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Digestive System

May Day Young Living Gifts

Liz James · May 1, 2023 ·

When I was little we celebrated May Day! (Did anyone else do this?) We would make little handmade baskets out of paper and milk cartons, and then fill them up with candy and flowers and go hang them on the doors of older people and people who might be lonely (we would ring the doorbell and then run off and hide and watch them be surprised by their little gift).
 
This month’s Young Living gift with purchase is kinda like that! I LOVE LOVE LOVE when they gift us supplements or other products we maybe have never tried. About 9 years ago, they gifted a bottle of Sulfurzyme as part of the Monthly Freebies…… and it changed MY life (and health trajectory for my bladder…. among other points of inflammation in my body).
 
Don’t miss out on those free Loyalty Rewards Points (10…. just for placing an LR order! Remember points = cash for products you already use and buy anyway!)
Citronella…… I keep a bottle of Citronella in the Laundry room (I use it on my dryer balls in the summer…. it is a fresh scent, and it helps keep the mosquitoes and biting bugs away….. if you have an outdoor kitchen or spend a lot of time on the patio… put a diffuser out there. It’s WAY healthier than the toxic chemicals that are used to do the same thing. Citronella is known to repel spiders, gnats, fleas, and mosquitoes. A great recipe for naturally repelling pests from your garden plants…. ( 1 tsp castile soap, 10 drops peppermint, 10 drops rosemary, 10 drops citronella, 10 drops lemongrass, and water in a 16 oz spray bottle. Mist the leaves and stem of the plant🌿 every 5-7 days)
 
DiGize….. Such an important oil blend for keeping the digestive system happy. For many people, DiGize was the “aha” moment that essential oils are a valuable tool and should never be left out of a first aid kit. If indigestion is a “thing” for you, try a little dab in your belly button 😉. Can I see a show of hands on those who have back walked out of some 😵🤢🥴moments thanks to this blend?
 
Detoxzyme is a fantastic companion to DiGize. Sooooooo many people don’t understand that their digestive woes are often partially the result of insufficient digestive enzymes. Such an easy fix! Detoxzyme is helpful in the digestive process, and it’s formulated to be extra helpful if you are interested in improving your elimination of toxins. It can be taken regularly to assist in the process. PRO Tip: Before going to bed, load up on Detoxzyme…. the liver is most active at night, and you’ll drop more toxins laden 💩 in the toilet the next day!
 
Rose Ointment…… I’ve heard so many beautiful skin-healing stories about this helpful tool! It is deeply soothing for dry, irritated skin. I’m sure you’ll find it one you reach for as part of your skin TLC toolbox!
 
Have a great day friends! Which gift are you most excited about?
xoxo~ liz
 
(PS: If you are not yet enjoying the benefits of Young Living products ….. or freebies!… but would like to be, I’d be honored to be your navigator and guide! Here’s a link to join me and get personalized education in the process: https://bit.ly/3oFccZj )
 
 
 

Yoga for Constipation!

Liz James · March 15, 2023 ·

We talk about a lot of things in Yoga…. and 💩 is one of them! Yoga is one holistic tool to help get your digestive system moving more regularly. If someone isn’t having daily (normally formed) bowel movements, this is a guarantee that the rest of the body will not perform optimally.
 
Come to yoga…. it may be just what you’ve been missing!
Wednesday nights @ 7:30pm …… message me for details (Walk-in’s always welcome!)
#McKinneyFBBCYoga
#constipationaintnaturalfolks
#dumpthosetoxins
#BYOHD
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
 
See you on the mat!
xoxo~ liz

To Colonoscopy or FIT

Liz James · March 8, 2023 ·

I’ve been involved in several client, family, and friend discussions over the last couple weeks on colonoscopies. 🤓 This is another procedure we are expected to partake in as we age. While there is a time and a place for Western Medicine (and colonoscopies), I offer up this information:
There are a growing number of studies whose outcome suggests that having fecal immunological testing was AS EFFECTIVE as a colonoscopy (and without the risks) in people who are considered low risk (people with no prior history of colorectal cancer, no dark stools 💩 or rectal bleeding etc). Here’s a quote from one of the studies :
” The most relevant result of this interim analysis is that one-time screening with FIT was very similar to one-time colonoscopy with respect to the rate of detection of colorectal cancer, and there was no significant difference in the stage of tumors detected by the two strategies. ” Certainly, the colonoscopy will catch adenomas (which are benign fatty deposits), but again, this isn’t without risk.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1108895
Cologuard is a prescribed product, so you’ll need your doctor’s support in this approach. In my professional opinion, it is worth investigating.
https://www.cologuardhcp.com/resources…
Colonoscopy versus Fecal Immunochemical Testing in Colorectal-Cancer Screening | NEJM
NEJM.ORG
Colonoscopy versus Fecal Immunochemical Testing in Colorectal-Cancer Screening | NEJM
Original Article from The New England Journal of Medicine — Colonoscopy versus Fecal Immunochemical Testing in Colorectal-Cancer Screening

The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Pancreas Part I

Liz James · August 24, 2022 ·

 
“The pancreas is my favorite organ.” Says no one (almost) ever. Seriously.
 
Unless someone has an existing pancreatic malady, this is one organ that gets very little attention. That’s a shame too… because with the exception of the rarer cases of genetics, infection, or blunt force trauma, nearly all pancreatic dysfunction is self induced. It’s time to bring this odd little organ out of its sandwiched space between the stomach and small intestine and figure out what makes it tick and tremble.
The pancreas has two main jobs: to produce chemicals which help regulate blood sugar, and to produce enzymes which help further digest food and bicarbonate which will further neutralize any stomach acid that has found its way into the small intestine. For being a rather underappreciated organ, if any of these tasks falls by the wayside, there are big consequences.
 
Pancreatitis (both chronic and acute) accounts for more than 360,000 hospital stays each year…. A number that continues to rise.😢
The lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer is currently 1 in 64 ….. A number that continues to rise.😢
The lifetime risk of acquiring diabetes is now roughly 1 in 3 adults….. And that number too has only continued to rise.😢
 
The problem is that the pancreas squeaks out tiny little “help me’s”, and few people take the time to learn and put clues together and then go on to correct the course of personal health history. True, the clues are not necessarily ones that will beat you over the head with a two by four, but they ARE there, nonetheless, and only you, the astute sleuth will likely see them or feel them.
 
Have you ever been out to eat with someone who won’t sit with their back to the door? Chances are, they have been well trained🧑‍✈️ to observe their environment so they won’t be taken off guard by an offender who has ill intent.
 
This is how we guard the pancreas… watching for environmental clues that endanger that little organ, and then blocking their entry into our personal space that we do have control over. None of us wants to be the 1 in 3, the 1 in 64, or the 1 in 100.
 
Environmental contributors to pancreatic distress include:
🔎Heavy alcohol consumption or diagnosis of cirrhosis
🔎A high fat, heavily processed food diet
🔎Obesity
🔎Tobacco products
🔎Abdominal surgery where the pancreas may have had interrupted blood supply
🔎Nutritional deficiencies including (especially) vitamins A, D, E, and K and selenium
🔎A history of infection such as hepatitis, Epstein-Barr Virus (Mononucleosis), Lyme disease, or Cytomegalovirus.
🔎A prior history of autoimmune disorder: especially celiac, irritable bowel disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or Sjogren’s Syndrome.
🔎A history of gallstones
🔎Lab work that reveals high triglycerides
🔎Abdominal trauma
🔎Damage to specific molars (those that are pertinent to pancreatic health and wellness… go back and re-read Chapter 7 in BYOHD Volume I)
🔎Long standing emotions and feelings closely associated with pancreatic distress including: guilt, shame, insecurities, frustration, joylessness, fear of rejection, and lowered self esteem.
🔎Many medications: More than 500 drugs have been reported by the World Health Organization database as causative agents for pancreatic distress. Common offenders include synthetic estrogens (birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy), opiates, steroids, many classes of antibiotics, diuretics furosemide and HCTZ, acetaminophen, and the blood pressure medication enalapril. The vaccinations formulated to prevent mumps (MMR and MMRV) have also been implicated in causing complications with the pancreas in some people.
Perhaps there hasn’t been a vigilant awareness until now, and the environmental offenders have already gotten through the door and gotten a little rowdy with the pancreas, and it’s been roughed up a bit. What would that look like?
When you have a handful of the following clues, you can be fairly certain they have been up to mischief that needs help or correcting.
🔎Diarrhea or bloating
🔎Unexplained weight loss
🔎Signs of malnutrition (lab work can identify this)
🔎Oily, foul smelling stools that are clay or pale in color and tend to float
🔎Poor blood sugar control
🔎Blurred vision
🔎Occasional abdominal pain that worsens after a high fat meal
🔎Occasional abdominal pain that may be worse if lying flat on the back
🔎Fatigue
🔎Chronically dry lips (according to Chinese medicine)
 
Do not hesitate to contact your favorite health professional if you’ve checked the majority of these clues or also have fever or unrelenting abdominal pain!
Thankfully, there are MANY things that may be done to support a healthy pancreas:
💜Eat a healthy varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables, white fish and meats, grass fed beef, foods high in iron, foods that are rich in antioxidants….. Cherries, blueberries, spinach, YL wolfberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, NingXia Red.
💜Incorporate digestive enzymes into your daily routine. (Amylase, lipase, and protease are commonly referred to as pancreatic enzymes, and are found in Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme and Allerzyme, or pancreatin and pancrealipase found in Essentialzyme.
💜Avoid opiates as a source of chronic pain management. There are MANY more effective ways to manage pain including scientifically proven meditation, relaxation exercises, acupuncture, yoga, and massage. Supportive supplements to consider include Sulfurzyme, BLM or Agilease, and Golden Turmeric, and essential oils PanAway, Deep Relief, Frankincense, Palo Santo, Helichrysum, Dorado Azul, Valerian, Peppermint, Copaiba, and Idaho Grand Fir. Reishi mushrooms ( found in NingXia Greens and Immupro) help support normal inflammatory and immune system response, especially when used with regularity.
💜Support the pancreas nutritionally with OmgaGize3 (for Omega 3’s), and an excellent multivitamin ( Master Formula ) that contains selenium, and vitamins A, D, E, and K and Vitamin B12 (Super B).
💜Incorporate MCT (Coconut oil) oil into the diet. It doesn’t burden the pancreas the way many other oils do, and it has properties which are helpful to inflammatory conditions.
💜Green Tea (found in Young Living’s Vanilla Lemongrass Tea)
💜Achieving and keeping a healthy weight. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Often simply losing 5-10 lbs is extraordinarily helpful to pancreas function.
💜Keep a close eye on triglyceride levels (optimally, they should be between 50-90mg/dL), and adjust the diet accordingly.
💜Add natural sources of glutamine into the diet: bone broth, grass fed whey protein, grass fed raw dairy, venison, organic poultry, spirulina (found in both Multigreens and NingXia Greens), cabbage, asparagus, and broccoli.
💜Improve levels of melatonin in the body! (Immupro or Sleep Essence if supplemental help is needed). There are some compelling studies on the protection melatonin appears to give to the pancreas.
💜Increase intake of antioxidants (easily done with NingXia Red or NingXia Greens)
💜Alkalinize the body with Apple Cider Vinegar and/or Alkalime
Pancreatic Insufficiency, Pancreatitis, and Pancreatic cancer are all three very stealth dysfunctions. The obvious problem with stealth is that they are able to cause a fair bit of dysfunction before the problem is large enough to warrant medical attention. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a leading cause of pancreatic cancer, and this form of cancer has a very poor survival rate. All the more reason to keep your pancreas well loved and protected. Taking a quick glance at your stools💩 before they go down the porcelain highway and doing an honest environmental and habit assessment is so important!🧐
 
Roughly 98% of the pancreas is devoted to the job of supplying the body with digestive assistance. The other 2% is devoted to managing blood sugar levels…. And that’s what I’ll bring to the table next: the pancreas and diabetes.
xoxo~ liz
 
#goodmedicine
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#pancreaslivesmatter
#ThanksYL
#cluesyoucanuse
#BYOHD

Thyroid Problem Clues – part 2

Liz James · March 30, 2022 ·

Analysis Paralysis has finally released its hold on me as I dip into the complexities of thyroid dysfunction and their absolute connection with autoimmune disorders. It’s important to understand that over 90% of diagnosed hypothyroid patients actually have an autoimmune disorder.
History always helps me understand science and biology because history leaves valuable clues. A journal article I read yesterday had this interesting tidbit:
“During the first half of the century [1900’s], autoimmune disease was viewed as biologically implausible.”
My, how things have changed!🥴 Resistance to the idea that autoimmunity could not happen began waning in the 1960’s. By then, life had changed drastically in many ways. Processed foods were introduced into mainstream eating habits, medication / vaccination use steadily inched upwards into the norm rather than the exception, plastics became part of our everyday world, fluoride was added to water, personal care products had a growing ingredient list of words that were barely pronounceable, herbicides were used ubiquitously and parents let their kids run behind the trucks that were spraying DDT for mosquitoes🦟! Thankfully the DDT spraying has stopped, but other pesticides quickly took its place. The toxin list has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. Today, our bodies have to wade through the toxic soup☠️ known as the standard American life. Genetically, we haven’t changed appreciably, yet we are now part of the sickest generation in recorded history.
Did you know that at least 90% of genetic expression is the result of our environment, while the other 10% can be attributed to the role of the proverbial parental genetic dice? Epigenetics (the expression of our genes based on environmental influences) will look differently for each person based upon genes + exposure to infection (often viral), the Standard American Diet (simultaneously nutritionally deficient and toxic), pollutants (both in and outside the home), medications/vaccines, emotions, and stress. Epigenetics is so specifically unique to an individual that even identical twins👭 may express genes differently when exposed to chronic stressors. If you are going to put together a perfect crime scene,🔎 this is the way to do it!
 
Roughly 20% of the adult population in the USA now has an autoimmune disorder
And this percentage continues to rise. Prior to the 1970’s, autoimmune disorders were relatively obscure. Hashimoto’s, the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism, is considered by The Autoimmune Registry to be the second most common of all autoimmune disorders (second only to rheumatoid arthritis).
There is both bad and good news about autoimmune disorders. While they never disappear, they can certainly go into remission with the right lifestyle changes and choices. It’s a good thing we are in control of our personal choices!😉
 
According to leading Hashimoto’s and autoimmune disorder expert, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, there are 3 stages of autoimmune disease:
🔎Stage One is the silent stage. The body has begun losing its tolerance to its own tissue, but to the western health practitioner, there will be very few “hard core” symptoms. You though, as the CEO and chief sleuth🕵️, will feel “off”. What does “off” feel like? Well, that depends! It may be something as subtle as spending more (or less!) time in the bathroom. Perhaps it might be a rash that comes and goes. Maybe it means you are having difficulty finding the zest for life you once had, or you just have a little harder time waking up in the morning or falling asleep at night. Stage One is very important, as catching “things” early can be a game changer in the outcome. Lab work identifying elevated TPOAb and TGAb antibodies (for Hashimoto’s) can be very revealing. Neither test is very expensive when you pay out of pocket. Sadly, insurance companies often refuse to pay for these as “maintenance” labs. If your request is refused, I highly encourage you to pay out of pocket elsewhere and have the tests run annually with other labs.
 
🔎Stage Two is considered the reactivity stage and actual destruction to target tissue has begun. Symptoms are much “louder” and harder to ignore inside your own body. In fact, it may be this stage that finally sends you to a healthcare practitioner, though you’ve felt “off” for perhaps even years.
 
🔎In Stage Three, westernized medicine officially acknowledges the autoimmune disease. Significant destruction of the targeted tissue has occurred and there may even be collateral damage occurring elsewhere throughout the body. At this stage, damage can be seen by an MRI or ultrasound in addition to the elevated antibodies and actual symptoms.
 
Interestingly, the level of antibodies detected doesn’t necessarily indicate the severity of the Hashimoto’s. The antibodies themselves do not cause the thyroid gland destruction. Without getting too technical, the antibodies bind to and mark the spot (ie: the thyroid), and then the T Cells ( think of them as a special forces unit of the immune system) come in and attack what the antibodies have marked as “foreign”. If your own personal set of T cells are especially aggressive, your antibody count can be low but destruction of the thyroid can still be severe. Likewise, if your T cells act more like lazy posers, your TPOAb’s can be high but destruction probably won’t be as severe as you might think. Again…. epigenetics at play.
Here’s where we take a bunny trail🐰 detour to talk a bit about gluten. Unless you live in an untouched area of the wilderness with no internet, you’ll likely know that many people have issues with gluten. Generally, you hear about gluten and digestive disturbances such as celiac disease (another autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine), but did you know that gluten is commonly a trigger for worsening both Hashimoto’s (hypothyroid) and Grave’s (hyperthroid) disease?
 
Gluten is a sneaky little son of a biscuit eater, for multiple reasons:
🍞It takes very little to cause great distress in gluten hypersensitive individuals…… like less than 1/20th of a teaspoonful according to some experts, and even less than that according to others.
🍞The after effects of a single gluten consumption/use can be felt for weeks to months after the occurrence in the gluten hypersensitive individual.
🍞Gluten flies under the radar and hides in the most seemingly innocuous of places: soy sauce, corn flakes, salad dressings, marinades, seasonings, processed deli meats, body and beauty care products, and candy (glucose syrup or dextrose can come from wheat) are just a few on the list.
🍞Some thyroid medications (and other medications and supplements too!) contain gluten as an inert filler ingredient. Currently the FDA does not have strict labeling requirements regarding the labeling of gluten positive medications. At the time of this writing, all brands of levothyroxine (except Mylan which is certified gluten free) contain gluten, as does the thyroid medication Cytomel. (And yes, I agree. Why in the world would the pharmaceutical industry use inflammatory gluten as a common filler, especially in a medication for a population prone to be gluten sensitive? As I’ve said before, we’re worth more as a commodity if we are sick than we are if we are healthy friends.🙄)
🍞Other aliases of gluten include starch, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, dextrin, dextrate, dextro-maltose, maltodextrin, sodium starch glycolate and more. Sneaky Pete, indeed!
 
Is all gluten bad? 🤔Resoundingly no. Although if someone is found to be gluten hypersensitive, it’s a good idea to avoid it as much as possible. Modern wheat and the ancient grain Einkorn are two very different grains containing different types and ratios of gluten. Not only is Einkorn considered to be vastly more nutritious than modern wheat, the troublesome type of gluten (the “D” genome) doesn’t appear to be present in Einkorn according to Dr. Davis, author of “Wheat Belly”. If you aren’t sure if Einkorn is a safe form of grain for you, try incorporating it into a food challenge. Einkorn is also much more highly digestible and because of its starchstructure, is less apt to cause blood sugar spikes.
 
For the non gluten hypersensitive individual there are a few more reasons to nosh on some tasty Young Living Einkorn spaghetti, pancakes, granola, or cereal…..Regular intake of gluten has been found to help mediate exposure to heavy metals. Conversely, those on a gluten free diet tend to have higher blood and urine levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium ,commonly found in many well known lipstick brands,. If you already use YL Savvy Minerals lipstick💋, here’s a high five…. It’s toxin free!
 
For being a simple little butterfly🦋 looking structure in our neck we often don’t think about, the thyroid is certainly complex and so easily affected by outside influence!
 
xoxo~ liz
 
#sharingiscaring
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#goodmedicine
#getlabwork
#Hashimotos
#hypothyroidism
#autoimmunedisease
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