Book Your Health Coaching Call

Good Medicine

Holistic Health Coaching

Anatomy & Physiology

Does Trauma Really Hurt My Body -part 2

· ·

 
The Enigmatic Endocrine System Part II: Supportive care for the Pineal, Hypothalamus, and Pituitary Glands
 
If I am able to drive home one thing in all that I share, it’s this: The body, mind, and spirit are interconnected, and if one is damaged, the other will suffer. Likewise, if nurturing, support, and healing do not occur within all three: mind, body, and spirit, healing will be impaired. Some of the deepest wounds to the physical body will never be seen by the human eye because of the trauma to the mind and spirit. Trauma dealt to the mind is not the same as trauma to the 🧠brain, though both may be affected. Does that make sense?
 
There are many physical ways to support healthy pineal, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland function, but the most important of all is to become proficient in the skills required to overcome traumatic stress.
 
For a gland so tiny, there are books and even a journal (The Journal of Pineal Research) devoted to the study of the small ( but mighty) pineal gland. Traumatic stress appears to affect the pineal gland in profound ways that man and his science may never fully comprehend.
 
Here is what we do know:
 
Traumatic stress disrupts the pineal gland which in turn also disrupts melatonin.
 
Rene Descartes (French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist of the 16th century) described the pineal gland as “the seat of the soul”. He postulated that what we experience on “the outside of us” becomes an integral part of the mind (not to be confused with the physical brain). He was pretty much over the target🎯.
 
Many current day studies suggest that repeated stress or traumatic stress experiences may disturb mind integrity, memory, and experience.
 
Melatonin (in addition to regulating our circadian rhythm) has a role in the synchronization of memory. When the pineal gland is damaged by traumatic stress over time, memory formation and consolidation, cognition, and emotional processes may be altered.
 
Thankfully, love, community, and social connectedness have the power to influence, improve, and overcome the effects of traumatic stress.
 
Do not underestimate the power of a close knit community of friends 👭👫👬….. This is your first and most important “how to” take care of your endocrine system…. Find your tribe and love them ….. And (importantly) also let them love you 😘.
 
The Holy Spirit dwells within all who call to Him. The Holy Spirit is also our comforter and healer and guide. Don’t underestimate, undervalue, or decline this gift from God.
 
Real Solutions:
 
Physically, there are a myriad of ways to support the brain’s glandular system:
🙌Chiropractic care. Yes, even a little time on the table with a fantastic chiropractor can improve the functional quality of the pineal, hypothalamus, and pituitary glands.
🙌Eating a clean organic diet. The body can only thrive if it is given toxin free nutrition.
🙌Control sugar intake. Processed sugar causes inflammation which affects pituitary function.
🙌Be active! High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is especially helpful…. One of the most helpful body movements is squats. Who knew!?! Boost your entire endocrine system’s function with regular sets of squats!
🙌Incorporate small amounts of iodine (not the kind found in commercial table salt) into your diet. Kelp is a fantastic natural iodine source (it’s a key ingredient in Young Living’s Multigreens!) Sadly, fluoride is found in many city water supplies, toothpaste, and mouthwash brands. Fluoride calcifies both the pineal and pituitary glands which, as you’ve learned, goes on to affect the integrity of the rest of the endocrine system. The Young Living Thieves Toothpaste ( available as Dentarome Plus, Aromabright, or the kiddos Kidscents Citrus flavor) and Thieves Mouthwash are fantastic alternatives to the fluoridated varieties, are immune system supportive and provide ingredients for stellar oral hygiene.
🙌Fresh organic beet juice. Beets contain boron and B vitamins… necessary nutrients for a healthy endocrine system. Beet juice also helps counter the effects of fluoride and heavy metals.
🙌Manganese (found in nuts, leafy greens, whole grains, and legumes) , Vitamins D, E, and A are all necessary for healthy glandular function. YL’s Master Formula contains kelp, boron, manganese, B vitamins, Vitamins D, E, and A among a whole host of additional micronutrients. If you are looking for a “one stop shop” this may be your “go to” supplement.
🙌Good sleep hygiene. There are dozens of natural ways to improve sleep quality. Healing occurs best in a well rested body. Are you making full use of all the tools you may already have in your home? Essential oils well known to enhance sleep include Lavender, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Roman Chamomile, Orange, as well as blends RutaVala, Tranquil, Peace and Calming, and Stress Away all tend to support a good night’s sleep. Immupro and Sleep Essence are two sleep supportive supplements that may also be called in for duty if needed.
🙌Sage (the plant and the essential oil) has some very interesting properties that appear to support the endocrine system. If you choose to dive down this rabbit hole in your research, use the key words “salvia officinalis”, and “endocrine” or “pituitary”. Salvia comes from the Latin word (salvarem) which means “to save”. It may be this plant that best signifies the “mind, body, spirit” healing aspect simply by its activity within the endocrine system.
 
One in eight women will develop a thyroid problem at some point in their lifetime. (It’s not quite that high in men). While many thyroid disorders have root cause found in the thyroid itself, as Yoda said…. “Slow your roll [downhill], you must.” The thyroid is a precision organ, and will not be able to adequately perform if the endocrine glands of the brain (and elsewhere) do not work well. Their work is worthy of our TLC, and giving it the nourishment and attention it needs to perform optimally. Each one of us is a finely tuned, amazingly made unique creation, and each body part is a part of a bigger design working in tandem.
xoxo~ liz
 
https://goodmedicine.info/my-book/ (it’s here! We’re keeping it at presale price for just a few more days)
 

Health Clues from Low Body Temperature – part 2

· ·

In the mid-1800’s, a German physician by the name of Carl Wunderlich measured the temperature🌡 of about twenty five thousand people and found that the average body temperature was 98.6 degrees F (37 degrees C).
 
Each one of us is a product of our internal, external, and emotional environment. Our personal histories (including generationally) have a way of defining us. Roughly twenty years after Dr. Wunderlich established 98.6F🌡 as the human baseline body temperature, the Second Industrial Revolution began. Railroads, new technologies including electricity, telegraph, telephones, “Big Oil”, and later, Big Pharma each had a tremendous impact on our ancestors. As decades passed, the environmental toxin load continued to increase. The Third Industrial Revolution began in the 1960’s and brought us electronics, processed foods, telecommunications, digital technology, biotechnology, nuclear energy, automobiles, more stress and more Big Pharma. The current effects of all of these revolutionary products may have made life (arguably) easier but made us sicker in the process. We are currently the sickest generation in modern history. In 2017, a study of thirty five thousand people found that the average body temperature🌡 is now 97.9 F.
 
Perhaps we shouldn’t be as worried about global warming as we should be worried about human cooling.🙄🧐🤨🤔
 
Chronic low core body temperature🌡 can create a false sense of wellness, also making it hard to mount a defense in the form of a fever if needed. A fever is an active corrective process in the body. To quote Dr. Jernigan, “ Blood that is overcooled from a cool core temperature is too thick to efficiently carry oxygen and the vital lung capacity is reduced leading to shallow breathing. This means that the oxygen to carbon dioxide exchange rate in the lungs is minimal. Now, combine the [slow] degenerative effects of the oxygen deprivation and the cold temperature and the fact that all of this and the overgrowth of microbes [review last week’s post] promote an acidic environment and you have greatly accelerated cellular degeneration and the [eventual] onset of disease.”
 

🌡Tracking Body Temperature🌡

 
Tracking body temperature is super easy with a basic thermometer.
Measure temperature upon morning wake up before getting out of bed (ideally between 6-8am). This will be your core body temperature that is not influenced by food, drink, or activity. Take your temperature again at night sometime between 8-10pm after you’ve been sitting or resting for about 30 minutes.
 
Track the difference between the morning and evening temperatures. There should be a difference of at least 0.9degrees F.
 
Ultimately, you are looking at two things (clues):
 
1️⃣Is body temperature daily average close to 98.6?
2️⃣Does the body allow its temperature to fluctuate from cool in the morning to warmer in the evening?

Temperature Too Cool?

If your body temperature trends towards “coolness”, try incorporating some of these suggestions into your daily life:
 
🔎Have you had lab work to rule out a physiological issue? Labs you may want to request include a full thyroid panel (TSH, T3, T4, Reverse T3, TPOab), saliva cortisol, DHEA, and hormones, CBC/CMP
 
🔎Identify any medications that might be affecting body temperature. Common culprits include beta blockers (blood pressure meds), antidepressants, sedatives, and other mood altering medications. Often, lifestyle changes, holistic (mind,body, spirit) care, and natural alternatives may reduce or eliminate the need for all of these. It requires ownership of one’s own body to do the work to identify and mediate the reason for the need. Hard stuff? Yes. Never doubt for a second that you are not worthy of doing the work to make it happen.
 

🔎What might mind, body, and spirit care look like? To each person it will look a little different because of our individual uniqueness.

 
👉Jump start metabolism. A sluggish metabolism may simply need movement and exercise. Hot/cold therapy is another way to stimulate metabolism. I wrote about cryotherapy in the topic devoted to dopamine deficiency. Do you see the connection?
👉Prayer and meditation relieve stress. Both activities also activate certain parts to the brain that control attention and autonomic functions such as blood pressure and metabolism. This is not an “Amen, Dig in.” type of prayer, rather developing a deep rooted connection with God in quiet and solitude. The studies on this are fascinating.
👉Music influences physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, immune and endocrine function….. and body temperature. Body temperature tends to rise when listening to music, particularly when listening to classical or specific frequency based music. Look for a company called Wholetones (founded by Michael Tyrrell) for more information on healing music.
👉Infrared saunas and biomats. While they have multiple health benefits, for the sake of this particular discussion, they work to help the body “heat up”. Think of them as “training wheels” for 98.6.
👉Outdoor time on the regular. Bonus points for pairing this with exercise!
👉Dry brushing for improved lymphatic flow. A healthy lymphatic system is crucial in the toxin elimination process. If you are not already adding a drop or two of Young Living’s Lemon Vitality essential oil into your water (use a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel cup) start now for daily gentle lymphatic system support.
👉Removing toxins from daily life. I cannot stress this enough. Our bodies are dropping in temperature because of daily cumulative exposure to toxins. We can detox all day every day…. But if we continue to add in toxins as fast as we detox, there is no end in sight. Medications (tho occasionally needed) are a toxin by definition. Knowing this is one of the biggest reasons I’m such a strong advocate for finding a healthier way whenever possible. Additionally, a healthy body temperature starts with a toxin free home. Have you ditched the chemicals yet? Young Living’s Thieves Household cleaner and Thieves Kitchen and Bath Scrub fulfill all cleaning needs, and support healthy immune function in the process. Crank up your diffuser and ditch the fragrance plug in’s. There are a million crazy good smelling possibilities as you make your own signature diffuser blends. My favorite right now is Young Living’s Believe essential oil blend and Lushious Lemon (oh my!). Soaps, skincare, cosmetics, perfumes….. All of these generally are loaded with toxins and Young living has safe, toxin free alternatives. We simply cannot afford NOT to use them.
👉Chiropractic care. Chiropractic manipulation supports nervous system function and regular chiro care may ultimately help a thyroid, adrenal or other underlying physiological dysfunction.
👉Learning to release emotions and attitudes that don’t serve your body. Unhappy, uninspired, dissatisfied, dull, and passive living (ie: life happens to you, you don’t make life happen) are all associated with lower body temperatures. Live life fully and engaged. Nobody can steal that from you. It is a personal choice regardless of circumstance.
👉Raindrop. Have you received one yet? If not, find someone who can give you one. Better yet, get the Raindrop Technique Collection and begin learning with a buddy. There are comprehensive instructions included in the kit.
👉Detoxification of the body is not a “once and done” process. It’s a lifestyle. Make sure your gut is moving proficiently. Probiotic Life 9 (MightyPro for the kiddos), ICP Daily, and digestive enzymes (such as Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, Essentialzyme, Allerzyme, or Mightyzyme kids chewables) may be integral tools for optimal gut health support for the motility or toxin challenged individual.
👉Support the adrenal glands as needed. Endogize capsules or Endoflex essential oil blend are two highly supportive tools.
👉“Hot oils” have their place too in supporting a healthy body’s temperature. Consider applying these oils to the bottoms of your feet daily as a supportive measure: Thieves, Mountain Savory, Nutmeg, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme (notice how many of those are in the Raindrop protocol!)
 
Consider this. Raising core body temperature by 2 degrees positively influences immune system activity by up to 40%. This is why having a low grade fever when you are fighting off something isn’t a bad thing and it isn’t a good idea to suppress a low fever.🤓
I’ll leave you with this. Make 98.6 F great again, and improve your overall health! 🙌 🌡
If you have lived with a low body temperature for years, be aware that your body will need retraining, and that doesn’t happen overnight. This kind of clue scene takes awhile to clean up. It may take a year or longer of daily care before the body is able to begin correcting the impact of chronic low temperature. Patience and baby steps, but I promise it will be worth it!
 
xoxo~ liz
 

Health Clues from Temperature-part 1

· ·

Body Temperature Part I: The Truth about 98.6

Usually when we talk about 🌡temperature it’s generally in relation to illness or fertility. You’ve heard people say, “My body temperature just runs low.”, and we accept that as “normal” for them. Heck, I was one of those people too, until I learned the truth.🧐

I’m no physics expert, but we’re gonna talk about some very basic physics and biology “laws” for just a hot minute.🤓 I promise to keep it simple. Understanding these principles will help seal this information into your memory.

✅Temperature is an indicator of heat in a system.

✅Heat is energy.

✅Vibration produces heat.

✅Cells vibrate, and in doing so, produce heat.

✅Every cellular reaction in the body occurs optimally (key word!) at a specific “heat” level.

✅Energy (heat) produces cell voltage (imagine a cell has a battery) which alters the pH of the body.

✅The vibration of molecules within cells is measured electrically. The “hertz” unit is used to measure electrical vibrations (known as frequency).

✅If the production of energy (heat) drops in the body, cellular vibrations have slowed down and frequency (measured in hertz/ Htz) and pH are affected.

✅Low frequency and an acidic pH are associated with cancer, chronic disease, and mental health issues.

How’s that for a nutshell version of a basic Law of Thermodynamics and its relationship to mammal biology? 😁

Beyond the microscopic view of body temperature, there are certainly other factors at play:

🌡The hypothalamus (located in the brain) directs the opening and closing of blood flow to the skin. It works in tandem with the thyroid and other tiny but mighty glands and organs. Damage to any of them may affect body temperature.

🌡Stress also interferes with, and drives down body temperature. Cold hand and/or feet are often a reflection of stress response. Conversely, warmer hands/feet indicate relaxation. We can grow used to living with chronic stress, but the body doesn’t lie.

🌡Adrenal fatigue or insufficiency

🌡Hormone imbalance (commonly low progesterone or estrogen dominance in women, or low testosterone in men)🌡Unresolved emotional trauma

🌡Heavy metal or chemical toxicity (including medications)

🌡Some people may be born with a lower body temperature. This may be due to any of the above. Do not minimize the generational impact of toxins, unresolved emotional trauma, energetically dead food, and poor water quality on babies!

Chronic low body temperature is often a common clue or symptom of a known (or yet unknown) disorder or distress. 👨‍⚕️Dr. David Jernigan writes, “The colder a body becomes, the slower the electrical oscillatory rate and therefore the thicker, more viscous, or syrupy the body fluids become. The more viscous the fluids become the more difficult it is for the body to push the fluids through the body. The lymph fluids that are normally supposed to bathe the outsides of all of your cells become progressively stagnant as it is too thick to move efficiently.”

Jernigan’s illustration above is a graphic description of what happens when body fluids become stagnant. If low body temperature becomes a chronic issue, several things begin happening:

🌡The body becomes a home for viruses, certain bacteria, and chronic infection

🌡Gradual cellular death (without regeneration) begins to happen

🌡Actions of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, hormones, neurotransmitters and other body essential chemicals are compromised

🌡Acidity of the body increases and serious disorders and diseases begin appearing.

🌡Frequency of the body drops and negative emotions begin to predominate

🌡It becomes even harder for the body to spit out toxins

🌡Smooth muscle tone is affected and fluid begins leaking out into tissue and edema results

Can chronic low body temperature be corrected?🤔🙏 You bet it can, and we’re going to discuss that next week! 🙌Remember, the wall around Jerusalem didn’t get destroyed in a single day and it wasn’t rebuilt in a single day either! And, Nehemiah didn’t do it alone. He sought out a community of like minded people with different skill sets to help him rebuild, and they persevered… even despite toxic (both physical and emotional) onslaught in the process. Your life is a story of clues, and although God is the ultimate author of each of our stories, the choices we make play a huge part in the writing of it!

xoxo~ liz

#checkyourtemp#sharingiscaring#98point6isgoodmedicine#ditchthetoxinsifyouhaventalready#thanksYL#youarethecoauthorofyourstory#becomingyourownhealthdetective

Rabbit Trail – Exosomes

· ·

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

30

Sunshine Benefits

· ·

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

Book Your Health Coaching CallBook Now