The Autoimmune Wellness Podcast

Episode 100: AIP Community Q4 Update — Research, Advocacy & Community
Autoimmune wellness doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s shaped by the research being published, the advocacy happening on behalf of patients, and the communities that help turn information into something meaningful in everyday life.
In this Q4 Community Update—and the 100th episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast—Mickey Trescott catches up on some of the developments happening across the autoimmune landscape, with a focus on research, advocacy, and community.
First, immunologist and AIP Certified Coach Sybil Cooper, PhD, joins Mickey to discuss a newly published qualitative study exploring the experiences of people with rheumatoid arthritis who participated in an AIP intervention. They look beyond symptom outcomes to explore what it was actually like to implement AIP, the challenges participants faced, what kinds of support helped, and what their diets looked like one year later.
Next, Jaime Hartman joins Mickey to recap the Autoimmune Association’s Hope Journey Walk, where Team AIP participated in Washington, DC, Michigan, and virtually around the country. They discuss the importance of showing up as a community, raising awareness, and connecting AIP with the broader autoimmune research and advocacy landscape.
Finally, Jamie-Nicole Martin, founder and CEO of the AIP BIPOC Network, shares updates on the organization’s work supporting people navigating changes to insurance, medication, and food benefits, along with community outreach, an autoimmune and menopause research project, and plans to expand access to resources in the year ahead.
Together, these conversations show how research, advocacy, and community intersect—and why all three matter for people living with autoimmune disease.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What qualitative research can teach us about the real-world experience of following AIP
What participants in the rheumatoid arthritis AIP study found most challenging
What happened when researchers followed the RA participants one year later
How Team AIP participated in the Autoimmune Association’s Hope Journey Walk
Why connecting the AIP community with broader autoimmune advocacy and research matters
How the AIP BIPOC Network is helping people navigate changing insurance, pharmacy, and food benefits
What Jamie-Nicole’s autoimmune and menopause research project is exploring
Why community resources need to evolve as people move through different stages of life with autoimmune disease

Resources:
Exploring Participant Experiences With the Autoimmune Protocol Diet in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study
Autoimmune Association – Hope Journey Walk, research, advocacy, and patient support
AIP BIPOC Network
AIP Certified Coach Program & Practitioner Directory

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Introduction to the Q4 Community Update and Episode 100
01:56 – Research update with Sybil Cooper, PhD
03:00 – Understanding qualitative vs. quantitative research
05:20 – Challenges participants experienced implementing AIP
08:10 – The role of professional, household, and peer support
10:40 – What participants were eating one year later
13:15 – Reintroductions, long-term success, and lessons for the AIP community
15:50 – Jaime Hartman: Hope Journey Walk & Team AIP
17:20 – What the Hope Journey Walk was like
20:00 – Why Team AIP’s presence matters
22:40 – Community connection and the broader autoimmune movement
26:36 – Jamie-Nicole Martin: AIP BIPOC Network update
27:30 – Navigating changes to benefits and healthcare access
29:30 – Autoimmune disease and menopause research
31:00 – Community outreach and the Abilities Expo
33:00 – Connecting people with resources throughout the autoimmune journey
34:45 – What’s next for the AIP BIPOC Network
36:02 – Episode 100 reflections and wrap-up

Episode 99: ADHD, Women’s Health, and Autoimmune Disease with Dr. Jolene Brighten
What if the brain fog, overwhelm, forgetfulness, trouble focusing, or emotional intensity you’ve been blaming on hormones or autoimmune disease has another layer to it?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by hormone expert, nutrition scientist, and bestselling author Dr. Jolene Brighten for a conversation about ADHD through the lens of women’s hormones, brain health, and autoimmune disease.
Together, they explore why ADHD can look different in women and why so many women aren’t diagnosed until later in life. They discuss how ADHD symptoms can shift throughout the menstrual cycle and become especially challenging during perimenopause, as well as the complex relationship between hormones, inflammation, the gut, and the brain. Dr. Brighten also shares her perspective on hormone replacement therapy for women with ADHD, practical ways to support the microbiome, and simple strategies for making nutrition, movement, and daily life more ADHD-friendly.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why ADHD often looks different in women and can go undiagnosed for decades
What’s happening in the ADHD brain beyond problems with attention
How estrogen, progesterone, and the menstrual cycle can influence ADHD symptoms
Why perimenopause may reveal ADHD that was previously masked or well-compensated
What women with ADHD should know about hormone replacement therapy
What we know about the relationship between ADHD, inflammation, and autoimmune disease
How gut health and food sensitivities may interact with ADHD symptoms
Practical strategies for nutrition, movement, and reducing overwhelm with ADHD

Resources:
Book: ADHD and Women by Dr. Jolene Brighten
ADHD and Women resources and bonuses: drbrighten.com/adhdinwomen
Podcast: The Dr. Brighten Show
Follow Dr. Jolene Brighten: @drjolenebrighten

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – ADHD, hormones, and autoimmune disease
01:59 – Introducing Dr. Jolene Brighten
04:10 – How ADHD presents in women
06:48 – What is going on in an ADHD brain?
11:19 – How ADHD symptoms change throughout the menstrual cycle
16:42 – How perimenopause affects ADHD
24:57 – How HRT can affect the ADHD brain
33:44 – The relationship between autoimmune disease and ADHD
37:58 – How to “microdose your microbiome”
43:12 – Food sensitivities and ADHD
45:54 – How to tackle overwhelm with ADHD
49:40 – Wrap-up and closing

Episode 98: Food Sensitivity Testing: What Tests Can and Can’t Tell You
Food sensitivity tests promise something incredibly appealing: send in a sample, receive a personalized list of reactive foods, and skip the uncertainty of elimination and reintroduction. But can these tests actually tell you which foods are causing your symptoms?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott takes a closer look at the science behind commercial food sensitivity testing, including IgG panels, MRT, ALCAT, and other commonly marketed approaches. She explains the important difference between a test being able to measure something in the body and that measurement actually being clinically useful.
Mickey also explores what it means for a diagnostic test to be properly validated, why major allergy organizations recommend against IgG food sensitivity testing, and why feeling better after following test results doesn’t necessarily prove that the test accurately identified your problem foods. Finally, she shares fascinating emerging research into food reactions that conventional testing may not yet capture—and explains why systematic elimination and reintroduction remain the most useful tools for building a personalized diet.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What IgG food sensitivity tests actually measure—and why a positive result doesn’t necessarily indicate a harmful reaction
How MRT, ALCAT, and other food sensitivity tests work and where the evidence falls short
The difference between analytical validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility
Why feeling better after following test results doesn’t necessarily prove the test accurately identified your problem foods
Why elimination and systematic reintroduction remain the best way to identify individual food tolerance
What emerging research may tell us about food reactions conventional testing doesn’t capture
Why unnecessary food restriction can have nutritional, financial, and quality-of-life consequences
How to think about past food sensitivity test results without dismissing your own experience

Resources:
Episode 54: A Deep Dive Into the AIP Reintroduction Process
The Autoimmune Protocol: theautoimmuneprotocol.com
Research on confocal laser endomicroscopy and food-related reactions in IBS (Study 1 and Study 2)

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Can food sensitivity tests really identify problem foods?
02:59 – IgG food sensitivity testing
07:16 – MRT, ALCAT, and other food sensitivity tests
12:31 – What does it mean for a test to be validated?
16:22 – But what if the test worked for me?
19:28 – Why elimination and reintroduction remain the gold standard
23:10 – Emerging research into food reactions we can’t yet test for
26:52 – Reframing food sensitivity testing
31:33 – Wrap-up and closing

Episode 97: Integrative Rheumatology: Bridging Medicine, Nutrition & Lifestyle with Dr. Micah Yu
For many people living with autoimmune disease, seeing a rheumatologist can bring up a lot of uncertainty—especially if you want to incorporate nutrition and lifestyle alongside conventional medical care.
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by Dr. Micah Yu, a quadruple board-certified physician specializing in rheumatology, internal medicine, integrative medicine, and functional medicine. Dr. Yu also lives with autoimmune arthritis himself, giving him a unique perspective as both physician and patient.
Together, they explore what integrative rheumatology actually looks like, why conventional medicine and lifestyle don't have to be an either/or choice, and how patients can build a healthcare team that supports the full picture of autoimmune health. They also discuss how to prepare for a rheumatology appointment, when medications may be necessary, and how nutrition and lifestyle can work alongside medical treatment.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How Dr. Yu's experience with gout and spondyloarthritis shaped his approach to medicine
What rheumatologists actually treat and why they often serve as "detectives" for complex cases
Common misconceptions about rheumatologists, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine
Why time constraints within conventional healthcare can make complex autoimmune care challenging
What integrative and functional rheumatology looks like in practice
Why medication and lifestyle interventions don't have to be mutually exclusive
How to prepare for a rheumatology appointment and make the most of limited time
Why tracking symptoms, medications, supplements, and your health history can help your physician
How patients and their prescribing providers can approach medication changes when health improves
Why building a multidisciplinary healthcare team can be valuable for autoimmune disease

Resources:
Dr. Lifestyle: https://drlifestyle.org
My Autoimmune MD: https://myautoimmunemd.com
Social Media: @MyAutoimmuneMD
Podcast: Autoimmune Alchemy

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Why rheumatology and lifestyle medicine don't have to be either/or
02:15 – Introducing Dr. Micah Yu
03:41 – Dr. Yu's personal journey with autoimmune arthritis
07:40 – Rheumatology 101: What does a rheumatologist do?
10:15 – Common misconceptions about rheumatology
16:15 – What integrative and functional rheumatology looks like
19:40 – How to get the most out of a rheumatology appointment
22:02 – Combining medication with diet and lifestyle
25:27 – Hope for people living with autoimmune disease
27:34 – Dr. Yu's advice for building a healthcare team
28:22 – Wrap-up and where to follow Dr. Yu

Episode 96: Understanding Food Reactions: Why Foods Affect People Differently
One of the central goals of the Autoimmune Protocol is figuring out which foods work for you and which ones don’t. But when a symptom appears after eating a food, what actually counts as a food reaction—and does every reaction mean the same thing?
In this episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott explores the science of food reactions and why they can look so different from person to person. She breaks down the major categories of reactions, including food allergies, celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, digestive intolerances, and reactions to specific compounds in foods.
Mickey also explains why a reaction and its underlying mechanism aren’t necessarily the same thing, and why that distinction matters when personalizing your diet. She explores how dose, timing, preparation, digestive function, and other factors can influence food tolerance, plus why a reproducible reaction can still provide useful information even when science can’t yet explain exactly why it happens.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The many ways a food reaction can show up, including changes in autoimmune symptoms
The difference between a food reaction and its underlying biological mechanism
How food allergies, celiac disease, food sensitivities, and digestive intolerances differ
Why dose, timing, preparation, and digestive function can influence food tolerance
How compounds like histamine and sulfites can trigger symptoms in some people
Why meaningful food reactions can occur even when we don’t fully understand the mechanism
Why food reactions can be difficult to identify when symptoms fluctuate
How AIP elimination and reintroduction help identify the foods that work for you

Resources:
The Autoimmune Protocol: theautoimmuneprotocol.com
The New Autoimmune Protocol by Mickey Trescott

Episode Timeline:
00:00 – Understanding what constitutes a food reaction
03:24 – What can a food reaction actually look like?
07:29 – Food allergy: When the immune system reacts to food
15:22 – Gluten reactions: Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity
21:54 – Food intolerances: When digestion and absorption are the problem
27:35 – Reactions to compounds in food: When it isn’t the food itself
35:37 – Why food reactions can be so hard to figure out
40:06 – Bringing it back to AIP: Finding the foods that work for you
42:06 – Wrap-up and closing