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The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Diabetes – part 2

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There are times it’s not good to be Number One. This is one of those times. The United States is recognized as being among the nations with the best medical technology and the newest and best drugs. We spend more per person on healthcare than any nation in the entire world, so we should be among the healthiest, right? Yet, for all that we have, the USA has the worst health outcomes.. We are #1 in diabetes, #2 in neurodegenerative diseases, #5 in cancer, and #6 in cardiovascular disease (source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
An estimated 1 in 3 American adults have prediabetes or metabolic syndrome (both are precursors to Type II diabetes). It’s a common but flawed thought that Type II diabetes only affects “fluffy” people. It doesn’t. There is a relatively new medical acronym called TOFI, which means “Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside”, and TOFI individuals can be just as much at risk as their fluffy counterparts. Lifestyle choices will always be the first line of defense to avoid acquiring a Type II diabetes diagnosis (or succeeding in backwalking out of one).
An astute detective will need some internal monitoring tools to more closely assess clues. Health thieves can be very stealth, and this is a reliable way to monitor gang movement before they leave visible gang “tags” (clues). Forewarned is forearmed! Think of this as another tangible aspect of your body’s security monitoring system.
 
Here’s what you’ll need:
  • An at home blood pressure cuff (every home should have one anyway!)
  • Know your waist circumference (measure at just above the hip bone, level with the belly button)
  • Know your family history. Remember that though genetics are important, they play less than a 10% role in outcome. Environment, lifestyle choices, and emotional tendencies control the other 90%. It’s important to know family history so that we can each be vigilant for what we suspect may be lurking in the shadows…. Knowing the health thief tendency (genetics) may be awaiting the right opportunity to steal, kill and destroy. I find a great deal of peace knowing that 90% of gene expression is fully under my own control!
  • Get labwork annually which (at the very least) includes the following pieces of information:
    • Complete metabolic panel (CMP)
    • A basic lipid panel
    • Uric Acid and Homocysteine
    • Fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and HbA1c
    • The combined total of these tests will run about $250 well spent dollars out of pocket. If you have insurance, these are the tests to ask your doctor for when looking for a metabolic syndrome or prediabetes health thief.
    • NOTE: There is more labwork I’d suggest for a comprehensive look at the body from the inside out…. The above recommendation is specific for monitoring both prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Signs of metabolic syndrome and prediabetes nearly always predate diabetic symptoms. Once you have your lab work, and have gathered your other tools, you’re ready to take a hard look at the state of the union of your body. Signs of metabolic dysfunction show up in the following ways:
  • Evidence of fatty liver
  • High blood pressure
  • High uric acid and homocysteine levels
  • High lipids in blood
  • High fasting insulin, HbA1c, and blood glucose
  1. Monitor your blood pressure. For a week, take it before you go to bed, and again before you get out of bed in the morning. If nighttime and morning blood pressure is higher than it should be, cut out all forms of sugar for a week, and retest. Sugar is highly inflammatory and often drives blood pressure upwards. Normal blood pressure runs 90-120 systolic (top number) and 60-80 diastolic (bottom number). High blood pressure is a symptom, not a root cause!
  2. An increased waist circumference (males should be under 40 inches and females should be under 35) is suggestive of inflammation, probable leaky gut, mitochondrial dysfunction, and insulin resistance.
  3. Uric acid and homocysteine are inflammatory markers. Levels are elevated if uric acid is over 5.5 mg/ml and homocysteine is over 10 umol/ L. High uric acid levels lead to a fatty liver. Sugar is a big contributor to this. High homocysteine levels indicate an increased risk for developing heart disease and vascular inflammation. Methylated B12 and methylated folate, omega 3’s ( OmegaGize3 is a great option), and optimized use of Vit D3 are all helpful tools in supporting healthy homocysteine levels.
  4. Within your CMP, you’ll look for two numbers corresponding to AST and ALT. ALT is a liver enzyme which is fairly accurate for assessing fatty liver. If that number is over 25, more investigation is needed. AST is another liver enzyme. If it’s elevated (over 34) it may also indicate fatty liver (it also elevates when exposed to too much acetaminophen, alcohol, certain meds such as statins, and infection….. So do take that into consideration). If both are elevated, it’s definitely time to take a hard look at sugar and alcohol consumption.
  5. Fasting glucose by itself is not enough, and sadly it’s often the only thing that is tested routinely. HbA1c is a window into the last 3 months of glucose control within the body. Fasting insulin indicates how well the pancreas is actually able to keep up. Optimally, fasting glucose should be 70-85 mg/dL, HbA1c should be less than 5.4%, and fasting insulin should be less than 6 uIU/mL. Once you have those numbers, you’ll plug them into this equation: fasting glucose x fasting insulin divided by 405. Your answer to this equation is your assessed risk for developing diabetes. Less than 2.8 is excellent, 4.3 is average, and anything higher is a flag that mayhem is likely already occurring.
  6. When you are looking at your lipid panel, zero in on 3 different clues. The first is the ratio of triglycerides to HDL. Studies have found that if this number is over 2.5 in the Caucasian population or 1.5 in the African American population, it tends to correlate with metabolic syndrome.
The second thing to look at is HDL, the type of cholesterol that is considered “healthy” cholesterol. If it’s between 60-85, it’s generally a sign of good cardiovascular health. If the number is under 40 in men or under 50 for women, there is a greater chance of developing heart disease (a component of both metabolic syndrome and cohort of Type II diabetes). If the number is over 85, there’s a distinct possibility that HDL has a dysfunctional component.
The third thing to evaluate is your LDL cholesterol. If it’s between 100 and 300, look at your triglycerides. “If triglycerides are over 150, metabolic syndrome may be assumed until proven otherwise. “ (Those wise words are from Dr. Robert Lustig MD and his brilliant book Metabolical)
Isn’t it prudent to avoid dark alleys and always lock your car? The same can be said for paying attention to these health clues. If the numbers above look like a dark avenue you’re not wanting to go down, here are some tips and tricks for avoiding shady areas!
  • Cut back on carbs and sugar. Eat a low sugar high fiber diet. If you are not getting enough fiber in your diet, add YL’s ICP Daily, Balance Complete, or Power Meal to your nutrition world. Fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels by slowing down the release of glucose into the bloodstream.
  • Avoid high fructose corn syrup like it’s the plague….. Because it is! It is a strong inducer of insulin resistance. When you start reading labels, you’ll be surprised at how many places it hides in plain sight.
  • Avoid energy drinks that combine caffeine with fructose. That combination can aggravate insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Use NingXia Nitro for a cleaner energy boost option. Try pairing Nitro with diffusing or wearing the essential oil blend En-R-Gee.
  • Exercise! Many studies have shown that weight loss and exercise can increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
  • Diet matters just as much as exercise. A person will never be able to out run, out supplement, or out medicate a bad diet!
  • Consider intermittent fasting. (If you are already on medication for diabetes treatment, you’ll want to talk to your holistically minded health professional before incorporating intermittent fasting into your routine). At the very least, stop eating 3-4 hours before your head hits the pillow at night.
  • Know your labs, and don’t be afraid to ask for them by name!
  • Watch your commercial dairy intake. There is a big difference between commercial pasteurized and homogenized dairy and raw dairy. The former is well known for the amount of inflammation it can cause within the body.
  • Work towards decreasing inflammation within the body. Sulfurzyme not only helps support normal metabolic function within the body, it also helps regulate a more normal inflammatory response. It is one of my top five Young Living Supplements that I cannot imagine life without.
  • Take an excellent highly bioavailable multivitamin such as Master Formula. Not all vitamins sold are bioavailable to the body.
  • Incorporate insulin modulating foods into your diet. Cinnamon, oat bran, fiber, ginger, barley grass (found in Multigreens), spirulina (found in Multigreens and NingXia Greens), chaga mushrooms, rosemary, green tea, cranberries, blueberries, lemon balm (Melissa), holy basil (tulsi), carrots, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cucumbers, cabbage and salad greens. Healthy whole grain foods such as YL Einkorn products, quinoa, whole oats or oatmeal, and brown rice are also helpful, as are avocados, olive oil, and nuts and seeds. Cacao (natural chocolate) may also help regulate blood sugar levels according to a 2017 study.
  • Regular cold exposure also appears to help improve insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, Type II diabetes is positively associated with living in ambient temperature climates. Get your health care professional’s blessing if you have a medical condition (ex: high blood pressure or heart disease) that is being actively treated before partaking in cold showers, cold plunging, or cryotherapy.
  • Know your iron and ferritin lab values: According to a few studies, it would appear that iron levels that are too high have been positively associated with insulin resistance.
  • Take a closer look at adding turmeric to your routine. It has been found to be a helpful supplement to those who are taking the medication Metformin, and has supportive effects on blood glucose, oxidative stress and inflammation. (YL’s Golden Turmeric is my go to for a turmeric supplement!)
  • Vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin to support a healthy homocysteine levels.
  • Antioxidants! (NingXia Red and Super C)- A 2007 study in the Journal of Hypertension found that people who took adequate levels of Vitamin C had a 13% lower risk of developing diabetes.
  • Approximately 75-80% of US residents are deficient in magnesium. A deficiency in magnesium sets the body up for both insulin resistance and gout (the official diagnosis for the painful symptoms of high uric acid levels in the body).
  • While it’s important to avoid as many toxins in daily living as possible, make a special effort to avoid atrazine (an herbicide commonly used on corn) and pesticides in general. Eat organically to avoid these.
  • Give up the night owl tendencies. Research has found that those who stay up late have a reduced ability to use fat for energy. When fat isn’t used appropriately in the body, it becomes fodder for health thieves. Work towards being in bed by 10pm.
There is so much more to prediabetes, Type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome…..more than I could possibly write here. Hopefully though, I’ve given you food for thought and a desire to learn more. If so, do some digging and think outside the box! The more you know, the more health empowered you’ll be. We have full control of this part of our health story. How will you choose to write yours?
 
xoxo~ liz
#becomingyourownhealthdetective
#BYOHD
#thebestdefenseisagoodoffense
#theapplicationofknowledgeisgoodmedicine
#goodmedicine

Pancreas – part 2 Type 1 Diabetes

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The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Pancreas Part II – Type I Diabetes
“History is not history unless it is the truth.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
 
The metamorphosis of diabetes in the United States over the last 100 years is an interesting tale with several thieves of health participating in what seemingly feels like a collaborative effort to bring large populations of unsuspecting citizens to the feet of Big Pharma. Diabetes may happen in one of two main ways: the destruction of the beta cells within the pancreas (Type I), or a rising resistance within the body to insulin (Type II). For the sake of today’s history lesson, the focus will be on Type I diabetes, also called Juvenile diabetes or diabetes mellitus.
 
In 1920, diabetes in kiddos was quite uncommon, with an incidence of 3-4 per 100,000. In an eighty year span, by the year 2000, the incidence had risen to 3-4 per 1,000. Today, that number (1 in 250) is still continuing to rise. Interestingly, these stats do not include previously healthy adults who acquire Type I diabetes after the age of 20 (approximately 1.6 million adults ….. 5.7% of all US adults diagnosed with diabetes according to the CDC). I think you’ll agree that those numbers point to quite a🕵️ crime spree where the theft of health is a decades long embezzlement scheme.
 
Let’s take a look at ringleaders and suspects.🔎
Type I diabetes is quite different from Type II. Causes and contributors include:
🔎Autoimmune dis-ease (nearly always toxin triggered)
🔎A family history of Type I diabetes which predisposes offspring genetically to a greater likelihood of acquiring Type I when exposed to epigenetic (environmental) challenges that are known as possible triggers to the gene.
🔎Toxins (found in food, drink, household chemicals, personal care items, and environmental chemicals)
Infection
🔎Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and childhood
🔎Early childhood exposure to pasteurized homogenized cow’s milk and dairy products (a completely different food than raw cow’s milk)
🔎Early childhood exposure to modern grain gluten sources, especially bleached white flour
🔎Early childhood exposure to environmental chemicals found in foods (ex: glyphosate, nitrates and nitrites often found in processed meats)
🔎Leaky gut syndrome (which leak what the body identifies as toxins into the rest of the body)
🔎Vaccinations known to have the capability to trigger Type I diabetes. Multiple documented cases and studies implicate Pneumococcal, Hep B, Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (HIB), MMR, and Covid vaccines as causative agents. (A good resource to learn more about this is the book, Miller’s Review of Critical Vaccine Studies)
 
Did you catch the common theme?🧐 ….Toxin load.
White “all purpose” flour has a fascinating role in this crime vignette. “All purpose” white flour* is wheat that has been stripped of the bran and germ layers (the nutrient dense portion of wheat berries which happens to shorten the shelf life of flour when included as part of flour). The flour then is exposed to chlorine gas to make the slightly brown remaining starchy flour white. When chlorine gas is exposed to the pigments ( the color which makes it brownish in appearance) in wheat flour, a chemical reaction occurs producing a byproduct chemical called alloxan. You won’t find alloxan on any ingredient list on breads or packaged foods because technically, it’s not an added ingredient. Alloxan is a toxin and known carcinogen. It also has a strong affinity for the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. That’s rather unfortunate as it causes cellular death of the beta cells. When enough beta cells have died due to constant exposure to the white flour containing foods, insulin production decreases and ultimately risks stopping completely. The Textbook of Natural Medicine calls alloxan a “potent beta-cell toxin”. ( No kidding. It’s commonly used in clinical trials to induce diabetes in lab animals.) The textbook, Comprehensive Medicinal Chemistry II states:
“Alloxan, a pyrimidine structurally similar to glucose and uric acid, directly disrupts β-cell membrane permeability and produces irreversible β-cell damage within 12 h in most animals. “
 
Now, here’s the interesting history lesson: Flour was not bleached commercially until sometime after 1912. A good man by the name of Dr. Harvey Wiley MD was head of the Bureau of Chemistry (a precursor to the FDA) from 1908-1912. Dr. Wiley was a proponent of whole unprocessed foods, and he fought against bleached flour ( as well as benzoic acid, sulfites, saccharin, and other food additives) all the way to Capitol Hill by way of Congressional hearings. He ultimately left his position in 1912 in frustration and disgust, and later wrote a book in 1929 entitled “The History of A Crime Against The Food Law”. The government, in its wisdom 🙄, replaced Dr. Wiley with a Dr. Elmer Nelson, who was the antithesis of Wiley. Nelson was quoted as saying,
“It is wholly unscientific to state that a well-fed body is more able to resist disease than a poorly fed body. My overall opinion is that there hasn’t been enough experimentation to prove that dietary deficiencies make one susceptible to disease.”
 
In my opinion, Nelson was either unbelievably ignorant or a shill. It is interesting to note that prior to working for the FDA, Dr. Nelson worked for the Soft Wheat Millers Association. Ground wheat will actually whiten on its own without the dangerous alloxan byproduct if given the proper time (a month or two) and environment to do so, but time is money to the Soft Wheat Millers of America, and it helps to have friends in high places.
 
Long story short, modern wheat, with its crazy high gluten content, additionally weaponized with probable alloxan content, and sprayed with glyphosates and other agricultural toxins would be high on the list of suspects🔎 for creating mischief within the pancreas.
 
I know. It’s not fun to think about doing without🥖 breads, 🧁pastries, 🥣cereal, 🍜spaghetti, 🧇waffles, and 🥞pancakes to avoid high gluten content and pancreas damaging alloxan. Thankfully, Gary Young had the foresight to make available food products which contain the much healthier unbleached ancient grain einkorn. Young Living’s Einkorn Flour, Einkorn Granola, Einkorn Spaghetti, Einkorn Rotini Pasta, Einkorn Pancake and Waffle Mix, Einkorn Flakes Cereal, and (when in season) Einkorn (unground) Berries if, like me, you like to grind your own wheat. Whew! I was starting to feel a little like Bubba Gump going through that lineup available to us! Einkorn bakes a little differently than the bleached white stuff you may be used to, so they’ve even conveniently created an Einkorn cookbook (created by Heidi Ellis)! In it, are 80+ recipes for pizza dough, breads, cakes, crackers, tortillas and more. If you haven’t tried einkorn products, you are in for a treat….. They are far more flavorful than those made with bland unhealthy white flour. For those who must completely abstain from any form of gluten, Young Living also has a Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix (sadly, it is currently out of stock), but there are many other healthy flour options to choose from in the marketplace: coconut, almond, oat, brown rice, amaranth, and chickpea are all good options.
One of the most valuable things we can give ourselves is empowered knowledge so that we can make informed decisions on what we choose to allow into our personal homes and bodies. Many of the causative agents listed above can be avoided, decreasing the odds of developing Type I diabetes and other dis-eases.
The second most valuable thing we can give ourselves is grace (without guilt) to do better once we know what we didn’t know before. We can’t know everything, and digging for factual information that is purposefully hidden (and frequently out of print) can be hard, confusing, and frustrating. Don’t think for a minute that making it hard to find truth isn’t done to us on purpose. Understanding the true history of “us” is important to our health, so we can learn, do better, and avoid the lure of purposefully addictive foods created by industries (both food and Big Pharma) that have profit over purpose😠 as its primary goal.
 
Other ways to create a body environment for decreased risk of developing diabetes include:
✅Knowing levels of Vitamin D, and supplementing accordingly. Shoot for lab values 70-90 ng/mL. This is an important number to know during pregnancy, and frankly a valuable thing to know throughout life, even for infants and children. Depending on how much supplementing is needed, Young Living’s Super D may be enough for some adults and older children, while others may need a much higher dose (D3/K2) to maintain healthy levels.
✅ Avoid nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines (often found in packaged meats)
✅Include cod liver oil in your supplement regimen. It’s available in liquid and capsule form.
✅Breastfeeding has been found to decrease the risk of Type I diabetes in children. Exposing babies in a delayed fashion to common suspect food triggers is also helpful.
✅Providing a solid source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids is also helpful. Young Living’s MindWise is a good liquid option for kids and is also helpful support for brain health and development. OmegaGize3 is another excellent option (for adults) in capsule form.
✅Strive for a diverse gut microbiome. People with Type I diabetes tend to have a less diverse gut microbiota. Use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary. According to the CDC, at least 30% of antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary. I personally believe that number is even higher. Not only does excessive antibiotic use breed antibiotic resistance, it has a profound negative effect on the gut microbiome.
✅Make a regular healthy source of antioxidants part of your daily routine to help offset the oxidative damage done to the beta cells in the pancreas. NingXia Red is an ideal option for all ages. The Young Living website gives an easily understandable explanation:
“Antioxidants, why are they important? They are the antidote to oxidative stress! …..Oxidation has been implicated in the origin of more than 100 human diseases and in the aging process.”
Einkorn and NingXia Red….. healthy and healing food options. Over 2400 years ago, Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Good food is good medicine, with the ability to both protect and heal.
xoxo~ liz
 

The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Pancreas Part I

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“The pancreas is my favorite organ.” Says no one (almost) ever. Seriously.
 
Unless someone has an existing pancreatic malady, this is one organ that gets very little attention. That’s a shame too… because with the exception of the rarer cases of genetics, infection, or blunt force trauma, nearly all pancreatic dysfunction is self induced. It’s time to bring this odd little organ out of its sandwiched space between the stomach and small intestine and figure out what makes it tick and tremble.
The pancreas has two main jobs: to produce chemicals which help regulate blood sugar, and to produce enzymes which help further digest food and bicarbonate which will further neutralize any stomach acid that has found its way into the small intestine. For being a rather underappreciated organ, if any of these tasks falls by the wayside, there are big consequences.
 
Pancreatitis (both chronic and acute) accounts for more than 360,000 hospital stays each year…. A number that continues to rise.😢
The lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer is currently 1 in 64 ….. A number that continues to rise.😢
The lifetime risk of acquiring diabetes is now roughly 1 in 3 adults….. And that number too has only continued to rise.😢
 
The problem is that the pancreas squeaks out tiny little “help me’s”, and few people take the time to learn and put clues together and then go on to correct the course of personal health history. True, the clues are not necessarily ones that will beat you over the head with a two by four, but they ARE there, nonetheless, and only you, the astute sleuth will likely see them or feel them.
 
Have you ever been out to eat with someone who won’t sit with their back to the door? Chances are, they have been well trained🧑‍✈️ to observe their environment so they won’t be taken off guard by an offender who has ill intent.
 
This is how we guard the pancreas… watching for environmental clues that endanger that little organ, and then blocking their entry into our personal space that we do have control over. None of us wants to be the 1 in 3, the 1 in 64, or the 1 in 100.
 
Environmental contributors to pancreatic distress include:
🔎Heavy alcohol consumption or diagnosis of cirrhosis
🔎A high fat, heavily processed food diet
🔎Obesity
🔎Tobacco products
🔎Abdominal surgery where the pancreas may have had interrupted blood supply
🔎Nutritional deficiencies including (especially) vitamins A, D, E, and K and selenium
🔎A history of infection such as hepatitis, Epstein-Barr Virus (Mononucleosis), Lyme disease, or Cytomegalovirus.
🔎A prior history of autoimmune disorder: especially celiac, irritable bowel disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or Sjogren’s Syndrome.
🔎A history of gallstones
🔎Lab work that reveals high triglycerides
🔎Abdominal trauma
🔎Damage to specific molars (those that are pertinent to pancreatic health and wellness… go back and re-read Chapter 7 in BYOHD Volume I)
🔎Long standing emotions and feelings closely associated with pancreatic distress including: guilt, shame, insecurities, frustration, joylessness, fear of rejection, and lowered self esteem.
🔎Many medications: More than 500 drugs have been reported by the World Health Organization database as causative agents for pancreatic distress. Common offenders include synthetic estrogens (birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy), opiates, steroids, many classes of antibiotics, diuretics furosemide and HCTZ, acetaminophen, and the blood pressure medication enalapril. The vaccinations formulated to prevent mumps (MMR and MMRV) have also been implicated in causing complications with the pancreas in some people.
Perhaps there hasn’t been a vigilant awareness until now, and the environmental offenders have already gotten through the door and gotten a little rowdy with the pancreas, and it’s been roughed up a bit. What would that look like?
When you have a handful of the following clues, you can be fairly certain they have been up to mischief that needs help or correcting.
🔎Diarrhea or bloating
🔎Unexplained weight loss
🔎Signs of malnutrition (lab work can identify this)
🔎Oily, foul smelling stools that are clay or pale in color and tend to float
🔎Poor blood sugar control
🔎Blurred vision
🔎Occasional abdominal pain that worsens after a high fat meal
🔎Occasional abdominal pain that may be worse if lying flat on the back
🔎Fatigue
🔎Chronically dry lips (according to Chinese medicine)
 
Do not hesitate to contact your favorite health professional if you’ve checked the majority of these clues or also have fever or unrelenting abdominal pain!
Thankfully, there are MANY things that may be done to support a healthy pancreas:
💜Eat a healthy varied diet rich in fruit and vegetables, white fish and meats, grass fed beef, foods high in iron, foods that are rich in antioxidants….. Cherries, blueberries, spinach, YL wolfberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, NingXia Red.
💜Incorporate digestive enzymes into your daily routine. (Amylase, lipase, and protease are commonly referred to as pancreatic enzymes, and are found in Essentialzymes-4, Detoxzyme and Allerzyme, or pancreatin and pancrealipase found in Essentialzyme.
💜Avoid opiates as a source of chronic pain management. There are MANY more effective ways to manage pain including scientifically proven meditation, relaxation exercises, acupuncture, yoga, and massage. Supportive supplements to consider include Sulfurzyme, BLM or Agilease, and Golden Turmeric, and essential oils PanAway, Deep Relief, Frankincense, Palo Santo, Helichrysum, Dorado Azul, Valerian, Peppermint, Copaiba, and Idaho Grand Fir. Reishi mushrooms ( found in NingXia Greens and Immupro) help support normal inflammatory and immune system response, especially when used with regularity.
💜Support the pancreas nutritionally with OmgaGize3 (for Omega 3’s), and an excellent multivitamin ( Master Formula ) that contains selenium, and vitamins A, D, E, and K and Vitamin B12 (Super B).
💜Incorporate MCT (Coconut oil) oil into the diet. It doesn’t burden the pancreas the way many other oils do, and it has properties which are helpful to inflammatory conditions.
💜Green Tea (found in Young Living’s Vanilla Lemongrass Tea)
💜Achieving and keeping a healthy weight. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Often simply losing 5-10 lbs is extraordinarily helpful to pancreas function.
💜Keep a close eye on triglyceride levels (optimally, they should be between 50-90mg/dL), and adjust the diet accordingly.
💜Add natural sources of glutamine into the diet: bone broth, grass fed whey protein, grass fed raw dairy, venison, organic poultry, spirulina (found in both Multigreens and NingXia Greens), cabbage, asparagus, and broccoli.
💜Improve levels of melatonin in the body! (Immupro or Sleep Essence if supplemental help is needed). There are some compelling studies on the protection melatonin appears to give to the pancreas.
💜Increase intake of antioxidants (easily done with NingXia Red or NingXia Greens)
💜Alkalinize the body with Apple Cider Vinegar and/or Alkalime
Pancreatic Insufficiency, Pancreatitis, and Pancreatic cancer are all three very stealth dysfunctions. The obvious problem with stealth is that they are able to cause a fair bit of dysfunction before the problem is large enough to warrant medical attention. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a leading cause of pancreatic cancer, and this form of cancer has a very poor survival rate. All the more reason to keep your pancreas well loved and protected. Taking a quick glance at your stools💩 before they go down the porcelain highway and doing an honest environmental and habit assessment is so important!🧐
 
Roughly 98% of the pancreas is devoted to the job of supplying the body with digestive assistance. The other 2% is devoted to managing blood sugar levels…. And that’s what I’ll bring to the table next: the pancreas and diabetes.
xoxo~ liz
 

Immupro & 15% Off Sale

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It’s a good day for all the lovers of Immupro! A 15% off sitewide sale AND Immupro is back in stock! Remember to use the coupon code to get your 15% discount.
Limit 1 right now….. but we can order one now and one in a few short weeks in September!
**********
Reminder on how to use the promo code:
Use promo code “YLAug15” to enjoy 15 percent off your one-time orders—just because!
As you shop, here are a few details to remember:
🚀Share YLAug15 with your teams! The code is valid this weekend only, from 12 midnight, MT, on Friday, August 19,
until 11:59 p.m., MT, on Sunday, August 21.
📦Use the promo code as many times as you want during the offer period to take 15 percent off your one-time orders.
🛒Wondering how to use the code? Simply add YLAug15 at checkout to receive 15 percent off your one-time orders.
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Finding Clues in “The Pill”

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The Southern Side of the Endocrine System: Finding clues in The Pill
 
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.” ~Abraham Lincoln
 
The further I get into my life, the more appreciation and value I’ve placed on ferreting out root causes… not only in health matters, but also in the consequences (both good and bad) of relationships, government, … pretty much anything that has made me ask “Why?”. This curiosity has proven to be both a blessing and a curse because I’ve been down some pretty deep and winding rabbit holes, usually coming up for air with a different outlook on what I thought I knew. For those of you who have also engaged in learning in this manner, this will resonate deeply with you. Once you have learned something that is verifiably true but unpopular in media presentation, you have to make a choice: either swim upstream, or swim in the direction of the majority and try to forget what you have learned. In my own personal observation, the latter does not bode well either emotionally or physiologically . A person cannot live a duality (believing one thing yet acting in opposite) for long without negative consequences ultimately manifesting.
I spent decades (both personally and professionally) in educated ignorance, believing that birth control pills were benign “helpers” for preventing pregnancy and calming dragonesque cycle symptoms. Perhaps you do (or did) too. In my defense, it wasn’t my fault. This is what we are taught in pharmacy school as are all health professionals taught within the singularly allopathic education setting.
Hormone based birth control is one of the most common types of prescriptions filled in a retail pharmacy setting. An estimated 14% of women aged 15-49 utilize synthetic hormone based birth control (pills, IUD’s, implants, vaginal rings, and patches). With numbers that high, how could a class of products not be both safe and effective?🤔
 
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” ~ Upton Sinclair
 
👆 What he said!
At some point, culturally, we lost the history of birth control pills. Had we known the history, and had we kept up with the outcomes, would we (culturally) still be choosing the perceived easier swim downstream? I don’t have the time within this series to write the pages upon pages that should be devoted to this topic, so I’m leaving breadcrumbs for you to go digging on your own, or at the very least perhaps raise a hairy eyebrow and give the facts some serious thought.
🧐Ethinyl estradiol was studied and used by the Nazi’s in chemical sterilization experiments in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Ethinyl estradiol is one of the most common ingredients found in birth control pills today.
🧐The Pill was first tested experimentally in Puerto Rico in 1956. The women involved in the study were not informed that they were participating in a drug trial or of the potential side effects of the trial they were involved in. 11% of the women withdrew from participation because of adverse effects. According to information in the Congressional Nelson Pill Hearings of 1970, 5 participating women died and were buried without an autopsy. The focus of the Puerto Rico study was on efficacy, not safety.
 
🧐The Pill was introduced in 1960 during a cultural revolution, when all things natural were being shunned in favor of man made…. Tang for orange juice, formica and shag carpet instead of wood or stone, margarine instead of butter. Coincidentally, the incidence of autoimmune disorders began rising rapidly by the early 1970’s, with more than 80% of those cases being found in women. That statistic has not changed. The Pill became a symbol of women’s rights, and in the process, it hormonally defeminized women. In a twist of irony, as birth control pill waste is flushed (literally) into the water supply, it now also plays a role in the demasculinization of men through its contribution to the estrogen dominance phenomenon in males.
 
🧐It was recommended early on that The Pill be used by a woman for two years or less in order to prevent possible sterilization. Some women take The Pill for 30 years or longer. Meanwhile, infertility rates continue to rise. According to the CDC’s most recent data, approximately 19% of women in the USA ages 15-49 now have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant.
 
🧐The Pill was approved for use prior to Congress passing the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Drug Efficacy Amendment which requires drug manufacturers to prove both safety and efficacy.
 
“It would be natural at this point to think, ‘It’s been 50+ years! Surely today’s version of The Pill has been proven safe.’ That’s a reasonable assumption. However, it’s dead wrong. The maker of today’s most popular birth control brands [as of 2019] Yaz and Yasmin, paid out $2.04 BILLION to settle over 10,000 blood clot lawsuits as of 2016, and the number of injuries, deaths, and lawsuits continues to rise.” ~ (📚Book: In the Name of The Pill, page 30)
 
The reality is that sometimes decades go by before a very serious side effect is appreciated, and if there is enough money to be made, “those with the gold ultimately make the rules” (and make digging for truth a little harder).
Birth control pills come with a fine print document thanks to the 1962 Kefhauver-Harris Amendment. In addition to establishing both safety and efficacy, it also introduced the concept of patient informed consent. Allow the patient to make their own decision after weighing the pros and cons. Have you ever read one of these patient package inserts?
 
I’m including a link here for the popular birth control pill, Yaz, as a real world example. It’s 29 pages long and corroborates what I’m about to share:
 
According to FDA access data sheets on birth control pills, there is risk (think clues!) of:
👩‍⚕️Thromboembolic disorders and other vascular problems (Note: that BCP’s containing drospirenone have been found to cause 2-3x more blood clots than in previous pill generations)
👩‍⚕️Strokes
👩‍⚕️Increased copper retention. Symptoms of excess copper include anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, chronic fatigue, inflamed joints, insomnia, infertility, hair loss, headaches, diabetes, endometriosis, recurrent fungal infections, both high and low blood pressure, and increased breast cancer risk. It is also a biomarker for thyroid disease. Note that copper and zinc are closely connected, and their ratio is important for optimal health. BCP’s (including copper IUD’s) also concurrently facilitate zinc depletion, causing further disruption of this ratio. Hair analysis is often the most accurate way to check copper and zinc levels.
👩‍⚕️Migraines and other headache types
👩‍⚕️Atherosclerosis (plaque build up and hardening of the arteries). Risk increases with duration of BCP use.
👩‍⚕️Increase in C-Reactive Protein levels, a marker for inflammation. The longer a body is inflamed, the greater the risk for autoimmune disorders, vascular diseases, and brain disorders.
👩‍⚕️Diabetes. Synthetic hormones affect the body’s ability to process carbohydrates. Nearly 1 in 5 women taking The Pill develop abnormal glucose tolerance.
👩‍⚕️Elevated triglyceride levels, affecting nearly ⅓ of BCP users.
👩‍⚕️Breast Cancer. Note that the American Cancer Society recognized synthetic hormones as a possible risk factor for breast cancer in 1961, and that The Pill ingredients have been found to cause breast cancer in all 5 animal species commonly used in pharmaceutical research and development.
👩‍⚕️Immune system suppression. Estrogen plays a key role in the immune system. Synthetic estrogen causes the body to cut back on its own production of body made estrogen.
👩‍⚕️Gallbladder disease (According to the American College of Gastroenterology, women between the ages of 20 and 60 years are three times more likely to develop gallstones than men.)
👩‍⚕️Bleeding irregularities (In relation to menstruation), including heavy bleeding and pelvic pain that may result in a suggested hysterectomy.
👩‍⚕️Depression. The American Journal of Psychiatry published a 2016 study by researchers in Denmark who reported that women taking hormonal contraceptives have up to triple the risk of suicide when compared to women who never took hormonal birth control. Another study found that 1 out of every 3 pill users showed depressive personality changes and 1 out of 20 had suicidal ideations.
👩‍⚕️The possibility of “over suppression syndrome” (Any part of the body which is not used or little used over an extended period of time leads to disuse atrophy: otherwise known as infertility in this case.)
👩‍⚕️Loss of Libido
👩‍⚕️Nutritional deficiencies including B1, B2, B6, Folate, B12, Vitamin C, Zinc, Magnesium, Iodine, and many other micronutrients.
👩‍⚕️Osteopenia and osteoporosis
👩‍⚕️Increased risk for developing lupus. The incidence of lupus has tripled in the last 40 years, and 90% of those affected are women.
👩‍⚕️Crohn’s Disease (beneficial bacteria in the gut is adversely affected by BCP’s)
👩‍⚕️Weight gain (Just prior to the FDA’s endorsement of The Pill, the federal government ordered all poultry producers to stop using synthetic estrogens to fatten chickens because it was known to cause cancer in animals. )
👩‍⚕️Increased risk of developing cervical cancer by 2-3x. Risk increases with BCP use longer than five years.
👩‍⚕️An estimated 6-7 out of every 10 Pill users take medication to counteract BCP side effects on a routine basis. Most commonly: diuretics, pain medication for headaches, anti anxiety medications, antidepressants, self medicating for fatigue and lethargy (caffeine etc).
********************
 
I’ve focused mostly on synthetic estrogen and estrogen dominance up (see previous posts on estrogen dominance and endocrine disruptors) and I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the distinct differences between natural progesterone and synthetic progestins.
Progesterone is enormously beneficial to a woman’s body. It:
🙂Protects and supports cardiovascular health
🙂Stimulates hair growth
🙂Generally beneficial for mood and a good night’s sleep
🙂Is healing and calming to the body
🙂May reduce the risk of breast cancer
🙂Improves libido
🙂Helps with weight loss
🙂Improves bone formation
Conversely, Progestins (the synthetic version of naturally occurring progesterone) can cause:
☹️Hair loss
☹️High blood pressure
☹️Can cause anxiety and depression
☹️Can increase the risk of breast cancer
☹️Bloating
☹️Loss of libido
☹️Interference with sleep
☹️Itchy eyes
☹️Fatigue
☹️Progestins are believed to cause birth defects and are contraindicated in pregnancy. Conversely, progesterone is an absolute requirement to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
☹️Progestins reduce electrolyte availability within cells ( this may manifest as irregular heartbeat, fast heart rate, fatigue, lethargy, seizures, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramping, irritability, headaches, numbness and tingling)
(Note that many of these are similar in nature to estrogen dominance.)
When you use synthetic progestins, the body quits making its own progesterone (the good stuff!), and the synthetic variety “clogs up” the progesterone receptors in the body. If a woman has been taking progestins for quite some time, it’s likely that her body will have to relearn how to produce progesterone again which may take several months. Herbs that help support the body’s natural progesterone production include chasteberry (also known as vitex), evening primrose oil, rhodiola, ashwagandha (found in Young Living’s EndoGize ), schisandra, and wild yam (found in Young Living’s Progessence Plus serum, Femigen capsules, Regenolone and Prenolone Plus creams). Foods which also support healthy progesterone production include those high in zinc, Omega 3’s, vitamin C, magnesium, and B vitamins. Do your research and eat for your hormones! If obtaining enough in a daily diet is challenging, consider adding Young Living’s Super C chewables, and Super B tablets. Several Young Living supplements (ex: Master Formula & OmegaGize3 respectively) also contain magnesium, zinc and Omega 3’s!
I realize I’ve dropped many bread crumbs for you to follow here. Heck, there are some downright loaves waiting to be picked up and examined should you be so inclined. There is much more to be learned from the story of The Pill.
There are many reasons women use BCP’s outside of preventing unplanned pregnancies, and by using synthetic hormones as a chemical band-aid, the root cause of the issue is being left to fester. Find a holistically minded health care professional who will help you find and address your root cause(s). It literally could be as simple as changing diet, addressing stress, supplementing to prevent a deficiency, using Young Living essential oils strategically, or increasing exercise!
Are there other effective options for preventing unplanned pregnancies? Certainly, there are, and there are emotional, physical, and relational health benefits to be had in utilizing them. There are a variety of cycle “health detective” clues you can come to rely on with remarkable accuracy. Do some digging on the topic “Natural Family Planning Methods”.
 
Fertility is not a disease and there is a rather steady supply of evidence which indicates that by medicating otherwise healthy women, we have unwittingly done great harm in the process. My job as a pharmacist is to provide the patient package insert as instructed by the Congressional Kefhauver-Harris Amendment, thereby giving the patient the opportunity of informed consent.
 
Risk versus benefit.
 
It’s the patient’s right, responsibility, and choice to either consent or deny. Most have never received a thorough explanation allowing for an educated decision.
Lots of clues friends! Embrace the sleuthing process. It will only serve you well. I promise.
xoxo~ liz
 
 
 
 

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