Posts by Sara Szal MD
Dump the Junk: Reasons to Dump Caffeine
I recommend to all my patients that they limit caffeine intake and completely detox for at least 14 days twice per year. And I getta lotta push back. Why? Probably because mostly of my patients have some degree of adrenal dysregulation, and caffeine gets them going in the morning, and keeps them going during…
Read MoreIs That Acrylamide in Your Coffee?
Now that I’ve talked you off coffee, let’s dive deeper into some of the badness of the stuff. Do you recall the debate that surfaced in 2002 about a potential carcinogen found in fried foods, called acrylamide? There was much sound and fury when the discovery landed on front pages nine years ago, and…
Read MorePlum Awesome: Clean Food in the Bay Area
Most of you know I’m in the midst of a cleanse with an online, webinar group. I believe we must change radically how we eat, and to dump the toxins that slow our metabolism, harm our bodies and hurt the planet. I’m always interested in where to dine that supports these tenets.
Read MoreCoffee Hijacks Thyroid Levels
Do you take thyroid medication? Judging from my integrative medicine practice, I believe we have an epidemic of underfunctioning thyroid on our hands. Most national organizations of endocrinologists have issued guidelines that if you have symptoms of low thyroid function, a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) < 2.5 makes the diagnosis, yet most conventional physicians use…
Read MoreMeet Your Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
Nothing makes me happier than an anti-inflammatory smoothie with greens, berries, pea and rice protein (very hypoallergenic) and flax. Well, maybe containment of nuclear reactors in Japan, but that’s a topic for another day.
Read MoreCravings 101: Fight the Saboteur
Your saboteur (or as Annie Lamott aptly calls it: KFKD radio) is the one telling you that dumping the junk is a waste of time. Why bother? Who cares? Who does that quack doctor think she is?
Read MoreDetox, Gottfried-Style – Join Us!
It’s never too late to detox. We are tasked with clearing out gluten, dairy, caffeine, sugar and alcohol over the first seven days as part of the “Pre-Cleanse” as well as starting the Detoxification Support Packets to prepare our liver and gut for the job ahead. Did you start your morning today with a cup…
Read MoreOn Cleansing, D#1 – Kicking Caffeine
What is your most irrational fear? As you titrate with us off caffeine, gluten, dairy, alcohol and sugar, what are you most afraid will happen? Let’s start with caffeine. Today is D#1 of the Gottfried Cleanse, and I’m kicking caffeine – or at least I’m starting the process. Why is it so hard to decaffeinate?…
Read MoreOn Cleansing, D#0
A Hindu Scholar named Swami Adiswarananda once said that we must renounce what we’ve been doing for something that feels better. None of us renounces what feels good for something that feels worse. His words frame my entry into the official start of our Gottfried Cleanse tomorrow, which is designed to balance your hormones and…
Read MoreNatural Health Magazine: Interview on Low Libido
Thrilled to be interviewed in Natural Health, published in the April/May 2011 issue. Most of what I said about hormones and how they modulate libido got cut. My main point that libido is extremely complex (and that 70% of the time there’s a hormonal component) but that there are many other factors including relationship connectivity…
Read More