Aging

Faith or Fear

Liz James · April 25, 2020 ·

Yesterday was a pharmacy 👩‍⚕️ workday for me.

Masked and gloved…. because that’s how pharmacy rolls right now.

It’s 10 hours of opportunity to observe humanity while working, and as all recent workdays, there are exactly two kinds of people out and about…. those that are living in faith 🙌 and those that are living in fear 😱 .

“For God hath not given us a spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

The two…. faith and fear … cannot coexist in the same body.

I have friends who are elderly and immunocompromised who have been operating thru this season on faith with a sound mind. They are protecting themselves, but standing strong…. shoulders back, and carrying a wink and a smile in their eyes. (These are my dear folks who should and do wear a mask).

I have other elderly friends who are 80+ years old…. strong as an ox still (most of them are farmers 👨‍🌾👩‍🌾 and ranchers btw) who are taking minimal precautions, and navigating life as they always have been…. with confidence, humor, and a practical mindset.

These two groups are my personal heroes….. I pray I am like them when I am 80+ and going strong. Life is short friends… and they make the most of every day. 💕

Then, I see others….. of all ages….. shoulders either up around their ears or curled forward, eyes that have lost their sparkle, wearing a mask made of anything they could find. Asking how (or IF) “we” are going to survive all of this… and then go on to quote all that the mainstream media has said for the last many days. Clearly, they’re absorbing all that is being dished out.

Fear can be an idol all of its own. People don’t start out wanting to be fearful, but the mind is a powerful thing. Constant exposure to fear based media will begin to shape and program the brain until fear becomes the driving force of how someone thinks, acts, and responds. Our immune system responds accordingly to how our brain is programmed.

Fear drives the immune system downward to ultimate sickness. 😷

Faith raises the immune system. 🙏🙌

Faith and fear cannot coexist. The Bible is very clear about this, and interestingly (but not surprisingly) science endorses this statement.

We will become what we think about the most, and it is terribly important to be aware of the type of information we are exposing ourselves to.

According to science, it takes 63 days to develop a pattern in the brain. And, according to the Nielsen report, United States adults watch roughly 5 hours of televison per day (or 77 days a year).

Television

“Tell you vision” .

If what your eyes see and ears hear feed a fear based mentality, I urge you to reconsider what you expose yourself to.

Additionally, if you’ve never tried the Young Living essential oil blend White Angelica, I’d encourage EVERYONE to keep a bottle on hand and apply it or diffuse it daily. Do it for a month and see if it doesn’t change your world…. especially if you spend a great deal of time around negative minded people. #youcanthankmelaterforthistip 😘

Hugs and love friends.

xoxo~ Liz

#youarecreatedforgreatness
#faithoverfear
#enjoyyourweekendoutdoors
#faithisfreedomfearisprison
#ThanksYL

#6 Viruses 101

Liz James · March 14, 2020 ·

Post #6 CV 101…… What we Know to be True about Viruses (aka…. the care and feeding of a virus).

What?!? You don’t want to care and feed a virus of any sort?

Well, then….. let’s set the stage for what it might look like to create an inhospitable environment should a virus want to step foot into your personal space. 😉

Please refer to Post #5 for Action Points #1 & #2 ’cause I’m just gonna dive right in to…….

Plan of Action #3: Viruses (in general) cannot set up camp and unpack their “bug in” bags unless some things go awry in a body ⛺️

If a virus enters into your personal space, one of the first things its going ask itself is this:

“Does this body have impaired glutathione production?”…. or is it gonna put up a fight?”

What the what? I thought we needed a strong immune system to fight off any viruses? Yes, that you do. But let’s unpeel a layer of that onion shall we?

Glutathione is something our body manufactures in every single one of its cells. It is often considered the most important cellular defense/ antioxidant that allows the body to prevent and fight infections and disease.

It also plays a crucial role in immune response, DNA repair, and the detoxing we must be doing constantly to ward off the damage done by medications, household (or other) chemicals, radiation, & our own metabolic wastes.

(Ya’ll… if we are laden with these wastes, chemicals, and broken DNA…. ain’t no way we will be able to effectively fight off bacteria, viruses, and destructive toxins that constantly assault our body).

HERE’S A BONUS IN THE DEAL, GLUTATHIONE IS ALSO THE PROTECTOR OF OUR IMMUNE CELLS. IT EFFECTIVELY FEEDS, PROTECTS, AND STRENGTHENS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND BOOSTS WHITE BLOOD CELL PRODUCTION (TO FIGHT INFECTION) …. …. THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF OUR LIVES IS LITERALLY DEPENDENT UPON GLUTATHIONE.

Normally, glutathione is recycled in the body…. except when the toxic load is too much of a burden, and/or the simple building blocks (which I will talk about in a bit) are lacking….And that is where trouble happens.😬

Who might have impaired glutathione production? ….well… glad you asked!

👵👴 The elderly

💉 The vaccine injured (another topic for another day)
🔥 Those with acidic internal environments (Remember, we need to be constantly striving for a slightly alkaline body pH…. all diseases…. including viruses, love an acidic environment)

🚬 Smokers

🍔🍟 Those who are nutritionally deficient. Not to make light of the current virus situation, but 1 in 5 deaths in the USA is related to nutritional deficiencies…. that’s 11 million people a year friends. 😳 #easilypreventable

💊💊 Those who are on certain medications. Some meds deplete glutathione in the body…. and this acquired deficiency usually gets misdiagnosed as a side effect (and more medication is prescribed instead of correcting the deficiency …. heavy sigh)

If you are taking medications in any of the following drug classes, you’ll want to pay special attention to how to help improve glutathione production:
💊Acid Blockers (ex: Nexium, Pepcid, Prilosec, Protonix etc)
💊Analgesics (ex: Acetaminophen or any product containing acetaminophen including Hydrocodone)
💊Antacids that contain Aluminum (please, in Jesus name, do not knowingly consume Aluminum anyway! 🙏
💊Certain Antibiotics (including amoxicillin, zithromycin, cephalexin and related, doxycycline, quinolones, and sulfamethoxazole )
💊 Anti-inflammatory meds: (NSAIDS, Steroids, and Aspirin)
💊 Diuretics (ex: Furosemide and HCTZ)
💊 Birth control and synthetic hormone replacement therapy
Ugggh. That was a long list 😔

How might we go about improving glutathione production, and in the process…. improve our immune function? #wehaveourways

We need a sulfur donor! Sulfur (not to be confused with the drug class “sulfa”) is required in our very DNA, and it’s a major building block needed for Glutathione production.
Common sulfur food sources include broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, and watercress, and raw milk. Sadly, our soils (even on many organic farms) are depleted of minerals due to farming practices, so supplementation is a really good idea.

One of my most favorite YL supplements is called Sulfurzyme. As you might guess from its name…. it’s a rock star sulfur donor. 😉 I take it for a variety of reasons that I’m not even gonna go into today, but cannot imagine my life without it, especially now that immune health is a pertinent topic these days.

🍊 Secondly, glutathione production needs a natural source of Vitamin C. (Synthetic abounds…. try to avoid it if you can…. it’s derived from GMO’d corn). #justsaynotoGMO

My favorite source of naturally sourced Vitamin C is Young Living’s Super C Chewables. It also comes in a non-chewable form, but I take them daily as a healthy “treat” ’cause they’re kinda tasty!

Thirdly, glutathione production needs a source of Magnesium. Natural sources are always best ( dark chocolate, avocados, nuts, beans, chickpeas, pun’kin seeds), but once again…. soils are depleted of minerals, so I supplement. Young Living does not yet stand in the gap for us for this supplement, but I’ve found a plant based brand I feel comfortable recommending: NATURELO Magnesium Glycinate.

🍄 Finally…. selenium and Vitamin E… both are needed in small amounts. I take a supplement that has trace amounts of selenium, and that… in combination with mushrooms, grass fed beef, eggs, and oatmeal will do my body good.

Natural sources of Vitamin E include nuts, sunflower seeds, spinach and broccoli, so I’m pretty well covered there as well.

Other ways to boost glutathione production:
👉exercise! #justdoit
👉Vitamin B’s…. (folate, B6, & B12)
👉Milk Thistle
👉 Prayer & Meditation (would you believe that regular practice of these has been found to boost glutathione production by as much as 20%?) #Godwantsushealthy

Alrighty friends…. signing off for now. Stay tuned for Post #7… there’s lots more to unpack!

Holler at a friend who practices a Young Living healthy lifestyle (or at me) if this series has interested you and you’d like to learn more.

(and as always, this post is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or tell ya what to do in the case of a pandemic… I am not a doctor…. just a pharmacist who has been around the block a few times 😉)

xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#immunesupportiskindaimportant
#ThanksYL

#3 Corona Virus 101

Liz James · March 12, 2020 ·

POST #3 Corona Virus 101…. Demographics
Based upon current info, this is what we can safely deduce…

👉 Most cases are hitting ages 30-79 years old, But the fatality rate was 14.8% in people 80 or older, likely reflecting the presence of other diseases, a weaker immune system…. LONGER EXPOSURE to pollution, toxins, and cigarettes or simply worse overall health. (see how this might skew the above overall stats?)

👉 Virus symptoms appear to be mild in ~80% of cases in children (a group not at risk!…. perhaps in part because they have had less exposure in their short lives to pollution, toxins, and cigarettes?)

👉 Pregnant mamas? Info gleaned in a small group study revealed that the virus appears to be more mild in pregnancy…. But mamas can transmit to their babies. As for the mothers, “Covid-19 seems not to be especially severe in pregnant women, at least based on the small number in this study,” the scientists wrote. Well this is good news! I might also add that pregnant women in China know enough about 5G that they wear special clothing to protect their unborn children. For real!

A bit further digging (and a tiny bunny 🐰trail!), and I found that you can buy radiation protective clothing here in the US too!

👉 Personally, my greatest concern lies within this last group…. the immuno-compromised. 👈These people … these are the ones that are going to need all of our help. The virus is real, and although it does appear to be relatively mild if you are a healthy individual and are taking care of yourself, but the reality is that we have ALOT of unhealthy people in our world. Who would qualify as immunocompromised? According to the CDC…. that would include:
HIV/AIDS
Cancer & Transplant Patients
Rare inherited diseases that affect the immune system
(that’s pretty much their list 😳 )

My list of those who might qualify as being immunocompromised is quite a bit longer…. We here in the USA have been encouraged to be vaccinated against pretty much everything under the sun, and yet, we are one of the sickest first world countries in the world. #truthbomb This is another topic I have plans to discuss at some point… not now. But my concerns are on point. Really, anyone who is diabetic, has heart disease, compromised pulmonary function, an autoimmune disorder that is not well managed…. if you know anyone in these categories, I encourage you to encourage them to #dothethings that will help boost their immune systems.

There’s no time like the present to start boosting your immunity now. Details to come beyond what I’m about to write…. but let’s simply start today with the basics:
1.🍖 Fresh (not processed) foods
2.Clean filtered water (not soft drinks, junk juice etc)
3. Regular exercise
4.☠️🍞🍟🍭🎂🍩💉☢️☣️Remove as much of the toxin load as possible in food, beverages, household cleaners, synthetic air fresheners, body care products, and even cosmetics and replace these things with immune system boosting products whenever possible, or at the very least “green and healthy” products.

If you are a Young Living member, I do not need to fill in the blanks for you…. if you are not a YL member, I encourage you to reach out to someone you know and trust who can help with the immune supportive cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and alternatives for air fresheners that Young Living provides for everyone. Many of us have been toxin dumping for years, and we can guide you thru what we ourselves have successfully done.

Studies have shown that toxin load reduction begins decreasing within days of implementing the above 4 steps.

Stay tuned…… lots more to talk about.

xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#healthismoreimportantthantoiletpaperwhenprepping
#ThanksYL

Probiotics Uncapped

Liz James · September 4, 2019 ·

How do you feel about your gut?

Did you know that you have roughly 100 trillion bacteria (3-4 lbs worth!) sharing your personal space with you?…. more to the point…. inside you? Our “friends” within us are terribly important to our health. They keep the bad bacteria (aka: the bullies) in check. When our gut is healthy, approximately 80-85% of our bacteria is good, and 15-20% are bad. At this ratio, the good bacteria are able to keep the bad bacteria “in check”. The good bacteria are team players. When they are healthy, and there are enough of them, they are able to keep the bad bacteria from overpopulating and causing damage, dysfunction, and disease.

In addition, good bacteria in the gut play a major role in many body functions…. including digestion and pooping, preventing inflammation of the intestinal wall, AND helping prevent leaky gut syndrome. Surprisingly, our little bacteria friends also play a large role in our mental health. Poor gut health has been found to be directly correlated with OCD, ADHD, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, learning disabilities, memory, and mood…. not to mention general poor gut health. Our gut population is also responsible for approximately 80% of our immunity, AND not having enough good bacteria can lead to autoimmune disorders, allergies and infection. Good gut bacteria is also important to our weight!

Gut health plays a huge part in overall body inflammation. When your intestinal lining is compromised, total body inflammation or inflammation in certain parts of the body… including the brain is virtually guaranteed. Inflammation within the brain is painless, and yet it is a factor in Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s, MS, and Autism.

Finally, as we age, our good bacteria tend to naturally die off… and this is not good…not good at all. (Everyone “of a certain age” should be on a probiotic for optimal health). Go back and re-read the paragraphs above…. is it any coincidence that the elderly have regular issues “being regular”, having brain fog/memory lapses, sleep disorders etc?

There are many ways we unintentionally damage and abuse our gut bacteria on a regular basis:

Overuse of antibiotics. If you must use them…. Always, always always use a heavy round of probiotics both during and following antibiotic use (making sure to separate the antibiotic and probiotic dose by at least 2 hours).
Alcohol, processed foods, refined sugar, and refined carbohydrates. All of these products feed bad bacteria and promote inflammation
NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). They cause gut inflammation, damage the gut lining, and recent research indicates that their use induces gluten sensitivity.
Antacids and Acid Reducers. (Did you know that most of these are not FDA approved for use longer than 8 weeks). Long term use promotes Candida (yeast) overgrowth.
Minimize and control your stress levels. High levels of stress can cause major GI damage over the long term.

And finally…. when we reach ‘a certain age’, our good gut bacteria begins to naturally die off. When this happens, our overall body health is compromised unless we supplement!

Young Living offers one of the finest probiotics on the market: Life 9. And no, not all probiotics are created equally. Case Adams PhD, wrote a book: Probiotics-Protection Against Infection. In his book, he outlines what to look for in a good probiotic….. The type of capsule (HPMC), the diverse strains of bacteria (YL has 9 strains: 4bifido, 4lacto, and 1 strepto), the quantity of bacteria per capsule (10-15 BILLION Colony Forming Units is recommended for maintenance dosing), the container itself (glass with a metal lid…not plastic), and a moisture control (calcium carbonate). All of these requirements are so important… and they cumulatively make Life 9 the powerhouse for our health that it is. I know that there are tons of probiotics on the market, but MOST do not follow this advised criteria. Do your homework and then pick up a bottle of Life 9!
So, in a nutshell… we truly ARE what we ingest! But the zoo within us needs regular TLC and protection. Without that, you may end up with a gut gone rogue…. and that, my friends, is one of the worst things that could happen to your overall body health.

Hugs and Love~ Liz
(PS: Young Living makes a top notch probiotic for kiddos too…. it’s called Mighty Pro. ;))

The Gut Health/Brain Health Connection

Liz James · July 17, 2017 ·

Good morning friends,

I saw an article this morning, and wanted to share it . Here are a few excerpts from the study referenced:

“Investigators led by Caroline Wallace, PhD candidate, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, found that symptoms of mood, anhedonia, and sleep disturbance were significantly reduced with probiotic therapy after just 4 weeks, with results maintained at 8 weeks.

The findings are of particular interest because probiotics are not associated with any of the adverse effects of current antidepressant therapies and can be safely taken over long periods.

These results, the investigators note, “suggest that probiotics may be effective in alleviating depressive symptoms such as mood, anhedonia, and sleep quality.”

Our gut is just so dang important for our overall body health…. not just physically, but also emotionally. Antidepressants are among the top three medication classes prescribed by doctors. I can verify that as a pharmacist. While antidepressants are not addictive, they do have the ability to completely change the wiring in your brain, making them very difficult to discontinue. I’ve been told by more than one patient that being on an antidepressant is like experiencing your world thru a filtered lens. Everything is muted, and while you may have muted depressed emotions, you will also find you have muted joy and pleasure. And yet, for mild to moderate depression, doctors offer this alternative over suggesting non-prescription remedies first.

As we age or assault our gut with diet, antibiotics and household toxins, the good bacteria in our gut can’t maintain their healthy colony size……and, I’ve read that some of these little beasties (the Bifidobacterium strains specifically) really start to struggle when we’ve reached ‘a certain age’, leading to (among other things) anxiety, depression, and sleepless nights…. all things the elderly (or those with a gut issues) can struggle with.

Sadly, almost no insurance pays for probiotics. Such a simple aid for such a widespread problem!……Just one more aspect of our broken healthcare system here in the USA.

Not all probiotics are created equal, and there are hundreds of brands on the market. Among the many I have researched, there are only a few brands I would recommend. The reasons are diverse: packaging (not protective enough), strains (not diverse enough), quantity (not enough colony forming units to make much of an impact), release mechanism (releasing directly into the stomach is a death sentence for these beasties)….. the list goes on.

While you can be thrifty and bargain shop for many things, probiotics is not one of them. In this case, you truly do get what you pay for. The best ones aren’t cheap; you can expect to pay about 25-30$/month. Even then, purchasing a pricey probiotic does not mean all the criteria above will be met. A close dissection and understanding of the label is very important.

I know…. that sounds like a lot of money, but at 300-400$ per year, it is a darn cheap way to invest in your life, your health, and your emotional balance. I know people who spend that much on designer coffee and fast food each month (to the detriment of their health). We all have choices to make in life.

One of the things I love and respect about Young Living (the company I do business with and endorse) is their ability to simplify my life. I really appreciate that their products do not require ‘label dissection’ (that was a game changer and time saver for me). All of them. Clean. Pure. Unadulterated. Researched & developed with attention to the minutia of detail….. making this pharm/farm girl one happy camper.

Ya’ll take care and have a blessed day!

Liz

(Oh, and yes…. this picture has nothing to do with this article…. even tho these thistles are terrible weeds, I still thought it was a pretty thing ;). I love finding beauty in the everyday-ness out here.)