Anatomy & Physiology

Pelvic Floor Education

Liz James · January 8, 2024 ·

Most of us don’t think twice about how our pelvic floor functions. We just take it for granted that it does…… until it doesn’t.

I encourage you to check in with Miranda / Infinite Radiance Wellness. She is a PT with a passion for education and healing in all things pelvic floor. (And if you don’t exactly know what your pelvic for is and does, go learn from her… you won’t regret it!)

xoxo~ liz

INFINITELY Radiance wellness episode 21

Sleep Tip

Liz James · September 8, 2022 ·

Good word this morning from my sweet friend Maria. Not only is she sweet, she is one of the most knowledgeable (and brilliant !) natural minded health care professionals that I personally know. If you ever have a hard to treat / find the root cause for a skin condition…. she’s your gal. (She does remote consults too, which is a blessing since she lives down under! )

Maria Arora-

Something I have always known but here it is so well written … gratitude to the original post

According to Eastern philosophies, whether it is Indian, Chinese, Tibetan or Thai, the left side of the body is totally different from the right side. Even some Buddhist monastic traditions include within their precepts for monks to sleep on their left side.

Although it sounds weird resting and sleeping on your left side has many health benefits.

Lymph drains to the left.

The left side of the body is the dominant side in the lymphatic system. Most of the lymph drains into the chest duct located on the left side. In its path the lymph transports proteins, glucose metabolites and waste products that are purified by the lymph nodes to be drained left side.

Derived from the above, it is common to infer in Eastern medicine that conditions on the left side of the body may be due to chronic congestion of the lymphatic system.

The priorities of the body.

According to ayurveda congestion happens in the body by following certain priorities. If the lymphatic system is co-managed, subsequently the liver and blood saturate with toxic substances. Primary symptoms of congestion appear on the left side of the body before moving to the right side where they appear later.

Tired after a meal?

Indian suggestion is that if you take a break after eating do it by lying on your left side. Break time should not exceed 10 minutes and is different from the afternoon nap which is usually 20 minutes or more.

Stomach and pancreas hang on to the left side. When you lie down on your left side both hang naturally allowing for optimal and efficient digestion.

Food is driven to move naturally through the stomach and pancreatic enzymes are secreted gradually and not in a single stroke, which happens if you lie down on the right side.

When you lie on your left side your liver and gallbladder hang from your right side. Resting on the left side allows them to hang and secret their precious enzymes into the digestive tract, emulsifying fats and neutralizing stomach acids.

When the digestive system is stimulated this way your digestive cycle is shorter and doesn’t leave you sluggish for the rest of the afternoon. Try resting 10 minutes on your left side after eating.

Feel energized and not tired after eating.

Try to eat in a relaxed way at midday and don’t forget to rest on your left side and check that you will feel more energetic and with better digestion.

The magic of sleeping on the left.

Best elimination.

The small intestine flushes toxins through the ileocecal valve (VIC) on the right side of the body at the onset of the large intestine. The large intestine travels down the right side of your body, crosses your abdomen and descends down the left side.

Through VIC, sleeping on the left side allows gravity to stimulate bodily waste into the large intestine from the small intestine more easily.

By going through the night and continuing to sleep on your left side the debris moves more easily toward the descending colon and morning removal will be easier.

Best heart function.

More than 80% of the heart is located on the left side of the body. If you sleep on the left side the lymph drained toward the heart will be driven by gravity by removing work from your heart while you sleep.

The aorta, which is the body’s largest artery, exits from the upper part of the heart and arches left before going down to the abdomen. When sleeping on the left side, the heart more easily pumps blood into the descending aorta.

Sleeping on the left side allows the intestines to move away from the cava vein that carries blood back to the heart. Remarkably the cava vein rests on the right side of the spine, so when you lie on the left side the viscera move away from the cava veen.

Again gravity makes heart work easier.

The splinter is on the left.

The spleen is part of the lymphatic system and is also on the left side of the body. Its function is that of a large lymph node that filters the lymph and additionally filters the blood. When you lie down on the left side the fluid return to the spleen is easier and occurs more easily by gravity.

The lymphatic system drains all cells in the body through contractions and muscle movement and not through the heart pumping. Helping the lymph drain into the spleen and heart with gravity is a simple way to purify your body

Give it a shot!

And while there are no scientific protocols to it, sleeping on the left side makes sense. Understanding ancestral wisdom based on knowledge of modern anatomy clears up many doubts about the reasons one has in the east to sleep a certain way.

BUT ABOVE ALL… “BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE”… Breathe Life and Healthy

Clues to Infertility – Sperm

Liz James · July 7, 2022 ·

The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: “Tell Tail” Sperm

I spent twelve years of my pharmacist career

behind the scenes within the infertility industry. Looking back, I realize now that that timeframe (2000-2012) was the “canary in the coalmine” years for our country’s fertility decline. The infertility industry accelerated at rocket speed

to keep up with the need. Interestingly, the trajectory of infertility and autoimmune disorders share a remarkably similar path and timeline.

As I was accumulating research for this particular topic, I couldn’t help but dig deeply into current information and statistics. When I left the industry in 2012, 10% of women (ages 18 to 44) struggled with fertility and a growing number of men were also being diagnosed with fertility disorders. Sadly, these numbers have only continued to escalate.

Male factor infertility (MFI) currently accounts for 50+% of infertility issues for a couple. Biomechanically, studies have analyzed and found that the most common causes include:

An absence or low levels of sperm (and estimated 10-15% lack sperm entirely)
Abnormal shape of sperm
Abnormal movement of sperm (these swimmers should be swimming fast in one direction!)
Abnormal release of sperm

While this is important information, it does not expose the root of the problem….. Why are sperm count and “swimability” continuing to decline? After all, men are still men all these thousands of years later, determined by the presence of their XY chromosome.

For all of eternity there has been the occasional physical trauma or genetic anomaly affecting the family jewels (or to the pituitary or hypothalamus which participate in the sperm production process). This trauma or anomaly may have long term implications on sperm production, and while damage may be a plausible reason for infertility, this factor has not changed over the years, and therefore has a very small role in the more than 50-60% decline in sperm production since 1973.

Infertility (both male and female) is a massive clue pointing directly towards the presence of toxins in a personal environment. Recall that the endocrine system is an incredibly precise chemical cascade. When that cascade is interrupted by a daily barrage of toxins, the “machinery” ceases to function as it should. Imagine water in a gasoline tank. If that happens, a vehicle simply ceases to work. Water seems innocent enough, until it has polluted that which makes the vehicle go.

What are some of the “water in the gas tank” possibilities when it comes negatively affecting sperm production? Glad you asked! Seemingly innocent lifestyle choices and habits are often overlooked and are generally the predominant culprits.

Processed Foods – Studies have connected eating processed foods (especially those with fats found in margarines and hydrogenated cooking oils) with decreased sperm count and altered sperm motility.
Alcohol – Heavy drinking is connected with reduced sperm quality and decreased testosterone production.
Caffeine – Excessive amounts of caffeine may lower sperm count.
Smoking- Tobacco negatively affects sperm count and quality.
Marijuana and THC
Exposure to mainstream household/ work chemicals or solvents. While some of these product ingredients are outright carcinogenic poison to the body, others are a slow daily drip of kryptonite to our mighty men. This slow drip of “kryptonite” ( aka: BPA and phthalates found in plastic water bottles, bodycare products and epoxy resins, dioxins, herbicides, organophosphate pesticides, flame retardants, lead, arsenic, mercury, and glycol ethers found in household and industrial cleaners, adhesives, and degreasers) erodes masculinity at its very core by raising estrogen levels and simultaneously lowering testosterone levels. Estrogen dominance does not discriminate. Men are prone to this hormonal imbalance too. ED is easily identifiable with lab work (testing testosterone and estrogen levels both), the visual presence of “man boobs”, and the specter of infertility or erectile dysfunction.
Cell phone in the front pocket of pants – Semen quality and quantity has been found to be adversely affected when a cell phone in “talk mode” is carried in the pocket of pants.
Choice of underwear – Tight fitting underwear (or pants) increases testicular temperature which reduces both sperm count and motility.
Chronic stress – The body does not lie, and it will work to protect itself (and its potential offspring) when in chronic fight/flight/ or freeze mode.

Many common medications are often thefts of male fertility too:

SSRI’s – used for mood disorders. An estimated 11% of infertility is caused by this class of medication. These medications affect DNA sperm quality and erectile function. Common culprits include sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram, lexapro, and paroxetine.
Testosterone replacement therapy (especially when used incorrectly) drastically reduces the level of testosterone in testicles, which in turn lowers sperm production.
Antihistamines (eg: loratadine and cetirizine) and antacids (eg: ranitidine and cimetidine) appear to have long term negative effects on male fertility
Calcium Channel Blockers – This is a class of medications commonly used in the management of high blood pressure, angina, migraines, heart disease, and some heart arrhythmias. (eg: amlodipine, nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem)
Tamsulosin – (used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia)
Cipro and Levaquin – (antibiotics)
Some vaccinations, especially when combined with an existing toxin load in the body, are being studied as possible contributors to infertility

Unlike eggs, sperm are constantly created when conditions are healthy. An entirely new sperm health profile is possible within 2-3 months of consistent positive changes being made:

The Scottish kilted men knew what they were doing, but if wearing a kilt doesn’t appeal to you, consider boxers instead of briefs.
Get an EMF blocker for cell phones, AND remove an active phone from the front pocket of pants.
Watch for endocrine disruptors in your daily life. Reading labels is HARD, even for me. There are hundreds of common chemicals in household and daily use personal care products that fall under the “Endocrine Disruptor” category, and we can’t possibly memorize them all. Keep it simple and worry free by purchasing from Young Living. No label reading required because everything is safe, toxin free and fertility friendly. Clean inside and out with Thieves Household Cleaner and Thieves Kitchen and Bath Scrub. Cologne is another common endocrine disruptor source. Thankfully, Young Living’s essential oil blend Shutran is healthy, hormone supportive, and smells incredible! The Shutran Men’s Care line has body wash, aftershave lotion, bar soap, beard oil and shaving cream. These, in addition to the YL shampoos and conditioners, ensure you’ve cleaned up well, with no endocrine disrupting along the way.
Support healthy male hormones and a more balanced stress response with Young Living’s PowerGize capsules, or consider applying YL’s Idaho Blue Spruce essential oil to inner and outer ankles morning and night.
Work towards correcting lifestyle habits and choices which may be diluting sperm production. Eat, sleep, and manage stress as though a generation is depending on you, because they are! This includes protecting boundaries in all areas of life.
In most instances, pharmaceutical use can also be minimized or avoided entirely with lifestyle changes and the help of your favorite holistically focused healthcare professional. Get to know your Young Living supplements and oils. They are extraordinarily valuable tools that can help you in ways you might not yet imagine. Do some digging and/or ask a savvy friend!

Health is the most valuable possession any of us have, and it’s the one thing we do have full control over unless we abdicate that right by giving it over to someone else to manage. Nobody will care for or know you better than you.

Swim upstream. Future generations will thank you for providing them with a strong foundation of health!

xoxo~ liz

#BYOHD

#becomingyourownhealthdetective

Clues From Our Thyroid – part 1

Liz James · March 22, 2022 ·

Thyroid disorders are like

chameleonic villians. They look different in every person, and their characteristics may change according to their environment. Thyroid disease is a master of disguise! This is important to understand

Two key reasons:

Innocent until proven guilty. It’s estimated that perhaps 18-25% of women have an underlying thyroid disorder (It’s somewhat less common in men). This still means that 75-82% of us (women, for statistical ease) do not. Become well acquainted with your body so that you may better decipher the clues you are being given, and remember that there are many possible causes for almost every clue the body gives. Cluster clues for the win!
Thyroid disease is overwhelmingly mistaken and/or overlooked in favor of other disorders (often mental health related) by the corporate owned medical community. Thyroid diagnosis often requires intuition (Holy Spirit discernment), patience, persistence, and attention to details. If you feel “off”, and yet your doctor tell you “everything looks good”…. Who do you believe? I hope you pointed a finger back at yourself just now. You believe what you know about your body and your refined detective skills!

Function of the Thyroid

While every little organ and gland of the endocrine system is important for stellar body function, very often the trail of tears leads back to the thyroid, the butterfly

shaped gland located just below the Adam’s apple along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid’s function is to regulate all the processes of energy release on microscopic (cellular) and macroscopic (full body) levels. Because hypothyroidism (especially Hashimoto’s) is the predominant thyroid disorder, most of what I write about will be centered upon thyroid deficiency. Grab a mirror (you’ll need it for a few of them!) and your journal and take stock of your own possible crime scene.

Symptoms of thyroid deficiency might include:

Chronic fatigue or tiredness.
Muscular fatigue
Puffiness or evidence of fluid retention
Difficulty regulating body temperature (chronic feelings of being hot or cold. Recall the posts on body temperature)
Development of Reynaud’s Syndrome
Reduced pulse pressure and blood pressure
Heart rate fluctuations
Angina and/or feelings of breathlessness
Higher cholesterol. People with subclinical hypothyroidism often have higher levels of LDL cholesterol. Thyroid disease is a major contributor to cholesterol problems.
Arteriosclerosis (decreased elasticity of arteries)
Changes in bruising or clotting (generally, bruising will become more common)
Depression and/or anxiousness
Difficulty gathering thoughts, memory, focus and concentration
Headaches with unknown origin
Moodiness or lack of enthusiasm in life
Peripheral neuropathy
Carpal tunnel (there is a strong link!)
Random shooting pains in the hands and feet
Osteoporosis (chronic hypothyroidism can be a contributor)
Visual problems: dry eyes, age related macular degeneration, primary open angle glaucoma
Loss of the outer eyebrows
Chronic constipation
Increased incidence of gallstones (thyroid hormones affects the composition of bile and how well it flows)
Poor digestion of fats and proteins
Decreased stomach acid resulting in poorly digested foods (If this clue is on your radar, grab your YL Essentialzyme and give your body digestive support!)
Bloating, gassy
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Insulin resistance (and therefore) increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes
Thicker tongue, perhaps even with scalloped teeth marks on the sides of the tongue.
Changes in how food tastes.
Periodontal disease
Development of a husky or hoarse voice
Infertility or difficulty maintaining a pregnancy
Heavy periods (There is often a link between hypothyroidism and PCOS)
Sex hormone imbalances (progesterone, estrogen and testosterone in women)
Loss of libido
Postpartum depression (very common)
Premature menopause
Dry skin
Deep cracks and scales on the bottoms of the feet
Deep lines on the palms of hands or soles of feet
Yellowish orange or reddish color on palms of hands or soles of feet
Reddish spots, bumps, or rashes that come and go
Acne (often seen in conjunction with testosterone level disturbances)
Brittle, flaking nails or nails that fail to grow well
Hair loss (on the head) or gaining hair in all the wrong places elsewhere
Getting sick more often, especially upper respiratory tract infections and in women, persistent urinary tract infections.
Bedwetting in kiddos
Delayed wound healing
Gaining or losing weight without trying
Poor sleep
Iron deficiency anemia (roughly 50% of people with thyroid disease struggle with this)

That’s the bulk of this particular crime scene checklist. Thyroid disease is very interesting in that the severity of symptoms often are not reflected in thyroid specific lab work. Lab Work is based on a standardized bell curve and not everyone fits exactly into that bell curve mold. Additionally, many western medicine health professionals only test TSH when first evaluating the competency of the thyroid gland. That alone is insufficient information to determine thyroid function. This list of possible symptoms, while not completely comprehensive, is more valuable in determining the probable health of your thyroid than a single TSH test.

More to come friends.

xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring

#lovingyourthyroidisgoodmedicine

#itsthelittlethings

#becomingyourownhealthdetective

#goodmedicine

Rabbit Trail – Exosomes

Liz James · July 30, 2020 ·

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
www.goodmedicine.info

#sharingiscaring
#showyourexosomessomeTLC
#ThanksYL