Tag Archives: chemicals

This hidden chemical that causes a deficiency in your brain

, , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Monday Tribe!
I hope you have all had an amazing past couple of weeks! I know its back to school time, and with school back in action, work in full swing, it’s important to talk about hidden toxins that are lurking!

As you now being a brain doc,  I’m always lurking for more information on how to enhance this vital organ that we possess. 

You see, because our brain controls every function in our body we HAVE to do our best to protect it at all costs.

A huge part in creating that healthy brain is of course making sure that environment is working, that VAGUS nerve.  You can take all the supplements in the world but if that nerve isn’t working, you will not get many results.

But, today i’m not talking about cranial work (for once;)), i’m talking about the gut/brain axis and specifically a chemical and many that disrupt this communication.

There’s actually many toxins in your home and that you utilize that you might not know are disrupting this super important connection.

What do you mean gut brain?.  Well, if you’re new here let me explain, for some of my current patients that have been with me awhile, you can sit back for a moment…

Your gut has been termed your “second brain”.  In fact your gut has its entire new network of nerves called the enteric nervous system, that works similar to your brain.

It connects and controls your digestive system, but also has a huge connection in the neurotransmitters in your brain.  It in fact, talks to your actual brain.  A lot of this resides in the health of our gut bacteria to be able to relay that information. So, really you can’t just heal your brain and neglect the rest of your body.

In fact, all the cells of your body talk to one another. So you can’t think that your liver not working won’t cause pain or dysfunction somewhere else.  The cells talk!!

———

So what are things that disrupt this connection?

1. Stress
2. Gluten
3. Processed Foods
4. GMO foods
5. Head Traumas
6. Gut dysbiosis
7. Chemicals
8. EMFs

So, let’s talk about one because of a patient story, so you can see the connection.

I am treating a female patient, and she is doing really well on her protocol, great energy, mostly all her symptoms managed.  She went on a camping trip, and upon her return cancelled her followup because she couldn’t get out of bed.  She said she was wiped out for a few days. I assured her to come in to check on her protocol.  After going through the program, it showed up that their was a titanium toxicity, and she was not making intrinsic factor (i’ll explain in a minute).

I asked her if she applied sunscreen during camping, to which she said yes lots all over my legs. She had the bottle in her car, and we read the back which said ” titanium oxide”. This chemical interfered with her intrinsic factor a glycoprotein that is produced in the stomach, which plays a HUGE role in absorbing vitamin B12. When you can’t use intrinsic factor, it results in a condition called pernicious anemia, which makes sense of why she was tired!.

I gave her some kidney and liver support, and she felt better that next day.
There are so many natural ways to prevent sunburn that don’t include chemicals!

This is just one example, but in reality there are many chemicals we are exposed to all the time!

What else has titanium oxide?

  • Food: Candies, chewing gums, powdered doughnuts, frosting, coffee creamer, vanilla pudding, chocolate bars.
  • Personal Care: Toothpaste, sunscreen, lotions.
  • Misc: Paper, paint, markers, and plastics.


What happens to your brain when you have B12 deficiency ( which can also happen when you have certain genetic mutations) ?!

  • loss of memory
  • cognition problems
  • decreased mood
  • decreased energy
  • Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in the metabolism of fatty acids essential for the maintenance of myelin in the brain.

Again, this is just to show you that all your cells in your body talk to one another!  So what you continually put IN and ON your body matters and makes changes all the way in your brain. 
When the gut in this case is affected (from the chemicals), it sends a signal to the brain to dysfunction.  They HAVE to coordinate with one another.

There’s also a system called the Heart Brain Connection.  Maybe we’ll talk about that next time… stay tuned!

READ BELOW FOR NEXT EO CLASS!

Nutrition, Bugs and Genetics…. Adrenal Depleters

, , , , , , , ,
Happy Monday!  It’s newsletter time!  And we are talking this month all about adrenals!!  Last week, we chatted about how mechanical dysfunction within your brain and nervous system depletes the adrenal glands.

This week we will be talking about nutritional deficiencies, Bugs and Genetics that can come into play and affect the health of your adrenal glands.

Are you ready?

Lets dig in!

Step 1.  Nutrition.

As mentioned in our first blog about adrenals, the adrenal glands secrete steroid hormones.  Steroid hormones come from cholesterol!

In order to have proper hormone function, we need to have proper fat absorption and utilization within the body.  Our hormones rely on fat, and a healthy balance of it.

As mentioned, cholesterol IS NOT BAD.  It is actually a superhero with many vital functions.  If we don’t get enough adequate cholesterol within our diet, our storage will start to rev up.  Again this is VITAL.  A good blood marker is around 180-220.  THIS IS NORMAL.  Lower levels and you will have significant hormone problems.  

If your cholesterol is higher than 220, then it is either a liver problem, genetic(rare), or the excess cholesterol is trying to put out a fire in your body .  You see cholesterol goes to area of the body where there is inflammation and tries to patch it up.  ( this is why cholesterol goes to arteries that are weak and inflamed and tries to patch it up).  It’s the superhero, not the culprit.  So we need to figure out what those flames are, which leads into our next portion.

Also important, if you have food allergies, these are CHRONIC adrenal gland depleters.  Sometimes they aren’t actual allergies, but inflamed digestive tracts from pathogens.  Once the pathogens are cleared the nervous system and inflammation will calm down, and the food sensitivities can go away.

I can desensitize certain allergies through craniobiotic technique in my office.  But a good rule of thumb is to eliminate gluten and pasteurized dairy if you have adrenal fatigue.  These are inflammatory for EVERYONE and shouldn’t be consumed, but especially for those with adrenal problems.

GMO and non organic foods are also problems.  We can’t digest GMO foods, they are foreign to our body.  And non organic foods have thousands of chemicals and pesticides which means more adrenal stress.

2. BUGSS.

Did you know the prevalence of Esptein Barr Virus or Mono? In the research conducted in 2005, it was found that Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infects more than 98 percent of the world’s population!  Yep.

Know anyone with ulcerative colitis or Chrons?
Almost ALL causes of ulcerative colitis or Chron’s disease show positive for Mycobacterium species.

Alzheimers or MS?
Lyme Disease Bacteria has been shown to be prevalent in cadaver’s brains in Alzheimers patients, and MS can be misdiagnosed for the borrelia bacteria.

Chronic diarrhea or IBS?
You most likely have a protozoal/amoeba infection.

Almost every single nutrition patient that comes to me has parasites.  Its actually NOT normal to find someone without these days.  Things are all around.

I could go on… the fact of the matter is that almost ALL diseases can be traced to BUGS.  Things don’t just “happen”.  Auto-immune diseases don’t just “happen”.  Usually the gut/brain pathways are stressed through pathogens and nervous system distress.  Pathogens like microbes can hide in our bodies for years and wreak havok creating chronic stress and adrenal depletion.

It’s important to note, a lot of infections go undiagnosed.  That’s because typical blood work and even stool testing doesn’t always find these hidden pathogens.  Testing isn’t perfect.

Thankfully I have functional medicine tools to use including Craniobiotic Technique to screen for these hidden pathogens.

You HAVE to take care of stealth pathogens, because they are chronic immune system and energy depleters.  
It’s also important to know that when you are killing these bugs, if you are able to actually eliminate them out of your body.  If you aren’t then you will have a lot of side effects, and it could be harmful.  We have to get pathogens and toxins OUT the shooter.

Which leads to Step 3.

Step 3.  Genetics

Genetics have been all the “rave” the past 5-10 years as we learn more and more about them.  It’s important to note the difference between genetics and epigenetic.  Epigenetics are specific genes we have that may be turned “on” or “off”.  But, the great thing is that we can change our epigenetics.  We know that the food we eat, environment that we are in, emotional stability all have effects on our genes. 

With genetics, specifically with the adrenal glands, if you have chronic adrenal fatigue, sometimes looking into genetics is necessary.

This is mainly because it you have a lot of genes that aren’t functioning well, then the pathways that we need are not functioning well.  Add in infections, nervous system stress and emotional instability and it’s a trifecta of improper detoxing.   Most of what we are looking at with the genetics here is the function of enzymes.

So, in these cases, genetics are very useful.

One gene in particular is called the MTHFR gene.  (yep that’s how its spelled!).  It stands for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase.  With this gene mutation (you can have many forms), you cannot convert a B vitamin called folic acid to folate which is the end product we need to make methylation (detoxing) happen.  So this enzyme is impaired.  That means ingesting folic acid in supplements is very toxic and harmful to this person because they can’t break it down to the end product folate.

So why is folic acid in supplements?  SYNTHETIC supplements contain folic acid (which I NEVER use) because it’s cheap.  It’s way better to use whole food supplements or ones that have FOLATE instead of folic acid.

Good to know right?

Absolutely!  Genes give us more information!

B vitamins are essential for many things, but ENERGY is a huge one.  If you can’t synthesize your B vitamins, you won’t detox well and your adrenals and energy will suffer.

This is just one example of how a gene could affect adrenal function.

Genes can affect neurotransmitters and mood disorders, and also other B vitamins.

It gets more complicated as we go, so it’s important to chat with someone who is versed in genes.  A great resources is the book “dirty genes” By Dr. Ben Lynch.  Meaning we need to clean up these dirty gene pathways to experience health and vitality!

So what to do???

Functional Nutrition is key.  Sometimes we need to support the adrenal glands with nourishing herbs and whole foods while we are cleaning out the bugs, clearing nervous system and emotional stress and working on the genetic pathways.  Also, with genes it’s not about giving supplements for every little gene mutation.  This is a big no no. It’s about looking at the whole picture.
Genes just give us more information, but remember we can change gene epigenetics!  Changing the diet is key, and stabilizing the blood sugar is number one.

I recommend a more Ketogenic high fat and low carb lifestyle.  With moderation for everyone with different needs.   Cutting out dead carbs will stabilize blood sugar and allow the body to burn fat.

A yo yo of glucose going up and down stresses out the adrenal glands immensely, so this is one of the first things that needs to be addressed.

Looking at the diet, when you are eating, and supporting as needed. Many people are deficient in vitamins and minerals and don’t even know it. Minerals, such as chromium and magnesium are essential to keeping blood sugars in the normal range. Also important to not eat sweets when you get that energy crash.. This is where herbal support comes in!  Eating a good fat/protein before bed will actually make you sleep better too!!

Often times people have insomnia because their blood sugar is so unbalanced.  They wake up multiple times in the night because they actually are starving.  Eating carbs will only suffice you for a few hours.   If you wake up tired, and go to bed energized, then your adrenals are ALLL kinds of messed up, and you need some help!

I’m happy to help!

Supercharging Fertility Through Nutrition

, , , , , , , , , ,

Continuing on this month all about Fertility!  Last week we chatted about how the nervous system is #1 in my fertility program, because if there’s no signaling= no fertility!

#2 in my fertility protocol is nutrition.  So, this week we will briefly chat about how to supercharge your fertility through nutrition.

If you need more information about nutrition and fertility I highly recommend the book:  Woman Code!  I use tips from this book in today’s blog as well as other information from other sources and evidence based nutrition sources.

There are usually 3 things that women/men experience with endocrine problems:

1. Menstrual Problems
2. Fertility Trouble
3. Low Libido

Let’s start with number 1…..

Menstrual Problems.  Did you know that the women’s cycle doesn’t fully mature till the age of 25?!  So, there will be fluctuations within the cycle up until that age, that are normal.  However, genetics and nutritional factors determine how are bodies react to the mountain of estrogen we are bombarded with daily.

In some families they adapt to this estrogen load by presenting as PCOS, others: fibroids, others: endometriosis, PMS (PMD).

“You actually were PRIMED to develop your own unique issue before you were born, or had your first period. “
This is why it’s crucial to do something about endocrine function now!  You can actually change your epigenetics to set future generations of women down your family line up for pain free and healthy periods!
And you will also feel so much better.  Did you know you are supposed to just wake up and realize you started your period?  THIS IS NORMAL..
NOT.
The symptoms handed down from generations, cramping, bloating, pain, acne, PMS……

Number 2…..

Fertility Trouble. Our bodies as women are very fine tuned, and require a very specific ratio of progesterone to estrogen in order for conception to be successful!

Estrogen levels can become elevated by:
Poor blood sugar regulation, adrenal fatigue, congested pathways of elimination (food and product sources), birth control.

When it’s elevated, progesterone becomes insufficient.  And when progesterone is insufficient, ovulation is not regular, which means no baby….
OR.. you will get pregnant, but your chance of miscarriage is very high because you can’t produce enough progesterone to maintain it.

PCOS prevents ovulation, which is of course essential for allowing an egg to be available for conception.  Fibroids and endometriosis also cause fertility problems by creating actual blockages within the uterus or ovaries.

But, it’s easy right.. just take a pill to regulate these mentrual issues.! Right?!
So so wrong.

Pills or injections will temporarily lower symptoms I’ll give you that, but estrogen levels managed improperly for too long, and these symptoms will always come back, AND your chances of having a baby when you are ready will go way way down….

View your fertility in the long term!  By fixing these three pathways mentioned above which cause estrogen elevation.

** also important to note, if you’ve had the SUPER toxic gardasil vaccine, your fertility will also be compromised.  It has been shown in research to make young girls infertile, and also increases cervical cancer risk.  I’ve had many patients with vaccine injuries from this terrible and corrupt vaccine.  Please please say no for our young girls. **

Number 3…

Low libido… Well, you could be riding blood sugar highs and lows, stressed out from work, chasing kids around, deadlines approaching… So, getting some love from your husband/wife is safe to say not on your mind. 
You probably don’t have much energy at the end of the day to do much other than eat that chocolate or treat and collapse on the couch.

For women AND men.  Blood sugar irregulation and chronic stress = low libido.

If this cycle remains, your body will become really confused, and tell you to eat more carbs although you’ve already eaten too much.. Hypoglycemia…This then dampens the production of DHEA as cortisol is being pumped out excessively.  Which DHEA turns into testosterone (supports sex drive).

Carbs/Sugar and stress= exhausting your body= no energy for love stuff! 

So..
Enhancing Fertility through nutrition is quite simple when you think of it.

It involves these principles:

1. Stabilizing the blood sugar.
This is done through customized eating plans for you.  It’s not about dieting.  Dieting DOES NOT work.  It’s just NOT sustainable.  Eating pre-packaged foods, or limiting what you can eat so much you end up eating a whole carton of ice cream in one sitting and just say heck with it!.
Yep.. been there.

Its about reconditioning what you are eating.  I want you eating, and actually eating quite a lot to stabilize the blood sugar, but I want you feeding your fertility instead of inhibiting it.

This is all explained in my 120 day fertility program, but includes more of a ketogenic whole food plan, Organic and non GMO foods, high fat, limited grains and dairy.  This is of course customized for each patient depending on their needs.

Eating regularly and increasing good fats stabilizes the blood sugar amazingly.  In fact, when stabilized, most people are able to do intermittent fasting as well, which is so healing for the body and fertility.

2. Supporting the Adrenal Glands ( Stress Glands)
Also included in the 120 program.  Some individuals are in super high stress environments, and they need supplementation in order to get things back on track.  This involves customized herbs and whole food nutritional recommendations as well as specific NET ( a stress technique I do in my office) and stress related work to help create healthy habits.

Some individuals will need to change things within their pattern to decrease adrenal fatigue.  Whether its changing things with your job, decreasing the amount of things you are doing, working out less (yes there are many women and men who work out too much and deplete their adrenal glands), asking for help, ect.

Remember it’s a lifestyle.

3. Clearing out the estrogen and pathways of elimination .
This means first getting rid of that birth control pill or shot.  It’s harming you short and long term.  Detoxifying the body through specific herbs and whole food nutrients and going on safer birth control methods (if needed). Birth control completely depletes all your B vitamins, so this is something that has to be added in.  It also decreases your immune system, so often immune system support is needed.

Cleaning out your food sources that aren’t organic (hormones and chemicals), beauty products that aren’t organic (hormones and chemicals), plastic wear ( all estrogen), decreasing microwave use (estrogen), non natural cleaning products (toxic chemicals), cleaning up your water source, and other exogenous exposures.

I know it sounds like a lot, but these are REALLY big hormone disruptors. And over time, these wreak havoc not only on fertility but many systems and cause cancer and other illnesses as well.

Then we move onto cleaning out the main pathways of detoxification such as the Liver and large intestine, skin & lymphatic system.
This is through nutrition and chiropractic care.

Sometimes, it takes more detoxification means as well such as incorporating saunas, colon hydrotherapy, cleaning out toxic heavy metals in the mouth and body ( food sources, vaccines, passed down).

I also, always always include CBT, craniobiotic technique which helps clear out hidden infections in the body, and also desensitizes against allergens.  Both can be HUGE in being the tipping point for successful fertility.

4. Supporting the sex organs.

This is done through specific whole food nutrition supporting these organs with nutrition and what are called protomorphogens.  If you’ve taken birth control these organs will need support as they haven’t been producing the hormones because you’ve been taking fake ones.

5.  Supporting the brain glands which signal the hormones

Also done through specific whole food protomorphogens and herbals targeting to help with the signaling process.  This is also AMAZING for teenagers to help with that fluctuation I was talking about in the beginning. PMS, bloating, heavy bleeding, acne.  If you have a teen girl you will THANK ME for this one.

One herbal I use… chaste tree ( depends on quality!), is amazing for regulating the brain signaling.  If you’ve ever taken birth control this signal is damaged and needs support.

That’s it!!  haha. I know seems like a lot, but really EVERY person is different, and your path will look different from the next.  You may need some or all of these steps, but the fact of the matter is all hormone dys-regulation CAN be helped naturally.  I see it everyday!

Don’t forget about the men too!!

They also need sperm support, detoxification, stress and blood sugar support!  Remember you can actually CHANGE your epigenetics, which can change your child’s and their child’s genes to be strong and more efficient!

Often times infertility is a mix of the man and the woman.  So, most of my program’s require BOTH to be involved in the process.

Next week.

We’ll talk about Exercise and Mindset in Fertility.
Stay tuned!  And please please SHARE THIS!

How well are your 4 pathways of elimination functioning?

, , , , , , , ,

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying this month’s topic about detoxing!  Last week we talked about products in your home, which I hope was enlightening to you, because as I mentioned, that is just your home!  And these exposures over time create may problems. We will deal with other aspects like food, water, birth control, ect in a later topic..

Because we are surrounded on a daily basis, it is important that our pathways of elimination are always working for us!  It’s going to get a little personal today, so put on your seat belts we will be talking about elimination!

The legend goes that at one time the most important person in the ancient Chinese emperor’s court was the “royal physician”, who had the very critical task of inspecting the emporer’s morning bowel movement.  Sign me up for that job? …..

The medical doctor’s role was dedicated to creating the emperor’s daily meal plan and itinerary of activities based on his daily insepction.  Regardless of the legend being true, this coincides with the tenants of traditional chinese medicine that we can observe so much about our health from our OWN bodies. For one, our stool is an important indicator for our overall health.  It’s actually one of the only things we can actually examine to determine where our health is headed.  The signs of congested elimination are literally in front of your eyes every single day.

Truth of the matter is, when your pathways of elimination are congested, your body cannot get rid of toxins such as chemicals that interfere with the production, release, transport, metabolism or elimination of the body’s natural hormones which can occur through air, water, soil, food and consumer products.  ( last week’s blog).  Now pile on the issues of mismanaged blood sugar ( a good majority of us) and adrenal fatigue (yup all of us again at some point), which further interferes with your body’s natural ability to clean out it’s own system, and you’ve got a monopoly free pass collect 100 dollars to hormone imbalance.

Your stool isn’t the only way your body gets rid of toxins though.  There are four other pathways that also deal with elimination and they are all interconnected.

1.  Liver and Large Intestine
These are your internal garbage processors, compacting and moving the big stuff such as digested food, toxins, chemicals and hormonal waste every single day!  
The liver’s primary purpose is to convert fat-soluble toxins (most) into water soluble waste through at two step process so that your body can excrete them via sweat, urine and bowel movements.  Hormones are fat soluble because that allows them to stay in the body longer.

Phase 1– the liver breaks them down using nutrients like glutathione, B vitamins, and C vitamins (from the food you eat).  This breakdown causes free radicals which are toxic, and so phase 2 is also vital and needs to happen.

Phase 2- Selenium and amino acids in the liver combine these free radicals and make them harmless and water soluble.

It then enters into the gallbladder, mixes with bile and leaves the body via the large intestine.  The last substance needed is adequate fiber so the large intestine can bind the waste and make sure it leaves quickly.

** Now an important point here, you can’t just supplement with these nutrients and expect the pathways to clear.  These nutrients don’t become bioavailable when you take them as typical supplements, if you eat them as they naturally occur in foods, the body can easily recognize them.  It’s important to consume enough and use whole food supplementation as needed to fill in the gaps and support both phases of detoxification.  If you don’t complete phase 2 because of a lack of nutrients, you’re exposing yourself to a greater degree of toxins.

When you wake up in the morning, have a glass of water and feel the urge to have a bowel movement within about 20 minutes of waking, this is successful elimination in this pathway.  If it’s longer than that, or if you require a cup of coffee to get things rolling your are constipated!. Even if you go later in the day. The reason being is because the liver stops working around 3am in it’s cycle, so by the time you wake up, you have been clearing yesterday’s waste for the past 12 hours.  If you don’t get proper elimination, the toxins and other chemicals work their way back through and become reabsorbed through the bloodstream.  This can lead to menstrual, fertility, libido, and chronic conditions.

2. Skin
Your skin is your largest organ!  That’s why products in your home were so important to be clean.  It has to handle whatever the large intestine and liver are unable to eliminate.  It does so by exerting waste, by sweat. Have you ever noticed when you are stressed or upset, the sweat from your armpits smells foul?  That’s a sign your pathways of elimination are congested and your skin is trying to expel it.
Cystic acne, rosacea, eczema, often are all signs the other systems haven’t been working well!

3. Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is a network of organs, nodes ducts, and vessels that produce and transport lymph, a fluid made up of white blood cells.  This system sweeps up metabolic waste, toxins, dead cells, and excess fluid from your organs and deposits them into your bloodstream, which eventually transfers them to the liver and large intestine.  When it’s clogged, the  organs and parts of the body that deposit waste into it become backed up too.

When it works efficiently, your lymphatic system directs white blood cells to germs and other invaders and helps you fight off infections.  When congested, it still attracts these bugs and transports them throughout your body, dumping them into the bloodstream, putting at a greater risk.
You can also experience allergies, high blood pressure, chronic sinusitis and can develop autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus with clogged lymphatics.

4. Kidneys
Just like the liver, the kidneys process toxins all the time and are very sensitive to chronic exposure.  Instead of eliminating through the bowels, it’s elimination is through the urinary system.  An over abundance of chemicals, hormones and low numbers of minerals and electrolytes leading to dehydration puts this organ and relationship out of balance, and can also lead to kidney stones, low back pain and infections.  

So there it is…..
I would also state that our oral health and respiratory system and lungs are also areas that are pretty vulnerable to these toxins.
Those in the 30 day oil pulling challenge are already seeing results by detoxifying their mouth which detoxifies your overall body. 

So, as you all know I do detoxes every year.  I’m think of starting the 21 day detox program after the 30 day oil pulling challenge is complete, starting mid may.

If you would like to join the challenge, please let me know.  This is the best and most accurate whole food nutrition cleanse I have found in all of my studies.  We unfortunately just don’t get enough nutrients in our food because of the quality and soil, and as we know are over exposed all the time to toxins.

If you’re interested let me know and I’ll reach out to you when it gets closer.
The fee is $250 which includes all the supplements, food plan and a private Facebook group that will guide you each day through the cleanse.

OIL OF THE WEEK

On the Spotlight this week is DoTerra’s Cypress. Cypress essential oil can be used for its aromatic and topical benefits. Cypress essential oil is composed of monoterpenes, which can help improve the appearance of oily skin. It can also be applied topically to give the body an energizing lift. The chemical structure of Cypress essential oil also contributes to its renewing and uplifting fragrance. When used aromatically, Cypress produces a clean aroma that has both an invigorating and grounding effect on the emotions. Due to Cypress essential oil’s rejuvenating aroma and skin benefits, it is commonly used in spas and by massage therapists.

Cypress Essential Oil Uses and Benefits

1. A salve can be an effective way to enjoy the aromatic benefits of essential oils. Try making your own Cypress salve with this DIY Soothing Salve recipe. The addition of Cypress oil to the other oils in this recipe creates an invigorating vapor that can be useful during winter months. This salve has the texture of petroleum jelly and can be customized to fit your needs.

2. Needing the energy to get up and run? Don’t sweat it, just apply Cypress essential oil to your feet and legs prior to a long run. The vitalizing sensation of Cypress essential oil on your skin will give you the motivational boost you need to endure and enjoy your long run.

3. Oily skin is a common problem for many people. If you are looking for a way to reduce the shiny glow of oily skin, add Cypress essential oil to your daily routine. To rid your skin of the oily look, add one to two drops of Cypress essential oil to help improve the appearance of oily skin. This addition to your daily toner can help you feel more confident in your external radiance.

4. Fill the air with the fresh scents of essential oils in this Cypress diffuser blend. Add Lime and Cypress essential oils in the diffuser of your choice for an invigorating scent. The soft, woody aroma of Cypress essential oil will work to renew and uplift the senses while the scent of Lime will help purify the air. This diffuser combination is perfect for diffusing in times of transition or when feeling a lack of energy.

5. Cypress essential oil is known for its skin benefits. Don’t miss out on Cypress oil’s amazing  qualities. Topically apply Cypress essential oil for a cleansing and calming effect.

6. Fill your home with the scent of fresh forest air by using this essential oil diffuser blend. Add two drops of Cypress, three drops White Fir, and one drop Cedarwood for a refreshing, woodsy aroma. These three tree-based oils will give you the feel of a fresh evergreen forest that will be perfect for any outdoor lover.

7. Are you wanting a renewed and fresh look for your skin? Try using the topical benefits of Cypress essential oil by adding it to doTERRA’s unscented Spa Hand & Body Lotion. This homemade, Cypress-infused lotion can also be used for its aromatic benefits to produce a grounding and stimulating scent when applied.

8. Give yourself a little piece of relaxation at the end of the day by using Cypress essential oil in a bath. For optimal results, add a half cup of Epsom salt and three drops of Cypress essential oil to a warm tub to help your body relax and revitalize after a stressful day.

9. When you are feeling stagnant, inhale Cypress essential oil directly from the bottle. Inhaling Cypress has many benefits and can have a grounding and stimulating effect on the emotions. Because Cypress essential oil contains a variety monoterpenes, its aromatic compounds help to uplift and give you the added boost you may need.  Also, important in lymphatic drainage and getting the lymph system working!

Fun Fact
Due to its erect and evergreen features, the cypress tree is commonly used for cemetery landscaping.

Plant Description 
The Cypress tree, commonly used in landscapes, is a perennial evergreen. Defining features of this tree are its upright and tall form. These trees can grow to exceptional heights of 60 to 80 feet tall. The foliage of the Cypress tree is dark green and scale like. The tree also produces cones that are 1.5 inches across. These cones are woody and scaly and usually take two years to mature. The origin of the Cypress tree is the Mediterranean area and western Asia.1

Chemistry of Cypress Essential Oil
Main Chemical Components: α-pinene, carene, limonene

The three main chemical components of Cypress essential oil are α-pinene, carene, and limonene. Both limonene and α-pinene are part of the monoterpenes group and have strong uplifting characteristics. α-pinene is also well known as a chemical with powerful renewing properties. To learn more about the chemical components found in Cypress oil or other essential oils, visit the doTERRA Science Blog.

April Showers Bring May Flowers & Detoxing….. What is hiding in your home?

, , , , , , , ,
April Showers Bring May Flowers… and Detoxing!

Happy Monday!  I hope you all enjoyed last month’s topic all about Children!  We are switching gears this month, and talking about various methods of detoxing.  I know some of you joined the 30 Day Oil Pulling Challenge, which started this morning!  I am looking forward to the challenge with you all.

It’s that time of year again, where we all need some detoxing!  As some of you know, I do a detox about two times a year, because as you will read in today’s blog, we are surrounded, yes SURROUNDED by toxins on a daily basis.

Today I am just going to talk briefly about what is in your home…  Even before you get out the door!  Because we know that there are toxins we cannot help, like in our environment, maybe a restaurant we eat, electromagnetic frequencies or soap at the public restroom, ect..

That being said, I’m not trying to “scare” you or make you become paranoid, what I do want to to is educate you.  We don’t know what we don’t know right? The goal is for us to control what we CAN control, like things in our home.  What I can tell you is these facts:

  • 1 in 9 women suffer from the condition PCOS
  • Fibroids occur in 3 out of 10 women
  • 1 in 10 have endometriosis
  • 13 million have under active thyroid conditions
  • 1 in 8 couples are infertile
  • fibrocytic breasts affect 20 to 40% menstruating women
  • 7 million women meet the criteria for clinical depression
  • every 10 minutes, 12 hysterectomies are performed in the US
  • in the past 10 years male sperm count has decreased by 50%
Crazy right?!  What is crazy is ALL of these are linked to the over exposure of what are called exogenous hormones and chemicals.  These substances are hormone DISRUPTORS.  So, we can’t be blind fully unaware, when so many of us, and others around us are suffering from these and many other conditions associated with hormone disruption.

What I can tell you is this pearl of wisdom: You can’t “fix” a hormonal issue.. The only way your body can achieve hormonal balance is if ……drum roll…..

Your body does the job!  Only if you safeguard and nurture it with every meal and habit, every day to optimize endocrine function.

This is why throwing birth control or medications at hormonal issues doesn’t work.  Our body isn’t doing the job.  So, are you safeguarding and nurturing your body?  What are triggers or hormone imbalance?  Here are a few.

Triggers:

1.  Pesticides in our food, pesticides in our home ( maybe to ward off insects like bug spray)
2. Home cleaning products/laundry detergent/dryer sheets
3. Trans fats
5. Plastics- BPA and chemicals leak into our food, especially microwaving in plastic
6. The Most toxic food containers- Styrofoam
7. Stress
8. Birth control
9. Body skin products

Let’s talk about a typical day in the life…And what you can be exposed to just in your home.  This might be shocking to you, but the goal is for you to realize the immense need for detoxing and getting these products out.

——

Getting up- One of the first things you do….

  • Brush your teeth- Most toothpastes have Fluoride in them.  (Oil Pulling Challenge pitch here we will talk extensively about this)
    • Fluroide is linked to cancer, Dvelopmental/reproductive toxiticy is a neurotoxin
    • Also contains Triclosan – Raises Testosterone
  • Mouth Wash
    • Artificial Sweeteners like aspartame, or saccharin have been shown to cause depression, anxiety, memory loss and mood swings
    • triclosan- raises testosterone
  • Wash your hands
    • Soap and Sanitizers- Triclosan raises testosterone, also creates resistant bacteria
    • Fragrance- undisclosed mixture of up to 2000 different chemicals listed under the title “fragrance” .  It is protected by companies so they don’t have to tell you what’s in it.
  • Get into the Shower
    • Fragrance in soap.  Associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential side effects on the reproductive system
    • Parabens in shampoo and conditioner preservatives mimic estrogen and can as act hormone disruptors
    • Propane and sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) in shaving cream, registered pesticide.
    • Chlorine in the water
    • Chlorine used in bleaching of paper products like toilet paper
    • Dry off with a towel that has been dried with fabric softener sheets (fragrance) or maybe washed with bleach.  DRYER Sheets are the most dangerous ingredients in your home!  Chemicals, chemicals chemicals in these sheets.
  • Out of the shower
    •  Lather up with lotion, more parabens and fragrance
    • hair products- more parabens and fragracne
    • makeup- women who use makeup absorb almost 5 pounds of chemicals into their bodies each year! Its up to you to read labels, they aren’t approved by FDA
    • put on deodorant that contains aluminum that is a heavy metal and disrupts hormones
    • wash your hands again before you head downstairs or into your kitchen, antibacterial hand soap- triclosan
    • touch up your fingernail polish- which has phylates (DBP, DEHP), EPA classifies as possible carcinogen, found in fragrances and perfumes too.  Think of those poor nail salon workers.

The average women has 12 products she uses every single day... and if they are the run of the mill products, she’s exposed to 168 chemicals, men use 6 products daily exposing them to 85 chemicals per day!  And you haven’t even left the bathroom!

  • Get Dressed
    • residue from dry cleaning chemicals used on your clothes
    • pour yourself a cup of coffee, in your travel mug that has an inner plastic lining and a plastic lid that is leaching BPA.  Then you add your favorite sugar, some still use splenda, which is an organochlorine, in the same class of chemicals as mustard gas! Then maybe soy milk into your coffee, which is an estrogen disruptor and most likely genetically modified
    • Grab a yogurt for the road, if not organic, contains bovine growth hormones
    • apple for a morning snack sounds great!  it’s the most highly sprayed crop in our country and what do pesticides do?  They stop reproduction and kill…  Coffee is number 2 sprayed crop if not organic.
    • Fill up that plastic water bottle you carry around with you and chemicals in the plastic leach into your water.
You still haven’t left the house yet….

You can see how exposure over time, can lead to so many hormone problems!  It’s not wonder we have all of those conditions originally mentioned.  Our bodies are so confused from the exposure.

Here are some consequences of hormone imbalances:

  1. Thin, fragile dry skin
  2. osteoporosis
  3. anxiety
  4. depression
  5. decreased cognitive function
  6. low libido
  7. breast cancer
  8. heart disease
  9. high blood pressure
  10. angina
  11. Acne
  12. Vertigo
  13. Insomnia
  14. Hot Flashes
  15. Foggy Brain
  16. Fatigue
Like I said previously, the only way to balance our endocrine system, is if our body does the job.  So we will be talking about various ways to balance our hormones and detoxing throughout the month, through exercise, meditation, food choices ( we don’t get nutrients enough these days from food alone even eating the cleanest diet), hydration, eliminating, Craniopathy and body work modalities.

Can you see the need?

So, While you are Spring Cleaning, Start Cleaning out your home!  Detoxing can start just purging your home and products of all of these chemicals.  An awesome substitute is using Pure Essential Oils like Doterra, and all their natural products.  If you need help switching over to oils, let me know.. My entire home is now chemical free with Oils, Kangan Water and non toxic beauty products.

I hope this enlightened you this week.

Here are some extra resources:

  • A shoppers guide to safe cosmetics- www.EWG.org/skindeep
  • EWG Healthy Living APP for products and food
  • The dirty dozen shopping guide to avoid pesticides- www.foodnews.org.  Download the app
  • Think Dirty App for scanning products before purchase
  • www.saferchemicals.org
  • www.healthychild.org
  • www.karenrothnutiriton.com
Here is additionally a list of plastics which ones are okay and which ones are harmful and you should avoid:


OIL OF THE WEEK

On the Spotlight this week is DoTerra’s Zendocrine. Zendocrine essential oil blend supports the body’s natural ability to rid itself of unwanted substances.* This powerful blend combines Rosemary, Cilantro, and Juniper Berry, known for their detoxifying properties and ability to support healthy liver and kidney function, while Tangerine and Geranium have purifying effects against unhealthy substances.* Zendocrine helps cleanse the body of toxins and free radicals that can slow the body’s systems down, leaving a heavy, weighted feeling.*

Uses

  • Add 1–2 drops to citrus drinks, teas, or water to support healthy liver function.*
  • Take one drop daily for one week as part of an internal cleansing regimen or to kick-start a New Year’s resolution.*
  • Apply to abdomen or bottoms of feet to support the body’s natural detoxification system.

Directions for Use

Diffusion: Use three to four drops in the diffuser of your choice.
Internal use: Dilute one drop in 4 fl. oz. of liquid.
Topical use: Apply one to two drops to desired area. Dilute with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil to minimize any skin sensitivity.