Introduction
[00:00:00] Detective Ev: Hello my friends. Welcome back to another episode of the Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition. My name is Evan Transue, aka Detective Ev. I will be your host for today’s show. This is going to be a good episode. We are on the 200th episode of the show. I’m sure you could tell that by the title, but it’s still amazing to me that we’ve been doing this for a couple of years.
We’ve interviewed so many people. I mean, a lot of those episodes are interviews. They’re not just short episodes that I did. It’s kind of incredible looking back and just realizing all the amazing people that we’ve talked to. Then the fact that we are not slowing down anytime soon. There is well over 200 more to go, that’s for sure. So, in a sense, we’re just getting this show started, in my opinion.
With that said, on the hundredth episode, what we tried to do for the special that was kind of cool is, I’m in PA and I ended up going all the way out to San Diego to see Reed Davis, the founder of FDN. He was having a Christmas party that week anyway, so it was kind of cool. I got to see other FDNs. But we did the hundredth episode live and in person.
Was there any real reason for that? Absolutely not, other than that, it’s fun to say that we did it. What we are doing for the 200th episode is a little different. Of course, you can take it many routes. I’m like, do we bring on Reed again? Do we bring on another special guest?
A Compilation of the Signature Question Responses
But then I realized, well, wait a second, what if we compiled all of the best information from all of the episodes into one? And you might be saying, well, how could you get all the best information unless you were consciously tracking that from day one, which we were not admittedly.
So, the other way to get the best information is, if you’re a regular listener of the show then you already know what I’m about to say, probably. The final question to any guest that we have on the show is, hey, Mr. And Mrs. So-and-so, if you could wave a magic wand and get every single person in this world to do one thing for their health, whether that’s literally do one thing or stop doing one thing, what is the one thing that you’d get them to do?
And this has been worded differently throughout the last couple of years. Sometimes it was, what’s the one habit you’d get them to engage in? It’s always been something very similar to this though. Some of the answers you might hear like, oh, what one habit would I get them to change? It’s still the same question at its core. You’ll hear the same type of answers, although everyone gives a kind of unique answer throughout this podcast, which is pretty amazing.
But what we did is we compiled those answers from all of those people. So, this entire episode, after I’m done with this intro is literally just one after another, the answers for what people would do if they could do nothing else for individuals in order to help them support their health.
Positive Affirmations for a Health Podcast
You are going to get the best advice from some of the best minds in the world, in my humble opinion on anything functional medicine and natural health. The reality is some people take a lot longer than a few seconds to answer this question, and that means we have multiple episodes coming out.
Now, I know this is probably a cool episode in concept, but I know it’s also not for everyone. So, I won’t drag this out completely. What I’m going to do is this. I’m estimating at the time of recording this, based on what I’m at now, it might be a full three episodes to really get through everyone. Because now it’s like, what am I going to do not honor everyone who came on here? That’s not something I want to do.
I am going to make episode 200 and 201 continuations of this. We’re going to continue the compilation. But then we’ll probably wait until somewhere between 208 and 210 before we do that third one, just to get you guys back to the interviews and the normally scheduled stuff.
But this is the holiday time of year. I think it’s actually kind of a good time to be doing something like this. You’re probably listening to your podcasts a little more distracted than ever before, cause you might have other things going on. Maybe you’re driving around going shopping or you’re preparing something for family if they’re coming over for the holidays.
At the same time, it’s kind of a good episode to listen to where this is mostly just positive affirmations for health. That’s basically what this episode is. It’s probably something that can be listened to a couple of times.
Help Us Get the Info Out There
With that all said, I just wanted to thank you guys so much for listening to our podcast enough that we can justify continuously pumping this out. Obviously, I’m the host of this and love being able to do this. We couldn’t justify doing this if we did not have listenership and increasing listenership at that. I greatly appreciate you guys.
Most importantly, I am so thankful for all the reviews we have received throughout this last couple of years. On Apple Podcasts, at the time of recording this, we have 72 perfect five-star reviews. On Spotify, we have like 14 or 15 perfect five-star reviews. I know many podcasts and normally by the time you get over 20, 30 reviews, there’s been some hater. There’s been someone that is having a bad day and leaves just something negative.
So, the fact that we are approaching potentially 100 five-star reviews on Apple without any negativity is amazing to me. That is my goal. I know we’re going to get a hater eventually. There’s no way you’re getting to 1,000 or 2,000 without someone coming in and having something to say. But I do believe in my heart that we can get to that 100 mark with a perfect five-star.
So, if you enjoyed anything that you’ve learned over the last couple of years, or maybe you’ve only been listening for a couple of months, we’d greatly appreciate that five-star review. It allows this information to rank higher, which gets this information out there to more people. There are people out there right now that are suffering just like I did, like my family members did, like many of our guests did with chronic health issues that have no idea that there is an alternative.
Many People Just Don’t Know About Alternatives
I’m not trying to be dramatic. I’ve seen this in my own life though. I’ve seen this with my aunt. I talked to her about stuff when she was dealing with cancer, but you don’t want to impose too much on anyone who’s dealing with those things. It’s a very emotional topic and I get that.
But my aunt was a smart person. My aunt was a kind person. My aunt was as good of an individual as you could ask for. She didn’t know what she didn’t know, and her disease killed her. Cancer is serious, right? So, I’m not saying a hundred percent that the natural stuff would’ve just solved everything. I don’t know that. But I know that not trying the natural stuff over three years of this cancer diagnosis, that didn’t help either.
There are people out there suffering right now that want to know this information, that have no idea that it exists. They’re not being told this by Western medicine. I’m not suggesting that Western medicine is hiding it. If you go look at most MDs, they don’t look like they’re sitting on the fountain of youth. I always say that on the show. I’m not suggesting that they’re hiding it. I’m suggesting that it was never taught to them either. It’s a big, big problem.
A simple review, yes, I like it. It helps make me happy. I appreciate that. But more importantly, it gets the information out there to people who desperately need to hear this.
200th Episode: Return to Alignment with Ancestral Principles
I’m not just asking for a review so we can make a couple extra bucks. FDN is doing just fine. People need to hear this. I’m not asking you to do it just as a favor, if you actually like the information, that’s what I’m asking you to please leave us a five-star review. We’d greatly appreciate that. Without further ado, let’s get into the first of a couple episodes that we will be doing, compiling the best things that our guests have advice wise for the last 200 episodes. Here we go.
Ryan Monahan: Being more in alignment with ancestral principles. What I mean by that is that I really love Chris Kresser has this definition of disease, which is that disease is a mismatch between our genetics and the modern environment.
What he’s saying there, what he’s getting at is that for hundreds of thousands of years, humans were spending a majority of their time outdoors in the sun, eating real food, getting genuine human connection, weren’t exposed to all the toxins and artificial light that we’re exposed to today.
So, in my opinion, I think so much of optimizing our health gets back to how we can, in the modern age, replicate some of these ancestral practices. Our body is not equipped to be eating processed foods and sitting all day. If you think about it, sometimes that’s hard to see because that’s kind of the ether that we’re all swimming in.
A famous sociologist once said that the last thing a fish would ever notice is water. None of us ever look around and notice that the way that we’re living our life is not normal. That we’re eating all these Franken foods and that we’re barely getting up out of our computer chairs.
200th Episode: Eradicate Wheat from the Face of the Earth
We’re all disconnected from each other and don’t make time for friends and family. You can list dozens and dozens of examples. But I think if you use that as kind of a key point or a general principle, you can start to find more ways where you can kind of get back to some of these basics where we’re more in alignment with what our biology and our genetics expects from us from an evolutionary lense. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #2: Visiting 40 Different Doctors w/ Ryan Monahan on Apple Podcasts)
Whitney Morgan: Well, I think you probably know the answer to that. If I had the genie blink and I could just have one wish, I would eradicate wheat from the face of the earth. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #3: How To Fully Break Up With Gluten w/ Whitney Morgan, L.Ac., FDN-P, CGP, PHC on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Stop, Breathe, and be Thankful
Brandy Buskow: I think I would say, stop and smell the flowers. Stop rushing around. Be gentle with yourself. Stop putting so much expectations on yourself. If we can just stop for a second, take a deep breath, and just be thankful for the things in our life today, it can go a really long way in how we look at things going forward.
You know, I could say all kinds of things about diet or remove this from your diet and all that. But I think that’s one thing that we’ve really lost is the ability to just stop and take a deep breath and just appreciate the day for what it is, even if it’s the simplest thing. Like, I got to go outside, and the sun was shining on my face. Something simple like that can really have a big impact on your mindset. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #4: Finally Getting Answers w/ Brandy Buskow, FDN-P, BCFWC, Master EFT Practitioner on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Sleep According to Your Circadian Rhythm
Jenn Malecha: Oh gosh. I’m so torn with this because I think there’s two big things that have had an impact in my personal health that I also see in the health of my clients. I think everybody tends to focus on diet and exercise and take this supplement. But sleep is huge. And I’m not talking about how many hours you’re sleeping. I’m talking about sleeping according to your circadian rhythm.
This was for me, going through the FDN course when Reed talked about this, I was like, oh my God, why isn’t anybody talking about this? That based on the natural rhythm of our body, it’s very critical for us to be sleeping from approximately 10:00 PM to about 4:00 AM because of this natural circadian rhythm that we have when our body does certain things at nighttime to actually restore, repair, and heal itself. A lot of people are not doing that in this modern-day world that we live in.
So that’s one. And I’m going to share two just because.
Detective Ev: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Jenn Malecha: You know, Evan, the biggest thing for me, lesson, has been learning how to navigate life differently because I’m a super type A personality. I am driven by passion and to succeed in life as I think a lot of us are. When I look back, some of that passion and drive and that A type personality is also what contributed to the decline in my health. Because I just kept pushing my body no matter how loud it was yelling at me and trying to tell me that there was something wrong.
200th Episode: Allow More Space for Rest and Balance
You know, our body will do anything that we ask it to, but that doesn’t mean that we should. So, I like to say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. That’s where I hear so many times people are like, well, I’m eating healthy, I’m doing this. I’m taking supplements. I’m going to sleep.
But they’re still acting like a maniac in their life where they’re burning the candle at both ends, putting too much on their plate, overcommitting themselves, still trying to live their same old lifestyle, which is probably a big part of what drove their health into the ground in the first place.
So, for me, there’s been a huge lesson in all of this, of not taking on so much, allowing more space for rest and balance in my life. And it’s really hard cause I am a workaholic by nature. But it’s huge. I and my clients all struggle with that too. We’ve all gotten so caught up in the rat race of the modern-day world, and that’s been a huge contributor to what we’re seeing, I think, in the state of people’s health these days. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #5: From Cancer In Her 20‘s, to Vibrant Health In Her 30‘s w/ Jenn Malecha on Apple Podcasts)
Tamy Anderson: I would say when it comes to diet, I think addressing diet right away and eliminate gluten 100% from all sources 100% of the time. I don’t think that there’s a single person in this world who would not see incredible health benefits from making that one change. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #6: Allergies On Steroids w/ Tamy Anderson, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Eat Quality Meat and Bring Down Nervous System Activation
Jennifer Woodward: Ooh, definitely eat animal products. Eat well raised, pastured to the best of your ability, animal products, especially women. If you’re a woman and you have a daughter, I would implore you, please have your daughters eat meat as well. It really is the foundation for excellent health for women.
If you’re not able to digest them, then we’ve got another issue to talk about. But a healthy woman should be able to eat and digest meat one to three times a day. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #7: Women‘s Hormones and Healthy Periods w/ Jennifer Woodward, FDN-P, BCFWC on Apple Podcasts)
Candace McCallister: I think again, it’s what we’ve talked about quite a bit here. This stress response, this living in chronic stress state, I would love to change that for everyone. There are so many good resources out there. But I think about it so often right now as there’s tension in our country and as this seems to be affecting relationships within families and friendships.
I think if we could bring down our nervous system activation, then we could connect, we could listen to each other, we could regain health and find a way forward in ways that are more peaceful and loving. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #8: A Counselor‘s View On Functional Health For Mental Health w/ Candace McCallister, FDN-P, Holistic Mental Health Counselor on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Cut Out Gluten & Dairy, Healthier Sources of Sugar
Dr. Evan Hirsch, MD: Oh, that’s such a good question. So many different ways to go.
I’m kind of arm wrestling between having everybody go gluten free and having everybody go sugar free. I’ve talked quite a bit about supplements and toxicities and all these other things, but when it all comes down to it, it’s really hard to get better if you’re not doing a good job with your diet. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #9: Fixing Your Fatigue w/ Dr. Evan Hirsch, MD on Apple Podcasts)
Jodie Ellenor: I feel like I’m on Miss America or something. It’s like the judged question. How well do you answer this?
I would say actually clean eating. I think for most people that’s the big piece of the puzzle that’s missing.
Detective Ev: When we say clean eating, how would you define that? Is that organic? Is that whole foods? Cause obviously that can mean a lot of different things.
Jodie Ellenor: Yeah. Anti-inflammatory. So, cutting out gluten, cutting out dairy, healthier sources of sugars and not in extreme amounts. Even those three things, I think, everyone would see an incredible change. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #10: African Parasites, Mold, and Mental Health w/ Jodie Ellenor, FDN-P, Clinical Social Worker, Yoga Teacher on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Minimize Inflammatory Foods
Justine Altman: Oh man, Evan, that’s a hard one. It’s really hard because as you know, it’s not ever one thing, right? It is not ever the supplements, it’s not ever the diet alone. It’s not ever the exercise alone. A combination of things is what it is.
I would have to say though, it’s to minimize inflammatory foods in the diet. In my experience, that is the number one absolute biggest, fastest needle mover for everyone. Even if they’re not able to make a shift in improving their sleep or their exercise or their stress reduction in other ways, just removing the inflammation that comes from food alone, especially because we’re doing it all day, every day, or for most of us, at least three times a day. That is absolutely the biggest needle mover for people.
Detective Ev: Awesome. And just to be a hundred percent clear, because anyone listening to this, sometimes the interpretation of what an inflammatory food is, is very different. We got vegans that hate on paleo. Paleo that hate on vegans. We’ll say the opposites inflammatory. So, just for our audience, like what do you mean by inflammatory foods?
Justine Altman: Yeah, thank you for asking. The biggest things definitely are alcohol, sugar, dairy, and grains, in my opinion. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #11: From 9 Diet Cokes A Day To Thriving Health Coach w/ Justine Altman, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: No Sugar or Processed Foods, Sleep at a Reasonable Hour
Lori Balue: Don’t eat any sugar, it’s poison. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #12: From Overweight To Hiking The Grand Canyon YEARLY w/ Lori Balue, A-CFHC, FDN-P, LEHP on Apple Podcasts)
Carly Herter: Stop eating processed food and get back in your kitchen to make everything from scratch. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #13: Lyme Disease – The Silent Killer w/ Carly Herter, FDN-P, AADP on Apple Podcasts)
Shannon Miller: I would get them to sleep at a reasonable hour. I think if people could just get quality sleep. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #14: Periods Don‘t Have To Hurt w/ Shannon MIller, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Heather Gray: I would get them to eat real food. I wish I could get rid of packaged food altogether. It is disgusting, it’s dead, it’s inflammatory, it’s disease causing. It’s addictive. I wish I could get rid of all the crap that a lot of other countries have banned in their country, but we allow to go on here in the United States. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: [REUPLOAD] #15: Getting Answers After Decades In The Dark w/ Heather Gray, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Breathe Correctly
Rika Keck: Easy question because it just came in one of my consultations with a client this morning. It is breathe. How to breathe. If we don’t breathe, the breathing is the top of the totem pole. This is CHEK. If we don’t breathe appropriately, we can keep our body in sympathetic overdrive nonstop.
If the body is in fight or flight nonstop, everything else will, in a way, be affected by that. The body can’t heal, the body can’t digest, the body can’t rest. And the body won’t get enough oxygen. The hormones obviously get blown out. Thyroid adrenal function gets compromised, the gut gets compromised, sleep gets compromised, immune function gets compromised.
Breathing is free. It doesn’t cost anything. Breathing, we can do at home. We don’t have to go anywhere. Breathing is something we can take action in today, right now. If we need guides, there are YouTube videos that help us through breathing.
That is something we can do right now. And if we don’t do that, our healing journey will become compromised. No supplement can replace our ability to breathe and to breathe correctly. That would be my number one tip. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #16: So, You Think You Know Lyme Disesase? w/ Rika Keck, FDN-P, CHEK HCL Level 3 on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Get Rid of Toxic Beach Body Mentality
Kurt Stradtman: If I had that magic wand, it wouldn’t really be a habit to make them do, but I would make people get rid of the eons old beach body mentality of having stuff that you need to have a beach body. You need to get ready and buy into multi-level marketing for smoothies and shakes in order to be ready for the beach.
Or at New Year’s, you see these propaganda and advertisements of people in bikinis and with six packs saying, are you beach body ready? You know, summer’s right around the corner. I hate that mentality. It’s a toxic mindset. If you have a body, then you have a beach body. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #17: Why You Can‘t Trust Regular Bloodwork w/ Kurt Stradtman, FDN-P, AADP on Apple Podcasts)
Ben Azadi: Yeah. But besides telling them to turn off the news, it would be the habit of actually practicing gratitude. I believe what we appreciate, appreciates. If you could really get into the habit of being grateful, you’re going to get more to be grateful for. That’s the universal law. The law of what you feed energy to, expands.
If you could just a simple habit, grab a pen and paper before bed, 10 things you’re grateful for that happened during the day. In the morning, 10 things you’re grateful for overall. Just experiencing gratitude. Because a lot of people do the opposite. They’re complaining, they’re gossiping, they’re focusing on what’s not working, and goes back to the universal law. They’ll get more of what’s not going to work for them.
200th Episode: Focus on Gratitude
But when we could switch that around and start being grateful for the little things, and then we’ll get grateful for the big things. What we appreciate, appreciates. I truly believe what we think about and what we thank about, we bring about. And that’s free. That’s something you could do immediately. That’s something you could do every single day.
That will immediately put you in a healing state because the opposite is fear. Fear puts you in a chronic fight or flight state. As I’ve learned in FDN, at least 90% of chronic disease is a result of chronic stress.
As a matter of fact, Dr. Bruce Lipton, who wrote a great book, The Biology of Belief, has shown and proven with science that you could actually create inflammation around your cells with negative thoughts, what’s stinking thinking. You actually create, you tell your cells to create new proteins that are negative proteins that actually could lead to disease.
But when you start switching that around and flipping that around, thinking about gratitude and being grateful, that’s a superpower. It’s really healing to the body, and it immediately shifts you to more of a parasympathetic rest and digest state. So that’s the thing I would say, focus on gratitude. Appreciate it and you’ll get more to appreciate. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #18: Why Keto Is Not A Fad w/ Ben Azadi, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Dance and Get Out into Nature
Samantha Lander: My mind is spinning right now because I’m thinking of like how I can answer this question but incorporate like 12 things. So, I really get to answer it 12 times with 12 different things. That’s how my brain works.
Let’s think of the core thing that sets off health problems is poor diet. If we could get everybody to eat clean, whole foods and just be educated a little bit more about what they’re putting in their body from when they’re young, then I think that we probably wouldn’t be running into as many health problems as we have now. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #19: Partying, Parasites, and Personal Training w/ Samantha Lander, FDN-P, CPT, CHEK LVL 2 on Apple Podcasts)
Achina Stein: I would get them to dance. I would get them to dance because you can do so much with movement and dancing is fun. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #20: Traditional Doc Turned Functional Psychiatrist w/ Achina Stein, D.O., DFAPA, FACN, ABIHM, IFMCP on Apple Podcasts)
Luna Hart: Yeah, just one, huh? Just one thing.
Detective Ev: Just one thing, yes. I’ll allow two if you can’t resist.
Luna Hart: I would say, I would get people to get out into nature, to take off their shoes, and to move slow. I think that’s one thing. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #21: Healing Years Of Antibiotic Damage w/ Luna Hart, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Eat 1/2 Plate of Leafy Greens at Each Meal
Dr. Beverly Yates: Ooh, what a juicy question, Evan. I love this.
I think we’ll go for the positive here. If I had a magic wand, I would have everyone at each meal of the day eat half their plate leafy green vegetables. That would be my wish for everyone. It could anchor so much goodness for health, and it makes sure you get that nutrient density, all those incredible antioxidants and the hydration, the polyphenols, blah, blah, blah.
The vitamins, the minerals, all that goodness anchors your blood sugar, gives you a friendly cholesterol, pro cholesterol profile, helps you with moving your bowels, your mood, your skin. You get the whole package from those leafy green vegetables, folks. That would be my wish. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #22: Diabetes Is A Lifestyle Disease w/ Dr. Beverly Yates, N.D. on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Take Charge of Your Health and Don’t Give Up
Leslie Parran: Well, I think, to say the one thing to do, I think it’s really to take charge of your health. You have one body that you’re given and to really take care of your body and understand what is good for your body and what isn’t good for your body. I think that’s the one important thing that I would encourage people to do, that they are in charge of their own health.
I would say what not to do, I would say not to just give up. Not to just say, oh, I’ve got, rheumatoid arthritis, or I’ve just taken all these pills and everything’s getting worse. To not give up hope that there is opportunity for you to take some control and to be in a better place with your health. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #23: Mixing 40 Years of Nursing With Functional Principles w/ Leslie Parran, MS, RN, FDN-P, BCFWC, FMCHC, LEHP, CPG on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Journal and Limit Social Media
Jessica Del Pino: Okay. I think if I could get everybody to do one thing that would be for their health, it would be to get a journal and write every day. It’s amazing the amount of things that you can find out about yourself and how you feel and what you think.
I mean, I can offer a million different supplements or regimens or whatever, but honestly every person’s different. And I think when you can really pinpoint within yourself what you like, what you want, what doesn’t work, the people that you want to be around. You do that every day and you read it in your own words, it’s incredible the transformation that can happen without having to do any supplement changes or any lifestyle habits, anything. I think that would be the one thing that I would have every person do, is just to get to learn and know who they are better by doing that.
If I could have them stop doing something, oh, that’s a big one. Yeah, maybe moderation of things like social media. I mean, I work in it, but I don’t personally use it as much.
When I started working in it more, I started to realize how manipulative it is and how easily we are influenced as people, including myself. So, if you can learn how to moderate things like that in your life and give yourself time back, I think a lot of people would benefit by being able to slow down a little and not be so worried about what other people are doing or whatever they’re thinking or how they’re being perceived. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #24: Overcoming 20 Years Of Ulcerative Colitis w/ Jessica Del Pino, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Let the Body Reset
Laini Gray: I would get everyone to go to bed early and sleep for eight to nine hours.
Detective Ev: Simple as that.
Laini Gray: That’s it. Yeah. We overlook the power of sleep and rest and restoration, and that’s where the magic happens for any part of our health. We’re up in the day doing all the things, but the magic really happens when we shut everything down and let the body reset. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #26: Hormone Health, Digestion, And Detox w/ Laini Gray, FDN-P, CPT, CHEK HLC on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Focus on Ways to Improve Sleep
Sarah Phillipe: Well, my biggest thing for people is sleep. I think that sleep is number one. It’s more important than diet and exercise. It is more important than any supplements because sleep is the only time where your body naturally goes into parasympathetic mode.
Deep sleep specifically is the time when peoples’ bodies are doing the healing and the detox work. So, if you’re never getting deep sleep, or if you’re never getting good sleep that’s uninterrupted, then you can’t possibly heal. You can’t possibly recover from even just the day’s stressors.
So, I think that sleep is absolutely crucial. Really focusing on the things that you can do to improve sleep. Whether that is working on resetting the circadian rhythm and getting good light exposure in the mornings and using red light therapy in the evenings or wearing blue light blockers.
Getting off your screens in the evenings, shutting off wifi at night, making sure your temperature in the room is optimal for sleep, making sure you have a comfortable non-toxic mattress. If it needs to be elevated a bit for better sleep, then try that. Keeping electronic devices out of the bedroom, not doing things that are too stimulating before bed. Whatever strategies work, but sleep is like absolutely the number one thing in my book. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #28: Reversing Breast Implant Illness w/ Sarah Phillipe, RN, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Find Fun and Joy in Your Life
Raewyn Guerrero: Find fun and joy in your life.
I really think, yes, of course run labs, do all that kind of stuff. Do the investigative work that’s important. But start finding your joy because so many people are miserable and suffering because they’re not finding balance or joy in their lives. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #30: Mental Health, Mindfulness, and Changing The System w/ Raewyn Guerrero, FDN-P, FMCHC, mBPsS on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Work on Your Light Situation & Eat Organic
Christian Yordanov: Okay. So, I think I would get everyone to start working more on their light situation. By that I mean, at the moment, I’m wearing blue blockers that are kind of made for during the day working at the computer. As soon as we are finished with the interview, I’m going to put on my proper blue blockers with the red lenses that block pretty much most of the blue light.
I wear those for a couple of hours before bed, ideally. So, blocking blue light at night, super important. At the same time to get more sunlight/daylight during the day. If possible, first thing in the morning get out there, get some actual daylight. I think that is super important because you mess with your circadian rhythm, it just can contribute to so many health problems that it’s just unbelievable.
And I suppose the next one is to stop eating non-organic food, right? You can supplement 30 things a day, but if you’re still eating non-organic food, it’s just long-term recipe for disaster. I think those two things are very accessible. You don’t have to be an expert. You just pay $50 for the blue blockers. And organic food nowadays you can almost buy it for the same prices. I’ve actually seen organic food items be cheaper than non-organic items in the same store here. So, I think those would be my two tips. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #31: Autism Wellbeing Plan: How To Get Your Child Healthy w/ Christian Yordanov, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Eat Whole Food and Stop Berating Yourself
Heather Cooan: One thing, okay. The most powerful thing I think has got to be food. So, there are three nutritional principles that I believe apply to every single body on the planet. There’s only three and everything else is independent.
If I could get everyone to eat a whole food, properly prepared, nutrient dense diet, that is what I would wave my wand over. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #32: Overcoming Vulvar Cancer and Lichen Sclerosus w/ Heather Cooan, MBA, NTP, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Megan Blacksmith: Okay. I’m going to go in the category of the podcast. I would get them to stop berating themselves, beating them up, and creating an identity around their illness, as my depression, my PCOS, my anxiety. We ask our women to shift their wording to, I am a human who is currently experiencing depressive or negative or anxious thoughts versus owning that disease. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #33: Mindset Secrets To Accelerate Your Healing w/ Megan Blacksmith, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Practice Self-care Daily
Suzanne Healy: My top tip would be to really start practicing self-care. Have self-care in your daily routine, whether that’s, some quiet breathing time, some meditation, some gratitude practice. But really getting yourself into that calm, parasympathetic nervous system mode. When we can get into that mode, it can really help you to connect with yourself more deeply.
It can bring ideas to you. Can connect you with people who may be able to help you on your journey. But really getting in touch with ourselves and kind of shutting out the busyness for a while and really tuning in. I believe that we all have a lot of answers inside of us that if we just take that time to tune in, we’ll be guided to what we need to find and where we need to be. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #34: How Your Symptoms Can Prevent Weight Loss w/ Suzanne Healy, CIHC, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Dr. Sylvia Tara: I would get them to not surrender to all the pressure around them.
I write about willpower as well in the book and mental capacity to apply yourself. There’s just a lot of research here. The more we have pressure that we take on, the more we have to exert decision making, you know, willpower. We have to work with people. Our willpower gets depleted by the end of the day, and we start to give up.
200th Episode: Love Life and Don’t Give Up
We’ll go to the drive through cause it’s easy. I need a fix, I want something good, I need to replenish. Eating’s as much emotional as it is a need for nutrients. To get people to not give up and stay with it, stay on the track for years, forever. That’s what I wish I could do for everybody is to get them to care. To get them to not feel like they can’t get through the day.
To get them to feel like, you know, they have to run for ice cream cause they’ve had this hard day and they just want a high. Is there a different way to get a high? Can you find more joy during your day rather than having to have this kind of surrender at the end of it and just get into something that feels good. I think that’s it. It’s more on the psychology.
That’s actually my next research I’m doing is the psychology around how much pressure can we handle? Why can some people change their life and stay on it and some people can’t? They keep giving up. There’s something in that kind of endurance, you know, if you will. The endurance of being able to control ourselves and stay in control and stay on a plan. That’s what I wish for everybody.
I can make them love their life enough that they don’t feel like they have to give up at the end of the day and have that beer or ice cream or do something really unhealthy that’s going to hurt them on the next day. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #35: The Secret Life Of Fat w/ Sylvia Tara, PhD on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Learn about Food and Have a Regular Sleep Schedule
Dr. Jeannie Lopez: Learning about food.
Learning about how to read a label, learning about where your food comes from, learning how to cook food. Learning about food. Food is medicine. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #36: Functional Health Meets Neuropsychology w/ Jeannie Lopez, PhD, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Mallory Gonzales: Sleep. It’s, hands down, sleep. I wish my answer had something to do with a certain food that they should eat every day or something that was specifically nutrition. But gosh, sleep affects everything.
You know, if you look at your hunger hormones and your fullness hormones, if you don’t get enough sleep, you can overproduce on your hungry hormones and under-produce on your fullness hormones. That affects your whole day, right?
So, a regular sleep schedule is the one thing that I would encourage to anybody because I think that is helpful to everybody. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #37: Organic Food Matters w/ Mallory Gonzales, RD, Head of Nutrition at Kencko on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Better Alignment with Who We Want to Be
Angela Brown: Oh, it would probably be anything to do with stress management. I mean, stress is such a huge thing.
My always thing is always you gotta do something for yourself. So self-management, self-care, and stress management. Self-care is so important and that, to me, that’s part of stress management. Everyone needs to be doing that. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #38: Getting to The Bottom of Hypothyroidism w/ Angela Brown, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Elizabeth Gaines: I would get everyone to really reconnect with what they want to be and what they want to do in life. Really then look at how they’re spending their time and where they’re putting their energies and efforts. See if those things align.
Because I think once we stop working 80 hours a week because we remember that we like hanging out with our family and that we love our spouse and that we want to see our children grow up, automatically, a huge amount of chronic stress goes away.
I really do believe the FDN fundamentals. You know, Reed says it best that stress is the cause. It is the root of all evil, the cause of metabolic chaos. It’s the place where the dysfunction starts.
So, if we can all sort of examine our lives and sort of say, where can I have more fun? How can I be better aligned with what I really like to do? Who do I like to spend time with? Organize our lives so that those things are possible then I think we would start to see better health emerge just from that. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #39: How to Beat Burnout w/ Elizabeth Gaines, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Walk at Sunrise and Develop a Partnership with Your Body
Torea Rodriguez: Take a walk at morning sunrise. The reason why I say that is you get to check off a lot of boxes.
You’re checking off circadian rhythm, you’re checking off really good light exposure. We talked about light a little bit, but you get that really good light exposure to not only trigger melatonin clocks 12 hours later, but to help with cortisol awakening response and that kind of thing.
You get a little bit of movement, you get some fresh air, and you get some quiet time, which we all need. It’s not, check an email first thing in the morning. It’s getting up and taking a walk at sunrise. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #40: How to Mitigate EMFs and Heal Autoimmunity w/ Torea Rodriguez, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Autumn Smith: I would just say, I want people to believe that your body and the world are working for you. Stay curious and just try and stay out of fear and stay out of judgment.
Know that these symptoms that you’re experiencing aren’t because you were dealt poor genetics, or you’re just destined to struggle all the time. They’re just like little messages, like little whispers from your body saying, hey, something’s out of balance here. I really want to be in balance, so I’m just letting you know.
So, I think if people had that relationship to their body where they knew that they were in partnership, I think it would make a lot of people feel a lot better and have success a lot sooner. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #41: Why You Should Eat Organ Meats w/ Autumn Smith, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Eat Quality Foods and Listen to Your Body
Martha Lewis: I think the biggest thing for me and one of the easiest things to do is to really focus on the quality of your food first. This is very basic for me cause I’ve been doing it for a long time before all the testing and everything else.
Making sure you’re eating organic food that doesn’t have pesticides. Eating quality animal foods that don’t have antibiotics and hormones and all those things in them can go a long way to helping you be healthy. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #42: The Hidden Causes of Insomnia w/ Martha Lewis, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Frankie Leigh: I would encourage systems of self-auditing. Being more in tune with what’s working for them and what is not working. Listening to those signs and symptoms early on.
I think our body has the ability to wave the red flag. It’s the tuning in, listening, trusting ourselves that our body is wise and intelligent and trying to communicate with us, is one thing that I think we would all be in such a more advanced place in our health journey in a good way if we listened into those symptoms.
I feel very fortunate right now to be able to be talking with you. I’m nine years cancer free, on the other side of having chronic symptoms that I brushed under the rug for so long. To be able to just set a little seed in that direction for people to be able to tune in to what their bodies may be telling them, that would be my magic wand moment. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #44: From Cancer In Her 20s To 9 Years Cancer Free w/ Frankie Leigh, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Hydration with Good Quality Water
Melanie Rogers: My first thought is the importance of hydration, and not only hydration, but high-quality water that has minerals in it that isn’t depleted and isn’t full of fluoride and toxins. To look into ways of making your water even more enhanced. But the simple way is to make sure you’re getting filtered water, spring water, with even putting some Celtic sea salt in your water or getting adequate minerals in your water.
I think a lot of us are walking around chronically dehydrated, which means that we aren’t thinking to our full capacity, our digestive system isn’t able to function properly. We can feel tired, we can feel sluggish, brain fog. I think that that would probably be one of the cheapest and easiest.
I mean, yeah, you can get fancy with the filtration systems. I’m realizing that it’s not completely free cause most tap waters are full of contaminants. But you know, clean, good quality water that has added minerals to it is a life changer for your energy and your cognition. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #47: Accutane, Pilates, and Chinese Medicine w/ Melanie Rogers, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Sauna (Detox) and Reframe Negativity
Erica Ziel: The first thing that comes to mind is to sauna. If everybody could do some sort of sauna to detox, the research is there too. My personal experience, it can change your life because of detoxification.
Do you want me to give a more realistic one now?
Detective Ev: I’ve never heard that one before. I mean, we gotta keep it fresh at episode like 42 or three, whatever this is. But if you’d like to give another one, you may.
Erica Ziel: For something that people can do right now that we don’t even need a magic wand for is tying back what I was talking about intuition is our thought process. Recognizing any time that we’re speaking down to ourselves, having negative thoughts. We can instantly start to reframe that into visuals and thoughts and feelings of what we do want for our life and for our health. That is something every single one of you can do right now, today. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #49: Ovarian Cysts, Knee Pain, and Breathwork w/ Erica Ziel, B.Sc., FDN-P, CPT, PPES on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Run Functional Lab Tests and Advocate for Yourself
Sally Aponte: Well, I would definitely look at the diet because I think it starts there. What you put in your body affects you. So, if they had to do one thing, would be look at ways to clean up your diet. That means removing chemicals. Try to eat organic because a lot of the foods now have glyphosate, and that also causes leaky gut.
That’s something I learned also in my own health journey. I had high levels of glyphosate. So, definitely cleaning up the diet. Trying to sleep well, and definitely look into functional lab testing because you might be surprised at what you find for sure. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #50: Never Take No For An Answer w/ Sally Aponte, FDN-P (50th Episode Special)! on Apple Podcasts)
Stephanie Center: Never stop advocating for yourself. That’s the one thing.
If a doctor’s not listening to you, go find another doctor. They’re not your doctor. I think that so many of us, and I’m guilty too, of being told, oh, it’s normal to have migraines, or, oh, it’s normal to have bloating. No, it’s not. And don’t let anybody tell you. You know your body better than any doctor ever will. So never stop advocating for yourself. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #51: All About Environmental Toxins w/ Stephanie Center, FDN-P, Host of ”The Daily Detox” Podcast on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Listen to Your Instincts
Kate Doubler: Sleep is one of the most important things. I mean, I’m about to walk into a whole world of no sleep. But I have found that when people don’t sleep, and I mean biologically. When people don’t sleep, your blood sugar goes out of whack. You don’t manufacture your neurotransmitters, so you actually mentally have problems. Your liver doesn’t detoxify.
Sleep is when our bodies rebuild and repair. You can be the healthiest person in the world, but if you’re doing like three hours of sleep a night and just working all the time, your body is going to wear out really fast. I mean, that’s what causes heart attacks in people, random heart attacks and stuff like that. There are so many other things I could say, but sleep is so essential, it really is. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #52: Becoming The ”Real Food RN” w/ Kate Doubler, RN, BSN, CHHC. AADP on Apple Podcasts)
Missy Bane: I would say the one thing is listen to your body and listen to your instincts about your body. I feel like we’ve gotten away from trusting our instincts with our health. I wish everybody would get back to that in some way, shape, or form. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #54: Is Metabolic Dysfunction Your Problem? w/ Missy Bane, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Kira Whitman: Start eating food that’s found in nature. Meaning if you can grow it, hunt it, forage it, fish it, whatever, focus on that and minimize things that are made in the factory. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #58: Autoimmune Hepatitis, and 20 Years of Digestive Issues SOLVED w/ Kira Whitman, Functional Nutritionist, MS on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Everyone Should Be Meditating
Falyn Morningstar: You know, I’ve heard this question so many times and it’s super hard to narrow it down to one. But to be honest, I would say everyone should be meditating. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #59: Missing Periods In Your 20‘s Is NOT Normal w/ Falyn Morningstar, FDN-P on Apple Podcasts)
Renee Bergmen: Sleep. To learn to sleep well. Get things out of their room that distract them from going to sleep. I would tell them; you need to learn to rest well. That is honoring how your body was designed. It was made to rest so that it can have the energy to do what it is made to do during the day. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #61: Infected Teeth, Natural Chemo, and the Enneagram w/ Renee Bergmen, FDN-P, Enneagram Coach on Apple Podcasts)
200th Episode: Get Curious, Ask Questions, and Take Ownership
Sara Pagel: I love this question. And I’ve been thinking about my answer cause I knew we were going to record this. I was lying in bed this morning and I’m like, you know, if there’s one thing I could get people to do, it would be to be curious about what’s happening in their health. To just take ownership of what’s happening. Ask questions, be a critical thinker.
Sometimes I know that that’s hard because our bodies are maybe really broken, so maybe you don’t have the energy. But if you’re walking around and you feel like crap, you don’t have to feel like crap anymore. There is hope, is what I’m saying.
So, get curious about how to get better and ask questions and don’t ever stop asking questions. That was such a huge part of my journey, asking questions and taking ownership of my own health.
I really thought about gluten, and I thought about sleep. All of that stuff is really important. But I think get curious, ask questions, be a critical thinker and take ownership. (The Health Detective Podcast by Functional Diagnostic Nutrition: #64: PCOS, Adrenal Burnout, and The Health Of Our Youth w/ Sara Pagel, Master‘s Degree in Criminal Justice, FDN-P AADP on Apple Podcasts)
Conclusion
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