43. Liver Cleansing with Steven Dake

Steven Dake 0:04

You're not going to be able to lose weight effectively until we reduce that toxic burden. So the average person you mentioned carries around 14 pounds of toxins with them at any given point, then that's that's pretty scary. But that also opens the door for us to reduce some of that toxic burden and then sets the stage for a more healthy weight in the future. So that was the toxins then focusing on reducing adipose tissue. And since physiologically, we're not predisposed to holding on to that fat, we will be able to more efficiently lose that adipose tissue going forward. So I would say weight gain to a certain extent is sibos.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 0:43

Welcome to the longevity blueprint podcast, I'm your host, Dr. Stephanie gray. My number one goal with the show is to help you discover your personalized plan to build your dream health and live a longer, happier, truly healthier life. You're about to hear from Steve dake and we're gonna chat about liver detoxing, the average person is exposed to 14 pounds of pesticides, herbicides, food additives and preservatives every year. That's about the equivalent of a bowling ball of toxins. And just like your home in your car, regular maintenance is required to restore your body's ability to cleanse itself and eliminate these toxins to keep you operating at your best and prevent long term damage. As promised, that is what today is all about how you can detox your liver using a targeted and strategically designed liver detox program, what it entails and who should not do this program. So let's get started. Welcome to another episode of The your longevity blueprint podcast. today.

My guest is Steve Dake. We all have pivotal moments in our respective health journeys that mold and shape our future. And for Steve, this was the passing of his beloved grandfather and the exposure of his battle loss to non Hodgkins lymphoma. As an agent for change in the battle against chronic disease. He began his career working alongside several 100 functional physicians ranging in specialty from autoimmunity and Lyme to metabolic disorders, to now having the privilege of interacting and consulting with 1000s of functionally minded practitioners. through all of that he's garnered a vast array of best practices, that he has the blessing of sharing with clinicians and their patient communities. It gives him a sense of purpose, knowing that a single conversation with the clinician can positively impact an entire community. So welcome to the show, Steve or Steven,

Steven Dake 2:16

whichever you prefer. Thank you, Dr. Gray. Appreciate it. It's great to be here.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 2:21

So today, we're gonna discuss the core restore liver detox program. And to be honest, this program was one of the first ways I was introduced to functional medicine. So I was shadowing another nurse practitioner at her private practice in school. And she just so happened to have a meeting with her orthomolecular representative that day, who reviewed this program. And I thought, Well, what do I have to lose? So I went ahead and tried it. And this was probably like 10 years, maybe 12 years ago. So it turns out this revealed I had a gluten sensitivity as taking gluten out of my diet, my gut felt better my brain function more quickly. And it turned out, I did have something to lose, which was weight. So I lost, I think seven to eight pounds in a week's time. And that was enough convincing to me that this company was on to something right that this program was probably important for my health and to my patients. And so in that moment, I promised myself, I'm going to learn more, and I'm going to stay in communication with this company. And I did, I entered private practice.

And I maintained a great relationship with orthomolecular. So I always knew in school, there were pharmaceutical reps that would come into clinics and essentially teach clinicians about drugs, but I had no idea they were nutraceutical reps as well. And so full disclosure today, my guest does work for orthomolecular, who is a company that we strongly feel has provided superior clinician education has helped me tremendously on my journey. They focus on nutrition, which is what doctors should be teaching on. This was something I was never exposed to through my conventional training. And I will say if you haven't already listened, another former employee of orthomolecular, Tom, who I interviewed on episode six, and seven, so I highly recommend you listen to that two part series because we talk all about why supplements aren't created equal. But moving right along. I also have mentioned and other episodes, how in my book, Your longevity blueprint, I compare the foundation of your home to the gastrointestinal system in the body, we constantly have to keep working on strengthening that foundation. And so today, before we really get to detoxing, we're going to open our conversation, discussing why gut health is so important. So I want to talk about the pillars of gi or gastrointestinal health. So Steve, tell me what those pillars are.

Steven Dake 4:24

Yeah, absolutely. With regards to the pillars of gi health, you know, what we're really looking at is there's five primary functions with regards to the gastrointestinal tract, right? It has five purposes that that obviously benefit our health. So that is digestion and absorption. That's detoxification elimination. It's providing a beneficial micro organism environment, regardless of the the microbiome, and it's also regarding the barrier function, as we know that the submucosa layer is somewhere that we are in a lot of, I guess you would say risk for potential antigen activation of the immune system. And then the fifth would be the neuroendocrine connection, something that I know you discussed on your podcast in previous sessions with regards to the gut brain connection, so to speak.

So those five elements or pillars, if you will, are areas that practitioners generally address first. So you've probably heard the term treat the gut first. Well, this is kind of the primary algorithm that practitioners will utilize or rubric, if you will, to treat many conditions associated with gastro functional intestinal issues. So looking at it from that perspective, many, many people are aware that there is a four hour approach. So remove, replace, re establish and repair and rebalance. So that's kind of the framework that the GI pillars of health rubric is set upon. So again, going back to treat the gut first as a primary principle for integrative and functional medicine.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 5:50

Wonderful. And part of those, I want to go back to those pillars again. So you said digestion elimination, establishing the micro flora, balance and gut integrity. Right. Correct. And then and then the fifth is

Steven Dake 6:01

rebalancing.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 6:03

Yes. Okay. So I would say elimination is more or less what we're going to focus on the most today, right with, with the liver detox program.

Steven Dake 6:12

Absolutely. 100%.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 6:14

So when we talk about detoxing, we need to first identify what toxins are. So what are toxins?

Steven Dake 6:20

Yeah, so I mean, to put it in simple terms, it's any substance that has the propensity to decrease health, right. And often these are viewed as poisons, and the vast majority of time, they're fat soluble toxins, that in large quantities can create genetic shifts can create cellular damage, oftentimes, we look at it from the standpoint of propagating or increasing the risk for chronic disease manifestation. And so there's a few different areas of research going on in this world, that's a now which would kind of be looking more at from the genetic side. So toxicogenomics, and toxic co genetics, which is an interesting area, just looking at influence of these toxins in regards to their ability to increase risk for chronic disease.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 7:05

The scary thing about toxins is they can hide, right? And brain, their tissue, right? They're everywhere. They're everywhere, we're exposed to them, and then they get to get stored in our body unless we do something to help promote their elimination. So let's talk about sources of toxins. So where do toxins come from? Like when we say they're everywhere? They're everywhere. Let's break that down for the audience.

Steven Dake 7:25

Yeah. So if we think about it, just from the standpoint of let's let's think of xenobiotics, for instance, or exogenous toxins, toxins that are coming about by way of us exposing ourselves through our environment. So that may be that may be something as simple as the food that you're eating, right? The average patient eats between 30 and 50 tons of food annually, excuse me, that's in their life that not annually. Crazy, right? Hopefully, nobody's out there doing that. But those foods that contain pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, potential hormones, those are all disruptive, and we can refer to those as pro inflammatory triggers. So that's a huge source, but it's also the other inputs, right from the environment. So it's not just the foods you eat, it's the water that you're drinking, you know, is it does it have nitrates nitrites in it, does it have trace level of pharmaceuticals left in that water source to arsenic?

There's a ton of, you know, there's a lot of conversation about water sourcing at this point purity. And there's also endogenous toxins, right. So there's also things that we make endogenously, the byproducts of hormone metabolism and things of that nature. There could be parasites, there could be used to overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth, and endotoxin components. So there's a vast array, I guess, you would say, of toxin sources. But for the vast majority of patients, I guess what we'd be talking about, are really the environmental toxins that they're exposed to, through their daily life, right? The average individual is exposed to 100 different toxins before they leave their house in the morning, which is it's just it's it's insane to think about, but when you really break down what a patient's doing in the morning, they're taking a shower, right? They're eating breakfast they're putting on Well, maybe it's makeup, other personal care, grooming products. So at that point, you know, you're taking a shower and perhaps chlorinated water, as well as some of those other toxins that we mentioned.

Then you're eating or you're let's say you go to the personal care grooming products. Next, you've got specific domestic cones and parabens, you've got that a little sulfate in there. You've got endocrine disruptors, you've got aluminum and some deodorants, all these toxins, and then you go to eat your breakfast before you leave the house. So now you've got high levels of refined foods or processed foods, sugars, you've also got pesticides and herbicides that we discussed before, as well as potential hormones that these animal sources have may have been fed or cultured with. So there's a lot of situations that we come into, you know, exposure from,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 9:49

I'd like that analogy I'm thinking of before you even get to work. Regardless of what your exposure is at work before you get to work. Your exposure could be very high. I want to comment on a couple things. Just based on what you just said. So I like that you brought up the fact that many individuals are submerging themselves either in a bath or they're inhaling the chlorine from the shower. They're they're exposing themselves unintentionally to these chemicals. And I, I always had had charcoal filters on my showers. But once I had a son, and he was bathing, like, I didn't take that many baths To be honest, he was bathing, I was, you know, bending down to help wash him and I started smelling this chlorine. And I live in a city who is notorious for have very having very high chlorine levels, then the water and I just thought, Oh, my gosh, I can't do this, I cannot let him sit in this water. This is like, you know, making me dizzy. And yet, he's just, he's smaller than me.

He's sitting in this water and hailing this. So I had to even though I already had reverse osmosis filtration put in our home for drinking water, I then had to go above and beyond. And I got a special charcoal filtration system for the water throughout throughout the whole home because we didn't have our oil through the whole home. And that immediately, it was amazing. I had them test the chlorine before and after. And the chlorine. I mean, now it's gone, there is none. But it's just amazing that so many individuals don't even think about that don't even realize what their exposures are in their home. So I'm happy that we are happy that we got that. I will also want to just mention to the listeners, there are a lot of documentaries on these chemicals that Steve was mentioning. So stink used to be on Netflix, I think it may still be the human experiment, and then also living downstream. Those are three wonderful documentaries that, you know, you don't have to just take our word for this, you can you can dive in and see what is available. Silent Spring is also a wonderful book that talks about animals, unfortunately, not being able to reproduce because of all of the chemicals that they're exposed to.

So that references the endocrine disrupting chemicals that you were mentioning in our even in our personal care products. So again, there are books and I'll put these links I'll put all mentioned these in the show notes stink living downstream, the human experiment, and then Silent Spring also went on a tangent there. But let's come back. So you mentioned we're exposed to toxins in our food. And then even in our air. I mean, even just driving to work. I say this all the time, I roll down my windows, but I'm an iOS. So guess what herbicides and pesticides are literally floating around in the air. So then I'm inhaling those. I've always been told you can tell me what you believe about this. But I've been told if you're sitting in traffic, roll your windows up, because you don't want your windows down because all that auto exhaust from other cars is going to get into your car, right? But then when you're driving down the interstate, roll down your windows kind of air out your car. Have you heard that?

Steven Dake 12:31

I have I mean, it might make for an unpleasant experience when you're rolling down the highway at 70 miles an hour. But the reality of the situation is that these toxins that we're inhaling have the ability to enter our bloodstream within 26 seconds. So we have to be extremely cautious about our again over environment. So whether that's the air we're breathing, or the food we're eating, or where we sleep, I mean those things are all extremely important.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 12:52

We just got an avocado mattress so like more of a non toxic organic mattress. So we haven't decided how much we like it is not the softest was your right.

But I know I'm not inhaling those chemicals, I am determined to love it. I get asked all the time, what's one product that I just can't live without when it comes to maintaining my own health and longevity? And my answer is something you've actually heard me mention on several episodes. It's called mitochondrial complex and it's pretty much the Cadillac of multivitamins, and it's packed with antioxidants, including three key players acetyl, l carnitine, alpha lipoic acid and an acetal cysteine. Think of a steam engine that requires coal to be continually shoveled into the furnace to power the train forward. acetyl l carnitine. Does that for your body by shoveling short chain fatty acids into your cells to provide your body with energy. This is an absolutely essential task to keeping you running. However, what's a byproduct of fire?

You guessed it smoke. Unfortunately, in this analogy, smoke from fire equals free radicals. To combat those free radicals. Other antioxidants are needed and that's where alpha lipoic acid and acetylcysteine come in. Together they scavenge free radicals and help boost and recharge gluta phi on the most potent antioxidant in the body. To top it off mitochondrial complex also contains a little bit of green tea extract broccoli seed extract with sulforaphane and even resveratrol. Research has shown that when athletes and individuals that are under stress begin taking this product they are less likely to get sick as they're giving their body what it needs to conquer those stressors who doesn't need protection from stress and cellular damage at this time? I certainly do. I take this product every day.

If you're interested in learning more about how mitochondrial complex can help support you living a longer healthier life check out my blog post on why antioxidants are important found at your longevity blueprint.com forward slash why dash antioxidants dash r dash important for in chapter four of my book your longevity blueprint to get 10% off our mitochondrial complex just use code energy when checking out at your longevity blueprint.com Now let's get back to the show. Let's talk about what happens With the toxins that were exposed to them, so they get stored in our bodies, right? And how is that dangerous? How is that bad for us?

Steven Dake 15:08

Sure. So I mean, when we start talking about elevated levels of toxicity, we're really referring to our toxic burden. So our liver obviously is our primary quote, unquote, filter, it does a lot of different things, right? It stores glucose, it helps manufacture cholesterol, but its primary function is really to filter the blood and to remove a lot of these xenobiotics. And dodgen is toxins that we produce. And so if we overcapacity delivers ability to function optimally, we will start to see that and elevated levels of toxicity in adipose tissue, since as you mentioned, your adipose is really a defensive mechanism. That's what buffers this elevated level of toxic burden from the rest of your body.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 15:49

And that's fat for the listener. So adipose tissue when he says that he means fat,

Steven Dake 15:52

correct? Yeah. And you know, that's a huge issue for some of these patients who may have maybe they've worked on, you know, getting their weight under control in the past, but what's going to happen is what we refer to as a yo yo mechanism, those patients might adhere to a specific dietary pattern for a short period of time, they may lose some weight, but overall, they're going to gain that back because they never ameliorated the actual toxic burden. And so over time, this elevation toxic burden can cause again, as we mentioned before, it sometimes shifts and even genetics, but it can ultimately lead to the manifestation of chronic disease. And so there's a lot that we can do about that. And I think it's important that that everybody, you know, is paying attention to what they can do proactively so that it doesn't end up creating a scenario that that increases their their likelihood for chronic illness.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 16:41

Sure, as I mentioned before, when I did this core restore program, my energy was better. My brain fog was better. I lost some weight, I just felt better. And so I think many people very quickly, can turn the corner. Sometimes they just don't know what to do. But in regards to even energy improving, I want to talk a little bit about Atrazine, because we I kind of skipped over that. Living in Iowa, we have high exposure to Atrazine. And that alone can lead to some mitochondrial dysfunction, which we talk a lot about the importance of mitochondrial function on the podcast. Okay. Do you want to talk a little bit about that and why Atrazine is dangerous.

Steven Dake 17:17

Yeah, Atrazine is interesting. I mean, as you mentioned, it's very, it's very common as far as its applications, especially in the Midwest. As an herbicide. I think it's actually the second most common herbicide utilized aside from glyphosate. And what Atrazine really does in addition to it being Mito toxic, I mean, it basically poisons the mitochondria, which is obviously a huge issue, since we know mitochondria, basically mediate T cell recruitment and the immune system. But the other thing that it does is it impacts insulin resistance, it actually stops a specific process that involves an enzyme called aka t. So it stops that enzyme from dephosphorylating, and ultimately stops us on a cellular level, being able to process glucose. So essentially makes us insulin resistant to a certain degree, which is obviously going to be a problem when it comes to cardio metabolic risk, obesity, and what have you. So not only do we have the insulin resistance element, but we also have the cytotoxic component. So now we're pairing that with immune dysfunction and lower levels of energy from a cellular perspective, because of ATP. I'm having the synthesis of that impaired because of mitochondrial issues. And so it's it's a cocktail of mess, really. And it's a shame that it's still being utilized.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 18:30

So the good news is, and maybe you can speak to this specifically, I probably should have looked this up before I started this podcast. But I think I've heard that studies have shown once you stop eating foods that are laden with herbicides and pesticides like Atrazine, it only takes a matter of weeks before they're out of your for most people before they're out of your tissue, and that your burden can really reduce pretty quickly once you change your exposure. Would you agree with

Steven Dake 18:54

that? Yeah. But I would also note that this is barring additional exposure from an inflammatory trigger standpoint. So if we're reducing, and we're working on elimination, and we're working on up regulating phase two and phase one of the liver, whilst removing some of these toxins like Atrazine from our normal patterns, that Yeah, I can see us definitely having what a quick reduction,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 19:16

right. And in regards to before we get to the good stuff and what you can do as far as what you can take and what this core restore program is all about. I want to go back to skincare also because we talked about how dangerous parabens and all these nasty, you know, ingredients are the chemicals I should say that they're putting in our skincare. But there are sources of great information. There's a nonprofit organization, the Environmental Working Group Who has created a skin deeps cosmetics database, they also have a healthy living app that's free you can download on your phone where you can barcode scan personal care products, to see how toxic they rank. You can see if the product is at a greater likelihood of causing endocrine disruption messing with your hormones of causing cancer if it has a high allergenicity score, so I highly encouraged which We'll also post in the show notes that you check out That resource because then you have the power to choose safer products, rather than the more toxic products because a lot of people just don't know they don't realize they're shaving cream, or they injured their deodorant or body wash or makeup, whatnot, that those products do contain a lot of chemicals that then again, are in storage in their body. So there is hope there are sources resources out there for you to make safer swaps. In regards to water. I mentioned that we put this charcoal filtration system in in our home, what do you recommend individuals do to kind of clean up their water? Well, I

Steven Dake 20:33

mean, there's a few things I would say number one would be suffering from bottled water. Obviously, Bisphenol A is a huge issue, especially as it relates to you know what I mentioned before from an endocrine disruption standpoint, but also phalates, which have been linked to you know, toxic induced low tea and males. So obviously, stop drinking bottled water and start filtering. I know you mentioned the charcoal, the reverse osmosis water filter is also fantastic. I personally use a Berkey. So that's what I would recommend.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 21:03

Get something Don't forget a plastic. So the satellites that he's mentioning are coming from the plastic when so when you say bottled water, you're alluding to plastic that the water comes in glass. If it's you know, a mineral, spring water or something that's in glass, I'm okay with that. But when we say bottle for the most part, you're alluding to plastic. Right?

Steven Dake 21:20

Absolutely. So I should have clarified that. But yes, and it's even I mean, it's even the foods that we you know, the containers that we utilize in our own the plastic container. So, but I know we're speaking about water. It's just so numerous. Right? It's just

Dr. Stephanie Gray 21:33

absolutely get absolutely. What about air? So how do we clean up our air?

Steven Dake 21:39

Yeah, so there's there's obviously, a lot of air purifiers on the market? I don't know if you have a specific heppa filter?

Dr. Stephanie Gray 21:48

Yeah, we have that your doctors at the clinic? Yep.

Steven Dake 21:50

And that is that using any different kind of technology other than than the HIPAA filter?

Dr. Stephanie Gray 21:54

Yeah, yeah, I don't understand it all. I know Mark, I'm in endorses her talk to her. So I am there are a lot of good brands, air IQ, Austin air, I don't know what brands you're you recommend. But

Steven Dake 22:06

Gosh, the ones that you've mentioned are the ones that kind of come across my mind, top, top of the mind. But that's definitely a big consideration. I mean, I've heard this statistic thrown out there that the air inside of our home is actually quite quite a bit more toxic than the air outside. So especially in an environment, or I should say in a region of the country where we're experiencing harsh winters and you're locked inside your home, you're locked inside with all of those different toxins, you may be using cleaning agents and products, aerosols, you know, hairspray, for instance, you know, all of those things contribute to the environmental toxic capacity that you're in, which is a huge, huge concern. So at the very least, you know, do yourself a favor and air out your home so to speak.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 22:47

Absolutely, it just started warming up here in Iowa started, we still have snow on the ground, but started forming. So we opened our windows yesterday, it was amazing. Got some fresh air just felt good sun actually came out. But in reality even through the winter, I mean, we should be doing that to get get fresh air in the home. So I think we've hit home The Skincare cleaning products, water, food air, let's come back to internal toxins for a moment here. So how do how are we ourselves kind of a source of internal toxins?

Steven Dake 23:17

Yeah, well, we have to think about I mean, like I mentioned before, the bacterial byproducts that we have as a result of what's going on our gut, those are often potent endotoxins. You know, we talk a lot about two specific endotoxins as it relates to bacteria. And that would be like apply saccharides inside a lethal descending toxin driving the manifestation of many healthcare challenges, including autoimmune disease, well, obviously, those are concern. You can have, again, yeast overgrowth, like Candida, you can have other other Gram negative bacteria that are creating issues, and then also hormones. So these hormones have to be detoxified. Right. And there's other metabolites that have to be detoxified through the conjugated pathways. And so whether the, whether we're experiencing high levels of emotional and physical stress that result in elevations in you know, cortisol, or what have you, these all have to be removed. And so that contributes to your overall level of quote unquote toxic burden, in addition to all those other toxins that you're taking in. So those are a few ways that our endogenous toxic cycle it is contributing, but I don't know what your thoughts are on that.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 24:26

Yeah, yeah. That you elaborated. Usually I just tell patients, hey, carbs, permit proteins putrefy in your gut, and that's why you get gassy. yourself. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. So, what are some signs that we may be toxic? I know, in our practice, we have a questionnaire that patients can fill out kind of see their their burden, and that's when we do you know, liver detox events, I usually have patients fill that out. So what are some of the Hallmark symptoms on that questionnaire that the listener may be able to identify with, knowing that their detoxification capacity may be impaired and they need to do this program? Yeah, and

Steven Dake 24:58

I think from you know, Again, a like a very general sense. It's just patients feeling crummy, right? It's it's individuals who have lethargy to have low energy, they have difficulty concentrating with regards to, you know, foggy brain, they may have joint pain, they may have irritability, mood swings, right? You know, hormone imbalances affected by toxicity, or hormone balance, I should say you also have patients who have severe motility complications, as we know, paracelsus is obviously involved in the removal of a lot of this, this waste with regards to bile and fecal matter. So those patients generally feel just from me, but you also may have infratry infertility, which is a big problem, especially as patients become severely toxic burden.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 25:40

That's great. I also usually tell my patients, the ones that are sensitive to everything, right, they can't tolerate any supplement any chemical, they can't smell anything, those patients either have major mold issues, because the public can hijack the immune system, which is a toxin in and of itself, or their liver is really burdened. And those patients usually don't tolerate detoxification programs very well, we have to go very gentle on them, but they absolutely need to detox, just like a glass of water. can I explain this to patients, at least this is an analogy I use, maybe it came from you guys. If we think of our liver as a glass of water, right? We may, we may have been born with that glass of water already half full based on what we were exposed to in utero. And through our childhood whatnot, you can only fill that water up to the point where it overflows. And then I don't say all bets are off. But right, then that that glass of water is going to overflow. And that's where we really need to I think that's where patients just feel lousy, and their liver can't handle any more toxins. And they're sensitive to everything. So we have to help them be able to kind of open the spigot to that glass and start slowly getting rid of some of those toxins.

So even having allergies can be a sign that your detoxification capabilities are impaired having skin rashes, having any mental health disorder, you alluded to hormonal complaints, I also would say frequently getting sick. So patients who are constantly getting colds or sinus infections, whatnot, and then even having some blood sugar imbalances, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, pretty much I think, everyone if you live in the world that I live in, you'll likely have been exposed to a lot of toxins, and you your symptoms could be from that. So So what's the good news? What do we do about this? You alluded to earlier, the fact that our livers the primary organ for detoxification, and I talk a lot about that in chapter five of my book where I'm comparing the laundry room. So the the washer and the dryer to our gallbladder and liver within the body. So what can we do to help our liver detoxify from this, this burden that we're exposed to?

Steven Dake 27:37

Yeah, I would say that the number one thing is, you know, we alluded to this a lot in regards to your exposure, but it's just practicing avoidance. So that would be extracting yourself from that environment. That's obviously exposing you to all many of these toxins, making lifestyle changes that are going to benefit you in the long term. And then it comes down to Okay, how can I really ramp up the overall process to bio transform, which is ultimately what we're talking about bio transform these these fat soluble toxins into polar substrates that we can detoxify them from our body. And in regards to that, there's a lot of different enzymatic activities and processes and conjugative pathways that are involved in bio transformation deliver. But ultimately, it's a two phase part. And that's what we're looking at supporting with regards to something like a quote unquote, detoxification or bio transformational program, enhancing that elimination aspect and reducing the inflammatory pro inflammatory triggers.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 28:34

Okay, so there are a couple different components of that. So let's break that down. So for easiness, of trying to explain this for a podcast, right, there are two major phases of elimination, and there are certain nutrients that are needed for all of those kind of, we'll just say processes to happen. So what are some of those nutrients that are needed that are in this program? Yeah.

Steven Dake 28:56

And so when we, when we look at really how to support overall bio transformation, there's a, there's a few different key principles that we have to look at. And that would be things like providing the necessary precursors and substrates to help conjugated pathway efficiency, right, looking at ways to reinforce not only mitochondrial solar energy production, but also antioxidant reserves, not only from a nutritional standpoint with regards to vitamin C, and E, and what have you, but also our endogenous production of, of antioxidants through the NRF two pathways, so things like Bluetooth ion, for instance, or sodium oxide is mutation catalyst. And so looking at all those is really what we're trying to achieve. And so we've kind of packaged that into an easy to implement 714 21 day program that targets phase two, the conjugated pathways initially. And so just to maybe I should explain a little bit of the physiology in regards to what's happening when we take in these fat soluble toxins.

You know, as you mentioned, there's two phases to the liver. Phase One is really there's a family of sip one, one, a one Instead of prompting for 50 enzymes that convert that fat soluble toxin, or at least begin the process of bio transforming that fat soluble toxin into a water soluble compound, well, what they're doing is ultimately utilizing a series of reactions to bio transform into a more water soluble component that's deemed an intermediate metabolite. And so that process takes specific nutrients, B vitamins, antioxidants, specific amino acids. And then once that intermediate metabolite is created, phase two is the conjugate of pathway. So you've probably heard of who define conjugation sulphation glucuronidation, amino acid conjugation, methylation, these different pathways utilize substrates like like methyl groups like sulphurs, right, like acetyl, co a, to ultimately bio transform fully that intermediate metabolite into a polar water soluble compound that can be extruded VA water beiler, Sir, your vial or stool,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 30:55

I'm going to pause you there because that's probably over the head of many of the listeners. But but that's exactly what happened. So essentially, what you're saying is, our body has fancy pathways to take a fat soluble toxin, right toxin that's literally stored in your fat, change it into a water soluble toxin, so you can pee it out or excrete it out right and stool, whatnot. So a lot has to happen that you don't have to understand, but a lot has to happen to turn that fat soluble toxin into a water soluble toxin that can be eliminated. The good news is all of those details, or that was taken into consideration compiling in this program. So I don't want to cut you off. I just wanted to kind of clarify that.

Steven Dake 31:36

totally understand. So in layman's terms, yes, you know, our objective is to support the bio transformation process. And we do that with a series of specific blends. So the core restore program is meant to remove and ultimately revitalize optimal liver function. And that happens by supporting first phase two, because phase two happens very slowly in regards to the comparison between phase one and phase two. So we actually use a product called core support, which is a daily shake that the patient would utilize twice per day to encourage those conjugated pathways so that we reduce the intermediate metabolite level. Ultimately, we've got different amino acids that are standardized in there, touring, glycine, glutamine. And then those are what's going to support those conjugated pathways along with a vegetable antioxidant blend that's been shown to increase Guinan reductase, which is a biomarker for phase two, as well as six grams of fiber coming from psyllium husk which we'll work on commonly with a later product to kind of bind up some of those toxins from a biologic standpoint.

And so overall, the core support powders meant to be a daily face to hepatic support shake reinforced with 15 grams of hypoallergenic anti inflammatory race based protein that has a complete amino acid profile. So in essence, it takes the guesswork out of a patient's you know, journey in regards to at least one meal, or at least the addition of because it's very challenging for a patient to constantly be thinking about what can I do, what Can't I eat. And so we've kind of made it simple for them, at least in regards to the shape for the first two days, which is what we wish we would suggest either only foods, so it's a modified elimination diet, where they would be taking that shape to ramp up the conjugated pathways and phase two before reinforcing overall liver function with other concurrent products that target phase one and delivery as a whole.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 33:26

So just to reiterate what you said again, so for the first two days of such detox or you know, cleansing program, you were basically saying all the individual would consume is this powder, which does have protein. So it's kind of like a meal replacement, which you could mix with a beverage of your choice, not like dairy milk, but you can mix it with coconut milk or almond milk, something like that. The way the regimen is set up is to take two scoops twice a day, so you do breakfast and dinner. So there's a bit of a modified fast here strategically, if you have diabetes, or if you say I cannot go without food for 12 hours. I've done this several times. And so instead of doing two scoops, with eight ounces of a beverage twice a day, you could do one scoop with four ounces, four times a day. So if you really wanted to space it out, you could. But if you can do the two scoops twice a day, that would be better. So that's the core support. So that's one of the main products in this program. Let's talk about the other two products. So there is a comprehensive multivitamin in this regimen. So I want you to talk about that. And then the secret sauce I usually tell my patients is the Phyto core. So let's talk about the other two products in the program.

Steven Dake 34:33

Just to kind of go back to one of the fundamental principles of increasing bio transformation. It's restoring metabolic reserve and I think about metabolic reserve from the standpoint of it's a bank account, while the beneficial acts that I've executed whether that's nutritional intake, or sleep exercise, what have you in this case is nutrition excuse me vitamins and minerals that are essential for efficient bio transformation phase one and phase two of the liver. So taking a foundational multivitamin that's high in the methylated forms of B vitamins, for instance, b 12. and folate is really important. So we have included that in there for the patient to take throughout the entire 714 year or 21 day program. And many of those different again, nutrients or vitamins are going to support phase one and phase two,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 35:19

actually have that. Okay, and then what about the final core?

Steven Dake 35:22

Yeah, the final core, as you mentioned, is kind of, it's a little bit of a rock star, I think it's a rock star just below the core support powder. But after the first two days of initially ramping up the back half deliver phase two, we want to then introduce a blend of specific nutrients and phytonutrients that helps to reinvigorate both phase one and phase two. And now that we've gotten them in into my somewhat of an equilibrium, and so Phyto core is comprised of specific lippard tropix refining Coleen inositol, that work to increase and hepatic mobilization of fat. So essentially, what I'm saying there is we're mobilizing faster that we can excrete it.

And then looking at the artichoke blend in the dandelion. These are what we refer to as full ruddicks and coolbox. They will help stimulate bile production and secretion so that it can work and comment with the fiber that's in core support to sequester or kind of suck up or conjugate some of those fat soluble toxins. And so then you've also got other other things in Phyto core that are that are basically known as genomic enhancers for bio transformation. And that would be things like the garlic and the tumeric, that had the propensity to upregulate, kind of both phase one and phase two. So it really is kind of a, it's a really versatile phytonutrient nutrient blend meant to ramp up both phase one and phase two.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 36:35

And it has milk thistle, which many people have heard about, for me, maybe that's a star player there. Yes, everyone knows that's a good for liver support. And sometimes that's all I put patients on if we want to just try to lower liver function tests real quick whatnot. But this is obviously a more comprehensive program. So if you purchase the program, there is a patient Guide, which tells you exactly how many pills of what to take every single day. So it is very much clarified. But do you want to walk the listeners through essentially what they're taking? When,

Steven Dake 37:03

essentially, if you're looking at I mean, again, there's, there's so much information in that patient guy, there's a lot of questions that patients have about biotransformation, about what foods they should be eating about what foods they shouldn't be eating, what do some of them

Dr. Stephanie Gray 37:16

go over that? Let's pause, let's go over that.

Steven Dake 37:18

Yeah, you can do that. So we actually have a list broken down in there. So obviously, there's, there's a few things that you generally want to eliminate from an inflammatory trigger perspective. So you kind of alluded to it before the foundation should be let's avoid dairy sowing, right. And so there are a whole host of food items that we want to avoid in there. And then when it comes to what we can potentially eat, we want to make sure that when we eat meats, we're eating free range, organic, organic, absolutely grass fed in the case of beef, or other other meats. And then as it relates to what patients generally think of as healthy fruits and vegetables, we have identified the Dirty Dozen, which is kind of well known in the functional community. But these dirty dozen, or a dozen of the most common fruits and vegetables that have the highest propensity for pesticide residue at the time of purchase.

So those are the specific fruits and vegetables that while they may be healthy, you want to make sure that you're purchasing those from an organic source. And then the same thing with the clean 15, which is a list of 15 fruits and vegetables that are generally perceived as having lower pesticide residue and kind of purchase. So between those two, we include that list in there. And we also include an actual grocery list Taro that you can then take to the grocery store, purchase specific items, and then execute the menu recipes in the back half of that patient guide so that we're really making every step as effective as possible with creating as few hurdles for the patient as possible.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 38:48

And the recipes are good. I know my in laws have done this program several times. And they they just think it's so easy, the recipes are great, you just go to the store and buy the food that this guy tells you to buy it and go home and make makes it very easy. And in regards to the Dirty Dozen and the clean 15. Those are lists that are put out annually by the Environmental Working Group, the same organization that I mentioned, has created that scandium cosmetics database, so we'll post links to this year's, I don't know if they're out yet. So maybe last year's Dirty Dozen and clean 15 foods so so obviously through this regimen, step one is eating clean. So you have to follow the patient guide in regards to which foods you're putting in your body. So then above and beyond that, we talked a little bit about the powder that patients are ingesting either two scoops with eight ounces of the beverage twice a day, or you could do one scoop of four ounces, four times a day. So that's every single day. And then what do they take starting days three?

Steven Dake 39:41

Yeah, so like you mentioned starting day one on day one and day two, they'll take the shake, but they'll also take the alpha base two capsules twice per day. And then starting on day three, they'll actually take a divided dose of not just alpha base two caps in the morning, two caps in the afternoon but also two scoops in the powder and then they'll add in The Phyto core at two capsules in the morning, two capsules in the evening, or if you'd like to split it into forces you recommended you can do so with regards to one capsule per dose,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 40:09

thank you. So then that's for the duration of however long you want to detox. So some patients the very first time they do this, they're nervous. And they say, I'm just gonna do seven days. So my other patients say, Nope, I'm all in, I'm cruising, I'm gonna do 14 days. And other patients go ahead. And they do this for even longer, you could do 21 days, or even 28 days I've had several patients do for 28 days. So I typically say the more compliant you are, the better results you're gonna get, right? So the cleaner you're eating, and you actually taking all of the pills that you're supposed to, you should have better results for. So I think that many people could benefit from this, but I think we need to disclose who should not do this regimen. So I want to go over any major contraindications, like who should not do this program?

Steven Dake 40:52

Yeah, and I know we had a little bit of a conversation with this regarding kidney stones. So obviously, patients were having challenges with with kidney function, whether it be kidney disease or or even liver disease. Those are obviously patients who are going to be not ideal for a program like this, but also patients who have challenges from from an insulin standpoint. So type one type two patients are patients that you'd want to be very cautious with a program like this. And so those are the primary contraindications from patient typing standpoint.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 41:23

It's not that they can't do it, they just need to be monitored, right need to be monitoring your blood sugar's if we're going to do something like this. And I think I'll kind of echo back to what you said with liver disease. So if someone has active gall stones, those could move those can be mobilized through this program, we don't want you to have a blockage, right. So if they're very small, you're likely going to be fine. But how, however, we are supposed to say, especially with large, active gall stones, this would be contraindicated. And then of course, for those who are pregnant, or nursing, right, we know a lot of toxins are secreted in breast milk. So if you're, if you're currently pregnant, we definitely don't want you to be detoxing. And if you're nursing, likewise, before conceiving, this would be an awesome regimen to do to prepare your body right. So you have higher quality eggs and healthier children thought but after you're pregnant or nursing, then the answer is no, not until after you're done.

Steven Dake 42:12

Totally agree.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 42:13

All right, so let's circle back around to some of the benefits. So we've made a big case for why we're all toxic. Unfortunately, that's the depressing facts. But the good news is that there's something that we can do, right, you you alluded to changes we can make with our cleaning products, our skincare, again, our water, our air, there are lifestyle changes that we can make to swing odds in our favor, move us in the right direction. But the reality is, that's just not enough. So just like how we change the oil in our cars, we're changing the filters in our homes, sometimes quarterly, we need to be doing something for our body to revitalize the liver. And so that's where this program comes in. So can you speak to some results you've seen or heard of from clinicians and their patients after doing this program?

Steven Dake 42:55

Absolutely. I mean, the primary objective is to ameliorate some of those issues that the patients were experiencing to begin with. So we mentioned what patients may be subjectively experiencing from symptomatically. And that was, again, the irritability, the joint pain, the lethargy, the flexes, and you know, again, fatigue issues, the issues with being able to think clearly, all of those things are definitely the motility, all those things are definitely things that we have seen in terms of reduction. But I also think hormone balance is a big part of that as well, patients experiencing infertility who can go through an extensive detox program may experience you know, better fertility, so to speak. That's a big part of it. But one of the things that is most identifiable for patients is that they typically lose a couple pounds.

And I don't really want to highlight that very much, because it's the purpose of this isn't vanity. But the reality of the situation is that if you have elevated toxicity in regards to your adipose tissue, housing those toxins, you're not going to be able to lose weight effectively until we reduce that toxic burden. So the average person you mentioned carries around 14 pounds of toxins with them at any given point, then that's, that's pretty scary. But that also opens the door for us to reduce some of that toxic burden, and then sets the stage for a more healthy weight in the future. So it was the toxins then focusing on reducing adipose tissue. And since physiologically, we're not predisposed to holding on to that fat, we will be able to more efficiently lose that adipose tissue going forward. So I would say weight gain to a certain extent is a bonus.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 44:33

I totally agree. I have a lot of patients who have had a lot of weight loss resistance, and they come to me and we optimize their hormones. And yes, that helps, and we change their diet. And yes, that helps. And quite frankly, this program helps pilot patients into better eating behaviors right long term, which hopefully they'll maintain, which can help but again, back to what I said the reality is that's just not enough. So a lot of patients do need a program like such to help them mobilize toxins and and change their filter and many times the result is weight loss. I think the average Some people have a lot more to lose than others, of course, but I think the average weight loss I see is probably for four to six pounds kind of depends on the person depends on how long they're doing the program for right? Did they have commit for half the week?

Or did they do two weeks and hit it hard and where they were they super compliant. So I think there are lots of results to be seen. And like I mentioned, brain fog was what lifted for me. And that was partially because I had removed gluten. And so I learned gluten is not good for me later found out through food sensitivity testing that I had gluten sensitivity, and later I tested myself for celiac and those, that blood panel was positive. So all along for years, I had no idea that gluten was dragging me down and causing inflammation literally in my brain made me feel lousy. So there are lots of benefits to be revealed of such program. So essentially benefits for your entire body hard to predict. But I encourage everyone certainly consider this program. So do you have any final thoughts on the program, final thoughts for the audience and on why they should consider such

Steven Dake 45:56

I would just say being as though our gut affects every aspect of our physiology, and obviously, we're all striving towards a more optimal health outcome in terms of our vibrance and what have you, I would consider basically changing the filter every six months or so I think that's a good foundational point for both most patients being as though again, you know, every American carries about 219 different toxic chemicals with them at any given point based on the CDC study on human exposure. And so having an efficient way to implement some of these strategies is going to be paramount in regards to your success. So it doesn't have to be obviously our program. But make sure that whatever program you're utilizing, is set up for success and is set up to treat phase two initially, otherwise, patients have been known to have some adverse effects. So in closing, I would just suggest that everybody take more of an active role in their health care journey, and definitely do some more investigatory work on their end, and I wish them luck. Thank you so much. I

Dr. Stephanie Gray 46:56

have to ask you, I ask all my guests. What are your top longevity tip maybe. And maybe it's to detox. But what's your top longevity tip?

Steven Dake 47:04

detox is important. Don't get me wrong, I think it's extremely important. But my top longevity tip is really to sleep seven or eight hours of sleep at minimum, I think circadian function and its role and longevity is extremely important. And I think that that's an area that we're getting more and more research in regards to no sleep and performance. And that's that's something that I'm quite interested in myself. So I would say at minimum, it's something that is simple, it's sleep but it's not just sleep, it's make sure that you're getting the right quality of sleep, you're not utilizing things before bed that reduced the likelihood of you entering those deep stages of sleep better impactful from an anabolic and repair regenerative standpoint. So blue light, obviously huge deal alcohol or toxins that are lifestyle toxins like caffeine, and even nicotine. So things of that nature that can that can create sleep cycle issues,

Dr. Stephanie Gray 47:59

which ties into detoxing because we detox when we sleep. So you got to sleep to detox. So yeah. Good To recap. Well, thanks so much, Steve, for coming on the show today and breaking down how simple and how important it is to detox our livers.

Steven Dake 48:12

Thank you Josh Gray was a pleasure.

Dr. Stephanie Gray 48:15

Although it may have sounded complex, the core restore liver detox program is actually quite simple. I've had patients successfully complete this program for the past decade. This comes with core support powder, the multivitamin, the Phyto core, a drink mixer and a patient guide explaining exactly how to eat and what to take one. I'm often asked so I want to clarify this is not a colon cleanse. This is a liver cleanse. So yes, you can do this cleanse while working. You aren't going to be running to the bathroom more. In fact, you'll likely be going less as you'll be consuming less food. Just like how in your home you're constantly doing laundry, cleaning and drying your clothes you need to have a game plan for constantly detoxing your body. To start, you can choose to do a seven or 14 day program and as Steve mentioned, consider doing this program every six months. Use code liver detox for 10% off at your longevity blueprint calm. And lastly, to learn further about other ways you can work to detox your body.

Check out chapter five of my book your longevity blueprint as well as this March's lineup of podcasts. Be sure to check out my book your longevity blueprint. And if you aren't much of a reader, you're in luck, you can now take my course online where I walk you through each chapter in the book plus for a limited time the course is 50% off, check this offer out at your longevity blueprint.com and click the course tab. One of the biggest things you can do to support the show and help us reach more listeners is to subscribe to the show. And leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. I read all the reviews and would truly love to hear your suggestions for show topics, guests or how you're applying what you've learned on the show to create your own longevity blueprint. The podcast is produced by the team at counterweight creative As always, thanks so much for listening and remember wellness is waiting

The information provided in this podcast is educational. No information provided should be considered to be or used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your personal medical authority.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai