It’s all relative! My thoughts on wellness, Healthcare and International Essential Oil Day 2022
Plants as Medicine
The Ovarian Adrenal Thyroid Symphony
Putting the Pieces Together: The Ovarian – Adrenal – Thyroid (OAT) Symphony
Before we reach the nether regions of the endocrine system, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about a very important concept called the Ovarian-Adrenal-Thyroid (OAT) axis. The goal is to live in hormonal harmony within our own body, and that can get tricky pretty quickly when you have a bad conductor directing a personal symphony orchestra.
A typical symphony orchestra has more than forty musicians and is an ensemble composed of wind, string, brass and percussion instruments. There are very few great conductors in the world simply because such a job requires charisma, deep knowledge of both music and musical instruments, and major people skills. A stellar conductor must also know the style and history of music and excel in anticipating and then cueing each musician at exactly the right moment. Some of the more extraordinary conductors I’ve seen also appear to have a playfulness within them to balance the exacting attention to detail that must be required to execute a flawless concert.
The endocrine system is much like a symphony, often with “the conductor” being the level of stress we unwittingly allow ourselves to live with. Remember, stress on the body isn’t only caused by meeting deadlines or trying to achieve a long “to do” list. Stress on the body will look different for each person, and may be emotional or physiological… It doesn’t matter the type or combination thereof!
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Chronic busyness to the point of exhaustion
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Chronic physical pain
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Chronic infection or illness
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Toxin load
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Heavy metal load
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Emotional stress
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Chronic sleep deprivation
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Too much exercise
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Nutrient deficiencies due to poor eating habits, medications causing depletions, a physiological inability to absorb certain nutrients properly, or even relying on poorly made supplements for nutrition
Stress always affects the adrenal glands first, and then thyroid and ovaries will begin to suffer.
Conductor: “A little less cowbell please!”
By the time a woman reaches her mid 30’s/ early 40’s (unless she has incorporated solid stress mediation tools into daily life ), there is a high probability that the excessive “cowbell” coming from the adrenal glands has begun to successfully drown out the harmonizing ovaries and thyroid. Because we’ve already fairly thoroughly discussed the adrenal glands and thyroid (reread those sections for a refresher!) I want to focus on how ovarian function is impacted by chronic stress.
In a state of chronic stress, the adrenals cannot keep up with the demand for cortisol production, and in doing so, they begin “stealing” from progesterone production to have the building blocks to make more cortisol.
Conductor: “Add in a little more saxophone.”
As progesterone production drops, estrogen dominance makes its debut.
Conductor: “Decrescendo piccolos!”
Estrogen dominance (which can occur even when ovaries have been removed, thanks to estrogen production elsewhere in the body and xenoestrogen exposure) then begins impeding the conversion of (inactive) T4 into (active) T3 which translates to less active thyroid hormone for the body to have access to. This leads to feelings of sluggishness, fatigue, and all the symptoms related to hypothyroidism. Too much estrogen also interferes with the communication between the brain and the adrenal glands. As time goes on in a state of estrogen dominance, fat begins accumulating around the abdomen. Have you heard the term “muffin top”? It’s a clue, my sleuthing friend! Muffin tops, excessive PMS, infertility or miscarriages, low libido, bloating or water retention, fibrocystic breasts, premenstrual headaches, thyroid dysfunction, irritability or depression, hair loss, thyroid dysfunction, foggy thinking, memory loss, and insomnia are all major clues with the conductor’s baton pointing towards estrogen dominance.
Conductor: “Crescendo violins!”
Estrogen dominance has also been linked to worsening allergies, autoimmune disorders, ovarian cysts, breast and uterine cancers, and is associated with an accelerated aging process. I’ll talk more about estrogen dominance later…. The goal here is to show the snowballing impact of stress on the endocrine system and ultimately the entire body.
Unfortunately, Westernized medicine is usually quick to add to the toxic soup already existing within a body by applying chemical bandaids. Ironically, antidepressants, thyroid replacement medications, and hormone replacement therapies often worsen the OAT imbalance IF addressing adrenal gland health is not part of the health and wellness recovery plan. Understanding the importance of and utilizing stress management tools daily will be a game changer, if you have been identifying with these clues!
Let’s not leave the men out of this discussion. There is a male version of the OAT axis. Abnormal cortisol levels in men cause testosterone levels to drop. Treating low testosterone with a synthetic testosterone replacement while ignoring the adrenal connection does come with risks. Side effects of synthetic testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may include polycythemia, peripheral edema, aggression, diminished testicular size and fertility, exacerbation of sleep apnea, and cardiovascular and liver dysfunction. TRT is another chemical bandaid which fails to address the root cause (another “to be covered later” topic).
Without question, life has the potential to be stress filled, and we must use the tools easily available to us to mediate its harmful effects.
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Belonging to a supportive like minded community
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Prayer and meditation
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Exercise, especially yoga
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Spending time outdoors or with a pet daily
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Practicing self care daily
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Laughter
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Minimize phone use and screen time
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Healthy diet
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Practicing deep purposeful breathing
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B Vitamins (have you tried YL’s Super B?)
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Elimination of toxins especially xenoestrogens commonly found in mainstream skincare lines. Utilize Young Living’s safe ART, Bloom, or Balance skin care lines for safe xenoestrogen free products!). Xenoestrogens are also found in plastics (ie water bottles), red dye #3, BHA (a food preservative, many insecticides, and birth control pills that contain ethinylestradiol.
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Young Living’s Cortistop
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Utilize scents that you find relaxing. Many studies suggest that aromatherapy is beneficial for relaxing and decreasing stressful moments. Scents known to promote stress reduction include lavender, rose, vetiver, bergamot, Roman chamomile, neroli, frankincense, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, orange, and geranium. Young Living oil blends designed for just such a purpose include StressAway, Peace & Calming, Valor, RutaVala, or Tranquil.
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Setting healthy boundaries in all areas of life
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Using adaptogens to help mediate stress response. An adaptogen is any substance that increases the body’s resistance to a negative stress response. These have been around (and studied) since World War II… so it’s not a new concept! Known adaptogens include:
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American and Asian ginseng (found in FemiGen)
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Ashwagandha (found in EndoGize and PowerGize)
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Reishi mushroom (found in NingXia Greens and Immupro)
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Turmeric (found in Golden Turmeric)
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Reduce caffeine intake. Consider daily NingXia Red, NingXia Nitro, NingXia Zyng, and/or our new NingXia Greens or an adaptogenic “coffee” substitute instead. You may also consider diffusing essential oil blends En-R-Gee or Longevity or Peppermint, Rosemary, or Lemon for an aromatic pick-me-up!
Every body’s symphony will sound and feel slightly different. We each have the responsibility of constantly “tuning the instruments”, harmonizing within ourselves and among ourselves, and ensuring that “the conductor” (ie: your individual stress load) is neither a taskmaster or curmudgeon!
After all, the goal is an endocrine system which feels like a well played Beethoven’s 5th!
xoxo~ liz
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The Power of Mushrooms
Do not underestimate the immune enhancing properties of many mushroom species.
Fantastic article! My stash of Immupro is dwindling, and I know many of you are waiting eagerly for it to come back in stock. Corporate has said it will be soon. The reason for its absence has been sourcing of mushrooms. If you are like me, and have come to question everything….. it’s quite the coinkydink that something that has potent antiviral properties is in short supply within the supply chain.
Of particular interest in this article is the Maitake species (found in Immupro)… to quote the article…. ” Grifola frondosa (maitake) also exhibits this modulating activity. G. frondosa fruiting body extract produced both immune stimulatory IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, and suppressive IL-10 in breast cancer survivors taking 5-7 g/kg per day of mushroom extract for three weeks.[14]”
IL-2 : makes infection fighting cells in the body multiply and mature
TNF-α: Induces blood vessels to become more permeable, and
signals when a “rogue” cell needs to be destroyed by the body.
IFN-γ: has antiviral, immunoregulatory, and anti-tumor properties.
IL-10: a potent anti-inflammatory
I’ll be doing my Snoopy happy dance when Immupro is back in stock!
xoxo~ liz
Epoch Times Mentions Young Living
Just stepped inside after a couple hours of early morning farm chores to eat breakfast (yogurt, blueberries, and YL Granola), and read last week’s Epoch Times newspaper. This is such a fantastic hardcopy news source! We’ve been subscribers for about 4 years now. Its weekly arrival is always something I look forward to for a variety of reasons.
This particular issue has a beautiful article on essential oils, and much to my , Young Living was mentioned .
Before there was Big Pharma, there were plants friends. Big Pharma may attempt to duplicate that which is created by God. I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…. but imitation is still imitation and always falls short.
As I always say, there is a time and place for Big Pharma (ex: emergent care).However, the majority of the time, lifestyle changes /choices along with the gifts God has placed on earth for our use, health, and enjoyment work wonderfully well.
If you haven’t explored what Young Living has to offer for your particular situation, ask someone who has walked the walk before you. If you don’t have someone in your circle, book a call with me (complimentary), and I’ll help you discover your best place to start according to your personal health story.
xoxo~ liz
Raindrop Training-Farm Style
Excellent Raindrop training day at the barn!
Though this session was for people, the dogs, horses and even the cows were asking when their turn was. (I will be giving them their turn in the near future).
Raindrop. It isn’t just for humans and It does a body (two legged or four lagged!) good.
If you haven’t yet both learned it and experienced it, you’re missing out on a VIP wellness tool in your toolbox.
Education is a big part of what we do. Personal empowerment is a key component of wellness.
xoxo~ liz