EP-21 With Heather Switzer | Waist Away

Chantel Ray:	Welcome to The Chantel Ray Way, the inspirational way to lose weight for life through intermittent fasting. Remember, the thoughts and opinions on this podcast do not constitute medical advice. Hey, guys. I’m so excited that my new book, Waist Away, The Chantel Ray Way, is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and pretty much anywhere you can find books. But we also have the audiobook, the ebook, and my new recipe book that you can download all the recipes that I love, that I make, and it’s super cheap. It’s all my favorites. Anyway, if you have a minute to write a review on Amazon, I would be every grateful. Hey, guys. Welcome to Waist Away, The Chantel Ray Way podcast. The intermittent fasting way to lose weight. I am here with two special guests. My cohost, Chris Sykes is not here today, but we have two exciting guests. One is Heather Switzer. Heather, welcome.
Heather Switzer:	Hi, thank you.
Chantel Ray:	And Heather had stage 3B breast cancer, and she has recently lost three pants sizes in the last year, so we’re excited to hear about that. She’s now wearing a size two, or a size four. And we also have April Saul, who has also beat stage four breast cancer. Tell us about what stage four really is.
Heather Switzer:	When it’s stage four, it just means that it has spread to other body organs.
Chantel Ray:	Okay, great. So it’s metastasized to other body parts?
Heather Switzer:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	And I remember like it had gotten to the bones of your back and stuff like that, right?
Heather Switzer:	Yes. It was in places I couldn’t even pronounce. It was in my skull, it was in the ball and socket of my left humerus. My right femur was eaten so thin I had a rod put in place. It was in the ball and socket of my left femur, but it was inoperable because of where it was so, yeah, I have it in multiple places of my pelvis. It was just all over.
Chantel Ray:	Wow. And so you had a baby in January?
Heather Switzer:	I did.
Chantel Ray:	And you’ve lost 35 pounds after having the baby, correct?
Heather Switzer:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	And now you’re down to about 120 pounds?
Heather Switzer:	Yeah, I am. Yep.
Chantel Ray:	And so both of these ladies do intermittent fasting. So, heather, you eat for about seven hours a day. What’s your time frame that you eat?
Heather Switzer:	So I wake up, I immediately start with water with lemon, and coffee pretty much starts rolling as soon as I’m out the door to the bus stop. And my last kid gets on the bus a little after 11, and I try to eat something small. Fruit, nuts usually. Sometimes a salad. And throughout the day I just try to keep it veggies, small portions, make sure I’m active.
Chantel Ray:	And then when do you end your meal?
Heather Switzer:	I try not to have dinner on the table any later than 6:30. We do have four kids in sports, so sometimes it’s a little later. I’m not a stress eater, thank goodness, I’m kind of the opposite. So if we’re just going, going, going I will make myself eat a piece of fruit, or some vegetables or something small, and I always end with water.
Chantel Ray:	Okay. So about 11 to six? Or 11 to seven? So sometimes you’re eating in a seven hour window, sometimes in an eight hour window? And what about you, April?
April:	Same thing. I don’t eat breakfast. Sometimes I might grab a banana, or pick up some grapes. And then around 11 I will have a gigantic smoothie, which consists of three greens. I usually do spinach, arugula, and kale. And then I do a lot of berries, like raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. And then I do apricot seeds, and and hemp seeds, and flax seeds. And sometimes chia seeds.
Chantel Ray:	So let’s talk about those apricot seeds. Because I bought some and they were disgusting. And I was like, “Oh, my gosh. I’m trying to figure out what I need to do with this. But I heard that those apricot seeds are like massively healing.”
April:	Absolutely. Yes.
Chantel Ray:	So, tell me about those a little bit?
April:	Well, they contain what is called B17, another name for it is amygdalin, or laetrile. And, if you’ve ever seen on YouTube, “A World Without Cancer,” that is a very good video that kind of explains how it plays a part in the body, and how it kills cancer.
Chantel Ray:	So, if we can we will put those, Josh, in the show notes. We’ll find that video and add that into the show notes for everyone to see. So with the apricot seeds, just tell us more about it.
April:	Well, they are very nasty, but-
Chantel Ray:	So, can you taste it in the smoothie?
April:	No. I can’t. I put a whole lemon in my smoothie with the peel and all, and that usually covers up all of the-
Chantel Ray:	So you put the peel in the smoothie?
April:	I do. They contain very strong compounds that are good for you.
Chantel Ray:	That’s where all the good stuff is.
April:	And beating cancer as well. It’s extremely powerful.
Chantel Ray:	Wow. Okay.
April:	So we need to be eating the seeds as well as a lot of the peels. And that’s what we’re lacking to do.
Chantel Ray:	Got it. And then, as far as the apricots go, how much of it are you actually putting in your smoothie?
April:	I juice 25 per day. However, someone that is starting out with doing this should not do that. You should start with three to five.
Chantel Ray:	So, you’re literally taking 25 of those seeds and sticking it in your smoothie?
April:	I am.
Chantel Ray:	Heather, are you doing those seeds as well?
Heather Switzer:	I have not done those seeds. I do a lot of other things. I do essential oils, I do CBD oil, and I just do really clean, as much as I can, organic eating.
Chantel Ray:	And CBD oil stands for?
Heather Switzer:	It’s a cannabinoid compound that’s found in, it’s actually illegal to have it out of, the marijuana plant in Virginia. So I get it, and it’s from the hemp plant. It’s commercially grown, legal, awesome stuff.
Chantel Ray:	And so right now that oil isn’t legal in Virginia, but heard that it’s going to be legal? It’s just waiting on a signature?
April:	Yeah.
Chantel Ray:	Tell us about that, April.
April:	And I just read last night that it has been signed. I guess it was Governor Northam who signed it, but the legalization was or doctors to prescribe it as CBD oil. So, that’s what the legalization was about. We’re not talking about cannabis oil. Because cannabis oil contains the psychoactive compound, THC, as well as over 100 and I don’t even know how many, tons and tons-
Heather Switzer:	They’re discovering new ones every day.
Chantel Ray:	Okay, so explain this to me, it’s a little confusing. So there’s two different things. Just so you know, I’m not that smart on this topic of marijuana. I guess that’s a good thing. But I need to learn about it a little bit more. So there’s cannabis oil, and then there’s CBD oil. So those are two different things, is that right?
Heather Switzer:	I guess the difference is there’s one from a marijuana plant, and then there’s one from a hemp plant. And so, from the marijuana plant-
Chantel Ray:	So, wait. The CBD is from the hemp plant? Is that right?
Heather Switzer:	It can actually be found in both. But the difference is, one has very trace amounts of THC, which is what creates the high, and what makes it illegal in a lot of states. And the marijuana plant obviously has much higher TCH, and most of the time much lower CBD. And even though THC is great and it has a lot of healing properties, CBD is very well rounded, and has way more healing properties.
Chantel Ray:	Okay. So CBD is made from the hemp plant, and that is legal right now.
Heather Switzer:	That is legal as long as the THC is under a certain threshold. So very trace amounts. Even on tox screens they’re not usually picking up, unless you’re consuming huge amounts daily.
Chantel Ray:	And where can you order that CBD from?
Heather Switzer:	I actually order it through a company called Hemp Works, which I actually am a distributor now, because it’s just done so many great things. And I wanted something safe and legal that I could also give to my kids for a headache, a tummy ache. My daughter plays soccer, she’s got a lot of-
Chantel Ray:	And so you actually sell that?
Heather Switzer:	I do.
Chantel Ray:	Okay. And it’s legal to sell?
Heather Switzer:	Totally legal.
Chantel Ray:	Okay, perfect. So we’re going to put that in the show notes, if that’s okay?
Heather Switzer:	Oh, cool. Yeah that’d be awesome.
Chantel Ray:	So if someone does want to buy it, you can contact Heather Switzer, and we’ll put your information in the show notes. So that will be great. And then the cannabis oil is illegal because it has higher levels of the THC, correct?
April:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	Okay. So tell us the benefits of, and you can get that, and you’ve been taking some of that cannabis oil because you’ve been getting it from California, and you take it, and other places that it is legal? Correct.
April:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	Great. Okay, so tell us more about the cannabis oil, and the CBD oil? Just all of the benefits? And part of the benefits of this is that it helps you lose weight.
April:	Absolutely.
Chantel Ray:	So tell us about that.
April:	It turns on fat burning. It’s a big regulator. It regulates every system in our body. Immune system, digestive system, endocrine system, circulatory system. Skin, skeleton, bone. Every system in your body is homeostatically regulated by your endo-cannabinoid system. And that’s exactly how it cures these diseases, is because it turns on fat burning and allows your body to use fuel efficiently and in a safe manner.
Chantel Ray:	That is so exciting. I definitely want to get some of the legal stuff. And then when it is legal, so you said the cannabis oil now, just to clarify, the governor has signed off on it. Everyone’s signed off on it, what are we waiting for?
Heather Switzer:	Dispensaries.
April:	Dispensaries. It went into effect immediately.
Chantel Ray:	So right now, today, if I went and took som cannabis oil it would be legal?
Heather Switzer:	With a prescription, and picked up from a legal dispensary because it’s not something that-
Chantel Ray:	so, as long as I get it from like California, or one of those places? Well, now it’s legal here?
Heather Switzer:	It is, but they’re not allowed to ship it across state lines, so you couldn’t have Walgreens in California sending it to Walgreens right here on Laskin Road.
Chantel Ray:	so when do you think Walgreens would be having it then available?
Heather Switzer:	Probably not Walgreens. They’re probably going to put up just individualized dispensaries that are just for cannabis products, is usually how it works. So I haven’t seen anything about their plan.
April:	Yeah, and keep in mind that is just CBD. This is one cannabinoid out of, I don’t even know how many there are now. I know there’s more than 126. So, CBD is one cannabinoid, but-
Chantel Ray:	And so explain that to me, what a cannabinoid is? I know I’m just really not that smart on this particular topic. But now that I’ve seen the results with my own eyes with these two ladies, I am just a huge believer on this. So explain the cannabinoid a little bit more in depth.
Heather Switzer:	Okay, so the cannabis plant is made up of-
Chantel Ray:	And the cannabis plant, just to clarify, cannabis is marijuana, correct?
Heather Switzer:	That is correct. The government renamed it marijuana, so we should all be calling it cannabis because that is what it is. So it’s made up of various compounds, one being THC, one being CBDs, CBN, and the list goes on. And there’s over 100. They took CBD, they isolated it, and legalized it because of a little girl named Charlotte Figi, who was having over 100 seizures a day. And CBD took them all away. She has like one a week, one a month or something like that. It completely changed her life.
Chantel Ray:	Well, not only this girl. It hasn’t just changed her life. I want you to talk about how it’s changed your life. And here’s the thing guys, I saw April. April actually was an agent with our company at Chantel Ray Real Estate. And before she decided to just have another baby and stay home, but I saw her at her worst level with stage four cancer in the wheelchair where she couldn’t even move, and now I’m watching her run around like a chicken with her head cut off, right?
April:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	And as skinny as can be. So it’s like I’m seeing this as proof with my own eyes, and I’ve also seen Heather as well transform. So here’s the thing: we need to talk more about the benefits for you? I want you to talk just a little bit about your experience. About being in a wheelchair and literally changing because of taking this cannabis oil and losing weight.
April:	Okay, so after I had my daughter I was in a wheelchair, and I started this oil immediately after I had her.
Chantel Ray:	And how much oil do you take?
April:	Well, I had to build up to a gram at the time, and that took about three weeks to build up to that. For me, it did.
Chantel Ray:	Okay, and how much did you start with?
April:	The size of a half a grain of rice.
Chantel Ray:	A half a grain of rice.
April:	A half a grain of rice, literally a speck. Like a pin drop you know?
Chantel Ray:	Okay, and Heather I do want to buy that legal oil from you.
Heather Switzer:	Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s good stuff.
Chantel Ray:	Good.
April:	So I would do that three times a day. And then every four days, double the dose until I was taking a gram a day. And then-
Chantel Ray:	And a gram is about the size of?
April:	I’d say a piece of corn.
Chantel Ray:	A piece of corn? Okay.
April:	Yeah. And then in a 90 day period my tumor markers just [crosstalk 00:14:04].
Chantel Ray:	So, let me see, she brought some stuff with [crosstalk 00:14:06].
April:	I did bring some stuff.
Chantel Ray:	And we’ll put this in the show notes so everyone can see. This is from the doctor showing exactly what her markers were before, and what they are now.
April:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	So, tell us what it says.
April:	So, you see right here okay, my tumor marker, I have … I guess that’s kind of hard to show you. It’s at 308 here.
Chantel Ray:	And that was chemo at work? Is that when you were at your worst? At 308?
April:	Yes. This is where I was diagnosed. Right here.
Heather Switzer:	And what did you say the normal range is?
April:	Zero to 25.
Chantel Ray:	So this is zero to 25. It checks how much cancer you have in your body, I guess?
April:	Yeah, so anything alive and flowing has to produce waste, and there are proteins that are let off in your blood by the tumor, and that’s what they measure every month. We all have tumor markers. Most of them just don’t go awry, and our immune system sees them and attacks the cells in time. So anything between zero and 25 is considered normal. When I was diagnosed I was at 308. And this is chemo at play, this right here. And right here is where I took over.
Chantel Ray:	You just said, “You know what? This chemo is not working, I’m done with it.”
April:	Well, I only did two rounds of chemo. Or, I hate to say rounds because it sounds like there was multiple … two treatments.
Chantel Ray:	Two treatments?
April:	Yes. And then I found what I found, and they had to give me time to heal after I had my baby, so they couldn’t give me chemo. And I found this and started it, and I came out of the wheelchair in 10 days. That’s how I knew it was working. The pain completely went away, everything started improving. So I see no reason to continue on with the chemo. And I had my doctor monitor me, and I thought, “As soon as it starts moving backwards then we’ll think about the chemo. But right now, let’s see what this does.” And that’s what we did, and my tumor markers, as you can see, right here is where I started and took over. They plummeted, and leveled off. This is high normal-
Chantel Ray:	And right now they’re the lowest it’s ever been?
April:	Yes, and today I got my tumor markers drawn.
Chantel Ray:	I wonder if I went, because I don’t have cancer, but if I went what would my markers be? Zero? Or five? Or 10?
April:	I guess. I’ve asked my doctor that question before and she’s like, “Well, I would never test someone without cancer.” That’s the kind of answers I get. It’s like, okay it’s always-
Chantel Ray:	That would be curious though. I would be curious to go in and just say, “I’d like to get tested.” And see what my markers are. Well, that’s great. Heather, tell us a little bit about what you’re experience was, and how it compared to this?
Heather Switzer:	I grew up with unhealthy habits, you know, we ate a lot of boxed meals, we were Navy, we moved around a lot. And I was always skinny-
Chantel Ray:	So you were eating a lot of fast food?
Heather Switzer:	A lot of fast food. And shopping at the commissary, you know boxed meals, that kind of thing. But I was always thin so, like a lot of people, I just equated that to I was healthy. And I started having kids, and my second out of four kids had developed an allergy to some kind of preservative, we didn’t ever figure out which one because there’s just so many in so many food products today. So I had to change our family’s healthy habits, and we started doing foods that weren’t so processed, we started doing more raw vegetables. I started working out, I started to learn more about what it means to be healthy. And then, fast forward I had two more kids, I’m 28 years old, I find a lump in my breast. I’m kind of someone to panic by nature, so I was like, “You know, Heather? You’re fine, don’t overreact. It’s cool, let it go.” And I let it go for a few months, and it grew from the size of about a pea to about my palm. So I finally went to the doctor.
Chantel Ray:	So you were at stage 3B?
Heather Switzer:	I was at stage 3B.
Chantel Ray:	Everyone needs to really pay attention, everyone needs to feel their boobs right now if you’re a woman.
Heather Switzer:	Feel them.
Chantel Ray:	Right?
Heather Switzer:	Yes.
Chantel Ray:	Like if you feel anything the size of a pea, or anything, you need to get in because don’t you wish you would’ve gone once it was the size of a pea right?
Heather Switzer:	Yes. Well, yes, but everything does happen for a reason. Really what prompted me to go was not even that it was growing, because I had nursed four kids and I was just like, “All right, my boobs are weird. No big deal.” And my lymph nodes above my collar bone were sticking out. It looked like marbles under my skin. So my husband was like, “You need to go to the doctor.” So I went and saw a family doctor who I’d been seeing for a long time. We’re personal friends, our kids have grown up, we go to church together. And she looked at me and said, “Girl, you’ve got no family history, you’re young, I know you’re healthy. It has to be nothing. It’s probably just some tissue.” And something inside of me, I mean the presence of the holy spirit was like, “You need to know that you know that you know.” And so I said, “Well, can you give me a blood test or something?” She sent me in for an ultrasound. She said, “Just go to the nearest hospital.” I went over here to First Colonial, they happen to have a breast center there.
	I went in thinking, “No big deal.” And they did an ultrasound, and then a mammogram, and then they asked me to do a 3D mammogram, and then they did three more ultrasounds, and next thing I know I’ve got a room full of people and they’re asking me can I go get a biopsy. So, yep. It had spread to my lymph nodes outside of my breast, and the prognosis was not real good right off the bat, but I went through. I did chemo first, and then I had surgery, and because my body was not healing quickly after chemo I ended up having tons of surgeries. I had something like a total of 14 surgeries. So, yeah. I actually told them I was not going to do radiation. I stopped taking my daily chemo pill that I was supposed to be on for 10 years, because I was getting to the point where my heart function was almost to the point of heart failure. I couldn’t watch my kids play outside, I couldn’t be in the heat.
	I was on the couch for two weeks at a time, and then I’d have a kind of sort of normal week. And then I’d have chemo again. And it was just too much.
Chantel Ray:	And how much of this oil are you taking? Now, you’re taking the CBD oil, and how much of it are you taking?
Heather Switzer:	So, I just switched to a higher CBD oil, which is the Hemp Works, and I’m just starting out with two to three drops to kind of see where I am. I took a few weeks off. I wanted to really, really see how this was going to work. So I’m building my way back up. But I’ll be honest, I kind of do my oil like I do my cooking. I don’t really do exact measurements. I’m just kind of like, “You can’t overdose on it.” So I’m like, “Yeah, a little bit too much won’t hurt me today. It’s just a little extra oomph.”
Chantel Ray:	Wow. That is so exciting. Obviously you guys are some, and I’ve heard so many other stories, but do you know a lot of people that have had some of these same similar healing experiences?
April:	Yes. I know two women that did the apricot seeds alone, and they were stage four breast cancer. Stage four leukemia, and they beat it by just juicing the seeds. Other than that, I don’t know anyone personally. Just by other people putting their stories out there.
Heather Switzer:	And, April, when she had cancer, you know, I follow you on Facebook, and I have a bunch of mutual friends. I saw people posting about her, and actually a few months ago it came up in my time line as a memory on Facebook that someone had said, “You have to meet my friend, April.” And so I was like, “Let me see what this April rolls up to?” I snoop through her Facebook, I see you’re talking about oils and things. And I’m like, “All right, let me reach out to her.” Because I don’t know anyone else who has had cancer, and who’s decided to do what they feel is best for their body rather than whatever a doctor recommends.
Chantel Ray:	Well, why do you think the subject is so taboo? Because, if this really is a cure for cancer, obviously you guys are proof of it. Why aren’t more people tapping into this? What would you say?
Heather Switzer:	I’m going to make some people mad and say I feel like it boils down to the almighty dollar. I really, really truly do.
April:	Absolutely, there’s no question.
Chantel Ray:	Yeah, so expand on that a little bit for me.
Heather Switzer:	Well, if everyone knew they were able to grow a plant in their backyard, and make edibles, and tinctures, and oils, or vape or whatever way they were able to consume any different strain, because there’s strains that are higher in THC or CBD or whatever, there wouldn’t be a big need for people to be on chemo. And chemo really shuts down your immune system, and causes you to have other problems, which they can give you another prescription for, and then the side effects kick in, but don’t worry there’s another prescription for that. It really takes away from the industry.
April:	Exactly. And we have to remember that the endocannabinoid system regulates everything in your body. So it creates balance. Most diseases come from imbalances. And if it keeps it in balance there’s no diseases, and we won’t need them. Except for broken bones and surgeries. So while they are depriving us of this very much essential nutrient, they are also putting poisons in our foods, and making us sick. But depriving us at the same time of what we need to keep us in balance, and to protect us from these toxins.
Chantel Ray:	And the thing is, with the GMOs, the genetically modified foods that everything is going to, all of the chemicals that are in our foods is just out of control. So talk about that just a little bit.
April:	Well, Monsanto is a little bit responsible for that, and I also read the other day that they’re genetically modifying-
Chantel Ray:	Hold on. So just explain to listeners that don’t know who he is.
April:	I don’t know a lot. So, Monsanto is responsible for everything from commercial fertilizers that are going on the crops of the vegetables that most people think are healthy but are in fact genetically modified and not always healthy at all. If you go into any grocery store probably 80 to 90% of what is on the shelves, unless you’re at a Trader Joe’s or a Whole Foods, is genetically modified or has chemicals that are treated with the same preservatives and fertilizers that Monsanto is responsible for. So, food is literally in quotes if Monsanto is attached to it. It is not actual food.
Chantel Ray:	And a lot of times even some of the organic stuff has things. There’s so many chemicals. You know you’re yoga mat? The same ingredient that they use to make yoga mats, to make it like soft and squishy? Is in so many of the breads.
April:	Like McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets, I think is one.
Heather Switzer:	I read something recently that McDonald’s and Wendy’s chicken nuggets have 42 different ingredients, just in the chicken alone. Just the chicken, not the breading.
April:	Have you ever seen the test where they sit them out for like months and they don’t decay?
Heather Switzer:	I will tell you this: I did that. I had gotten my son some chicken nuggets from a fast food restaurant when he was younger. And I guess I didn’t realize it, it was in his cubbyhole. You know how they have the cup holders in their chairs? And I guess it had been there for a couple weeks. And I went in there and I was like, “Eww. What is this?” And it looked exactly the same. I was like, “Okay, we’re not doing that again, right?” Oh, my gosh. So I’ve done that personally. Try it. That’s a great example. Go get some chicken nuggets from a fast food restaurant. Let it sit out for a week or two and see what it looks like after a week or two.
Chantel Ray:	Even put it outside. See if the flies and the ants get to it. Because they really don’t want it. They know better.
April:	Yeah, they do.
Chantel Ray:	Instinct kicks in for them.
April:	I was just going to say about the apricot seeds. If you give a monkey an apricot it will peel the flesh away and eat the seed.
Chantel Ray:	Really?
Heather Switzer:	Yes, they know. And when a dog is sick he only eats special grasses, you know? He’s picking out the grass that has B17 in it. Because he knows.
Chantel Ray:	Well, tell us about your weight loss, because obviously we want to know more about that.
Heather Switzer:	Yes, I have a trend here. And this is where I had my first daughter. Okay, so this was in 2010, the beginning of 2011. So I had the baby-
Chantel Ray:	What were you weighing then?
Heather Switzer:	It looks like it was about 172. All right, and then you can see gradually it goes down normal over the years or months. And then here’s where I had my last daughter. Here’s my trend this time.
Chantel Ray:	As soon as you started taking oil-
Heather Switzer:	I started the oil right here. [crosstalk 00:27:11]
Chantel Ray:	Everyone’s going to be buying this oil, right?
Heather Switzer:	Yeah. They’re both after pregnancies. This one is the trend, and this is the second trend. But, you know I started the oil there. So as you can see how it burns-
Chantel Ray:	And we’ll put this so you guys can see how it does burn fat and go through. Well, ladies, first of all, I’m so excited that you have really healed your body, and just looking so great. You look amazing. We’re so grateful that you came on the show to tell all of us about it. So what we tell our listeners, if you’ve got a question maybe if we get enough questions, maybe we can have you guys back on the show to answer those questions. So if you have some questions that you want answered go to questions@chantelrayway.com and they would love to answer it for you. And we are so glad you’re here, and hope you guys have an amazing day.
Heather Switzer:	Thank you.
April:	Thank you.

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