AUTOIMMUNE DETOX:

Video #1

Linda Mercer

AUTOIMMUNE DETOX: Video #1

Hi, I’m Linda Mercer, author and health expert. And, I want to welcome you to Video #1

of my Autoimmune Reset- Detox Mini-class.

I am so excited to share some of the secrets I’ve learned on my own personal journey to

autoimmune wellness that began 32 years ago, when I was diagnosed with Multiple

Sclerosis and told there was nothing they could do for me except give me medications

for the rest of my life.

Fortunately, I didn’t accept that prognosis and sought out alternative approaches. Within

5 months most of my symptoms were gone and within a year I was symptom free. And,

since then, I’ve helped hundreds of others take back their health, working as a licensed

psychotherapist, (because I saw how difficult it was for people to health coach and

functional nutritionist for the past 25 years.

What I learned from the alternative medicine doctors that I helped me reverse my MS

was this:

The number one cause of disease is poor cellular health. We are all made of trillions of

cells (which started with just two single cells at conception –and multiplied according to

the instructions in the DNA inside those cells to trillions of cells). So, each cell has a job

to do, a function to serve. But, in order to be healthy and do its job, it needs to have the

following:

a. Oxygen, water, nutrients and healthy chemical messengers

(neurotransmitters and neuropeptides) These 4 elements provide the cells

with the instructions they need to perform their jobs

On the other hand, poor cellular health is caused by the following:

.

b. Toxin (from food, chemicals, stress, heavy metals, metabolic processes,

environment, mental, emotional, relational, spiritual). Currently, there are over

80,000 toxic chemicals circulating in the environment, plus the ones we produce

right inside our bodies, including the ones created by negative mental, emotional

and spiritual thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes.

Our bodies cannot get rid of these toxins fast enough, so they’re stored and

cause free radicals and damage cells. Then, the cells’ DNA is damaged and

cannot perform its function well, or even adequate oftentimes = breakdown of

cell, and body = disease.

This is why detoxing your body periodically by giving it a rest and giving it the foods and

supplements it needs to detox is crucial to create optimal health and prevent and

reverse disease. (Why I’m so passionate about it)

Here’s what you you’ll learn in this video and attached download:

1. What is a Detox Diet? You’ll learn the 11 foods help your body detox and the 7

foods that increase toxins and inflammation. You’ll also learn the 5 most

important supplements that repair and heal the gut and the body.

2. How to detox your most important detoxification organ, Your Liver

3. How to Tap into Your Body’s Wisdom for maximum detox benefits.

Then, in Video #2 you’ll learn how to detox your mental and emotional toxins.

You’ll learn:

1. How inflammation is also caused by mental and emotional stress, such as

anger, resentment, and other negative thoughts.

2. How you can use the power of your mind to reduce and stress, negative

thoughts and emotions and create health instead.

Before I get started, I want to explain what “detoxing” means and why it’s important.

DETOXIFICATION

What it is:

Detoxification is the process of removing harmful and toxic substances from the body

(as well as substances that affect your mind, body, and spirit) to improve health and

heal from disease.

Detoxification provides support for the elimination of accumulated harmful toxins,

improves digestion (the key component of autoimmunity), cleanses the lymphatic

system, and improves the function of the body’s organs (liver, kidneys, colon, urinary

track, and digestive tract or gut).

I like what Kris Carr, health advocate and cancer survivor says about detoxing:

There’s a great metaphor that one of my doctors uses: If a fish is swimming in a

dirty tank and it gets sick, do you take it to the vet and amputate the fin? No, you

clean the water. So, I cleaned up my system. By eating organic raw greens, nuts,

and healthy fats, I am flooding my body with enzymes, vitamins, and oxygen.

—Kris Carr, Wellness Advocate and Cancer Survivor

Why It’s Important

In his article, “Autoimmune Disease: How to Stop Your Body from Attacking Itself,” Dr.

Mark Hymen writes, “Over 80,000 chemicals have been introduced into our society

since 1900, and only 550 have been tested for safety. According to the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 2.5 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are

released yearly by large industrial facilities. And 6 million pounds of mercury are poured

into our air every year. In fact, a recent government survey - found an average of 148

chemicals in our bodies.”48 In addition, over 10,000 food and chemical additives have

been identified, and it is estimated that the average American consumes approximately

fourteen pounds of additives per year.49

One way this huge load of environmental toxins causes autoimmunity is by creating free

radicals (cells missing a chromosome due to damage from toxins and stress) that “look”

for other cells to “steal” a chromosome from, thus causing more cellular damage. All

these damaged cells are no longer recognized by the immune system, which then

creates antibodies against your own damaged cells because they are no longer

recognizable and are seen as intruders.

So, what happens is that Toxins accumulate in your body over time, and when your

overall toxic load (the total amount of toxins stored in your cells, plus the toxins in your

bloodstream) becomes so high that your liver is unable to process and neutralize them

all, the excess toxins spill over into your bloodstream where they are then attacked by

your immune cells. This causes chronic inflammation, more cell damage, and increased

attacks on your own body, which often results in autoimmunity.

So, now that you understand what detoxification is, and why it’s so important to detoxify

your body, let’s get started!

First, I’m going to share with you how these toxins damage the gut (your entire digestive

system) and why healing your gut is the most important place to start to repair

autoimmunity, or heal the body from any disease, and how following a paleo diet,

especially designed for autoimmune conditions, will repair your gut.

So, the understanding that gut health is the #1 reason for all diseases is not a new

concept. In 400 BC, Hippocrates, a Greek physician, considered to be the Father of

Medicine, said “All disease starts in the gut.”

This is where I start when I’m working with new clients - so, I’m going to get you started

on that today.

Leaky Gut

What we’re really looking at is what is most often called a “Leaky Gut”. That sounds

pretty icky, I know, but here’s what it means, and why it’s crucial to prevent getting a

leaky gut, or repair one if you already have it. So, let me tell you what it is first of all -

What it Is

A leaky gut is when the tight junctures of the gut wall become loose due to diet, stress

toxins, etc., and allow undigested food particles, toxins, viruses, and bacteria to “leak”

through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Then, what happens is that your

immune cells identify these abnormal particles as the “enemy” and begin to create

antibodies to fight these invaders - leading to chronic inflammation and eventually

diseases of any organ or system in your body, depending on your genetic makeup,

mental attitudes, emotional health, and other causes that also contribute to leaky gut.

Signs and Symptoms of Leaky Gut

What I have found is that at least half of all people have some level of autoimmunity

going on in their bodies, and I love educating people on how to know if you might be

one of these people. The most common symptoms of inflammatory or autoimmune

diseases are:

Digestive Problems such as gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, or

constipation

Fatigue

Brain Fog (difficulty concentrating and focusing)

Weight Gain

Mood Irregularities (Swings) such as depression, anxiety, or ADD/ADHD

Chronic Infections (discussed more in Chapter 2) such as Herpes or Epstein Barr

Virus

Diagnosis of Autoimmune Disease, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Osteoporosis, or

Osteopenia

Hormonal Imbalances (weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, gas, bloat, belly fat)

Allergies

Skin problems (acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis)

Why It’s Important to Heal a Leaky Gut:

So, that’s what it is, and here’s why a leaky gut is such a big problem. When toxins,

bacteria, and undigested food particles leak into your bloodstream, your immune cells

don’t recognize them and then “mark” these foreign substances as intruders and begin

to attack them, causing chronic inflammation throughout the body. In essence, leaky gut

causes the body to be under constant attack from its own immune system, causing

damage to the cells. The immune system, which is designed to protect the body from

occasional threats to its health, now has to deal with constant threats and becomes less

able to do its real job of protecting you from the more serious threats of bacteria,

microbes, and toxins.

The constant attack from the immune cells leads to cell damage, autoimmunity (when

your own body attacks itself), inflammation, and disease.

1. The Detox Diet

So what can you do to heal a leaky gut and reverse inflammatory conditions and

autoimmunity?

It’s mostly about your diet and ridding your body of toxins and stress. And, remember

what I said in the beginning of this video, that 2 of the 4 requirements for healthy cells

are water and nutrients. What you’re putting in your mouth has a huge impact on your

gut health and overall health.

Foods that cause inflammation cause damage to the gut and weaken the tight junctures

of the intestinal wall. Once leaked into the bloodstream, your immune system creates

antibodies, which lead to food sensitivities and promote inflammation. Even healthy

foods can become inflammatory to your body once they are marked as an invader by

the immune system.

The Top 11 Inflammatory Foods

Below is a list of foods that are known to create inflammation in the body, and should be

avoided during the 28-day Detox diet I suggest you follow to remove the foods that are

causing damage to your gut and your body. By eliminating the following foods and

substances for twenty-eight days, you can identify what foods are causing you problems

by re-introducing them, one at a time, after the twenty-eight days are finished.

This is not a “forever” elimination diet! But, without first eliminating the potentially

damaging foods, your body cannot calm down enough to heal and repair, nor can you

identify which foods are causing you problems.

Let me preface this list by saying - IF YOU HEAR this list and are thinking, that just

sounds too hard to do - like there’s NO WAY I could do that, Ask yourself this - Do I

want to live my life tired, unfocused, moody, in pain, not being able to enjoy my family

as much, sluggish, overweight, and feeling blah? If you answered NO to this question,

then, give yourself permission to get well and feel vibrantly healthy and happy.

The Foods/Chemicals that cause inflammation:

Caffeine

Wheat gluten

Dairy products

Nightshade vegetables (peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, onion)

Eggs

Grains

Sugar

Processed Foods

Legumes

GMOs

Chemical Additives

Besides inflammatory foods, the following medications have been shown to cause leaky

gut and should also be avoided (use them sparingly and only when necessary):

Antibiotics - probably # 1 substance that causes leaky gut

NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.) Non steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs

Birth control medications

Antacids

The 7 Foods that Prevent and Heal Disease

Here is a list of the 7 food categories that prevent and heal disease:

Meats

Fish and Seafood

Wild Game

Organic Vegetables

Organic Fruits

Healthy Fats

Healthy Beverages

This is what is meant by “whole foods”. Eating foods as close to their natural state,

without processing and adding chemicals (toxins) is the best way to get healthy or

restore and maintain health.

In my book, Rebuild Your Immune System in 10 Minutes a Day, I give you the 28-Day

Detox Diet to repair a Leaky Gut, which is considered the number one cause of disease,

I also give you shopping lists and mindset tips on how to be successful during this 28

day cleanse, and you will find over 30+ delicious gluten-free recipes as well.

I consider this Detox Diet to be superior to any detox or cleanse diet that just uses

juices, shakes, and supplements because you are not only detoxing the toxins from

your body, but you are also repairing your gut, and learning a new way to eat for life.

Over the past 32 years since I reversed my MS I have seen the most success for the

most people using this diet. So, while it may be totally different from foods you’re used

to eating, the SAD truth is that the Standard American Diet, (or SAD diet), is one of the

most unhealthy diets in the world. It is loaded with fat, sugar, chemicals, processed

flours, GMO’s toxins, and lacks fiber and enzymes. And, our food supply has also

become very toxic, and is another reason to eliminate foods that are known to be toxic.

You can see this in the epidemic numbers of people with obesity, diabetes, cancer,

heart disease and autoimmune diseases.

2. The Top 5 Supplements to Prevent and Repair Leak Gut:

Probiotics - Probiotics decrease dysbiosis (imbalance of good and bad bacteria in gut),

increase the friendly bacteria, and help with intestinal balance. Make sure to get a brand

that has multiple strains and at least 15 billion colony-forming units, (CFUs).

Recommended dosage: 1-2 capsules daily, or more, depending on your health

condition.

Digestive Enzymes - These enzymes help to ensure the breakdown of food and assist

in the absorption of vitamins and minerals in your body for the maximum utilization of

food.

Recommended dosage: 2 capsules before meals

Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL) with pepsin—Betaine HCL is a powerful digestive aid.

As we age, the body naturally produces less digestive enzymes. Due to this lowering in

enzymatic activity, Betaine HCL levels also decrease. This supplement helps the

stomach break down fats and proteins by increasing the acid level in your stomach,

which assists with the detoxification processes in the body. It is an essential component

for metabolizing and absorbing food.

Recommended dosage: One to two capsules before meals

L-Glutamine—Glutamine may serve to boost your immune system. (Glutamine is a

primary energy source for your immune system.) It is one of the most important

nutrients for your intestines and has the ability to repair a leaky gut by maintaining the

structural integrity of the bowels. Research has shown Glutamine can also help you

improve growth hormone levels. A study has shown that two grams of L-Glutamine

increased growth hormones by over 400 percent.

Recommended dosage: One tablet/capsule twice a day on empty stomach.

Fiber—Fiber increases bowel movements, and pulls toxins and binds them so they are

removed in order to help you feel fuller longer.

Recommended dosage: Depends on fiber. Follow instructions on product

3. How to Detox your Most Important Detoxification Organ -

Your Liver

There are 5 major detoxification organs in your body; the skin, lungs, kidney

colon and liver

The Skin. Toxins are excreted through your skin.

Lungs. Toxins are also breathed in and out of the body.

Kidneys. The kidneys are constantly filtering the blood, and proper hydration

really helps them function effectively.

Colon. Helps you to carry out and eliminate toxins from the body. Colon health is

therefore, very important.

Liver. Your liver is the most important detox organ . . .

This is the most important organ to detox because it is a processing plant and storage

organ. But it needs the most preparation, because unlike the other organs the toxins are

released into the body, and then need to be dealt with.

Symptoms of a Sluggish Liver

These symptoms could mean that your liver is not working properly and needs to be

detoxed and nourished:

50 Gene Bruno, “Detoxification: Dietary Supplements to Support & Promote the

Bloating and Gas”

Constipation

Inability to lose weight

Dark urine

Frequently waking up between 1am and 3am for no reason

Moodiness

Fatigue

Dry itchy skin

Poor digestion, nausea

Fluctuating energy levels throughout the day, with increasing tiredness

after meals

Frequent headaches

Allergies and intolerances to foods that get worse as time goes on

Reactions to chemicals including cleaning products, paint, perfumes, and

bleaches

Problems digesting fatty foods

Intolerance to alcohol

Skin problems such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, general rashes, itchy skin

Hot flashes (also called hot flushes)

Yellow tinge of eyes and skin

Today we will also take a look at herbal and other supplements that have proven to be

very effective in increasing your immunity and removing toxins, as well as some of the

other detoxification methods that have proven to be helpful in reversing autoimmunity.

So, how do you cleanse your liver, first by following a detoxifying diet, and

second, there are several supplements that have proven to assist in detoxing the

liver:

Milk Thistle: The active ingredient in milk thistle, “silymarin, protects against glutathione

depletion, and increases liver glutathione status,” thereby detoxifying the liver.50 Milk

thistle also increases the regenerative ability of the liver and the formation of new liver

cells.”51

Dandelion Root - strengthens the immune system, balances blood sugar levels,

soothes digestive upset, and has strong detoxification properties.

Turmeric - contains curcumin, which has healthful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

properties that support autoimmune disorders. It also helps with digestion and helps to

balance blood sugar, as well as supporting liver metabolism.

Acetyl-Glutathione - has been touted as the single most powerful antioxidant that your

body produces and recycles. It has been shown to protect your DNA from damage and

to promote immunity by protecting against free radicals, and lowering inflammation.

Acetyl-Glutathione also removes heavy metals and toxins from the body, and increases

energy.

N-Acetyl Cysteine - is another powerful antioxidant. It heals the cells, reduces

inflammation, and regenerates liver function.

3. Tapping into Your Body’s Wisdom for Maximum Detox Benefits

Unfortunately, in Western society, physical symptoms are mostly seen as annoying

nuisances that inconvenience our lives. We are wrongly taught that the symptoms are

actually like the disease, and that we can cure the disease by taking some kind of

medication that stops the symptoms. So, usually at the first sign of any symptom, we

don’t want or like, we tend to rush to suppress it - the cough, runny nose, headache,

backache, etc.

The problem with this approach is that symptoms are often the body’s way of telling us

that something is out of balance. Symptoms are actually feedback about some kind of

malfunction or disregulation in the body. If we ignore these messages, or worse,

suppress them, it may only lead to more severe symptoms and more serious problems

later on, like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. It’s equivalent to putting tape over a

red warning light that goes off in your car, or just ignoring it. It’s there to tell you

something is wrong. And, oftentimes, actually, the problem is that the body has become

too toxic and the detoxification organs (skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, colon, etc.) aren’t

healthy enough to detox properly, or there’s a genetic mutation, like the MTHFR ____

that prevents proper detoxification, or, there’s simply the toxic overload is too much for

the body to maintain a healthy ph balance, and therefore the toxins are forced out in the

form of skin eruptions, rashes, or runny nose, or phlegm coming out by coughing, or

diarrhea or sweating, or some other symptom, that we automatically try to suppress -

which means you are literally stuffing all those toxins back into the bloodstream and

body … where more damage is done to the cells and organs, and other functions begin

to malfunction.

Here’s one of my favorite and most effective tools to help you detox and create vibrant

health and happiness. Start keeping a food journal, try it for 3 days. Write down what

you ate, when, how you felt 15 min later, one hour later, and once more during the day.

You will start to make the connections between what you eat and how you feel.

You will also see a connection between your diet, and your emotions and a pattern of

why, when and how the symptoms show up. You can start by avoiding the foods that

create an unpleasant reaction, or symptom.

So, there you have some of my best tips for detoxing the body. I hope you’ve enjoyed

them, plan on putting this information to use, and stay tuned for Video 2 of this

Autoimmune Reset Detox Diet, where I will talk about How to Detox the Mind and

Emotions to reset the immune system and create vibrant health.

See you there!