If you’re looking to curl up with a good book in the New Year, check out this eye-opening list of my must-reads in natural health and nutrition!

Reading and learning more about holistic health are always top priorities for me. With all the travel I’m doing to promote my new Radical Metabolism book, I take full advantage of the down time in transit and pick up a good book.

As search engines and social media become more and more geared toward mainstream medicine, it becomes critically important to find reputable sources for quality natural health information. This year, I turned to one of my favorite publishers of all time, who published the first edition of my Guess What Came to Dinner? book, Square One Publishing, and I can’t wait to dig into what they’ve come up with for me for the new year!

Dr. Ann Louise's 2019 Book List

• Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras (2nd Edition)

  by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer

  It’s been more than 20 years since the first edition of this book made waves by shedding light on research that women who wear bras 24 hours a day are 125 timesmore likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who don’t wear bras. When this book initially came out, not only were the authors attacked by medical authorities and fashion industry leaders, but even the publishers were threatened and told not to publish the book!

  In this second edition, they’ve included the additional research done over the 20+ years since the first edition, and updated their analysis, but the results are still the same – the more women wear bras, the higher their risk for breast cancer increases.

• Unsafe At Any Meal: What the FDA Does Not Want You to Know About the Foods You Eat

  by Dr. Renee Joy Dufault

  Dr. Dufault, a former Food and Drug Administration Investigator, reveals the ugly truth behind the hundreds of food products that are contaminated with dangerous compounds – with the FDA’s blessing. When she found mercury from the plumbing systems of many food manufacturing plants was contaminating a number of processed foods commonly sold in supermarkets and revealed her findings to her supervisor, she was told to immediately stop her investigation. She didn’t listen.

  She continued to find heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful additives in our mainstream food supply, and was always met with dead ends in revealing her investigations. She chose to take an early retirement from the FDA and has devoted her life to making the public aware of these hidden food dangers, and how they contribute to chronic conditions like ADHD and autism. Through this book she also teaches us how to read food labels and recognize misleading marketing tactics.

• Healing with Medical Marijuana: Getting Beyond the Smoke and Mirrors

  by Dr. Mark Sircus

  Medical marijuana is one of the hot topics I’m researching for 2019. I want to understand its application in everything from cancer and chronic pain, to headaches and anxiety. As more and more states are now legalizing it, it’s even more important to understand how it works as a medicine and how to get the best results when using it.

  What I like about this book is that it presents the scientific research, explains how it works, and gives a comprehensive protocol with an A to Z guide for 50 conditions that can be helped by its use, in both adults and children. He takes a holistic approach and incorporates minerals like magnesium and iodine with medical marijuana use for the best outcomes.

• Healing with Hemp CBD Oil: A Simple Guide to Using Powerful and Proven Health Benefits of CBD

  by Earl Mindell, RPH, MH, PhD

  Because of the cultural stigma around marijuana, it isn’t universally embraced as a medicine. Hemp, however, is rich in CBD with very little of the psychoactive THC that produces the “high,” and is legal to use in all 50 states.

  Anti-inflammatory hemp CBD oil has been shown to be helpful for everything from blood clots and fibromyalgia, to high blood pressure and autoimmune diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Multiple Sclerosis. In this book. Earl Mindell explains the science behind CBD oil, how to source good quality products, and how to use it for healing in more than 50 medical conditions.

• Aromatherapy for Everyone (2nd Edition)

  by Mary Shipley

  I love entertaining guests in my home and am always looking for air fresheners and anti-bacterial sprays that don’t contain chemical additives to keep my home welcoming and inviting and as germ-free as possible. This is why essential oils intrigue me, and I’d like to learn more.

  Many of my dear friends are passionate representatives of MLM essential oil companies, and while their enthusiasm is contagious, I’ve often found myself wanting a concise, quick and easy reference guide at my fingertips to understand how these oils work and what their best applications are. There are essential oil products available for everything from cleaning your house to fighting the flu, and I honestly get overwhelmed with all the information that’s out there.

  That’s why I’m looking forward to reading Mary Shipley’s book, which comes out later this week. She covers more than 50 essential oils and their individual uses, plus teaches how to combine them for synergistic blends. She also matches problems or needs with aromatherapy solutions in an easy-to-understand format, almost like an encyclopedia of essential oils.

• The A.G.E. Food Guide

  by Helen Vlassara, MD and Sandra Woodruff, MS, RD

  All foods contain naturally occurring toxins, called Advanced Glycation End Products, or AGEs. Over time, these AGEs increase oxidation and free radical production, harden tissues, and create chronic inflammation, which all leads to chronic disease. A buildup of AGEs also accelerates your body’s aging process.

  While I have been aware of these compounds in foods for quite some time, and designed my Fat Flush and Radical Metabolism plans with these AGEs in mind, this is the first guide I’ve seen that goes into detail about how AGEs lead to chronic diseases, how cooking and processing and other inflammatory foods affect AGE levels in foods, and gives an A to Z listing of foods and their AGE amounts. I expect this will be a handy reference guide to have on hand.

• Your Blood Never Lies: How to Read a Blood Test for a Longer, Healthier Life

  by James B. LaValle, RPh, CCN, ND

  One of the most common questions I’m asked in both my Inner Circle and by my private clients is how to read their blood tests. I’m always on the lookout for an easy-to-understand guide that anyone can use to not only understand the conventional medical meaning of their blood tests, but to go beyond and learn what the optimal ranges are, and how to use these tests not only as diagnostic markers, but to prevent disease as well.

  James LaValle is known as “America’s Pharmacist” because he breaks down complicated medical concepts into basic terms we all can understand. As the title of his book says, your blood never lies, and the keys to your health can be found in the results of standard blood tests, if you know how to decipher them. He explains over 40 blood tests in this book, and how to use them as indicators of your overall health.

• What You Must Know About The Hidden Dangers of Antibiotics: How the Side Effects of Six Popular Antibiotics Can Destroy Your Health

  by Jay S. Cohen, MD

  Dr. Cohen was a tireless advocate and educator, widely recognized as an expert on prescription drugs and their natural alternatives for more than 4 decades. He debated top FDA officials on drug safety at several conferences, was featured on more than 100 radio programs including NPR, and triggered a national debate on the safety of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which led to changes in major medical protocols by the US Centers for Disease Control. He will be greatly missed.

  The topic he was most passionate about before his death was antibiotic toxicity. Because so many doctors simply follow standard antibiotic protocols and don’t educate themselves on the serious side effects the FDA issues warnings for, most patients are blind-sighted when they face serious reactions to them. This book aims to educate us all on the serious side effects of 6 common antibiotics, alternatives to their use, and natural remedies we can use to heal.

• The Alzheimer’s Prevention & Treatment Diet

  by Richard Isaacson, MD and Christopher N. Ochner, PhD

  You may be wondering why the “First Lady of Nutrition” included a diet plan in my reading list. I’m always intrigued when a well-known doctor (and Harvard Medical School graduate) changes the course of his career to do an in-depth study on the effectiveness of nutrition in the treatment of his patients.

  He and his colleagues have found that diet, specific nutritional supplements, physical exercise, stimulating intellectual and social activities, and stress reduction techniques combined are the best, research-proven way to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s dementia. His diet looks to enhance brain function, and considers the needs of advanced Alzheimer’s patients who have difficulty with their nutrition needs and have medication interactions to consider. His advice comes from firsthand experience with his patients, and I look forward to gleaning some new pearls of wisdom from his comprehensive approach to better brain health.

• What You Must Know About Age-Related Macular Degeneration

  Jeffrey Anshel, OD and Laura Stevens, MSci

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common eye disorder as we age, with over 2 million Americans affected. Advances in nutrition and medical research show that we can slow, stop, and even reverse this condition. As the president of the Ocular Nutrition Society, Jeffrey Anshel is a leading expert in the nutritional needs of the eye, and is well-versed in natural therapies for AMD.

  In this book, he goes into detail about the research and science behind AMD, the risk factors – like Metabolic Syndrome – that we need to be aware of, and the foods and nutritional supplements that are must-haves to combat and prevent this disease. He goes beyond the basic nutrients needed for eye health and presents a comprehensive program we all need to be familiar with as we age.

If you aren’t losing the weight you want to, then it’s time for a radical change. Bitter foods like coffee, cacao, cabbage, ginger, and dozens more, stimulate the liver, promote better bile flow, and boost your fat-burning metabolism, all of which are key components of losing weight and getting healthy.

Bitter foods are a big deal! So why aren’t we eating them, and what has taken us so long to discover their vital role in weight loss?

The answers to these questions came during the “aha!” moments that lead to my new book, Radical Metabolism. This radical new approach to weight loss and getting healthy helped me overcome the final hurdle to having the body I wanted to see when I look in the mirror – I finally lost that tummy pooch that I’d had since menopause!

If your metabolism is stalled and you crave sweets, your energy is flagging, and those extra pounds just won’t budge despite your best dieting efforts, then it’s time for a radical change to Radical Metabolism– and it starts with bitters.

Bitter for Better Weight – Why Didn’t I Think of That?

You’re born with roughly 9,000 taste buds that distinguish between five main flavors – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami – or savory. Have you ever wondered why you are more drawn to sweet, salty, and umami foods and shy away from bitter or sour foods? That’s easy – survival.

Sweet, salty, and savory (umami) are tastes associated with foods that are fresh, rich in nutrients and protein. On the other hand, sour and bitter foods are associated with foods that have spoiled or plants that are poisonous.

We have a natural aversion to bitter foods for survival’s sake – but there’s more to bitters than what meets the eye. While most flavors can be discerned all over the tongue, the back of the tongue is reserved for bitter only, so we can detect poisons and spit them out before it’s too late.

However, bitter taste isn’t reserved just for poisons – it’s the most complex of the flavors. We have 35 different proteins in our sensory cells that respond to bitter foods and help us discern between friend and foe within this taste category. Why? Because bitter foods are some of the most powerful healers and important for our bodies when we need to detox and absorb nutrients.

The Benefits of Bitter Foods for Weight Loss

Bitter foods like coffee, cacao, watercress, arugula, cabbage, orange peel, ginger, apple cider vinegar, and more, boost bile flow, which is critical for detox, thyroid function, digestion, and even suppressing sugar cravings. Bile is a big deal, it’s been called “liquid gold” because of how valuable it is to your body. But there’s more to bitters than just bile building.

• Bitters Improve Bile and Boost Your Metabolism

  Bitters build better bile and boost your fat-burning metabolism. Bile is an emulsifying, soap-like substance that plays a key role in fat metabolism. The quantity and quality of bile you produce is essential to your health and your ability to lose weight.

  Bile should be thin, golden, and flow freely, and your liver should make a quart a day of this substance. Problems come when bile becomes toxic sludge and stops flowing freely, from toxin overload, clogged bile ducts, elevated blood sugar, excess cholesterol, and not enough to nutrients to create it.

  Did the Paleo or Keto diets leave you feeling tired and bloated? It’s likely bile quality is to blame. When bile is toxic, congested, and not flowing freely, you can’t metabolize fats properly, and it isn’t long before you’re bloated, tired, and craving sugars because you can’t digest those healthy fats.

  The good news is bitters make it better! Bitters boost bile production, and more bile means better fat digestion and absorption. Bitters rev up your fat-burning metabolism and your body processes more fat – which means storing less of it. Studies show healthy bile also reduces insulin resistance, which is essential for weight loss and healthy blood sugar levels.

  One additional note: Normally, the gallbladder regulates the flow of bile, but if yours is causing you pain and nausea, or has been removed, you may need help to boost your bile flow. This is what I created my Bile Builder for, and it works well in combination with bitter foods to get your fat burning metabolism back on track and digestion working optimally.

• Bitters Support Liver Health

  As the body’s prime detoxification organ, the liver takes an enormous beating from today’s toxic world. Many foods and lifestyle factors, such as refined sugars and grains, unhealthy fats like processed vegetable oils, too little fiber, too much alcohol and caffeine, medications, emotional stress, heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the air, water, and food, are all hard on the liver.

  The most prevalent liver disease today is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver. This is a sign the liver has stopped processing fat and storing it. If your liver is sluggish, every organ in your body is affected and your weight loss efforts will be stalled from multiple angles. A fatty liver is a toxic liver.

  Because bitter foods increase bile production, your liver health will improve. Bile plays a major role in detoxifying your liver – it flushes out all the toxins your liver collects and can’t process. Without enough bile, these toxins get stored in fat cells and promote cellulite by increasing body fat and reducing collagen formation.

  Like a magnet, bile grabs onto whatever the liver needs to get rid of – heavy metals, drugs, toxic chemicals, food preservatives, pesticides, flame retardants, and more – and carries it through the colon to be eliminated.

• Bitter Foods Boost Thyroid Function

  Essential fats from your diet supply your body with the raw materials needed to make thyroid hormones. If you’re not absorbing fats, you can’t make thyroid hormones. Once you have a thyroid problem, like hypothyroidism, it slows the emptying of the biliary tract, which increases your risk for gallstone formation. It also slows metabolism and causes weight gain.

  The good news is bile acids boost thyroid activity. So when those bitter foods produce better bile flow, they’re also improving your thyroid function! According to thyroid specialist Dr. Antonio Blanco, bile release triggers your body to convert T4 (your body’s less active thyroid hormone) to T3 (the more active form), which fuels metabolism. He found individuals who improved their bile experienced a whopping 53 percent increase in metabolism, which breaks through the weight loss barrier!

• Bitters Improve Digestion and Absorption

  Bitter foods get your digestive juices flowing by stimulating the release of saliva, stomach acid (HCl), pepsin, gastrin, pancreatic enzymes, and of course, bile. It’s basically a downstream cascade that happens once bitter flavors are introduced to the tongue.

  What happens when this cascade is triggered is a balanced release over time of these essential fluids, and proper breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for optimal nutrient absorption. For this purpose, bitters need only be introduced in small amounts, and may not even need to be swallowed to be effective.

• Bitters Reduce Acid Reflux and Constipation

  Bitters reduce acid reflux, GERD, and constipation. Bitters relieve reflux by increasing the tone of your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and “priming the pump” for optimal stomach acid levels, by inducing the digestive juices cascade that begins with the taste being detected on the tongue. Once this cascade results in better bile production, this intestinal lubricant relieves constipation and promotes healthy elimination.

• Bitters Are Good For Intestinal Flora

  Bitters feed “skinny bugs” and reduce the populations of “bad bugs.” Bitter foods, especially naturally fermented, unpasteurized vegetables like sauerkraut from cabbage, are acidic and loaded with gut-friendly microbes, increasing the numbers of bacteria that help with weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight, and decreasing the numbers of “fat bacteria.”

  The presence of even one strain of bacteria known to cause weight gain is enough to shift your entire microbiome and cause you to pack on the pounds. Bitters help rebalance the microbiome with intestinal flora in your favor.

  Another function of bile is to reduce the populations of unhealthy bacteria, fungi and parasites. When bile is thin and free-flowing, it’s also acidic, and balances the pH of the intestines in a way that is unfavorable to “bad bugs.”

  Just the presence of enough healthy bile is all it takes to kill off many foreign invaders that would set up shop in your liver and intestines and cause harm to your health.

• Bitter Foods Suppress Sugar Cravings

  This is a well-known principle in Ayurvedic medicine. Different flavors of foods hold different healing attributes, and one way bitters are used is to balance a meal and suppress sugar cravings.

• You Can Have Your Coffee and Chocolate and Lose Weight, Too!

  Coffee and cacao are loaded with bitter and antioxidants, and when consumed in moderation, they can enhance your weight loss efforts and support your overall health—and this is why they’re part of my Radical Metabolism plan!

  Coffee is a powerhouse superfood packed with antioxidants. Did you know women who drink coffee have lower death rates from cardiovascular disease? It’s true! The latest scientific research also shows that coffee drinkers have fewer digestive issues and lower rates of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and liver cancer. Coffee drinkers also have healthier brains and tend to live longer!

  Cacao, the purest form of chocolate, has 20 times more antioxidant power than blueberries, making it a true superfood. Cacao helps cleanse and restore health at the cellular level. It also boosts your body’s serotonin levels, making you feel content, and when it comes to eating, you feel full faster. Notice here, the form of chocolate that has the health and weight loss benefits you’re looking for is pure cacao, not milk chocolate or other sugar-laden choices. When it comes to your health, don’t compromise!

Candida is everywhere. It’s in the air you breathe, in the foods you eat, and is a normal part of everyone’s intestinal flora.

When your intestinal flora is thriving, candida exists peacefully in the mucus membrane of your intestinal wall and is kept in check as part of a healthy balance. But, when normal probiotic defenses break down and conditions are ripe for Candida to overgrow, it changes its form and goes into attack mode, wreaking havoc in your body and causing a host of symptoms and problems.

The changing face and form of Candida is what makes it such a challenge to effectively treat.

The Many Faces of Candida

More than 20 strains of Candida have been identified in the human body, and this fungus takes on several different forms in order to protect itself from being eradicated.

Candida normally exists as a mild-mannered single-celled organism, nestled in the mucus membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, feeding on excess sugar to grow and reproduce. This is the lens through which researchers view it, and how drugs and even natural approaches are developed to counteract it.

The problem is, when Candida becomes pathogenic and no-more-mister-nice-guy, it joins itself together in long strands called hyphae that drill into the walls of the intestines, allowing fungus, toxins, and other debris direct access to blood vessels and other organs.

These root-like structures also bore into macrophages, the immune system cells designed to kill Candida, and render them helpless to mount a defense against this aggressive invader. As if all that isn’t enough, it then groups together and forms a protective shield around itself known as a biofilm.

This protective biofilm allows Candida to create an environment it thrives in, with just the right pH and plenty of food to keep doing its dastardly deeds and growing its population. As this yeast spreads, reproduces, and distributes its toxic entourage, it can affect virtually any part of your body and cause a wide variety of symptoms.

Signs You May Have a Candida Overgrowth

Candida has won the popularity contest as the most common fungal infection, with one in three adults having an overgrowth. While it typically starts in the digestive tract, symptoms can be wide-ranging and varied, as it changes form and spreads to other areas of the body. 

Symptoms You May Feel with Candida Overgrowth:

• Intense fatigue, headaches, insomnia, weight gain or loss, mood swings, pain, jittery feelings, appetite loss, agitation.
• Bloating, flatulence, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, stools with mucus.
• Burning, frequent, and/or urgent urination, recurring bladder infections, cystitis.
• Cramps, irregular periods, depression, severe PMS symptoms.
• Itching, burning, white vaginal discharge.
• Dry mouth, rashes, sore and/or bleeding gums, white patches, white or brown coating on the tongue.
• Nasal itching and sinus congestion.
• Psoriasis, rashes, acne.
• Burning sensations in the eyes, blurry vision, floaters, chronic inflammation, tearing, sudden changes in vision.
• Loss of hearing, fluid in middle ear, recurring infections, ear pain.

Yeast Overgrowth Risk Factors

Candida overgrowth is so prevalent, with such a variety of symptoms, it makes it difficult to zero in on the causes of this stealth infection. Fortunately, we know several risk factors, which greatly increase your chances of overgrowth. In truth, most of our difficulties with yeast are the unintended consequences of lifestyle habits and choices that were supposed to improve our health or help us lose weight.

The Most Common Risk Factors for Yeast Overgrowth Include:

• Repeated course of antibiotics
• Impaired immunity, including from immunosuppressant medications
• Hormone fluctuations
• Female anatomy
• Diet high in carbohydrates and sugars
• Underactive thyroid
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Living in a cool, damp, rainy climate
• Other fungal exposure, like mold in your home
• Heavy metal toxicity

Could You Have Excess Yeast? Take the Quiz!

With the wide variety of symptoms Candida overgrowth can cause, it can be confusing to determine if Candida is truly at the root of your issues.

While this quiz can’t give you a definitive answer, it is helpful in narrowing down its potential role. This survey was originally created by the late William Crook, MD, a wonderful personal friend of mine who was considered a pioneer in researching the role of Candida in a plethora of health issues, and who authored several books on the subject.

Candida Quiz

If your answer to any of the following questions is “yes,” write down the number of points for that question. At the end, add up the total points. Your final score indicates the probability of a yeast connection to your health issues.

1. Have you taken repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics? (4 points)
2. Have you been bothered by recurrent vaginal, prostate, or urinary infections? (3 points)
3. Do you feel “sick all over,” yet the cause has not been found? (2 points)
4. Are you bothered by hormone disturbances, including PMS, menstrual irregularities, sexual dysfunction, sugar cravings, low body temperature, or fatigue? (2 points)
5. Are you unusually sensitive to tobacco smoke, perfumes and colognes, and chemical odors? (2 points)
6. Are you bothered by memory or concentration problems? Do you sometimes feel spaced out or in a brain fog? (2 points)
7. Have you taken a prolonged course of prednisone or other steroids, or have you taken birth control pills for more than 3 years? (2 points)
8. Do some foods disagree with you or trigger your symptoms? (1 point)
9. Do you suffer with constipation, diarrhea, bloating, or abdominal pain? (1 point)
10. Does your skin itch, tingle or burn; or is it unusually dry; or are you bothered by rashes? (1 point)

Women’s scores: If you score 9 or more, your health problems are probably linked to yeast overgrowth. If you score 12 or more, your health problems are almost certainly connected to yeast.

Men’s scores: If you score 7 or more, your health problems are most likely linked to yeast. A score of 10 or more indicates that your health problems are almost certainly connected to yeast.

Break the Biofilm to Beat the Candida

Recent research shows biofilms make yeast much more resistant to treatment and hide it from your immune system.

When Candida groups together, it’s more aggressive and doesn’t respond to treatment the same way a cell on its own would. A large, well-established population forms a biofilm that seems to withstand most of what you throw its way. The longer the Candida is allowed to overgrow, the stronger the biofilm and the more it can resist treatment.

What is Biofilm?

Biofilms are matrices made of complex sugars called polysaccharides. One-third of a biofilm is comprised of glucose, the sugar your body uses the most. So, Candida not only feeds on sugar to grow and reproduce, it also uses it to form the protective shell around each colony. It would seem the logical approach is to cut the sugar out of your diet and use anti-candida herbs, but because of the strength of the biofilm and its ability to use your body’s own blood sugar supply, a more coordinated, 4-pronged approach is needed to beat the biofilm and truly tame Candida into submission.

Four Ways to Fight Candida

1. Cut Off the Food Supply to Candida

   All carbohydrates can be broken down into the sugars Candida feeds on. So it’s not only essential to eliminate all obvious sources of sugars, but also to severely restrict carbs in the diet. This includes fruits, juices, alcoholic beverages, and not just processed grains but whole grains that contain gluten as well. I also recommend removing mushrooms and fermented foods (except raw apple cider vinegar) while you are cleansing your body of yeast, because these also encourage Candida overgrowth.

2. Add Enzymes to Break Down Candida Biofilms

   Proteolytic enzymes are enzymes that “chew up” and break down the bonds holding the biofilms together. Lumbrokinase, nattokinase, and serrapeptase are among the most powerful biofilm disrupting enzymes we’ve discovered to date.

   Anti-inflammatory enzyme products like Wobenzym and Inflazym are also heavy hitters when it comes to breaking down biofilms. Anytime you break open a biofilm, the toxic contents are no longer walled off and your body is exposed in proportions it’s not accustomed to. It’s akin to cracking open the shell on an egg. This means you may experience a worsening of your symptoms temporarily while the toxic contents are being flushed out. While this is unpleasant, it’s a good sign you are on the right track.

3. Use Antifungal Supplements to Eradicate Candida

   Once the biofilm is broken down, Candida is wide open for attack. I recommend bursts of broad-spectrum germicides like oil of oregano and Pau d’Arco.

4. Use Probiotics to Fight Candida

   Having an overgrowth of Candida is already a sign you are low on the healthy bacteria that normally fortify your immune system and colonize your gut, but addressing Candida naturally can have the unintended consequences of reducing the population of “good guys” as well. Refortify your immune system and your gut by supplementing with a good quality probiotic.

Your feet have a lot to tell you about your overall health.

How many times do you say, “I need to get off my aching feet” and then forget about them? It’s so important to pay attention to common foot problems and have a firm foundation underneath you. Look down at your feet. Those small appendages are supporting the weight of your entire body. That’s no easy task, and the right footwear is essential for good foot mechanics.

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, 80 percent of Americans report suffering from foot pain and other common foot problems. It’s not hard to imagine that when your feet aren’t happy, it radiates up to your knees, hips and even your back. It’s also not hard to believe that diseases affecting the rest of your body also show up in your feet.

What Common Foot Problems Say About Your Health

Cold Feet

Do your feet ice your partner right out of bed? Common causes of cold feet include poor blood circulation (often as a side effect of smoking), high blood pressure, heart disease, hypothyroid and anemia. Sympathetic dominance and adrenal fatigue cause increased blood flow to vital organs and less blood flow to extremities, making feet cold. While warm socks may take the chill off, increasing circulation by addressing the root cause is the best long-term solution.

Swollen Feet

Gravity isn’t always your friend. Blood and lymph flow are easy going down to the feet, but the veins have to carry it back, which have valves that open and close to work it back up to the heart instead of a pump. This means swollen feet are a common foot problem – usually temporary, often caused by standing or sitting for long periods, especially during travel or pregnancy. If your feet are swollen on a regular basis this can be caused by poor circulation, kidney issues, hypothyroid, impaired lymphatic drainage, or a blood clot.

Burning Feet

If you feel a burning sensation in your feet the first thing to check for is fungal infection. Signs of athlete’s foot can range from tightness and burning sensations in the skin to rashes, cracks and fissures in the skin, and more. If no infection is present, then check for B vitamin deficiencies, poor circulation from Peripheral Artery Disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. If a podiatrist finds blockages in the arteries of your feet, this is a sign you likely have arterial blockages elsewhere in your body.

Itchy Feet

Skin that is itching and scaling is most commonly caused by the Athlete’s foot fungal infection, but can also be a sign of psoriasis, an autoimmune condition. In the case of psoriasis, the skin is thicker and may have a red, raised rash in the areas of the peeling skin. You can also have an allergic reaction to skin care products or a reaction to chemicals your feet are exposed to. This is known as contact dermatitis, and usually goes away on its own once the source of irritation is removed. Borage oil taken internally is a great ally to soothe irritated skin.

Toenail Issues

Your toenails can tell you a lot about your health.

White Toenails

White toenails that separate from the nail bed can be caused by injury, nail infection, or psoriasis. Systemic illnesses like liver or kidney disease, or congestive heart failure can also cause white toenails, but these nails don’t life up from the nail bed or appear inflamed.

Yellow Toenails

Thick, yellow toenails can be caused by fungal infection, lymphatic drainage issues, lung disease, psoriasis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Spoon-shaped toenails that curve up at the end are a sign of frequent exposure to petroleum products and solvents or a sign of anemia and iron deficiency.

Rounded or Sloping Toenails

If you notice your toenails becoming more rounded and sloping downward, this is clubbing and can be a sign of lung disease and problems with oxygen absorption. Less commonly this can be caused by heart disease, liver disease, digestive disorders, infections, or even heredity.

Change in the Color of Your Toes

Raynaud’s disease can cause toes to first turn white, then red, and sometimes even blue in response to change in temperature or stress. Raynaud’s is often related to autoimmune thyroid diseases, Sjogren’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, so if you have red, white or blue toes, it’s time to get this evaluated.

Losing the Spring in Your Step

If you notice you’re starting to trip more easily or your feet are dragging, you may be losing sensation in your feet, which is caused by nerve damage from diabetes, nutrient deficiency (B vitamins), infection or alcoholism. If your gait is widening or you notice a foot drop, where your feet seem to almost slap the ground as you walk, these are signs of spinal cord issues (most commonly low back), neurologic diseases and muscle disorders. It’s time to seek professional help if your gait has changed.

Foot Sores That Don’t Heal

If you have a sore on your foot that’s taking a long time to heal, this is a red flag for diabetes. Both diabetes and peripheral artery disease impair circulation and sensation in the feet, making sores prone to slow healing and infection. In both these cases regular foot checks are essential for staying healthy.

Dark Spots on Your Feet

A dark spot anywhere on the feet or even underneath the nails isn’t likely to be an infection, but could be a melanoma skin cancer, which pops up even in areas that aren’t regularly exposed to the sun. Make sure you get any dark spots checked out by a dermatologist – you want to catch this deadly cancer as quickly as possible.

The Many Causes of Foot Pain

Start with Your Shoes

The most common cause of foot pain by far comes from ill-fitting shoes. The most stylish shoes are the biggest culprits in foot distress, but you may be surprised to find they aren’t the only villains. There are 4 main types of shoes to stay away from:

1. Tapering Toe Boxes

   The natural shape of the foot is widest at the toes and tapers in toward the heel. However, most shoes for women and men – from athletic shoes and casual shoes to dress shoes – taper in at the toe. High-heeled shoes are the most notorious culprit – often tapering to a sharp point. Toes can’t conform to this shape, so the result is everything from toe deformities, bunions, and osteoarthritis, to pain disorders that extend all the way up into the knee, hip, and low back.

2. Raised Heels of Any Size

   There is no heel height that’s sensible – not even cowboy boots. Any heel elevation shortens the tendons and muscles in the back of the leg as well as impairing the natural blood flow. There are women who have worn heeled shoes for so long that the posterior tendons and muscles have shortened to the point they can’t walk barefoot or in flat shoes without pain and deformity. Wearing shoes with an elevated heel also changes your normal gait and eliminates your natural arch support. Wearing heels changes the alignment of the body from the ball of your foot all the way up to your pelvis, which has to tilt back to accommodate the change in the pull of gravity forward. This not only impacts the back but also the pelvic organs.

3. Shoes with Toe Spring

   Most common in athletic shoes, any shoe that turns up at the toes overstretches the tissues on the bottom of the foot and can lead to plantar fasciitis, neuromas in the ball of the foot, and even shin splints. If your shoes are flexible and lightweight, you can minimize toe spring by folding the shoes in half with the sole of the toes touching the sole of the heels and placing it under a heavy object to hold it in this shape for up to 48 hours.

4. Inflexible Soles

   Shoes with a heavy, inflexible sole – including arch supports – prevent the necessary flattening of the arch during walking. They also reduce the sensitivity to the terrain you’re walking on and you’re more likely to misstep, causing injury and balance issues. A rigid sole limits the range of motion of the foot much like a cast does, and can cause atrophy of the foot muscles, making them dependent on orthotics or extra cushioning to be able to function.

Stealth Pain

Another common cause of foot pain is stress fracture, from intense exercise, like distance running or basketball. Weakened bones from osteopenia or osteoporosis increase this risk. If you have intense or nagging foot pain that persists no matter what you do, get an x-ray to make sure you don’t have a stress fracture.

Heel Pain

If you feel heel pain first thing in the morning when you hop out of bed, chances are you’re suffering from plantar fasciitis, a common inflammation of this long ligament that attaches to the heel bone. Stretching exercises, ice (fill a 12-20 ounce plastic bottle with water, freeze, then roll under the arch of the foot), therapeutic ultrasound, and kinesiotape work wonders with plantar fasciitis. A good physical therapist can’t be beat when it comes to this common painful problem.

Other causes of heel pain include bone spurs, tendonitis, arthritis, fracture, tumor, or infection. Excessive exercise or wearing one of the 4 types of shoes that cause foot pain are also common causes.

Foot Spasms

There’s nothing worse than having a muscle spasm in your foot while wearing laced up shoes or boots. Rubbing or massaging the spasm out is the quickest way to relief. Long-term relief comes from testing for nutrient deficiencies, like Vitamin D (a blood test), or mineral imbalances, like calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Make sure you’re not dehydrated or overworking tired foot muscles, and check your circulation as well as the fit of your shoes. If you are pregnant or have a thyroid disorder, this can also cause frequent muscle spasms in the feet.

Toe Pain

Big Toe Pain

Sudden pain, heat, swelling and redness at the base of the big toe are the hallmarks of gout, an inflammatory condition which causes an increase in uric acid and a painful, swollen joint. If the pain is worse in the morning, the joint is stiff, and there’s no heat or redness, then osteoarthritis is the likely culprit. If it’s difficult to bend the joint you may have developed a bone spur as a complication of the arthritis. If the pain comes on suddenly as a result of an injury, you may have turf toe, a common ailment of athletes who play on hard surfaces.

Pain in Other Toes

If you have burning pain in the ball of your foot that radiates to your middle toes, or feel like you’re walking on a marble, then you may have a Morton’s neuroma, which is the thickening of tissues around a nerve, caused by injury or pressure on the toes from ill-fitting shoes or high heels. Not surprisingly, this foot issue is 10 times more common in women than it is in men.

Toe Deformities

Toes that bend upward then curve down at the end, resembling a claw are called claw toes. Claw toes can be caused by shoes that are too tight or by diseases that damage nerves, like diabetes, neurologic disorders, or alcoholism.

If the joint on one of your toes is pointing upward rather than lying flat, you may have a hammertoe or mallet toe. These happen when the muscles in the toes and ball of foot aren’t working together correctly, usually caused by wearing high-heeled shoes. Caught early, all of these deformities can be helped by stretching and toe exercises, but prescribed shoes and even surgery may be necessary.

Find Relief by Returning Your Feet to Their Most Natural State

Returning your feet to their most natural state is the best answer to most pain-related foot problems, as well as the musculoskeletal problems that are an extension of these issues. Wear shoes that support the natural alignment of your feet and allow them to move and stretch freely, working all the small muscles that support and give the feet strength in all directions. Stretch and strengthen your feet, and consider reflexology, massage, and physical therapy when dealing with pain, deformities, or transitioning from any of the 4 types of shoes that cause foot issues.

QuickStart to a Radical Metabolism

What if you could spring your metabolism forward as easily as the clock? Well, you can with my brand new Spring Kickoff. It’s called QuickStart: Your Guide to a Radical Metabolism. It is featured in this month’s Woman’s World magazine.

QuickStart is the bridge between my New York Times bestselling Fat Flush Plan–which launched the detox and diet revolution–and my highly-anticipated upcoming book Radical Metabolism, which will be in book stores this summer.

But, I don't want you to have to wait to start getting results! Now, you can rapidly and effortlessly start the metabolic revving process in just two weeks with QuickStart. Then, you can keep sending your metabolism into overdrive for long-term and keep the weight off for good with Radical Metabolism.

Whether you are over 40 or you just have an “over-40 metabolism,” this innovative new approach turns conventional weight loss programs on their head. It is especially effective if you’ve been struggling with a sluggish thyroid or autoimmune issues such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis—this promises to kick your metabolism into overdrive and reset your metabolic “clock.”

As a health pioneer, I have been on the frontlines of nutrition for more than 30 years. Now I’m focusing in on metabolism at the level of the cell, because everything starts there!

If you describe yourself as a “slow loser,” you likely have some degree of metabolic damage. My new program is aimed at turning this around, especially for those with thyroid issues.

Here’s the thing: Thyroid problems are epidemic today.

Did you know, for example, that your thyroid depends on getting enough of the right fats to function optimally? In fact, fats are critical to ALL of your body’s vital operations. And it’s more than just the omega-3s that you hear so much about—the 3s, the 6s and the 9s all have their metabolic roles to play.

With my Spring QuickStart, you will flood your body with metabolically active fats and other superfoods—such as the long-forgotten bitters—that will heal and seal your gut, provide boundless energy and result in effortless weight loss. We will prime the pump with a tasty two-week program that includes your favorite Fat Flush meals, metabolism-maxing supplements, and beverages that help flush fat-binding toxins from your body.

It’s so simple!

Here’s the plan in a nutshell:

1. Breakfast: A supercharged Energy Blaster made with cacao, coffee and coconut milk.
2. Lunch: A filling Creamy Frappe made with Fat Flush Body Protein or Whey Protein.
3. Dinner: A wholesome Fat Flush meal with high-quality protein, skinny fats and unlimited vegetables.

To further fire up your fat burners, you will select four days for doing mini-fasts. Don’t let the word “fast” scare you because hunger isn’t part of the plan—even on those fasting days! You will be amazed at how satisfied you become when your body is getting everything it needs. In no time at all, you’ll be reaching for those skinny jeans or that little black dress you’ve missed so much.

One of the program’s biggest assets is its support system. Studies show that support is critical to success in almost any endeavor. The Spring Kickoff to a Radical Metabolism is built around community.

The program’s success rate is proof that support really does make a difference. Here’s what a few excited folks had to say:

I am (almost) sleeping like a baby and there is a spring in my step that I haven’t had in years. I love the energy I am having to tackle the things I’ve been putting off for ages. Even my thinking is clearer. Sandy F.

I aimed for losing 15 pounds and blew past that! I had to purchase skinnier jeans! Skinny wasn’t my goal, just cleaning up my diet and optimizing my health. This is the best because it changes the way you think about food. Stick with it and you will be rewarded in more ways that you can imagine. Juli J.

I did it–I lost 15 pounds! Laura M. (diagnosed with hypothyroidism)

Dear Fat Flush friends and supporters, I recently posted that I had lost 10 pounds on QuickStart. I am delighted with my progress this far! Thank you all for your good wishes! Layne K.

Make the next two weeks the best two weeks of your life! Remake your body and your self-image. Get a jumpstart on launching your new radical metabolism and say bye-bye to a sluggish thyroid—forever!

Click here to learn more and get your QUICKSTART Guide today!

Have you gone “keto” yet? The ketogenic diet, a.k.a. “going keto,” is all the rage right now, with celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian endorsing it, calling it a “reset” or detox for the body. While it’s true that it resets the way your body uses nutrients, by burning fats instead of sugars, one question remains – why do people get so tired and “crash” after they’ve been on the diet for an extended period of time?  It seems there is definitely at least one Keto con.

What is the keto diet’s fatal flaw? To understand this, first you need a good understanding of what the keto diet really does.

The Keto Diet Breakdown

In a nutshell, the keto diet is broken down into 75% fats, 20% proteins, and 5% carbohydrates. By eating macronutrients in these percentages, instead of burning carbs and sugars, you burn your body’s own fat stores. This is called ketosis, which your body recognizes as a type of fasting. Your fat cells are where you store toxins you are unable to process and your body dilutes those toxins with water to keep them from poisoning you.

Your liver is the source of the ketones being produced, and your kidneys pass them through to the urine, where you measure them as a sign of progress on the diet. The first weight you lose on a ketogenic diet is water weight, which causes the toxins in your fat cells to concentrate, often giving you symptoms that have been coined the “keto flu.” These symptoms range from digestive upset and skin rashes to headaches and body aches, similar to the symptoms you get from toxicities.

It isn’t long before your body is flushing out those fat cells and hopefully the toxins are flushing with them, rather than being redeposited into deeper tissues. At first, you feel good and the weight loss is a morale-booster. But after a while the fatigue sets in, often accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, and more. What’s causing these troubling symptoms?

Solving the Keto Puzzle

A friend came to me recently, remarking how much older a well-known doctor was looking after several months on the keto diet. “He has dark circles around his eyes but they’re white in the inside corners, his cheeks look sunken and he looks like he’s aged several years! What is it about going keto that does this, Dr. Ann Louise?”

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) gave us the answers to this question thousands of years ago with their practice of face mapping. Those are signs of mineral imbalances, including copper, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, and more, just in that one loaded question.

Once mineral imbalances and deficiencies set in, it isn’t long before adrenal fatigue follows behind, and that’s when you start feeling tired from your carb restriction. A quick fix in the form of carb loading is often recommended, but it’s not the real answer. It isn’t the sugars and carbs your body is missing; it’s the mineral-rich, enzyme-loaded vegetables and fruits your body really wants, not to mention the essential fats present in seeds and nuts.

Mind Your Minerals

If you do a search for the ketogenic diet’s impact on adrenals, you will get hundreds of thousands of hits. But if you go to Medscape or PubMed and do the same search, you will come up with nothing. The reason for this is mainstream medicine does not recognize adrenal fatigue as a diagnosis. What it does recognize are mineral deficiencies, like sodium, for example, which causes fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia, among other symptoms. The solution for the sodium loss is good quality salt, like unrefined Celtic or Himalayan, but this doesn’t address the need for magnesium, calcium, and so many other minerals.

You see, while you’re losing that water weight and flushing those fat cells, the minerals you’ve accumulated are going along for the ride. At first, this can feel like a good thing if sodium retention has been causing you swelling. But, eventually the mineral loss is more than what your body needs and your sagging skin and TCM facial signs are showing you the mineral imbalances resulting from severe carbohydrate restriction.

Supplementing with minerals like salt and magnesium alone is not the answer—you need real food loaded with the proper balance of essential minerals. Continuing with the sodium example, once your body is excreting a lot of sodium, your body will send signals to conserve it. This causes potassium wasting, so now your potassium levels are dropping. Your muscles (especially the heart) and nerves need enough potassium to function properly. Too much or too little potassium can have life-threatening consequences.

As critical minerals are becoming imbalanced, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are affected, and this leads to what we call adrenal fatigue. If you feel tired all the time and are experiencing anxiety and/or insomnia, I strongly suggest getting an HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) done through UNI KEY Health as soon as possible to measure your mineral levels. Using a small hair sample, the lab generates a detailed report of which minerals are too high or too low and gives recommendations to get them back in balance.

Face the Fats

Staples of the keto diet include foods like butter, cheese, cream, eggs, and meat – a lot of saturated fats. While saturated fats are not the villains they were portrayed as for so many years, they still need to be consumed in balance with other fats. Your body can make most of the types of fats it needs, but this isn’t the case with essential fats. Omega 3 and omega 6 fats have gotten the most attention for their numerous, positive health effects, but there are other essential fats as well, including omega 7 and omega 9.

All of these essential fats have one thing in common—they are present in ideal ratios in nuts, seeds, and their oils. These foods are lacking in the typical keto diet, or are out of balance with the abundance of saturated fats. If your saturated fats are coming from grass-fed animals, then your omega 3 fat consumption is better than most. But, you’ll still need to get your lesser-known essential fats like gamma linoleic acid (GLA), omega 7 and omega 9 from plant-based sources.

My Fat Flush QuickStart is making waves all over social media. Fat Flush QuickStart is a streamlined plan that fires up your fat-burning furnace and melts away cellulite while preserving your skin tone—no more loose, hanging skin that so often comes with rapid weight loss.

This plan is set apart from all the others with its multi-faceted integration of cutting-edge, metabolism-boosting strategies—like intermittent fasting, for one—with the tried-and-true principles you love from my book, The New Fat Flush Plan. It’s your guide to a Radical Metabolism! 

Are you ready to Be Lean in 2018? Do you have 7-12 pounds you want to shed in just two weeks? Do you want a stress-free plan tailored to your busy lifestyle?

Then join me on the Fat Flush QuickStart two-week challenge, beginning January 8, 2018! 

If you struggle with: 

• Creeping weight gain, especially around your middle
• Feeling stranded on a weight-loss “plateau”
• Losing weight with Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes or metabolic syndrome
• Blood sugar spikes, despite healthy eating and exercising
• Elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides
• Craving sweets, bread, pasta, or other carbs
• Having trouble digesting fats
• Acid reflux, constipation, or other digestive symptoms
• Stress eating
• Difficulty sleeping
• Wanting more energy
• Past exposure to a lot of pesticides and other toxic chemicals
• Cellulite on your hips and thighs 

If so, then you will love this program! The Fat Flush QuickStart program could be the beginning of your transformation into the leaner, healthier, happier, and more energetic version of YOURSELF. The program addresses all of the above issues, and more!

The QuickStart program targets the underlying causes of toxicity and sluggish metabolism to stabilize your insulin and blood sugar levels, eliminate cravings, flush away excess fat, and level out your moods and energy.

The Quick Start Guide is your roadmap to:

• Breaking a plateau or ending weight-loss resistance
• Trimming off 2-5 inches in two weeks
• Reducing food stress
• Cleansing your system of toxins and waste
• Reenergizing your mitochondria—those little cellular powerhouses
• Accelerating fat burning with the right dietary fats
• Boosting your metabolism by jump-starting your thyroid

What’s NOT included on this plan? Hunger and food cravings, long ingredient lists, numerous trips to the grocery store, and endless hours spent in the kitchen.

I’m pretty sure you won’t miss the mess and meal prep. No, I’m positive you won’t mess up the meal prep – because you can’t mess up! 

It’s time for a New You in the New Year! 

What are you waiting for? We’re all here, ready to see this thing through! It’s time to get started! 

Find out more about Fat Flush QuickStart.

Join our Facebook Community – Fat Flush Nation here.

I was truly concerned.

During the popular Parasite Summit I participated in recently, I didn’t realize how many of you are suffering with Lyme disease. When Lyme goes from the initial fatigue, fever, rash and body aches to become chronic and neurologic, it is one of the Mystery Diseases of the 21st century – difficult to diagnose and even more of a challenge to treat.

I went in search of a multi-faceted approach and found Scott Forsgren, the Better Health Guy. He has taken charge of his own Lyme disease experience. He has really turned his health around and wants to teach others to do the same. I had the pleasure of his company in my home this past summer. Over dinner, he shared his story and groundbreaking approach with me.

A Holistic Approach to Lyme

His journey of over 20 years through chronic Lyme disease led Scott to develop a holistic road map to navigate the underlying issues of this complex disease. Taking charge of your health with Lyme disease means you unburden the body of as many stressors as possible so it can heal. The beauty of this approach is that we don’t have to address every possible issue. And this is a plan to navigate through other incurables.

The body has an innate wisdom and our job is to allow it to do what it was designed to do. Lyme disease is a difficult journey. The good news is you can move beyond it to live your best life. New insights and perspectives allow us to emerge from a very dark place and look back on the experience as a precious gift.

Lyme Doesn’t Work Alone

Scott believes one of the biggest challenges in recovering from Lyme disease is to not focus too much on killing the microbes involved. This is not to suggest that Borrelia, Bartonella, Babesia, and other vector-borne microbes aren’t issues that need to be dealt with; they certainly are. However, by the time someone is chronically ill with Lyme disease, an overburdened immune system opens the door to many more issues that need to be addressed.

It is important to step back and look at all of the potential things that may need to be explored to regain one’s health – leave no stone unturned. While this may sound overwhelming, it doesn’t mean that you need to explore them all overnight. Listen to your body and go at your own pace.

Mold ALERT

I cannot stress enough how important it is to ensure the environment where you live, work, and go to school is free from water damage and biotoxins that can lead to CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). Everyone with Lyme disease should, at a minimum, know the ERMI and HERTSMI-2 scores of their home. In Scott’s journey, biotoxin illness from water-damaged buildings was one of his top issues. He experienced mold illness on two separate occasions, and addressing it each time was an important part of his continued recovery.

If mold illness is an issue, people often make significant progress once it has been addressed. While they may still need to treat their Lyme-related microbial issues, the treatment is often met with much less resistance by the body and often takes less time to yield benefits when the mold issue has been taken off the table.

Detox for Life

Detoxification is a critical aspect of improving health with Lyme disease. We encounter numerous environmental toxins on a daily basis, including heavy metals, pesticides, chemicals, and many others. Microbes inhabit us due to our inner terrain; the more toxic we are, the more the unfriendly microbes take up residence within us. When we focus on detoxification, our internal environment supports the helpful microbes. Incorporating appropriate binders, drainage remedies, and organ support options is a key part of improving overall health when dealing with Lyme disease.

The Relationship Between Lyme, Candida, and Parasites

Parasites and candida play a role in many with Lyme disease, and many thought leaders (including me) suggest these should be addressed as early in the holistic protocol as possible, as they may create biofilms and be hosts to smaller organisms. Parasites are generally believed to be a problem only in developing countries, and yet, parasites and their eggs have been found in salad bars in major US cities.

Some organisms such as candida and parasites may be protective when in balance; they have the ability to bind or concentrate heavy metals (like mercury and aluminum) which minimizes the damage the metals may otherwise do within the body. But once out of balance, their numbers need to be reduced through a good parasite program and low sugar diet.

Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) and Aggression

EMFs have become more and more prevalent in our environment, and research is beginning to show the detrimental health implications of ongoing exposure. EMF exposure may lead to the microbes within us becoming more aggressive, as they feel the need to protect themselves from the EMF onslaught that we all face on a daily basis.

The Mind-Body Connection

Mental and emotional health may need to be explored. Even if we did not experience a trauma or conflict earlier in life that may have set the stage for chronic illness, the process of going through something like Lyme disease and being invalidated many times along the way is itself an emotional stress that may require inner-work.

Find the Rest of Your Story and Take Charge of Your Health

Dental amalgams, root canals, and cavitations play a role in burdening the body, and often need to be addressed. Diet, nutrition, microbiome optimization, restorative sleep, and movement are all key considerations to move someone with Lyme disease toward health. Listen to your body and take charge of your Lyme disease, one step at a time.

Scott has shared his journey with many people who have found healing and are living their best life, the next success story can be you!

If you’re one of the many who caught me on the Parasite Summit, thank you for tuning in! I hope you’ve left this summit feeling that you’re on a bright path towards discovery, health, and healing. For those of you just getting to know me—or those of you who don’t know my story—I’d like to share how I became acquainted with this hidden epidemic that has infiltrated our country.

First, ask yourself the following questions . . .

Do you feel tired most of the time? Are you experiencing digestive problems—gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea—that come and go but never really clear up? Do you suffer from food sensitivities and environmental intolerances? Have you developed allergic-like reactions and can’t understand why? Are you depressed? Do you have difficulty gaining or losing weight no matter what you do? Have you even tried a yeast control program that helped to some degree but know you can’t stay away from bread, alcohol, fruit, and fruit juices all of your life? Do you sense something is not quite right with you but just can’t figure out the cause—and, for that matter, neither can your doctor?

If these symptoms or feelings sounds familiar, then you may be an unsuspecting victim of the parasite epidemic that is affecting millions of Americans. It is an epidemic that knows no territorial, economic, or sexual boundaries. It is a silent epidemic of which most doctors in this country are not even aware. Yet, according to the late parasite expert and medical researcher Louis Parrish, MD, at least eight out of ten of his patients had some kind of parasitic infection.

A Startling Introduction to Parasites

Here is the untold story that finally solves the mystery of many chronic health disorders. It is a story that began for me back in 1974 when I stumbled upon the connection between parasites and disease. In that year, at a special class for the study of “scientific nutrition” in Albuquerque, New Mexico, instructor Hazel Parcells, DC, ND, PhD, introduced the topic of worms in a most visual manner. She showed the class various preserved specimens of internal visitors that had been passed by patients undergoing treatment for a wide array of unresolved health problems.

I have never forgotten the sight of those little bottles and what was in them.

For the next two years, I refused to eat in any restaurants. But most important, what I learned from Dr. Parcells was that worms, from the microscopic amoeba to the feet-long tapeworm, are a fundamental root cause of mystery disease and are associated with health problems that go far beyond gastrointestinal-tract disturbances.

Since then, in my own nutritional practice, I have observed that many unexplained health conditions often disappeared when parasites were eliminated from the body. These conditions included environmental illness, skin problems, digestive problems, excessive fatigue, hypoglycemia, arthritis-like aches and pains, long-standing obesity, and even depression.

Painstaking examination of my clients’ food habits, favorite ethnic restaurants, lifestyle, and travel records often revealed the source of infection. I was amazed to find that a patient’s travel history was often the missing key to unlocking the underlying cause of persistent flu-like symptoms, allergy, fatigue, gas, and intermittent constipation and diarrhea. Frequently, symptoms started shortly after a vacation to tropical islands, Asia, or South America or a camping trip to Colorado.

Masked Mysteries

A central problem in solving the parasite puzzle is that many parasite-based illnesses can mimic diseases more familiar to the doctor. Roundworm infection, for example, has been misdiagnosed as peptic ulcer, and amoebic colitis is often mislabeled as ulcerative colitis. Chronic fatigue syndrome and yeast infection may really be a cause of chronic giardiasis, while diabetes and hypoglycemia can be caused by tapeworm infection.

The majority of doctors in the United States do not recognize parasites and therefore do not diagnose them.

This may be due to the fact that parasitology courses in medical schools are usually offered by a tropical disease department, giving rise to the notion that parasites are primarily a foreign concern. Furthermore, the inability of technicians to accurately diagnose the problem compounds the issue. The parasites’ own reproductive style, in which eggs or cysts are passed at irregular intervals, also makes accurate diagnosis tricky.

Today, parasite and the disease they cause are no longer found just in faraway places like the topics—places that conjure up images of poverty and poor hygiene. Some parasites, like giardia and pinworms, are, in fact, found predominately in temperate climates. These organisms as well as others have become more prevalent in America because of a number of modern-day factors.

The idea of harboring a living organism inside our bodies is repulsive and unpleasant to dwell upon, but learning all we can about our unwelcome boarders is the only way we can discover enough to evict them and rid ourselves once and for all of their presence. This is one situation where ignorance is definitely not bliss.

The Next Step

If you’re eager to learn more, I put together a report with my friends and colleagues at the Health Sciences Institute titled The Hidden Parasite Epidemic: 5 Proven Ways to Eliminate the Monsters Inside You. I hope that this information empowers you and your loved ones to get to the root cause of ongoing illness. While the idea of having parasites might be shocking, this knowledge may also be a tremendous step towards answers you thought you’d never find.

“I can’t lose weight because my hormones are out of whack.” I have heard this sentiment from countless female clients. Women suffering from fatty liver, prediabetes, high cholesterol, gallbladder problems, and depression feel powerless in their struggle to lose weight and feel healthy.

Hormonal imbalance has long been to blame for unexplained weight gain. As we age, many factors can upset the delicate balance between our hormones.

Why is it then, after addressing these factors, some of us still have difficulty losing weight?

Why Hormones Need to Be Reset

It’s simple. Every hormone is a key that must turn a lock in order to be effective. These “locks” are called receptor sites. Inflammation—from a variety of seemingly unrelated factors—can alter the shape of our receptors, making our hormonal “keys” ineffective.

Here are the hidden sources that can clog up receptor sites and “gum up” your system:

• Constant exposure to xenoestrogens (estrogen mimics) in our diet, environment, and even our personal care products.
• Sugar, alcohol and caffeine intake (coffee, black tea, green tea, and white tea).
• High fructose intake (even from natural foods like unsweetened applesauce and tomatoes).
• Stress, EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) and sleep deprivation.
• “Grain Drain” from wheat, rye, barley, and corn based products (which are usually genetically modified, to add insult to injury).
• Meat, dairy and eggs from animals treated with growth hormones

Your Personal Hormone Tune-Up

By making a few tweaks in your daily routine you can easily re-shape your receptors for a personal hormone tune-up, resulting in lasting weight control and well-being.

Estrogen is the ultimate hormone magnet for sodium and fat. When out of balance with its sister hormone progesterone, estrogen dominance creates an increase in water retention, migraines, memory lapses, and will promote fat storage around hips and thighs. It can even accelerate aging!

• Topical Progesterone crème can help offset estrogen dominance.
• Reduce copper-rich foods like chocolate, nuts and seeds, soy, avocados, and shell fish. Copper is closely associated with estrogen, so women using copper IUDs or birth control pills are at high risk for estrogen dominance.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove estrogen-mimicking pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides.
• Do not re-heat food in plastic containers, and choose a water bottle made of glass or stainless steel rather than plastic.
• Avoid personal care products that include endocrine disruptors like parabens and phthalates.
• Sweep away excess estrogen by using two tablespoons of lignan-rich toasted cold milled flaxseeds each day, sprinkled on your food or blended in smoothies.
• Season soup, stew, chili or other bean dishes with 2 to 3 cardamom seeds. Cardamom is a digestive aid with the unique ability to cleanse and detoxify the liver, which is essential for hormone balancing.
• Optimize estrogen metabolism by supplementing with DIM (diindolylmethane). Take 100 mg twice daily with meals.

Tune-Up Tricks for Clean Insulin Receptors

Insulin levels skyrocket with excessive intake of sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. Meals that are not properly balanced with blood sugar-stabilizing protein and fat also spike insulin, overwhelming receptor sites and triggering fat storage. When receptors are blocked or already saturated, insulin resistance occurs, giving rise to metabolic syndrome and contributing to high blood sugar and elevated triglycerides.

If weight gain, cravings for sugar, intense hunger, feeling frequently hungry, difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious or panicky, lacking focus or motivation, fatigue are your major symptoms, then it is time to clean up your insulin receptor sites.

• Sip on a glass of water with 1 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar during each meal. The acidity of ACV slows the digestion of carbohydrates and can lower blood sugar by as much as 30 percent!
• Enjoy hot lemon water first thing in the morning in place of one of your cups of coffee. Coffee consumption while fasting is associated with increased fasting insulin concentration and decreased insulin sensitivity, as determined by The American Diabetes Association.
• Supplement with 400 micrograms (mcg) chromium, which is a key mineral for blood sugar regulation and is commonly deficient in our diet.
• Use stevia in place of sugar in beverages, smoothies, and baking. Stevia is a naturally sweet-tasting herb that does not cause an increase in blood sugar.
• Season your food liberally with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and coriander—which are all proven to help your body metabolize sugar.

Tune-Up Tricks for Clean Leptin Receptors

Leptin is the hormone of satiety. If you never feel satisfied after a meal, then clogged leptin receptors is likely your problem. Levels soar when you’re eating high amounts of fructose and not enough essential and healthy fats. Receptors are never able clear out.

• Avoid foods high in fructose, which stimulate the appetite. Obvious offenders are processed foods and drinks that contain high fructose corn syrup. Less obvious are natural foods like tomatoes, unsweetened apple sauce, and agave. Fat free salad dressings, ketchup and barbeque sauces pack an unsuspected punch as well.
• Eat protein within 30 minutes of waking. Enjoy a plant-based protein smoothie as a clinically proven way of clearing out leptin receptors and promoting satiety.
• Reactivate leptin receptor sensitivity by including omega fatty acids 3, 6, and 9 in your diet. Black currant seed oil offers an unparalleled combination of these essential fats that increase metabolism, fight inflammation, and add luster to hair, skin, and fingernails.

Tune-Up Tricks for Clean Cortisol Receptors

Fat-promoting cortisol is activated by stress, EMF exposure, and sleep deprivation. Just one night of poor sleep can raise cortisol by 45 percent! A stressful conversation at work is enough to overload cortisol receptors within minutes, and 24/7 use of wireless devices add insult to injury by ramping up cortisol production, with the creation of over 20 heat-shock proteins. Excess circulating cortisol is responsible for weight gain around the midsection, low immunity, salt and sugar cravings, tissue destruction and inflammation—all of which begin a vicious cycle that can quickly lead to adrenal burnout.

• Treat yourself with coffee whipped up with 1 tablespoon each of coconut oil and vanilla whey protein. Black coffee on an empty stomach tanks blood sugar, which sends cortisol levels through the roof. Blending with a little healthy fat and protein, however, can prevent the cortisol spike.
• Practice yoga and meditation. These stress-relieving activities are proven to lower cortisol.
• Put down electronics one hour before bed. EMFs affect the body on a biological level, raising cortisol. To wind down and promote restful sleep, disable your wireless router, switch mobile devices into airplane mode, and read a book instead of watching TV.

Tune-Up Tricks for Clean Thyroid Hormone Receptors

Your thyroid is a key metabolic driver. When it is under-active, you’ll be experiencing fatigue, joint pain, depression, impaired memory, constipation, cold hands and feet, dry skin, hair loss, and weak fingernails.

• Go grain free. Many grains contain gluten, which is a type of protein that looks so similar to thyroid hormone that it can actually trick our bodies into producing less of this critical hormone. Eliminate gluten containing grains from your diet to naturally reset thyroid hormone production. Wheat, rye, spelt, kamut, couscous, oats, triticale, and barley should be avoided. Gluten-free alternatives are millet, brown or wild rice, taro, teff, buckwheat, quinoa, and amaranth. Instead of flour, consider using arrowroot or tapioca for thickening.
• Cook with coconut oil. This healthy fat is a rich source of medium chain fatty acids that improve the efficiency of your thyroid and boost metabolism by 56 percent!
• Get tested. Ask your doctor to order a comprehensive thyroid test that evaluates TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. Keep in mind that “normal” values for these hormones are not always the optimal level for your unique biochemistry. I like to see T3 at the upper quarter of the normal range.

Tune-Up Tricks for Clean HGH Receptors

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is not only a key player adolescent development, it plays a crucial role in bone remodeling, cardiovascular protection, and body composition as we age. Too bad that once you turn 40, HGH production decreases by 14 percent every decade! The issue is further complicated by exogenous sources of HGH in meat, dairy, and eggs treated with growth hormone rBST. This unnatural hormone exposure can fool our bodies into producing less of our own bioavailable HGH. Symptoms of low HGH include muscle loss, high body fat percentage, anxiety, depression, low libido, and high blood pressure.

• Eat Montmorency tart cherries, a naturally rich source of melatonin. Italian researchers discovered a 157 percent increase in HGH levels when study participants took 5 mg of melatonin at night before bed. I encourage my clients to sip on ¼ cup tart cherry juice diluted with 1 cup of water between 7 pm and 9 pm.
• Adopt an interval training exercise program. Alternate short periods of high intensity activity with longer periods of low to moderately intense activity for a surefire way to increase HGH production by more than 500 percent!
• Ground yourself. The revolutionary Earthing technology naturally raises melatonin levels while simultaneously lowering cortisol and eliminating inflammation.
• Eliminate dairy. While most milk labels assure that cows were not treated with rBST, many other dairy products are not able to make this claim—think butter, sour cream, cheese, yogurt, coffee creamer, etc. Keep the synthetic HGH out of your diet!
• Choose only organic meat and eggs. USDA organic standards prevent the use of growth hormone in animals.

The Daily Detox

Fat stores more than just excess weight—toxins of all types are stored in fat, too. Heavy metals, chemicals, drug residues, and excess hormones are sequestered in our fat cells as a method of protection, so as we burn fat and lose weight many toxins are released into circulation in our bodies.

Since we can’t just let those toxins circulate, it’s crucial to have tried-and-true detoxifiers to bind with and eliminate these dangerous compounds. Incorporate as many of the following finale “tune-ups” to ensure a thorough hormone and weight loss makeover!

• Soak in a luxurious detox bath once or twice per week. Add 2 cups baking soda and 2 cups sea salt to a hot bath and relax until that water cools. Towel off and do not rinse for 4 hours. The initial hot water brings toxins to the surface of the skin. As the water cools, osmosis draws toxins away from the heat of the body and into the cooling water. This is especially good to alleviate jet-lag and radiation-related fatigue.
• Cran-water and pure water are essential to keeping your lymph flowing, which is a main means of toxin removal.
• Fiber up with flax and chia seeds. Their soluble and insoluble fiber ensures toxins that are dumped into the digestive tract are bound and promptly eliminated. Flax and chia seeds are wonderfully detoxifying in this way, so try incorporating 2 to 4 tablespoons per day into your diet.
• Try activated charcoal, which uses the principle of absorption to soak up toxins in the stomach, like a sponge soaking up water.