Clean Eating for Women with Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition - #15: Fatigue & Autoimmunity with Functional Medicine Physician Mark R. Engelman MD, FSCM

#15: Fatigue & Autoimmunity with Functional Medicine Physician Mark R. Engelman MD, FSCM

01/15/18 • 56 min

Clean Eating for Women with Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition

Physician Mark R. Engelman MD, FSCM, is here to talk about Autoimmune related conditions, including testing, diet, and lifestyle recommendations.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:

We are going to talk about the testing company Cyrex Labs.
How Dr. Engelman has extensive experience managing autoimmune conditions
Testing, diet, and lifestyle recommendations from Dr. Engelman

Some highlights of this episode on Fatigue & Autoimmunity with Functional Medicine Physician Mark R. Engelman MD, FSCM:

Dr. Engelman came from a medical family in Ohio. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps, but moved to Arizona to get out of the cold weather. He was an emergency medical physician for 23 years. He was the President of the Heart Association, and he was a mainstream medicine guy. [02:09]
He then started a bilingual hospital in Mexico and then worked in China. He learned a lot about Eastern medicine, and then became mesmerized by stem cells. He found a stem cell fellowship. The stem cell medicine got him interested in cellular biology. Integrated medicine is the pathway to how things work. If you know this, then you can figure out what is going wrong when someone gets sick. [03:39]
The End of Alzheimer's prior to the 2000s the word was what? Now the new word is why? Why am I sick and how can I do something about it. Integrative medicine is about the why. [06:34]
How people see Dr. Engelman after other doctors not being able to diagnose them. How patients have a series of symptoms and sign with a label put on them. Dr. Engelman asks the question of why are they experiencing these symptoms. Autoimmune diseases are always triggered by something. [10:23]
The importance of finding a doctor who focuses in on the history of the patient before testing. Regular doctors get a blood panel. Chemistry panel and electrolytes. Get a general idea of how your organs are working. For fatigue, looking at thyroid is an option. These tests can be inaccurate with the spread rates. Functional medicine doctors can hone in better. [13:23]
Finding the trigger for autoimmune thyroid problems. First look at the gluten panel on Cyrex. How autoimmune goes after one thing and then goes after your body too. How autoimmune disease is autoimmune activity or a bunch of things happening. [19:18]
My immune system has decided to start attacking me. This is about immunology and how we manufacture energy. We have millions of immune cells that feel their way around our bloodstreams and tissue. If our immune system doesn't recognize something from being different from us. Main triggers are hidden allergens, environmental toxins, inflammatory diets, trauma, stress, and pathogens. [22:51]
How we have control over our treatments and seeing and finding a functional medicine doctor to manage the disease. Many of these autoimmune diseases are reversible. Finding out what the issues are can help to reverse this stuff. How the barrier gets breached and then our immune systems go after the foreign things and then it makes mistakes. [32:17]
The importance of quality sleep and having a healthy gut. Testing for gluten and cross reactivity. Antibodies to new foods introduced to the body. How adding estrogen may balance out the immune system. [37:38]

Links mentioned in this episode (some affiliate links included):

We are going to talk about the testing company Cyrex Labs.
How Dr. Engelman has extensive experience managing autoimmune conditions
Testing, diet, and lifestyle recommendations from Dr. Engelman

Some highlights of this episode on Fatigue & Autoimmunity with Functional Medicine Physician Mark R. Engelman MD, FSCM:

Dr. Engelman came from a medical family in Ohio. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps, but moved to Arizona to get out of the cold weather. He was an emergency medical physician for 23 years. He was the President of the Heart Association, and he was a mainstream medicine guy. [02:09]
He then started a bilingual hospital in Mexico and then worked in China. He learned a lot about Eastern medicine, and then became mesmerized by stem cells. He found a stem cell fellowship. The stem cell medicine got him interested in cellular biology. Integrated medicine is the pathway to how things work. If you know this, then you can figure out what is going wrong when someone gets sick. [03:39]
The End of Alzheimer's prior to the 2000s the word was what? Now the new word is why? Why am I sick and how can I do something about it. Integrative medicine is about the why. [06:34]
How people see Dr. Engelman after other doctors not being able to diagnose them. How patients have a series of symptoms and sign with a label put on them. Dr. Engelman asks the question of why are they experiencing these symptoms. Autoimmune diseases are always triggered by something. [10:23]
The importance of finding a doctor who focuses in on the history of the patient before testing. Regular doctors get a blood panel. Chemistry panel and electrolytes. Get a general idea of how your organs are working. For fatigue, looking at thyroid is an option. These tests can be inaccurate with the spread rates. Functional medicine doctors can hone in better. [13:23]
Finding the trigger for autoimmune thyroid problems. First look at the gluten panel on Cyrex. How autoimmune goes after one thing and then goes after your body too. How autoimmune disease is autoimmune activity or a bunch of things happening. [19:18]
My immune system has decided to start attacking me. This is about immunology and how we manufacture energy. We have millions of immune cells that feel their way around our bloodstreams and tissue. If our immune system doesn't recognize something from being different from us. Main triggers are hidden allergens, environmental toxins, inflammatory diets, trauma, stress, and pathogens. [22:51]
How we have control over our treatments and seeing and finding a functional medicine doctor to manage the disease. Many of these autoimmune diseases are reversible. Finding out what the issues are can help to reverse this stuff. How the barrier gets breached and then our immune systems go after the foreign things and then it makes mistakes. [32:17]
The importance of quality sleep and having a healthy gut. Testing for gluten and cross reactivity. Antibodies to new foods introduced to the body. How adding estrogen may balance out the immune system. [37:38]

Links mentioned in this episode (some affiliate links included):

Previous Episode

#14: Setting Goals & Making Health a Priority

Setting Goals & Making Health a Priority

It’s the beginning of 2018, and I’m talking about New Year's resolutions and making health a priority in this solo episode #14.

You can listen here or using your favorite podcast app (click through to my site if you don't see the player below): In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, I talk about:

My New Year’s resolutions
Focusing on health as opposed to weight loss
My favorite tips for cleaning up your diet when health is your goal

Some highlights of this episode:

The strategy that I have been using to set my big 2018 goal is visualizing my goal and figuring out the roadblocks or limiting beliefs that are preventing me from keeping that goal. This is based on Courtney Violet Bentley's meditation technique. [09:19]
My 2018 goal is to write a book. I visualized reaching the goal with the completed book in my hands. Then I had to discover what was preventing me from reaching the goal. My limiting beliefs were that it is a lot of work, I've never done it before, and that I am not good enough. [10:11]
Things I came up with to overcome my limiting beliefs included an inspirational podcast with a writing coach, then I reached out to the writing coach who referred me to a different coach, I set up a consultation, we had a nice connection, I sent him some of my work, and I have an appointment with him. I also created a project calendar, and then I started to write. [13:21]
How health for me is about managing my symptoms of my autoimmune disease and feeling vibrant and alive. I'm also trying to manage my migraines and make sleep a priority. [17:27]
I'm also exercising earlier in the day and not over exercising. I exercise for 20 to 50 minutes and then practice 10 minutes of gentle yoga in the evening. I'm also working on having a normal menstrual cycle and managing my overall inflammation. [20:13]
An example of setting goals for weight loss to improve health include visualizing the goal and feeling it. Roadblocks include having time and energy for healthier meals and going to the gym. [24:24]
Overcome roadblocks by meal prepping or trying an online program that doesn't require me to go the gym. Little things that can be done include adding another serving of vegetables to my diet, buying bagged spinach, walking 20 minutes a day, finding a walking buddy, and using a pedometer. [26:30]
Practical tips for clean eating include using an instant pot and listening to my podcasts on green smoothies, clean cooking techniques and meal planning, and how to make vegetables taste delicious. Other things you can do include increasing your vegetable servings, trying a meal delivery service, batch cooking, meal planning services, CSA boxes, and my Clean Eating Everyday Cookbook. [30:12]

Links mentioned in this episode (some affiliate links included):

Clean Eating 101 eBook (Please leave a review on iTunes) and email me a screenshot [email protected]
Enviromedica Agent Minerals Discount Code: Cleaneating1
Otto’s Cassava Flour Discount Code: Cleaneating
Podcast #13: Courtney Violet Bentley on Discovering Our Limiting Beliefs
Fitbit
Instant Pot
Podcast #3 Green Smoothie Tips & Tricks
Podcast #4: Clean Cooking Techniques & Meal Planning
Podcast #7: How to Make Veggies Taste Delicious
Pete’s Paleo
Real Simple Good
Clean Eating Everyday Discount Code: Cleaneating

Next Episode

#16: Traditional diets and what they can teach us about health with Hilda Labrada Gore

Hilda Labrada Gore from the Wise Traditions Podcast is here today to talk about traditional diets and what they can teach us about health. Wise Traditions is the podcast for the Weston A. Price Foundation.In this episode of the Clean Eating for Women podcast, we talk about:

The importance of ridding our bodies of toxins before having children.
The healthiest people in the world all have eating nutrient dense foods in common.
Making gradual changes to support significant diet change.

Some highlights of this episode:

Hilda got into health and wellness because her life began on shaky ground. Her mom had German measles, and she was born with a hole in her heart. After her surgery, she wanted to take care of the body she has. She is an integrative nutrition health coach, a group fitness professional, and a wellness podcaster. [01:09]
The importance of cleaning out our bodies before having children, because we are exposed to so many toxins. How preservatives and additives may have made Hilda's mom vitamin A deficient. [03:27]
The Weston A. Price Foundation is based on a dentist and researcher who went all around the world looking for the healthiest people. He found people with amazing smiles and wanted to see what they were eating. People in different areas all ate different things, but they all had eating nutrient dense foods in common. [04:27]
How being vegan is great as a fast and cleanse, but it is difficult to sustain as a diet and lifestyle because of missing essential nutrients in the diet. [09:06]
Hilda was introduced to the Weston A. Price Foundation through a friend who was suffering from chronic fatigue, and she noticed how diet had helped her friend. [11:31]
The importance of gradual diet changes. It takes time to make significant lasting change. Spend a year switching to butter, and then find natural snacks. Doing little upgrades to develop wise traditions is what worked for Hilda. Progress not perfection. [12:01]
A Maasai Warrior contacted the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Hilda went to talk with him. HIlda encouraged them to eat their natural diet which consists of milk, meat, and blood. They made the decision as a community to go back to their traditional diet. [17:29]
The ancestral foods of Peru include a variety of traditional diets. Like seafood on the coast. Things like liver and onions, and fish soup including the head. The jungle areas eat wild boar and vegetables and plants. People in the mountains eat diets rich in carbohydrates like quinoa and wild potatoes. Eating according to your region. [20:27]
How having a healthy gut is the key to wellness, because we need a healthy gut to assimilate the nutrients from our food. Drinking bone broth is a great way to start. Also, think about what you put on your body. [26:06]

Links mentioned in this episode (some affiliate links included):