Eileen, Author at Phoenix Helix

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Episode 211: Indigenous Medicine and Autoimmune Health with Dr. Nicole Redvers

The modern scientific approach to medicine focuses on disease rather than wellness, it focuses on parts of the body instead of the whole, and tends to look at the patient separate from their life and the world in which they live. Traditional Indigenous medicine approaches health very differently, and that’s true for Indigenous traditions worldwide. They tend to embrace a holistic perspective, knowing that we are more than the sum of our parts, and that health is impacted by so much more than physiology. That said, modern medicine still has much to offer, but so does Indigenous medicine. Today, we’re going to focus on some of the Indigenous wisdom that might be missing from your own healthcare. My guest is Dr. Nicole Redvers, a naturopathic doctor, author, and Indigenous health scholar. She is a member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation and has traveled the globe, studying and working with Indigenous communities around the world.

The Final Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable – Celebrating 9 Years!

I hosted the very first Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable on October 30, 2013. Since then, there have been over 400 roundtables featuring thousands of recipes, and showcasing the talents of the AIP blogging community. It has been one of the most popular features on my website. So, why am I letting it go? Sometimes, endings are a form of celebration. In this blog post, I talk about what has changed between 2013 and now. I also share a list of wonderful Paleo AIP recipe resources to keep you fed with delicious meals now and always.

Gentle Detoxifying Baths

More than 80,000 new chemicals have been released since the industrial revolution 150 years ago, and most have never been fully tested for their effects on our health. We are asking our bodies to detoxify far more than they were designed to handle. Yet that doesn’t mean we should start doing aggressive detox cleanses that leave us feeling like we have the flu. It’s easy to overwhelm our detoxification systems when we try to speed them up and push them too hard. In this article, I share simple, effective, detoxifying baths that also make you feel good at the same time. Win-win!

Episode 210: Colonoscopies and Endoscopies with Dr. Marvin Singh

If you have an autoimmune disease that attacks the GI tract, these procedures are important for diagnosis and monitoring your health. They’re also used as screening tools for certain types of cancer and have become an important part of medical care. One of the goals of this podcast is to empower us as patients, helping us better understand the medical care we receive. In this episode, we discuss what these procedures are, how to prepare ourselves mentally and physically beforehand, and how best to recover afterward. My guest today is Dr. Marvin Singh. He’s an MD who is board certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and integrative medicine. In addition to performing conventional medical procedures like the ones we’ll be discussing today, he’s also a strong believer in the power of diet and lifestyle to optimize health.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #414

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Crispy Sweet Potato Rounds, AIP Mozzarella Cheese, Zuppa Toscana, and Slow Cooker Coconut Turmeric Curry Chicken. Happy cooking, everyone!

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Episode 209: Preventing Autoimmune Flares

With autoimmune disease, flares are part of the experience, and we cannot prevent every single one. However, that doesn’t mean we’re powerless. Discovering our own flare triggers is a powerful piece of self-knowledge. It can help minimize how often we flare and how severe those flares are. That’s the focus of our discussion today. I’ve invited two other autoimmune warriors to join me. We’ll be sharing our personal flare triggers and how we manage them to live our healthiest lives.

Woman lying in bed with hands over face, clock says 3:41am

Advanced Sleep Troubleshooting for Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease often causes insomnia, and then poor sleep increases autoimmune flares, creating a vicious cycle. In this article, I tackle some of the biggest sleep challenges: pain, anxiety, restless legs syndrome, snoring, hormones, blood sugar imbalances, new parenthood, and more. I also review sleep trackers, sleep supplements, and a special form of therapy that’s more effective than sleeping pills in resolving insomnia.

Episode 208: Nutrient Deficiencies & Healing Diets with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

When we develop autoimmune disease, our body becomes more sensitive and that often includes food sensitivity. Many of us turn to healing diets in an effort to eliminate inflammatory foods and embrace the foods that support healing instead. One risk, however, is paying too much attention to the foods we remove and not enough to the foods we add. Another risk is sticking to a dietary template without personalizing it for our body’s unique needs. There are lots of healing diets out there. We often talk about the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol and Wahls Protocol on this podcast. But other diets you may be familiar with include the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or GAPS Diet, the Low-FODMAP diet, a vegetarian or vegan diet, a ketogenic diet, or a carnivore diet. Today, we discuss which nutrient deficiencies are most common on which healing diets, and how we can make sure we’re getting the nutrition we need. My guest is Dr. Sarah Ballantyne. She’s a best-selling author, speaker, educator, and former research scientist, fascinated with the healing power of food.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #413

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Herb Roasted Cauliflower, Chicken Basil Spaghetti Squash, Sour Ginger Peach Gummies, and Peach Salad Dressing. Happy cooking, everyone!

jacqueline smiling with her head tilted, wearing a blue top

Jacqueline’s Healing Story (Uveitis, Alopecia, Psoriasis)

Jacqueline’s autoimmune journey began with unexplained abdominal pains as a child, and ended with three autoimmune diagnoses as an adult. When she first developed uveitis, no one told her it was autoimmune. She only discovered that later as she developed two more autoimmune conditions: alopecia and psoriasis. Conventional medical treatment was helpful for the uveitis but had minimal impact on her other diagnoses. A friend finally told her about the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), and it was a life-changing discovery. Not only was she able to reverse her autoimmune symptoms and is medication-free today, she also overcame chronic insomnia. Her family also did the AIP alongside her, and their health improved as well.

Episode 207: Cultivating Joy with Shauna Ahern

You may know Shauna Ahern as The Gluten-Free Girl, author of the award-winning food blog and cookbook series. Now, her career has gone in a different direction. After experiencing a medical crisis brought on by stress, she started looking at her life through a joy lens, removing stressors and adding more pleasure and peace. Now, it’s her mission to help others do the same. The truth is, it’s often easier to find joy when life is going well, but what if you’re in the middle of an autoimmune flare? What if you’re struggling with depression or anxiety? What if you’re in the middle of a life crisis? Is joy something we can cultivate even during our most difficult times? And what are the benefits if we learn how? These are the questions we’ll be exploring in our conversation today.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #412

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Green Olive Basil Muffins, Zucchini Cookies, Hungarian Cold Cherry Soup, and Chopped Chicken & Apple Salad with Sweet Onion Dressing. Happy cooking, everyone!

101 Ways to Treat Yourself That Have Nothing to Do with Food

Most often, if you say the word “treat” people immediately think of sweets. It’s how we reward ourselves for our achievements, and it’s how we soothe ourselves when life is hard. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional sweet treat. They’re delicious! However, if sweets are the only way we treat ourselves, the excess sugar can increase inflammation and even kick off an autoimmune flare. So, I’ve come up with 101 alternate ways to treat ourselves. Thanks to the mind-body connection, these treats can actually decrease inflammation while simultaneously bringing more joy to our lives. That’s my kind of to-do list! I even included a PDF you can print and put on your fridge, for ongoing inspiration!

Episode 206: Listener Q&A

I listen to a lot of podcasts myself and some of my favorite episodes are Listener Q&A’s. It allows a lot of topics to be covered in a short period of time, and everyone learns something new. I asked you to send in your questions, and you delivered! Here are some we’ll be answering in today’s episode: How do you react to people who don’t believe your autoimmune disease is real? What is a good way to explain why I cannot have “cheat” days to someone who tries to pressure me into eating things I shouldn’t? What foods have you successfully reintroduced? Have you ever befriended a listener and ended up enjoying a long-term friendship? Why can some people seem to put their autoimmune disease into remission, and others who have diet and lifestyle “dialed in” still need immunotherapy? What has been the most powerful growth and learning for you through doing this podcast? With my friend Joanna’s help, I answer these questions and more in today’s podcast!

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #411

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Chicken Pad Thai, Yogurt “Cheesecake”, Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetable Soup, and Rhubarb Custard Tart. Happy cooking, everyone!

Illustration of letter D in a sunny field

Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disease

Vitamin D is essential to immune system regulation, which is why it’s a commonly recommended supplement for people with autoimmune disease. Can we get all the vitamin D we need from sunshine? What about food? If we need a supplement, how do we choose a high-quality one? What’s the optimal level of vitamin D in our bodies? I dive into the research to answer these questions and more.

Episode 205: Magnesium and Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Guillermo Ruiz

Food is the foundation of autoimmune health, but there are a few nutrients that are difficult to get through food, and magnesium is one of those. For that reason, it’s a supplement many doctors recommend, and many autoimmune warriors swear by. So, I’m dedicating today’s podcast to magnesium. Why is it so essential? What roles does it play in our body? And how might magnesium (or magnesium deficiency) impact autoimmune health? My guest today is Dr. Guillermo Ruiz, a naturopathic doctor, researcher, and autoimmune expert.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #410

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Easy AIP Bread, Balsamic Fig Flatbread, Sheet Pan Shrimp Fried “Rice”, and Cuban Mojo Criollo. Happy cooking, everyone!

collage of logos for paleo restaurant list

List of Paleo-Friendly Restaurants Worldwide

Do you remember how it felt to relax in a restaurant? No fear of getting “glutened”? Lots of delicious menu items to choose from, each one packed with flavor? After countless hours searching the internet and double-checking menus, I offer you this list of paleo-friendly restaurants! From Texas to Malaysia, people are operating restaurants based on the belief that food is medicine. If you’re lucky, one of these restaurants is near you. If not, get ready to plan some fun trips!

Episode 204: Navigating the News with Sharon McMahon

If you ask people with autoimmune disease to name their biggest flare triggers, stress often tops the list. And if you ask people to name their top sources of stress, many are overwhelmed by the news. Today’s podcast is a life skill building episode – one that’s very important for emotional and physical health. How do we consume the news in a way that keeps us accurately informed without becoming overwhelmed? How do we discern fake news from real news? And how do we break through feelings of powerlessness to see where we can make a difference in the world? My guest is Sharon McMahon, an expert who shares non-partisan information about news and democracy. She’s a voice of reason in unreasonable times, and I’m grateful to have her on the podcast today.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #409

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Cookies & Cream Milkshake, Easy Avocado Pasta Salad, Wild Blueberry Beet Smoothie, and Broth-poached Chicken with Summer Tabbouleh. Happy cooking, everyone!

Barclay Stockett smiling and standing in front of rainbow siding

Barclay’s Healing Story (Ulcerative Colitis)

Are you a fan of American Ninja Warrior? Did you know that Barclay (aka Sparkly Ninja) is an autoimmune warrior as well? She shares her story in this interview. Trauma has a powerful impact on autoimmunity. It increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune disease and can increase disease severity as well. Barclay knows this first-hand. Prior to her diagnosis, she was living a full and active life as a professional athlete. Then in 2019, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Three months later, Barclay started experiencing symptoms herself. It took over a year to get her official diagnosis, and it took two years to get her symptoms under control. Success came through a combination of medication, the support of her fiancée, belief in herself, and personal experimentation to discover what her body needed beyond medicine. Now in 2022, she’s competing in American Ninja Warrior again.

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Episode 203: Kids in the Kitchen with Ginny Mahar

When you see the power of food as medicine for yourself, it’s natural to want your children to benefit as well. It doesn’t mean they need to eat just like you, but fostering a love of real food is an understandable goal. However, children often go through picky eating phases and have a deep love for packaged foods, fast food, and as many sweets as you’re willing to provide. One way to get kids interested in healthier eating is to welcome them into the kitchen, teach them how to cook, and allow them to select recipes to try. So, today we’re sharing tips for all ages: babies, toddlers, grade school, and teens. My guest is Ginny Mahar, a fellow parent and autoimmune warrior who is also a professional chef and cooking instructor.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #408

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Blueberry Crumble Bars, Adobe Fish Tacos, Coleslaw Dressing, and Warm Roasted Grape & Fennel Salad. Happy cooking, everyone!

5 Tips for Cutting Through Overwhelm in the Face of World Tragedies

If you feel overwhelmed in the face of suffering, you aren’t weak, you’re human. If you also have autoimmune disease, you have a body that’s more sensitive to stress which means autoimmune flares might arise alongside. If you have a history of trauma (which is common for people with autoimmune disease), world traumas might feel especially intense, layered on top of your own experiences. So, overwhelm is natural, but it doesn’t have to be permanent. Here’s a step-by-side guide to feeling grounded, replenished, and able to support yourself and others again.

Episode 202: Self-Love Workbook with Dr. Shainna Ali

When you have autoimmune disease, it’s common to feel disconnected from your body and even betrayed by your body. Yet we live in our bodies, so this creates a complicated relationship with ourselves. Instead of self-love, we might end up feeling self-hate. How can we change that? How does self-love, or the lack of self-love, impact our wellbeing, both mentally and physically? My guest today is Dr. Shainna Ali, a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate. She is also the author of the Self-Love Workbook series. They are practical guides with concrete action steps. They go beyond a misty view of self-love and teach skills we can apply in our daily lives.

Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable #407

The latest Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable is now live! The featured recipes are: Frozen Monkey Bars, Honey Turmeric Chicken, Strawberry “Pico de Gallo”, and Avocado Ranch Dressing. Happy cooking, everyone!