Real Talk, Whole Life

Ep. 296: Should I Be Concerned About EMFs?In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are talking Electromagnetic Frequencies and whether they're actually harmful for people!Click here to listen in iTunesIf you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 296: Should I Be Concerned About EMFs? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) We're back! No break for you! Unfortunately, RealEverything was hacked with a redirect malware! But it's fixed now, so we're good! And Stacy has found workarounds for her Facebook and Instagram bans, so she's back in business! Stacy gave a presentation on making a career on the internet at Cole's middle school. Eighth graders are scary. We've had 5 million downloads! OMG! Thank you for your support! And thank you for supporting our friendship! Sarah is going to PaleoFX! Are you going too? Sarah will be speaking. She's also going to Health Entrepreneurs FX as well Sarah will be at Booth 17 with Strength in Food. Come find her! Our topic this week in on electromagnetic fields! Sarah wrote a lengthy blog post about this topic recently. Many people are concerned about EMFs causing health problems. Any movement of a charged particle causes an EMF. They are characterized by frequency. Low frequency is things like microwaves and cell signals. High frequencies are things like x-rays, gamma rays and UV. High frequencies have enough energy to ionize atoms. That's the biggest concern for damage! Low frequencies don't do this. The buzzword has the grain of truth that high frequencies can be damaging. But the low frequencies that people tend to be concerned about are not high enough energy to damage our DNA! In animal studies, rats needed 25000 times the exposure that humans typically get. In human studies, most show little or no cancer affect from high exposure. In typical exposure, there is no increased risk. Only in occupations like power workers is there an increased risk. And actually, there seems to be a protective effect from moderate exposure. Cellphone studies show no increased brain tumor incidence, even in high use groups. And some protective effect in moderate to high use. EMF exposure seems to initiate a "clean up" of cells in the body. And even these studies represent an old way of using cellphones before a lot of hand-free devices. Radiation falls off precipitously the farther away the device is. Plus modern cellphones use an even lower frequency. Research into EMF hypersensitivity has not been about to reproduce symptoms, so it is possible that the EMF isn't the cause of these symptoms. Stacy has seem the EMF plant growth science fair experiment. This isn't real evidence! Check out Snopes. Question every alarming claim! Look into the source and what their agenda might be. Cell phone addiction is real, though, and has a lot of negative events and causes stress. Maybe that is what's causing your health effects? Technology is awesome, but it's not 100% awesome, says Sarah. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 295: Can Food Intolerances Be Fixed? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah discuss if this food intolerance is gonna be forever. Click here to listen in iTunes or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 295: Can Food Intolerances Be Fixed? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Welcome back listeners, Sarah and Stacy are no longer sitting awkwardly close to each other! Sarah and Stacy reminisce about their visit together, eating good food and playing lots of games. Stacy and Sarah's kids got along really well and had a great time playing together in shared nerdiness. Sarah's family's spring break plans got cut short due to one of the girls getting a cold. After Stacy's family left Sarah's house, they drove 10 hours home. They slept one night at home and then Matt and Stacy took a quick trip to New York. They saw Cursed Child (Harry Potter for those of you who don't know). They were supposed to go see it in London, but they had to cancel when Matt's brother passed. Stacy had given up on the idea of going to see the play, but got lucky and score pre-show tickets in NY. Friedman's is Stacy's new favorite gluten-free restaurant in New York- it's very allergen friendly! Listener Question (14:19) Merit asks, "Thanks for putting out such a great, informative and fun podcast. I'm really enjoying it. My question is about food sensitivities and how to get rid of them. I am an RD and I have wondered about this for a long time. I'm familiar with the leaky gut principle and how that leads to food allergies or sensitivities, but in many cases like my own, I have a pretty clean diet and have worked on digestive health for a long time. What I'm getting at is, if we are healthy people, shouldn't we be able to tolerate a wide variety of foods? Is there a missing piece I'm not getting? If it's possible to broaden the diet (with nutrient dense foods) because that would be so wonderful! I read a book recently and talked to the author, who said many of the food intolerance can be "fixed" by changing the gut microbiota. Seems logical but also not entirely obvious if people (like myself) feel great and experience good digestive function IF we don't eat the foods we are sensitive to. In my case, it's eggs. Boy would I love a way to tolerate them again! Thanks so much for your time gals." When they started their Paleo journey, Stacy was hopeful that her boys would be able to tolerate some foods in the future, like high quality dairy and eggs. Sarah and Stacy have both re-introduced different foods they were previously intolerant to. This is a very individualized concept because everyone is so different. This makes it challenging to predict if a food can be successfully reintroduced or not. There are several different types of reactions that people can have to foods. An exaggerated gluten-induced reaction to Zonulin, which we talked about in this episode, is a reaction that will not go away with diet and lifestyle changes. The release of Zonulin happens in everyone, Celiacs and people with the Celiac gene have an exaggerated release of it. It unravels the proteins in the tight junctions of the gut epithelial cells. This means you have leaky gut caused by gluten consumption. This is genetic and is not going to go away, no matter how much you "heal" your gut. You may be able to recover faster if everything else is dialed-in. Many food intolerances are antibody-driven. This mechanism can diminish over time with focusing on gut and immune health. If you remove a food from your diet, the stimulus to making antibodies against it goes away. Your body makes Memory B cells, which remember the things it has fought before. This allows your body to fight off things faster the second time you are exposed. These cells have a finite life span. If you eat a food before these cells have all died off, you can have an exaggerated response. If you wait until the cells making antibodies are gone and you only have Memory B cells left, this is where you can get away with occasional consumption. Weekly and up to monthly is a common amount of time to between consumptions. If you wait until after Memory B cells have died, and you've improved your immune system and healed your gut, your immune system might not remember it ever had a problem with a particular food. The lifespan of Memory B cells is longer when they remember IgE reactions (allergies) than IgG reactions (most types of food intolerances). Improving gut barrier health means less of the food antigens will get to the immune system. Improving immune health helps the immune system to know when its responding appropriately. Some food intolerances are gut-microbiota driven. Things like FODMAPS, histamine-intolerance, salicylate-sensitivity, and oxalate-sensitivity. There is a strong link between these things and gut microbiome. Either a lack of certain probiotic strains, or an overgrowth of problematic strains. Correcting gut bacteria imbalances can reverse those types of food sensitivities. Some ways to improve gut health are: Be active, but do not over train. Get enough sleep and manage stress. Eat a ton of vegetables, 8+ servings, 25-30+ grams of fiber. Consume a lot of omega-3 fats, but keep total fat intake moderate. Consume natural probiotics, like wild-fermented things. It is really hard to know the mechanism behind your food intolerance sometimes. We don't know if we are going to get over a food intolerance without periodically challenging it. This can be very frustrating. These mechanisms can still be present even in very healthy individuals. If can feel overwhelming to hear the long list of things you need to do to improve. This is a journey and each day you can make a better choice than you might have made before, which gets you closer to the ideal. Relax, sleep, and manage your stress... it can make a huge difference. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 294: Live Show: Ask Us Anything! In this episode, Stacy and Sarah were hanging out together and decided to answer your questions on this show! Click here to listen in iTunes If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 294: Live Show: Ask Us Anything! Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Welcome- Sarah and Stacy recorded this podcast live, and together at Sarah's house! Stacy and Sarah will be answering questions from Sarah's Facebook and Stacy's Instagram. Stacy just returned from a cruise. She plans to do a blog post about eating gluten-free on a cruise. On an excursion in Jamaica she re-injured her back. She's still functioning, thanks for those of you who have asked. Question: Can you really wash vitamin D off after being in the sun. Vitamin D is made in your skin from cholesterol, triggered by UVB radiation from the sun. There's a myth that if you shower right after, you can wash it off. Sarah doesn't actually know the answer to this one. Question: How wold you handle your professor promoting weight watchers and low fat diet in a nutritional program? Sarah recommends biting your tongue, it's not a battle worth fighting. She has heard this from friends who have gone though RD and other similar programs. You need to pass the tests, and being argumentative isn't helpful. You can learn the more up to date information and be able to help people after you pass. Question: Easy lunches to pack for school? Sarah's kids like the same thing every day. Organic grass-fed hotdogs, that both girls eat cold. Carrots, celery, cucumber, and fruit- usually grapes or apples. Her youngest loves canned fish, but started getting teased for it being so smelly. Stacy's boys love taking leftovers for lunches. They always make huge batches of meat for dinner so they have leftovers for lunches. They like individual packs of olives and baby carrots, fruit, plantain chips, sweet potato chips. Stacy's boys all are responsible for packing their own lunches. They also take a "snack," usually Chomps or Roam Sticks. Sarah's girls also love the Epic Snack Strips and the new Epic Baked Pork Rinds. Stacy and the boys all love the Epic Maple Bacon Cracklings. Questions: How to Navigate Foods on a Cruise? Stacy will make a more in-depth dedicated post and resource for this on the blog soon. When you sign up you have the option to tell them if you have a food intolerance. She established the whole family as gluten-sensitive. She added a note about nightshades and corn for herself. Cruise dining has 3 main options: 1. Buffet: don't go here- you will have a very hard time finding anyone who can tell you what is in the food, and it isn't worth it. 2. Sit Down Dining: "Free Dining:" you sit down and give them your room number, which brings up your special dietary instructions. This was great, the food was good quality, and they took very good care of special dietary needs. 3. Sit Down Dining: "Upgraded:" not worth it in Stacy's opinion, as the "free dining" food was very good and there was no need to pay for upgraded food here. Stacy is of the opinion that doing AIP on a cruise would be do-able. Question: Top 2 things you've each implemented in dealing with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis? Gluten-free diet goes without saying, and isn't included in the two things here. Managing stress has been huge for Stacy, which has taken her a long time to figure out and implement. For Stacy, what she has put in her diet is just as important as what she has taken out. Nutrient-dense foods like collagen, broth, seafood, organ meats, and lots of veggies. She takes liver pills every day because she doesn't always eat organ meats. Besides the AIP protocol and all the things that encompasses, taking thyroid replacement hormone (prescription) has been really great for Sarah. It isn't a failure, and it isn't a substitute for AIP. Working with a functional medicine practitioner and managing stress has also been helpful for Sarah. Question: What are your tips for someone starting diet and lifestyle changes? Stacy recommends their book, Real Life Paleo, which teaches baby steps and prioritizing. This is often more sustainable than jumping in with both feet all at once. Stacy says to approach it in a positive light, as a thing you are doing to help become better, not something negative that you have to do- mindset can make all the difference. Sarah recommends transitioning in whatever way you've been successful in making changes in the past. Educate yourself on the why behind you are doing something, so you have a better understanding. Focus on what you do get to eat, rather than what you miss. Focus on sleep- which helps regulate hunger, cravings, and stress, which makes it easier. Prepare the house- don't have things around that will temp you. Question: Would taking thyroid replacement at night to mimic the circadian rhythm be helpful? It better mimics circadian rhythm to take thyroid medication in the morning This is usually what is recommended. It is usually recommended to take thyroid replacement meds with some water, but not too much, and to wait an hour after before having anything, even black coffee, which can affect absorption. Most people don't have an empty enough stomach at night to be able to absorb thyroid hormone. Question: Your view on zero carb, meat only diets? You need vegetables. We have a whole podcast on why vegetables are important, especially if you eat a lot of meat. They are critical for health- they contain vital nutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber. Question: Thoughts on fasting? Stacy did intermittent fasting for a while. She learned that without a gallbladder it had detrimental affects on her health. The rationale is that is stimulates a clean-up in your cells, called autophagy. There are other things that stimulate this too, like sleep and exercise. If your stress axis isn't working correctly, intermittent fasting can backfire on you. Males respond better to fasting than females. Not eating 4-5 hours before bed and getting enough sleep gives you a large window in which you've already fasted and have some autophagy activity. This is a gentle way to do fast that won't stimulate a stress response. Question: Please explain the benefits of finding out if you have MTHFR if you have Grave's Disease. It is beneficial to find out if you have MTHFR if you have any autoimmune disease. It impacts a lot of different systems in your body. There are supplements you can take to help support these systems if you have this mutation. If you aren't methylating properly it impacts how you respond to diet and lifestyle changes. Question: What do you think about a ketogenic diet? It is hard to do if you do very high fat diet if you do not have a gallbladder. Sarah thinks it is an inherently nutritionally deficient approach and the science does not support its efficacy or its safety. She only advocates it for people with neurodegenerative disease who have tried other things first. Question: How to have a healthy pregnancy when you have Hashimoto's? Make sure your thyroid hormone is dialed in and closely monitored. Work with an OBGYM who is willing to do a lot of testing. Rest, relax, focus on nutrient-density. Consider the recommended supplements and what you are getting in your diet. Paleo Principles has a whole chapter on pregnancy and lactation. Question: How do you absorb fats after getting your gallbladder out? Taking bile salts and other supportive supplements can help. Learning how and when to eat was more helpful for Stacy. Question: What do you think of extremely high doses of probiotics for people with intestinal disorders? A normal, healthy gut has a lot of different species of microorganisms in it. When you take a probiotic supplement it usually has 8-9 species. When you have something that wipes out your good bacteria, high dose probiotics can be helpful. You still need to eat fermented foods and lots of vegetables to have a healthy gut. Question: After reintroducing I've become severely allergic to oranges, any idea why this would show up? Elimination and challenge diets are so effective because they exaggerate reactions. This is partly what makes them so helpful. The body has protective mechanisms that go away when you've eliminated a food. It didn't make the allergy, but unmasked a reaction that was there the whole time. Question: Do all women have rising TSH levels with pregnancy or just those with hypothyroidism? All women do, its just that in a normal system there is feedback that controls it. In autoimmune thyroid conditions, this cycle and feedback is often broken. Selenium, zinc, iron, and iodine are all very important for this to function. Questions: I've been AIP for 10 months and lost weight initially but am not anymore. I am about 20 pounds overweight, and do not eat a lot of AIP treats. Sarah asks, "are you sure?" Sarah has a post about healthy weight loss and body composition on her blog with more info. Looking at body composition rather than absolute weight or BMI is more informative. The literature supports that having a little extra stored body fat is protective. Sleep, stress, hypothyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, over-eating, sex hormone imbalances can all impede weight loss. AIP is not a weight-loss diet, it is an anti-inflammatory approach to healing. Question: Disadvantages of cheating when eating Paleo or AIP? Stacy doesn't like the word cheating, you are making a choice for a reason. It depends- on what food it is that is off-plan, how much, how often, your stress level, the overall nutrient-density of your diet, your health conditions, your genetics. It can range from something life threatening or that destroys the lining of your gut, to something that isn't a big deal, and everything in-between. Methodical food reintroduction is a great thing for someone with chronic health conditions. Ask yourself why you are eating that thing and what your goals are. Don't let making a sub-optimal choice turn into a snowball of all the bad choices. Question: Taking thyroid hormone once in the morning and once in the middle of the day? Some functional medicine practitioners recommend this. For some people who burn through it really fast, it can help even out energy levels. You will have to work with your doctor on this. Question: How do x-rays impact autoimmune disease? The thyroid and ovaries are particularly sensitive to x-rays. They cover them with a guard to protect them during the procedure. We only see this as a problem in people who have occupational exposure to x-rays. Airport security uses non-ionizing radiation, which isn't worrisome. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 293: Do I Have to Be Gluten-Free Forever? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about if a little gluten now and then is so terrible for most people. Plus, they discuss genetic susceptibility to having issues with gluten. Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 293: Do I Have to Be Gluten-Free Forever? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Get ready listeners, this episode is loaded with bloopers at the end! Stacy is traveling and Sarah has a speaking engagement so they recorded this podcast a week early. Stacy is amazed at how her and Sarah's friendship has lasted because Sarah is so positive and enthusiastic, and Stacy is sardonic and sarcastic! Stacy and family are headed off on a cruise, which was the boys' Christmas gift. They are all unplugging, not getting wifi on the ship. Stacy has been trying to prepare ahead for this! The boys chose Jamaican bobsledding as an excursion, which Stacy is crazy excited for! Sarah is looking forward to nerding-out on Jamaican bobsled history with them! The boys have never been out of the country before, they had to get passports. After the cruise they are going to visit the Kennedy Space Center and then head over to Sarah's house. Sarah is planning Kalua Pork and Stacy requested Ambrosia Salad. Sarah chaperoned a sleep-away field trip a couple weeks ago with her daughter's class. She had an amazing experience and it was great bonding time with her daughter. It was long, exhausting days but she loved the curriculum and everything they learned. She is still catching up on sleep. Listener Question (16:27) Gina asks, "Since late last year I have started listening to your podcast and I LOVE all the information you both share.. I have gone back and listened to so many old podcasts. My question for you is late last year I started seeing a registered dietitian to help lose weight (20 pounds overweight). I am active and eating for the most part a clean diet. I have not adapted a Paleo Diet as I eat very little meat protein. I am obsessed with eating healthy reading labels and trying to feed my family as healthful as possible.I had a Vibrant Wellness sensitivity test done I had 3 positive foods and 9 Moderate foods, Gluten Containing Grains and Gluten Free grains were among that list. With this information I had the gene test done for Celiac and I tested positive for the DQ8. And then also further had a wheat zoomer test done that, that came back showing some high risk for some of these panels. I was told I have leaky gut and to avoid gluten now for LIFE ahhhh.My husband and sister were also tested and both carrying a celiac gene. I just read your post on The Celiac Gene and am still confused. Do I need to avoid gluten forever, can I have some every once and awhile? I never noticed any symptoms that bothered me. When on vacation recently I did have pasta that wasn't GF. I didn't feel great after that but nothing that would stop me from eating again. I feel less bloated but not seeing weight loss. I don't do well with being told NOT to have something. Will I develop Celiac disease if I continue to eat it gluten? Are my kids at risk since my husband and I both carry this gene?I know you both talk about that you and your family are gluten free, I just don't know that I can do this 100% of the time. Is this really going to affect my body if we continue to allow some gluten in our diet? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!" Stacy says that if it were her and she found out she had a hereditary disposition to gluten, she wouldn't personally eat it. Stacy is also a control freak and doesn't like being told what to do. She tells herself that she is choosing not to eat gluten, not that she "can't." Sarah doesn't subscribe to the dogma of everyone must be 100% gluten free all the time. The idea that we haven't adapted to eating modern foods is oversimplified. She talks in depth in Paleo Principles about a study that compared genes over time, and they did find genetic adaptation in some areas. One example is that some people have adapted to producing lactase into adulthood, called lactase persistence, which depends largely on your heritage. The Celiac genes HLADQ2 and HLADQ8 are genetic adaptations related to the advent of agriculture. This probably indicates we have had some adaptations to modern agriculture. There is an incomplete understanding of how we've adapted to neolithic foods. This suggests that not everyone needs to be gluten free 100% of the time. Gluten-containing foods are not nutrient-dense foods. There is a definitive link now between gluten and weight-gain. There are other inflammatory compounds in gluten. Wheat germ agglutinin can carry across the gut barrier and is highly inflammatory. There isn't a case to be made that gluten is a health food. There is evidence that some people can tolerate gluten. Gluten is inflammatory in all of us. Even if you can tolerate gluten with no obvious affects, it is not a health-promoting food. Gluten can affect people in a multitude of ways, from acne, sinus congestion, headaches, joint pain... it isn't just bloating and gut symptoms. Many people use travel as an excuse to consume gluten, which seems the opposite of what you might want- to feel your best and have a great immune system when exposed to germs. Stacy likes to test the waters with her grey-area foods when she knows she can deal with the consequences like joint pain or skin breakouts. The difference in people who can tolerate gluten on occasion and people who can't touch it with a 10-foot pole is complex and has to do with magnitude of symptoms and recovery time. Implications of gluten consumption in non-Celiacs with Celiac risk genes is an important topic. 97% of Celiac disease sufferers have one or both gene variants. These genes relate to zonulin production. Zonulin is released by the gut cells when we eat gluten (in everyone.) It acts on the tight junctions between the cells of the intestines. This increases intestinal permeability, which allows things to get into the body which shouldn't be in the body. In Celiac disease this response is magnified, which allows all kinds of things into the body. This drives body-wide inflammation. Recent studies have show that those with the Celiac genes but not diagnosed with Celiac disease have the same magnified reaction to gluten with zonulin production. This may happen in everyone with one or both of genes. How prevalent is this? In North America 55% may have one of these genetic variations. These genes are also associated with other autoimmune diseases and health problems. There science is pretty conclusive that this 55% that have genetic susceptibility to Celiac disease are going to have health problems related to gluten consumption. How do you live your life and feed your family 100% gluten free. Reading labels is a great start! Learn to be assertive with eating out and talking to restaurant staff, asking them to double check. Being prepared is important- always pack protein and gluten-free snacks. Stacy's family loves: Rx Bars Beef jerky and meat sticks like Roam and Chommps Paleo Power Balls Epic Pork Rinds Research ahead of time where you are traveling to or will be eating at. Cooking at home and replacing grains with more vegetables, fats and proteins means you will win on the nutrient front. There are gluten-free replacements for just about anything- these make great transitions foods. Know your currency food, if you can just have that one thing, everything else will be easier. For Sarah this is chocolate and coffee. If your currency is a grilled cheese sandwich on gluten-free bread on Sunday afternoon and that's what it takes to keep you going the rest of the week, then that's okay. It does get better and easier the more you eat that way. There are so many tools available for going gluten-free now, that weren't there even 5 years ago. The more you focus on the good that is happening in your body, the purpose, and what you can have, the easier it becomes. We hope you all have a lovely spring break- whether you are traveling or having a staycation. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 292: Sophie Van Tiggelen In this episode, Stacy and Sarah interview Sophie Van Tiggelen about converting to AIP and how she deals with a family that isn't on AIP. Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 292: Sophie Van Tiggelen Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy is going to visit Sarah soon! Sarah is already planning food and her girls are talking about what games they are going to play together. Stacy's family is having Easter dinner at Sarah's house. Welcome our guest, Sophie Van Tiggelen from A Squirrel in the Kitchen (3:30) Stacy loves having someone on the podcast with an accent, because Sarah is losing hers. Sophie is originally from Belgium and moved to Colorado in 2000. In 2009 she got very sick and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Gluten-free diet didn't work for her. She found the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in 2012, which was life-changing. She started blogging to share her recipes and results with the world. Her first book, Simple French Paleo came out two years ago. Her brand new book, The Autoimmune Protocol Made Simple Cookbook is available for pre-order. Sarah has had a sneak peak of the book and it is amazing! Sophie is a master as developing amazing flavor with simple ingredients and cooking techniques. Sarah highly recommends both of her books! Sophie wanted to show people that it is possible to eat a nutrient-dense diet with healthful foods in a simple way but that is also creative, accessible, and creative. Sophie's story is not uncommon- following a specific protocol in a family where not everyone is on board with it. The answer is not one-size fits all and depends on a lot of variables. When she started her journey her children were young and she could direct their food choices. She was in complete control of the kitchen and cooked all the meals. She cooked one core meal with some additions when necessary. Sometimes her husband would like rice or quinoa on the side, which was easy to do. They had the same common meal, which made things easier for her. They talked as a family and she explained the AIP protocol and why she needed to follow. They decided as a family that they would not allow gluten in the house. This was a red line that no one would cross. The family had their own snacks in the pantry that weren't necessarily AIP. They were all kept in one place and it was Sophie's responsibility to not get into them. It was easy at the beginning to avoid non-AIP foods because she was in pain and wanted to get better. It got harder as she felt better. As Sophie's children grew up, they didn't follow the same way of eating. They got jobs, and their own money, and started eating outside the home. Each of their three children went their own way regarding their food choices. Sophie had to choose her battles. Outside the home they could make their own choices. Inside the home there would be no gluten allowed. Stacy has had a similar experience with her oldest son. They encourage him to make the best choices he can, but it's ultimately his decision. He knows he doesn't feel well when he eats gluten, and usually choses not to outside the home. You can't force kids, but just educated and enable them to make the right decision. Sophie hopes that if her children ever need to reign-in their eating, they will know how to do that because they saw her doing it at one time. Sarah struggles with having foods around the house that she shouldn't eat. Sarah has a history of binge-eating. Sophie was motivated at the beginning and very strict, which gave her results very quickly. When she started to feel better, it got harder to be as strict. She has learned what she can and can't get away with. Sophie is an abstainer- it's all or nothing and she has a hard time "just having one." Stacy choses to use the words "she doesn't" eat something, not that she "can't." If something has gluten in it, she isn't even tempted by it. Everyone has their own limitations and should learn to listen to their bodies. Sarah agrees- the foods that make her violently ill are not tempting to her. It's the things that don't cause her a lot of distress that she tends to want to overeat. It is especially hard when her kids and family are eating these things. If and when you indulge, it is important that you don't beat yourself up. It isn't the end of the world. You may even have a little reaction. It doesn't mean that you failed, or that everything is lost. It is important to not let an indulgent become a snowball. Or for one bad choice to be permission to make a lot more bad choices. The best thing you can do to recover after an indulgence is to turn to nutrient-dense and healing foods. Sophie has had success with having prepared healthy snacks. When a craving hit she wasn't telling herself "no," but "yes, eat these healthy things." Sophie's new book, The Autoimmune Protocol Made Simple Cookbook is releasing in June. Stacy wants to know what recipe she struggled with the most. Sophie has had a hard time coming up with dressings and sauces because she doesn't often use them. Sophie loves how well-rounded and fresh the recipes in this book are! One of Sophie's favorite recipes are the Tummy-Soothing Popsicles! You can find Sophie at A Squirrel in the Kitchen. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 291: Sourcing Groceries: Buying Locally or Online? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are buying their groceries. But where do they go? What do they buy? Find out here! Click here to listen in iTunes or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!   The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 291: Sourcing Groceries: Buying Locally or Online? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Sarah gets to chaperone a sleep over field trip this week! Stacy thinks it doesn't sound like something she'd like, haha! Sarah's daughter has been looking forward to it and counting down the days. Sarah has chaperoned before and enjoyed it, though she knows she'll be exhausted. Stacy and family are prepping for their cruise in a couple weeks. It was the boys' Christmas gift. Stacy often gets asked about which food items she buys online and which she buys locally. It's an individualized thing depending on where you live and what you buy. Produce and Pantry: Buy Locally or Online? (6:15) There are a lot of international markets local to Stacy. This is great for those more focused on budget than quality (organic). They buy sweet potato noodles for Japchae here! Produce is 1/3 of the price they normally see. They don't buy "The Dirty Dozen" items here because they aren't organic. Trader Joe's and Costco are Stacy's other recommended places to shop. They are more limited in what they have and when they have it. Costco doesn't always have the same products because they rotate them out. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil is a great bargain here. Trader Joe's sources some things locally, and usually has an organic option. Stacy feels fortunate to have these stores available to her. Sarah loves her local farmer's market! It is very inexpensive, fresh, organically grown, and local. Sarah starts her shopping here and then rounds things out at other stores. Sarah loves the relationships she has formed with her local farmers. They do special things for her (and all their customers!) which she appreciates. Sarah also shops at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Kroger. She starts at the more inexpensive places and works up. Sometimes it depends on what she needs or which store is closer to her at the time. In the winter when her farmer's market is closed, she shops more heavily at grocery stores. Sarah visits Costco once every 6 weeks and stocks up because it is a farther drive. Costco is great for nuts, dried fruit, frozen foods, and pantry items. They are on a mission to make their store 50% or more natural or organic. The protein options have improved a lot. Sarah loves the toilet paper at Costco- it's "perfect." Stacy doesn't use any fresh food delivery system. Stacy is a control freak and wants to pick out her own food! If its a time or money-saver for you and you love it, that's great. Sarah's kids are eating a lot as they grow, so they try to use foods that stretch a meal. Cabbage and sweet potato are great for this! Sarah tends towards more inexpensive meats like ground beef and pork shoulder. Sarah's family doesn't eat all organic or pasture-raised meats all the time. Sarah likes Thrive Market, Amazon Subscribe and Save, and One Stop Paleo Shop. Stacy also uses Amazon and One Stop Paleo Shop, especially when they offer a coupon! Protein: Buy Locally or Online? (6:15) Stacy feels very strongly about buying meat locally. They live in a "farm state" with lots of options locally. It doesn't make sense for her to order meat online because of the cost on the earth to ship it. They save money on protein by buying 1/4 or 1/2 animals at a time. It isn't as convenient or quick, and takes more forethought. Stacy and Matt talk a lot about this in Beyond Bacon. She also subscribes to local farmer's newsletters to learn about sales and discounts. Stacy values eating "the whole animal," even if it means learning to use uncommon cuts. These are usually the more inexpensive cuts as well. Stacy has a local butcher shop (Organic Butcher of McClean) she loves. She can get things like broth bones and eggs year round. They know who she is when she walks in the door and what things she likes to buy. They have great recommendations for the best, freshest things they have that day. Shopping small and local lets you have great relationships with your farmer. Stacy doesn't prefer to have things that need to be refrigerated or frozen delivered. Capello's is a great example: they used to order it online, but Stacy has talked a couple local shops into carrying them, which was Capello's goal in the first place. Sarah has a bit of a counter-perspective on sourcing protein. Sarah gets a lot of their meat at the farmer's market in the summer when it's open. In the winter she's buys meat from both local stores and Butcher Box. There is an ideal: everything local, organic, in season. Then there is the compromise we have to make things actually work in our lives. We don't all have local farms close by where we can get quality food. It is worthwhile to search for what is available locally, which might take a bit of research. If it isn't available, don't feel guilty for ordering good quality meat online. Where you live will have a lot of influence over what you can find locally. There are so many factors that affect what we buy and what our food budget is. Eating locally is worth the effort into figuring out how to fit it into your life. If it isn't possible, there are many other great options! Stacy would love feedback from anyone testing the Amazon/Whole Foods delivery options. Shout out to Matt for turning a conversation into a podcast! If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 290: Mrs. Toth Goes to Washington In this episode, Stacy went to Washington DC to lobby Congress for better, more robust standards for personal care products! Find out all about it on this episode! Click here to listen in iTunes or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!   The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 290: Mrs. Toth Goes to Washington Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Stacy had a wonderfully full weekend with lots of people and is ready to introvert so hard now. Sarah loves being with people but also needs to recharge by herself afterwards. Stacy went to DC to lobby for all Americans to have safer skincare. For 4 years in a row Beautycounter has gone to Washington DC to ask for better legislation. It was 1938 the last time a law was passed on what personal care safety standards are. You can listen to this The Paleo View episode about the cancer risk from personal care items. Ingredients in personal care items don't have to go through any safety testing to be used. The FDA has no control over personal care products. An example: a few years ago formaldehyde was found in a hair product and was found to affect the people applying it and receiving it. No one knew until people started having major health issues. The FDA couldn't even do a recall on this product. The Personal Care Product Safety Act is going to committee next month. This could make a difference in everyone's lives. Currently there is no standard to label ingredients or use safe ones. Some of the offices they visited were already on board with the bill, and some had no idea about it. If this is something you feel passionate about, you can call or email your Senate offices. The easiest way to help make a change is to text "betterbeauty" to 52886. You will get a link you can click to send an automated letter to your local offices. Stacy walked away from the weekend feeling she had actually done something of value. She wasn't sure what to expect going in, or if the message would fall on def ears. The more that Senators hear from their constituents about this topic, the more they will prioritize it. Stacy cried tears of joy as she walked away from the capitol building. We are a sick population and this could help so many people. Currently many of the companies that make a lot of products comply with stricter regulation in Cananda, so it wouldn't be a huge leap for them to make safer products for the US. Companies often have Canadian formulations and US formulations. The current push back seems to come from animal rights groups, because there isn't anything written in the bill on animal rights or human treatment of animals. A new bill was drafted to include more animal protection. The bill will ask the FDA to look at and ban 5 ingredients every year. The change isn't going to be too overwhelming for businesses making skincare products. Manufacturers assume that if an ingredient isn't banned, it is safe to use in their products, and consumers think that if a the manufacturer is putting it in a product, surely it is safe because someone is overseeing it. In actuality it isn't happening like that, unless it is one of the 30 banned ingredients. We each have the opportunity to use our voice, and hopefully we can live in a better country because of it. Stacy is thrilled to be part of a movement that makes her feel like she's grown as a person. This has sparked Stacy's passion again for helping people, this time in a different way than their previous work writing recipes and cookbooks. Talking to all of you and hearing your stories of struggle and health allowed her to fully grasp the importance of what she was asking for this weekend. Sarah is mostly back to normal after her sever allergic reaction. Sarah has been prepping for the next AIP Lecture Series starting March 19th. SPECIAL COUPON FOR TPV LISTENERS!!! You must listen to get the code- a thank you to our listeners! Her goal was to create a course that has significant value for everyone: from the person just getting started with diet and lifestyle change, to someone who has been AIP already. It was great to hear feedback from the first session that she accomplished this goal. You have lifetime access to all of the coursework when you register. If we can come here each week and share at least one thing with you that you didn't know, or that inspires you, then it was worth our effort. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 289: Food Allergy, Sensitivity, and Intolerance: What's the Difference? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah each had severe allergic reactions. Inspired by those experiences, they break down the differences between allergies, intolerances and sensitivities and why you might not get the correct information from allergy tests. Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!   The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 289: Food Allergy, Sensitivity, and Intolerance: What's the Difference? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) It's been an interesting week for both Stacy and Sarah. Last week Stacy had an anaphylactic shock to gluten. This was the first time this happened to Stacy. Stacy's mom has this, and Stacy was hoping she wouldn't develop it. She assumed something was gluten-free and didn't read the ingredients. Sarah was exposed to a Sulfa medication, which she is highly allergic to. She was nearly hospitalized and still recovering after a week. It was one of the biggest health crisis she has experienced, and very scary. She won't be able to participate in the Cross-fit open because of it. This is a common experience - what life with autoimmune disease, food sensitivity, chronic illness is. Stacy's reaction to things she is sensitive to is much less than it was years ago. She attributes this to improved gut health. She had no intestinal symptoms after being exposed to gluten recently. This was the most gluten she had been exposed to in over 8 years. Stacy was told in the allergist's office that she did not have a gluten allergy. The receptionist at the office was excited that Stacy "could eat gluten!" Science with Sarah: The difference between a food allergy, sensitivity, and intolerance. (13;28) Allergy vs. Intolerance Both reactions are mediated by antibodies being produced against an antigen in the food. The difference is in the type of antibodies that are produced. Allergies are mediated by IgE antibodies. Trigger the released of histamine from mast cells and basophils. This is a very fast working system, usually a fast reaction. Symptoms are caused by the release of histamine. Hives, rashes, swelling of tissues of the face, red skin, sneezing, coughing, red eyes, heart racing, GI symptoms, shortness of breath, etc. Anaphylaxis is a very severe, life threatening reaction characterized by hives, swelling, trouble breathing, and going into shock. Seasonal allergies are also caused by the released of histamine, but usually are less severe. Skin allergy testing is typically done in one of two ways. 1. By placing a drop of concentrated allergen on the skin and scratching it. 2. By injecting the allergen under the first couple layers of skin. Typically wait 20 minutes and rate the reaction to the allergen. This type of testing has been around for a long time. The false negative rate of skin allergy testing is around 10%. The false positive rate of skin allergy testing is between 50-70%. Blood tests for allergies measure IgE antibodies in the blood. They can test for over 150 things or more at the same time. The false negative rate of blood allergy testing is around 10-20%. The false positive rate of blood allergy testing is between 40-60%. Many allergists will back up these tests with an elimination type diet and monitor. Stacy has avoided this type of testing in the past because it wouldn't add value to her. She already knows she has a problem with wheat. Allergies and sensitivities can change over time. Stacy asks how is it possible to have anaphylaxis but not have a positive skin prick test? There are situations where your body can release histamine bypassing IgE antibodies. However they usually don't have this type of intense trigger. Food intolerances have symptoms that overlap food allergies. The symptoms of food intolerances are wide and varied. The symptoms are often delayed and slower compared to an allergy. Some research suggests if you have recently had an anaphylactic reaction, you have a higher false negative skin prick test rate. You have to have been exposed to the allergen relatively recently to have a measurable amount of antibodies (like 3-4 weeks) or the false negative rate is higher. Combing testing with an elimination diet and food journaling is the gold standard. This helps get around the high false rates of testing. Stacy's experience with modern medicine was concerning, especially because the doctor she saw was supposed to be a specialist in this area. The doctor didn't fully listen or ask questions. He exclaimed after he performed the skin prick test, "oh, it happened today?" He was not thorough in thinking through what was happening in her body. The real reason she went in was to get a prescription for an Epi-Pen. Just because you go to a doctor and they tell you something, doesn't mean it is the end all, be all. Stacy's heart goes out to parents with kids who have anaphylactic reaction because it was so scary, she can't imagine what that would be like for a small child who didn't know what was happening. Food Sensitivity is any non-antibody mediated reaction to a food. FODMAP, histamine, and salicylate sensitivities are good examples. There is generally no testing method for these, which is frustrating. Stacy thanks everyone who reached out and sent positive thoughts to her this week. This type of immune activation is very energy-draining. Sarah and Stacy have both been sleeping and resting a lot this week. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything  The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks!   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 288: Productivity & Work-Life Balance In this episode, Stacy and Sarah lead such busy, productive lives! How do they fit all that activity into their days? Click here to listen in iTunes   If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!   The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 288: Productivity & Work-Life Balance Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Sarah is excited about Crossfit Open starting this week! She's been debating for the last month whether or not to sign-up. Stacy says if you belong to a Crossfit gym you have to participate in the open! Sarah has been PR-ing and feeling especially strong lately. Working out in the morning is energizing and centering for Sarah. It's great when you can make time for extracurriculars that we love. Stacy and Sarah have a different definition of balance. Goals are always changing and balance will look different at different times in your life. Listener Question (6:07) Ann asks, " Hi Ladies, I love listening to you guys every week and love your mix of science and fun. My question is less diet/health and more organizational/productivity. I know both of you are incredibly productive and I am curious as to what your daily routines look like. Do you have a specific morning routine? How do you stay so productive day to day? How do you work on so many projects at once? And Stacy how do you balance a full time job and doing all you do with the podcast and books? I’m very curious as to what your days look like hour to hour as someone who tries to be productive while balancing health. Thank you." Thank you for thinking we have our stuff together, because it doesn't always feel like that to us! Stacy's is very Type A and driven, jumping into things 150%, sometimes without thinking. She's learned to stop and think, asking if it aligns with her goals right now. Does it benefit others, my family, and is it in line with what I want. She has sometimes found herself in the middle of things that aren't productive or don't bring joy. It is a similar mindset to running a business- prioritizing what is most important and a good investment. In order to help others we have to self-preserve and take care of ourselves first. Stress management is huge, which Sarah talks about in her books. Stacy's husband stays home and helps run the household and the businesses. Sarah is ambitious and very self-motivated. She has big ideas and clear vision of what she wants to accomplish. While some might call her a workaholic, she prefers to look at it as having a strong work ethic. She loves the work she does, and the positive affirmation from all of you keeps her going. Sarah makes choices that prioritize work over other things. She's worked on having a better balance, carving out time for hobbies. She's put in place boundaries that help her prioritize sleep, time with family, etc. Sarah doesn't spend much time on social media or watch very much TV. She tries to be as efficient as possible with down time and work time. She has always been able to sit down and get a lot of stuff down in a chunk of time. She is also able to use little pieces of time efficiently and does different types of tasks depending on the amount of time she has available. Efficiency also come from prioritizing sleep and taking care of herself. Stacy's tips for using time wisely and being productive. She uses a very active Google calendar she shares with Matt to help accomplish tasks. Stacy loves TV, movies, games, and social media for her downtime. The family plays board games and watches certain shows together. They discuss their favorite shows, which is great quality time together. Different times of the month bring different priorities and busy periods for Stacy. She tries not to plan a lot of extracurriculars around these times. Putting it all on the calendar before the month begins helps facilitate this. Learning to pull back on activities is one of the hardest things. For Sarah it isn't about saying "no" to other people, but saying "no" to herself. Otherwise she often feels spread too thin. It's a delicate balance between work and carving out time for sleep, family, socializing, outdoor activity. Sarah has done a lot of research on sleep and understands how important it is. Sarah wrote the Go to Bed Program and a hearty chapter on sleep in Paleo Principles. The current way of society is to sleep with whatever amount of time we have left at the end of the day. Sleeping is probably equal to diet on its affects on our long-term health. Sarah needs 8-8.5 hours of sleep every night and can feel it if she doesn't. When she doesn't, her productivity goes down, which is stressful to her. Then if she's feeling stressed she doesn't sleep well. Things can spiral out of control if she doesn't plan well and manage her to-do list. Practical application for managing work life balance. Stacy uses google integrated products and instant message service for communicating with her various teams. This enables one conversation with multiple people instead of many separate conversations. The Voxxer App is a free app that is like a walkie-talkie text message service. You send voice messages that the other person can listen to when they have time. Be upfront with people about your expectations and time-commitment. Stacy and Sarah are introverts, needing down time and time to themselves to recharge. This helps allow them to keep up their energy and continue the things they love. A work day in the life of Stacy: Sleep in until 7:25am Our oldest son has to get up at 6am for school and Matt gets up with him. He is quiet and respectful and it is wonderful. Out of bed by 7:45am Sometimes she stares at the ceiling, goes back to bed, or checks email and texts until this time. Out of the house by 8:20am Drives one of the kids to school in a different district. This helps her stay on time and keep the schedule every morning. Goes to her day job and works until lunch time. 30-40 minute break at lunch to catch up on personal and side-hustle stuff. Finishes her work day and goes home. Dinner as a family every night at 6:30pm. The boys clean up after dinner, which is a great time saver. We hang out as a family and reconnect. When the boys go to bed (between 8:30-9:30pm) she starts working again. Answering emails, writing blog posts, etc. Matt and her often work together in the evenings. Stacy goes to bed after 11:00. Her rule is to be ready for sleep at midnight. Then she knows at the least she will get 7 hours of sleep. She strives for 8 hours of sleep every night though. A work day in the life of Sarah: Alarm goes off at 6:15am She does hit the snooze button one time most days. Dresses into workout clothes, has a cup of coffee. Helps her husband get the girls ready for school. Piano practice with her youngest daughter in the morning. We are both much more focuses at this time of the day. Leave the house 7:15am Drop the kids off to school and heads straight to the gym. Workout with a personal trainer from 7:30-9am. Back home shortly after 9am Start work, usually in sweaty gym clothes. Sarah will work until she is hungry. Grabs something to eat and then showers. Sarah spends as little time primping as possible! She spends time with her Joovv, often working through email and social media on her phone. Back to work again, usually until the kids get home from school. She'll have a quick lunch or grab and go food at her desk during the middle of the day. Pick up the kids from the bus stop at 2:30pm If no after school activities, she'll take the afternoon off. This is when she often cooks more elaborate meals or breakfast for the following morning. Hang out with the girls while they do their homework during this time. If after school activities, she drops them off, comes home and uses that time to work. Dinner as a family at the dinner table. After dinner is when the girls get ready for bed. Youngest is in bed by 7:30pm and oldest by 8pm Sarah typically works another 1-2 hours after this. Sometimes she takes the night off to watch a movie with her husband. A couple evenings a week, Sarah leaves the house to laugh on a stage somewhere. She winds down for bed around 9-9:30pm, sometimes later if a deadline. Reading, bath, more time spent with husband. Lights out at 10:30pm. Stacy feels incredibly luck to have Matt, who wakes her up and makes her lunch. A plug for marriage and partnership in general! Learning how to balance off each other is a great way to increase productivity. Sarah cooks and her husband does the cleaning up afterwards. This allows her to get more focused time with the girls. Sarah always works at least a few hours on the weekends. Her husband helps facilitate this, taking care of household things and the girls. To be too busy and to be overwhelmed is not the goal. We each focus on things that reduce stress and create balance. This looks different for each of us, and will look different for you. If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Real Everything The Paleo Mom Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 287: Should I Get a Flu Shot? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah answer a question from a healthcare professional about mandatory flu shots. Click here to listen in iTunes or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes!   The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 287: Should I Get a Flu Shot? Intro (0:00) News and Views (0:40) Backstreet's Back, and so are Sarah and Stacy! Reminiscing about the 90s, and Stacy breaking out into song- a rare treat! Stacy is working on The Body Love series. Her free ebook will be launching with this series - sign up to get it here. It encourages never dieting again, a sustainable lifestyle perspective. It's about finding what works for you. Stacy hears feedback of people noting reduced illness and increased immune function with a health diet. This is an interesting metric of health. Stacy avoided the flu in multiple instances this year. Sarah woke up feeling the yuk one morning, took good care of herself and never got sick. As an adult its hard to take it easy and take care of yourself when you're sick. Sarah has several friends who had complications from this year's flu. Sarah is sick far less often that she was pre-Paleo. Stacy attributes "souping" to her staying health when exposed to illness. Stacy's post on Souping here. Sarah's post on Souping here. The nutrients in soup are quite different than other liquid-type diets like juicing. It's a balanced meal with a lot of nutrient density. Soup is more efficiently digested and filling than things like smoothies or juice. Sometimes things like souping and vitamin C aren't enough and medicine is needed. Listener Question - Science with Sarah (13:01) Kelly asks, "I work in skilled nursing as an occupational therapist. My company requires taking the flu vaccine or wearing a mask from November to February. I understand the company's position looking at lost work time and revenue due to sick days. My direct supervisor says her reason for wanting all employees to take the vaccine is that if we don’t we are at an increased risk of passing the flu to our residents even if we don’t have the flu ourselves (she quotes a 30% increase). I have looked and cannot find studies to support this. I actually found from the Cochrane review and PubMed that no relation is found. I have opted not to vaccinate this year, I’m the only employee in my department to not vaccinate this season. I am wearing a mask daily and actually feel like it will decrease my risk of catching a cold. I was just wondering if there was any evidence that not taking the vaccine increases the risk for my residents. Last year I did take the vaccine in October and in January in a 2 week period was diagnosed with strep throat, sinus infection, bilateral eye, and bilateral ear infections. Was not tested for flu due to having had the vaccine." Disclaimer: we realize that vaccination is a highly debated and hot topic, and all the information we are presenting is based in science. Please take this information and decide what is right for you, we are not medical professionals. References for this show can be found below. The flu vaccine is different than most other vaccines. With all vaccines there is a very small risk of allergic reactions or adverse reactions. Aside from those reactions, vaccines are completely safe. Diseases like Polio, Measles, and Tetnis, which had a very high morbidity rate and were killing tens of thousands of people every year, is a different equation compared to the flu vaccine. The flu virus mutates rapidly, which means the vaccine isn't as effective as other types of vaccines. The flu is very virulent- with around 3 million cases every year. The number of flu-related deaths every year differs quite a bit. It is not usually associated with intestinal symptoms, bur rather fever, aches and pains, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fatigue. Flu increases risk of secondary infections, which is what usually causes death, not the flu itself. Flu is spread through respiratory secretions. Microscopic droplets of saliva are spread through coughing, even breathing. The flu vaccine is based off an educated guess every year. Based on data and modeling as to how it is going to mutate in the coming year. Vaccines contain inactivated or dead virus for typically 2-4 strains of flu. The immunity we get from flu vaccines in often very transient. Estimates are that immunity from the flu vaccine lasts about 6 months. This is why it is recommended to get one every year. When they guess well and the vaccine matches up with the actual dominant flu viruses for the year, the vaccine is at best 50-60% effective. This would decrease your chance of getting the flu by 50-60%. A study showed between 2010-2015 the average flu vaccine was 41% effective. During a bad guessing year, the vaccine was 14% effective. The Cochrane review that Kelly referenced was a 2010 meta-analysis of 50 different studies. It showed the absolute difference in the incidence of flu during a year when the vaccine was a good match was a 3% difference. Unvaccinated risk of getting the flu was 4%. Vaccinated risk of getting the flu was 1%. A recent paper updated those statistics and shows that on average your risk of getting the flu if you are unvaccinated is 2.3% , compared to 0.9% if you are not. This is on a good match year. Rationale for getting the vaccine includes: You are less likely to get sick, even though the percentage seems small, it is significant. 2 out of 100 who would have gotten the flu, won't if they are vaccinated. Risk of hospitalization showed 14.7% chance if unvaccinated, and 14.1% in vaccinated population. Benefit was much higher in the elderly. The elderly (vaguely defined as those over 65) have less robust immune systems. This raises the question of if the elderly are actually developing immunity against the flu. Unvaccinated elderly have 6% chance of getting flu, compared to 2.4% in vaccinated. The statistics regarding the flu will mean different things to different people. Some people will hear there is a 2% difference in chance and want to get the vaccine. Some people will hear there is a 2% difference and won't want to bother. No matter how you develop immunity against the flu, whether you get the flu or the flu vaccine, it will still be incomplete immunity. This is because the flu virus mutates so quickly. There is always some cross-protection in both situations. The flu vaccine become a really individual choice in terms of if you are an at-risk individual or you have at-risk individuals in your life. Kelly mentioned that last year when she got the flu vaccine she got a lot of other infections. There have been robust studies that showed no difference in side effects after vaccination. Those who got the flu vaccine had more arm soreness and mild fever in the few days after. There was no difference in non flu-related infections or symptoms. There is a perception that if we get sick after getting a vaccine, it was the vaccine that made us sick. This is unfortunate timing. You were likely exposed to something before you got the vaccine. Some illness can have incubation periods of two weeks or more. Mandatory vaccines for health care professionals- part of Kelly's questions. You are typically most contagious right before you develop symptoms. This is part of the reason why the flu can spread so quickly. We are out doing normal activities, not realizing we are sharing the virus with others. Even when symptoms just start, we often do our normal activities. Kelly reference the Cochrane paper, which was looking at whether or not health care workers getting vaccinated protected patients from the flu. It showed a lack of sufficient evidence to make claims. More recent evidence probably refutes this somewhat. Another study looked at flu season mortality in residents of chronic care institutions. There was a 10-20% decrease in mortality where staff vaccination rates were higher. Staff vaccination rates of 60-70% versus 20% showed up in the mortality of the patients. Healthy care givers and an at-risk population give a sensitive statistical model. There is compelling evidence that health care workerss getting vaccinated can protect patients in a hospital or residential care setting. This could be mostly related to herd immunity. The flu won't spread as quickly when there are less hosts around to get it. Wearing a mask versus getting a vaccine as a health care provider. Best practices say to get as many staff vaccinated as possible. Recommendation #2 is to have people wear masks. Have hand sanitizer readily available and encourage hand washing. Kelly thinks wearing a mask will protect her from getting a cold. She is absolutely right- many illness are spread through respiratory secretions. This is a great way to protect yourself and those around you. There are valid arguments for the flu vaccine and not really many to be made against it. Vaccines are safe and the risks are low. Those with autoimmune disease don't like to vaccines because the adjuvants can cause symptoms or a flare. This is often transient. This definitely changes the equations, as a flare is an awful thing to go through. We need a better way to vaccinate against the flu. This is the number one conclusion that can be drawn from looking at the research and statistics. There is a lot of information out there, and you should make the best decision for yourself. In regard to Kelly's question whether or not her getting the vaccine can protect residents of the facility she works in, the science does say yes. Getting the flu itself can also trigger for an autoimmune flare. Stacy doesn't consider herself in a high risk category for getting the flu. Even though she does have kids, she doesn't work in a medical setting, and she has the ability to take off work if she needs to should she become ill. She made the best choice for her. Other adults in her household have made other decisions regarding the flu vaccine. Know your body and what you are comfortable with - it's your decision. She feels the Doterra OnGuard blend has helped her in avoiding the flu this year. We talked about essential oils in this podcast. Stacy used the hand sanitizer and diffused the blend in her office. She was one of only a few from her office to not get the flu this year. She is also supporting her immune system with diet and lifestyle. We all need to own that this is our choice and our body. Vaccination against illness other than the flu, such as Measeles, Mumps, Diptheria is different than the flu. The mortality rate is higher, as is the effectiveness of the vaccines. This becomes a no-brainer to get those vaccines and contribute to herd immunity. We should be able to put more than just Small Pox into extinction. This is a different conversation than the flu vaccine one, because the statistics aren't as strong. Stay well everybody! If you have follow-up questions, reach out through the contact forms on our websites or social media. Real Everything The Paleo Mom If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend it to someone who might enjoy it. We love when you share and when you leave reviews for us! Thanks for listening! Support us by shopping through links on our sidebars- thanks! Citations: Osterholm MT, Kelley NS, Sommer A, Belongia EA. Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12(1):36–44. Erratum in: Lancet Infect Dis. 2012;12(9):655. van den Dool C, Bonten MJ, Hak E, Wallinga J. Modeling the effects of influenza vaccination of health care workers in hospital departments. Vaccine. 2009;27(44):6261–7. Jefferson T, Di Pietrantonj C, Rivetti A, Bawazeer GA, Al-Ansary LA, Ferroni E. Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010(7):CD001269. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices