In today’s episode I'm excited to introduce you to Marisa Chadbourne. She is a myofascial release therapist and she's been my myofascial release therapist for many years. Marisa owns Touch of Health Myofascial Wellness Center in Sayville, NY. She created Touch of Health as a supportive and therapeutic environment to assist her clients through their healing process.
Marisa is also a Certified NLP practitioner since 2019 and a locally and nationally published author regarding Fascia, the Mind-Body, and Subtle Energy.
Today we talk about how myofascial release therapy can help people with muscle and joint pain, inflammation, stiffness, physical pain in general, and even recovery from trauma.
The Myofascial Tissue
The myofascial tissue is a network of tissue that spreads throughout your entire body. It connects your muscles, joints, and bones. It also provides support to your organs, helping to keep them in place. If you could see it, your fascia would look like a single sheet of tissue paper.
The fascial system is omnipresent throughout the human body as one continuous web-like structure connecting all parts and systems together so, it's the only system in the body that actually comes in contact with every other system right down to the cellular level.
The myofascial tissue has three major components: 1. elastin fibers, which give our bodily movement it's elasticity and stretch, 2. collagen fibers that give our physical structural support and 3. a ground substance which is a gel-like substance that mainly helps with intracellular communication. So, this matrix of collagen, elastin and ground substance is what holds our bodies upright.
What is Myofascial Release Therapy
Myofascial release therapy is a connective tissue therapy designed to bring the body back into its natural alignment by releasing facial restrictions, and in turn, this increases our range of motion. It also takes pressure off of pain sensitive structures within the body. All different types of injuries can be treated. It can even help people who have autoimmune disorders, neurological dysfunction, etc.
During myofascial release therapy, the therapist applies light pressure by hand to find myofascial areas that feel stiff instead of elastic and movable. These stiff areas, or trigger points, are thought to limit muscle and joint movements, which can play a part in widespread muscle pain.
The main difference between massage and myofascial release therapy is that in myofascial therapy we are focusing on the fascia or connective tissue, while in massage the main focus is on the muscles. With myofascial therapy, the goal is to release fascial restrictions in order to bring the body back into healthy alignment. This is done by using gentle sustained pressure of 5 minutes or more to make a very specific change within the connective tissue.
A massage is more of a soft tissue mobilization technique. Another difference is in the intention to bring the whole body back into alignment by opening up the entire fascial system. For example, even if someone has neck pain, in myofascial release therapy we evaluate the whole-body posture instead of just focusing on one part of the body.
What is a Myofascial Restriction?
When we say there's a fascial restriction what we're mainly saying is that the ground substance part of the fascial system starts to become solidified. When that happens the elastin fibers, collagen and muscle fibers get stuck in the solidification and they're unable to slide across each other to do their job correctly. This will in turn stiffen movement and put pressure on pain sensitive structures.
The main four causes for this solidification or facial restriction are surgery, repetitive movement, inflammatory responses and also trauma, whether it be physical or emotional trauma. This solidification can happen in response to our thoughts, environment or something that’s happening to us on an emotional level. This is because of the mind-body connection and how they respond to each other.
What we're looking for in myofascial release is what was the cause of the restriction. So we allow for there to be many different types of healing: structural healing, somatic healing, and emotional healing. Some people have an emotional release and some people don’t. It really depends on the type of healing that they're looking for but it completely impacts the body much farther than people are aware of.
When we open up a fascial restriction it's like opening up the dam of energy flow. Opening up the dam for more intercellular communication to flow smoothly. When we talk about emotion, a lot of times we refer to it as energy in motion, and when trauma happens in our lives, that energy can get stuck, leading to solidification of the ground substance. And so, as we shift the gel-like substance back to its normal state, the energy is released and that's what people are feeling.
Sometimes during a myofascial release therapy the person might go into a meditative state or a deep relaxation state as this kind of therapy also stimulates the parasympathetic system and the vagus nerve. And that’s when we have the opportunity to be able to go a little bit deeper in feeling and releasing trauma because we're not in the place of thought, but it has to happen naturally.
Myofascial Release Therapy for Pain vs Maintenance
This kind of therapy is good not only for when someone does get in pain (to help release it) but also for maintenance and preventing pain. What’s important here is having body awareness and empowerment of how we can support ourselves during a treatment. It’s important that people tune into their body to see how they feel over the next few days after their first session.
Once people find that rhythm of what they need for maintenance they can make that decision on their own and so this decision is made from an innate place instead of being told what to do. If someone wants to make a lot of change quickly, they can do a myofascial intensive series, where the person comes in three to five times over one to two weeks and we get a lot done over that time. Then it's more likely for that change to stay with the person.
We also teach people how to do self myofascial release at home so that release and opening that was made can be maintained at home by the patient by continuing to feel into their body and where they're restricted. This is the special relationship between the client and the practitioner doing work together and teaching the patient how to do it on his/her own.
During this process you can also learn so much about your body, the signals it gives you and what it needs to heal. There are so many different symptoms that people come in with for this therapy, not just pain, but sleeping disorders, anxiety, fatigue, autoimmunity, neurological dysfunction, and they all benefit from this work.
We look at symptoms as the signals the body is giving you. The most important part of the facilitation is guiding the client to get in touch with what these messages are on a subconscious level. This is another part that isn't just purely structural. We're looking at the body as a whole, mind, body and spirit, and how they are always working together.
Combining Myofascial Therapy with Other Treatments
When we identify that inflammation is causing the fascial restriction, we then ask why the inflammation is there in the first place. We need to take a look at your diet for example, so the client might be advised to take the healing to the next level by talking to a Functional Practitioner or a Naturopathic Dr. to help them. Then they get the benefit of both by working synergistically. As the inflammation is coming down and the body's healing, then there's less likelihood of repeated issues coming up.
We don't want to just keep continuing releasing the same fascial restrictions over and over again. If what is causing the issue is a repetitive movement for example, then the client is oriented to find out how they can change that movement, and how they can change the inflammatory response. They need to make an ergonomic change. Or someone has a compensatory pattern from some type of physical movement they've been doing their whole life, then they can also do physical therapy along with myofascial release. This is because if you just continue to work on the restriction, without addressing the cause, you may not be solving
the problem. So it is a priority to think about what other approaches will complement myofascial release therapy for each individual so that you can feel better for good.
At the same time, myofascial therapy helps other approaches to work better because the fascia connects with all the other systems in the body. By opening fascial communication, it is going to support healing on every other level.
If you want to reach out to Marisa and learn more about how she can help you, please make sure to check out her website or her Instagram @touchofhealthny.
To understand my approach to helping people recover from stress and trauma with my Stress Recovery Protocol, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online. You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here.
If you’re interested in a safe and effective body, mind and spirit detoxification that will actually make you feel better and that you can do without affecting your daily routine, you can check out my New 14-Day Detox Program here. In the Detox Program I teach you to connect with yourself, and use mind-body tools, such as biofeedback, to process emotions.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
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YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
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Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
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Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Today’s episode is about emotional healing. This is something that comes up with my patients from around the world and also with the people that participate in the programs that I offer.
Whether it’s healing something like HPV and abnormal pap smear results, or helping with anxiety and depression, emotional healing comes into play.
So, I feel like it's an important thing to for us to talk about as it's an essential part of the stress recovery process. I also cover emotional healing in my most recent book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
What is Emotional Healing?
We hear a lot about the mind-body connection, but what does it mean to process emotions?
Well, stress can come from a psycho-emotional level (our minds) like a traumatic experience, or it can come from a physical level (our bodies) like infections, toxins and injuries. And it’s the combination of those stresses and even spiritual or energetic stresses that compound into the total load of stress that we're exposed to. This is our environmental exposure to stress. And we know from research that it's this exposure that turns on our gene expression and makes us susceptible to all kinds of health issues.
We are so used to going to different practitioners for different parts of our bodies (including different practitioners for the mind and body) when in reality we are one whole being and all of our systems are interconnected. Our digestion is in communication with our immune system, our hormones with our nervous system, etc. They're all talking to each other and that means that they can either have a negative influence or a positive influence on each other.
Our physical bodies (digestion, glands, muscles, bones, etc.) are always in communication with our nervous system and our minds. So, our feelings and our emotional state are also in communication with our physical bodies. An example of this is not feeling hungry when you are feeling anxious or depressed.
So, it is very important for our health (mental and physical) to allow ourselves to feel and to process emotions. Emotions come naturally to us as humans. Our bodies and nervous system inherently knows how to feel emotions and to cry, laugh, and yawn. The problem here is that from a young age most of us are taught not to express our feelings or emotions. Society, schools, religion, or our own households teach us that we must suppress all of this.
Meanwhile research shows that when we don’t allow ourselves to feel and process all our emotions there is a high risk of developing health issues, again, mental and/or physical conditions. There are several good books on this topic, including by Carolyn Myss and The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk.
Unfortunately, I don't think people have enough support to learn how to process emotions and to recover from stress and trauma. As much as we might be bringing awareness to stress and trauma, we're not so much being guided what to do about it. And so then the stress and trauma just start feeling heavier and heavier.
I want to help you to have the right tools to transform the effects of stress and trauma, to recover from it, and it begins with learning to feel your feelings instead of suppressing them.
What also helps us heal on an emotional level is for us to start making decisions for ourselves, and to get in touch with our intuition and messages from your body. So, I would much rather give you information for you to then connect with yourself and see what feels right to you. Then along the way you're also learning to listen to yourself, you're learning to feel your emotions, you're learning to try things with curiosity, and learn through the experience.
How Do We Heal Emotionally?
First, we have to establish that healing is possible, and that recovery from stress and trauma is possible. Then we can start to look at how best to approach this healing.
A lot of times you hear me talking about how to heal on a physical level, such as how to get cortisol, the stress hormone, back to optimal levels. The amazing thing I find with my patients is that when cortisol, as well as adrenaline and neurotransmitters, are optimal, they find it so much easier process emotions and heal on a psycho-emotional level.
This is important because a lot of people find themselves spending hours and hours, and thousands of dollars, in talk therapy and end up feeling like they're only getting so far with it. In that case, we have to be sure we are also addressing the physical part of you, such as cortisol, adrenaline, neurotransmitters, nutrient deficiencies, thyroid imbalances, digestive issues, etc.
For those of you who are doing the work to balance your hormones, microbiome, and nutrients, but you haven’t paid attention to the mental, emotional, and even energetic aspect of your healing, then I encourage you to make that a priority. For some people it is very helpful to work with a therapist. And then you might decide to try different forms of therapy, from CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy to EMDR, which has been shown to be very helpful for stress recovery and PTSD.
There are also natural treatments like homeopathy, which is an ancient system of medicine that's very helpful for processing emotionally and connecting the mind with the body to heal.
Also, psychedelic medicine, which has been shown more and more to be effective at helping us heal on an emotional level. Psychedelic treatments include the use of psilocybin, ketamine, as well as MDMA and Ayahuasca, which is a plant medicine from Central and South America that has been shown to be extremely effective at healing PTSD and addictions. If you’re interested in psychedelic therapy you can learn more by watching Episode 151 of How Humans Heal where I share my experience of attending a shamanic journey in the Peruvian Amazon.
Other tools that help with emotional healing are meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, journaling, and rebalancing of the chakras. The important thing is that you experiment and find what works for you specifically.
Something that you can do for yourself starting now is to become more aware of your emotions, and to allow yourself to feel your emotions. Be curious about your emotions, because I think so often, we don’t allow ourselves to fully feel because we may think we don’t have time for this, or we fear what could happen if we let it all out. It's almost like our emotions are monsters and we run away from them. Well, if we don’t allow ourselves to feel these emotions, we will never be able to process them, and we will continue to carry the weight of them through our lives in our bodies.
I learned this lesson the hard way – by developing severe migraines and a chronic inflammatory joint condition. It was through my own process of healing emotionally that I have been able to recover from these physical health issues.
What Happens to Our Bodies When We Heal Emotionally?
I think that as humans we're probably only allowing ourselves to feel less than 5% of our emotional capacity. I know that for myself, and I know that from observing patients and others in my life. We really restrict ourselves from feeling and we have no idea that we can experience such emotional breadth. Just like when you go to the gym and workout your muscles, you can learn to expand your ability to feel, and feel comfortable and confident doing it.
There are many books out there that talk about emotions. For example, Atlas Of The Heart by Brene Brown where she talks about 86 different emotions that we can feel. Or 90 Seconds to a Life You Love by Joan I. Rosenberg where she talks about how most emotions can be felt in 90 seconds.
When we expand our ability to feel emotions and to feel comfortable feeling emotions, we are being more present. By practicing allowing ourselves to just be present with our feelings, we will be able to connect with ourselves more.
A colleague of mine, Dr. Debi Silber created The Betrayal Institute where she helps people heal from betrayal every day. You can find more about it in Episode 59 of How Humans Heal. So know that these resources exist and that it's possible to heal. There are tools available to help you heal emotionally from what you’ve been through, including somatic therapy and myofascial therapy (which will be discussed in the next episode).
I think emotional healing is as necessary as good sleep, exercise, drinking water and eating healthy foods. Just imagine what it would be like if could feel so grateful for something, or love
and joy at full capacity. We know that the emotions of love and gratitude really shift us on an energetic level. Research shows that these emotions create a change on a cellular level and therefore we can then see a positive impact on our health.
We Have More Power Than We Think
In quantum physics, which is this concept in science and math where there are more possibilities than we realize, things are not just black or white, and things are not decided until the very last second of them happening. For example, there are experiments where even atoms don’t show their decided location until they are observed by the observer. We tend to oversimplify and want to control and anticipate everything, when in reality, there are so many variables, we will make ourselves more stressed by focusing on control.
What we can do is take these lessons from physics and use them in our understanding of ourselves. By practicing being comfortable and navigating in the unknown. How do we get more comfortable with the unknown?
First, by processing and letting go of what happened in the past, we free ourselves to be in the present moment. Learn more about this from Eckhardt Tolle.
Then, by understanding that many possibilities exist and that it’s in the last moment that one will become a reality, we realize that the best way to shift our perspective or situation, is to simply choose a different way of looking at it. We can decide which reality we want for ourselves and in that way, we can create our future as we want it to be.
We can choose how we want to relate to ourselves and allow ourselves to feel. We can choose to be in silence and instead of attaching to a feeling or a thought as the only reality, we can be the observer and observe all the possibilities. And, with curiosity and acceptance, be able to see the reality as it is now and what it is that you would like to create in your life. We can get into a state of love and gratitude, intentionally, and from that state, we can create a different reality for ourselves.
The more you can envision what you want to create in your health and in your body, the more you spend time believing it and envisioning it, you can create that for yourself. This is how a lot of people experience healing, sometimes spontaneous healing or distance healing, because they're able to get into this state of creating a new reality for themselves and their existence using these concepts.
If you are wanting to learn more about this, check out Bruce Lipton and Dr. Joe Dispenza.
I mention it here because I think it helps in terms of emotional healing. I think it helps with getting out of that feeling of being stuck in terms of trauma and feeling that our future is already determined by our past. It’s not, as long as we step in and start choosing differently.
When we are able to connect with ourselves and feel our emotions to an extent where we can process them so that they're not in the way, we will feel so much better, relieved and less stressed, and our overall health will improve as a result.
The Highly Sensitive Person
Ph.D. Elaine N. Aron wrote a book in the 90’s called The Highly Sensitive Person which talks about how some people have a more sensitive nervous system so they can pick up on emotions, as well as physical sensations, more easily than others. I also think that many people have been suppressing their ability to feel their emotions and this means they can train themselves to develop this capacity to feel more.
It's about allowing ourselves to fully find out what our capacity is. What is your capacity to listen to yourself and your own signals from within, and to feel? What is your body really telling you that you maybe haven't been listening to?
It's that ability to sense your body and your response to your environment that can really help you heal. And so, I encourage you to practice this openness to feel and perceive. You can create some quiet moments in your schedule, for example by spending time in nature and journaling. You can start practicing by making a space for it in your life but at the same time not trying to force it or pressure yourself. You just have to allow yourself to completely lose yourself in the moment.
It's only by practicing feeling our emotions, and the subsequent self-discovery process, that you will find yourself open to the infinite possibilities for your existence and realize that your future does not have to be determined by your past experiences.
If you’re interested in a safe and effective body, mind and spirit detoxification that will actually make you feel better and that you can do without affecting your daily routine, you can check out my New 14-Day Detox Program here. In the Detox Program I teach you to connect with yourself, and use mind-body tools, such as biofeedback, to process emotions.
If you’re ready to start healing emotionally by rebalancing your cortisol and neurotransmitters, you can start by ordering this home test kit. You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here. Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
If you want to go through your specific case me and improve your health (mental and physical) you can set up a one-on-one appointment here.
We’re here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Today’s episode is about emotional healing. This is something that comes up with my patients from around the world and also with the people that participate in the programs that I offer.
Whether it’s healing something like HPV and abnormal pap smear results, or helping with anxiety and depression, emotional healing comes into play.
So, I feel like it's an important thing to for us to talk about as it's an essential part of the stress recovery process. I also cover emotional healing in my most recent book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
What is Emotional Healing?
We hear a lot about the mind-body connection, but what does it mean to process emotions?
Well, stress can come from a psycho-emotional level (our minds) like a traumatic experience, or it can come from a physical level (our bodies) like infections, toxins and injuries. And it’s the combination of those stresses and even spiritual or energetic stresses that compound into the total load of stress that we're exposed to. This is our environmental exposure to stress. And we know from research that it's this exposure that turns on our gene expression and makes us susceptible to all kinds of health issues.
We are so used to going to different practitioners for different parts of our bodies (including different practitioners for the mind and body) when in reality we are one whole being and all of our systems are interconnected. Our digestion is in communication with our immune system, our hormones with our nervous system, etc. They're all talking to each other and that means that they can either have a negative influence or a positive influence on each other.
Our physical bodies (digestion, glands, muscles, bones, etc.) are always in communication with our nervous system and our minds. So, our feelings and our emotional state are also in communication with our physical bodies. An example of this is not feeling hungry when you are feeling anxious or depressed.
So, it is very important for our health (mental and physical) to allow ourselves to feel and to process emotions. Emotions come naturally to us as humans. Our bodies and nervous system inherently knows how to feel emotions and to cry, laugh, and yawn. The problem here is that from a young age most of us are taught not to express our feelings or emotions. Society, schools, religion, or our own households teach us that we must suppress all of this.
Meanwhile research shows that when we don’t allow ourselves to feel and process all our emotions there is a high risk of developing health issues, again, mental and/or physical conditions. There are several good books on this topic, including by Carolyn Myss and The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk.
Unfortunately, I don't think people have enough support to learn how to process emotions and to recover from stress and trauma. As much as we might be bringing awareness to stress and trauma, we're not so much being guided what to do about it. And so then the stress and trauma just start feeling heavier and heavier.
I want to help you to have the right tools to transform the effects of stress and trauma, to recover from it, and it begins with learning to feel your feelings instead of suppressing them.
What also helps us heal on an emotional level is for us to start making decisions for ourselves, and to get in touch with our intuition and messages from your body. So, I would much rather give you information for you to then connect with yourself and see what feels right to you. Then along the way you're also learning to listen to yourself, you're learning to feel your emotions, you're learning to try things with curiosity, and learn through the experience.
How Do We Heal Emotionally?
First, we have to establish that healing is possible, and that recovery from stress and trauma is possible. Then we can start to look at how best to approach this healing.
A lot of times you hear me talking about how to heal on a physical level, such as how to get cortisol, the stress hormone, back to optimal levels. The amazing thing I find with my patients is that when cortisol, as well as adrenaline and neurotransmitters, are optimal, they find it so much easier process emotions and heal on a psycho-emotional level.
This is important because a lot of people find themselves spending hours and hours, and thousands of dollars, in talk therapy and end up feeling like they're only getting so far with it. In that case, we have to be sure we are also addressing the physical part of you, such as cortisol, adrenaline, neurotransmitters, nutrient deficiencies, thyroid imbalances, digestive issues, etc.
For those of you who are doing the work to balance your hormones, microbiome, and nutrients, but you haven’t paid attention to the mental, emotional, and even energetic aspect of your healing, then I encourage you to make that a priority. For some people it is very helpful to work with a therapist. And then you might decide to try different forms of therapy, from CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy to EMDR, which has been shown to be very helpful for stress recovery and PTSD.
There are also natural treatments like homeopathy, which is an ancient system of medicine that's very helpful for processing emotionally and connecting the mind with the body to heal.
Also, psychedelic medicine, which has been shown more and more to be effective at helping us heal on an emotional level. Psychedelic treatments include the use of psilocybin, ketamine, as well as MDMA and Ayahuasca, which is a plant medicine from Central and South America that has been shown to be extremely effective at healing PTSD and addictions. If you’re interested in psychedelic therapy you can learn more by watching Episode 151 of How Humans Heal where I share my experience of attending a shamanic journey in the Peruvian Amazon.
Other tools that help with emotional healing are meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, journaling, and rebalancing of the chakras. The important thing is that you experiment and find what works for you specifically.
Something that you can do for yourself starting now is to become more aware of your emotions, and to allow yourself to feel your emotions. Be curious about your emotions, because I think so often, we don’t allow ourselves to fully feel because we may think we don’t have time for this, or we fear what could happen if we let it all out. It's almost like our emotions are monsters and we run away from them. Well, if we don’t allow ourselves to feel these emotions, we will never be able to process them, and we will continue to carry the weight of them through our lives in our bodies.
I learned this lesson the hard way – by developing severe migraines and a chronic inflammatory joint condition. It was through my own process of healing emotionally that I have been able to recover from these physical health issues.
What Happens to Our Bodies When We Heal Emotionally?
I think that as humans we're probably only allowing ourselves to feel less than 5% of our emotional capacity. I know that for myself, and I know that from observing patients and others in my life. We really restrict ourselves from feeling and we have no idea that we can experience such emotional breadth. Just like when you go to the gym and workout your muscles, you can learn to expand your ability to feel, and feel comfortable and confident doing it.
There are many books out there that talk about emotions. For example, Atlas Of The Heart by Brene Brown where she talks about 86 different emotions that we can feel. Or 90 Seconds to a Life You Love by Joan I. Rosenberg where she talks about how most emotions can be felt in 90 seconds.
When we expand our ability to feel emotions and to feel comfortable feeling emotions, we are being more present. By practicing allowing ourselves to just be present with our feelings, we will be able to connect with ourselves more.
A colleague of mine, Dr. Debi Silber created The Betrayal Institute where she helps people heal from betrayal every day. You can find more about it in Episode 59 of How Humans Heal. So know that these resources exist and that it's possible to heal. There are tools available to help you heal emotionally from what you’ve been through, including somatic therapy and myofascial therapy (which will be discussed in the next episode).
I think emotional healing is as necessary as good sleep, exercise, drinking water and eating healthy foods. Just imagine what it would be like if could feel so grateful for something, or love
and joy at full capacity. We know that the emotions of love and gratitude really shift us on an energetic level. Research shows that these emotions create a change on a cellular level and therefore we can then see a positive impact on our health.
We Have More Power Than We Think
In quantum physics, which is this concept in science and math where there are more possibilities than we realize, things are not just black or white, and things are not decided until the very last second of them happening. For example, there are experiments where even atoms don’t show their decided location until they are observed by the observer. We tend to oversimplify and want to control and anticipate everything, when in reality, there are so many variables, we will make ourselves more stressed by focusing on control.
What we can do is take these lessons from physics and use them in our understanding of ourselves. By practicing being comfortable and navigating in the unknown. How do we get more comfortable with the unknown?
First, by processing and letting go of what happened in the past, we free ourselves to be in the present moment. Learn more about this from Eckhardt Tolle.
Then, by understanding that many possibilities exist and that it’s in the last moment that one will become a reality, we realize that the best way to shift our perspective or situation, is to simply choose a different way of looking at it. We can decide which reality we want for ourselves and in that way, we can create our future as we want it to be.
We can choose how we want to relate to ourselves and allow ourselves to feel. We can choose to be in silence and instead of attaching to a feeling or a thought as the only reality, we can be the observer and observe all the possibilities. And, with curiosity and acceptance, be able to see the reality as it is now and what it is that you would like to create in your life. We can get into a state of love and gratitude, intentionally, and from that state, we can create a different reality for ourselves.
The more you can envision what you want to create in your health and in your body, the more you spend time believing it and envisioning it, you can create that for yourself. This is how a lot of people experience healing, sometimes spontaneous healing or distance healing, because they're able to get into this state of creating a new reality for themselves and their existence using these concepts.
If you are wanting to learn more about this, check out Bruce Lipton and Dr. Joe Dispenza.
I mention it here because I think it helps in terms of emotional healing. I think it helps with getting out of that feeling of being stuck in terms of trauma and feeling that our future is already determined by our past. It’s not, as long as we step in and start choosing differently.
When we are able to connect with ourselves and feel our emotions to an extent where we can process them so that they're not in the way, we will feel so much better, relieved and less stressed, and our overall health will improve as a result.
The Highly Sensitive Person
Ph.D. Elaine N. Aron wrote a book in the 90’s called The Highly Sensitive Person which talks about how some people have a more sensitive nervous system so they can pick up on emotions, as well as physical sensations, more easily than others. I also think that many people have been suppressing their ability to feel their emotions and this means they can train themselves to develop this capacity to feel more.
It's about allowing ourselves to fully find out what our capacity is. What is your capacity to listen to yourself and your own signals from within, and to feel? What is your body really telling you that you maybe haven't been listening to?
It's that ability to sense your body and your response to your environment that can really help you heal. And so, I encourage you to practice this openness to feel and perceive. You can create some quiet moments in your schedule, for example by spending time in nature and journaling. You can start practicing by making a space for it in your life but at the same time not trying to force it or pressure yourself. You just have to allow yourself to completely lose yourself in the moment.
It's only by practicing feeling our emotions, and the subsequent self-discovery process, that you will find yourself open to the infinite possibilities for your existence and realize that your future does not have to be determined by your past experiences.
If you’re interested in a safe and effective body, mind and spirit detoxification that will actually make you feel better and that you can do without affecting your daily routine, you can check out my New 14-Day Detox Program here. In the Detox Program I teach you to connect with yourself, and use mind-body tools, such as biofeedback, to process emotions.
If you’re ready to start healing emotionally by rebalancing your cortisol and neurotransmitters, you can start by ordering this home test kit. You can also sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here. Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
If you want to go through your specific case me and improve your health (mental and physical) you can set up a one-on-one appointment here.
We’re here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Sandy Weiner. She is founder of Last First Date and The Women of Value. She's an internationally known TED X Speaker and Dating and Relationship Coach, as well as Women's Empowerment Coach. She's author of three books and is a podcast host.
Dating and relationships is such an important topic because, as humans, relationships with other humans can be a source of joy and love, or it can be a source of toxicity. Whether you are currently in a relationship, dating, or not, this interview will be helpful because we discuss how it comes down to knowing and feeling comfortable with ourselves in order to have more fulfilling experiences with others.
Sandy shares that it was after experiencing a difficult childhood, being brought up by two parents who had a terrible marriage, and divorcing her husband after 23 years of marriage, that she had an opportunity to reassess her life. She decided to reclaim the parts of herself that had been lost along the way, and one of those was her interest in helping others.
She trained as a life coach which gave her so much self-awareness. She found herself helping friends who were dating, and in the process, started studying the deeper parts of dating, communication skills and boundary setting. This changed her life for the better and now it’s doing the same thing for her clients every day.
When You’re in the Wrong Relationship
Sandy finds that a lot of people realize later in life - in their 40s, 50s and even older – that they are not in the relationship that works for them anymore. It's often when their kids are grown, if they have kids, and they’re starting to think about if they really want to spend the rest of their life with this person. Perhaps they realize they don't really enjoy being their partner anymore or it doesn’t feel safe anymore.
Sandy doesn’t think divorce is the right thing for everyone. She says, you must assess for yourself and think if you really want to stay in a relationship. She sees people staying in terrible relationships and that breaks her heart. Couples may be having the same complaint every single time they talk, and yet they stay in the relationship. Of course, there could be a lot of reasons for this, such as fear of going out on your own, or financial concerns.
You must believe in what you're doing and know why you're leaving. In the end, it’s almost always for the better. You have to weigh out how you want to live the rest of your life.
Avoiding The Same Patterns in a New Relationship
We often make the same choices over and over, and don't even realize it. Or we go to the opposite extreme. It's not just about finding the opposite. And we can’t make choices based on
attraction. It’s about analyzing if you’re going into a relationship just because it feels familiar and think about it based on your attachment style.
Knowing how you attach to your partners, how you tend to bring your past into the present, how to self-regulate, how to talk about the things that matter, how to bring up hard stuff, and how to ask questions when you have questions instead of keeping them inside, as well as knowing what you want in life… are all so important. These are things to work on before even going on dates, so that you can come as a whole person to the dating process.
We also need to look at the patterns of core relationships in our life, and what they have in common. We also need to consider our limiting beliefs, and where we’re struggling. When we really go deep into who we are, then it is easier to find someone that will be a good match for us.
Attraction is Not The Most Important Thing in a Relationship
You have to have some attraction obviously, but if you're so attracted that you lose yourself in that person's presence, it’s not a good sign. This is something to look at - we need to analyze where does this come from? Is there abandonment involved? Does this person remind you of someone, and now you’re trying to get that missed attention? If you do this, you then can rewire your brain for healthy attraction.
There’s a difference between attraction based on deprivation and attraction based on inspiration. Most of us are stuck in the attraction of deprivation. This is what we don't have, and so we want it. When we are attracted to somebody in an attraction of inspiration, we're inspired by that person, but we also bring value. That's called interdependence.
With interdependence, we have a life; we have wholeness and fullness, but we also have the capacity to allow another person into our life to add value to each other and to complement each other.
Narcissism in Relationships
Sandy finds that the term “narcissism” is thrown around a lot, so she tends to focus instead on behaviors. If you were in a relationship with somebody who was self-centered, not empathic, they always had to be right, and you felt that your needs didn't matter, that is something you need to look at and consider why you chose that relationship.
She helps clients to trace back in order to understand their choices - who did that person remind them of and in doing so, they start to rewire their brain for attraction in a healthier way. She doesn't believe in hard and fast rules. She believes in principles, and self-care, and knowing how you function best so that you can advocate for that in relationships.
To be able to succeed in a relationship you have to be able to communicate your needs in three main areas: worldview, lifestyle and sexual. If you don’t communicate your needs, you can’t expect them to be met. Lifestyle has to with whether you like hot or cold weather, and whether you are vegetarian, or not, and can you be with somebody who is a meat eater. What time do you go to bed, and are you an introvert or extrovert. It's really important to understand that lifestyle piece.
The next area is worldview, which is how you see the world. How do we view religion, politics, God, miracles, faith, community - all the things that are the bigger picture because that's really the core of you see the world.
And then the last category is sex, including what kind of sex you like and how often. You have to be able to communicate all these things. When you get comfortable advocating for yourself, as well talking and sharing your stories in a way that make the other person want to share their stories in a way that's healthy, that's a big win.
A Healthy Way to Be Motivated About Choosing a Relationship
Sandy shares that a lot of people have a hard time picturing what it is like to imagine a healthy relationship. We can create a vision of what you want, not just what you don't want, or what you think is out there regarding relationships. Also, it is not healthy to be too rigid or specific about it because you could end up overlooking some amazing people who don't have all those things that you think you need and then love shows up in a surprise package when you're open to it.
It's when we get out of our heads and into our hearts that we make room for real love. But we have to understand what would work best for us. We have to have certain parameters of who that person has to be in order for us to feel that way. That's where we start to really attract not just the right partner but the right friends and the right work - it's all connected.
And most people really don't have an idea and so they get distracted, discouraged, and they just shut down to dating, but what would it feel like to be in a partnership, what would it feel like to have somebody to travel with, to come home to at the end of the day and take a walk and share a meal. It's those small things that matter.
Communication Is Key in a Successful Relationship
We also need to look at our needs and feelings without judgment. We normally bring in history to our arguments or needs that were not met when we were growing up. When you start to see that needs and feelings are connected it's helpful. Then you don't have to say it all out loud. You could even just process it for yourself without feeling upset because of something your partner did or did not do.
Maybe you had a need for communication; maybe you had a need for respect. And then you get curious about the other person; maybe it wasn't disrespectful on their part to them but now you can have a conversation about what was going on for you, so your partner knows about it.
This takes practice and openness on both parts. We have to be able to honor the other person and see their needs being as important as ours. Sometimes we're taught is we say something then the other person might get mad and then we feel like we can never say anything, and then we never do say anything, and it just becomes a tense situation.
It is also very important that we give ourselves time after a breakup before dating again, to process what happened, and to analyze what we learned, what worked, what didn’t, and what would we like our next relationship to feel like; what type of communication would we like to have.
Give yourself the time to feel it in your body - to feel all the feelings. A lot of people miss companionship and the feeling of intimacy so much that they will either go back to the person or they'll find somebody to replace them too quickly and end up repeating the same thing over and over.
We have to take our time to really picture what it would feel like to be in a healthy relationship. What would that look and feel like to you because the more you have it as a felt sense, the more you're going to recognize it when it comes.
Sandy finds that a lot of people are waiting to be saved and rescued. Instead, she encourages people to enjoy their life while dating and find somebody who adds value. Don't settle for less.
If you want to reach out to Sandy and learn more about how she can help you, please make sure to check out her website and her Last First Date Radio Podcast. You can also check out her Dating and Relationship Support Group on Facebook.
To understand my approach to helping people recover from stress and trauma with my Stress Recovery Protocol, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. I talk about relationships and their impact on our mental and physical health in the book too!
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Today's podcast is going to be about HPV and why it is that women are having such a hard time clearing this virus and getting it to negative. This just so happens to be something that I've been paying attention to and helping women with for over 23 years.
I've accumulated a lot of experience in this topic through research and observing my patients and I really feel this information needs to be out there in the world because so many women around the world are struggling to protect themselves from the HPV virus.
So, today I want to focus on why this virus is turning up positive for so many women, and what women can do to help protect themselves and prevent this virus from causing abnormal cells and cancer.
The HPV Virus
The HPV virus is a sexually transmitted virus that has over 150 different strains and some of those (at least 13 that we know of) are associated with cancer of the cervix, vagina, as well as anal and oral cancer. The HPV virus can also cause penile, anal, or oral cancer in men, so men are becoming more aware and interested in protecting themselves.
Today I'm going to focus on women because women are more often being tested for HPV. In fact, that's part of the reason why more women are finding out that they are positive for HPV - simply because doctors are testing for it more now than ever before. In the past, we only tested for it when there were abnormal cells on the cervix. Now most doctors, around the world, are testing for HPV when women go in for a pap smear, whether abnormal cells are present or not.
It is very important to get pap smears regularly - I want to be clear about that. Thanks to pap smears, and biopsies, we're able to identify when cells on the cervix are being affected by the HPV virus, even before it gets to the point of cancer. That's good news because that means, if we can catch it early, we can be proactive and prevent it from progressing and causing more damage.
According to standard gynecological guidelines, if HPV is positive, but there are not abnormal cells, or mildly abnormal cells, your doctor is likely to say: “let's wait and recheck to see if the cells become more abnormal.” That is because a study from over 10 years ago showed that 90% of women are able to clear the virus within 2 years without abnormal cells or cancer developing.
If abnormal cells develop, or if they become more abnormal (closer to cancer cells), then the doctor will likely say “let's do a biopsy (colposcopy)” to double check the severity. If the cells are indeed more advanced (CIN2 or 3 is common nomenclature), the doctor will recommend removing the abnormal cells using a LEEP (or what is referred to as LLETZ in some countries) or conization procedure (a surgical procedure to remove part of the cervix).
Treatment Against the HPV Virus
Unfortunately, in today’s conventional medicine, there isn’t a way to kill the virus. Even when the abnormal cells are removed, the HPV virus can continually cause more abnormal cells. Oftentimes women find themselves in a repetitive process of diagnostic and treatment procedures, in some cases for years or decades of their lives.
Now, I can tell you, based on research and my 23 years of clinical experience helping patients with HPV, there are effective ways to prevent the virus from causing abnormal cells using natural substances (nutrients, herbs, mushrooms) to strengthen and reset the immune system and our body’s ability to fend off the virus.
Dietary changes (such as to decrease sugar intake and increase antioxidants), as well as certain nutrients and supplements at clinical doses, and herbs and mushrooms, have been shown to help prevent HPV from causing abnormal cells and from advancing to cancer. In this episode I’m not going into detail about those approaches, although you can find references and resources below if you’d like to learn more.
Much of the research on natural products and approaches is aimed at using specific substances that are either directly antiviral and/or are known to improve immune function, decrease oxidative stress and inflammation, and provide nutrients important for healthy cellular function. This makes sense and studies have shown this approach to be effective.
The human body, after all, has the ability to clear the HPV virus on its own as shown in the study that 90% of women will clear this virus within two years of it testing positive.
Because I work with women who have persistent HPV – they have had it longer than two years – many of whom have already been trying natural approaches, such as diet changes and mushroom extracts (AHCC), in addition to avoiding commonly known factors that increase risk, such as smoking and birth control pills, I had to start asking… what else needs to be addressed?
Why is it that 10% of women are not clearing the virus? (Keep in mind that percentage may be higher now.) If we can learn from the 10% who are not clearing the virus, then we can help them to get into that 90% percent that are clearing the virus. This is question I’ve had in mind while developing my strategy and protocol to help women over the past couple of decades. I have been able to identify the most common reasons why women are not clearing it and how to help them successfully.
Reasons Why Your Body is Not Clearing The Virus
Stress
The most common reason why women are not clearing the virus, even after making diet changes and taking the right supplements, is their exposure to stress. It has been demonstrated that when women are under more stress (psychological, emotional, and/or physical stress, including infections, like COVID) they are more likely to have HPV be persistently positive. In fact, when our bodies are under constant stress, our immune system is affected and isn’t able to work as it should, and we are more likely to get sick from any kind of virus or bacteria we are exposed to. In research this is referred to as “immune dysfunction.”
In this modern world we are all constantly exposed to stress, from being a student, our careers, families and relationships. Everything that is going on in our lives will likely cause us stress, let alone the additional stress of the pandemic and/or abusive relationships and trauma.
So to me it is not enough to just say: “decrease your stress.” That thought is stressful in itself. Plus finding out HPV is positive is stressful.
To me, we have to think beyond that. We have to figure out not just how to reduce our stress exposures, but how to recover from stress WHILE STILL STRESSED.
That’s why I put my mind to figuring out how to help people recover from our exposures and reset our immune system, nervous system and neurotransmitters, hormones and digestion, so our bodies can get back to performing as best as they can. This is where my Stress Recovery Protocol can really help. Throughout my years of practice, I have researched, lectured, and written books on how to effectively recover and become resilient to stress, while still living our daily lives.
And this is not a one size fits all kind of thing. We need to understand how stress is affecting you specifically and how your body responds to stress. This includes your cortisol and adrenaline levels, adrenal gland function, as well as your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These are all affected differently in each person.
Vaginal Biome
The next reason why your body is not able to clear the virus on its own is a disruption in the microbiome. When we think of the microbiome, we generally think of the gut, however it is important to know that we have bacteria and other microbes living in and with us in all areas of our bodies, including the vaginal area. And they do more than just hang out! They help our immune system protect us from microbes (including viruses like HPV) that can cause trouble. They produce substances, for example, the predominant bacteria in the vagina, Lactobacillus, make lactic acid, which protects us from infections.
We want this healthy balance of microbes that help protect us because if they are disrupted, we become susceptible. Research now shows that when the cervicovaginal microenvironment (CVM) is disrupted, women are more susceptible to HPV and abnormal cells.
So we need to think about what are the things that disrupt our biome? This way we can avoid what we can, and we can also work to restore a healthy vaginal biome.
Back to stress! Stress will disrupt this vaginal biome. Also, different kinds of chemicals and toxins (like pesticides in our food and chemicals in spermicides), as well as medications (like antibiotics) will get disrupt the vaginal biome and subsequently affect our immune system’s ability to fend off HPV. Stress also disrupts the digestion – decreasing the ability to digest food, increasing intestinal permeability (leaky gut) and inflammation, and disrupting the gut bacteria. And studies show that the gut biome affects the vaginal biome.
Now, just because your biome gets disrupted doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. There are ways to bring that biome back to balance and I can show you how.
Gut Health
Another thing that I see affects the body’s ability to get rid of this virus is leaky gut. Leaky gut is when the intestinal lining cells are not as healthy as they should be and so our digestive system is not capable of absorbing the necessary nutrients from the foods we eat. Moreover, the foods we are eating end up “leaking” through the intestinal wall (without being digested) and our immune system (70% of the immune system surrounds the intestines) reacts in an effort to protect us, which causes inflammation that can spread to all different parts of our bodies.
We then start developing food sensitivities which delayed inflammatory responses, sometimes even to healthy foods, and our immune system starts trying to protect us from them. The cause of leaky gut is almost always the lack of stress recovery and an imbalanced gut biome, which can be caused by certain foods like gluten, as well as toxins and medications.
Nutrient Deficiencies
When our bodies are nutrient depleted, including if we don’t eat enough protein, it is harder for our immune system to get rid of the virus and for our body to make new healthy cells. Nutrient deficiencies are caused by leaky gut, as well as restricted diets (including plant-based diets), medications, such as birth control pills (which are synthetic hormones), and stress without enough recovery.
Hormone Imbalances
Hormones imbalances are also a reason why our bodies struggle to fight off the HPV virus. When estrogen is either too high, and not being detoxified well, or too low (post-menopausal, for example), both are associated with increased risk of HPV. Other hormone imbalances can also play a role, such as low thyroid function, elevated insulin and blood sugar levels, as well as cortisol that is too high or too low.
Toxin exposure
Another reason why women are not clearing this virus as quickly is toxin exposure. I'm finding this more and more in people who have been exposed to mold toxins. If there are mold toxins in your body - if you think you've been exposed to mold in the building where you live or work - then we need to address this because mold toxins can suppress your immune function and make you susceptible to all different kinds of infections, imbalance the microbiome, cause leaky gut, and make you susceptible to HPV.
There are many other toxins we're exposed to in our food, water, in our homes, our personal care products, cookware, and furniture, so it's really important to go through a process of identifying what toxins have you been exposed to and help your body get those toxins out. That’s why I developed a Detox Program, to help you detoxify without making you feel worse.
Methylation Issues
Lastly, one other reason why it's hard for women to clear HPV is because of what's called deficient methylation. Methylation centers around how well our bodies can use B vitamins in the biochemical processes that these vitamins are involved in. Methylation is also used for many purposes in the human body including detoxification, making healthy cells and neurotransmitters, as well as breaking down neurotransmitters and protecting our DNA.
So, if your body is not able to effectively use B vitamins to protect you and make healthy cells, then you become more susceptible to HPV causing abnormal cells. Methylation is negatively affected by several of the other things on this list, including stress, inflammation, toxins, and nutrient deficiencies. You can learn more about efficient methylation and the MTHFR gene variation here.
How To Get Rid of HPV
So, ultimately, it's by addressing the reasons we are not clearing the virus, that we are actually able to get rid of the virus. That’s what I see time and time again in my practice and program.
Imagine that! When we give our bodies what they need in order to protect you from HPV, you can clear this virus just like the 90% of people mentioned in the research. And, at the same time, you’ll be able to move on with your life, have better energy, mood, focus, sleep and less likely to have any other health issues.
It’s not enough to go after the virus with vitamins, herbs and mushroom extracts. We need to dig in to the reasons you're susceptible in the first place - the root causes of why the virus is still in your body.
The women who work with me to address those causes end up not only reversing abnormal cells, but getting HPV to negative and keeping it negative. I've worked with patients over 15 years ago who have been able to keep HPV negative all this time because we got to the underlying cause of the virus being persistent in their bodies.
I hope all this really helps you get a better understanding of why HPV might be hanging around longer than it should be and also to feel empowered, optimistic and hopeful that there are ways you can protect yourself and help your body fend off this virus for good.
If you are really committed to erasing this virus from your life forever, you can sign up for my Say Goodbye to HPV 12-Week Program here.
If you’re constantly feeling gut discomfort or digestive issues like bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea you may want to sing up for my Heal Leaky Gut Program where I teach you how to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol. Keep in mind that 50% of people with leaky gut, have zero symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to do the food sensitivity panel I recommend.
If you’re interested in a safe and effective detoxification that will actually make you feel better and that you can do without affecting your daily routine, you can sign up for my New 14-Day Detox Program here. It includes The Total Detox Support Kit with a Total Detox Protein Powder (your choice of plant-based or collagen based), Antioxidant Support Capsules, and Complete Amino Detox Capsules.
If you’re ready to fully heal your adrenal glands and rebalance your neurotransmitters, you can sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here. Also, if you want to learn more about how to recover from stress so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to read my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
If you’d like me to help you one-on-one by phone or video, from anywhere in the world, to review your symptoms, and what your body is trying to tell you, and to have my guidance to implement my protocol, you can schedule a comprehensive or priority consultation with me.
I think of myself as a health detective, reviewing complex cases to identify what has been missed, and then helping you create a strategic plan for healing. You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We’re here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode, I interview Christine Burke. She is a Forensic Genetic Genealogist, law enforcement expert, trainer and private investigator. She specializes in helping people who have discovered information about their biological family through genetic testing.
After experiencing "DNA Drama" resulting in the almost complete loss of her identity as she knew it, Christine created an innovative process using Genetic Genealogy to help others quickly and easily find biological family.
Since genetic testing has become more available, people are getting access to information that they didn't know about themselves or their families, or perhaps they want information about their families that they haven't been able to get anywhere else.
It was particularly interesting for me to talk with Christine from my perspective as a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in MTHFR and helping patients understand how their genetic variations are affecting their health, and what they can do to circumvent those effects.
Over the past decade, I've been helping people to understand the influence of their genetics in terms of polymorphisms, such as MTHFR, that affect metabolism and health. I then guide patients to do testing, including an ancestry.com panel that I then run through software to identify the most pertinent gene variations, as well as tests to show whether those gene variations are being expressed. I developed my MTHFR protocol to optimize methylation based on my own case and working with thousands of patients.
In the process of identifying gene variations, people do often report being surprised at what else they discovered in their ancestry, finding out something about their family members or making connections with family members who they didn't know.
Genetics vs Genealogy
What's interesting about genetics is that for so long we've relied on the genealogy to know our history but that is just the record. When you bring in the genetics it provides people with information that they may had not known before.
In the interview, Christine shares that she herself is an example. She recently found out (by doing a 23andMe test) that her father, whom she never knew because he died when she was young, was not her biological father and that she has half siblings who she had never met.
This could be quite shocking to receive this type of information. It is common not to know what to do with the information or how to process it. For Christine it was shocking to find out that there are people who are biologically related to her. It shook her sense of identity. That is when she realized that she wanted to bring much needed awareness and support for people in a similar situation.
It can become even more complicated when parents or families perpetuate the lie. That’s why having support and realizing that there is a healing process is so important. People have the right to know. Everybody deserves answers, not only from a medical perspective, but to try to understand what happened and to deal with the grief that this new information could cause.
Dealing With the Shock of Finding Out About Your Genetics
A lot of people feel hesitant to share the truth with their own families for many reasons. They might feel they will be judged or criticized for sharing what really happened. And yet, when the person involved finds out the truth, it can be quite shocking for them.
People could feel that information that they had a right to have, was “pushed under the rug.” This is what inspires Christine to support people in this process.
The healing needs to come from people being honest. For example, in the case of Christine’s mother, who passed away recently - her father was not her biological father either and she would always say “I don't know why my dad doesn't love me.” This is the kind of trauma that can be generated when people are not honest with their family members.
Christine believes that parents have a responsibility to their child, to put their child’s emotional and physical health first. When people continue a false narrative, it only ends up damaging their child’s health.
If you are observing intergenerational trauma in your family and you have information about the truth of what happened, then you have the power to stop the intergenerational trauma from continuing by sharing information. In doing so, you can change the future of your family. When the truth is not told, it is just a form of abuse that gets handed down and handed down, and that's what we need to stop.
When people find out about their relatives through a genetic test, it can be a really hard place to be because, first, they need to cope with the shock of having this new information; then they could try reaching out to the people who they would normally reach out to, but they may not be there for them anymore; and then the new people they just found out about may not want to be present to listen to their identity crisis. This is why it’s critical for these people to find the right person to talk to about all this. Otherwise, one trauma leads to another.
Christine clarifies that she is not a counselor. Her background is as a detective. But after going through this herself, she wanted to offer tools for other people to be able to find out information they need in order to move forward. She is able to help people find biological relatives, and she has created training programs to show people how to look for this information themselves.
While finding new information about your family of origin can be shocking, Christine finds that it is also the first step in the healing process.
Genetics and Health
When I review genetic reports with patients (Dr. Doni speaking), it is common to first feel a sense of fear – what am I going to find out about myself that I didn’t know before and am I going to be able to do something about it. Then, once we review all the information, people often report feeling validated, realizing that the information in their genetic report makes sense in terms of their real day-to-day experience in their body.
It can actually be quite empowering to understand the blueprint behind your biological and metabolic processes, and responses to stress.
And then, to realize that we have the power to turn off genetic expression through diet and lifestyle – it’s mind blowing! Our health and future is not 100% determined by our genetics.
Our genes simply show potential tendencies. What has more power in determining our health destiny is what we do each day to recover from stress and trauma, and how we take care of our bodies, in terms of diet, sleep, nutrients, exercise, and activities that our bodies reset.
That is how I realized that our Stress Type – how we each respond to stress – is determined both by our genes and our past stress exposure.
For example, some people tend to have higher adrenaline levels when exposed to stress. This is related to gene variations of COMT and MAO, but it is determined by levels of inflammation, toxicity, and nutrients in their body. I can see all this when reviewing test results, and then guide patients to correct the elevated adrenaline levels so they can feel well and not be constantly in a state of high adrenaline.
Others tend to become depleted in adrenaline, which means they are more likely to feel tired when under stress. In that case, I can suggest the precursor nutrients to take to correct the deficiency and help the person keep up when under stress.
Overall, understanding your genetic variations, and how best to find out whether those variations are affecting your health, and then having guidance to support your body to navigate around those metabolic traffic jams, can make a significant difference in your health.
There is a lot of confusion out there on this topic. Many practitioners will prescribe based on a genetic variation, without finding out first whether you even need that prescription. So I often find myself warning people to work with someone like me who has extensive training and experience guiding people, so that you can feel better and not worse.
Where to Start with a Genetic Test
There are many genetic tests available now. Some tests are specifically designed for health purposes and can give you a sense of your genetic predisposition to health issues. There are other tests that give you information about your biological relatives.
23andMe and Ancestry.com are accessible to the public and can provide both health and ancestral information. There are some more specialized tests for identity, such as GED Match or FT DNA, which are the only databases that law enforcement is allowed to utilize to help identify unknown deceased and to catch criminals.
The important thing is to have someone who can help you evaluate and understand these reports correctly.
A genetic test result is like the blueprint of the person, which is amazing!
Everything needed to make the unique you is right in there and it's just fascinating what you can do with this information. We can take action in our lives to influence how this genetic information will affect us. Our longevity can be influenced by our lifestyle and by both our stress exposure, and our recovery from it.
Receiving genetic information and having support to allow ourselves to go through the healing process of having that information, makes it possible to integrate the information into our lives and our understanding of ourselves. All of this actually helps to decrease the probability of developing health issues in the future.
As traumatic as it could be to find out a truth that you didn’t know before, it can also be liberating. Once you have information, then you can become proactive and make choices based on that information.
If you want to reach out to Christine and learn more about how she can help you, please make sure to check out her website or reach out to her by email or on Instagram @dnageneticgenealogist.
If you want to learn more about how I help patients with genetic variations, such as MTHFR and others, be sure to watch my free MTHFR Masterclass. https://doctordoni.com/mthfr-masterclass
To understand my approach to helping people recover from stress and trauma with my Stress Recovery Protocol, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. I talk about genetic variations and how to address them in the book too!
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected your cortisol and adrenaline levels. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
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Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
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Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
This episode is going to be about the head game of healing. I find that when I'm talking with patients a lot of what I'm doing is really coaching them on the process of healing. And I find this to be really important because sometimes we can feel like we're in this dark tunnel when we get diagnosed with some health issue.
As much as I can recommend the specific dietary changes and nutrients and herbs to rebalance and restore what's out of balance, I also think that an important part of the healing process is the head game of healing or how do you think about the healing process and how do you think about what's going on in your body.
What Is the Head Game of Healing?
If you're having a high level of anxiety about whatever your diagnosis is then that just ends up working against you. When we're in a state of fear, we are constantly thinking of all the worst-case scenarios, we're constantly worrying and feeling anxious about the diagnosis and what is going to happen or how will you get better.
When we're in a state of fear it's very hard to be proactive and at the same time, we're just reactivating our stress response constantly. So, now we not only have the original stress response that likely created the health issue but now we have the fear response that's triggering more stress and it just snowballs. That stress response to the health issue ends up working against you and actually makes the health issue worse.
This is why to me the symptoms and diagnosis are really just your body's way of communicating with us. You are not your diagnosis. A lot of times what our mind does is attach our identity to a definition of a role like sometimes we identify ourselves as the oldest child or someone who's married or a single mom, or we identify with our experience, and we can also identify with a diagnosis.
An important part of your healing process is to detach yourself from the diagnosis a bit because if you're completely identified with a specific diagnosis then it will be much more difficult for your body to heal.
For example, if I identified myself as someone who gets migraines then that becomes my identity. This is the way our brains work so we if we identify with the diagnosis, we end up recreating that same health issue.
This is something that is really hard to do because when you're in the midst of pain, that's the only experience you can have. You're 100% experiencing having a migraine or whatever pain you might be experiencing, so it's hard to even imagine how you could separate yourself from the symptoms or the diagnosis.
You have to think of who are as a spirit, as an essence, as a person, as the person who's existing in this human experience, in this body. Who are you separate from your symptoms or diagnosis. This way you can create a little bit of what I call separation between who you are and a specific situation that you’re experiencing at some point in time. If we want to create change in your health, you will no longer be that diagnosis. So, we need to separate from the diagnosis to create the possibility for something different to exist - to create the possibility for change.
Our Bodies Call for Attention
Our bodies way of communicating to us that something is out of balance is through symptoms. It could be physical pain or emotional pain, mood changes, energy changes, sleep patterns changes, brain fog, etc. These are all ways in which our bodies let us know they need attention.
And it doesn't help if we're hard on ourselves or in a battle with our own bodies over that because this just creates more stress and a vicious cycle that makes the healing process longer and harder.
Whatever signals your body is giving you, it's trying to communicate to you that it needs help.
That something is out of balance, something needs attention. It could be a heart palpitation, reflux, feeling tired, hair falling, migraines, etc. Then in the medical world what we do is we go through a process of evaluating to understand those signals so that we know what the appropriate treatment would be.
A Naturopathic Approach
A Naturopathic Doctor’s approach at how to fix a health issue is slightly different than that of a classically trained Medical Doctor. The latter are mostly trained to use pharmaceutical medications or surgeries or procedures and so they're looking for indications in the body that something requires a medication or surgery but a lot of times this may not be what our bodies need in order to heal.
If a Medical Doctor doesn’t find the cause of your illness or a reason to give you medication, he/she could say that there’s nothing wrong with you or that you should keep monitoring the issue because they may not have any other tools they can offer for you to feel better.
A Naturopathic Doctor, in contrast, is trained in a lot of other potential tools that you can be used to support healing, such as dietary changes, general lifestyle changes, sleep pattern changes, exercise changes, etc. We are also trained in the use of supplements, herbs and nutrients (based on research in clinical textbooks) and how to use these for different health issues.
Another tool that some Naturopathic Doctors use is Homeopathy. This is an energetic medicine that helps realign our bodies with its own ability to heal. There are also other tools like the use of plant medicines, meditation, breathwork, cold water therapy, physical therapy, detoxification, etc. So, there is such a long list of possible healing modalities that a Naturopathic
Doctor can use to help you heal naturally while getting to the real root of the problem, so it goes away for good.
This is not to say that medications or antibiotics or surgery are not important or ever necessary, but for you to know that if your M.D. says that they don't have a treatment for you, then I want to make sure you know that there are all these other treatment possibilities, like diet and herbs and nutrients and so on, for you to heal.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
Prevention of health issues is for each of us to choose for ourselves and this is one of the other key head games of healing. We can take on that responsibility and accountability for our own health. If we're here, we are living this beautiful life experience, why not try to be as healthy as possible through it and even try to make it as long as possible to enjoy more of the things we love doing with the people we care about.
Everyone has the choice to become more intentional about their health. We can choose to treat our bodies poorly and just eat whatever and work 24/7 and then rely on health insurance when health issues arise, or we can choose to take good care of ourselves today and try to achieve our best health each day so we can have better and longer lives.
A lot of patients I see wish they could have known before how to take better care of their health themselves. So, as a Naturopathic Doctor my goal is to help you become more in charge of your own health and your own future and then become more intentional about each decision you make.
This is what I call SelfC.A.R.E. (this is the acronym I use in my latest book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health) where you're taking good care of yourself and it turns out that the more we have compassion for ourselves, the more we are accepting of our experience in our bodies and in our lives, and then it decreases our stress and it creates more peace, and this actually prevents health issues.
Setting Yourself Up for Success in The Head Game of Healing
When we take good care of ourselves, we are going to be healthier, happier and more productive. We’re going to feel good and enjoy more what we're doing.
Stress is part of life. All humans are going to have stress. The key here is not trying to be stress free, but learning how to help your body recover from stress in the moment right alongside the stress exposure. We need to learn how to counterbalance the stress so we can help our bodies keep up with this experience.
We are all like a marathon runner or an airplane in our own lives. Marathon runners don’t only take good care of themselves the day before the marathon, they have to be on point in every
aspect long before the marathon; training, nutrition, sleep, hydration, etc. The same way that a plane must be in balance in every switch, control knob, altitude, weight, speed, etc. for it to fly straight. Our human bodies have thousands of systems working 24/7 at the same time and my job as a Naturopathic Doctor is to help you fine tune it a find a way to bring all those systems back to balance so you can be as healthy as you can.
Some of this evaluation can be done in regular blood work covered by insurance like trying to figure out if you need to be in the emergency room or tell if you have anemia or if you have an infection. But when I look at these tests, I'm also looking at a much more fine-tuned level. What I do is I help you to tune in your body to a much more optimal level. In standard blood work the ranges are wide so you may still be in the range, but you might not feel good. You might still feel tired and have borderline anemia or have low iron, or have low B12 or folate or a nutrient deficiency or a methylation issue or an MTHFR gene variation, etc. All this is going to give us a much better sense of your body's needs to get back in balance.
Going Further than Regular Blood Work
If you don't feel good there's a reason - that's always the case. If your body's giving you indications in some shape or form it means that something's out of balance and it might not show in the regular blood work because the regular blood work is really for identifying more emergency situations even when we do a complete metabolic panel. A complete metabolic panel is to identify the liver and kidney function and blood sugar levels and electrolyte levels, but you could have in range glucose and in range electrolytes and in range kidney and liver function and still not feel good for some other reason.
For example, the adrenal glands don't show well in regular blood work. You can pick up on the adrenal glands a little bit with the sodium, potassium and electrolyte levels because part of the job of the adrenal glands is to manage our sodium and potassium, so if there's an imbalance in sodium potassium even slightly in the blood work we should be thinking about the adrenal glands but what I find is I don't even wait for that because by the time it shows in your electrolytes, it's already a severe issue. I'd much rather pick up on an adrenal issue before it starts affecting your electrolytes.
Another example is your cortisol levels. You can run a blood level for cortisol which is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, but even then, the normal range is very broad. It's easy to fall in the normal range and I think that most of us are in this normal range but that doesn't mean we're at optimal levels throughout the day. It just means we're in what's considered normal range which means we don't need to go into the hospital because it's not an emergency but the more we optimize our cortisol levels the more we prevent ourselves from becoming an emergency.
I can't tell you how many patients I work with who the practitioner said this is a condition you're going to have for the rest of your life, it's irreversible. And after working with me, now those patients are testing negative, and for decades. Someone could test positive for an
autoimmune condition, like rheumatoid arthritis at one point in time, but then by making diet changes and detoxifying and resetting all their systems, they heal, the immune system and their bodies overall, come back into balance again.
Genetics as Part of The Head Game of Healing
For many years we thought that genetics determine most of our health. We tend to link our genetics with our destiny. That's why they did the whole human genome project to identify all the genes in a human and what they found is that our health is not mostly determined by our genes. Our health is mostly determined by what I refer to as our stress exposure – which is our environmental exposure, whether that's emotional stress, physical stress, injuries, infections, or toxin exposure.
All of those exposures, and even our parents stress exposure and our grandparents stress exposure, affect us and what's going to happen with our health. Studies show that less than 10% of health issues are genetically determined. We are all unique, there's certain things as humans that we have in common, but we're very unique in how our bodies use nutrients or how much we need of certain nutrients.
If you have a genetic tendency or you have a genetic variation, it does not mean that you have that issue. The only way we can know if that gene or gene variation is actually causing a health issue for you is to test your body and analyze if this gene is affecting you at this moment in time. Also, those genetic variations can turn on and off. So, if we see a genetic variation, let's say MTHFR, we need to do blood work for homocysteine and look at B vitamin metabolism. If your homocysteine is healthy then you don't have to worry, you can just keep preventing this gene variation from turning on and keep taking good care of your health.
So, we need to evaluate if a gene is affecting your health today, and if so, then we can take steps to address it, we can look at ways to turn a gene back off. Often times it’s stress exposure that turns a gene on, so we need to work on your stress and trauma exposure to get your body back in balance. It comes back to understanding how stress has caused imbalances and then address those imbalances in order to get you back to balance.
We need to give your body safety signals. Our bodies are constantly noticing stress signals all the time from changes in the environment, temperature, light, sound, toxins, etc. We are constantly exposed to plenty of stress signals (that affect our immune system, our nervous system, our digestive system, our hormones), but what we lack is the anti-stress signals.
We need to learn to balance our stress and anti-stress signals, so our body is in harmony again. Anti-stress signals could even be taking a deep breath or spending time in nature or with your pet. There are so many anti-stress signals we can choose from to counterbalance the stress and we need to integrate those in our daily routine.
Being Strategic About The Head Game of Healing
To me the thing about the healing head game is we have to be strategic, we have to think about it from a big picture view and we have to think about it from what can we do in this moment that's going to have the most positive ripple effect going forward. What are the things we can do that have the most healing potential on multiple levels because we are an interconnected system.
There are two core areas that we need to address that create such a positive ripple effect in the healing process. First, we have to address the leaky gut. We have to address your body’s ability to digest food and absorb nutrients by avoiding inflammatory foods and healing your intestinal lining. If we don’t address leaky gut, your body will have more inflammation and more toxicity coming from your gut, which only adds more stress.
The second core area to address is the adrenal glands. We need to heal our adrenals (your body’s main protection from stress by generating cortisol and adrenaline). If we're under constant stress, our system is going to break down. For some people they end up with cortisol being too high at certain times of the day, and for others it could be that cortisol is too low at certain times of the day.
At optimal levels our cortisol will be high in the morning to wake us up and gradually decrease through the day. We also need adrenaline (made by the adrenal glands) in optimal amounts; it gives us energy and focus, but we don't want too much or too little. So, we need to optimize your cortisol and adrenaline levels throughout the day to optimize your health and prevent future issues.
For this we need to measure your cortisol in the morning, midday and evening running a cortisol panel to know what your cortisol curve is up to. You can do this at home with a test kit that you can find here. Then we can use herbs and nutrients to address the imbalances.
We also need to reset our daily schedules so that we are not under constant stress. It's not just about relying on a nutrient. It's about how do we reset ourselves and our relationship with ourselves so that we can help our bodies to stay in a balanced state every day. This way we will not need to keep on taking these supplements and herbs forever. We recover back to balance and only need maintenance going forward.
This is why my stress recovery protocol has three phases: One is get out of stress mode first. Get the stress signaling to calm down enough so we can actually heal. Phase two is focusing on rebalancing everything and do the real recovery. And phase three is maintenance and resilience - becoming resilient under stress.
We also need to learn how to protect ourselves on a physical, mental and emotional level and even energetic and spiritual level. How do we protect ourselves from various stress exposures?
Well, this is part of the healing process. I really see that this is happening more and more. As humans we're learning how to choose for ourselves to have compassion for ourselves and have compassion for our human bodies. We can feel gratitude for our human bodies and how much they're working to help us survive. There might be a stress or trauma from way earlier in our lives, maybe a grief, maybe a sudden loss, maybe something that happened to us like abuse in a relationship or sexual abuse or something where your system got stuck into a state of stress and shock and you didn't get to process it.
When we are finally able to be present with ourselves, we start to realize when this started and when a certain health issue started. We need to have compassion for ourselves and our bodies, forgive ourselves for what happened and learn how to protect ourselves.
This is not something we learn in school or from our parents usually, but it's something we can teach ourselves and practice. I really think that the human experience is learning day by day how to have more compassion for ourselves so that we become the ones who can take the best care of ourselves and achieve our best health.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
Because I feel so strongly that I want people anywhere in the world to be able to access my protocols, I developed online video courses or programs you can start anytime.
· Heal Leaky Gut Program – teaching you to heal leaky gut with my proven protocol
· Stress Warrior™ - If you’re ready to fully heal your adrenal glands and rebalance your neurotransmitters, you can sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here.
If you’d like me to help you one-on-one by phone or video, to review your symptoms, and what your body is trying to tell you, and to have my guidance to implement my protocol, you can schedule a comprehensive or priority consultation with me. I think of myself as a health detective, reviewing complex cases to identify what has been missed, and then helping you create a strategic plan for healing. You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
This doesn't have to be a mystery, and this doesn't have to take forever, it just needs to be individualized to you.
We’re here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Kimberly King. She is a sexual abuse educator and author of several books. As a freshman in college, Kimberly started her work with sexual abuse prevention as a women’s health Peer Counselor and Human Sexuality teaching assistant to the renowned Dr. Sandra Caron.
After more than a decade of teaching kindergarten and proactive momming, her son had a body safety scare with a friend - that triggered a shift. She realized she wanted take the scare out of sexual abuse prevention.
Now, Kimberly helps parents, and all who care for kids, learn to talk about body safety with ease so they can prevent abuse and protect their kids.
In this interview, we talk about sexual abuse. This is such an important topic and one that a lot of times we would rather not have to talk about, but we need to in order to raise awareness and help people recover and prevent sexual abuse from happening in the first place. Often parents report that it was by observing the experience their children are going through that they started to realize that they had a similar experience in childhood, but it was never addressed.
In fact, sexual abuse is more common than we realize. This type of trauma can paralyze children and adults with fear. In this interview, Kimberly shares ways to talk about it in a very kid-friendly or just simple matter of fact way. She describes that by having these conversations with your children, you can help to protect them and avoid anything from happening to them. When you think about it that way, the topic becomes easier to talk about.
How Common is Sexual Abuse?
It's shocking that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they're 18 years old. That's a terrible statistic right there but what's even worse is that only 38% of children ever tell anybody, so most of sexual abuse is not even reported. So, we don't know the real number but it's of epidemic levels which is why prevention is so important.
90% of children who are sexually abused will be sexually abused by the people in their inner circle of trust, the people that they already know including family members, siblings, cousins, distant cousins, teachers, and people they already trust.
How Does This Happen with Access to Devices Like Smartphones?
When you give your child a cell phone, they have access to apps, and they have access to everything. Predators know that kids are on phones and are hanging out on these apps. So, to give your child a cell phone is dangerous unless you get very prepared and empowered to prevent sexual abuse.
These conversations must happen with our children very early, way before they have access to cell phones, so that they understand body boundaries, body safety rules, they know who to tell if something happens, they know who they're safe with. And then you must start implementing online safety measures on these devices to make sure that your kids are protected.
We Need to Normalize Talking About Sexual Abuse
This is a safety concern. The goal is to prevent sexual abuse. The topic of body safety needs to be as approachable as possible. We need to teach our kids about this just as we teach them to put on their bike helmet and to buckle up in the car. It should just be common language like of course we know our body parts, and of course we know we have rights to protect our bodies and of course if we have a problem, we're going to tell our parents or our safe adults. So, we must normalize talking about these things so that it's not so taboo that children are terrified to tell us when something happens.
Sometimes we don't really teach our kids but it's so important. They don't have to respond or comply when an adult is demanding a hug or physical attention or being mean or saying something dangerous. We do have to empower them to use their voice because we're not always going to be there to protect them.
There are very few people talking about this with children. We need to talk about the real risks that they face so that parents understand and do an assessment of where and when they are putting their children at risk. We can certainly educate our kids about this but as parents we must make really good decisions. Is it a great idea to let a random babysitter that you hired on Facebook watch your two-year-old? NO! It's not!
The Effects of Sexual Abuse in a Person's Lifetime
The healing process is different for everybody. Having a history of sexual abuse can increase the risk of drug dependency, alcoholism, depression, anxiety, psychiatric disorders, academic problems, criminal problems, etc. It really does blossom into pretty much every disorder that you can think of, especially if left untreated.
Even one incident can create a lifetime of anxiety and depression. It would really be ideal if we could get ahead and prevent this from happening but for the people who went through something like this earlier in your life, it's very important to get help and start the healing process. Just talking about it with someone safe will help by letting it out of your head.
Does Sexual Abuse Tend to Repeat Itself in Families?
The data on that is not very well studied but if you are a victim of sexual abuse once you're more likely to be a victim of abuse later. If you were abused as a child, you're more likely to be abused again later and this comes from a lack of awareness of what abuse looks like. If you
were abused by, say your stepfather, and were threatened or blackmailed and you felt responsible and he blamed it on you, if you were raised in that environment and you didn't even know what you were going through, then when you get to be a young adult, you're still not going to know what is normal and what isn’t. This puts you at risk and this is why education is so critical.
It's critical that kids, especially teenagers, understand what abuse looks like because you don't want them to make a mistake just because you haven't talked to them about it or because they don't understand it. Why risk it when you can teach them about it. You could really get ahead of it and save them a lifetime of hardship by preventing abuse from happening. It doesn't matter what age your child is - just start talking about it now.
So, having that conversation with your teen about alcohol for example, do not mix sex with alcohol because it will never go well or that you could you could actually be in some type of a sexual situation with a girl or a boy and they can change their mind in the middle of it and just because she or he is your girlfriend or boyfriend or partner, it doesn’t mean that you can keep going. You have to stop. Conversations about consent and what that looks like for your children and for their relationships are critical to have.
Healthy sexual activity with consent can be so beneficial to our health, but that doesn't mean that we get to just force that on someone and overlook these important boundaries, and so the more that these conversations can happen at a young age, the more we will be preventing the type of behavior that could push past these boundaries.
Having this education and being empowered in this space will also prevent things like sexual harassment in the workplace. Our kids when raised and taught these things aren't going to accept this behavior from their boss. They will have their boundaries in place and they will not be afraid of speaking up if needed.
The Fear of Speaking Up for Yourself
Being an authoritarian parent is not an effective way to parent because it can make it so that children don’t feel comfortable going to parents when they are dealing with sexual abuse, bullying and/or depression. You want your kids to be able to communicate with you, no matter what the topic. You want to develop a relationship with your kids that involves you being an active listener and not a dictator.
Studies show that children with authoritarian parents are more likely to develop anxiety and depression than kids with parents who are more open to talk about anything. A style of parenting that includes structure as well as calmness, gentleness, and very good listening skills makes it so that your children will talk to you and share these things with you, so that you know when they need help.
This is critical in the topic of body safety because kids have to know that when something is wrong, they have the right to speak up and they need to speak up and they need to know who which adults are safe for them to go to for help. Not all kids understand that, and not all parents teach that. There are kids who are worried they're going to get in trouble if they say something about sexual abuse.
A good option is to make a list of safe adults in case mom is not available. Who is it that you love and trust in case of an emergency or who is it that's super easy to talk to and can be on your body safety team. Some examples are people who have never asked your child to keep a secret, or they've never violated a body boundary, and they follow your family safety plan and rules.
We need to learn to protect ourselves not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually at the same time. And we are not really trained on how to protect ourselves very well. And so learning what does that mean to better protect ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Having conversations about what are the feelings that make us feel good or green flag feelings and then the red flag feelings such as butterflies, or maybe you're nervous, maybe your hands are shaking, maybe you're sweaty, maybe you’re angry or scared or stressed. We need to teach our children to recognize these feelings and how their bodies feel when they're experiencing those emotions.
This helps them communicate with you better, and it doesn't have to just be about sexual abuse it can be about anything like feeling nervous because the teacher raised her voice. Where did your child feel that in his or her body? Ask your child if they want to talk about it. It's about processing all these emotions instead of just keeping it all inside because they don't know how to talk about it or they don't know how to express themselves.
Then we can make a list of who are the green flag people and the red flag people, and then why are these people in the red. This is a great way to have a conversation about it and it’s an easy way to talk about it.
Good Communication is Critical to Prevent Sexual Abuse
When we're able to be in such deeper real authentic conversations with our children we can reduce rates of trauma in future generations and the more we can prevent trauma experiences, the more we're going to be preventing health issues and abuse and addiction.
We also need to open up the conversation about what adults and parents have experienced and how can they heal in the process, because sometimes people are afraid to have conversations with their children because they're afraid of what they might feel as an adult.
You might not be ready to share your story with your kids, and that is fine. You can even just say something happened to me and I don't want it to happen to you so let's talk about it.
If you avoid these topics completely, it's like you're rolling the dice. Maybe your kids are going to be lucky, and they'll get out of childhood unscathed, but the statistics are not in the favor of that. So, even if it's difficult, even if you have to get through some stuff to talk about it with your kids, you need to have this open communication.
If you want to learn more from Kimberly please make sure to check out her website or reach out to her on Instagram @toughtopicsmom.
If you want to learn more about how I help patients recover from stress and trauma by reversing the effects of stress with my Stress Recovery Protocol, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected your cortisol and adrenaline levels. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
And if you have tested positive for HPV and you’re ready to transform your health and life, please start by watching my HPV Masterclass here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be talking all about your adrenal glands and why it is so important to prioritize understanding your body’s particular stress response pattern.
We will discuss what the adrenal glands are, where they are, what functions they serve, why they become depleted, why it’s so important to help these glands to perform their best, how we can test them and what we can do to help them recover!
How Does the Adrenal System Work?
We each have two adrenal glands in our bodies, and they are located on top of each of our kidneys. These glands are responsible for the production of adrenaline (epinephrine and norepinephrine), cortisol, and other hormones that determine heart rate, blood pressure, and other important bodily functions.
I like to think about the adrenal glands as our internal bodyguards. They help protect us from danger by activating our body into the necessary state for fight or flight when we sense there may be a threat.
Throughout time, as humans, our adrenal system would activate when exposed to a threat and then afterwards deactivate appropriately when the threat had dissipated. But in our modern world, the threats to our lives have become much more distant and abstract, leaving our body in a less certain state of fear for our safety. Did you know that your adrenal levels can become triggered just by watching an intense scene on TV?
Our bodyguards are now in an almost ubiquitous state of activation, meaning they are often chronically triggered and ultimately depleted, and they are not able to protect us as they’re really meant to.
You sense a threat and the amygdala in the brain picks up a fear response that sends signals through what's called the HPA axis (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). The brain is perceiving there's a danger going on and it's going to then send a hormone to your adrenal glands through the bloodstream to say we need extra cortisol and adrenaline to help protect us from whatever is going on right now.
That extra cortisol and adrenaline then tells all the other cells in your body we've got something dangerous going on and we need we need to turn off certain functions: we're not going to need to digest food right now or we're not going to do reproductive function. We're going to be making sure that there's blood flow and blood sugar so you can get out of danger. The heart races, and blood pressure increases, to get us out of danger.
Why is Chronic Depletion of Adrenals a Problem?
As our adrenal system becomes activated, it tells the rest of our body to cease normal functioning and upkeep. It tells our body to stop digesting food and absorbing nutrients, and instead to only focus on the threat in front of us. If we are unable to leave this heightened state, our bodies do not return to their normal functioning.
When we ARE able to return to a normal (healthy) level of cortisol and adrenaline, that's when a signal goes out through all of our cells, including our digestive system, and says: it's time to digest again, let's make digestive enzymes, let’s make healthy new intestinal cells, let's support our gut bacteria, let's absorb our nutrients.
In our nervous system, serotonin and GABA are calming neurotransmitters that help counterbalance the adrenaline, so if we have stimulating adrenaline happening, we also need a counterbalance of serotonin and GABA. I think of it like the gas and brake pedals in a car. You need the gas pedal to get your brain responding but you also need the brake pedal to be able to calm things down.
When we are depleted from over-use of our adrenal glands, we can become more and more reliant on things like caffeine because caffeine stimulates us to make adrenaline and then alcohol to sedate us in the evening. Caffeine and alcohol are fine in moderation, but they are cause for concern when we need them to maintain our lifestyles.
Optimal Adrenal Function is Key for Optimal Health
Research shows that when we have optimal adrenal function we live longer.
Unfortunately, this is something that is very rarely addressed in the traditional doctor’s office. Even when you go to an endocrinologist, who specializes in glands that make hormones. Only in extreme cases like adrenal insufficiency, Addison's disease, or Cushing syndrome would adrenals raise to their attention. But most of us are suffering silently in not extreme cases, but still suboptimal and correlated to most all health conditions.
Studies show that over 80% of adults have dysregulated adrenal function -- so most of us have adrenal function that is NOT optimal on a daily basis!
When our adrenal glands are over or under functioning, it's predisposing us to all different health issues.
The Prescription to Fix Adrenal Function Doesn’t Have to be Medicine
The good news is there is a lot we can do to help our adrenal glands return to optimal functioning, and therefore optimal health, and it often doesn't involve taking a prescription medication or an invasive surgery, even though traditional medicine would like you to believe that it does.
Instead, it involves learning how to give the right support to your adrenal glands for them to function.
My book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health is really all about your adrenal glands and understanding your body’s unique stress signature.
Through helping thousands of patients, I have seen evidence that adrenal gland function is usually the root cause of so many other health problems, and once corrected, tend to have a huge positive ripple effect on your health and your life.
Please dive into the research if you are interested! My book has hundreds of references, and many sources are available online.
As a naturopathic doctor, my goal is to help people feel better – not to give you a prescription that will keep you coming back into my office every week. This passion was ignited by not getting enough answers in my own life and wanting to share the wisdom and freedom I’ve found, to save you time, money, and headaches.
I often have patients with very complex cases where they've been in severe fatigue or pain or distress for years and have never had their cortisol and adrenaline tested. I’ve had countless cases of patients not receiving answers or making progress on their medical diagnosis, and then when we address their adrenal functioning, it is the domino that changes everything for the better.
Your Stress Pattern and Therefore Adrenal Function is as Unique as Your Fingerprint
It's not the same for all of us, and therefore our treatment plans are not one size fits all.
Your stress pattern is based on your genetics, past stress exposure, and it's even based on your parents and your grandparents stress exposure. These all influence how your body responds to stress today. So, to really understand what your cortisol and adrenaline are up to at this point in time, we need to measure them.
Standard bloodwork will not catch the inner workings of the adrenal glands. Additionally, your levels will – and should – change throughout the day. This is your natural cortisol curve, the highest point in the morning and gradually decreasing throughout the day. And so, we need to take measurements throughout the day to provide an overall picture of how your cortisol levels are fluctuating and when.
But we also need to measure adrenaline levels. What I want you to know are your actual norepinephrine and epinephrine levels and there's only a few labs that measure these accurately, and that's what I offer through my office.
Although everyone’s situation is unique, through the many patients I’ve seen and studied, everyone falls generally into one of five common stress types:
- The Stress Magnet: elevated cortisol with elevated adrenaline in the morning or all day
- The Night Owl: elevated cortisol in the evening with elevated adrenaline
- Sluggish and Stressed: elevated cortisol with low adrenaline
- Blah and Blue: low cortisol in the morning or at midday, with low adrenaline
- Tired and Wired: low cortisol morning or midday with elevated adrenaline
In my book, and online, I have a self-assessment quiz to help you figure out what your stress type might be, and I’ve included the links below.
Each stress type will have a different path to recovery. All treatments will fall within the umbrella of my treatment program called SelfC.A.R.E. where C stands for clean eating, A for adequate sleep, R for recovery, and E for exercise. I have tailor made programs for each stress type so your body will get exactly what it needs and nothing it doesn’t.
How to Help Your Adrenal System
You can start by testing your cortisol and adrenaline levels throughout the day, by knowing your stress type pattern, and watch every other facet of your health fall into place. You can get a home test for this here.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
If you’re ready to master your stress and become a stress warrior you can sign up for my Stress Warrior Program here.
If you’d like a more accurate and thorough picture of exactly what’s going on in your body, please make an appointment with my office. We would be more than happy to sit down and help you get to the core of whatever health issues you’re facing, so we can figure them out together. You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
This doesn't have to be a mystery, and this doesn't have to take forever, it just needs to be individualized to you.
We’re here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Louise Swartswalter. Louise is an energy healer and certified biofeedback specialist. She specializes in clearing energy blocks and uses neurofeedback and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) to rebalance the human brain through her signature B.R.A.I.N. System. She is also the owner and founder of the Brain Soul Success Academy.
Today we talk about how a multisensory approach, which is used to help with dyslexia, can be used to clear past traumas, even generational trauma. Louise shares how the system she uses is able to transform health, behavior patterns, and emotions, and how by releasing our energetic roadblocks, we can achieve success and reach our goals in life.
During her career and own healing journey, Louise discovered that the brain operates like a motherboard for the body. When a person’s brain is functioning at optimal health and is in balance, the rest of one’s body and life is able to fall into balance.
We're not just a body. We've got to heal the emotions. We've got to heal the spirit. We've got to heal whole person. We have an energetic field that goes all the way out to the stars. We are energy bodies before we are physical bodies. So, in order to really heal, we have to reset on an emotional, spiritual and energetic level.
The B.R.A.I.N. System
B.R.A.I.N. is an acronym that stands for:
B: Body. This relates to all the work we do to heal our bodies like detoxification, taking supplements, mastering stress, supporting adrenal function, getting good sleep, exercise, etc. The B is the lifestyle pieces that a functional medicine doctor or somebody doing that kind of work would know.
R: Release. Release the trauma and the emotions and the baggage. Often times it's ancestral and we have to clear that out for people to become whole and aligned.
A: Alignment. The brain system is aligned with our spirit. And so, a spiritual God or whatever God means to each individual person is always a part of the healing process.
I: Integration. This is integrating your brain frequencies to your soul. Your true purpose. People don't really heal their life where they want to if they don't have a purpose. Our bodies will still struggle with some kind of adrenal issue if we don't have a purpose in life. It’s when we can identify and feel that sense of purpose that we really thrive. It’s your big WHY, so, we clear energy blocks to get to that.
N: New Program. The new program piece is this high-level energy work that rewires your brain. This is achieved by using frequency medicine which is neurofeedback. It’s about working multidimensionally to get the results we want.
Healing Trauma at a Brain Soul Level
People looking to heal are often getting one protocol from one practitioner and a different protocol from another practitioner. It’s when we integrate all the healing holistically that we will be successful. We need to find a way to be cohesive and synergistic when healing our body, mind and spirit.
Sometimes the challenge with energetic work is that it’s something we can’t see and sometimes people have a hard time believing or understanding how it works.
When we heal trauma at the brain soul level we can even see physical changes in peoples physique. They smile more, their eyes look brighter, they feel lighter, more energetic and vibrant, and they have a different glow in general.
Louise describes that when she was a special education teacher, she used a multi-sensory approach with her students. She would guide them to consider what they see, say, hear, write and feel all at the same time. Most of health and healing doesn’t integrate a multi-sensory approach. That's why she developed the B.R.A.I.N. System.
More than 60% of adults have experienced at least one adverse childhood event, let alone adulthood trauma, so it's something that's prevalent and yet a lot of times we go through life without being aware of it. And most people are not addressing it, and a lot of practitioners don't know how to address it.
We know that trauma is associated with health issues. We need to be able to release traumatic experiences, compassionately and effectively, so that we can move forward with our lives without the negative effects of this baggage called trauma.
By using this multidimensional system, we will definitely see results faster. Everybody wants to heal faster, no one wants to stay sick or imbalanced for a long time.
A B.R.A.I.N. System Session (Louise does a live session for Dr. Doni)
Here are the questions that Louise asked Dr. Doni about pain in her joints and posture.
- What would you want to have change or be different?
- If you were connected to your body and you knew your optimal posture, what would you be doing differently than you are now?
- If you're feeling lighter and easier and you're paying attention to your posture connected to your body and your optimal posture, what would you tell yourself that you're not telling yourself now?
- If all those things were happening, what would you be allowing that you're not allowing now?
We often don’t realize how much our self-talk is part of how we feel constantly. By taking the judgment away you could tell yourself you're stronger, you're allowing things to be the way they are. You allow what is, you're connected to your body, you're feeling lighter, you're aware of your posture and things are easier.
So, what is taking Doni away from allowing what is, to be connected to her body and feeling light or having that ailing easier flow of things?
The next step is muscle test what is preventing her from clearing energy. We're all energy and we can get other people's energy attached to us, and especially as a practitioner when you're working closely with people, some of their pains or their imbalances could become attached to you. This energy could also come from early experiences during our childhood with parents or siblings, this is what we call trauma and what constitutes the foundation of the restrictions that do not let you move forward with your life.
These experiences can make us demoralized and manifest through physical pain in our bodies later in life. These can also steal from us our peace, our strength, acceptance, fulfillment, and sense of protection.
The key here is to release this trauma by working on our brains so that this trauma is no longer allowed to follow us everywhere. It is no longer allowed anywhere near our physical body, nervous system, etc. This trauma has to leave all of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual being in order for you to heal. We have to clear the shock to be able to heal.
When we release all judgments, assumptions, projections, conclusions, decisions about the situation, we let it go, allowing us to be free, to honor what is, to be connected to our bodies and to feel lighter.
The last part of the system is energy work that has to do with codes and numbers. Think of it as acupuncture points but in the energy field. Then you speak positive messages to your brain. In this example the messages were: I am connected to my body, I pay attention to my posture, I feel lighter and easier, I am stronger than I think, I have positive self-worth, I am able to do things I didn't know I could do, I choose to succeed, I choose to live in joy, I allow things to be the way they are and I allow what is.
By doing this you are reprogramming and rewiring your brain and therefore your reality to the reality you want for your life now. It is rebooting you with these goals and intentions.
How The Healing of Trauma Works
You can have an intention when you go into an energetic healing experience, but really you don’t have to try. Energy shifts tend to cause a subtle ripple effect without any effort. More important is to allow yourself to let go and be guided.
Louise asked me about my experience with her energy work compared to what I experience with shamanism and psychedelic medicine. I explained that psychedelics have a similar ability to help us release and overcome trauma. Transformation happens when deeper traumas are cleared at the brain soul level. These processes literally reboot every cell energetically.
And then right away you start to see things come back into flow again. When the energy field is aligned physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, you start noticing good things coming your way. You start feeling better and your health improves.
If you want to learn more from Louise and get a better sense of how her system works, you may want to attend her upcoming online masterclass. Find out more and sign up for free here.
If you want to learn more about how I help patients recover from stress and trauma by reversing the effects of stress with my Stress Recovery Protocol, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected your cortisol and adrenaline levels. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
And if you have tested positive for HPV and you’re ready to transform your health and life, please start by watching my HPV Masterclass here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be talking about protein and why it’s so important to make sure you’re getting enough protein not only in your diet but in every single meal. So, let’s get started.
As humans we need 3 sources of calories or energy that our bodies can’t produce by themselves: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. These are called Macronutrients. And, from my experience as a Naturopathic Doctor and Clinical Nutritionist for over 23 years, I see that the best health comes from balancing these 3 Macronutrients in every meal. Just as a point of reference, 1 gram of protein provides 4 calories for our bodies, 1 gram of carbs also provides 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories for our system.
Why Is Protein So Important?
The basic structure of protein is a chain of biochemical 'building blocks' called amino acids. Our bodies use those amino acids to build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. You also need protein in your diet to help your body repair cells and make new ones. Protein is also important for growth and development in children, teens, and pregnant women. Furthermore, protein is also a critical part of the processes that fuel your energy and carry oxygen throughout your body in your blood, and it helps make antibodies that fight off infections and illnesses. So, protein is a very important part of a healthy diet.
The protein we eat gets broken into amino acids during our digestion process and there are 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These amino acids are not synthesized by mammals and are therefore dietarily essential or indispensable nutrients, meaning we must get it from food or another source.
We can get those nine essential amino acids from either animal-based or plant-based protein. We just have to learn how to choose the protein each time we eat.
Our bodies use these amino acids for building muscle every day, especially if we're working out and we want our muscles to grow, our bodies need even more of these amino acids. We also use amino acids in the liver for detoxification and we need amino acids for making neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, etc.
If we're not getting enough protein and amino acids in our diet, we're going to be making it harder for our body to maintain adequate neurotransmitters and to maintain adequate detoxification.
Where to find Protein?
The thing I find is that so often people are way more likely to get plenty of carbs and now we're even learning to get fat in our meals but still many people are not getting enough protein. It is so much easier to get access to carbs than it is to protein. For example, if you’re hungry and eat a snack it will likely have more carbs than protein or fats. Chips, crackers, even fruit are all sources of carbs and have little or no protein in them.
Remember, our bodies like balance and so we are going to be feeling so much better if we get sources of all 3 macronutrients in every meal. We want to have all 3 macronutrients in every meal in intervals of 3 to 4 hours through the day. We want to have space in between meals so our bodies can digest and absorb these nutrients.
So, you can get protein from animal sources like eggs, milk, chicken, beef, turkey, and fish. I normally see that eating too much eggs or dairy causes inflammation, especially in people with leaky gut so I recommend to have them in moderation. I also recommend when choosing meat like chicken or beef that it is organic, free range, grass fed and free of hormones.
There is also plant based protein like nuts, seeds, legumes, soy and certain grains like quinoa. The thing with plant-based protein is that the quantity you have to eat to reach the minimum requirement is large and plant sources of protein often come tied with high carbs so you risk overfeeding your gut bacteria and having digestive issues.
Now you could also get a plant-based protein powder like pea protein, for example. If you’re interested in this product, you can find it here. There is also hemp seed, flaxseed and watermelon seed protein powders available. These plant-based protein powders are a good way to reach your body’s minimum protein requirement if you don’t eat meat.
How Much Protein Should You Eat?
The amount of protein you need depends on a number of factors, including your weight, age, goals, and activity level. As a general rule, we need around 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight or 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day. This is the minimum requirement for a sedentary person. However, if you do intense workouts, have a physically demanding job, or both, you may need more, maybe even twice as much.
If you're wondering how many grams of protein you’re eating you can do a google search and type for example, how many grams of protein in 4 ounces of chicken and it will immediately show up for you (in this case it’s around 31 grams of protein). If your food comes in a package, you can look on the label and see how much is in there.
My recommendation is to get at least 20 grams of protein per meal or each time you eat. So, each time you eat ask yourself where is the protein? At the same time, I recommend keeping the carbs under 20 grams in each meal.
The thing is there's not one perfect number you really have to know your body and your activity level and start to fine tune it and play with it until you find the spot where you feel the best.
There are also other factors to consider like health-related issues. If you have kidney issues for example you may need to moderate your protein intake because as your body uses protein, the protein breaks down into waste that your kidneys must remove from the blood.
Consistency And Balance Are Key
It's important to give your body consistent signals. Our bodies do best when they can predict what is going to happen regarding food during the day. If we shift things around all the time like not eating for long periods of time and then eating too much all at once, then our metabolism and digestion can be overwhelmed.
If we can't digest everything that we eat especially the carbs and fibers, we end up overfeeding our gut bacteria and then we end up with bloating and gas and burping and bacterial overgrowth or yeast overgrowth.
I see this a lot where people want to eat more of healthy stuff - more vegetables and more seeds and more nuts and they put it all in their protein shake or bowl - but our digestive system is only capable of absorbing a certain amount of nutrients each time we eat (especially if you have leaky gut), so the rest ends up just overfeeding our gut bacteria.
It’s the same with protein. You don’t want to eat 100 grams of protein in one meal because it would be too much to digest, and your body will not be able to benefit from it. What you want to do is space your protein intake evenly through the day in 3 or 4 small meals and combine the protein with some healthy carbs based on your blood sugar levels and insulin function and some healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and avocados.
What happens is when we have an adequate protein intake it really helps balance our blood sugar levels. If we have a meal with just carbs then our blood sugar is going up and down like a rollercoaster. Protein not only helps smooth out all of your metabolism, but it also helps prevent reflux as it signals to the esophageal sphincter to close so you're much less likely to have reflux happening.
Protein also helps you feel more satiated and satisfied. If you're only having carbs in a meal then it's just going to be a temporary blood sugar spike, but if you have protein in there and healthy fats now your brain is getting the signals that you ate and you're resetting your hunger and fullness signals which is way better for your leptin levels and longevity overall.
So, this is why it’s so important to have an adequate protein intake. I recommend that when you cook you leave some leftover protein in the fridge ready to eat so it’s easy to add protein in a meal that doesn’t have it.
For those of you who might be interested in learning more about how to eat in the way that I'm describing or would like to decrease the inflammatory foods and detox your body and really start feeling good then I definitely encourage you to check out my New 14-Day Detox Program.
This program includes two protein shakes per day with 18 grams of protein, and two meals per day with a meal plan that I created based on making sure you get at least 20 grams of protein in each meal. I also teach you how to eat mindfully and how to detox gently but effectively without feeling worse. This can all be done without pushing yourself too hard and stressing you out, and while carrying on with your daily activities and routine.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode, I interview Laura Paulisich. Laura is an industry-leading, toxin-free living expert, founder and CEO of TOXYFREE and the creator of the Basic Needs Method, which offers toxin-free solutions through products and systems easy to implement.
After going from struggling with a chronic autoimmune disease since childhood to thriving health, Laura has helped thousands of people find toxin-free solutions through physical products and digital classes.
Unfortunately, toxins, chemicals, and undesirable containments exist in many of the items we come into contact with in the modern world, and it can feel overwhelming to even think about where to begin. Today we talk about ways to de-toxify and simplify our lives, while increasing our performance at the same time.
Prioritizing Your Health Proactively
Understanding all the areas of our lives that are touched by toxins can feel like an overwhelming task but investing in learning more can pay innumerable dividends in your health.
When we neglect our relationship with our food, our surroundings, and our environment we believe that possibly we save ourselves some time, but the truth is that these toxins have large felt effects not only on the quantity of our lives but also on the quality.
We think we're sleeping but we're not really getting good sleep and we may think we're drinking water but we're not really getting what we need from our water.
I hope listeners will start to really get an “aha” moment from listening to this episode and really question: am I really getting my basic needs met?
Information is Power
One of my biggest goals as a naturopathic doctor is to make the information that will make you stronger, healthier, and living with greater vitality, as easy to implement into your daily life as possible.
Laura has a similar goal. At 12 she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, and like many of us, for years followed the unquestioning habits of most of our peers. It wasn’t until ten years ago when she learned that it’s especially important to avoid processed foods when you have an autoimmune disorder. Starting with that kernel of truth, set her off on a longer journey to rid herself of shame, common misconceptions, and finally learn how to give her body the nutrients and nourishment it needed to thrive.
We are Fundamentally Connected to Nature
We are biological beings who are in tune with what we need. And as is almost always the case, what is good for us is also what is good for the earth. When selecting products and foods that are as close to the source as possible, that are treated thoughtfully, and have less pesticides and chemicals, we are getting closer to the natural abundance that is widely available in our world.
It's not just about what we eat or drink, it's what we're wearing, what chemicals are on our clothes and what we're absorbing through our skin, what is in the air we're breathing, what’s in our homes, etc. If our food is that important, then our whole environment is that important.
Our most important ecosystems are our homes and our workplace and, as Laura points out, they're either making us sick or they're making us well.
We can integrate these toxin free practices into our day-to-day lives at home if we focus on how we can get back to our basic needs and get back to nature. We forget that as humans we are part of nature and that we respond well to nature. So, I hope anyone listening just has a chance to think “wow, how can I just start to bring nature back into my home, my experience, my food, my existence?”
Does Switching to Toxin-Free Products Really Make a Difference?
Yes. Making the switch can feel arduous at first, but the difference can be felt in being able to heal faster and perform at an optimal level.
Laura discovered that by switching to 100% toxin-free products she was able to outlive her autoimmune disorder.
By questioning the traditional marketing we receive every day, for instance with cleaning products, we may think that we are wiping away germs from our counter tops, but many of those products are filled with unnecessary chemicals. Another example is the usual laundry detergent that you can buy in any grocery store, these products are filled with unnatural chemicals that stick to your clothes and end up inside your body. Or, the sponge that you clean your dishes with can shed microplastics that are then absorbed into your body. Even your cookware is most likely a culprit in harboring unsafe chemicals and coatings.
All these toxins can add up and make our bodies unable to heal or recover as quickly. But, by changing the foods we eat, the products we buy, the water we drink, we can slowly but surely ensure that we are removing those harmful toxins from our environment and therefore our system.
It's especially important to avoid processed foods if you have an autoimmune disease. We have to understand that toxins can be very harmful to our bodies.
Laura learned that she would always feel hungry and until she got the right nutrients. Then the next thing was as a consumer and person trying to have less stress around food, how really difficult it was to find nutrient dense foods and cookware and other products that were free of toxins.
It may feel overwhelming at first, but it saves you stress, time, and money in the long term. And it gives you back what we all desire the most: Freedom. It’s better to spend more up front and invest in natural food and toxin free products, as opposed to spending much more after, on health issues that will inevitably arise.
Stress, Toxins and Autoimmunity
We know from research that autoimmunity starts in the gut. If we're under stress and we're exposed to toxins, pesticides, non-organic foods, plastics, etc. our digestion gets disrupted. Now, leaky gut further imbalances our gut bacteria and we know from research that when you have a combination of leaky gut and imbalanced gut bacteria this makes autoimmunity so much more likely.
Genetics can be powerful, but it’s what we choose to eat and come into contact with that can determine whether those genetics become activated or not. Stories like Laura’s are not only inspiring but also replicable. If you already have a genetic autoimmune condition and suffering from the subsequent symptoms, then it is still possible to turn off those genes by limiting your exposure to toxins.
Traditional medicine would rather have you collecting expensive diagnoses and medicines rather than resolving the root cause of the issue. An estimated one in six deaths are related to environmental toxins. But it is entirely possible to manage your exposure to toxins, your stress, and therefore your overall health.
Where Do I Even Begin?
The best place to begin detoxing your life? Begin with what’s on your plate, and how it gets there!
If you want something that is going to help you get a simple and effective complete reset on your relationship with your food and your body, then check out my New 14-Day Detox Program here.
This program includes:
- A specially designed meal plan with the detoxification process in mind. Foods that will deliver the greatest balance of your nutritional needs, while at the same time cleaning out the unnecessary waste.
- A Total Detox Support Kit including the Total Detox Powder (your choice of plant-based or collagen based), Antioxidant Support Capsules, and Complete Amino Detox Capsules.
- Your own SelfC.A.R.E. Notebook to track your experience and to learn how to get back in tune with your body and its signals.
- Recorded Q & A online group sessions.
- Instructional videos, comprehensive guide and daily emails.
- Access to online portal with resources.
Not only does this program give you easy step by step instructions on what you need for recalibrating your body, it also helps you understand what foods to avoid, why to eliminate them, and how to train your body to bounce back. I also teach you detoxification techniques and how to avoid toxins in your life.
Please also check out Laura’s incredible resources. She has classes on making your own nutrient dense bone broth, fermenting foods to restore healthy bacteria, mastering 5 recipes that will keep you satiated and nourished all day, making your own homemade cleansers, re-mineralizing your water, and systems to make it all easy to adopt habits.
If you want to reach out to Laura and learn more about how to live a toxin-free life, please check out her website or her Instagram @toxyfree. You can also check out her book: My Happy Life for Sale.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
And if you have tested positive for HPV and you’re ready to transform your health and life, please start by watching my HPV Masterclass here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be talking about something called autophagy. Autophagy is how our bodies, and our cells do a clean out process and natural detoxification. It is an example of a process in our bodies that is responsive to our stress and toxin exposure. Optimizing autophagy has the potential to prevent health issues and increase longevity. However, too much of a good thing can also slow autophagy, so it is a matter of learning to choose just the right amount.
Let’s dig in to understanding what supports autophagy, how it influences health, and what you can do to optimize your autophagy to work with you, and not against you.
What is Autophagy?
Autophagy is amazing to understand because it has such power and influence on our health, and it's happening all the time in our bodies without us even realizing it. And there are actually things you can do to help your body out with autophagy, but I want to make sure you know how to do them in a way that's going to optimize autophagy the most and not overdo it.
Our bodies do better when we give them just enough change and support to create a beneficial outcome, and not too much of a change that works against us.
Our bodies are made-up of 100 trillion cells and those cells aren't just sitting around. They are actively making energy for us to function. They're making all of our processes work for us without us having to think about it. Our nerves cells, our muscle cells, our organs, our hormone glands, our brain, etc. Everything in our bodies is made of cells that are working for us constantly.
So, how do our cells clean out? As we know, our bodies need to get rid of old cells and produce new healthy cells to keep us alive. So how is all this happening?
When I was getting my pre-med degree back in the early 90s, I came across this researcher who discovered autophagy and how this process works. His name is Yoshinori Ohsumi and he won the Nobel Prize for his research. He found out that our cells can identify which substances need to be recycled or taken out of the cell. Our cells break down and destroy old, damaged, or abnormal proteins and other substances in their cytoplasm (the fluid inside a cell). The breakdown products are then recycled for important cell functions, especially during periods of stress or starvation.
How Can We Support an Optimal Autophagy?
A lot of processes in our bodies are signaled by our exposure to stress. So, if we're under a large amount of stress, if we have an infection, if we have an injury, anytime our body gets a stress signal it shifts the signaling for autophagy. This is why I always emphasize that it's not about having zero stress – we need some stress to signal healthy autophagy.
Our bodies also don’t do well with too much stress. So, how do we find just the right amount of stress to signal appropriate and healthy amounts of cell turnover in a cell cleanout and detoxification? How can we give our bodies the right state and setting to create the optimal signaling for autophagy?
When autophagy is working well it's helping to prevent aging. And aging is directly related to our bodies having more damaged cells than they need, or not being able to clean the substances that are not needed in our cells anymore. One example of this is Alzheimer's disease. When the cells are not able to clean out the debris, this debris gets stuck in the cells, and it makes the nerves not work well, and so then we it affects our memory. Another example is cancer. When our bodies are not able to clean out damaged cells, then those cells can perpetuate and that's when cancer progresses.
We need our bodies to be able to identify constantly what should be taken out or recycled and it’s our responsibility to support our bodies to keep this autophagy process running as efficiently and smoothly as possible.
What affects this process? Our stress exposure, our diet and nutrient absorption, our sleep patterns, substance abuse, etc. If we're pushing ourselves to the max and we’re not taking good care of our bodies, then this autophagy process and many others (like oxidative stress which I talk about in Episode #153 of How Humans Heal) will not work correctly, and then health issues start.
There is an optimal amount of stress exposure that our bodies need in order to have a favorable biological response, including autophagy. Take exercise for example, when we exercise our bodies trigger a stress response so we can endure the physical effort. Oxidative stress and antioxidant production like glutathione get a boost, it also signals autophagy. This is why exercise is good for us. It signals for our body to do a normal clean out process and reset all of these systems, dropping inflammation and increasing anti-aging effects. But if we overdo it, we will have too much autophagy, too much oxidative stress, inflammation, too much cortisol and we actually work against ourselves.
I think as humans this is one of the hardest things: to learn what's enough and what's too much. It requires us to be mindful and aware and to listen to our bodies and how we feel. There's not a great test for autophagy that exists now, but some good ways to support optimal autophagy are moderate exercise and fasting.
One way to get a sense of your status is with heart rate variability, which can be measured with an Apple watch or other device. If you are exercising in a way that reflects as an optimal heart rate variability, this translates to positive autophagy and hormesis. You’re likely to recover faster and feel better after the experience.
In the case of fasting (or a period of time when you’re not eating) there’s research that shows that going for 10-12 hours without eating can stimulate autophagy. Again, it's important to know your body because if you overdo it and go, let's say, longer than 15 or 16 without eating, it may cause poor autophagy, and end up damaging to cells and it could also raise cortisol levels and oxidative stress.
Another way to support optimal autophagy is cold water therapy. Doing short cold or ice baths can stimulate autophagy. This kind of therapy tells our cells that there's a need to clean things out and either recycle substances or get rid of them. This is why it can be so invigorating, boost energy and focus, and even support weight loss because it resets metabolic processes in the body. Likewise, overdoing it can cause harm instead of good. There could be a risk of increased heart rate, blood pressure, arrhythmia and even heart issues.
It’s always about balance, knowing your body and introducing changes in a gentle and safe way.
How is Stress Related to Autophagy?
When it comes to these kinds of health optimization tools, which I think are very important to know about, I always want to use them based on what I call your stress type. Your stress type is related to your cortisol and adrenaline levels. Different kinds of stress types need different things to support optimal autophagy. They need different intensity in exercise, different intensity of fasting and different intensity in cold water therapy, different supplements, and different nutrients.
Adrenaline and cortisol are our stress messengers. Cortisol is a stress hormone and adrenaline a neurotransmitter. We need a certain amount of cortisol and adrenaline to be healthy, the key here is to get them both to optimal levels. When cortisol and adrenaline are optimal, we're going to get the most out your exercise, sleep, diet, etc. and therefore your systems will be running smoothly, autophagy included.
Knowing your stress type means knowing your cortisol and adrenaline level throughout the day. If you're not aware of your cortisol and adrenaline levels, you might be trying things that could actually make you feel worse and do more harm than good to your body. If your cortisol and adrenaline are too high for example, we're going to use completely different herbs and nutrients to get it back to optimal than if your cortisol and adrenaline are too low. This is why it's so important to know where you're starting from.
When your cortisol and adrenaline are optimal, you're going to improve your health you will get more out of everything you do.
To be able to improve autophagy first you must first make sure you've optimized your cortisol and adrenaline levels, so you know which methods to use to optimize it.
You can find which stress type you are here. There is also a test to measure your cortisol adrenaline levels throughout the day. You can order it here and learn how to optimize your cortisol and adrenaline levels.
Once you know your stress type you will be able to know what to do to master it and recover from it and then improve autophagy.
How You Can Start Mastering Stress
We have to start by having compassion for ourselves. To realize we live in a human body that we need to listen to and take time to become more aware of its signals. We have to realize it’s not about perfection and it doesn't help to put too much pressure on ourselves. We have to learn how to get into stress recovery and healing mode. We are human not machines. We have to try and learn and practice. This is the human experience. This is mastery of being human.
We have to learn how our body works and then try new things each day in different routines. This is why I in my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health I really emphasize the need to fine tune your SelfC.A.R.E. routine. C for clean eating, A for adequate sleep, R for recovery activities and E for exercise. And this self-care is all based on your stress type which is your body's responsiveness to stress. By understanding how your body responds and what it needs to recover you will have the information you need to support your body better.
Stress is going to happen. We can't escape it, so we're going to be in a better position if we learn how to master it and have it work in our favor and to have it stimulate autophagy.
We also have to make sure we are getting the right nutrients and antioxidants for our cells to function correctly and to support autophagy. It's a matter of pacing yourself and start to walk down this path, or healing journey, and human mastery, and all of a sudden it starts to make sense and you start feeling better and better.
Another important aspect of mastering your stress and improving autophagy is to help your body get rid of toxins. When your body is not detoxifying correctly or has toxins that have accumulated over the years it makes it more difficult for your cells to run an optimal autophagy. Our cells need antioxidants; they need B vitamins; they need minerals; they need amino acids; and they need to be free of toxins to be able to process these nutrients and help your liver and your whole body to process the toxins.
This is why I have created a detoxification program called the 14-Day Detox Program. You can find more about it here. This program includes this Detox Kit which has in it the macro nutrients you need for optimal detoxification and autophagy. It also includes a designed meal plan with clean meals and all the guidance needed to follow this process to support your autophagy.
A detoxification process is also something that needs guidance in order for it to be safe and effective and make you feel better and not worse. There's a lot of different detox programs out there but what I find is that they don't offer the support needed to get the most benefit. With this program you don't have to turn off your regular life. It is intended for you to be able to do while still following your daily routine.
I can't wait for you to experience the changes in your health. People who have participated in the detox program are reporting improved blood sugar levels, weight loss, improvement in energy, mood, focus, sleep, skin, hair, nails, digestion, and more.
This program is perfect if you have extreme stress and trauma exposure, mold toxicity, post COVID symptoms or other kinds of neurological conditions like anxiety, depression, autoimmunity, fertility issues or even chronic viruses like HPV.
This type of autophagy optimization through detox has the ability to reprogram all those processes in your body so autoimmunity can turn off, your immune system can fend off viruses that it wasn't fending off before, your body can fend off cancer cells, and your nerves can heal and your neurotransmitters can rebalance. These things that maybe you never thought were possible, are actually possible when we give our bodies the right signals and tools. Your body knows how to correct itself. It's just a matter of supporting it in the right way.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
In today’s episode I interview Michelle Burke. Michelle is a bestselling author of Hot Mess Magic, podcaster, speaker and Hot Mess Alchemist. She specializes in helping women reclaim their power, regain their confidence, and transform their life.
Today we talk about what it means to be a hot mess alchemist and how Michelle helps people by guiding them through their transformational journey.
Michelle lives by this philosophy that every one of us is a hot mess whether we want to admit it or not, and it's through those low points in our lives that we grow, we transform and we learn the most.
Change Starts from Within
We focus so much on the outside, like bringing more abundance, prosperity, and money but we forget that change need to start on the inside. It doesn’t matter if we are doing all the things that everyone says to do - such as working with a coach, or reading all the right books, or doing the meditations and affirmations and mantras - if we don’t change from the inside out, things are not going to shift for us.
Michelle was a middle school science teacher for many years. She woke up one day and realized she could not do it for one more day. She realized that what she was doing was crushing her soul. So, she quit her job, moved with nothing lined up, and started a business in network marketing.
She realized she needed to grow, to expand, to transform, because she was not happy anymore with the life she was living. That big change started from within, and in the process she outgrew the life she had, and realized she needed more.
If you are growing emotionally and becoming more aware of yourself and your passion and purpose, then you could start to realize your life doesn't match you anymore. You’re stepping into a new and improved version of yourself.
There’s Magic in Your Mess
There are times in your life when you might feel like everything is a mess. Nothing is working in your favor, and everything seems to be upside down. It’s like if you're in a snow globe that someone just shook and all you want is for that dust to settle. You may be glad that things are changing but you don’t know where you’re going to land.
It’s within this mess that the transformation process happens. And you will see later that you will start to connect the dots and start to gain clarity, you will see your life coming together and will realize the shifts that had to take place within you to achieve this new life.
A lot of times this can be scary, because even when you could be unhappy with your job or where you live or your day to day life, it’s what is familiar to you and the unfamiliar is always scary. We are used to be in our comfort zone, but change doesn't happen in your comfort zone.
This fear comes from our egos, it’s our egos job to protect us and keep us away from the danger of the unfamiliar. But we must reach that point where we get honest with ourselves and have that conversation with our ego, we thank it for keeping us safe but let it know we are doing this new thing anyway. For some people this means taking a big leap and for others it could feel more comfortable to pace it and introduce one change at a time.
What Tools can We Use to Change?
Meditation is a good way to start. Another option is something Michelle calls “body set” where instead of focusing on the mind-body connection, we approach it the other way around and focus on the body-mind connection by diving deeper into our bodies and our nervous systems and what feelings are coming up. We can also utilize traditional Chinese medicine, like acupressure points, and the concept of letting go - letting go of what no longer serves us and our purpose.
We are so used to living in our minds, constantly thinking, worrying, planning, and organizing that sometimes we forget that we're even living in a human body and that connecting with our bodies can also help heal our minds.
Being aware of our bodies and listening to them is also a way to be more present and realize the change that we need. A simple thing, such as taking a minute in the morning when we wake up to say good morning to ourselves and ask how do we feel, or making that French toast breakfast we are craving and eating it slowly, can help us connect more with our bodies.
We need to listen to what our body is telling us and analyze why is it telling us these things. If you're resisting doing something, if it doesn't feel safe in your body, ask yourself why. Why don't I want to e-mail this person? Why don't I want to make this phone call? Why do I have this anxiety that's coming up when I talk about a certain individual? This will help you be conscious about what is it that you want to change.
From my experience (Dr. Doni speaking), I see this situation come up very often for women that I help with addressing/resolving HPV (human papilloma virus) and abnormal pap results. The women who are most successful at getting HPV to negative are the most willing to really listen to their bodies and undergo a body-mind transformation. This virus is more likely to thrive in our bodies when we are out of balance. So, when they listen to their bodies, they are able to transform and get back to alignment with themselves and their purpose, and get the virus to stop causing abnormal cells.
Connecting With Our Bodies and Getting to The Heart of the Matter
By really connecting with our bodies and just taking the time to analyze things from a different perspective and opening our hearts, we can get to the heart of the matter, to the real root of our pain, either physical or emotional.
When we're feeling pain it's an indicator that something's wrong. A headache is an indicator that something is wrong. Pain in your knee is an indicator that something is wrong, but we live in a society that pushes us to the quick fix, instead of really opening up and thinking about what the real root of the problem is.
We need to allow ourselves to ride the waves of emotions. By riding those waves and truly honoring what it is that we’re feeling and express those feelings in some way, shape or form.
Normalizing Being a Mess
A lot of times we're judgmental about mess. Society tells us we are not supposed to be a mess. We are supposed to have everything sorted out and under control, and we're not even supposed to feel some of these feelings.
We should let ourselves be a mess because there’s magic in our mess. It’s when everything is a mess when we start our transformation. So, we need to accept it and be unconditional and forgiving and gentle with ourselves, and if that means you might be breaking rules, then break the rules!
We must normalize the fact that we're human and that nobody has it all figured out. Since the start of social media we've been living in this facade of perfect. Well, nobody is prefect, and nobody has it all sorted out. Nobody has a perfect life, and everybody needs help.
It's not about trying to be perfect. It's about allowing yourself to be human. To be flawed. Let's normalize being a mess. Let's take the stigma off things that are going on in your life, whether it’s a divorce, financial struggles, or family issues. These things are perfectly normal and happen to everybody.
We have to teach ourselves to let go of trying to control everything. We can’t control anything really. With the illusion of control, we are actually getting further from ourselves and we’re putting ourselves in a “tunnel vision” that will not let us grow because we will miss the opportunities that may come our way.
Each and every one of us has a gift. We're all here for a reason. We all have a purpose. It’s up to us to connect with ourselves and realize what it is and reach our full potential.
If you want to reach out to Michelle and learn how she can help you, please check out her website or her Instagram @magickshell. You can also check out her book: Hot Mess Magic.
I love this topic of emotional and spiritual transformation so much! It has made all the difference in my health, and I see if help my patients every day, so I’ve included it in my Holistic Detoxification Protocol and 14-day Detox Program. In the program, you’ll be guided to detox your body, mind, and spirit! Check it out and join in today.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
And if you have tested positive for HPV and you’re ready to transform your health and life, please start by watching my HPV Masterclass here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be talking about oxidative stress. I am really looking forward to diving into this topic with all of you so that you can become experts in understanding your body and why oxidative stress and antioxidants are so important to your health.
What is Oxidative Stress?
As you may know, in my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health, I talk about all the things we can do to help our bodies recover from stress. Not just stress coming from the external world or emotional stress but also the stress caused inside our bodies (due to toxins exposure for example) which cause imbalances in our systems and even in our cells. And these imbalances increase what I refer to as our internal stress or oxidative stress.
Our bodies naturally have oxidation happening 24/7 in our cells, and again it’s not about avoiding this process but trying to balance it with the opposite or anti-oxidation, so we get our bodies back in balance.
Human bodies run on biochemistry. We have chemical reactions from different substances happening inside our cells constantly. So, what can happen is that in some metabolic processes in our bodies there could be imbalances if we are stressed, and these imbalances create free radicals or unstable molecules that are made during cell metabolism. Free radicals can build up in cells and cause damage to other molecules, such as DNA, lipids, and proteins and this damage may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases. Antioxidants can help stabilize these unstable molecules and get rid of the free radicals and avoid the damage.
How Does Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants Work in Our Bodies:
When we are exposed to stress, even emotional stress or physical trauma, there is a signal sent to our cells that we are in need of more antioxidants to counter act this stress. In science this is referred to as mitochondrial hormesis, which is the body’s response and protective mechanism. It starts increasing mitochondrial function, antioxidants production and detoxification. However, when we are under more stress and toxin exposure, and the mitochondria are too overwhelmed, they can’t create this protective mechanism, and this is why we start feeling worse and worse over time.
Also, when we are exposed to a virus (cold and flu viruses, c*vd virus, HPV and EBV), and there’s an infection, our bodies create more oxidative stress to help kill the virus as a way to protect us. And sometimes these infections leave us with post infection inflammation in our bodies and so we need to help our bodies reduce this post virus effects with antioxidants. Be sure to check out my Immune Support PLUS product as an example supplement containing antioxidants for during and after infections.
So, it’s about balance, it’s about noticing if our bodies need help recovering and that’s where antioxidants can help. As a naturopathic doctor this is what I do, I help people learn how to be as healthy as they can be and in balance, so that when something comes along, we are ready to respond and recover faster.
It’s also important to know that the main organ for helping us manage toxins is the liver. Toxins in our environment, food, air, bodies are all processed through the liver. The way the liver detoxifies is with antioxidants! To some degree, we are genetically unique even down to how our liver handles toxins, so it’s our job to understand and support our bodies in the best way possible.
Where Can We Find Antioxidants:
There are antioxidants (which I like to call cell protectors because they are the ones protecting our cells and DNA from the damage of oxidative stress) that are produced by the human body, like glutathione, but there are others that we need to get from an external source (food or a supplement) like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Zinc, Selenium and Beta-Carotene. All these nutrients are required by our bodies in their detoxification and metabolic processes.
When it comes to diet, we can find the best source of antioxidants in colorful fruits and vegetables. Think of greens like asparagus, broccoli, spinach and avocados, which are rich in glutathione for example. And reds or blues like strawberries and blueberries are rich in vitamin C. The antioxidants often give the food a color, and this is why they are emphasized in our diet. Also, plants that are made into beverages, like green tea, or spices like curcumin are full of antioxidants.
The key here is to know how to consume just enough fruits and vegetables for our bodies to be able to digest and get the necessary antioxidants while not overfeeding our gut bacteria. So, it’s about learning how much you can consume at one time without overwhelming your digestion. The more nutrient dense your food, the better, and at the same time you might still need more antioxidants, which is when taking a supplement would be beneficial. If you are following a detoxification program for example, you might need to add antioxidants supplements to your diet to complement it and help your body detoxify.
How Do We Know If We Need More Antioxidants:
One of the ways that we identify we have high oxidative stress is the signs of aging like wrinkles on our skin, gray hair, or memory loss. Also, if you have been diagnosed with abnormal cells (on your cervix or anywhere else on your body) or pre-cancer it is very likely you have high levels of oxidative stress and this is the time to work on balancing your oxidative stress and antioxidants.
Neurological symptoms like tingling, numbness, nerve pain, headaches or migraines are all signs that there is likely some oxidative stress happening. Also, anxiety and depression have been associated with oxidative stress. High blood sugar levels also increase oxidative stress. Another
place where oxidative stress happens is in your blood vessels so if you’re worried about heart disease risk or plaque in your blood vessels, it might be a good idea to start balancing your oxidative stress with antioxidants.
How Can We Measure Our Oxidative Stress:
If you want to know the levels of antioxidants in your body there are specialty labs that run micronutrient panels which tell you from A to Z the levels of nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. This is a specialty blood test that I can order for patients to identify which antioxidants they are lacking and so we can create a plan to raise them. It is better to test instead of guess, so we know when you’re taking a supplement that we are addressing a deficiency, and this is different for everybody.
There is also a urine test called 8-OHdG which is considered a biomarker for oxidative damage of DNA and that measures the level of oxidative stress in your body. There is another urine test called an organic acid panel which assesses different metabolites in the body and shows signs of toxins in your body, like toxins from imbalanced gut bacteria and yeast in the digestion. It will also show imbalances in your metabolism, in your neurotransmitter metabolism, and in your antioxidant and detoxification levels. I can also help you get these tests from specialty labs (they are not done at regular labs).
Another sign that your oxidative stress is high is fatigue and brain fog. We first start with the essentials and see if you have anemia or low thyroid function for example, and if those are ok and yet you still feel tired and have brain fog, we start analyzing whether you have had toxin exposure. We can test for environmental toxins, mold toxins, and metals to identify whether they are playing a role in your health issues. It’s a matter of changing the balance: to decrease the input of toxicity and increase your ability to detox and counteract toxins.
If you have imbalanced gut biome for example and you have overgrowing bacteria that are producing toxins and raising the oxidative stress in your body, you can take antioxidants, but we also need to address the overgrown bacteria. We can do this by following an antimicrobial protocol with herbs that help address these bacteria. Then we make sure to get all the toxins out of your body safely and effectively without making you feel worse.
Antioxidants and Detoxification:
A lot of times when people think of detoxification or cleanse, they think they are going to feel worse, and many times this is the case if you do not do it correctly and in a safe way. It is better to stabilize the body before following a detox. It is much better to have stable electrolyte levels, stable blood sugar levels, stable sleep, hormones, and regular bowel movements. Get the basics functioning correctly and then we can start to add in gentle detoxification by giving the liver the nutrients it needs to be able to detoxify better.
In a clinical detoxification process, it’s very important to know which toxins we are trying to get out because not all toxins have the same exit route. There are certain nutrients and herbs we can use for a general detox, but if we are concerned about a specific type of toxin, we need to use the correct nutrient or binder to get the toxin out of the body. In some cases, more glutathione is needed, and in others, certain kinds of binders, like fiber are used.
I prefer to tailor your detoxification process to your unique body for it to be effective and safe, and to make you feel better, not worse. I encourage you to be mindful about how you support your body to detoxify in the best and most gentle way possible.
Our human bodies are about balance, so we need to identify when things are out of balance and what we can do to get them back to balance.
I am teaching a free detox masterclass so if you would like to learn more about this you can sign up here. We are going to be talking through how to know if you need a detox, what are the best things to include in a detox, what are the things to not include in a detox, and what are some options for supporting you through a gentle and yet effective detoxification program.
If you want to get started with a detox program, you can check out my new 14-Day Detox Program, which I designed based on my experience in an Amazon Retreat with a Shaman, and I wanted to bring this back to you so that you can do this from home and experience the benefits of getting back to taking good care of yourself, getting back to balance and learning how to support your body to heal without needing to leave your day to day schedule.
And remember that we can do a detox for a period of time but ultimately, we need to be thinking about how do we maintain our health every day of the year and a lot of that has to do with understanding the stresses and toxins that we are exposed to at different levels and what does your body need to help counterbalance that stress and prevent this oxidative stress. By preventing oxidative stress, you are preventing all kinds of different health issues and you are also improving your longevity.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Jenny Cohen. Jenny is an Outside In Recovery Coach, breast cancer survivor, competitive dancer, yoga instructor, and author.
Today we talk about how dance and movement can be healing for our bodies. I’m excited to talk with Jenny because I also love to dance and have found it to be so healing for me. She also shares about her healing journey and what she discovered about herself, and wrote in her book, along the way.
Definitely tune in to this episode if you have been dealing with a stress-filled busy life, infertility, cancer or risk of cancer, and/or a desire to heal from within.
Jenny is also a multifaceted and award-winning artist known for her award-winning autobiographical fusion performances about universal themes and life challenges. She offers instruction in yoga, Acting for Dancers, Aaliyah Jenny Transcultural Fusion, Rachel Brice's Datura Style, and Oreet's Sharqui Workout (Master Instructor). Jenny also launched Dance to Heal Wellness in 2021.
Jenny believes that the secret to dance is that it is this therapeutic modality and even though there’s only recently been more research about it, we actually are instinctively drawn to it because it puts you back into your body. It puts you in the present moment.
Dance as a Form of Meditation
When you’re dancing, you can only be focusing on that. It is hard to focus on anything else if you are really paying attention to your body position and your movement. You are really connecting with each part of your body and how it moves, and it gets you out of your head and into your body, like a movement meditation. We become aware of how life is precious and how we only have the present.
There is such intelligence and brilliance in the specific steps, rhythm, and patterns in various forms of dance. The movement patterns, for example in belly dance, salsa, or even yoga, were determined by people (women) who spent a lot of time using movement throughout their lives and during various forms of stress, including grief, loss and trauma. In this way, as we learn a form of dance, we are also learning the movements that help the human nervous system heal.
Dance is a form of medicine.
Finding Your Rhythm
Jenny shares that there is a whole branch of science called the neuroscience of dance. Any type of movement combined with music ignites your entire brain, it’s one of the few activities that can do this. Also, everyone’s perception of music is different because of our cultural and gender differences. And so, there is a movement discovery process in which you follow 3 steps:
Acknowledging with gratitude that you’re here now. Not in the past and not worried about the future.
Being present through tuning into your 5 senses (smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch).
Analyzing which type of sound or melodies does your body instinctively like to move to.
By following these three steps, you will start identifying the music and movement that is going to be most therapeutic for you individually. Everybody is different because everyone’s neurology is a little bit different. For example, there are people who don’t like music at all. Some prefer the sound of birds or sounds from nature.
You may want to try different types of dancing before you find your rhythm. This will inform you of what you want to learn more and what you want to say no to. It is also important to tailor your own journey with music and movement based on your setting, the stage of your life, and your love language, which can change over time.
The Discover Oneself Process
Jenny encourages listeners to get started. She sees that we often deny ourselves the healing we need by thinking that we need to make more money first or that we should just be grateful for the way things are. However, if we never give ourselves the support we need to heal, then we’ll never feel well enough to be more productive.
She reminds us that it is a miracle that we are alive today, and to celebrate each and every day.
Movement is essential. Everything that is alive moves, cells move, atoms vibrate. And for us to get better beyond the trauma that we are healing, we also need to move.
The D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R. system she describes in her book, “Outside in Recovery: Dancing My Way Back to My Self after Breast Cancer,” is a process you can follow to feel like yourself again and thrive in healing by following the path to self-love.
The acronym stands for:
D: Discover Yourself - Acknowledging your pain and trauma and face it to be able to release it.
I: I Move You Move - Movement is essential to healing.
S: Somatic Intelligence - Acknowledging how our bodies are intelligent systems.
C: Can I Self-Love? - Learning to be compassionate with ourselves and our healing process.
O: Organic Rage - Releasing the bottled-up anger.
V: Venn Diagram of Your Life - Everything overlaps in our lives.
E: Elevated Self-Talk - How to overcome your debilitating internal self-imposed boundaries.
R: Recover Yourself - How being conscious of our trauma will help us take control of it and heal.
This D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R. process is a way to heal not only from mental issues, but also from physical problems. All health issues originate from the stress and trauma we experience throughout our lives: heart disease, autoimmunity, dementia, HPV, etc. By healing on an emotional and spiritual level we can prevent any of these health issues and live healthier and happier lives.
But it all starts with movement. Movement brings you to the present immediately, so those who are not familiar with movement or are not moving much have to start there. And those who are already practicing movement still need to start there because this will train you not to use movement as a form of escape.
If you are not in the present and in your body, then you will not be able to support yourself and the people around you.
Allowing Our Life Experiences to Transform Us
It’s ok to make choices based on what has happened to us and what our priorities are. If your priority is being able to spend time with family and be there for them, this could be something that inspires you to look closer and really figure out what you are missing and what you can do differently.
There will always be people waiting for us to help them live their lives. We are social creatures, and we have to recognize that we can’t heal in isolation. We heal in community. If you feel that you are alone right now - you are actually not (we are all here together). If you feel alone, that’s a part of your trauma state.
As an animal rescuer, Jenny shares that even pets represent the need of other beings waiting for you to help them live their lives. In caring for pets, you will find that you have to take care of yourself first to be able to take care of them.
When it comes down to it, we have to be in the present moment, and movement will bring us there. Then dancing will keep us there. Do your D.I.S.C.O.V.E.R. process and you will find your life is going to turn around.
Our Subconscious Creates Our Reality
If we do not pay attention to our subconscious, it will just re-create what we have experienced in the past, because that is what we are used to and what we are familiar with. So, if we want to create something different in our health, our lives or our relationships, then we are going to need to take some actions to shift that state. We are going to need to process what we don’t need anymore, let go of anger, resentment, grief, etc. so then we can choose more intentionally going forward.
We need to recognize that we need to get into a process of knowing ourselves again, to let go of things from the past and then choose more intentionally in the future.
It’s also necessary to be compassionate with ourselves when we set these goals and we are not achieving them. We can ask ourselves: do we have a script for our lives? If you practice the movement, dancing and being present and then ask yourself these questions you may be surprised with some of the answers that you weren’t aware of that your subconscious will answer for you.
You will attract what your subconscious thinks you need but really the Universe is conspiring for everything to work out in your favor, so by recognizing the patterns and taking action like being more in your body with movement and dance you can really change your life.
If you want to reach out to Jenny and learn how she can help you, please check out her website or her Instagram @jennyccohen. You can also check out her book: Outside in Recovery: Dancing My Way Back to My Self after Breast Cancer.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be sharing with you my experience and insights about recovering from stress and trauma by attending a shamanic journey in the Amazon in Peru.
I recently returned from my third trip to Peru in two years. I have attended numerous other retreats with a shaman in various locations outside of the United States mainly because the psychedelic medicine used in shamanism, called Ayahuasca, is not legal in the United States at this time.
Why would I choose to go all the way to Peru, away from my family and my practice to stay isolated in a remote location in a little cabin for 16 days with no electricity, WIFI, cellphone service, no running water or plumbing, with just a mesh separating me from the Amazon jungle?
To research the effects of spending time in nature, following a fasting mimicking diet, and taking several Amazonian herbs/plants, including psychedelic plant medicine.
For my own healing, of a chronic inflammatory condition, grief, and trauma.
To teach first aid in a shamanism apprenticeship and prepare to teach my colleagues in the use of psychedelics for recovery from stress and trauma.
I have so much to share – I filled an entire SelfC.A.R.E. notebook!
One of my insights is that there are ways for people to experience many of the benefits of a healing journey, such as this, without even having to go to the Amazon. That’s what I want to tell you more about in this episode. Of course, if you would like to go on an Amazon experience, and are drawn to that experience, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and I would be happy to tell you more about it.
I’d like to start by saying that I’ve been researching how humans can recover from the effects of stress and trauma for over 25 years. In my research, I have identified effective ways that we can indeed restore balance in our body, mind and spirit. I developed a protocol – the Stress Recovery Protocol – and wrote about it in my most recent book, Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. In that book, I reviewed studies related to dietary choices, sleep optimization, and activities and natural substances known to promote restoration of optimal cortisol and adrenaline levels, including psychedelic medicines.
The Healing Power of a Psychedelic Medicine Retreat
When it comes to stress, what I’ve learned over the years is that it’s not about trying to get to zero stress. I saw this clearly in my experience in the Amazon. Stress is inevitable and even healthy at a certain level. There are always going to be challenges that we face every day or guidelines we need to follow. The goal is to live our lives and do what we love, pursue our purpose and our passion, and at the same time, support ourselves to recover from the stresses that we’re exposed to in our human life existence.
That’s exactly what happens in a psychedelic medicine retreat or what is referred to as a “dieta.” I realized one day that my one-room cabin with mesh walls was my healing clinic in nature. Each day, and with each Ayahuasca ceremony (8 ceremonies in 16 days), I experienced healing from stress and trauma. Physical and emotional pain melted away as I spent time surrounded by nature, listening to the sounds of nature, bathing in the creek, meditating, journaling, and listening to and playing music as I learned to play the charango. In some cases, stress and trauma involves what we’ve put ourselves through, and sometimes it’s what others have done to us. We get stuck in a state of stress – mentally and physically – with our cortisol and adrenaline quite literally in stress mode even once the stress has passed. In this state of stress, resentment, anger, criticism and negativity about what we’ve been through (traumas, abuse, substance abuse, addiction, toxicity, etc.) can prevent us from healing. To heal, we need to find a way to be present with our feelings and our body, and to feel and release. And in that process, we also learn to forgive and accept ourselves, and to give ourselves love and compassion.
From my research and experience, there are very few substances or techniques that have the ability to support this process. Yes, forms of therapy and meditation can make a significant difference, especially with time and consistency. Ayahausca, from my observation, has the ability to help humans heal from trauma in a more efficient manner, and for that reason, I am inspired to share my experience and to continue to research the use of Ayahuasca.
We heal from stress and trauma exposure not by dismissing it, and not by pushing it under the rug, but by pulling up the rug and saying yes, I have been exposed to stress and trauma and by being present with it, by feeling the feelings, by dropping our masks and dropping our protected selves and facing this stress and trauma so we can embrace it, accept it and heal.
If we keep going with these masks and trying to cover our stress and trauma, we will keep attracting more stress and trauma because that is what is familiar to us since our childhood or experiences we had growing up. And we know that stress and trauma cause imbalances of cortisol and neurotransmitters, digestion issues, gut bacteria and microbiome imbalances, blood sugar levels, hormone imbalances, everything is out of balance and those imbalances create illness, anxiety, depression, mental health illnesses, migraines, physical pain, autoimmunity, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, etc. All the diseases we experience come from unresolved stress and trauma.
It's worth it – if you are tired of being in pain – to surrender to the experience and to make the changes that have the potential to help you heal.
The Detoxification Diet
On the dieta we follow a diet that is no sugar, no caffeine, no chocolate, no alcohol, gluten free, and dairy free. It is an anti-inflammatory diet and is mostly plant based. There was an option to have some animal protein on 4 of the 16 days. Otherwise, the diet was mostly brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, eggs, occasionally avocado, carrots, broccoli and sometimes cucumber.
This diet is very consistent with what is called a fasting mimicking diet which is higher in carbs and lower in protein and fat. While a fasting mimicking diet is associated with increased longevity, this is not a diet to follow all of the time. A fasting mimicking diet should last for 5 to 10 days and may be repeated a few times a year. It is also best to decrease your activity level during this type of diet.
What I’m researching and creating is a version of this diet that you can do from home. I want you to be able to benefit from following an anti-inflammatory diet, that stimulates detoxification, resets your metabolism, and supports you to recover from stress and toxin exposure. I am developing a 14-day detox program so that I can guide you to implement this from home and in a safe way.
With the 14-day Total Detox, you’ll also increase autophagy, which is when the body is stimulated to release old cells and build new healthy cells with new healthy mitochondria. This is very good for the brain and nervous system, as well as the whole body, and increases longevity by preventing health issues. It is perfect for fending off viruses, such as HPV, and improving fertility, mood, focus, and sleep.
The Psychedelic Medicine
Ayahuasca is a traditional plant mixture brewed drink which has been around for centuries and used as medicine in countries that have access to the Amazon. The brewed drink is prepared by boiling a mix of two plants, Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna leaves. Both plants are native to the Amazon Rainforest. This brewed drink contains DMT, which is the psychoactive component. DMT or N,N-Dimethyltryptamine occurs in many plants and animals, including human beings.
When you take Ayahuasca you drink a rather small quantity of dark-colored liquid (around 20-40 ml) dispensed by a shaman in a ceremony. It is considered a very sacred experience because it causes not just visions from the DMT, but also a process of understanding yourself, what you have experienced in your life, and provides many insights. Many people report feeling the spirit of the plant as nurturing, like a mother. The traditional view is that Ayahuasca gives us access to the spiritual realm. It is known to help us connect with our intuition and sense of self.
In an Ayahuasca ceremony, between 5 and 35 people sit around a circle, each on their own cushion and personal space. There is no touching allowed because it is a very personal and deep experience and so everyone has to respect each other’s space. It’s a very internal process. You are noticing your feelings, thoughts, visions and you are 100% conscious throughout the process, which can take up to 5 hours while the shaman runs a structured process, singing Icaros and playing medicine music, guiding everyone into the spiritual realm, and bringing them back when it’s over. All this is carried out in a very safe manner by the shaman.
The indigenous and mestizo communities regularly use ayahuasca to treat physical ailments, mental problems and frequently handle their social issues and spiritual crises with the help of the brew. Research shows that the psychedelic effects of DMT help with cognitive impairment and symptoms of posttraumatic stress and trauma disorder, depression, and anxiety.
So, this plant medicine really has the ability to heal us on a physical, emotional and spiritual level, all at the same time (by acting directly on the nervous system) in contrast to conventional psychotropic medicine (pharmaceuticals) which are chemical substances that treat by modifying receptor activity on the physical level only, without resolving the underlying issue.
Ayahuasca is anti-inflammatory and an analgesic (decreases pain). At the same time, ayahuasca is not addictive. It’s an intense experience but it’s not an addictive or habit-forming substance. You don’t need to take it ongoing, and you will not experience withdrawal symptoms after going to a retreat. The only reason you may want to attend more ceremonies is if you want the healing process to continue.
It is an emotional experience too, because you are processing all the feelings you have deep inside by accessing them and recognizing and accepting them as part of who you are and the stress and trauma you have experienced in your life. There is also a deep feeling of gratitude as well as a feeling of connection with yourself and the people you love.
So, if you find yourself living with stress and trauma, emotional pain, physical pain, feeling like you are stuck in your life, and if you feel like you have tried everything else, then attending an Ayahuasca retreat or ceremony might be an option for you to consider.
Healing from Trauma at Home
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can overcome trauma and stress and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. approach so you get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
If you are interested in learning how you can implement aspects of the Amazon experience and detoxify from home, I welcome you to sign up and listen to a FREE Online Detox Masterclass: Detox Yourself! How to do it Right. In the class, I cover everything you need to know about how to do an effective detox – mind, body, and spirit - without stressing yourself more.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
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Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
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Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Carrie Rowan. Carrie is a Certified Mindset Energy Coach and an International Best-Selling Author of Tell A New Story: 5 Simple Steps to Release Your Negative Stories and Bring Joy to Your Life. She is also an award-winning singer and songwriter, a Reiki Master and Host of the popular Podcast, Look for the Good.
Carrie specializes in coaching women who want more from life to go from humming a sad song about their situation to finding their voice and whistling a new upbeat tune as they skip along their journey with joy as the soundtrack of their lives.
From a very young age Carrie was a self-help junkie. She was surrounded by this growing up with her family and developed a profound interest for self-improvement. As she grew up she went into the corporate world for 10 years but found out that it did not fulfill her life. So, she went back to what was her passion as a kid, which is music. Now she finds it very fulfilling to help people find their passion, which in most cases is what we did as kids.
Her next natural step was to write her book, which is based on her deepest personal stories. All the tragedies, good times, trauma, and things that she wished did not happen but did happen are expressed in her book. Through her book she hopes to help people see how she went through all that and what she did to heal.
Accepting Our Stories
We do need to share our experiences and stories but often times we get stuck in repeating them and going through those feelings again and again, making you feel even worse. It’s important that we acknowledge that we can’t change the past or what happened to us, but we can choose to take control of our minds and the way we tell our stories because many times it’s these stories (and the way we tell them and feel about them) what holds us back from achieving what we want in life.
We might be seeing this impact in our physical health or maybe in not accomplishing a goal we have, and we tend to ask why is this happening to me? And many times, we don’t realize it could be these experiences and stories that we can’t let go of and allow ourselves to heal.
All these negative stories like the “woulda, coulda, shouldas” or the “if only” or “shame” type of stories definitely affect our mind, body and spirit because these stories contain a lot of our negative and limiting beliefs from things that happened a long time ago in our lives.
Releasing The Negative Impact of our Stories
Step one for this is get a notebook and start writing down your stories. Once you become aware of your stories you can’t go back. You will start realizing which stories are the ones that are holding you back.
The second step is using the acronym mentioned in the book Tell A New Story: S.T.O.R.Y. which are the 5 steps to follow to release the negative stories in your life:
S: State of Mind – Learn how to manage your state of mind so it doesn’t manage you.
T: True Intention – Understanding that all of our stories have an intention.
O: Outcome – Beginning with the end in mind. Realize how our stories impact others.
R: Reframe – Looking for the good even in your messiest and ugliest stories.
Y: You had the power all along – The power to change our minds has been within us since birth.
As you progress, those stories start to change themselves because you realize that these stories have been holding you back and that maybe you don’t want to keep telling them. And you’ll find yourself pulling back whenever you are telling those stories again, and that is progress right there.
If you really think about it, what is happening in our lives is essentially a repeat of our past experiences until we get enough awareness to realize that we want to change that pattern.
How Energy Balance and Creativity can Help
Spiritual and energetic activities, as well as creative ones can help because it’s all happening in our heads. When we use these tools, our bodies are more capable of releasing that stress related to our negative stories. Whether it’s reiki or meditation or a morning ritual, this will help with balancing your body’s energy and then the mind will follow.
Other activities like singing, journaling, or dancing are also necessary to release the negative impact of our stories. We must allow ourselves to do these and not hold back. When we engage in a creative activity a positive energy flows through our bodies and we get connected to the universe. We spend so much time in our minds worrying about everything, and we need to bring this down to our hearts and celebrate who we are as humans with some joy.
The Power of Gratitude
Our brains are pre-disposed to look for what’s wrong because that’s what has kept us safe through evolution. We need to stop for an upgrade now and start looking for what’s good in our lives. In order to do that we have to re-wire our brains. We have to teach our brains to start noticing what is important to us and feel genuine gratitude for the things that happen in our lives.
It’s really important to understand the science and the physiology behind this. This isn’t just something that sounds good. The science behind it shows that the vibration of gratitude is way higher than other states of being and that if we choose that state on purpose and put our focus on that it can be very healing for our bodies and our minds.
Using Meditation to Release Negative Stories
Meditation and mindfulness can help us have more awareness and train our brains to focus on what we want them to focus on.
There are so many types of meditation, the key is finding one that works for you. By being proactive and meditating every day, the benefits will accumulate over time, just like stress does with the negative impact on our bodies and our minds. And so, you will be more prepared and calmer in the moments of stress.
Remember that this doesn’t have to be overwhelming for you and that you don’t have to start meditating every day for 30 minutes starting tomorrow or start writing all your stories and aim to finish in one day. It’s important that you find a pace that works for you and that you start implementing small changes in your everyday life, because it’s those small daily steps that will lead you down the path of where you really want to be.
If you want to reach out to Carrie and learn how she can help you, please check out her website or her Instagram @carrierowanauthor. You can also check out her book Tell A New Story: 5 Simple Steps to Release Your Negative Stories and Bring Joy to Your Life.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can start taking better care of yourself and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol so that you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In this last trip that I made to the Amazon in Peru I took out my notebook and started writing my life story, as part of the R in my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol, which stands for Recovery Activities. I found this experience to be so liberating and it really helped me be more compassionate with myself.
In my book, I also share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take this Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
In today’s episode I am going to be diving in deep to talk about the gut biome vagina connection. That’s right, there is an interconnection between gut health and vaginal health.
As a naturopathic doctor and midwife, specializing in women’s health as well as a naturopathic doctor specializing in gut health, I’ve been observing this relationship between the gut and the vagina for many years.
It wasn’t until recently, in 2019, that studies starting to come out that demonstrate the relationship between the gut and the vagina. So, I want to help you to understand why there is an interconnection between them and how understanding this connection will help you heal.
A lot of times, if you are having female reproductive issues or vaginal health issues you would normally go see a gynecologist, but they don’t deal with digestion issues. Or if you would have digestive issues, you would go see a gastroenterologist and they don’t deal with the vaginal area. So, when you’re seeing different specialists, they might not understand or address the connection between these two areas of your body.
The other thing is that the way to address it is not with medications. The way to heal and optimize the gut-vagina connection is through diet, herbs, probiotics, and natural substances. And this requires for you to be evaluated by a functional practitioner that evaluates your body as a whole and use an approach that is outside the standard medical approach.
What are the health issues related to this connection?
One of the key health issues related to this connection is the predominance of HPV. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease so most of us are exposed to this virus. Now, most people will clear the virus within a couple of years so we know the human body can fend off the virus by itself and it doesn’t always cause cancer. But for some women this virus does cause abnormal cells on the cervix or vagina. So, the question is why are these women susceptible to this virus? Why is HPV not being cleared by their bodies?
This risk of HPV is associated with imbalances in the gut biome and vaginal biome (microbiome or commensal bacteria), as well as inflammation in both the gut and cervicovaginal area. Also, I have witnessed that fertility is related with this biome too.
When we focus on healing leaky gut, imbalanced gut bacteria and inflammation caused by food sensitivities, we will see an improvement in the ability of the body to fight the HPV virus and an improvement in fertility. This is why women who follow my protocol for healing HPV – which involves addressing gut health - see an improvement in their ovulation and ability to get pregnant.
Other health issues related to the gut and vaginal biome are Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, irregular menstrual cycles, menstrual cramps, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, vaginal infections, urinary tract (bladder) infections, and autoimmunity.
This is why it’s so important to pay attention to your gut health.
Digestion influence on our bodies
We have a sense about how this works: we eat, we digest our food, we get the nutrients out of our food and any food that we don’t absorb gets eliminated in the stool. But sometimes we are racing through our days, and we don’t pay attention to our body’s digestive needs. In fact, when we are very stressed, our digestion gets turned off and therefore, we are not able to absorb the nutrients in our food and we could develop a condition called leaky gut which is when the intestinal cells are not as healthy as they should be.
Also, stress and trauma exposure affect the balance of bacteria. And we have bacteria living throughout our whole bodies, in our gut, intestines, vagina, uterus, ovaries, skin, etc. All these bacteria influence our health in many ways starting with our immune system. So, the gut biome really affects our ability to fend off infections. Also, when we have an imbalanced gut biome, we are more susceptible to autoimmunity illnesses like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
If you have any of these health issues you should immediately pay attention to your gut biome. Additionally, you should pay attention to your stress and trauma exposure. Not trying to ignore it, but help your body recover from it. For example, if stress and trauma are causing leaky gut and an imbalance in the gut biome then we can focus on healing the leaky gut and gut biome in order to recover from stress.
If you have leaky gut, then your gut lining, specifically the intestinal wall cells, are not healthy, so your food “leaks” through, triggering an immune response which causes inflammation that spreads everywhere, including in your reproductive system.
What affects our gut biome?
The foods we eat determine the bacteria living in our gut. If we are eating too much food and not digesting it correctly it ends up overfeeding the bacteria and then we have too much of certain bacteria and that also causes inflammation and more disruption in our bodies.
The gut biome and vaginal biome are also affected by other things like if you were born by vaginal birth (this is how babies get the bacteria to seed their digestion and intestines) so people who are born through a C-section are not getting all the bacteria they need for their gut biome to work correctly.
Your age, where you live, occupation, diet, stress and trauma exposure are also factors that affect your gut biome. Also exposure to antibiotics, because they kill bad and good bacteria
disrupting your healthy gut biome. The use of laxatives and other medications like contraceptives, toxins, chemicals, and pesticides can all affect the gut biome.
So if you have been suffering from recurring vaginal infections or even HPV for a while now it could be that you haven’t addressed your gut health and may have leaky gut and/or an imbalance in your gut biome.
What to do to have a healthy gut biome
If you want to know if you have a healthy gut biome there is a specialty test that you can do through my office. It’s a stool panel that is a DNA analysis to show which bacteria are predominant in your intestines. This really helps to see if there is overgrowing or undergrowing bacteria, if there’s yeast, leaky gut, inflammatory reactions to gluten and the overall health of your gut biome.
So, if you’re having a lot of digestive issues like bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements, constipation, or diarrhea or even autoimmunity and HPV that is not going away, then this panel will show what is out of balance and then I can help you rebalance your gut biome. You can schedule your test here.
One of the first things I recommend is to do a leaky gut test. To me, the best way to check for leaky gut is with a high-quality food sensitivity panel that you can do at home. This test will show you which foods are leaking through your intestines and triggering an inflammation response in your body. You can order this test here. Remember that healing leaky gut is the first step to rebalance your gut biome. If you want to start right away you can order my leaky gut pro package here and begin creating the foundation for rebalancing your gut biome.
Taking probiotics also helps promoting a healthy gut biome but it’s not about just swallowing a lot of probiotics. This will not solve the problem if you haven’t addressed leaky gut and inflammation first.
Another important thing to consider is your diet. If we always eat the same foods we are only feeding and promoting the growth of certain types of bacteria. It’s important to have a healthy diverse diet eating vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, fiber, different sources of protein and healthy fats. This way we are feeding a diverse population of bacteria.
Taking time when you’re eating is important too. Chewing your food well, taking deep breaths, feeling relaxed, telling your parasympathetic nervous system and your vagus nerve that you want to digest and absorb your nutrients and feed your healthy gut biome. If we are racing through our meals, we are not going to be able to feed our gut biome correctly.
Having a healthy gut biome will help with the health of your intestinal cells and therefore reduce inflammation in your body which will translate into having healthy bacteria living everywhere in your body including the vaginal area so you are going to be preventing HPV and
cervical cancer. So the strategy specifically for HPV needs to be to reduce inflammation vaginally and rebalance the healthy bacteria living there. And this also applies for preventing BV and yeast or improving fertility even.
If you want to learn more about this be sure to check out my Leaky Gut Masterclass here. You can also download my Leaky Gut Guide for FREE.
I will also be hosting a FREE Online Workshop: 5 Days to Heal HPV so make sure to sign up here. And here you can find my FREE HPV Recovery Guide.
If you are interested in a detoxification, I will soon be hosting a FREE Online Detox Masterclass: Detox Yourself! How to do it Right, where we will cover everything you need to know about how to do an effective detox.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can overcome trauma and stress and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. approach so you get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Mira Dessy. Mira is known as The Ingredient Guru. She is the author of The Pantry Principle: how to read the label and understand what’s really in your food. She is also a speaker, holistic nutritionist, and real food advocate. She emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle through whole foods.
After experiencing years of debilitating digestive issues and health challenges, Mira realized the healing strength of food after she learned to eat right, slowly but surely regaining her health.
Mira was inspired to share the knowledge she gained on her journey to better health, and now her mission is to help people feel balanced, healthy, and to support them as they work to achieve their health goals.
Eat Well, Be Well
One of the things we tend to forget is that many of the health conditions that we experience, including the more serious ones like ulcerative colitis or arthritis or diabetes and the not so serious ones like body aches or bloating, are the result of years of exposure to non-food ingredients and not nourishing our bodies the way they need it.
It’s important to know that every body is unique, exceptional and one of a kind. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. And many times we end up having this low-level unidentified disruption in what is really going on. And the truth is that it’s not just what you eat, it’s what you absorb. So, if your gut is not in good shape, you are not going to be able to absorb the nutrients your body needs.
If you eat foods with no nutritional value, your body is going to have to do something with it before it can get to the things that it actually needs. So, there is this whole paradigm of beginning to recognize that the gut is the key to what’s going on with our health and well-being.
Our food can be our medicine, but we have to recognize that we live in human bodies our bodies require us to digest the food, absorb the nutrients and metabolize those nutrients and so, if we are missing those steps and putting whatever in our mouths thinking that our bodies will handle it, we are likely to end up with some serious health issues.
It’s only when we come back and analyze what we are really eating and if our bodies are digesting these foods correctly (and also absorbing the nutrients), when we will see the benefits in our health.
One of the things that is so important to keep in mind is that there are so many different systems and processes going on in our bodies but the best place to start is at the foundation. Regardless of what’s going on with your body, if your gut is better, you’re better. There may be
other things like sleeping well or exercising or taking care of your mind but when we start at a foundational level, it provides the body with all of the basic building blocks it needs. After this is done, we can layer in the other things to find out what works best for your individual self.
Where to Start
The best place to start is in your own pantry. I encourage people to build the habit of reading the label in their foods and very best place to do this is in your pantry, go look at what’s already in there.
We as humans have our 20 favorite foods and we tend to shop on autopilot. And unfortunately, there are probably things in your pantry right now that you don’t want in your body. When you start reading the labels you realize there are things like artificial colors, or artificial flavors in your foods and you definitely don’t want to be putting these inside your body, if you want your health to be as good as it can be.
I also encourage something called brand disloyalty. Don’t buy the brand, buy what you need. This is because companies change, they merge or they get bought, and many times in these processes they don’t change the brand, they just change what’s in the package. Be loyal to yourself.
5 Things to Avoid
First of all, avoid anything that has the word artificial on the label. If it is artificial, it’s not real, it is not food and our bodies do not need it. This includes artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, artificial colors, etc.
Another thing to avoid is high fructose corn syrup. It is not good for our bodies, especially for our liver. There are substitutes that we also need to watch out for that are as bad or worse, like agave nectar with higher fructose by volume than high fructose corn syrup.
You also want to avoid crystalline fructose because it is just dehydrated high fructose corn syrup. These tend to be in desserts and baked goods.
Carrageenan is another thing you want to avoid. This is an emulsifier and thickening agent extracted from red edible seaweeds. The type of process followed to extract it results in a byproduct that is not good for our bodies. It has a negative impact on our gut health, it can cause ulcerative colitis like symptoms in the gut and in laboratory studies it was shown to cause renal bumps.
Another sweetener to avoid is allulose. It is found in nature in very small quantities and now it has been replicated in laboratory settings to produce large quantities of it. It is really bad for the gut and makes you bloat. Unfortunately, it has found its way into many keto and paleo diets and protein bars also.
Lastly, stay away from anything that is not a real word. If it is just letters like BHT, BHA, EDTA, TBHQ, etc. All those are abbreviations for really long chemical names and these chemicals are used to preserve foods so they can sit in shelves for longer. These are not foods for the body. It is better to stick to ingredients you recognize as foods.
So next time you go to the supermarket just pick one category that you want to clean up, like non-dairy milks or canned soups or pickles or condiments. This way you don’t have to spend 10 hours at the supermarket reading every single label. Once you have one category cleaned up you can move to the next one the next time you go grocery shopping.
Not a One-Size-Fits-All
You don’t need to have a disease like IBS or Crohn’s to be impacted by any of the non-food ingredients in many foods out there. It is true that if you have IBS or Crohn’s the symptoms are going to be amplified and you may be in pain and trying to recover for weeks after being exposed to a certain non-food ingredient, but perfectly healthy people can also feel discomfort, bloating, constipation or diarrhea as a result.
There is so much information available online that can be conflicting, overwhelming, or just plain wrong for your particular body.
Part of the challenge we face is that for many of us it depends on how quickly our system responds. We could have slow motility and so the symptoms would not show for a while, or it could be also a matter of how much we are consuming of a specific ingredient.
Also, some things affect certain bodies in different ways than others. In the end, it’s a matter of being conscious about what you are eating and how that makes you feel. Each body’s response is different and it’s our responsibility to keep track. As we previously said, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
The important thing to remember is that no matter what your story is, if you are conscious and you nourish your body, that’s always going to be better than not doing it at all.
If you want to reach out to Mira and learn how she can help you, please check out her website or hes Instagram @theingredientguru. You can also check out her Masterclass: The Preparedness Pantry.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can apply Clean Eating (The C in my SelfC.A.R.E. protocol) so you can get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be diving in deep to talk about detoxification. This includes whether you are considering a physical detoxification and/or a spiritual and emotional detoxification.
We will be talking about why you might be thinking about doing a detoxification, what is it? what does it mean? What does it include or what you might want to include in your detoxification? and what to consider when thinking about doing a detox for your body, your mind and spirit.
Why do people detox in the first place?
Whether we like to admit it or not, it’s clear that as human beings we are affected by the stress that we are exposed to, including trauma (even from earlier times in our lives) and those stresses and traumas affect us on a spiritual, emotional, and physical level. Also toxins from our environment, whether from air, food, water or other toxins like mold, affect us as well on all of those levels.
Often times we find ourselves overconsuming substances like alcohol, food, sugar or other medications or substances and this is a sign that our body is in need of a detoxification.
We might have been under a lot of stress or exposed to toxins and we end up seeking out something to help us feel better or to numb the discomfort and the emotional/physical pain. So we end up choosing substances that are even more toxic to our bodies.
Another sign that our body gives us when we are in need of a detoxification is when we start developing health issues. Whether it’s fatigue, anxiety, sleep or digestive issues, infections, HPV, weight gain that you can’t lose or skin rashes, autoimmunity issues, etc. All this tells us there is unresolved stress, trauma and toxins underlying.
What I do as a Naturopathic Doctor specializing in this area is help people get to the bottom of that. Sometimes people do not want to become dependent on medications and substances to deal with what they’ve been through; they want to really get to the root cause and resolve it so they can get back to feeling good without having to be depending on medications and other substances. So, if you’re listening and you really want to change things and effectively address the underlying cause of your illness then you are in the right place.
What does detoxification mean?
It can mean literally getting the toxins out of your body, so a lot of times when you hear about a detox or a cleanse it will involve avoiding substances that we often overconsume like alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, refined sugar, fats, etc. that we often choose to feel better and cope with
stress. But we can help our bodies recover from stress, so we are not feeling the need to overconsume these substances.
Other times it will involve avoiding getting exposed to toxins in air or water.
So, a detoxification can involve avoiding foods, substances, or toxins in our environment for a period of time in order to help our bodies get these out and recover because a lot of these toxins stay and build up in our bodies once they get in. So think about what can you do to stop putting in that’s toxic, and what can you do to help your body move the toxins out. This is how we generally think of a detox on a physical level.
Also, there is so much you can do to support your body’s natural detoxifying processes. Toxins in our body are processed and eliminated through the liver by utilizing enzymes that metabolize toxins, from there, toxins go into our bile and then our intestines to get out of our bodies. So we want to support our effective liver and digestive tract function. We also release toxins through breath, sweat and urine, so breathwork, exercise and drinking enough water are key to help our bodies with detoxification.
What can we do to help our bodies detoxify?
We can help our bodies with its natural detoxifying process through nutrients. Nutrients help our liver detoxify our system. B Vitamins and Methyl Folate for example are essential for helping our liver with its detoxifying process (you can learn more about this in How Humans Heal Episode #145: Efficient Methylation and Its Impact on our Health), you can find a good source of Methyl Folate here.
Antioxidants are also necessary for our detoxification process. Oxidative stress is how stress looks inside our cells. When stress throws off the balance in our cells we have a rise in oxidative stress which causes damage to our cells and DNA if we don’t have antioxidants in our bodies. By raising the antioxidants levels in our bodies, we can help improve maintain oxidative stress low in our cells. You can find a good source here.
Also, for our bodies to be able to function properly and detoxify we need to make sure we are eating healthy and by healthy I mean giving your body the three macronutrients that it can’t produce by itself: Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. These are found in the foods you eat every day and they are necessary for our bodies to produce energy and have all systems work efficiently.
Of course, if you are under stress your body will not be able to absorb these nutrients efficiently. If you notice digestive issues, you could be suffering from leaky gut which is exactly our bodies inability to absorb nutrients correctly. You can find more about it here, and a good set of supplements to heal from this condition here.
It’s important to consider also that detoxification is not a one-size-fits-all process. It must be based on your unique body, your genetics, your nutrient status, your stress exposure, and the toxins that are affecting you as an individual. So, if you do not have the help of a practitioner, you can get yourself into a tight spot. If we make big changes too quickly, if we don’t take into account everything we need to and if we don’t individualize it we can cause more harm than good to our bodies. I can help you individualize your detoxification so we make sure you are doing exactly what your body needs.
How do we start with an effective detox?
If it’s your first detoxification it’s important to start in a gentle way. So, what should you include in your detox as a starting point? First of all, I am going to use my C.A.R.E. acronym as it helps us to think about what we should be including in our lives every day. C is for Clean Eating, A is for Adequate Sleep, R stands for Recovery Activities and E for Exercise.
When you are going to do a detox or reset the main thing is to think about your diet, how can you shift to what would be considered clean eating. It might mean decrease your alcohol intake for a period of time, decrease or avoid caffeine, sugar, gluten and dairy (which are two of the most inflammatory foods), it could mean also avoiding eggs, nuts and soy depending on your food sensitivity (you can find your foods sensitivity by doing a food panel home test, which you can find here). Also choosing organic foods and complementing them with good supplements, vitamins and herbs, drinking mostly water and tea, and thinking about the fasting part of it too.
This is what I have put together in my 14-day detox kit which includes a protein powder (animal or plant based), antioxidants, and an amino acid formula to help your liver to detoxify. You can find it here.
What about an emotional/spiritual detox?
This is where we can bring it all around. Instead of just focusing on the physical we can also focus on the emotional and spiritual. There are different ways in which you can do this and I am happy to guide you more on this.
I have been working on this for many years in different forms, travelling around the world and especially in Peru working with a Shaman and also working with spiritual healing and so I integrate all of that into my 14-day detox program to guide you on how you can start to address some of the emotional stresses and how this is affecting your whole body as well as your mind.
It is so important to learn how we can connect with ourselves in a spiritual way (you can learn more about this in How Humans Heal Episode #146: Getting to Your Best Mental, Emotional and Spiritual State with Matt Belair), if you feel like you could use a chance to reconnect with yourself, with your purpose, what you value about yourself and your sense of self love then that’s where spirituality can really make a difference.
Sometimes the stresses that we are exposed to in our lives have to do with the emotional and spiritual level, but it is possible to address this in combination with the stresses on the physical level, without it being overwhelming and that’s the key to me, I want to help you recover from stress without adding more stress in the way.
An emotional/spiritual detox will also involve the other 3 letters in the acronym C.A.R.E. If you are following an emotional detox it is very important to focus on getting enough quality sleep, doing recovery activities (like having some time to yourself in silence, spending time in nature or with your loved ones or your pets even) and doing some kind of physical activity to help you feel better on an emotional level.
How can we include a detox without affecting our daily routine?
My 14-day detox program is designed for you to follow while still doing your day-to-day life, while still working and taking care of children or taking care of other tasks. You do not have to completely separate from your everyday life in order to do this 14-day detox.
You can also set aside some time in your schedule to just focus on detox activities if you want to. This can be 3 days, two weeks, a month, etc. Whatever fits your personal schedule. The key thing here is to set that time aside and be able to communicate this to the people in your life so that everyone knows that you are taking this time to focus on detoxification. This is even more powerful and transformative.
The important thing is that you begin in a gentle way and incorporate new things at a pace that works for you so you can build your specific detox strategy as something that you feel comfortable following and that makes you feel better in the end.
If you want to learn even more about this be sure to check out my FREE Online Detox Masterclass: Detox Yourself! How to do it Right, where we cover everything you need to know about how to do an effective detox.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can overcome trauma and stress and apply my SelfC.A.R.E. approach so you get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I interview Matt Belair, a performance coach who has a ton of experience helping athletes, traveling, learning spirituality from different areas of the world, and now he is helping people by coaching them on their performance in their life.
Matt has studied human potential his entire life. He has dedicated himself to uncovering and expanding the limits of human potential and consciousness. He is an accomplished athlete, sought after high performance coach, host of the Master Mind, Body, and Spirit show which, reached #1 in iTunes in over 10 countries and is a best-selling author helping people live lives of passion purpose, fulfillment, and success.
In this episode we stop for a moment to have a conversation we don’t normally even think about having. In our very busy lives, we do not normally stop and ask, “Am I really doing what I want with my life?” And “If I wanted to do something else with my life how could I even do that?”
For Matt this came very naturally in high school, he was very curious about spirituality and the idea of who he was, why was he here and what the heck is going on in this planet. His whole pursuit was trying to find the truth to the deeper questions in life about spirituality.
I think it takes a lot of courage to follow a path like that one. It’s along the lines of a really philosophical path of asking who are we as humans and what are we meant to do. Trying to find answers to questions that we do not normally ask ourselves or others like “what is the meaning of life?” or “why do you think you’re here?”, “what is most important to you?”, “how do we find happiness here?”, “what challenges or struggles are you going through?” and “how do we live up to our highest potential?”.
So today we go deep into these ideas to see how we can implement them into our own lives to improve our life quality and also to find ways in which we can support our families and friends in their lives.
Bringing Exercise and Spirituality Together
Martial Arts is one of the only sports that tends to blend the concepts of exercise and spirituality. Matt learned all about this by studying about Bruce Lee and travelling to China to work with Shaolin Monks.
In martial arts you have this mental, emotional, spiritual and focus side where you learn how to control your emotions, visualize your goal, and calm your mind. This takes away all the noise off your mind and lets you really focus to attain your goal, through meditation and energy direction.
Martial arts also have a very tough physical side in which you teach your body to endure enormous amounts of stress and pain, so you really test the limits of the human body.
The combination of the two makes a whole, you can’t have one without the other if you want to achieve your highest potential.
If you apply that kind of dedication to what is most meaningful to you in this life, then there is no way that you could fail, you will succeed at some level, whether it’s a great success or a minimal success, as long as it matters to you it will still be a success.
So, you have to start by asking yourself what matters to you most and why, what are your values and how do you want to live your life.
Most of the time we do not ask ourselves these questions, we wake up and we just start going through our to-do list, running through tasks and we think we are tired, and we don’t have time for that. But the truth is it might be hard but you have to make time for this self-reflection so you can steer your life into doing the thing that you love.
Manifestation and The Law of Attraction
The God force is a concept that Matt developed stating that some greater force created us and that we are here for a reason.
This creation force has the power to change your life in any kind of way. On the other hand, there is the Zen concept where we are constantly influencing our reality and we can use the law of attraction: “I attract more to my life of whatever I give my attention, energy and focus to, whether positive or negative”. But you must also listen to that inner voice telling you who you really are, what kind of person do you really want to be.
Traveling and Broadening Your Perspective
There is a lot of value to traveling and listening to other people’s perspectives, learning about other cultures, looking at different realities other than our own.
There is a concept called The Formula for Truth, where the basic idea is that all information out there is just that, information. We have our own perspective and other people have their perspective.
What we often do is defend our point of view and our ideas, which are mostly based on our life experience, instead of opening completely to the other person’s perspective, point of view and opinions.
What this does is it narrows our world, and we keep being stuck in our small reality instead of being more open, having a greater degree of pattern recognition, and a higher acuity to discern
the truth. If we have more information about different topics then we are more likely to be free to act and take action to attain our goals.
Vibrations of the Energetic States that We can Be In
A lot of times we assume we do not have control over these states, but when we look at techniques like meditation for example or even just a gratitude journal, research shows that when we put intention into these activities that we can shift into a state of joy, love and gratitude and therefore shift our energetic state.
Most people believe that they are victims to their emotional states, but emotions are just the result of an external stimulus that creates an internal response. And the reality is that you can control those internal responses. We just need to take a minute, some deep breaths and choose how we want our internal response to look like. With practice we will not just automatically jump into the first internal response or emotion we feel.
It is absolutely normal to feel negative emotions like frustration, but we can choose not to react in frustration or to live in frustration even. So when you get up and life is frustrating you maybe stop reacting to it in that way and start realizing that frustration is part of life, this way you can start building your mental resilience.
To be easy and kind on yourself is also very important. If we can be a little kinder and more compassionate to ourselves, we can create a little space where we can separate the critical thoughts from ourselves and identify how do we really want to respond to any external stimulus.
Being Committed but not Attached to the Outcome
It’s all about being in alignment, congruent to yourself and enjoying the process. If you enjoy the process, you will be able to act from power, because no matter the outcome you will have had success as you enjoy the process and grow as a person while on it.
The path of following your dreams and purpose is probably going to be way harder than getting a comfy job and paying your bills, but it will also be much more rewarding.
It’s about figuring out what is most important to you and how can you take that and use it to contribute to other people. If you have a pure intent and you do your best, the outcome you get will be much more satisfying and fulfilling than the one you will get if you are not true to yourself, whether that outcome is a huge success or not.
It’s important to identify the reasons why you are doing what you’re doing and do it for the right reasons. For example, if your only motivation is money, it’s very unlikely that you will have a fulfilling outcome in what you’re doing. You could see yourself in a situation where you start to sacrifice your values and that, in the end, causes a dissonance that leads to suffering.
Potentially, this whole entire human experience could be this opportunity to not sell our souls.
When we’re ok with what we have and what we do, when we’re ok with our trust and relationships, when we’re proud of ourselves and act with integrity, we are going to be in a powerful mental, emotional and spiritual state, and we are going to be more empowered in our decision making and, most importantly, when we die and we face that mirror on the other side we’re going to have less regrets because we will know we did our best.
If you want to reach out to Matt and learn how he can help you, please check out his website or his Instagram @matt.belair.
If you want to learn more about my approach on how you can reconnect with yourself by overcoming trauma and stress and applying my SelfC.A.R.E. approach so you get back to feeling your best, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues (physical or mental), it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I am going to be diving in deep to talk about Methylation. What is it, why it’s important for our health, how to measure it and what you can do to improve it in your body.
Methylation is basically what our B Vitamins are up to in our bodies and the biochemical processes that they are involved in.
A lot of times we hear about B vitamins, like B12 for example or B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 or even B9, which is Methyl Folate.
We know that B vitamins are important for us, they are in every multi-vitamin supplement out there, some people also take a B complex or a pre-natal vitamin which will include a mixture of the B vitamins because they work together. Most of the time we don’t just take one specific type of B vitamin.
If you are deficient in one of the particular B vitamins, let’s say B12 you might be taking extra of B12 but it’s important to keep in mind that these B vitamins work together. So if you’re taking B12 you also want to make sure you are taking all of the other B vitamins as well, so your body has all of them.
Note: there are rare instances, when working with a patient with methylation issues, and they feel worse when they take methylfolate, where I guide them to introduce B vitamins in a specific sequence while addressing other factors that affect methylation.
What is the process called Methylation?
It has to do with those B vitamins coming in contact with other biochemical substances in our bodies and the transfer of a methyl group (a carbon hydrogen group). If we could look closely we would see that these chemicals are being transferred from one substance to another.
Our bodies have biochemical hand-off sequences that occur constantly. And these sequences are occurring in every cell in our body all day long, all night long, every day. And our bodies require the right nutrients for those sequences to happen in the best way possible.
Processes with B vitamins (methylation) are essential to build our neurotransmitters (like serotonin and dopamine) and also to break down our neurotransmitters (like adrenaline when the threat is gone).
Normally we would get B vitamins from our diet. A lot of the essential B vitamins are found in animal protein (B6, B9 and B12), so if you are a vegetarian that’s especially when a B vitamin supplement may be necessary.
As usual, there is no one-size-fits-all approach, we are all such unique bio-chemical individuals, including how we detoxify, which is another process in which methylation comes into play. If our bodies do not have enough of the essential B vitamins, they will not be able to detoxify efficiently, and these toxins will continue to circulate in our bodies causing trouble.
Methylation is also important for protecting our DNA from oxidative stress (I will be covering this in another video).
Some of the symptoms of not having adequate methylation are fatigue, anxiety, depression, headaches, migraines, sleep issues, digestive issues and skin rashes, menstrual cramps, etc.
Often times we are not going to hear about this in the standard doctor’s office. We may get diagnosed with depression and get a pill to work on the symptoms, but the underlying cause is really this process of methylation.
In summary, good methylation is directly related to a better quality and quantity of life. So, the more you can be aware of your methylation, making sure you’re taking enough of all essential B vitamins for your body, it’s going to make a huge difference on your health today and into the future.
How to understand your individual methylation processes?
Here is where it’s important to understand that if you’re taking B vitamins and you are still not feeling well there could be a jam (like a traffic jam) in your methylation processes (the transfer of substances from one stage to the other that we mentioned earlier) so you are not really getting the benefits of the B vitamins.
So, what causes these jams in our methylation processes?
This could be due to a co-factor nutrient that is missing. A lot of these metabolic pathways have additional nutrients that are necessary in order for them to work right. Magnesium for example, this is one of the most common co-factors of bio-chemical processes in our bodies and, at the same time it’s one of the most common nutrients that we don’t have enough of.
Another potential source of a jam is too much stress or toxin exposure, these affect your cortisol and adrenaline levels and they cause inflammation in your body, same with foods that are high in sugar, for example. When you have higher stress and inflammation in your body this could potentially cause a jam in your methylation process.
The same happens with toxins in the environment, if you’re having foods that are not organic and you’re getting exposed to pesticides or if you’re exposed to mold toxins in your home, these could be reasons for a traffic jam for your methylation process.
Also, toxins in your digestion. If a person has imbalanced, overgrowing gut bacteria in their digestive tract, they will be exposed to toxins produced by that bacteria and could get their methylation process jammed. Here I can help you determine if you have imbalanced gut bacteria that needs to be addressed. We can address this by using anti-microbial herbs and specialized probiotics, so you get your gut bacteria rebalanced, and I can guide you through this process if you follow my protocol.
If you have a jam in your methylation process, taking B vitamins could actually make you feel worse, because there is a clogged drain in the system and now the sink is overflowing and this could also cause headaches and anxiety. And I can also help you walk through the steps to figure out how to get rid of all the jams in your methylation process.
I have been helping patients with methylation for the past couple of decades, specially since the MTHFR gene became more well known. If you have MTHFR gene variations this could also influence your ability to make the conversions in the pathway of the methylation process.
In summary, we need to clean the whole system by addressing the causes of the jams and then your body will be able to use the B vitamins supplements enhancing your methylation process and get rid of the toxins more easily, leading to better neurotransmitters, leading to better mood, better sleep and better adrenaline, cortisol, serotonin and dopamine levels.
To learn more about MTHFR gene variations, and methylation, please watch my free MTHFR masterclass. https://doctordoni.com/mthfr-masterclass
A lot of times there is no need to add additional B vitamins. So, how do you know if you need them?
For this it is necessary to monitor your homocysteine levels. Homocysteine helps reveal your methylation activity and how well your body is using B vitamins. It can be measured in blood work, and this is what I consider to be essential information for everybody. And homocysteine levels should be measured at least once a year. You can do this test at a regular lab or you can contact my office so we can help ordering it for you.
If your homocysteine is above 7 then your methylation process has jams that need to be addressed. And this will not get solved by getting more methyl folate or more B vitamins. We need to get to the root cause of the jams in your unique methylation process and clean them out. It’s not about taking another supplement. It’s about helping your body’s metabolism work better.
If your homocysteine is below 6 (which I often see in women who are going through pregnancy and post-partum and breastfeeding because the homocysteine gets used up) then your body needs different nutrients to help it catch back up again and I can guide through that process as well, and make sure you have enough homocysteine.
Only when we see your homocysteine levels then we can act accordingly and solve your biochemistry and the underlying cause for your health issues.
I guide you to address methylation in my online program called MTHFR Reset. https://drdoni.lpages.co/mthfr-reset-evg/
How is Methylation affected by trauma?
Often times a reason that is overlooked for methylation not being efficient is history of trauma and stress. If you have experienced trauma in your childhood or adulthood, very stressful events, betrayal, toxic relationships and toxic environments. it could be a cause of your methylation process not working correctly. This is also something that can be reversed, and I can guide you on how to do it.
When you start working on your emotional, spiritual and energetic healing, as you start working on rebalancing yourself and your life (through a good self-care routine) and as you start clearing out the chemical toxins out of your body and making sure you have adequate nutrient sources, then you will see your methylation process start working efficiently again.
I’ve been helping patients with trauma and stress (by rebalancing cortisol, adrenaline, and neurotransmitter levels) for over 20 years. That is how I identified the 5 most common stress response patterns, which are the variations of cortisol and adrenaline levels after stress exposure. You can find out your unique stress type by taking my quiz here. This way you will know where you stand and what you can do to rebalance your cortisol and adrenaline levels.
If you would like to find out more on this subject, I encourage you to read one of my books, I have written 5 books on stress and trauma. You can find my latest book, “Master Your Stress Reset Your Health” here.
You can also access my Stress Warrior Program here, where I teach you how to optimize your cortisol, adrenaline, and neurotransmitters.
Remember, it is never a one-size-fits-all approach. We must individualize it based on how your body has been affected by stress, that’s how we are going to get the best results.
You can also reach out to me to set up a one-on-one appointment if you prefer.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode we talk about intimacy, arousal, and desire with Susan Bratton, intimacy expert.
In my practice, I talk to so many men and women who are struggling with all aspects of intimacy, and in particular women who are experiencing vaginal pain and fear after menopause and after dealing with HPV-related procedures, so I asked Susan if I could interview her on How Humans Heal.
A lifelong entrepreneur, Susan is CEO of two companies. The 20, founded in 2019, is a supplement company specializing in libido support for sexual vitality. Personal Life Media, founded in 2006, under which Susan has authored and published 34 books and programs about sex life and intimacy. A frequent and riveting speaker from the stage, on television, on podcasts, summits, in online video, and through her thousands of magazine and website articles, Susan invites lovers to embrace giving and receiving pleasure as a vital element of being alive.
I knew she would be the perfect person to help my patients and listeners to learn about what they can do to address intimacy in their lives, because, as I wrote in my book – Master Your Health Reset Your Health – sex (with consent) is a stress recovery activity. But it’s not always easy and automatic, especially in long-term relationships and after trauma, childbirth, menopause, and health issues, such as HPV.
Susan believes that shame-free, frequent sexual pleasure is every man and woman’s birthright. She is dedicated to help people with intimacy skills, sexual problems, bedroom communication, regenerative therapies for libido, and techniques to ignite connection and pleasure between partners. And she describes sex as a “learned skill.”
Susan’s work focuses on 3 key areas:
-Sex advice – intimacy tips, orgasm skills, pleasuring skills and techniques.
-Bedroom communication skills – understanding what you want and how to ask for it.
-Sexual wellness – safe sex, STIs, and reversing problems that come with aging genitals.
A lot of times we think it’s not ok to talk about intimacy or sexual issues but in fact it is ok to talk about this and it’s even important to talk about this because it is part of our human nature.
In the interview I asked Susan if what she teaches can help someone who has a history of sexual abuse, and she said yes. She finds that trauma related to sex is very common, either from our culture, our religion, relationships, shame, lack of knowledge, and our own frustrations. By understanding our bodies and starting with a connection with ourselves, we can heal and still experience intimacy in our lives.
Libido, desire and arousal for women
Libido is our body-based desire, and when you have any kind of illness (physical or emotional), your libido or “horniness” gets affected. So, libido is directly related to your health.
Desire is the emotional game or “head game.” It relates to how do you feel about yourself and your partner. If you are constantly focused on not feeling attractive, your desire will also get affected. The ability to be with the sensations, out of your head and in your body, which you can learn how to do, all love-making becomes more pleasurable.
Arousal is the time it takes for blood to flow to the genitals (approximately 20 min for women) so that it has more surface area and, when it’s stimulated, it has more pleasure signals sent to the brain, which is what makes orgasm possible. You can teach your body how to have an orgasm.
Sex, and orgasm, is also a stress recovery activity because it increases oxytocin levels, an anti-stress hormone. There are studies that show that people that have orgasms regularly have a decreased death rate even.
What prevents women from enjoying sex and how to fix it
For women, the most common situations that occur as we age are:
-Loss of lubrication
-Decreasing sensation
-Difficulty achieving orgasms
-Painful intercourse
-Urinary incontinence
-Sagging labia
Now, how do we fix all those things? We talk about something called sexual biohacking which is taking what you have and making it better through treatments similar to those used to take care of our faces and our bodies.
There are also supplements such as nitric oxide that help with blood flow and lubrication issues. And there are devices, such as an intra-vaginal device called vFit Gold, which can help with incontinence, vaginal laxity (which comes from thinning tissue) and lubrication. You can order this approved device to use at home.
Another thing that helps with these issues is FemiWave, which is a procedure in a practitioner’s office that uses pulse waves to repair blood vessels, improving blood flow to the vagina. It helps with increased sensitivity and lubrication, as well as strengthening, tightening and improved physical appearance, so it helps enhance sexual fulfillment and function.
The last thing that can help with all this is the Orgasm Shot. The O-shot is a non-invasive, procedure performed by specially trained practitioners. First blood is drawn from the patient. A centrifuge is used to isolate the platelets, containing the body’s natural growth factors, from the patient’s own blood. This nutrient-rich, PRP solution is then injected back into the clitoris and upper vagina, to the area that generates a sexual response, commonly known as the “Orgasm-Spot” or “G-spot.” This shot can help with sexual desire, natural lubrication, urinary incontinence, frequency and intensity of orgasms and arousal from G-spot stimulation.
These are non-invasive regenerative treatments that turn back the clock on aging and can give you wonderful and youthful sexual function.
-Orgasmic cross-training for women
-The notion with orgasmic cross-training is that you can have orgasms from direct clitoral gland stimulation, from G-spot stimulation and from intra-vaginal stimulation.
-Different types of self-stimulation are going to teach you how to have orgasms more easily from partnered stimulation. They also help to tonify muscles and improve lubrication.
For this you can use self-pleasuring tools at home. These toys don’t make you addicted to them, they make it easier to have orgasms with partners and they don’t ruin your ability to orgasm they enhance it.
And remember, sex is a mindfulness practice.
To learn more, be sure to listen in to the full episode for even more tips.
If you want to reach out to Susan and learn how she can help you, please check out her website or her Instagram @susanbratton.
You can also check out arousalsecrets.com or betterlover.com. In this episode, Susan also mentions: https://personallifemedia.com, Expandherorgasmtonight.com, buyflownow.com and VaginalDevice.com.
If you want to learn more about my approach for helping you recover from trauma, rebalance hormones (or use hormone replacement), address libido and infections (HPV, BV, yeast, or frequent UTIs), and help you get back to feeling your best so you can enjoy intimacy in your life, you may want to start by reading my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health.
In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online.
For the most comprehensive support, even with the most difficult health issues, it is best to meet with me one-on-one, which is available to you no matter where you are in the world (via phone or zoom). You can set up a one-on-one appointment with me here.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s episode I want to focus on understanding the physiological effects of trauma and chronic stress on our bodies, and what we can do to reverse those effects.
Most of the time when we think about trauma or stress, we mainly think about how it affects us in our minds and our mood, and that is important, but there’s also an impact in our bodies.
You might be experiencing anxiety, depression, addiction, substance abuses, and cravings as a way to cope with stress and trauma exposure. At the same time you might be noticing digestive issues, or physical pain somewhere in your body, or issues with your immune system (getting sick more frequently or all of a sudden you have allergies or HPV even), or skin issues, or migraines.
In my case I was suffering from migraines for so many years and finally I was able to trace it back to a lot of the psycho-emotional stress and trauma, as well as toxins, that I was exposed to. When I helped my body and mind to recover from the stress and trauma, the migraines went away.
It became my mission to help others to know that they too can heal from trauma. We don’t have to be stuck dealing with the consequences of what happened to us. By understanding exactly how stress and trauma affect us as humans, in our physiology and biochemistry, we can then give our bodies (and minds) what they need to recover.
In this episode I cover:
Trauma can cause imbalanced neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. These levels can be measured in a urine test and can be addressed using amino acids and nutrients. I offer that panel through my office.
Trauma can result in imbalanced hormones, such as thyroid, insulin and blood sugar, ovarian hormones, like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in men.
The hormone most affected by trauma is cortisol, which is our main stress hormone. When we are exposed to stress and trauma, our cortisol is going to respond because our bodies are built to protect us and help us survive.
Same with adrenaline – it is responsible for the classic fight, flee or freeze response of our nervous system in the presence of stress. When the stress is gone, adrenaline levels may remain in a stressed state.
Cortisol and adrenaline are produced in our adrenal glands, which are located just above our kidneys. These adrenal hormones help regulate several bodily functions including metabolism, blood pressure and your body's response to stress.
Your body is telling you something
The problem is that when we’ve been exposed to chronic stress and major trauma, it’s likely that the adrenal glands will get stuck in a stress response and stay in that pattern and keep producing cortisol and adrenaline in non-optimal levels (the tiger is chasing us perpetually). It’s not that we want cortisol and adrenaline on or off. We want optimal levels of these hormones every day.
Studies show that people with optimal levels of cortisol and adrenaline will show fewer signs of aging than people with an imbalance of these hormones. So having optimal cortisol and adrenaline levels means we can be healthier for longer. Read more about the science behind stress and trauma here.
When we have experienced long exposure to stress and trauma our cortisol and adrenaline will likely show as too high or too low on a daily basis. So, what can we do to correct this?
First of all, we need to measure our cortisol level throughout the day (not only one time of day) as optimal cortisol is higher in the morning (but not too much) and it gradually decreases as the day passes and it’s time for bed (and this is in alignment with our circadian rhythm).
Unfortunately, this is not what medical doctors or endocrinologists look for in tests. They are trained to look for extreme imbalances or to find out whether your adrenal glands have stopped working completely.
It’s important to know that even with slight deviations from optimal cortisol levels, there can still be an impact on your overall health, your quality of life and your longevity. I believe everyone should have access to this information.
Getting to the root cause
If you have anxiety or depression or physical pain or are not feeling good in general and you don’t want to take a pill that just deals with the symptoms and does not get to the real underlying cause of the problem, then you need to do a more precise cortisol panel. You also need to check your adrenaline and neurotransmitter levels in order to have the information you need to help your body to recover from stress and trauma exposure.
The panel I recommend is available here. It is a urine and saliva collection you can do at home. After you get our results, we can meet to analyze them together so I can help you understand what your results mean and guide you to address them. We need to look at your specific results and develop a plan that applies specifically to you.
There are no two patients with the exact same result. We need to look at your response to stress and trauma and see what the outfall is specifically for you. What is your serotonin doing? What is your adrenaline and cortisol doing? This is unique and based on your genetics, your family history of stress exposure, how your body metabolizes stress hormones, your toxin exposure, and on your nutrient levels, which are related to your diet and any supplements you might be taking.
I will then guide you on how to use nutrients and herbs to help guide your cortisol back to optimal levels. If it’s too high, we will be using different herbs and nutrients vs if it’s too low.
There’s a specific formula for you and that’s what I can help you with, to find out the specific formula that will help you feel better and leave that stress and trauma behind for good.
It’s important to know that your treatment with herbs and nutrients will work better when combined with good nutrition and balanced blood sugar levels. I also encourage you to be working on your mindset and emotional processing, absolutely. What I find is when my patients are following my protocol to reoptimize cortisol, adrenaline, and neurotransmitters, along with the support of a psychologist, they get faster and better results.
When we have adequate neurotransmitter levels, and healthy processing of neurotransmitters and stress hormones, which requires healthy digestion, nutritious foods, optimal gut bacteria, adequate nutrients and signals of safety and consistency, we are able to recover from stress and trauma, and to maintain our health over time.
Of course, the goal is not to be stress free! Stress is part of life and even necessary and healthy in moderate amounts. The goal is to help you get your cortisol and adrenaline and neurotransmitters to the optimal levels so you can keep enjoying life and doing what you love.
I’ve been measuring patient’s cortisol, adrenaline, and neurotransmitter levels, and helping them to rebalance them, for over 20 years. I analyzed thousands of levels and looked for patterns. That is how I identified the 5 most common stress response patterns, which are the variations of cortisol and adrenaline levels after stress exposure.
I then developed a quiz, which you can find in my book and on my website here. It’s a great starting point to find out how stress has affected your cortisol and adrenaline levels.
Remember, this is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We must individualize it based on how your body has been affected by stress, that’s how we are going to get the best results.
If you would like to find out more on this subject, I encourage you to read one of my books, I have written 5 books on what we can do to optimize our cortisol and adrenaline levels. You can find my latest book, “Master Your Stress Reset Your Health” here.
You can also access my Stress Warrior Program here, where I teach you how to optimize your cortisol, adrenaline, and neurotransmitters.
You can also reach out to me to set up a one-on-one appointment if you prefer.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
In today’s podcast interview, I had the chance to talk about healing pain, anxiety, depression, and trauma with Debora Wayne. Specifically in this episode we talk about:
-Trauma
-How trauma turns into physical pain
-How it’s possible to heal even when you’ve been told it wasn’t possible
-What is quantum physics and energetic healing
-How Debora helped me with migraines
Debora is the founder of The International Chronic Pain Institute and author of Why Do I Still Hurt. She is a world-renowned energy healer and pain-release specialist helping men and women worldwide to rapidly find and remove the hidden root causes of Chronic Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Depression and Anxiety, Trauma, Battles with Weight, Binge-Eating, BurnOut, and other chronic conditions.
She is helping people transform their lives at a very deep level, reaching people who haven’t been helped even though they tried many different approaches but still ended up not feeling good.
Debora chose this path because she herself went through a tremendous amount of pain. Not only physical pain but very deep emotional pain also, going back and forth between anxiety and depression. She was very highly functional and good at hiding it, but she got to a point where she could not stand feeling that way one more day.
So she acted upon that feeling and one day decided to call someone for help, just to talk about how she felt. Since that day she has not been the same anymore. She changed her life completely and decided to spend more time looking inside rather than focusing on the outside, she started meditating and spending a lot more time in nature and so she started feeling a lot better, and that’s when she decided to share her experience with other people who may be going through the same pain, reaching to them and helping them transform their lives and start feeling good.
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So many of us are walking through life feeling lost, that we have lost our purpose and we’ve lost ourselves really because we get focused on these external things and we kind of lose track of who we are and what we really want to do with our lives. And a lot of times it feels so familiar that we just keep doing the same thing. But we have to realize, if we want our health to change and our lives to be different, we are going to have to change something.
Often times people do not recognize the deep connection between their choices and their health. We all tend to follow the formula we are taught when we are young: go to school, go to college, work, get married, get the car, get the house, etc. And none of those things are wrong but we have to realize that our choices as we follow our paths have to align with our souls in order to feel good about ourselves and be happy.
If we do not have that alignment, even subconsciously, our bodies and minds will hurt. The body does not lie and the impact reflects in our health.
Some of the common symptoms of people that reach out to Debora are exhaustion, chronic fatigue, digestion issues, insomnia, thyroid issues, chronic physical pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and migraines. These are all external expressions of our bodies reflecting the pain that goes on in our minds. We need a deeper conversation with ourselves to be able to express who we really are and consequently act on what we believe. The common answer we get when we are in pain is “you have to accept it and just live with it”. And so we become resolved that we are just going to be in pain, emotional pain, physical pain, just not feeling good in general and we just carry through with our lives and probably get addicted to pain medications.
There really are solutions and ways to heal for good but people don’t know about this. There are 3 specific areas we have to explore in order to change and start healing:
We have to look at the mental habits. The habitual though habits in our daily lives. Most people walk through life with most predominantly negative thoughts that are fear based. And they never examine this and are never taught how to properly use their minds. So they spend most of the day sending negative signals as energy that comes back to them in exactly what they don’t want. So we have to find and release the damaging destructive though patterns to correct this.
The emotions. Every emotion emits a frequency, and these frequencies are measurable and they are powerful. They affect physically our bodies. There is a mind-body emotion energy complex. Everyone is making every choice from an emotion. So we have to find and release the damaging emotions, and we have to become aware of what our emotions are and where we put them in the body when we don’t want to feel them, because if we do this long enough they come always come out as a symptom.
Our energy field. This is the field of information that surrounds the body. Every living thing has a bio field. It has everything that has ever happened to you imprinted on it. We have to find the problems in the energy field, release them and speed up the healing process.
We are so focused on the physical aspect of things that we forget there is an invisible, spiritual and energetic realm that is constantly interacting with the physical realm. There’s a disconnection here that we can’t overlook if we really want to understand how to begin to feel better.
People often wait too long to take action and realize they can make changes to break patterns that have been with them their whole lives by analyzing what is going on in their spiritual and energetic reality.
We experience different things in our lives, different trauma, that mark us and if not resolved will eventually find a way out as physical pain in our bodies. There can be so much emotional anxiety and fears and people do not know why they feel this, but it often goes back to things that happened early in childhood.
Trauma can also occur from abuse (physical, mental or sexual abuse), violence, neglect, and narcissism. All of these things go underground because we are wired to stay alive, so we even compromise a part of ourselves to just stay alive. But then people wake up decades later and are not happy and they look around and wonder why other people are not suffering: what’s wrong with me? And they start to feel cursed or like they’re defective and ashamed and they don’t want to talk about it. This all needs to come out in the open with someone we feel safe with because it is all changeable and it is creating terrible health hazards.
And there is so much more! We ourselves limit what we think is possible for us. There tends to be a voice in the back of our heads that says: “it’s not supposed to feel like this.” That’s the voice that drives us to keep searching and seeking other solutions. We have to listen to that voice because it’s telling you not to settle for a limited, painful life.
Pain is not normal; health is our natural state. We can go back into alignment. It just takes being a little bit open minded and being willing to try something new.
If you want to reach out to Debora and learn how she can help you, please check out the International Chronic Pain Institute website or her Instagram @deborawayne1.
If you want to learn more about my approach to helping with mental health and other health issues, you can read all about it in my book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. In the book, I share the quiz I developed to help you identify how stress has affected you specifically by knowing your Stress Type. You can also take the Stress Type Quiz online. For the most comprehensive support to recover from stress and trauma, it is best to set up a one-on-one appointment with me.
We're here to help you!
Connect with Dr. Doni:
Facebook HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/DRDONIWILSON
Instagram HTTPS://INSTAGRAM.COM/DRDONIWILSON
YouTube HTTPS://YOUTUBE.COM/USER/DONIWILSONND
Weekly Wellness Wisdom Newsletter: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/WWW
-
Books and Resources:
Order My New Book: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Your-Stress-Reset-Health/dp/1953295576
Stress Warrior Book (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESSWARRIOR
Stress Warrior Stress Resiliency Facebook Group (FREE)
HTTPS://FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/STRESSWARRIOR
7-day Stress Reset (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/STRESS-RESET
HPV & Cervical Dysplasia Guide (FREE)
HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/HPV-AND-CERVICAL-DYSPLASIA-GUIDE/
-
Personalized Solutions:
If you’d like to meet with Dr. Doni one-on-one for your health, request a Health Breakthrough Session: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/BREAKTHROUGH
To get an idea of more comprehensive options, read about Dr. Doni’s Signature Consultation Programs: HTTPS://DOCTORDONI.COM/SERVICES
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are product links and affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission at no cost to you. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.