Miscellaneous
Sometimes reading research studies is difficult and intense, and there is a huge tendency to skim read, ingest false information, and cherry-pick tidbits that fit in with our preconceived ideas. Fortunately, there are people like Erin Skinner, our guest for today, who have the skills to translate dense, objective information and convey it in a way we can all understand. Erin is a board-certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with additional training and certification in integrative and functional nutrition therapy. She is an author, has a podcast called Empowered Nutrition, and also contributes to Paleo Magazine on a regular basis by writing research roundups – digestible and critical assessments of recent studies from different peer-reviewed journals. In our conversation today we hear from Erin about how she transitioned from a career as a human performance consultant in the military to finding the paleo diet, thereafter thinking about nutrition even more deeply and forming her own practice. We then get into some recent roundups she has done for Paleo Mag in preparation for the upcoming issue on woman-specific health topics. We talk about studies on the health trajectories of pregnant women, one focussing on obesity and the other, the connection between low iodine and low child IQ. The other studies we look at cover the links between exercise and the chance of falling pregnant, and the connection between BPA toxins and unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization. Our guest also shares some valuable information about ways we can know we are reading trustworthy information, and how to understand what statistically significant findings even are. Erin has a ton of valuable facts and tips for how to separate the lies from the hogwash, so make sure you tune in today! DOWNLOAD THE FULL TRANSCRIPT Key Points From This Episode: Erin’s transition into functional medicine from human performance consulting in the military. How Erin advertises herself and collaborates with physicians to supplement treatment. Ways that Erin keeps respectful to all diets and tactically runs nutrient panels on patients. Factual rather than philosophical conversations that Erin has around diet choice with clients. How shaming people for their diets is not the right way to encourage open-mindedness. Erin’s research roundups which act as her advocacy of the science behind paleo diets. How people sometimes don’t have the time or knowledge to understand complex studies. Findings of a recent study on obese woman in pregnancy, a group of whom got healthier. Associations found between low iodine counts in pregnant mothers and low child verbal IQ. How critical the first trimester is and how hard it is to know you’re pregnant then. Things to eat to keep iodine high and how to tell if it’s low: thinning hair, weight gain. How improved physical activity in women with PCOS increases pregnancy chance. Verifying statistical significance: determining if there is a true difference between bell curves. Statistics about the connection between BPA toxins and unsuccessful IVFs. Toxins that are found in some household products and makeup; the need for awareness. Evidence that environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and micro-toxins get sweated out. Advice to only read peer-reviewed journals from sites like ResearchGate. How Erin’s masters and clinician experience helps her decipher scientific studies. Tweetables: “You can do quite a bit without having to give anybody prescription medication.” — @RealNutritionRX [0:10:10.3] “The way that you’re going to convince people to think about a different approach is by sharing a positive message and by sharing the science.” — @RealNutritionRX [0:17:03.3] “I think people just kind of assume that the government has their back and if a company is allowed to make a product, it’s gotta be safe, and so we need to get the word out that that’s not the case.” — @RealNutritionRX [0:47:59.3] “Although there are flaws and problems with research at its core and how it works, if it’s not a peer-reviewed journal, it’s just people publishing their opinions.” — @RealNutritionRX [0:51:26] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Erin Skinner — https://www.realnutritionrx.com/ Empowered Nutrition — https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/empowered-nutrition-erin-skinner-rHXCBzbRfat/ Adventist Health — https://www.adventisthealth.org/ PubMed — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ ResearchGate — https://www.researchgate.net/ Cain Credicott on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ccredicott?lang=en SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR PMR AND YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN SOME GREAT PALEO SWAG! It's easy, simply post a review of PMR on iTunes and fill out our quick Registration Form and you'll be entered to win your choice of 4 great books and a Paleo Magazine vinyl decal! One winner will be randomly chosen each week.