Youngster: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.
Good day, and welcome to the Wellness Mama podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And that is spherical two with Dr. Olivia Lesslar, who’s an Australian physician with a background in worldwide relations, postgraduate research in pores and skin most cancers medication and scientific diet administration, and a present endeavor of a diploma in scientific hypnosis and strategic psychotherapy. And she or he is without doubt one of the finest voices I’ve personally met on uniting mind-body medication, the nervous system facet, hormones, diet, she explains all the pieces so clearly and speaks so properly on all of those completely different subjects. She is the medical director of purposeful and longevity medication, the Mind Middle in Sydney, in addition to for a number of different locations as properly. And she or he works with excessive profile worldwide clinics, together with concierge and longevity clinics, together with ones in LA. However I actually love how clearly she explains all the pieces. And I believe you’ll as properly. So let’s soar in with Dr. Olivia Lesslar. Dr. Olivia, welcome again.
Dr. Olivia: Thanks a lot for having me.
Katie: Nicely, I completely love speaking to you as a result of I really feel like I all the time be taught a lot and that you simply clarify issues so properly in a means that may actually assist us to recollect and combine them. And in our first episode collectively, we obtained to speak about psychoneuroimmunology and quite a lot of the ways in which we will help our nervous system and our our bodies to sign security. And one other facet of this that I’m actually excited to dive deep on this dialog on is the mind-body connection aspect. I’ve talked about this an honest quantity on the podcast as a result of that was such a pivotal piece for me to determine. And since sharing these conversations, I’ve had so many requests for extra info on how we will begin to determine that out, every of us individually in our personal lives and with our personal issues that we’re working by means of. And also you spoke to this once we did a panel final yr as properly. And I might love so that you can kind of expound and clarify the science of the mind-body connection as a result of that is one other space that I really feel like is simply typically both neglected or discounted however appears to be vitally vital and particularly for ladies.
Dr. Olivia: Oh, sure. Okay, properly, you understand, I believe that we should always begin with some fundamentals and, the mind-body connection is completely scientifically medically confirmed, to be, you understand, inverted commas, actual. We even have biomarkers to indicate this. And I what to attract everybody’s consideration to the truth that we have now what are known as guardian websites. A guardian website is part of your physique the place in case your bodily integrity was going to be breached by a virus, micro organism, parasite or one thing that shouldn’t be in our lungs, like pollen, for instance. It might often come by means of considered one of these areas. That’s your eyes, your nostril, you’re a respiratory tract, your mouth, the gastrointestinal tract, your pores and skin, particularly the elements of your that are uncovered rather a lot, in order that’s your face, your fingers, your ft, for ladies, our vaginas. And to a lesser extent, our urethras and our bladders.
What makes a guardian website a guardian website is that it has a particular military of white blood cells, that are like sentries on the gate. Able to pounce and provoke first order safety mechanisms. Shoot quick, ask questions later. And when your mind nervous system sees that there’s extra cortisol or adrenaline flying round your physique or it feels unsafe for no matter motive or in sufferers who’ve had earlier antagonistic childhood experiences, antagonistic childhood occasions, earlier traumas, large T, little t traumas, your nervous system begins to fortify these troops at these guardian websites. And when it feels it must pounce into motion in opposition to a menace, actual or perceived, you’ll begin getting signs in these areas, which, for the unlucky few, can double down, double down, double down, after which earlier than you understand it you go from having no meals sensitivities, to all of the meals sensitivities, to not with the ability to eat something. Otherwise you had no allergy symptoms to any pollens and abruptly you possibly can’t step out in spring in any respect with out antihistamines.
So quite a lot of the signs that are initiated is definitely your physique attempting to guard you. Once more, seeing that your physique is in your aspect. So when you might have extra mucus in your nostril, for instance, that’s your nervous system attempting to supply that in order that it could actually wrap itself round no matter is attempting to invade and you then sneeze it out or cough it out. The surplus fluid that comes out of your ear, your, your eyes, you understand, tears is doing the very same factor. Your pores and skin turns into itchy so that you simply hopefully can scratch off no matter could also be there that’s attempting to get in. You get wheezing as a result of your lungs don’t need no matter unhealthy factor that’s attempting to get in to enter the deeper elements of the lungs. And so it really constricts the small pipes of your lungs. It will increase abdomen acid as a result of abdomen acid is supposed to neutralize threats earlier than it even will get into the small intestines. And so forth and so forth. So, these are form of like primary stepping stones to grasp how the psychological psychological drivers or the state of your thoughts can really be, can even have bodily manifestations.
Katie: And I might guess from what you simply stated that there’s additionally form of a flip aspect to this. I like that you simply introduced up, you understand, our physique is all the time on our aspect. And I might guess having the mindset that our physique is attacking us, as I used to have, for example, in all probability not very reinforcing of constructive issues working in our physique. However I might guess the reverse hopefully can be true, that if we will undertake a mindset and the feelings of our physique being on our aspect and doing its finest to speak clearly what we want, that that psychological shift may result in bodily shifts. And I do know in relation to the mind-body connection, typically quite a lot of this stuff get discounted because the realm of spirituality or woo or get labeled plenty of various things. However from listening to you converse earlier than, there’s really like actually sturdy proof to again up simply how intricately the thoughts and the physique are linked. I do know we see on the excessive examples, I discuss generally the people who find themselves informed they’ve most cancers they usually die on schedule. After which the post-mortem reveals that they didn’t have most cancers or the people who find themselves informed they’ve most cancers they usually undertake an acceptance and love of life. After which in some way the most cancers spontaneously resolves. So we see it play out on the extremes, however I might guess this exists in our day by day life as properly. But when that’s true, how will we nurture that?
Dr. Olivia: Okay, in order that’s the million-dollar query, proper? I believe it’s about beginning quite simple, actually you understand, thank goodness for the scientists doing analysis into the blue zones. So the blue zones are these zones all over the world the place they’ve a really excessive variety of centenarians, individuals who reside past the age of 100. Among the blue zones embody Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece. And over the previous couple of many years, doing analysis into these blue zones and asking these individuals, what do you do? Why are you residing so lengthy? Why are you residing with such well being span as properly? You’ll really discover it has you understand, nothing to do with dietary supplements. Or going to the fitness center as such, proper? It’s kind of incidental motion. Incorporating motion into the on a regular basis life. It’s about having a way of objective. And having neighborhood round you. , a number of generations residing beneath one roof.
And it’s got extra to do with that integrity of feelings, integrity of philosophy, integrity of spiritualism. So, going again to some actually basic items. I believe that the majority of us do mourn the lack of neighborhood, and, mourn the lack of these types of tighter social bonds. And the truth that, you understand, many people don’t have massive variety of siblings. However what has been fostered over the previous couple of many years, I believe in our trendy society that we will leverage is networking. All these completely different neighborhood occasions that convey us collectively, just like the conferences that we met at, for instance, proper? And taking extra benefit of the truth that we’re ever, we’re ever linked now. Social media. And that may be a horrible factor for us, like, you understand, scrolling endlessly. Or it may be a solution to join with those who we don’t know that properly or you understand, our outdated mates. And attempting to ensure that we’re being concerned in individuals’s lives.
So, for us, I believe, from a person degree, not solely is reframing the problem goes to be very useful, nevertheless it’s additionally about understanding that we will’t get on high of all the pieces as a result of we do reside in a contemporary society. And in different phrases, having that knowledge to alter what we will. And understanding that we will’t change and letting go the issues that we will’t change. As a result of simply the stress of eager to be higher, do higher, eat higher, go to the fitness center extra, that stress in and of itself might be very detrimental, proper?
So I do discuss to my sufferers and I discuss to myself about this and it’s about self-compassion. As a result of self-compassion has an immense knowledge to it. In different phrases, if we’re driving down the road and we get pissed off with the individuals within the automotive in entrance of us as a result of they’re driving too sluggish or no matter it’s, we will go considered one of two methods. We are able to get pissed off or we will suppose, oh, properly, you understand, perhaps there’s a motive why, they obtained a cake within the backseat or one thing like that. And never solely will we lower our sympathetic response, our fight-flight response, however we additionally then put ourselves in a parasympathetic state, which implies that our cells, our nervous system calm down a bit of bit. And we additionally know that it’s only inside a parasympathetic state that you simply, cells will heal. So it’s really that layer cake impact the place we’re doing tiny issues on a regular basis that finally make the most important impacts. And that’s one thing that you simply and I’ve been speaking about fairly a bit with these podcasts. So I do know that folks form of need the large flashy, you understand, to-do lists. However, taking every single day because it comes and kind of checking your self, with each, with each velocity hump that comes your means. That’s really going to be, I really feel, extra useful than to plan for some large occasion of like what detox or no matter, you understand?
Katie: Yeah, that’s such a very good level. And I believe again to my very own therapeutic journey, you talked about in our first episode that one thing like Hashimoto’s, for instance, could possibly be signaling your physique to strive to enter a metaphorical or bodily cave to heal. And I found in that yr once I began really listening that my physique wanted quite a lot of house and calm for therapeutic. And I didn’t throughout that yr do excessive depth exercises. I wasn’t doing something that could possibly be any extra stress till I kind of like relearned easy methods to enter parasympathetic, which remains to be a journey for me, for certain.
However I believe to your level, there’s one thing actually profound to what individuals like Dr. Courtney Hunt say time and again, simply see your self properly, like having that mindset. And for me, it was shifting from I’m sick to I’m therapeutic or I’m resilient or I’m adaptable and letting these modifications over time begin to really present up in my physique as properly. I took some warmth one time. I obtained interviewed by somebody who was doing a sequence of TikTok movies, they usually had been like, what’s the worst issues you possibly can put in your physique? And I believe they wished me to say like glyphosate or sugar or one thing sensational. And I stated, concern, guilt, and disgrace. As a result of if in case you have these emotions about one thing, even when it objectively may have been good for you, now your nervous system has interpreted this factor as a menace. And so in case you imagine that each inexperienced vegetable has oxalates and it’s going to destroy your kidneys, otherwise you imagine that gluten goes to mutilate your intestine in a single day, no matter it’s, your emotions about that could be simply as highly effective or extra so than what’s really taking place physiologically. However I really feel like that connection took me years to even start to begin to perceive how a lot that connection exists.
Dr. Olivia: Yeah. Nicely, you understand, as I used to be saying earlier than about the truth that it’s important to be in a parasympathetic state to heal. You additionally must be current, now, right here to heal too. And when we have now concern, guilt, disgrace, remorse, quite a lot of these maintain you previously. , fear retains you sooner or later. And so, in case you’re not current, your nervous system doesn’t take a step, doesn’t cease after which step as much as attempt to really provide help to regenerate and rejuvenate now. As a result of it’s consistently needing to be on this struggle flight as a result of it, you understand, it looks like there’s a menace coming, a menace coming, a menace coming.
I like that you simply discuss that as a result of I’ve seen in my very own apply and which is what obtained me down this completely different street, I seek the advice of to a allergy immunology clinic in Queensland in Australia. And I noticed sufferers do properly, regardless of not altering their garbage diets. However they modified how they ate. They ate with gratitude. They slowed down. They chewed. That they had dinner with mates. Like they modify how they ate. They usually obtained higher, and I’ve seen, we’ve all seen sufferers who’re primarily orthorexic, which implies that they’re so involved about such as you stated, the oxalates and the glyphosate and the gluten and the this and the that, they usually’re counting energy and counting this, they usually’re actually anxious round their meals. They don’t do as properly, irrespective of how natural and great the meals is. And that’s as a result of your nervous system goes to reply to these neurochemicals that you simply’re pumping out resulting from your feelings, i.e. in case you’re pressured round your meals, your nervous system and immune system goes to deal with that meals as a menace. It doesn’t matter how wonderful that meals is.
Katie: I like that you simply simply introduced the science in to elucidate why that’s such a profound shift. And in our first dialog as properly, it looks as if a lot goes again to the nervous system and to with the ability to get right into a state of parasympathetic. And also you talked so properly in regards to the completely different threats and easy methods to kind of deal with every of these individually. However acknowledging that we reside in a world that isn’t naturally arrange optimally for nervous system well being, what would you categorize as perhaps among the greatest needle movers individuals can do to create extra space for parasympathetic of their lives?
Dr. Olivia: Undoubtedly is mild. Lighting is big. So, as a lot as doable, in case you can get up earlier you then get extra out of the day in order that after darkish you’re going to begin winding down and you then sleep it up in inverted commas, acceptable time, whether or not that’s kind of, you understand, 9 o’clock or so as a result of, the longer you’re up after the solar units, which means the longer you’re uncovered to synthetic lights. The extra you’re going to have a horrible affect in your melatonin manufacturing, in your nervous system. The quantity of analysis there may be into blue mild now, and once I say blue, I don’t imply the colour blue. I simply imply the spectrum of sunshine that falls inside that blue spectrum, which is the fluorescent lighting and the intense white lights. Blue mild really triggers a receptor behind the attention known as a melanopsin, which has knock-on results to the pineal gland within the mind, which then activates and off melatonin manufacturing.
So after darkish, if in case you have all these vibrant white lights and fluorescent lighting, it tells your mind, oh, it’s daylight. In different phrases, maintain going as if it’s daytime. So all of your organs are maximally working. What then occurs is that you simply don’t produce melatonin such as you’re meant to at about 8:30, 9 o’clock, which is a signaling molecule, by the best way, not essentially a sleep molecule. It’s a signaling molecule to all of your organs to inform them, okay, instrument’s down quickly, we’re about to form of wind up as a result of we’re going to go to mattress quickly. And also you don’t try this. And, then you might have poor sleep, and poor sleep has knock-on results. So it’s going to make your reflux worse, for instance, as a result of melatonin will increase the tone of the decrease esophageal sphincter, which implies that if in case you have one evening of poor sleep, the subsequent day you’re going to have worse reflux as a result of the gastric acid goes to flee. Melatonin is anti-inflammatory. It’s anti-cancer. We all know that shift staff, even the World Well being Group has categorized shift working as a carcinogen as a result of these persons are awake once they shouldn’t be and exposing themselves to blue mild.
So I believe lighting is de facto vital once we’re attempting to leverage or take management of our modern-day environments. So with the ability to change your lights, ensuring that there’s kind of extra of that orangey, perhaps reddish form of hues, particularly after darkish. That the lights are positioned low versus eye degree. That you’ve got dimmers on them so that they’re a bit of bit decrease lumens. And, once more, altering your way of life so that you simply’re not needing lights after darkish. And naturally, the most important culprits of us exposing ourselves to vibrant white mild after darkish is our telephones and our laptops and all of us, together with myself, you understand, we’re responsible of this. However data is energy. And understanding that that’s one thing that we have to change will essentially imply that, okay. , like I’ve a pink mild filter on my cellphone, for instance, that will get turned on after darkish. Blue like blockers, some individuals put on these too. There are issues that we will do. However understanding simply how harmful these lights might be after darkish is de facto vital. Particularly for our kids.
Katie: Yeah. And in addition for mothers, I really feel like that’s such an vital tip as a result of it helps our youngsters sleep so a lot better. And as mothers, we don’t sleep until our youngsters are sleeping. And so, however I really feel like their nervous system appears to be extra responsive as a result of they don’t have as a few years of all of this stuff build up. So I’ve, I observed in my home, once I switched quite a lot of the lighting, my youngsters tailored so quick, a lot sooner than I did. They usually obtained drained earlier they usually slept higher even earlier than I did.
And one tip, I like that you simply talked about the angle of the sunshine as properly, having mild after sundown come from eye degree or under, as a result of that’s the place we’d have seen it in a sundown or at a campfire versus that overhead mild signaling in another way. So one tip, I really feel like morning solar publicity, tremendous vital and free, and we will all do it even on a cloudy day. However one other actually cheap one is I simply purchased some cheap lamps and put pink mild or amber bulbs in them and put them all through my home. So when the solar goes down, we swap from overhead lighting to this extra amber lamp mild. And it actually does assist to all of us to get extra drained extra shortly. Additionally, I’ll hyperlink a tutorial within the present notes for doing the pink mild filter in your cellphone, as a result of I do the identical factor and I can simply click on it on when the solar goes down and I discover I’m a lot much less enthusiastic about my cellphone when it’s not brightly lit and tremendous colourful and giving me a relentless dopamine hit within the type of social media as properly.
Dr. Olivia: Yeah, I imply precisely. All this stuff. I’m glad that you have already got the following tips on your listeners.
Katie: What about, we haven’t actually touched on the diet aspect in any respect. I cherished you explaining that dietary supplements don’t essentially have the identical organic impact. Even when they’re generally mandatory, we nonetheless wish to get issues from meals. However we haven’t actually delved deep on the diet subject. And naturally, it is a controversial one at occasions, and there’s personalization for every individual. However are there any generalities that you simply give individuals as a place to begin that both to keep away from or so as to add from a dietary perspective?
Dr. Olivia: Yeah. So, that is really taken from one other physician in Australia, Dr. Greg. And he talks about LOTUS meals. LOTUS meals are native, natural historically ready unprocessed and sustainable. And I actually like that acronym. So, in fact, you understand, that is all, if we had the cash and the time, that is best. However, you understand, data is energy, as we stated earlier than. In different phrases, if you understand to search for seasonal meals, you then’re going to be a bit of bit extra on the sport about this. However particularly, I’ve sure necessities for myself and my sufferers, understanding in Australia, for instance, we’ve obtained very low selenium in our soil. This has been one thing that’s been described by the federal government over the past 20, 30 years. So I prescribe my sufferers Brazil nuts. Very excessive in selenium, in fact. So and it’s being taken in a complete meals means. Versus selenium dietary supplements. Oysters are unbelievable for zinc, copper, and B12. So I really prescribe myself oysters. I’ll have oysters complete. Fish roe is one other factor that I’ll prescribe myself for my omega-3 fatty acids. And organ meats. So I’ll attempt to have natural beef liver, so about 80 grams or so, perhaps about thrice every week. I didn’t begin off consuming organ meats. I needed to retrain my palate and it took me a few yr and a half to do however I used to be dedicated and I actually wished to and now it doesn’t matter what organ meat you set in entrance of me, I’ll eat it. And I’ll eat it like with gratitude. So it’s about slowly altering that paradigm. And understanding which meals are nutrient dense.
Loads of my sufferers, particularly my non-public sufferers, will do DNA/SNP analyses. In order that’s single nucleotide polymorphism analyses. And it’s about understanding what your private conversions are of of plot pre-vitamins to a type {that a} human can use. So for instance, I’ve a BCO1 SNP. Whereby I don’t effectively convert beta carotene or any of the carotenoids really. I don’t effectively convert beta carotene right into a type {that a} human can use, retinal, retinol, retinoic acid. So I might make the worst vegan. And actually, I, this is able to be about 15 years in the past. So I did go vegan for about 9 months or so. And I faired very poorly, particularly after I ran by means of my fats shops of the fats soluble nutritional vitamins, together with vitamin A. And I simply wasn’t, I simply couldn’t convert that properly. And I didn’t know why I used to be doing so poorly. And naturally, there are many individuals who do properly, proper, on vegan diets. However you’ll want to know what your capabilities are. As a result of that is one thing that you would be able to’t fudge. So understanding that is essential.
Personally, I do really feel that there are many vitamins that are derived from animal merchandise. And so for my very sick sufferers, it’s also a signaling, security signaling. In different phrases, we’d solely have animal merchandise once we had been in time of lots, when the hunt was profitable, or once we had been in spring and summer season. And that is talking to ourselves in an evolutionary means. So for my sufferers who their nervous techniques and immune techniques are clearly very twitchy, very upset, they usually’re not doing properly with, particularly greens and the anti-nutrients, which in and of itself, they’re hormetic stresses. They actually construct up that antioxidant capability of the physique. However it must be finished appropriately. When you’re not capable of deal with simply uncooked greens or greens typically, then you’ll want to take heed to your physique and you’ll want to converse to it, I really feel, in that evolutionary means about the truth that we’re protected and that we’re in time of lots and that you’re an apex. And so, you understand, animal derived vitamins for me has been a sport changer for a lot of of my sufferers.
Katie: And I cherished this about listening to your method once I first met you is that you simply converse so properly about all of the generalities that we as human creatures must know when it’s the sunshine and the sleep and the nervous system aspect. After which your work on this planet is you’re actually serving to individuals to get particular for their very own physique. Then what does that imply? And the way do they resolve these issues and reside of their most optimum state primarily based on their very own physique? And I’m certain many individuals listening with particular questions have many follow-up questions and that you simply do work with sufferers, however you even have an incredible quantity of data out there on-line. So the place can individuals discover you to continue to learn from you?
Dr. Olivia: Yeah, my social media deal with is @drolivialesslar. That’s D-R-O-L-I-V-I-A-L-E-S-S-L-A-R. And my web site is www.drolivialesslar.com.
Katie: And I’ll ensure that these are linked within the present notes as properly. I’m so glad we obtained to have this dialog. I knew since I met you at Dragonfly that I wished to have you ever on the podcast. And you’re simply so well-spoken on so many subjects. I hope we get to have future conversations. However for right this moment, thanks a lot on your time.
Dr. Olivia: Thanks a lot.
Katie: And thanks, as all the time, for listening and sharing your most respected assets, your time, your power, and your consideration with us right this moment. We’re each so grateful that you simply did. And I hope that you’ll be a part of me once more on the subsequent episode of the Wellness Mama podcast.
When you’re having fun with these interviews, would you please take two minutes to depart a ranking or overview on iTunes for me? Doing this helps extra individuals to seek out the podcast, which implies much more mothers and households may benefit from the knowledge. I actually respect your time, and thanks as all the time for listening.
