Take 20: Health Podcast Series | EP01: Understanding Autoimmunity | Samantha & Alkesh
Summary
TLDRIn this wellness-focused podcast, the hosts discuss the rising prevalence of autoimmune conditions linked to modern lifestyles and environmental toxins. They emphasize the importance of understanding autoimmunity and offer practical advice on reducing toxin intake, such as adopting a clean diet, filtering water, and using clean cosmetics. The conversation also touches on the significance of stress management and the role of sleep in supporting the body's natural detoxification processes. The episode concludes with a teaser for the next segment, which will delve deeper into detox pathways beyond popular diet trends.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Autoimmunity is a widespread condition linked to modern lifestyles and the high levels of environmental toxins we encounter daily.
- 🛡️ The immune system's role in autoimmunity is to protect us from pathogens, but it sometimes mistakenly attacks our own healthy tissues.
- 📈 There has been an exponential increase in autoimmune conditions, surpassing the number of cases for diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined.
- 🔄 Autoimmunity occurs when there's an imbalance between the toxic input and the body's detoxification output.
- 🍽️ To reduce toxin input, adopt a clean diet that minimizes processed foods and focuses on whole, fresh ingredients.
- 💧 Filter your water to ensure it's free from contaminants, and consider remineralizing it with natural salts for added health benefits.
- 🧴 Be mindful of the products you use, including cosmetics and deodorants, and opt for those with clean, non-toxic ingredients.
- 💤 Prioritize good sleep as it's crucial for the body's detoxification processes and overall health.
- 🧘♂️ Manage stress by setting aside time for relaxation and activities you enjoy, as stress can contribute to the onset of autoimmune conditions.
- 🏃♀️ Engage in regular physical activity to support the body's detox pathways and improve overall well-being.
- 🔄 Understanding and supporting the body's natural detox pathways, such as the lymphatic system and the functions of the liver and kidneys, is key to managing autoimmunity.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the 'Take 20' wellness content series?
-The 'Take 20' series focuses on providing high-quality wellness content that is relatable and applicable to everyday life, based on years of research and experience to help people navigate their lives better.
What is autoimmunity and why is it important for everyone to understand it?
-Autoimmunity is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues. It's important for everyone to understand because it's not exclusive to certain people and is often related to modern lifestyles and environmental toxins.
What are some common autoimmune disorders mentioned in the script?
-Some common autoimmune disorders mentioned are rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel disease, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.
Why has there been a steep rise in autoimmune conditions?
-The rise in autoimmune conditions is largely attributed to modern lifestyles, including the high amount of environmental toxins in day-to-day life, which disrupts the balance between toxic input and detox output within the body.
What is the relationship between sleep and the body's detoxification process?
-Most of the body's detoxification happens during sleep, particularly when we are in the 'rest and digest' phase. Good, sound sleep is crucial for the body's ability to detoxify waste products from chemical processes.
What are some simple and inexpensive ways to reduce the risk of developing an autoimmune condition?
-Three simple ways include eating a clean diet with minimally processed foods, filtering water to remove toxins, and ensuring good sleep quality to support the body's natural detox pathways.
Why is reducing toxin input and facilitating detoxification pathways key to managing autoimmunity?
-Reducing toxin input and facilitating detoxification pathways help balance the body's internal environment, preventing the immune system from attacking healthy tissues due to an overload of toxins.
How does stress impact the body's ability to detoxify?
-Stress can keep the body in a 'fight or flight' mode, which can interfere with the 'rest and digest' phase necessary for detoxification. High stress levels can also lead to poor sleep, further hindering the detox process.
What misconception exists in the market about clean products, and what is the reality?
-The misconception is that clean products are expensive. However, the reality is that good, clean products can be reasonably priced and are not necessarily costly.
How does physical movement support the body's detoxification process?
-Physical movement and sweating help the body get rid of toxins and support the detox pathways, contributing to overall health and potentially reducing the risk of autoimmune conditions.
What is the significance of having a good headspace before sleep and how can it be achieved?
-A good headspace before sleep is important for entering the 'rest and digest' phase, which aids in detoxification. It can be achieved by spending quality time with loved ones, engaging in relaxing activities, and reducing exposure to stressors before bedtime.
Outlines
🚫 The Modern Plague of Autoimmunity
This paragraph introduces the concept of autoimmunity as a widespread issue deeply rooted in modern lifestyles and environmental toxins. It emphasizes the importance of understanding autoimmunity, which is not exclusive to certain individuals but can affect many unknowingly. The speaker, a wellness professional named Alkes, discusses the rise in autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which are now more prevalent than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined. The paragraph also highlights the importance of reducing toxin exposure and facilitating the body's natural detoxification pathways as a means to prevent autoimmunity.
🛑 Managing Autoimmunity Through Lifestyle Adjustments
The second paragraph delves into the challenges of managing autoimmunity in the face of an unavoidable 'modern curse' of environmental toxins. It suggests that the key to prevention lies in reducing toxic input and supporting the body's detoxification processes. The speaker refutes the misconception that detoxification requires drastic measures or is limited to short-term dietary changes. Instead, the focus should be on facilitating the body's inherent detox pathways, such as through proper sleep, which is crucial for the body's rest and digest phase, and reducing stress, which can hinder the body's ability to detoxify effectively.
🍽️ Three Simple Steps to Prevent Autoimmunity
In this paragraph, the discussion turns to practical advice on how to prevent autoimmunity. The speaker outlines three simple and inexpensive steps: eating a clean diet with minimally processed foods, filtering water to ensure its purity, and using clean ingredients in personal care products. The importance of not just physical but also mental detoxification is emphasized, suggesting that taking time to destress and engage in activities that bring joy can support overall health and help prevent the onset of autoimmune conditions.
💤 The Importance of Sleep and Movement for Autoimmune Health
The final paragraph underscores the significance of sleep and physical movement in maintaining health and preventing autoimmune disorders. It explains that quality sleep is vital for the body's detoxification process, as the rest and digest phase is activated during rest. The paragraph also touches on the societal pressures that prioritize work over well-being and how this can contribute to the rise of autoimmune conditions. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about the onset of their autoimmune condition following a period of extreme stress, highlighting the interconnectedness of mental and physical health.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Autoimmunity
💡Environmental Toxins
💡Detoxification
💡Toxic Load
💡Wellness
💡Inflammation
💡Stress
💡Nutrition
💡Sleep
💡Lymphatic System
💡Remission
Highlights
Autoimmunity is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy tissues.
The rise in autoimmune conditions is linked to modern lifestyles and environmental toxins.
Autoimmunity is not exclusive to certain individuals and can affect anyone.
Common autoimmune disorders include rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel disease, lupus, and multiple sclerosis.
Autoimmune conditions are diagnosed through specific antibodies detected in blood work.
The increase in autoimmune cases is attributed to an imbalance between toxic input and detox output in the body.
Environmental toxins are prevalent in cookware, cosmetics, clothing, and the air we breathe.
Reducing toxin load and facilitating the body's detoxification pathways are key to managing autoimmunity.
Detoxification in the body occurs naturally through mechanisms like sweating and the lymphatic system.
Medicinal treatments for autoimmunity may not address the root cause if the toxic load is not managed.
Stress, lack of sleep, and poor diet contribute to the rise in autoimmune conditions.
Good sleep is crucial for the body's detoxification process.
A clean diet, free from processed foods, can help reduce the toxin input into the body.
Filtered water is essential for removing harmful substances and providing necessary minerals.
Choosing clean ingredients in products like deodorants and cosmetics can reduce exposure to toxins.
Stress management and self-care are vital for maintaining a healthy immune system.
Physical activity supports the body's detox pathways and mental well-being.
The importance of understanding and managing autoimmunity for long-term health.
Transcripts
autoimmunity is I think something that
everyone should have an understanding of
because autoimmunity is not exclusively
a disease that you know certain people
go through most of it has to do with the
modern Lifestyles the amount of
environmental toxins that we have in our
day-to-day life is very high it's just a
modern curse that we have for a lack of
a better term what would be the three
things simple basic things inexpensive
things that they can do to prevent this
issue hi everyone welcome to take 20
take 20 is our effort to bring you high
quality Wellness related content that
you can relate to and apply to your
everyday life now this content is based
on years of research and experience and
is meant to help you navigate your life
better I've known alkes for a while now
we've been working closely for the last
two years and the things that I have
learned in this span of time I wish I
had known before I also believe that
this information should be available to
all everyone should have an access to
and an understanding of this information
to like help us better control our lives
so join me as we learn explore and make
our lives
better thank you so much for this
introduction Sam so let me just start by
introducing myself I ales I'm a wellness
professional based out of toono
just by the virtue of the clients that I
have they are famous and they are
celebrated for the kind of work that
they do my body of work involves
coaching people in the realm of
nutrition fitness and health and also
counseling people in the field of uh
mental emotional and spiritual
well-being as a good fortune I have had
the opportunity to work with you for
over the past 2 years and be a part of
this uh journey and I'm really looking
forward to sharing the insights that we
learned
over the past 2 years and can't wait to
get started with this okay so I I think
the elephant in the room for us the
biggest topic that we have been closely
working on is autoimmunity so let's like
dive straight in and I would like to ask
you what is
autoimmunity yeah autoimmunity is I
think something that everyone should
have an understanding of because
autoimmunity is not exclusive ly a
disease that you know certain people go
through many people go in and out of
Auto immunity but they do not realize it
so autoimmunity just to explain it in
simple terms would be our immune
function is uh supposed to protect us
from bacterial viral pathogens but many
of times what happens is that our immune
system ends up attacking the own our own
healthy tissues that we
have and in my recent experience as a
coach most of the clients uh that
approach me have been going through the
same and you know these are very common
disorders like rheumatoid arthritis
irritable bowel disease lupus multiple
sclerosis that that are very commonly
detected in the blood work that we get
there are specific antibodies that can
be detected in the blood work and if
they're elevated then it would qualify
you having an autoimmune condition and
it's on the rise so yeah I was actually
quite surprised to know that the number
of autoimmune cases has expon have
exponentially increased and the number
of cases are
actually cancer patients heart disease
diabetes put together is now the cases
of autoimmune conditions and why do you
think that there is such a steep rise in
this disease it's not really a disease
it's a condition yeah most of it has to
do with the modern Lifestyles that we
are living now
but in order to understand that we need
to understand why autoimmunity happens
at the first place so to immunity
happens when the balance between the
toxic input and the detox output within
the body is off and the kind of
lifestyle that we Le now the amount of
environmental toxins that we have in our
day-to-day life is very high it's in the
cookware that we use it's in the
Cosmetics that we use it's in the kind
of clothes that we wear it's in the kind
of air that we breathe so it's just a
modern curse that we have for a lack of
a better term that the amount of
environmental toxins that we have has
been higher than ever so let's just say
if we were living in a time where it's
50 years ago from now the environmental
toxin around us would be would be much
less and most of the people who go
through an autoimmune condition are at a
stage where the input is quite High of
the Toxin and they are not able to detox
that at the at the same rate So when you
say the toxic load right now let's be
honest we can't control that yeah it it
just is quite impossible as you said
it's a modern curse we cannot avoid it
so but what what does one do I know that
I have have been sitting and checking
ingredients putting air purifiers doing
just incredibly drastic measures to
counter my condition but that's not
practical for everyone so we really need
to what would you say uh the smallest
and the easiest things that one could do
to prevent such a
problem yeah I think managing
autoimmunity is basically The Art of
Doing less and which which none of us
are aware of and which we are completely
against it like the youth and the young
we are about the hustle culture yeah so
what you're saying is exactly opposite
of that yeah yeah and when I talk about
the toxic in input versus the teox
output so we have to reduce the to toxin
load that we have and we have to
facilitate the body's detoxification
Pathways that there are and when I use
the word detox our mind immediately goes
towards green juices and all the 12 week
thing 12 day challenges it's none of
that our bodies have inbu detox Pathways
like selting is one of those we have the
lymphatic system within us our organs
like liver and kidney do it on a regular
basis and if we focus on doing more
things that will facilitate that and
doing less things which will get us uh
less toxin load I think that is the key
to managing
autoimmunity at this point in time and
also that's also the reason why many
people don't get a long-term
remission while going the medicinal
route right because you can take
medicines to cut the inflammation down
but if you're not fixing the things that
is causing this imbalance of toxin input
versus detox output then it's always
going to be an ongoing process that and
you're G going to take medicines in
order to get the inflammation down so
the reason I wanted to do this with you
this this podcast was because I really
bu after the experience that the
harrowing experience that I've been
through and well an autoimmune condition
is lifelong so with what I'm dealing
with right now as well i' rather people
be safe than sorry so there are many
people who most people who believe that
I'm healthy I eat well I have great
jeans this can't happen to me I am
guilty of being one of those people
because I worked out I woke up early I
laughed a lot I ate ate healthy I worked
out crazy yeah so what would you say
tell people who think that they are
above this or Beyond this and this
cannot possibly happen to them yeah more
than thinking that this will not happen
to them if you have a biological body
then this is going to happen to you
because our body is at a continuous
state of processing things and when it
processes things that chemical process
has some waste products and the body has
to detoxify those waste products that's
how the human body works I can
understand where that thought comes from
because this is not something that you
realize immediately the effects of this
are not immediately realized but this
happens over a long duration of time
because it requires a certain degree of
buildup and when the body reaches the
threshold of that Builder body goes into
something called a threat response and
and it's a aftermath of the threat
response that body realizes a threat
within itself and that's the reason
immune system attacks the healthy cells
that you have because it launches a
systemwide attack and it's not the fault
of immune system here your immune system
is trying to protect you from the
buildup that there is but the way in
which it's doing that is causing us more
harm than good at this point in time so
would you say an extremely stressful
lifestyle bad eating habits and
prioritizing work
career could be why these conditions are
also on the rise the extreme amount of
stress yeah all the things that you
mentioned right now will contribute
towards that so most of the detox of the
body happens when we are
asleep and if one has a good sound sleep
most of the things in from that
perspective are taken care of but
nowadays and we all know how important
sleep is for us and now nowadays it's
like it's like a boon to have a good
sound restful
sleep um because people who can't sleep
right now are just banging their
heads I feel you I feel you yeah because
our mind is usually dwindling between
two phases one is fight and flight the
other one is rest and digest and when we
are asleep the rest and digest phase
kicks in and that's when most of this
process takes place but if we are always
forward looking towards our work our
stress levels are high body can't
differentiate between an actual threat
and a perceived threat so when the body
is in fight and flight mode even if
you're physically asleep your mind will
be constantly engaged in some thought or
the other also there is something quite
rewarding if we are hustling towards
work it is considered to be as
professional yeah and Society rewards
that yes but in the longer term that
does come back and you know cause all
this so it's all inter related this so
all the things that you talked about
does contribute to this for sure yes
okay I remember
specifically the year before I had this
problem that this problem arose it was
an extremely difficult year for me and I
remember I specifically remember the day
that I think my friend/ partner SL
manager himank and I we were traveling
back from Mumbai and I and this was in
June of the year before the last and I
remember telling him that that finally I
feel calm I haven't felt a little
relaxed that and little calm in in a
very very long time and I finally feel
like I can breathe and I can go to sleep
and I can now wake up and focus on my
work and be the best that I can be at
work and I woke up with this condition
um all your friends would really want to
know the journey you have taken and what
all the things that you have done
because I think it was a really really
Brave step that you took at that point
in time and I think that is something
that should be out and people should
know about it for sure right go like
yeah I will get into that but before
that while we end this first episode
what would be the the three things that
you would ask people to do simple basic
things inexpensive things that they can
do
to prevent this issue yeah so if I were
to have three takeaways uh that one
should be doing in order to prevent this
is number one is to reduce the toxin
input that we have talked about and that
can be in multiple ways number one is to
eat a very clean diet you mean not
processed foods when you say that
nothing from a tin from a pack packet
from a plastic bottle are you saying
that like fresh fresh food freshly
cooked at home is that what you would
say yeah so clean food would be the food
that is minimally processed or you have
the food in its more primitive form then
I think it's going to be a better
Prospect for you over a period of time I
have realized that a Clean Diet look
different for different PE people yeah
if a food you eat is making you feel
gassy if making you feel bloated if it's
making you have acid reflux then the
food is not right for you because that
is causing your gut to be irritated so
stay away from that that kind kind of
food that's uh number one filter your
water for sure this is something that is
very very important was very very
important for me to to drink only
filtered water yeah is that reverse
osmosis uh to to have that and carry a
bottle with you as as childish as as it
may look but it is of it is very very
important to drink good
water yeah for sure and we can't
emphasize much on how much how precious
reverse osmosis water can be for your
and if you have the choice if you
remineralize it by using ancient salt or
just Himalayan pink salt and consume it
that will be really really nice would
you say that just once in your bottle
put Himalayan pink salt or all through
the day put a pinch of Himalayan pink
salt so let's just say if you have a 1
liter of water if you just put one pinch
or even less than like 1/4 teaspoon and
have your water it will be a better
Prospect because reverse osmosis strips
the water out of all everything that it
has and that would include minerals too
and traditionally if you drink spring
water if you can have fresh spring water
that's nice but we have an understanding
not everyone can have that yeah so just
remineralizing your water would a great
deal
yeah also the kind of uh products that
we use the kind of deod that we use the
kind of Cosmetics that we
use try to look for clean ingredients
and there is this huge misconception in
the market that a clean product would be
an expensive product Oh my God I'm
guilty yeah of of of thinking that I
think that we all think that that if
it's if it's expensive they must
be they must be looking after us but I
was very very wrong yeah yeah so that's
certainly not not the case and and also
good things in life are not very
expensive that they are pretty they
might not be cheap but they're very
reasonable for sure and and apart from
that being in a good head space always
if you are stressed take time to
distress your yourself I'm not asking to
leave your profession and do anything if
you have 14 hours in a day where you're
away and if you're wired for 12 hours at
least give those two hours to yourself
spend time with friends spend with
family unwind do things di that you love
that's another important thing and
stagnancy is the biggest culprit of an
autoimmune condition because if you are
not moving and if you are stagnant you
kind of hamper the detox Pathways that
the body has and moving and sweating
kind of helps you to get rid of a lot of
things and it also does a lot of things
for you mentally as well so if you were
to ask me what are the two biggest
things you know I don't can't do
anything what are the two biggest things
that I should be doing is to sleep sound
sleep in a way that your brain is not
wired so if you're wanting to spend
quality time with friends and family do
that before you sleep so that you sleep
in a good head space that's number one
and number two is when you wake up or
any other time in the day move the more
you move the more things flow through
your body and the more you support the
detox pathes that you have and that will
be a key to managing an autoimmune
disorder for sure more about detox
Pathways in our next segment uh I would
like to know more in detail about the
different detox Pathways and uh because
you just completely dissed all of the
fat diets and said that there is more to
detox so that's something that I would
like to discuss about in our next
segment
[Music]
yeah
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