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Learn How to Restore Your Immune System Through Healing Stress and Trauma with Dr. Sara Gottfried

Sara Szal Gottfried MD is a physician, researcher, author, and educator. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and MIT, and completed residency at UCSF, but is more likely to prescribe a CGM and personalized nutrition plan than the latest pharmaceutical. Dr. Gottfried is a global keynote speaker and the author of four New York Times bestselling books about hormones, nutrition, and health. Her latest book is called THE AUTOIMMUNE CURE (March 2024). She is Clinical Assistant Professor in Dept. of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University, and Director of Precision Medicine at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health. She takes care of executives and professional athletes. Her focus is at the interface of mental and physical health, N-of-1 trial design, personalized molecular profiling, use of wearables, and how to leverage these tools to improve health outcomes. Learn more at SaraGottfriedMD.com.


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Can stress and trauma cause autoimmune diseases?

Everyone experiences stress. In fact, you actually need stress. Without it, you can’t be productive, motivated, or live life fully. But too much stress can have devastating effects on your entire body. Many symptoms like fatigue, pain, unexpected weight gain, brain fog, and more are often misdiagnosed or dismissed. And the culprit might actually be your own immune system.

This is such an important topic which is why I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Sara Gottfried to the show today. Dr. Gottfried is a physician, researcher, author, and educator. Her focus is on the interface of mental and physical health, N-of-1 trial design, personalized molecular profiling, use of wearables, and how to leverage these tools to improve health outcomes. She’s here to discuss her latest book, The Autoimmune Cure: Healing the Trauma and Other Triggers That Have Turned Your Body Against You.

All healing happens in the parasympathetic state. But if you have on-going levels of stress from unresolved trauma, you might be at risk for up to forty-five different chronic diseases. Over 24 million Americans struggle with autoimmune symptoms and up to 80% of these illnesses stem from trauma. Listen in as Dr. Gottfried reveals the surprising signs of how your body might be attacking itself and what you can do about it.

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"It’s possible that a traumatic experience you’ve had still lives on in your body."

Dr. Sara Gottfried

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**This week’s show notes are taken from the video — enjoy!**

  • This is the connection between trauma and autoimmune conditions. [3:39]
  • When it comes to healing trauma, this is the first step. [5:38]
  • If you have these antibodies in your blood, this is why you need to look at what you eat. [7:05]
  • This is the last area to focus on healing and why it’s so important. [8:02]
  • Certain foods can be inflammatory and others that are very anti-inflammatory. Here’s how to look at food and the immune system. [9:08]
  • These foods are the most nourishing for your immune system and healing. [10:59]
  • What role does stress play in autoimmune disorders? Dr. Gottfried looks at stress like this. [12:12]
  • If you have too much stress, it’s going to affect this important network. [14:45]
  • This is how Dr. Gottfried recommends lowering stress. [15:56]
  • What’s the Gold Standard for trauma? The answer might surprise you. [18:45]
  • Men and women suffer from autoimmune diseases. But one sex is significantly impacted more than the other. [20:41]
  • When exposed to the same trauma, women will experience higher levels of this than men. [22:44]
  • Here are three actionable steps you can take right now to start to heal. [25:15]
  • Take a screenshot, tag us (@jimkwik & @saragottfriedmd), and share your biggest takeaway from this episode.
  • To connect with Dr. Gottfried, visit her website, here.
  • Don’t forget to grab a copy of her book, The Autoimmune Cure, here.

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