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Confession time: Occasionally I end up down rabbit holes. #thatprobablydoesntsurpriseyou 😁 We’ve certainly had plenty of rabbits and plenty of holes in 2020! Rabbit holes are not a bad thing tho, if you come out learning something new in the process. #neverquitlearning

I have heard the term “exosome” bandied around recently, and it has intrigued me for a number of reasons. I finally took the time over the last few days to learn more about these little extracellular organelles and the part they play in our lives. It’s been many years since I was in college, and since exosomes were discovered while I was in pharmacy school… well, that’s probably why they weren’t a part of the curriculum way back in the 80’s! So, I’m going to unpack what I’ve learned as briefly as possible and will let you draw your own conclusions.

*What are exosomes?

👉They are little packets of debris (mainly proteins, lipids, toxins, and RNA fragments) that are encapsulated and released from our cells. From there, they float around in the space between our cells and then either bind to other cells or are eliminated by the body. If they bind to other cells, they become heroes or villains depending on what they are carrying, as they then pass information along to the “receiver” cells.

In a HEALTHY body, exosomes are:
👉A critical component to our immune system (having both immunosuppressive and immuno-activating roles).

👉 Neuroprotective (especially of the brain) AND play a part in normal cellular communication within the central nervous system.

👉Supportive of cardiovascular function

👉A type of trash service for our body (if our cells didn’t have this feature, they would die) necessary to keep a happy balance within our cells.

😵In an UNHEALTHY body, exosomes can spread rogue information, and in doing so, they become part of disease pathology.

👉Some pathogens (a bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that can cause a body to malfunction) take advantage of exosomes to infect other host cells and/or evade immune response.

👉Diseases found to have an “exosome gone bad” component include neurodegenerative diseases (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons), certain liver diseases, heart failure, and many cancers.

*Interestingly, exosomes are the same size as viruses and have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. For this reason, exosomes are being looked at as drug delivery systems. Hero or villain? You decide.

*Also of interest… it is the contents of the exosome that the ‘rona PCR testing measures. (That’s another story for another day as the PCR testing was never designed to do what it’s being asked to do).

So what causes exosomes to form? … in short, environmental threats to the body. They work in a positive way to help us adapt to environmental changes at a cellular level, but they can only do so much so fast. In those situations, what is meant for good becomes bad.

If exosomes transfer information from cell to cell, we need to make sure it has ample opportunity to transfer healthy information and not damaged goods.

There are some things we can control (and we should do so if we want to remain healthy). These little organelles are trying to do right by us! 

☠️Toxic substances (pathogen debris, heavy metals, chemicals in processed foods, medications, environmental, household, or common skincare items that have toxic ingredients) lead to an increased trash payload within cells. Use your nontoxic products Young Living has available to you, eat “clean” organic food, and always keep risk versus benefit in mind when considering using something with a known toxin profile.
#alltheThieves

*Psychological Stress (chronic fear or anxiety being big ones) are also damaging at a cellular level. Prayer, meditation, yoga, regular outdoor activities, exercise can all be very helpful here and many of our essential oils support a healthy emotional body.

😷Cancer

☢️Radiation

*Infection (this is where pathogen debris comes in). This can largely be avoided with healthy habits that keep an immune system strong.

*Injury

*Immune Response

😧Chronic dis-ease

📡Electromagnetic Frequency (ie: electro-smog). Please review the many posts I’ve written about this! Do not underestimate the damage that EMF (especially 5G) can do. There are steps we can all take to minimize the damage done within us.

Knowledge is empowerment, but only if you use it.

Are we not wonderfully and powerfully made? 😘

xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring
#showyourexosomessomeTLC
#ThanksYL

One of the fringe benefits of cleaning up your body (ie: ditching toxic ☠️ products) is pretty evident during the summer months. 🌞Sunburns and sun damage (tho they can still happen) usually become a less common occurrence.
Before I began cleaning up my diet, my skin care & personal care products, and our household cleaners and chemicals, it was not uncommon for me to get a decent sunburn a couple times a year. In college (years ago!), I got a few really memorable ones.😳
#thebabyoilyears #ThanksYLforallthetools
#ThievesHouseholdCleanerforthewin
Sun exposure is super beneficial on many levels, not the least of which is its role in the body’s ability to synthesize Vitamin D. We should strive for daily exposure to the sun, not hide from it! Many people fear going out in the sun because they burn so very easily, and while melanin plays a part in whether or not you are prone to sunburn, the reality is that the risk of sunburn and sun damage rises the more “polluted” the inside of your body is. I’m a blonde haired blue eyed farm girl, and have lived this fact.
There is a second part of this equation tho. 
🌞In addition to ditching toxins, seek out foods that are high in antioxidants (like blueberries, wolfberries, kale, dark chocolate, beans, and pecans). These help bind up the damaging free radicals from both toxins and excess sun exposure.
I love that NingXia Red is loaded with both wolfberries and blueberries! It is a daily staple in our home.
🌞You’ll also want to eat foods high in lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant AND it also absorbs both UVA and UVB radiation. Reach for watermelon, tomatoes, red bell peppers, asparagus, red cabbage, and mangos as often as you can!
🌞Omega-3 Fatty Acids come into play as well! Does that surprise you? They help maintain our skin’s integrity and aid in a proper inflammatory response. In other words, they help our body cope with a little too much time in the sun. Walnuts, salmon, cod liver oil, flax, hemp and chia seeds are all loaded with Omega-3’s.
I try to get a handful of walnuts in my diet daily, but I ALWAYS take my OmegaGize3 (item #3097)!
🌞Foods high in beta carotene are also important. Beta carotene converts to Vitamin A in our body, and committing to a diet rich in carrots, dark leafy greens, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, and red bell peppers over time (10 weeks according to one study) provides natural sunscreen protection.
🌞Green Tea contains a flavanol known as EGCG
(epigallocatechin gallate) which has been found to help reduce skin damage from UVA light and also help support healthy collagen (the protein responsible for our skin’s elasticity).
Young Living’s organic Vanilla Lemongrass green Tea (item # 32205) is just as good iced as it is hot. ☕️ Organic tea (and coffee) is so very important because the traditional non-organic processing methods are loaded with ☠️toxins.
🌿Young Living does have an amazing sunscreen (SPF 50 item #24137) that is toxin free (most on the market are loaded with unhealthy ingredients)…. So this was a welcome addition in our home when it became available a few years back!

Enjoy that sunshine friends! 🌞It’s one of God’s ways of smiling on us and it’s an absolutely free health and wellness tool we all have access to.
Be well!
xoxo~ liz

#usethegiftsGodgaveus
#sunshineispowerfulmedicine
#ThanksYL
#ditchthetoxins