Emotions

Liz James · December 30, 2022 ·

Plain Values magazine (available in print

for those of us who love paper in hand while reading) delivers some good wisdom on balancing humility with the pride of self sufficiency. We need community ya’ll. God designed us to need one another…. and resisting community affects mental health. (You can see the evidence of this by the escalation of mental health issues following lockdowns. ).

Homesteading is very rewarding especially when you find your community. Many hands make for lighter work! Some of the most beautiful memories I have when we first began homesteading in 1995 are the occasions friends and family came out to help us with some really big projects. It was humbling to be on the receiving end…. something Charlie and I are not used to.

plain values magazine article

https://goodmedicine.info/3349-2/

Lavender & Bergamot Help Anxiety

Liz James · December 22, 2022 ·

Interesting article on lavender and bergamot use (3 times a day for 8 weeks) in a study involving 50-60yr old menopausal women who were experiencing menopause related “moderate anxiety and some sexual dysfunction”, but were otherwise healthy. (I am interpreting this to mean they did thorough labwork beforehand… key point!

…. otherwise they might be overlooking a bigger fish that needed frying!)

https://tomnikkola.com/effects-of-lavender-and-bergamot…/

This is not a one size fits all situation. Everyone is different and labwork offers a personalized trail. This doesn’t mean labwork or lavender/bergamot alone are singular answers to a potentially complex problem…. but perhaps they might be in some cases.

Lavender and bergamot are stellar oils (but only when they are high quality ones such as Young Living’s, and when they are used with purposeful regularity for this particular situation). Imagine the women (and their spouses and families

) who might be relieved by something so simple as using lavender and bergamot three times a day. Labwork, lavender and bergamot are infinitely safer than most modern world common “solutions”.

Other items I’ve personally found helpful for keeping me younger than my chronological years (in addition to regular and purposeful exercise, healthy diet, and adequate sleep!) : Alternating between Young Living’s Femigen and PD 80/20 capsules, Progessence Plus serum used nightly, and of course…. Sensation Massage oil

. Everyone is different, but menopause doesn’t have to be an unpleasant period of life.

Worth the try? You bet! (link to Lavender and Bergamot…. and Sensation Massage oil)

bit.ly/3Wl2XMq

xoxo~ liz

#caringissharing

#BYOHD

#labworkisgoodmedicine

#yourbodyisatemple

#lavenderforthewin

#Godgaveuswhatweneedinthegarden

You Are Worth It! Move It!

Liz James · October 17, 2022 ·

Sitting for more than 6 hours a day raises your mortality risk no matter how hard (or how much) you exercise before or afterwards.

Chronic sitting has also found to be more deadly than obesity alone (so imagine what that might look like if those two are paired together

God gave us our bodies so that we would use them in all the gifts we have been given.

If you have a desk job, please …… for the health of it, consider these alternatives:

if affordable, use a stand up desk.

get up frequently and take a quick walk (grab the mail, take the dog for a walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator)

use part of your lunch break to take a power walk

park farther away from your destination purposefully

learn some basic chair yoga poses you can incorporate into your day.

walk whenever you have a choice of walking instead of driving.

The short term benefits of incorporating movement into your day improve mood, energy levels, and sleeping at night (not to mention the grounding benefits of getting outdoors if that is feasible in the situation you’re in).

Consider adding purposeful movement to your “to do” list for the day. NingXia Red, Zyng, and NingXia Nitro are all great Young Living pairings. (So is the essential oil blend ‘Motivation‘, if purposeful movement is low on your list of priorities

) You won’t regret it!

xoxo~ liz

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