19. 5 Budget-Friendly & Simple Steps for Improving Gut Health

Does cold weather really make autoimmune disease worse? In this episode, Jaime and Marie-Noelle start with their own experiences of the colder months, then walk through what the research shows. They share practical strategies for the season, from staying active and vitamin D to indoor humidity, paraffin wax baths for stiff hands, Raynaud's tips, and staying well during cold and flu season, flagging how strong the evidence is for each. They also share what's new at Urban AIP this fall, take on the question of whether to start AIP now or wait until after the holidays, and close with a little homework.

Jennifer Franchak, functional nutritionist and AIP Certified Coach, returns to the podcast for her first interview appearance after featuring her presentation back in episode 38. This time, Jennifer and Jaime talk about a problem more and more women with autoimmune disease are running into: having access to more health information than ever before, and still not feeling any clearer about what actually matters for their own body. Jennifer shares what she sees in her practice with women who have already tried nearly everything, why gathering more information isn't the same as gaining clarity, and how her new workshop, the Flare-Up Freedom Blueprint, helps women connect the pieces of their own autoimmune puzzle.

Laurane Chemenda returns to walk listeners through her reintroduction journey, now five years in and still evolving. She talks candidly about what has made the process take as long as it has, the moment a reintroduction attempt sent her a clear signal, how she distinguishes psychological hesitation from genuine physiological caution, and what she'd tell someone who feels discouraged that their own reintroduction isn't following a tidy timeline. The conversation closes with a look at Bien-être Auto-immune, the French-language AIP platform and community Laurane founded.

This episode features audio from Lana Buettner's presentation at the 7th Annual AIP Summit, "The Autoimmune Athlete: Empowered Movement." Lana, a board certified functional health coach and AIP Certified Coach living with ankylosing spondylitis, shares her journey from Division I college tennis to competitive padel, and breaks down how to use movement as a therapeutic tool, including during flares, without overtraining.

To celebrate a major milestone, Jaime and Marie-Noelle look back at the first 50 episodes of the AIP Summit Podcast and share eight moments that resonated with them most, from sustainability and travel to weight stigma, rare diagnoses, perfectionism, creativity, mental health, and our connection to the natural world.