Dr. Gerstmar is a naturopathic physician who uses patient-focused medicine to help people recover their health and their lives at his practice in Washington State, Aspire Natural Health. He is a member of the Affiliate Clinical Faculty of The School of Naturopathic Medicine of Bastyr University. Dr. Gerstmar has been honored to work with patients with the GAPS diet for the past 8 years and is officially certified by Dr. Natasha McBride-Campbell as a Certified GAPS practitioner.
After working as a primary caretaker for his father who had suffered a stroke, Dr. Gerstmar started researching nutrition and a variety of therapies through that experience, eventually deciding to study naturopathic medicine in grad school.
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Naturopathic medicine places heavy emphasis on the gut and digestion and healing foods, which are also strongly interconnected with autoimmune diseases.
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Autoimmune diseases are caused by the immune system breaking down and either a) targeting things outside of your body it’s not supposed to, resulting in allergies, or b) targeting things in your own body to begin attacking, resulting in autoimmunities (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc.)
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Genetics are typically not enough to solely determine whether someone gets a disease; genes must be “turned on” by things in our environment to have or trigger the disease.
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It’s possible to have symptoms of a disease without the corresponding genes being turned on. It’s also possible to have the genes or the disease, with mild or vague symptoms, for a long period of time before being diagnosed.
27:00
Before visiting a naturopathic doctor, make a list of things you’ve tried in the past (e.g. supplements, diet, lifestyle changes), and the results. This can help give clues to what your issues are or are not, and will help balance and correct methylation issues before any testing is done. Methylation is a biochemical process involved in almost all of your body’s functions.
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Dysfunctions can be corrected, but if people are not maintaining basic habits to keep themselves healthy, those dysfunctions will return. Those basic habits are:
- Eating nutritious food that isn’t harmful for you
- Moving and using our bodies on a regular basis
- Getting enough quality sleep
- Stress control and management
- Having friendships, community and connectedness to give greater purpose
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Supplements are only supplemental—they aren’t helpful if you’re not already following a healthy diet.
Visit www.aspirenaturalhealth.com for a free 15-minute consultation from Dr. Gerstmar and his team, and to find links to their podcast and free ebook.
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