A Staying Well: Simple Ways to Strengthen Your Immunity Naturally

Well, as I said, welcome. If you're just joining, welcome. Thank you for joining me here on our weekly Friday Q&A. And we have a very small group today, maybe because, as I said, it's because it's Halloween. Everybody's getting ready for parties tonight or trick-or-treating or whatever. I'm hoping a few more people will join us before we begin, but I'd just— if you're able to, it's always nice to see your face if you can put your camera on. I understand that's not always possible. Um, but, uh, yeah, so just in case you're new to this process, um, my name is Laura. I am one of the health coaches here at Living Proof Institute, and every Friday we host a Q&A. It's sort of part presentation with a little bit of information for you, some, uh, background information to help your health journey along, and then we have an open Q&A. It doesn't have to be specific to the presentation, it can just be anything related to the program that you might have questions about. So feel free to ask away. You can open up your chat and put questions in there as we go as well. Hi, Amira, welcome. Nice to have you here. Just giving you a little bit of background about what Q&A is like for us weekly. It is always available to you and there will be a replay if you can never— if you can't make it one week and want to listen in. So thank you for joining us and happy Halloween today, October 31st. Here we go. I cannot believe there's only 2 months left of the year. Time went so fast this year for me. I don't know if it was the same for you, but I guess it just goes faster every year as we get older, which I remember my parents telling me and my grandparents telling me. I never believed it, but now that I am in that older category. I do believe it because it does seem to go faster for some reason. Anyway, I think what we can do is we're a really small crowd today. Hopefully a few more people will join in. And why don't we just get started again? Just please feel free as we're going through the presentation, if you have any questions, to put your, your message, your question in the chat, and then we can address everything as well at the end. And again, open Q&A at the end if you have any questions. If you're just getting started with the program or have any questions about the presentation. So today I'm actually going to be talking about something that I think is timely for this time of year, which is— oh, hi, Rajpa. You have to leave early. Okay, you have to leave due to two patients. No problem. Thank you for joining us for the brief moment. I hope you catch the replay. Oh, and I hope they're okay from the hurricane. That was awful. Oh my gosh. Anyway, thank you. Nice to see you. Yes. So, so something that is really timely for this time of year is it's like getting into cold and flu season. And I wanted to talk a little bit about staying healthy and boosting our immunity naturally as we transition into, you know, late fall and heading into winter. It is a time of year where we are more susceptible to viruses and infections that are going around, but also how some of the things that we can do naturally to boost our immunity, because I think that's really important as well. So why don't I just get started? And if anyone else happens to join in, then I can let them in as we go. So let me just share my screen here and we can get going. You may have to return. All right, and that's just fine. Meditation is— and I think I'm still— I can still hear his other meditations. I'm going to just stop that. There we go. All right, okay, so today is, as I said, all about staying well and some of the simple ways we can strengthen our immunity naturally. Um, because as we do transition into the colder months, um, our bodies go through subtle changes. Our routines shift, um, daylight shortens. In fact, that's actually happening this weekend, and, um, immune challenges like colds and flus can start to surface. And I think we've all sort of been there, right? Um, so I just wanted to help you prepare for this seasonal change by exploring how to strengthen our immune system naturally, and that what that really means is through food and daily habits and simple supportive strategies that really just align beautifully with the metabolic reset that you are doing or have done. So we'll kind of go over some of the basics of what the immune system is and how it works, some of those really key habits that help to keep it strong, nutrients and supplements that can make a difference to what we do naturally if you do happen to get sick, because it is bound to happen sooner or later. No matter how many precautions we take and best intentions, sometimes we just do get sick. So that is something we can, we can use strategies for in dealing with more naturally. So let's just sort of begin with some of the basics because I think understanding how the immune system works is just going to make everything else make a little bit more sense. So in a nutshell, your immune system is really just your body's built-in defense network, right? It's made up of specialized of cells and tissues and organs that all work together to protect you from viruses, bacteria, and other harmful invaders that are not supposed to be in your body. But what's really interesting is it's not just isolated to one area. It is literally throughout your entire body. So you can really think of the immune system as a full-body communication system that's constantly gathering information, making decisions, and responding to keep you well and keep you healthy. That said, there are two main parts to the system. The first is the innate immune system. So you can think of this as sort of the first line of defense. It's very fast, it's nonspecific, and it is always ready to respond. And it typically includes like those physical barriers, like your skin, mucous membranes in your nose, in your mouth, in your lungs, the acid in your stomach, any of those physical barriers that are intended to keep the invaders out. It also includes white blood cells that are able to quickly identify and destroy harmful microbes when they enter the body. And that's the innate immune system is, you know, if you cut yourself, that's, it's the first line of defense to heal that invasion of the skin, essentially. And then we have the other part of the immune system, which is the adaptive immune system. And this is more specialized defense. It takes a little bit longer to kick in, but it is a lot smarter. And it's adaptive because it remembers past infections. So, it's better able to recognize and fight them. Should we get them again. And it's the part of the immune system that really gives you that long-term immunity, which is why we don't typically get things like, you know, we think about the chickenpox and those types of viruses, why we don't tend to get them twice if we've already had them, because your adaptive immune system is recognizing that you've already had this and is able to fight it a lot faster. So, um, Oh, that's right. One. Here we go. So what the— what most people don't realize is that the immune system is very deeply connected or interconnected with other systems in the body, specifically the gut. And the gut actually houses about 70% of our immune cells, meaning that our digestive health directly influences how well we're able to fight off illness. Our endocrine system, or that network of hormones that controls everything, from our sleep to, to stress also communicates with immune cells constantly, and chronic stress can suppress our immunity while quality sleep, conversely, helps strengthen it. Your metabolic health plays a role too, right? Blood sugar balance or imbalance, inflammation or lack thereof, and of course nutrient status all affect how efficiently our immune system operates. So when you think about supporting your immune health, you're really thinking about supporting the whole body. And a strong immune system isn't about just taking one supplement or eating one particular kind of, you know, what we would maybe call a superfood. It's really about creating balance, keeping your defenses strong, your inflammation low, and your internal systems communicating properly. Because when your immune system is balanced, it knows exactly what to do. It can react when it needs to, it can calm down when that threat is gone, and it, it keeps you feeling energized, resilient, and well, no matter what might be going around during the season. So that said, now that we have a little bit more of an understanding about what the immune system actually is, let's discuss how to keep it strong. Because again, there's no one particular thing, whether that be a food or a supplement, or even just one particular strategy that can outdo the basics of having a good sum of daily habits, right? It's really about the way you eat as well as the way you sleep and move and manage stress day in and day out that really determines how resilient your body can be when it's exposed to viruses and other immune challenges. So I like to say that there's like 5 really key foundational habits that are going to set your immune system up for strength. And one we always talk about, no matter what we're, we're dealing with, is sleep, right? Prioritizing quality sleep because your body does its deepest repair and immune housekeeping, shall we say, while you sleep. It's really during your sleep time that your immune system releases these special proteins that help your body fight infection and reduce inflammation. And when you're short on sleep, these protective proteins drop, and infection-fighting antibodies also decrease. And that's why even 1 or 2 poor nights of sleep can make you more susceptible to illness or just not feeling as well. We like to always say try to aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. You want to be in a cool, dark room. You want to try to maintain consistent bedtimes as well as wake, wake times, even on the weekends. And of course, if you struggle at all with, with sleeping, you know, do some of these just inherent practices like dimming the lights an hour before you go to bed and avoiding screen times, having a very dark room, having a really cool room. Those are all going to help you get that quality sleep that you need. We always talk about stress as well, right? Chronic stress is one of the biggest immune disruptors because when cortisol, which is your main stress hormone, stays elevated for too long, it actually suppresses immune function and increases inflammation, which is the main enemy of immunity. So if you think of it this way, that your body can't be in both fight or flight and rest and repair at the same time, it makes a little bit more sense. So it's important to just start to incorporate daily stress relievers into your routine, like breathing and breathwork, perhaps gentle stretching or journaling, or even just a gratitude practice can make a huge difference. And even as much as, or as little as 5 minutes a day of just intentional calm can make a big difference to improving your stress resilience and then of course your immunity. We also talk about movement, right? We want you to move regularly, but we don't want you to overdo it. And moderate, consistent movement is what's gonna help immune systems circulate through the body and improve your overall immunity. Too little movement weakens that response, but too much can actually impede recovery and temporarily lower immunity as well. So there is a balance here, and we like to say, you know, aiming for at least 30 minutes of movement daily is probably ideal for most people, and that's light movement, walking, yoga, light resistance work, even dancing. I mean, all of these things count. And if you do happen to go back to more intense workouts as your body heals, just make sure you're supporting them— your body— with regular recovery, sleep, and of course adequate protein. Hydration, right? Another buzzword we use here all the time. It's so important to stay hydrated because hydration Hydration supports every cellular process, including your immune response. Your mucous membranes, those in your lungs, in your nose, your mouth, they're your first defense against pathogens. If you are dehydrated, they're going to dry out and it's going to make viruses easier to enter. So just having a good hydration practice of sipping water throughout the day is really going to help you stay well hydrated without having to think about it a whole lot. If you're not a huge fan of just plain water. Of course, you can add lemon or herbs, cucumber, something like that for flavor, or just sip on herbal teas, or even just a, a mineral-rich broth is also a really great way to stay hydrated. And then finally, making sure we're eating whole nutrient-dense foods, right? Food is literally the raw material your immune system needs to function. And a diet rich in colorful vegetables, clean protein, healthy fat, and fiber fuels the immune system with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A good way to practice this is just to think about eating a variety of different foods. And if you've ever heard that phrase, eat the rainbow, this is what we're talking about, because each color of different foods provides different phytonutrients that can support your immune defense and ultimately really reduce inflammation. So I think the message is relatively simple but powerful. That healthy immune systems are built on those everyday moments, those everyday habits, and when you're consistently prioritizing them, your body's internal shield from the— becomes this internal shield from the inside out and helps you stay away from those pathogens that might be going around. Now earlier I mentioned that there's a really strong connection between immunity and the gut. In fact, about 70% of your immune system lives in the gut, which means your digestive health directly impacts how well your body can defend itself. Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, bacteria, microbes. That's known as your gut microbiome. And you probably heard that term. It's got a little bit of catchier— it's become a little bit of a catchy phrase of late, and it's basically, um, just the microbes in your gut, and they are there to do more than just digest your food. They actually also train your immune system and can teach it to distinguish between helpful and harmful invaders, right, those pathogens and bacteria, and also help to regulate inflammation throughout the body. So when your gut is balanced, and diverse, of course, your immune system can stay calm, efficient, and well-coordinated. But when your gut bacteria becomes unbalanced— and this is again due to stress, poor diet, medications, environmental toxins— inflammation rises, nutrient absorption actually decreases. You're not able to absorb as many nutrients from your food, and ultimately your immune response weakens. So keep your— keeping your gut microbiome happy and your immunity is— is keeping your gut microbiome happy. Happy is what keeps your immunity strong. And some of the ways you can do this, again, it's all about, you know, really eating good, clean, whole foods, especially fiber-rich ones, because fiber feeds the beneficial gut bacteria, helps them produce compounds like short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and ultimately strengthen that gut lining. You also want to include some prebiotics and probiotics in your diet. So prebiotics are the food for the good bacteria. You're going to find those in things like onions and garlic, leeks, asparagus, even artichokes all contain prebiotics. And probiotics are the actual beneficial bacteria themselves. And you can also get probiotics in foods that are fermented. So things like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, those types of foods. Obviously, you want to limit ultra-processed foods, you know, anything highly processed, refined sugars, artificial ingredients and additives. These all damage the gut bacteria and increase that gut permeability, which is commonly known as leaky gut. If you've ever heard that term or terminology before, that's what that means. And a leaky gut can trigger immune overactivity and inflammation. So instead, focus on whole, unprocessed meals whenever possible. And this, of course, aligns perfectly with your metabolic reset goals. And then last but not least, of course, you want to continue to manage stress and prioritize rest. Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the gut-brain axis. So when you're stressed, your digestion slows down, gut bacteria shifts, and your immune function drops. Um, so if you only remember one thing from this whole presentation or this section even in itself, is that a healthy gut equals a balanced immune system. And when your microbiome is well-balanced and well-nourished. It supports everything from your digestion and mood to your hormone balance and your immune defense. So as much as we, uh, focus on whole foods, we really want to also really pay attention to some of the foods that contain really key ingredients for the immune system. And I think probably the top 4 are the ones that I'm going to just go over with you quickly now, because these nutrients really work synergistically. So think of them as a team with each playing a different role, but when you incorporate them through your diet together, they are much better able to keep your immune response strong and balanced. So I think a lot of us are very familiar with vitamin C and knowing that it is a very important nutrient for immunity, and that's because it helps helps your body produce white blood cells and supports their function and protects them from damage by acting as a powerful antioxidant. If you're under a lot of stress or if you're fighting an infection, for example, your body's demand for vitamin C increases dramatically, in fact. So having a steady intake of this throughout the day is really important. In terms of food, you're looking at things like citrus, citrus fruits, kiwi, bell peppers, strawberries, and dark leafy greens. Because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, it's not stored in your body, so you really do have to be conscious about getting small sources of it daily rather than just sort of relying on single high doses of it. Vitamin D is probably something else you're familiar with in terms of immunity, often called the sunshine vitamin. Vitamin D is essential for our immune balance. It helps activate our T cells, which is your body's seek and destroy immune cells. And it also regulates inflammation so your immune system responds effectively without overreacting. Of course, you know, getting into the fall and winter seasons, especially in northern climates, most of our time is spent indoors as it gets colder and we don't have as much exposure to sunlight. So we become a little bit more deficient in vitamin D. So important again to make sure we are including sources of vitamin D in our diets. Obviously, sunlight exposure, if you can still get it, is super important, even like 10 to 20 minutes per day in the sun on some bare skin, your face, your hands, whatever isn't too unbearable if it's cold. But also then start to focus on those foods that contain it, like fatty fish. Egg yolks, sardines, and of course a lot of foods are also fortified with vitamin D. But that said, it's still often not enough for a lot of us, so supplementation is usually a good idea during the colder months. Zinc— it plays a huge role in preventing infection plus supporting recovery if you do in fact get sick. Zinc is needed for immune cell growth, for wound healing, and communication between immune cells. So Low zinc levels have been associated with slower healing, more frequent colds, and reduced immune efficiency. The, the best sources of zinc food-wise are things like oysters, pumpkin seeds, chicken, beef, lentils, and chickpeas. Just a quick word of warning: zinc can interfere with our iron absorption, so it's a good idea to avoid high-dose supplementation of zinc unless you've been instructed to do so by your doctor. And then finally is selenium. Selenium is a trace mineral. It supports antioxidant enzymes and helps to prevent damage from oxidative stress and inflammation as well. It's also essential for thyroid function if anyone has reduced thyroid function. Actually, you can probably get all you need in terms of a daily a daily amount of selenium from just 2 Brazil nuts per day. But if that's not your jam, you can also get selenium in things like tuna and sardines, eggs, and mushrooms. And while foods should always come first, sometimes we do need a little extra support. And again, usually these fall and winter months is one of those times. And while we don't want to take this laundry list full of supplements or pills, if your lifestyle, climate, or dietary patterns make it harder to get enough of certain nutrients just through diet, targeted supplementation can really make a big difference. So beyond the ones we just discussed, I think it's important to highlight a few others, one being vitamin A. It really helps to maintain the integrity of those mucosal barriers in your nose, throat, lungs, your gut. Again, those are the first line of defense against pathogens. Vitamin E helps to maintain the strength of your cell membrane— membranes. It fights off infections, especially good for older adults or those under chronic stress. Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate inflammation, also supporting the structure of your cell membranes. They also prevent chronic low-grade inflammation, which is a real problem when it comes to immunity. Iron is another key mineral that helps your immune cells. It also— low iron helps or leaves you feeling fatigued and can impair that immune response. Magnesium is something most of us don't get enough of and need to supplement with. Um, it helps with immune function, stress response, and also sleep. And when magnesium levels are low, inflammation increases, resilience drops, and it's really important to maintain a really good level of magnesium. Probably a typical range for supplementation is around 200 to 400 milligrams daily. And then finally, quercetin. It is found in plant foods and acts as both an antioxidant as well as a natural antihistamine. It helps modulate inflammation, supports respiratory health, and strengthens the immune response. Now, these things are amazing. And then another thing that a lot of us have probably heard about, but perhaps don't really know much about what it is or what they do, are adaptogens. And medicinal mushrooms. And I think they've gotten a little bit more buzz lately as well, especially the mushrooms, with you seeing a lot of foods fortified with them. Coffees and specialty drinks often have some of these medicinal adaptogenic mushrooms included or, or in them now, or you can even add them too. But they are really good additional ways to boost your immunity because sometimes those other nutrients just aren't enough, right? It's about helping your body stay balanced under stress, under stress, and that's where these can really play a huge role. They're just natural plant compounds. They've actually been used for centuries in traditional medicine as systems to support resilience, to support energy, and immune strength. They're not really quick fixes per se, but instead they help the body just adapt to the physical, emotional, and environmental stressors that they may be faced with, as well as keeping your systems in balance. So basically, adaptogens are just herbs and botanicals that help regulate the body's stress response through the HPA axis. When stress becomes chronic, which it can for some people, it, it can suppress our immune function. It elevates cortisol levels and just leaves us more vulnerable to illness. And adaptogens are what can help restore that homeostasis, or your body's state of balance. There's a few that are really helpful when it comes to immunity and resilience. One of them is ashwagandha. It helps lower cortisol levels and support energy, focus, and better sleep. Rhodiola is another one that helps enhance our stamina. It supports our nervous system and helps our bodies adapt to physical and emotional stress. And astragalus is another adaptogen that helps stimulate white blood cell activity and fortify immune defenses, especially during this cold and flu season. And you can just sort of think of adaptogens as the, the gentle body balancers that don't really overstimulate the immune system, but help it respond appropriately when needed. Medicinal mushrooms take the concept even one step further, um, by actively training and modulating the immune system. So rather than pushing the immune system into overdrive, medicinal mushrooms help fine-tune its response. So some of the best ones for immune health are reishi, that supports the stress response, promotes better sleep, and enhances overall immune resilience. It's really excellent for people who kind of run on empty all the time. Um, maitake and shiitake mushrooms are very culinary friendly. That support immune defense. They're great for cardiovascular health and also healthy cholesterol balance. Cordyceps are great for boosting energy, endurance, and helping with oxygen uptake. And Lion's Mane supports both the immune and nervous systems, promoting cognitive clarity. Medicinal mushrooms are mostly enjoyed in the powdered form. You know, as I mentioned before, there are some that are more culinary in nature, so you can add them to your cooking. Cooking in your foods, but the, the powdered ones can be added to smoothies, coffees, teas. You can also take them as tinctures or get them in capsules. So as you can see, adaptogens and medicinal mushrooms really do work beautifully alongside nutritional foundations by helping to calm the stress response and lower cortisol. They enhance immune vigilance and also support good energy. Better focus, and better sleep. Now, all this to say that even with the best nutrition habits, sleep and stress management, stress management, it doesn't mean that you're never going to get sick again, right? And it's completely normal to get sick, especially once in a while during the fall and winter months. You know, viruses are circulating more easily. Our immune systems are really on overdrive. There's a lot of more activities with the holidays, and we just get run down. So, you know, the goal is never to never get sick again. It's simply to shorten the duration, lessen the severity, and support our body's natural healing systems and processes effectively. And when symptoms do start, if you do feel like you're starting to get sick, the key really is to act early. The, the most powerful medicine you have against illness is rest. If you are fighting an infection, your body redirects all its energy away from digestion, focus, movement, you name it, towards immune defense and also repair. So sleep is more important than ever. You probably want to start aiming for 9 to 10 hours if possible if you feel like you're getting sick. Cancel any non-essential plans and just let your body do what it's supposed to do, which is to heal. Hydration remains a huge priority if you are getting sick. You want to focus on staying very well hydrated, drinking warm herbal teas. Chamomile is really nice. Lemon balm is great when you're feeling under the weather. These are just going to help soothe both the throat and, you know, again, the mucous tissues in your, in your mouth. They're going to replenish electrolytes, which is important as well, and are very easy on your digestion. You may find your appetite dips when you're sick, but your immune system actually needs fuel. So it's really important to continue to fuel yourself, especially with protein. Um, your, you know, your cells are repairing, so you need that protein boost to help your cells do their their jobs. Broth-based fluids are a great way to do that without feeling like you have, you know, you just don't have the desire a lot of times to eat a lot of food. So that's a good way to get your protein in. And micronutrient-rich foods as well are going to help build antibodies and repair the tissues. Warm, easy-to-digest foods, you know, think soups and stews, again, bone broth, even cooked vegetables. Are really good ways to stay nourished when you feel like you have a cold. There's also like a short window when certain nutrients and botanicals can make a really big difference. Again, the key is acting early, right? So vitamin C, zinc, even in lozenge form, you can find a lot of zinc lozenges on the market now, and a daily vitamin D3 dose are really going to help in shortening the duration of that illness. Elderberry is also a great botanical to help reduce upper respiratory symptoms. And of course, echinacea at the first onset of symptoms is going to support your body's intelligent healing response. You also need to support your body's natural detox pathways, right? So think the liver, the kidneys, lymph, and the skin, just to clear out any byproducts of infection. So staying hydrated is key, keeping your lymph flowing with gentle movement and keeping your circulation active. You might want to use some steam or saline rinses to help support your nasal and sinus health and take Epsom salt baths to support relaxation and detoxification through the skin. Then once your symptoms do actually start to subside, resist the urge to jump straight back into full activity or your regular workouts, right? Your immune system is still rebuilding and recovering, and overexertion can in fact set you back. So just remember that, you know, getting sick isn't a failure. It happens to everybody. It's just your body's way of giving you some feedback and asking for pause, perhaps a little bit more presence and care than usual. And supporting your immune system really just means trusting your body's wisdom and not overriding it and not paying attention to it. Because with adequate rest and nourishment and just a few simple supports like what we talked about here, you can actually move through illness with less disruption and emerge stronger and more in tune with your body. So just to kind of wrap up what we talked about today, as we head deeper into the fall and winter months, Just remember a few things. Your immune system really does thrive on consistency, not quick fixes. Focusing on nourishing your body daily through sleep, stress management, and whole foods is going to make a world of difference. You again want to prioritize your gut health and hydration as well as key foundations for keeping your immune system strong. And keep your nutrient intake balanced and mindful. You know, it's not— I don't think there's— we shouldn't be fearful of getting sick. We really just want to pay attention to staying resilient and building resilience from the inside out. It's not about avoiding illness as much as it's about creating an internal environment where wellness can really thrive. And that's what we're all doing here. In this program. So that's what I wanted to share with you today. Would love to take any questions if any of you have any questions about the presentation or just about the program in general. Not sure where everybody's at, if everyone is still actively in the reset, if we have people who are now well past maintenance, anything you'd like to share, I'd love to, to hear from you.

Hi, Laura.

Hi, it's Renee.

I don't know why my, uh, thing is just showing as a Zoom user. I wanted to just pop in and join. I'm a little late, so sorry about that.

That's okay. Glad you could join.

Yeah, I was just wanting to say something because I'm just to support. It was a really good presentation from what I was hearing, and I'm really working on the sleep stuff. Like, I'm hearing you talk about how good it is for our bodies. Yeah, it's just been such a healing part for me too. And just like, I know I'm going through perimenopause. It's like if I hear that word one more time, Right. And how much it's really helped me with my brain fog.

Good.

I was in denial about the brain fog. I was like, oh my God, until it's like my parents called me about something and I was like, oh my goodness, it really went out of my mind. And I really thought I had it together. So just really just nipping it in the butt and seeing how clear I've been, especially You know, I'm still new to the program and yeah, having all the withdrawals and the detoxing and stuff like that, it's been, um, very humbling because like I, I know I'm an emotional eater. So normally dealing with like even my period just came and stuff like that, it's like, oh my God, normally I would go get a Timbit or like the Ice Cap Macchiato, you know, and all sugar, sugar, sugar to just lacking whatever I needed and having to deal with the emotion. So it's been very humbling. This program is very humbling. It's like you cannot be prideful in this program. That's what I would say.

Yeah, I mean, I so appreciate that feedback. And I think just based on what you're saying, I just love how much more in tune you are with how you're feeling. And I think that that's I think that's such a huge component of it as well, is just learning more about our bodies and what— like you said, you'd normally get these intense cravings and you just— you almost don't even think about going and getting the donut or whatever it is. 100%.

You don't think about it. And that's how the weight stays too, because it's like, going to get this every time I'm feeling— it's just little triggers, whether it's the kids or work or just life, lifing emotions.

Life. Lifting is the best way to say it, I think. And you're never going to not have those triggers. They're always going to be there. And it's just learning how to manage them better.

Yeah.

You step back and you go, okay, do I really need this sugar or this whatever? Is it really truly a craving or is it a habit and just a way to get from point A to point B? And what can I do instead? Instead, that is a better option, is such a great approach. Um, I just—

I—

yeah, I think, you know, thank you so much for just bringing that to everyone's attention. And 100%, you're doing so great with that yourself as well. I know you are.

I appreciate you so much. And that's another core thing, I think, is you guys. Yes, you're giving us information, but the fact that I can bounce back— because you know what I was saying to you, we automatically feel like, I can do this. On my own. So I think it's even imperative for all of us, like whoever's in here, to keep coming in too, because it's like, it's almost like a group session, a counseling session or something, you know.

Absolutely. It's, it's always easier to do things in a community just for, you know, support and feedback and, you know, bouncing things off other people. It's always, always easier that way than trying to just go it alone. You know, so thank you, thank you so much. And, um, you're doing great. And yeah, I think the sleep is, is such a big component as well, because when you are well rested, everything else fall— it makes, it makes everything else easier as well, including, you know, just that awareness and those triggers. And everything subsides as well when you have, uh, better sleep and better rest. And you, you know, we all have Oura Rings too, right? We're going to see those changes in our health and things like our heart rate variability just based on, on how much better we're doing in terms of prioritizing sleep and rest. So appreciate you, Renee. I'm really, really so glad that you were able to, um, to hop on and, and give your perspective on things. Thank you.

Thank you.

Laurel, you have your hand up. Did you have a question?

Yeah, I'm, I'm a licensee.

I have one—

my first client is going through the reset. I did it with my husband January through, you know, February, and then we did it again. Um, but it— I just had a question because he had said, like, we did his intake papers, and I think I don't know how many sections. There are like 13 sections on the, like, root cause, uh, form. And I think probably 8 or 9 of his were on the high numbers, you know. I was like, well, this is going to be a good, um, a good test for him to see if this weight loss changes a lot of that information. But like, on the— he started loading yesterday and he's like, I get a lot of heartburn. And I was like, the thing I recommended to him was just to make sure he takes his digestive enzymes while he's loading, because I'm like, then it won't be such a bad heartburn kind of problem. But I'm like, part of the problem is his weight is one of those things that's kind of that feedback loop for making it have more heartburn anyway. So I just didn't know if you had other recommendations. For your clients if they have that issue of heartburn? Of— yeah, for the, like, the loading phases.

Yeah, I mean, I think it depends too what foods you decide to use on the loading phase. I think, um, we, we do provide that menu that's a little bit cleaner option rather than perhaps going to more like, uh, yeah, you know, things that you, you like to eat, you know, the fried foods, whatever, the really high carbohydrate. We, we, you know, it's easier to get more calories with high-fat foods, but sometimes they can, for certain people as well, depending on what else is going on, right, in terms of their gut health and their metabolic state in general, it could be, you know, whatever he's eating might also be triggering those reactions for sure.

And he's totally like, I don't know, he's got a lot of self-sabotage where he knows so much, but he also allows himself to, like, just eat crap because he's busy. And so this is kind of a big—

what do I say?

This is changing his brain to get the commitments to really stay clean and eating all the stuff he knows he should eat. So I just thought I'd ask to make sure, like, if you had other things besides that.

Yeah, I mean, I think you've told him to do the right things. I think a lot of it is just, you know, maybe just looking at what he's eating. The good news is the loading phase is only 2 days, so it's not going to be a long-term kind of a situation. I mean, you could try a little apple cider vinegar diluted in water to see if that helps anything. And then I would just say, you know, try to stay away from really spicy foods, the fried— a lot of fried foods, and try to get your calories through healthier fats. And, you know, even like, like a fattier piece of steak or something like that versus chicken fingers or chicken wings, deep fried and whatever. And I'm not saying that that's what he's doing, but if, if that is potentially causing some of those issues, I think it's just a matter of maybe really going through with a fine-tooth comb what, what the diet is as he goes into day 3 and starts the, the release phase, you know, I think a lot of that will subside.

Thank you so much. I love that.

You're very welcome. Any other questions? Well, if not, I really appreciate everyone joining me today. Oh my gosh, I almost forgot. I have a immune guide that you guys can download if you want. Let me just find that and I will drop it in the chat. Um, it just sort of supports what I've been talking about and gives you a little bit extra information. Come on, slow computer. Um, it will also be— if you, you should all get the weekly newsletter, it will be in the newsletter next week with this replay. Um, but it's just a little extra something something to, um, reinforce what I was talking about today. So that's there for you. You can download that. And, uh, this replay is available in, um, the YouTube. I can, I can also put that in there for you because you might not have that. So let me find that if I have it. And if you are on our email list, you will get that every week as well. I don't have that one handy, and my apologies. That will be in the, um, it's, it's in your, um, Practice Better modules, the link for the, uh, replays, and it will be in the newsletter as well. And, uh, that will be up and available by Tuesday of next week for this week's replay. So I really do appreciate all of you joining. I hope you have a happy Halloween. Don't forget to change your clocks if you're in an area that does practice daylight savings, and that's, that's ending this weekend. So good news is we all get an extra hour of that precious restorative sleep, which is very good, but it can still be really disruptive. So stick with good habits and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I hope to see you back here next Friday for Q&A. And next week we're going to be talking about protein. So I know that can be, um, an interesting subject for some on how to get in enough protein, how to maximize the 4 ounces, and a whole bunch of more information about that macronutrient in general. So thank you all and, um, have a great weekend. Thanks for joining me. Bye.