Autoimmune Diseases 101

When it comes to toxic mold it’s not JUST your environment that you need to get away from–you must discard of the contaminated possessions in the moldy home or office.

Mold persists on personal items in dust and as a toxin. Dust is made up of dormant spores and spore fragments. Toxins are chemicals made by the mold, known as mycotoxins, which are reactive and considered a "poison."

And unfortunately, killing mold doesn`t solve all the issues. The fragments and toxins left behind can cause continuous issues in very sensitive individuals.

Nearly all experts on mold remediation agree that upholstered furniture and electronic items that recirculate air need to be disposed of. And mold can stick to a variety of other items, some difficult to clean which will also inhibit recovery. While there are no studies that discuss transfer of mold particles, many individuals affected by mold toxicity have reported recurrence of symptoms when exposed to personal belongings. I’ve seen it quite often in my practice over the years.

Listening and helping patients on this journey, some felt getting rid of possessions was liberating, for others it was quite emotional to depart with sentimental items, even traumatic. There is also a financial burden to remediate a moldy house, move out, AND replace many expensive possessions.

On top of all this, the symptoms of mold related illness, including anxiety, depression, fatigue, headaches, body aches, and more are often exacerbated because of the added stress, making the issues of losing some possessions even harder.

The good news, and what I remind people of, is that health is the most important thing, and you can get better. 🥰 I encourage you to find a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable and trained in dealing with toxic mold illness.

Here are a few possessions that fare the worst in a moldy environment...upholstery – furniture, drapery, bedding, beds, headboards, clothing, artwork, paper items, and as mentioned, electronic items that recirculate air.

For free mold resources visit my linker.ee.

Dr. Ann ❤️

#mold #toxicmold #moldillness #moldsickness #moldremediation #blackmold #moldy #rootcause ...

Have you tried a low-carb paleo diet and experienced unwanted symptoms like poor sleep, gut distress, or metabolism issues?

Research shows that a Paleo style of eating supports a balanced weight, metabolic health and is anti-inflammatory.

But some paleo eaters focus so much on eating proteins that they end up over-restricting carbohydrates.

They may think carbohydrates will cause them to gain weight...but whole carbohydrate foods are incredibly important for the health of the microbiome, hormonal function, reproduction and even metabolic health.

Natural carbohydrate plant foods, such as fruits and starchy vegetables, provide immense benefits from the phytonutrients in these foods. They may even help improve insulin sensitivity in many cases.

It is true that by reducing carbohydrates, you can also reduce your blood sugar (and the symptoms that go along with elevated blood sugar), and in some cases, this is warranted and very helpful, but in other cases, as time goes on, a low carbohydrate diet may have some downsides.

Some people start experiencing unwanted symptoms like poor sleep, decreased metabolism, reduced thyroid hormone (cold hands and feet), cortisol and adrenal health, fertility issues and digestive symptoms.

If you are on a low carb diet and want to learn how more about how it could be impacting your health, read my new blog: Low Carb Paleo, Low Carb Diet Risks and Insulin Resistance - link in bio.

Dr. Ann

#lowcarb #paleo #rootcausemedicine #foodasmedicine #leakygut #integrativemedicine #lowcarb #chronicfatigue #healyourself #lowcarbdiet #healthycarbs #eattolive #chronicillness #diet #insulinresistance #insulinresistancediet #toxinfree #toxinfreeliving #toxinsout #wholefood #eatclean ...

Why it’s so important to eat the right kinds of fats.

We need a balance between the unsaturated fats and the saturated fats for cell integrity and communication.

Both omega-6 fats and omega-3 fats are PUFAs or polyunsaturated fats. Omega-6 fats are used to make communication messengers, that can send more inflammatory signals. Poultry, meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils are sources of Omega-6 fats.

Omega-3 fats are also used in communication and send more anti-inflammatory signals. Fish, other seafood, seeds, and fish oils are sources of Omega-3 fats. Too much omega-6 may cause a more inflammatory state in the body and consequently predispose to or exacerbate many inflammatory diseases.

A normal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is somewhere between 4:1 or 2:1, however, since the rapid increase of industrial foods, like high omega-6 vegetable oils, this ratio has increased to 16:1 or even higher in many people. Excessive consumption of high omega 6 PUFAs causes oxidative stress and damages cell membranes which can lead to mitochondria and DNA damage, diabetes, and heart disease.

You may see nutrition recommendations that suggest avoiding the high omega-6 vegetable oils such as corn, soy and safflower oils, but also and other PUFA sources in the diet. Proponents claim that wildly reducing PUFAs will improve diabetes and blood sugar balance, risk for heart disease and even boost thyroid health, leading to improved metabolic health. But is this true, or even necessary?

With personalized medicine we look at each individual and make health recommendations that consider food allergies, sensitivities and other factors. But generally, when it comes to PUFAs, I recommend consuming natural food sources, like fish oils, fish, nuts, and seeds – so that we get PUFAs the way nature intended, and we avoid the unnatural processed industrial oils like GMO industrial oils (corn, soy, canola, etc.).

To learn more read my blog What is Polyunsaturated Fat – PUFA Foods and Personalized Medicine - link in bio.

Dr. Ann ❤️

#goodfats #healthylifestyle #toxinsout #eatclean #integrativemedicine #chronicillness #toxicfood #naturopathicmedicine #foodasmedicine #heal ...