Connective Tissue

Body odor

Liz James · August 5, 2020 ·

OK, this may sound really weird……. But have you ever thought much about body odor?…. And how some people have some seriously bad B.O. while other people don’t even give off offensive B.O. when they sweat, even if it’s during a hard workout? Why is this?

It’s not because of hygiene on the outside…. it’s because of hygiene on the INSIDE. Buildup of oxidized fats, malformed proteins, and other chemical “trash” in the body generates an aroma that no soap (or toothpaste or mouthwash) can overcome. (Some diseases can do this too, but for the sake of this convo, I’m only focusing on cellular hygiene today.)

What causes poor cell hygiene within us?…. All these rancid fats and denatured proteins that the body simply can’t get rid of fast enough? I’m sure you’ve heard of free radicals and how bad they are for a body. Actually, they’ve been given a bit of a bad rap. They are absolutely essential to a healthy happy body, but when too many free radicals start gathering in the body, something called oxidative stress begins occurring.

Q: How do I slow down the production of free radicals and avoid oxidative stress?
A: Clean up your “personal space”.
👉Limit your consumption of fats and oils that have been exposed to light, air and heat (which turns them rancid). Fried fast foods are notorious culprits.
👉Avoid preservative laced foods and processed meats
Stop contributing to “indoor smog” in your own home. #useyourdiffuser Avoid damaging and toxic chemical household cleaners & artificial air freshening agents.
👉Avoid Smoking and being around second hand smoke
Make sure the water you drink is free from chemicals (most tap water is not)
👉Understand that many medications contribute to the formation of free radicals. Do your due diligence and look for healthy alternatives (or ways to improve your health so that you won’t need medication) whenever possible.
👉DO seek out strong antioxidants and incorporate them into your diet. Some of the strongest ones are wolfberries (also known as goji berry), blueberries, plums, cherries, aronia (also known as chokeberries), and pomegranates.
Not surprisingly, all of these are ingredients in our YL NingXia Red.

Q: What does Oxidative Stress do in our body?
A: It accelerates the aging process, contributes to cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, and other diseases.
Although there are no officially recognized “symptoms” of oxidative stress, fatigue, headaches, noise sensitivity, memory loss, brain fog, muscle and joint pain, wrinkles, gray hair, vision trouble, decreased immunity AND strong BODY ODOR are all signs pointing towards damaging oxidative stress in our bodies.
So, if you are participating in our team NingXia Red Challenge this month (August), you might notice a change in your body odor for the better my friends……. And THAT is a very very good thing!
xoxo~ liz

#alltheNingXiaRed
#NingXiaRedChallenge
#totalbodyhealth

Game Changer

Liz James · July 7, 2020 ·

5 years and 23 days ago I went into surgery thinking I was going to come out an amputee. Frankly, the fact that I was “only” going to lose my left foot was an emotional relief to me…. it could have been much much worse, and more important body parts could have been damaged if things had gone differently.
I know it may sound strange, but I was at peace with the future of a prosthetic (even before the actual complete removal of my foot had taken place). That may account for my literal disappointment when I woke up from surgery and saw my toes peeking out from a well bandaged lower leg…… I knew I was in for a rocky road ahead. Severed tendons, a broken bone, significant soft tissue and connective tissue damage (along with a statement from my surgeon that I’d probably walk with a limp for the rest of my life) did not give much hope for living pain free.
And yet… here I am 🙌🙌🙌…. 5 years and 23 days later…. doing all the things I did before my run in with the bull. Frankly, I’m even more active than I was. Farm chores 👩‍🌾 5K’s, regular gym Boot Camp workouts 💪 (thank you Fit Body Boot camp), hiking up a glacier, teaching yoga…. ALL these things without pain or impaired flexibility.
Diet, exercise (motion is lotion!), focusing on increased flexibility, clean water intake, toxin free living……. all these are important in recovery and also pain and inflammation management.
The icing on the cake tho….. the special tools in the toolbox…. are these: Agilease or BLM + Sulfurzyme.
Because I had significant bone and ligament damage, I take BLM + Sulfurzyme daily…. every day….. 365 days a year.
I live my life pain free. Yup. Not a day with pain for this gal. 🙌🙌🙌
2 SULFURZYME TWICE A DAY.
1 BLM TWICE A DAY.
👆Game changers for my life 👆…. Because life is too short to spend it sitting on the bench (or on the porch)! 😉
Haven’t tried these yet, and you’re sitting on the sidelines? What are you waiting for? Life is short friends …. make the most of it!
xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring
#BLMandSulfurzymeforthewin
#thisismylifewithYL
#ThanksYL
#whatsyourgamechanger

Why the Crown?

Liz James · May 31, 2020 ·

I had a really good question brought to me this week and I thought you all might find the answer both interesting and helpful.

Q: Why are we told to apply oils to the crown of our head? There has to be a reason that is scientific and not “new agey”.

Answer: You may have heard that the reason we do this is because that area is so close to our brain. Yes… while true…. that’s not EXACTLY the reason.

Feel the crown of your head…. nearly all of us have a little divot at the very top. That is a point where skull bones meet. (In babies, it is known as the soft spot)… while we have several suture lines on our head, the crown suture is the one that is usually the easiest to find.

Skull sutures are not solid…. they are a fibrous joint… the fibers holding our skull bones together act as a buffer against stress, and they actually move (even tho it doesn’t seem like they do).

Here’s the key thing: The sutures act as access points… bypassing the skull…, allowing our essential oils to go directly to the cerebral spinal fluid surrounding the brain and on down into the spinal cord. BOOM! Y’all….. if you want to affect the brain or create an inhospitable environment for viruses (which tend to hibernate in the spinal cord), this is a VALUABLE tool and tip to hang on to 😉.

Anointing someone’s head isn’t always for religious purposes…. it can have some very therapeutically beneficial results!

Please please please….. remember, if you are using essential oils in a therapeutic manner, that you are using pure oils that have been confirmed free of toxins and other questionable chemicals. It’s exactly the reason I only use Young Living.

#ThanksYL
#SeedtoSeal
#Theindustryleader

#knowbetterdobetter

Staying In The Game

Liz James · June 2, 2017 ·

I got back from my boot camp workout this morning, and although I’m feeling a bit sore, it’s a good kind of pain….. the kind that lets you know you’ve accomplished something…. not the other kind… the one that is your warning signal of something gone awry. Like me, I’m sure you’ve experienced both kinds of pain, so you know what I’m talking about. Our bodies certainly do speak to us.

Being a ‘gym rat’ is a fairly new concept for me… a late in life one at that. I always felt like I got my workouts in simply by working on the farm and ‘doing life’. And up until the age of 48, I felt like that was enough. Midway thru that monumental year, I had a very significant run in with our bull, and ended up in the hospital. I’ll give you the cliff notes version …. I very nearly lost my left foot, and spent about 6 months in intensive recovery. The experience taught me a great deal, not the least of which is this….. Regardless of your health situation, it is important to keep moving. My injury involved broken and dislocated bones, severed tendons, and soft tissue & nerve damage. I now have hardware in my leg that is a permanent part of my recovery. And yet, I do not walk with a limp. I give credit where credit is due, and in this case, the EMT’s, a great surgeon, and our wonderful God all blessed me with great care and healing. But I had to do my part too. That part involved working hard to get past the initial discomfort of intensive physical therapy after having to be mostly sedentary for nearly 4 months. It also meant that my ‘new normal’ necessitates that I move certain joints regularly, or like the tin man, I simply won’t be able to move easily. This is where my new ‘gym rat’ moniker comes in…. (although my workout buddies and I typically meet in a parking lot!). What I’ve found is this:

If you don’t move it, you WILL lose it
if you don’t use it regularly, you’ll have to ‘work the rusty parts’ loose or they will get so rusty they won’t function at all (painful and annoying)
If you’ve significantly damaged some part of your body in your life, you will have to work extra to keep those parts in good working order
Unless your doctor tells you differently, you’ve got to push thru the pain to get thru to the other side of recovery.

Whether you’re like me, and have to occasionally push thru discomfort in order to make ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ is for you) happen or you are a weekend warrior, I’d encourage you to give Cool Azul a try. Just as it sounds…. this blend provides cool relief. Young Living has given us 3 oil infused options in the Cool Azul Family to help us with our daily locomotion.

Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream : Oh. My. Goodness. Young Living rolled out the red carpet for our achy joints and muscles… and enlisted the help of wintergreen, chamomile, peppermint, sage, oregano, copaiba, tea tree, lavender, blue cypress, elemi, dorado azul, and more…..a little goes a VERY long way. It is the first oil infused FDA approved OTC product of its kind. You can watch a short video that explains how Cool Azul works: Cool Azul Pain Relief Cream Video
Cool Azul Sports Gel : This is the original gym bag version. Some like cream… some like gel. You pick.
Cool Azul Essential Oil Blend: Feeling the urge to make your own topical roller bottle blend but not sure where to start? No worry… just get this instead, add the carrier oil of your choice, and you’ll be good to go!

I don’t need to use my Cool Azul every day, but on the days that I do need it….. I’m thankful I’ve got it on hand. I use it to augment the benefits I reap from Agilease and Sulfurzyme(supplements I take daily).

A quick reminder: one of the active constituents of wintergreen oil is methyl salicylate. It has amazing pain relieving properties, but like another salicylate (Aspirin), it should not be used without a doctor’s approval if you are currently on prescription blood thinners. As with all oil products, be sure to avoid eyes and mucous membranes.

Make today a great one for yourself, and get to moving! Your body will thank you

If you’re ever interested in learning more about these or other products you’ve seen mentioned on my blog, feel free to message me! I’d love to have you join me in health.

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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