We are in the midst of a brain health epidemic. Millions of people around the world are suffering from Alzheimers disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, ADHD, mental illness, migraines, and more. It’s Dr. Perlmutter’s mission to prevent these numbers from rising and help people improve their health if already diagnosed. A board-certified neurologist with over 30 years experience, he's also the author of four bestselling books. This podcast episode is one of the most popular on...
Feb 25, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Epigenetics is the science of how our experiences and behavior interact with our genes. We aren't purely our DNA. Our genes are constantly getting turned on and off. This is one of the reasons why the paleo diet and lifestyle can have such a powerful influence on our health. It's beautifully empowering, but it's not a magical path to a cure. Once upon a time, people thought our health was 100% determined by our DNA (which we've learned isn't true). Today, some people are claiming that our DNA do...
Feb 12, 2017•55 min
The right exercise has the potential to improve our health, but the wrong exercise can cause an autoimmune flare. Our needs will often change from month to month, maybe even from day to day. In this podcast, I share my own experience of how my exercise needs have changed since being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I also interview 3 other people about their exercise experiences as well. One guest has multiple sclerosis, one has Crohn’s disease, and the other has Hashimoto’s.
Jan 28, 2017•1 hr 7 min
I have rheumatoid arthritis - a diagnosed autoimmune disease, and most of my readers have autoimmune diagnoses as well. But what if you have symptoms with no known cause? You've gone from doctor to doctor, and they simply tell you: "Your lab tests are normal." While in some ways this is good news, it can also be incredibly disheartening. You have no answers and no direction about what to do next. Dr. Tom O'Bryan is an expert on the development of autoimmune disease, and he writes about the autoi...
Jan 14, 2017•1 hr 2 min
If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys from rock bottom to reclaiming a vital life. But at a least once a year, I dedicate an episode to back-to-back healing stories, and I make an effort to speak to people with different autoimmune diagnoses each time. In this episode, we'll be talking about Diabetes, Alopecia, Lupus, Scleroderma, Myositis, Sjogren's, Raynaud's and Hidradenitis Suppurati...
Dec 31, 2016•1 hr 30 min
Many people come to the paleo community after years of veganism or vegetarianism. The reason is usually a health crisis, which can be shocking after eating a diet you thought was healthy for years. Some people embrace meat again without difficulty, but others struggle with ethical concerns, taste and texture issues, and even a loss of identity. In today's podcast, I interview Registered Dietitian Diana Rodgers on the nutritional difference between these diets, and how to be an Ethical Omnivore. ...
Dec 17, 2016•1 hr 13 min
This is one of my favorite mind-body techniques. When I feel stuck in fear, anger, or grief with no way to move forward, this technique transforms those feelings into peace. Does that sound too good to be true? That's why I love this technique - it's that powerful for me. Autoimmune disease and suffering often go hand-in-hand, physically, mentally and emotionally. The Work of Byron Katie is a process for questioning stressful thoughts and the feelings they feed. In this podcast, I offer myself u...
Dec 03, 2016•52 min
A lot of us in the autoimmune community take supplements. Sometimes they help, sometimes they harm, and sometimes they do nothing at all. Today, Kamal Patel from Examine.com teaches us how to make informed choices. When are supplements appropriate? What's the best supplement for pain? How much vitamin D does a person need? Are probiotics beneficial? How rampant is supplement fraud? We answer these questions and more in this information-packed podcast.
Nov 20, 2016•1 hr 14 min
Getting an autoimmune diagnosis often leaves us feeling traumatized and overwhelmed. This podcast is about finding hope again. My guests are Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt, authors of The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook. We talk about everything from getting emotional support from loved ones, to putting together a healthcare team, to defining resilience and learning how to face chronic illness from a place of power instead of feeling like a victim. Visit https://www.phoenixhelix.com for show notes.
Nov 06, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Our bodies have natural detox pathways, but they are overwhelmed by modern life. More than 80,000 new chemicals have been released into the world since the industrial revolution 150 years ago, and most of them within the past 50 years. These chemicals have never been fully tested for their effects on our bodies or the environment. We are asking our bodies to detoxify far more than they were designed to handle, and this is an important element in reclaiming our health. That said, there are a lot ...
Oct 24, 2016•56 min
Life on a healing diet means preparing most – if not all – of your own food. So, that’s a lotta cooking! Anything that saves us time and makes the process more efficient is a lifesaver. It’s also an important part of being able to stick with a healing diet. In this podcast episode, I have 3 wonderful guests. Together we’ll be sharing our best tips for making the most food in the least amount of time, without sacrificing nutrition or flavor. We'll be talking batch cooking, pressure cooking, Insta...
Oct 09, 2016•1 hr 16 min
Our thyroid regulates the metabolism of every organ and cell in our body. That's why there's such a long and varied list of symptoms that can indicate a thyroid problem. Hashimoto's and Graves disease are autoimmune diseases which attack the thyroid, but thyroid issues are on the rise from other causes as well. In today's show, I speak with expert Elle Russ, author of The Paleo Thyroid Solution. We discuss why thyroid problems are becoming commonplace, how to test your thyroid function, what ave...
Sep 25, 2016•1 hr 4 min
When Lenore Eklund found that her Crohn's disease medication made her feel worse instead of better, her husband encouraged her to try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is similar to Paleo. The results were so dramatic that it inspired this film. However, the documentary isn't about her personal journey. Instead, it follows the lives of three people just beginning to embark on a healing diet. One tries the paleo autoimmune protocol, one tries SCD, and another tries 80/20 paleo. We see the dra...
Sep 10, 2016•55 min
While my podcast usually focuses on autoimmune disease, I frequently get questions from people new to the paleo lifestyle, who are concerned about the effect of the paleo diet on their health. We’ve been taught in our lifetimes to fear fat, cholesterol and red meat, all of which are part of the paleo diet. And if we’re not afraid of these foods ourselves, our families often are. So, I thought it would be great to have an expert on the show to separate fact from fiction. Dr. Jack Wolfson is a car...
Aug 27, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Autoimmune disease doesn't exist in a bubble. Its onset changes our own lives dramatically, but it also impacts our relationships. In this episode, I interview three spouses of people with autoimmune disease, including my own husband Tom. We talk about what it's like to be married to someone with chronic illness, how they try to support the person they love, and how they also make sure they don’t get lost in the equation.
Aug 14, 2016•1 hr 16 min
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses the power of positive suggestion to bring about subconscious change to our thoughts, feelings and behavior. Today, we talk about its application to life with autoimmune disease, and how it might be an effective tool to help us manage our stress and even alleviate chronic symptoms. My guest is licensed hypnotherapist, Kerry Jeffery, who also has autoimmune disease herself.
Jul 30, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Finding a rheumatologist who combines paleo principles with functional medicine to address root causes, and conventional medicine to control symptoms when necessary, feels very much like finding a unicorn. One of my blog readers let me know about Dr. Melissa McNamara, who practices in the Bay Area of California, but also consults with people worldwide. She took time out of her busy schedule to share her treatment philosophy, when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis.
Jul 17, 2016•1 hr 5 min
The decision of whether or not to take autoimmune medication is rarely an easy one. Not only that, but our decision might change over the course of our illness. This podcast was inspired by my decision in 2016 to start medication after 4 years on the paleo autoimmune protocol. In this episode, I share the reasons behind my choice and also interview 5 other people about their medication choices. My guests have a wide range of diagnoses and experiences. Some have always taken medication, some have...
Jul 03, 2016•1 hr 46 min
One of the most popular episodes of this podcast is episode 15, where we covered the topic of Adrenal Fatigue for the first time. I’ve invited Christopher Kelly back onto the show, because there is a new DUTCH test that he believes is more accurate when diagnosing and treating adrenal fatigue. We also talk about how the label of Adrenal Fatigue is misleading, because the adrenals themselves are rarely the problem. The root cause lies someplace else altogether. The key to healing is diagnosing an...
Jun 18, 2016•1 hr 3 min
Today, we're going to cover some frequently asked questions about eating well for autoimmune health: (1) What's the optimal macronutrient ratio? (2) Are dietary fats healthy or harmful? (3) If we don't eat dairy, how do we get enough calcium? (4) How do we keep our blood sugar balanced? (5) If we're having trouble reaching a healthy weight, what can we do? (6) How can we troubleshoot digestive issues? (6) And more! Amy Kubal is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with both Bachelors and Masters ...
Jun 05, 2016•1 hr 6 min
In cultures around the world, we gather together over food: we have dinner dates, drinks with friends, favorite festivals, and big family meals at our grandparents’ house. What happens when we can’t eat that food any more? Some people make the mistake of giving up their social life altogether because they simply don’t know how to manage it. Today, I have 3 experienced AIP-ers on the podcast to share their experience and advice for having a full and fun social life while still staying true to you...
May 22, 2016•1 hr 15 min
Stress is intimately connected to autoimmune expression. Many of you have experienced this yourself, when a high-stress situation kicked off an autoimmune flare – or even an autoimmune diagnosis. While we can take steps to strive for a lower-stress life, the truth is that part of life is experiencing tough times. Whether it's aging parents, troubled teens, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, the death of someone we love, or our own autoimmune struggles, we can’t avoid stress altogethe...
May 08, 2016•1 hr 3 min
One of the tragedies of modern life is the belief that health is meant to decline as we age, and there's nothing we can do about it. On today's show, I have 3 guests proving otherwise. They all transitioned to a healing diet after the age of 60 and saw a dramatic improvement in their health. They hope to inspire others in their age group (or any age) to do the same!
Apr 24, 2016•1 hr 3 min
If you've been doing the paleo diet and lifestyle perfectly and aren't seeing results, infections can sometimes be a roadblock to healing. On today's podcast, Dr. Michael Ruscio talks about which infections are common, which are rare, and how he diagnoses and treats them in his clinical practice. We talk about SIBO, h. pylori, parasites, candida, Epstein-Barr and other intracellular infections. We also talk about overtreatment and how to differentiate a healing crisis from an allergic reaction t...
Apr 07, 2016•1 hr 9 min
Emotional Freedom Technique, otherwise known as EFT, is a simple technique designed to release emotional blocks to healing. What does that mean? The idea is that no matter what challenges we are experiencing, including chronic illness like autoimmune disease, there is always an emotional component. Long-held blocked emotions make us more vulnerable to disease, and they also make it more difficult for us to heal. Today, we have EFT expert, Dr. Anne Merkel, on the podcast to teach us all about it....
Mar 27, 2016•1 hr 4 min
We have a special guest on the show today - Mark Sisson, the paleo leader and voice behind Mark's Daily Apple, and the author of many books including The Primal Connection. One of the things I’ve always loved about Mark’s message is that health is about more than just food. It’s about every aspect of life. The Primal Connection explores the disconnect between modern life and the life of our ancestors – how we live completely differently now. We can’t go back in time, but we can learn from our pa...
Mar 12, 2016•59 min
Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) is a nontraditional autoimmune medication that sometimes dramatically decreases symptoms at low cost and with minimal side effects. It has been mentioned in some of the healing stories shared on this podcast, so I promised to dedicate an entire episode to learning more. Our guest, Dr. Thomas Cowan, is a medical doctor in San Francisco who uses LDN as part of his autoimmune patient treatment plan. Today we learn what this drug is, how it works, how to find the right dose...
Feb 27, 2016•49 min
I think every woman with autoimmune disease knows how strongly our hormones can impact autoimmune symptoms. Some women flare around their periods. Some go into remission during pregnancy and then flare after delivery or after they stop breastfeeding. Others find their symptoms start to increase during the hormone fluctuations of perimenopause. And others actually develop autoimmune disease after menopause. So clearly hormone balance is a topic near and dear to us all. In this podcast, I intervie...
Feb 13, 2016•1 hr
Do you believe that you can't meditate? In this episode of the Phoenix Helix podcast, I hope to convince you otherwise. Meditation relieves stress, reduces inflammation, and can have a powerful impact on your life. There's no one "right" way to do it, and you really can't do it wrong. Today, I interview four people with autoimmune disease, each sharing a different form of meditation and the impact it's had on their life and health. At the end of the podcast, I share how meditation has worked in ...
Jan 29, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Today's podcast delves into a potential healing roadblock: Histamine Intolerance. Do you have unexplained skin rashes, headaches, digestive upset, mood issues and brain fog, even though you are following the paleo autoimmune diet and lifestyle perfectly? Our podcast topic today might be a piece in your healing puzzle. Histamine is a natural component in both our food and our bodies, but certain things can make it overproduce, causing myriad symptoms that keep our body in a hypersensitive state. ...
Jan 16, 2016•1 hr 2 min
