5 Hidden Inflammation Triggers Dr. Will Cole Wants Every Parent to Know

Intro and Dr. Will Coleu2019s background 0:00

Hey team, welcome back to the XMA Kids podcast. I am so glad that you're here today. We have a huge guest on, he's a big name in the functional medicine space, and I'm so genuinely glad to have him on. Dr. Will Cole is a New York Times bestselling author. He's the host of the podcast, The Art of Being Well, a functional medical practitioner who's worked with thousands of patients through his telehealth practice. and I picked up his book, The Inflammation Spectrum, back in 2019 when my third daughter was born with eczema already all over her skin.

And in this episode, we talk about the four core inflammatory foods most families are never told about, plus the extra parts of healing that don't make it onto the standard checklist, and nervous system safety, intuition, knowing the difference between being informed and being consumed by fear. I mean, it's all really important stuff, right? It's part of the package. And if you're standing at that really hard middle place right now and you are not sure if your doing enough or doing it right, or it is all your fault, this one is for you, friends.

So, can't wait to share this conversation with Dr. Will Cole. Let's get into it. Is your child struggling with itchy nights and endless flare ups? I'm Andrea McHugh, mom of four and host of eczema kids. Here you'll find natural solutions that actually work so you can heal your childhood without steroids, without the overwhelm, and finally see calm, healthy skin again. Let's get into it. Dr. Will Cole, welcome to the show. I have been so looking forward to this conversation. Thanks for having me.

Me too. I have to tell you, I actually bought the inflammation spectrum back in 2019 when my third daughter was born. And that little nugget, she was borne with eczema. She literally came out of the womb that way. I had a cesarean and when I read your book, it just helped me feel like somebody was putting language to what I was seeing. You know, and I just nursing her, eating the cleanest diet possible. I know by way of eczema is like, you know, what most listeners are seeing this, but the body's always communicating with us, right?

And there's a spectrum of what we have to actually work with. And I also really love and respect everything that you're doing with The Art of Being Well and your podcast there, because that's what talk about here too. It's just through the lens of parenting, cause when you have a child struggling with exima, Being well becomes a really different experience. And I'd love to start there with you. When you think about what it actually means to be well, not just on paper, but in real life, how does that definition change when you're in the middle of something really hard, like a chronic condition for yourself or a child in your family?

Yeah. Well, thank you for the kind words. It really means a lot to me. And I'm, you know, obviously I am in functional medicine, but I m a dad, first and foremost. So I speak from that experience, too, of two teenagers and all the years beforehand of those different seasons of our lives as parents. Being well is, my podcast is called The Art of Being Well because I like exploring this duality of the science and art of wellness. And the signs is exciting. I'm a nerd and I love a good randomized controlled trial.

Well, I can even respect the epidemiological study, but when it suits my narrative, of course. as everybody does it. And I love exploring all of these things, right? These mechanisms of action. I loved data with labs and improving telehealth patients' labs. They love it all. But it can be so like, we cannot forget common sense. We cannot forgot intuition. we can not forget that there's some things that are ineffable, inexplicable that will never be studied.

What being well means in real life 3:40

So to understand real life as an art, and science is really an at the end of the day, but really applying that in a meaningful, soul-filled way. That's why I have these conversations in the podcast, because that's how I live my life, that how see things with telehealth patients, how operate as a dad. So I don't certainly all get it right, but that is all part of it too. It's like you don�t get right and sometimes you mess up and you know, like Maya Angelou said, when you do better, you better. And as parents, certainly that applies, right.

We all could have done things differently. So to give yourself grace, give this whole thing some grace and lightness and compassion, self-compassion, because we're doing the best we can. Most of us are with what we know at the time. And even people that do this for a living, like myself, I could look back at my two teenagers and say, wow, if I knew than what I know now, I would do things so much differently. So these are the conversations that I like to have is to bring a sense of grace and compassion to these topics can be overwhelming.

You mentioned like going through a chronic health problem. Certainly the all of what i just said applies even more so. Because what we feed our body, what with breakfast, lunch and dinner, What we supplement with, the things we are doing on a nutritional level, When a physical level matters, but what are we feeding our head and our heart on a daily basis and stressing about these healthy things isn't good for our health And you don't want that energy in your healing journey, right? So easier said than done.

I know that but that's the part of it is sort of learning what this really means on a deep level, not a sort of a vapid social media sound bite level but a really meaningful level. So that's what being well, I guess, looks like for me because I see people every single day, telehealth patients up against some really heavy stuff, really difficult stuff. Sometimes the world can see it, like eczema. sometimes they can't see, but they cover it up, obviously. But then there's the things that world doesn't see, right?

The silent issues like brain fog and fatigue or digestive problems or anxiety or anything like this, and the world looks at you and says, everything's fine. You're just depressed. Just pick yourself up by the bootstraps. you're lazy. And then you tell yourself that. So it's like, there's so much medical gaslighting, systemic medical gasoline going on for these people, whether you see it or not see. That's why these conversations are so important. for someone that's healing, that is on that healing journey, and knowing that the healing is non-linear, knowing it takes time, but you're on the right track.

And if you are not, let's find out and pivot what needs to happen. It's such a central part of my life. I love it. I loved it so much. And to mirror what you're saying, I just, so believe that, you know, lucky for us as parents, You get those mini do-overs every day. It's like, kind of messed that up a little bit yesterday, but they give you another chance. They still love you. When you are faced with a chronic issue, and there's certainly worse things, than eczema, And I feel like we're the lucky ones.

This is silver lining. if you're sincerely suffering, and we were not sleeping, two of my kids, their skin was just falling off head to toe, right? And there was no joy. There was not smiling in our house. It was horrible, but thank goodness. Thank goodness for that experience and that life teaching, because we've changed the entire trajectory of their lives and my whole family's life. That's the thing, is that these symptoms, whether it's eczema or something else, some other inflammatory symptom, these can be like the bible says like what was meant for evil you can use the word evil plug it in with something else if you don't like it but what's meant from maybe not good in your life can be redeemed for good can we use for a good so obviously a health issue whether you know xm or something it's like its not god but there can't be a redemption in it can'd be like purpose through the pain i see so many telehealth patients through their own journey the silver lining the redemption is them helping other people.

Or like you said, changing the whole family dynamic. It's the canary in the coal mine. The eczema was this canarian in coalmine and it woke everybody up and helped everybody in many other ways. And it never would have happened if it wasn't through what they went through. So it's tough to see when you're in thick of it, but when the other side of impossible, then it all makes sense of like, oh yeah, this was something that was so tough, really was used for good. So, you know, I know that if somebody's earlier on in the journey, this all sounds kind of annoying, but it is true when you're on the other side of it.

I do want to ask you as a practitioner, when zoom out and you are just looking at the population as whole and specifically the pediatric population and there just seems to be more and more sickness, more autoimmunity and all those things are showing up earlier and earlier, and these kids are genuinely sick and they're really young. What do you feel like we're missing there? Well, I see on a national level, like a world level we're missing a lot and we cannot wait for a system to change. We need to changes ourselves.

They're not even concerned largely with autoimmune issues, they're concerned with inflammatory chronic health issues. It's not the way the system's set up. Of course, they have steroids and immunosuppressants and biologics and things like that, anti-inflammatories, but it's the sort of medicinal matching game. The training is to diagnose a disease, match it with a corresponding pharmaceutical drug, and that's it when it comes to chronic issues.

Why chronic inflammation is rising in kids 9:20

So we're missing a lot. I see a lotta this through the lens of ancestral health. And the research of, you read the inflammation spectrum, so you know, like most of our genetics haven't changed in thousands of years, but yeah, our world has changed dramatically in just a few generations, a finite period of time. So it's not just one thing, it is the foods we're eating, the food we are not eating. It's chronic stress, some result trauma, environmental toxins. These physical and then mental, emotional, even spiritual things for some people of how that's showing up in the body.

So, it's a confluence of factors. It's the entourage effect of different epigenetic lifestyle life variables. So for some people, the bigger piece of the puzzle is going to be their food. For the next, they're in a moldy home. They're exposed to some environmental toxins. And for many people it is a combination of all of these things. There's so much bio-individuality to these topics, but like you said, the eczema or it could be something else for somebody else. Some other inflammatory symptom is the proverbial check engine light.

But why is it check-engine lights on? And that's where my job comes in. It's like, okay, from a diagnostic health history standpoint, what's showing up? What's underneath that proverbio hood that is causing that checkengine light to be on. So that's on a clinical level what I see is going on, but on the macro level, we are just so divorced from where we came from. And you can see it from a scientific ancestral health, researchers call it evolutionary mismatch, genetic, epigenetic mismatched. But said in another way, it's when mankind pretends to be God, there is unintended consequences and sometimes intended consequences.

that all of this is really stemmed towards us being divorced from the earth. That's why these things arise oftentimes, right? So, yeah, I just think we need to decrease that mismatch as much as we can with what we have access to, with, what's within our budget to not be stressed about this stuff at the same time. It's possible, believe me, and give the rest to God. Do the best you can. You don't have to have it all figured out to start healing. And for the people that are listening now, and if that's where they are, say they just got back from the pediatrician's office, because as we know better, we do better.

But right now this is a new thing, or maybe they've been experiencing it for a few months. They personally don't have any history with it. This was my story, you know, when we went to the paediatrician. They said, you know, here's a couple of steroid prescriptions and, really, the best you can do is manage it. Hope and pray it goes away. And, if it gets any worse than this, biologics are an option. If that's where you are, what would you say to those parents for your next steps or maybe even using the steroids for a little bit?

First of all, there's no shame. You know, they're going to be different things in your life and in you journey through all of this that may serve you. That may get your head above water just to, like you said, get to sleep at night. Right? To just function as a family. Because like not sleeping isn't good for your health. Stress isn' t good to your heath. So there is no shame whatsoever to say, okay, in the short term, And in severe significant situations, maybe that medication, that pharmaceutical is needed.

And for some people maybe it's needed longer term. It doesn't have to be either or, it could be both and. To say, yeah, do I need this band-aid right now? Maybe I do. Maybe I don't maybe I know that's a personal decision to make with you and your doctor to say what's right for me and my family what right from my baby to get by and I think sometimes people to go down the sort of quote unquote natural world. natural road, they feel like they're a fraud if they need to lean on pharmaceuticals. They feel they are betraying their failure, and they aren't.

Pharmaceuticals are there when we need them, but we just need the question, what's the most effective option that causes the least amount of side effects? So again, some people are alive because of medication. Some people need to be on them long term. But most of the time, it's not the long-term solution with these chronic type of issues. It may be needed in the short term, again just to get the head above water so you can just survive. The longterm goal is this is not sustainable by itself. There has to a both and conversation and maybe As time goes on, you can come off of this, and most of the time with these type of situations, ya can.

You don't have to be dependent on these long-term. And then there's gonna be some people that the medications aren't the most effective at all, or they have deep convictions that they want to try a different route. Follow that conviction and don't let people shame you. Don't people gaslight you, don' let pressure you follow your intuition. So every case is different I guess is what I'm trying to say and for someone that's earlier on in that journey I would just say to don''t doubt that intuition, be informed and lean in to the next right thing.

That's kind of one bit of advice and the thing I'd say is don't gaslight yourself right it's like you may hear all this conflicting information and you feel pressured follow that intuition especially moms really but any parent but especially mom's i follow. That gut instinct follow, that gut feeling i my fourth book was called gut feelings it really was talking about that sort of ineffable intuition that's stronger in women generally. So to follow that and to heal yourself, your baby, anybody in the family, because there are answers out there.

And then when we look at labs and diagnostics, we can look these things that are underneath the hood, like environmental toxins, unhealthy gut. different things that are not loving their body back, a food or something like that, some sort of food sensitivity. It's multifactorial in most cases.

How to approach steroids and early treatment 15:20

And you need both an inside-out and an outside-in way to address something, like eczema or anything that's showing up on the skin. Topical matters and also the inside out matters. So you have to have this sort-of multi-pronged approach to heal these things. And then my last bit of advice here for someone that's new to their journey is be informed but know when to put the phone down. Know when be empowered with information but then don't get caught up into this sort of endless vortex of conflicting information, going back to that stress piece.

I mean, that is the blessing and curse, the double-edged sword of the time that we live in. the democratization of information, not just health information but all information. The decentralization certainly of health, information the gatekeeper like old era of, you know, a guy in a white coat just because he said it. We're past that. But the downside of it is there's so much information I know parents that have stayed up all night. They're researching all-night long. That's not good for your health.

So you need to know when being informed is a blessing. But so is putting your phone down and saying like, I know enough. I don't want to get caught up in paralysis of analysis. Now it's time to just do the next right thing and not consuming more information because the change is going to happen in the doing, not the consuming of information. when you're talking is just taken back so succinctly to that place where, you know, your standing in the room with somebody wearing a white coat or saying, this is what you need to do.

It feels innately wrong. I was holding my newborn and holding the hand of my two year old and they're both covered with eczema. And it's like, This just doesn't feel right. I came from a dental background, definitely allopathic medicine background. My family, everyone, my husband, you know, like everyone was like, this seems negligent to not pursue this route because of course I didn't have all the answers. doing my best to uncover them. And I did spend every single night in between night wakings and, you know, soothing my kids back to sleep.

It was just like reading books because I had to, dig ourselves out of this well and you're like painfully tired. Like that just that mess of when you are living like that, right? It's not living, there's zero freedom there and it's just such a hard place to be. The only way to get you through is, and you know, that's if you go the pharmaceutical route or not, is you have to believe in your heart of hearts that your child can get past this or you can pass this, like that healing is actually possible.

And I just wanted to ask you, I mean, how do you help your patients do that to actually like reconnect with their body or, you believe, truly know that they're capable of healing even when it feels really far away in the present moment? Yeah, it's connecting with them. It starts with the initial telehealth consult because you're really talking about the clinical stuff. So they feel heard, they know that they're heard. They don't just feel it, They know it. And that like the cliche, people make fun of holding space.

But that's how I see it is like you are holding some space for some heavy stuff and that itself is healing. When someone is heard and they are safe, that is the genesis of healing So it's really about that and that can transmute from mom to baby, mom, to child, because that her nervous system, her body, that safety and herdness that you give to her will translate in the home. It'll shift the whole energy of the Home. So it really just starts with A, I guess, knowing what you're talking about. Like when someone that lives and breathes this for myself, people can read that.

People can see this is authentic and they're not gods, they are not going to figure things out all overnight, but they've got me. I'm safe. We're going figure this out. They're gonna lead the way. And I can pass that baton and say, let's do this together. So it really just is, I guess, knowing what you're talking about and then having a lot of clinical experience and let's get started, let get moving in the right direction. It takes time, as I mentioned earlier, healing is non-linear. Yeah, some people it's quick and it is not that big of a deal, but for most of the time it IS a journey.

But it one that we are very adept at navigating the waters that are at play on that journey So when you are Dr. Dad, you mentioned your boys. Do you have two boys? A boy and a girl. And they're teens now. So you're a little further down the road than I am. My oldest is 11. I mean, how do you help support their bodies without your well aware of... you know, the risks and the toxins and all the things that are out there, but you also want them to have normal lives and enjoy and friends and how do you expand their life experience without making it feel restrictive or overwhelming?

We all, as parents, we all know our kids, right? And if you don't, get to know them. I was at Disney World the other day and it's like get these guys like walking around their phone. They're so distracted like to get to know your kids Maybe a little bit not to say on your phone is bad. I'm not saying that but you know just moments So and we're all guilty of it the distraction culture the hustle culture so to check ourselves, but we all know our kids and I Would say you have to make all of this age-appropriate make it A source of self-respect and self compassion and worthiness, not of restriction and frenetic anxious energy that starts with us as parents to set that energetic frequency in the home.

And you're going to get it wrong and be okay with that. that that's part of the process of learning about it. So I don't even necessarily see any of this, but someone that has that intention, there's really very few things that would be considered a failure or even actually a bad day. Is that bad gonna make you even better the next day? If it does, it was not for naught. It was naught in vain. Like let yourself learn through this whole process. As a dad, that sort of intention And as they are older, you can have bigger conversations about it.

Building safety, intuition, and healing confidence 22:00

When they were little, it's about, okay, this food makes, when you eat whatever food it is, like a protein, This is gonna make your muscles big and strong. when You eat carbs, that's going to give you whole food, fiber-rich carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables. That's gonna help with your energy throughout the day. give your brain what it needs to have optimal focus and smartness, intelligence in your life. That's when you're little, you have relaying how food is medicine in a fun way. And look, if you ate a certain way and then you start shifting things because you are learning about nutrient density and food as medicine and inflammatory problems, be okay with a little toddler coup d'etat.

Be okay with a slight revolt. It's happening. You're the parent. And they are only eating what you buy them. Of course, there's school and friends' homes. I know that. Activities. But you know what I'm saying. At home, you are responsible for that, so be okay. explaining why, age appropriately, why you're making these swaps, but make it a source of fun and make a sort of empowerment. My son's actually 19, he's home from college right now and for break and he said, dad, do you have any great brain supplements for me?

I need you to stock me on my this, this and this. Do you any cool like things? He loves it. It wasn't always like that, right? It was not always that. You have to plant seeds, be consistent. This is good medicine for us as parents. Plant seeds for yourself. Be consistent with yourself first. and live by example. And yeah, they're not gonna like everything, but make them try things, at least try it. I think some studies have shown like 15, 20 times, sometimes it's like a ridiculous number to make kids to try thing before they will even like it, and maybe they won't love everything.

There's gonna be different levels, this is applicable to parents too, any adult, there's different level of foods, right? There's foods that taste delicious but also love your body back. Okay, that's a no-brainer. The second level is foods you tolerate but you don't necessarily love, but it loves your your back, and then the third level are foods make you throw up that also loves you back The first two levels are really things that adults, kids alike should get to know more. What are those two level?

Because they're that second level. We don't like it in America, but it's important. We want everything to taste amazing. But what's that second level? And guess what? Most of the time, they'll actually grow to like it. They'll grow and be like, it's like an acquired taste, but I actually enjoy it now. When people in the health space say their taste buds changed, there's something about the neurofeedback, the nervous system, and the way that the body shifts as the bodies shift. So what you have inner resistance to, start to decrease that inner-resistance and say, is it really that bad?

And again, this is good for parents to do themselves to. Quit being a baby about foods. Set the tone in the home and be consistent with it. So that's kind of my advice there. And that is what I do with my kids. Both of our kids are by nature are extremely picky. So like I am like, again, we're not talking some wellness perfection, but we have a list of non-negotiables in the home. You as a parent need to come up with what are my list and non negotiables and set the tone. Now my kids, when they grew up, like growing up through their adolescent teen years, they may had sometimes had things that didn't love their body back when it was outside of the house.

But we've created such a culture at home that they knew their wiggle room and they had more body awareness and intuition about all of this, where they wouldn't want to keep eating something that didn't love their body back. That's insanity. But yeah, that's what we do in the United States. And then we call it body positivity or something like this, it is really insane. It's upside down. it's a conversation about worthiness and self-respect and avoiding something that doesn't love you back, isn't restrictive, isnt toxic diet culture, its self respect.

And nourishing your body with foods that love you back is really the best form of self-respect and worthiness that you can do three times a day. So it's a blessing. It's huge privilege, actually. Yeah, that's my advice for any parent out there. That's what I live by. Again, not always getting it right, but I can see it today. Just right before we started recording, he asked me to fill up his supplement things and he's just home for the weekend. Don't give up the good fight, parents. Thank you for saying that because so often I met with, oh, you know, my child feels like they're missing out or even depressed because, what's on their plate doesn't look the same as their friends and, Oh, this is so hard, just to cook a normal meal and you know everyone like as you said has a really different starting point and as we mentioned before like thankfully this is happening so that now your level of non-negotiables is completely elevated and for a period of time it feels like a fish out of water and I just want to reiterate like both you and i are here to say it gets better I'm like, it gets better.

There's a quick revolt. They absolutely will be. If you're going to change it, yes. And it's loud. I have four kids. It's like loud, but they get over it. Yes, my 11-year-old just says, what is the vegetable tonight? She knows there's going be a vegetable. Is that her favorite? No, she's just going eat it and it is okay that this isn't like a delicious chocolate cake. Every bite doesn't have to feel like that. Thank you. It is a sincere blessing. A blessing to know better and to do better, and nourish our family in this way and be able to buy the groceries and allocate the time to prepare it wholeheartedly.

I think when you come at it from that frame of mind, instead of feeling a certain way about it, just that mindset shift helps everything so much better just your experience of life tenfold and and it certainly gets you to that like healing point of clear calm skin and pharmaceutical kits so sooner so yeah and kids want to feel better too i think if you bring it to their level of like you don't want this they don' want the eczema they dont want whatever other symptom that they have. So it's like, yeah, does it happen overnight?

And sometimes the distance between cause and effect is kind of discouraging, especially to the kid when they're like are we there yet? Are we? But it is like when the turn that corner and they own it for themselves, It is a beautiful thing to see. It isn't like you anymore pushing it in the home. They have owned it for themselves in their own way. And as they maybe go through their adolescent years or they're over at their friend's house, they are going to explore those outer boundaries of foods

Supporting kids with food without fear 29:20

that don't love them back. But that's a learning experience for them too. and just be okay with that because you can't control everything, especially if they're in a lot of activities and all of that stuff. At that point, you have to do the best you and have conversations. I'm not saying go hog wild at the friend's house, still set the tone, but know it's going to happen sometimes and be OK with it. And I wanted to go back to, you know, your talking before about just like the rhythm and the Norseman and regulation and creating this sense of safety in the body.

And we know that healing can't really happen until We feel this sense of safety in our body, but then on the other hand, we're dealing with this condition that feels chronic, that is loud and fiery and burny and itchy and sleep disrupting and mood disrupt and all the things and you're experiencing that and it's stressful and makes you anxious. You don't exactly know if you are doing the right thing or what to try next. If you're there, but you also want to, of course, create this healing sanctuary for your child, how can you start to influence the inflammation in a more positive way, just by way of the environment, even when you are feeling like, I don't know what to do and this is horrible.

Something that's robbing the body of safety is typically physiological and psychological bit of both for a lot of people. So physical issues could be an underlying gut issue, environmental toxin, as I mentioned, inflammatory foods that don't love their body back, these set of things, right? And then on a mental-emotional level, that stress and trauma piece, which should be looked at, and there's even really compelling signs looking at intergenerational trauma and transgeneratorial trauma of how these things pass through families and is that everybody's piece of their puzzle?

No, but it's something to look at because it is something that what's actually passed through family and these epigenetic heirlooms can travel through the families because of lived experiences from the past. Again, you don't have to know all this stuff to start healing. But these are areas to look at because if you make it just one thing where it's just that food or just whatever, it may be more multi-pronged than that. And I see people all the time that eat pretty clean or very clean, but it's the stress and trauma piece, or if they eat very cleaning, it is the environmental toxin piece.

So it not all about food. It's not about whatever, the supplement. You have to be really looking at it holistically, comprehensively and find out on a bio individual level. Yeah, that may have worked for so-and-so I saw online or so and so my friend, but what's right for my kid? What's in our circumstance? Because again, it's going to be different for different people. Look, if nothing else, I would say if you're new to the food piece, look at what I would call the inflammatory core four, which many people may know, but there's a lot of nuance and context that's pretty fascinating, I think, to these conversations because everybody's different.

So these are the four foods or food ingredients that are most likely, and you read the inflammation spectrum so you know. Seen through the lens of ancestral health, because it's not so much the food, it is what we've done to the foods in many circumstances, and it's better for you versions for all of these things too. But I would say gluten containing grains like wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats can be gross contaminated. So we've hybridized grains, we sprayed it with herbicides and pesticides, the soil isn't what it once was.

And then look, historically, humans would have like survived on these things during times of famine, but now we're feasting on a famine food year around, and we are spraying with tons of stuff. And we aren't properly preparing it. We're not soaking and sprouting it, we not fermenting it in sourdough. So maybe an ancient sourdough grain bread is certainly going to behave quite differently to the human microbiome, the immune system, than a whole wheat or white bread. But even the better for you version, some people have problems.

So it's always good, better, best, as far as the humans immune systems concern, but sometimes even best doesn't love the person back. So you have to look at not just gluten, but even gluten-free grains component to, is this disturbing my body? Is it loving my baby's body back or not? Second would be industrial seed oils. It's a little bit more controversial, But let's go there. I think it's more the over consumption of these foods that have things like cologne oil and soybean oil, and vegetable oil.

Look, some omega-6, these are high in omega 6. These are polyunsaturated fatty acids. In their whole food form, they are essential fatty acid. There's nothing wrong with them. It's just the overconsumption of them in modern western diets. Very high omega six, very low in long chain omega threes. Healthy omega three. So the 369 omega ratio is important here. On top of that, These oils, because they're not in their whole food form, are more prone to oxidation from light and heat. They are implicated in ultra processed foods.

There's a lot of context to this, but I would say, let's look at the amount of omega-6 seed oils that are in the packaged foods, even the healthier snacks out there. And look, a cold pressed organic sunflower oil is technically a seed oil. There are better for you versions of seed oils out there. So the third is going to be added sugar, which most people know, but even the nicer sounding euphemisms for sugar. Be mindful of the grams of added, sugar not in their whole food form. Like fruit, fiber rich fruit in whole-food form, starchy vegetables, not the same.

They are fine. You should not fear them. Certain people should avoid them, like limit them for a time. But long-term, they're wonderful sources of food. I'm talking about the added sugar. So become label literate here. I'm like, I belitter it. Like the USDA, HHS, like the new dietary guidelines, which I think we've moved a lot in the good direction. We moved, we're moving in right direction as far as focusing on whole foods and upping the protein and all of that stuff and calling out sugar for what it is, calling our ultra processed foods for it's not being afraid of, and corporations don't like it when governments talk about that kind of stuff, but it important.

So their recommendation is no more than 10 grams of added sugar per meal. Which I think is a good starting point. It's still a lot. A little too much in my opinion, but it's a move in the right direction to get even awareness. Oh, okay. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, no more than 10 grams. Shockingly difficult to do if you're depending on boxed, canned, bagged foods. So, added sugar. And the fourth would be dairy. It's not the dairy, it's what we've done to it. We've cross-bred cows now that's beta-A1 casein, not beta A2 caseins.

Our immune system's like, what the heck, the OG case in is not there anymore. Plus we homogenized it, pasteurized, we fed the cows grain, All of the stuff. The poor milk is a shell of itself. It is not its whole food. So that's why fermented dairies, A2 daires, grass-fed daries behave quite differently. Because they have the enzymes with raw dairy, the fermentation breaks down the casein, making it more digestible. Better for you versions or stop them entirely for a time. For all of those things, if the human species did that, then the world would be a better place.

And then if I got a plus one, not for your kid, but for you, would be alcohol. If I say you I mean the parents not you. Come on, no one should be drinking alcohol in my opinion. But hopefully your toddler's not having a good shot or something. My kids ask for a shot of elderberry.

Less obvious inflammation triggers beyond food 37:20

You're living in the wild side, Andrew. No. I'm like, I don't know. Hopefully this is okay. So, half of the people listening, in my clinical experience, it's just been what we spoke to earlier. It's like oh, this new and this situation that's presenting inside their home is getting them to open their eyes. And then there's the other half that are living on an organic farm. You know, they have at home vaginal births, zero medication, and they're listening because there is still this issue inside the home.

And so if that's where they are, just they eating the clean food and haven't touched a seed oil or gluten or dairy for a very long time and their child is flaring, what are some of those less obvious drivers of inflammation that get missed? Food-wise, I would say, and look, there's a genetic and epigenetic interplay here. A lot of times, not all the time, but people that have different inflammatory problems have certain methylation gene variants, they have detoxification gene variant, so they can have HLA gene variance that impacts their body's inflammation, detoxication levels.

So there is a lot bio-individuality to this that apply to those four things I just mentioned, that also apply other foods that are whole foods, even nutrient-dense foods but may not be loving their bodies back. So a lot of plant proteins like legumes, beans and legums can be a great source of fiber and plant protein for one person and for the next person is really not loving their body back and it's impacting their gut skin axis. Nuts and seeds, legume, I would look at all of those. It's like yeah, healthy fats, fiber, protein, all true.

Many people are it's completely great with them and they love them. It loves their body back No problem, but it may be stressing and already stressed out. I've got skin access and maybe stressing out and all ready Stressed out got immune skin axis, right? I would look at these foods like nuts and seeds legumes They also can be higher in molds if somebody is more mold sensitive We have to look at these foods that maybe it's the plant proteins like the lectins and the phytic acid. Maybe it is the mold, maybe some sort of cross-contamination there.

I would look nightshades for some people. The peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplants. Now, not all nightshades have the same level of these alkaloid plant compounds, but the more rich, like let's think of the tomatoes. The spicier peppers. Like those may not be loving their body back through the gut immune skin axis. When their gut's resilient, maybe it won't be a problem, But removing them for a time to gain resilience to allow the body to calm down enough before you do reintroduction of of things like nightshades are they a problem for everybody no they could be wonderful like so don't think that they're inherently bad these are not this is not saying it's bad it just saying bio individual and um other beef, those are the kind of the main ones I would say.

Yeah, beyond the initial core four. Those are some things to consider. But look, it may be nothing to do with food. It may something environmental. That at that point, we want to be careful with our words here. And I'm talking about this because I don't want fear-mongering, hyper-vigilant, I have to live in this sort of BPA-free plastic bubble and not be exposed to anything and they're stressing about this product and that thing and... No, like again, stressing the stuff isn't good for your health.

So I would say when you look at things like environmental toxins, look things biotoxins like mold, bacteria, virus and parasites, you want to know it's actually what's going on. You don't want to go on the next parasite cleanse or the mold cleanse, or whatever, heavy metal cleanse if it's not even an issue for you. So confirm, and then if is confirmed, don´t stress about it. You know what you're up against, you can do something about. This is about narrowed subsets of people. Yes, it can be a big piece of the puzzle for some people, but it´s not a piece for everybody.

I don�t want people to stressing and or even addressing something that's completely irrelevant to their health journey and then don't sleep on when I said earlier this stress trauma piece even intergenerational trauma of saying is this something where their immune system feels unsafe for whatever reason yeah all the physical stuff I just mentioned and unhealthy gut inflammatory foods environmental toxins will make the body feel unsafe But so too, like the mental, emotional, spiritual component, is this something that's contributing to unsafety in their body or in my body and it's impacting them, right?

You talk about breastfeeding and like they're not eating anything and that it is all breast feeding. Is there something going on in the mom that is impacting their baby, which can bring a lot of shame and I don't want that to be. But is there an awakening for both of you to start to address this? Maybe all the things I said aren't anything your child's doing. But it's something that's inside you to address, not to fear, but to a dress. And it wasn't until this point that you realized it. That was something you needed to dress, it could be on the physical level, It could in the mental, emotional, spiritual level.

It can be in both. So just opening that up to that, maybe it like you're so focused on them, them them. Maybe it something, a lesson for you. thank you for saying that. I just, I tell parents a lot, it's not about doing everything. You can't do everything all at once. It's just about, you know, doing, everything that you have control over, which is thankfully a you know, anti-inflammatory way that can really help. You know there's just an eczema specific healing way to eat. Cut out these specific foods for a while just to help their their body repair and then you can bring them back in and It's just, it's not about like doing everything at once.

There's a real sequence and there's real, there is a cadence and a dance and just about not losing your mind in the process. I think like, as you said, this is just like the real real big driver and helps, helps outcomes a lot. So one other advice I'd say here is like we keep saying the through line in this, is be informed, but don't stressing about it. Don't stress about. It's okay to do less if you have to meet yourself where you're at. You have meet where your family's at because consistency is key.

It is not going to be any good for you to say, I'm going do everything and then it crashes in a week. So it has to be sustainable. So I'm okay if somebody leans into something as long as I lean in and don't stay with the basics. Because yeah, maybe the basic will be enough. But if it's not enough, if you're moving in the right direction, or even if your not noticing any change, Maybe your body needs something, maybe their body need something beyond just the basics. But it's okay to start with the basic.

Then get, okay, this is intuitive, This is second nature. Okay, it wasn't a complete French Revolution, I can handle this. There's no one losing their heads. And then we can then lean into it from there, but you need to progress.

Core inflammatory foods and eggs 44:40

You can't stay there and stay in fear and stays small and stayed back because you're afraid for yourself because your overwhelmed, your kids. You have to get to the point where, yeah, give it some time, lean into it. It's okay to lean in to something, but you need to progress, meaning that you needs to move beyond. If a certain level is not helping you enough, you'd need go to next level to lead in. But some people go zero to 60 and then lose their way. That's not going to serve anybody. You're going have start foundationally then.

1% better every day and oh my goodness, it doesn't take that long. And goodness you're in a completely different different field of life than you are you just yeah follow that rhythm and You know, thankfully, eczema doesn't just light up. I mean, everyone listening, they didn't cut out eggs and then it's better, right? It's way more complex than that. That's just not cutting it. And so their condition, what they're being, you know affronted with every day is making them rise every single day. Hooray!

Again, another silver lining and another... Yeah, that was actually one thing I forgot. When I said above the four, it was eggs. I'm sorry for forgetting that. Thanks for bringing it up. Yeah. So eggs can be... They're one of nature's multivitamins. It doesn't love everybody back. Is it the egg? Is what we've done to it? What is the poor chicken treated like? Or maybe go to a duck egg or a quail egg, or something like that, an ostrich egg. Maybe not that... But you know what I mean, so we have to look at eggs too.

I think the eggs are wonderful. Again, choline, phospholipids, omega fats, protein, it's so good. But as you mentioned, the albumin and the egg white can be a problem for some people. This was such a needed conversation. And I think for everyone listening, it really expands what feels possible and just makes it a little less heavy and a lot more doable. I love getting to have this conversation with someone who's both in the clinical world and living as a parent. So thank you so much, Dr. Cole, for being here.

You're welcome. Thanks for having me. Where can everyone find and follow you? Everything's at drwillcolle.com. That's D-R-W-I-L-C-O- L-E dot com. My podcast, you mentioned the art of being well is a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday. We've a lot of like clinical deep dives plus guests on my upcoming book. I just say this, my up coming books called heal your cells. It's with my friend and colleague, Dr. Josh Axe. And I have a book coming out in September. Haven't really talked about it in a podcast yet, but they can pre-order it right now on Amazon or wherever they get books, heal yourselves.

Longevity and Cellular Health, a lot of the things we talked about today we'll be digging into there. And yeah, we launched Lungevity Rx, which is a healthspan longevity line, what I'm really pumped about, regenerative, organic line. Super geeked about that, but all of it's at drwillcoole.com. They can kind of learn more about it all there Fantastic. All of that will be in the show notes. Thanks again for your time. Dr. Cole said something today that lines up exactly with what I see over and over in families that I work with.

Closing thoughts, resources, and next steps 47:40

You all know healing isn't about getting it all right. It's about being informed enough to act and then humble enough know when to put down your phone and just Tune in to your child, to their symptoms, their feelings. So whether you're leaning on a steroid tonight just to get everyone some sleep or giving another dose of Benadryl or you are months into a deep elimination diet and you haven't seen any results yet, you aren't not failing. You are doing every single thing that you possibly can, which means you the exact right parent.

for the child that you have. That's why they were given to you. I firmly, firmly believe that. And you are exactly where you need to be to take the right next step. If what you heard today is stirring something up because your own child is in the middle of a really big flare and you don't have a plan, I want you to know that, you do not have to piece this together on your on anymore the way I did, the ways so many of us have, it extends timelines, friends, and it's really, really hard. And I've spent years building a clear root cause framework for exactly this, and I offer a free eczema elimination alignment call where we can look through what's actually going on with your child, with their skin, their health, talk through, what is likely driving it, map out what healing could really look like for your children and your entire family.

And if that sounds interesting, you can go to eczemakids.com to grab a spot. There's also a link in the show notes to get a direct spot on my calendar for a free alignment call. I'm rooting for you and your entire family, friends. Thank you for being here today and I will talk to you next week. Take care. Thank you for helping with my eczema. Love you. Thank for listening today, friend. I know healing your child's skin isn't easy, but you're doing it one smart step at a time. If this episode gave you a little hope or a better night's sleep, leave a quick review so more exhausted parents can find exima kids and finally rest easy too.

Follow, share, and let's help more kids heal. Take care.