Hey friends! I had a great conversation with many of my personal friends today and decided to upload the convo over here. It’s really about EMF and 5G….. but it’s also a bit about the current virus situation too, and how EMF and 5G might be playing a part in it.
If you are someone who likes to put all the pieces together, you may find this information really interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JalNf0XiGfw&feature=youtu.be
xoxo~ liz
#knowbetterdobetter
#themoreweknowthebetterwedo
#becauseIloveyou
#ThanksYL
Blood
#6 Viruses 101
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
Guilty or Innocent? Weighing in on Cholesterol
Cholesterol has been heavy on my heart for the last month… haha! No pun intended there… my cholesterol is actually fine….. but I tend to root for the the misunderstood and the underdog when given a choice. (That’s probably why our farm tends to be a haven for rescue dogs and cats…. but I digress!)
Did you know that approximately 80% of people with acute cornary syndrome….(ie: reduced blood flow to the heart… often leading to heart attack) have NORMAL cholesterol values? What’s up with that?
Cholesterol is one of those underdogs. Bless its sticky little heart….. it’s given a bad rap more so than nearly any other body produced compound. What would we do without cholesterol? That’s a good question…. I’m not entirely sure any of us would be around to discuss it if we lacked it in our bodies! It is a major component of cell membranes and is a necessary building block for hormones, fat soluble vitamin D, and bile salts (aiding in the digestion of fats and fat soluble nutrients). Cholesterol is also extremely important to the function of our nervous system. Without it, we’d be bumbling malfunctioning idiots….especially considering that our brains are roughly comprised of 50% cholesterol. So why all the hate?
Our bodies are efficient producers of cholesterol…. producing about 80% of what is in our bodies (the other 20% comes from dietary sources). Cholesterol should not be confused with Triglycerides (perhaps the real bad boys), or the obscure thug that likes to hang on to its buddy LDL….. lipoprotein(a).
Unpacking Cholesterol: The cholesterol in our vascular system is a mixed bag of good and bad. HDL (the good guys) has the job of bouncer…. and it escorts out the shadier gang members, LDL, from our bloodstream. LDL comes in a variety of sizes…. and the smaller sizes (subunits 3 & 4) are really bad news. The bigger ones (subunits 1 &2) are fluffier and are actually pretty helpful. Because they (subunits 3&4) are small, they can easily work their way into the lining of our arteries where the bouncer (HDL) can’t reach them. In a whopping 20% of the population (1 in 5) there is something called Lipoprotein(a) that makes LDL ‘extra sticky’….. if you carry this genetic characteristic, it is best to know about it early on in life, as it dramatically increases your risk for clogged arteries and blood clots leading to strokes and heart attacks. It is a serious health risk, and frankly…. should be tested for at least once in everyone’s life.
While managing total cholesterol with careful eating habits (avoid processed and ‘fast’ foods) is important, …. the real culprits we should be monitoring are inflammation, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a).
Triglycerides are produced predominately by the liver. When we eat, the body stores any excess calories as triglycerides in our fat cells. It is particularly fond of doing this with carbs. Later…. between meals…. hormones will signal a need for more energy, and those triglycerides will be released. Herein lies the rub tho….. if you eat more than you exert energy, triglycerides begin building up and you end up with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), and THAT my friends, is cause for alarm. Even if someone has verified genetic HTG, management can be achieved with responsible ownership of the vessel you reside in:
- Daily physical activity
- Conscious consuming of healthy fats… avoiding processed foods and other sources of “bad fats”
- no smoking
- Optimizing body weight
- Limit processed sugar intake to no more than the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar per day. (The average North American consumes about 200gms or 48 teaspoons of processed sugar in their diet daily)
- Work towards optimal triglyceride lab values of <100 and a triglyceride to HDL ratio of 1:1 to 2:1.
Lipoprotein(a) is no joke. 73 million people in the USA are estimated to be living with this ‘sticky’ situation. It is extremely dangerous because the molecule itself is so small, sticky, and it difficult to manage. What makes it even more dangerous is this: most insurance companies refuse to pay for the test that determines if you have it….. and many doctors don’t even mention the test to patients because insurance doesn’t pay. I have not been able to wrap my brain around the logic of NOT paying for a potentially life saving test…. but there you have it. It’s just one more reason to take charge of your own health and ask for the test and pay for it out of pocket, ESPECIALLY if you have family history of heart disease. Nothing….. no vacation, no daily coffee, no new phone…. should be more valuable to you than knowing this information about yourself. Once you know, you have the power to act…. and that can change the trajectory of your life. If you do carry this genetic trait, you will want to have your children tested. They need to learn healthy habits early in life. It’s never too young to become a CEO of oneself!
IF you have inherited lipoprotein(a), you’ll want to pay very close attention to what you CAN do, because it’s time to take your health seriously. Some people do not get a warning, and find themselves diagnosed at the same time their mortality is realized. Lp(a) requires close attention and monitoring. Tools to help in management include:
- Daily baby aspirin
- High quality Omega3 fish oil…. lots of it… has been found to lower Lp(a)LDL by approximately 10%. (Poor quality Omega 3’s become oxidized and can actually do more damage than taking nothing at all. Know your supplement company…not just their name, but how they do business. This is especially important with Omega 3’s.) Omegagize3 from Young Living!
- High doses of Niacin (1-3 gms/day) … the flushing kind (ex: Slo-Niacin)… have been found to lower Lp(a)LDL by up to 30%
- Maintain a fasting blood glucose of <100
- Vitamin C @ 3000mg/day
- L-lysine, L-proline & L-carnitine in high doses (L-carnitine helps make lp(a) less sticky)
- Test for and maintain hs-CRP (high sensitivity c reactive protein) at <1. This measures inflammation in the body and high levels are a risk factor for heart attack.
- Control blood pressure ideally at 120/70.
- Consistent exercise
- Abstain from smoking
- Get (regularly) an Advanced Lipid Panel every 6 months w/ the following goals:
- LDL< 60
- Triglycerides < 60
- LDL particle # < 700
I realize this has been kind of a heavy post. I’m sorry about that. It’s a heavy topic tho. Most people (even healthcare professionals) don’t have a clear understanding of exactly what causes the real problems in our vascular system. Hopefully, you can see that cholesterol itself is not the real monster….. it’s actually pretty awesome stuff. Too much of a good thing is bad tho…. no matter what it is. Although I only barely touched on inflammation in this post, it’s HUGELY important to this topic too. Sticky Lp(a)LDL is especially fond of a chronically inflamed vascular system.
It is my hope and blessing that this helps someone better manage their own health, and to prompt personal responsibility one’s own health. I am not a doctor. Information here is for recommendation purposes only, and not intended to substitute for specific medical advice. Please do use this information as a starting point for your own research, and use as discussion points with your personal healthcare provider.
Love and hugs, Liz
Sleep Week – day 6
Good morning friends! I hope you all got your rejuvenating, anti-aging 7+ hours of sleep last night! There is so much to cover, and so little time left in the week.
Blood sugar fluctuations… we all have them…. some people have a much larger span between high’s and low’s but more than 86 million Americans are fast approaching a ‘diagnoseable condition’ because of these fluctuations. Only 1 in 4 are actually aware of this ‘oncoming train’ that will ultimately affect their life in big ways.
As I head off to farm chores this morning, I leave you with these thoughts. I see people with newly diagnosed conditions daily at the pharmacy. Often, they are blindsided by the diagnosis of a PREVENTABLE condition, and so the first trip to the pharmacy for their new prescription I see their ‘deer in the headlights’ look. This tells me that likely (in these instances) the person had not ‘listened to his/her body’ for an extended period of time, and a symptom finally forced him/her to the doctor.
We’ve got to learn to be the CEO’s of our health. Your restless sleep (and other signs) may be trying to tell you something, and it’s up to you, the commanding officer of YOU, to decipher the clues.
There is nothing more important than this.. The richest people have nothing if they do not have the health to enjoy life. I hear patients complain about the price of medication and healthcare at work. On top of that, they are now having to deal with a new ‘condition’. That condition may also cost them time and quality of life.
We can choose to address our health PROACTIVELY (diet, SLEEP, exercise, avoiding toxins, man-made chemicals in the form of skincare, cleaning products….even hygiene goods, and chronic stress whenever possible, etc) and ‘pay for our healthcare’ by doing things to be well…. OR we can be REACTIVE and pay for our health later in the way of doctor visits, medications and healthcare related expenses, quality of life, and perhaps shortening of life. Life is full of choices, and this is a big one.
I hate to leave you with such a heavy topic this morning, but if it resets at least one person’s thinking, then I think it’s worth it!
Make it a great one! Tomorrow is our last day, and then it’s back to business as usual! This is such a huge topic… I’ve realized I can’t cram it all into 7 posts. I think I’ll ultimately have a longer online class later in the year for this topic if there is enough interest.
Take care and make it a great day!
Liz
Cuteness Overload
On Wednesday (the 17th) our newest family member arrived, finally! This was Mercy’s first calf, and since she never had any outward signs of being in heat, we weren’t exactly sure when she was bred… and consequently, didn’t exactly have a good idea of when her due date was going to be. That’s all fine and dandy, but if you are like me, once the signs of impending calving start occurring, I’m on full alert. Again, all fine and dandy until the signs drop in one by one instead of all at once. Three weeks after the first “I think she’s calving soon”… we get our baby…. and I’m exhausted just from the wait! (Thank you Jesus for Ningxia Nitro! Holler at me if you’d like to know more about this particular YL product. It’s not an energy drink, but it does give you staying power without the crash afterwards…. and I’ve definitely needed that recently.)
I know, I know…. calves have been born for thousands of years without man’s intervention. True. But calves and cows have also died (and still do) without an attentive eye on the process. Usually, the event is uncomplicated, and we just give a thumbs up to the mama and a quick lovin’ on the baby. However, this time would have been one of those occasions where the calf would have likely died without human intervention. I’ve done this whole birthing thing enough times now that I hold my breath for about a week once the baby is born before I slowly start to exhale. I don’t consider a birthing process successful until I actually breathe :).
This little calf is a heifer (a female). Yay!! !She is a Jersey…. 1/4 mini, and 3/4 regular sized Jersey. Our bull is a registered mini Jersey, but he forgot to quit growing (he is 1/2 mini), so he is a standard full sized bull with mini genes. That said, he is very good about passing along his mini genes. This little girl weighed in at about 23 lbs at birth…. tiny for a calf. She was also born with contracted tendons in her legs, so the poor little thing couldn’t walk without major assistance for the first 36 hours. If a calf can’t walk, they normally can’t nurse….. and not nursing usually doesn’t end well for the calf.
We realized fairly quickly that something was wrong when she just couldn’t stand even 2 hours after her birth (Calves usually stand within the hour that they are born). We immediately went to work trying to hold her up so that she could nurse. Mama (Mercy) was confused and frustrated. The baby was confused and frustrated, and I was frustrated and worried. It was not the best of times. Finally, Mercy knew best, and bless her heart, she lay down not far from her baby…. milk streaming from her teats. I picked up the calf, and put her right next to her mama, close enough to nurse. It didn’t take a minute before they got the problem under control, and the calf got her important first meal in her belly. Then I scooted her a safe distance away from Mercy so that she wouldn’t get stepped on when her mama got up. For the next 36 hours, I picked up the baby and held her in a standing position every 4 hours so that she could nurse adequately. It took just that long for her tendons to relax so she could get her land legs under her.
Because she is so tiny, we’ve kept she and her mama in a paddock for the last 10 days, just until she got a little more weight on her.