Preventive Health & Root-Cause Medicine

Did you know that grinding your teeth (also gritting) could have a profound impact on pelvic floor health?

My gal Miranda knows her stuff!

https://www.facebook.com/share/EJsFd2R5JXMRA9sd/?mibextid=xfxF2i

Have you ever cleaned and organized your house, organized a junk drawer or closet, only to find it completely unorganized and overflowing (AGAIN !) …..in a matter of weeks? It feels very defeating, doesn’t it?

What if you cleaned and decluttered your house, but instead just moved all the debris, junk, and extra stuff in your bedroom instead of giving it to Goodwill or sending it to the trash heap?

…. or put it all in your bathtub and shower?

….. or put it all in the kitchen?

You get the point here by now I’m sure.

Cleanses for the body are no different. If you aren’t eliminating the junk and debris (kicking it to the curb), it’s just being relocated within the, and that can cause unpleasant issues.

No cleanse should be attempted until your detox pathways are ready to receive new junk, and the liver (especially the liver!) feels loved and supported. The liver does about 500 things for us (no joke!), so if it’s not able to function properly, you can imagine the trickle-down effect elsewhere in the body.

Detoxzyme was a YL freebie last month and this is a great time to put it to good use. In addition to helping us better digest foods we eat, it also helps in opening the gallbladder duct and cleansing the liver…. bonus points for creating an inhospitable environment for candida, yeast, and parasites. (As we clean house, we don’t want to be encouraging messing it all up again…. right? )

JuvaTone probably isn’t on your daily favorite list. Lovin’ on the liver often gets overlooked (kinda like how often do you do a deep cleaning of the inside of your icky garbage can? ). Juvatone supports healthy liver function, and it also helps with the elimination of that which needs kicking to the curb.

Clues your Liver might need some lovin’ especially if you are thinking about a cleanse in your future:

poop that is a weird color (lighter or darker than normal)

Constipation: if you aren’t having at least one bowel movement a day, you can most assuredly assume your liver is stressed. Start here! ….. get your bowels moving friend. I have LOTS of information in previous posts on how to improve bowel performance.

rashes, acne, and other skin conditions

heartburn/reflux

physical or mental fatigue

headaches

digestive disturbances

A healthy lifestyle means you have a system in place to help you both reach and keep your goals. Use your tools! I don’t ever do any sort of cleansing without first giving my liver VIP TLC beforehand.

xoxo~ liz

PS: Have you ever done a cleanse? Any sort whatsoever? If so, what kind? I’m ramping up for a full moon parasite cleanse later this month. Don’t judge me… join me. Eight out of ten of you are probably wormy too .

xoxo~ liz

Yoga is a form of medicine, and tonight’s class focus will be on improving pelvic floor strength. If you’ve never thought about (or heard about) your pelvic floor, here are a few reasons what, why, and how yoga helps with pelvic floor issues.

The pelvic floor consists of 16 muscles as well as foundationally important ligaments and nerves.

It’s the very base of our core muscles, and supports the bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum.

Affects WOMEN and MEN. In men, it’s often misdiagnosed as prostatitis and may result in erectile dysfunction. (50% of all women to some degree, and 10-15% of men).

Strong pelvic floor muscles help control the bladder, bowels and improve sex (both genders). Also helps stabilize the pelvis and spine (balance)… we wanna keep this area strong as we age!

The state of the glutes is a window into what the pelvic floor looks like. Weak glutes are a sign the pelvic floor is too tight in one direction only. (in hypertonic state, urinary frequency, interstitial cystitis, IBS, painful intercourse, lower back pain)

For many, the problem is that some of the muscles in our pelvic floor are too tight: Hypertonic: resulting in urge incontinence- This is where yoga comes into play… the muscles need to learn to relax thru specific exercises which promote relaxation & deep breathing techniques which positively affect the pelvic floor.

There’s also a hypotonic (weak muscles) state many people have. That leads to leakage with no warning and is often improved with core strengthening (which can be achieved through your workouts and also through yoga).

Because of the complex workings of the pelvic floor, the body needs to re-learn to self-regulate and it can do this through exercises that BOTH STRENGTHEN AND RELAX the pelvic floor.

If you have experienced any of these things, there’s a high probability that your pelvic floor could use some TLC:

Pregnancy, sitting too much, lack of exercise, surgery (use it or lose it)

Some people actually have overly tight pelvic floors from bad posture or sitting too much. Overly tight in one “way” makes it weak in all the other ways it moves.

Other people have an imbalanced pelvic floor because they always cross the same leg or stand putting majority of weight on the same leg or always using a dominant leg (like a soccer player)

Ultimately, poor pelvic floor tone will lead to bladder leakage, digestive problems, back pain, and poor posture.

A healthy pelvic floor is also linked to better balance and bladder health….. especially as we age.

Yoga is functional medicine friends. Come tonight and get your stretch on! Message me for details if you’re local and would like to come. Walk-ins are always welcome, and no experience is necessary!

xoxo~ liz

PS: Essential oils that you may find helpful for pelvic floor spasms include AromaSiez, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Lavender, Ylang ylang, Clary Sage, Geranium, Cypress, Lemongrass (DILUTE heavily with a carrier oil… it’s a hot one!). Apply to the lower area of the abdomen as needed.

John 10:10 (“the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy”, but Jesus came to give us life abundantly) makes that quite clear. Sometimes when a thief comes, he/she initially does good before embarking on mischief and mayhem, a stellar reason to be on our toes, use discernment, and have situational awareness.

 

The world of pharmaceuticals is no different. While there will always be a time and a place for certain medications, when misused or over-trusted, there can be some mischief and mayhem that results. Roughly 100% of us ( ) have a digestive issue at some point in our lives, and about 20% of adults in the USA will end up with one of the most common “modern-day” digestive complaints: reflux (aka GERD). Did you raise an eyebrow over my referencing that as a modern-day problem? GERD hasn’t always been a “1 in 5” people common complaint. When this sort of digestive disorder happened historically, different cultures worldwide would address the need for support with plant-based support.

 

Culturally today, we want an “easy button”, and pharmaceuticals definitely can do that, but that “easy button” almost always comes with a price you may not immediately recognize you are paying. I often talk about how reflux medications rob the body of virtually all nutrients, melatonin, and glutathione over time. Imagine how losing those things slowly will impact the body. When we lose things slowly, we often don’t even recognize what is being stolen or that theft is happening. Dementia is like that too. It happens so slowly that often it’s not recognized for decades, and once it is recognized, it’s too late to reverse the course.

Proton pump inhibitors/PPIs (ex: Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid ) have been an “easy button” pharma fix for decades.

 

Unfortunately, this particular “easy button” is so easy that the short-term use frequently becomes a years-long use pharma fix, and that will always come with a price. Several years ago the FDA required a black box warning (one of the strongest pharma warnings issued by drug manufacturers) to be included on these drugs. That black box warning indicates that this class of drugs should not be used for more than 8 weeks at a time. One of the lesser-known effects of long-term PPI use is a tremendous increased risk for dementia ( a 44% increase!)…. this isn’t part of the black box warning… it’s just a little-known potential side effect. ( https://jamanetwork.com/…/jamaneuro…/fullarticle/2487379 )

 

As we age, we gain wisdom through our life experiences, and we are to use that wisdom to train up, educate, and protect others who are younger and less experienced in life than we are. I can think of no greater weapon of the enemy than to steal the jewels of experience within our brains meant to be shared for good.

The good news is that we can learn from our ancestors and their plants using ways to support digestion, instead of first leaning into trusting a potential thief. Thank goodness Young Living has harnessed that goodness for us! Let me know if you’d like a little help on how to best support your digestion without risking dementia in the future!

xoxo~ liz