Thyroid Mystery Solved: Hashimoto's and Hypothyroidism Revealed

The Investigation Our experience with the Novel Coronavirus shifts everyday. Some of us are feeling new levels of fear, anxiety, stress, and/or scarcity. But what is really behind these feelings? Is the crisis the cause or just an accelerant? Can we cope better if we develop more emotional resilience? To help me investigate these questions, I reached out to Anat Peri. She’s a transformational coach with over 15 years experience in development work. Her focus is on helping people see their emotions as allies so that they can find the success and happiness they desire.    Understanding Suffering Anat describes suffering as a state when you are in an argument with reality. It is your rejection of what’s happening either externally or internally. You might be resisting the truth, spending emotion wishing it was different or that it would go away. When we deny the present moment experience, we create suffering.    What is Emotional Resilience? We can’t always control our circumstances and the emotions they evoke. However, Anat says that we can build our capacity to be with any emotion. When you know how to be with an emotion, you can handle it and be resilient through any circumstance.   Emotions vs. Sensations There is a difference between emotions and sensations. To understand the difference, you have to look at the context we give to emotions. We label our emotions (happy, sad, scared, frustrated, etc) based on the language we learned as kids but emotions are actually ‘energy in motion’. Before we knew how to label these emotions, when we were kids, we simply experienced the energy in motion by crying, screaming or laughing, etc.  When we started to understand what we called these sensations, or feelings, we also started to categorize them as good or bad. Laughing is good. Crying is bad. That’s when emotions moved out of being a feeling or sensation and became a thought. We moved them out of our body and into our head.    Emotional Paradigm Shift At the time of recording this episode, the world is in the grips of the Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19. The pandemic has forced many people to deal with new or heightened emotions. If we think of emotions as energy in motion we can change the way we address these feelings. We can move from the head reaction and return to the natural body reaction. When we feel our emotions in the body, we can process them much better and faster then when we let our minds take over.   How to Deal with Intense Emotions Shifting your emotional response from your mind back to your body can be challenging since this conditioning has existed from infancy. Anat shares an exercise in this podcast that starts by seeing your emotion as a child. The next step is to be the mother to that child and offer up unconditional love and acceptance. You don’t have to fix that emotion, you just have to sit with it in love.  Another approach Anat shares is to go deeper into the feeling and really explore the sensation of it; experience it in all its forms. Does it have a temperature, a color,  texture? What size is the vibration? Is it moving?   Why Numbing Doesn’t Work Many people ignore their emotions by distracting themselves with busy-ness, self-medicating, or overeating but that does not allow you to deal with that emotion. This is why so many people are experiencing difficult emotions right now because as our lives slow down, we are forced to confront the emotions we’ve been numbing.  Anat suggests you think  of yourself as a garden. The things that you don’t want to feel, those emotions you’ve been avoiding are weeds. Many people simply trim those weeds with numbing behaviours (watching TV, eating ice cream, working long hours, etc). But, when you trim the weeds, they just come back uglier and stronger. This can cause additional anxiety, stress, sleeplessness, and other issues.  The key to keeping your garden weed free is to deal with those weeds from the root. You have to figure out what the sensation is that has translated (by our minds) into this emotion. Sometimes these roots are very long, so you have to keep digging until you get down to the very base sensation.    90 Seconds of Feeling Once you know what that root cause is, the next step is to experience that emotion. This can be very difficult as we are fighting a lifetime of conditioning that tells us feeling this sensation is bad. But, once you really get to the root sensation and you really step into feeling it and give it permission, the process only takes 90 seconds. After that, the body has processed that feeling and you can move on. If you don’t feel that release, then dig deeper - you haven’t reached the real root.    Creating a Sense of Safety During times like these people want to feel safe within themselves. In order to do that, we need to stop letting our ego and our mind control our experience.    There are three things Anat suggests we do to cultivate feelings of safety:  1. Body When we feel safe, we hold our body a certain way. The first step in feeling safe is to sit the way we would sit if we are feeling safe. 2. Breath When we are scared, we breathe differently. So, in order to cultivate feelings of safety, we have to breathe as if we are calm. Watch for inadvertent shifts in your breath like rapid, shallow chest-breaths or holding your breath. Switch to rhythmic, deep belly breathing. 3. Language What we tell ourselves triggers a response. Instead, Anat suggests you replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts or mantras.   Put these three steps together to ‘prime for safety’. Anat says to sit in a meditation position with palms up, take some deep breaths into your diaphragm and imagine breathing your whole body. Next, repeat your positive mantras. You might say, ‘I'm safe to be in my body. I'm safe to experience this. I'm safe to feel.  I'm safe.’ Keep repeating these mantras until you feel your whole system relax and you feel yourself drop out of your head and into your body; into yourself. Anat shares more techniques for feeling safe and for processing emotions in this episode which are well worth a listen.    Experiencing the Now is Freedom This inner work takes time and commitment. Facing your ego, your inner critic, the stories you tell yourself and a lifetime of conditioning is not going to go away without a bit of work. But, the work leads to freedom. You can start to access this freedom right now by giving yourself permission to be with exactly what is happening right now. You’re not denying it anymore and that makes you free.    Gratitude Popcorn We wrapped up this episode with Anat sharing one of her favorite exercises to breed positive emotions. She calls it gratitude popcorn. Think of making popcorn. The kernels don’t all pop at once; there’s a few that pop right away and then slowly the others start going and then suddenly they’re all popping. She says gratitude can be like this. If you start by being grateful for one thing (say what you’re grateful for and say thank you), then the next thing you’re grateful for will pop into your head. Pretty soon, your gratitude will be popping like popcorn. By the end, she says she feels elated from the positive vibrations she’s generated with her gratitude.  For Now and For the Future We are talking about emotional resilience now because so many people don’t know how to react to how the COVID-19 pandemic is making them feel. Using the techniques that Anat shares in this episode, we can build up our emotional resilience which will serve us now and in the future.    Links: Resources Mentioned Thanks to my guest Anat Peri. You can connect ...

16 Huhti 20201h

The Case:  Amy is 31 and has been dealing with tons of skin issues for a decade.  She experiences acne, dry/oily patches, cysts, and generally red, bumpy skin. She tried the birth control pill, oral antibiotics, antibacterial soap, and tons of prescription creams.   The Investigation Many people don’t connect their nutrition to their skin condition but when I met Amy, she told me about digestive issues she was having and I knew this was where we needed to start the investigation into her skin issues.  When it comes to skin and natural health, it felt obvious to turn to Dr. Trevor Cates. She was the first woman licensed as a naturopathic doctor in the state of California. She wrote the Amazon bestselling book Clean Skin From Within. She is known as The Spa Doctor and developed a skin care line under the same name.    Skin Warning Signs Dr. Cates says that all too often, when we have something out of balance with our skin, the traditional method of treating it is to suppress it with, for example, a steroid cream. They don’t tend to look for the cause. And so, the issue continues to manifest with different (and worsening) symptoms over time that experts may not track back to the initial skin issue. The skin is sending a message that something else is wrong. Erasing the message doesn’t change the fact that something is wrong internally.    Hormonal Issues Presenting with Skin Conditions There are a number of hormonal concerns that may show up first as skin conditions. Hormonal issues with estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, adrenal hormones and more have symptoms related to the skin. For example, sex hormone changes can cause acne, dull skin and premature aging in skin. Thyroid issues can cause dry skin or oily skin depending on the issue. Dr. Cates calls inflammation affecting the skin ‘skinflammation’. This is when you have internal inflammation and it shows up on the skin. This might be caused by hormonal imbalances.    Nutritional Deficiencies and Skin Issues Various nutritional deficiencies show up as skin conditions. In fact, doctors will also look to the skin first to determine if there might be a deficiency or poor nutritional absorption at play. Zinc, essential fatty acids, iron and B vitamin deficiencies all present as skin issues.    Skin Microbiome Our gut microbiome can also affect the condition of our skin. In addition, the skin itself has its own microbiome. The skin has an organization of microorganisms that live on the skin and keep it healthy and disease free. When it is in balance, we have glowing skin that ages gracefully.    Testing the Skin Microbiome Unlike testing the gut microbiome balance, there aren’t any true tests for determining the balance of your skin microbiome or microbiota levels. One of the reasons for this is that the state of your skin is affected day to day by your environment. If you have pets in your home, if your space is clean or dirty, if you use antimicrobial agents or cleaning products with certain chemicals - your skin is immediately affected. Researchers focus on testing the pores around the nose, but one of the best ways to determine the health of your skin microbiome is to look at the condition it’s in. If you’ve got dryness, dullness, breakouts, redness or irritation, then the microbiome is likely out of balance.    Protecting the Skin Microbiome There are things that can definitely interfere with the balance of the skin microbiome. Dr. Cates points to our overly germophobic society as part of the problem. Overuse (or unnecessary use) of hand sanitizers, antimicrobial soaps, antibiotics (internally and externally), antibacterial cleaning products, and other toxic chemicals in our cleaning routine can all negatively impact the microbiome balance. She suggests using them only when necessary.    Probiotics on the Skin Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome (by ensuring the body is getting enough probiotics) will help the health of skin (a healthy gut leads to healthy skin). Do we also need to apply probiotics to our skin to support a healthy skin microbiome? Dr. Cates says that probiotics in skin products is a bit of a trend right now but our skin doesn’t work like our gut. If people do get good results by using probiotic skin products, it’s more likely to do with the acidic nature of probiotics. The skin has a natural mild acidity to it but many products used on the skin have a very high pH. Soaps, cleansers, even water can strip the skin of natural oils and disrupt the pH balance of the skin.    Ingredients to Avoid in Skincare Products Dr. Cates has spent many years formulating her skincare line. There are several things she suggests you watch for in your skincare products. The first is an ingredient called Dimethicone which you might spot in lotions, creams and various forms of makeup. It is often added because it ‘traps moisture’ which can result in the skin appearing dewy and moist. However, it doesn’t allow the skin to breathe which can lead to an imbalance of bacteria on the skin. Dimethicone is not considered toxic (so it often doesn’t get flagged) but it can be harmful to the skin microbiome.   Another category of ingredients to avoid are hormone or endocrine disrupting chemicals. Common to watch for include the general term ‘fragrance’, diethyl phthalates, and oxybenzone.  These bind to hormone receptors in the body (because the skin is a delivery system to the internal cells) and can mimic hormones. Extensive use of these chemicals in skincare products may be why we are seeing a rise in hormone related diseases like hypothyroidism.  Dr. Cates recommends using the resource EWG.org (Environmental Working Group’s database of products that contain toxins or common allergens) to find healthy skin care products.    Healthy Skincare Regime Maintaining healthy skin requires a daily routine that includes cleansing (not with a soap that is going to create an unhealthy pH level), a serum that can rapidly deliver antioxidants into the skin, a moisturizer and sunscreen.  You can also incorporate a hydrating or purifying mask and gentle exfoliant once or twice a week to support skin cell turnover.    Mystery Solved Before I could really look at Amy’s skin issues, I had to find out if it might be related to her digestive issues. We started with a stool test and saw a ton of dysbiosis.  I put Amy on an elimination diet and worked on cleaning up her gut. We used digestive enzymes and bitters to help her better digest her food based on her test results and a combination of biofilm disruptors and antimicrobials that have both anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic characteristics to address the imbalance. She took Oil of Oregano, Silvercilin, Micro-gone and Allicilin along with Interface for the biofilm. We then added a strong probiotic, Orthobiotic 225 along with

9 Huhti 202047min

At the time of recording this podcast, we are in lockdown as we try to flatten the curve on Covid19. Last week I talked about ways to reframe being stuck at home and things we can all do to improve our health and our lives during this time. This week, we focus on one of those - strengthening your relationships. How often do we wish we had more time with our loved ones? Now we do, and it’s time to make sure that we use it to make our relationships even better.  To help us out, I’ve invited Alicia Munoz to share some of her creative ideas on how to connect (or reconnect) on a deeper level. She’s a couple’s therapist, the author of  No More Fighting and A Year of Us.     Schedule Time to Talk Alicia says that right now, we need to be even more dedicated to keeping the lines of communication open as each of us processes this crisis differently. So, while we press on with our day to day, her first tip is to carve out some time to have a discussion about feelings. She says that scheduling this time will ensure that both of you are prepared and present for the discussion. These conversations can happen spontaneously if they are approached the right way and in this episode, Alicia shares some great language we can use.    Check-in Habitually Alicia says it’s good to get in the habit of checking in on your partner’s feelings intentionally. This might be part of your morning routine or your bedtime routine, or any time that works for both of you. She also shared a great way to check-in spontaneously by asking ‘past, present, or future?’ instead of asking something open ended like ‘what are you thinking about?’   Breathe Together Another practice Alicia suggests is to spend a few breaths inhaling and exhaling together with your partner. This involves synching your breath while maintaining a physical connection. This can be very soothing and can help reduce anxiety.  It’s a simple way to take a moment to connect and feel each other’s presence.    Explore the Power of Touch The above exercise creates an opportunity to increase human touch. Right now, touch feels like an prohibited behaviour but it’s really important to be reminded that the touch of our partner is not only safe, it’s needed. Alicia suggests exchanging a massage.   Appreciate with Intention Alicia shared some interesting research that shows we need 5 positive gestures to counterbalance each negative gesture. One way to accomplish this is to share appreciations more often. There are several ways to make this a relationship habit. She shares several including appreciation journals, nightly exchanges, seated celebrations, and an appreciation jar. Accepting appreciation can be very powerful when you allow yourself to fully feel it in your body.    Create Structure Structure creates a sense of comfort and right now, many people are finding that their changed routine is throwing them off. Alicia says that it’s important to create a new structure so that everyone in the family can feel that sense of comfort.  The ideas that Alicia shares in this episode are proven ways to connect on a deeper level but also to cope with shifts in the relationship dynamic that may be at play right now as we hunker down at home.  I appreciate Alicia for sharing them and I hope they inspire you to take this time to create space and opportunity to deepen your connection and communication so that you can come out of this crisis with a stronger relationship.   Links: Thanks to my guest Alicia Monus. You can connect with her on her website https://aliciamunoz.com/ or on Instagram and Facebook. And, check out her books No More Fighting and A Year of Us.     Related Podcast Episodes: EPISODE #052 6 Ways to Improve Your Life When Self-Isolating EPISODE #15 The Case of Relationships in Danger w/ Alicia Munoz   Thanks for Listening If you like what you heard, please rate and review this podcast. Every piece of feedback not only helps me create better shows, it helps more people find this important information.   Never miss an episode -  Subscribe NOW to Health Mysteries Solved with host, Inna Topiler on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts and remember to rate and review the show! Find out more at http://healthmysteriessolved.com     PLEASE NOTE All information, content, and material on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Some of the links provided are affiliate links. This means we may make a very small amount of money should you choose to buy after clicking on them. This will in no way affect the price the product but it helps us a tiny bit in covering our expenses.

2 Huhti 202030min

As I record on March 23 2020, I’m on lockdown.  With so many of us struggling with being homebound right now, I wanted to give you a different perspective on the situation.  We are all in this together and we have to remember that there is nothing we can do about the actual situation at the present moment. I’m not minimizing the difficulty of this situation but we can be mindful of what we can and cannot control and what we use our energy for when a situation can’t be changed. So, I’d like to share that we can choose to see a few silver linings. More Time With no commute, not having to drive your kids to activities and social engagements, we actually do have more time now than ever. I mean just commuting alone may be an hour or 2  saved a day. Let’s use this time to help ourselves and don’t let it go to waste. If your health is not where you want it to be, now you have the time to focus on improving it. If your relationships with your loved ones have become stagnant or strained, let's use this time to reconnect. Focus on Health Health is on our minds but we can do more than just worry about being infected. Here are some ways you can do that from home.    Move your Body   I know this can be tricky with your gyms closed but we have so many other options. If you are allowed to leave the house, go for a walk or jog. There are also countless websites and youtube channels offering online workouts. I like P90x3 (a 30 minute workout). If you are a member of a gym, check to see if they are offering their programs online. If you have kids at home, why not engage in some active play or yoga.    Eat Healthy   Many of us are eating more home cooked meals. This may not be by choice but it is a good thing. What better time to try out new recipes and prepare meals using whole foods? I have been doing more marinating and healthy baking as those typically take more time that I didn’t have before. I am not sure how it is by you, but around here in NJ, our stores have been out of chicken but fully stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. I’ve been making lots of salads with as many veggies as I can find and playing around with homemade dressings.    Prioritize Your Emotional Health   These are difficult emotional times so it’s important to take care of your mind. We know the negative effects of stress but often don’t have time to down regulate our nervous system the way we should. If you have been curious about meditation but could not commit, now is the perfect time to give it a try. My personal favorite is the Ziva Method taught Emily Fletcher. If you’ve ever felt like meditation is not for you because you could never ‘clear your mind’, this method is for you.    Build Better Relationships   With our busy schedules we often complain that we don’t have enough time with our significant others and loved ones. Now you do. The trick is that you have to take that time and use it to connect because it's very easy to sit side by side watching mindless TV while zoning out. Plan some time to actually have a conversation. You can make time to play a board game or if it's nice out, play a game in the backyard. Whatever you choose, make a point of actually connecting not just passing time together.    Connect with Nature   If it’s possible to access nature while adhering to social distancing, it can be very calming as well as powerful for health and healing. Even if it’s just your own backyard.  If you’re somewhere where it's warm enough, stick your feet in the dirt for some grounding.    Practice Gratitude   Even in the most difficult times, there is always something you can be grateful for. If you can’t think of anything at all, it can just be really simple things like the sound of songbirds or sunshine on your face. For me, I think about having my husband home, being able to provide health and support for all my listeners and patients (and the emails you send me), and the warming weather that lets me get outside for walks. The more I focus on gratitude, the more I realize I have to be grateful for. Gratitude has a VERY powerful effect on your health and overall immune system.  Happy Ending We will get through this and we will become more resilient as a result. In every crisis lies opportunity. That might seem like a mystery to you right now but you CAN choose to see the silver linings and make the best of this difficult situation. Regardless of what's happening around you, there is a part of you that’s strong. Call on that part right now. You can do this!   Thanks for Listening If you like what you heard, please rate and review this podcast. Every piece of feedback not only helps me create better shows, it helps more people find this important information. Never miss an episode -  Subscribe NOW to Health Mysteries Solved with host, Inna Topiler on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts and remember to rate and review the show! Find out more at http://healthmysteriessolved.com   Related Podcast Episodes: https://healthmysteriessolved.com/insomnia-meditation-emily-fletcher/ https://healthmysteriessolved.com/boost-immunity-fight-coronavirus-fears-mario-martinez/ https://healthmysteriessolved.com/demystifying-coronavirus-inna-topiler/   PLEASE NOTE All information, content, and material on this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Some of the links provided are affiliate links. This means we may make a very small amount of money should you choose to buy after clicking on them. This will in no way affect the price of the product but it helps us a tiny bit in covering our expenses.

26 Maalis 202012min

The Case:  At the time of recording this (March 17, 2020), the Novel Coronavirus is a global pandemic. Entire countries are now on lockdown, store shelves are empty, children are not in school and the news cycle is non-stop COVID-19 updates. The cause and the result of this is escalating fear. But, fear is an emotion and it's something we can each individually control. And, controlling that fear, could play an important role in keeping us healthy.  To explain how, I’ve invited Dr. Mario Martinez back to the show.  Dr. Mario is a psycho immunologist and the best-selling author of The Mind Body Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your health, Longevity, and Success as well as the learning series How the Mind Wounds and Heals and How Longevity is Culturally Learned and the Causes of Health Are Inherited.  He has published numerous articles in professional journals and lectures worldwide on his research and theory of biocognition.   Reducing Risk Before we talk about ways to improve the immune system, it’s important to note that these ideas are in conjunction with recommendations for reducing risk (like washing your hands properly and often as well as practicing social distancing).    Fear and Panic and the Immune System We talked about ways to boost the immune system through health practices and supplements in Episode 49 - Demystifying the Coronavirus. However, Dr. Mario says there is another layer to boosting our immune that has to do with its response to stress. When we experience stress, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol which suppress immune function. He explains that the best friend of Coronavirus is the panic and fear it causes because these actually help it spread.    The Challenge of Reducing Fear and Panic About COVID-19 It’s not easy to simply ‘not panic’ because our brain is trained to take signals from our ‘cultural editors’. These include authority figures like parents, teachers, doctors and newscasters. These people may have vital information but they may also provide us with so much information that it creates a fear or stress response that suppresses the immune system.    Improving Immune Function To fight a virus like Novel Coronavirus, the body needs to produce an antibody called Immunoglobulin Type A (IGA). There are ways to help the body increase the production of IGA. Studies show that emotions like fear, shame, chronic anger and an inability to forgive can actually decrease IGA production. So, being aware of these emotions and working to reduce them is important. Conversely, the research also found that being a loving person who cares for yourself and others increases IGA production.    Social Connections and the Immune System Having a connection with people increases your oxytocin and other kinds of hormones and peptides that help support the immune system. While you should still head the advice of experts to practice social distancing, it’s important to maintain social connections. This might be regular phone calls or video chats. Self isolating doesn’t have to be social isolation.    Positive Mindset during a Pandemic Despite the evidence that a positive mindset is beneficial to the immune system during a pandemic, it can be difficult to do. Here are some top tips from Dr. Mario for staying positive and supporting your immune system internally.  1. Create Rituals.  Our routines are good for our health and right now many of us are out of our routines so Dr. Mario says it’s important to create new rituals like dining by candlelight or playing board games as a family.  2. Be Self-Aware of your Interpretations.  We choose how we interpret situations and scenarios and we can choose to interpret them positively which ultimately decreases fear and panic and increases production of IGAs. 3. Practice Heart-Breathing and Generate Feelings of Compassion.  Dr. Mario shares a breathing technique that helps the parasympathetic nervous system and triggers the production of oxytocin.  4. Care for Yourself and Others.  Caring for others has a positive effect on our mindset but we have to be careful not to forget caring for ourselves or the benefits are negated.   5. Avoid Emotional Vampires Some people are so caught up in their negative loop that they steal from our emotional well. It’s best to avoid these people if possible or limit the time and emotional energy we give them.  6. Adjust your Emotional Default Mode to Positive We have an emotional default mode that we may not be aware of. It is possible to adjust this default to be more positive.  7. Maintain Perspective It’s easy to lose perspective with all of the dire news, but putting things into perspective can help us from falling into fear and panic, which is hard on our immune system.  8. Decrease Unnecessary Exposure to the News It’s important to stay informed, but Dr. Mario says we can over do it. He suggests getting your news only once a day.    We’re in this Together While there are things we can’t control, you do have control over what you focus on and think about. Instead of focusing on fear,  let's choose to focus on what we CAN do right now. We’re all in this together and, as we learned in this episode, helping others and being compassionate helps the immune system! Let’s work together, support each other with positivity and hope, and help each other get through this!   Links: Resources mentioned Thanks to my guest Dr. Mario Martinez. You can connect with him on his website. You may also enjoy reading more about this in one of his recent articles about the Coronavirus and Panic:  https://medium.com/@themindbodycode/panic-is-the-corona-viruss-best-friend-a49587956a79   Here are some links to his books: The MindBody Self: How Longevity Is Culturally Learned and the Causes of Health Are Inherited The Mindbody Code: How to Change the Beliefs That Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success   Suggested Products I hope these tools inspire you to do what you can within yourself. If you want to support your immune system from the outside, here are my supplement recommendations: Sambucus Formosana Nakai has shown positive effects against other coronaviruses (which doesn’t mean it's specifically effective against the Novel Coronavirus but it does have antiviral properties). Other natural antivirals include Vitamin C, Oil of Oregano, Silvercillin, Lomatium and Monolaurin. High doses of Vitamin C and Vita...

19 Maalis 202045min

The Case:  Mary 38 and has been dealing with vertigo, light sensitivity and low energy. She was also experiencing gastro-intestinal issues She saw a neurologist who provided no answers and a gastroenterologist who prescribed Proton Pump Inhibitor medications The Investigation I often meet people with a bunch of symptoms that seem unrelated. That was the case with Mary. In our conversation she also mentioned that she often felt like something was crawling under her skin. When I probed her more she also recalled that she would get headaches here and there. My sense was that it had to do with how her nervous system was responding to something, which is where I started my investigation. My first suspicion was migraine syndrome. It’s estimated that over 33 million Americans suffer with some form of migraines. About 11% of the world’s population has migraines. What most people don’t know is that migraine syndrome isn’t just about bad headaches. There are a lot more symptoms to consider.  To help me unravel Mary’s mysterious symptoms, I asked Dr. Rudrani Banik.  Dr. Banik is a board-certified and fellowship-trained Neuro-Ophthalmologist with over 20 years of medical experience. She is the Founder of Envision Health NYC in New York City. She shares my root-cause approach to solving problems and specializes in integrative eye and brain health so I knew she was the right expert to discuss Mary’s case with.  What is Migraine Syndrome Migraine Syndrome is a neurologic disease that can manifest in several aspects of bodily function. There are very specific criteria that the International Headache Society have proposed for making a diagnosis. Firstly, there have to be at least five attacks of symptoms which may or may not include a headache. Headaches, when they do occur, last from 4 - 72 hours (longer than a typical headache) and usually also have a pulsating quality.  Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity and sound sensitivity. Additionally, some experience dizziness, vertigo, gastrointestinal issues which can include cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. Frequent urination and sweating may also be present. Dr. Banik says that she sees patients with a variety of different symptoms.  Who is at Risk of Having Migraine Syndrome Migraine Syndrome is very common. According to Dr. Banik,  one in ten people have migraines and women are 3 times more likely to suffer from it.  If someone in your family has Migraine Syndrome, you are more likely to be affected. Children of migraine sufferers are 50% more likely to also suffer from migraines. Keep in mind that Migraine Syndrome often goes undiagnosed so you may be predisposed to it and not know it because family members are unaware that their symptoms are related to migraines.  The Migraine Gut Connection A lot of people don’t realize the connection between gastrointestinal issues and migraines - in fact many doctors are unaware of it too. There are many connections between the brain and the gut. The primary connection is through a nerve called the vagus nerve which carries parasympathetic information from the brain to the gut. It helps control digestion and other GI functions.  Plus, there's actually a nervous system in the gut called the interior nervous system. So, the gut releases neurotransmitters that send signals back to the brain. These two systems represent a dual neural-pathway between the brain and the gut.  Common Migraine Triggers Migraine triggers are unique to the individual but there are some more common triggers to be aware of. Food sensitivities can trigger migraines. These foods may be foods you love (like red wine, beer, chocolate, and cheese) that do not trigger any other symptoms. Fermented foods or foods that are high in histamines or sulfites are common culprits. Caffeine can cause migraines, but it can also help some people. In order to track down what foods may trigger a migraine for you, Dr. Banik suggests keeping a food diary or using a free app like MigraineBuddy. This app will also help you track stress as this is a very common trigger.  Additional triggers include toxins (especially inhaled toxins) as well as certain mold. Determining the Root Cause of Migraine Syndrome Because of the close connection between the gut and the brain, Dr. Banik usually starts by testing for the root cause of migraines in the gut. She will help heal the gut by bringing the gut microbiome back into balance and see if that alleviates the migraines. It’s also important to test for deficiencies because these can play a role in migraines, especially magnesium. Genetic testing that can identify the MTHFR gene which is common in migraine cases. In this case, a methylated vitamin B may be helpful.  There are some tests that can help identify possible causes include an MRI, a food sensitivity panel (the IgG Panel), or a stool sample.  Conventional Treatment of Migraines Conventional doctors are most likely to treat migraine syndrome with a prescription and not bother looking for the cause of the migraines. They're relatively safe, but they can have side effects. Many migraine treatments are in the class of either blood pressure medication. Some of them are anti-seizure medications, some of them are antidepressants. There are some newer classes of treatments called CGRP (Calcitonin gene-related peptide) which is thought to play a major role in migraine. These are biologic agents that need to be injected.   Treating Migraines Naturally In addition to treating any root cause (like a deficiency or the MTHFR gene), Dr. Banik always focuses on the diet first. She starts with an elimination diet to help determine triggers and will sometimes recommend the mitochondria diet. She also encourages patients to avoid night shades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants) because they tend to release histamine and can be pro-inflammatory, especially in patients with an autoimmune predisposition. As for supplements, Dr. Banik often suggests melatonin because it helps stabilize sleep patterns which can be interrupted by migraines and also cause migraines.  And finally, stress-management is key to treating migraines. This can be accomplished by reducing stressful situations, meditation, doing something you enjoy, using relaxing essential oils (such as peppermint, lavender, and frankincense)  as well as getting exercise. Another technique to try is EFT (emotional freedom technique - also known as tapping). The key is to prioritize self-care to ensure stress does not trigger migraines.  Mystery Solved For Mary,  we started by running a food sensitivity test (the Alcat test because it can test for as many as 200 foods). We discovered that Mary had a bunch of food sensitivities. She removed them all out of her diet. Additionally, we cut out some of the very high histamine foods like kombucha and spinach.  We also ran a stool test and found she had some bacterial and fungal overgrowth (not picked up on the doctor’s stool test when they tested her for parasites). We used rotated Allicillin, Oil of Oregano and Tricycline (a synergistic antimicrob...

12 Maalis 202044min

The Investigation Misty has a long history of mysterious sleep issues. Just when she would solve one sleep mystery, another would pop up. It turned out, each of them was caused by something different. Luckily, Misty Williams became her own health advocate and was able to get to the various root causes and correct them. Now she runs Healing Rosie, an organization that provides high performing women in their 20s and 30s with the resources and community to successfully confront the unexpected in their own wellness journey. Misty joins me on the show today to share the different suspects you should be considering if you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough quality sleep.    Suspect #1 - High Cortisol Most people know that stress can play a big role in our ability to sleep well. The cortisol that our body releases in times of stress is what keeps us awake. For Misty, she experienced a significantly elevated level of cortisol during an illness and once it was rectified, her body struggled to get rid of it. You won’t believe how long she was awake (we’re talking days, not hours!). Some people don’t realize that stress isn’t the only way that cortisol can be elevated. Misty explains that X-rays, infections and other illnesses can also spike cortisol. Stress reduction protocols are key for combating this cause of sleep issues.    Suspect #2 - Busy-ness Our lives are extremely full - too full, in some cases and all of that busy-ness can impact our ability to sleep. Being busy all the time with a million things on our mind, might be lumped into the stress category but it can be more than that. The mind might be racing making falling asleep incredibly hard and then when you do get to sleep, suddenly you’re awake a few hours later. Even waking up too early (and unable to get back to sleep) can be a symptom of being too busy. Lifestyle changes are the only way to alleviate this.    Suspect #3 - Toxic Metals Misty experienced sleep issues after she had her mercury fillings removed by her dentist who inadvertently released some of the toxins into her body. Toxic metals, like mercury, can cause serious sleep disturbances. And, it can take the body up to 5 years to be fully rid of these toxic metals. A heavy metal detox may help.   Suspect #4 - Hormones This is a very common cause of sleep issues for women as they approach perimenopause and menopause. The response to low estrogen (and even low progesterone) can be sleep problems. Low estrogen can also cause night sweats and hot flashes. Low progesterone can be caused by excess cortisol (caused by stress or metal toxicity) and also causes sleep issues.       Suspect #5 - Epstein-Barr Virus We’ve talked in previous podcasts about Epstein-Barr and how pervasive (and undiagnosed) it is. Misty raises an interesting point that EPV can cause sleep issues. When the body is dealing with a really heavy viral load, it can affect our sleep. This suspect can be hard to catch because many doctors won’t test for this and the virus can sit dormant for a long time and then have a flare up. There are good homeopathic treatments for EPV.    Suspect #6 - Parasites This may surprise some people but parasites are nocturnal so if you have them, they can keep you up at night. Many people don’t consider parasites because they think only people who travel to third-world countries get them. That’s not true! People can get parasites in many developed countries - including the United States! Luckily, most parasites can be evicted with a special cleansing protocol.    Suspect #7 - Circadian Disruption Our modern lives don’t follow our natural circadian rhythm (except, maybe some farmers). We stay up too late using artificial light and we stare at blue screens all day and night that confuse the parasympathetic nervous system. Then, after hours of tricking our body into thinking it’s daytime, we suddenly expect it to accept that it’s not. The way to counter this is to live by circadian biology (and rise and sleep according to the sun). Since this is pretty much impossible for most people, there are ways to decrease exposure to blue light. Start by using amber glasses, limit screen time close to bed, and set screens to amber mode in the evening. Misty also has amber light in her house and uses blackout curtains to make sure her room is pitch black at night.    Suspect #8 - Heat Misty says that a good night’s sleep requires a cold room.  She likes to keep the room very cold (as cold as you can stand it).  She also uses a ChiliPad on her mattress that helps to keep her body temperature low at night. Another way that Misty suggests lowering the body temperature at night is by having a cold bath (or shower) before bed.    Eliminating Health Mysteries Sleep is absolutely crucial to our health. It’s important to determine what is interrupting your sleep (and it may be more than one of these suspects) and correcting it with the tips and tricks Misty shares in this episode. To truly demystify your sleep issues, check out the Best Sleep Summit which launches on March 16th 2020. Hear from 40 experts on how you can get your best sleep ever. Register here for FREE.    Links: Thanks to my guest Misty Williams! I’m so excited for her upcoming summit and I hope you’ll take advantage of this free access to many amazing experts (and unlock the secrets to your best sleep).    Other than through the summit, you can connect with her on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.    Suggested Products Pregnenolone Liquid   Thanks for Listening If you like what you heard, please rate and review this podcast. Every piece of feedback not only helps me create better shows, it helps more people find this important information. Never miss an episode -  Subscribe NOW to Health Mysteries Solved with host, Inna Topiler on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts and remember to rate and review the show! Find out more at http://healthmysteriessolved.com   Related Podcast Episodes:   EPISODE #013 The Case of Becoming a Health Self-Advocate with Misty Williams EPISODE #004 The Case of Exercise Zapping Energy w/ Dr. Kasia Kines EPISODE #044 The Truth about Insomnia (and What to do About It) EPISODE #043

27 Helmi 202042min

The Case:  Lindsay is 38 and constantly feels overwhelmed by her job, health, and life. She swings from depression to anxiety and can’t get a handle on things. She tried different diets, supplements and saw several experts including an integrative psychologist.   The Investigation When I met with Lindsay, she had already tried and eliminated several of the root causes I would have investigated including removing gluten from her diet and supplementing with probiotics and specific amino acids (which may remind you of Episode 35, The Case of Unpredictable Anxiety w/ Trudy Scott). But, like I always say, every case is unique.  With the usual suspects out of the way, I had to look deeper. I noticed that Lindsay seemed ‘in her head’ a lot. It reminded me of the old me and I knew this would be where the investigation would begin.  Joining me on the show is Christy Whitman. She’s transformational leader, celebrity coach and the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Art of Having It All. Christy is also the CEO and founder of the Quantum Success Learning Academy & Quantum Success Coaching Academy.  The connection between Christy and Lindsay’s case may not be immediately obvious. To see the connection, you have to understand a little bit about quantum physics. Luckily, Christy is happy to explain.    Quantum Physics and Our Health Everything is energy including a chair, a tree, or a human body. Everything in the universe is made up of atoms and molecules which are energy. And all energy carries a vibration. That vibration is communication that goes out into the universe and then attracts other like energies. We are sending out vibrations and we are also receiving them. This happens spontaneously at a cellular level. This could be in a blood cell, a liver cell or a brain cell. Often, the body doesn’t know how to receive energy.    Conditioned Not to Feel Christy explains that part of the problem people have with this flow of energy is when they don’t know how to feel this energy or they reject it - especially when it relates to childhood conditioning. Many kids are told not to cry, to bottle up anger, or not to be sad. Even telling someone not to be afraid is a suppression of emotional energy. Over time, this treatment of energy becomes so habitual that it becomes a state of being. Christy says this can lead to depression, anxiety or a diseased state of the body.    Feel the Feels Instead of suppressing feelings and emotions, Christy says it is much healthier to feel those emotions and process them completely. It takes only 90 seconds for the body to feel the woosh of a feeling, sit with it, experience it and then release it fully. However, most people either suppress it or allow it to compound by adding on to it. This can amplify emotions and create a spiraling effect. This then becomes very unpleasant and so we distract ourselves from those feelings by eating, drinking, shopping, etc.    Feel it in the Body, Not the Head We may think that emotions and feelings are something we process with our thoughts but they are actually processed in the body. We have to feel them. If we try to process them with our minds, they get stuck and can easily be reactivated. The more this happens, the more it compounds and overwhelms us. As a result, we close down to emotions because we don’t want them piling on. But, just because we’re shut down, that doesn’t mean the energy goes away. Instead, explains Christy, it spirals and creates an energetic vortex that attracts similar emotions to it.    Emotional Energy Impacts Organs Unprocessed energy or emotions can impact the health of your organs. Different emotions impact different organs. Anger gets contained in the liver and gallbladder. This can show up physically as headaches, skin issues, sluggishness, and high blood pressure and emotionally as resentment, frustration, irritability, and rage. Grief sits in the lungs. Unprocessed grief can feel like a tightness in our chest, or we might become prone to bronchitis, pneumonia, or asthma. It can also show up as shoulder pain, back pain, hoarseness of the throat, or constant cough.  Fear resides in our kidneys and our bladder and it's like adrenal fatigue. But when we're constantly in a space of worry, that's now a habitual way of being. In that state, we can see issues with digestion and stomach pain.   Master Your Own Energy Getting your energy cleared out can be done by an energy healer but it is possible to manage your own energy. As an energy master, you will be able to pay attention to your thoughts and pivot them to serve the flow of your energy. There is no need to be a victim of consciousness because it’s possible to be a deliberate creator of our lives and choose how we want to feel.  To clear your own energy, start by dropping your consciousness from your head and putting it into your belly.  Then, just sit there and feel for a pulsation, like a heartbeat. Once you feel it, focus on it and allow it to get bigger and bigger. Then, just like a wave on the ocean that you are surfing, you let it crest and ride it through. As the wave subsides, you will have released some of that old, stuck energy.  Clearing old emotions is important because feelings like pain, grief, sorrow, and disappointment can imprint on us over time and change our state of being so that we are much more likely to be activated and feel sad, depressed, anxious or hopeless.     The Seven Essential Laws There are seven essential laws that govern energy. Christy and I discuss a few of them in this episode, but here are all seven: The Law of Attraction Law of Deliberate Creation The Law of Allowing The Law of Sufficiency and Abundance Law of Pure Potentiality Law of Detachment The Law of Polarity Mystery Solved With every case, we have to look at every possible root cause. With Lindsay, we were able to track her concerns back to the disconnect between her head and body. We started with breathing exercises that helped her focus on the feelings in her body. Then we used a body scan meditation to reconnect her to her body. If you want to try this, check out my guided meditation in episode 39.  We also fixed a few things in her diet and she was feeling more balanced, most of the time. But, when life got extra challenging, she was still having extreme emotional reactions. Further testing revealed that she was also an over methylator (you can learn more about this in episode 34). So, we used niacin and folinic acid to help support her pathways from a biochemical end. In addition, Lindsay decided to see an energy healer to help her clear out past emotions.   Happy Ending Lindsay started feeling more balanced with her mood in about a month and after 3 months, she really felt stable. But even more importantly, she felt like now she had the tools to not only maintain that emotional stability but to deal with any unexpected emotional issues that arise....

20 Helmi 202048min