Episode 005: How Living Alkaline Could Reduce Chronic Inflammation and Pain – Speaking with Mona Sharma

Sarah (00:16)

Hello everyone. I’m Sarah Cownley. Welcome to Health Talk by Doctors Health Press. This is episode 005 and it’s titled “How Living Alkaline Could Help Reduce Chronic Inflammation and Pain.” If this is your first time with us today, I’d like to welcome you to the show and if you’re a returning listener then, welcome back! I really hope every episode of this podcast is going to help provide you with the knowledge to make yourself and your family healthier and happier. Now, although Health Talk is still pretty new on the podcast scene, we’ve started out with some guests that are really some of the top in their field. Last week we had Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman, who’s a homeopathic doctor from Washington and she explained the basics of homeopathy and really helped us to understand really the alternative treatments available. The week before that we had Dr. Mike Rogers and he opened our eyes to the uses of CBD oil and the possibility of using the oil to actually get off of your prescription drugs.

Sarah (01:21)

Just imagine that! No more nasty side effects! So, if you missed those episodes, I strongly urge you to go back and listen to those. Well after you finish listening to this episode that is! Now, also, if you’ve been enjoying our weekly podcasts and you want to know more about how to live the healthiest life possible, you definitely want to head over to our website and sign up for our free daily ebulletin. It’s going to give you daily advice on the health topics that you really need to know about. Now, I’ll talk a little bit more about this free email after the show, but if you want to sign up, you can find it on our website at doctorshealthpress.com. So getting to today’s show, if you’re suffering with aches or pains of any kind, you definitely want to stick around for this episode. Because today we’ve got a really exciting guest and she’s got such an interesting story and a real range of knowledge on really how to live everyday to your fullest potential and that includes being pain free.

Sarah (02:25)

Mona Sharma is a registered holistic nutritionist and a yoga therapist. She’s also a lifestyle coach who’s really committed to helping people cultivate a healthier and more loving relationship to their mind, body, and presence in life. She’s based out of L.A, but works with clients globally and Mona helps those to empower their health and vitality, using the pillars of personal care that are really essential to living in health with energy and love every day. Mona works with many clients to help them with a variety of health issues, but one that she encounters frequently is pain. Many people who suffer for aches, soreness or pain in the body are really not aware that it could actually be linked to inflammation and acidity in the body. So Mona is here today to speak with us about considering going Alkaline. Now, this is a protocol that she’s really had a lot of success with, with many of her clients, many of whom are actually professional athletes. So after the show, don’t forget to visit her website, monasharma.com. So now I’d like to say welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Mona Sharma (03:36)

Hey Sarah. Thank you so much for having me.

Sarah (03:39)

Now let’s start off by telling us a little bit about yourself and how you became so passionate about natural health.

Mona Sharma (03:48)

Yeah. You know, not a typical story of my life, I would say prior to six years ago looked very different. I used to work for a handful of luxury cosmetic companies in sales and artist training. Typical scenario though, it was a corporate job. I was a hard worker. I was really stressed. I was not sleeping. I was pounding it out at the gym. I was going for wine and eating and eating on the run all the time and truthfully I just, I wasn’t happy. I was making myself physically sick. My digestion, my endocrine system was literally shutting down from the stress and I think this is probably combination with the chemicals in all the products that I was using in the industry. It wasn’t helping and I was also perimenopausal, so I was diagnosed being perimenopausal by naturopath in my late twenties.

Mona Sharma (04:38)
I was waking up with pain every day, so like, this wasn’t looking good for me at the time. I was told that I wasn’t gonna be able to have children. I now have two beautiful healthy children. I was a mess. I was overweight, I was exhausted no matter how long I slept. And I just knew that I needed a change. So basically I just, I took a leap of faith. I switched industries. I switched into health and wellness, which I’ve always been interested in because of my parents growing up. Nutrition has been a big part of my life because my mom was actually diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at a really young age. So, growing up I really saw her body breakdown, which wasn’t a good thing, so she was always looking for foods and for supplements and you know, the next thing to really slow down the progression of her disease and the pain that she was feeling.

Mona Sharma (05:25)
And that was at the forefront for us. So it was a gift. Now that I look at it now. And we also grew up living on a ashrams every single summer. So an ashram is a place where you go for a sort of a yoga retreat for a healthy living lifestyle as well, and we did this, my father, his background is he’s Indian and, I was really aware of the benefits of yoga and something called an ayurvedic lifestyle from a very young age. And of course I completely forgot about it when I was working my corporate life. So I basically wanted to continue being an educator, but this time I wanted serve people in feeling healthy and happy and their body’s waking up pain free every single day, which, you know, talking to many of my clients today doesn’t exist for them. And I’ve seen the pain of disease and inflammation firsthand. So this is essentially become my mission to educate others, but also we’re reversing its impact because I know that food and movement and mindset really have the ability to also empower people’s living. So I started working with professional athletes and many CEO’s to give them the tools that I knew would really benefit them from the inside out so they could live a more powerful and energetic life.

Sarah (06:32)

Oh, okay. So it really sounds like you had just such a personal experience and I’m guessing that’s why you’ve been so successful at helping others with their health issues.

Mona Sharma (06:42)

Yeah, I definitely think so. I mean my mother’s body, sadly it is completely deformed from the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, but I have to say that she’s managed it without a lot of the existing pain medications that are out there through food, through diet, and through a lot of mindfulness. So it definitely played an impact.

Sarah (07:04)

Definitely. Now, as we said, you’ve got so much knowledge about living in total health, but today we’re gonna focus on living pain free. So, with so many people suffering with pain and really this opioid epidemic that we’re hearing all about, the concept of living the alkaline sounds like something that is really needed in many people’s lives. So can you start by giving us an explanation of what exactly it means to bring the body into an alkaline state?

Mona Sharma (07:36)

Absolutely. Okay. Well PH basically refers to a proper balance in the body between acidity and alkalinity and we are built with this natural buffer system with our kidneys to regulate this. But one could say that today in many of us are leaning far towards the acidic end of the spectrum. So not only is the nutrient density of our food, not the same today, we’re also bombarded with so many things like processed, manufactured, packaged food, pharmaceutical drugs like you mentioned, toxins from the products that we’re using that are going into our system. Environmental factors, and believe it or not, stress is one of the biggest contributors that lead to this acidic state and highly acidic bodies are basically unhealthy bodies and pain is definitely one of the predominant symptoms. So when the body is overly acidic, it creates an unwanted environment which basically can create those things.

Mona Sharma (08:32)

So illness, bacteria, an environment for yeast to thrive specifically in your gut. Pain, weight gain, and faster aging. The list really goes on. High acidity or what they call acidosis. It also leaches minerals from our vital organs and from our bones. So, to neutralize this acid and remove it from the body, you know the body has to go to its mineral reserves. So things like calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium can also run very low. And this causes damage that could go undetected for years. And ultimately it reaches an unhealthy level and leads to chronic pain or disease, right within the body. So many people are already consuming enough acid forming foods. You know, it’s so easy to just grab food on the run that isn’t necessarily the best thing is for us, we, I call anything that’s packaged almost at a dead food. It’s not a living food. So things like dairy, cranes, meats, sugars, since the body is constantly generating acidic waste products from the metabolism, those waste products need to be neutralized or extracted from the body in some way. And in order to do that, this constant acid generation, we need to supply the body with more alkalizing foods. That’s the only way you can kind of counteract the damage that’s being done.

Sarah (09:56)

Okay. Now, what type of things should you eat then? You know, can you give us some examples of these alkalizing foods?

Mona Sharma (10:04)

Yeah. You know, when we think about this, you want to look for things, that are vegetables and fruits and greens that are high, chlorophyll greens, things like lemon, even though we consider them to be acidic, they’re actually alkalizing for the body and you want to stay away from the things that are packaged, things that aren’t refined sugar based. But you could essentially say that when you ingest a food in its whole state, they tend to be more alkalizing. Plant based proteins over animal proteins. Exercising regularly is something that’s beneficial. And of course, avoiding the things that are nasty for you, you know, the addictions to caffeine to drugs or whatever it may be as well. I highly recommend the easiest way to do this is go online, print out and acid alkaline chart, and put this up on your fridge. Take a grocery shopping with you so that you have a direct reference because it’s not always that simple. You know, something like blueberries. We could think that they’re super healthy, but they’re actually acidic to the body. And again, this is how your body metabolizes things. But if you go green, chances are you’re going to go alkaline.

Sarah (11:08)
Okay, so then now I had heard that an alkaline diet can sound very similar to a paleo diet, but from what you were just saying is to try and actually limit, some of the meat proteins. So is that correct? Is it, is it more towards a Vegan or vegetarian style diet over a Paleo Diet? Like I had previously heard?

Mona Sharma (11:30)

Yeah. This is such a great question because you know, these Paleo diets, Keto Diet, they’re the things that are so trendy today, right? And they definitely have so many benefits to diets like that. So when you really break it down, a Paleo Diet and an alkaline diet have many things in common with a lot of the same benefits, such as lowered risk for nutrient deficiencies. They both helped her reduce inflammation levels. They both, they both talk improving digestion and improving weight loss and management and so on. Some of the things that the two have in common obviously are eliminating added sugars, reducing the intake of things that are pro inflammatory. So omega six fatty acids are very prevalent in our foods today, eliminating a lot of inflammatory grains, processed carbs, and decreasing or eliminating dairy and increasing fruits and veggies. However, there’s a lot of important things to really consider if you do follow the Paleo Diet.

Mona Sharma (12:22)

So Paleo Diet also eliminates all of a dairy, yogurt, Kefir, and these can be valuable sources of probiotics and minerals for many people who don’t have an issue with them. Obviously the Paleo Diet also doesn’t emphasize eating organic foods or grass fed free range meat in moderation. And these are things that are essentially important. And the Paleo Diet also tends to include lots of meat, pork or shellfish which have their own drawbacks. But I think the biggest thing that I see with my clients today is although they do feel the benefits of a Paleo Diet, what they’re not remembering or including when they’re looking down at their plates are the vegetables. So they’re getting the high fat and high protein, which tend to be more acidic, but they’re not taking in the vegetables, the green leafy vegetables specifically to help counteract that acidity.

Sarah (13:14)

Okay. That makes sense. We’ve been kind of focusing on pain relief and I know you’ve touched on some other ailments that bring your body to an alkaline state may help with. Do you know of any specific elements that maybe it has been proven to help? For example, I know you touched on it and I’ve also heard that people diagnosed with osteoporosis should especially be aware of the acidity in their body because it can affect the density of the bones. Are there other, any other ailments that you know of that it can specifically help towards?

Mona Sharma (13:48)

Well, you know, absolutely when we consider there’s so many studies out there that have proven that diet can really change the state of specific ailments and diseases. We know that a diet rich in organic fruit, non starchy vegetables, chlorophyll rich, green leafy vegetables that I keep mentioning, good quality plant protein and good quality fats can actually reduce inflammation in your diet. You know, there’s also a lot of research from the American Institute for Cancer Research that has published so many studies on the relationship between diet and cancer prevention. And for example, I’ve seen, you know, certainly results within my clients that when you boost alkaline foods, you can reduce a lot of the inflammatory markers that I mentioned and the symptoms as well. But you know, there’s something that I think everybody should be mindful of is, you know, when we consider this and Dr Mark Hyman says this best, “food is information for your body,” which I love.

Mona Sharma (14:48)

You can give your body. Yeah, right? It’s the best way to think about it. You know, you can give your body the right information and it will create a positive impact, but every single person is different. This is why there is no one cookie cutter diet for every single person, right? So you really have to take a holistic view of what your constitution is. So what’s your lifestyle like? What is your stress? What are your genetics? What’s your mental state light like? And this is really the foundation of functional medicine for optimal health so that you find balance because you know, everyone, even if you went on a strictly alkaline diet, it doesn’t mean that in the end it’s going to benefit you if you swing far over on the pendulum to the alkaline side. That means that you’re also off balance in that regard too.

Sarah (15:30)

Okay. Actually, that leads me to my next question because I was going to say, I know you mentioned it at the beginning of the episode that it’s not just about the diet, it’s your stress levels can contribute. I don’t know, but could something like, you know, I’m the emf’s that we’re all constantly around every day. It sounds like these can also affect the, the acidity in our body.

Mona Sharma (15:55)

Yeah, absolutely. There’s so many factors, you know, which I’ve mentioned that you’re introduced to every day outside of diet, but you know, I think it’s incredible to note our bodies are so amazing, magnificent. They’re so resilient, they’re repairing themselves, but often when we just keep doing the same damage over and over. So a lot of my clients will come to me and they’ll start by saying, yeah, you know, I, I’m just, I’m bloated all the time. And when I asked them how long they’ve been bloated for, they say, oh, for years they get used to living with these symptoms. They get used to living with brain fog. They get used to living with high levels of stress so that they don’t recognize this as an initial sign or signal from the body to say that, hey, there’s an imbalance here that’s going on that we need to take care of.

Mona Sharma (16:38)

So you know, at the end of the day, a lot of the symptoms that you could be looking at, or are you somebody who’s prone to getting a lot of colds or virus? Do you suffer from brain fog or fatigue? Inflamed gums is a big signal. Water retention or weight gain, poor digestion. If you have issues with your skin, and obviously if you have any issues with your kidneys, you’re going to have supervision around this. But at the end of the day, when you can focus on the alkalinity of the foods that you’re introducing, it’s truly something that can benefit everyone no matter what end of the spectrum you’re on

Sarah (17:11)

And we really need to start listening to our bodies more.

Mona Sharma (17:15)

Absolutely. You know, there, we have a symptom all the time. We just have to tune in and kind of listened to it. But unfortunately, as I’m sure you’ve talked with many people before, we live in a society where we’re taught to, you know, run to the drugstore and get that quick fix that’s going to take it away as opposed to looking at the root cause of an issue and addressing, Oh hey, if I, if I take care of that first, then maybe I won’t have to go out and be on these medications or drugs or treatment instead.

Sarah (17:39)

Right. Now, is there anyone that shouldn’t follow an alkaline diet or are there any side effects associated with it?

Mona Sharma (17:49)

That’s such a great question. So to be totally honest, for everyone that’s listening, I’m not a fan of anyone dieting or going extreme with anything. So my advice is to really consider whether this will benefit your constitution as I, as I mentioned, do you suffer from any of those symptoms and chances are by introducing those foods, you will notice a difference in how you feel, but people respond differently to various foods. So I think the one thing that you have to remember is if you’re somebody who might not be used to taking in so many fruits and vegetables and stuff like that, by taking it so much more dietary fiber, this is something that you might throw you off or might be, and cause you a little bit of digestive distress, but just trust that this will, this will pass. But I have come to, I have yet to meet anybody who goes alkaline who focuses on alkaline forming foods that really does have any type of side effect.

Sarah (18:47)

So everyone really can benefit from leaning towards more of an alkaline diet.

Mona Sharma (18:53)

Absolutely. I would just say, you know, it take, you know, a chart, choose somebody alkalizing foods that you love. Take those home and incorporate them with the foods that you have. I’m a big fan of the 80/20 rules, so I promise you as well, you’re going to have a much easier time following this type of a lifestyle or program. If you introduce that 80/20 rule, 80 percent of the time, the impeccable with your diet 20 percent of the time, go out and enjoy the foods that you do love so that you’re maintaining that balance that’s going to keep you feeling good and focusing on feeling great most of the time.

Sarah (19:29)

Well, we’re starting to run out of time a little bit here, so do you have any final thoughts about the alkaline diet before we wrap up the interview? Maybe just some last tips on if somebody wants to get started on an alkaline diet.

Mona Sharma (19:46)

Yeah. You know, like I said, the best advice that I have is really approach any new way of eating not like it is a diet because doing anything in excess is really going to throw off your body’s Ph again and instead of maybe you can start just imagining how do you want to feel in your body? How do you want to wake up feeling in the morning? Do you want to wake up with energy, with happiness, having a clear mind, living pain free, and really let that emotion drive you. Food is information and it’s designed to really support you and how you feel. The next step is you can also reduce acidity in your body by breathing. So a big part of what I do from the yoga component of my life is teaching people how to start off their day with 10 deep breaths before you get out of bed, before you race for coffee, before you pick up your phone.

Mona Sharma (20:32)

And this is proven to help reduce acidity to your body. And then of course, you know, instead of going for that coffee, try to incorporate a glass of lemon water, a or even a green juice first thing in the morning. They taste delicious. You can reacclimatize your taste buds to actually enjoy brain foods. And you know, the really the best way to start your day, and I think that I work with most of my clients, is giving your digestion a break. Starting your day off with something like a super food smoothie is exactly what we do at my house. My toddler loves them too. Take your favorite unsweetened milk. I love coconut milk for example, and then I add in some organic spinach. Spirulina is another super food that I love, maybe a small bananas and berries and then a good quality fat, things like almond butter, flax meal, coconut or avocado, and really you got all the nutrients that are alkalizing for yourself, but also the nutrients that you need to get your day started off right.

Sarah (21:29)

Well that’s great. Mona. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us today. You’ve given us so much information and you know, inflammation leading to chronic pain really seems to be something that everyone is speaking about lately, especially with the opioid epidemic, so bringing the body into an alkaline state really seems like a promising way to help relieve pain. For someone who’s looking for an alternative to pain killers. Now, like I said, you’ve given us so much invaluable information. I know our listeners are gonna, hopefully go and whip up a green smoothie for breakfast, so I just want to say Monica Sharma, thank you so much again for being here.

Mona Sharma (22:08)

Thank you so much, Sarah. This is great

Sarah (22:11)

And you can find out more about Mona at Monasharma.com

Sarah (22:17)

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Sarah (23:12)

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Sarah (24:03)

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