#28 Stress-Driven Inflammation: How Stress Can Worsen Arthritis (and What to Do About It)

#32 Trust Your Gut: Dr Camilla Stokholm on Microbiomes, Inflammation and Arthritis

Episode 32: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast #32 Trust Your Gut: Dr Camilla Stokholm on Microbiomes, Inflammation and Arthritis What if half of you wasn't actually you? In this episode, host Emily Johnson welcomes Dr Camilla Stokholm, a gut microbiome specialist, lifestyle medicine doctor, and best-selling author of What Your Doctor Eats, named after her hugely popular Instagram account. A former NHS GP, Camilla now runs Mosaic Medical, using metagenomic testing to get to the root cause of her patients' symptoms. Her approach grew out of her own health journey, such as debilitating IBS. Whether you live with arthritis, fibromyalgia, or an inflammatory condition, get practical, science-backed strategies to feed your gut, calm inflammation, and take back control of your health. Topics covered: The Gut Microbiome * Mini Pharmacy How gut bugs produce chemicals that act like medicine * Immunity 70% of your immune system lives one cell away from your microbiome * Leaky Gut How dysbiosis can trigger autoimmunity, inflammation and joint pain Signs and Testing * Hidden Signs Fatigue, brain fog, bloating, and bowel changes * Beyond Bloodwork Why a normal test doesn't always mean it's fine * Personalisation Food first, plus targeted prescriptions Feeding a Healthier Life * Microbiome Party Variety is key and 30 plants a week * Probiotics? Lessons from the Hadza tribe on cheap, diverse eating * Fasting & Arthritis What the research reveals About the podcast: With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis. Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis. Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis. Episode Links: Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist] FREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download] Dr Camilla Stokholm @whatyourdoctoreats * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatyourdoctoreats/ [https://www.instagram.com/whatyourdoctoreats/] * Website: https://www.whatyourdoctoreats.com [https://www.whatyourdoctoreats.com] Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie [https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie] Further Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie [https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie]

#31 Gratitude Over Toxic Positivity: Emily on Holding Pain and Joy at Once

Episode 31: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast #31 Gratitude Over Toxic Positivity: Emily on Holding Pain and Joy at Once When you're mid-flare and someone tells you to 'look on the bright side', this episode is for you. Host Emily Johnson has a confession the word 'gratitude' used to grate on her too, and this episode is not about good-vibing your way out of pain. Drawing on the science and her own lived experience, Emily unpacks what real, evidence-based gratitude actually is, dual processing, and the human capacity to hold a heavy truth in one hand and something beautiful in the other. Gratitude does not wipe away your pain, your anger, or your grief. It simply sends your nervous system a second, different signal alongside the first, which is that safety, warmth, and kindness also exist, right here, right now. This is for anyone who is grieving the body or the life they expected to have, and who is tired of being made to choose between their hard feelings and their good ones. Topics covered: * Biology of 'Both/And' Why your brain isn't broken, it's biased, how negativity bias and central sensitisation turn up the volume on pain, and what gratitude actually does to your nervous system * Myth of Emotional Monogamy Why you don't have to be committed to one emotion, and how the phrase 'and yet' lets grief, fear, anger, and gratitude coexist without one erasing the other * Grief, Joy, and Post-Traumatic Growth Why grief for your health is not a failure of gratitude, plus a tender personal reflection on loss * Microgratitude Toolkit Practical, flare-friendly tools you can actually reach for when everything feels heavy, the micro-hunt, the 'and yet' journal, somatic gratitude with the physiological sigh, and finding awe in small things * Suffering Olympics Why there's no threshold you have to cross before your feelings count, and your invitation to try the 'and yet' practice this week About the podcast: With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis. Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis. Emily (Arthritis Foodie) is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis. Episode Links: Applications for the Live Well with Arthritis 12-week programme are open, Apply now: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist] Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodie [https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodie] Further Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie [https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie]

#30 Hiking with Autoimmunity: Mija Dropulić on Travelling with Lupus and Learning to Love Yourself (Volim Sebe)

Episode 30: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast #30 Hiking with Autoimmunity: Mija Dropulić on Travelling with Lupus and Learning to Love Yourself (Volim Sebe) Wondering if you will ever hike again? Host Emily Johnson welcomes Mija Dropulić, Croatian journalist, editor, and storyteller with 20 years' experience in media/travel/lifestyle and the founder of Under Dream Skies. Mija lives with two autoimmune diseases, Sjögren's syndrome and lupus, and shares her journey of navigating chronic illness while figuring out how to hike, travel, and explore the outdoors. From a flare-up in Scotland, to rebuilding her strength, Mija opens up about diagnosis, daily reality, and the lifestyle shifts that have helped her. Whether you live with arthritis, lupus, or autoimmunity, this episode reminds you to love yourself again. Topics covered: Living with Invisible Illness * Two Diagnoses Navigating Sjögren's and lupus * 'Box of Chocolates' Different flare-ups * You Don't Look Sick How to navigate this Rebuilding the Body and Mind * Coming Back to Self From her lowest point to a multi-day hike * Anti-Inflammatory Living Diet, sleep, movement, finding triggers * Trusting Your Body But knowing rest is not failure Finding Connection and Joy * Community Feeling less alone via social media * Healing Outdoors Forests, fresh air, and feeling human * Volim Sebe Putting yourself first as an act of care About the podcast: With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis. Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis. Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis. Episode Links: Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist] FREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download] Mija Dropulić @mijad * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijad [https://www.instagram.com/mijad] * Website: https://www.underdreamskies.com [https://www.underdreamskies.com] Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie [https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie] Further Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie [https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie]

#29 Your Body Isn't Your Enemy: Lily Earle on Rewiring Chronic Pain

Episode 29: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast #29 Your Body Isn't Your Enemy: Lily Earle on Rewiring Chronic Pain Ever felt like you are at war with your body? This episode is for you. Host Emily Johnson welcomes Lily Earle, a life and chronic pain coach, creator of the Regrow podcast, and Making Sense of Chronic Pain masterclass. Lily works with those who have been uprooted by chronic pain, helping them to trust their bodies again and build a life bigger than their symptoms. Drawing on the latest pain neuroscience alongside her own lived experience of navigating a chronic migraine and six diagnoses, Lily shares the brain training and nervous system tools that drove her recovery. Whether you live with arthritis, fibromyalgia, or any persistent pain condition, this episode offers practical, science-backed strategies to break the fear-pain cycle and rebuild your relationship with your body. Topics covered: Rethinking Chronic Pain * Acute vs Chronic Why they need different approaches * Neuroplastic Pain Brain producing pain in absence of damage * Fear-Pain Cycle How this can fuel symptoms The Brain Training Toolkit * The Safety Stack Lily’s signature regulation tools * Inner Cheerleader Rewriting the way you talk to yourself * Mindfulness in Flares Calming the nervous system Building a Bigger Life * Rebuilding Trust with your body * Uprooted to Regrown Lily’s own story * Whole-Person Healing Why it matters About the podcast: With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis. Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis. Emily is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis. Episode Links: Live Well with Arthritis Programme Waitlist: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist] FREE Workbook: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/signup-free-download] Lily Earle @lilyearleofficial * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyearleofficial/ [https://www.instagram.com/lilyearleofficial/] * Website: https://www.lilyearle.com [https://www.lilyearle.com] Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie [https://www.tiktok.com/@arthritisfoodie] Further Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie [https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie]

#28 Stress-Driven Inflammation: How Stress Can Worsen Arthritis (and What to Do About It)

Episode 28: The Live Well with Arthritis Podcast #28 Stress-Driven Inflammation: How Stress Can Worsen Arthritis (and What to Do About It) Have you ever noticed that when life is most stressful, your arthritis feels worse? This week, host Emily Johnson dives into why this isn't in your head, it's in your biology. Drawing on the latest research and her own 12 years of lived experience, Emily unpacks the powerful, two-way relationship between stress and inflammation, and why managing your nervous system may be one of the most therapeutic things you can do alongside your medication. From the HPA axis to the vagus nerve, from leaky gut to cortisol resistance, this episode breaks down the science and provides a practical toolkit to start calming your system today. This is for anyone who has ever felt betrayed by their body, or wondered why stress hits them harder than it seems to hit everyone else. Topics covered: * What Stress Actually Is The difference between helpful acute stress (eustress) and the chronic kind, plus the concept of 'allostatic load' * Stress and the Immune System Why chronic stress makes you both more vulnerable to infection AND more inflamed * The Stress–Inflammation Loop How TNF-alpha, IL-6, and other cytokines get turned up by chronic stress, and why inflammation in the brain produces brain fog, and low mood * Stress and the Gut The gut-brain axis, leaky gut, and the emerging "gut-joint axis" in rheumatoid arthritis, plus why Emily thinks the vagus nerve will be the next big focus in health * The Toolkit Practical, evidence-based ways to soothe your system that can be done from the comfort of your own home About the podcast: With a focus on reducing inflammation and improving daily life, this podcast features expert interviews, science-backed strategies, and real stories from people living with all types of arthritis. Emily combines her 12+ years of lived experience and insights from healthcare professionals to offer practical, encouraging steps that help you feel healthier, happier, and less alone when living with arthritis. Emily (Arthritis Foodie) is a bestselling author, certified coach, and founder of Live Well with Arthritis. Episode Links: Register for FREE Masterclass: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/mastering-inflammation-masterclass-registration [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/mastering-inflammation-masterclass-registration] Applications for the Live Well with Arthritis 12-week programme are open, Apply now: https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist [https://www.livewellwitharthritis.com/waitlist] Emily Johnson @ArthritisFoodie: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.instagram.com/arthritisfoodie/] * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/ [https://www.facebook.com/arthritisfoodie/] * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodie [https://www.youtube.com/@arthritisfoodie] Further Resources: https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie [https://linktr.ee/arthritisfoodie]