Phoenix Helix: Autoimmune Resilience

Episode 145: Wahls Protocol Research Update

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most of you are familiar with Dr. Terry Wahls. She's a physician with multiple sclerosis who reversed her symptoms dramatically, going from a wheelcha...

Episode 144: Early Pandemic Podcast – Coronavirus & Autoimmune Disease with Andrea Nakayama

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Note to listeners: This podcast was recorded early in the pandemic in March 2020. While the advice on diet, lifestyle, and mindset still applies, scie...

Episode 143: How to Survive an Autoimmune Flare

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Flares are one of the scariest parts of autoimmune disease. They're unpredictable, often very painful, sometimes disabling, and always disruptive to o...

Episode 142: Osteoporosis & Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Amy Nett

21 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Osteoporosis is a condition where the bones become weak and brittle, and it’s usually associated with aging. But it turns out that autoimmune diseas...

Episode 141: Overcoming Sugar Cravings with Dr. Vickie Bhatia

07 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While not everyone has a sweet tooth, a lot of us do, and it's often hard to break the sugar habit. Why is that so true? It turns out there are a lot ...

Episode 140: Autoimmunity & the Brain with Donna Jackson Nakazawa

24 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever experienced brain fog, anxiety, or mood issues alongside your autoimmune symptoms, you’re not alone. Doctors know that mental healt...

Episode 139: Healing Stories 7

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys ...

Episode 138: Best Of – Exercise and Autoimmune Disease

27 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes! The right exercise has the potential to improve our health, but the wrong exercise can cause an auto...

Episode 137: Best Of – MTHFR with Dr. Ben Lynch

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes - for good reason! Once you start researching alternative approaches to treating autoimmune disease, ...

Episode 136: Loneliness with Dr. Ellen Vora

29 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When we feel lonely or isolated, it can seem like we’re the only person experiencing it, yet loneliness has become an epidemic affecting millions. L...

Episode 135: The Placebo and Nocebo Effect with Erik Vance

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If the placebo effect taps into our body's natural healing capability, and the nocebo effect can turn fear into physical symptoms, these are things we...

Episode 134: Orthorexia with Imei Hsu

01 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What's the line between a healing diet and a harmful one? Orthorexia is a term that was first coined in the late 1990’s by Dr. Steven Bratman. It re...

Episode 133: The Gut Microbiome with Dr. Lucy Mailing

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a community of 38 trillion microorganisms living in and on our bodies, and most of them reside in our gut. That's equal to the number of cel...

Episode 132: Sex and Autoimmune Disease with Kate Wolovsky

04 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sexual intimacy can be challenging even in healthy couples. It’s an area that many of us aren’t comfortable talking about, but when you add chroni...

Episode 131: Blood Sugar & Autoimmunity with Dr. Jeff Horacek

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Blood sugar is one of the building blocks of life. It gives our cells the energy they need to do their jobs. Yet when our blood sugar gets too high, d...

Episode 130: Long-Term Healing Diets

06 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode marks the 5-year anniversary of this podcast! When I was thinking about how I wanted to celebrate, I decided to invite 2 friends onto the...

Episode 129: Resilience with Dr. Cynthia Li

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our topic today is Resilience, that ability to bounce back from life’s hardships. With autoimmune disease, we get lots of practice. Sometimes we fee...

Episode 128: Best Of – Mind-Body Nutrition with Marc David

09 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of my favorite podcast episodes! How does mindset impact nutrition and food tolerance? At its most basic level, food is sustenance. It fue...

Episode 127: Best Of – Social Lives on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

26 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most popular podcasts - for good reason! In cultures around the world, we gather together over food: we have dinner dates, drinks w...

Episode 126: Hashimoto’s AIP Medical Study

12 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I have some exciting research to share! It's the first medical study looking at the paleo autoimmune protocol as an intervention for Hashimoto's thyro...

Episode 125: The Pursuit of Perfect Health with Dr. Terry Wahls

28 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Most of you know Dr. Terry Wahls' story. She is a physician who developed multiple sclerosis, and in spite of the best that conventional medicine had ...

Episode 124: The Best & Worst Things People Say When You Have Autoimmune Disease

14 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Everything happens for a reason. What did you do to cause this? At least it's not cancer. Oh, I heard about this cure online... Is this sounding famil...

Episode 123: The Forgiveness Controversy with Dr. Harriet Lerner

31 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There’s some compelling research that suggests the inability to forgive leads to negative health consequences, and the practice of forgiveness can h...

Episode 122: Brain Fog with Dr. Tim Gerstmar

17 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel like your brain isn’t working quite right – that you can’t remember things, or think clearly, or focus and make decisions? That...

Episode 121: Time Management with Laura Vanderkam

03 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast, we’re taking a big picture look at time. How can we gain clarity on where our time goes? How can we start to feel in control of tim...

Episode 120: Scleroderma with Dr. Aly Cohen

19 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast episode, we take a detailed look at Scleroderma. How does it differ from other autoimmune diseases, and how is it diagnosed? Can diet ...

Episode 119: Fatigue with Andrea Nakayama

05 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fatigue is a common side effect of autoimmune disease, but it can have many other root causes as well. For some people, it's mild and manageable. For ...

Episode 118: Boundaries and the Art of Saying No with Dr. Nicole LePera

22 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When we're trying to heal from chronic illness, self-care takes time – everything from preparing homemade meals, to taking time out to manage our st...

Episode 117: Eating AIP in a Non-Paleo Home

08 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Paleo Autoimmune Protocol is a challenging diet under the best of circumstances. But when you’re the only one in your household following this d...

Episode 116: The Gut-Brain Connection with Dr. Lili Wagner

22 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever felt butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous? Or lost your appetite when deeply grieving? We’ve all felt emotions in our gut...

Episode 115: Easy AIP with Mickey Trescott

08 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is all about making the paleo autoimmune protocol easier to follow. We share our best tips for easy breakfasts, easy lunches, easy dinner...

Episode 114: Exercise Intolerance with Andrea Wool

25 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Why does exercise feel so different after an autoimmune diagnosis? Activities that our bodies loved in the past can now cause an autoimmune flare. Yet...

Episode 113: Healing Stories 6

11 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys ...

Episode 112: Best Of – Beyond Food: Healing Lifestyle

28 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of my favorite podcast episodes! As Dr. Sarah Ballantyne says, "Dietary changes aren't effective in isolation. If you don't address lifest...

Episode 111: Best Of – Paleo Cooking and Baking Tips from the Masters

14 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes for a reason! When you first switch to a paleo diet, you lose a lot of your standard recipes, are int...

Episode 110: Stem Cell Research with Dr. Jeffrey Cohen

30 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Stem cell research is an exciting field with great potential for people with autoimmune disease. When we see the headlines, it’s easy to believe a c...

Episode 109: The Science of Gratitude with Dr. Fuschia Sirois

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When I was at rock bottom with rheumatoid arthritis and experiencing excruciating pain on a daily basis, I started keeping a gratitude journal. That m...

Episode 108: Trauma & Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Maureen Pierce

02 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There's a strong link between trauma and autoimmunity. People who are diagnosed with a stress-related disorder like PTSD are 30-40% more likely to be ...

Episode 107: Research – The Truth Behind the Headlines with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s the deal – headlines are designed to grab our attention, and it’s not uncommon for reporters to simplify, exaggerate, or completely misre...

Episode 106: From Victim to Empowered with Sarah Kolman

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We all find ourselves in victim mode once in a while, especially when life is hard. There is a time and place for throwing ourselves a pity party. The...

Episode 105: Perimenopause & Menopause with Dr. Lara Briden

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There is a complex connection between hormone balance and autoimmune health. The more balanced our hormones, the more balanced our immune system (and ...

Episode 104: DNRS with Annie Hopper

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you have symptoms without a diagnosis, or symptoms that remain in spite of all the interventions you’ve tried, this episode is for you. DNRS is ...

Episode 103: Fasting with Dr. Amy Nett

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are lots of different types of fasts: juice fasts, water fasts, bone broth fasts, detox cleanses, intermittent fasting, etc. When is fasting hel...

Episode 102: Lupus with Dr. Daniel Lewis

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast episode, we take a detailed look at Lupus. How does it differ from other autoimmune diseases, and how is it diagnosed? Can diet and li...

Episode 101: Heavy Metals with Dr. Christopher Shade

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you start researching alternative health protocols, you quickly run across information on heavy metal toxicity. In this podcast, we delve into th...

Episode 100: Ten Lessons I’ve Learned About Life with Autoimmune Disease

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

For my 100th podcast episode, instead of interviewing someone else, I thought it would be fun to share what I've learned on my autoimmune journey so f...

Episode 99: What Is a Digital Detox?

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In modern life, most people feel insanely busy, but few realize that they’re spending hours each day on their phones. The average smartphone use in ...

Episode 98: Gut Health with Dr. Michael Ruscio

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do we lay the foundation for a healthy gut, and therefore a healthy body? When diet alone isn't enough, what's the next step? Do you have to work ...

Episode 97: Prescription for Joy

01 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A Prescription for Joy might sound frivolous, but it’s actually an essential part of any healing protocol. What if it could be the key to remission?...

Episode 96: Liver Health with Dr. Alex Golden and Megan Blacksmith

16 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Every day, our liver works hard on our behalf, and when it’s struggling, it can impact our health bodywide. Detoxing is all the rage, but the truth ...

Episode 95: Religious Traditions and the AIP

04 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Many traditions – both sacred and secular – center around food. In addition, religions sometimes have specific rules concerning diet. When you’r...

Episode 94: Troubleshooting Sleep with Dan Pardi

20 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sleep is essential to our bodies' ability to heal. In fact, many of us have experienced autoimmune flares caused by lack of sleep. At the same time, a...

Episode 93: Are You Eating Enough to Heal? with Laura Schoenfeld, RD

06 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A big part of a healing diet is learning about personal food intolerances and how they can drive autoimmune symptoms. It's empowering knowledge to hav...

Episode 92: The Pegan Diet with Dr Mark Hyman

23 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Mark Hyman is one of the most well-known names in the functional medicine movement. He is a practicing family physician, a 10-time New York Times ...

Episode 91: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics with Jeff Warren

09 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you think you can't meditate, this podcast is for you! Do you picture meditators sitting quietly and peacefully with completely empty minds, people...

Episode 90: Paleo AIP Babies & Postpartum

23 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When you have autoimmune disease, how do you continue to take care of yourself when you are also taking care of a new baby? What are the special healt...

Episode 89: Grief and Autoimmune Disease with Kerry Jeffery

30 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Living with chronic illness is hard. Even when we are empowered to reclaim our health and live a vital and beautiful life, that’s not the same as a ...

Episode 88: AIP FAQ

19 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of my goals with my blog and podcast is to make the AIP as simple to follow as possible. That's why I wrote my book! Today, I'm dedicating an enti...

Episode 87: Healing Stories 5

05 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys ...

Episode 86: Best Of – Autoimmune Q&A with Dr. Datis Kharrazian

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of the most popular podcast episodes - for good reason! Dr. Kharrazian is one of the leading functional medicine practitioners in the fiel...

Episode 85: Best Of – Overcoming Self-Sabotage with Dr. Judy Tsafrir and Rory Linehan

08 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of my favorite episodes from Season 1 of this podcast. It's a timeless topic. Sometimes, we make poor diet and lifestyle choices, even kno...

Episode 84: Declutter 101 with Courtney Carver

25 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Our homes can have a powerful effect on our lives. Not only do they reflect our interests and daily responsibilities, they also impact how we feel phy...

Episode 83: Medical Study on the Paleo AIP for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

11 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There are literally thousands of anecdotal stories into the benefit of the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP) as a treatment for autoimmune disease. But...

Episode 82: Healing Mistakes to Avoid with Chris Kresser

28 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mistakes: We’re human, and we all make them; it’s one of the ways we learn. But sometimes – if we’re lucky – we can learn from each other’...

Episode 81: Anemia and Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Amy Nett

14 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Why is anemia so common among people with autoimmune disease, and how does that impact our health and quality of life? What are the different types? H...

Episode 80: Self-Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff

30 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With autoimmune disease, we’ve been told that our body is literally attacking itself. It’s common to feel betrayed by our bodies, furious with our...

Episode 79: Nutrient Density with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

15 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be a nutrient seeker? Sometimes when we're on a healing diet, we focus so much on the foods we avoid, that we forget to pay atten...

Episode 78: Sticking To It – Staying ON the Paleo AIP Wagon

02 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s be honest. The paleo autoimmune protocol is hard to do, and some people have a harder time than others. In this podcast, I invited 3 health & ...

Episode 77: Personal Q&A with Eileen Laird

19 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Listeners have told me that while they love how information-packed my podcasts are, they would also love to know more about me personally. So, today m...

Episode 76: Paleo Surgery Advice with Dr. Terry Wahls and Angie Alt

04 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Surgery can be a traumatic experience for the body - even more so for the autoimmune body - yet sometimes it’s necessary. So, how do we support our ...

Episode 75: Paleo Neurologist Q&A with Dr. Ken Sharlin

22 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When you find a medical doctor that treats their patients holistically, it’s like a dream come true. Dr. Ken Sharlin believes in the power of a nutr...

Episode 74: Highly Sensitive People with Alane Freund

07 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are you easily overwhelmed by bright lights and strong smells? Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time? Do you make a p...

Episode 73: MTHFR with Dr. Ben Lynch

24 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Once you start researching alternative approaches to treating autoimmune disease, it isn’t long before you hear of a gene mutation that can be a roo...

Episode 72: Paleo Dentist Q&A with Dr. Mark Burhenne

10 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of my most popular podcasts! Dr. Burhenne has a unique dental practice. He provides standard dental care, but he also teaches his patients...

Episode 71: Trying to Do It All – Work, Family, and Autoimmune Healing

28 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Following the paleo diet and lifestyle is a time commitment for anyone, but when your life is already intensely busy, how do you fit it all in? This i...

Episode 70: Functional Blood Test Analysis with Andrea Nakayama

13 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of functional medicine testing, we often think of expensive tests not covered by insurance. But there’s actually a lot we can learn fr...

Episode 69: Healthy Deviance with Pilar Gerasimo

29 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the modern world, the cards are stacked against us. From grocery stores filled with foods that aren’t real food, to being bombarded by environmen...

Episode 68: Personalized Nutrition with Robb Wolf

15 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It would be wonderful if one diet worked for everyone, and it could be handed out like a prescription in doctor's offices worldwide. Unfortunately, hu...

Episode 67: Building Effective Doctor-Patient Relationships with Dr. Cynthia Li

25 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With autoimmune disease, the quality of our healthcare practitioners makes a huge difference in the course of our illness and our quality of life. In ...

Episode 66: Mind-Body Nutrition with Marc David

11 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that digestion starts in the brain? That relaxing before a meal releases more digestive enzymes? Why do we sometimes tolerate a wider var...

Episode 65: Brain Health with Dr. David Perlmutter

25 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We are in the midst of a brain health epidemic. Millions of people around the world are suffering from Alzheimers disease, Parkinson's disease, multip...

Episode 64: Epigenetics 101 with Bailey Kirkpatrick

12 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Epigenetics is the science of how our experiences and behavior interact with our genes. We aren't purely our DNA. Our genes are constantly getting tur...

Episode 63: Exercise and Autoimmune Disease

28 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The right exercise has the potential to improve our health, but the wrong exercise can cause an autoimmune flare. Our needs will often change from mon...

Episode 62: Preventing Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Tom O’Bryan

14 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

I have rheumatoid arthritis - a diagnosed autoimmune disease, and most of my readers have autoimmune diagnoses as well. But what if you have symptoms ...

Episode 61: Healing Stories 4

31 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a regular listener of my podcast, you know that I often start my shows with personal stories, where my guests share their health journeys ...

Episode 60: Transitioning from Vegetarian to Paleo

17 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Many people come to the paleo community after years of veganism or vegetarianism. The reason is usually a health crisis, which can be shocking after e...

Episode 59: The Power of Self-Inquiry with Byron Katie

03 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This is one of my favorite mind-body techniques. When I feel stuck in fear, anger, or grief with no way to move forward, this technique transforms th...

Episode 58: Supplements with Kamal Patel

20 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of us in the autoimmune community take supplements. Sometimes they help, sometimes they harm, and sometimes they do nothing at all. Today, Kamal...

Episode 57: Living an Empowered Autoimmune Life

06 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Getting an autoimmune diagnosis often leaves us feeling traumatized and overwhelmed. This podcast is about finding hope again. My guests are Mickey Tr...

Episode 56: Healthy Detoxification with Torea Rodriguez

24 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Our bodies have natural detox pathways, but they are overwhelmed by modern life. More than 80,000 new chemicals have been released into the world sinc...

Episode 55: Saving Time in the Kitchen

09 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Life on a healing diet means preparing most – if not all – of your own food. So, that’s a lotta cooking! Anything that saves us time and makes t...

Episode 54: Thyroid Health with Elle Russ

25 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Our thyroid regulates the metabolism of every organ and cell in our body. That's why there's such a long and varied list of symptoms that can indicate...

Episode 53: The Food as Medicine Documentary

10 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Lenore Eklund found that her Crohn's disease medication made her feel worse instead of better, her husband encouraged her to try the Specific Car...

Episode 52: Heart Health with Dr. Jack Wolfson

27 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

While my podcast usually focuses on autoimmune disease, I frequently get questions from people new to the paleo lifestyle, who are concerned about the...

Episode 51: Marriage and Autoimmune Disease

14 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Autoimmune disease doesn't exist in a bubble. Its onset changes our own lives dramatically, but it also impacts our relationships. In this episode, I ...

Episode 50: Can Hypnotherapy Treat Autoimmune Symptoms? With Kerry Jeffery

30 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses the power of positive suggestion to bring about subconscious change to our thoughts, feelings and be...

Episode 49: Rheumatoid Arthritis with Dr. Melissa McNamara

17 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Finding a rheumatologist who combines paleo principles with functional medicine to address root causes, and conventional medicine to control symptoms ...

Episode 48: Medication Decisions

03 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The decision of whether or not to take autoimmune medication is rarely an easy one. Not only that, but our decision might change over the course of ou...

Episode 47: Adrenal Fatigue: Part 2 with Christopher Kelly

18 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Adrenal Fatigue (aka HPA Axis Dysfunction) is very common with autoimmune disease. Are you tired during the day and wired at night? Do you find it di...

Episode 46: Paleo Dietitian Q&A with Amy Kubal

05 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Kubal is a well-respected voice in the paleo community. She's a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Human...