Polyphenols have been widely studied and shown to have numerous benefits, including protecting against cancers, heart disease, and more. hard to protect you from oxidative damage and stress, they are also turning back the clock on your physical appearance too? Read more…
How Stress Affects Digestion
In Chinese medicine, every organ system has a corresponding emotion, and if that emotion is at an extreme, the organ function can be affected. In today’s article, I’m going to use the concept of ‘overthinking damage digestion’ to describe some of the effects of worry and ‘overthinking’ on digestive function.
How Your Microbiome Helps You Handle Stress
We live in stressful times. Nerves are frayed, tempers are short, and energy is lagging. To paint a picture, 19.1% of US adults suffered from an anxiety disorder in the past year. Chronic stress is linked with health conditions such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and depression. Click here to learn more!
What Are the Best Blood Tests to Uncover Root Health Issues?
Having trouble getting all of the pieces of your health puzzle to fit together? You’re not alone. Many people jump from practitioner to practitioner, searching for answers to their mystery illness, only to come out empty-handed. Getting to the bottom of chronic health issues takes digging! And a huge piece of that is testing.
Sympathetic Dominance in Mold and Chronic Illness
One of the remarkable aspects of the human body is its fight or flight response system. Unfortunately, many of us, especially in chronic illness and mold, get stuck in the “fight or flight” (sympathetic) response for too long. Read on to learn how to recognize if you have sympathetic dominance and calm your body to begin healing.
The Gut-Immune System Connection
Five Ways Essential Oils Support Your Hormones
Case Study: A Functional Approach to Hormones and Gut
How Functional Health Coaching Treats Mood, Gut and Hormones in an Integrated Way
The Symptoms
When Emily joined our coaching program, she was struggling with depression, anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog. She said that she did not have the energy to improve her diet or exercise regimen to support her health. She feared that trying to make major changes could have the potential to elicit panic attacks that would prevent her from moving forward.
Photo by Jason Briscoe
Emily felt “tired almost all of the time.” Up until a few years before joining our functional coaching program, she had lived an active life. She had spent years gaining her education and working as a public health professional. And, at 38-years-old, she found herself barely making it through the day.
Emily had resorted to some of the most common coping mechanisms available: coffee in the morning to give her enough energy to get going, and alcohol at night to help her sleep.
Emily had resorted to some of the most common coping mechanisms available: coffee in the morning to give her enough energy to get going, and alcohol at night to help her sleep.
She suffered from symptoms of gas, bloating and indigestion. Her symptoms eased when she was strict about her diet but returned whenever she wavered slightly.
The First Steps
The first thing we advised Emily to do was to take the huge step of removing coffee and alcohol from her diet. Within a matter of a couple of weeks, she was amazed at how much better she felt, just from those small changes. While this is not always as impactful for everybody as it was for Emily, it does show that sometimes a couple of small tweaks can have big effects.
The Labs
As Emily made those early changes to diet, we ran a handful of functional labs, including:
DUTCH Complete hormone panel
Comprehensive thyroid panel
GI-Map stool pathogen test
Micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) test.
The Test Results
The test results showed that Emily was quite deficient in the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone but it is also responsible for providing a sense of energy and plays an important role in regulating the circadian rhythms controlling sleep/wake cycles.
Emily was also very low in all of her female sex hormones (the estrogens and progesterone) and she was also very low in melatonin, a hormone that helps promote restful sleep.
Emily's thyroid appeared to be slightly sluggish and she was deficient in seven different important micronutrients.
Her stool test detected two different parasites, an overgrowth of two different opportunistic yeast species, suppressed immune response in the small intestines, and a very strong sensitivity to gluten-containing foods.
Part of the Hormone Report
Stool Test Results
The Protocol
Emily remained free from coffee and alcohol and began to adopt a gluten-free diet.
She started doing moderate exercise, managing her stress levels, eradicating gut pathogens through an herbal protocol, and supporting her healthy hormone balance through diet, herbs, and lifestyle changes.
She introduced some herbal tinctures such as black cohosh, red clover, vitex, and motherwort to support her female hormone levels. She used a product called Adrenotone from Designs for Health to support the adrenal glands and the balance of stress hormone production through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
Emily supported her micronutrient balance through the introduction of a complete mineral support formula and used the Designs for Health GI Microb-X product as one of the antimicrobial blends for eradicating infectious microorganisms. She also introduced Megaspore probiotic to rebuild beneficial gut flora and to support the immune system.
For dietary support, Emily began seed cycling and introduced more healthy fats into her diet. She also incorporated detoxification strategies such as dry brushing and rebounding into her daily routine to help her move toxins out of the body in a natural way.
The Transformation
Photo by Patrick Hendry
As Emily gained energy, she was able to reintegrate exercise into her life and she enjoys mountain biking and outdoor sports of many kinds.
After six months on the coaching program, Emily reported feeling better than she had in years despite experiencing some extreme stress, including the sudden death of her partner’s mother.
Over the course of her six months on the program, Emily gained enough energy and mental clarity to make big decisions about her life, including the purchase of a new home and a desire to have a baby.
Emily is now thriving, pregnant, happy in her life, and excited about her future.
Are You Ready for Your Transformation?
Work With Us!
We would be honored to work with you as a private client. We provide testing and coaching options to women in most every state and country. Come check out our coaching options to see if it’s a fit.
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Essential Oils that Balance Sleep, Mood and More with Jodi Cohen
Jodi Cohen is the founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, an essential oils company, and the best selling author of "Healing with Essential Oils". She's a nutritional therapist and essential oils expert. In this episode we talk about the nervous system and how to get into parasympathetic rest mode, getting a good night's sleep, the adrenal glands, and histamine.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:35 Introducing Jodi Cohen
Min 03:25 Jodi's health history
Min 08:40 Essential oil formulas
Min 11:00 How essential oils work
Min 17:45 Jodi's first approach to helping clients: improving sleep
Min 22:55 Mold & clearing the sinuses
Min 23:40 Melotonin and how it detoxifies
Min 25:40 Effects of stress on the body
Min 28:50 The adrenals & HPA
Min 34:10 Detoxifying estrogen
Min 35:45 Using binders
Min 38:40 Mood adjustment with essential oils
Min 45:15 Histamine balance for air cleaning
Min 46:05 Jodi Cohen's essential oils
Min 48:30 Jodi's resources
To learn more about Jodi Cohen, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook page
Facebook discussion group
Pinterest
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Resources:
Buy essential oils 10% off using the code "womenswellness"
Leaky Gut Solutions interview with Kiran Krishnan
Free gift: Download a free chapter of Jodi's book, Healing with Essential Oils
Here's the video version of the interview with Jodi Cohen:
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our 5 Detox Swaps Guide here, and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly.
Taming Fussy, Hormonal Skin with Megan Schwarz
Megan Schwarz is an attorney turned female hormonal health advocate, with a specialty in skin care. She offers clients dietary, lifestyle, and hormonal support focused on inflammatory skin issues such as hormonal acne, dermatitis, and hyperpigmentation. In this episode, we are going to focus mainly on the internal aspects of skin issues.
Fixing Chronic Fatigue with Shelley Gawith
Shelley Gawith is a Functional Nutritionist in private practice in Wellington, New Zealand. She completed Nutritional Therapy Association studies, IHS Advanced Functional Assessment Training, and is a Certified Gluten Practitioner. In this episode we talk about adrenal health, her amazing health history, and her work in helping busy career women overcome fatigue & anxiety.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:30 Introducing Shelley Gawith's work
Min 04:25 Shelley's health journey with chronic fatigue syndrome
Min 08:30 Shelley's steps to getting better
Min 12:10 Cellular energy & adrenal health
Min 16:40 Root causes of Shelley's health problems
Min 21:45 Work stress & its effects on the adrenals
Min 26:50 Shelley's advice for career women
Min 36:50 Hydrochloric acid
Min 39:05 Gulping water but getting dehydrated
Min 42:30 Using electrolytes
Min 47:40 Shelley's resources
To learn more about Shelley, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Instagram
Resources:
My favorite electrolyte
31 Day Challenge
Beautycounter products - non-toxic line of beauty products
Here's the video version of the interview with Shelley Gawith:
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our Hormone-Lovin’ Superfoods Guide here, and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly.
Overcome Weight Loss Resistance with Karen Martel
Karen is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach and weight loss expert from Canada. She is a health leader and researcher determined to revolutionize nutrition for modern women. In this episode Karen and I talk about some of the causes of weight loss resistance like stress, hormones & indigestion.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:30 What is weight loss resistance?
Min 04:10 Karen's personal experience with weight loss resistance
Min 09:20 Testing to get to the root cause
Min 10:40 Karen's passion in nutrition & helping women
Min 14:35 Causes of weight loss resistance
Min 20:35 Karen's personal meal plans & health coaching
Min 23:50 Weight loss resistance case scenarios
Min 28:00 The ketogenic diet & being in ketosis
Min 33:40 Karen's resources
Min 36:25 Connecting with your health coach
To learn more about Karen, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Instagram
Resources:
On Track program
Free recipe ebook "Paleo for Hormone Health Cookbook"
Check out our summit recordings and programs at our shop.
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our free guide here and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly.
Get Your Brain Working Better with Dr. Steven Masley
Dr. Steven Masley, MD is a physician, nutritionist, trained-chef, and author. In this episode we talk about brain health and his new book "The Better Brain Solution" coming out Jan 2, 2018.
Here’s what you’ll hear:
Min 01:55 The fear of aging & brain health
Min 02:55 Introduction to Dr. Steven Masley
Min 03:25 Motivation behind the book "The Better Brain Solution"
Min 05:55 The 5 pillars to better brain health
Min 06:45 The odds of cognitive dysfunction for men & women
Min 08:35 Why women's brains rewire during menopause
Min 10:50 Other factors affecting brain health
Min 15:50 Exercise for improved brain health & insulin control
Min 19:30 Ketogenic diets, memory loss and interminent fasting
Min 22:10 Avoiding meat & grains when fasting
Min 25:00 Nutrients & supplements for a better brain
Min 30:10 Toxins (BPA, Phthaletes, Mercury), paleo eating & preservatives
Min 36:55 Dr. Steven Masley's brain quiz
To learn more about Dr. Masley, visit his website here and follow him on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Resources:
Enroll for the 30-Day Better Brain Challenge
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our free guide here, and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Check out her easy 5-Day DIY Detox Guide here!
Bridgit's Year in Review
I'm your guest this week where I will be reviewing the year 2017 and the decisions I made on my health, family and business. I'll be interviewed by our new team member Stephanie Risinger who'll also tell us about her podcast.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:05 Introducing Stephanie & Bridgit
Min 03:15 Transitioning from Portland to Arizona
Min 06:20 Review of Bridgit's physical health
Min 11:16 Marcons and using Western medicine with Eastern medicine
Min 14:10 Dealing with emotional health
Min 20:30 Getting help from different practitioners
Min 23:45 Lessons learnt in 2017
Min 26:50 Bridgit's habits and routines
Min 28:50 Big wins for Women's Wellness Collaborative in 2017
Min 33:35 The future of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Min 37:35 Stephanie Risinger's podcast
Min 40:10 Health steps taken by Stephanie
To learn more about Stephanie and her Holistic Fertility and Wellness Podcast, visit her website here and follow her on social media:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Resources:
Here's a video version of the interview I did:
“How was your 2017? I’d love to hear about it below!”
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to get our Top-Down Digestion Guide here, and come on board!
We have lots of valuable, free resources for women's health we share weekly.
Pause and Pivot to Reduce Stress
I wanted to give a quick tip, in the form of a 5-minute video, that you can use to transform uncomfortable feelings and react differently to hard situations.
You can use this technique in any situation, from complaining mother-in-laws to general anxiety. One thing I didn't emphasize enough in the video is that you don't necessarily need to say something in the moment. You can slow down time, so to speak, by taking a walk, leaving a conversation, or choosing your reaction after more time to reflect. If you're a firecracker like me, it's nice to practice this option sometimes!
This technique stemmed from work with my 'transformation coach', Toni St. Clair. If you'd like to find out more about Toni or schedule a discovery session with her, go here. Toni definitely got some stuck things to shift for me!
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening!
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP
Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
Parasites: A Hidden Root Cause with Dr. Todd Watts
Dr. Todd Watts is a functional medicine chiropractor from Idaho and in this guest we’re talking about parasitic infections.
Click here to download an mp3 of "Parasites: A Hidden Root Cause with Dr. Todd Watts."
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 01:20 Introduction to Dr. Todd Watts
Min 03:40 Dr. Watts working on his own case
Min 05:10 Why most of Dr. Todd's patients are women
Min 06:45 How often female patients have parasitic infection
Min 10:50 Testing for parasites
Min 15:25 The connection between Epstein barr and Lyme
Min 19:25 Responses to parasite treatments
Min 22:40 Stress, exposure to chemicals & electromagnetic frequency
Min 25:30 Dr. Todd Watt's healing process & the 5R's of cellular healing
Min 33:00 Parasitic infection and systemic inflammation
To learn more about Dr. Todd Watts and his practice, visit his website here and follow him on social media:
5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health
Are you doing all the ‘right things’ but still feeling blah?
Get my list of 5 Easy Detox Swaps for Women’s Health to start clearing out the toxins and reset your system to feel better today!
Click here for more information on private coaching.