I am excited to share FREE ACCESS with you and your loved ones to the world premiere launch of the 9-part documentary series I have been collaborating on!

PROVEN: Healing Breakthroughs Backed By Science is about the power of alternative medicines to heal the diseases of our time. The series will open your eyes to evidence-based healing methods that you may not have known about, as it provides fact-based solutions for things that may be ailing you or your family members.

The exclusive premiere is airing June 2nd – 10th, and it is an absolute must-see! 

Click here to watch the trailer and register for the series.

In the series, I will be specifically discussing Autoimmune, Brain, Gut and Reproductive Health in the following episodes:

– EPISODE 2: Immunity 101: Strengthening Your Body’s Defense And Rooting Out Hidden Infections (June 3rd, 7PM MST)

– EPISODE 3: How To Restore And Protect Your Brain (June 4th, 9PM MST)

– EPISODE 4: How To Balance Your Microbiome, Heal Digestive Issues And Overcome Autoimmune Disorders (June 5th, 9PM MST)

– EPISODE 9: Reproductive Health Secrets And Hormone Wellness (June 10th, 9PM MST)

Each episode will provide you with highly effective (and safe) approaches to wellness that will change your life… and it’s FREE to watch!
 

Click HERE to watch the trailer!

There are so many complementary, alternative and natural ways to protect – and to reclaim – strong, optimal health. Many of these healing resources are amazingly simple, and you can take advantage of them all by yourself!

Far more treatments and therapies exist in this world than you are being told about – and their power has been proven, scientifically.

Regardless of whether you want to turbocharge your immune health, boost your energy levels, or if it’s something more serious like healing a chronic disease, I cannot recommend this documentary series highly enough. I know there will be some treasure in it for you.

Click HERE to sign up for this limited-time premiere.

With Love,
Dr. Shelese Pratt

P.S. Be sure to share this world premiere with your friends and family – you can just forward this email directly and they’ll get access too.

Everyone can benefit from the powerful and practical information in this documentary series. Whether they are struggling with illness or simply want to stay healthy for the decades to come, there are life-changing treasures here for the taking.

Updated 4/08/2020 

I hope you are all sleeping well, eating healthy, and taking your supplements! If you are not, please give us a call! My team and I will be in our virtual office this week and next. 

As many of you are aware, I see many people who are immunocompromised. My first oath to my patients is Do No Harm. I take your care very seriously and want to provide you the best care possible in the safest way I can. This is why I have decided to move all in person visits at my clinic to video or phone consults until we are all safe from Covid-19 exposure.  

If you are quarantined at home or you get sick and would like to schedule with me, you are welcome to call the office, we are here to help or get your supplements to you.

We are not offering supplement pick up at the office as of 3/19/20. All orders will be shipped for your safety and our staff’s safety.  

If you have Brain Integration Technique sessions scheduled, we will need to reschedule you to a safer time. 

At this time, I highly recommend these lifestyle choices to keep you healthy.

• STAY HOME
• Practice Social Distancing 
• Don’t share food and beverages.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Shop wisely. Avoid being in crowds.
• Don’t eat off the same utensils as others. 
• Wash your hands and stay clear of people who are sick.  
• Get 8 hours of quality sleep at night.
• Manage your stress with yoga, meditation/prayer, and laughter.
• Try intermittent fasting. This means only eat between 8 am and 6 pm. Eat regular meals during this eating window but do not skip meals during this time of year. It is very hard on your adrenals and you will get sick if your adrenals are stressed.  
• Avoid sugar and high carbohydrate foods. Spiking your blood sugar is the fastest way to inhibit your immune system from working well.
• Avoid Alcohol.
• Get more sunlight by getting outside and taking a walk. Even short walks count.
• If you have access, get in the infrared sauna and keep sweating everyday.
• Practice Deep Abdominal Breathing. Breathing exercises help boost your ability to circulate your blood properly so you can fend off pathogens. 
• Stay hydrated. Drink ½ of your body weight in ounces per day. If you weigh 150 lbs, you will need 75 oz of water/day. If you drink coffee or other caffeine, you will need to add 8 oz of water per caffeinated beverage.

Please call the office for nutrients I suggest to keep you healthy or support your immune system in case you get sick. 

I hope you and your families are healthy and safe from both the stress of the pandemic and Covid-19. We are here to help. 

Dr. Shelese Pratt N.D.

by Dr. Shelese Pratt ND @ The Pratt Clinics

Boulder, Colorado

(Part One)

Everyone knows that eating more vegetables, protein, and fruit will make you feel better. However, most of us find it hard to eat well. So what happens along the way? How do we overcome cravings? Is it even possible to eat healthy in this day and age?  It seems like everything is working against our health and we are powerless. I am a realist. I understand that eating well all the time is not always possible, but I do know it is possible to regain the power to control your own health. Over the next few weeks you will receive several blogs outlining how to make better choices with food. 

The first thing you need to do is love yourself. That’s right! You need to believe that your body is worth taking care of.  You can change your habits. You can control what you eat. When you love yourself, you make better choices about what you will and will not allow in your body.  One way to love your self is eating healthy.  This is not always as easy as it sounds. You have been conditioned to have an emotional response around food, soda, and alcohol since your childhood. Marketing firms have worked tirelessly and spent a fortune to convince you that you will feel better if you eat or drink what they are selling. Even as an adult you are still bombarded by subliminal messaging in an attempt to make you to believe comfort food will make you feel sexy, fit, and healthy. 

Let’s say you walk into a friend’s house who just made warm chocolate chip cookies. It might bring back a wonderful memory of your grandmother’s house and her delicious chocolate chip cookies. You’ve had a long stressful day so you decide to indulge and have a cookie. You decide to have it despite the fact you don’t feel well when you eat gluten and dairy, and you have been fighting to stay awake since lunchtime. While you are eating that warm chocolate chip cookie you feel amazing. Your neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine are soaring and for about 10 to 20 minutes you feel great. And then you don’t feel great. So you search for something else to make you feel better. Maybe you want a cup of coffee? Maybe you want a bowl of pasta? Maybe you want a beer? Maybe you want a bag of potato chips? What you might not know is that this is a normal response. You have been conditioned to feel this way. But when you start to eat clean, healthy food you will notice your cravings go away.

Neurochemistry is what fuels food addictions. How many of us are addicted to sugar? Most of us grew up being rewarded with sweet food. Therefore, when we feel bad we associate eating sugar or carbohydrates with feeling better. In addition to our emotional response to foods, we have neurochemical cravings too. When we are low energy we crave stimulants like sugar, simple carbohydrates and caffeine to bring us up. This only works for a short period of time. We have to make more sustainable choices to bring up our serotonin and dopamine.   

I have many patients who know they feel better when they avoid their food sensitivities.  So they try to avoid those foods, but eventually they say ‘I can have a little of that and then I’ll avoid it tomorrow’. This is where they usually slide down a slippery slope and eventually find themselves eating the foods that make them feel bad on a regular basis. I suggest making a commitment to your health and asking yourself why you would want to eat something that isn’t serving your body. If your priority is wellness, it is easier for your brain to say ‘no’ to the foods that are not good for you. Like any muscle, the more you train your brain to avoid eating unhealthy foods the less you will want to eat them.

In order to retrain your brain to eat healthy foods, you have to realize that you need more self-love.  Comfort foods and food sensitivities are toxic to your body and you are poisoning yourself every time you indulge in your cravings. You need to change your emotions, awareness, and brain chemistry around what you are eating and why you are eating it.  By giving in to foods that are unhealthy for your body, you are feeding bad habits. By consciously choosing to say ‘no’ to the foods that don’t serve you, you are empowering yourself toward health.

In short, just love yourself more. Your body is worth it.  If you need a coach, give me a call.

Click here to explore our services at The Pratt Clinics.

By Lindsay Christensen 

Nutritionist @ The Pratt Clinics

In Part 1 of this two-part blog series, I discussed how to support your health when traveling via airplane. Here in Part 2, I’ll discuss strategies for biohacking your hotel room, eating healthy while traveling, and other methods for staying fit so you can enjoy your travels to the fullest! 

Biohack your hotel room

You’ve finally made it to your destination and have checked into your hotel room. What a relief! However, there are some simple things you can do to make your hotel room, Airbnb, or wherever you’re staying, healthier for you and your family.

Bring a portable air cleaner

If you suffer from allergies or are traveling to a place with poor air quality, consider bringing a portable air cleaner. The white noise produced by the air cleaner may also help you sleep better in your new location.

Unplug the alarm clock (and anything else on the nightstand)

If you read my blog series on EMFs, then you know that EMFs emitted from electronic devices can significantly disrupt your sleep. Travel already does a number on your circadian rhythms, so anything you can do to prevent further sleep disruption is well worth the effort. Whenever I travel to a hotel, I unplug the alarm clock and any corded phone on the nightstand next to the bed. These devices emit EMFs when plugged in, which can hinder restful sleep. Instead, use your smartphone on airplane mode as an alarm clock at night. 

Eat a healthy diet 

Eating out frequently while traveling is not only expensive, but also unhealthy. Restaurant foods tends to be high in refined carbohydrates, processed seed oils, non-organic meat, and conventionally-grown produce harboring pesticide residues. While you should feel free to enjoy restaurants here and there, I highly recommend trying to source healthy food for your other meals while traveling. 

Pack healthy snacks

Whether you are doing a road trip or flying, packing some healthy snack options is a great idea. Chopped veggies (carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc.), apples, berries, hummus, nuts and nut butter, homemade trail mix, bars (Lara bars and Bulletproof collagen protein bars are my favorites), and grass-fed, organic jerky (try Paleo Valley beef sticks, The New Primal jerky, or Wild Zora bars) make for convenient, healthy, and delicious snacks. 

Find healthy food wherever you go

Before you arrive at your destination, I recommend scouting out the nearest Whole Foods, co-op, or local health food store so you can get a healthy meal and stock up on food for later. If I’m staying in a hotel with a kitchenette or mini fridge, I’ll often get a small rotisserie chicken, some salad greens and veggies, and fresh fruit and stick them in the fridge to have on hand for a quick, healthy meal. 

When you decide to eat out, try to select a restaurant with healthy options. I’ll frequently preview restaurant menus online before deciding where to go, as I like to go to restaurants with gluten-free and organic options as much as possible. If you are gluten sensitive, the Find Me Gluten Free app can help you locate establishments with gluten-free options. The Happy Cow app finds vegetarian and vegan restaurants near you; while I’m not vegetarian or vegan, I’ve found this app useful for directing me towards restaurants with options that are above-average on the healthiness scale. I also like to Google “restaurants with local and organic food” for whatever destination I’m visiting, as the options at places that fit this description are often relatively high-quality, tasty, and healthy. 

As a rule of thumb, try to choose meals that are primarily vegetables when eating out. Decent protein options at restaurants include turkey, lamb, and bison, as these meats are more likely to come from grass-fed animals and to be free of antibiotics and hormones. I recommend avoiding fish at restaurants unless it is wild-caught. If options are limited, I’ll often choose to have a large salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing and some protein. 

Camping and backpacking

I do a lot of camping and backpacking and initially struggled with finding healthy options. After much research, I’ve put my “seal of approval” on the whole foods-based freeze-dried food options from Mary Jane’s Farm and Wild Zora. When I’m car camping and can bring along my cooler, I like to pack grass-fed ground beef for making burgers or taco meat, Siete foods tortillas, hearty vegetables that stand up well to transport such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, brussels sprouts, and healthy oils such as coconut oil and olive oil. I’ll typically cook my food in a cast iron skillet over a fire (if there’s a fire pit with a grate) or on a portable Coleman stove. 

If you’re road-tripping or camping, another option is to make food ahead of time and store it in a cooler. I like to use glass and stainless-steel food containers to store pre-made food. I do a lot of road trips and have found my Yeti cooler to be indispensable for keeping food cold. It keeps ice frozen for approximately 3 days, which longer than the average hard-sided cooler. 

Hydrate! 

Don’t forget to stay hydrated while traveling! Airplane travel is especially dehydrating. Since tap water tends to contain levels of pollutants not conducive to optimal health, I recommend bringing along a portable water filter such as a Berkey travel filter. Store your filtered water in a glass or stainless-steel water bottle, rather than a plastic one. 

Support your immune system

While traveling, wash your hands frequently to keep infectious microbes at bay. I suggest using natural soap and carrying some botanical-based antibacterial wipes such as CleanWell wipes. 

Should you happen to pick up a bug, taking Biocidin at the first sign of illness can prevent things from escalating. Xclear xylitol nasal spray is also great for keeping your nasal passages and sinuses clear and healthy. 

Support your gut health

Circadian rhythm disruption and exposure to different food and water can cause digestive system dysfunction while traveling. When your digestive system feels off, it can be hard to enjoy a travel experience to the fullest. To alleviate digestive issues, I recommend taking a probiotic while traveling, particularly one that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, such as ProbioMax Daily DF. You may also want to bring along some activated charcoal; this can be a godsend in cases of acute food poisoning or ingestion of foods that upset your stomach, such as gluten. 

Sleep

Traveling across time zones, or even just sleeping in a new place in your usual time zone, can disrupt your sleep and cause undesirable downstream effects such as low energy. Optimize your sleep wherever you travel by practicing good sleep hygiene. 

1. Maintain a regular sleep/wake schedule throughout your trip, as much as possible. See the section on “circadian rhythm disruption” in Part 1 of this blog series.
2. Sleep in a completely dark room. If you are in a hotel, hopefully you have room-darkening shades. It may be wise to bring an eye mask with just in case your room lacks blackout shades.
3. Wear blue-light-blocking glasses for at least an hour before bed to minimize blue light exposure and promote melatonin production.
4. If you need extra sleep support, a low dose of melatonin taken approximately 2 hours before bed can help.  

Don’t forget to move! 

Sitting for long periods of time on a plane or in a car can lead to a stiff, sore body. If your vacation gets you out and about doing physical activities, great! However, if you’re on a more sedentary trip, such as a business trip, don’t forget to fit in some exercise. Hit the gym at your hotel, get outside for a run in the morning or a walk on your lunch break, or do some simple body weight exercises in your hotel room. Check out Ben Greenfield’s videos on how to efficiently work out in a hotel gym if you need some workout ideas. 

To alleviate stiff, sore joints and muscles after extended plane or car travel, use a portable foam roller such as the Brazyn Morph Trek foam roller. 

I hope you’re feeling inspired to up your travel game after reading this blog series! Will you try any of the healthy travel tips I’ve suggested here? What are your favorite travel hacks? Contact me here at The Pratt Clinics. 

By Lindsay Christensen 

Nutritionist @ The Pratt Clinics

3/25/2019

The world in which we live can certainly make it difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle. Between the abundance of junk food available at grocery stores, the siren calls of Netflix urging us to binge on TV shows rather than go to bed, and our largely sedentary jobs, there are many factors working against us in our efforts to be healthy. In this blog post, I’d like to share 8 mindset shifts that can help you let go of unhealthy habits and make sustainable, beneficial nutrition and lifestyle changes that can help you get and stay healthy for life. 

Release perfectionism

When many people first begin to make diet and lifestyle changes, they see it as an “all or nothing” effort. While this attitude is well-intentioned, it can actually work against you in the long-run by generating excessive amounts of stress. Recognize that you can’t be “perfect” with your diet and lifestyle all day every day and that there will be twists and turns in your journey towards optimal health. As long as you stay the course, your health will continue to move in the right direction, despite the occasional piece of birthday cake or missed exercise session. 

You are worthy of optimal health! 

One of the greatest barriers to sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle that I’ve observed is under-prioritizing oneself.  Unfortunately, many well-meaning people put the needs of their spouse, children, or employer ahead of their own needs, leaving little time for health-promoting self-care. Rather than looking at your health as an “afterthought,” make it a priority! Recognize that you are worthy of the attention and time it takes to be healthy. Set aside time “personal time” each day to exercise, meditate, and prepare healthy meals for yourself; these tasks needn’t take a ton of time, especially if you meal prep (more on that later!). Valuing and taking care of your health will, in turn, allow you to show up as a better spouse, parent, and employee to those individuals who depend on you. 

View food primarily as fuel 

In our modern-day world, food has come to serve many roles for which it was not originally intended. At its essence, food is the fuel that we use to create and maintain our bodies. However, many people instead view food as a distraction, reward, or an emotional band-aid, leading to the consumption of processed and refined foods. Contrary to popular belief, the inability to stick to a healthy diet is not due to a lack of willpower; rather, research suggests that it is the result of the reflexive tendencies we have developed to view food as a tool for relieving boredom, celebrating achievements, and placating negative emotions. 

To develop a more positive relationship with food, tune in to your body and recognize the difference between your emotions and true physiological hunger. Each time you reach for food, do a quick self-check: Are you truly hungry, or are you bored, sad, or anxious? If you are bored, engage in a healthy activity that grabs your attention, such as reading a good book or exercising. If you are feeling sad or anxious, take some time to meditate, write in a journal, or talk about your feelings with a loved one. If you find yourself regularly turning to food as a reward after a stressful day of work or to celebrate an achievement, find a non-food means of rewarding yourself, such as going out to a movie or concert. 

These recommendations are not intended to remove the joy and positive emotions associated with food; eating should always be a pleasurable experience. What these recommendations are intended to do is help you parse out your emotions from true hunger so that you can create a healthy and enjoyable relationship with food.  

In addition to reframing your view of food primarily as fuel, rather than a salve for your emotions, I also recommend letting go of the idea of food as being “good” or “bad.” Classifying food as “good” or “bad” attaches a moral stigma to foods and makes us feel guilty when we eat foods associated with the “bad” nametag. Instead of viewing foods as “good” or “bad,” take a more objective view and consider whether they are effective or ineffective for supporting your health. For example, vegetables are clearly effective for supporting your health, while refined sugar is ineffective. Having refined sugar now and then will not ruin your progress, but recognize that it detracts, rather than adds, to your health. 

Become aware of patterns that are not in your best interest. 

Many of us follow patterns in our daily lives that are not conducive to optimal health. Some people  indulge in too much wine on the weekends or eat a bowl of ice cream every night before bed. Others spend hours on social media or watching TV in the evening, disrupting their circadian rhythms with blue light and depriving themselves of sleep. Harmful patterns such as these can significantly sabotage your efforts to get healthy. To get and stay healthy long-term, first identify the patterns that are holding you back. Then, the next time you see yourself beginning to engage in a pattern, stop yourself and course-correct. For example, if you tend to reach for ice cream every night before bed, ask yourself whether you are still hungry because you didn’t eat enough at dinner, or if this is just a pattern that is adding more calories and sugar to your diet. If you are truly hungry, then add more nourishing food to your evening meal, so that you stay satiated all the way until breakfast the next day. 

Refocus negative thoughts

Science has proven that negative thoughts are harmful to our health, whereas positive emotions and optimism are associated with better physical health and longevity. If you want to make lasting changes in your health, then wrangling your negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones is essential. Research has found that people who express more positive emotions and report more positive experiences have better immune function and heart health and lower systemic inflammation.  (1, 2, 3) 

You may be wondering, what if I’m not a naturally positive or optimistic person? Am I destined for poor health? The answer to this question is a resounding “no!” Exciting research indicates that it is possible to change your brain’s “default mode” to be more positive and optimistic through simple exercises such as keeping a gratitude journal, reframing negative events, and helping others.  

See sleep as non-negotiable

Many times, when people feel hungry, it is because they are sleep deprived and not because they are truly in need of more calories. A single night of sleep deprivation raises levels of ghrelin, the body’s “hunger hormone,” which stimulates appetite and triggers food intake. (4) Sleep deprivation also diminishes activity in the higher cortical regions of the brain, where decision-making occurs, and increases activity in the amygdala; together, these effects result in the selection of hyper-palatable (i.e. sugary and high-fat) foods capable of triggering weight gain. (5) Conversely, adequate sleep can lead to healthier food choices. (6) 

To maintain a healthy appetite and minimize food cravings, commit to getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night in a completely dark, cool environment. I also recommend avoiding blue light exposure at least one hour before bed to optimize your melatonin production; this can be achieved by wearing blue-light-blocking glasses such as True Dark glasses. 

Use exercise as a motivational tool

Exercise doesn’t just promote weight loss and tone your muscles; it also “tones” your brain, making you more likely to engage in healthy diet and lifestyle habits! Scientists have found that engaging in a consistent yoga practice encourages healthier eating behaviors and higher levels of physical activity. (7) Other forms of exercise, such as running, biking, and hiking may have similar effects. Choose a form of exercise that speaks to you, and use it as a tool for motivating healthy changes in other areas of your life. 

Plan meals ahead of time 

Meal prepping is both a mindset shift and a lifestyle change that can SIGNIFICANTLY up your odds of sticking to a healthy diet long-term. Meal prepping refers to the concept of preparing whole meals or dishes ahead of schedule. Having pre-prepared meals on hand means you’ll be able to satisfy your hunger immediately with a healthy option, rather than turning to processed snack foods, fast-food, or takeout. 

There’s no hard and fast rule for when and how often you should meal prep. Depending on your schedule, family size, and lifestyle, you can either prep meals a week at a time, a few days at a time, or a day in advance. Whichever strategy you choose, you’ll increase your odds of sticking to a healthy eating pattern. As the nutritionist at The Pratt Clinics, meal prepping is something I can help you with! Give us a call to learn more. 

Mindfulness

Mindfulness training is a scientifically-proven way to improve your mindset and increase your ability to maintain healthy habits. Research indicates that mindfulness training, such as mindfulness meditation, rewires the brain, leading to smarter, healthier choices. Staying mindful while eating moderates food consumption and prevents binge eating. (8) It may also improve digestion and your enjoyment of food!  

If you are new to mindfulness, I recommend starting by using the Calm app. This app offers guided meditations, courses on mindfulness, and relaxing music that can help you achieve a more mindful state. To stay mindful while eating, avoid responding to emails, texting, and watching TV during your meal. Instead, focus on the food in front of you and the company with whom you are eating the meal. 

Find a support system and get the family involved

Making healthy diet and lifestyle changes can be difficult in a world where unhealthy living is so prevalent. Finding a support system of people with the same goals can make working towards optimal health an easier and more enjoyable process! This support system could be your family, new friends in an exercise class, or members of a health-oriented Meetup group. Visit Meetup.com to find nutrition and exercise-related groups in your area. 

If your family is not already on-board with making diet and lifestyle changes, bringing them into the picture could dramatically enhance your chances of success. Furthermore, research has found that when parents engage in healthy behaviors, their children are more likely to develop healthy habits. Getting the family involved may, therefore, not only make a healthy lifestyle easier for you but set your children on a healthy path for life. 

Make a plan!

Having a comprehensive healthy living “roadmap” can do wonders in helping you achieve your health goals. Whether you want to fine-tune your diet or overhaul your lifestyle, Dr. Pratt and I can help by creating a health and nutrition plan that fits your unique needs and will help you successfully reach your goals. Give us a call at The Pratt Clinics to learn more about what we have to offer. 

By Lindsay Christensen 

Nutritionist @ The Pratt Clinics

We all know that travel is fun and exciting, but it can be stressful on the body. Hours spent in cramped airplanes, questionable food, and disrupted sleep schedules all take their toll on your health and can detract from the quality of your travel experience. Taking care of your health while you travel can make your experience far more enjoyable. In this blog, I’ll cover eight strategies for staying healthy while traveling, so you can enjoy your experience to the fullest! 

Combat the stress of airplane travel 

Airplanes make travel comfortable, speedy, and efficient, allowing us to travel nearly anywhere our hearts desire. However, airplane travel also comes with some significant drawbacks. Between the circadian rhythm disruption that occurs from rapidly crossing multiple time zones, the radiation emitted by TSA body scanners, and the unhealthy recirculating in airplane cabins, plane travel is hard on the body. 

Radiation during TSA screening 

Every day, TSA screens approximately 2.1 million passengers and crew at airports across the country. (1) Most of these passengers are screened using a full-body scanner. Half of these scanners use millimeter wave scanning, a form of non-ionizing radiation, while the other half of scanners use backscatter x-ray, a form of ionizing radiation. (2) While very few people stop to consider the health effects of these scanners (perhaps due to government claims that these scanners are “completely safe”), I’m here to tell you that they are not harmless. 

Millimeter wave scanning technology extremely high frequency (EHF) radiation, a form of radiation that has been found to damage DNA in scientific studies. The ionizing radiation emitted from backscatter x-ray body scanners is known to break chemical bonds in molecules and to be carcinogenic even in tiny doses. Furthermore, the TSA may not be telling the truth about the amount of radiation delivered per body scan. 

To avoid body scanner radiation at airports, you have two choices. The first choice is to opt out of the full body scan, meaning a TSA agent will pat you down instead of having you go through the scanner. However, this can require a lot of extra time, as TSA agents typically aren’t in a rush to help travelers who opt out of the scan. Furthermore, many airports are considering eliminating the “opt out” option. Your second choice is to apply for TSA Precheck. The TSA Precheck process involves getting a background check and, if approved, a special identification number that allows you to bypass the extensive screening process for a quick walk through a metal detector. You can learn more about TSA Precheck here: 

I personally use to opt for the pat-down each time I flew, but finally got TSA Precheck this past summer. It has made my airport experience a lot more convenient, and likely a lot safer due to the decreased radiation exposure! 

Cosmic rays and Wifi 

However, radiation exposure doesn’t end at the TSA checkpoint; we are also exposed to radiation on the airplane itself because flying brings us closer to cosmic rays from the sun with less protection from the atmosphere. In fact, radiation is considered an occupational hazard for pilots and flight crew, with pilots demonstrating increased chromosomal damage and risks of cancer. If your flight offers Wifi, then you are also being exposed to man-made EMFs throughout your flight; to learn more about the harmful effects of man-made EMFs, please see my blog series on EMFs. Click these links to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.  

How to mitigate the harmful effects of air travel radiation

What can you do to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the ionizing and non-ionizing radiation that comes along with plane travel? 

The first strategy I recommend is to eat a diet that is especially rich in antioxidants prior to traveling. Dietary antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, scavenge free radicals produced in the body in response to radiation. Astaxanthin, an antioxidant found in some microalgae, krill, and wild salmon that has a vivid orange hue, protects against ionizing radiation by inhibiting free radical production. (3) Interestingly, astaxanthin is 64 times more powerful than vitamin C and 14 times more powerful than vitamin E as an antioxidant! Chlorophyll, a compound found in green leafy vegetables, spirulina, and chlorella, also has antioxidant properties, protects against radiation, and even removes toxins from the body. 

It goes without saying that airplane food is basically the epitome of unhealthy food. It is frequently highly-processed and laden with refined sugars and industrial seed oils. To further protect your body against air travel radiation, avoid eating airplane food because it will only trigger more oxidative stress and further deplete your antioxidant reserves. 

Another way to reduce your exposure to radiation during travel is to fly at night. Flying at night significantly reduces radiation exposure because most of the sun’s cosmic rays are being blocked by the earth. (4) 

Circadian rhythm disruption

When we rapidly transition across multiple time zones over the course of an airplane flight, an asynchrony between the local time and our internal circadian rhythms is produced. This results in circadian rhythm disruption, more commonly referred to as “jet lag.” While jet lag is most often associated with sleep difficulties, it also affects the digestive system and brain, causing our bowel habits to take a turn for the worse and impairing our cognition. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to combat the circadian rhythm disruption associated with air travel. 

1. Several days before your trip, gradually adjust your sleep and wake times to the time zone of your destination. 
2. Once on the plane, try not to sleep. When you arrive, resist the urge to take a nap and go to bed at your normal bedtime based on local time.
3. Try melatonin. Taking a low dose of melatonin 2 hours before your desired bedtime will help sync your circadian rhythm to the new time zone. 
4. First thing in the morning, expose yourself to bright, direct light, ideally sunlight, without sunglasses. Bright light helps sync our circadian rhythms. 
5. A day or two before you fly back home, adjust your sleep and wake times to the time back at home. 

Airplane air

Airplane air is notoriously dirty. Research indicates that it is contaminated with vapors from engine fluids, hydraulic fluids, and de-icing fluid; inhalation of these vapors by pilots, flight crew, and frequent flyers is linked to neurological, neurobehavioral, and respiratory symptoms. (5) Airplane air also contains airborne bacteria and viruses that increase your odds of catching a cold or flu. To protect yourself from the dirty air on airplanes, try a small personal air purifying device such as the Air Tamer; it creates a personal bubble of clean air for you and may reduce your chances of getting sick. 

 If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me here at The Pratt Clinics. 

By Lindsay Christensen

Nutritionist @ The Pratt Clinics

3/7/2019

In Part 1, part 2, and part 3 of this blog series, I explained what EMFs are, the problems with our current EMF safety standards, and the adverse effects man-made EMFs have on your health. In this fourth and final installment of the blog series, I’ll provide you with simple, actionable steps you can take to protect yourself from excessive EMF exposure. 

How to reduce your exposure to EMFs

While it is essentially impossible to avoid man-made EMFs completely, there are practical ways to reduce your exposure. 

Keep your laptop off your lap!

Many studies demonstrate adverse effects of working with a laptop (especially one connected to WiFi) directly on the lap. If you must work with your computer on your lap, I recommend investing in a DefenderShield. This device sits underneath your computer and shields your reproductive system from the heat and radiofrequency radiation emitted by laptops.   

Practice cell phone etiquette 

Practicing proper cell phone etiquette can reduce your exposure to radiofrequency radiation and protect your brain and reproductive systems from harm.

Step 1: Never talk with your cell phone against your head. Instead, talk on speakerphone or invest in a set of air tube earbuds, such as those made by DefenderShield, which connect to your phone and transmit sound to your ears via hollow silicone tubes; these minimize the transfer of EMF from your phone to your head. Also, consider getting a wired landline to use at home.

Step 2: Don’t keep your cell phone in your pocket or bra. Cell phones were never designed to be held immediately against the body for hours on end; in fact, the fine print in your smartphone clearly states that the phone should never be held against the body. However, if you like the convenience of keeping your cell phone in your pocket, consider buying a DefenderShield cell phone case. 

Step 3: Disable 4G/LTE on your smartphone unless you need extra download speed and put your cell phone in airplane mode whenever possible. This will further reduce the amount of radiofrequency radiation to which you’re exposed.  

Switch to ethernet 

Switching to ethernet at home is an excellent step towards significantly reducing your EMF exposure. Using an ethernet extension allows you to turn off your Wi-Fi and prevent your entire family from being exposed to its radiation 24/7. However, when you switch to ethernet, be sure to go into your computer settings and turn off Wi-Fi even if no devices are connected; if you skip this step, your router will continue to emit radiofrequency radiation regardless of whether you have devices connected to WiFi. 

To further reduce EMF radiation from your laptop or desktop computer, make sure your computer has a grounded three-prong plug on the charger. If the charger does not have a three-prong plug, you can buy an adaptor that does. 

Special note for Xfinity users: Xfinity has recently rolled out Xfinity xFi pods; these pods are essentially little routers that Xfinity wants you to put in every room of your house to extend your WiFi range. DO NOT purchase these pods! They will substantially increase the number of unhealthy EMFs in your home. 

Create a low-EMF sleep zone

Sleep is intended to be a time for your body to detoxify and restore itself; EMFs hamper that process by disrupting melatonin production and impairing deep sleep. Create a low-EMF sleep zone in your bedroom by removing all electronic devices (smartphones, TVs, digital clocks, etc.) from your room. If you use Wi-Fi, I also highly recommend turning off your router at night so that you aren’t blasting your body with EMF while you sleep.

If you want to reduce EMFs in your bedroom even more, you can shut down the circuit breakers to your bedroom at night. 

Optimize your home environment

If you suffer from chronic health issues or have young children, I recommend hiring a building biologist to assess your home’s EMF and dirty electricity burdens. After the assessment, the building biologist will offer solutions for remediating dirty electricity and reducing your EMF exposure. 

Keep your kids safe

Children are highly susceptible to the harmful effects of man-made EMFs, so I recommend limiting your children’s EMF exposure as much as possible. Reconsider whether you toddler or child really needs to play with an iPhone or iPad and find some sort of non-electronic form of entertainment instead. If your school-age child attends a school where every student has an iPad or laptop, think about whether this environment is really conducive to your child’s health; I know parents who have had their child switch schools after their academic performance declined precipitously at “techy” schools where children were reading and working on iPads all day. 

Make your child’s bedroom as low-EMF as possible by removing TVs, gaming consoles, and other devices to a separate area of the house. 

Nutrition for EMF protection

Eat more magnesium.

Calcium-channel blockers have been found to mitigate the harmful effects of man-made EMFs on voltage-gated calcium channels. However, you don’t need a pharmaceutical calcium-channel block to achieve this effect! Oral magnesium supplementation is a highly effective, natural calcium channel blocker. To protect your body against EMFs, I recommend you eat plenty of magnesium-rich foods and potentially supplement with 200-400 mg magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate as well.

Magnesium-rich foods:

• Green leafy vegetables
• Pumpkin seeds 
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Legumes
• Asparagus
• Brussels sprouts
• Dark chocolate 

Eat foods that activate Nrf2

To mitigate the oxidative stress caused by EMFs, I recommend eating foods that trigger one of your body’s most important antioxidant pathways, the Nrf2 pathway. The Nrf2 pathway is stimulated by berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), cacao, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli sprouts (see my previous blog series on broccoli sprouts for more information), turmeric, and dark green leafy vegetables. 

Eat vitamin C-rich foods 

Foods rich in vitamin C can also help mitigate the oxidative stress-inducing effects of EMFs. In fact, vitamin C supplementation has been found to have protective effects on the bodies of animals exposed to Wi-Fi! I recommend eating the following vitamin C-rich foods to optimize your vitamin C level:

• Citrus: Oranges, lemon, grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Broccoli and cauliflower
• Bell peppers
• Papaya
• Cantaloupe
• Strawberries 

The topic of EMFs can feel scary and overwhelming, but it is one that we all need to be aware of due to its far-reaching impacts on our health. Rather than throwing your hands in the air and leaving your health up to chance in this EMF-inundated world, consider taking the simple steps I’ve outlined above one-by-one. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me here at The Pratt Clinics.