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Real Talk, Whole Life — Alternative Health
Real Talk, Whole Life

Welcome to Real Talk, Whole Life—part candid phone call with your nerdy best friends, part myth-busting, and entirely unfiltered. Wellness without the woo. Womanhood without the guilt. Wisdom from the fine folks who survived dial-up and low-fat lies.
Host Stacy Toth brings honest, heartfelt conversations about what it means to live fully—in your body, your brain, and your messy, magical life. From midlife mayhem and mental health to Botox alternatives and book recs, we’re covering it all—with a side of sarcasm and a whole lot of heart.
No shame. No pseudoscience. Just the kind of conversations you actually want to hear when you call a friend—especially if “wellness” has never quite felt like it was made for you.
Rooted in womanhood, open to anyone who’s ever been side-eyed in a yoga studio. Come for the hot takes, stay for the healing.
Real Talk, Whole Life is hosted by Stacy Toth, bestselling diet culture author turned anti-diet health at any size educator. Her goal is to create a safe space for all to explore their own version of wellness without the elitist self-focused woo woo. Previously The Whole View and The Paleo View, this evolution of the podcast is a reflection of the growth we all go through exploring being middle aged. Expect a wide variety of guests on an even greater variety of topics, but always inclusive ways for non-toxic living (mental and physical).

Copyright: © Cloud10 & iHeartRadio

Latest Episodes:

Episode 275: Cancer Risk from Personal Care Items Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 275: Cancer Risk from Personal Care Items

In this episode, Stacy and Sarah are talking about the hazardous components of a lot of personal care items.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 275: Cancer Risk from Personal Care Items

News and Views (0:41)
This episode is inspired by Stacy's post on Federal Regulations
Sarah also read State of the Evidence 2017 from the NIH
We are constantly bombarded by toxic compounds that are everywhere in the environment and can lead to bad health conditions!
But if you're feeling overwhelmed, remember the protective effects of veggies, nutrient sufficiency and sleep.
Check out the EWG app to scan items to find how toxic items you use are.
The NIH paper went over the evidence of breast cancer to determine why the rates are increasing.
These chemicals are not just about breast cancer, but can cause all kinds of chronic disease.
Hormone disruption is one of the key reasons. Extra estrogen can cause breast cancer. For example, hormone replacement and birth control
You will find issues in hormonal products as well a disrupters like BPA in plastics.
Stacy likes Beautycounter products
Sarah uses Buffalo Gal and Primal Life Organics.
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Outro (23:20)

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Episode 274: Sarah Hugs Our Listeners Nov 17, 2017

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Ep. 274: Sarah Hugs Our Listeners

In this episode, Sarah is on the road for her Paleo Principles tour! We welcome Paleo Principles into the world!

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 274: Sarah Hugs Our Listeners

News and Views (0:41)
Paleo Principles is out now! Sarah is extremely proud of this veritable text book of paleo science with a recipe book to boot.
Sarah is now out on tour, hugging everyone and enjoying meeting our listeners.
This is one of the best things about t0urs: meeting you!
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Outro (23:20)

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Episode 273: Paleo Principles Debuts! Nov 10, 2017

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Ep. 273: Paleo Principles Debuts! In this episode, Sarah is on the road for her Paleo Principles tour! We welcome Paleo Principles into the world!

Click here to listen in iTunes

or download and listen by clicking the PodBean Player below

If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 273: Paleo Principles Debuts!

News and Views (0:41)
Paleo Principles is out now! Sarah is extremely proud of this veritable text book of paleo science with a recipe book to boot.
And she is on tour now, ready to deal hugs and laughs and answer your questions. Go here to see where she's going and RSVP!
Stacy is into this book too. The graphics, the breakdowns, the recipes. Oven cooked scrambled eggs!
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Outro (41:10)

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Episode 272: What's the Deal with Essential Oils? Nov 03, 2017

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Ep. 272: What's the Deal with Essential Oils?

In this episode, Stacy and Sarah wade into essential oils and parse out what the risks and what the benefits of using them might be.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 272: What's the Deal with Essential Oils?

News and Views (0:41)
- Stacy fully recommends Stranger Things, a show she watches with her children and dressed as the cast for Halloween
- Come see Sarah on Book Tour! And pick up some Vital Proteins! Come and meet her! Good times and hugs! And RSVP!
Meanwhile, Stacy bought Essential Oils. She couldn't wait for Sarah's research.
- She's using them in oil diffusers to make her boy and lizard smelling house smell better without using toxic fragrances.
- But she needs to know if they help people, if they're toxic and if they kill cats
Sarah's links on Essential Oil scientific research!
- Sarah found thousands of studies on essential oils, so focused on reviews
- Aroma Therapy and Essential Oils (An overview of use of essential oils as aroma therapy for cancer patients)
- Ingested essential oils can cause liver damage.
- Biological effects of Essential Oils -- a review
- Essential Oils’ Chemical Characterization and Investigation of Some Biological Activities: A Critical Review
- Major bioactivities and mechanism of action of essential oils and their components
Sarah's research!
- First of all, divide essentially uses in two ways: use as aromatherapy and use topically or orally.
- Essentially oils are volatile compounds (they reacted easily with the environment), complex components and usually have a strong odor extracted from botanicals.
- Extracted by steaming them out or pressing out, not solvent extraction
- Over 3000 essential oils are out there, and each one has 20-60 chemicals that make it up. Among those, 2-5 are the dominant, key compounds.
- Scientific research seems to indicate the synergy of all the compounds may be key to the effects of essential oils, not just the presence of the key compounds.
- Key compounds: triterpenes, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, ethers, oxides, esters, amines, amides, phenols, heterocycles, other terpenes. All small molecules, and thousands have been found in essential oils.
- These are phytochemicals and can be anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-angiogenic (prevent the formation of blood vessels, great for fighting tumors), apoptosis (helps cells dies), anti-allergy, anti-mutagenic, anti-microbial, insect repellents, etc. They are an interesting avenue for research for many reasons. Antibiotics, disinfectants, cancer drugs, food preservation
- There are tables and tables of essential oils and what microbes they can kill.
- But they are cytotoxic: they rupture membranes and cause cells to die. So they ARE NOT SPECIFIC to bad microbes! They'll kill your friends in your gut! NOT GOOD!
- Meanwhile, terpenes are damaging to the liver. That's also NOT GOOD!
- They may also cause a leaky gut.
- Drinking essentially oils is probably not a great idea without a doctor's recommendation.
- There are some essential oil compounds that are more specific, though, methylenonylketone compound is effective to kill influenza. Others have been shown to kill E. coli, Staphylococcus, etc. But some kill the good'uns. Eucalyptus is good for staph, pneumonia, strep, enterobacter, but also, lacto bacilus, bacilus cereus, and other probiotics.
- Probably not a problem for aromatherapy, but ingesting is complicated! We don't know everything that these properties do!
- Some have good anti-inflammatory properties: tea tree oil, clove oil, parsley oil, lemongrass oil, metharvensis oil
- How do you find what an essential oil does and what warnings there are? NAHA and FDA have information about what has been deemed safe (and most have) but Sarah goes to PubMed to research directly. She doesn't think there's much reason to ever ingest essential oils.
- Many studies are done on cultured cells and on rodents, not necessarily a direct comparison to what would happen to a person.
- But if you want these effects, just eat the whole food! This will protect you much better than the concentrated form.
But what about the cats!?
- There have been no studies of cats and essential oils. All evidence is anecdotal, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Though cats livers aren't as robust at taking care of toxins as people and dogs.
- Stacy isn't using them all the time, only using them in certain rooms, and allowing the cats to escape if they want to.
Overall, what is the deal?
- The science is complicated. There are many interesting studies, but lots of pros and cons.
- With over 3000 different oils, its hard to narrow it down and know everything about it.
- Aromatherapy is probably safe, safer than oral consumption for sure!
- Only use oral consumption with the supervision of a doctor who knows what they are doing.
- The science is not very strong for most purported benefits. Most papers indicate that we need more research. But, really, if its from an edible thing that you want the benefits from, just eat the thing.
- Sarah says to go to pub med for information on each ingredient and make your own decisions.

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Outro (1:03:09)

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Episode 271: Chris Kresser Practices Unconventional Medicine Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 271: Chris Kresser Practices Unconventional Medicine

In this episode, we talk to Chris Kresser about how to make healthcare more practical, sustainable, and better at treating chronic disease.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 271: Chris Kresser Practices Unconventional Medicine

News and Views (0:41)
Our guest today is Chris Kresser! He's a practicing functional medicine doctor, blogger, author and "voice of reason" we really admire.
He was a guest on Episode 86 as well.
Chris's new book is about changing how we approach healthcare. It's titled Unconventional Medicine and comes out November 7th
Stacy discovered Chris Kresser through Robb Wolf's podcast where he challenged Robb Wolf on Fish Oil. It was refreshing to see two thought leaders debating a topic and one change his mind.
Chris's old book was called The Paleo Cure.
Chris was interested in how he could change health care practices through his own work in his clinic.
Conventional medicine doesn't treat chronic disease very well and it could be disastrous for the economy of the United States.
Doctors give the recommendation of "eat better, exercise" but don't really give details, follow up, or help you get there.
Chris got very sick from parasite infections in his early 20s and while he recovered from the acute infection easily, the chronic remnants of the disease continued until he figured out how to heal himself.
Functional medicine is a systems biology approach to medicine.
Chris's analogy: If you have a rock in your shoe, conventional medicine diagnoses you with foot pain and gives you a tylenol. Functional medicine tells you to dump out the rock.
People are on all kinds of medicine when better approaches might lead to fewer. Instead of suppressing systems, Functional medicine tackles the causes of disease, especially diet and lifestyle factors.
Stacy recently had an experience with a regular doctor that made her wonder if patients are part of the problem: they want a pill to fix it rather than working on their diet and lifestyle.
Chris's practice follows up and provides resources to help patients do it.
One in Two people has chronic disease and one in four have multiple chronic disease. We have to reverse this!
Meanwhile, Sarah is very concerned that she wasn't getting enough interventions with conventional medicine.
Chris says doctors are upset with modern medicine as well. They're burned out, don't have enough time, and half want to quit!
Doctors are being pushed too hard. They see twice as many patients as they did a few decades ago.
Chris envisions a system where someone who comes in with pre-diabetes is assigned a nutritionist and a personal trainer and a gym membership rather than pills and no follow up. He sees this as cost effective: $1 million over the course of a lifetime vs. $10000
Chris sees this as a virtuous cycle rather than a vicious cycle. Things actually get better over time.
We spend 3.2 trillion dollars per year on healthcare. That's $10000 per person, or 1/3 of the median income.
We need to stop accepting chronic illness as normal. It's not normal, its common. As Angelo Coppola says, "Humans are not broken by default."
The health insurance model has only been around for 60 years or so and people paid for their own. This kept costs down.
Catastrophic Care gives the example of people giving the options of either taking statins covered by insurance or paying on their own to change diet and lifestyle and exercising. These are not equivalent choices and few would not choose the "free" pill option.
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Outro (1:01:21)

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Episode 270: Lady Gaga and Taking Care of Yourself Oct 20, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 270: Lady Gaga and Taking Care of Yourself In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk about Lady Gaga and her health issues and how we can learn from her hectic lifestyle potentially causing her trouble.

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News and Views (0:41)
We have put out one episode every week for 270 weeks in a row!
This week's episode is about Lady Gaga on her new Netflix special Gaga: Five Foot Two (Warning for boobs)
Gaga has had autoimmune diseases, Fibromyalgia that have affected her touring and health.
She could get up for her shows with the adrenaline rush, but her health was always declining.
She also said her thyroid medication was "unrelated" to her health issues (but it's probably not!)
There have been rumors floating about concerning her maybe being paleo. She uses words that are adjacent to paleo without ever saying paleo.
(By the way, Sarah is totally like Lady Gaga.)
Sarah relates because she is also constantly derailed by lifestyle factors.
You need to keep up with health and activity and stress to keep yourself healthy! But we always convince ourselves they aren't important! Diet is much easier than slowing yourself down.
Reaching for crutches (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, other comforts) is often seen when your lifestyle isn't in order.
It's important to listen to your body throughout the day, not just on the highs where you feel great.
Sarah handles this by setting up rules for herself: she has a bedtime, she caters her dedicated exercise schedules to how she's feeling, and focuses on diet when her stress is high, and cuts back on activities she agrees to when she's stressed.
Putting out health issues is better for the public understanding of them. It reminds Stacy of Selena Gomez having a kidney transplant this summer. Use celebrities to talk health with your loved ones.
Autoimmune diseases are isolation so seeing a public figure suffering makes people feel better.
See thepaleomom.com/events to see when Sarah will be at a town near you. RSVP NOW!
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Outro (53:09)

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Episode 269: What Is a Real Detox and What Is Bunk? Oct 15, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 269: What Is a Real Detox and What Is Bunk? In this episode, we discuss the difference between trendy detoxes and helpful ones and explain how your body really detoxes.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 269: What Is a Real Detox and What Is Bunk?

News and Views (0:41)
Sarah and Stacy are recording during the day, and Sarah isn't in her PJ's (for once!)
Sarah's still tired because she's been recording videos for the Autoimmune Protocol Lecture Series videos all week.
Stacy is excited about the next few shows because she got to pick the topics!
After finishing Paleo Principles (which is 672 pages) Sarah went right into filming videos.
Her feet have been swelling at night with no real explanation, and this got worse during filming.
Sarah's FIFTH formulation of her thyroid medication has been working really well, and she is happy that she's lost some weight as a side effect.
Stacy says that Sarah is a good example of weight loss coming on the heels of improved health. But it might also be triggering her swollen feet...
The Truth About Detoxes
This week's episode is Stacy's suggestion, but it comes at a great time because of Sarah's swollen feet!
Sarah's Functional Medicine specialist suggested that estrogen stored in her fat, which was released during her rapid fat loss, might be causing the swelling in her feet.
So, her doctor recommended a medical detox from Douglas Labs, which helped reduce the swelling right away!
Stacy thinks there's a lack of education around other types of detoxes, as well as marketers who prey on "detox" searches on the web.
Sarah says lots of detoxes have no grounding in science; a lot of them are fiber-rich and make you poop a lot. Another example is the coffee enema, which can actually be dangerous. Read Sarah's post "Coffee Enemas: What the Science Says versus What You've Heard" for more.
Interestingly, lots of detoxes, like juice cleanses, can have immediate beneficial effects because you're eating more veggies and pulling out inflammatory foods (such as FODMAP's and alcohol). However, they're not a good solution because they starve your beneficial gut bacteria.
Detoxification happens in the liver, but these cleanses don't support the liver.
Most "Toxins" are fat-soluble, including heavy metals, metabolic by-products, and excess hormones.
Liver detox:
Phase 1: Liver transforms them into water-soluble forms.
Nutrients for this include B Vitamins, Vitamin A, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium.
Phase 2: Conjugation - the water-soluble molecule is combined with something to neutralize it, and by-products are secreted into small intestine and eliminated or sent to kidneys and eliminated
Nutrients for this include Amino Acids, Glutamine, Methionine, Taurine, Cysteine, Vitamin B and C, Selenium.
Liver stores the nutrients needed for detoxification, so eating liver (or taking Vital Proteins Liver Pills) is a great "detox" strategy.
Fiber from veggies (especially non-starchy), water, organ meats, bone broth, seafood, and fruit are all great detox foods - i.e. the Paleo diet!
It's also important to stay hydrated.
If your liver can't keep up, supporting Phase 1 or Phase 2 with botanicals like Milk Thistle can be helpful.
This is what a medical detox looks like; it should only be done under a doctor's supervision.
In contrast, most detoxes just clear out your good bacteria and don't support your liver at all.
Stacy really doesn't like that companies use misleading "marketing techniques" to convince people to buy their detox products that don't work.
Find a good functional medicine doctor to work with!
Stacy and Sarah both love Vital Proteins beef liver pills.
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Outro (53:09)

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Episode 268: How Do I Know if My Gut is Healthy? Oct 06, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 268: How Do I Know if My Gut is Healthy? In this episode, Stacy and Sarah talk poop! They discuss how you can tell if your digestion is in shape and what to do if it's not.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 268: How Do I Know if My Gut is Healthy?

Intro (0:00)
News and Views (0:41)
The phrase is: "Trying to get credit for things you're supposed to do." It was inspired by a profane Chris Rock bit from Bigger and Blacker.
Stacy has become a big fan of Felix Gray computer glasses! They are awesome!
This week our topic is all about gut health! Stacy is SO into it!
We have a lot of questions about it, probably because the topic is so taboo in polite society.
Genia says, "How do you tell if you have an unhealthy gut? What are the best things I can start doing now to start working on my gut health? I am very new to paleo and there is a lot of info out there. Thank you for any info or tips. Also I am slowly listening to your past podcast. What do you think are the best episodes for a newbie to listen to first?" (8:26)
Don't listen to our first Mark Sisson episode where Sarah fangirled all over him. (Do listen to that!)
What Do I Do After a Bad Reaction
Stefani Ruper's shows are Episode 80, Episode 87, Episode 6, and Strong Woman Radio 25
Denise Minger is here and here
And check out our Paleo 101 series here.
At home gut health tests are in Paleo Principles and on The Paleo Mom.
Gastrointestinal symptom checklist:
gas
bloating
bleching
constipation
diarrhea
heartburn
indigestion
pain or straining
undigested food
mucus
blood in the stool (dark clotted blood. bright blood is from anal fissures probably)
If you notice your digestion, there's probably something wrong.
Normal frequency is 3 times per day to 3 times per week.
Sarah is a fan of Dr. Jeff Leach from the Human Food Project.
Stacy reminds herself that only humans are embarassed by poop this way.
Compare your poop to the Bristol Stool Scale. You should consistently at level 3 or 4.
Transit time test: eat something you can see in your stool like corn or sesame seeds or beets. Time from eating to pooping. Ideally between 12-48 hours.
If your concerned, see a doctor. They can do more tests like stool analysis, colonoscopy, biopsy, etc.
If you don't need a doctor's care, then you probably need to change your diet.
Increase fruits and vegetables. It's the fiber.
Increase Omega-3 fat intake.
Lower saturated fat
Eating fermented foods, especially wild fermented.
Some nutrients help form the intestinal junctions: fiber, quercitin, burburein, zinc, and glycine.
Don't get overwhelmed by feeling like you need to do everything at once! Take it steps at a time.
Focus on nutrient density and everything else can follow. Is this food helping my health, hurting my health or neutral?
DO NOT SEND US PICTURES OF YOUR POOP!
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Outro (46:45)

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Episode 267: The Benefits of Nature Sep 29, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 267: The Benefits of Nature

In this episode, we discuss the benefits of actually being in nature, in the outdoors.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 267: The Benefits of Nature

Intro (0:00)
News and Views (0:41)
Official: Paleo Principles is done!
Stacy spent the weekend in Staunton, Virginia at the Queen City Mischief and Magic Potter Party!
The Health Benefits of Nature
This week's episode is inspired by Stacy's Beautycounter California trip where she learned all about how to take the natural world and adapt it for stuff humans use at Lotusland!
See Sarah's post on this topic here.
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Outro (36:29)

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Episode 266: Getting Back on Track Sep 22, 2017

Show notes

Ep. 266: Getting Back on Track

In this episode, discuss reasons what to do if you know you should be following a specific diet but can't seem to get back on board with it.

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If you enjoy the show, please review it in iTunes! The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 266: Getting Back on Track

Intro (0:00)
News and Views (0:41)
Sarah is getting Paleo Principles to the printers this week! Good luck!
Stacy is back from her Beautycounter California trip!
Stephanie asks: "Hi ladies. Long-ish time listener, and I absolutely love you both, especially your real-life-ness and authenticity. My question is along those lines. A few years ago, I was convinced of the health benefits and followed a paleo template diet with ease; I felt wonderful and was at my best. But now - I've fallen off track. I still know in my head that I should eat a paleo/real food only diet with earnest commitment... but I'm struggling with consistency, and a bit of "what-is-the-bleeping-point" because I'm already 30-40ish pounds overweight and none of my clothes fit anymore anyway. I guess my question is - how do you start and re-start yourselves when life gets in the way? How do I not get down on myself for re-gaining weight, and just move forward?
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Outro (36:29)

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