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Health Clues from Your Hair – part 1

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Hair is a sensitive and personal subject for many people. Globally, the hair care market is estimated to be about 87.9 BILLION dollars annually. Clearly, people like their hair!. So, if hair goes missing, thinning, or begins to fall out in handfuls, it may be an emotional experience.


Typically, the average adult head loses 80-100 strands of hair a day. If you’ve noticed greater hair loss, the first clue is to determine if thinning hair happened gradually or abruptly and if in patches or across the entire scalp.


One of the most common hair loss triggers is stress and/or😷 illness. Our body perceives mental stress in the same way it responds to excessive physical stress. Persistent high levels of cortisol arrests hair growth and contributes to excessive shedding of hair. If stress remains elevated for an extended period of time, hair will often thin and even turn gray. Bacterial and viral infections can also certainly trigger hair loss, specifically if fear or angst are emotions carried by the individual.
The good news is that stress related hair loss usually stops several months after the stress or sickness has abated.

Stress management is a KEY component to a healthy lifestyle and healthy hair. At no time does it become more important than when the body is already fatigued from fighting an illness. Do not underestimate the power of emotionally supportive oils such as Young Living’s 🙏Stress Away, Peace and Calming, and Valor🙏!

Other additional tress “de-stressing” tips include:
*Incorporating a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables and food high in Omega 3’s, while avoiding processed foods! If you feel that you may not be getting enough Omega 3’s in your diet, add in Young Living’s OmegaGize3 to fill in the gaps! You’d be surprised at how much our bodies (and hair) actually need. Consider also stepping into an anti-inflammatory diet. (Message me privately and I can connect you with a wonderful 28 day program that has helped many people walk through this in a community setting.)
*Detox your body, making sure to drink plenty of water in the process
*Get plenty of sleep
*Let hair air dry
*Avoid using toxic chemicals or synthetic ingredients on hair and scalp, especially those that contain sulfates and parabens.
*Thankfully, we have a full line of healthy and natural body and hair care products available to us with our Young Living membership!


💈Other causes of hair loss include:
👉Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or post pregnancy
👉Too much vitamin A or selenium in a diet or supplement regimen.
👉Not enough protein in a diet
👉Genetics ( male or female pattern baldness)
👉A hormonal imbalance (including PCOS)
👉Low Iron, biotin, Vit D, or Zinc
👉Certain autoimmune diseases
👉A thyroid imbalance
👉Losing weight too quickly (also commonly happens after bariatric or metabolic surgeries)
👉Over processed or chemically exposed hair/scalp
👉Gluten sensitivity
👉A calcium to magnesium ratio imbalance. If the calcium to magnesium ratio is “heavy” on the calcium side in the body, calcification can occur in areas of the body (dangerously in blood vessels) including hair follicles. The calcification stifles hair growth and starves the area of nutrients. While calcium excess is stored in the body, magnesium is not. Additionally, there is a strong cry to “take calcium” to prevent osteoporosis, but rarely do we hear much about taking magnesium to prevent it. Too much calcium and not enough magnesium will eventually contribute to brittle bones. Not all magnesium supplements are created equal in terms of bioavailability. Thankfully, Young Living has done a masterful job of incorporating the right kinds of magnesium in supplements like Super Cal Plus , Master Formula, and the Kidscents Unwind!


Finally, there are many many medications that may cause hair loss:
💊Certain blood thinners such as warfarin and heparin
💊Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors (two classes of blood pressure meds)
💊Biologics (commonly used for certain autoimmune disorders) such as Humira, Amjevita, and Enbrel
💊NSAIDS (the longer the use, the more likely the hair loss)
💊Some antidepressants including Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, and Wellbutrin
💊Anabolic steroids (leads to a hormone imbalance)
💊Metformin (depletes folate and B12 which are needed for hair growth)
💊Certain acne meds containing isotretinoin (a Vit A derivative… see above)
💊Antibiotics (long term use is especially problematic. The gut lining becomes damaged and nutrients required for hair growth are not absorbed properly)
💊Anticonvulsants
💊Statins
💊Neurontin (commonly used for neuropathy)
💊Hormone therapy (including birth control pills)
💊Some acid reducers (including Tagamet and Pepcid)
💊Heavy metals and poisons including arsenic, thallium, and mercury
Certainly, hair loss may sometimes be out of our control, but there is much that can be done to mediate it, once the reason(s) has been identified! Thorough lab work including a full hormone panel, thyroid panel, and testing for nutritional deficiencies often provides solid evidence as to why a body’s northernmost real estate has become sparsely populated.
“Treat your hair like royalty. It’s the crown you never take off.”
xoxo~ liz


#sharingiscaring
#healthyhairisagoodclue
#goodmedicineisknowningyourhair
#ThanksYL

Polydrugged for Insomnia…Madness article link

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Polypharmacy is an enormous health crisis throughout our country. It’s one of the many reasons I do what I do …. the education….the leading people thru the process of learning to care for themselves by reading their own bodies and understanding the holistic options available to them…. the empowerment of personal care ownership🙌❤!
This story…. it started with eye drops. It’s not an isolated incident. This kind of story happens every single day very innocently. I’ve watched it happen to patients throughout my pharmacy career.
There is a time and a place for Western medicine, but it behooves a person to enter into Western medicine treatment with eyes wide open, well armed with research, an advocate or two, and a willingness to look into all types of care options. 
The average American adult is currently on 4 or more prescription medications 💊….. not including over the counter (OTC) remedies. 
It can be a slippery slope and it’s not the consumer’s fault…. other than placing too much trust in a profit driven system.
This is why I do what I do. 
Defy the system. 
Don’t be normal or average. You are worth more than that. 
God created you to use your gifts and talents in unique and beautiful ways…. not too medicated to even think clearly.
xoxo~ liz
If you’d like help navigating what living like “normal” should look like, click above for a consult.
#sharingiscaring
#goodmedicineisnotpillbased
#mindbodyspiritwellness
#ThanksYL

polydrugged with 12 different drugs…for insomnia

Health Clues from Your Liver -part 4

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Oh I hope you’ve come to appreciate your liver and its clues as I do mine! The three most important health decisive organs in the human body are the heart, brain, and liver. The liver really acts as a body guard and protector for the entire body, and it “takes one for the team” 24/7/365, no matter if it feels sluggish, dehydrated, or filled to overflowing with toxins.


🙌Ideally, we would eat the perfect liver friendly diet, balance stress, avoid petrochemicals (including plastics, gasoline and engine oil, exhaust fumes, chemical solvents and standard household cleaners, paint, and even carpet!), chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. We would ferociously protect ourselves from chlorine and fluoride (something that is highly toxic to the liver), and run from artificial sweeteners, MSG, and preservatives of all kinds. We’d wean off caffeine, alcohol, and gluten and throw anything cooked with canola oil in the trash. In a perfect world, viruses and other harmful pathogens (The liver has to work so hard to clean up after those litter mongering microbes.  ) wouldn’t exist, and medications wouldn’t wreak havoc on the liver (and other organs).


🙌We’d improve our air quality by ditching “fragranced” candles, toxic air fresheners, (oh please tell me you’ve already done this, or I feel I may have failed you!), commercial hair sprays, hair dyes, and conventional cosmetics. Dry cleaning would be a bad word, and conventional laundry detergent would be an unwelcome house guest.


I’m exhausted writing all of this and frankly a little depressed☹️ just imagining how many people unknowingly cause their liver such serious harm. The reality is that we can’t possibly avoid all the things that cause liver distress, but we can avoid complacency. Ignoring the toxin truths☠️ (and solutions) will get us nowhere fast, and will ultimately lead to a slew of liver related symptoms that you now know as “clues”.


We just have to do the best we can and fix what we are able to control. Plug in your diffuser, swipe a drop or two of Stress Away across each wrist, and take a look at all the ways you can support your liver.


*Ditch known toxins and switch to healthy alternatives within your sphere of influence wherever possible. Young Living makes this incredibly easy to do without worrying about reading labels or being duped by companies who “greenwash” their product line…. a form of trickery that is just pure evil.


*Eat liver healing foods such as organic apples, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, kelp, bananas, beets, berries, carrots, celery, cherries, cilantro (binds to toxic heavy metals!), coconut, cruciferous veggies, cucumbers (very hydrating to the liver), dandelion greens, dates, figs, eggplant, garlic, grapes, hot peppers (eat them red, not green!), kiwis, leafy greens, mangoes, REAL maple syrup, melons, mushrooms, onions, oranges, tangerines, papaya, parsley (helps dislodge poisons, and has a healthy effect on gallbladder sludge), peaches and nectarines, pears, pineapple (helps dissolve gallstones), sweet potatoes (feeds the liver and helps the liver regulate hormones), radishes (disinfects the liver), raw honey/ pollen (provides fuel, minerals and other nutrients to the liver), tomatoes (lycopene helps the liver detox red blood cells), turmeric (helps with purging toxins deep within the liver), winter squash, and zucchini.


*When taking a supplement that is deeply impactful to the liver, consider taking it with a piece of fresh fruit🍏🍊🍐🍉🍇🍒🍓 to enhance the delivery to the liver.


*Young Living’s Juvatone is an amazing supplement designed for liver support. I opt to do a cleanse of some sort a few times throughout the year, and several years ago, one of those cleanses resulted in a skin rash that I could not shake off…..and I had tried nearly everything! My liver just could not handle the toxin load that was being rattled loose from this particular cleanse. It wasn’t until I gave it the support of Juvatone, that I (and my liver!) came to appreciate💃 the liver love in these tablets, and my six week long rash disappeared in just a few days.


*Remember, as toxins build, common side effects often appear throughout the body. Skin conditions, rashes, fatigue, mood swings, digestive disturbances, brain fog, muscle / joint pain, and dizziness are only some of the most common clues. Every one of us is built differently and are exposed to a different array of toxins that must be disposed of. Sometimes clues may pop up during a cleanse, while in other situations, liver overload clues are a daily occurrence.


*The combined ingredients in Juvatone promotes and supports healthy liver function. The Essential Oil Desk Reference suggests using Juvatone in tandem with Comfortone or ICP. Indeed, this makes for a great partnership, and creates a highly efficient “exit strategy” for those unwanted toxins!


What ways have you best found to love on your liver?
xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL
#loveyourliver

Health Clues from Your Colon part 3

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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

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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

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