Episode 20 – Biohacking Mental Illness Using Keto for Bipolar: How to Become Your Own Detective | Carrie Brown

Episode 20 – Biohacking Mental Illness Using Keto for Bipolar: How to Become Your Own Detective | Carrie Brown

Is biohacking mental illness even possible? In this podcast episode, learn how Carrie Brown became her own detective to heal her mind and body using her “seek the tweak” approach and how she used keto for bipolar to optimize her health and live her best life. Listen to Carrie talk about her experience with Bipolar II Disorder and how she has biohacked mental illness through tracking health data, a keto for bipolar diet, MTHFR support, supplements and lifestyle changes.

Now completely medicine-free, she maintains a healthy mental outlook by understanding what her body needs and how to support it.

If you’ve ever felt even a little bit of that darkness, you know that it isn’t something you can talk or will your way out of. Your body is literally starving for what it needs, and while a pharmaceutical may be necessary to help you while finding your root causes, you do not have a medication deficiency.

After years of being crippled by overwhelming thoughts of killing herself, Carrie hit a point where she was nearly committed to an institution but was able to pull herself out into the light enough that she had an opportunity to find another way. Carrie wants you to know that there is another way and if you’re willing to do the detective work and seek the right avenues for support, you too, have an opportunity to heal unmedicated. Although she emphasizes that everyone with bipolar disorder has their own path, she is a firm believer that you need to listen to your body and remember the importance of collecting and monitoring data. “Even data such as: How do I feel when I eat X? Or I eat Y?”

It is Carrie’s hope that her story inspires you to take control of your own health, to be your own detective, in the knowledge that she believes there is a fix for you, to know there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

Carrie Brown is a former-professional-pastry-chef-turned-keto-cookbook-author, recipe developer, keto advocate, motivational speaker, and podcast co-host of Ketovangelist Kitchen. She is also part of Ketovangelist Unlimited (a membership for people who are serious about keto, who want to take it to the next level). 

You can find her here: Carrie Brown-Life in the Sane Lane, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, and Instagram.

Listen to her inspiring story and know that you are not alone.  Suicide is a very real subject and anyone having suicidal thoughts should call the National Suicide Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.  Ask for the help that you need.

If you know someone struggling, reach out to them.  You may be the lifeline that they need.

Listen in iTunes!

This podcast is brought to you by Heads Up Health, a web app designed to help you centrally track all of your vital health data. Instantly synchronize your medical records, connect your favorite health devices and apps and use your data to optimize your health!

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial. Or, read on for more information about our latest podcast episode!

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In this podcast you’ll learn:

  • Carrie Brown’s history and background; how she was born depressed and did all the conventional meds and therapies [5:45]
  • While working at Microsoft and in the corporate world with a high profile career, she learned very early to fake it (happiness) to be able to make it [8:50]
  • How exhausting it is keeping up the front that everything is normal while inside your thoughts are obsessive and all-encompassing, and everything in your brain is telling you to die [10:00]
  • How she talked herself out of being committed at the hospital in the middle of the night, by agreeing to meds and therapy [13:45]
  • Why she was frustrated at the lack of critical thinking in conventional treatment (i.e., being a deep thinker, started asking about things she could try and her therapist was just agreeing with what she was suggesting). They just wanted to medicate her to the point where she didn’t want to kill herself but was socially acceptable, not asking the question of why she was bipolar [17:30]
  • Why she fired everyone except her psychotherapist [18:15]
  • How “you can’t talk your way out of clinical depression or bipolar any more than you can talk yourself out of a broken leg or diabetes” [18:30]
  • She started her detective work with her DNA (23andMe) and uploaded her data into a website to help her unpack the info into something useful (like Genetic Genie) [19:30]
  • She’s found out she’s heterozygous for MTHFR and learned that it has the ability to cause a lot of issues including anxiety, depression and bipolar [23:55]
  • That it’s super important to live in a non-toxic environment from the cleaners she uses to the furniture she buys due to her impaired detox abilities, and how uncovering this information through 23andMe testing gave her a place to start [26:00]
  • How she was on Lamotrigine which was originally an anti-seizure med and via Dr. Ted Naiman’s help, made the connection that the ketogenic diet was originally prescribed for seizure prevention in children; there might be a strong enough connection to work on the same mechanism to help her bipolar [28:15]
  • That more ketones do not mean more weight loss, but it can be helpful when working with the brain to have higher ketones, which she refers to “peetones” for urine testing to figure out which foods were working for her [32:55]
  • That she was terrified to come off of her Lamotrigine, but she was able to in a week or two (under a doctors care) and has been completely off of meds with no bipolar symptoms in the 2.5 years while being on a ketogenic diet [35:30]
  • How she wants everyone to know that their experience will be different and their needs will be unique to them, even if they are doing a ketogenic diet or if they have methylation issues…you need a healthcare provider who will support you in finding your combination for your unique body [37:35]
  • How your needs change over time, so it’s important to review your supplements and diet, etc. to continue supporting you (or “seek the tweak,” as Carrie calls it) by tracking your data [41:40]
  • Why it’s super important to find an ND and/or a functional doc to work with that understands all of these tests and the ketogenic diet [50:00]
  • More about Carrie Brown’s current work with writing cookbooks, working on the Ketovangelist podcast team developing recipes for keto and teaching individuals how to cook and make delicious food, as well as speaking at conferences such as KetoCon [53:40]
  • About her gratitude for what she went through to be able to be given the opportunity to give back [1:00:20]

References

23andMe

Genetic Genie

MTHFR.net

Strategene report by Dr. Ben Lynch on methylation

Dr. Ben Lynch’s book: Dirty Genes

Promethease

Plant Paradox by Dr. Stephen Gundry

Bristol Stool Chart and tracking

Ketovangelist Unlimited

Ketovangelist Kitchen

Kickass Keto: Your 28-Day Quick Start Guide to Health, Fat-burning, and Weight-loss by: Carrie Brown

The KETO Ice Cream Scoop: 52 amazingly delicious ice creams and frozen treats for your low-carb high-fat life by: Carrie Brown

101 KETO Beverages: Amazingly delicious, health-boosting, sugar-free lattes, teas, hot chocolates, frozen drinks, yogurt drinks, sodas, mocktails, and infused waters by: Carrie Brown

The KETO Crockpot: 40 scrumptious, simple, fat-burning, health-boosting recipes that cook themselves while you’re on the go! by: Carrie Brown

KETO for the Holidays: 53 scrumptious, fat-burning recipes so you can thrive on delicious KETO food through the Holidays by: Carrie Brown

The KETO Soup Bowl: 50 delicious fat-burning, health-boosting bowls of soup, chowder, hodgepodge, gumbo, stew, and gazpacho by: Carrie Brown

Dr. Ted Naiman

Dr. Georgia Ede

Brain on Fire

Perfect Keto Ketone Testing Strips for Ketosis

VIDEO: KetoCon2018 – Carrie Brown: Mental Health on Keto – From Surviving to Thriving

VIDEO: KetoCon2018 Stories Panel with Carrie Brown with Shawn Mynar, Gillian Szollos, Jade Nelson, Vanessa Spina, Allison Gannett

Nutrition Genome

Our Partners:

Learn more about LEVL, a clinical-grade ketone breath meter, which measures your level of fat-burning and ketosis through a simple breath. Find out more at HeadsUpHealth.com/LEVL.

You can learn more about the Oura ring, a state of the art ring that can track sleep cycle analysis, activity, and recovery at HeadsUpHealth.com/Oura.

Learn more about Keto-Mojo, a highly accurate and affordable device for testing blood sugar and blood ketones. Check it out at HeadsUpHealth.com/Ketomojo.

All of these amazing products are integrated with Heads Up Health.

They all allow you to quantify your health in novel and powerful ways.

Thank you to our partners!

About Heads Up Health

Heads Up Health is a website designed to empower individuals who want to take a self-directed approach to managing their health. Instantly centralize your medical records, connect your favorite devices and apps (e.g., Oura, MyFitnessPal, Keto-Mojo, FitBit, Apple Health, MyMacros+, Withings and many more) and use your data to optimize your health.

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial now!

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Episode 19 – The Case for Regenerative Farming & Nutrient Dense Food | Tyler Boggs of Heart2Heart Farms

Episode 19 – The Case for Regenerative Farming & Nutrient Dense Food | Tyler Boggs of Heart2Heart Farms

Tyler Boggs and his wife Elizabeth own and operate Heart 2 Heart Farms and believe that sustainability in farming, while important, is not enough. Enter regenerative farming.

After having retired from the military, they both set out to find a new path, wanting to get out of the city. They bought some land outside of Portland, Oregon and began growing their own food. At first they just wanted to support themselves but as they became more aware of the way foods were commercially produced, quickly realized there was a need to support their community in accessing quality meats and produce free from antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals.

Their farm has evolved from simply growing food and raising animals to now farming and educating individuals who want to understand better how a regenerative farm operates. They give back to their community by running a food pantry where they give away 100,000 lbs of food every week for free through their work/trade program.

Heart 2 Heart Farms provides food, consultations, teaching and education on how to build a regenerative food system and how to source high-quality foods, especially when on a limited budget.

Always willing to talk farming, environmental impact, and nutrition, Tyler Boggs tells Dave Korsunsky of Heads Up Health all about the farm that has grown from feeding just his own family to now educating and feeding thousands.

Listen and learn more about how regenerative farming is different, and a step up, from sustainable agriculture.

You can learn more about Heart 2 Heart Farms through their website or Facebook and about Elizabeth Boggs Nutritional Therapy practice at Heart2HeartHealth.

Listen to our podcast in iTunes!

This podcast is brought to you by Heads Up Health, a web app designed to help you centrally track all of your vital health data. Instantly synchronize your medical records, connect your favorite health devices like MyFitnessPal, the Oura Ring, and other apps and use your data to optimize your health!

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial. Or, read on for more information about our latest podcast episode!

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In this podcast you’ll learn:

  • What regenerative farming is and how it’s different from sustainable farming [4:00]
  • About Tyler and his wife’s transition from military life to farming [5:35]
  • How industrialized CAFO raised animals differ from regenerative farm raised animals [7:35]
  • About a conversation Tyler had with a man who works as a meat washer for conventionally raised meats, and how horrified he was after seeing the wash eat through his sweater when he accidentally spilled it on himself! [8:35]
  • How that it only takes two weeks to change the composition of meat when fed grains instead of grass, which is why it’s important to look for grass-finished when purchasing red meat, not just grass-fed [10:20]
  • That everyone has access to sourcing, but it does take work to find it [12:50]
  • How cortisol raises in animals when transported (all commercial meats are required to be processed in a USDA slaughterhouse) which in turn changes the composition of the meat. [14:10]
  • Why you have to meet your farmer if you’re serious about your health, to find out how the animals are raised and slaughtered [15:00]
  • Why buying your organic feed from a quality source is important when raising your own animals for food [16:40]
  • Why Heart 2 Heart farms raises-mostly USDA exempt meats like alpaca and yak, chukar, quail, duck, pheasants, geese, turkey, rabbit, but also raise a small amount of cow, pig, goats, and sheep for people who want to slaughter their own [17:45]
  • Why you should make an appointment to meet your farmer and what that process looks like and how to find a local farmer. [18:45]
  • How to search Craigslist for what you want and how to approach the farmer for information. (Hint: be kind.) [20:45]
  • Learn about the 3/6/12 month internships that Heart 2 Heart Farms offers to learn about regenerative farming [22:00]
  • How one customer can make the difference between a regenerative farm from surviving and not making it [23:30]
  • Why regenerative farming costs more, but it’s worth it [25:15]
  • Why it takes 16 heads of cabbage today to get the same mineral content of one cabbage in 1952; produce can’t absorb something that’s not present in the soil due to depletion of nutrients. (You can’t judge the nutrient density by looks alone.) [26:40]
  • Why the nutrient density of the soil is just as important as what types of food you’re choosing, and how as a result of depletion in our soil (and in turn, our food today) we’re simultaneously malnourished yet overfed. [27:25]
  • How getting your foods from local farmers can provide you with foods you’ll never find on supermarket shelves. [31:00]

References

USDA Changes in grass-fed labeling

Changes in nutrient density over time


Food Inc

NTA

Our Partners:

Learn more about LEVL, a clinical-grade ketone breath meter, which measures your level of fat-burning and ketosis through a simple breath. Find out more at HeadsUpHealth.com/LEVL.

You can learn more about the Oura ring, a state of the art ring that can track sleep cycle analysis, activity, and recovery at HeadsUpHealth.com/Oura.

Learn more about Keto-Mojo, a highly accurate and affordable device for testing blood sugar and blood ketones. Check it out at HeadsUpHealth.com/Ketomojo.

All of these amazing products are integrated with Heads Up Health.

They all allow you to quantify your health in novel and powerful ways.

Thank you to our partners!

About Heads Up Health

Heads Up Health is a website designed to empower individuals who want to take a self-directed approach to managing their health. Instantly centralize your medical records, connect your favorite devices and apps (e.g., Oura, MyFitnessPal, Keto-Mojo, FitBit, Apple Health, MyMacros+, Withings and many more) and use your data to optimize your health.

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial now!

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Episode 18: The Keto Doctor’s Intro to the Health Benefits of Cold Water Therapy – Quick Hits with Dr. John Limansky

Episode 18: The Keto Doctor’s Intro to the Health Benefits of Cold Water Therapy – Quick Hits with Dr. John Limansky

Are we literally jumping into a freezing cold lake just for the health of it?  Absolutely! Join Dave and Dr. John Limansky for this Quick Hits episode about the benefits of cold water therapy and how it can benefit you in reducing stress while costing you nothing. Be sure to watch the video!

Listen in iTunes!

Welcome to the latest Quick Hits feature episode, delivering the quick and dirty details on topics that are important to you and your health. In 15 minutes or less, we’ll deliver important health info to you to keep your mind active whether you’re waiting in the carpool lane, on your morning commute, or fitting in a quick workout!

When was the last time you jumped into a cold lake, just for the fun of it? In this Quick Hits episode, Dave Korsunsky talks with John Limansky, MD, board-certified physician of Internal Medicine to discuss the stress-reducing, immune modulating, and therapeutic benefits of cold water immersion therapy.

We’re diving in quick to get you the big ideas and then we’ll provide you with some resources at the bottom of the page for further reading if you want to learn more.

Listen in iTunes!

This podcast is brought to you by Heads Up Health, a web app designed to help you centrally track all of your vital health data. Instantly synchronize your medical records, connect your favorite health devices like the Oura ring as well as other devices and apps and use your data to optimize your health!

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial. Or, read on for more information about our latest podcast episode!

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In this podcast you’ll learn:

  • What cold water therapy is and why your body responds positively to specific stressors that stimulate your body short term [1:50]
  • How you can induce this hormetic stress with cryotherapy and cold immersion therapy in your home or outside in nature [3:00]
  • Why the immersion temperature for cold water therapy has to be below 50 degrees to initiate a hormetic stress response [3:30]
  • The differences between clinical cryotherapy (-200º) for 1-2 min. vs. cold water lake immersion (50º or colder) 5-10 min. [4:40]
  • Why you have to build up to it for it to be effective and not harmful [5:00]
  • How to recreate this effect in your bathtub [5:40]
  • That your body adapts its response, initially shivering in response to burning energy, and then non-shivering where biochemical changes happen. [6:00]
  • Why it’s vital to submerge deep enough to cover the vagus nerve (neck) and how covering your head can be even more beneficial [6:35]
  • Why studies show a reduction in blood pressure, cortisol, and positive changes in neurotransmitter levels [7:55]
  • How cold water immersion therapy can reduce inflammation and can increase dopamine 530% after one hour at about 57º study [8:25]
  • How biohacking with cold water therapy inhibits TNF-a, stimulates the immune system to include benefits similar to autophagy that happens when fasting as well as decreases inflammatory prostaglandins [10:00]
  • How cold immersion therapy helps with stress reduction and how doing it in a natural body of water has additional benefits [12:00]

Eat your own dog food

Check out this video where Dave and John take a dip into the balmy waters of Lake Tahoe at 42 degrees!

References

Link to cold water immersion video

STUDY: Human physiological responses to immersion into water of different temperatures

Dr. Limansky’s podcast: The Ketohacking MD   

Dr. Limansky’s website: www.biohackmd.com

Our Partners

Learn more about LEVL, a clinical-grade ketone breath meter, which measures your level of fat-burning and ketosis through a simple breath. Find out more at HeadsUpHealth.com/LEVL.

You can learn more about the Oura ring, a state of the art ring that can track sleep cycle analysis, activity, and recovery at HeadsUpHealth.com/Oura.

Learn more about Keto-Mojo, a highly accurate and affordable device for testing blood sugar and blood ketones. Check it out at HeadsUpHealth.com/Ketomojo.

All of these amazing products are integrated with Heads Up Health.

They all allow you to quantify your health in novel and powerful ways.

Thank you to our partners!

About Heads Up Health

Heads Up Health is a website designed to empower individuals who want to take a self-directed approach to managing their health. Instantly centralize your medical records, connect your favorite devices and apps (e.g., Oura, MyFitnessPal, Keto-Mojo, FitBit, Apple Health, MyMacros+, Withings and many more) and use your data to optimize your health.

Click on the button below to start your free 30-day trial now!

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