Transcripts
TA Ep. 173 Sarah Greenfield - Gut Health: The Emotional and Physical Path to Healing
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Leigh Ann: [:I really wanted to start the year off with some amazing guests covering some of the basics of general health and wellness. That way we can go into the year with some really great actionable practical things that we can take with us into the rest of the year. This guest, Sarah Greenfield, as well as last week's guest, Dr.
e to carry with us throughout:She has created programs and products for large wellness brands, like Nutribullet. Dr. Hyman and Hume Nutrition and has been featured on BuzzFeed, Self Mag, Men's Health, and NBC The Today Show. Currently, she is running her private practice, The Fearless Fig, where she personalizes science and energetics of digestive healing for highly sensitive humans.
So one of the products on my: but this is Truly one of the [:Whereas infrared heat can really penetrate at a cellular level, meaning if you're using it to actually heat your body up, it really is going to heat you up from the core. But also it can aid in a little bit of detoxification. And then the PEMF, the Pulsed Electromagnetic Frequencies in this mat, they have a couple different options.
lps slow you down, that I'll [:And then oftentimes, during the day, after workouts, if I'm feeling a bit run down, I'll use the cellular recovery frequency. So, I am literally on this thing two if not three times a day. And it is one of my absolute favorite products. Sometimes I travel with it, but if I was, if I ever lost it, I would be replacing it immediately because it's such a staple in my routine.
So I'll put a discount code below. I know Higher Dose is having a Black Friday holiday sale that's coming up pretty quick. I'll put the code below, maybe even the dates below. Um, and then check out the rest of the Holistic Holiday Gift Guide for some more gift ideas for loved ones and yourself. Sarah, welcome to the Crescent podcast.
So glad that we can make this happen.
Sarah Greenfield: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to dive into this conversation.
cially cause it's been a few [:So I think it'll be really fun to have this great refresher with someone who, you know, Lives and breathes the gut.
Sarah Greenfield: Exactly.
Leigh Ann: With all that said though, I love an origin story. I was listening, you know, I always do some research for guests and I listen to some of their other episodes that they've done. So I know a little bit of your story, but for anyone who's new to you, to the fearless fig, can you give us a little bit of an origin story?
Sure. So
Sarah Greenfield: I have been in the wellness industry for Almost 20 years. I started as a dietitian, so I came in very conventional and I always was kind of on the edge of the conventional world. Like, I never felt like I fit in and I was like, there's got to be more than what we're doing in a hospital prescribing, you know, low sodium diets and just like sending people on their way.
like, I'm going to get into [:I've helped Dr. Hyman with some of his books. So I've done a lot in this space and I just love. Challenging people on what they think is kind of these conventional standards and saying, like, let's think outside of the box and let's really get into the body. And for me, that biggest connection has always been the gut and poop.
retty big portion of my life.[:Leigh Ann: Yeah, well you would fit right in with my family because we love talking about poop. Maybe not in the way you're thinking.
Sarah Greenfield: I know, I've kind of identified, we went and did a program, we were in Italy for a little bit and I was like, we're the poop family and everyone was like, oh. Okay. And then there was so much poop in Italy because people don't pick up after their dogs that I was like, I don't, I don't think I can claim that as my thing anymore.
Like, I was just overwhelmed with poop. So it's been, it's been funny.
Leigh Ann: Yeah, it's completely. Well, I think a really fun place to start is cause I went back and I was listening to an episode you had done a podcast interview you had done. A few years back, and then I was going through your website and kind of where you're at today, and it did feel like there has been a little bit of a shift in maybe what you emphasize.
ling the gut, to healing the [:Sarah Greenfield: Yeah, and it has changed a lot in the past couple of years. So I used to primarily do Functional testing and functional stool testing.
I mean, all the functional tests, genetic tests, hormone tests. Like, I love to have all the data and that was amazing. And I was like, okay, we can take it so far with people. I mean, the people that I support are. Typically women with digestive issues. And what I was seeing is that we get all this amazing data and we'd have this pretty clear path of the physiology of the body, but there's this whole other part of the body that are emotions, embodiment, the stories we tell ourselves and you can't.
metabolism is never going to [:It doesn't matter how many probiotics you take, how many onions and garlic you eliminate from your diet. You're not going to get as far as you could when you take an even more holistic approach. So I always looked at functional medicine. I was like, functional medicine is the holistic approach because we're looking at all the body systems.
Yeah. Yes, and we have this whole other energetic emotional body that has to be a part of the equation. So, over the past couple of years, I had to step into my capacity as a practitioner to hold that space for other women because I didn't feel comfortable in that myself. So, that was kind of my journey over the past couple of years is how can I show up and be witness not even just like singing as an educator, but, like, really bring my authentic self and my feelings.
, my feelings had to be like [:And it's like, well, yes, we have to cry sometimes to really heal and nurture the gut. So it's been a really deep dive into, okay, here's this functional lab supplement piece, physiological piece. We have that part of the body and then what's this more sensitive, vulnerable, raw side of being a human with digestive issues.
Leigh Ann: Oh my gosh, you're speaking my language. So I don't know if you know my, what I do other than the podcast. I, um, I'm getting my PhD in depth psychology, which is all about the unconscious mind and I work with cancer and chronic illness patients to work on emotional root causes to disease. So it's like, Oh, you're speaking my language so much.
u made in the beginning, you [:And to the point you made also, holistic medicine, I think, There is one more layer we've got to get to with this of truly mind, body and spirit, everything is being addressed, maybe not all by one person, because that's a lot to know and, you know, be an expert in, but, um, yes, this really deep, deep approach to emotional wellness.
As a part of physical wellness. Yes.
start to physically manifest [:I'm not a therapist. And then I realized, but to be a full human to have full health. You can't separate the two. Like that was my conventional training is, you know, the GI doctor focuses on the gut and the cardiologist focus on your heart and therapist focuses on, but it's like, it's not that we're not segmented.
We are these like very complex beings and. There's a lot to peel back when it comes to healing.
but to be able to have that [:I'm really great at addressing the physiological things that could go on in the gut, but I need to send you, you also need to be doing this kind of work with this kind of practitioner. So powerful. And it just makes me think, I feel like I'm jumping way ahead of the gut, but we might look back. We'll talk about the gut eventually.
Um, it just, I feel like emotions. Our root cause in one way or another. We're talking about the gut today. So absolutely. I'm sure you see people coming in who, you know, maybe they've got parasites in the gut. Maybe they've got hormone imbalances or whatever. Some of these other things are, and it could be really easy to point at that and go, well, that's why the guts off.
ients. What is taking up the [:Sarah Greenfield: really exactly. And I always think of it as like, we absolutely have a physical body and the physical body has symptoms and presentations that we can feel and understand.
So we can't. Just say like, oh, well, that's not important because if you just feel your feelings, then you'll you'll clear it out because it's not that either. We do have imbalances in our body. We do have a physical body that needs to be addressed. So it is that ability to hold both and say, and just at least recognize, like, to me that I look at it in 3 ways.
I say we are energetic. We are then emotional, and then we are physical. So, like, energetically, there's going to be things that are shifting and changing and then we're going to get the emotional opportunity to express. And then if we can't really clear it through that, we're going to have a physical presentation.
ve through those and support [:Leigh Ann: Yeah, because even I've thought about this a lot. I think I was even thinking about this listening to your What a previous interview you had done where it's like, yeah, there can be nutrient different deficiencies mineral deficiencies But if we're not asking that deeper question why for we're talking about parasites here Why could a parasite thrive in this environment just clearing them isn't actually getting to the root cause and this is where I do think Emotions, past trauma, unresolved experiences play a big, big role for why these things.
You know, the, the original sort of weakness or imbalance took place. And then what happens is unfortunately it becomes this nasty spiral of there's some big emotional imbalances, which then create a hospitable environment for parasites, which then deplete our nutrients even more, which then creates more emotional, like it becomes this whole spiral.
arah Greenfield: Absolutely. [:And I always tell my clients, I'm like, you know, you made the choice to step into longevity and sustainability. That's where we're playing. We're not playing in this quick fix, you know, like, you take the anti parasitic supplement and all of a sudden everything improves. Like, yeah. It's not linear like that.
tep into this world and that [:Leigh Ann: Absolutely. I want to talk about healing as like a lifestyle versus an end destination, but I'll save that for later. So let's backtrack. I, you know, zipped us ahead a little bit. I want to backtrack to So yes, how, how does it look like now, then the way that you approach this, if a new client comes to you, what, you know, one of the things you said at the beginning was I used to do tons and tons of functional testing, what does it look like now, if someone were to come to you, what's sort of the kind of process or some of the big.
Steps that you would take with them.
Sarah Greenfield: Yes. So now I do four month containers, and I've narrowed it down to really just focusing on gut healing. That's what I love. That's what I spend all my time doing. So we look at food sensitivities. We do stool test analysis, and we also do a comprehensive blood panel that I build based on.
[:I don't need to do, you know, the, ugh, so many other ones just because I've done this for so long that these are the most. Impactful labs that we can have access to so we still run these labs and we still look at how do we optimize the microbiome from a supplemental perspective from lifestyle perspective.
rapist in my practice who is [:They have sessions with her because it just gets so into. Like, it's just beautiful because it no matter what you're going through, you're going to have that moment where you're like, oh, I'm frustrated. I'm back in my old habits. Nothing is working. My body is broken. Like, that always happens, even in a 4 month window where we're healing.
Like, yeah, we're gonna have all this beautiful progress and there's just going to be those days. And so when they have the sessions with Kara, who is our somatic therapist, it gets into that deeper layer in real time where it's like, oh, my God, I am. Self sabotaging here, and I didn't even realize that or I'm having all these energy leaks.
that are very Non tangible, [:Here's how you kind of are energetically designed. Does it resonate and so I tested this for a while before I like officially brought it in and every time I went through human design with my clients, they were like, oh, my God, it's me. So we started integrating that. And that's just been a beautiful.
Permission slip to be your authentic self is really how I, I bring that in. And so now we have the emotional, the energetic and the physical all combined in this, like. It's just beautiful. I'm so honored to be able to do that type of work and it's deep and it's impactful. And, um, it's really cool.
Leigh Ann: Oh, my gosh, so many questions I have.
First of all, what's your human design?
Sarah Greenfield: I am a 5 1
l the other things about it, [:Yes. And it was so profoundly impactful for me, especially being a business owner and like how I run my business, how I coordinate my schedule. It's been massive. So
Sarah Greenfield: yeah, especially when it comes to decision making because if you are stepping into a healthy lifestyle, changing your habits, you have to understand how you make decisions and what is.
Alignment for your highest and best good because you're constantly going against that it's gonna make your physical body sick So it's just oof. It's deep and it's juicy
ur own, maybe self discovery [:How did you maybe break through any of the fears or resistance in doing that? And then, yeah, what, what did you find supportive in doing that? Where did you get into somatics?
Sarah Greenfield: Yeah, so I, I've done a lot of different things, but it kind of started. I would say the most impactful thing for me was being in a women's group and sitting in circle with some very safe and trusted.
hat I need and that was very [:I feel numb. Like, most of the time I was like, I feel nothing because I had so many really good tools to kind of cope with. The craziness of the world that I would just shut down and be just like, totally disconnected and having digestive issues growing up. It also helped me get really good at getting out of my body.
So I would just kind of like, shoot off into outer space and not be there. So coming back into a space of like, all right, I'm going to arrive. I'm going to speak. I'm going to use my voice not to educate because that's where I feel really comfortable. I feel comfortable giving people all the ins and outs of the microbiome and the body.
ion is to connect with other [:And I feel a lot of gratitude and, and all I'm in all a lot. So, I think it's just been that allowing, like, almost as simply as just, like, allowing myself to cry when I feel that I need to cry. Yeah, often when you are a human holding. This journey for another human there, there are a lot of big feelings and I don't get lost in those sensations, but I can have that compassion to connect with another person going through it.
there's a lot of it's a big [:And this happens with a lot of practitioners, right? Like, oh, you were doing this thing and you're going to save me. So that was pretty early on in my career. It was like, you're going to do all these tests. You're going to save me. And so I've had to be really intentional about my connections with people and say, I'm not going to save you.
You're going to save you. We are going to step into a relationship together of collaboration. I'm going to hold your fear, but ultimately you're going to be the one showing up and doing the work. And so having that kind of dialogue shift and energetic shift has been so impactful and then also trusting that I can hold that.
Like I needed to expand my capacity and really tap into my nervous system to be able to say I can hold your fear That's a big one.
the nervous system, has been [:So it's something you can have on all day at work, at home, wherever you're going and no one's really going to notice it. And I love that because a lot of the nervous system regulating devices out there or supportive devices out there aren't that practical. You really have to do them at home or it's not something you'd really want to be doing or using in public.
But the Apollo wearable is so inconspicuous and easy, and it uses vibration haptics that basically send these safety and regulating signals to the nervous system to allow for uh, More focus, better sleep, calmer state. They have won so many awards for this product, and I feel like there's a million more things I could say about it.
o I'll encourage you guys to [:My baseline is so much more regulated. And likewise, when I'm in a moment of stress or a day of stress or a week of stress, I make sure that I'm wearing my Apollo every single day, just to give my body that extra support, those extra safety signals without necessarily needing to think about it. You can just put it on.
of Jungyeon depth psychology [:Yes.
Sarah Greenfield: Oh, I love
Leigh Ann: that. And, and so to be able to have, yeah, a practitioner who goes to the depths herself so that she can hold space for you to go to those places is such a gift.
Sarah Greenfield: And it's so powerful. And it's a totally different experience than You know, being the scientific investigator, which I love, too, and I still do that, but being able to take that and sink into the human experience is just a beautiful, beautiful and it fills my cup up as much as I'm helping somebody else.
I feel deeply inspired and deeply regenerated by these. Clients that I get to support. It's really incredible.
fore. It's like, okay. Yeah. [:Yes. And is a gift and is, you know, restorative. So yeah, it's beautiful. Yes. Beautiful. I, I would love to get into what are some of the, the themes though that you do see? And here's some themes of what, you know, root causes of gut imbalances, gut disturbances in some of the testing you do of just, yep, I see this time and time and time again, I'd also be really interested if you, if you know, your somatic therapist, if she sees themes in emotional stuff that comes up in sessions.
Kind of across clients. Yeah.
entation 'cause those can be [:And so when we're in this people pleasing mode, it really outsources a lot of our own power and we don't have a lot of digestive fire and digestive capacity and just nervous system capacity to be able to. Be in our bodies, so that was an archetype that just kept coming up over and over again and seeing that.
I mean, when I look at a stool test. There can be so many different variations, but I'm either seeing either dysbiosis on a level of all of these overgrown good bacteria or bad bacteria, or really, really low levels. So, typically, I would say, actually, people that have been in this. Kind of health conscious world for a really long time.
ve been in these very strict [:And kill and attack, and it's like, oh, God, we can't do that. We don't know enough about the microbiome to really be like, aggressively killing. So, that's kind of like, in these people pleaser type. Archetype presentations, I will kind of see that dysbiosis on either either side of things. Usually people that are just coming to me that have a lot of issues that have never stepped into the space have very overgrown commensal and opportunistic bacteria, but that's.
It's it's almost like pretty split where it's like see the low diversity or this this dysbiotic picture.
Leigh Ann: Mm hmm. Okay. Oh, yes Get into some more of the archetypes. That is so fascinating
leaser, you know, like we'll [:There's also the discerning gut, which is more of a kind of like, that's more of like, you're burnt out caregiver mother. That's just like, giving everything to everybody else and then is so depleted and has no energy for themselves, or they can barely like, extract a nutrient from whatever they're eating.
They're just so, so, so depleted. Um, and then we have the sage, Sage. Gut who is someone that's been typically in to see a lot of practitioners that has done been on the journey a long time. And it's just kind of missing. Really that somatic integration, they have a lot of labs, they have a lot of testing, but they're missing that deeper work, the vulnerability, the feeling, the sensation.
anybody's help. I don't, you [:And I was like, uh, huh. Yep. I know that you're going to have these types of gut issues. I know I have different labs that are associated with 1 like sage. God is typically a little bit more pro inflammatory. Um, so there's all these different, like, little nuance pieces, and I'm still extracting. I have so much data.
All of these stool tests to, like, really get in there and see, is there a correlation between the actual stool test and bacteria that are overgrown and not overgrown? So it's really. It's a really cool project that had been working on.
Leigh Ann: Yeah, I love that. So kind of what I got from that is. Correct me if I'm wrong within a first meeting with a potential client or a client, just kind of based on the personality that you're assessing, you can kind of guess the general state of their gut.
Sarah Greenfield: Yeah, pretty much.
Leigh Ann: That's so wild.
Sarah Greenfield: [:And every time I do a presentation and like, I like to do, I always like to test things before I make it larger. And so, in these presentations, I've been giving people their shadows and like, what they can work with. And every time they read it, they're like, oh, my God. So, like, okay, this is this is this is real.
This is something, um. But yeah, it's really wild to see that correlation.
Leigh Ann: Can you get into a little more, like, can we go through each of the types a little more and some of the themes you see with each of them in terms of the physical manifestations that you're seeing? Like, you were saying the sage tends to be more inflammatory issues.
way or the other. Yeah, um. [:Sarah Greenfield: Yeah. So heroic gut can often be more correlated to constipation because it's that really intense. Like, I can't let go of anything type of energy.
And I've seen that just time and time again, be very paired with constipation. So that can often be something that I see hand in hand and discerning is like, we just need to regulate the nervous system. Like that guy can be that gets a grab bag, but really when we start to get into nervous system regulation and looking at energy leaks and boundaries and just like bringing, it's like, just about bringing that nervous system back online.
That's kind of like, for all of them, they all need nervous system regulation, but discerning is the 1 where we really have to prioritize that.
iend locally who, um, does a [:Nothing will even work. Nothing will even take.
Sarah Greenfield: Yeah. Yeah. I, I see those clients too. And it's so interesting. I mean, so many people, I feel like identify with their diagnosis or they identify with, oh, but I have mast cell activation. And while again, right, we do have a physical body when we look at. Okay.
But what's under that? And what's under that? And I had a client that had all of those things. And I was like, I'd like to be really intentional about my words. And I was like, if I say we're going on a wellness journey. What is that? What does the word wellness mean to you? Right? Because like we could have different definitions of wellness and she was like, wellness to me is something that is unachievable and I'm like, okay So we can't call this a wellness journey because then energetically we've already put that intention out there that this is an unachievable journey for you And I was like, what's a better word?
And she's like, [:And we did all of the, all the tests that I like to do. And I was like, no, you don't like your body is actually not broken. And what does it look like when we start to You know, just honor in that capacity. So there's always those moments. I know there's people that also have very dysregulated immune systems and have been experiencing these things for a long time.
a person that is mold or is [:And yeah, there's a lot of terminology. That's not, it's like the SIBO one is my, you know, my, just like, I'm like, ah, you don't have SIBO.
Leigh Ann: Oh my gosh, I want to get into this a little bit more and yes, I'm, it's so funny, I use that exact word where it's, you're experiencing cancer, or you're experiencing MS, or you're experiencing something, it is not you, it is not who you are, you don't own it, and I think that verbiage is so, so, so important.
Sarah Greenfield: Yes.
perspective on that when it [:Sarah Greenfield: Yeah, I mean, so I'm not, like, my scope of practice, being a dietitian, kind of at my core, I am not, I've never been in the diagnosis world. So I always veer away from that. And then stepping into functional, I never Well be like you have leaky gut or you have it's always like how interesting this is what's happening now And let's look at correcting that like you are showing an imbalance of good and bad bacteria.
So I always really try Very much to get away from diagnosis, and I do work with conventional practitioners because I'm not I'm not in the wild wild West being like, there's not disease here. Like, yes, there's disease. And I recognize that diseases are present. And so, for me, if I see something that looks patterning towards.
and the gut are very linked [:You need to go to an endocrinologist and just, just like, get their perspective so that you and I can work on your gut. And we're also holding space for what's going on with your thyroid. And I always tell people go to the doctor. Gather the information and then we can talk about it and understand like, okay, from that information where you want to go now, but I do think it's important to have a team and perspective on the body because like, yes, we do have physical imbalances and we do have diseases.
Leigh Ann: Yeah, yeah. Do you find when clients come to you with a diagnosis they've been given in the past? Has it been helpful to them to receive that diagnoses
solve it. So, sometimes I, I [:Like, I'm just thinking, you know, I have a client that has ulcerative colitis and getting that diagnosis and understanding. Okay. This is what's happening in my body right now. This is this inflammatory process, but also her being an extreme advocate for herself and saying, I hear that. You want me on all of these medications, but I'm going to go work on decreasing my inflammation in a different capacity.
So, like, I do see it as a way that people get context and clarity more. So, and then. They decide how they want to move forward with that. The people that are going full conventional treatment are not my ideal. They're not my typical client. My clients are the ones that are like constantly looking for an outside of the box way to interact with their bodies.
some of the big, what can we [:Sarah Greenfield: Easy. Like I have many answers to this. The first one. Is the low FODMAP diet. I think so many people are just going on that and finding relief, right? Because you're eliminating everything that's fermentable. Not everything, but a good chunk of food that is literally intended to break down and ferment and feed your microbiome.
But with all of our imbalances, it creates a lot of discomfort in the body. So when people go on that. They feel relief. And so now I've been seeing a lot more GI doctors just being like, Oh, you're, you're experiencing diarrhea or you're bloated. Just go on the low FODMAP diet. And then people go on it for a long time.
The other one is just taking [:And so for me, it's interesting I've had an interesting relationship with probiotics where I use them. I don't use them as frequently as I used to. Because I'm more about, like, how do we actually feed and stabilize and grow the microbiome so that the probiotic is another 1 and just like any random supplement, like, I got it on Amazon or my friend said it was good for them.
upplements, but we're having [:Um, I think it can be present. I do believe in sebo. I used to help people. Clear sebo, but there was always again, multiple layers underneath that of like, why is your gut. Just functioning in that manner, but those are kind of. That I see, or anytime you're taking a medication that you don't understand why, or for how long, or what its intended purpose is for, or what its side effects are for.
That like, proton pump inhibitors, I'll have people come to me and they've been on a proton pump inhibitor for a year and they're like, what are you doing or thyroid medication that decreases stomach acidity? And now they have all these gut issues. So, yeah, those are just off the top of my head. I could go on, but those are things where it's like, I don't believe that there is.
trong advocacy for people to [:Leigh Ann: There are so many different wonderful resources, therapies, modalities that we can use when we're in a time of heightened stress, whether it's work stress, family stress, relationship stress, and I feel like the last couple of months, I have been certainly in a heightened state of stress for a number of really wonderful reasons related to growth, and then also some heavier personal reasons.
en call it I Always bring in [:These two together are The only products I've tried related to stress, and I've tried a lot because I love to recommend products to my clients as well, that within a week of taking these, maybe even sooner, within a couple of days, I am noticing a significant shift in how my nervous system feels my sleep, I think the, the impact it can have in supporting the physiological impact of stress on our nervous system, our mind, our sleep habits is so profound.
hat I am taking every single [:I want to go into this a little bit more, because I, I do think it's, it's so easy to fall into, Oh, this is a good probiotic, great, I'll just take that forever. And, too much of a good thing is still bad. You know, I think sometimes we think oh, well if I just take more of this supplement than I need or if I, if I'm taking it but I don't actually need it, it's not doing anything, but if you're taking something you don't need, it has just become a byproduct that your body does now need to process and excrete.
Sarah Greenfield: Yeah.
ets and with supplements of, [:And also, what does it look like to, you know, how do you approach supplement taking in terms of really meeting the bio individuality of that person? At that time, and when is it time to reassess? Is this like, uh, you know, quarterly thing a yearly
Sarah Greenfield: thing? Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's interesting as you're asking that I'm thinking about diets because I'm a dietitian and I started my career putting people on therapeutic diets.
Like, I even mentioned in the beginning, it was like a low sodium diet for heart issues and. A biphasic diet or a low FODMAP diet for people with digestive issues. And those were helpful, but I don't put people on diets anymore. Like, I'm thinking now and I'm like, no, I don't do diets. I do food sensitivity testing.
I'm really trying to listen [:There's just even me, I'm susceptible to those types of marketing claims and being like, yeah, gluten is terrible for you. Like, that's kind of the wellness messaging and I, I did a test on myself and my kid where I looked at my, my microbiome before and after we spent 3 months in Italy where I was eating gluten because I had a sensitivity to it.
Um, I never felt well after I ate it, but in Italy, I felt okay. And my microbiome dramatically improved in so many different areas. Like my bifido level went way up, which as a mother, having children, having a strong bifido level is really, really important because that's the primary bacteria in the microbiome of a baby.
resting. So I've just had my [:I look at, like, what is putting burden on your immune system? What is problematic in your stool test? Like, we'll look at levels to see. Are you reacting to potentially gluten and then we'll pull it out, but we bring it back in. So I often don't put people on restrictions for longer than two months. And then we reintroduce it and see, like, can the body tolerate that?
And there's many will that the body will not be able to tolerate. And then it's like, okay, we keep it out for three months and then try again. So for me, it's always about building and expanding and not really saying like, oh, here's a general, a general recommendation because there's not general. There's, we're so bio individualized that it's not general.
And, um, [:It's not black and white. It changes. It's very dynamic in the way it presents. So I always look at it in combination with blood work, which is at this point, our most. Studied way of assessing the biochemistry of the body, like, that's kind of the gold standard to me and then bringing in that stool test and saying, like, okay, symptomatically biochemically, how does this all make sense?
'm just saying oh We'll just [:It's a very personalized
Leigh Ann: Approach. Yeah. And do you find when you retest every four months that you are changing up the supplements and things because things have shifted. Yeah,
Sarah Greenfield: I absolutely. I'm always trying to get to the minimum, like the least amount of supplements that I can give someone because I'm a food is medicine person.
Like, that was the thing in my days of the dietitian that made me kind of weird was like, I was like, but food should be healing. And they were like, yeah. How dare you? So, but I've always believed in food and I'm like, okay, let's, you know, kind of scale back on the supplements and really look at what do we need to be eating, be exposed to, um.
lance. Because at the end of [:Like our bodies are always moving towards health and equilibrium and. Sometimes we just need to get out of the way and completely not do so much.
Leigh Ann: Well, and when we, when we do help support what is not needed, the, the processing and the release of what's not needed physical and emotional and energetic.
When we bring in what is needed, the body can heal and rejuvenate so quickly. To that end, I do think we have a little bit of a culture and it feels a little bit more unique to America, but I could be wrong here of work so hard. And yeah, I take all these supplements every single day and I do all these health things every single day.
ve subconscious beliefs that [:And that's not to say that when we're in a deep treatment phase, it's not going to be hard. Again, working with individuals experiencing cancer, it's Really hard. Sometimes doesn't need to be that way for ever, you know, health doesn't need to be this like insanely complex. Do all these things every single day.
With that said, at the same time, healing health lifestyle. It's an ongoing thing. And I also see the other end of the spectrum where people tend to want to go really, really hard for. Four months, six months, maybe a year, and then they want to go right back to everything. Like when am I going to be done with this?
When am I not going to have to do this anymore? And I think that's also the other extreme of that.
Sarah Greenfield: [:You have to pay to go to the gym. You have to pay. And it's like, they don't, there just isn't a supplement culture. There isn't this like, like the gyms in Italy are. It's like, not nice and there wasn't even a water fountain. And so I was like, oh, my God, this is very different. Like, I lived in L. A. for a very long time and like, gyms in L.
their seventies and eighties [:And I was like, Oh my God, I never see that in the United States. Like, I just don't like to get around. And, um, yeah, it's just a different. Um, and I feel like the health, like I said, I feel like the health is more integrated and infused in the lifestyle. And here, we've had so much of it stripped out and been told, like, you know, we got to sit at a desk and work.
And like you said, if it's not hard, then we didn't earn it. But like, what if it's the opposite?
extreme to say we all should [:checking in with our gut health once a year with someone like you, you know, we all should be checking in with some of these deeper things than just kind of like the conventional yearly blood work that they tell us that we're supposed to do. And like the tap on the knee that I remember going in for the annual check.
I was like, this is an actual joke. What are we doing here? I think that there's like, We need to raise the baseline a little bit of what it looks like to just live in wellness, checking in with some of these things on a regular basis, but also finding that balance of the baseline has risen. And also I'm not living in this perpetual state of like deep, deep treatment where I'm killing myself with all the.
The healing things I'm supposed to be doing
e detrimental to our health, [:Orange theory style or whatever, like high intensity workouts. And I'm just moving. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I have no desire to do that in my life right now, but Pilates and slow intentional movement where I'm still building muscle and feeling strong in my body. That feels great. And I look forward to that. So there's always that perspective change where it kind of back to what you were saying.
Like it can be easy. Like you can work out and it can be easy. Like you don't have to feel like you're going to die at the end of it. Like you can just feel like, oh, I was in my body and I was breathing. Yeah. And that's enough.
state of high intensity. Yes.[:Um, there is something very, in the United States, especially very all or nothing too. And I think unconsciously, a part of why we're drawn to that is it's easier. It's easier to be like, well, either I'm going to be gluten free or not. Right, right, right. You know, I'm going to take this supplement or not. It is harder to, to a point to be checking in regularly and going, okay, do, do I still need to be taking this?
That is more nuanced. That does require a little bit more effort input. Um, but I actually think the dividends pay out way, way more versus this kind of all or nothing culture mentality we have with a lot of this stuff. I, I run. I run every day. I will run every day for the rest of my life or, you know, whatever it is versus, you know what, right now, the type of movement that feels good to me is running.
And when it stops feeling good, I'm going to pivot to something else.
t takes a lot of courage and [:Uncertainty is scary, scary to not have that. Like, I mean, I love routine. I love plans. I love people telling me. I'm like, I love homework. Like, just let me get me a homework. I love it. But also my learning has been the circle back to what we were even speaking of. Is has been to sit in that uncertainty and to really check in and say, like, what, who, like, what do I feel?
And what do I need? Like, that's such a powerful. A powerful place, powerful question to ask.
ut you on this diet, got you [:See you in 10 years. Have a good one. You don't really not going to check in with you for another five years. Go at it. And there's an inner self, who's like, Oh, I might like a little more love and affection and attention from you.
Sarah Greenfield: Yeah. I mean, I think it's beautiful. I've been in this, this industry for a very long time, almost 20 years, and it's been beautiful to see the evolution of the wellness world as something that was very fringe and you know, like I remember seeing functional doctors when I was younger and they were in these like dark.
Basements with no windows and, like, there was just stacks of papers and cobwebs. And I was like, where are we to now seeing that it's coming more into mainstream and, like, having been in L. A. It's like, there is this, there is this desire to be well, and to do it in a way that I think we're learning the balance there.
at you and I are having this [:Leigh Ann: Yeah. Yeah.
It's more in the ethers. Absolutely. Okay. Two quick questions. I wanted to ask though. I want to ask about allergies and your perspective on that. Um, and then I also want to ask about alcohol and gut health very briefly, but the question with allergies is, yeah. What is your take on that? I do feel like sometimes just like other diagnoses, they're kind of this life sentence of, Oh, well.
This week on your allergy test. These came up so you can never eat them again. What is your perspective on that? Are our allergies reversible? Are some truly not reversible? I guess we kind of know the answer to that question with like anaphylactic and stuff, but
Sarah Greenfield: yeah, I mean, it's such a. So, 1st of all, I think the most helpful thing for me is to think of everything as a spectrum.
ke, you can have an allergic [:And I believe that the body is capable of things we don't even understand. And so to just put it in perspective of my life, my child got allergy testing and cause he was having like, he was just wheezing. And we're like, I just need to know. I'm like, what? Like we'll do allergy testing for food. We'll do it and just see what's going on.
And the only thing he came back allergic to was dogs. And we have two dogs. And so he still lives and exists with dogs. He still sleeps. Occasionally in our bed and our dogs are in our bed. So we wash the sheets. We try and be mindful, but he's still living with dogs and he's allergic to dogs, but he's getting more immune to them.
and doing this small. Dosed [:Like, I do think that's possible because I'm just seeing it with my child, you know, with that, that allergic response, um, again, on that spectrum. So, if you're going into anaphylactic shock with a bee sting. And that's a true, like, you know, life threatening allergic response. I don't know, is there a way to dose that very small?
So the body can overcome it? Maybe. I'm not, I'm not fully sure I haven't dove into all of that, but with foods. I do find that typically things that someone's allergic to, it's a little scary to go back to it, but. You do believe that there's a, there's a way to potentially overcome, especially as we're reducing burden.
city. Like, there's, I don't [:Leigh Ann: Well, and maybe I should also distinguish between allergies and sensitivities.
I think maybe a lot of people get diagnosed with a sensitivity, but even that becomes this life sentence of, I'm sensitive to gluten, so I will never eat it again. Or I'm sensitive to dairy, so I will never eat it again. Yeah.
Sarah Greenfield: And sensitivity is absolutely, you can overcome those for sure. That's a, that's a different immune pathway, immune reaction than an allergy.
So for sensitivities, a thousand percent, I believe you can. I think again, it takes time. Like, I've, I've seen people be sensitive to foods, like I've done tests years apart, and they're still sensitive to those foods. So, I think that with a sensitivity as well, if you're sensitive, you can eat some of it.
daptable and our microbiome, [:Reactive
Leigh Ann: I love it. Okay. And then last question on alcohol, especially kind of going into the holiday season, lots of alcohol around what just very quickly. And I know I'm taking us over. So, but. What does it do to the gut? And then what is your take on it? Is this just like a no go? And or for those who do drink alcohol on occasion, what can we do to mitigate?
The impact when we do drink alcohol.
vily impacts your microbiome [:At 1 time, like, you know, a couple of times a week versus like, I'm going to have 1 glass and enjoy it. And even if you look at longevity studies and other cultures, there is a huge drinking culture in Europe. You know, like, that is a big part of improved cardiovascular health and just overall health and well being and it's on when you look at the studies, it's on like a J curve.
So, a couple, like, the more you drink, the more problematic it will be. So, if you're going to drink alcohol. One glass to maybe is ideal and just space it out over the night. So, because again, it has other benefits where it's a social thing where it's like, if you're feeling connected to other people, if you're feeling present and you like that, and it's calming your nervous system, then it's very beneficial for the body.
ove to drink. We will cut it [:And then we'll bring it back in and say, okay, in moderation, it can be something that if you enjoy it, like, I'm not here to kill your joy, okay. People are like, Oh no, you're going to tell me I can't have coffee and I can't have wine and I can't have sugar. And I'm like, no, I'm not. I'm going to say that you're an adult and you get to understand how do those foods make you feel.
That's my only thing. Like, and then you choose how you want to feel. If you're like, I'm going to binge drink tonight. That's your choice. And like maybe you want to do that and that's okay as long as it's not every single day But like, you know we get to make those choices and we get to say like This is how I have the opportunity to lay in bed tomorrow and not feel great And that's what i'm gonna like fine.
You're you're an adult
s is total bullshit and this [:Like when I get in the sauna. Yeah. I mean, is that doing anything at all? Yeah. I mean, it's probably mitigating the impact of alcohol is just a new point.
Sarah Greenfield: Well, it's not. Making it so your body never experienced it because at the end of the day, it is impacting our body and it is a neurotoxin. Like, we know that for a fact.
Alcohol is a neurotoxin. Um, again, small amounts. Can be beneficial, but we'd have to be just mindful of the fact that it's again not benign because nothing is benign and if we're this is where I get kind of challenged by like the biohacking world. Um, if I mean, like, I think again, it's like 1 of those things where it's like, you make the decision to drink.
u wanna take some supportive [:Like it's not, so you can do that every day. It's just so in those moments that you can support your liver function and your detox pathways to say like, okay, I did this and now I'm gonna clear it. But we just don't want to lean on that and be like, Oh, I can drink all the time. And I'll just take my glutathione and sweat, but like, you know, those are still beneficial things at the end of the day to have higher antioxidants and to sweat.
Like, so yeah, great. Let's do it.
Leigh Ann: Yeah. Yeah. I, I noticed again, like I, I don't binge drink, but I know that I do notice an impact from that. Like if I, if I take a binder versus I don't take a binder, even if I'm only having. One glass of wine. I noticed a big difference. Yeah, the next day.
Sarah Greenfield: So yeah, I think that's great because then that's getting out some of those neurotoxins.
some of the things that are [:Leigh Ann: I love it. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I took us over a little bit. This was so So fun. I feel like we could have gone on so many other tangents. I
Sarah Greenfield: know. I love, yeah, I loved it.
I love what you're doing. I love the work and just the perspective that you bring to this space as well. So it was just a pleasure to have this conversation with you.
