Verma-Plus contains the Native American herb called Centaury (aerial portion) (Centaurium erythraea)

It seems to have antimicrobial properties too: Volatile organic compounds from Centaurium erythraea Rafn (Croatia) and the antimicrobial potential of its essential oil.

And gastroprotective effects: Gastroprotective effect of small centaury (Centaurium erythraea L) on aspirin-induced gastric damage in rats.

We also talked about using filtered water for washing fruits and vegetables and this is the water filter Ann Louise recommends: Countertop Ultra-Ceramic Water Filter. “It purifies your tap water for the removal of incoming contaminants including parasites, chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals, cloudiness and sediment. The ceramic filter also inhibits the growth of bacteria”

Ann Louise has written many wonderful books.  Here are three of them that were mentioned in this interview:

Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health (this is the book about parasites)

Ann Louise Gittleman_guess what came to dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause (this is the one that helped me so much when I was in my late thirties and having perimenopausal symptoms – with the zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil )

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The Fat Flush Plan (this is one of many her classic weight loss books)

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Here is her gift: a 50-Page Report on Parasites – Still the Greatest Masqueraders of All Time

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.