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Liz James · September 6, 2017 ·

These past two weeks have been very different for our household. I am the poster child homebody. I get homesick after about 4 days away from my refuge. I am grounded and in harmony with my ‘feeps’ (farm peeps), and start to feel off when I’m gone for too long. Back in January, Charlie and I made the decision to cut back my hours at the pharmacy to 20hrs/week. I was killing myself trying to get everything done on the farm, educate others on holistic wellness, and work at the pharmacy. Something had to give…. either that or I was going to run out of steam. I was scared to death. It was the first time in my 25+ year career that I carried no benefits of my own. Our new routine took about 5 months to settle into but I finally got my groove, and I am loving every minute of it! My income from Young Living has enabled me to step out from behind the pharmacy counter and actually DO life the way it was meant to be done.

At the end of August, I took a whirlwind four day trip up to Iowa to teach a few wellness classes in person. Women’s health (as you know…. a particular passion of mine). General wellness. Non Toxic Skincare. It was a fabulous trip and I met so many neat ladies (and guys) in the midwest. I spent a few of my youngest years in Des Moines, and we managed a quick peek at the house I spent those years in. I have only fragments of memories of those years, but Iowa felt familiar to me.

While I was gone, tragedy struck our fair state. A monster by the name of Harvey came ashore and changed lives and landscapes forever. We live in very North Texas where tornadoes and hail storms are our nemesis, but this storm down south affected us all. We are a state that sticks together, and the pain is real. My heart goes out to everyone touched by the disaster, but especially those who are grieving the loss of life, including those of their pets and livestock. I know how it feels to love animals fiercely, and many people are grieving for losses beyond mere possessions. Heartbreaking.

Those 4 days I was gone, were just enough to make me homesick, and it made the storm in our home state nearly surreal. Charlie was a trooper… my sweet husband assumed the mantle of being ‘both of us’ for those 4 days and that is no small feat. We are both busy people, and time is already managed efficiently within each of our schedules.

The animals noticed my absence….. and a small seismic shift began occurring. I came home, but 3 days later I left again for another 4 days for a scheduled visit to Philly to see family. The seismic shift grew larger. Animals are creatures of habit….. but then again, aren’t we all (two legged and four legged alike)? I’ll speak more of this shift later this week…. it deserves a post of its own.

I miss home when I’m not here. The peace of it all. The solitude that isn’t really. I am surrounded by unconditional love. Even the sunlight showers me with affection. I am grounded in the Spirit. I feel God…. REALLY feel His presence when I am here in my place of peace. Dogs. Horses. Cows. The chicken’s excitement at my presence. The unseasonably cool morning breeze kissing my skin. Spiderwebs… as much as I hate running into them nearly every morning….. I appreciate their presence. Nature is nurturing my spirit.

I am a people watcher, and see people who have not yet found their place of peace. They are constantly searching for the next best thing to purchase or booking their next travel destination because they are restless in spirit and seeking something they’ve not yet found. Contentment of place, time, and circumstance. Groundedness. Peace.

I love that I get homesick. Crazy isn’t it? Crazy but true. In the grand scheme of 365 days, I am gone only a fraction of that. How blessed am I that home is my favorite place in all of the earth.

The Gut Health/Brain Health Connection

Liz James · July 17, 2017 ·

Good morning friends,

I saw an article this morning, and wanted to share it . Here are a few excerpts from the study referenced:

“Investigators led by Caroline Wallace, PhD candidate, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, found that symptoms of mood, anhedonia, and sleep disturbance were significantly reduced with probiotic therapy after just 4 weeks, with results maintained at 8 weeks.

The findings are of particular interest because probiotics are not associated with any of the adverse effects of current antidepressant therapies and can be safely taken over long periods.

These results, the investigators note, “suggest that probiotics may be effective in alleviating depressive symptoms such as mood, anhedonia, and sleep quality.”

Our gut is just so dang important for our overall body health…. not just physically, but also emotionally. Antidepressants are among the top three medication classes prescribed by doctors. I can verify that as a pharmacist. While antidepressants are not addictive, they do have the ability to completely change the wiring in your brain, making them very difficult to discontinue. I’ve been told by more than one patient that being on an antidepressant is like experiencing your world thru a filtered lens. Everything is muted, and while you may have muted depressed emotions, you will also find you have muted joy and pleasure. And yet, for mild to moderate depression, doctors offer this alternative over suggesting non-prescription remedies first.

As we age or assault our gut with diet, antibiotics and household toxins, the good bacteria in our gut can’t maintain their healthy colony size……and, I’ve read that some of these little beasties (the Bifidobacterium strains specifically) really start to struggle when we’ve reached ‘a certain age’, leading to (among other things) anxiety, depression, and sleepless nights…. all things the elderly (or those with a gut issues) can struggle with.

Sadly, almost no insurance pays for probiotics. Such a simple aid for such a widespread problem!……Just one more aspect of our broken healthcare system here in the USA.

Not all probiotics are created equal, and there are hundreds of brands on the market. Among the many I have researched, there are only a few brands I would recommend. The reasons are diverse: packaging (not protective enough), strains (not diverse enough), quantity (not enough colony forming units to make much of an impact), release mechanism (releasing directly into the stomach is a death sentence for these beasties)….. the list goes on.

While you can be thrifty and bargain shop for many things, probiotics is not one of them. In this case, you truly do get what you pay for. The best ones aren’t cheap; you can expect to pay about 25-30$/month. Even then, purchasing a pricey probiotic does not mean all the criteria above will be met. A close dissection and understanding of the label is very important.

I know…. that sounds like a lot of money, but at 300-400$ per year, it is a darn cheap way to invest in your life, your health, and your emotional balance. I know people who spend that much on designer coffee and fast food each month (to the detriment of their health). We all have choices to make in life.

One of the things I love and respect about Young Living (the company I do business with and endorse) is their ability to simplify my life. I really appreciate that their products do not require ‘label dissection’ (that was a game changer and time saver for me). All of them. Clean. Pure. Unadulterated. Researched & developed with attention to the minutia of detail….. making this pharm/farm girl one happy camper.

Ya’ll take care and have a blessed day!

Liz

(Oh, and yes…. this picture has nothing to do with this article…. even tho these thistles are terrible weeds, I still thought it was a pretty thing ;). I love finding beauty in the everyday-ness out here.)

Sleep Week – day 7

Liz James · July 11, 2017 ·

OK ya’ll….. I’m coming clean here… Sleep is important to me. I’ve researched sleep for several months now, and the more I researched, the more I appreciated its value. These last few days have been ginormously busy for me…. so much so, that I have not had a moment to catch my breath except when it’s time to head to bed.

By 9:30 each night, I had to make some decisions…. what was more important? Sleeping or blogging. I know that many of you have hung out and reached out to me during sleep week, but I also knew that none of you would lose sleep if I missed a blog posting day.

So….. I chose to make a good example of myself, and picked respecting my bedtime hour over blogging and sharing with you all.

There is much more to sleep than I could cram into 7 days anyway, and I’d love to share more. If you’d like a more in depth class I’m happy to schedule one at some point.

In the meantime, I leave you with this video about simple habits you can either break or create to gift yourself quality sleep.

If I’ve piqued your interest in any products that have helped me and thousands of other people sleep please let me know, and I’ll show you the most economical way to own your own stash. Everyone deserves healthy restorative sleep!

Enjoy!

Sleep Week – day 6

Liz James · July 8, 2017 ·

Good morning friends! I hope you all got your rejuvenating, anti-aging 7+ hours of sleep last night! There is so much to cover, and so little time left in the week.

Blood sugar fluctuations… we all have them…. some people have a much larger span between high’s and low’s but more than 86 million Americans are fast approaching a ‘diagnoseable condition’ because of these fluctuations. Only 1 in 4 are actually aware of this ‘oncoming train’ that will ultimately affect their life in big ways.

As I head off to farm chores this morning, I leave you with these thoughts. I see people with newly diagnosed conditions daily at the pharmacy. Often, they are blindsided by the diagnosis of a PREVENTABLE condition, and so the first trip to the pharmacy for their new prescription I see their ‘deer in the headlights’ look. This tells me that likely (in these instances) the person had not ‘listened to his/her body’ for an extended period of time, and a symptom finally forced him/her to the doctor.

We’ve got to learn to be the CEO’s of our health. Your restless sleep (and other signs) may be trying to tell you something, and it’s up to you, the commanding officer of YOU, to decipher the clues.

There is nothing more important than this.. The richest people have nothing if they do not have the health to enjoy life. I hear patients complain about the price of medication and healthcare at work. On top of that, they are now having to deal with a new ‘condition’. That condition may also cost them time and quality of life.

We can choose to address our health PROACTIVELY (diet, SLEEP, exercise, avoiding toxins, man-made chemicals in the form of skincare, cleaning products….even hygiene goods, and chronic stress whenever possible, etc) and ‘pay for our healthcare’ by doing things to be well…. OR we can be REACTIVE and pay for our health later in the way of doctor visits, medications and healthcare related expenses, quality of life, and perhaps shortening of life. Life is full of choices, and this is a big one.

I hate to leave you with such a heavy topic this morning, but if it resets at least one person’s thinking, then I think it’s worth it!

Make it a great one! Tomorrow is our last day, and then it’s back to business as usual! This is such a huge topic… I’ve realized I can’t cram it all into 7 posts. I think I’ll ultimately have a longer online class later in the year for this topic if there is enough interest.

Take care and make it a great day!
Liz

Sleep Week – day 5

Liz James · July 6, 2017 ·

Sleep! The saga continues…. so many pieces must fall into place for us to get a well rested night of ZZZZZZZ. (and I’m keeping this one short so I can hop into bed!)

Both men and women need balanced hormones. A LOT can go wrong within our bodies if our hormones go wackadoodle (I know…..not a scientific term, but it’s FDA compliant !). Sleep pattern disruption is just one of those things.

While this post focuses mainly on ‘The Change’, be aware that ‘wackadoodle’ hormones can happen at any age , but especially during puberty, pregnancy/childbirth, and ahem….. the aforementioned time.

Disturbed sleep patterns caused by hormone imbalance aren’t just for women… men can have their own issues when testosterone levels begin fluctuating.

At the age of 50, I’ve found that my personal sleep is best supported by Tranquil on my toes at night, Progessence Plus on my forearms at night, and Estro drops in my NingXia Red the morning. These are all products that are available to you at wholesale pricing from Young Living.

Signing off for the day…. but know that I’m here for you if you’ve got any questions about some of these products I’ve just mentioned. Looking for a sheep herder? I’m happy to help!