Enzymes

Health Clues from Your Liver(Gall Bladder)

Liz James · June 22, 2021 ·

The gallbladder is a literal bountiful bag of body clues! It’s a small pouch that sits just under the liver, located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. It’s a little bag with a big responsibility! 💪

The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver. Bile digests fat and helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E & K) and fatty acids (think omega 3/ 6’s). It becomes extremely important to take a quality Omega-3 supplement if your gallbladder is MIA. #Omegagize3forthewin.

Additionally, without a gallbladder, vitamins A,D,E &K become poorly absorbed from foods, and it is prudent to supplement with these vitamins as well. #MasterFormulaandSuperDforsupport A well functioning gallbladder also helps the body excrete fats and fat soluble toxins. Fat soluble toxins☠ are sadly found in common household cleaners, personal care products, food, beverages, and even in cosmetics. To keep the ☠toxin load☠ down, make the most of your Thieves Household Cleaner (All things Thieves really! ), the wonderful personal care products Young Living has available for us, and the Savvy Minerals cosmetic line. There are hundreds of fat soluble toxins to avoid, and Young Living has done the hard work so that our bodies may enjoy a decreased toxic burden!

Gallbladder removal is THE most common surgery in North America. Gallbladder symptoms (clues🔎) don’t evolve overnight…..there are years of foundational “sludge” building up beforehand that may have been unintentionally ignored. Most people are under the impression that if the gallbladder is removed, the pain will stop.While the immediate pain will likely go away, it will ultimately be replaced with a different set of pain points and problems.

People without a gallbladder become even more prone to digestive problems. If the offending diet and lifestyle is not altered, gallstones can still occur..…. they just stay in the liver.. Risk of developing fatty liver dis-ease is also greater in people without a gallbladder. In the absence of a gallbladder, bile slowly trickles into the intestines and never becomes concentrated enough to digest fats well. Often this results in diarrhea, nausea, bloating and heartburn-like symptoms.

If your detective gears are moving, you’ll have just read a wealth of clues 🔎for those people who may be missing their gallbladder and are still struggling. Here’s the biggest clue of all…. A gallbladder’s health is dependent upon the liver’s health….. So while the gallbladder became the “fall guy”, the liver was (and still is!) actually screaming for some support. A poorly functioning liver will produce sludgy bile. That’s as gross as it sounds. Sludgy bile eventually will eventually cause stones or, like a sewer pipe, a significant clog.

A compromised diet is at the heart of most gallbladder dysfunction:
💥Having a diet high in sugar and high fructose corn syrup (learn to look at labels… sugar and HFCS hide everywhere!)
💥Having a diet high in “modern” grains. This leads to fatty liver (we will talk about that soon), which will eventually lead to an unhealthy gallbladder too. There is some pretty compelling research linking gluten intolerance to gallstones. This is another reason Gary was so adamant about getting us our YL Einkorn products!
💥Having a diet high in “bad fats”. (think processed food/ “fast” food)

Other clues indicating an unhappy gallbladder is on the horizon:
🔎Regular use of Aspirin (we have many natural alternatives friends ….. Use them!)
🔎An existing or suspected diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome, SIBO, or candida overgrowth. Remember, the liver is an important part of the digestive system, and all parts are ultimately affected when one part begins to falter. The majority of people with gallbladder dysfunction have had poor digestive health for years and have not modified their diet and added supportive digestive enzymes (Essentialzyme-4!) and probiotics.
🔎Gout flare ups
🔎Seemingly common bouts of “food poisoning”. This is a sign of weakened bile flow. Strong bile flow kills pathogens and assists in a healthy and harmonious digestive tract.
🔎Common “strep” infections. (“common” is a relative term…. In this case, even once a year would be considered common)
🔎“Hot flashes”. We often only think of this clue as hormonal, but there is a correlation between a toxic liver and a gallbladder that can’t keep up with eliminating the toxins.
🔎A mysterious “come and go” chronic pain in the abdomen or rib cage area. (The gallbladder doesn’t usually have gallstones at this point, it has toxic sludge that has become so heavy the gallbladder actually droops from its original position putting pressure on some very sensitive nerves around the liver. The “drooping” also causes a pulling on the neck of the gallbladder)
🔎Chronic constipation and “slow GI” transit time.

The gallbladder really is the “canary in the coalmine” when it comes to liver health. Ultimately….. If the liver ain’t happy, the whole body ain’t gonna be happy eventually either.
Consider starting and ending your day drinking a glass of water with a few drops of YL lemon or lime vitality oils to support “decongesting” lymphatic tissue. Other ways to support healthy lymphatic drainage include lymphatic massage, dry brushing, exercise, eating fresh fruits and leafy greens, drinking plenty of water, deep breathing exercises on the regular, avoiding “reloading” with toxins, and wearing loose clothing that is not binding.

These health clues are sooooo important friends. There’s no sense crying over spilt milk or a missing gallbladder! Work with what ‘cha got! 😘 You didn’t know. But now you do, and the good news is you now know you’ve got some serious but entirely doable work to give your liver its best life, so that you can lead your best life too! And thank the good Lord (and Young Living) we’ve got the tools to do it!
xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
#loveyourliver
#Godgaveusallourorgansforareason
#thegallbladderneedslovetoo

I C P – Health Clue Supplement Spotlight

Liz James · June 15, 2021 ·

ICP: Supplement Appreciation Spotlight📣

Perhaps one of the biggest clues🔎 of all isn’t a part of our body. Rather, it’s what’s being put into it! How did we (as a nation) become among the sickest (even when compared to 3rd world countries) despite the vast amount of food available? The answer…. processed food 🍩🍕🍟and eating too few fruits🍅🍒🍑🍓🍠 and vegetables.

Food has been a source of healing for thousands of years, yet in the last 50 years, food in the USA has become an enormous source of illness, mostly due to what we choose to eat and also what we choose not to eat.

The average American doesn’t get adequate soluble and insoluble fiber in their daily diet. Half a century ago, this would not have been a problem, but today it’s a HUGE one. Soluble and insoluble fibers are found in plants🌱 we eat….. And if you aren’t eating enough unprocessed plants, there will be a fiber deficiency.

When soluble and insoluble fibers are combined in the duodenum (the very first part of the small intestine), a gel is formed which binds bile, TOXINS, and other undigested material. Heaven knows we are exposed to all manner of ☠️toxins on a daily basis, but this is especially true of modern day food and beverages (pesticides, herbicides, processed food ingredients…. Including sweeteners). This binding of toxins protects the rest of the body and helps keep the liver from getting overwhelmed….. And if the liver’s unhappy, the rest of the body will follow suit.

Other benefits of soluble and insoluble fiber:
*Soluble and insoluble fibers also feed the good bacteria in the gut…. Which is good for them and great for us!
*Soluble and insoluble fibers slow the breakdown of starches. Without getting too technical, this too is very helpful for the liver (and us!), as the liver also takes excess starch and turns it into fat. This translates into keeping insulin response down and fat within the body from building up.
*Soluble and insoluble fibers promote a faster transit time thru the intestine, causing a specific hormone to be released into the bloodstream and sent to the brain….. Where it tells us “hey, you’re full….. Quit eating!”.
*The “good bacteria” in the gut return the favor, after having been well fed by these fibers, and begin producing byproducts that reduce inflammation in the body.
*Finally, these two fiber types also act as a gentle cleansing agent in the colon….. Dislodging and sloughing off old dead cells. This is HUGELY important in reducing colon cancer risk (currently the 3rd most common cancer).

My first suggestion will always be to heal and protect yourself with quality nourishing food. You’ll never be able to “out supplement” a bad diet. #thatsafactjack
ICP stands in the gap for those who need a little extra digestive system help and who have realized that their health clues point towards a need to better love on their gut and liver.

In addition to a stellar soluble/insoluble fiber blend (psyllium, oat, fennel, rice bran, guar gum seed, Mojave yucca root, and cellulose powders), ICP also contains digestive enzymes to specifically break down fats and proteins at various pH points in the gut.
Aloe Vera, Fennel, Anise, Ginger, Lemongrass, and Rosemary oils round out the ICP recipe…. This combination is helpful in supporting digestion, promoting a healthy inflammatory response (as opposed to the runaway train variety), and in creating an inhospitable environment for “the less desirables” that may want to lurk within the depths of your intestines.

If previous health clues have been pointing towards showing a bit more TLC to your digestive tract, ICP may be a welcome addition to the supplement shelf!
xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#foodisgoodmedicine
#fiberdoesabodygood
#whatsgoodforthegutisgoodforthebody
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
#colonclues

Health Clues from Your Colon part 3

Liz James · June 8, 2021 ·

What’s soupy poo telling you? Colon Clues Part III

I could spend almost forever talking about the colon because it’s one of my favorite clue laden organs. But if I did, I’d step out of the lane we’re driving in….. And so I’ll do my best to keep focused!

Hang on…. You may learn a little more than you wanted to about chronic diarrhea!😳 It’s not as common as constipation (est 20-30% of the adult population), but if you are one of the estimated 5% who do suffer from chronic diarrhea, you know how important this clue trail is. Interestingly, though chronic constipation is an equally important colon clue, chronic diarrhea will usually send people to their favorite health care professional much faster!

Diarrhea is a symptom (a clue!), not a dis-ease. Approximately 2 gallons of water should be absorbed from the colon every day, and if that doesn’t happen…… well, diarrhea results. We’ve all had short term diarrhea, and even that gets old fast. Chronic and/or chronic intermittent diarrhea can really throw a kink in daily life.
Rarely, is this clue ignored (because, well….. diarrhea won’t generally allow itself to be forgotten!). Paradoxically, chronic diarrhea is not generally a “quick fix” problem. It takes work to get the gut back to a healthy place!

What possible clues lie behind a case of chronic diarrhea?
🔎Food or beverage sensitivity: Lactose, gluten, and processed sugar intolerance are the big three, and are more common than you might think. It could be just one ingredient that triggers a run to the bathroom, or it could be a combination of them (think processed foods!).
🔎Tainted water: Yes, even municipal water and bottled water has been implicated on occasion.
🔎Medications : Antibiotics, antacids, Alzheimer’s medications, metformin (for type II diabetes), colchicine (for gout), NSAIDs (for inflammation, sertraline (for mood), lithium (for mood), digoxin (for heart), chemotherapy medications, synthroid/levothyroxine (for thyroid: NOTE there is a gluten based filler in these….. Disturbingly…. So if gluten is your nemesis, this may be a big clue).
Infections (bacterial, fungal, viral, and/or parasitic). Infections often go hand in hand with inflammation.
🔎Chronic Inflammation in the bowels: Inflammation in the colon morphs into an actual dis-ease state if left unaddressed. Inflammatory Bowel Disease includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is another colon dis-ease that affects 10-15% of the population and may cause a mixture of constipation and diarrhea. Diverticulosis / Diverticulitis affects roughly half of all people over the age of 60, and approximately 10% will have it before the age of 40. Yet, in ¾ of these people, it will never cause problems.
🔎Gallbladder inflammation, malfunction, or missing! (up to 20% of people who have their gallbladder removed have chronic diarrhea) It’s so important to take digestive enzymes if you are missing your gallbladder!
🔎Uncommonly (but needs to be mentioned), some cancers can cause chronic diarrhea.
🔎Excess vitamin C or Magnesium in the diet.
🔎For some people, sorbitol, mannitol, or xylitol (even in the smallest amounts) can cause gassy diarrhea.
🔎A surgical procedure which may have affected the mechanics of the large intestine.

Overcoming chronic diarrhea is usually not a quick fix, and it may require many supportive measures in your “at home” tool box. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither will a solid bowel movement be formed after a day’s worth of good self care, so be patient and be consistent with your plan!
*Get stress under control. The gut brain axis is a real thing, and if emotions are creeping into your gut, it may show up in the toilet too. Use your emotional oils….. They do work! Find a mentor like Jen Weir who is an ace at teaching people how to do just this! (https://www.weirtx.com/ )
*Get serious with an elimination or FODMAP diet and find out what your body doesn’t like! Note: food sensitivities are found in ½ to ⅔ of people with chronic diarrhea. #itstimetojustdoit
*Probiotics. YL’s Life 9 helps support a healthy microbiome in the colon. When there are enough healthy bacteria to compete with the bad microbes, the bad guys get the boot.
*Digestive enzymes. I cannot emphasize enough how important probiotics and digestive enzymes are to overall health! (YL…. Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, Allerzyme, and Mightyzyme for the littles)
*Omega 3’s ( YL Omegagize3) promotes healing and repair and supports a healthy inflammatory response.
*Increase Fiber intake. Start with cooked soft fiber and graduate to “hard fiber” (fruits, veggies, and whole healthy grains (gluten free for some or low gluten for others). Note that meat and dairy have zero fiber! YL’s ICP is a fantastic source of non-irritating soluble and insoluble fiber. Friends, do your research on ICP. It is a vital supplement for colon support!
*Avoid alcohol sugars (sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, xylitol)
*Avoid caffeine. It acts as a laxative.

Diarrhea is the clue. Now it’s up to you to put some of the pieces together! Use this clue and others to kickstart your own research.
As Mary Young says, “It is our God given right to search, read, study and decide how you will feed and care for your own body.”
xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#fixyourplumbing
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
#colonclues

Health Clues in Your Colon part 2

Liz James · June 1, 2021 ·

What’s your lack of poo 💩 telling you? Colon Part II
There’s no time like the present to start talking about poo, or in this chat…. lack thereof! Chronic constipation affects roughly 28% of the North American population if we abide by the western medicine general rule that it’s “okay” to have only 3 bowel movements a week. (No wonder we have so many chronic illnesses based on this information alone!😱)
Let’s flush that “3 times a week okay-ness”, and look at how an optimally healthy colon should be functioning.
Healthy gastrointestinal transit time should run somewhere between 12 and 24 hours…… optimally, 1💩 to 3💩💩💩 bowel movements a day help keep the toxin load of a body in check. What happens when the body’s toxin load grows due to lack of appropriate time on the throne? Sickness and dysfunction begin rearing their ugly heads in a variety of ways:
1. Weight gain – toxins stored in fat and it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight.
2. Fatigue – metabolism is disrupted (yet another avenue of weight gain too!)
3. Skin irritation and rashes occur – we expel toxins thru poop, pee, breathing, and thru our skin. When pooping isn’t happening as it should, other organs often can’t keep up with the detox process either!
4. Headaches and migraines
5. Mood Swings
6. Joint and muscle pains and spasms
7. Insomnia
8. Increased or excessive sweating (the body is trying hard to shed the excess toxins!)
9. Constipation breeds an increased toxin load which leads to even more constipation!
Per statistics found on the National Institute of Health’s website, chronic constipation (THEIR version…. 3x/week pooping) accounts for over 5 million healthcare visits or hospitalizations per year, and over 5.3 million prescriptions written singularly for constipation.
These are large numbers☝️☝️, but imagine how much larger those numbers would be if they were to include not pooping daily and the subsequent results….(numbers 1 thru 8 above).
Constipation is a clue, and it’s also largely fixable with lifestyle changes. Oftentimes, if you fix constipation, other health concerns will also begin to quietly fix themselves! 😉
Low fiber eating habits (ie: processed foods), lack of gut microorganism balance (YL’s Life 9 is KEY here), lack of exercise, dehydration, certain medications (Opiates, some antidepressants, calcium channel blockers used to treat blood pressure and heart disease, medications used to treat Parkinson’s, Iron supplements, NSAIDS, diuretics, antihistamines are all known to cause constipation), a magnesium deficiency, hormonal fluctuations, hypothyroidism, SIBO (refer to earlier discussion) and even colon cancer are common contributors to constipation.
For most people, eating more whole fresh foods, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of quality water, and including a top notch probiotic food or supplement source (Did I mention Life 9 or MightyPro for the kiddos?) along with digestive enzymes (Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, Allerzyme, or Mightyzyme for kiddos) will often solve the constipation conundrum.
For those who still need a little extra boost to get you on that throne consistently, consider adding in Young Living’s ICP (that acronym has been affectionately known to stand for “I see poop” amongst those who use it). #useittoloseit ICP is a powder (loaded with soluble fiber and other goodness) that is added to juice or smoothies, making it an easy addition to daily routine.
If constipation is something that plagues you, and you’ve tried #allthethings, it may be time to investigate possible food sensitivities, leaky gut syndrome, or severe gut dysbiosis (unbalanced gut bacteria) with the help of a health professional who is experienced working with patients in this demographic.
Happy flushing!
xoxo~ liz
#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#fixyourplumbing
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL

Health Clues from Our Colon part 1

Liz James · May 25, 2021 ·

The Colon: Trouble Down Under Part I

We’ve arrived at the end of the digestive tract. 😍 The amazing and infinitely special colon is really where my own health “awakening” began about 20 years ago. Connecting clues that lead to the true status of your colon may very well also reveal a great deal about overall physical and emotional health.

As Hippocrates said (paraphrased!)….. “If your colon ain’t happy, neither will you be.”

It’s true. 60-70 million people in the USA have digestive disorders that most often originate from colon dysfunction.
👩‍⚕️What if you also were to add in the 43.8 million who visit the doctor annually for emotional health or sleep pattern issues whose root cause is digestive dysfunction?
👩‍⚕️……. Or the 30 million who have chronic inflammation of bones and joints as a side symptom of colon inflammation?
👩‍⚕️…….. Or the 50+ million (and growing!) who suffer from an autoimmune disease thanks to a leaky gut?

Those numbers are staggering. Roughly HALF of the population in the USA has an official diagnosis (dysfunction) whose root cause could be traced back to gut dysfunction.
And friends…… this doesn’t even include the people who don’t poop WELL 2-3 times a day, regularly…….because they consider it “normal” for them. #toxinoverload
I’ve just given you an ENORMOUS pile 💩 of health clues you can use with those statistics alone. If you aren’t pooping, bigger things lay on the horizon (if they haven’t already begun expressing themselves subtly).
Here at the tail end of the alimentary canal, we need to go back to the beginning……. all the way back to babyhood….. because that’s where your health story began!

EARLY YEARS GUT HEALTH QUIZ
Give yourself one point for answering each one of these questions “yes”. This might be a good time to phone your mama if you aren’t sure of your answers!
1.I was a preemie
2.I was born C-section
3.I was formula fed
4.I had reflux pretty badly as a baby
5.I was a sickly little kid and was on 3 or more rounds of antibiotics and supportive medication before I started kindergarten.
6.I grew up on fast food, processed packaged food, and can’t recall eating that many fruits and veggies.
7.I missed school fairly regularly in elementary school due to illness.
8.I spent most of my time indoors growing up
9. I had lots of allergies as a kid (and perhaps still do!)
10. I didn’t receive any probiotics or probiotic based foods on a regular basis that I can recall.
For each “yes”, the odds of living with a colon in need of TLC as an adult rises.
You see, we have roughly 3-4 lbs of bacteria within us, the largest portion found within the colon. Literally, our bacteria outnumber us cellularly 10:1. They are the “voting majority” in our bodies, and have the ability to perform many functions, including turning our body’s genetic expression on and off. It is extraordinarily important that the good bacteria be there to help us fight off unhealthy over-colonization of “bad” bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeasts. Over- colonization of the “bad guys” will eventually affect the body and mind in a negative way if not controlled.

Research has shown conclusively that the colonized bacteria we have in our guts by the age of 2 years strongly influences our health for the rest of our lives.
Things happen, and as babies, we obviously have no control over our own lives, but just knowing the answers to the above questions may help piece together why you may have struggled in other areas of your life both physically and emotionally. Thankfully, there are things we can do to support and help our guts heal!

This conversation will be continued….. but for now…. Do you poop daily? 💩If you do not….. This is the biggest clue of all clues!

*Important tools I strongly encourage for supporting a healthy gut are Young Living’s probiotic Life 9 and YL’s digestive enzyme line ( Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme, or Allerzyme) to consistently incorporate into daily life.
*Other tools to consider incorporating to improve bowel regularity: Young Living’s Cleansing Trio Kit (an economical way to get ICP, Comfortone, and Essentialzyme). Plenty of filtered water daily, healthy food choices, and exercise!…. The more you move the more your intestines will move too!
*If you have a youngster who struggles with pooping or who has had early childhood experiences like the quiz questions above…. Young Living’s MightyPro probiotics and Mightyzyme chewable digestive enzymes for kiddos are formulated for a time such as this!
xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring
#digestivehealthclues
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#showyourcolonsomelove
#yougottapoopdaily
#ThanksYL