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clear search termsAntioxidant Myths and Truths for Practitioners
Hi!
Although you may already be a savvy practitioner, I am certain you will learn something new in this video about Antioxidant Myths and Truths for Practitioners. You’ll walk away with pages of notes and practical pearls you can use in your practice right away.
Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing:
- Our epidemic of oxidative overload damage in the body: do you know the usual suspects? What about the surprising ones?
- The well-known and the often overlooked lab markers – surprising tools for understanding oxidative balance in the body.
- “Living in a bubble” protects you? No, it increases the risk of death! Here’s why.
- Too much of a good thing? One size does not fit all regarding “healthy” habits. Are you looking for the gotchas?
- Do genetics play a role? You bet! Key SNPs and familial considerations in assessing antioxidant capacity.
- Glutathione – of course! But these three less known antioxidants are major culprits in chronic disease epidemics.
- The power and necessity of hormesis: can you confidently educate, inspire, and empower your patients with this concept?
- RedOx balance: why it’s The Key to your effective intervention through the functional medicine lens.
Thank you very much for joining in the fun and learning! Please share your thoughts (please be thorough) in the “Ask a Question” area below about what inspired you in this presentation! Include what type of practitioner you are, so that we can all see your unique perspective.
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28 Questions for “Antioxidant Myths and Truths for Practitioners”
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Ana says:
Thank you so much for such an inspiring talk. It was very interesting to understand a different perspective on oxidative stress and resilience. Particularly important to remind ourselves as practitioners that perfectionism doesn’t promote balance.
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Sharifa sultan says:
Greeting from Malaysia again! Thank you for an amazing insight on anti oxidants. Its all in the balance….too much of something is not necessary good. Getting minerals, vitamins and antioxidants from REAL FOOD should be the way. Supplements should not be seen as a substitute for real food.
Thank you again Tracy. -
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Lucy Bhalla says:
Greetings from Hong Kong!
Thanks again for another great Facebook Live which is full of pearls! What we think of as antioxidants are actually pro-oxidant and they actually stimulate our own bodies to make anti-oxidants. The concept of hormesis is so inspiring… we have to boost our endogenous antioxidant pathways by exposing ourselves to adaptive challenges…Love it! Going back to watch it again & make notes! Thank you Tracy! -
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Becky Detweiler says:
1. Hormesis and the necessity to challenge our bodies is a concept that I plan to educate my patients on.
2. Educating, inspiring, and empowering patients to trust their bodies and to know that the point of lost supplements are to meet a specific need for a set period of time is empowering. Pill fatigue is real and supplements are a huge expense and it is nice to know that the end goal is not to be on more pills forever. This inspires me to look at my own handful, or two, and determine if they are truly needed anymore.
Thank you, Tracy!Becky Detweiler
Nurse Practitioner -
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Hi there! I am a pharmacist in Arizona, and I really enjoyed this FB Live! I particularly loved the anti-perfectionist standpoint on achieving sustainable health. It’s so important to understand that perfectionism itself is counterproductive due to the SNS stimulation, but also, it is helpful for our bodies to encounter challenges in small doses. We need to keep our pathways and systems primed to deal with some oxidative stress here and there so that we can show up strong to various encounters. Thank you for this!
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Tamara Trinder says:
So many great pearls. An inspiring video as always Tracy!
So true that if the minerals are not in the soil then it’s not in our food and then will not be in our bodies.
Definitely need to focus on more vitamins J,H, and P. Good reminders for everyone!
Great reminder also that supplements are not designed to be on for a lifetime and to avoid poly supplements as much as to avoid polypharmacy. . -
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Always so informative! thank you.
I think the biggest take away was right from the start, that we actually need oxidative stress in order to stimulate our own innate endogenous antioxidant function to adapt and provide good resilient capability to thrive.. That everything needs to be balanced, from hormones, to stress, to water, to sleep,, not too much, not too little. That we need enzymes, and cofactors to fuel those enzymatic pathways to allow our endogenous antioxidants to work. -
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Leslie Allen says:
Very good information! I loved the reminders that detoxing should be done from a place of strength, in the body and carefully so we aren’t exacerbating symptoms, that we can’t trick the body (in regards to stress) even though we may be tricking ourselves or others, and how important it is to have a foundation of healthy lifestyle — not perfection! Thank you!
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Villy says:
Thank you!
2 main takeaways:
We have to boost the body’s innate intelligence and work with it, vs trying to outsmart it. Now that would be the smart course of action, right? Genius!
If minerals are not in the soil, they are not in the food and in our bodies! Minerals and B vitamins are critical for boosting anti-oxidant function in the body. -
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My favorite moments/takeaways:
“Who am I showing up to in this encounter?”
Wow, what a powerful principle to hold when helping clients.I also love this quote about boosting endogenous antioxidant pathways:
“We want to continue to expose ourselves to adaptive, hormetic challenge… a little bit of adventure, a little bit of stress, a little bit of pro-oxidant phyto-nutrients. A little bit of toxicity, a little bit of radiation. A little bit of motivation, getting restless so you get inspired to do something with your LIFE!”
SO good! I smiled big and laughed out loud hearing this and feeling Tracey’s passion. I love it when you cut through assumptions and bring something controversial. Thanks Tracy !!! -
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Maria Gabriela Moreno says:
hi Tracy and SAFM team,
thanks again for another wonderful FBlive, it was really interesting and some of the concepts of hormesis and the need of pro inflamatory mediators really inspired me, specially learning that there are pro-inflammatory compound in the foods that I thought were rich in anti oxidants. its just so great to learn from Tracy -
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Sybil Cooper says:
I eagerly awaited for this webinar because I read so much about needing antioxidants. I loved that Tracey emphasized that a massive mistake many practitioners make is to start antioxidants with clients with fibromyalgia, autoimmunity or heart disease when they don’t have the terrain to handle it. This may cause exacerbation. I explain to clients often that what we think of as antioxidants are actually pro-oxidant and they actually stimulate our own bodies to make anti-oxidants. I also would like to research more on the link between zinc and T-reg cells.
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I always appreciate these videos! As you have mentioned before, too often functional medicine practitioners can get caught up in geeking out on labs and testing, missing the fundamentals. You hit on so much of this in the Antioxidants lecture. Just because a lab is low, does not mean a supplement is the solution. All too often, we can help our clients with the basics like eating hygiene, reduced stress, improved sleep, etc, and I love the all so important Vitamins H, J, and P you mentioned today! Also, the concepts of you balance you mentioned….this was a good reminder for me. There is a such thing as too much of a good thing, and one size does not fit all. Thanks again!
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Therese Caraway says:
It’s so important to hear and re-hear the ditching of perfectionism or having to know everything/do everything concept. I know intellectually that it’s ludacris to maintain such an idea… but it’s an easy trap to fall into again and again if I don’t stay vigilant. Or get nudged, as a reminder, once and awhile.
We as practitioners, want to help soooo much that an unrealistic, perfectionist scenario can creep back into the program. And it can creep into personal life too. Having to be the “perfect” model for our patients. Sheesh… I need to model “letting the hair down” once in awhile (or more 🙂 too! Sounds so simple…. but as usual it can be one of the most insidious bad habits to crowbar out.
Thanks Tracy for another terrific FB live.
Thanks to all the SAFM support team too! You’re the BEST! -
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Anita Hamilton-Williams says:
We want to stimulate our body to generate small amounts of oxidative stress in order to use the natural activation to create a level of resilience. This encourages us to Use it or Lose it and stretch ourselves.
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Amanda Thornton says:
Thank you for another insightful talk!
Not everything that causes stress is bad and not everything that’s good offers benefit!
Supplements that we don’t need in quantities can be detrimental and training to climb the mountain can be really good for us! I’m going for Vitamin J & P 👍 -
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Jodi Edwards says:
Your focus on respecting or endogenous pathways and production and supporting that with nutrients is so spot on. So many people her “ x” is good for me and the. Load up on every available supplement with no idea why. I also love the Vitamin H hugs, Vitamin J joy, vitamin P pleasure! Brilliant as always and so relatable! Thank you! I love how all of your talks emphasize how remarkable and resilient and wise our own intuition and our body is. I do feel far too many practitioners even in the functional or integrative space still do not stress this enough and perhaps feel compelled to send off their patient with some type of supplement. I see so much of oh you’re low in this so take this….still. So thank you for your efforts to also educate practitioners to keep that beginners mind and perhaps lose the ego that they are smarter than the person in front of the experiencing life in their body!
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Alison Bame says:
Thank you! Great information and a new perspective on oxidation. Love it.
Take away:
1- perfectionism is not required, and in fact does not help!
2- If minerals are not in the soil, they aren’t in the food. If they aren’t in the food they aren’t in our bodies! -
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Maintaining healthy lifestyle is not perfection. In fact, perfection itself is damaging.
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Vitamins H, J & P…. love, love, love this and I know that my clients will also love & appreciate these recommendations from me in future too 🙂 Adding some light-hearted fun (terminology) to a client interaction is always beneficial – in today’s times especially! Thank you Tracy, xxx