Adobe Inn Back yard with huge trees
Welcome to Radiant Recovery®
May 26, 2019,
Hi {!firstname_fix},

Our teenaged rabbit is out hopping under the lilac bushes. Brody is taking an after dinner nap so he doesn’t know. I think the rabbit may sense that. It has an uncanny sense about when to come out.

Thank you for your kindness is reading my addendum last week. I got so excited about reporting back on Radiant Ranch that I plumb forgot to tell you about Ted’s launch of the ebook for Playful Mindfulness. Thanks to those of you who ordered it and told him that it was you and you were from here. It made me smile. It’s a nice book. I have been rereading it this week. I got the hard copy because I like to smell my books.

Simon & Schuster sent the official galley of the new book to be proofed. My job was to go over it line by line, period by period to check for errors. I was laughing that I found an apostrophe that was facing the wrong direction. First quotes face ‘ and second quotes are supposed to go the other direction’ which means the dot is on the bottom for the first and on the top for the second. I have not considered myself a “detail” person, but I caught it. It felt like a triumph! And honestly it transformed an old myth from as long ago as 8th grade.

I haven’t read the text for a few months. It was a joy to have it all put together. I feel as if we are adding a prequel and a sequel to Potatoes not Prozac. You will get information on what it means to be born sugar sensitive and then you get information on what happens after you do the steps and you are working on the “Get a new life” part. It’s been twenty years, so the joy of having your story unfold and weave its way into a new edition is a pretty big deal

As we are planning it publication, think about who you might like to give a heads up to. Your librarian? Your local paper? Those little hometown papers LOVE local news so if you contact them and you talk about what the steps have meant for you, it will have a way bigger impact than if I do. The Colorado Springs Gazette, The Nashua Telegraph, The Ashtabula Star Beacon, The Lowell Sun, the Kalispell Daily Inter Lake, you know who you are. Are you laughing? Why would I care about this?

These little newspapers is where the rubber meets the road. When Aunt May is having her morning coffee and she reads about “you” in the Kalispell Daily, she is going to want to read the book. And the book is going to be published in Russia, so when I tell you we have people from St. Petersburg connecting, it may not be from Florida. And I care about this because I know in my heart of hearts that the story changes lives.
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COMMUNITY FORUM
Share with others, ask questions, explore everything and anything about your program. Yes, even topics like chocolate and Fritos.
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GROUPS
Work on your steps, get information on what to eat while running a marathon, ask about depression meds, learn how to do life. Groups are free and fun.
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If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to one of our three groups there. Radiant Recovery®, Radiant Recovery® International or Radiant Recovery® Germany that shares in German.
CLASSES

We have finished the Serotonin class. I have not started the Beta Endorphin Class because there was a little Yahoo glitch. But I will do that tomorrow. If you want to sneak in, you can still do it.

Beta Endorphin

Beta Endorphin is the brain chemical that helps us cope with physical and emotional pain. Being sugar sensitive means we have less of it. Learn how this chemical affects your self-esteem and why your capacity to cope may be directly related to your beta endorphin levels. A fascinating look at the part of the story that is most crucial to sugar sensitivity. This will be starting on Wednesday, the 29th.

Sign up for this class

WORKING WITH KATHLEEN
Coaching is a special offering for people who are serious about enhancing their programs and would like to have ongoing coaching. We will do individual assessments to sort out exactly where you are in the process. You will be guided in making your own individual plan. You can learn about journaling and adjusting your food for your own life needs – what to do when. You will be given tools and shown how to use them.
Apprentice coaching is geared for people who are on steps one – three.
Skilled Coaching is for people who are steady on step three and ready to move through four-six. The small groups who stay together as they learn skills.
Sign up for coaching
Signature Coaching is intensive individual coaching geared to your specific situation. You may want to step out of the craziness of sugar addiction, return to steadiness and clarity after slipping away, slow down and focus on your recovery, or deepen a steady rhythm of recovery.
This is a way to step out of feeling overwhelmed with where to start and what to do. Because it is so individualized, we can work on what is right for you at this point in your journey. People tell me that coaching helps them feel safe and focused. We work with your style, your rhythm. We address your fear and let go of shame.
Ready to Start?
"Read the book over and over."
Testimonial of the Week

Everyone is different. When I was a brand-new liaison on the binge list I thought it would be fun to have a "definitive definition" of what a binge is and then we could know when it stopped, so I asked everyone what a binge was.

What a naive idea that was for me. Binges are as unique as the individual, and they stop when the imbalance *for that individual* is stopped.

If the imbalance is with blood sugar, the binges can stop after step 3.

If the imbalance is with serotonin, they can stop after step 5.

If the imbalance is with BE, they can stop after step 7.

Why do I say "step 7" for BE instead of step 6? Because with BE, there are two issues - "priming" with intense sweet, and raising the baseline. Step 6 stops the priming. But in step 7 you do proactive BE raising activities.

When I see people past step 6 and still struggling, it's almost always because life has changed and the first 6 steps are no longer "spot on," or the person is not proactive about BE raisers. I have personally done both so I know how it goes. Then you hear things like "life hit me with BE and I wobbled." But if the BE baseline is raised, then the life hit does not do as much damage, if you get my meaning.

Connie

GRILLING TIME
Two fat strawberries

It's grilling time and I thought it would be great to share some great marinades from the Radiant Recipes cookbook.

Marinate small pieces of whatever you are grilling for 1 - 24 hours. The longer the marinating time, the more intense the flavor. Remove meat, fish or tofu from the marinade and cook as desired. Brush a little marinade onto the protein as it cooks for greater flavor. Do not use the leftover marinade without boiling it first. Boil the marinade until slightly thickened and then you can use it as sauce.

Lime Ginger Marinade

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1 T. lime zest (grated lime rind)
• 1 T. rice wine vinegar
• 1 T. grated ginger root
• 1 T. apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Makes 4 servings.

Teriyaki Marinade

• 1 c. unsweetened apple juice
• 1/2 c. soy sauce or tamari
• 2 T. rice wine vinegar
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. freshly grated ginger root
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 T. tomato paste

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Makes 4 servings.
Read More
David Smiling
David, your Radiant Recovery® Concierge
Come visit our STORE. Call 505-345-3737 or email David if you have questions.
David, the store manager, is always happy to help.
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Each cookbook will cost $16.95/$15.29 plus shipping and handling
Your Last Diet!
Your Last Diet Book Cover

Last week at Ranch, I had someone ask me why I don't just tell people what to eat in order to lose weight. It really pushed me to think about what it is we are doing in YLD. The key concept is about LAST - this means the whole point is to get you to realize that diets are not the story. Diets = restriction which is simply one more way of taking away power. YLD is all about *empowerment* which means it is slow, thoughtful and transformative. It can be a little disorienting since it is so different from what you are used to.

Chats, chats, chats. We just keep talking, reflecting, learning. You will learn about fat terror, about the myths of obesity, how dieting fosters *restriction* and what that means for your long term success. We add new science to help you understand why you do what you do.

“I just want to thank Dr. DesMaisons for breaking me free of my sugar bingeing cycle. For years I ate self-destructively, eating, hating myself for eating, and then eating again because I hated myself, and so on. Then my mom told me about the book—she has lost 20 pounds without any trouble! This sugar sensitivity information and simple program has changed my life. I no longer feel the constant gnawing hunger and have been able to take control of my eating and from there my self-esteem. I have lost 12 pounds and am feeling better than ever. Just in time for my wedding, too!”

—E. B., Ithaca, NY

If you would like to join us in YLD, come find us here.
Pink orange rose

Some Reflections on Autism

Kathleen DesMaisons, PhD
This is an article I wrote a while back but I think is still relevant. I wrote it for parents, but honestly, if you yourself are on the spectrum, it is an interesting read. Let's keep talking about it.

A number of you have asked me about autism and Aspergers Syndrome and what you might do nutritionally? While I am not an expert in autism, I can outline some of the research that is being done and share my reflections on how it might fit together. You have the lived experience. Perhaps we can explore our way to some working solutions.

I have often wondered about autism. A couple of years ago I got a gorgeous rescue golden retriever. Her people gave her up because she was a behavioral problem. I took her and then observed. She would not connect, made no eye contact, and spent her days immobile with her head under the bed. She collected all the dog toys and hoarded them with her there under the bed. She could not cope with new experiences. She was stubborn, willful and terrified of rain and thunder. I worked with her behaviorally for 6 months with no change made.

Eventually, I took her to a homeopathic vet to see if he might offer some perspective. We met for an hour. He said, I think she is autistic. He had a remedy for her, but had to order it and said it would take 2 weeks. I figured while I was waiting, I would play with her food and see what happened. I did and in 3 days, this dog was transformed. She connected, she started wagging her tail, she started to play with the other dogs. Six months more and she was in a loving home being funny and loving. She is at times a little quirky, but they adore her and see her as a normal dog. The transformation got my attention.

Science does not know what autism is or how to treat it. Basically, researchers admit that they are trying stuff to see if it makes any difference. But as I started reading the literature, I found some intriguing connections.

Autistic children generally have high levels of serotonin in their blood platelets, but the level of free serotonin was low. This means that somehow the serotonin that is in the blood gets bound to the platelets but extra does not float around. This may mean high serotonin in blood cells, but low serotonin in brain.

One study suggests that this early high level could have an impact on the infant brain. Small babies do not have a formed blood-brain barrier; so high levels of serotonin could cross over ad knock out or overload the brain. This would mean a dysfunction in the serotonin receptor system. Fewer receptor sites, or impaired receptor binding, could account for the strange combination of no impulse control and obsessive brain lock we see in autistic children. At any rate, think of impaired serotonin function in your children. It is complex and not really clear, but there is no question that serotonin in some form is implicated.

Research also comments on the fact that autistic children have high beta-endorphin levels. The literature does not reference baseline beta-endorphin but talks about an exaggerated stress response. Measuring beta-endorphin evokes stress, so the high levels they see may be a function of the exaggerated stress reaction. Stress evokes BE, and generally serotonin modulates the spike. If the serotonin system is impaired, there could be nothing to tone the beta-endorphin spike down so there would be a constant spiking and crashing.

Higher BE levels are associated with difficulty in bonding. BE is designed to kill pain, it creates numb. This can be life saving in a crisis, but it does not bode well for bonding. Children treated with a BE blocker actually had fewer autistic symptoms. Researchers used a drug called Naltrexone that sits in beta-endorphin receptor sites and does not allow the heightened BE reaction to charge the system. But it does nothing to heal it.

I began thinking, what about food? What do we know and how might we design a food program for your kids. The variables we are working with:

  1. An impaired serotonin system
  2. A heightened stress response
  3. Heightened levels of BE in response to the exaggerated stress response

OK, this simplifies the task. Here's what we want to do:

  1. Have no blood sugar spiking and crashing. These evoke stress. These children need to eat every 3 hours. Three meals, on time, 2 daytime snacks and an evening snack before bed.
  2. No BE spiking from sugar and white things
  3. Increased omega 3 fatty acids to repair the brain. The brain is made of omega 3 fatty acids. If your child's brain does not have an adequate supply, it will be brittle rather than supple. And a brittle brain overreacts even more.

What does this mean in terms of food?

Increase the protein to make sure that the brain has the amino acids it needs to make serotonin in the brain factory. This means regular and consistent protein. And yes, I know that most of your children only want to eat carbs. Think whey protein power. Identify what proteins your kids are willing to try and use those creatively.

Give your children a children's formula of fish oil. Check the DHA formulation we have in the store. I love Nordic Naturals Products and think they are safe and very appropriate for your children.

Ultimately, you will want to move your kids to a food plan that has no wheat, no hard-core dairy (whey protein powder is ok because it does not have casein), and no sugar. Wheat and dairy contain opioid peptides and raise BE levels more. Sugar does the same. Obviously you will not do all of this at once. But you can take out things like soda and move incrementally towards the goal.

Now, at this point, you are probably either laughing or recoiling in horror. You may be thinking, Kathleen, that is a joke, my child only eats 2 things. I realize we have some major logistics to get through. I am very pragmatic. But, if you knew that putting your child on a protein/veggies/oil food plan with a timed evening carb would create a profound improvement, wouldn't you wan to at least try? I know you have spent thousands of dollars and have tried 100 other things. We have nothing to lose. Lets share and do problem solving together.

And, of course, it is critical that YOU do the steps. You cannot even think of making these changes with your child unless you are totally steady. Lets do it together. I am thinking of setting a group for you to share about these issues. Let me know what you think. And here are the citations. All of the abstracts are on Pub Med if you want to read them. Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi? if you want to read them

Akbari, H. M., H. K. Kramer, et al. (1992). "Prenatal cocaine exposure disrupts the development of the serotonergic system." Brain Res 572(1-2): 57-63.

Anderson, G. M., D. X. Freedman, et al. (1987). "Whole blood serotonin in autistic and normal subjects." J Child Psychol Psychiatry 28(6): 885-900.

Anderson, G. M., A. W. Zimmerman, et al. (2004). "Autism clinical trials: biological and medical issues in patient selection and treatment response." CNS Spectr 9(1): 57-64.

Blum, I., Y. Vered, et al. (1992). "The influence of meal composition on plasma serotonin and norepinephrine concentrations." Metabolism 41(2): 137-40.

Buitelaar, J. K. (2003). "Why have drug treatments been so disappointing?" Novartis Found Symp 251: 235-44; discussion 245-9, 281-97.

Bursztejn, C., P. Ferrari, et al. (1988). "[Metabolism of serotonin in autism in children]." Encephale 14(6): 413-9.

Cazzullo, A. G., M. C. Musetti, et al. (1999). "Beta-endorphin levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and long-term naltrexone treatment in autistic children." Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 9(4): 361-6.

Chugani, D. C. (2004). "Serotonin in autism and pediatric epilepsies." Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev 10(2): 112-6.

Cook, E. H., Jr., R. C. Arora, et al. (1993). "Platelet serotonin studies in hyperserotonemic relatives of children with autistic disorder." Life Sci 52(25): 2005-15.

Hollander, E., A. Phillips, et al. (2005). "A placebo controlled crossover trial of liquid fluoxetine on repetitive behaviors in childhood and adolescent autism." Neuropsychopharmacology 30(3): 582-9.

Humble, M., S. Bejerot, et al. (2001). "Reactivity of serotonin in whole blood: relationship with drug response in obsessive-compulsive disorder." Biol Psychiatry 49(4): 360-8.

Leboyer, M., A. Philippe, et al. (1999). "Whole blood serotonin and plasma beta-endorphin in autistic probands and their first-degree relatives." Biol Psychiatry 45(2): 158-63.

McBride, P. A., G. M. Anderson, et al. (1989). "Serotonergic responsivity in male young adults with autistic disorder. Results of a pilot study." Arch Gen Psychiatry 46(3): 213-21.

McCauley, J. L., L. M. Olson, et al. (2004). "Linkage and association analysis at the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) locus in a rigid-compulsive subset of autism." Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 127(1): 104-12.

Moore, M. L., S. F. Eichner, et al. (2004). "Treating functional impairment of autism with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors." Ann Pharmacother 38(9): 1515-9.

Mulder, E. J., G. M. Anderson, et al. (2004). "Platelet serotonin levels in pervasive developmental disorders and mental retardation: diagnostic group differences, within-group distribution, and behavioral correlates." J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 43(4): 491-9.

Nabi, R., F. J. Serajee, et al. (2004). "Association of tryptophan 2,3 dioxygenase gene polymorphism with autism." Am J Med Genet 125B(1): 63-8.

Nader, R., T. F. Oberlander, et al. (2004). "Expression of pain in children with autism." Clin J Pain 20(2): 88-97.

Nagamitsu, S., T. Matsuishi, et al. (1997). "CSF beta-endorphin levels in patients with infantile autism." J Autism Dev Disord 27(2): 155-63.

Palermo, M. T. and P. Curatolo (2004). "Pharmacologic treatment of autism." J Child Neurol 19(3): 155-64.

Ross, D. L., W. M. Klykylo, et al. (1987). "Reduction of elevated CSF beta-endorphin by fenfluramine in infantile autism." Pediatr Neurol 3(2): 83-6.

Sandman, C. A. (1988). "Beta-endorphin disregulation in autistic and self-injurious behavior: a neurodevelopmental hypothesis." Synapse 2(3): 193-9.

Scifo, R., M. Cioni, et al. (1996). "Opioid-immune interactions in autism: behavioural and immunological assessment during a double-blind treatment with naltrexone." Ann Ist Super Sanita 32(3): 351-9.

Sodhi, M. S. and E. Sanders-Bush (2004). "Serotonin and brain development." Int Rev Neurobiol 59: 111-74.

Spivak, B., P. Golubchik, et al. (2004). "Low platelet-poor plasma levels of serotonin in adult autistic patients." Neuropsychobiology 50(2): 157-60.

Tordjman, S., G. M. Anderson, et al. (1997). "Plasma beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotropin hormone, and cortisol in autism." J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38(6): 705-15.

Tordjman, S., C. Antoine, et al. (1999). "[Study of the relationships between self-injurious behavior and pain reactivity in infantile autism]." Encephale 25(2): 122-34.

Vered, Y., P. Golubchik, et al. (2003). "The platelet-poor plasma 5-HT response to carbohydrate rich meal administration in adult autistic patients compared with normal controls." Hum Psychopharmacol 18(5): 395-9.

Whitaker-Azmitia, P. M. (2005). "Behavioral and cellular consequences of increasing serotonergic activity during brain development: a role in autism?" Int J Dev Neurosci 23(1): 75-83.

Whitaker-Azmitia, P. M., M. Druse, et al. (1996). "Serotonin as a developmental signal." Behav Brain Res 73(1-2): 19-29.

Whitaker-Azmitia, P. M., L. J. Molino, et al. (1990). "Serotonergic agents restore appropriate decision-making in neonatal rats displaying dopamine D1 receptor-mediated vacillatory behavior." Eur J Pharmacol 180(2-3): 305-9.

Whitaker-Azmitia, P. M., A. V. Shemer, et al. (1990). "Role of high affinity serotonin receptors in neuronal growth." Ann N Y Acad Sci 600: 315-30.

Willemsen-Swinkels, S. H., J. K. Buitelaar, et al. (1996). "Plasma beta-endorphin concentrations in people with learning disability and self-injurious and/or autistic behaviour." Br J Psychiatry 168(1): 105-9.

Here is the Annie Lane column that brought so many of you here.

Dear Annie: I read with interest the letter from "Weird, Stupid or Selfish?" – whose husband eats all the decorative candy she puts out. His inability to resist sugar resonated with me, as I have sugar sensitivity and have engaged in exactly the same behaviors. I simply could not resist sugar.

After years of struggling and dieting and sitting in work meetings obsessing about the doughnuts instead of the topic at hand, I discovered the book "Potatoes Not Prozac," by Kathleen DesMaisons. Her theory is that people who are sugar sensitive have brains that respond differently to sugar, alcohol and refined carbs and that what they eat and when they eat it have a huge effect on them. She shows how to rebalance blood sugar levels, serotonin and beta-endorphins through small lifestyle changes and offers the latest research, free online support and seven steps to change your life. It is not about willpower; it’s about biochemistry, which her program can slowly improve, just one tiny step at a time, with amazing results.

I have been sugar-free for six years now, lost 25 pounds and never gained any of it back. I can go to dinner with family and don’t even think twice when someone orders dessert. I don’t have cravings, and sugar is no longer on my radar. I am more focused and more tolerant, and the daily mood swings are gone. The woman who wrote to you could suggest to her husband that he check out http:// radiantrecovery.com to see whether he does have sugar sensitivity. At the very least, she would be better informed about this condition. – Happy Without Sugar

Dear Happy Without Sugar: I hadn’t considered that health issues might explain

her husband’s behavior. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of sugar sensitivity.

Thanks for opening my eyes to the condition! I’d like to encourage all readers to talk to their doctors if they find themselves compulsively eating sugary snacks.

—Email questions to dearannie@creators.com

ANNIE LANE
©2019 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your blog or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®", and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction.

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