Eileen, Author at Phoenix Helix

Swedish Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy | Phoenix Helix

The Paleo AIP Instant Pot Cookbook Review & Sample Recipe: Swedish Meatballs

When we’re on a healing diet, we spend a LOT of time cooking. Anything that saves us time in the kitchen is a lifesaver. I fell in love with my Instant Pot when I first made 24-hour gut-healing bone broth in just two hours. If I never cooked anything else, the pot would have been worth the price. But I wanted to use my Instant Pot for much, much more. That’s how this e-cookbook idea was born. I invited 36 other paleo AIP bloggers to develop recipes for our favorite appliance, and the results surpassed all expectations. We created a cookbook no one person could have made on their own: 141 recipes – everything from broth to veggies to main courses and desserts – and they’re not only delicious but FAST!

Episode 54: Thyroid Health with Elle Russ

Our thyroid regulates the metabolism of every organ and cell in our body. That’s why there’s such a long and varied list of symptoms that can indicate a thyroid problem. Hashimoto’s and Graves disease are autoimmune diseases which attack the thyroid, but thyroid issues are on the rise from other causes as well. In today’s show, I speak with expert Elle Russ, author of The Paleo Thyroid Solution. We discuss why thyroid problems are becoming commonplace, how to test your thyroid function, what avenues are available for treatment, and the importance of self-advocacy.

Is DNA Testing Worthwhile?

When it comes to genetic testing, is knowledge power, or is ignorance bliss? It’s not an easy answer. In this article, I go into the pros and cons in detail and also share my personal experience. If you decide you do want to take a DNA test, I walk you through the process step-by-step, including making sense of the raw data you receive.

Episode 53: The Food as Medicine Documentary

When Lenore Eklund found that her Crohn’s disease medication made her feel worse instead of better, her husband encouraged her to try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is similar to Paleo. The results were so dramatic that it inspired this film. However, the documentary isn’t about her personal journey. Instead, it follows the lives of three people just beginning to embark on a healing diet. One tries the paleo autoimmune protocol, one tries SCD, and another tries 80/20 paleo. We see the dramatic positive impact these dietary changes have, but also the great challenges they face as they try to eat healthily in today’s food culture. I love this documentary both for its honesty, and its ability to share the power of real food with mainstream America. If you follow a healing diet yourself, you will relate to the stars of this film. This is also a great film to share with friends, family, and anyone you know struggling with their health.

Episode 52: Heart Health with Dr. Jack Wolfson

While my podcast usually focuses on autoimmune disease, I frequently get questions from people new to the paleo lifestyle, who are concerned about the effect of the paleo diet on their heart health. We’ve been taught in our lifetimes to fear fat, cholesterol and red meat, all of which are part of the paleo diet. And if we’re not afraid of these foods ourselves, our families often are. So, I thought it would be great to have an expert on the show to separate fact from fiction. Dr. Jack Wolfson is a cardiologist who follows the paleo diet and lifestyle himself, and recommends it to his patients. He answers questions on everything from diet, to medication, to which tests and procedures he thinks are beneficial and which ones are overdone.

A Simple Guide to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol Is Now Available as an Audiobook!

Did you know that my book is now available as an audiobook? It was my husband’s idea, but it was a good one! Life’s busy, and multi-tasking is one of the ways we handle it. Sitting down with a book takes dedicated time, but we can listen to audiobooks while we run errands, clean the house, commute to work, chauffeur the kids, take the dog for a walk, prepare dinner….the list goes on. When I wrote The Simple Guide to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, I wrote it like a conversation between friends. I finally decided to record that “conversation”, so I worked with a professional audiobook producer, and this is the result!

Episode 51: Marriage and Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease doesn’t exist in a bubble. Its onset changes our own lives dramatically, but it also impacts our relationships. In this episode, I interview three spouses of people with autoimmune disease, including my own husband Tom, Terry Wahls’ wife Jackie, and Matthew Sinclair’s wife Petra. We talk about what it’s like to be married to someone with chronic illness, how they try to support the person they love, and how they also make sure they don’t get lost in the equation.

Paleo AIP Spiralizer Recipe Roundup

With this spiralized recipe roundup, you won’t miss traditional pasta at all. It includes AIP-friendly versions of spaghetti and meatballs, pasta salads, noodles with pesto, AIP Alfredo and more! Added bonus: it’s a great way to get kids to eat more veggies.

Episode 50: Can Hypnotherapy Treat Autoimmune Symptoms? With Kerry Jeffery

Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses the power of positive suggestion to bring about subconscious change to our thoughts, feelings and behavior. In this podcast, we talk about its application to life with autoimmune disease, and how it might be an effective tool to help us manage our stress and even alleviate chronic symptoms. My guest is clinical hypnotherapist, Kerry Jeffery, who also has autoimmune disease herself.

Balsamic Strawberry Basil Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo, AIP, GAPS)

Summer is the season I break out my ice cream machine and do some flavor experiments. This recipe was born from my local Farmers Market, where they sell fresh basil for $1/lb alongside ripe, local strawberries. The result is one of the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted!

Episode 49: Rheumatoid Arthritis with Dr. Melissa McNamara

Finding a rheumatologist who combines paleo principles with functional medicine to address root causes, and conventional medicine to control symptoms when necessary, feels very much like finding a unicorn. One of my blog readers let me know about Dr. Melissa McNamara, who practices in the Bay Area of California, but also consults with people worldwide. She took time out of her busy schedule to share her treatment philosophy with us.

Episode 48: Medication Decisions

The decision of whether or not to take autoimmune medication is rarely an easy one. Not only that, but our decision might change over the course of our illness. This podcast was inspired by my decision in 2016 to start medication after 4 years on the paleo autoimmune protocol. In this episode, I share the reasons behind my choice and also interview 5 other people about their medication choices. My guests have a wide range of diagnoses and experiences. Some have always taken medication, some have never taken medication, and some have gone on or off medication, based on changes in how they feel. The important thing to know is that there is no one right choice for everyone. My goal with this podcast episode isn’t to provide answers, but just to highlight the complexity of this decision, and let us all know that we’re not alone. To be clear – this show isn’t designed to be medical advice. Definitely work with your doctors when deciding what choice is best for you.

Eileen's hand with medication pills held in her palm

Starting Medication After 4 Years on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

This was one of the hardest posts I’ve ever written, because it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. In 2016, I went on immunosuppressant medication for the first time. In this post, I do my best to share where I started (for those of you who don’t know my whole story), and what changed that led me to this choice. All of us with autoimmune disease face medication decisions at different points in our lives. If you’re facing this choice now, I understand how you’re feeling. This post isn’t meant to be advice for anyone else. I’m just sharing my journey. At the bottom of the article, you’ll find an update with the results of my personal medication experiments.

Episode 47: Adrenal Fatigue: Part 2 with Christopher Kelly

Adrenal Fatigue (aka HPA Axis Dysfunction) is very common with autoimmune disease. Are you tired during the day and wired at night? Do you find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep? Do you often get hungry between meals, and sometimes feel hungry all the time? This podcast might apply to you. Expert Christopher Kelly talks about a new test that can diagnose and treat this condition more accurately. We also talk about how the label of Adrenal Fatigue is misleading, because the adrenals themselves are rarely the problem. The root cause lies someplace else altogether. Listen in to learn more.

Simple French Paleo Cookbook Review & Sample Recipe: Nightshade-Free Ratatouille

I love how the cookbooks for our community are expanding. Each new offering is completely unlike the ones that came before. In Simple French Paleo, Sophie combines her French Belgian upbringing with her knowledge of the AIP to bring a whole new flavor profile to our kitchens. And she walks her talk! Sophie put her Hashimoto’s into remission with the help of the paleo autoimmune protocol. Today, I share the cookbook details, an interview with Sophie, a sample recipe for Nightshade-Free Ratatouille, and offer you a chance to win your own copy!

Episode 46: Paleo Dietitian Q&A with Amy Kubal

Amy Kubal is a well-respected voice in the paleo community. She’s a Registered and Licensed Dietitian with both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. In this information packed podcast, I ask her: (1) What’s the optimal macronutrient ratio? (2) Are dietary fats healthy or harmful? (3) If we don’t eat dairy, how do we get enough calcium? (4) How do we keep our blood sugar balanced? (5) If we’re having trouble reaching a healthy weight, what can we do? (6) How can we troubleshoot digestive issues? And many more!

Where Medication Fits on a Healing Diet

When we embark on a healing diet, the hope is that we can reverse our autoimmune disease, heal our bodies at a deep level, regain abilities, and reduce or eliminate our need for medication. But that’s not something that happens overnight. Today, I’m answering the most common questions people ask about medication and the paleo diet.

Episode 45: Social Lives on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol

In cultures around the world, we gather together over food: we have dinner dates, drinks with friends, favorite festivals, and big family meals at our grandparents’ house. What happens when we can’t eat that food any more? Some people make the mistake of giving up their social life altogether because they simply don’t know how to manage it. In this podcast, 3 experienced AIP-ers share their experience and advice for having a full and fun social life while still staying true to your healing diet. It can be done!

mini cupcakes with frosting and strawberries on top

Where Do Natural Sugars Fit on a Healing Diet?

Treats are a point of controversy in the paleo community. Our ancestors had limited access to sugar, natural or otherwise. Yet healing diets also need to be sustainable, and some days we just want a cookie. So, what should we do? In the autoimmune community, this is an even more important question. We aren’t following paleo to simply optimize good health; we’re trying to reverse autoimmune disease, which is infinitely harder. The truth is, our bodies behave very differently than those without autoimmune disease, and sugar can have a bigger impact on our system than the general population. In this post, I look at all aspects of this question and ask some paleo experts their opinion.

Episode 44: The Art of Stress Management with Evan Brand

Stress is intimately connected to autoimmune expression. Many of you have experienced this yourself, when a high-stress situation kicked off an autoimmune flare – or even an autoimmune diagnosis. While we can take steps to strive for a lower-stress life, the truth is that part of life is experiencing tough times. Whether it’s aging parents, troubled teens, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, the death of someone we love, or our own autoimmune struggles, we can’t avoid stress altogether. So, that means we need to have tools to manage that stress so that it doesn’t negatively impact our health. That’s what today’s show is all about. Evan Brand is a functional medicine practitioner and the author of the book, Stress Solutions. He’s here to teach us how to take care of ourselves through the ups and downs of living.

How to Find a Good Functional Medicine Practitioner

When it comes to reducing autoimmune symptoms, diet and lifestyle are the foundation, but when you hit a plateau it makes sense to seek help. The problem is that not all practitioners are created equal. So how do you find a good one? When you’re about to make a large investment of your money and time in trying to heal, you want to find a guide who can truly help. In this article, I share my best advice for finding the right person to add to your healthcare team.

Episode 43: Never Too Late! Healing Diets Over Age 60

One of the tragedies of modern life is the belief that health is meant to decline as we age, and there’s nothing we can do about it. In this podcast, I have 3 guests proving otherwise. They all transitioned to a healing diet after the age of 60 and saw a dramatic improvement in their health. They hope to inspire others in their age group (or any age) to do the same!

Is Massage Therapy Beneficial for People with Autoimmune Disease?

One thing you may not know about me is that I worked as a therapeutic bodyworker for 15 years. In this article, I share the research into massage for autoimmune disease, describe a wide variety of techniques to choose from, share my best advice for finding a skilled practitioner, and also how to make sure your session helps rather than harms your health.

Episode 42: Infections and Autoimmunity with Dr. Michael Ruscio

If you’ve been doing the paleo diet and lifestyle perfectly and aren’t seeing results, infections can sometimes be a roadblock to healing. In this podcast, Dr. Michael Ruscio talks about which infections are common, which are rare, and how he diagnoses and treats them in his clinical practice. We talk about SIBO, h. pylori, parasites, candida, Epstein-Barr and other intracellular infections. We also talk about overtreatment and how to differentiate a healing crisis from an allergic reaction to the treatment itself.

Go To Bed Sleep Challenge E-book Review

How much sleep are you getting each night? Is it less than 7? Does it fluctuate? Is it hard for you to fall asleep? Do you need caffeine to get going in the morning? Are you still having autoimmune flares even though your diet is perfect? Sleep my be your missing link. It’s intimately connected to autoimmune health, and today I’m reviewing an e-book that delves into this science. It’s called “Go To Bed” by Sarah Ballantyne (aka The Paleo Mom). It includes a 14-Day Challenge to get your sleep on track for health, and I’m giving away a copy to one lucky winner!

Episode 41: EFT with Dr. Anne Merkel

Emotional Freedom Technique, otherwise known as EFT, is a simple technique designed to release emotional blocks to healing. What does that mean? The idea is that no matter what challenges we are experiencing, including autoimmune disease, there is always an emotional component. This doesn’t mean our symptoms are “all in our head.” But it does mean that repressed emotions can increase autoimmune flares and interfere with our ability to reduce and reverse our symptoms. Autoimmune health is about so much more than just food. In this podcast, EFT expert Dr. Anne Merkel describes how it works and guides us through a sample session.

When Does Pursuit of Health Become a Health Obsession?

Being diagnosed with autoimmune disease is overwhelming, and when we discover the healing potential of the paleo lifestyle, we can clutch it like a lifeline. It’s natural to learn all we can about ancestral diet, sleep, stress, epigenetics, the gut-brain connection, evolutionary biology, gene mutations, etc., in our efforts to heal. The question is this: When does research turn into obsession? When does it start to hurt instead of help?