Aging

Walking Above The Line-Sustainability

Liz James · February 27, 2017 ·

Sustainable Wellness Practices. Sustainability defined by Websters: “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

My career path (pharmacy) has placed me in a ringside seat of wellness gone south. Approximately 116 Million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Standard western medicine gives answers to chronic pain that are NOT sustainable solutions. There is not one Opioid or NSAID (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory) or other pain reliever that provides a sustainable answer to a long term problem. Long term use of any of them will inevitably lead to a body system dysfunction.

I would encourage everyone to open their minds and seek alternative methods of chronic pain relief. Yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, exercise, proper nutrition (especially proper nutrition!)… the list goes on. Sometimes relief comes in the form of a blend of these, and frequently, normal daily aches and pains can be managed or prevented with proper body system support.

I have used a mixture of ALL of the above in my adult life, and I’ve found my sweet spot with what works for me.

Today, I’d like to show you another powerhouse tool in my personal wellness tool box. Earlier, I shared Sulfurzyme. I’m hoping that you’ve ordered it, fallen in love with it, and are now telling others about it! I mean, who keeps things you love a secret??? Precisely……. And because we’re (virtual) friends, I’m going to let you in on another product….One that goes hand in hand with Sulfurzyme.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Agilease. We are a busy hard working family out here on the farm, and a day rarely goes by that we DON’T go to bed sore and fatigued from the beating our bodies take. Sulfurzyme AND Agilease taken together ensures that we are able to rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat…. day after day. What makes THIS one so special, and why would you need both?

Agilease contains the following :

Frankincense (B. Sacra)
Calcium Fructoborate
Curcuminoids complex (Tumeric)
Piperine (Black Pepper Extract)
Collagen (undenatured type II)
Glucosamine sulfate
Hyaluronic Acid
Wintergreen
Copaiba
Clove
Black Spruce

What’s the ruckus about the above ingredients? Well friends, let me break this down for you piece by piece.

Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) : majorly supports the skeletal system. The key constituents include alpha-pinene and beta-pinene. If you are science-minded, this is where I’m going to tell you to start doing some digging on an enormous scientific website called Pubmed.gov. You might want to start with those two constituents I just mentioned, or perhaps, even Frankincense/ Boswellia Sacra! As a side note, I’ve noticed that some well known OTC joint health brands are starting to add Frank (not sacred frank but another….. easier to attain but less effective…. variety to their blend).

Calcium Fructoborate: Boron is a trace mineral vital to our good health. This is a plant based Boron. There are stories of people who buy Borax and try to dose themselves. Don’t be one of them…..that is not a safe thing to do! We are frequently deficient of Boron, as a society, due to current commercial farming/chemical fertilizer practices. Hallmarks of Boron deficiency may include:

abnormal metabolism of calcium and magnesium
hyperthyroidism
sex hormone imbalances
osteoporosis
arthritis
neural malfunctions

We need it folks…. And we are likely not getting it in our diets the way we should be.

Tumeric: one of the most researched spices to date. Literally thousands of studies have been done on this spice. Why? Because more than 30 years ago, scientists acknowledged that the incidence of chronic illness and inflammation was much much lower in India than in Western countries (countries like the USA that consumed almost no Tumeric or Cumin in their diets). Please do your research on this spice! It has been found to be a powerful antioxidant….Oxidation within us causes chronic low grade inflammation which can affect every single system in our bodies….. not just our creaky joints. Tumeric curbs the oxidation process in our bodies.

Black Pepper Extract: (Piperine) Much like Frankincense, Black Pepper was once considered a rich man’s spice. It has many health benefits of its own, but it is widely known to magnify or enhance the effects of other herbal supplements. There are loads of studies on this spice, specifically on the constituent Piperine (another Pubmed.gov worthy assignment!)…. Please do your research as health benefits are not just limited to improving ease of movement.

Collagen (undenatured type II): Such an important ingredient to support joint health! Even if you are not a researcher, please take a look at close look at the studies that have been done on this ingredient. I’m going to be a spoiler here and quote the final line of a stellar study on Pubmed.gov : UC-II treated subjects showed significant enhancement in daily activities suggesting an improvement in their quality of life. (note: this comes from chicken, so if someone is strictly vegan, please be aware).

Glucosamine Sulfate: I would be surprised if you haven’t heard of this one. It is found in almost all pharmacies in the OTC joint health section. Glucosamine sulfate is a compound found in the human body. It is used by the body to produce a variety of other chemicals that are involved in building tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the thick fluid that surrounds joints. Joints are cushioned by the fluid and cartilage that surround them. In some people, the cartilage breaks down and becomes thin. This results in more joint friction, pain, and stiffness. The Glucosamine in Agilease supports joint and bone health.

Hyaluronic Acid: This is another great addition to the Agilease. Hyaluronic acid is similar to a substance that also occurs naturally in the joints. It works by acting like a lubricant and shock absorber in the joints and helps the joints to work properly. Again, please do your research. Lots of studies out there! (note: in the past, this has almost always been derived from chicken as well. Another vegan fyi).

Wintergreen: I’m hoping you already know about YL’s wintergreen oil. It is a powerhouse for supporting joint health by providing relief from rusty feeling joints, and for musculo-skeletal support (especially when we over do it!). It is an oil also found in Young Living’s blends: PanAway (found in the Premium Starter Kit), Deep Relief, & Ortho Ease Massage oil to name a few. (A word of caution to folks on blood thinners: this is one product to only use with your doctor’s approval. Wintergreen has a constituent that acts a lot like aspirin).

Copaiba: One of my personal faves! I was happy to see this on the ingredient list. It has so many stellar qualities, but in this case, clearly the focus is the effects a major constituent, beta-carophyllene, has on our bodies. It is also well known to calm swelling. I would encourage you to do a little research on beta-carophyllene if you haven’t already!

Clove: Clove has three main constituents, eugenol, eugenol acetate, and our friend on the field…. Beta-carophyllene. (Seriously….get your inquisitive study cap on and go find out about beta-carophyllene) . The bang for your buck in this oil comes from Young Living’s commitment to use only clove BUD oil… not just the leaves. This is huge and makes all the difference in the therapeutic value of this particular oil. Clove oil (especially if derived from the buds) is one of the most potent antioxidants available to us.

Black Spruce: Spruce oil in general is great for supporting the immune system, the respiratory, the endocrine system, the musculoskeletal system… and so many more!

So there you have it. Agilease…. Because sometimes being a Superhero means you need quick recovery from what life throws at you.

Enjoy your day and make it a great one!

xoxo, Liz

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What’s your Retirement Plan Look Like?

Liz James · February 5, 2017 ·

Finances. Ah…… Debbie Downer…. don’t bring that up. I was having a pretty good day until you mentioned the “F” word.

This is a topic that is such a big one in ALL of our lives, and yet the average person wants to run the opposite direction when “the big F” is mentioned. It is very personal. Some peopleare blessed with stewardship training at a young age. One of my parents greatest gifts was the actual act of teaching us to manage money. I knew how to manage money from a pretty young age, partly from this training, and partly because I’ve worked since I was barely a teenager caring for and supporting my own horse. Squandering money just didn’t happen in my world. Others may have figured it out on their own without training, but by trial and error. My hat is off to you…. not everyone learns from financial mistakes, and consequently there is a wake left that grows to tsunami proportions with each passing year.

The reality in today’s world is this…… no matter what your prior circumstance, unless you are born into wealth, your retirement plan likely looks like one of these scenarios:

It just might be do-able. I’ve been saving for retirement since I was 16, and my family tends to die young anyway (now THAT’s another topic for another blog!)
I know I don’t have enough saved, but I’m planning on working til I die of old age. I just hope I’m not on duty as a Wal-Mart greeter when it happens!
Uhhh…. I’ll just live off Social Security… isn’t that what it’s for?(Good luck with that one! I’ve seen too many people at the pharmacy who make monthly choices about food vs medication because they’ve tried just this approach to retirement).

Now dream with me a moment. Have you already fallen in love with Young Living products? (If so, you can scratch the whole “dying young plan”off your retirement scenario list, ’cause it ain’t likely that’s gonna happen). Or, have you just stumbled into my website… dazed, confused, and a little rising excitement about what you’ve found regarding natural wellness options…?

I’m not asking you to share Young Living with others… Only about 8% of YL users actively grow a business, so you are in great company by just being a content product user. Thank you!

But I would like to tell you what could happen if you did share your love of YL’s presence in your life with others.

You see, my husband and I have great jobs. We both work very hard on the farm and in our careers. We also only get 2 weeks of vacation a year, and when you have remote family members with health conditions and/or farm events…. choices for vacation days have to be made. There were several years we’ve had to use nearly all our vacation to address very “non vacation” life events, and several times we’ve missed critical moments in life because of this. Residual Income comes from building an asset (your ever growing YL business) that continues to earn you money even if you are not actively building that asset at every given waking moment. Make no mistake… building a business around Young Living IS work, but the freedom to plan….. or to be spontaneous about this work is priceless. If I could have some “do over” moments in my life and not miss some extremely important family events because of work, I would in a heartbeat. Many of you are younger than me…. Don’t be me. Think about this long and hard now, and don’t miss out because you had to “clock in”. Begin working now on freedom.

Secondly, Charlie and I HAVE been saving for retirement. I personally have been saving since I was 23 years old (I am 50 now). There have been times in our lives that we have dumped relatively large amounts of income into retirement plans, and while we are better prepared than most (when we turn 70 1/2!), it’s still not a ton of money in the grand scheme of growing old. It gives me great peace to be at a point in my Young Living journey (after just 3 years) to have residual income we can count on. If Social Security evaporates into thin air before we retire, with our YL income, we will be fine. This is not a pipe dream… this is our reality. Again…. many of you are younger than me. If I’d started growing my YL business at 25 instead of 47, who knows what kind of financial magic would be happening! Remember, this business is an “at your own pace” kinda thing…. but even if you grow slow and steady, in 25 years, you’ll be the rockstar granny (or grandpa) who is enjoying retirement instead of working at Wally World because they have to! What is your current 401K offering you? You can see actual “pedal to the metal” numbers on the 2015 YL Income Dislosure Statement.

Thirdly…. what does your WILL look like? Will your job continue to pay you long after your death? Do you have a spouse, kids, relatives (or a farm full of animals like us!) who rely on the support your income affords? What if it stopped? The cool thing about Young Living is that once you get a YL business off the ground and write a personal will, you can then fill out survivorship paperwork with YL, and guess what….. that residual income becomes a legacy for your family…. (or in our case, our ‘farmily’). You can read more about willing your business in section 3.7.1 of the Policy and Procedure manual. Does your current job offer this perk? I didn’t think so….

If, after reading this… you find yourself interested in learning more, please contact me!

If you’ve never even heard of oils til now AND you’re already nervous about what your retirement does look like, let’s talk.

If you love oils and are already on my team, but have never even considered these options until now, maybe I’ve planted a seed or two. I am here to help you get started. We are about raising each other up, and I’m more than pleased to help.

If you are on my team or about to be on my team, and this message has rocked your world, ……………… contact me. If you are truly serious, I will make sure you have the resources you need at your fingertips to be successful. This business is about growing up, locking arms, and thriving together.

A Young Living business will truly offer you a sustainable future.

Hugs and Love, liz

“Feed Me Seymore!” Candida Exposed

Liz James · February 5, 2017 ·

“Feed me Seymore!” if you remember, this is a famous line out of the movie, Little Shop of Horrors. When I teach gut health classes, I use this analogy in reference to another monster within us who has an insatiable appetite….. Candida.

Candida is a sugar fermenting yeast that naturally lives within our digestive tract, and is helpful and necessary in our gut ecosystem when colonized in appropriate amounts. Unfortunately, 70-80% of all Americans have fallen below the wellness line and now suffer with chronic Candida overgrowth. How in the world did this happen to so many of us? The possible list of culprits is long:

Immune dysfunction in the form of:

exposure to toxic metals
poor digestion leading to buildup of toxins within us
stress

Reduction of good bacteria (who act as the national guard and keep Candida in check). This happens by:

heavy consumption of refined carbs, alcohol, and caffeine
heavy consumption of refined sugar
antibiotics
mercury fillings (double whammy! they also affect our immune system)

An adjustment in intestinal pH (allowing Candida to flourish). This commonly occurs when:

acid blocking medications (like Prilosec, Nexium, etc) are used regularly and in excess
we have a decrease in production of digestive enzyme
we age. In the normal aging process, our stomach acid actually becomes less acidic, allowing Candida to grow out of control.

One of the hallmark signs of a Candida overgrowth is an insatiable craving for sugar and carbs. It feels almost like something is living inside you telling you that you MUST eat sugar and carbs…..ie: Feed me Seymour! If you have those feelings (and can’t stop after just one cookie), chances are, you have a heavy Candida load. Candida is ASKING for this “nourishment” to survive, and you are feeding it each times it asks….. just like the plant with the voracious appetite in Little Shop of Horrors.

Symptoms of Candida overgrowth are varied… they include anxiety, depression, panic attacks, hyperactivity, sinus problems, bad breath, constipation, bloating, diarrhea, hypoglycemia, eczema, psoriasis, skin fungus, yeast infections, chronic fatigue, swollen joints, and gout. The list is much longer…. but you get the idea…. Candida overgrowth is very problematic in all aspects of wellness.

Young Living has many products that will help keep you above the wellness line (ie: Healthy!) when it comes to Candida. One such product is called Detoxzyme. This powerhouse capsule combines digestion enhancing essential oils with several fast acting enzymes that assist in the complete digestive process. They help detoxify and promote intestinal cleansing (a critical component for maintaining overall body health). The enzymes within the capsules are designed to help us digest starches, sugars, proteins, and fats. Efficient digestion helps the body detoxify. Importantly, Detoxzyme also helps in opening the gallbladder duct and cleansing the liver, preventing Candida and other yeast overgrowth…. also important in the detoxification process. Remember, your liver is the main “garbage processing center” organ of our bodies…. and if it has a backlog of work, then toxins simply sit in our body and wreak havoc as they wait to be excreted.

So, if you are looking for ways to lose that sluggish feeling and regain your energy, quit feeding that monster no matter how much it asks to be fed, and grab yourself a bottle of this dragonslayer!

Have a great day, and contact me if you have any questions!