When I was 30 years old I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I was able to reverse this painful autoimmune disease within 6 months of diagnosis because I discovered Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda is the 10,000-year- old sister science of yoga. It is literally translated from Sanskrit as “science of life.” One of the teachings of Ayurveda that got me on my road from inflamed to vital was the knowledge that we are not all the same person. In fact, the different body types, or doshas, require different diets, sleep patterns, exercise regimens and they process their emotions differently. Ayurveda says autoimmune disease is undigested anger. I also learned that my dosha type was prone to holding onto weight, toxins, and emotional hurt. It was also prone to inflammation. I am a pitta-kapha dosha. So I set out to learn how to feed myself, detox myself, heal my past trauma, and became a yoga and meditation teacher. [Read more…] about Reverse Autoimmune Disease with the Ancient Wisdom of Ayurveda
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Eat Treats and Still Reverse Autoimmune Disease
When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 22 years ago I was a complete and total full-blown sugar addict. I don’t say this lightly. I mean it. I was addicted to sugar the way an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol. In order to reverse my autoimmune disease (which I did within 6 months of diagnosis and it’s been gone ever since), I had to quit sugar. The break up was tough. In fact I write about this in my #1 best-selling book, Solving the Autoimmune Puzzle. I talk about what I now call the “detox-retox rollercoaster.” It took several detox-retox cycles before I finally knew that sugar was like rat poison. I knew I would never eat rat poison, so I was able to stop eating sugar. One of the ways I was able to stop so completely is by replacing the rat poison version of sugar and sugar substitutes with some alternatives that still gave me the sweet taste every once in a while. [Read more…] about Eat Treats and Still Reverse Autoimmune Disease
Reduce Inflammation While Enjoying Birthdays and Holidays
I get patients in my practice who are frustrated with the limitations their autoimmune disease and leaky gut has placed on their dietary choices. I always feel nothing but compassion for these frustrated patients of mine. Navigating the dietary changes necessary to reverse inflammation, hormone imbalances, digestive issues, chronic pain, and autoimmune disease can feel very overwhelming, especially when you are told to give up sugar completely. My patients always tell me how hard eliminating gluten, alcohol, caffeine, dairy and sugar are. It is hard. But it’s easier now than it has ever been. They also treat me like their mother confessor or food police. They will make an appointment around birthdays or holidays and tell me how “bad” they were. Usually that confession is followed by how crappy they feel and the desire to get back on track. [Read more…] about Reduce Inflammation While Enjoying Birthdays and Holidays
Reverse Your Autoimmune Disease by Treating all 4 of the Root Causes!
Autoimmune conditions affect over 50 million Americans, 80% of whom are women. In fact, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called rheumatoid arthritis when I was 30 years old. I was able to reverse it within a year using the Freedom Framework Method I now use with my patients and teach to my students in my integrative medicine health coach certification program. [Read more…] about Reverse Your Autoimmune Disease by Treating all 4 of the Root Causes!
Are Your Beliefs About Hydration Wrong?
I recently interviewed Dr. Gerald Pollack for my radio show (Healthy YOU! Radio) for the fourth time in the last 6 years. I am fascinated by his work. He’s a professor at the University of Washington and has been experimenting on water for most of his career.
Several years ago, he and his team discovered a “fourth phase” of water. In elementary school, we all learned that water comes in 3 phases: vapor, liquid, and solid. We also learned our bodies are made up of primarily (more than 90%) water. Thus, we are encouraged to hydrate. It turns out this is incomplete information.
The fourth way water manifests in this world Dr. Pollack calls EZ water. EZ stands for exclusion zone. [Read more…] about Are Your Beliefs About Hydration Wrong?
Abhyanga, or Self-Massage with Oil: An Ancient Ayurvedic practice.
Abhyanga, or Self-Massage with oil is an ancient Ayurvedic practice. It is believed that the effects of Abhyanga are similar to those received when one is saturated with love.
Daily Abyanga restores the balance of the doshas and enhances well-being and longevity. – Tweet this!
[Read more…] about Abhyanga, or Self-Massage with Oil: An Ancient Ayurvedic practice.