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How Supplements Play a Role in Long-Term Health

How Supplements Play a Role in Long-Term Health; The Hashimoto's Connection with Sandy Robinson
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Dr. Lewis’ Interview with Sandy Robinson of The Hashimoto’s Connection

Sandy is the Co-Founder of The Hashimoto’s Connection podcast. She helps women transform their lives by teaching them how to lead a healthy lifestyle through changing daily habits and unique autoimmune programs. Sandy specializes in working with women with Hashimoto’s Disease and provides unique support in dealing with autoimmune symptoms. In this episode, she interviewed Dr. Lewis and discussed how supplements play a role in long-term health, and how they can help people who are struggling with chronic illnesses. If you would like to learn more about Coach Sandy and the programs she offers, you can visit her website here.

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Show Transcription

00:00:00 – 00:05:01

Hello, welcome to the Hashimoto’s Connection. On today’s show, I have the pleasure of interviewing doctor Stephen Lewis of Green Wisdom Health. Doctor Lewis has a long history of helping people achieve their optimal health by using extensive but affordable lab work. He stays current on the latest research, pertaining to nutritional supplements and optimal health, and he has a unique perspective on all alternative and complementary nutrition from studying with numerous national leading alternative health experts. Doctor Lewis was a joy to interview and has a refreshing straight to the point type of personality that I’m sure you will enjoy as much as I did. Listen in to hear his approach to wellness and how supplements play a role in long-term health. I’m sandy Robinson. I’m a wife, mother, health coach, personal trainer, personal fitness chef, and entrepreneur. Through my own personal challenges with being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I discovered the dire need for a better support system. Join me as I bridge the information and communication gap between patients, caregivers, family members, Friends, and coworkers, through helpful tips, inspiring stories and motivating interviews. I call this the Hashimoto’s connection. How did you get involved in chiropractic care and in functional medicine? You know, I was asked that question on a very large podcast one time and I started crying because I saw my daddy died when I was 15 years old. Maybe from ulcerative colitis, but maybe from the drugs they gave him for that. And I knew right then at 15, I was smarter than that. I developed ulcerative colitis whether it was physical or psychological, whatever. And I went to 5 different MDs. I had 5 different diagnoses and 5 different treatments, not one of them that worked. And I love her MDH. Don’t misunderstand me. They did a lot of really good things, but so I pursued chiropractic and we look at things in a musculoskeletal arena and I figured that what I thought through some good nutrients, notice I said good. That even if it’s four musculoskeletal things, other things got better. Well, if it’s turmeric, will it help their brain to help their cognitive factors that help their eyesight and help decrease inflammation? I did it people do things for two reasons. You make a decision to do something because you’re moving away from pain. Are you making a decision to do something because you’re moving toward pleasure? And the story about my daddy died leaving 5 kids at home and a mother that didn’t have any skills, that’s what motivated me to go on and hopefully bless thousands and thousands of lives in the meantime and provide information on how supplements play a role in long-term health. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for sharing that really means a lot. It’s a big part of your journey. I’m sure, so when you are treating patients and they come to you for back pain, but then you realize there’s a lot more to their story. How do you address that with them? What is that like? Because most people do see chiropractors as the back doctors, where you go when you’re in back pain. For the most part, I’ve quit chiropractic, and I don’t do insurance because, you know, lack the healthcare in America, only covers 10% of what affects us with healthcare. They don’t talk about structure and function. They don’t talk about the environmental factors. They don’t talk about the exposures to the poisons that we have every day. They don’t talk about lifestyle. And they don’t talk about being happy and finding joy, which if you don’t have that faith joy, hope you don’t have anything anyway. So I don’t really do the chiropractic. I just morphed into functional medicine, basically and informing patients on how supplements play a role in long-term health. So what is the process for your clients as they come to you and they’re seeking to get well? What is the typical process look like? We do very extensive lab work minimum suggested panel is like 12 different panels on your average doctor you get two or three. And I really prefer to go up from the 12 and get into, say, female hormones, which would be estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. And I think that’s very important. And even people that say, well, I don’t have sexual dysfunction. I said, well, we’re not talking about sexual dysfunction because these hormones, they play in what your thyroid’s doing.

00:05:02 – 00:10:01

They play into what your hypothalamus, your pituitary, your adrenal glands are doing. You have to see the big picture. So, in America, we’ve become a reductionist system. Doctors look at you like, well, they’re sandy, the Hashimoto’s patient. No, you’re not. You’re a whole person, and you have to be looked at as a whole person. And I don’t charge for the consultation, get 30 minutes for free and I do it very, very inexpensively. And the lab works super, super cheap, many times people try to be cheap. And get this lab through their MD and they come to me and say, holy God, my 20% was more than what you were charging. I know, honey, but you’d have to learn the hard way. So, I’m trying to deliver good value for the money. Because I really do care. Right. I see that. So what is your ultimate goal when someone comes in to you to discuss what they’re trying to achieve or do you inspire them on what they should try to achieve? What is the goal look like when it comes to treating your patients? How do you explain how supplements play a role in long-term health? There’s two things that’s pretty common in talking to me. I’ll ask them to always listen with the discerning spirit, your gut, feeling your intuition, your discerning spirit. And then the other thing that’s pretty common is I say, do you want me to sugarcoat or shoot straight? And one time I had a guy said, I want you to sugarcoat it and I said, this first time in 30 years, I’ve been speechless. I don’t know how to sugarcoat anything. This is not a bakery. I just try to make them comfortable where they feel like they can open up to me. What makes it successful when someone comes to you and they’re not feeling well, what does success look like? I want to share for different people. Sometimes I get people that cry and I’ll say yep. I see that frustration. I see your desperation. I fear. I’m pretty good listener. Someone asked this. I listened very, very carefully. When I get help. Now, there doesn’t seem to be many doctors that take this approach. Why do you feel that this is appropriate? You know you’re opening up a can of worms, right? Yes. Our country as a whole were overfed and undernourished. And there’s about 72% of us that’s overweight. If not obese, and that’s from the national health and nutrition examination study why is it where the fatty sick is nation on the base of their earth. And I’ve seen several different companies. Countries in Europe, I’ve been to China to study. We’re the sickest nation on the face of the earth. According to the Commonwealth fund, according to the New England New England Journal of Medicine, there’s all kinds of studies. Why are we so sick? Why don’t we understand how supplements play a role in long-term health? We have the best medical profession, but again, they cover 10% of what makes us healthy. And I bridge the gap to get to that other 90%. So, we have to change our diet. And again, you know, you’re the Hashimoto specialist in because you’ve lived it. And what does that grind? And if you look at we need fiber, something will say, well, we need fiber in the grain. It’s like, well, fresh and vegetables have two to 8 times more fiber than a grain does. Yes. Right. You’re deciding to make cows with fat. I don’t need marble to make tender rib eye steak. Grind you’re not good. They’re not good for us. Yes. I have found my best results have definitely come through. Organic produce and really grass fed well cared for meats. Without any of those additives or the animals also being given the diet that’s ideal for them and that filling them up on the wrong thing. That’s very true. And I’d like to say, you know, you’re probably going to help many, many, many people just because you have not been educated into a box. And I think that’s what’s happened. You know, I talk about reductionist the white people doctors think that you’re a thyroid problem, your heart problem, your high blood pressure. You don’t think inside that box you haven’t been educated into a box. I’ve had to uneducated myself to be more and more holistic. So you’re doing a lot of good just right where you are. Oh, thank you. I hope so. I really feel like this journey has been harder than it should have been.

00:10:02 – 00:15:02

I had to learn a lot of hard lessons, you know? And I don’t want people to have to learn that way. And I really feel like ultimately God allows us to walk a journey for a reason. And I don’t feel it’s supposed to go void. So my journey, my story, the things that I go through, the good and the bad. I want to learn from it and then help others. So that is 100% why I do what I do. I really want to make a difference. And allow the people that listen, the people that come to me, the people that come to you, they ultimately want to they want to feel well. And so if we’ve learned how to do that, we should share it. We should explain to them how supplements play a role in long-term health. And we should also be open minded that there might be new information as we go on this journey that might change the path a little bit too. That’s something else that I’ve seen in conventional medicine, there’s that box that you talk about where there’s a certain amount of training, there’s a certain way of thinking, and then there’s a lot of closed mindedness to any other options around that. And so constantly educating yourself and being open. You know, that goes back to the journal of the American medical association where it says, well, we only addressed 10% of the issues that lead to preventable death. Now, notice they said preventable death. They only addressed 10% of that. And that’s why it’s committed to bridge that gap. And you said, you know, the tough journey, well, the Bible says, all things work for good, and that’s very, very true, but you got to look for it. Right. Yeah. And you don’t know what good is unless you’ve experienced that, right? So you really do have to have a little bit of both. You need that contract. That’s right. So when it comes to people that are trying to change the health, a lot of people think that all they have to do is just change their diet, everything should be fine. Where do you stand in that? Trying to be polite. I think it’s for I use the term BS a lot, stands for beaches and sunshine belief systems. I think you need, I think when I say BS, you need to change your belief systems. Diet, you can’t eat a bad diet and taking up supplements to get toward a 100%, but you can’t do it with your diet alone. It can not happen. There’s studies about how bad our food was in the 1970s. And then from 1976, I think it was to the year 2000, the nutrient level went down 6 to 76% from 70 something to the year 2000. And it’s worse now. Wow. I trade organic farmers in up to 18 or 20 different states and although they eat totally organic. They say, oh my God, I feel so much better on your supplements. Oh my God, I can’t believe it. I only eat organic, but it’s grown on mentally depleted soil. And our world is so toxic, toxicities will want to part of that 90% very few people use to bridge the gap. They don’t address that. Did you know we’re absorbing DDT now, even though we’ve America banded, I think in 1974, we’re still getting DDT from the gesturing and now the Saharan dust is coming our way. DDT from where they’re spraying it, trying to get rid of the mosquito to get rid of malaria. We have DDT, our polar bears have osteoporosis, and thyroid problems, hypothyroidism in our polar bears. So it’s not just get out of gluten, which is imperative. Yes, you’ve got to change your diet, but I don’t think it’s complete. I’m sorry, I’ll go off on these rabbit trails about how supplements play a role in long-term health. We only back in. That’s good. I agree. My eyes have been opened to toxins on a whole new level in my studies lately. And I’ve actually done some shows on that recently, and I intend to do more because it has been very eye opening and depending on what generation you’re in, you’ve been exposed to even more toxins because they don’t really just go away. And one of the things that was really mind-blowing to me was the lead talks and lead exposure. I grew up around lead paint. And I do remember touching walls and that top coming off and thinking that was kind of fun, you know? And that, you know, that’s something that I was exposed to. I never dealt with it. I didn’t know to deal with it. And then I had children. Well, I’ve done research that suggests that that now has been passed on to my children. And they likely have some level of lead exposure as a result of that, which, again, I would have never known to check that tested or even think about it because lead has not been a part of our culture for so long.

00:15:03 – 00:20:02

So that is just one example, but like you said, there are certain toxins and chemicals that were used decades ago that are still somehow showing up in our soil or showing up in our blood, even studies with newborns, umbilical cords. Their blood and the umbilical cord had toxins from their mother that was just toxins from the cosmetics and shampoos at the mother was using never even thought twice about it. And now here, a newborn baby is born with this. So I don’t see all that to bring fear, but it’s more of like this really profound awareness of we really are exposed to a lot. So what can we do to try to combat that? How can we get rid of it? How can we eat? How can we live? And in your case, you’ve really talked a lot about supplements being a big part of that journey too. Tell us a little bit about what a supplement plan might look like with somebody comes in, they’re not feeling well, you do. Some functional labs, you find out some deficiencies. Where do you go from there? How do you show them the role supplements play in long-term health? Well, let me preface that by asking the audience a question. Sure. And have you ever been to a doctor and he said you’re fine, but you didn’t feel fine? Oh, yes. Okay. That’s where people like me and you come in. You know, you can’t get any big group to agree on everything. But generally speaking, the people in the nutritional field say that you need a good multi. And again, most of them are not good. About a good multi, good fish oil, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and then they say fiber. Well, if you’re eating fruits and vegetables, you don’t need to fiber and argue that you need vitamin D and magnesium because our governments and you know how smart our government is. Best you can do on magnesium out of your diets, 40% of what you need every day. So I think the basic, you know, I think there’s a foundational 5, 6 or 7, but then when I test people and they have hypothyroidism, which is two out of three or three out of four, you know, we have different natural desiccated thyroid supplements. We have a couple of them that are very, very effective. Then we’ll put them on the selenium the zinc. The tyrosine to convert T four to T three, and iodine, if you have Hashimoto’s, you want to stay under that 200 microgram. And then you need B vitamins. And here’s something you don’t hear much about. You know as well as I do that hypothyroidism part, a big part of the equation is leaky gut or pre celiac disease. Yes, increased intestinal permeability is the term doctors like to hear. Exactly. Well, I use a product that’s a bovine derived immunoglobulin, which goes in sales lady God, it provides immunoglobulin G, which is super important. I’ve had people at which is full Blum celiac. Which, you know, I was found to be real close. I didn’t know it was gluten, but and when I take this, I do really, really well. And I tell my patients, yeah, Janet puts one scoop a day in my drink and Janice to start to lose to know what he gets. I get him two or three students just to keep him healthy. But it helps my God function because I’ve had those decades to accumulate the toxins and to have that permeability problem. The other thing is most people not heard of saccharomyces bellardi, that’s a yeast that takes bad yeast fungus and virus and it provides immunoglobulin a, which most people don’t know that. Well, I didn’t know what ten or 20 years ago either. You know, we’re always learning like you say. Right. You know, we’re going to be smart when we get 94. I hope so. I hope one day I can say I’m smart. That’s awesome. Listen to you’re really smart. I can tell you that because you had to be because you learned the hard way. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. It is a learning journey for sure. And I do enjoy reading about it. I geek out on this stuff all the time. So, well, all my Friends are reading really cool fiction books and enjoying themselves and reading all the medical stuff and it’s fun. So hopefully it will continue to pay off and help others. So when it comes to supplements, there’s so many different brands and I know, you know, I have a certain favorite brand at you have your favorite brand and some of that where the same on that, I think.

00:20:04 – 00:25:01

I have done episodes on this before, but help listeners understand why you actually have to be careful about what supplements you choose. You don’t want to just buy just anything at Walmart or just anything on Amazon. There’s some regulation there that you need to pay attention to. You want to explain that a little bit? Do you want me to? Yeah. Yeah, help them understand how to pick because it’s hard. There’s so many, and they don’t want to spend a lot of money. But the most expensive, most expensive supplement in the world is the cheap one that won’t work. There’s a special investigator for the FDA. He said 40% of everything on Amazon is fake. Counterfeited. And they said, about the labels, the same, and you know, I’m a country boy from east Texas, okay, I like to shoot straight as they say. People say, well, it says this. I said, well, your first wife said she’d love on her by Mario lab number 5. All women are not the same and neither are all supplements. People are different. You have to find the right fit. And I synthetic supplement the molecule rotates in the wrong direction. It’s like putting a left handed threaded knot on the right handed threaded bolt. It’s a mirror’s image, but it won’t fit. And then not only does your body have to use energy to detoxify it with a liver that’s already overburdened. It has to use several times as much energy to do that. And then it ties it up to where it can’t get rid of the other toxic exposures. But to digestion. So yeah, you know, the supplements I get, I have to have an active license. If I let my license expire, they don’t sell to me. And if I have a question, I can text my rep, I can get in touch with the scientists, the PhDs, very, very quickly. And when they beat me down with knowledge, I just say yes, ma’am. Thank you very much. But I’m satisfied by show me the research to prove what they’re saying and how supplements play a role in long-term health. So, you know, the old saying of trust, but verify. Yeah, I’ve got access to the scientists behind these things. That’s wonderful. It is important because there are a lot of studies that have come across over the years. And just stories of people purchasing supplements, Amazon’s one of them, but you can purchase just online. You have access to a lot. And even there’s supplements that gas stations now, you know, where they are making claims that, you know, it’s going to do something for you. And the thing is it’s not regulated. And it has been found in some cases to be deadly, not just not effective, but actually harmful. And so it is important that when listeners are choosing supplements that they’re not just choosing it based on the price that you’re looking at making sure that it’s regulated in some way that there’s quality ingredients. And that they’re actually able to work for your body because there might be some supplements to make planks that might not be the right one for you. It might be counterproductive. There’s certain things you should not take depending on the conditions you have. So having your supervision, having someone that’s trained, like you are, like I am, to walk that journey with them is important as well. So they don’t just start taking every random thing that they see a commercial for. So that’s very helpful when explaining how supplements play a role in long-term health. Now, there’s a really common concern that people have as they’re going through health journeys. There’s the stress and anxiety that depression that kind of comes along with this brain fog. Those types of symptoms, of course, there’s so many different things that can cause that. We’re not counselors. We can’t go into counseling sessions. We’re not qualified to do that. But what I have found on my journey and you may have found the same thing that a lot of times, someone might go to counseling to get that immediate help with depression anxiety, things like that. But then they can start working with us and work on that root cause. Like, what’s maybe the imbalance? What’s some of your experience with that? How have you managed that with your patients? Well, I think there’s two commonalities that it’s always part of the equation. It’s inflammation and guts dysfunction. And people say, I want to say giant track have to do with Brian and how I feel. I said, well, that’s where the neurotransmitters are made. The happy hormones. And then I’ll look at their library enzymes, and if their liver enzymes are sub optimal, number one, you’re not getting good digestion, which contributes to poor gut function. Number two, the liver can’t methylate and you don’t have good B 6. When it takes good be 6 to allow the neurotransmitters to cross the blood brain barrier to be happy.

00:25:01 – 00:30:01

And the other thing is because of our S.A.D., standard American diet. We overgrow yeast in that is part of the intestinal permeability problem. And the yeast put out an enzyme called thiaminase, which means it steals your thiamine. And people say all my anti form, brain fog. So I just give them a big dose of fat soluble thiamine, and within two days to two or three weeks, they’ll write me, call me email and say, oh my God, my brain folks down on us. And we’ll tell your husband, bring me chocolates to say thank you. But then you starve the yeast. You put in some killers and then you put in good, good, good probiotics, especially the ones including the saccharomyces bellardi. Once you have a healthy GI tract, everything else gets healthy, but now stress anxiety and depression can be an adrenal problem if thyroid problem they bounce off each other if your thyroid’s low, you’re free T three is low. Then your adrenals have to get in more cortisol, which puts your pituitary and hypothalamus in your brain makes them crazy. But you have to balance. It’s about looking at the entire thing as a whole, so that’s why, you know, you’re looking at a minimum of 5, 6, 7 minimum, different types of supplements to get the critical mass of nutrients so that your body can work with the better food that you’re eating. So it takes a lot, it takes persistence. It takes that hope. Faith without works is dead. Works means you have to take the action step and you have to be patient. Right. Do you have a certain time frame that you usually recommend for people to just to kind of be patient with the process? When you’re going in and you’re trying to kind of stabilize things. Is there a kind of a generalized amount of time that it takes to get people to a really good point? They might not be a 100% yet, but you know. Yeah, you know, Jen and I have taken lots and lots and lots of lots of courses about the role supplements play in long-term health. And some of the naturopathic doctors that we’ve taken courses with say that three months plus a month for every year you’re sick. I think it’s like pregnancy, you know, the first trimester of three months. You can start to tell changes. The second trimester, even greater changes. And then the third trimester. So I think three months is reasonable. And we usually will renew lab work there and again, I do, you know, 12 to 20 different panels. I don’t just check your CBC. We’ve just added the TPO on the other 5 parts of the thyroid that we check or we’ve done that for women. The D dimer for the men because my wife, she’s a very good negotiator and she got the lab to come down on the price where we, our process, the same, which is rock, bottom, low. And we can throw in another test. The day dimer used to be a $160 and now, I don’t know what they charge us, but it’s a fraction of that because we’re trying to give the most value to the patient. So that they can down that TPO, you’ll find that that’s very, very useful because of the journey you’ve gone through. Right. I don’t know. This is too much fun not to practice is what it is. It’s fun. Yeah, I agree. I don’t ever see myself stopping really, you know? There might be a point where maybe I’m not an asset to the industry anymore because just, you know, there’s a point where you maybe get tired and you don’t research as much or you aren’t as relevant. I don’t know. I hope I’ve never at that point, but I love it. I do love helping people. So I’m glad that you do too. So I feel like one of the other questions it’s really common in supplements is and there’s people think on this differently. So there’s no really wrong answer with it. But when it comes to adding supplements in, is this like a lifelong thing, you’re gonna be on supplements forever, take in 20 pills, or is it a temporary thing in the goal to come off? Where do you stand on that? Well, I do analogies. So you’re going down the road in your car and all that comes up, so in our system are so called healthcare system, we just pull the fuse out so the whole line goes up. So we keep running down the road and all of a sudden, a hundred miles down the road, you’re in just starts to smoke.

00:30:01 – 00:35:03

And he’s all it’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. Just roll down the wind as, you know, get rid of the symptom. And then on hundred miles further down the road, your car catches on fire. That’s when we go into the old change place and say, I think I need an all change. And that’s what we’re doing to our bodies. Do you need to take supplements? And I can get this question. How long do I have to take them? As long as you want to be toward a 100% of what God intends for you to be. When can I get off of when you want to go back and be as sick as you are now? Yes, you still need it like you need a continuous wall change to keep your engine running before it needs an overhaul. Right. I mean, I’ve got to take a lot of supplements to feel 30 years younger than I am and I have this much crazy energy and I run down rabbit trails with my thoughts. It’s supplements that pull that off. So I think it’s a continual thing. You have to work toward health or wait till disease and then move away from the pain of disease or you can move toward health, like I talked about moving away from or moving toward pleasure. This is how supplements play a role in long-term health. Right. I’m more of a sacred Sunday things for the pleasure in the future rather than the sad story of something bad happening. Right. Have you found that by doing this that you’ve been able to have a lot of your patients come off their prescription medications as a result of balancing these underlying root causes? Yes, but being a chiropractor, I never encourage them to do anything with their medicines, but I’ll tell you a favorite story. There’s this guy and he was about my age and he was really, really grumpy and I loved him because I can relate to him. I just remember I said, you better get your blood pressure under control. You can do it naturally or you can do it medically. I don’t care your blood pressure’s too high anymore. I said, hey, do it. And then two or three years later, he comes in with stage three kidney disease. Oh, well, Dan, he’s moving away from pain. He wants to take a lot of supplements all of a sudden. He went from stage three kidney disease down to perfect in his doctor. His kidney specialist was scratching his head. Problems down, so he quit his supplements. Right? It comes in two or three years after that in stage four. Kidney disease because he never fixed the underlying cause. And, you know, you have to meet a patient where they are. And he’s a little huffy. And I love it. I love it. I said, you got to be a $1 million to spend. He said, you know, I said, well, you better give it to your daughter, because buddy, you ain’t going to be able to spend it. I said, you better take this serious. And he took it serious. And he took lots and lots and lots and lots of my supplements. And he never went on dialysis until he could because he let it go too far. He had, he got a donor, a donor kidney. And I was sitting in here the other day with a couple of patients and he came in to the office and we went out and we hugged each other’s necks and he says, thank you. It brought out soft, sweet side. You know, how some men are a little overly tough. But he never went through dialysis. And we worked with his kidney specialist. But yes, they can get off. If you get help, all in these that I’ve ever known, if you’re healthy, they don’t want you on the drug. So yeah. They get off their medicine. They’re metformin glucophage. Sometimes they get fired with stuff. Now, I don’t suggest this. I always tell them work with your doctor. As you get better, here’s the lab, take it to them. Yeah. We’re not supposed to be on drugs. Right. Yeah. I hope to be able to come off of them, right? There’s certain ones that you do have to take. And if you have a health condition that requires that or if you don’t have a thyroid anymore, there’s certain things you’re just going to have to take that medication. But if there are ones that you’re taking that are trading symptoms and your doctor is good with you, trying to come off of it and treat it naturally, then that’s a win on both sides because now you’re getting the supplement that’s helping you with your baseline levels and then you don’t have the medication that might have those negative side effects. This is how supplements play a role in long-term health. You know, not every medication has bad side effects. But a lot of them do. So it’s good to come off of that if you can. So that’s a good thing. Where do you stand on hormones? How does that work when you have women that are reaching that stage of life when they’re testosterone levels are really drop in their approaching menopause? It’s pretty miserable.

00:35:05 – 00:40:01

There’s a lot of hormone treatment places everywhere you go. Some are just worthy summer not. Do you have any way to provide clarity on that for listeners? Well, for women, usually even young women, they usually have a bad ratio of estrogen to progesterone because the environmental estrogens, the plastics, the pesticides, you know, I mean, we’re just inundated with those things that act like estrogen. And that’s why me and have low testosterone because we have the environmental estrogens. So, we put them on a natural progesterone where your body can make its own progesterone and most women and I’m talking about high 90%. Say, oh my God, my hair stopped falling out. I’m sleeping better. I’m losing a little weight. My headaches have gone away. My heart stopped fluttering. These are just a few examples of how supplements play a role in long-term health. And again, I tell him to tell your husband, bring me chocolates to say thank you. Man, it’s a little tougher. Because we’re inundated with estrogen mimicking four months. And that’s one of the reasons we’re obese. The body doesn’t want to shrink those fat cells to expose you to more xenoestrogens, they’re called endocrine disruptors, the estrogen members, your body doesn’t want to let go of those because your detoxification pathways aren’t turned on anyway. Man, it’s a little tougher. You can take DHEA. You have to play with it on a lab to find the best level for that particular person. And you generally put them on things that unbind the testosterone to make it free, testosterone. Yeah, we get some really good results. But again, it takes time. It’s usually not instant. A lot of people that are happy. If they stick with it, you know, the older I get the more I think, well, if you put it in, got a blessed, but you got to be patient. Yeah. That’s true. The hormone situation is definitely a journey of trial and error. So it is. Yeah. But once you get it figured out, you really do feel a 100% better. It’s definitely something to it’s worth the work. It’s worth that effort to figure it out and learn how supplements play a role in long-term health. So listeners are curious about your particular practice. They really want to work with you. How does that work? You’re in Texas. Our listeners there, we have a huge base, all the reunited states, Australia, really all over the world. But they are primary listeners are in the United States, so I think that’s a good thing because they will have the easiest access to you. How would they go about that? Again, I’m parenting what my wife tells me. It’s go to green wisdom, dot com and click on the health service. I fill out the health survey. It’ll tell you what lab that we recommend, which is usually one or two of my favorites. And again, if you want to talk to me before you do that, that’s fine too. We can order labs in 47 states. And I do zoom and phone calls all day long. And I tell people, well, you need this. This is what’s on your lab and in a functional nutritional functional medicine type way of looking at it, you need this because of this. Very good. So that’s pretty easy to do. It’s easy to reach you. And then just Zoom calls after that. And then are you able to work with their doctors if they are, if they have another medical condition where they’re under a doctor’s care, do you talk directly to their doctor or do you just give them kind of advice on how to communicate with their doctor on what you’re doing? How does that part work? It’s more tell them how to communicate with their doctor because most doctors are too busy. We don’t need one more thing. They were one more place to be. You know, I’ll say, well, you know, you have a high C reactive protein, which, according to the Cleveland clinic, is four times better indicator of future heart attack or stroke than your cholesterol number. So if we put you on these things and decrease that inflammation and your blood pressure begins to go down then you will talk to your doctor that prescribed the blood pressure lowering medicine. You’re ace inhibitor beta blocker, whatever. If your blood pressure goes down because you’re starting to get healthier, you talk to that doctor about, do they think it’s appropriate to change your meds, change the dosage. But yeah, I don’t play doctor to them. I play nutritional chiropractor from a function of medicine, but yeah, I’ve never had any medical doctor that wasn’t anything, but very sincere and very nice.

00:40:02 – 00:43:46

That’s awesome. That’s good. A lot of this patients to. You know, I think the more this type of care is made mainstream, the more people realize that this is available, I really do think we’re going to be seen as an asset to doctors because we need each other. There are certain things that you can’t handle just from the supplement standpoint. You need intervention. You need true lifesaving intervention. And then there is the thing where we’re going to be able to work with patients on the daily. You know, those encouraging phone calls. Those moments when they just feel bad and they need the supplements to kind of give them the nutrition that they need or the diet or the planning of how to manage their lifestyle in a way that’s less toxic or less stressful. All of those things that are part of the journey, but doctors can not implement in their practice. We’re able to supplement that and inform people on how supplements play a role in long-term health. So I’m really hopeful that we will continue building really great relationships with conventional medicine so that we all work together and ultimately have really healthy people, healthy patients. Thank you for sharing your wisdom today. Thank you very much for the opportunity and, you know, if nothing else, we can give people hope. Yes. Most definitely. Special thanks to doctor Lewis today for being a guest on our show. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, based on what you learned from today’s episode, how can you help yourself? Well, I know you’ve heard it before, but test don’t guess. Yes, I know you’ve heard it, but it’s the best place to start. Get your functional lab work done so that you know what you’re working with. If you want to purchase your own at home lab kits, you can find a link on my show notes as well as on my website to help you get started. How to help others encourage them to also get regular checkups and testing. Our health and wellness can change over time with stress, aging, exposure to toxins, and our own genetic makeup. Don’t waste time trying to figure it out by guessing, just start testing. And last how to dig deeper. If you felt like that you really connected with Dr. Lewis today and you would like to learn more about his practice, you can reach his office at green wisdom health dot com to get more info on how to work with him. Also, if you’re interested in reading any of the research that he mentioned in today’s show, I will have the links in my show notes as well as on my website at coach sandy Robinson dot com. Well, that is all for today. For those of you who are listening and you’re feeling overwhelmed with how to navigate all the things, I would love to walk alongside you and help you on your journey. Schedule a free consultation with me through my website at coach sandy Robinson dot com or you can also find me on Instagram @coachsandyrobinson. Don’t forget we also have a Facebook group called the Hashimoto’s connection where you can meet other listeners, find community and meet some of the guests from the show. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope you feel empowered and encouraged with what you’ve learned. If you liked this episode, please show your support by sharing this podcast with friends and leaving a 5 star review. Until next time, thanks for listening to the Hashimoto’s connection.

You can listen to How Supplements Play a Role in Long-Term Health on Spotify here. Remember to check out Coach Sandy Robinson’s website here.

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Is Your Service Engine Light On?

Microphone and computer; the blood sugar rollercoaster.
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The human body often gives signs that something is wrong long before most people realize the problem. People often ignore these signs as just a part of life, or have had them so long they think it’s normal to feel the way they do. However, suffering from constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, anxiety, depression, chronic bad breath, joint pain, insomnia, and many other common issues is not normal. These things can be your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. The problem could be a stealth infection, heavy metal toxicity, an illness related to mold exposure, an unknown food sensitivity, or a number of other things. In this week’s episode we’ll discuss if your service engine light is on and what signs you might be ignoring, and some things you can do to help support your body to be the healthiest it can be.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Turmeric Complex – The herbal extracts in Turmeric Complex contain multiple, beneficial compounds with documented ability to help modulate COX enzymes, scavenge free radicals, and promote physiological balance in susceptible tissues in a safe and harmonious fashion. Meriva®brand turmeric, a key ingredient in Turmeric Complex, combines turmeric extract with phosphatidylcholine forming a bioavailable turmeric phytosome complex that is significantly better absorbed than regular turmeric extracts.

Stress Adapt – Contains a nootropic and a blend of adaptogenic botanicals and nutrients specifically formulated to counteract the effects of daily stress, improve mental performance, and support healthy energy levels.

GI Support – Provides extensive support for the entire GI tract by addressing energy requirements of intestinal mucosa, structural composition of intestinal and colonic cells, microorganism balance, and production of protective intestinal mucus secretions.

You can also listen to Is Your Service Engine Light On? on our YouTube channel here.

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Supporting Immune System Health Naturally

Fruits in crates; supporting immune system health naturally.

Many people have been wondering what they can do to help support their immune system and respiratory health. In addition to good handwashing habits, there are some things you can do to help support immune health naturally. Cutting out processed foods and replacing them with natural, nutrient-dense foods is a great place to start, and there are also some supplements that may help support immune system function as well as respiratory health. Let’s go over some potential benefits of mushrooms, the importance of adequate nutrient levels, and what can help support the lungs.

Mushrooms

Consuming mushrooms has been shown to improve cognitive function, energy levels, and immune system health. Cordyceps, for example, have been shown to increase natural killer cells, which are a type of white blood cell that may help the body fight off infections, and they’ve also found that cordyceps may help increase the ability of cells to utilize oxygen, which could potentially improve respiratory health. Turkey tail is another type of mushroom that may help support the immune system by activating certain beneficial immune cells. In one study, shiitake mushrooms were found to improve immune system markers on blood work and decrease inflammation levels. These are just a few benefits of the many mushrooms found to have health benefits.

Vitamins

It’s important to get all of the necessary vitamins each day, but a few vitamins may be particularly beneficial for the immune system. One of the most common things people think of when they want to support their immune system is vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, which means your body cannot produce it, so you must get it from your diet and/or supplementation. It can be found in oranges, bell peppers, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, etc. Vitamin C has many important jobs in the body like growing and repairing tissue, keeping cartilage healthy, and fighting off free-radicals that may contribute to the development of certain cancers and other health conditions. Explaining the immune-enhancing effects of vitamin C can get quite technical, but to summarize it, vitamin C supports many different cellular functions of the immune system, and helps support the body in making B- and T- cells, which are a crucial part of an immune response.

Vitamin D is another vitamin that is great for immune system health and many other things. It has effects on the immune system similar to vitamin C, but vitamin D may also help prevent autoimmune disorders by supporting T cells. In autoimmune disorders, the body has usually lost its ability to differentiate between what is healthy tissue, and what is a dangerous invader, causing the body to attack healthy tissue. T cells help the immune system know what is healthy and what needs to be attacked, so it is very important to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D each day. Supplementation is often recommended due to how common vitamin D deficiency is, and how difficult it can be to get enough from sunshine and your diet.

Respiratory Health

Things that help support the immune system will also generally help maintain respiratory health, but there are a few things that can directly affect the lungs. Certain mushrooms have been researched for their potential respiratory benefits, and reishi mushrooms in particular have been shown to have a positive effect on lung health. Immune Essentials contains reishi mushrooms, as well as turkey tail, cordyceps, and shiitake mushrooms which can help support respiratory health and immune system function, as well as other potential benefits like increased energy and focus. Certain strains of probiotics like some of the ones found in Probio-Ease may also help support respiratory health, as well as support the gut which is where many of the functions of the immune system are carried out.

While taking care of yourself doesn’t guarantee that you won’t ever get sick, it can give your body a better chance at being able to fight things off. So, consider taking some of these supplements, and make sure you’re eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and high-quality meats and fats. Exercise has also been shown to improve immune system health, so be active when you can, even if it’s just a short walk. Remember to continue practicing good hand-washing habits, and support your body’s natural defenses with good nutrition. Fear can lead to stress, which has been shown to dampen the immune system, so focus on the positive!

You can listen to our Is it COVID, Flu, or Allergies? podcast episode on our website here. You can also listen on our YouTube channel here.

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Fighting Anxiety and Depression Naturally

Woman in sunflower field; fighting depression and anxiety naturally.

Many people are dealing with stress, anxiety and/or depression on a daily basis, and it can make it hard for some people to live their life normally. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are often prescribed, but they don’t always help, and the root cause may not be in your mind. Research has shown a possible connection between gut health and the development and severity of certain emotional problems like anxiety and depression. Stress and vitamin and mineral deficiencies may also play a role, so let’s take a look at some possible ways of fighting anxiety and depression naturally.

Gut Health

There are certain types of bacteria in your gut that produce neurotransmitters like dopamine, GABA, and serotonin. These chemicals play a key role in mood, anxiety, ability to relax, stress management, and many other things. If the gut is unhealthy and the bacteria are unable to produce these neurotransmitters in the right amounts, it couldcontribute to the development of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Improving gut health can also help improve immune system function, digestion, and nutrient absorption.

There are many things you can do that may help improve the health of your gut. Cutting out inflammatory foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is one of the most important changes you can make. Inflammatory foods include frozen or boxed meals or food mixes, high-sugar foods like candy and soda, unhealthy fats like canola oil and margarine, and foods that have long ingredients lists with ingredients you don’t recognize. Cutting down on the chemicals we consume and use around the house is a great step towards reducing our toxic burden and the accompanying inflammation. You can replace these foods with organic fruits and vegetables, homemade meals, high-quality meats, healthy fats like coconut and olive oil, and replacing sodas and fruit juices with water.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Another possible cause of certain mental health disorders is a vitamin or mineral deficiency, or multiple deficiencies. Different vitamins and minerals play different roles in the body, and many of them help regulate mood, anxiety, and stress. For example, vitamins B12 and B9 (folate) play important roles in regulating mood, vitamin B5 helps support the adrenal glands which are affected by stres, and vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to anxiety disorders. These are just a few examples of why it is important to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs on a daily basis, but it’s often difficult to get all of these nutrients through diet alone. Suppplementing with a high-quality multivitamin can help you get some of the nutrients you may not be getting enough of from your diet, or you may want to include a B vitamin complex like B Complex Ultra. You can also get routine lab work done so your vitamin D levels, iron levels, and cortisol can all be checked.

These are great changes you may want to consider implemeting in your life, but if you need a little help along the way you could try taking EZ Relax which may help if you have a hard time unwinding or falling asleep at night, or you could try Pantothenic Acid Complex which contains rhodiola extract and other adaptogenic herbs, along with pantothenic acid that work together and may help reduce stress and anxiety. Sometimes people notice a big improvement with just taking a b complex or starting a yoga routine, but everyone is different. You should never be afraid to ask for help from your family and friends, or your healthcare professional. Do your best to focus on the good days rather than the bad days, and surround yourself with positive, healthy, and encouraging people and habits.

While these healthy changes could make a big difference, this advice is not meant to replace medical treatment. Always consult with your doctor before making any changes, especially if you are on medication.

You can listen to our Little Known Facts About Depression podcast episode here. You can also listen to it on our YouTube channel here.

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Were You Sold Snake Oil?

Microphone and computer; early warning signs of a thyroid problem.
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Many people have made taking supplements part of their daily routine, and most people understand the importance of taking certain supplements to help fill in nutritional gaps they may have, even with a balanced diet. However, many people are unaware of the differences in the quality of supplements. Not all fish oils or multivitamins are created equal, and some can do more harm than good. In this week’s episode, we discuss some of the differences in professional-grade supplements versus the ones commonly found in grocery stores, including how certain forms of vitamins and minerals are more absorbable, and we’ll help you determine if you were sold snake oil.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Active Multiminerals – Supplies a balanced mix of essential minerals and trace elements for situations that may call for minerals without added vitamins or other nutrients. Contains highly-abosrbable Albion® Laboratories amino acid chelates, calcium citrate-malate, L-selenomethionine, and other well-utilized forms.

Omega Supreme – Omega Supreme is a convenient once-daily omega-3 fatty acid supplement offering 1,000 mg eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the natural, triglyceride form per soft gel.

GPC Liquid – GPC is a type of choline that has been shown to support cognitive health and focus. GPC has a naturally delicious, sweet taste on its own so no additional sweeteners were added to this product.

You can also listen to Were You Sold Snake Oil? on our YouTube channel here.

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Why Some Supplements Are Better Than Others

Pills on pink background; why some supplements are better than others.

As taking supplements becomes more common, it’s important to understand that not all supplements are equally effective. Most of the supplements sold in regular grocery stores or drug stores are typically less absorbable and less effective than the ones available only through a licensed practicioner. While the grocery store supplements may be cheaper, they often use forms of certain vitamins and minerals that are less absorbable because they are cheaper to manufacture. Let’s look at a few examples of how some supplements are better than others.

Bioavailability

Some forms of vitamins and minerals are more bioavailable than others. Bioavailability essentially refers to how much of the substance is actually absorbed into the bloodstream and bodily tissues. For example, many magnesium supplements use magnesium oxide as the main or only form of magnesium because it’s cheaper, but very little is actually absorbed in the body. Using the more bioavailable forms of magnesium like magnesium citrate and magnesium aspartate in supplements helps ensure enough is being absorbed. Another good example of differences in bioavailability is vitamin B12. Many B12 supplements and multivitamins use a synthetic form of B12 called cyanocobalamin because it’s typically cheaper for the manufacturer. However, methylcobalamin is much more absorbable, and the brain, nervous sytem and liver are able to use it more efficiently than cyanocobalamin. These are just a couple examples of how not all supplements are equally effective, and the same goes for other minerals, fish oil, and many other supplements.

Third-Party Testing

Many of the supplements available in grocery stores and even health-food stores do not undergo the rigorous third-party testing that medical-grade supplements do. This extra testing certifies that the product actually contains what the bottle claims it does. This is important because the FDA doesn’t have as many restrictions on natural supplements as they do on prescription medications, so it’s often left up to the companies to prove the quality of their products. Certifications are also important because we use supplements to move values on lab tests. To do this we need strong, pure supplements that contain the most absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals so the body can actually absorb and utilize them. While the health food store may have a few good supplements, you can never really be sure of what you are getting without testing and certifications done outside of the company that manufactures the products. The manufacturers we purchase our products from will only sell to a person with a current medical or chiropractic license because they are much stronger and should be taken under the guidance of a trained professional.

Due to soil depletion, many of the fruits and vegetables are lower in nutrients than they were a few decades ago, so eating healthy foods doesn’t guarantee that you won’t have nutrient defiencies, but taking a good multivitamin that contains the bioavailable forms of vitamins and minerals like Active Mega Multi each day can help fill in some of the nutritional gaps. However, supplements alone cannot offset the negative effects of a poor diet and lifestyle, so eat plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, high-quality meats and healthy fats each day, and remember to drink plenty of filtered water and get at least seven hours of sleep each night. The nutrients you take in are essentially the building blocks for all the cells and energy your body makes, so make sure you’re getting enough of them!

You can listen to our Were You Sold Snake Oil? podcast episode here. You can also listen on our YouTube channel here.

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How You Can Be Healthier Now

A man exercising to show how you can be healthier now.

People often postpone taking care of their health until a serious condition arises or symptoms begin to affect their day-to-day lives. Sometimes it is too late for the body to heal completely, or it may take much more work than if the individual had begun taking care of their health earlier in life. However, some people don’t understand how important health is, and even more people don’t know what to do to improve it. Let’s look at how you can be healthier now by making a few simple changes.

Exercise

Many people underestimate the importance of regular exercise. While most Americans lead sedentary lifestyles, humans tend to be much healthier when they exercise regularly. Many experts believe that a sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for many serious health conditions including heart disease and diabetes. Exercising reguarly over time can improve cardiovascular health, decrease high blood pressure, decrease stress, improve breathing, improve mood and sleep quality, increase energy, and strengthen muscles and bones. That is not a complete list of all the potential benefits that can come with regular exercise, and exercise doesn’t have to be hard.

Try taking a short walk each day and slowly increase the duration of your walk every few days. Some people prefer to lift weights as their form of exercise, but always remember to listen to your body and work with someone who can teach you the correct form. Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle to keep your body and bones strong, but lifting weights incorrectly can cause an injury, so always ask a professional if you are just getting started, and listen to your body so you don’t push yourself too far.

Healthy Eating

Your diet is arguably the biggest contributor to your overall health, and eating more healthy foods can have a big impact on your health. Processed foods like frozen prepared meals, chips, packaged cookies, sodas, etc. have ingredients that may be harmful. Artificial preservatives, flavors and colors are some of the most common food additives, and can be some of the most dangerous due to how much the average person consumes. Sugar is another ingredient found in high amounts in sodas, cookies, candy and other sweets. Overconsumption of sugar comes with a long list of potential health effects, and entire books have been written about the dangers of sugar. So, replacing processed foods, sweets and sodas with healthy foods like good fats, fruits and vegetables, and responsibly-raised meats is always a good change to consider making.

Supplements

Adding a supplement regimen to a healthy diet is a good way to help ensure you are getting enough of the nutrients you may be lacking. The vitamin and mineral profile of fruits and vegetables has steadily decreased over the years as the soil gets depleted, so eating a clean diet still may not provide all of the nutrients you need. You can start off with a small supplement plan that includes the basics like a good multivitamin, fish oil, and magnesium, and then you can add in more specific supplements based on your individual needs. Having a blood test done will also give your healthcare professional the information they need to make a more individualized supplement plan.

Every little decision you make each day adds up, so make as many good choices as you can, no matter how small. Take the stairs sometimes, go for a walk, replace soda with water, eat more fruits and vegetables, and anything else you can do to improve your health. Making healthy choices early in life and throughout your life may help decrease your risk of developing certain health conditions. Working towards being healthier doesn’t have to be a negative experience, look at it as an investment in your health and well-being, and try to stay positive each day.

You can listen to our Are You in Optimal Health? podcast episode here. You can also listen to it on our YouTube channel here.

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Balancing Blood Sugar Levels

Cinnamon and sugar; balancing blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is a serious condition that affects an estimated 10% of the population in the United States, and that number is expected to increase over the next few years. Blood sugar problems that have not yet developed into diabetes are even more common, but can often be reversed if caught early enough. The most likely causes of blood sugar imbalances are a poor diet, lack of exercise, and excess weight. Fortunately, these are all things that are in your control, meaning you may be able to greatly lower your risk of developing diabetes and other conditions related to blood sugar imbalances. Let’s take a deeper look at some lifestyle factors that can affect blood sugar, as well as some ways to help balance blood sugar levels.

Poor Diet

The Standard American Diet (SAD) typically consists of foods high in sugar, calories, carbohydrates, and bad fats, and low in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. This diet has been linked to the development of many different health issues like diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and certain cancers. A diet high in sugar is especially harmful to someone with a family history of diabetes as they are usually at a higher risk of developing diabetes.

When sugar or simple carbohydrates (like bread, pasta, and grains) are consumed, insulin levels in the body quickly increase to deal with the excess amount of sugar in the blood, but when insulin levels are continually high, the body starts to respond to it less and less. This causes the pancreas to produce more insulin to try to compensate, causing the body to respond less, leading to a vicious cycle. Eventually, the pancreas can no longer keep up and blood sugar levels remain high, which can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, and potentially more serious complications like organ damage, decreased vision, and nerve damage.

Excess Weight

Being overweight is another risk factor for diabetes, though it not fully understood how. Some research has shown that fat cells may be more resistant to the effects of insulin than muscle cells are, meaning the less muscle mass and more fat you have, the harder it is for your body to respond to insulin properly. It may also contribute to the development of diabetes through poor lifestyle choices. A person that is overweight likely does not eat a balanced diet or exercise regularly, and they may also have hormonal issues that can increase their risk of developing diabetes and other conditions.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Most Americans spend the majority of their day sitting. Many people have office jobs that are sedentary, and also have habits outside of work like watching tv or playing video games that are sedentary. This lack of exercise is believed to contribute to weaker bones, higher levels of body fat, decreased muscle mass, decreased energy, depression, an increased chance of hormonal imbalances, and an increased risk of blood sugar disorders like diabetes. Exercise has many potential benefits, and just walking for thirty minutes a day is usually enough to see some of these benefits. Exercise can help reduce triglyceride levels and raise HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels, improve quality of sleep, improve mood, improve memory and cognitive function, increase energy levels, and many other potential benefits.

Effects on the Immune System

High blood sugar can also negatively impact the immune system in a few different ways. When blood sugar levels are too high, it can cause the body to release molecules that hinder the body’s natural immune defenses. People who have diabetes may also have nerve damage and poor circulation which can contribute to a weaker immune system. Sugar consumption can affect the performance of white blood cells and increase inflammatory markers in the body, even if you do not yet have high blood sugar levels. Elevated cortisol levels have also been associated with high sugar consumption, which can tax the adrenal glands and further decrease immune system function.

What Can You Do?

One of the best things you can do to decrease your risk of developing diabetes (and for increased health overall) is to cut out processed and sugary foods, and replace them with whole foods like nuts and seeds, grass-fed meats, fruits and vegetables, and good fats like coconut and olive oil. You should also be as active as you can which can mean going to the gym, doing a workout or yoga routine at home, or going for a walk a few times a week. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly may also help you maintain a healthy weight which may further decrease your risk of developing diabetes and other health conditions.

There are also some supplements that may help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. These include:

  • Gluco Support – Supplies a powerful mix of nutrients and botanicals that efficiently help support normal glucose metabolism, structure and function of basement membranes such as nerve tissue, and insulin sensitivity.
  • Probio-Ease – This shelf-stable, 50 billion CFU formulation contains a blend of 7 select probiotic species with Sunfiber®, a low-FODMAP certified prebiotic. This formulation provides comprehensive microbiome, immune, and healthy inflammation support in one convenient capsule.
  • Berberine –  Belongs to a class of naturally occurring alkaloids found in the roots, rhizomes, and stem bark of a number of plant species. Studies with berberine in people with diabetes show that it exerts multiple beneficial effects on glucose and lipid metabolism.
  • Perfect Plant Protein (Vanilla Bean) – This formulation combines USA-grown, sustainable pea protein with microbiome-nourishing prebiotics and antioxidants. This great-tasting, bioavailable, and easy-to-digest protein formulation is 100% dairy-free and non-GMO.

You are not doomed to have diabetes just because you have a family history of it, there are things you can do to help decrease your risk. So make good choices about food and exercise, it’s more important than you think!

You can listen to our How Blood Sugar Affects Immunity podcast here. You can also listen to it on our YouTube channel here.

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Are Vitamins Just Expensive Urine?

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As more people make taking nutritional supplements part of their daily routine, some people still wonder if it’s worth the time and money. One of the common misconceptions about supplements is that you absorb very little and excrete most of it, but this isn’t always the case. Some vitamins are made with cheaper ingredients that are difficult for the body to absorb, like using cyanocobalamin instead of methylcobalamin for B12. The cyanocobalamin is much cheaper, but much more difficult to absorb. This is why it’s important to take multivitamins and other supplements that are made with high-quality ingredients. In this week’s show we’ll discuss in more detail how not all supplements are equally effective, and explain why vitamins are not just expensive urine.

Products Mentioned in Today’s Show

Active Mega Multi – Compared to common, over-the-counter multivitamin products delivered in 1 tablet daily, this formulation offers enhanced antioxidant protection, broader trace element nutrition, and augmented B vitamin support. This core foundation of essential nutrients can help provide an extra measure of nutritional protection.

D3 + K2 Ultra – Clinical research suggests that the combination of vitamin D3 plus K2 together help provide support for healthy cardiovascular function, bone health, and immune system function.

Methyl Supreme – Methyl Supreme is a unique formula that combines bioactive forms of four essential B vitamins with trimethylglycine (betaine). Vitamins B2, B6, B12, and folate are provided in active, coenzyme forms for maximal bioavailability and function. The ingredients in Methyl Supreme work together to synergistically support methylation processes and help maintain normal homocysteine metabolism.

You can also listen to Are Vitamins Just Expensive Urine? on our YouTube channel here.

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Supplements for Healthy Living with Jack Spirko

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Dr. Lewis recently had the opportunity again to be a guest on The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko. This is one of Dr. Lewis’ favorite podcasts to speak on, and we would love for you to listen to it! They discussed the importance of nutrition tailored to each person’s different needs, the keto diet, and what different supplements can do. Dr. Lewis also talked about what made him interested in natural health, and how his life has been shaped by the drive to learn more and be healthier.

Nutrition and Supplements

The food grown today is not as high in vitamins and minerals as it was twenty years ago. Supplements cannot offset a poor diet, but they are a great way to get in nutrients that are difficult to get enough of through diet alone. There is nothing that can completely offset the effects of a poor diet, which is why we recommend adopting a Keto or Paleo diet. However, you can still have vitamin and mineral deficiencies while following a clean diet. You may also have poor detoxification, impaired thyroid function, elevated liver enzymes, or another health problem you can only see on blood tests. This is why we run blood work on our patients to see what supplement regimen would work best for each person, because everyone’s nutritional needs are different.

In this podcast episode, Supplements for Healthy Living with Jack Spirko, Dr. Lewis discussed some specific supplements and how they work including BP Support, Acetyl L-Carnitine, Digestive Essentials, Nattokinase, Omega Supreme, D3 + K2 Ultra. He explained why it is better to take vitamin D and vitamin K together, why not all fish oil is the same and why some fish oil should be avoided, and much more.

Is Saturated Fat Bad?

Many people have heard that saturated fat is bad for you, with some saying it’s the worst kind of fat, but this is not true. This persistent myth has made many people afraid to try high-fat diets like Keto, and has caused many to consume too little fat which comes with its own set of risks. There have been many studies conducted on the connection between heart disease and saturated fat intake, and they have actually found that good saturated fat – like the kind that comes from coconut oil and olive oil – may even protect the heart in some ways.

Good fats also benefit hormone levels because fat is needed to synthezise hormones. However, there are still bad fats, things like trans fat and vegetable oils should not be consumed. Dietary fat should come from wild-caught fish, avocadoes, olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts and seeds. Red meat should be grass-fed and consumed in moderation, and farmed and imported seafood should be avoided.

Having a clean diet is crucial to overall health, and taking supplements cannot offset a poor diet. You should focus on eating organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, healthy fats like those found in coconut oil and olive oil, and doing light to moderate exercise at least three times a week. Beginning a supplement regimen tailored to your specific needs is a great way to ensure you’re getting the nutrition you may not be getting from your diet. All the different diet and health recommendations can get confusing, but a good way to sift through it all is to stay as natural as possible with your diet and lifestyle.

Visit Jack’s website here to listen to his other podcasts and read all the great information he has. He covers a wide variety of subjects on his podcast, and includes many resources and products he recommends.

You can also listen to Supplements for Healthy Living with Jack Spirko on our YouTube channel here.