I just read the Autoimmune Fix by Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN. Seeing as I have lived and dealt with an autoimmune disease for a long time, I have read a lot of books on the subject. This one is my favorite because of its thoroughness especially with regards to the autoimmune spectrum he covers and a comprehensive view on prevention and treatment of autoimmunity. He writes how the microbiome is the control center of your body. It is linked to influencing genetic expression and brain chemistry, regulating metabolism and blood sugar, and manufacturing vitamins (just to name a few jobs it is responsible for). The composition can shape a healthy immune response or predispose you to disease. There were over 5,000 pages published on the microbiome since 2015 so this is a hot topic in science right now.

He agrees with the view that there must be three factors present for an autoimmune disease to develop: genetic susceptibility, environmental triggers, and a loss of intestinal barrier function. It is a failure of the microbiome allowing bad bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses across the gut wall to activate genes that increase inflammation or dealing with the toxins that come from their inherent presence. Why does it fail? Because of repeated ingestion of foods that are difficult to digest (gluten, casein, corn, etc.), chronic dysbiosis due to insufficient numbers of good bacteria, ingestion of substances that disturb or destroy the microbiome (medications, antibiotics, processed food, sugar, alcohol, etc.) and failure to eat a diet that supports the microbiome best.

He talks about choosing supportive foods for a healthy microbiome such as foods high in polyphenols (brightly colored fruits and veggies, green tea, cocoa), the right carbohydrates (whole grains vs white flour, sugar, white rice, fried foods, etc.), eating grass fed meats and healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil), raw nuts and seeds, wild fish, free range poultry, the importance of eating fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, kombucha, raw sauerkraut, etc.), prebiotics ingestion (inulin, asparagus, artichokes, cabbage) and probiotic ingestion (cultured yogurt) and supplements of the same if necessary.

Modifying other risk factors like reducing exposure to environmental toxins (choosing healthy sources of personal body care items, sunscreens, hair care, etc.), buying organic especially of the dirty dozen, limiting use of herbicides, pesticides, personal cleaning items, watching or dealing with exposure to heavy metals and other toxins (dental amalgams-mercury, paint-lead, PCB’s, BPA, etc.) are also covered in this book. This is just a brief snapshot of what he covers in his book. I highly recommend you pick up this book that is well written and has extensive resources to support you in your health care journey.

Reference: The Autoimmune Fix- Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN Rodale Inc.

PS I have been in stable remission for 8 + years with M.S. since I healed on a deep level. To book an appointment, call Parallel Wellness 4032321283

I had an experience last weekend that stuck with me. I had to get a hair cut and because I speak a lot at Aveda (the hair cutting institute and much more), I decided to book at their school where I would be paired with a random student. The students ask you a lot of questions before they cut your hair so they know what would resonate with you in terms of personal style, interest, commitment, etc. So, the hair cut went fine and by the time she was done, I was satisfied with the job done.

When my student hairdresser asked me what I wanted in terms of personal style with my blow dry, I commented ‘lots of volume’. I inwardly laughed and thought ‘good luck’. I have always had a thing with my hair. It is the finest hair which I struggle with on a daily basis to add volume to. I put Aveda products in it to help volumize and then spend time blow-drying and putting velco rollers in it. Then I walk to work and by the time I get to work, it has no volume or style left in it.

So when the student promised me ‘I will give you lots of volume’, she seemed to take on the task with a measure of commitment that I have not seen in a while. First of all, she put three different products in to volumize it- one was put at the roots, one was put through out the hair and another was concentrated in various locations on my scalp. I believe the products were pure abundance, volumizing tonic and thickening tonic.  Then she sectioned my hair so she would concentrate on blowdrying a small section of my hair at a time. She took that small section and blew-dry it  very specifically. She blew the section up with the warm section and then she set it with the cool section. She would also twirl the hair off the brush so it had more texture.

I am sure I am not giving you any idea what she was doing. But the point I want to make is, she made it her mission to give me volume and every decision she made was aligned with that task. She was so immersed in the moment and gave her all to the task in a way that I have not witnessed before and therefore, brought a new level of appreciation of the moment to me by doing that- she inspired me. I truly have never had that much volume in my hair. I walked home, so grateful that she made me feel good about my hair; the next day, people were still commenting on how my hair looked better. I realized I could have more volume every day with her skill, attention, expertise and patience for the task at hand.

It is so easy to become bored with what you are doing or forget to bring your all to every moment. I certainly struggle with that at times. I think it is becoming lazy or complacent or forgetting to look at the world through a different lens- one that seeks to bring your all to every moment. It is after all a choice. Learning new things does bring more to the table, but also realizing the value you already have, and mining for the gold in that wealth of knowledge and experience, that you already have, is so important; drawing on that, to bless other people leads to a richer experience (pun intended).

If you take each moment, divide it into little sections (like my hair), and decide how you can bring and then ultimately, give each moment your all, the people around you, will be richly blessed, like I was at the salon. I am so grateful to speak at Aveda about naturopathic medicine. To book an appointment with me, please call Parallel Wellness in downtown Calgary. 4032321283 Until then, be well!

A chief complaint of fatigue is very common in patients and when you treat stressed out corporate workers, it often goes along with the territory. I have talked about treating adrenal fatigue before and that is a big reason for fatigue but today I am going to talk about another reason for fatigue. The organ involved is called your thyroid and more specifically,  it is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s disease is the name of the disease and is one big reason for fatigue in patients. It is very common in women, especially in middle age, but it can also occur in men, less commonly.

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease, more specifically, include fatigue with extreme sluggishness in the am, poor stamina, dry skin, constipation, muscle weakness, depression, loss of libido, poor cognitive function, cold intolerance, heavy menstrual periods, weight gain, hair loss, and infertility. People can sometimes present with a ‘fullness feeling’ in the throat or an actual sore throat. Some patients, if left to the extreme, will present with a goiter. The reason I bring this topic up is that it is a very common autoimmune disorder so it is wise to have it ruled out if you have chronic, unrelenting fatigue.

When most people go to their doctor to get a screen of the their thyroid function, the first test that is done is of thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH. If TSH is high (>5.0 ), typically more tests are run. When I am evaluating and testing for thyroid gland function, I run a full panel that includes testing for antibodies against the thyroid gland- TPO or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. Hashimoto’s is one big reason for fatigue that can be missed, so be sure and ask your medical doctor for some additional testing if you are concerned.

Causative agents are suspected to be environmental factors such as infectious agents, environmental chemicals and pesticides, not to mention a diet that may include a lot of gluten along with many other factors. Getting off gluten is very helpful if you have Hashimoto’s as most autoimmune diseases can be aggravated and made worse from gluten intake. Nutritional deficiencies can be part of the picture and could include Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Selenium, Zinc, iodine and/or omega 3 fatty acid deficits so additional testing to uncover these may be very helpful. Additional heavy metal testing to rule out mercury or lead toxicity can sometimes be necessary when approaching any thyroid imbalance.

I use Biotherapeutic drainage to support the physiology of the thyroid gland. Organotherapy can be useful to act as a decoy to get the antibodies to attack the supplemented medicine versus the thyroid. I refer out if it is a more complicated case but often the body will respond well to comprehensive support involving natural medicine. For additional information on the thyroid gland and imbalance, check out Mark Hyman’s book, The Ultra Thyroid Solution.  Please book an appointment to discuss if you are interested in thyroid testing at Parallel Wellness in Calgary, Alberta.