Liver

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 Teeth – part 3

Liz James · May 3, 2021 ·

Do you utilize vitaflex/reflexology points on your hands, feet, and even ears👂 when you apply essential oils? Do you have an excellent massage therapist who is able to make you feel better both physically and emotionally after a nice long appointment? Have you ever employed the powerful tool of acupuncture or acupuncture point based therapy as a means of retaining or regaining health or function?

Or, are you just not sure “those things” are real? As a 100% science minded health professional, I needed some strong evidence….. After all, these applications are not taught in the Western medicine education system. So, as any good doubting Thomas would do, I set out not to disprove what I didn’t understand….. but to dig for validation and information of what was confounding me! Never discount something because it doesn’t make sense to you or doesn’t fit the mold you’ve been taught! Dig until you find the truth. My own digging has led me through many books, conferences, professional journal articles, and pubmed…. and through these…. Hard facts and data.

We are energetic beings. Energy⚡️ is measured by the rate of oscillation of an electrical current (measured in hertz/ Hz). The rate of this oscillation of current is called frequency. EEG’s and EKG’s are measuring the frequency of the brain and heart respectively. Those are only two organs….. The entire body is one big energy frequency machine! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Acupuncture is based on 14 energetic meridians in the body. (For ease of discussion, I will refer to them as rivers) If one of those energy “rivers” (meridians) becomes stagnant, damaged or “clogged”, the entire “river” will be affected. Over time, that damaged “river” flow will cause pain, dis-ease or dysfunction within the parts of the body it runs through. As that meridian becomes more damaged, it will begin to affect other meridian functions too.

The role teeth play within a body’s energy circuits is one of the most important clues I will write about. This is where physics meets biology! Our teeth are crystalline structures, and they act as a circuit breaker for the meridians in our body. A decayed tooth or a root canal (which actually leaves residual decay behind even when patched up) acts as a resistor on the specific electrical circuit, and eventually, this will show up as pain, dysfunction, or illness somewhere else in the body along the same meridian (river). Interestingly, over 90% of malignancies are associated with a root canal or decayed tooth on the same meridian.

The easiest way to utilize teeth as clues for both present and future health concerns is to reference a chart. ( I will include an example of one below this article).I often use teeth as a clue to “root cause” and “root prevention”. Pun intended!

Let’s take my 1st upper molar as an example. If I had a root canal or untended cavity in that particular tooth, over time, the frequency would drop within the stomach meridian of my body. Because I know my frequency is now prone to dropping in the stomach meridian, I would pay special attention to, and support all of the corresponding organs and tissues in an effort to prevent future dis-ease and dysfunction. (Refer to the chart )

* I would watch my thyroid numbers closely thru comprehensive annual (if not more frequent) thyroid labwork, and support my thyroid function as needed with Young Living’s Thyromin capsules and/or Endoflex essential oil blend.

* I would also make sure my liver, pancreas and stomach had the tools they needed to function efficiently. Digestive enzymes (Detoxzyme or EssentialZymes-4 are my two favorites), and Juvatone capsules for liver support on the regular!

* I’d work to keep my body well hydrated, exercise, and avoid medication that is particularly hard on the kidneys (ex: Ibuprofen and other NSAIDS).

* I’d know that my weakest point on my spine was potentially going to be where the thoracic vertebrae meets the lumbar portion of the spine, and I would work to keep it strong, healthy, and flexible thru exercise focusing on core strength and flexibility.

* I’d know that my jaw and knee joints would be things to keep an eye on and support accordingly to prevent injury.

* I’d know that my trunk muscles needed extra focus at the gym in terms of muscle groupings. #legday #BLMandSulfurzymeforthewin

* I’d want to support my maxillary sinus in a healthy way so that I don’t become prone to sinus infections. I would do this by diffusing all our healthy “breathing oils” and by using my home made (amazing!!!) nasal spray regularly.

All of these body parts I just mentioned are tied to the stomach meridian in the body, and they are going to need a little extra TLC to keep them healthy since the tooth itself is now working against the body.

Forewarned is forearmed, right?!? Using the health of specific teeth to determine how best to support your body is an easy and excellent way to hopefully sidestep potential issues elsewhere in your body in the future!

If you’d like to know more about teeth and their relationship to our health, here are some excellent book 📚 resources (note that all of the authors are either doctors or dentists who have also done their additional research to learn the truth!!):
Healing is Voltage – Jerry Tennant MD
Toxic Teeth – JM Swartz MD and YL Wright MA
The Toxic Tooth – Robert Kulacz DDS and Thomas Levy MD/JD
The Root Canal Coverup – George Meinig DDS
xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring
#healthcluesyoucansinkyourteethinto
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL

Health Clues from Your Tongue Part 1

Liz James · March 30, 2021 ·

Tongue Clues: Part I
Nobody ever said clue hunting would be glamorous….. Just ask any dental hygienist about health clues found in the mouth! My hat’s off to these health professionals because they see many warning signs and health clues and (hopefully) help save lives in the process! The tongue alone will keep us busy! So grab a mirror and excellent lighting, and let’s proceed!
👅The human tongue is arguably one of the stronger muscle sets of the body. It operates independently of the skeleton and, much like the heart, the tongue is always working. It helps in the mixing process when eating, is crucial to forming letters when we speak and assists in filtering out germs. Even when we sleep, the tongue is constantly working to push saliva down the throat.
👅The tongue is also highly vascular. Even the slightest changes in the constituents of an individual’s blood will be reflected in the appearance of the tongue thru color, shape, coating, and markings.
Tongue mapping is an Eastern medicine tool, and Western medicine also uses the tongue’s appearance to provide valuable health information. According to Eastern tongue mapping practices (and I’d encourage you to do a little research on this), the tongue can be roughly divided into 3 sections:
Tip = heart & lungs
Middle = liver, gallbladder, stomach, and spleen
Back = intestines, bladder, kidneys
As you look at your tongue, take note of where the clues lie on the tongue according to mapping.
In order to identify clues, we first need to establish what a healthy tongue should look like! The best time to look for clues is first thing in the morning (just like the Candida spit test!), before brushing your teeth and tongue.
👅Color should be consistent across the entire tongue, and should be a light pinkish red, with a very thin white coating over it.
👅It should be moist but not too wet or too dry.
👅Small cylindrical taste buds on the entire top surface of the tongue.
👅No cracks, ulcers, teeth marks, lumps, or discolored patches should be present.
As you look at your tongue, first note the color of the tongue itself (not the film on the tongue just yet).
🔎A very pale or light colored tongue may be indicative of iron deficiency, and is sometimes paired with taste bud atrophy, tongue pain, and occasionally cracks on the side of the mouth. A pale tongue may also indicate poor circulation in the body.
🔎A red inflamed tongue (sometimes known as beefy tongue) may indicate a folate or Vitamin B12 deficiency. Roughly 40% of the adult US population have a B12 deficiency. Frankly, that is not surprising considering the Standard American Diet and extreme overuse of antacids and acid blocking medications which inhibit Vitamin B12 absorption and assimilation.
Now take a look at the “coat” color your tongue is wearing (Remember, a thin white coat is healthy!):
🔎A thicker white or yellowish coating on the tongue may indicate sluggish digestion and even possibly chronic constipation. Digestive enzymes (Essentialzyme, Essentialzymes-4, Allerzyme, or Detoxzyme) and Life 9 probiotic would be an optimal choice to add to your next Young Living order!
🔎A “sticky looking” coating is suggestive of excess phlegm or mucus production in the body.
🔎A black or brownish tinted tongue is most often diet and habit related. This is often related to trapped bacteria and yeast. A permanent brown coating may be an indication of lung dysfunction and is often seen in smokers. There are a few medications that can cause a darker coating on the tongue, but this is normally a transient effect that stops once the medication is discontinued.
🔎Painful white or red patches on the tongue is usually a sign of thrush….evidence of candida overgrowth. It is commonly seen in poorly managed diabetes, after a round of antibiotic therapy, or steroid use (inhaled steroids are notorious for causing this!). All dis-ease begins in the gut, and candida overgrowth anywhere on the body is a sure sign that diet and digestion support desperately need addressing. #lovethegutyourwith
Everything looking good so far? Next week we’ll cover more tongue clues!
xoxo~ liz 😘
www.goodmedicine.info (just holler if you are in need of a little personalized help!)
#sharingiscaring
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#thetonguespeaks
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL