The first month of my resilience challenge is complete! I challenged myself to three cold dips a week in January. The challenge thankfully never felt like a chore and I weirdly looked forward to them.
I’ve shared over on this Substack post why I decided to do 3 cold dips a week.
And in this post, that I wrote for my paid subscribers I share all the scientific resources on cold dipping that I’ve found as I was researching this topic.
How To Get Started With Cold Dips
I had 4 ways of easing into it.
Step 1: I started by always finishing my showers with a cold shower. You can download the Wim Hof app and there is a cold shower challenge you can follow.
Step 2: I would have an Epsom salt bath every other night. I would leave the bath to cool down overnight and cold plunge in the morning.
Step 3: I would run cold baths with the tap turned all the way to cold.
Step 4: And finally I worked up to running a cold bath with the tap turned all the way to cold and then I’d dump 2 huge ice cubes in. I made the ice cubes by leaving water in Tupperware containers outside in the cold negative Ottawa weather.
My Next Step: I want to challenge myself to a cold plunge through the ice in the local river. I just haven’t had a chance to go out and meet with our local Wim Hof community of dippers yet. But I’ll definitely try before this winter is over.
The Benefits I’ve Seen This Month
I’ve been able to experience two benefits within a short amount of time.
I’ve experienced more energy when I dip in the morning.
But weirdly enough, when I dip in the evening after an infrared sauna session I experience deep sleep.
Are you a cold dipper? How do you make it happen for yourself? And for how long is each dip?
I was asked the other day to share what has been involved in developing my autoimmune disease thriving mindset. I’m not about just surviving this disease or getting by. I want to thrive as I live with an autoimmune disease.
If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while online you know I’m obsessed with definitions in my blog posts. So I always love looking at the root of a word. So when I think about mindset, I’ll share the attitudes I’ve created for myself after my MS diagnosis.
Attitude #1: Living with Multiple Sclerosis is not a death sentence
I refused and still refuse to look at the average life expectancy of someone living with MS. Because unfortunately, I will not become just another number. And by the way I take care of myself I am expecting to have a life expectancy greater than the average. I’m also focused on increasing my healthspan and not just my lifespan. I want to live a full life and be healthy during my last few years. I don’t want to live them out in an assisted living facility stuck in a bed. It’s why I’m taking steps to improve my metabolic health in addition to caring for a body that has a confused immune system.
Attitude #2: I GET to take care of myself differently than I did before
While many things may have contributed to me developing MS, I can now take care of myself differently than I did before. I don’t think I’ve ever actually shared the science behind the correleations to developing MS or the research that is now coming out around EBV and causation. But needless to say I believe it to be several factors:
Vitamin D Deficiency
Emotional Health & Being In Poor Relationships
Stress Management
EBV
Digestive Health
and More
That all being said some of these things relate directly to how I take care of myself or how I move through the world. So if I can identify correleation or a gut feeling around correleation then I can take steps to improve how I’m living my life now.
Those have included:
Healing Digestive Health Problems
Nourishing My Body With Nutrient Dense Foods
Taking Supplements Based on Deficiencies
Moving My Body In A Way That Supports My Nervous System
Managing My Stress Responses
Getting Quality & Quantity of Sleep
Reducing My Toxic Load
I also avoid language around taking better care of myself than before (because then that discounts my entire life). This is simply a case of when you know better, you can do better.
Attitude #3: I can’t do it all, but I can do something every day
While the list of things that I do for myself is really long if I tried to do everything every day. However, each day, I get to choose from the list and do a few things or even one thing a day to take care of myself. Some days I have a ton of energy and I am up to incorporating a bunch of self-care tools into my routine. And then some days, I’m exhausted and the best I can do for myself is an epsom salt bath and getting to bed early so I can sleep at least 8 hours.
Attitude #4: I can heal myself
The first time I walked into Soul7 in Toronto (which is unfortunately no longer open), I met Bob Berman, the owner. And something he said to me has stuck with me ever since. He told me that “You will be able to heal yourself”. And I believed/believe him.
“Their belief is that every person has the ability to heal. Their mission is to help people heal naturally and faster by combining ancient healing wisdom with new technology.”
Attitude #5: An autoimmune disease is simply a health sidekick
I am not defined by a diagnosis. Multiple sclerosis is not who I am. It’s something I live with. And that is why I call my MS simply a health sidekick that is here to remind me every day that I get to take care of myself. That I get to do this for myself and that I get to lead a fulfilling, active life.
If you live with an autoimmune disease what other attitudes that allow you to thrive would you add to the list?
What is the autoimmune paleo protocol? Who created it? What are the benefits of me incorporating it into my lifestyle?
These may be some of the many questions flooding your brain as you research nutrition and gut health related to developing an autoimmune disease.
I personally discovered autoimmune paleo after reading The Wahl’s Protocol (which is a popular book recommended to those diagnosed with MS) and The Autoimmune Solution (which I discovered through Amazon searches for books).
What Is The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?
I think the easiest way to describe the autoimmune paleo protocol or AIP as many call it for short is a way of eating to support your digestive health. It supports the body in healing the gut (both the stomach and our intestines) that may have been weakened over time by inflammatory foods or exposure to toxins. It then helps restore the microbiome with good bacteria or flora and in turn, supports the body in having an appropriate immune response instead of a chronic inflammatory immune system response.
I may be so bold as to say the goal of the protocol is to increase your quality of life, halt disease progression and even support the body in progressing into remission from autoimmune attacks.
So in short, the protocol provides the body with amazing nutrients that it needs, while avoiding foods that may be blocking our body’s ability to heal. And while there is an elimination phase, I personally choose not to use language like restrictive or strict because then my way of eating becomes something viewed as negative vs. supportive to my body.
Why Focus On Healing Your Digestive Health?
Simple, if you aren’t able to absorb the nutrients you’re eating, a change in diet might not actually help. If your gut wall is broken, food particles will continue to slip through into your bloodstream and trigger an immune system response in the body that isn’t supportive.
Once the gut wall is healed you can then focus on nutrient-dense foods providing our body with the macro and micronutrients it needs to heal and thrive.
Who Created The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?
My understanding is that Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD is the pioneer leader in creating the guidelines and finding the science to support AIP.
I love this quote by her and how she explains what AIP is.
The biggest difference between the Autoimmune Protocol and other dietary templates is that it takes a nutrients-first approach while considering inflammation triggers. This is where we draw the line between “yes” foods and “no” foods in order to get more health-promoting compounds and fewer detrimental compounds in our diet.
What Are The Benefits Of The Autoimmune Paleo Protocol?
One of the reasons why I chose to switch from the Wahl’s Protocol to the AIP Protocol was because this reason found on Sarah’s website.
The clinical research studies performed using the Wahls Protocol in multiple sclerosis provide additional validation for the Autoimmune Protocol. While there are a handful of foods included on the Wahls Protocol (most notably nightshades) that are excluded on the Autoimmune Protocol, the two protocols are remarkably similar despite the different philosophies that went into their formulation. The Wahls Protocol framework was developed with mitochondrial health as its primary goal whereas the Autoimmune Protocol framework was developed with immune regulation and gut health as its primary goals. It so happens that the nutrients required for mitochondrial health are nearly identical to those required for immune and gut health, hence the high degree of overlap between both approaches.
I also chose to switch because I was struggling to get the recommended cups of vegetables in per day and the AIP solution was a little less overwhelming.
How Can You Incorporate AIP In Your Life?
After discovering AIP and understanding the science behind it I then discovered two ladies Mickey Trescott & Angie Alt who created autoimmunepaleo.com and then re-branded to autoimmunewellness.com. They had a really easy way of explaining how to start AIP including 2 printouts that I still refer to. They include foods to eat and foods to avoid. From the link in the sentence before you can sign up for their newsletter to get access to the printouts.
Here are 2 resource books on lifestyle and 2 cookbooks to help you get started. There are so many out there but I love the simplicity of these 4 books for starting out on your AIP journey.
Disclaimer: I am sharing information about a supplement plan reviewed and suggested by my naturopath. Please see your/a health care professional(s) before taking anything new or changing your supplementation plan.
Almost 2 years ago, I shared my birth story. And ever since bringing the twins into the world my body has struggled and is struggling to heal. I’ve had high liver enzymes every since giving birth.
Discovering I Had Poor Liver Health
Around December of 2020, we finally found a family doctor in Port Alberni to take care of our whole family. We went in to meet the doctor and I asked for routine bloodwork to be done.
And that’s when we discovered that several Liver Enzymes were quite high. My ALT was 83 U/L in a range where 10 – 55 U/L is deemed normal. A few months later in February of 2021, we decided to test all of them. My ALT fluctuated from 54 U/L to 62 U/L to 75 U/L throughout the month. ALP ranged between 114 U/L, 110 U/L and then 109 U/L in a range where 35 – 100 U/L is deemed normal. And GGT fluctuated between 98 U/L to 91 U/L to 111 U/L in a range where 0 – 50 U/L is deemed normal. The doctor immediately referred me to a liver specialist on Vancouver Island and I was hoping to see them as soon as possible. Unfortunately a month later, we decided to move back to Ontario and I wasn’t able to get the help I needed.
After moving back to Ottawa, I went back to the medical clinic where we were before and started working with a new doctor (who is covering my doctor’s mat leave). We measured my liver enzymes in May and they were still high. I asked my Ottawa doctor to refer me to a liver specialist and they referred me to a Hepatologist. At the time of writing this blog, I finally have an appointment mid May. A year after the referral was sent in.
Tracking My Liver Enzymes Over A Year
I was curious to know where my liver enzymes were so retested my enzymes in May of 2021. They asked me to go off of 2 supplements (NAC and ALCAR) and then re-tested in July. The markers all shot back up in July so I went back onto the supplements.
Date
Enzyme
Level
May
AST
24 (< 31)
July
AST
30 (< 31)
Sept
AST
32 (< 31)
May
ALP
125 (35 – 122)
July
ALP
134 (35 – 122)
Sept
ALP
121 (35 – 122)
May
ALT
32 (< 36)
July
ALT
44 (< 36)
Sept
ALT
50 (< 36)
May
GGT
46 (< 36)
July
GGT
59 (< 36)
Sept
GGT
Not Measured
Since going off of 2 supplements didn’t work I booked an appointment with a local Naturopath and went to see them at the end of August.
Improving My Liver Health
My naturopath suggested I take 2 supplements. Advanced Tudca (by CellCore Biosciences) and 4 homeopathic tinctures for biotherapeutic drainage supporting the liver & kidneys. It was a 60 day protocol which lasted September to November. I did another round of both supplement protocols and we retested my liver enzymes in January of 2022. All but one had been reduced back to [almost] normal levels.
AST: 32 (< 31) – almost there
ALP: 121 (35 – 122) – normal range
ALT: 50 (< 36) – high
GGT: 38 (< 36) – almost there
I continued another course of Tudca for 60 days and I asked for another lab requision from my family doctor. The April 2022 are in and drum roll, please….
AST: 26 (< 31) – normal range
ALP: 82 (35 – 122) – normal range
ALT: 36 (< 36) – just on the edge of normal
GGT: 37 (< 36) – almost there!!
While I know what has worked to help me reduce my liver enzymes, I of course want to understand what caused this in the first place. From an MS perspective, take a look at the second link in the resources section below. I found some shocking new news on TUDCA supplementation for MS patients!
So What Caused My Liver Enzymes To Skyrocket?
Here is where I will always find fault with the conventional medical system. While they did try to find causation… They tested for everything from hemochromatosis to liver cancer to hepatitis to autoimmune hepatitis to primary biliary cirrhosis to primary sclerosing cholangitis to wilson’s disease all they could land on was Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) as I hadn’t had alcohol since 2018.
I continue to ask questions and continue to look for answers. Was it the blood transfusions I received after giving birth? Was it the iron infusions to increase my hemoglobin? Is it the Vitamin D supplementation I’ve been on since my MS diagnosis? I continue to search for answers and I’ll be happy to share them as I connect the dots.
Disclaimer: I personally use essential oils to support my body during pregnancy and after birth. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. I’m sharing my personal experience with the oils. As always, please consult with your health care team when incorporating new products into your health care routine.
I get asked all the time which essential oils I used during pregnancy and which essential oils I’m using now that the twins are born. I did a round-up of oils that I used throughout the trimesters. You can read about the oils I used during my first trimester here, second trimester here, and third trimester here. And now to round out these posts here are the essential oils I used during the fourth trimester (or the first three months with the twins’ earthside!)
Essential Oils for Fourth Trimester
While each trimester was hard in it’s own right, NOTHING prepared me for how hard the fourth trimester would be.
Healing The Perineum: I put together a spray bottle with Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, and Sandalwood. I used an empty 15ml and purchased spray tops for 15 ml bottles from Amazon. I packed this in my hospital bag in anticipation of a vaginal birth. Because of the episiotomy, (you can read my birth story here) I ended using the whole bottle while we were in the hospital for 2 weeks. I even made a second bottle when I got home. It helped immensely with healing and when I went to see my OB at 4 weeks post-birth she had great things to say about how I was healing!
DIY Padsicles: I made a batch of Padsicles to help heal my vagina should I be successful in giving birth vaginally and boy did I need them. I didn’t end up using all of them as I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and they gave me padsicles there. By the time we got home, Mike’s parents were at our house and I just didn’t think to go to the freezer and then back into the bathroom to put them on. I ended up gifting most of these to a new momma to be in town.
Stress: There is just no way around it. Having twins and taking care of them is stressful. There are some days when I really forget to take deep breaths. I have an Adaptive roller bottle in my bathroom. Everytime I go pee, I roll this onto my wrists and take a big inhale.
Milk Production: I made a roller during my third trimester to support milk production. I keep this by my bedside and roll it on before bed. It includes Clary Sage, Basil, Fennel, and Geranium essential oils.
Sleep: I have a diffuser beside the bed where I’m diffusing OnGuard and Easy Air to support my immune system. Other nights I will diffuse Serenity or Adaptiv so I can calm my mind and get as much sleep as possible in between feeds.
If you used oils in your fourth trimester what did you find helped?
