The Health Detective: Presented by Susan Birch Susan Birch

Today I talked with Rick Wilkes, from Thriving Now, about the use of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) to help us recover from a variety of psychological and physical issues, including pain, anxiety, phobias and weight control. 
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a form of psychological acupressure based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments but without the invasiveness of needles.


In addition to explaining EFT, we go deep into how to use this powerful technique to shift our engrained thought patterns and behaviour. Often, we desire to make a change, and we genuinely believe we want to do this, but then we sabotage ourselves for various reasons. Rick takes us through some setup options; these begin with the statement “Even though I feel” and different closing options depending on the individual goals.


I hope you find this episode helpful. There are many different techniques for mastering our thoughts and regulating our emotions. This one suits me and I find it very useful. We hope you enjoy this podcast and would love to hear your experiences.


To learn more about Rick and his work check out his website at Thriving Now, where you can book a free 15 minute chat with Rick to find out more. https://www.thrivingnow.com/start/

If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz 

In this conversation, I talked with the lovely Heather Heynen about why we struggle to follow through on our promises, even when they are important to us.
Heather has worked in private practice as a licensed mental health therapist, health coach and exercise professional for over 20 years.  There is considerable alignment between my career and Heather’s, including owning gyms and our passion for the outdoors. Heather is a keen rock climber and mountain biker and takes on solo multi-day challenges. She has a list of credentials after her name. (LPC-MH, QMHP, NCC)


Heather is a recovered binge-eater/restrictor and yo-yo dieter, so she understands the challenges both personally and professionally. In this episode, we have some good laughs about our personal experiences.


Heather’s mission is to bring whole person health (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to individuals so they can live their best lives.


Heather’s podcast is Weight Loss and Wellness for Real:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heather1422 


Her website is: Https://heatherheynen.com


Instagram: @heynencounselingandcoaching


Facebook: Heather Heynen


 YouTube: Heather Heynen Wellness

If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz 

I had a fabulous conversation with Jayne Bullen, the Chief Operating Officer of the Noakes Foundation and Managing Director of Nutrition Network. Jayne is a contributor/editor to the book The Science of Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction in Human Health.
We talked about the different chapters in the book and the benefits of medical nutrition therapy. This book is designed to answer the questions and concerns that many health care practitioners have about implementing low carbohydrates diets in patients.
We both hope that you will share this episode with friends and family who may find it helpful, and if appropriate with your GP.


About Jayne
Jayne believes research in healthcare needs better funding and strong minds. As the Chief Operating Officer of The Noakes Foundation, she established Eat Better South Africa alongside inspiring colleagues and Prof Noakes and believes in building stronger collaboration in the nutrition and science game.
After realizing the dichotomy between brand research budgets and human health research, she decided to leave the formal research world, committed to bringing her global experience in big biz research, systems, and policy change expertise into new areas to affect change to human health.


Jayne is an MBA Chevening Scholar, High Dip in Marketing and International Relations graduate. In her MBA at Leeds University, she focussed on the regulation of marketing to children in the food and fast food categories, later conducting Pan European media research and strategy evaluation in this area for various global health bodies and brands.
As an extension of her collaborative vision for the future of human health and better healthcare systems, she co-founded Nutrition Network and has been its Managing Director since it was founded in 2018.


You can find Jayne and the Nutrition Network here:
Facebook @Nutrition Network
Twitter @NutritionNetwrk
Linkedin  @Nutrition Network
Instagram @nutritionnetworkglobal
YouTube @nutritionnetwork

If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz 

Recommendations to supplement with vitamin D and zinc have become standard practice from both allopathic and alternative medicine throughout the Covid pandemic; including from some of the people I respect the most.
As the Health Detective, my job is to look deeper into whether health recommendations are based on evidence rather than speculation. It’s important not to just accept them all at face value without asking questions. Often, as is the case with vitamin D, we find that natural sources from sunshine and food are vital for a healthy functioning body, but the case isn’t so clear about the efficacy of supplementation. The name vitamin D is misleading because this is a hormone (secosteroid) rather than a vitamin that has profound effects on the regulation of over 2000 genes.  


When I began reviewing vitamin D I found conflicting research and the influence of big pharma money behind the recommendations for increased testing and supplementation. Vitamin D, The Sunshine Supplement Has Shadowy Money Behind It.”
https://archive.ph/kpfV0


During my investigations, I came across the work of Jim Stepheson Jr. Jim has been reviewing vitamin D research for two decades and is one of the most knowledgeable people I could find on vitamin D pathways and the effect of supplementation for our health. I was thrilled that he agreed to this podcast and thank him for his time and sharing a little of his extensive knowledge; and keeping it at a level that we can all understand. This is a very complex subject, and I have so much to learn.


If you find this episode helpful, we would both appreciate you sharing it with friends and family. My goal for these podcasts is to bring you a variety of perspectives that may help you on your personal health journey.


 A little bit about Jim:
Jim's passion for research in the field of vitamin D began because of a family member’s health issues, which included severe osteoporosis at the age of 51. During his quest to help her,  she was prescribed 50,000IU of vitamin D, which caused her to continue to decline and get worse. This incident gave him the incentive to start doing deep research on the topic of vitamin D. 


His previous occupation in the fisheries industry taught him a lot about researching and writing scientific papers so as a natural progression, Jim applied that knowledge to his vitamin D research.  What he discovered was shocking! The truth was that supplementing vitamin D was causing severe, long-term health issues and that the claimed vitamin D deficiency was a lie and a hoax! 


For the past two decades, it has been Jim's passion and avocation to keep researching and spreading the word to help people learn about the dangers of supplementing with vitamin D.


If you would like to know more about Jim’s work you can find him at:
FB: Secosteroid Hormone D


If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz 

In this episode, I talk to Amy Armstrong from Balance Health Naturally. Amy shares the healing journey of her chronically ill daughter. This honestly brought me to tears at times. I have so much respect for how this family handled such a difficult time with such resilience, hope, and compassion. It’s an inspiring story aside from the insights that Amy shares about health and healing.
If you enjoy this episode, we would be grateful if you subscribe, like, and share with friends and family who may find hope in Amy’s message and benefit from her experience and knowledge. My goal for these podcasts is to bring you a variety of perspectives that may help you on your personal health journey. 
Amy’s Bio:
Amy is a mineral and health-obsessed mum of three, Root Cause Protocol Consultant, Holistic Health Coach, and Certified HTMA Practitioner.
Amy found herself drawn into the natural healing world on a quest to help her chronically daughter become well and improve her own health. After spending years trying many different therapies and treatments, Amy found the work of Morley Robbins and The Root Cause Protocol, through which both she and her daughter experienced profound healing. 
Now, Amy is on a mission to help support other families with her nourishing food recipes and education about the importance of minerals. She is also passionate about empowering women suffering from chronic symptoms to take control of their own health through mineral balancing so they can reclaim their energy and vitality.

Get in touch with Amy:
Facebook: @amyarmstronghealth
Instagram: amy_armstronghealth
Website www.amyarmstrong.com.au
email: amy@amyarmstrong.com.au 


If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz 

Today, I sat down with Dr Valarie Evans, a behavioural analyst, to discuss integrating behavioural psychology with weight loss strategies. Valarie applies her training to help with conditions such as autism, addiction and eating disorders.
In this podcast, we explore the obstacles to changing behaviours, the concept of “rule-breaking” to achieve better outcomes, and the overall aim of enhancing daily life rather than just focusing on weight loss. Valarie has developed an app called “No Weigh” to help people implement healthy habits. She emphasises replacing traditional restrictive diets and calorie counting with behavioural change to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Connect with  Dr Valarie Evans: 
App (iOS and Android): https://noweigh.com/app
Website: http://noweigh.com/
Facebook: @no_weigh_app or https://www.facebook.com/noweighapp/about
Instagram: @noweighapp or https://www.instagram.com/noweighapp/ 

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, like, and share with anyone who may find this interesting.


If you have any health topics you would like covered or questions answered, please email me at susan@susanbirch.co.nz


You can sign up for my newsletter to keep up-to-date with the content I am publishing, monthly blogs, and Q & A webinars with experts from around the world.
https://mailchi.mp/61eb6eb3e0df/newsletter-signup


You will find my website with more information and free resources here


You can follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/thehealthdetectivenz