I wanted to share a new breakfast I made up this summer that could be called "my big, fat breakfast."  If you heard me on a recent podcast with low carb expert Jimmy Moore, you know I'm interested in the idea of a ketogenic diet.  If you missed that episode, you can check out this link.  

I'm not yet doing a full experiment in ketosis (a high fat, low carb, moderate protein diet in which you burn ketones for fuel,) but I have been trying to up my fat intake and lower my carbs more than before.

Even this brief experiment in high fat diet has made me feel slimmer, and I can go longer after a meal before getting hungry.

Dr. Andrea Maxim is our guest on the podcast today, and she is sharing some great insights on commonly overlooked symptoms of intestinal parasites, bacterial imbalance, and systemic candida.

Dr. Maxim is the author of the book, Maximized Health:  The New, Intelligent System for Optimal Digestions and Hormones.  Her clinics, in the Hamilton, Ontario region of Canada, were voted 'best naturopathic clinic' by the Hamilton Reader's Choice for the past three years.  

I am a yoga-loving American woman, having practiced for over a decade, but still don't know much about Ayurveda.  If you're like me, Ayurveda curious, then enjoy this new podcast with my old friend, Jeevani Eigen.  

Jeevani will give us some context, taking the elements and how they influence Ayurvedic theory.  Then we'll dive into one theory within Ayurveda, the tri-doshic theory.  

The three doshas are:  Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

Cindy Haas was a Dental Hygienist for many years before also becoming a Certified Holistic Health Coach.

She published a book called Over the Lips and through the Gums to teach others about the mouth and how our choices effect our oral health.  She also educates dental professionals who want to incorporate more holistic methods into their practices at Integrative Dental Concepts.  

Cindy was nice enough to answer my myriad of questions about oral hygiene. 

I had a great conversation on the podcast with Dr. Jolene Brighten, ND about thyroid conditions, and how they effect our fertility, our baby's health and our own post-partum health.

One thing I think is important to understand deeply is that our reproductive stages are linked, and minding this continuum is critical to our health as we try to conceive, carry a child, and then support a new baby.

On the podcast recently, we talked about perimenopause with Andrea Thorpe.  The next week we heard from Dr. Joleen Fuller, who walked us through thyroid disorder, from fertility to post-partum.

What do all these various stages from first periods to births to waning periods have in common?  They are all on a continuum of our reproductive years.

If you are experiencing new hormonal symptoms as you age, check out this episode.  

Our guest Andrea Thorpe, of Lotus Center of Integrative Medicine in Los Angeles, is an acupuncturist, a functional medicine practitioner, and PhD candidate in Chinese Medicine.  She specializes in treating women's health and infertility in her practice, and is often treating women who are 35 and up and stuggling with their hormones.

Ketosis is a nutritional state in which we are primarily burning fats for fuel.  Perhaps the easiest example of this is when you think of a traditional Eskimo diet, in which the vast majority of calories came from the fat of sea animals.

But you don't have to eat only whale blubber to get into ketosis!  Our guest today, renowned podcaster Jimmy Moore of Livin' the Vida Low Carb, joins us to talk about his book, Keto Clarity, co-authored with Dr. Eric Westman, MD.

I'm delighted to have local chef and traditional foods expert Tressa Yellig on the show today. Tressa was an ambitious, young chef when she became very ill with a septic mersa infection. While awaiting surgery, she thankfully got more involved in the fermented food scene, which turned her condition around.  

It's easy to get caught in our 'critter brain' when we are trying to conceive.  Patients and practitioners alike can be so busy chasing symptoms and the latest trends, that the fundamental needs of whole health are ignored.

Today acupuncturist, health coach and holistic fertility expert Angela Tisci teaches us about:

• The three brains, and how our desire for safety sabotages our ability to change
• The four pillars of health, including financial health and how this plays into the fertility path
• How the right career and a clean house can support your fertility!

The MTHFR gene mutation has gotten a lot of press lately.  But it can be confusing to understand, and even more confusing to know what to do next.

Our guest today, Dr. Samantha LeVine of Docere Naturopathic Wellness, breaks it down simply and practically in this short episode.  

Learn what a defect in methylfolate reductase gene production can effect:

If you have Hashimoto's but haven't gone into remission (it's possible!), then I recommend you tune into this show.  If you have a thyroid disorder, but haven't been checked for anti-thyroid antibodies, tune in as well.  

If you have unexplained fatigue or an inability to lose weight, then listen in to learn if your thyroid may be involved.  Lastly, if you'd like to avoid autoimmune diseases in your future, come and learn more about how these diseases progress, so you can make the best choices now.

Do you feel like you burn calories too slowly, or too quickly?  Do you struggle to lose weight, even though you think you eat healthy foods?

Our guest today, Dietitian Cassie of Healthy, Simple Life, demystifies metabolism in this helpful episode!

Bone broth, or meat stock, is an ancient food that is regaining popularity today.  If you are curious about broth - how to make it and what the value is - then tune in to today’s guest, Dr. Kaayla Daniel.

When people want to lose weight or be healthier, they often start eating salad.  That’s great, but even an innocent salad can be less healthy than you’d think.  Here’s how to optimize it.

This dish is a family favorite. I can buy the lamb at my farmers market and it's a good price for high quality meat.

Pair with a Greek salad, some sautéed vegetables, a chunk of hot sweet potato. It's an easy, tasty, gourmet dinner!

Before we hit a state of blood sugar pathology (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood for examples), we most likely spend some time, perhaps decades, in a state of functional blood sugar imbalance.

These functional imbalances probably begin due to diet and lifestyle, and the good news is that they can usually be corrected with diet, lifestyle, and natural supplementation, under the care of a trained functional medicine practitioner.

The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ with an inner layer called a urinary epithelium.  Two ureters carry urine from the kidney to the bladder.  At the lowest point is a urethra, a narrow tube from which urine empties when it’s sphincter muscle releases.

Stones, or calculi, can develop in the bladder when minerals that should be in solution in the urine congeal.  The condition is more common in men, and is more commonly found in low-protein diets.

Infection of the bladder (cystitis) is more common in women, with the suspected reason of our shorter urethra providing less of a barrier against bacteria.