Page 2 – I am a 2/4 manifestor with many interests. Nutrition, skin, poetry, and life.

Is Stress Affecting your Heart? How Motherwort may be able to Help.

When I think of the name Motherwort, it sounds like something out of a spell book. But, aren’t all spells just intentions for life? Well, Motherwort’s intention is to calm your nervous system down from the day to day stress. I would grab this herb if I had a situation that was stressing me out so bad that my heart began to hurt. I don’t know if you have ever experienced that feeling of whether it’s a heart attack or a panic attack, but I sure have. In addition to getting your heart checked, this could be a powerful alley in calming your heart.

In addition to taking a supplement that is in mitochondrial range to make sure this herb works, Motherwort’s therapeutic dose is between 250-500mg.

What part of the herb do the medicinal properties come from?

This sun loving plant loves to lay its seeds in the spring or early summer and can be harvested by autumn. The part of the plant that grows above ground can then be used to make Motherwort.

Now that you have your Motherwort, how do you take it?

You can consume Motherwort in the following ways:

Drink it as a Tea:

Boil one cup of water and add in 1-2 teaspoons of Motherwort. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before drinking. Can be drunk 3 times a day.

Take it as tincture:

Drop 1-4ml of the liquid herb in water 3 times a day.

Who should be careful of this herb and what are some contraindications?

It can be used by Pregnant women, but with caution. It can speed up the birthing process, so it is recommended that this herb is taken under the supervision of a doctor.
It is not recommended to take motherwort if you plan on having a surgery that puts you under. This is because it can sedate the nervous system too much. They say it’s best to take two weeks off before surgery.
Since this increases blood flow, it is not recommended for those with heavy menstrual periods. If your blood doesn’t clot easily, I would stay away from this herb.
It may compete with heart medicine, so it is best to speak to a doctor to make sure it does not over stimulate.
If you take too much this can cause diarrhea, sensitivity to the sun, and sleepiness. When in doubt, less is more!

I mentioned before about this herb calming down the nervous system but what else does it do?

5 Interesting Insights including some background about the herb:

Helps with hypersensitivity of the nervous system. What does hypersensitivity look like? Are you someone that jumps easily when someone walks into the room? What about if someone touches you on the shoulder? Some of this can stem from trauma but this herb can help with that while you are seeking therapy for those triggers.

If the stress is causing high blood pressure and your heart rate to increase, this herb can soothe your system to place it back into balance.

Painful periods that aren’t too heavy? Motherwart will help. Since this herb is known to increase blood flow, it is not recommended if you suffer from heavy periods.

Issues sleeping? Combine this with valerian root, hops, and lemon balm it will aid in a restful night sleep. This is known to be helpful if you are quitting alcohol and used it in the past to fall asleep.

There is some truth to my thought of this herb sounding like a spell because back in the medieval days Motherwort was used to protect against evil spirits.

After researching Motherwort, I could think of times in my life I could have really used this. I personally would rather drink it in a tea with some honey. What about you? Are you a tea drinker or tincture person?

Motherwort: 5 Benefits, Dosage, & Safety

https://www.rxlist.com/motherwort/supplements.htm
https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/motherwort-benefits.html

Would Society be Better Off Without Facebook?

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If all the isolation of the last year and a half has taught me anything, it’s that we are becoming eerily dependent on technology. We are chained to gaining our next like or comment on social media. It is holding us captive. How do we use it as a tool and not as a weapon?

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How a Happy Gut can lead to a Healthier Life

Probiotics seem to be gaining more attention lately as we are learning more about the connection between our digestive system and the immune system. We have learned that there is a whole universe living within us. What is that universe? It is the bacteria in our digestive system and throughout our entire bodies. Our bodies are filled with a multitude of bacteria that can either help us flourish or pull us into misery. Ingesting more good bacteria can help us triumph over the dreadful bacteria. A large percentage of our immune system, around 60-70% is in our stomach, so let’s learn about how probiotics can keep us healthy.

A lot of us have read about probiotics and you may be asking yourself:

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live bacteria or yeast to assist our gut in growing good bacteria. Probiotics can also assist us in absorbing our nutrients better and with the breakdown of our food.

Now that we know what they are let’s learn more about them:

What are five Insights about Probiotics and their role in energetic digestive function?

If you weigh all the probiotics in our body, it weighs more than our brains!

Probiotics are found throughout our entire bodies, not just in our large intestines.

Eating foods rich in probiotics can protect the stomach from IBS, Ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease.

It helps to ease diarrhea. If you are taking an antibiotic that can lead to diarrhea, it will help minimize those symptoms.

It can reverse antibiotic resistance by building back the variety of bacteria in the gut.

Whenever there is a sterile environment and there are not enough good bacteria present, the bad bacteria will take over. A common side effect of taking antibiotics can be yeast infections. Continued use can lead to the antibiotics not working because there is an overgrowth of the pathogenic bacteria.

According to the 5-element perspective, probiotics nourish the gold element. Along with eating alkalizing foods, incorporating more probiotics into your diet can heal the lungs and the large intestine. It can shift energy draining reactions of keeping it locked inside and grief. As the energy shifts from the abundance of good bacteria and the proper nutrients, we can transform our emotions into feelings of forgiveness, truth, and encouragement. In the wheelhouse of the gold element, you will also find the immune system and the lymph. This is a perfect symphony of probiotics coming to the rescue.

Probiotics: Top Benefits, Foods and Supplements

So where can we find foods that have high amounts of probiotics?

Here are some foods where you can find a medicinal amount of probiotics:

I found some information on foods that contain high amounts of probiotics that are not yogurt. Since I cannot digest dairy well and I know a lot of my clients will be in the same position I wanted to offer other options.

Kimchi- if you’re out at an Asian restaurant you may find this on your plate, it is excellent for upping your probiotics. It is fermented cabbage with some garlic, salt, vinegar, and chili peppers.

Sauerkraut- This pickled cabbage is one of my favorites. Some can’t stand the smell of it, but it makes my mouth water. The combination of brown rice and sauerkraut is one of my favorite side dishes.

Kombucha- An entertaining fermented tea drink that strengthens your immune system. I am fond of getting the lemon and ginger one for added benefits.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/want-probiotics-but-dislike-yogurt-try-these-foods-202107142545

What are the benefits of Prebiotics? How are they different from Probiotics?

Prebiotics help to feed the friendly gut bacteria, since they can’t be broken down in the digestive system. The microbiome uses them as food, and it gains nutrients from them and aides in the growth of probiotics.

Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: What’s the Difference?

What foods are high in Prebiotics?

Ground flaxseed- I read that flaxseed can go bad quickly, so you want to buy it whole and then grind in a coffee grinder and store in the fridge or freezer.
Leeks- I have never tried leeks but after researching I found that they taste like onions. I love onions, so I want to give them a try. I know they would go great in a soup.
Okra– Every time I think of okra, I have memories of living in the South. When I lived in Louisiana for a little bit, we would put them in the jambalaya, and it was delicious.
Jicama- My favorite thing about jicama is its crunchy taste. It reminds me of an apple but not as sweet. I love grabbing crunchy food when I’m feeling a bit frustrated.

Prebiotic Foods 101 (And The 5 Best to Eat)

Do I really feel like Probiotics could help with improving digestion?

Yes!

Probiotics are incredibly effective at improving digestive performance. They aide in balancing our bacteria ecosystem in our gut. When there is a plethora of good bacteria it can assist in killing off bad bugs and viruses. When our microbiome is balanced, it helps us to better absorb our nutrients because it’s killing off the critters that can get in our way while breaking down our food and absorbing it. Our digestive systems houses 60-70% of our immune systems, so an overgrowth of bad bacteria could mean a weakened immune system.

Questions to ask yourself to Change your Life and your Habits.

Write down these questions:

Why is being healthy so important to you?

What obstacles are standing in your way?

How many hours do you spend on social media?

How often do you spend time in nature?

What are some ways that you manage stress?

Who are the three most important people in your life?

How do you handle fear?

Who is your support system?

What is a time where you stood up for your beliefs?

When is the last time you tried something new? Explain it.

Would you describe yourself as someone who avoids problems or is overly aggressive?

What do you feel your purpose on earth is?

Who is your role model?

What do you love about yourself?

What are you working to improve?

Is there anyone you need to forgive?

Now close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose, hold for a few counts and exhale. As soon as you start salivating you are meditating.

In a meditative state:

Envision your older self sitting on a front porch. How would you like them to look? What feelings are you experiencing seeing them? What have you accomplished in your future? What questions do you have for yourself?

If any ideas pop in your head, write them down.

Do this for a month and then answer the questions again.

What changed?

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My story about why Diet Sometimes isn’t Enough and why Blood Work is so Important.

My journey to find health started at fourteen years old when I got sick with mono.

I was sick my entire freshman year of high school. Rumors swirled around the school that I was pregnant, after all I was quite the flirt even at fourteen years old. But, no I was not engaging in intercourse at such a young age. My belly expanded because of my swollen spleen and I was told to stay out of contact sports for six months. It was hell. After recovering, I took up yoga, started walking and became very aware of my diet. I noticed that donuts made me throw up and dairy made me break out. At fourteen years old, I was very in tune with my body. This ignited my passion for health and healing with food.

Flash forward to my twenties, I started developing jawline acne and I speculated if I had poly cystic ovarian syndrome. My periods were super heavy, I would get made fun of because I bled through my shorts in class within a hour. But as I read the symptoms of PCOS but it didn’t make sense to me. So I continued what I always knew, working out and eating a plant based diet with some quality animal protein. I did love my nutella and reese’s peanut butter cups. Those were my crutches. Birth control seemed to be only thing that got my heavy periods and acne under control. But, I didn’t like the mood swings it caused and I have always been weary of pharmaceuticals. I have always been a firm believer in getting to the root of the problem and not just covering up the symptoms. So I got off the birth control and the heavy periods came back and so did the acne. Cystic acne is mortifying, especially when you’re an esthetician and everyone expects you to have perfect skin. I was able to mostly heal my skin with my knowledge of skin care and what my triggers were, but still would breakout in the jawline. Oh and forget that time of the month, crippling pain and heavy bleeding. I did not want to leave my house.

The year of the pandemic…

I got sick with Covid-19, went through a mountain of stress, lost income, moved several times, and lost several friends.

Words of inspiration if you’re reading this:

You have survived the worst year that this earth has seen in centuries. You continue to fight and chose to be here. Whatever way you mourn is acceptable and whatever you feel is best to protect your family is for you to decide. Congratulations on still being here. You are a fighter and you are here for a purpose.

Speaking of being a fighter, one day I woke up to this crippling pain on the lower left side of my pelvis. It’s like my vagina was my bodies squeeze ball.

If you’re like me and a complete hypochondriac, I immediately went to the internet. Bad choice, they always tell you that you’re dying.

Is it cancer? Is it fibroids? Is it a cyst?

What was perplexing to me is that I cut out all my food sensitivities, switched to organic, grassfed and drank half a gallon of water a day. Yet I was still tired, getting the pimple here and there and bloating. When I say tired I mean picking up things here and there and feeling like I need a nap. Yes, part of this is depression because of all that I have been through. But, I knew it was something more. Knowledgeable in nutrition, but not ignorant thinking that it heals everything, I decided to find a naturopathic doctor.

My journey with a naturopathic doctor.

My first meeting with a naturopathic doctor was so exciting, all the supplements everywhere, herbs and healing modalities I was ready to dive in. What I love about going this route is that the blood work they take is much more in depth at a regular doctors office and my insurance was able to cover most of it.

Here’s the upsetting news…

This doctor screwed me up even more than I was before. She claimed that I was estrogen dominate and low in progesterone. We confirmed that I did have a cyst on my left ovary but it was not cancerous. She placed me on bio-identical hormones. These are hormones made from wild yam and other natural herbs that naturally balance out your bodies hormones.

What’s the problem then?

I started gaining weight on the progesterone, getting worse acne, felt like I was going to have a heart attack, and my motivation tanked. I immediately fired her and found another doctor. Us as the individual always knows best and we have to listen when something doesn’t feel right.

She didn’t know how to read blood work.

I found a new naturopathic doctor that was horrified when he saw my blood work. “You weren’t that bad to begin with. What did she do? Your progesterone was actually high before. Your estrogen is low, not high.”

“Was this lady just trying to make money off of me?” I thought to myself.

The doctor continued to tell me that I was hypoglycemic and iron deficient and put me on a high protein plan with eating every four hours. I noticed the previous doctor taxed my liver and doubled my thyroid levels by placing me on the wrong meds. She could have killed me. I followed her regime for only three months and I knew something was wrong.

What happened after three months?

We switched my diet and got me on a supplement regime more tailored for my needs. I noticed a lifting of brain fog, more muscle tone and after three months my periods weren’t painful anymore.

What didn’t change?

Stubborn belly fat, sweating at night, anxiety, low blood sugar, lack of libido etc…

We ran my blood work again.

We confirmed that I am testosterone dominant and borderline Poly cystic ovarian syndrome. Brought on by all the environmental stress, he said. But, I know it could have been full flown without all the lifestyle habits.

What else did I add in besides eating whole organic foods and supplements?

As scary as a diagnosis can be, it can give us focus on how to treat things. We added in ferratin, vitamin D 5000 mg, a PCOS herb complex, zinc 30 mg, and a b complex. I also take a magnesium at night to help calm myself down. The biggest challenge for me moving forward is developing better lifestyle habits. I am on the internet too much, I read the news constantly, and I scroll for hours on Instagram. Owning up to bad habits is so key. But, finding out why you are doing them is equally as important. So why am I so addicted? I lost my sense of community when the pandemic hit and even though I can be a hermit… at times I am deeply lonely. I love my boyfriend and my cat but feeling a belonging in a community is so important.

Healing is a whole body process. It is your mind. It is your body. It is your spirit. You can not healing yourself, if you eat healthy but think toxic thoughts all day.

May our hearts and minds be gated but not of stone.

Do Eye Creams Really Work?

As a licensed esthetician, I often get the question if eye creams really work? I hesitate when answering this because the answer is, “Maybe.” All the creams in the world will not work if you don’t fix your internal triggers. I have tried some of the most expensive eye creams out there, they are only a temporary fix. Until I eliminated my food sensitives, drank more water, and reversed my iron deficiency did I see results. I compare it to teeth hygiene. You can’t use whitening strips and not brush your teeth! Your teeth may be white but they are still rotting and offending all in your path with your litter box breath. While some dark circles may be genetic a lot of them are signs that you are consuming some of your unknown food sensitivities, you lack iron, need more water, or you are consuming too much sodium.

What can eye creams help with?

Temporary tightening

De-puffing

Brightening

Hydration

Anti-aging

What can’t eye creams do?

Get rid of dark circles for good

Permanently banish bags under the eyes

Reverse sunken in eyes

What to consider if you have dark circles under your eyes?

Order an IGG delayed food allergy panel to see if there are any food triggers that could be leading to your under eye circles.

Get your iron levels checked. This can cause dark circles and sunken in skin.

Are your eyes sunken in?

Overtime the skin underneath the eye can lose volume, increasing your amino acid intake can help with this. This is why collagen protein has become so common.

Wear your sunglasses, the sun can really age your eyes quickly.

Drink water! Drink half your body weight in water in ounces. So take your body weight and divide it by two to get your answer.

Check your iron levels here too, this could be another sign.

Are your eyes getting a lot of wrinkles?

You’re an expressive person! This isn’t a bad thing, but keep your hydration levels up.

If you are vegan, make sure you are getting enough oils. Rotate them: Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, olive oil, etc…

Now that we have gone over some internal factors of under eye aging, let’s talk about ingredients in products!

When choosing a product you want to make sure your active ingredients are start at or before the third line. If the active ingredients are listed down at the bottom, it’s probably not very effective. Not all products are created equal and expensive is not always better.

What are the best ingredients if you’re struggling with dark under eye circles?

Vitamin C

Lactic acid

Oligopeptide

Niacinamide

What are the best ingredients for sunken in eyes?

Hyaluronic acid

Caffeine

Collagen

Plant stem cells

Best ingredients for under eye wrinkles?

Peptides

Collagen

Hyaluronic acid

Retin-A or Retinol

Stumped on which eye cream to get? Share your thoughts!

Which Plant based Foods are Complete Proteins?

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What is a complete protein vs an incomplete protein?

A complete protein contains all amino acids and an incomplete protein is missing a few amino acids.

What foods do I recommend that contain complete proteins? I am going to list ones that may surprise you at first to expand your options in the kitchen.

Buckwheat comes at the top of this list! It is a dynamic grain and a wonderful alternative if you are allergic to gluten. Please make sure you soak Buckwheat over night in water and a pinch of salt, drain and then cook. Buckwheat can have a slightly nut like flavor to it and can also replace oatmeal in the morning.

Garbanzo Beans is next on this breakdown. I love garbanzo beans, or chick peas as some of us like to call them. The thing I adore the most about them is that they stabilize blood sugar and can be a great option for diabetic types. Also, hummus is delicious!

Spinach is another complete protein. Simply adding spinach can complete your meal. Who would have thought? If you have hypothyroidism, I would recommend steaming your spinach to cut down on goitrogens that can block your thyroid from functioning. I will have more information on that below. Remember, not all food is medicine if your body does not like it!

The foods I mentioned above are complete proteins but may not contain enough protein if you are highly active.

What are the top plant proteins?

Soybeans

Lentils

Black Beans

It is imperative that you soak all your beans over night, drain them, rinse and then cook. This will lower the lectin amount that could inhibit iron absorption. Iron levels can be an issue with vegetarians and vegans. Also, you will be able to digest the food better which means less embarrassing gassy slip ups on a date or at the dinner table.

There you have it! I hope this helped. Please reach out if you have any questions or share your favorite recipes containing these foods.

Amino Acid Information

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557845/

Buckwheat Recipes

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/buckwheat-recipes

Garbanzo beans

Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Goitrogens and Thyroid health

https://kresserinstitute.com/goitrogenic-foods-and-thyroid-health/

Lectins and how to reduce them for better absorption

Lectins

Why D-Beta Glucans are the Warriors of the Immune System

I don’t know about you, but the health of my immune system has been on the top of my mind lately. There is a lot of fear out there about getting sick and not being able to recover from it. I’m here to ease your mind with exciting research I found about D-Beta Glucans and what they can do for your immune health.

What are D-Beta Glucans?

D-Beta Glucan is a sugar molecule found in the cell wall of whole grains, mushrooms, yeast, and sea vegetables. If you can not obtain them from natural food sources, there are also Beta Glucan supplements that you can take.

What are some insights about D-Beta Glucans and how they can help the energetic immune function?

It can help balance out blood sugar levels. This jelly like substance hangs out in the small intestine which slows down nutrient and sugar absorption. This can be very beneficial for someone who suffers from insulin resistance because it prevents spiking of blood sugar.
Introducing D-Beta Glucans for cancer patients can help give their immune system a gentle workout and strengthen its odds of fighting cancerous cells.
Even if you are allergic to yeast, you can still safely take Beta Glucan as a supplement. When we are allergic to foods, it is usually the protein that our bodies are unable to digest, this does not contain enough protein for our bodies to have an allergic reaction to it.
Between 20-50mg a day is recommended if you are fighting off an infection.

How can we incorporate more D-Beta Glucans into our diet and how can it help heal the energetic immune function?

First we want to focus on creating an alkalizing meal with organic plant based nutrients with small amounts of organic and humanely raised animal protein for the amino acid benefits. Thinking about this energetically, we would want to look towards the gold element in the Chinese five elements.

I found a wonderful recipe that incorporates maitake mushrooms which is known for it’s high Beta Glucans. To better heal the immune system, it’s best to combine with other nutrients that fall within the gold element. This meal is packed with Vitamin A, D, Zinc and even some Probotics. I would tweak this a little and add some cayenne powder to help stimulate the sinus and move the lymph tissue and partner it with Licorice tea to protect the adrenals while fighting off an infection.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fried-farro-with-pickled-carrots-and-runny-eggs

One and a half cup of Oatmeal provides a good amount for fighting off infections.

Also, reishi, shaitake, and maitake mushrooms are known to contain therapeutic amounts of Beta Glucans.

Research links:

What is a immunomodulator?

https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/immunomodulators

What are Beta Glucans and how does it help with immune function?

https://draxe.com/nutrition/beta-glucan/

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/2/221/4689928?searchresult=1