Do you feel like the words “heavy metals” are getting a lot of buzz lately? It seems like it's hot topic that you read about on social media where everybody's like, “Maybe I do have mercury poisoning? Maybe I have lead poisoning?” My guest today is going to give you the lowdown on how heavy metals and other toxins affect gut health and what you can do about it. Today's guest, Dr. Sonza Curtis, ND, PA-C, IFMP, has a doctorate in Naturopathy for Healthcare Professionals and was certified through the Institute of Functional Medicine. She completed her undergraduate and master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has additional advanced training and specializes in Gut, Autoimmune, and Hormone health. Dr. Sonza has always been committed to helping people get better naturally and has many techniques built into her practice designed to help patients get back to health better than before they came through her doors. Her ability to listen caref...
If you've ever dealt with a skin rash like eczema, you know the itch and the feeling of embarrassment or anger perhaps. Now imagine being the center of attention as a pageant queen being partially judged on how you look and carry yourself. Today's guest had to figure out how to navigate her journey with eczema all while competing in pageant after pageant. Abby Cramond is a junior at Louisiana State University majoring in Digital Advertising and minoring in Textiles Apparel and Merchandising. She is a digital creator and entrepreneur who manages multiple businesses' media pages and the owner of her own jewelry boutique. Abby wants to share her journey with eczema, not only to spread awareness, but to make others feel comfortable in their own skin and that they are not alone. Join us as we chat about her very personal, inspirational journey with eczema, all while being in the spotlight. Have you struggled with finding the true cause of your skin condition but finally found peace or found help in some way? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Abby's eczema journey Various medications Abby tried with her doctor Her personal advice to get through the mental anguish The ONE thing that has worked so far in helping her eczema How Abby's standard of "what is beauty" has changed Quotes “...It's not the fact that you have eczema and then you just put the thing (on) they give you and it goes away. It's this never-ending process of finding out what product works best for you and what truly kills a problem at the core.” [1:16] “After the steroids, we were like, 'I can't be using cream anymore. There has to be another option.' So we went to the dermatologist and they're like, 'All right, we have this thing called Dupixent,' and listed, gave the whole rundown of it all. And I was like, I'm so desperate, I do not care what I need to do. So I gave it a shot, and it's the only thing that has worked for me so far.” [14:04] Links Follow Abby on Instagram| TikTok |Twitter Healthy Skin Show #050: How To Help Kids With Eczema w/ Dr. Sheila Kilbane Healthy Skin Show #098: Why Hope Is So Important When It Comes To Eczema (And How To Find It) w/ Camille Knowles Healthy Skin Show #151: How Eczema Changed My Life (So I Could Help Others) w/ Rakhi Roy, MS, RD, LDN Healthy Skin Show #230: {RESEARCH} Mindfulness Stress Reduction Benefits For Chronic Skin Problems Like Eczema + Psoriasis w/ Jessica Maloh
Many of our readers and listeners have heard me talk about the zinc and copper relationship. Have you delved into how copper is involved yet? My guest today shares everything from the importance of minerals to how the iron recycling system works. Today's guest, Amanda Montalvo, RD, is a women’s health dietitian that helps women get to the root cause of hormone imbalances and have healthy menstrual cycles. Amanda started off her education in nutrition with the traditional route, but after dealing with her own health problems after getting off hormonal birth control she quickly realized the value of functional medicine. After healing her acne, balancing her hormones, and learning the value of her menstrual cycle, Amanda found her purpose—to help women create a body in balance and not settle for anything less. Join us as we discuss minerals and WHY so many get iron wrong. Have you been told you're anemic and want to look into your copper or Vitamin A status? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: How mineral imbalances affect the whole body How do copper and Vitamin A regulate iron? Organ meats- should you supplement? Beta-carotene versus retinol Opinions on utilizing hair mineral testing to see the overall picture of stress and mineral levels Different labs to ask your doctor for Quotes “Iron is in our tissues. We need to get it into the blood. How do we do that? We have different proteins that are moving it around, but those proteins need enzymes. Those enzymes are just making a reaction happen and that's where the minerals come in, right? Minerals are spark plugs for reactions in the body for enzymes.” [6:56] “As estrogen goes up, hepcidin will also increase, and then that means we have less iron absorption in the gut. So, you can look anemic when you have high estrogen, but in reality, you're actually storing a lot of iron. So, hormones can definitely impact our iron status as well." [20:06] Links Connect with Amanda Montalvo online Follow Amanda on Instagram Find out if you’re at risk for Mineral Imbalances with her FREE mineral quiz HERE Healthy Skin Show ep. 163: Iron Deficiency Skin Rash Healthy Skin Show ep. 169: Why Is Zinc So Important For Your Skin?
Did you know thatprogesterone can trigger rashes? Usually estrogen is more commonly the “sex hormone problem child” when it comes to skin, butwhen progesterone is the culprit, it’s causes A LOT of trouble. If you’ve never heard of progesterone triggering rashes orProgesterone Hypersensitivity, you’ll want to check out this episode. Now to be clear,this is NOT a common problemas progesterone reactivity like this is considered to be rare (though I’m willing to bet that a lot of cases are left undiagnosed if you don’t know what to even look for). And if you know someone dealing with progesterone sensitivity rashes, please share this with them becausethere is a lot of great research linked up in the citations section belowthat could be helpful for them! In this episode: What is progesterone hypersensitivity? Is it an autoimmune disease or an allergic reaction? Tips for figuring out if you have progesterone hypersensitivity Fascinating signs + symptoms Potential triggers that prime your body to react to progesterone Treatment options to discuss with your doctor Quotes: A consistent flare-up that starts around the progesterone spike in your cycle around day 20 or 21 of a 28-day cycle is an important clue. Progesterone hypersensitivity may be linked to a higher rate of pregnancy loss.
Did you know that June is Vitiligo Awareness Month?? My guest today shares her empowering, emotional personal story and shares how she became a Vitiligo Patient Advocate! Today's guest, Tonja Johnson, exhibits creativity, innovation, and determination. She has persevered through many obstacles in life, which has fueled her passions. Tonja is the founder of Beautifully Unblemished, a vitiligo support group that was birthed in 2017 after a challenging time finding a local support group in the state of Florida.. Her passion and drive are inspired by her own experiences dealing with Vitiligo and learning to embrace the physical changes she faces daily. She is passionate about empowering individuals to love the skin they are in. In her spare time, she enjoys singing praise and worship, interior decorating, and traveling. Join us as we discuss how to best SUPPORT someone with vitiligo and hear Tonja's journey. If you've been diagnosed with vitiligo and joined a support group, what specifically helped the most? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: What is vitiligo and what symptoms do people commonly notice? Who is affected by vitiligo? Tonja's personal vitiligo journey and how it impacted her to the point of contemplating suicide How Tonja dealt with her diagnosis emotionally + mentally (Why it's NOT "just skin"!) The benefits of getting support especially if you feel ashamed of your vitiligo diagnosis How to support someone living with vitiligo Quotes “There IS treatment. There's no cure, but there IS treatment that gives a temporary relief, I would say, for someone that has vitiligo. And it can slow down the process of vitiligo if you get treated earlier.” [15:08] “About three years into having vitiligo, I began to get depressed because the skin, my pigment was changing aggressively. I was losing my color, it seemed like every day, spots were appearing on my skin, and it was really devastating. I felt like I'd been given a death sentence. I knew it wasn't cancer, so it wasn't that bad, but it was emotionally a roller coaster, just trying to figure out the hows, the whys, where did it come from?" [2:06] Links Find Beautifully Unblemished online and on Instagram Follow Tonja Johnson on Instagram +Facebook World Vitiligo Day is June 25th! Learn more HERE.
If you’ve heard or read that eczema is a “histamine intolerance” problem, I’ve got news for you… That’s actually not always true. In fact, itchy skin doesn’t mean you have histamine intolerance either. This might fly in the face of what you’ve come to believe about what your “root causes” are, but it’s really important. It can help you if you find that antihistamines aren’t really working! OR if you’ve been doing a low histamine diet without noticing much improvement. So let’s talk about how atopic dermatitis is (or is not) connected to histamine overload while answering a listener’s question on how certain foods (like berries) could be good or bad for rashes! In this episode: Are berries high in histamine (and a problem for eczema)? Eczema + Histamine Intolerance – Are they connected? FODMAP foods + histamine issues Percentage of eczema cases that are histamine driven (in my practice) Quotes: Blueberries are actually low in histamine while strawberries are high in histamine. It’s erroneous to assume that eczema automatically means you have a histamine problem because that’s simply not true.
Dealing with chronic skin conditions can take their toll mentally on anyone, but put yourself in the shoes of a child who may not have the same life experience as you do to cope. Stick in the dreaded school bullying, and you can have a major storm on your hands as parents or caregivers. My guest today covers specific things to look for and DO when tackling mental health for children with skin rashes. Today's guest, Dr. Nicole Beurkens, is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced degrees in psychology, education, and nutrition. She is a leading holistic child psychologist and has dedicated her 25-year career to providing parents with research-based strategies that get to the root of children’s attention, anxiety, mood, and behavior challenges so they can reach their highest potential. She runs a multi-disciplinary evaluation and treatment clinic and is a best-selling author, published researcher, award-winning therapist, media expert, and experienced mother of four. Join us as we discuss how to best SUPPORT mental health holistically for children and teens with chronic skin conditions. If you've found that counseling or at-home therapy work has helped your family in dealing with a chronic condition, what specifically helped the most? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Why it's a BIG mistake to NOT talk about skin conditions with your kid (especially if it makes your child feel "different") Steps to empower your child if they have a skin condition Criteria of red flags to know that there's something wrong or signs that there could be an issue at school How to get your child talking (without feeling ashamed) about bullying or other problems they face Benefits of having your child talk to someone other than you (or another parent or caregiver) Quotes “A lot of times kids are bringing those things to us not because they want us to in and play superhero and call everybody's mom, and fix it... they're telling us because they need us to be with them in how they're feeling about it. They need to not be alone in how they're feeling.” [17:30] “...The reality is that most children, the vast majority will not initiate telling a parent or teacher or caregiver that it's going on because they are ashamed, because they're embarrassed because they don't know how to talk about that. So it is up to US as the adults in these kids' lives to raise these issues and to watch for the signs.” [10:16] Links Find Dr. Nicole Beurkens online Get Dr. Beurkens's FREE Top 10 Nutrients Guide Follow Dr. Beurkens on Instagram| Facebook Order Dr. Beurkens's book: Life Will Get Better
Have you ever heard to just put honey or aloe on your rash? I URGE you to think twice on treating an angry rash at home before knowing what it is. Sometimes, it can be life threatening as you will hear from my guest today who had a patient have sepsis! Not to mention, it could be tiny microscopic bugs, which gives the shivers just thinking about it. My guest today is Dr. Peter Lio, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology & Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internship in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, and his Dermatology training at Harvard where he served as Chief Resident in Dermatology. While at Harvard, he received formal training in acupuncture. Dr. Lio has written a textbook on Integrative Dermatology and has published over 100 papers. Join us as we discuss all the different types of skin testing for various conditions, which your doctor could run. Have you ever had any of skin testing done and it helped tremendously? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Why you need a dermatologist on your team to help rule out infections + more serious issues (even if you want to do things more naturally) Different testing types and when you do each one (AND for which condition) What are scabies and Demodex mites, and why could Ivermectin help? How does patch testing work? Thoughts on supplementing with B12 if you have a cobalt allergy Hidden sneaky source of benzoyl peroxide (if you have this allergy) Quotes “Scabies are these little, teeny-tiny mites, they're invisible to the naked eye, but not to the microscope. So what we do is we'll scrape the little parts of the skin or even better is we can scrape under your nails because if you're itchy, you're collecting little scabies mites under your fingernails.” [08:51] “The biggest thing I think for bacterial infection is skin pain or tenderness. If it's just itchy, I'm not as worried, but if a patient calls me and says, it hurts, it's sore. Then I'm like, whoa, that's a super four-alarm fire.” [11:04] Links Find Dr. Lio Online Healthy Skin Show ep. 001: How to Protect & Strengthen Your Skin Barrier w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep. 037: Nickel Allergy And Eczema w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep. 104: Topical B12 For Skin Rashes w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep. 136: Alternative Solutions For Rosacea w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep. 176: Dealing With Recurrent Skin Infections w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep. 216: Could Your Rash Be A Sign Of Lymphoma? w/ Dr. Peter Lio Healthy Skin Show ep.107: Symptoms Of A Staph Infection On Your Skin Follow Dr. Lio onTwitter|Facebook
Have you been told to eliminate fermented foods or FODMAPS out of your diet? What about histamine containing foods? You may want to listen first or read my guest's new book before eliminating these fiber-filled foods! Today's guest, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (or "Dr. B"), is an award winning gastroenterologist, internationally recognized gut health expert and the New York Times-bestselling author of Fiber Fueled and The Fiber Fueled Cookbook. He sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of ZOE, has authored more than twenty articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, has given more than forty presentations at national meetings, presented to Congress and the USDA, and has taught over 10,000 students how to heal and optimize their gut health. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife and children. You’ll find him on Instagram as @theguthealthmd, on Facebook as @theguthealthmd, and at his website theplantfedgut.com. Join us as we discuss general gut health, fiber, short chain fatty acids, and how it all relates BACK to skin health. If you've made some changes to your diet, what's worked and what DIDN'T? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Butyrate- its effect on barrier function and how it connects the gut to the skin Why EVERYONE needs to be sprouting and a secret hack to getting more DAO enzyme from pea sprouts How fiber is food for the microbes in your gut and how that feeds them, which helps you What's the science behind FODMAPS? What may be the healthiest food on the planet Quotes “If I walk out on the street right now and I find a random sample of 20 Americans, 19 out of 20 are deficient in fiber. And not like mildly deficient, but like severely deficient.” [5:05] “FODMAPS are actually really good for us. So we want the FODMAPS, we just want them in the right amount. And we want to train our gut, make it stronger and make it capable of processing these foods for us.” [21:25] Links Find Dr. Will Bulsiewicz online Check out The Fiber Fueled Cookbook here or here Follow Dr. B on Instagram| Facebook Want to learn how to sprout at home? Watch Jen's tutorial Instagram story HERE
Are you trying to weigh the pros and cons of possibly using a biologic like Dupixent for your skin condition? Your immune system has such a complex relationship with one another, so it's important to have complete informed consent when starting one. Look into all the side effects- they could be actually helpful, but they could also lead to cancer! My guest today, Heather Zwickey, earned a Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbiology from the University of Colorado and completed a postdoctoral fellowship and taught at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Zwickey is recognized internationally as an expert and educator in the fields of integrative medicine, natural therapies and the immune system and has been leading natural medicine research for 20 years. Heather speaks at conferences world-wide, sharing her enthusiasm for naturopathic medicine and science. She currently serves as the Director of Communication and Innovation at Thaena Inc., a microbiome-based company. Join us as we talk about how biologic drugs for chronic skin conditions work. Did you know about the relationship between your immune system and your skin? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Biologic drugs - what are they, how are they prescribed, and what do they do? Real side effects of biologics - the bad and even the good Breaking down what cytokines are (in layman's terms) Cytokines and the JAK/STAT pathway Discussion of JAK inhibitors (the newest version of biologic drugs for skin issues) Quotes “Back when we used things like methotrexate for skin disorders, we would see that the entire immune system was blocked and as a result, there would be side effects of things like cancer. When we're only blocking one protein, we have much less severe side effects.” [2:59] “If your skin is not in balance with its microbes, it will affect your gut. We really got to address that. That is the root cause, and usually the way that we're going to address that is with eating more plant-based foods and getting some of the toxins out of our system, and letting those microbes grow the way that they were supposed to grow in normal ecosystems.” [17:47] Links Find Dr. Zwickey online here Healthy Skin Show ep. 180: How Hormones Impact Your Immune System + Skin Health w/ Heather Zwickey, PhD Healthy Skin Show ep.157: How Your Immune System Can Trigger Skin Rashes w/ Heather Zwickey, PhD Follow Dr. Zwickey on Instagram