Wellness

Know Your Source

Liz James · March 19, 2017 ·

Earlier this week I made a comment in a gardening post, and I wanted to expand on that a little more. The comment made was in regards to the purity of our gardening bounty and how important it is to know both your source and how your food (ie: the plants or animals) is cared for from seed (or birth) to the farm table.

As you might have guessed by now, I am an advocate of following this principle in all aspects of life.

Knowing your source……whether that be your:

Information source (Ah! News…. are you a mainstream news follower, or do you seek deeper truth than that which is spoonfed?)
The people in your life who either affirm you (hopefully) or emotionally cripple you (toxic relationships)
Food (we literally ARE what we eat)
Makeup and personal care products (bad news! Have you looked at your ingredient label?.. and are you making choices based on that ingredient label?)
Household chemicals/cleaning products ( I can’t even find current stats on this, but in previous years, household chemicals have been accounted for over 10% of toxic exposures reported to US Poison Control centers… and that’s just Emergency Room visits… we aren’t even counting the health cost of personal toxin load buildup over time)

All of these have great impact on YOU… emotionally, physically, mentally, and on your long term health and wellness plan….. what you allow yourself to be exposed to…. is it sustainable to good emotional and physical health?

Can you expose yourself regularly to toxic relationships (any relationship qualifies here) without health detriment?

Can you use toxic chemicals daily… both on your person (soaps, shampoo, makeup, skin care etc) AND in your home and expect to remain healthy as your body loads slowly with these chemicals?
Can you continue to eat prepackaged food with unpronounceable chemicals as part of the ingredient list and expect your body and immune system not to rebel?

The answer is NO to all of these. 100% NO. (hundreds of studies will back this)

And yet….. And yet….. And yet… we tell ourselves little white lies, because the truth would mean that we acknowledge the need for change.

“That illness will happen to our neighbor, but not us.”
“That person who tries to tear me down daily doesn’t affect my self esteem, self worth, or even my physical or emotional health.”
“I’ve eaten this way for years, and it hasn’t bothered me yet, so I’m sure I’m not affected the way other people might be.”
“If I don’t read the label, I won’t have to KNOW…. and if I don’t KNOW, then it won’t be bad.”
“A little exposure to those chemicals every day isn’t bad, right? I mean, I don’t work in a chemical factory or anything.”

Daily exposure to toxins of any kind IS having long term effects on all of us…. Why do I personally know 3 people under the age of 40 who are currently battling colon cancer? Why are nearly 1 in 5 Americans on mental health drugs compared to 30 years ago (when it was 1 in 184)?

Having an insider’s view of the prescription end of our healthcare system for over 25years has made me extraordinarily aware of this, as has my interest in the health ramifications (both physical and emotional) of toxic relationships versus healthy ones. It is this insider’s view that really began convicting me of making personal SUSTAINABLE changes in MY life and in my family’s life many years ago. Don’t forget, there was a time when I was a statistic just like you yourself might be now…. I’ve written about it on my blog in an earlier couple of posts.

It was the pharmacist in me that followed an initial curiosity with my own personal research before committing to the oil and supplement company you’ve seen me reference. In my humble opinion, buying from companies that cannot give a step by step accounting of the ‘life’ of each and every bottle oil from seed to bottling…… well, that would be equivalent to buying a prescription drug from someone off of the internet (THAT is illegal… but you get my drift)……. You never know what you’ll get. The other thing I like about Young Living is that they have a batch/distilling # on each bottle, so that not only does the company commit to purity, it qualifies that by giving each bottle a number that can be tracked BACKWARDS. This is not a common practice in the essential oil industry.

I leave you now with these thoughts:

You cannot unlearn something that you now know
Now that you know….are you going to do something about removing toxins in your life and the life of your family?
Lauren Crews Dow, another YL oil aficionado commented on her public FB page:

“There are, as of yet, no standards for therapeutic-grade essential oils set by any government agency in North America. Hence, labeling fraud is rampant. Therefore, to be sure you are getting TRUE therapeutic-grade essential oils, you need to know your grower, your distiller, your packager, and your distributor because anywhere along this chain of delivery, oils can be compromised.

There is nothing dishonest about producing food or perfume grade oils. The problem comes when such oils are bottled, labeled, and presented as if they were therapeutic when they are NOT!

A common practice in the Essential Oil community, is to take a decent grade of Essential Oil, dilute it by 90%-95% with an odorless, colorless solvent (usually an inexpensive petrochemical) so that what was a pound of good oil then becomes 10 or 20 pounds of diluted oil to be sold as if it were the original substance, thus multiplying the profit. Understand, that such diluted oils often carry labels stating they are “Genuine” or “100% Pure”, which is allowed by the U.S. FDA. However, when you see a bottle of Frankincense for $10-$20 for a full ounce, you can be sure it has been diluted because you can’t gather the resins from the Arabian and Somalian deserts, transport them to France or England to be distilled, and then import them to North America (or any other country) for that price and maintain quality and purity.

Mysteriously, for every pound of Frankincense distilled in the world, more than a dozen pounds are eventually sold (pretty scary). Pure, unadulterated Frankincense, should cost around $140 per ounce. In Biblical times, a pound of Frankincense oil was more precious than a pound of gold. In fact, in ancient times, it was called “liquid gold”. Today, a pound of gold is worth around $4,800 (referenced in 2010), while on the retail market a pound of pure Frankincense is worth about $2,400.

If you have smelled TRUE Frankincense, then you will know the difference immediately when given a sample of the diluted versions that are very common on the market.

Other signs on labels are when only the common name “Frankincense” is used, and the Latin name, “Boswellia carteri” is missing, that is another clear warning that it is not genuine and certainly not therapeutic.

(Info from The Chemistry of Essential Oils by David Stewart Ph.D., D.N.M.)

Moral of this, you GET what you pay for in essential oils. Period. I know essential oils are “popular” now, but be an informed consumer! Don’t be fooled!”

If you’d like some help getting started detoxing your life, I’d love to help you find your True North. Starting with kicking chemicals out of your home one by one (baby step style) is a great place to start! (Have you heard of The Thieves Product Line?)

In Health and Sustainable Preparedness,
Liz

Woof(er) Pups

Liz James · March 15, 2017 ·

I think gardeners must suffer a worse case of spring fever than the average Joe, and North Texas weather only plays with our emotions making the situation even worse. We have beautiful days followed by cold snaps frequently with little or no warning. It’s a dance of self control and roulette with the Farmer’s Almanac officiating.

We have no kids of our own, so the farm and garden are managed by us alone. If you live on a farm, you know that the chore list is never ending. Gardening season kicks that list up a notch or two. This season we are trying something new. Have you heard of WOOFing?Technically, the acronym is WWOOF, and stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. It is an international organization that connects people who want to learn about organic farming with organic farms who needs extra set(s) of hands…. people like us! You can actually plan a learning/working vacation by being a willing WOOFer. We live in a deep and friendship filled community. While many of our friends have their own farms, we also have friends who live in town in subdivisions where gardening is hampered by privacy fences, small yards, poor soil, and a low bee population. We have one friend in particular who homeschools their children, and was looking for a way to incorporate gardening and self sufficiency skills (a dying art in my opinion!) into the curriculum. WOOFing in the truest sense means that the student generally lives on the farm for a period of time while working… so food and lodging in exchange for work. We are modifying that format a bit in this case, and I’ve got two young WOOF pups who will be learning the finer points of organic gardening alongside me this season and will be taking harvest bounty home in exchange for their work. It’s definitely a win/win situation for all parties involved. My two young friends have proven themselves to be hard workers…. harder even than many adults I know. I am really looking forward to passing what I know and have learned thus far on to the next generation, and am loving the relationship I’m building with my WOOF Pups. Respect and love for what we grow to nourish our bodies (whether that be animal or plant) is something I hope to pass on to others. The “cleanest” food we can eat is that which we have the most control over from start to finish (much like the company I represent), and it’s the most very basic first sustainable step in living a life focused on complete wellness.

Gardening, you see, fills so many needs: Spiritually, it gives you time to pray and connect with nature. Physically, it provides you with exercise, sunshine, and direct contact with dirt (a very very good thing!). Emotionally, it has been scientifically proven to be a balm for the soul…..originally thought to be simply calming, but now there is evidence that exposure to microbes in the soil actually BOOST serotonin levels in the brain providing a sense of peace. And finally, Nourishment…..if grown organically, you will have regular access to some of the healthiest food you can get your paws on.

We’ve got our onions, lettuce and kale planted… that’s all I’m brave enough to plant for now. But in just a week or two we will begin planting the rest of our seeds. In the meantime….. lots of preparation is still in order for this busy busy time. Stay tuned for updates!

Why try to explain miracles to Kids when you could just have them plant a garden? ~ Robert Brault

Organic Seeds!

Liz James · March 5, 2017 ·

In early winter I start itching to get my paws on the latest edition of The Whole Seed Catalog. It’s crack for the organic gardener. Truly. I’m not sure how many times I thumb thru the catalog highlighting, circling, and dogear-ing pages before I make my final selections. I feel like Imelda Marcos in a shoe store. Rareseeds.com is my ‘go to’ source for seeds simply because I trust them and I respect their ethical stance on heirloom seed preservation. Their seeds aren’t just heirloom, they are also organic.

We are organic gardeners, and that includes our seed choices. I am frequently asked why seed choice is so important. Oh ho ho. Seed choice is VERY important any time you are asking something of a plant ( it’s one of the things that really sealed the deal for me on my essential oil company of choice ).

Organic heirloom seeds are better for a multitude of reasons:

Exceptional Taste and Flavor (far superior to hybridized fruits and veggies whose genetics have sacrificed both in favor of ship-ability & gas-ripening/green picking )
Seeds from organically grown plants are more likely to do well in an organic garden because the parent plant has proven that it can meet the challenges of an organic environment (We certainly experienced this too when we opted to convert our beehives to 100% organic management!).
Organic seeds have never been exposed to toxic pesticides, and they are chemical free! (this is a bigger deal than you might think)
Organic seeds are NEVER the product of genetic engineering.
Heirloom seeds are nearly ALWAYS more nutritious than their counterparts. You can read more about that here.
Heirloom seeds can be open pollinated (kind of a big deal if you are a seed saver!). Hybridized usually cannot.
Heirloom plants tend to mature at different rates. This means that you can usually assume a longer harvest period for your crops.

My seeds arrived last week and I’m itching to plant. It’s still a little early for most things. I prefer to plant directly into the soil, but will prestart a few that take longer to germinate in my greenhouse.

Cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, onions, zucchini, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, beans, beans, and more beans…. and so much more! I’m even making an attempt at growing loofah sponges this year!

Come on spring! We’re ready!

Walking Above The Line-Sustainability

Liz James · February 27, 2017 ·

Sustainable Wellness Practices. Sustainability defined by Websters: “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

My career path (pharmacy) has placed me in a ringside seat of wellness gone south. Approximately 116 Million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Standard western medicine gives answers to chronic pain that are NOT sustainable solutions. There is not one Opioid or NSAID (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory) or other pain reliever that provides a sustainable answer to a long term problem. Long term use of any of them will inevitably lead to a body system dysfunction.

I would encourage everyone to open their minds and seek alternative methods of chronic pain relief. Yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, exercise, proper nutrition (especially proper nutrition!)… the list goes on. Sometimes relief comes in the form of a blend of these, and frequently, normal daily aches and pains can be managed or prevented with proper body system support.

I have used a mixture of ALL of the above in my adult life, and I’ve found my sweet spot with what works for me.

Today, I’d like to show you another powerhouse tool in my personal wellness tool box. Earlier, I shared Sulfurzyme. I’m hoping that you’ve ordered it, fallen in love with it, and are now telling others about it! I mean, who keeps things you love a secret??? Precisely……. And because we’re (virtual) friends, I’m going to let you in on another product….One that goes hand in hand with Sulfurzyme.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Agilease. We are a busy hard working family out here on the farm, and a day rarely goes by that we DON’T go to bed sore and fatigued from the beating our bodies take. Sulfurzyme AND Agilease taken together ensures that we are able to rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat…. day after day. What makes THIS one so special, and why would you need both?

Agilease contains the following :

Frankincense (B. Sacra)
Calcium Fructoborate
Curcuminoids complex (Tumeric)
Piperine (Black Pepper Extract)
Collagen (undenatured type II)
Glucosamine sulfate
Hyaluronic Acid
Wintergreen
Copaiba
Clove
Black Spruce

What’s the ruckus about the above ingredients? Well friends, let me break this down for you piece by piece.

Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra) : majorly supports the skeletal system. The key constituents include alpha-pinene and beta-pinene. If you are science-minded, this is where I’m going to tell you to start doing some digging on an enormous scientific website called Pubmed.gov. You might want to start with those two constituents I just mentioned, or perhaps, even Frankincense/ Boswellia Sacra! As a side note, I’ve noticed that some well known OTC joint health brands are starting to add Frank (not sacred frank but another….. easier to attain but less effective…. variety to their blend).

Calcium Fructoborate: Boron is a trace mineral vital to our good health. This is a plant based Boron. There are stories of people who buy Borax and try to dose themselves. Don’t be one of them…..that is not a safe thing to do! We are frequently deficient of Boron, as a society, due to current commercial farming/chemical fertilizer practices. Hallmarks of Boron deficiency may include:

abnormal metabolism of calcium and magnesium
hyperthyroidism
sex hormone imbalances
osteoporosis
arthritis
neural malfunctions

We need it folks…. And we are likely not getting it in our diets the way we should be.

Tumeric: one of the most researched spices to date. Literally thousands of studies have been done on this spice. Why? Because more than 30 years ago, scientists acknowledged that the incidence of chronic illness and inflammation was much much lower in India than in Western countries (countries like the USA that consumed almost no Tumeric or Cumin in their diets). Please do your research on this spice! It has been found to be a powerful antioxidant….Oxidation within us causes chronic low grade inflammation which can affect every single system in our bodies….. not just our creaky joints. Tumeric curbs the oxidation process in our bodies.

Black Pepper Extract: (Piperine) Much like Frankincense, Black Pepper was once considered a rich man’s spice. It has many health benefits of its own, but it is widely known to magnify or enhance the effects of other herbal supplements. There are loads of studies on this spice, specifically on the constituent Piperine (another Pubmed.gov worthy assignment!)…. Please do your research as health benefits are not just limited to improving ease of movement.

Collagen (undenatured type II): Such an important ingredient to support joint health! Even if you are not a researcher, please take a look at close look at the studies that have been done on this ingredient. I’m going to be a spoiler here and quote the final line of a stellar study on Pubmed.gov : UC-II treated subjects showed significant enhancement in daily activities suggesting an improvement in their quality of life. (note: this comes from chicken, so if someone is strictly vegan, please be aware).

Glucosamine Sulfate: I would be surprised if you haven’t heard of this one. It is found in almost all pharmacies in the OTC joint health section. Glucosamine sulfate is a compound found in the human body. It is used by the body to produce a variety of other chemicals that are involved in building tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and the thick fluid that surrounds joints. Joints are cushioned by the fluid and cartilage that surround them. In some people, the cartilage breaks down and becomes thin. This results in more joint friction, pain, and stiffness. The Glucosamine in Agilease supports joint and bone health.

Hyaluronic Acid: This is another great addition to the Agilease. Hyaluronic acid is similar to a substance that also occurs naturally in the joints. It works by acting like a lubricant and shock absorber in the joints and helps the joints to work properly. Again, please do your research. Lots of studies out there! (note: in the past, this has almost always been derived from chicken as well. Another vegan fyi).

Wintergreen: I’m hoping you already know about YL’s wintergreen oil. It is a powerhouse for supporting joint health by providing relief from rusty feeling joints, and for musculo-skeletal support (especially when we over do it!). It is an oil also found in Young Living’s blends: PanAway (found in the Premium Starter Kit), Deep Relief, & Ortho Ease Massage oil to name a few. (A word of caution to folks on blood thinners: this is one product to only use with your doctor’s approval. Wintergreen has a constituent that acts a lot like aspirin).

Copaiba: One of my personal faves! I was happy to see this on the ingredient list. It has so many stellar qualities, but in this case, clearly the focus is the effects a major constituent, beta-carophyllene, has on our bodies. It is also well known to calm swelling. I would encourage you to do a little research on beta-carophyllene if you haven’t already!

Clove: Clove has three main constituents, eugenol, eugenol acetate, and our friend on the field…. Beta-carophyllene. (Seriously….get your inquisitive study cap on and go find out about beta-carophyllene) . The bang for your buck in this oil comes from Young Living’s commitment to use only clove BUD oil… not just the leaves. This is huge and makes all the difference in the therapeutic value of this particular oil. Clove oil (especially if derived from the buds) is one of the most potent antioxidants available to us.

Black Spruce: Spruce oil in general is great for supporting the immune system, the respiratory, the endocrine system, the musculoskeletal system… and so many more!

So there you have it. Agilease…. Because sometimes being a Superhero means you need quick recovery from what life throws at you.

Enjoy your day and make it a great one!

xoxo, Liz

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Dolphin MPS…Another Tool For The Toolbox

Liz James · February 19, 2017 ·

Every craftsman (or woman) has tools. The longer the trade has been plied, the more diverse the tools.

As I work towards filling my ‘toolbox’ with health and wellness minded tools, sometimes I find something that just shouts out to me. There are some things EVERYONE should know about and partake in……if they want to manage their health in a sustainable way. Taking medication daily for pain is NOT a sustainable solution to a potentially long term problem. As a pharmacist, I witness the after effects of chronic pain medication use. If opioids (codeine, hydrocodone, fentanyl etc) are used long term, pain tolerance decreases, addiction/chemical dependance inevitably occurs, constipation becomes a separate and treatable disease entity, and liver and brain changes (damage) are likely.

If something ‘milder’ is chosen as the daily treatment of choice…. like an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) or Tylenol (acetaminophen), the list is shorter, but not necessarily better. Both have the ability to cause long term problems with the kidneys or liver depending on your drug of choice. NSAIDS like Motrin (Ibuprofen), Aleve, Celebrex, Meloxicam etc are now being tied to the induction of Gluten Sensitivity , not to mention the eventual GI upset and erosion that will occur after longterm use…. again, causing a separate dysfunction that will also need to be treated by an additional med. It is a cycle that is inevitable if pain is managed long term this way.

After I had my ‘run in’ with our bull , I was acutely aware of my need to solve the pain puzzle quickly….. not just short term, but long term too. Our farm does not run by itself, and my husband and I are the sole caregivers of our ‘farmily’. My accident very nearly resulted in an amputation, and the likelihood that I would live with pain and a limp at best was high. For the record, I was on prescription pain medication for exactly 3 days before transitioning over to herbal and alternative pain management solutions. Today…. 20 months later, I walk with no limp and have only occasional pain that is managed herbally, with exercise…. and this interesting little magic tool: the Dolphin MPS . I learned about it quite by accident (or Divine Intervention!) at a convention I was attending 3 months after my accident. I was still on crutches at the time, and a Dolphin practitioner offered to do a quick treatment simply while we sat waiting for a seminar to start. Admittedly, I was a little dubious sitting there with my leg in a stranger’s lap as her little instruments chattered back and forth to each other. We sat there for about 15 minutes and while she worked, she gave a quick overview of how and why the Dolphin worked. Whoa!!! It worked on me, and THAT caught my attention. The Lord says we shouldn’t covet, but I was sinfully coveting both her tools and her knowledge. So, in October of 2015, I drove 6 hours and attended my first intensive class and bought my Dolphin units.

Many of you are probably asking what is this and how does it work? So I’m going to try to answer some of the most obvious questions here:

FAQ’s:

Is this a TENS unit? No. Although it is approved by the FDA in the category of electronic stimulation, it is resoundingly NOT the same thing as a TENS unit. A TENS unit provides short term relief of pain using high frequency (100-200 Hz), low intensity electric current. It is non specific in application location, and…. in essence…. simply masks the pain for a short period of time (ie: in a physical therapy setting, pre-treating with a TENS unit will allow you to complete the therapy with less pain). It is something that your body can build resistance to over time.

In comparison: the Dolphin provides LONG term relief of pain using low frequency (2.5Hz), mid intensity electric current. It is used on very specific locations…known acupuncture points… unless treating a scar. Treatment with the Dolphin usually provides relief much longer term… usually for several days, but frequently for much longer. (For example, after the course of healing, I now only do ‘tuneups’ on my ankle about once a month.) Additionally, endorphins are released during Dolphin treatment, accentuating the feeling of wellbeing. You can read more about Dolphin VS traditional TENS units here.

How does it work? Open your mind a minute to the concept of Eastern Medicine. Everything in our world has an electric current, and we are no exception (unless you’re dead!). Pain is the result of trapped energy in a certain area of your body. If you can release that trapped energy, the pain will subside or even completely go away. The Dolphin device (and manuals) help you identify which pathways (meridians) would be most beneficial in unblocking the energy. As soon as the ‘block’ is removed, pain nearly always either subsides, diminishes significantly, or completely disappears. For people with chronic conditions, this ‘resetting’ will likely need to occur as often as weekly or monthly.

Does it hurt? Although it is a teeny tiny bit of electricity, depending on the situation or acupuncture site, it may feel like a small prick all the way up to a bee sting. The reality is that the more intense the sting, the greater benefit you will feel when the treatment is over!

How do I find someone who will treat me? You can find a certified practitioner worldwide here: http://www.mpscourses.com/directory/ , but the good news in the United States is that this device is approved by the FDA for sale as an over the counter (OTC) item. Basic treatment can be done at home by you or a family member with a little training, but more intensive treatment (involving the back or neck) really requires at least one two day class. My advice is to find a practitioner, and try a round of treatment… if it works for you (and it probably will!) it would be worth your time and investment to learn a new wellness skillset! It is not an inexpensive wellness tool, but if you look at the long term ramifications of chronic pain med use, this tool could be PRICELESS for your life long health and wellness goals.

(PS: most insurances will pay for Dolphin treatment as an approved/billable PT/OT therapy AND some insurances will even pay for a home unit with a prescription from your doctor.)

I’ve found that the Dolphin works synergistically with my Young Living oils….. (ie: 1+1 = 3 or 4 or 5!), and don’t need ‘resets’ nearly as often as I likely would otherwise given my injury. I’ve given several friends and family members some major relief by using this combination as well & have spoken to many practitioners who have seen similar results, so I know my results are not an isolated incident.

If you’d like to learn more about oils or the Dolphin, please feel free to contact me!

This is not a paid endorsement of the Dolphin… I just know it works, and I believe in it enough that I’m now working on my own certification training…. it may take me a year or two, but I’m committed to this vision of health and wellness without chemicals.

The Dolphin: just another sustainable tool for my health and wellness toolbox!

Have a blessed and WELL day,
Liz