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CDC’s “New Language”!

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If you grew up with the Peanuts Gang, this picture of Charlie Brown and Lucy will speak volumes to you.Every. Single. Time. Lucy would trick Charlie Brown.The CDC recently announced that the definition of “fully vaccinated” is changing once again. 🙄 Of course they are. And guess what… they will continue to do so. That’s called control of the ball. ” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced some changes on the definition of people who are classed as vaccinated against Covid-19.Dr Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the CDC, said that the definition of fully vaccinated will now mean people who have also received booster jabs. The US health agency will now also stop referring to these people as “fully vaccinated,” but instead will call them people who are “up to date” with their vaccinations.Walensky said: “What we are really working to do is pivot our language so that everyone is as up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as they personally could be, should be based on when they got their last vaccine.“So, importantly right now we are pivoting our language, we really want to make sure people are up to date.”She added: “That means if you recently got your second dose, you’re not eligible for a booster. You’re up to date. If you are eligible for a booster and you haven’t gotten it, you’re not up to date and you need to get your booster in order to be up to date.”Sheesh. Don’t fall for it Charlie Brown.

Unscientific Diagnoses Medicalize Normal Human Experience

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Last week, as I was getting ready at my hotel for a leadership conference, I listened to this mic🎤 💥drop podcast: “Unscientific Diagnoses Medicalize Normal Human Experiences”. I sat down late that night to share it with you all…. and wouldn’t you know it, the black hole of social media oblivion swallowed it when I hit “post”. So, here I am… back home ….. trying again! Yes, this information is THAT important… that I’m willing to write about it twice.

We are taught how to think. All of us. Healthcare professionals and laypersons alike. However, what we are taught isn’t necessarily true. Nonetheless, we believe and act upon those beliefs. This podcast shatters some of those beliefs that surround mental illness.

Key points of the podcast:

  • There is no research evidence for a chemical imbalance that leads to mental health problems. Example: Low serotonin levels are blamed for depression. This is an overly simplistic myth perpetuated by Big Pharma. The reality is that serotonin levels cannot be easily measured in the brain (if at all).
  • Where do ideas about the cause of mental distress come from? We (as a cumulative society) are led to believe they come from a chemical imbalance as perpetuated by prescribing physicians, pharmaceutical ads (a pill will fix ya), pop culture (normalization of a pill for everything), and interaction with family and friends who endorse the “pharmaceutical fix” model. (note: in cultures where Big Pharma 💊 doesn’t have a big footprint, mental health disorders are quite low.)
  • Side effects of antidepressants include chronic depression (that’s a fact).
    Normal human experience includes suffering in life. Suffering may mean something different to each of us. Perhaps it is grief, social shyness, disappointment, fear, angst, or __ (fill in your blank). Experiencing suffering does not mean the brain is broken….. it just means you (we) all are living a human experience and processing emotions as we go. Don’t get me wrong….. psych medications definitely numb the mind and do so without differentiation. When suffering is numbed, so is joy. Psych meds could be considered an emotional anesthesia, but here’s the thing….. anesthesia by itself doesn’t heal does it? Acknowledging the problem and then working on the root cause is wherein lies healing (and living fully).
    Community, whether that be family, friends, or a combination of the two is balm to healing. Generational curses (Biblically speaking) are very real, more real, I would argue (based on science and the word of God) than an estimated low neurotransmitter in the brain. Generational curses can be broken. It starts with us to break them. Purposefully and intentionally.
    Find your tribe friends. We were not meant to be islands. We are to lean on one another in times of joy and in need. Yes we have tools of all variety available to us of the natural variety in addition to the Big Pharma ones. Do you want numbing or do you want deep true healing?
    No medical advice given here, other than this: Know truth and then do with it what you will. It just might change your life.
    Oh…. final thought and not mentioned in the podcast. There are MANY biological imbalances that can aggravate emotional peaks and valleys. Hormones, thyroid, vitamin and mineral deficiencies are not uncommon culprits, but it takes a good sleuth willing to spend the time looking for the clues. These ARE measurable in the body. Request comprehensive labwork before accepting any prescription. If your doctor or insurance company won’t honor this request (and I do mean comprehensive!), find one that will.
    xoxo~ liz
    If you have questions about what comprehensive labwork looks like, let’s chat!
#sharingiscaring
#livinglifetoitsfullest
#emotionsarepartofliving
#processingemotionsisgoodmedicine
#ThanksYL

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unscientific diagnoses medicalize normal human experience

Loyalty Programs make Me Happy

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I just did a happy dance in the parking lot of Tractor Supply because I got $50 credited back as a “Neighbors Club” member. TSC is one of our all time most visited stores….. we love them, and they love us because we drop so much 💰💰💰at their doorstep for our farm-ily’s needs. 🐕🐱🐄🐎🐓🐣
As I was driving home, I thought about how silly that was of me to get all excited for saving $50. Broken down, I believe that $50 credit represented 5 months of $10 back for spending regularly at TSC. …. $10 back per month regardless of how much we spend there. I humbly submit to you that Charlie and I have the dubious honor of being on this Tractor  Supply’s list of “Top 10 Patrons” (yes, we have THAT MANY animals)…. so let your imagination run on what our monthly feed and animal supply bill looks like.
….And then my mind wandered to the Loyalty Program that Young Living has. Because we have used Loyalty Rewards  (being a monthly patron of Subscribe to Save) for more than 25 consecutive months, we now get 25% back on all of our orders. (10% back for the first 3 months, 20% back for months 4 thru 24). I did a quick rough calculation in my head and found that in 5 months, I had been able to “buy ” approximately $750 in products for free, just by being a valued customer. Wow!!! 
Sometimes it’s easy to forget or take for granted what we get each month. I’m always amazed by the freebies gifted to us with qualifying purchases each month, but I admit, I sometimes forget about how much those points help our farm-ily take care of ourselves.  We have dogs on Sulfurzyme and BLM…. massive amounts for two 🐕🐕of our older large dogs. Neither one would be with us today without these two supplements.  That $150 YL credit more than pays for their needs. 
Hidden blessings friends….
Tell me, how do you score in money back from where you shop? 
xoxo~ liz

Vagal Nerve – part 2

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Raise your hand if you want a resilient nervous system.🙋‍♀️ Uh huh… that’s what I thought. I do too! 😊I want to be healthier overall, quicker to recover from stressful situations, happier, stronger, more empathetic, better able to concentrate, and have thriving relationships…. ALL things associated with healthy vagal tone.

Vagal tone should be nurtured daily if it is to function optimally. You might be surprised at how easy some of these tips are!

⭐Poor breathing habits. The sedentary nature of our current society has been no friend to the vagus nerve. Poor posture, including the downward tilt of the head as we look at our computer and phone screens restricts the airways from throat to lungs. If you walk into nearly any nursing home you will see posture associated with long term low vagal tone. Dr. Navaz Habib👨‍⚕️, author of Activate Your Vagus Nerve, makes a compelling argument that dysfunctional breathing is the most common cause of poor vagus nerve function. Friends, this is such an easy (and free) fix. Address posture (revisit that post!), and incorporate breathing slowly and “belly button” deeply at least a few times every hour. This is nourishing to the vagus nerve, and feels good too!

⭐Alternate nostril breathing👃. Inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through the opposite nostril has a profound effect on the nervous system and an increase in oxygen consumption. One study found that inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left nostril for approximately 3 minutes four times a day for a month increased oxygen consumption by 37% compared to normal breathing practices. (Doing the reverse activity.. Inhaling through the left and exhaling on the right showed an oxygen increase of 24%) It was suggested in the study that this type of breathing may reduce the release of stress hormones (a benefit in vagus nerve health). As an added bonus, you will likely find yourself more focused and awake by “right nostril breathing” and more relaxed and less anxious by “left nostril breathing”. Knowing this, consider supporting these techniques with Brain Power or En-R-Gee essential oil blends when “right nostril breathing”, or Tranquil, Peace and Calming, or Sacred Mountain essential oils blends when “left nostril breathing”. 

⭐Prayer and meditation🙏 are both scientifically proven to increase parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) activity which improves vagal tone. Incorporating essential oils during prayer and meditation is a beautiful way to enhance both practices. Some of my favorites include Frankincense, Peace & Calming, RC, and Raven. 

⭐Practice tensing stomach muscles or coughing on purpose.

⭐Massage…..even an ear massage. Massaging the areas of the ear👂 called the tragus and cymba concha can trigger a mild vagal response. Additionally, acupuncture or acupuncture point based therapy (check out Dolphin MPS for one such type) are hugely helpful.

⭐Keeping a positive attitude and emotion set. This is truly a “use it or lose it” situation. Affirmations and constructive emotions can spark a self fulfilling future for all aspects of the body, including vagal tone. Destructive emotions can also do this but in the opposite direction. (ex: If you believe you will fail, you probably will! ) Direct good thoughts and actions towards other people and watch your vagal tone improve. Act on kindness, compassion, and empathy. Doesn’t the world need more of this anyway? It’s fascinating that attitude alone can deeply impact the function of the vagus nerve. God has knit us together in wondrous ways!

⭐Belong to a socially active community 🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️. Social isolation does no favors to vagal tone. Find your tribe and spend time with them in person. Oxytocin is a hormone which acts as a neurotransmitter. Its presence has a powerful effect on the health of the vagus nerve. Hugging, laughing, breastfeeding, speaking to someone in person or on the phone, being trusted by someone, and listening to soothing music are all ways to release oxytocin. Surprisingly, shooting guns can be included in this list! 
⭐Eating correctly. Saying words of gratitude🙏 over your food actually stimulate the vagus nerve. Chewing slowly and eating mindfully (fully present) allows the body to recognize the type of nutrients being released into the body, and to release the appropriate enzymes and digestive juices needed to make them bioavailable (or boot them out as a toxin). It would come as no surprise that an unhealthy vagal tone has a negative effect on digestive juices, especially those released by the gallbladder.
⭐Intermittent fasting. There are a myriad of benefits of intermittent fasting, including decreasing inflammation in the body. Inflammation negatively affects vagal tone. Of course intermittent fasting is only one way to help the body in this manner. Any time you remove a toxin source from your body’s daily load, you will be showing your vagus nerve TLC. Thank goodness for the clean household and personal care products we have access to! #ThanksYL  
⭐Foods that have been found to support healthy vagal tone include fermented foods (ex: kombucha, cheeses, plain yogurt), high fiber foods (ex: nuts, fruits, vegetables) and foods high in Omega3’s. If you feel you might not get enough of any of these food groups, supplement with YL Life -9 (or MightyPro) probiotic, Balance Complete Meal Replacement, and OmegaGize3 (or Mindwise) respectively. Additionally, adequate zinc levels contribute to a healthy vagal tone. (You’ll want to go back and re-read the section on zinc. It may tie together some clues for you)
⭐How we sleep matters😴. Laying on the right side has the highest vagal stimulation.
⭐Gargling. This contracts the muscles in the back of the throat which causes direct stimulation of the vagus nerve. Humming (especially while covering the ears) and singing loudly are also helpful.
⭐Improving vagal tone thru exercise💪 and yoga is reason #100 to do both. Seriously. Mental and physical health will only improve in amazing ways when exercise and yoga are incorporated into healthy habits.
For the more adventurous spirit, other ways to spark quick vagal tone improvement include ❄️cold❄️ showers, ❄️ice baths❄️,  ❄️cryotherapy ❄️ or coffee☕️ enemas (Yes indeedy! 😉). 
Our brains are constantly checking on us to see if we feel safe or not. It is only when the brain perceives safety that we are able to engage socially, have curiosity, feel happy, and be playful. If it has been awhile since you’ve felt this way, this would be another set of clues indicating that your vagus nerve needs some additional love and attention.
It may seem hard to “want” to incorporate these suggestions into your healthy habits if all of this is new to you, but if you raised your hand a few minutes ago in a bid for resiliency, it’s time to do “the things.” Just like a teenager who is hard to wake up in the morning, waking up the vagus nerve may take perseverance. Find your tribe and work together to make those vagal nerves toned and happy!
xoxo~ liz

PS: Friends, there is an enormous amount of information on the vagus nerve and polyvagal theory. If this has sparked your interest, please DO do some more digging on your own. There is simply no way to do this particular topic justice in a couple of posts.

  
#sharingiscaring
#caringforyourvagusnerveisgoodmedicine
#healthdetective
#goodmedicine
#thanksYL
❄️

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