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Flatbread Pizza

flatbread-pizza

  • 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
  • 1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsp. coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 tbsp. olive or avocado oil (plus extra for sauteing)
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Topping ideas:

  • Sautéed grass-fed ground meat, caramelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, leafy green strips, carrot shreds, grass-fed cheese, no-sugar tomato sauce, your favorite herbs and spices…
  • The options are endless!

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with avocado or coconut oil.
  2. In a bowl, whisk arrowroot flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Once combined, stir in oil then warm water. Gently mix with hands until dough ball has formed.
  3. Place dough on lined or greased baking sheet and roll out into a flat circle or square.
  4. Bake crust for about 12 minutes or until golden.
  5. While crust is baking, saute ground meat and veggies in coconut oil or avocado oil for topping.
  6. Once crust is baked, remove from oven, top crust with toppings and bake another 5 minutes until warm.
  7. Slice and enjoy!

Leaky Gut: An Interview with Dr. Zach Bush

I recently had the opportunity to interview Dr. Zach Bush, MD regarding the much sought after topic of leaky gut. Although I did write a very comprehensive article on leaky gut in 2014, Dr. Bush pointed out many interesting facts that I know will be of much interest.

Dr. Bush is a triple board certified physician and the founder and director of Revolution Health Center in Virginia. Dr. Bush has had much experience with gut inflammation and resulting symptoms. Because of the needs of his patients, he was looking for answers regarding healing the tight junctions (cells whose membranes join together forming a virtually impermeable barrier) of not only the gut, but of all the organs and glands. As a result of exhaustive research regarding how to facilitate the rebalancing of the ecosystem in the gut, he is the co-founder of a novel product called ION that I have been using very successfully with compromised clients.

Before the creation of ION, because of recession and budget cuts for his cancer research, Dr. Bush moved to a very small town to educate the residents on how to change their diet. There was no grocery store in the town, and most residents were eating fast food from the gas station mini mart. Needless to say, Type 2 Diabetes ran rampant, and he spent 2 years educating his patients about the need for a healthy diet.

Many complied, but he didn’t always see the results he hoped for: some Type 2 patients responded well to the changes in diet, but some of didn’t. Why? Because some patient’s cells were not able to do the necessary cell repair: in other words, they didn’t have enough mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) to do the job.

Miracle Mitochondria and Gut Health

As discussed in past articles, inside every cell the mitochondria act as the powerhouse. The reason why our body is able to repair is because the mitochondria are functioning at top performance. And the more mitochondria we have, the healthier we become.

The mitochondria are also vital when it comes to feeding our bodies. If you eat kale, the body can’t directly absorb those nutrients. Friendly bacteria liberate the kale nutrients; those nutrients are transported to the liver where they are turned into fat and sugar. The mitochondrion consumes the fat and sugar, turns the fat into electrons and pumps them through the electron chain to produce ATP energy. It goes without saying that if you want to fix the cell, you have to fix the mitochondria.

Redox Molecules

But the mitochondrion’s work doesn’t stop there. As they produce ATP energy, they produce redox signaling molecules. When these redox molecules are stable, they are a vital part of healing the body. They act as the 911-communication system to your immune system. But the loss of mitochondria equals advanced aging. And with each decade that passes, we lose precious mitochondria.

The electrical charge of the mitochondria (the making of ATP) pulls water and thus nutrients into the cells. The higher the electrical charge, the more water enters the cells. As we age, all our organs and glands, including the digestive tract becomes increasingly more dehydrated. And of course, compromising dehydration is partly due to the dramatic loss of mitochondria from unhealthy foods and toxic exposure. Dehydration is also due to the opening of tight junctions, which I will review shortly.

Friendly Bacteria and Redox Molecules

As most of us are well aware, a balanced gut microbiome, with a multitude of friendly bacteria is vital to the healthy workings of the gut. Redox molecules and friendly bacteria work as a team to protect the gut. The communication of these bacteria with redox signaling molecules is the front line of defense for the tight junctions (the firewall between us and the outside world).

Gut in Review:

But let me back up and give a brief overview of leaky gut. Leaky gut encompasses many different challenges, but certainly uncontrolled inflammation leading to the opening of the protective tight junctions in the gut is primary.

Tight junctions function as an intelligent gateway for the intestinal tract. Its job is to keep out toxins, inorganic fiber, chemicals and foreign invaders. Gluten’s gliadin molecules and glyphosate from pesticides (specifically, Roundup and GMO foods) are its biggest enemies and loosen those tight junctions causing intestinal permeability known as leaky gut.

Learn more about glyphosate’s impact on the gut here and here.

In these instances, the gliadin molecules and/or the glyphosate causes widespread inflammation to the gut lining and the tight junctions remain open. If the tight junctions remain open long term, it can lead to a compromised immune system and/or autoimmune responses, where the body starts attacking itself.

How Do We Protect Against Glyphosate?

Right now in the US, we are dumping 300 million pounds of glyphosate on our soil per year: two times as much as last year. But can we keep ourselves safe from glyphosate and by eating only organic foods? Unfortunately, that does not provide 100% protection. It is estimated that approximately 65% of all the rainfall over the globe contains glyphosate. So what can you do to protect yourself and your precious tight junctions from the devastating effects of glyphosate?

Close Those Tight Junctions

Tight junctions are not limited to the intestinal tract. They are found everywhere in the body, including the brain, blood vessels and renal (kidney) tubules (they reabsorb selected materials back into the blood and secrete, collect and conduct urine: Mosby’s Medical Dictionary: 9th Edition: 2009).

Anywhere that tight junctions remain open, glyphosate will compromise that area. When the tight junctions open, you start leaking water out of your body and into your colon. The colon is supposed to absorb the water from food and direct it back into your body. But when you have a leaky colon, you have a little bit of water tracking back into the colon, which leads to even more dehydration in your cells and then chronic dehydration.

If the tight junctions in the kidneys remain open, toxins can get stuck, and it may be difficult for certain people’s kidneys to flush adequately. When the kidneys are weak, the kidney mitochondria can’t mount the electrical charge across the renal tubules, so the kidneys become a dry sponge for toxins, and that can be a disaster. It is obvious that we need protection for our tight junctions. Can probiotics offer a solution?

Probiotics: Friend or Foe?

The probiotic industry is huge, with sales of $30 billion per year. So many of us have read about the glories of probiotics and many of us have a bottle sitting in our refrigerator. And it is true that in certain instances, they can help. But, unfortunately, what we know is that if you take the same 3-7 species of friendly bacteria over and over again, your gut will turn into a monoculture of limited species.

Why is that a problem? Because in a healthy gut microbiome it is estimated that there are between 20-30,000 different species of friendly bacteria working their magic and keeping our whole body balanced and healthy. In a gut species study Dr. Bush noted, it took 44 participants to collectively get to 10,000 species!

As we are exposed to pesticides, herbicides and chemicals of all sorts, we are devastating our gut microbiome and killing off the good guys. And if we have the wrong bacteria proliferating like e Coli, klebsiella, pseudomonas, candida, etc., it can wipe out our whole ecosystem. Add to that an unhealthy diet, and that is a recipe for an inflamed gut that never seems to heal.

So again, if we just keeping take the same probiotic products over and over again, we may have an improvement for a while after antibiotic use or an infection. But over time, it does no good to repeat these same cultures. We need to find a way to re-populate our gut without the overuse of probiotics. How is that possible?

Restore

It all comes back to the communication between redox molecules, the mitochondria and our friendly bacteria.

We know that we need many stable redox molecules to improve health. But how can we provide them in supplement form? Dr. Bush knew that carbon redox molecules were present in healthy soil and he needed an ecosystem of carbon redox molecules that was huge. But unfortunately, our topsoil has tragically degraded over the years. In yesteryear, when soil was healthy, the topsoil was 8 feet deep. Now it is mineral deficient, saturated with pesticides and herbicides, and only 12 inches in depth. He knew this denatured soil could not provide the kind of carbon redox molecules needed to change the ecosystem of the gut.

Ancient Soil Lignites

After searching far and wide for a good source, he went to the desert where ancient fossil soil called lignites, estimated to be 50 million years old, existed in abundance. Not only is this lignite soil rich in minerals: it is rich in carbon redox molecules.

Through a special water extraction process and the addition of other minerals, and amino acids passed on from a brilliant colleague in New Mexico, he was able to “wake up” the carbon redox potential of this rich soil mix, and created the liquid product called ION.

These carbon redox molecules communicate with the 30,000 potential species of microflora in a healthy gut. And in a sterile gut (with very few friendly species) these carbon redox molecules have the potential to mix with bacteria that is present in our every day environment. In fact, most of the ecosystem (multitude of friendly bacteria) that we depend on every day does not come from probiotics or fermented sauerkraut. It comes from walking out into your garden and turning over some soil and planting your seeds; all the airborne bacteria are there and you breathe them in. Or you reach over and you pet your dog and bacteria go airborne. So pet your dogs more often and kiss your cat! Remember: ION is a communication network of carbon redox molecules that form the front line of defense for our gut. It is NOT a probiotic.

Documented Changes

Sixteen minutes after taking ION, the product closes tight junctions and changes their integrity. In 6 days, tight junctions in the small and large intestines become stronger. But what does this mean in the body? Because the tight junctions are closed, you can absorb water and nutrients much faster, there are better tissue integrity, and tissues, glands and organs throughout the body get rehydrated because of the closing of the tight junctions. When you take ION, the difference is in the hydration state. Also, closed tight junctions stop the over-production of zonulin, a protein that modulates their permeability.

But the best news is that ION can protect our gut from the toxicity of glyphosate and gluten. Taken 30 minutes before a meal, tight junctions will NOT open if these damaging substances are ingested. It also has the potential to repair the gut wall after glyphosate insult.

How to Take ION

The label suggests taking 1 tsp. 30 minutes before each meal. But if you forget to take it before your meal, you can take 1 tsp. 3 times a day. However, if you have a toxic or inflamed gut, it is suggested that you START VERY SLOWLY. Begin with 1-2 drops per day and ease your way into using this amazing product.

With re-hydration of organs, glands and your brain,  you may experience temporary symptoms. If that is the case, reduce the amount taken. For Dr. Bush’s sickest patients, 1 drop per week was tolerated and then very slowly they increased to tolerance. But for many, the recommended dose is causing rapid changes in gut health. One of my chronically constipated docs saw dramatic changes in her bowel movements in a matter of days. Before she had to take many things to assure regular bowel movements, but now has 2-3 bowel movements per day taking only ION. I’m excited for you to try ION and please let me know what you think in the comments below. Here’s to your healthy, happy gut!

To purchase ION now, click here.

Cellular Healing Diet – Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate
  • 1 stick organic butter
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons Stevita brand stevia
  • ½ cup xylitol
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup Valencia peanut butter (I love Trader Joe's)
Peanut Butter Filling
  • 2 tablespoons Vitol brand egg powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon stevia
  • 1 tablespoon xylitol
  • ¼ cup Valencia peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Add cocoa, stevia, xylitol and salt. Mix well. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Set aside. Combine egg powder, salt, stevia and xylitol. In a separate bowl mix peanut butter and butter together. Add egg powder mixture to peanut butter. Stir well. Pour enough chocolate in cupcake paper to coat bottom of paper. Spoon a little of the peanut butter on top. Cover with chocolate mixture. Must be kept in refrigerator.

Cellular Healing Diet – Chelsea’s Cheesecake Dessert

Cheesecake
  • 4 – 8 oz. organic cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup organic sour cream
  • 4 farm fresh eggs, beaten
  • 1 tablespoons Stevita brand stevia
  • ¾ cup xylitol
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 10 oz. bag frozen organic raspberries (if desired)

Blueberry Sauce (if desired for topping)

  • 1 pint blueberries, just washed (so there's a little water left on them)
  • ¼ cup xylitol
  • ½ teaspoon Stevita brand stevia
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Heat until thickened. Cool. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in sour cream, eggs, stevia, xylitol, vanilla and raspberries. My kids don't like a nut crust so we eat it with no crust. If you want a crust: Wrap foil around the bottom of a 10 inch spring form pan. Butter the bottom of the spring form pan and sprinkle ground walnuts or pecans on top. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top. Place the cheesecake in an oven safe dish that is larger than 10 inches. Pour hot water in outer dish so it reaches half way up around cheesecake. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes until center is nearly set. Cool 15 minutes. Scrape sides of pan with a knife and release spring. Cool 30 minutes. Remove spring and refrigerate 4 hours. I like to make it in small ramekin dishes with no crust for individual servings. Just reduce the baking time if you reduce the size of your pan.
 

Are Toxic Heavy Metals Making You Fat?

Can’t lose weight? You may have toxic heavy metals in your body, hampering hard-earned weight-loss efforts! Read on to learn the connection between heavy metal toxicity and the reason why the scale won’t budge.

A body filled with toxic substances, such as heavy metals, is often confined in a state of weight-loss resistance, wherein the body cannot lose weight. Until toxins are cleared from the body, individuals will struggle to lose weight, regardless of following a strict diet or exercise protocol. Common sources of toxic heavy metals, like mercury and lead, include amalgam tooth fillings, seafood, body care products, cookware, immunizations, and drinking water. Heavy metal toxicity affects individuals at the cellular level, and compromises how well cells function. Considering the onslaught of toxins to which people are exposed today, and the coinciding obesity epidemic, a safe and effective heavy metal detoxification protocol is needed now more than ever before.

A properly implemented heavy metal detox can be the most worthwhile and powerful detox of all, and lasting weight-loss can be attained. However, many health practitioners perform the detox incorrectly, making the process ineffective and even dangerous. Heavy metals are highly difficult to remove from the body, and need to be detoxed in a unique and precise way. I’ve observed that more patients heal from unexplainable illness and achieve lasting weight-loss with heavy metal detox than any other single alternative solution. The proper protocol is invaluable for those suffering from the effects of chronic heavy metal toxicity, some symptoms of which include fatigue, depression, joint pain, digestive issues, and the frustrating state of weight-loss resistance.

Note: Prior to beginning a detox, testing should be performed by a trained practitioner to determine whether heavy metal toxicity is the source of an individual’s inability to lose weight. Once heavy metals are found to be affecting weight and overall health, one can proceed with the detox protocol.

Understanding Weight-Loss Resistance

Toxins like heavy metals affect hormones and create hormonal imbalances that lead to weight-loss resistance. Improved understanding of hormones and their impact on metabolism and weight is critical in winning the war against obesity. Leptin is a hormone that tells the brain to burn fat for energy. If the brain is not receiving the correct message from this hormone, due to toxic overload, then the body will not be able to burn fat for energy. What does this mean? Real and lasting weight loss is not possible when the body is in a state of toxicity, despite following a healthy diet and exercise regime.

But there is hope. Removing toxic heavy metals from the body, coupled with necessary diet and lifestyle changes, will heal and reset the hormonal mechanisms necessary for weight-loss. And the best way to remove the toxic burden is by following the proper heavy metal detox protocol, under the guidance of a trained health practitioner.

Please read my three-part series, “When Detox is Dangerous,” for more information:

Heavy Metal Detox: The How-To

Certain metals are given the term “heavy” because they are, in fact, very substantial and challenging to remove from the body. Due to their physical weight and other unique properties, heavy metals can immobilize the body’s ability to detox. Once detox is disabled, heavy metals begin to bio-accumulate in the cells, inhibiting fat loss. Heavy metals also deplete the body’s natural means of detoxification and ability to maintain a healthy body weight. By exhausting detox pathways, toxins buildup and cause the body to become weight-loss resistant.

The key to breaking through heavy metal induced weight-loss resistance lies in the use of chelation therapy. Chelation therapy is a method of removing heavy metals from the body that involves the use of chelating agents. To successfully chelate, and prevent the dangers of reabsorbing toxins, a true chelator must be employed. An example of a true chelator is the dietary supplement DMSA.

Correctly following the oral chelation method for heavy metal removal is relatively inexpensive, and simple enough to avoid toxin reabsorption. However, for a true chelator (like DMSA) to be effective, it must be taken often enough that a sufficient amount of the substance remains in the bloodstream to prevent metals from recirculating in the body, inhibiting detoxification and fat loss. Taking DMSA at the proper time intervals has allowed countless people, including myself, to detox and heal from heavy metal toxicity. It remains the safest and most effective means of removing heavy metals from the body and, as a result, encourages any needed weight-loss.

Yet there is more involved in successful heavy metal detox than simply taking DMSA at the proper times. Matters of cellular function also need to be considered and addressed in the detox protocol, such as the preservation of intracellular glutathione and the protection of DNA. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful antioxidant. Raising and maintaining glutathione is essential to protect DNA, and keep toxins and heavy metals moving out of cells, and initiating weight-loss. Glutathione also protects the brain from circulating metal in the system and removes metal from deeper cellular stores, making it a crucial component of a true detox and key to losing extra pounds.

Real Weight-Loss through True Detox

Before detox begins, the body’s critical detox pathways need to be prepared and restored, which include the liver, kidneys, lymphatic and intestinal systems. The necessary preparation phase denotes the importance of working with a practitioner trained in proper heavy metal detox; if not, the process can be unsafe or simply a waste of time. Once prepared, the pathways must continue to remain open for a successful detox to take place.

When the pathways are ready, detox can begin, which involves cyclical periods of taking DMSA. To start, it is necessary to take DMSA every four hours for at least four consecutive days (including throughout the night), or an on-cycle, so when it is stopped, very little metal will be left in circulation to redistribute in the body. Following the four day on-cycle, metal is cleared from circulation but still remains in deep tissues and cells. A ten day resting period, or off-cycle, then begins. During this time, the metals begin to move from high concentration in the tissue and cells, to lower concentration in circulation. An off-cycle is needed to rest the detox pathways and allow time for the clearing of metals. The off-cycle also allows detox pathways, enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients necessary for effective and safe detoxification to re-establish in the body. Following the ten day off-cycle, the next four day on-cycle will re-clear additional metals that have moved out of cells and into circulation. Typically after a year of cyclical detoxing, it’s recommended to extend off-cycles to give metals more time to move out of deep tissues.

Raising intracellular glutathione during the four day on-cycle aids the detox process, and prevents metals from crossing into the brain and moving into other cells and tissues. Incorporating a toxin-binding agent into the protocol also helps to prevent metals from making their way to the gut and being re-absorbed during detox. Toxin re-absorption is known as autointoxication, and causes unwanted and dangerous symptoms and inhibits weight-loss, yet remains a common oversight for many health practitioners.

After three months of on-cycling using only DMSA to chelate, a fat-soluble chelator is added to the protocol to expedite metal removal from the brain and promote weight-loss. This part of the detox is called the brain phase, and is when the real “magic” happens and weight-loss starts to be noticed. Mercury in the brain causes major problems and initiates unexplainable illness. Without proper heavy metal chelation, mercury will remain locked in the brain, causing a variety of symptoms such as weight-loss resistance. Studies indicate mercury bio-accumulates over time in the hypothalamus region of the brain and the pituitary gland, areas of the body which control hormones. During the brain phase of the detox, it is safe and effective to support the hypothalamus and pituitary gland; however, supporting them too early triggers the release of metal when the body is not yet cleared or ready and unwanted symptoms arise and weight cannot be shed. Accomplished researcher Dr. Andrew Cutler notes that after six to nine months of the brain phase, symptoms may recur; but, once the phase is passed, a patient’s life begins to change and excess weight will release.

How Long Will the Detox Take?

Many practitioners do not clearly or honestly indicate the length of time the detox process takes to successfully remove heavy metals and shift the body out of weight-loss resistance. Heavy metals take decades to bio-accumulate in tissues, so time is necessary to safely and methodically remove them from the system. On average, the full detox lasts two years, but the time-frame varies greatly depending on the case. If a person discontinues chelation for nine months and lacks symptoms and begins to lose weight, detox may be complete. As stated, after a year, most patients are directed to commence longer off-cycles of DMSA to allow more time for metal to release from deeper tissues. During these breaks, symptoms may resurface, and the needle may become stuck on the scale if an off-cycle is too long. Metals tend to emerge from the body in waves. A successful heavy metal detox requires patience and persistence, but the body does heal itself and lose excess weight once the toxic metals are removed.

Hope for Lasting Change

Heavy metal toxicity is a major source of modern health challenges, especially for those who are experiencing the frustrations of weight-loss resistance. Many spend thousands of dollars on quick-fix products, diets, and exercise programs that provide little improvement to their health, while weight continues to rise. I strongly believe God uses suffering for a greater purpose. Finding the root cause of illness is the initial step in any healing journey, and is true for finding the source of one’s inability to lose weight. First, determine whether heavy metal toxicity is causing health troubles, and then work alongside a practitioner trained in the proper detox protocol. Once true detoxification is performed, whole body healing and lasting weight-loss can be achieved.

For more information on heavy metal detox, please read my three-part series, “When Detox is Dangerous“: Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.

Lemon Chive Coulis

lemon-chive-coulis
  • 1 stick grass-fed butter
  • 4 lemons, juiced
  • 1 cup fresh chives, chopped
  • Sea salt to taste
  1. Place all ingredients in high-speed blender and mix until combined.
  2. Enjoy drizzled over fish, meat, or potatoes.

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