Episode 10 of my collaborative project with Rory Linehan of The Paleo PI and Petra Chambers-Sinclair of BiohackU – two of my favourite peeps in this corner of the health caper world – is up and running!
The three of us all hail from different corners of the globe, and have very different life experiences, but we share both a friendship and passion for seeking health through an holistic approach. The intention behind our podcast is to seek out and interview others who share the same goal – and hopefully impart what we learn and have a little fun along the way. We hope you’ll join us!
[su_divider top=”no” divider_color=”#009999″ margin=”0″]I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here. And, if you want to know why I’m on the sugar-free version of the Autoimmune Protocol, you can read about that here.[/su_divider]
Dr Sarah Ballantyne tells us how she used her fascination with science (i.e. geekiness!) to turn her Hashimotos, Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, obesity, IBS and autoimmune skin conditions into a worldwide movement for healing autoimmune disease. She explains what is different about the paleo Autoimmune Protocol; and assures us that even though she experimented on herself relentlessly while she was developing it, she didn’t become a comic book super villain…
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Show Notes
0.00 Introduction to the Healing Protocols: the global edition
1.29 Jo: Welcome to Episode 10: Interview with Dr Sarah Ballantyne
2.19 Petra: We’d like to learn more about you and your history. What was the catalyst to start using nutrition lifestyle and mindset for healing?
- 39: I have understoond my diseases after I have made changes to address them. For me, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis started in puberty but I just thought I was obese and needed to lose weight. It wasn’t until my 30s that I started to think about food as a nutrition. It took finding paleo and functional medicine to start addressing the symptoms. It wasn’t until I started healing that I started understanding.
4.38 Rory: You were the reason Jo, Petra and I met!
- 58: Everything I do is motivated by my own health journey as well as my passion for health literacy. I love giving people actionable information. Now there’s an entire community of people who are dedicating their lives to sharing this information.
6.18 Rory: Why do you think your health issues originally occurred?
- 55: I can look at my life now and see it in terms of flares. I can see the pattern of Hashimotos, Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had mono’ when I was seven. There are gene variants associated with celiac disease in my family. I ate gluten as a kid. Now I can see that every flare I had was related to stress. For me, extreme stress is always paired with deadlines, which also leads to not getting enough sleep, poor diet and less activity. It’s my ‘trifecta of doom’.
11.11 Jo: What is your health like now?
- 13: Stress is still my biggest challenge. I have improved my stress management skills: mindfulness, physical activity, a non-negotiable bedtime. I still take thyroid hormone replacement. When I’m facing a deadline, I have more Fibromyalgia pain. I’m constantly balancing between the things I want to do in life and doing what I need to do to preserve my health. I don’t have it mastered. I have been very ill after all three of my books went to print. We’ll see how it goes with this next book. Stress is still my big hurdle.
13.08 Jo: Could you talk us through the process you went through to develop the Autoimmune Protocol? And tell us how it compare to other autoimmune protocols?
- 36: I didn’t invent the Autoimmune Protocol. It existed when I found the paleo diet. What I did do is lend it scientific validity and popularized it. I went paleo in 2011. I had just lost 30lbs but both of my autoimmune skin conditions were flaring and I realized that weight loss didn’t make me healthy. Within weeks of starting the paleo diet, my migraine went away, my IBS went away, I went off all of my medications including asthma medication, I lost 20 more lbs. It felt like a miracle. I had gone gluten free and dairy free before but I had never done both at the same time. I had begrudgingly decided to do it for 3 months. My skin started to get better, but it plateaued again. So I started to tinker. I started diving into the science. That was where I came upon the Autoimmune Protocol. There were two sources at that time, purely focused on eliminations. In January 2012, I started the Autoimmune Protocol. That was when Terry Wahls TEDx talk went viral. That talk that got me focused on nutrient density. I was reading about the immune system and writing about it on my blog. After 10 months, I got my first book offer. It was the process of writing The Paleo Approach that allowed me to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I figured out how to implement nutrient density and lifestyle as I went.
20.31 Petra: It sounds like it was a very iterative process. Experimenting on yourself and then using the literature as scaffolding to experiment further.
- 54: But I didn’t turn myself into a comic book supervillain!
21.15 Jo: Your version of the Autoimmune Protocol is arguably the most comprehensive. Is that because you delved so deeply into the science?
- 15: Nothing in my version of the AIP is arbitrary. Everything comes from compelling scientific evidence. Some more recent versions are based on the idea that if you make it too hard, people won’t do it. Which I think is really disrespectful. It assumes that we’re not dedicated enough to tackle a thorough healing protocol. I believe in empowering people with the scientific information.
26.11 Rory: One of the reasons I was attracted to the AIP is because of the scientific basis and the depth. The AIP stopped the progression of my symptoms. Why would you recommend the AIP over another healing protocol?
- 04: It has a nutrient density focus. Adding more vegetables, organ meat and seafood. Those are most nutrient dense foods on the planet. The Wahls Protocol also focuses on nutrient density. The AIP has a detailed understanding of inflammatory compounds in food. It has a gut health perspective. It’s not just about food. It’s also about all the lifestyle factors. There are so many different ways it gets at immune regulation.
31.24 Petra: AIP is a lot of work. What is your best advice for someone who is just starting out?
- 47: More aggressive autoimmune diseases take longer to respond. There is a wide range in the amount of time it takes to experience healing. Knowing that is important. This is a lifelong health journey. I always recommend starting with sleep. Sleep has an impact on stress responses, motivation and food choices. Being well-rested makes the changes easier. It improves our mood and our physical and mental performance. I would recommend taking a week and work on sleep first.
36.29 Rory: Who has been the most influential person as you have pursued your healing protocol lifestyle?
- 51: Professionally: Terry Wahls**. Her work that first got me thinking about nutrient density. Personally: my mum. She never let hardships change her life priorities.
39.41 Where to find Sarah online.
40.45 Closing
To learn more about Dr Sarah Ballantyne, check out her website at The Paleo Mom where you can learn more about her story, the Autoimmune Protocol and her books.
You can also find Sarah on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
**Check out our podcast with Dr Terry Wahls here.
