Dr. Jeff Knight is a chiropractic physician who works to help people tap into their natural ability to heal. His multi-therapeutic approach includes functional medicine, functional neurology, muscle activation, brain and cellular detox, and more. Today I’m talking to Dr. Jeff about a much-requested and highly controversial topic that every parent has had to weigh: vaccination.
Yep… we’re going there!
Let me start by saying that our goal in this episode is not to discuss whether to vaccinate or not. Instead, we’re bringing up important questions to consider so we can give vaccines the same careful thought we give to other areas of health. Bottom line, we’re certainly not judging any parents for their decisions one way or the other, since we are all trying to educate ourselves and do what’s best.
Episode Highlights With Dr. Jeff Knight
- Whether or not vaccines have anything to do with autism
- Genetic factors that determine how well we detoxify from heavy metals
- What makes certain children more susceptible to vaccine injury
- How generational toxins are passed down from parent to child
- The concept of herd immunity and some important questions to ask
- Whether we can “overuse” vaccines the way we have antibiotics, and why this is a tough question to answer
- Homeoprophylaxis: is it a viable vaccine alternative?
- The role of parents in the vaccine decision & how to get educated
- The detox protocol Dr. Jeff follows for a child with vaccine injury
- Whether there are other safe and effective ways to provide immunity
- And more!
Resources We Mention
- True Chiro North (Dr. Jeff Knight’s practice)
- James Maskell
- Vaccines Revealed documentary (Dr. Patrick Gentempo)
- Truth About Vaccines documentary
- Dr. Pompa detox
More From Wellness Mama
- Episode 100 AMA: Your Questions Answered on Circumcision, Vaccines, CBD & More
- 92: A Holistic Pediatrician Talks Ear Infections, Fevers, & Vaccines
- 113: Toxic Metals That Cause Fatigue and How to Detox Them
- 134: Five Benefits of Fasting, Autophagy, Diet Variation & Cellular Healing with Dr. Daniel Pompa
- 210: Why Most Detox Methods Are Dangerous & What to Do Instead With Dr. Shayne Morris
- Is the Flu Shot Safe?
- How to Detox Heavy Metals Safely (& Get More Energy)
Did we miss a question you wanted answered? Let us know! Please drop a comment below or leave a review on iTunes to let us know. We value knowing what you think and this helps other moms find the podcast as well.
[toggle title=”Read Transcript”]
Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.
This episode is powered by Ritual Vitamins which are specifically designed just for women. Ritual contains nine essential nutrients that most women don’t get enough of from just from food: vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin), folate, vegan D3, vitamin K2, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, boron, chelated iron and a proprietary form of magnesium. Ritual supplies them in forms that are easily absorbed and utilized, and all the capsules are vegan, gluten-free, allergen free and non-GMO. They have both a prenatal and a regular women multivitamin both designed specifically for women and synergistic for women hormones. Did you know that 40% of women cannot properly use folic acid due to an MTHFR gene variation? Ritual contains a natural form of folate and synergistic nutrients so the entire multi is more effective. In pregnancy especially, folate is vital… According to OBGYN Dr. Jason Rothbart, most women don’t find out they are pregnant until around 4-7 weeks pregnant, which is past the first 28 days. In the first 28 days, the baby’s organs are rapidly forming. The neural tube (which becomes the central nervous system and vertebral column) is almost completely formed and closed by the end of 28 days. The essential nutrient Folate helps promote healthy development neural tube. This is why many doctors recommend taking a quality prenatal for several months before trying to get pregnant. Ritual makes it easy with both a prenatal and regular women multivitamin. Learn more about both at: https://wellnessmama.com/go/ritual/
This podcast is powered by SteadyMD… the innovative new way that I found and connect with my primary care doctor using concierge medicine. The idea of concierge medicine used to be something reserved for celebrities and the ultra rich, and it didn’t seem accessible to the rest of us. The concept is great, though. Having a doctor who you know and trust and who knows your medical history always available when you need him/her. I’ve loved the idea of it for years, and was so excited when I finally found an affordable and personalized option that made this available to everyone and it’s now what I use and love. Think about this… we can do almost everything else virtually these days… The digital aspect makes it affordable. It’s only $169/month for a family plan of two parents and all children. This also allows the doctors to take fewer patients so they have more time and attention for each patient. Essentially, it feels like the modern equivalent of a country medicine doctor who comes to your house when you have a medical need. Except it makes the best use of technology so we get instant access instead via text, email or even video chat. Find out more about how it works and take their free quiz to get matched with a doctor that fits your needs at steadymd.com/wellnessmama
Katie: Hello and welcome to the Wellness Mama Podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And I’m here today with Dr. Jeff Knight who is a chiropractic physician with an emphasis in helping people tap into their natural ability to heal. He uses a multi-therapeutic approach that includes functional medicine, functional neurology, muscle activation, brain and cellular detox, chiropractic, and functional movement. He has a strong passion for serving autistic kids, vaccine-damaged children, and helping couples who are challenged with infertility. And we’re going to go deep on a couple of those topics today because I get a lot of questions from you guys about that. And Dr. Knight has some specific area of expertise here. So, Dr. Jeff, welcome and thanks for being here.
Jeff: Hey, Katie. Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be with you guys today.
Katie: I’m excited for our conversation. And like I said, I think…you’re obviously, I’m guessing seeing more and more children with these issues. And this is part of your specialty. And so I’m gonna ask you today some of the regular questions I get from readers. And I know…I’m just gonna call out the elephant in the room before we jump in. I know that vaccines are a controversial topic. So for those of you guys who are listening, please note that we are definitely not gonna be discussing whether or not you should or should not get vaccines. We’re gonna bring up questions to consider. We’re certainly not gonna be judging any parents for any decisions one way or the other. But we’re gonna take a deep dive into related questions that I get a lot, like vaccine injuries, potential alternatives, and other questions. So, to start off, Dr. Knight, can you talk about what you’re seeing most commonly in your practice and why this has become such a focus for you?
Jeff: Right. Yeah. Some of the things that I do see often in my practice specifically with autistic kids is they do come in. And I’ll always bring up the questions of, you know, where the history is and how this all came about. And, yeah, I would never say that a vaccine is the number one cause of why a child has become autistic. However, it definitely can be a trigger just like so many other things that can be a trigger for other health issues as well. The reason why this has become such a passion of mine and why it’s something that I’m so interested in, long story short, is, in my early time of school, I had a chance to go to a seminar. And I learned through this seminar that there was a doctor that was able to help reverse some of the symptoms of autism. And that was something that really struck me. And I grew up thinking that once you’re autistic, that means this is just something you gotta live with the rest of your life. And so it was more of like kind of the idea that I realized that you don’t just have to cope, but that there is hope for healing and for even some improvement if not, for some kids, you can see a complete transformation. And I grew up with two stepsisters that have autistic kids. So I got to see firsthand of the challenges that had put on the family, especially mom and dad and siblings. And one of them, he was pretty high-functioning, but the other one was definitely severely autistic and, you know, very difficult with verbal and all that.
So, when I saw the challenges that they faced and when I realized that there was actually some hope for a family like my stepsister, I thought, “Well, I’ve gotta do something more about this.” And to be quite honest, it was…I guess you could say it was definitely a gentle nudge from God saying, “Hey, Jeff, you gotta do this because there’s so many people that need this help” and really that they can find value from tapping into that body’s natural ability to heal. But there’s definitely certain things that can interfere with that ideal function. And so, yeah, we see a lot of things that can contribute to the autism, such as, yeah, there are some vaccine damages and the reason why that can be such a sensitive thing for these kids, if they’re coming into this world already predisposed for some sensitivities, for example, I know on some of your other podcasts, you have talked about generational toxicity. And that’s a real thing. And what that means, just as a refresher for those of you that are listening, is there can be toxins that can be passed from mom to baby. But it also can be passed four generations. So there’s a biologist named Michael Skinner who did some studies and realized that, you know, what great-grandma had in her body could potentially be in me right now just through the generational toxicity. And so oftentimes, we’ll see mercury or lead that can be passed from mom to baby as well as some other things. You know, and there’s other studies too that have shown that in the cord of newborn baby’s blood, that there’s actually several toxins there already.
You know, when you throw in the vaccine, if there’s a very highly sensitive child and maybe they are already somewhat compromised due to…it could even be the process of delivery because, I mean, as you know, Katie, being a mother of six, my wife’s a mother of six, delivery is not anything that’s just a walk in the park when you’re delivering these babies. But that’s a stressful thing for both mom and the baby. And so this baby as they’re coming through that birth canal, I mean, that’s a lot of stress on the cranium and also the neck. And that can definitely stress the nervous system to some degree. So right there, there can be some susceptibility just the way of how traumatic that birth may have been. And, of course, I know another topic that you’ve discussed before is C-sections and how unfortunately these babies aren’t gonna get the maximum amount of that good bacteria from their mother going through the birth canal. So these are all kind of like the perfect storm that’s creating this potential eruption for autism. And then you top it off with, say a vaccine. And that’s where I’ve had some parents that have come in and they said, “Yeah. As soon as my child was vaccinated, here’s what happened.” And they’ll go into details about some things. But then, again, I think we all know hundreds, if not thousands of people that have been vaccinated and they haven’t had any direct acute injuries as a result of it.
So the question is…and I kind of compare it to a car accident. I mean, I know people that have been in car accidents where one person walked away and the other person died in the same car. And you kind of think, “How did that happen?” You know, like how did one person, you know, “be so lucky or fortunate” versus that one person that they lost their life. And sometimes vaccines can be that, kind of like a car accident where some people walk away. And it’s like, well, luckily, there was no major trauma from the things that are in the vaccine, specifically which are…you know, there’s mercury. There’s aluminum. They even use, you know, some other ingredients that they can be harmful, of course, with the intent to try to create immunity for that child. So the intention behind it, you know, there’s a good intention behind doing vaccines.
But again, it’s just like, is your child more susceptible? And, you know, is there potentially, you know, some kind of a history that maybe even mom or dad had. For example, if a parent grew up and maybe they had some different, like, health challenges, whether it was autoimmune or maybe they grew up and maybe they had some even sensory processing disorders or maybe they were even somewhat mildly, you know, autistic or who knows but…you know, right there that’s gonna even create a greater chance for some of these kids potentially from also, you know, becoming that way. And so my approach is really, like you explained in my bio, a multi-therapeutic approach because it’s not like a one-size-fits-all type of a thing. You really have to go at this in a multi-faceted way and really get specific on understanding that individual’s needs because everyone is so different. So hopefully that helps a little bit.
Katie: Yeah, definitely. And I think you’re so right about the bio-individuality. And that’s the one commonality I see in all of the research I’m reading right now. And everything seems to be indicating that the future of health is very personalized and very much varied. And that’s something I’ve said several times recently is I think that there’s so much we can learn from different approaches because we are all so different. At the end of the day, it’s each individual working with practitioners who understand their medical history to find what specifically works for them. And I love the way you approached the vaccine topic as well because, like I said, certainly, we are a judgment-free zone here, and anybody, no matter what decisions they’ve made on that, completely welcome in this community. And I would never judge a parent. I think it’s an incredibly personal decision. But that said, I think we also do need to make sure we’re at least asking the questions because it is a big decision.
And I know for me…and I’d love your feedback on these. But a couple of the questions that I definitely asked and researched when I was considering this decision for my own kids, the first was we know by their nature that vaccines have to create an immune response. Like you explained, that’s how they work. One thing I asked was, “If it’s doing that, could there be any negative effects of that immune response? And if so, does that grow exponentially the more vaccines we add” because that’s something that’s been brought up quite a bit, is the increasing number of vaccines that have…I know since I was a child, I think there’s four times as many that are recommended now than when I was that age. You know, does the first vaccine still…like is the 70th vaccine as important as that first one if they are that effective. And James Maskell who founded kNew Health, he had a great explanation of this recently of just a way to think about this for parents. And he said, “You have to think of it in terms of somewhat two opposing philosophies and then weigh that,” so one being, in science, a linear cause-and-effect and another in economics. We know there’s diminishing marginal returns.
So the first example he gave was antibiotics, which, of course, when they first emerged, they were very valuable. They changed the trajectory of human lifespan. You no longer had a death sentence just because you had a simple wound and mortality rates dropped. This went on for decades until a curious thing happened. And we started seeing a marginal return once we had used antibiotics millions of times. And now we see superbugs and these bugs are mutating. And now we’re seeing the kind of rebound effect of that. And, you know, you see this other places in society as well. But I think that is something we could also look at. Could there be this effect with the number of vaccines that are happening? So even if vaccines are…could be argued to be proven to reduce certain diseases, could they also be fueling chronic disease or could the 70th vaccine add as much value as the first or is there diminishing return there? So I’d love to hear like what are some of the questions you thought about when making this decision for your own children just as far as the philosophy and the questions you asked.
Jeff: Sure. You know, it’s amazing you touch on the antibiotic thing because I was gonna share that too because, yeah, as they were such an incredible, you know, blessing for people that had exposure to these illnesses. I mean, it was incredible. But yeah, what has happened is, you know, people are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. I mean, how many people, you know, with penicillin and all these other antibiotics. It just doesn’t work for them anymore and because of these superbugs because the…as intelligent as our bodies are, you know, those critters, those little creatures, the bacteria, the viruses, all that stuff, they are super intelligent too and their whole desire is to survive as well. So with the whole concept of vaccines, you know, the question, yeah, is this gonna potentially, you know, be the same type of a result? Now, that’s a great question. I don’t have the perfect answer for it. But from the research and the study that I have done is that I know in the early, you know, like…I think it was back in the ’60s. I can’t remember the name of the doctor off the top of my head. But they were saying that, you know, once you get vaccine or receive a vaccine, if you get one, then typically, it should be good for life.
I know there’s a big topic on herd immunity too and why people should be…you know, all the kids should be vaccinated to help support, say that immune compromised child. So the argument there though is truthfully, you know, herd immunity is effective if 95% of the population have been vaccinated or at least are immune to, you know, that specific infection or illness. But what we’re realizing is that that means that every adult would also need to be vaccinated within the last 5 or 10 years of all those different series. So, how many adults do you know that are regularly getting their vaccines? So right there, unfortunately, just from that argument, if you are looking at the herd immunity, that means that these kids are walking by people that have not been, you know, I guess you could say “protected from a vaccine” for who knows how long. So that gives me hope to realize like, “Wow, you know, our bodies definitely can do incredible things on its own.” And when we allow our body to have that natural innate immune response, it’s not just gonna give us immunity for the current time but the majority of the time you’re seeing the immunity for a lifetime, versus where if you got introduced to a vaccine early on, guess what? That means you do have to go back and get re-inoculated every 5 to 10 years for the rest of your life basically or else you are gonna be more prone.
And what they are finding too is that…you know, we’re seeing, you know, different things like measles and we’re seeing different things like some of those illnesses like pertussis. But we’re also noticing that a lot of those outbreaks are in individuals that have been vaccinated as well. And so that question of is that 70th vaccine really gonna add the value compared to maybe those first few. And that’s a tough question to really answer because I would say the likelihood of that is it’s probably not gonna make as much of a difference. My biggest concern, of course, always is looking at the risk versus benefit and where…You know, I know, I’ve got several friends and colleagues that, you know, are older than I am that grew up and they did get some of those childhood illnesses. And it was just like, “Well, that’s just how it was,” where for me, it was the chickenpox. You know, we had chickenpox parties, right? And we would go, and if you knew that so-and-so had the chickenpox, well, mom would say, “All right. Let’s go play with them so you can get this quick and be done with it now at a young age.” And then the beautiful thing is now I have immunity for the rest of my life with that. It’s definitely one of those, you know, topics that I think is really interesting.
And the studies and the information that I’ve received as I’ve looked at this more depth has led me to looking at, “Okay. What are some other safe, effective, you know, ways to still provide immunity?” Because the thing I’m most concerned with the vaccines are honestly the materials that are in there that can be neurotoxic and that can also affect neurologically the child, both acute and potentially down the road. And that’s the other reason why I would say the 70th vaccine would not be beneficial more for the straight fact of the bioaccumulation of toxins and how they can reside in the brain and deep into the tissues which they can affect neurological connections, immune connections, as well as hormone connections. I mean, we see a large, large increased amount of childhood asthma, childhood allergies. And then also as we’re seeing too, there’s more and more people that are autoimmune because, when we’re forcing, you know, immunity into someone that’s not the natural form, then we’re basically pushing a button and telling the body to be on hyperdrive, you know, immune response, which then, you know, can trip it to where it’s like now somewhat, you know, over stimulated in a sense to where it’s now super sensitive and you know, you start to see some of these other challenges.
And to be quite honest with everyone that’s listening so that people can know where I’m coming from. So, yeah, we do have six kids. And guess what? Through my research and education, you know, we’ve only not vaccinated one of those six kids. So, the first five all received some forms of vaccines, and why? Because that’s what I was taught. That’s what I knew to be the right thing. And so, of course, my wife and I, that’s what we chose to do. But as I started learning and educating myself more and more, these were the concerns I had. And then, of course, as I started having more and more patients come in with their child, and I would ask where they started seeing some of these negative effects and they mentioned through the vaccinations and I’m like, “Okay. There’s gotta be a better way.” And again, it’s like we’re all doing the best we can as parents. And our number one goal and desire is to try to raise our children to be healthy, happy and be able to live a fulfilling life.
And so anyone that chooses the vaccine, I would say bless you because you’re trying to do the best things for your family. And anyone that chooses not to, I would say bless you because you’re…also from your understanding, you’re trying to do the best thing for your family as well. So, I don’t necessarily think anyone’s wrong or right. It’s just really coming to know what’s right for you and your family and being comfortable and confident with that decision. And so, for me, you know, that concept of knowledge is power is what gave me that power and confidence to say, “Hey, you know what? There’s some other options that can be really effective and safe.” And that’s kind of the path that I’ve gone down, but which, you know, leads into if you wanna start a chat about this, Katie, is a homeoprophylaxis.
Katie: Yeah. Let’s jump in there now because I get a lot of questions about this both, “Is it safe? Is it effective? Does it do the same thing? How to do it.” So I would love if you could give us an expert primer on what that is and how you used it if you have.
Jeff: Yeah. Again, the homeoprophylaxis. It’s basically…this is a way to help individuals acquire natural immunity using a homeopathic approach. It’s nothing new. This has been around since 1799. Just to give you a little history. Dr. Hahnemann from Germany who is the father of homeopathy, he first used it with scarlet fever. And what they found is as they would administer a remedy prior to these kids potentially getting the illness, it had an incredible success rate where the amount of scarlet fever was definitely, you know, declined significantly in that community and in that area of the country where they lived. So the state of Germany or the country of Germany, you know, really started to embrace this and started to utilize it more and more frequently. And then, of course, from there…excuse me. I’m gonna take some water real quick. Sorry about that. But from there, the homeopathy and the homeoprophylaxis became something really…effective tool to use. And it can be used on several different illnesses.
So there’s a childhood program that I use for families in our office, which is…excuse me, which is focused more on, you know, addressing some of the same stuff that you see on a vaccine schedule, such as polio, pertussis, you know, the mumps, measles, and all those other childhood illnesses as well. And that it’s very easy to administer. It’s a natural approach to introducing, you know, immunity. And so it’s using these little pellets. We call them nosodes. And they are have been prepared and diluted substances, you know, for the purpose of educating the immune system in a gentle, non-toxic way. So they’re completely natural. They don’t contain any foreign cells or antibiotics or preservatives or adjuvants or any chemicals of any kind. And really the goal of HP is just to orally introduce safe, you know, homeopathic versions of some of those diseases I mentioned to naturally stimulate the immune system because, what they do with the homeopathy, it’s basically taking the energetic form of that illness. And they do what’s called…they take the mother tincture, is what you could call it where you can get that illness from, like, sputum or discharge or other things like that. And then they mix it into this tincture and they succuss it, which means they shake it so many times. And then they, you know, go through this process that over time…and then it’s diluted.
Over time, it’s basically all that’s left is the energetic form of that illness. And so you’re introducing, you know, this ability for the body to respond positively to that immune, you know, energetic immune response and the body starts to create real immunity for it. So it educates the immune system. There’s definitely no side effects to it. And this has been really neat for us to use because there’s, not just the series for the kids to utilize, but there’s also even different forms such as…like a flu version, so people that want to have protection against the flu. And this is…you know, we’re in the thick of cold and flu season. And you know, our family, this is something we’ve used for all of our family. You know, what’s amazing is our kids have been incredibly healthy in spite of even playing and interacting with lots of kids that have gotten the flu and been sick for days, if not, you know, a week or two, and our kids come home. And you know, thank heavens, they’re still healthy and happy and doing well.
So it’s really, again, like I said, the idea is to educate the immune system. And it reduces the susceptibility. It’s not a vaccine and it’s not necessarily simply just a replacement for a vaccine. But it’s more of a strategy that can help strengthen the immune system. So, it’s been really neat. You know, our youngest daughter, we’ve been using it with her. And so we do this where there’s a different series and you pick…you know, maybe pick one of those childhood illnesses a month. And the pellets are so small. You can even put them in a baby’s mouth and it’ll just dissolve. And so that’s the natural way of how we get illness anyways is through the mucous membranes. So it’s coming through our mouth into our cells that way versus being, you know, injected directly into the bloodstream. You know, the idea there, of course, it just gives the body that strength, the ability to be more prone to fight off any exposure to that illness. Now is it 100% effective? Of course, there’s no such thing as 100% effectiveness on any, you know, homeopathic or vaccine. But there was a doctor out of Australia named Isaac Golden. And he did a 15-year study. Back I think it was from like, ’85 to ’90. I can’t remember off the top of my head, but he did a 15-year study. And by following these kids, they found that it was really successful, that it did reduce the amount of illness exposure and also assisted in more long-term health benefits.
Katie: That’s fascinating. And I’m sure, for a lot of parents, that’s really good to know that there are alternatives that have been studied, especially for that long.
This episode is powered by Ritual Vitamins which are specifically designed just for women. Ritual contains nine essential nutrients that most women don’t get enough of from just from food: vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin), folate, vegan D3, vitamin K2, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, boron, chelated iron and a proprietary form of magnesium. Ritual supplies them in forms that are easily absorbed and utilized, and all the capsules are vegan, gluten-free, allergen free and non-GMO. They have both a prenatal and a regular women multivitamin both designed specifically for women and synergistic for women hormones. Did you know that 40% of women cannot properly use folic acid due to an MTHFR gene variation? Ritual contains a natural form of folate and synergistic nutrients so the entire multi is more effective. In pregnancy especially, folate is vital… According to OBGYN Dr. Jason Rothbart, most women don’t find out they are pregnant until around 4-7 weeks pregnant, which is past the first 28 days. In the first 28 days, the baby’s organs are rapidly forming. The neural tube (which becomes the central nervous system and vertebral column) is almost completely formed and closed by the end of 28 days. The essential nutrient Folate helps promote healthy development neural tube. This is why many doctors recommend taking a quality prenatal for several months before trying to get pregnant. Ritual makes it easy with both a prenatal and regular women multivitamin. Learn more about both at: https://wellnessmama.com/go/ritual/
This podcast is powered by SteadyMD… the innovative new way that I found and connect with my primary care doctor using concierge medicine. The idea of concierge medicine used to be something reserved for celebrities and the ultra rich, and it didn’t seem accessible to the rest of us. The concept is great, though. Having a doctor who you know and trust and who knows your medical history always available when you need him/her. I’ve loved the idea of it for years, and was so excited when I finally found an affordable and personalized option that made this available to everyone and it’s now what I use and love. Think about this… we can do almost everything else virtually these days… The digital aspect makes it affordable. It’s only $169/month for a family plan of two parents and all children. This also allows the doctors to take fewer patients so they have more time and attention for each patient. Essentially, it feels like the modern equivalent of a country medicine doctor who comes to your house when you have a medical need. Except it makes the best use of technology so we get instant access instead via text, email or even video chat. Find out more about how it works and take their free quiz to get matched with a doctor that fits your needs at steadymd.com/wellnessmama
Katie: And I know that like you do…like vaccine injuries are a well-documented thing. Regardless of whatever perspective parents may have on vaccines, there’s a lot of data that vaccine injuries are well-documented. And I know that you were part of a series with Dr. Patrick Gentempo about healing from vaccine injuries. So I’d love if you could walk us through a little bit of the approach there. When a parent comes in with a child who has an injury to see you, what do you look at and how do you start a therapeutic approach with them?
Jeff: Awesome. That’s a great question. So I definitely look at three specific things primarily. And the easiest one that anyone can apply would be relating to the gut health and to diet and digestion because, you know, we know that gut-brain connection is a powerful connection. And even the bacteria in our gut can influence our brain and our nervous system to certain degrees. So, definitely, the first thing is looking at changing or modifying or doing some things that are a little different. And a lot of families actually…honestly, there’s so many incredible parents out there that come and they’ve applied a lot of these principles already.
And basically, as far as the diet and digestion, a big part of it is definitely reducing the sugars, removing, you know, the processed sugars and really trying to get into more of the ketogenic type of a diet where you’re doing high fat, moderate protein, and low carb. And the low carbs are gonna be focused more on good vegetables, you know, lots of good green leafy veggies. You know, some fruits here and there are okay. But the idea is just to keep the glucose and the sugar levels low and definitely remove any processed stuff. Now, for some people, that might be really hard to implement right away because, you know, unfortunately, the way we’ve, you know, live in this country, we have so much convenience and there’s so much, you know, ease of gathering…you know, getting some kind of a quick meal here or a quick meal there. And those aren’t necessarily always the most beneficial, but if you can even just start with, say your kids still are, like, in love with their mac and cheese or in love with, you know, some of those other staples that a lot of families have, if you can even go to an organic and a non-GMO version, that’ll be far better than just, you know, buying the other stuff off the shelf. So that would be…one great way to start is really, you know, increase good fats because our brain loves good fat and our brain needs that good fat for both, you know, the nervous system but also for hormone function. And you know, there’s so many other great benefits even deep breath at cellular level, so increasing good fats, removing the sugars and processed foods, really focusing on eating as close to possible, you know, what comes from Mother Nature, so just whole foods and then reducing carbs to a certain degree so that the ketosis can be a healing mode for that brain. And, in fact, ketogenic diets were first, you know, discovered to be so beneficial back in the, you know, early 1900s with children that had epileptic seizures and where it was a powerful tool and resource for even helping their brains and helping calm things down. So with autistic kids, you know, these are kids that have chronic inflammation of the brain. And so our goal is to also reduce inflammation and to help increase their body’s ability to heal and function better. So I would definitely start with the diet and with digestive health.
The other thing that I do is a lot with chiropractic. So specifically, there’s some specific adjustments that I really focus on. One, in particular, an area of the spine that I really find that can be powerful and impactful is the upper part of the neck, so the upper cervical spine and where even the head…where it sits on top of the neck. It’s called the occiput and the top vertebra is called the atlas, and so that area right there and doing specific adjustments that can free and release some of the tension there, which can also positively affect one of the really important nerves in our body called the vagus nerve or cranial nerve number 10. And cranial nerve 10 or the vagus nerve, it has a huge role with balancing that whole fight-or-flight mechanism in our bodies. And so a lot of these kids are in a fight-or-flight mode, and so if we can help stimulate that vagus nerve, which does the opposing, you know, where it calms things down and it helps people be more restful and it helps, you know, kids be able to…you know, be more present and be able to digest their food better, etc. I mean, that can be a really powerful tool.
So, yeah, adjusting of the spine can be really powerful because then we just enhanced the nervous system and the brain’s ability to communicate to the body. Some other techniques I use is one called neurological integration system. And that’s more like a functional neurology technique where really through contacting different points on the body, we can neurologically stimulate different responses to help the brain even communicate more clearly with organs and glands to increase its ability to work against kind of infections and things like that. And that’s been pretty powerful as well. But I would say all those things have helped me get incredible results. But then I knew there was always something missing. And that’s where I started working with Dr. Pompa and learning how to detox the brain because, again, heavy metals have an affinity for the brain, specifically mercury and aluminum. So if anyone has ever had any kind of a silver filling or if a mother was pregnant with silver fillings, then that can even pass some of the mercury from child to baby and then, of course, any of the vaccines or flu shots that can…you know, mercury and aluminum are the adjuvants that are used there. And that can settle into the brain and cause some of the irritation on the nervous system. So doing a strategic approach to how to remove those toxins and really go through that process is really powerful. I mean, there’s some other beneficial things that can be done that can really help as well.
Again, it’s all focusing on stimulating that brain in a positive way, trying to recreate good patterns, you know, whether it’s functional movement too. I mean, crawling, you know, as silly and simple as it might sound, you know, just getting your kids to crawl more often can be really powerful for creating some different networks of connection from the brain to the body. And then that can also help stimulate other good connections with how the body’s functioning and working the way it’s supposed to. So those are a few things that I use that have been really powerful and effective at allowing us to help some of these kids, you know, make this path and this process to helping them heal and helping them, again, like I said before, not just cope but, you know, give them hope to where it’s like, hey. You know they can actually…they’re communicating better. They’re forming more sentences. You know, their eye contact is improving. I see some of these kids where they’re, you know, now actually interacting with their siblings and playing with them more. I mean, there’s a ton of really neat things these parents are sharing with me as we’re going through this process. And I would definitely emphasize it as a process for sure, yeah, I wish it was a quick fix, but it does take some time. But it’s really neat to see those changes.
Katie: Yeah. I can only imagine. That must be so rewarding. And another question…we’ve mentioned that, you know, vaccines by their nature, they work to create an immune response. And you’ve talked about the generational toxicity and how if there’s underlying factors that this can trigger some things. So I’ve got a lot of questions from parents. And you mentioned that you even chose to vaccinate several of your children. If parents are choosing to vaccinate, are there things they can do proactively before and after to help keep inflammation low and to help hopefully avoid problems? Have you worked with parents on that at all?
Jeff: Yes. So there’s definitely some things that can be done. I mean, think of all the individuals that work in a hospital system. They’re required to get flu shots and be up-to-date on their vaccines. And so, it’s not just kids but even adults. There’s definitely specific things that you can do to prep your body in a sense so that when…if you do choose to do that, there’s ways to minimize the negative effects. And so, there’s some really good products that I use. And some of them that are a staple as far as the detoxing goes. One is called Cytodetox. The other one is called Bind. So utilizing even those and doing some heavy dosage before you get the vaccine is gonna be really powerful and beneficial. And then after the vaccine is received, you know, doing that as well, and so using some of those drops and some of those supplements, those capsules that can help really catch and grab those toxins that are being injected into the body and make sure that you’re getting them out as quick as possible. And that can be helpful.
Also another, like, you know, old trick is wherever the vaccine is gonna be done, you can put some ice over that area. And numbing that area where the vaccine’s gonna go into can actually help reduce, you know, the body’s ability to spread those toxins, you know, as quickly. And so you can do ice and then shortly thereafter, another remedy is putting some bentonite clay over that area. And that can help even pull some of those toxins out of there. So, there’s a few little things there that can be done. And yeah, I definitely help coach some families if that’s a choice they do make but they do wanna make sure that they…you know, for them, they find that the vaccine is gonna be important for them. Here’s some tools and resources to help them to minimize the potential negative effects of it. And that would be, again, go with those adults that are needing to be vaccinated working in the hospital system if they wanna keep their job. Otherwise, I know, if they don’t do that, then, unfortunately, they’re asked to leave.
Katie: Yeah. And I think there is that commonality you mentioned several times of inflammation. So all of these seem like good things that all of us can implement irregardless of vaccines just to keep inflammation low. And I’m curious, d you feel like other things go back to inflammation as well? It seems like I’m seeing so much in the research right now of that being very much a common trigger. And I’m curious if you’re seeing that as well and if you have any additional advice for all of us in just keeping inflammation low.
Jeff: So a common trigger for what specifically?
Katie: Just for chronic disease in general. I’ve seen that connection across, like, autoimmune disease like we’ve mentioned a little bit, certainly in kids with any kind of struggles like the ones we’ve mentioned. But it seems like that’s a connection in everything from joint pain to potentially anxiety and kind of across the board.
Jeff: Oh right. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, inflammation. I mean, it’s crazy. You know, the things that can create that inflammation will definitely make us more susceptible and more vulnerable to, you know, being exposed to some of these other things that can take place. You know, inflammation from…you know, can come in so many forms. Definitely, there’s inflammation response from stress. There’s inflammation response from, you know, the foods and beverages we put into our body. And then there’s inflammation, of course, from different traumatic events. And so our body interprets all those different stressors similarly. And so if there is, like, this chronic inflammation going on, then, you know, it becomes like, a perfect storm I guess you could say, for really facilitating more and more negative things from happening because the body in a sense it’s feeling like, “Whoa, you know, I’ve got this fire that is continuously burning and I can’t put it out.” And so if it’s always trying to minimize some of those negative effects of the inflammation, well, unfortunately, that does, you know, leave us exposed or vulnerable to, you know, other things that can happen in the body. And so the more we can incorporate and adopt, you know, good healthy habits of, you know, finding ways to minimize inflammation.
And one tool that I know that’s been discussed on your podcast before is fasting. Utilizing both intermittent fasting, doing extended fasts can be powerful as far as really telling the body and giving it a break, you know, and allowing it to just be quiet and minimize some of that stress that comes from the inflammation. So fasting is an incredible tool. Of course, you know, choosing low inflammatory foods that are not gonna stimulate and increase that irritation. You know, I guess that gives me the peace and the hope that, “Hey, this is something that we can influence more than we realize.” And it’s something that necessarily we don’t have to feel like, “Well, this is just my reality.” But there’s so much. I’ve seen people reverse their diabetes. I’ve seen people, you know, take a hypothyroid issue and completely change that. I’ve seen other autoimmune conditions that people, where they’ve been able to make that choice and really do some great things to reduce those stressors and that inflammation. It’s definitely a big deal. It’s been something that I know has been more on the forefront lately. And I remember even “Time Magazine” back I think in 2004, said inflammation, you know, the root of all disease. And it is definitely one of those connections that will trigger and make several of our illnesses and things worse. So, yeah, I totally agree with you there, Katie.
Katie: Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like you have definitely touched on some of the really hot topic questions that I get a lot and shone a lot of light on those today. Where can people find you if they want to keep learning more from you or stay in touch?
Jeff: Sure. Yeah. So probably one of the easiest ways is our website. It’s www.truenorthchiro.com. And our office is called True North Chiropractic and Wellness Center. We’re just north of Salt Lake City in Utah. And our office phone number’s 801-447-1647. But then I also do have a Facebook page, just Dr. Jeff Knight putting different information out there on different things. And I’ve got a YouTube channel too that has some different testimonials and other ways that people can connect and kind of see the families that we’ve helped and what that looks like. I love what I do. There’s not a day where I don’t look forward to, you know, going to work. I love it. It’s just so great. You know, I’m so passionate about serving these individuals and helping people be able to find greater peace of mind, hope and freedom for them and their own families. It’s just been a blast.
Katie: I love that. And I think it’s so important to echo one last time what you said earlier of that, you know, every parent is in this doing the best they absolutely can for their children. And that’s something we all share. And so even though things like vaccines can be such controversial topics, I think it’s important to have the discussions and to have them in a kind and respectful way and realize that at the end of the day, we are all, like, doing the best for our families with the information we have in the individual cases that we have. And I love that there are people like you who are working with people in their very specific cases to find out what those answers are for them. So thank you so much for your work and for your time here today. And we’ll put links to all of those that you mentioned in the show notes so people can find you and stay in touch.
Jeff: Great. Well, thanks, Katie. I appreciate the opportunity and honored to be with you today.
Katie: And thank you to all of you for listening as always and sharing your most valuable asset of your time with us. We don’t take that lightly and we’re so grateful you’re here. And I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of the “Wellness Mama Podcast.”
If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.
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