Episode 240: Neurobiology of Chronic Conditions
HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY, MINDSET The Funk'tional Nutritionist HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY, MINDSET The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 240: Neurobiology of Chronic Conditions

Today, Erin dives into key concepts of neuroplasticity, understanding how our brain functions from start to finish whenever our body’s health has been compromised, factors that lead to chronic conditions, why certain hormones make us feel certain emotions (hint: it involves the amygdala & insula), and the three main areas of focus when it comes to retraining our brain to veer away from this loop of symptoms.

In this episode, we want you to keep in mind that everyone is coming to this show at different levels of their healing journey, and if you are dealing with a chronic ongoing issue, all of your experiences and emotions are valid.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how your mind can help you overcome the stresses - and symptoms - of chronic conditions at your own pace and strength. Our hope & my intention is that this episode provides healing strategies that may not have been presented to you before.

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Episode 239: Understanding Long COVID
AUTOIMMUNITY, METABOLIC HEALTH, IMMUNE SUPPORT The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY, METABOLIC HEALTH, IMMUNE SUPPORT The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 239: Understanding Long COVID

If you or anyone you know has gotten COVID, did you ever wonder why the recovery period took longer than it should have? Instead of weeks to recover, it turned into months? Well, there is an answer for that: Long COVID.

Today, Erin sits down with Rachel Mistry, RD, MSN, a medical practitioner on our team to talk about Long COVID’s foundations, the factors as to why its recovery phase earns its label, what kinds of symptoms are present, the kinds of people who are most prone to getting this virus, and etc.

Erin and Rachel also talk about the kinds of support or treatment that people affected with long COVID can start doing, the types of supplements that will help strengthen your immunity and metabolism, and how we can slowly begin to build a healthier lifestyle in order to decrease the chances of risks happening to our bodies.

Do you know anyone who's experiencing Long COVID? Share this episode & help them understand the symptoms and what they can do to improve their health!

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Episode 230: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: Triggers, Root Causes & Functional Labs
AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 230: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: Triggers, Root Causes & Functional Labs

There's no doubt that autoimmune illness is on the rise. Maybe you've been diagnosed with an autoimmune illness or you have a history of autoimmune illness in your family, and you want to learn more. It's important to understand the possible triggers of autoimmunity and flare-ups and the tests available to understand which triggers have the greatest effect on you. You really want to be able to identify your unique root causes.

In the previous episodes of this series, Erin has discussed what autoimmunity is, some of the causes, the stages, and conventional testing. In today's episode, she will share how autoimmunity can be 'turned on', various functional medicine tests that can be used in identification and treatment, and things that can be tried before going in for functional medicine tests. Erin will not be sharing specific treatment strategies. Please consult a member of your healthcare team who understands the specifics of your case.

Whether you have an autoimmune disease, a history of autoimmunity in your family, or you're a practitioner, this episode is densely packed with information that will help you take a functional, root-cause approach to autoimmunity.

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Episode 228: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: What Sets the Stage for Autoimmunity?
AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 228: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: What Sets the Stage for Autoimmunity?

Part three of the Understanding Autoimmunity series explains why autoimmunity is becoming so prevalent. Erin dives into the roles our modern food sources, microbiome, and environmental chemicals each play in autoimmunity. If you have been diagnosed with autoimmunity, this episode should help you understand your own unique story.

Erin also provides information to help you understand ways to prevent autoimmunity. Even if you carry the underlying genes for autoimmunity, you have a lot of influence over whether or not these genes are expressed.

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Episode 227: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: Components, Stages, & Conventional Testing
AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 227: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: Components, Stages, & Conventional Testing

In part two of the Understanding Autoimmunity series, Erin unpacks the immune system. If you missed part one of the series, Episode 226, it is recommended you go back and listen to that episode first.

Today, Erin discusses the components of the immune system, things that can get dysregulated with autoimmunity, and some conventional lab testing you can use to establish a baseline that will help you monitor your progress. She will provide some more clarity on what to look for in your lab results and some guidance on how to interpret the numbers.

If you have questions about autoimmunity, shoot us an email with your question and we will capture some of them to share more information in future episodes.

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Episode 226: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: What Is It, What Causes It, & Can It Be Cured?
AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 226: Understanding Autoimmunity Series: What Is It, What Causes It, & Can It Be Cured?

When Erin was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness, she found herself in a new, somewhat unknown, world. Her autoimmune illness allowed her to grow to a new level in her career and expanded her understanding of her body and health. She realized that autoimmunity is widely misunderstood by both professionals and patients.

Many people are searching for information on autoimmunity and they don't know what to do or where to turn. Erin's goal with this series is to thoroughly explain every aspect of autoimmunity. This series will provide you with information to help you understand autoimmunity and act as a resource you can share with people in your life who can use it.

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Episode 223: Fragrances, Hormones & Simple Steps to Healthy Living
NON-TOXIC LIVING, HEALTHY SKIN, HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist NON-TOXIC LIVING, HEALTHY SKIN, HORMONES, AUTOIMMUNITY The Funk'tional Nutritionist

Episode 223: Fragrances, Hormones & Simple Steps to Healthy Living

In this re-release, Erin answers your questions about the effect of fragrance on your hormones - plus what to be aware of with the products we use on our bodies and in our home.

Most people have no idea how harmful synthetic fragrances can be - or how often we are using them! The chemicals used to create or prolong these “fresh” scents impact our neurological health, metabolism, and immune system.

We’re bringing this topic back to the forefront because Erin will be doing a deep dive on autoimmunity here on the show soon, and exposure to certain chemicals is part of why autoimmune diseases are on the rise.

Tune in to hear why cutting out fragrance is a simple, easy step to healthy living.

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Episode 219: Endometriosis & the Overlap of Hormone, Gut & Immune Health with Dr. Lara Briden

Episode 219: Endometriosis & the Overlap of Hormone, Gut & Immune Health with Dr. Lara Briden

There’s a bit of a misunderstanding in the health world that endometriosis is just a hormone problem, but this line of thinking is incomplete. Hormones can absolutely contribute to the endometriosis picture, but they are not the cause of endometriosis. And part of treating endometriosis should include strategies to support the hormones, though that’s not where the support should end.

Today on the show Erin speaks with Dr. Lara Briden all about endometriosis and why it’s such a complex thing to treat. Tune in to hear Lara dive into the immune side of endometriosis, epigenetics, gut dysbiosis, and how all these things can be interconnected. Erin and Lara also discuss testing options and strategies to treat endometriosis, plus and natural remedies you can try at home and lifestyle factors to consider. This episode is important to hear if you’ve been struggling with endometriosis or suspect you might have it, have been diagnosed with IBS but think there may be more going on, or if you’re a practitioner looking to deepen your understanding on the complexities of endometriosis.

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Episode 217: Going Beyond Gluten for Celiac Disease

Episode 217: Going Beyond Gluten for Celiac Disease

When navigating healing from food sensitivities and food allergies, the first action step is to remove the trigger. In the case of Celiac disease, that trigger is gluten and gluten-containing grains. However, while removing gluten from the diet is a crucial first step, it doesn’t necessarily heal intestinal permeability, reduce gut inflammation, restore a damaged gut lining, and stop the autoimmune response. Today on the show Lori Fish Bard, MS, CNS, LDN sits down with Erin to explain why this is the case.

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Episode 182: The Risks of Low Vitamin A & How to Increase Your Levels

Episode 182: The Risks of Low Vitamin A & How to Increase Your Levels

If you have skin issues, immune issues, autoimmunity, allergies, asthma, food sensitivities, or get sick often—you’ll want to listen in, because Vitamin A is crucial for all of these things!

In today’s episode Erin explains the Beta Carotene/Vitamin A connection and differences, and why a vegetarian or vegan diet may not give everyone the Vitamin A their body needs. To break down the importance of Vitamin A, Erin dives into the conditions often associated with low Vitamin A, the benefits of having healthy Vitamin A levels, and what you can do to increase your Vitamin A if you have secured the data that you’re low (hint—the first step is to find the reason why!

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Episode 181: SIBO & IBS - The Latest Research & Testing Options with Dr. Mark Pimentel
GUT HEALTH, AUTOIMMUNITY Laura Fox GUT HEALTH, AUTOIMMUNITY Laura Fox

Episode 181: SIBO & IBS - The Latest Research & Testing Options with Dr. Mark Pimentel

Erin sits down with Dr. Mark Pimentel, researcher, clinician, and cofounder of Gemelli Biotech™, to discuss the latest research on IBS, SIBO, and new testing options for people who have struggled with these conditions. This is definitely a higher level podcast interview, so this episode is great for clinicians, practitioners, anyone who loves to geek out on gut health and research, or anyone who’s been struggling with IBS or SIBO and looking for answers.

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Episode 175: Our Food, Our Immune System & Our Kids (A Town Hall on Health)
FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, AUTOIMMUNITY Laura Fox FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION, AUTOIMMUNITY Laura Fox

Episode 175: Our Food, Our Immune System & Our Kids (A Town Hall on Health)

Today Erin takes a more of a town hall approach to discuss our modern food system and how this plays a role in not only our immune and overall health, but also our kids' health. This episode packs plenty of food for thought: stats and information surrounding our rapidly changing food system, chronic illness, autoimmune disease, access to food, and key factors for a solid health foundation.

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Episode 168: Hormones, the Immune System & Autoimmunity
IMMUNE SUPPORT, AUTOIMMUNITY, HORMONES Laura Fox IMMUNE SUPPORT, AUTOIMMUNITY, HORMONES Laura Fox

Episode 168: Hormones, the Immune System & Autoimmunity

Today’s episode gets into details about hormones and the immune system. Erin unpacks general immunity questions and how hormones can affect immunity, and also gets into the relation between hormones and autoimmunity.

If you’re someone who struggles with autoimmunity, this will be an interesting episode to tune in to. This episode is geared more towards women, female hormones, and the impact this can have on the immune system, so share this with the women in your life—Erin covers some of the most important things to get under control in regards to overall health, immune health, and to current events.

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