Do you suffer from an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or the many other autoimmune conditions that are quickly becoming epidemics? Or do you want to prevent becoming one of the millions of people suffering from autoimmune conditions? So, what causes autoimmune disease, and can it be treated naturally?
In this episode, we get the answers to these questions and more as I speak with Dr. Brad Gorski. He is the founder of Gorski Health Solutions and “Turned On Living holistic lifestyle coaching”. Dr. Gorski has written his own nutrition programs, worked with the US wrestling and judo teams, and hosted the Autoimmune Paradox Summit.
In this episode, Dr. Gorski shares his expertise on the root causes of autoimmune diseases and how to treat them with alternative, holistic solutions. Tune in to get some helpful tips for optimizing your health while living with autoimmune disease.
In this episode, Dr. Gorski will cover
- Methods to treat autoimmune disease naturally
- Why a water filter in your shower is a MUST HAVE. (The reason will shock you!)
- How does your gut health affect autoimmune disease?
- The key role toxins play in causing autoimmune disease
- An uncommon therapy that can help treating autoimmune disease (It is one of Ari’s favorites!)
- Are you are getting your necessary nutrients for optimum health?
- Why fasting should be part of your weekly routine
- The best tools for preventing autoimmune disease
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How To Treat Autoimmune Disease Naturally with Dr. Brad Gorski – Transcript
Ari Whitten: Hi everyone. Welcome back to the Energy Blueprint Podcast. I am your host, Ari Whitten. And today, I’m with Dr. Brad Gorski, who is the founder of Gorski Health Solutions and Turned On Living program. Dr. Gorski has a passion for helping others eliminate autoimmunity and discovering turned on living and it’s probably not sexual in nature though we’re going to find out about it as we get into this interview.
But unfortunately, many people with autoimmunity suffer from symptoms for 15 to 20 years before they actually get answers on how to fix it. Dr. Gorski understands all this very deeply. He had a near fatal autoimmune disease that led him to a system of natural solutions that is impacting people across the country. He has also been a physician for many professional athletes and worked with United States wrestling and judo teams. He’s written his own nutrition programs, taught hundreds of one on one workshops and hosted the Autoimmune Paradox Summit. He’s also been a radio host for the past eight years and has been featured on ABC, FOX, and CBS. So welcome to the show Dr. Gorski.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Oh, thanks so much for having me, Ari. I’m excited to be with you and obviously hopefully educate some of your listeners today. I know that they’re educated, but I hope we can take it a level deeper for them.
What the “Turned On Living” program is
Ari Whitten: Yeah, let’s do it. So first of all, I got to ask, you have the Turned On Living program. Is this how to get turned on in a sexual way or what do you mean by this?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, well I think for a lot of people, too there’s this like, there’s like this slow drip when people start getting sick, you know. I think for many people, a lot of times they start losing their edge whether it be with their energy, whether it be in relationships and you know. Really the concept of Turned on Living, I think really kind of for me really had to do with really helping people live their best life.
And I feel like a lot of people who are even doing well today they’re really probably not even performing at their best. So I think that’s kind of what Turned on Living is all about. It’s just like taking your life and your health to another level really, whether that be so you can serve your family better, serve your business, your community, make a difference in the world. And so that’s kind of what it was really all about. But yeah, no sexual innuendos.
Ari Whitten: Awesome. I love it. So, you have a personal background. You have your own personal story with, you call it a near fatal autoimmune disease. I know you had some crazy stuff happen. We talked a few months ago when we met in person at the Mindshare Summit. So, I would love for you to just talk a bit about your personal background and just your personal health struggles that you had to go through and how that has led you on the path that you’re on now today.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. You know, it really was, it was one of those things that I think a lot of what I went through, I don’t think I would have got the education I did through learning through a textbook or I really learned it through my own personal suffering. And you know, myself, I was a college athlete, took care of myself, always was what you’d assume was a healthy guy ate organic, you named it, you know. I was a physician taking care of people.
And really upon moving in a moldy home, it basically just completely changed my life. Within months of kind of moving in this house I just start getting really unusual symptoms and it was a slow kind of progression where it started with like brain fog and inflammation and I started noticing myself getting sensitive to foods. And I would just dial in exercise, I would dial in nutrition, I would eliminate every single bit of sugar, you know.
So, I always was really conscious about what to do and I kind of kept feeling I was getting sick again and I’d get sick again and then I would bounce back, and I was getting sick again. And finally this kind of culminated where we were running some testing And both natural and just some standard blood testing And it kind of got to a point where my wife and I kind of decided like there’s got to be something in his house making us sick or me sick.
And we moved out of the house for two weeks and it was like a light bulb went off And we made the decision, hey, we’re moving. And that weekend actually I was in my best friend’s wedding. I gave my best man’s speech and the next morning at the age of 27, I had four different blood clots across areas in my brain. I had a massive stroke. I was airlifted to one of the best stroke hospitals in the state. And, they basically, after being there for a week, they looked at me and they said, “Hey, good luck. You don’t have any plaque in any of your arteries. Really, none of your labs are really that abnormal. We don’t know why this happened. Good luck.” And that’s what I was given at the age of 27.
Ari Whitten: Wow, that’s crazy. So, you talked about an autoimmune disease in your bio. Where does that come into the picture?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah it was really interesting because I’m going through this process and you know, even sometimes with standard medical testing you don’t get all the answers you think you do. And so we kind of came back after I was released from the hospital And I knew there was always a cause and I think my mind has always worked like that.
That that healthy people don’t get sick there’s always a cause. And so, you’re really, we were kind of at that point, at a position where we had to dig to find answers. I mean, again, we obviously knew things were going on and, but again, nothing was really definitive, any tests I was doing. You know, we noticed I had some small deficiencies some of my neurotransmitters were off.
I mean, but it was nothing really definitive and we started basically just running tests galore. We ruled out genetic factors, seeing if I had this genetic condition causing my my clotting in my blood and it wasn’t bad. And we ended up running an autoimmune panel. I had 14 different numbers showing me that I was positive, having this condition where my immune system was attacking my red blood cells, forming the clots. And so this wasn’t something that mainstream medical were like, “Hey, let’s run these tests.” It was more of myself knowing that there is a cause. And I had to dig to find that. And if I could really figure out what the root of my problem was, I knew there would be a path to heal. It would just take time. And yeah.
We realized it was autoimmune and we started really kind of jumping into that realm as far as reversing the condition. And even within three months of starting doing some different strategies 14 of my numbers were down to three. It did take me about two years to turn off one of my last autoimmune markers. It took me almost two years to turn that off.
But it was a process And I was, it wasn’t like a perfect straight line where I was the whole time getting better. Man, I did some things and I learned from them and… But it was a process and it kind of culminated with me really getting my health and my life back. And kind of once I did it, I realized that there was a need out there that people were suffering just like I did.
Autoimmune issues, like we mentioned in the intro so many people can have these unusual symptoms. They go on for years before people get answers. And just standard blood tests today that most physicians are running aren’t going to show you autoimmune problems.
So I think it really becomes an area of need where people need. And you know, autoimmune conditions are the fastest growing condition that exists today. More people have autoimmune conditions than heart disease or cancer. But you know, people don’t really understand what it means. And also, too, there’s not half the funding as, I think it’s one 10th of funding that heart disease and cancer gets. So, there’s not awareness.
How autoimmune disease affects you on a physiological level
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Well, I want to start with a really basic question. I’m sure a lot of people listening, I’m sure pretty much everybody listening has heard the term autoimmune, and they know about autoimmune hypothyroidism and some of the, multiple sclerosis and some of these other autoimmune conditions. What is autoimmune actually mean for people that maybe have heard the term but don’t really understand what’s happening on a physiological level?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. You know, autoimmunity, we basically know what it is. It’s when our body basically starts to identify our own self tissues as foreign so our body begins to attack itself. And once you have this autoimmune process going on in the body whether it decides to go to the thyroid, whether it decides to go to again, the joints for rheumatoid, it depends upon really whatever tissue it is going to go to that really causes your diagnosis.
And the thing is, it’s not like, this doesn’t happen overnight. You know, we’re starting to really realize that it’s a slow process that may build over eight to 12 years. So really, it’s again even the military has done testing on people who have blood markers for autoimmune and you know, they go back and find these people who have a diagnosis. And they go back in their blood 20 years prior and they see the markers in their blood 20 years before they even had the autoimmune diagnosis.
So yeah, I think it’s an area that really a lot of disease today… You know, I know, on my Autoimmune Summit I had Dr. Jack Wolfson who is the Paleo cardiologist was on there.
And he even, his opinion was that I think all disease today is really autoimmune. And I think that, too, we’re seeing so many conditions, whether it be a Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or autoimmune conditions, I mean, but I think a lot of have an autoimmune fundamental portion where our body is really attacking itself. And it’s not what our body does. We just got to ask the right questions as to why that is.
The root causes of autoimmune disease
Ari Whitten: Yeah, which is a perfect segue to my next question, which is, why is that? So, you mentioned obviously autoimmune disease, autoimmune rates of various autoimmune conditions are sky rocketing. Why is that happening? I mean, our genetics are certainly stable, right? It’s not that our genetics are changing over the last few decades or something, but autoimmune rates are skyrocketing. So, what’s actually going on that’s causing these autoimmune diseases?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, and I think, too, it’s not one thing, I think it’s a combination. But you know, number one, I think the first thing we have to look at is deficiencies. You know, we know today that flat out hey, I eat really well. I don’t know if anyone’s perfect, but you know, I mean flat out people can eat really well. Eat great foods. And I test people all day long and I see a lot of people are still deficient. You know, so I think the state of our guts. You know, this term “leaky gut.” You know, many people really have it’s really kind of a scale of one to 10. I mean everyone has a little bit of gut permeability. But for a lot of people I think the toxins in our environment stress, antibiotics we’re looking at glyphosate which is Roundup ready weed killer sprayed on all corn, soy and wheat products, which we also realize is on organic crops, too. Thirty percent of rainwater contains glyphosate.
So, we are in this environment where even though we can eat really well, we still are nutrient deficient. We’re in this new toxic environment that we’ve never been before. And I’m glad you brought up the genes because you’re right, it’s not our genes, it’s epigenetic, meaning that our genes are really getting triggered and turned on at earlier ages. But just like myself when you can remove these stresses kind of fix these deficiencies, allow the body to heal, these things can also turn on. And I think that’s also where you, kind of maybe we get this Turned On Living. I think it was just for my story is I think we kind of assume that these conditions are genetic, or we could do nothing wrong from that. And it’s not, we couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Ari Whitten: I had a question that came in on my Facebook page the other day that, it was an interesting question. Woman was saying she has autoimmune hypothyroidism and she was basically confused because she’s hearing from the conventional medical doctors that the condition is irreversible. Basically, all she needs to do is take exogenous thyroid hormones T4 or a combination of T4 and T3.
And then that her thyroid will progressively continue to degrade over the foreseeable future until she dies, and she will just need to come in for monitoring of that and make sure that her dose is keeping her thyroid levels at the appropriate levels. But that progression, that autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland cannot be slowed or stopped or reversed. The condition cannot be cured. And then she’s also hearing kind of talk in other circles, in some of the natural health circles of putting autoimmune conditions into remission or reversal and things like that. And she just said, “Hey, what’s the deal, Ari? Can these things be reversed or put into remission and, or are my conventional doctors, right?” So, I would love to hear your answer to that question.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah let’s put it this way. You know, we know what the research, too, like with thyroid… And the reason I just want to use this, I guess that maybe kind of contrast, you know… I always say this, if that medical convention treatment was working, then we’d have people getting better.
You know, also with thyroid issues and autoimmune conditions there’s research that suggests that only about half of people who actually have a condition are really diagnosed. So, it’s really the most under diagnosed and misdiagnosed condition today. And I think it comes back down to the end of the day is you are right. I think that whether you live in that medical world, you’re right, there is no reversal. You’re going to be put on hormones for the rest of your life. And most of these thyroid conditions, and again, they’re not real hormone issues. They are real autoimmune issues.
And so, I think that’s why a lot of times the medical conventional treatment is not working for people. And I think people are starting to move into the natural realm because they’re saying, “Hey, well I’m doing what the doctors told me to do. I’m taking the medication, I don’t feel better.” And I would tell people this too, that for many people, I mean, “Hey, if you did that, and even if your numbers are perfect, I mean most people, they still feel like crap.” So, I mean, I feel like after a while it’s like the treatment isn’t helping people live a better life.
And they’re more just miserable on the medication and it’s not really addressing the root cause. So I think that’s why we’re on this tipping point. You know, I think that’s a great question. I think where you’re this lady who was asking you this question is at a real tipping point. I think that a lot of people are in that middle trying to understand, “Hey, is medicine the right place to resolve this?”
And now I can tell you this flat out that medicine today “Hey, you’re going to get more hormones, you’re going to get steroids a lot of times to really kind of calm down your immune system.” But you’re right, if you go in that realm, there is no long-term real solution. So, I think that’s where I think it’s requiring people to step outside the box and think differently if they really want a better life and if they want to have the opportunity to really be able to put these autoimmune conditions into remission.
And trust me, I work with people who aren’t in that position where it’s maybe not possible. But also, too, I’ve seen a lot of people get well that were even where it blew my mind. So, I think that we’ve got to get back to this premise our bodies are designed to heal. You know they were meant to heal, and we just got to figure out where these interferences are. And man, when we remove them our bodies, we don’t give our bodies enough credit. So that’s my philosophy on it.
Ari Whitten: Okay. So, you mentioned poor gut health, you mentioned toxins in the environment. Are there any other big triggers or root causes of autoimmune conditions that you said that you feel are playing a big role here?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, and we can definitely dive further into the toxic I think kind of question. Because you know, trust me like for myself, I know mold was a big trigger. So, a lot of people I mean mold is a huge one. Heavy metals can be it can be a big trigger. So I think when we talk about toxins, I mean there are a lot of individual triggers. But, you remember, our bodies are also designed to handle a certain amount of toxins. And I think what happens is our body gets overwhelmed. We get too toxic where our body can’t handle it. And it really pushed us over the edge, you know? And once that point happens, that’s really where we have the condition. So I think we always have to be aware of the toxic component.
We always have to be aware of the nutrition. And again, too I think for most people again, depending on how you’re living your life we all in a way have a leaky gut. So it’s not about being perfect, it’s about making progress. And I think once you can really kind of determine what are some of these big stresses in the body and really remove them, like we said, the body’s designed to heal and it will.
Nutrition and diet and autoimmune disease
Ari Whitten: Yeah. So, let’s go, let’s start digging into some of these things you’ve mentioned. I want to talk about nutrition. So, what on the nutritional level, apart from sort of toxins in the food supply because I want to treat toxins as a different category for the ease of thinking about these things. On a nutritional level as far as specific foods that are maybe promoting autoimmune conditions, how do you perceive that landscape? What do you think are some of the key nutritional drivers of this?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, so it’s going to go back to inflammation, right? That’s the basic. But also, too, I think when we get into inflammation, I think for a lot of people these grains are really tough for a lot of people, especially with autoimmunity. You know, so we start talking about your wheats those are going to be big triggers for people. You know, getting these wheats also have that toxin, that glyphosate. So, I think, too, that we really have to be careful with those.
We know that wheat increases gut permeability, so it’s allowing more things to enter your bloodstream from your digestive system. You know, it actually affects receptors in our stomach called Zonulin. So, we really have to be careful with our wheat.
And I think the other thing is that some of these foods are beginning to create deficiencies. You know, that we’re starting to realize that wheat and glyphosate begins to suppress our body and effect its absorption of Vitamin D. So here we go on food and nutrition, beginning to create a deficiency on the same end.
You know, so those are some of the big things. I mean, obviously we start talking about organic for people it is extremely important, keeping their toxic load down. But we have to look at those really big triggers. You know, for some people lectins can be a big trigger. Those are plant proteins that some people can be very sensitive to. And I’ll tell you this, not everybody with autoimmunity is sensitive to lectins, but you know, a good majority are.
So that’s where I think, too what’s really exciting about healthcare today and really in the nutrition realm I think we’re really able to dial into base grounds. Go back to this gut health.
I think today we can really start getting a good blueprint for what nutrition people need based on the state of their health of the gut and also the gut microbiome and these bacteria that are in there. You know, I think these are really great tools that really take nutrition, can help us customize them.
But some things I see that people always miss is chose, is also to healthy fats. I mean a lot of people I work with who even eat healthy, they still are deficient in healthy fats. And again, we have to get our healthy fats up. Again, these things buffer inflammation. They are key for hormones. They drive an anti-inflammatory response. So, I mean those are some of the things that I think that we miss from a nutrition standpoint.
We really get in trouble with these grains. And then again, too, I think a lot of people are really deficient in these healthy fats. So, you could call that Paleo, you can call it keto. I think there’s room in the realm for both those. But at the end of the day we got to get those healthy fats up for most people.
Lectins, gluten, and autoimmune disease
Ari Whitten: Got you. On the subject of grains and lectins, I’m sure you’re probably aware there’s a whole a whole lot of scientific research linking whole grain consumption, certainly not talking about refined grain consumption, but whole grain, unrefined grain consumption to various kinds of health benefits and linked with protection from a wide array of various diseases. The same is true of a lot of lectin rich foods.
So, for example, the legumes, lentils, tomatoes a lot of the other high lectin foods that someone might be sensitive to. These foods are decidedly linked with health benefits in scientific literature and protection from a wide array of diseases. How do you reconcile those two things? The fact that kind of on the one hand you’re saying some people seem to react negatively to these things, but on the other hand, we know that these things are very much linked with health and longevity and resistance or protection from various diseases.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, and that’s a great question. And I think what we’re starting to really learn today is that I think, and I don’t know why we’ve kind of jumped to this this theory and philosophy. I think for years, you know we’ve kind of thought that there’s one perfect diet for everybody, right? That everybody has to be keto. Everybody has to be Paleo.
Well, no. Most people need to be on a Mediterranean type diet. And I think, too, there’s room for all of that. So, I think what it does come down to is understanding your body’s needs. And what I mean by that is I think that we’re learning that when we talk about our immune system most of that comes from our gut. And so I think where we start seeing where maybe some of these foods And these legumes are not good for certain people.
I think it comes back down to that some of these people just don’t have the good gut bacteria to be able to handle these and digest them down. So, I don’t want to not give an answer, but I think what’s happening today is we’re just learning that when we talk about nutrition that you know, that customization, understanding what your body and what’s unique about you can really dictate. You know, I mean, I do a lot of genomic testing with a lot of people I work with that really help, I think kind of help dial in nutritionally kind of what they need based on, again, kind of their genetics a little bit. Meaning that again what are things that they’re probably going to thrive with doing. And I think that’s one thing that we’re learning about nutrition today, especially with autoimmunity, that really a customized approach is so important because food is our medicine. But for some people that same medicine can be poison.
And, so yeah. And I think, don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we have all the answers yet. I think we’re still learning those things and we’re still learning a lot about it. And here’s the other thing. I think that we can maybe throw this in there. I know we’ve talked about the fats. You know, I think the other kind of component of nutrition that I think is essential, and again, this is just my opinion on this if you’re not doing some type of intermittent fasting, block fasting with your nutrition plan, I think you’re missing out.
You know, I really do think that that needs to be a core premise of anyone’s nutrition plan. I don’t care whether you’re more of a a vegan type or Paleo diet. I mean, I think that has to be a portion of what’s going on, too, is really looking back at fasting. I mean, we’ve done it for centuries, and you know, I think we’ve moved away from that. So, I think some of those fundamentals like I was talking about with the fats and then also fasting, I think those are key things that no matter what plan you do, I think you got to add in, and I see a lot of people don’t do that.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Yeah. Well said. I don’t know if you’ve experienced, you probably have, I’m sure you have in your clinic, experienced people who take certain things that we know are like whole grains, like lectins, are decidedly linked with health benefits on average when you look at people, what’s happening across a population.
So, for example, resistant starch consumption or a lot of these prebiotics, of fibers that feed certain kinds of bacteria in the intestine. We know that people who have gut issues, who have gut health problems and dysbiosis and gut permeability issues, will often say that they react very, very negatively to consuming a lot of these types of foods, which we know are, on average, actually beneficial.
So, to what extent… My hunch is that the whole lectin thing and the reason that people are reacting negatively to grains and many lectin rich foods, despite the fact, again, that we know they’re so strongly linked with health benefits, I think ultimately probably comes down to the fact that in the modern world our gut health is so disturbed that when we have dysbiotic guts with high gut permeability, we start reacting negatively to all kinds of things.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Everything. Yeah. Everything.
Healing autoimmune disease through fasting
Ari Whitten: So, I mean, I guess I’m just wondering to what extent you think the answer is just removing grains and lectin rich foods versus really digging down to try to correct the underlying gut issue and then maybe even reintroducing grains or lectins rich foods, something like legumes and that sort of thing.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. Yeah. I’m with you and I think that’s a great question and I think it goes back to this, too. Like I think what you said is right. You know, our guts are such, these are just such a mess today. And so, let’s break this down here. The other thing I think we need to look at is that we talk about a lot of whole grains, too.
I think the other thing we have to remember is that if you go today and go over to Europe and consume some version of whole wheat, it’s a different structure than it is in our country. You know, so the whole wheat we consume today, we actually gave a gentleman a Nobel prize in 1974 because he hybridized wheat. So, I do think, too that the wheat we are consuming today is different than what it was designed to be thousands of years ago.
So, I do think that’s some of the problem with it. I think I’ve had many of my clients that I work with who were like “Hey doc I went over to Europe and I had no problem eating their wheat.” And I think it’s because, you’re right, because it doesn’t have the toxins. It’s more of what it was designed to do. And I think the other thing is we have to look at, too, is to maybe to answer the question on the lectins is I see a lot of times with people, too, is that with some of these high lectin foods, I think sometimes just cooking them differently for a lot of people helps a ton.
So, I think, sometimes too, I think the way that we prepare some foods is different than thousands of years ago. I had a client of mine, a perfect example who’s from Peru. And she’ll go there and eat quinoa and she would do great with it there.
She comes back to the United States and she reacts to it all the time. And once she finally realized that if she pressure cooked it, really all of her symptoms went away from really kind of destroying the lectin when she pressure cooked the quinoa.
So yeah, I do think that once we kind of unveiled this with that client of mine, she realized that her family, they ferment it. So they’re breaking it down and make it more digestible and easy. So, I think, too, the way that we are preparing foods has changed. And I think the other answer to that is I think goes back down to why it’s so important to really, really fast. You know, I think too, we are in this position where we’re feeding and feeding and feeding our bodies all the time.
And I think some of it when we have an unhealthy gut bacteria. I always tell people the best way to rechange your gut bacteria is start fasting because you know, it’s going to down regulate and have some of these bad bacteria die off. And I really think that’s also a key component that when you wrecked everything, you know. I can give you an example of even myself I went through this point in my autoimmune condition where I would eat all these foods and I was always feeling like crap.
And really how I started getting well, no matter how healthy I was eating, I was always eating things and getting sick. And how I really started getting my life back is just through actually avoiding food and fasting. And then, yeah, once that happened, guess what, I started adding all these foods back in and it was like a night and day difference just because it really helped with that process.
So, you, I think that’s also the other thing, maybe another fundamental point I think we’ve got to go back to putting some of these fundamentals in place. You know, obviously a lot of people maybe sometimes freak out, but a lot of clients I work with, I always tell people it’s like we’re going to fast because I think it’s so essential today and you obviously will do it the right way and we’ll start with baby steps.
But it’s real interesting I think once a lot of my clients really started doing it I mean, they start understanding their life. They can’t function at a high level without it. And I think that’s also too we have kind of moved away from that philosophy.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. What’s your take on better and worse fasting approaches? What’s your kind of favorite approach to helping people transition into fasting?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, I mean here’s the thing I think about fasting And I think you’re right. We have to also, too, kind of baby step into it, you know. I work with a lot of people and we also fast them. You know, people have thyroid issues and they have adrenal problems. So I think too, that’s where I think when we start looking at like carb consumption I think, too, we’ve kind of moved into this realm to… And trust me, I’m not against the ketogenic diet, but I think a lot of times we moved into this low, everything has to be low carb. But I think a lot of times people do low carb too long.
So, I think one thing I always kind of recommend people to do what we start doing fasting strategies I always tell people that kind of start with windows. You know, whether that’d be getting away from food for 16 hours and eating all your food within an eight-hour window. You know, doing that three to four days a week. But also, too, I always tell people one or two days a week, I like people adding higher carb and higher protein meals just to replenish that muscle glycogen.
So, I feel like, too the other thing that’s happened with a lot of fasting is that people do really low carb they are kind of skipping meals, but they’re never actually kind of doing a big meal to kind of break the fast. And it’s low meal, low meal, low meal. And again, I don’t think that’s how our physiology is kind of created.
So, I think these feasts where we go from famine, we have to also kind of reintroduce these feasts back in the body. And I think too, that’s where a lot of times I think there are some really good benefits where people kind of do fasting wrong. You know, they’re just minimizing calories all the time, but they’re never really rebuilding big meals back in. I think that’s a huge thing people miss.
Why you need to look at gut health when treating autoimmune disease
Ari Whitten: Yeah. So, I want to dig a little deeper on gut health. You mentioned fasting as a key strategy. I think that we’re going to see more and more research emerge around that. That fasting really is a key thing for gut health and helping to correct dysbiosis. But also, I think we’re going to see research that shows that it actually helps regenerate the lining of the gut. Like just give your gut a break essentially for a period of time to just take the load off of it and allow it to then repair. But what else do you think are key strategies for helping people correct dysbiosis and gut permeability?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. You know, I think one thing that goes back to, too, I think we also have to start, I think going back to eating more what I call diet variability. You know, looking at seasonal changes. You know, I think a lot of people, they eat the same things all the time and I don’t think that’s how our bodies are also designed.
If you’re eating the same foods in the summer that you are in the dead of the winter I think you’re probably doing your gut bacteria a disservice. So, I think we also have to start looking at again, okay around these times of years, like what type of foods were available. So, I think diet variability is huge when we talk about gut health because I think rotating these foods and giving us unique foods are also good for our gut bacteria.
You know, the other kind of strategies that I think we kind of get into gut health and some other things that are maybe not looked at as much is when we start looking at these fasts. Remember the gut lining of the stomach can regenerate between every one to three days.
You know, some research shows a little slower. So, I think using also what I call block fasts once a month quarterly along with intermittent fasting strategies are important. And then what I also tell women, too, is that women’s bodies are different than men’s so we also, too, want to implement different strategies. You know, I always tell women, don’t be intermittent fasting five, six days of your week.
Maybe every other day because women and men have different hormones. You know, I think everyone gets kind of thrown in the same boat. It’s like, “Hey, we’re all going to intermittent fast. Let’s just intermittent fast for forever.” But really there’s not a strategy behind it and I think that’s what people many times lack. I hope I answered that well, but I want to make sure if I didn’t, let’s go back and make sure we go into some more of the details.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Well, yeah. Let’s, are there any other aspects of things that you think are useful for gut health? Any specific foods or supplements or anything like that that you think is helpful for repairing the gut lining or correcting dysbiosis?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, totally. You know, I think because again we’re talking about, too, when the gut really gets out of balance and you’re talking about this dysbiosis, this imbalance of good and bad bacteria. You know, I think that’s where we really have to start looking at, yeah food is our medicine, but you know which type of foods and herbs. So, a couple of herbs I really liked to look at is obviously, you know L- glutamine is a really good one that helps build back up the gut lining. It’s one I really like. I also like licorice root.
Licorice root is another good kind of an adrenal tonic, but also, too, it’s really good for helping… Actually, there’s some studies with licorice root showing that it actually prevents viruses from attaching in the gut lining. So, kind of, it can be protective to the gut.
You know, mucin is another one, N-acetyl-glucosamine, another nutrient I really like for gut health. So, I mean I think strategies and different tools like that can be really good because these things, too, like what you’re saying is really good. We also have to avoid the food, right? Pull them away so we’re not causing more damage to the gut. But then there’s also that point of rebuilding the right things back in the body so the gut lining can heal. So that’s why I think if we don’t ever reintroduce these resistant starches I know some people get sensitive to them. But I think down the road you have to, because if you’re not re-adding them back in you’re getting low in butyrate, which obviously butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that helps with leaky gut.
It helps our immune system so I think that’s why we got to go back to this seasonal variability, changing our diet through times of the year. And I also add, too, I think that that’s why fasting becomes so crucial. And I always tell people I like the three to four-day period. You know, again, whether that’d be kind of a quarterly or a couple times a year. Because that’s where some of the research shows once you kind of move beyond three days, that’s where a lot of this benefit for the gut bacteria and that gut lining heal happens.
The other thing I like to tell people to do is sometimes doing these block fastings. You know, using something like a bone broth. So, you could also do kind of what I would call like abbreviated fasts, where also, you can add some good things and help the gut repair while you’re kind of doing some fasting.
So, there’s also some good strategies there. You know, I use the bone broth, I do the bone broth fast a lot for people who have bad adrenals. So that can be a great way to kind of do a 24 hour fast and if people’s adrenals are crashing we can do a little bit of bone broth, a little bit of sea salt, maybe a little bit of coconut oil or MCT oil and those things will kind of help the adrenals kind of and the body kind of keep strong so you don’t feel like you’re crashing.
Why you need to clear toxins from your environment
Ari Whitten: Got you. Toxins. I think toxins are the other sort of big… It sounds like your approach is kind of a triangle of factors here with gut health, toxins and what’s the other one? Now I’m spacing on the other one.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Well we talked about the deficiencies, too.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Oh, yeah, nutritional deficiencies and toxicities there. So, toxins. You mentioned in passing earlier mold as well as heavy metals and some other toxins. What do you think kind of just a broad overview of the landscape, what are some of the biggest toxins we’re being exposed to?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. You know, another big one I always like to bring out and it’s not always as popular, but you know, I think we also look at things like fluoride in our water. You know, these are halogens and you know, they compete with iodine that our thyroid needs to work. So I think, too, our water supply is pretty toxic.
So, making sure you’re getting chlorine and fluoride out of your water is huge. You know, I don’t know if you know this, but you know, back in the fifties they used to use fluoride tabs for people who had hyperthyroid. So, if you had a thyroid that was too fast, they would give thyroid they would give fluoride to suppress your thyroid function. And it was actually a treatment for hyperthyroidism. And, today in most city water supplies they show if people are drinking six to eight glasses of water you’re getting between one to five milligrams of fluoride, which is the same they used to treat hyperthyroidism years ago with. You know, I think fluoride is a big one.
You know, I know we mentioned the glyphosate which I think is a huge one. The Roundup variety weed killer. I do think BPA is another big one. Plastics these toxins we know not only can affect the body but also, too, they can trigger epigenetic changes. I mean, they’ve done this in animals where they can feed them BPA, their gene gets triggered and these animals overnight can actually have obesity. I mean, just that’s how strong these toxins are. You know, so those are some of the big ones.
And then obviously the mold and heavy metals. And again, too with mold, and I’m one of those people who is a little genetically susceptible, which means that my body doesn’t process and really kind of get rid of the mold toxin well. So I think on the realm of toxicity, I think they are a thing that people miss.
As you know, that when we start getting our guts affected, we start getting low stomach acid, we start getting depleted B vitamins and all of a sudden the big thing that’s getting affected with this is our body’s glutathione levels, which is really our body’s master antioxidant really starts dropping. And we kind of can’t get this crap or these toxins out of our body. And so, I think that’s part of the conundrum that happens here.
Why you need a water filter in your shower
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Let’s talk about, I know heavy metals are on that list too. Let’s talk about fluoride a little bit more in depth and the water issue because I think this is a really, really important one. I have done a pretty extensive review of the literature and you know, I have a good understanding of how different water filters work and stuff like that. One of the things that I know from doing this is that most people’s home filters are actually not adequate at filtering out fluoride, and most people are just unaware of this.
So, a lot of people are using these Brita style pitcher filters and that sort of thing. And they don’t realize that those things don’t filter out fluoride either at all or do so very minimally. And so, this is, unless you go out of your way to get super high-quality filters, either reverse osmosis or a couple other kinds of technologies, you are drinking fluoride even if you think you have a home filter and you think you’re taking care of, you’re not actually.
So, a lot of people are getting this, and it is, as you pointed out in the amounts that are present in tap water actually suppressing thyroid hormone significantly. And there’s really good data to show that. There’s also a number of other contaminants in the water supply chlorine disinfection byproducts And all sorts of nasty stuff. Even heavy metals and radioactive compounds, believe it or not in some parts of the US, that are getting into our water supply. So, I think that’s just a huge source that people are not aware of you. Do you have any specific suggestions on what types of water filters you recommend or how you recommend people source their water to get rid of fluoride?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. You know, I mean, I think kind of what you said was right. I think that’s a big misconception. You know, these filters that people have in their homes, they think they are kind of filtering things out, they are really not doing them a justice. So yeah, I agree with you. Reverse osmosis is another good option for people. I always tell people when you go with reverse osmosis you are pulling minerals out of the water, so it is good to make sure you get a re-mineralizer to that water back on that filter.
You know, too, and I wouldn’t say this, I’m not against, all alkaline ionized machines. I think, too, people get too crazy with that, like drinking like really high alkaline water. But the thing is, I know some of those companies do make good filters that pull a lot of things. Another thing I think maybe you’ve mentioned a little bit is there’s also something called the chlorimide. And that’s when bleach products a lot of people use for cleaning, if they combine with the chloride in the water and they make a new chemical compound.
And one of these chlorimides, in fact if they make their way into a patient’s water who has, is on kidney dialysis, it will literally shut their kidneys down. And that’s how important some of these toxins are. So I think it’s one of those basic things that I do think that our bodies are majority water.
So, I do think that for people we talk about making investments I think it’s probably one of the greatest investments you can make. And let’s also not forget about, too, shower filters. You know, people showering in water and then really, it’s not even the chlorine on your skin. It’s the gas that you’re breathing. So yeah, I mean you can get some really simple solutions for things like that I think it’s essential. Yeah. I think, and let’s put it this way. I’m sure you know this research, too. You can look this up. You know, who also used to use fluoride as a form of mind control. Know who it was?
Ari Whitten: No.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Hitler.
Ari Whitten: Oh, wow.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. And I think people always are kind of surprised to learn that. I was shocked to learn that. But what he said was he wanted to use it because he thought it would dumb people down. And we know obviously that when kids are born who have low thyroid function, and obviously fluoride affects thyroid function it can cause babies to be mentally retarded. And that’s why it’s so important and why they check moms who are pregnant, they check them multiple times, the thyroid hormone because it’s so important for baby’s brain development. So yeah, I think…
Ari Whitten: Isn’t fluoride directly neurotoxic as well?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yes, I believe it is. So, I’m not sure on the research on that, but I know, I think it is out there. You know, I think yeah, a lot of these things are just… You know, I know we’re doing it because it’s disinfecting the water. But I think we’re getting good sources of water. We shouldn’t have to worry about that. So, I think home filtration systems for people are definitely important. I think it’s one of the things I always talk about my clients with.
And you’d be amazed in the people I work with who think they have a thyroid problem, or they have these autoimmune conditions and, man, just cleaning up their water. Heck. I mean some of these people are 20 or 30 percent better really quick just from, again, kind of getting a clean source of water. So, I think it’s huge.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. I’m glad you went into depth on that. I think this is a really overlooked topic by a lot of people because they’re just take for granted, the fact that you know, oh, you have a filter. Okay, that must be good enough, but they don’t, they haven’t really gone into depth on all of the different contaminants that are common in US tap water especially and whether or not those specific filter substrates actually filter out those contaminants effectively.
And there are a ton of filters on the market that just do not filter a lot of these contaminants effectively. So, what about heavy metals? What’s your take on kind of what are the main areas of exposure to that? And then, I also want to talk about detox strategies with you because that’s also kind of a controversial topic where you hear different takes on that. So first of all, where are people acquiring these heavy metals?
Dr. Brad Gorski:Yeah, so when we get into heavy metals obviously the big ones we can start talking about are things like lead and then also are mercury. Mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals there is. And again we get some from fish. Don’t get me wrong, there are some in our seafood.
But you know, a lot of them are really coming from even vaccinations because a lot of vaccinations have heavy metals. I’ll give you an example of the flu vaccine. The EPA says that in no day should people ever consume more than point three micrograms of mercury. And a flu vaccine has over 25 micrograms of mercury in one vaccine. So we are getting them there no matter what your opinion on vaccines are. And then also we’re getting them in the form of amalgam dental fillings.
So those are some areas I think we have to be cautious of just a personal story about myself. You know, I was vaccinated at three months of age and actually I quit breathing. And I actually lived on breathing machines for the next three years. So for some people I don’t think they realize that again, no matter what your belief is on that there are heavy metals in these things. For myself that was a trigger I also had very high levels of heavy metals like mercury.
So those are some of the big sources I think people really have to be aware of and obviously we can kind of maybe partner into detox. But, the first thing is we just got to make sure your body can detox itself. So sweating becomes essential, water becomes essential, eliminating your kidneys through urination and obviously going through number two, through moving your bowels. Those are the basics people have to have in place and make sure they’re using, before obviously we get into some more advanced strategy. But I think those are the big ones that I see.
Ari Whitten: Got you. What’s your take on chelation and you know, DMPS and that sort of thing?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, chelation. Let me tell you this, if you kind of go down that realm of chelation, like I think there is a place for it. You definitely want to work with people who are have been doing it. I know myself, I went through realms of chelation. It’s hard on your body. It beats the crap out of you. So, I always tell people it’s not the best place to start, it’s really more of an advanced strategy. You know, really work on your gut first minimize your exposures fix the leaky gut get your deficiencies in order, and then really, I think we can start moving into detox. But there is a place for it but, man, it can be hard on the body and it does take time I think if you’re doing it the right way. You know, most of these toxins that we get in our system they’re not like just floating around in the blood, they lodge in tissues.
So, it does take time to kind of remove these things from the body. So, I do think that there is a place for these things, but you had definitely make sure you’re working with a physician on that. And again, there are some strategies that are better than others. You know, I know myself, I have chelated before and I’m pretty sensitive to it now. So if I go ahead and start doing some heavy metal detoxification, depending on the products I’m using, man, I can react pretty severely. So now I think we also have to remember, too, that these things when they pull heavy metal out of your body, they’re also pulling good minerals. So, we have to be really careful that we’re not creating a deficiency while we’re detoxing…
Ari Whitten: Yeah. So, it sounds like, are you a fan of this really for anyone? Is there any specific context where you say, “Yes, I really recommend this,” or do you feel that most people can detox pretty much pretty thoroughly and pretty successfully without ever getting into to the more aggressive chelation protocols?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. And from what I’ve seen, too, I think that a lot of people I work with clinically getting them to a point where they’re really functional and they have a good grip on their health and their life. I think that most people can get there without going through that chelation process. That’s what I’ve seen.
You know, my wife, too had some heavy metal issues where my family we were, she was struggling with infertility and we went ahead, and we actually did detox her. But I think there are also some, there are some good products on the market today I think that detox the body a little safer, so it doesn’t really, it’s not as harsh on the system, you know. Again, we obviously have our strategies like infrared saunas and red-light therapy, a hyperbaric chamber. So, I mean I think there also are other things that we can do regularly that really help kind of move toxins out that are, too, less abrasive to the body and can really support the body the right way.
Why red light therapy is a key component in natural treatment of autoimmune disease
Ari Whitten: Yeah. You mentioned saunas and red light therapy. I would be interested what place do you feel those have in this? You know, obviously we’ve been talking a lot about nutrition, gut health, toxins. What about some of these more light or heat based therapies? What, do they play a prominent role in what you do with your patients?
Dr. Brad Gorski: They do, and I really think they’re essential. And I think the great thing today is with a lot of these whether it is an infrared sauna or red light therapy, I think today that they’re at a cost where they’re cost effective enough that people can use them multiple times a week pretty effectively with really little to no side effects. So, I do think there’s a huge place for these things and I really think that people should really dive more into these strategies and use them before they go to more of the chelation. I think there’s a place for that. Don’t get me wrong, but I think, too many people want to jump to doing more advanced strategies when they haven’t really done a great job of mastering the basics.
And that’s where I think these forms of red light therapy and infrared saunas, I think it can be a great source of just constantly removing toxins to make sure your body is really reducing that toxic load. So we’re not building up the toxins up for years. We’re at least keeping the stuff out that we got exposed to today as best as we can. So, I think they’re great strategies and I think if people use them and utilize them more, I think it would kind of eliminate our need for really the bigger detoxes.
The connection between faith and healing
Ari Whitten: Yeah, excellent. I have another question for you. You have a Doctorate in Pastoral Science as well as a Doctorate in Chiropractic. And this is something you haven’t mentioned at all in this conversation thus far as we have been talking very, kind of on a biochemical level. But I’m just curious what role, and sort of non-denominationally I’m not a religious person and, but I’m just curious, what role do you feel spirituality or religion or some sign of connection to the universe plays in the healing process?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah. I go back to this, I do think it’s essential. And I think just I can speak for myself personally. You know, I know that when I kind of went through my course of getting sick I had an opportunity to really kind of look at it as this is something that’s happening to me and you know, this victim mentality. Or I could also look at it from a perspective of I’m getting the opportunity to go through this, and also learn something to serve and help other people. So, I feel like for me, I’ve always had this strong belief that my body was created amazing. It was designed to heal, and you can call that whatever you want. And so, I do think that that’s an important part of healing for people.
And I know a lot of people I work with who have that belief that there is a bigger purpose beyond life than being sick and being miserable. And that’s how they were designed for, they were designed for this better life. I do think that’s a huge part that people can really anchor into a healing process. I kind of feel like for myself that if I didn’t have it.
I feel like I’m not sure I’d be where I’d be at today. But I think it was one thing that I think really anchored my belief system And I always held it really close to my heart that I just believed the body could heal. I knew it could, it was designed to. And I think that hope is important because I feel like when people have hope there’s always a next step. And when we don’t that’s really when I think unfortunately our life starts getting really, really dips.
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Yeah. I agree with you 100 percent. I think that connection is a huge missing piece of the puzzle in the modern world. I think we’ve become disconnected. I think we’ve become disconnected from nature. I think we’ve become disconnected from each other, from a tribe, a sense of community. And I also think we’ve become disconnected from sort of the universe, the cosmos, whatever you want to call it, but something greater that we feel we’re a part of. And I think that those feelings of disconnection ultimately leave us with a sort of void that ultimately, if nothing else, certainly translates into depression and sadness and anxiety.
But probably beyond that in the long-term probably is a big contributor to disease as well. Are there any, now that we’re coming to the end of this, are there any other key tips or strategies that you want to leave people with or things that we haven’t covered thus far that you want to make sure that we mention?
Dr. Brad Gorski: You know, I mean I think we definitely covered a lot. I mean I think there are a lot of, obviously really good resources for people to utilize. And I think maybe the one thing we could maybe just finish with is that I think, I always kind of challenge all the clients I work with that do they really believe that their body is designed to heal?
And I think we really kind of dived into that question. I think what we’re saying is that, again, we are, we have more potential than we realize, and I think that goes into sickness and disease. It’s not who we are. And I think a lot of times when people start losing their health, they hold onto that diagnosis and it becomes part of them. And I think we have to kind of move beyond that thinking.
And like you said really get connected back to the earth and get connected back into community with people and really get back to surveying and kind of a, not just living our life for our own selfish needs but really for making a bigger difference. And I know that I don’t think I’d be where I was at today if I didn’t have that outlook.
You know, I think a lot of what I went through and struggled with and suffered with, if I didn’t have a bigger purpose behind it I don’t think I’d be where I’m at today. So, I think like what you’re saying is really crucial. I think that mental kind of aspect of healing, I feel like if you don’t have that, you can have all the right strategies and detox.
The foods can be dialed in and I just honestly don’t think that people are going to probably get where they want to be. So, I really think that people have got to push to, I think kind of move beyond that and really get some of those answers
Ari Whitten: Yeah. Excellent. Well, I really enjoyed this Dr. Gorski. It has been a pleasure to connect with you and I’ve enjoyed this conversation a lot. Where can people find more about your work or get in touch with you if they want to work with you? And can they work with you? Do you only work with people locally in your community, what is it, in South Carolina, in Charleston? Or do you work on line with people at all? How, how does that all work?
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah, so I work with both so I have a practice I work with here locally in Charleston, South Carolina. I also coach and mentor people across the country. So yeah, the best place where people can connect with me is go to my website, that is drbradgorski.com. So, it’s a little harder than it actually sounds, but it’s just d-r and then Brad, b-r-a-d, and then Gorski is g-o-r-s-k-i.com. Yeah, people can learn a lot more about me and they can even apply to work with me right there.
So it was really I kind of go back to this I kind of started this area in this arena of health coaching and really work with people one on one. It really kind of became after my own sickness where I just kind of saw this need where people were kind of suffering And I can tell you this, I’m not a perfect coach to work with everybody. But I think for a lot of people that I work with a lot of people are coming to me because they’ve hit that point of they’re going to doctors and physicians who just aren’t believing them or really don’t believe their body can heal.
And I think that’s maybe the different perspective that I can provide for people is that hey, our bodies are designed to heal. You’ve just got to look at these factors that are inhibiting it. And, man, when we remove that and put the right things in amazing things can happen. And whether that means completely reversing your condition, that’s not always possible. But man living your best life and living a better life than you are living today is always possible.
Ari Whitten: Awesome. Love it. Well, thanks so much, Dr. Gorski. It has been an absolute pleasure and have a wonderful rest of your day. Thanks so much.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Awesome. Well thanks, Ari. Thanks for having me. And I definitely appreciate the work you’re doing. And obviously people who have a seat on the Energy Blueprint. I think it’s so huge that we don’t have energy, you’re not going to have a great life. So, I’m a huge fan of what you do. And obviously really support you so keep doing your good work, too.
Ari Whitten: Thanks, so much brother. I appreciate that.
Dr. Brad Gorski: Yeah.
Ari Whitten: Take care.
How To Treat Autoimmune Disease Naturally with Dr. Brad Gorski – Show Notes
What the “Turned On Living” program is (1:32)
How autoimmune disease affects you on a physiological level (6:59)
The root causes of autoimmune disease (8:40)
Nutrition and diet and autoimmune disease (15:13)
Lectins, gluten and autoimmune disease (17:42)
Healing autoimmune disease through fasting (22:10)
Why you need to look at gut health when treating autoimmune disease (27:03)
Why you need to clear toxins from your environment (31:49)
Why you need a water filter in your shower (34:25)
Why red light therapy is a key component in natural treatment of autoimmune disease (43:41)
The connection between faith and healing (45:06)
Links
To learn more about Dr. Brad Gorski and his work, go to: www.drbradgorski.com