My Dad and Me.

Got a story for ya today…

I make it no secret that I AM AN ENTREPRENEUR with a deep passion for health and wellness.

Like a lot of health bloggers, it took me a long time to fully embrace the business side of things — the marketing, the sales, the networking, the fears.

It’s been quite a journey, but I can honestly say that I have the best job in the world. I read books, interview the authors, and have the privilege of helping people all over the world overcome their health issues.

It’s a pretty sweet gig. And YOU make it possible.

My entrepreneurial journey began when I was maybe six-years-old. Like clockwork, the latest issue of my father’s Entrepreneur Magazine would arrive in our mailbox each month, addressed to Fred Lee Croxton.

A hardworking man and Korean War vet with abilities that went well above and beyond his limited education, my father prized his stacks of business publications — Fortune, Black Enterprise, and the one that fascinated me the most, Entrepreneur Mag.

Of course, as a He-Man-watching, WWF-loving kid, it wasn’t the articles I found so intriguing, but the title itself.

En-tre-pre-neur.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast #314:
IBS, Autoimmunity, & Low Vitamin D!

Guest: Dr. Michael Ruscio

Is it me, or does it seem like autoimmunity comes up in just about every episode of the podcast these days?

This week’s autoimmune “discovery” is that the immune system can attack the cells responsible for keeping your digestive tract moving in the right direction — from mouth to the … well, you know what.

When that happens, you end up with a bad case of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, otherwise known as SIBO, responsible for all kinds of not-so-fun digestive complaints including 84% of IBS cases.

Who knew?

The rabbit hole just goes deeper and deeper every week, my friends!

On today’s episode of Underground Wellness Radio, our friend and Digestion Sessions presenter Dr. Michael Ruscio joins me for a fascinating discussion, including:

2:55 – From pre-law to pre-med: Dr. Ruscio shares his story of overcoming his own health challenges.

7:41 – The SIBO Cliffs Notes: a quick review of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

8:50 – The meaning of “motility” and why it might be the most important factor in a healthy gut.

16:42 – The breath test is the best test. How to check for small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Ask your doc!

21:20 – Hope for healing autoimmunity and what our ancestors can teach us about the body’s innate wisdom.

24:28 – The 3 things you need to be aware of if you want to turn off damage, heal your body, and avoid SIBO relapse.

27:17 – Is science “missing the boat” on the brain’s role in SIBO?

30:45 – SIBObesity: a real-life example of how SIBO could be majorly affecting your weight.

35:42 – How hungry bacteria in your gut may be overgrowing, “energy harvesting” and packing on extra pounds.

39:07 – Low Vitamin D levels? You gotta hear this.

47:25 – Dr. Ruscio prescribes some sun and supplementation to help keep you healthy.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast #313:
Thyroid Loving Care.

Guest: Jen Wittman

I could not imagine.

But the unfortunate reality is that this happens all the time.

One doctors says it’s this. The other says it’s that. The next says it’s nothing. That all of your test markers are in the “normal range”.

Yet the symptoms keep piling up, making life — your relationships, work, family life, etc. — a daily ordeal that never seems to get better.

For Jen Wittman, it took 3 years and 13 doctors to finally uncover that her daily miseries were the work of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune attack on her thyroid.

13 doctors…

While many of us may have accepted the opinion of the first doc we encountered, Jen took the road less traveled. She would not quit until she got to the bottom of it.

On this episode of Underground Wellness Radio, Jen shares the remarkably inspiring story of how she healed her Hashimoto’s naturally.

But we don’t spend our time talking about test scores and antibodies. Those topics have been covered almost ad nauseam on previous episodes and, of course, The Thyroid Sessions.

Instead, Jen and I discussed “the mindset” of healing, not only from Hashimoto’s but any chronic health condition requiring the support and understanding of others, as well as being fully onboard with loving and caring for yourself.

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast #312:
GMOs, Cholesterol, and Your Microbiome.

Guest: Dr. Terry Wahls

She’s baaaaaaack.

Dr. Terry Wahls, author of The Wahls Protocol (now available in paperback), stopped by UW Radio for her third appearance. And once again, she brought her A-game.

Since the doc and I had already discussed her book as well as her remarkable story of overcoming multiple sclerosis before on the podcast, I had her send over some brand new topics we could cover this time around, including…

2:30 – Dr. Wahls’ incredible story of overcoming multiple sclerosis. Have you seen her TED Talk?

8:01 – Can Is a vegetarian diet cause autoimmune disease?

9:03 – UPDATE: What Dr. Wahls’ latest MS research is showing.

12:25 – The 80-year decline: Is your apple as nutritious as it used to be?

14:07 – Why fungi is your friend (and Round-Up is not!)

20:41 – The common weed killer clogging up your detox system and causing “leaky skin”.

23:55 – Glutathione and sulfate: why you need them and how to get them.

29:56 – Dr. Wahls’ favorite leafy greens and other JERFy recommendations.

32:31 – All about your microbiome: Is it promoting health … or inflammation and obesity?

38:57 – How your poop can save someones life. I’m serious!

44:00 – A crazy cholesterol connection and low cholesterol may more dangerous than you thought.

47:31 – Order The Wahls Protocol!

Dr. Wahls’ Previous Appearances

4/13/2012 – Defeating Multiple Sclerosis without Drugs!
4/12/2014 – The Wahls Protocol

Posted by UW Sean in podcast, wellness

Podcast #311:
Women, Food, and Desire.

Guest: Alexandra Jamieson

I love chocolate.

I imagine it’s safe to assume that I’m not the only chocolate lover around here.

I mean, there are days when I can literally hear the dark chocolate bark (the one with just the right amount of almonds) calling me from the health food store down the street.

“Sean, come eat me. Come eat me NOW!”

Next thing I know, I’m standing in line, chocolate in one hand and a $5 bill in the other, itching to tear open the packaging and devour nearly all of it before I even make it back home.

Mmmmm…

Maybe chocolate doesn’t have the same effect on you. Maybe it’s pastries, pizza, mac & cheese, bean burritos, whatever.

No, I’m not saying that indulging in not-so-healthy foods from time to time is necessarily a “bad thing”. You gotta live, right?

Nor am I saying that dark chocolate is really all that bad, either. Rather, it’s the almost undeniable craving that doesn’t loosen up until it’s fulfilled.

According to Alexandra Jamieson, author of Women, Food, and Desire and this week’s podcast guest, food cravings have four root causes. They can be bacterial, nutritional, physical, and emotional.

Mine are emotional. Definitely emotional.