You’ve likely heard how inflammation can negatively affect your health, but I bet you haven’t really thought about the role it’s playing in your current health situation.
It’s sometimes referred to as a silent killer, and has a bad reputation, but inflammation is not necessarily always a bad thing. It naturally occurs in response to injury and is helpful when you get hurt or even if you over-exercise. It’s a healing response to injury that protects and heals.
The big problem is chronic inflammation that comes as a result of the amount of stress your physical body is under on a daily basis. Under the wrong conditions, your body has a difficult time healing and can lead to symptoms caused by this inflammation like:
While inflammation does play a major role in the development of chronic diseases, the great news is, we can control chronic inflammation through lifestyle and daily behaviors.
A few simple ways to naturally reduce inflammation:
1. Focus on whole food nutrition
Toss out the processed and packaged foods that are filled with sugar and non-food ingredients. Gluten, dairy, sugar, and hydrogenated oils are 4 of the most inflammatory foods. Replace these with healthier alternatives anytime it’s possible to begin naturally reduce inflammation in your body.
Opt for more nutrient dense foods like pasture-raised meats, wild-caught fish, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Snack on fruit and vegetables and fill your plate with lots of color.
Great anti-inflammatory food sources that naturally contain antioxidants include oranges, red bell peppers, kiwi, avocados, sunflower seeds, tuna, halibut, grass-fed beef, blueberries, blackberries, and acai. Sulforaphane rich foods are also an excellent source and include vegetables such as broccoli, broccoli sprouts, and foods in the cabbage family.
2. Add herbs and spices to your meals
Spices not only add flavor, but they have great healing properties. Once you remove the inflammatory foods, you can add antioxidants to help protect your body from cellular damage.
Using antioxidants to clean up internal damage can help boost your cellular health and that means you have more energy, you feel stronger in your body, you improve your mood, and your brain works better.
This can be as simple as adding antioxidant rich spices into your food. Those are things like turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, cacao, and oregano.
3. Make sleep a priority
Aim for a 10 p.m. bedtime. Your body runs on a circadian rhythm, which is around the sun. You release the most melatonin starting around 10 p.m. And your liver and organ repair starts shortly after.
Deep sleep is responsible for making sure you feel fully rested when you wake up, and it occurs early in the evening.
REM sleep makes up the last 4 hours and it’s when your body focuses on the mental and emotional aspects of healing.
A solid bedtime routine will help set you up for successful sleep. Wind down by using softer lights or lamps instead of bright overhead lighting. This will mimic the natural going down of the sun. Turn off your technology and devices 1-2 hours before bedtime since artificial light can disrupt your sleep.
Take a few moments before bed to process your day and take note of a few things you’re grateful for so you can fall asleep in a more joyful state.
If tomorrow’s to-do list is already running through your mind, keep a notepad beside your bed to jot it down and let it go. It will be there tomorrow when you rise.
4. Spend time outside and move your body
Outdoor sunlight and fresh air helps you reset your circadian rhythm and helps you soak up vitamin D. Weather permitting, find an outdoor hobby you enjoy. You could go hiking, walking, swimming, kayaking. When weather is not permitting, bring nature indoors by using plants and stretch out on a yoga mat.
Nature has its own immune system and within a few hours of being outdoors, you can boost your immune systems for up to 30 days.
Nature also reduces stress, which is closely linked with reducing inflammation and the symptoms associated with it. Make outdoor activity a priority for a few hours per week to reset your mind and body.
When you pair daily movement with time outdoors, you will significantly improve your mood, reduce pain, increase energy, and reduce stress, which will greatly impact your overall health and reduce inflammation.
So before you pop another anti-inflammatory, give these a try.
If you’re looking for a straightforward approach to improving chronic conditions such as thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, extra body weight, or other digestive issues and hormone imbalances, research shows that working to naturally reduce inflammation in the body is a great way to improve the quality of your life and health.
If you’re looking for a personalized plan to address your overall health in a more natural way, you can check out the details of my services here.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One of the most
powerful tools when it comes to breast cancer is PREVENTION. Two keys to
prevention are micronutrients, and open detoxification pathways. We can prevent
tumors by providing the body with appropriate micronutrients, and we can repair
cellular damage by daily detoxification.
You may have heard the term “estrogen dominance.”
It’s one of the common hormone imbalances people experience today. It’s a
common cause of PMS, fibroids, infertility, and symptoms of menopause that we
assume are a normal part of life. We also see problems with estrogen in men
that can lead to prostate cancer, weight gain, and low libido. Thousands are
struggling with this today and don’t even know it. There are many symptoms associated
with estrogen dominance, but breast cancer is one of those. It is often caused
by the body’s inability to detoxify estrogen appropriately.
Estrogen is essential in the body. It’s important for reproductive health, skin, bones, and even contributes to us psychologically. When it’s in the body in excess, it can be converted into dangerous metabolites that cause DNA damage or drive specific cancers in the body.
Estrogen dominance is a problem today because we’re exposed
to xenoestrogens and many other chemical estrogens in our environment. These
cause disruptions in our endocrine system which lead to excess hormones in the
body.
How
are we exposed to this toxic estrogen?
Cosmetics and personal care products
are a big source. Things like shampoo and conditioner, makeup, body lotions,
and perfumes have endocrine disruptors. This is not only true for estrogens,
but also progesterone. Many of those lip plumpers or wrinkle reducers have
hormone disruptors in them. I use an app called Think Dirty
and it allows me to scan my personal care products to get rid of the ones that
have known endocrine disruptors.
Household cleaning products, air
fresheners, candles, and other fragrances we use in our homes can also disrupt
our hormones. You can use the EWG app and begin to switch some of your toxic
cleaning products with non-toxic versions.
Plastics are another big source.
There was a big movement to remove plastics from our home that contain BPA. The
problem is that BPA is not the only plastic hardener out there that disrupts
our hormones. So be careful purchasing bpa-free products because that doesn’t
necessarily mean they’re safe. Many of these products have been replaced with
other plastic hardeners such as BPS, which is even more toxic than BPA. Work
toward removing plastics from your home and use glass drinking bottles and pyrex containers, especially when using them
to heat foods or beverages.
Xenoestrogens can also be found in
our food. The best way to avoid these endocrine disruptors is to eat organic
foods that are free from pesticides and herbicides. Also, purchase grass-fed or
pasture-raised meat that is not fed hormones or antibiotics. Consuming cleaner,
organic, and local foods increases your vitamins and nutrients, which is
another way to prevent cancer and other diseases.
Doing small things every day that help limit your exposure to hormone disruptors can make a huge difference in the prevention of cancer and disease. Another way you can keep estrogen metabolism working for you and your body is to make sure that you have key micronutrients on board. Things like magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin B3, vitamin A, and cysteine are key nutrients for hormonal health. Lacking proper nutrition sets the stage for more serious illness like cancer to invade the body.
One of the tests I love to run is a micronutrient panel, which gives me guidance around whether or not I need to take steps to correct imbalance. Another great test for determining excess estrogen or an imbalance in hormones is the DUTCH test. This test can give insight into whether or not a person is estrogen dominant, or if a person is preferring a detox pathway that opens them up for DNA damage or a greater potential for cancer. These are great tests that allow us to take a peek inside the body and make corrections before a disease process begins.
Having
the right building blocks is a key component.
Every person is unique, inside and out. And there are many
things that affect our own personal nutritional needs, including age,
lifestyle, metabolism, prescription drug use, illnesses, and whether or not a
person is even absorbing nutrients. Cleaning up the body and repairing cellular
damage is a great way to prevent hormonal imbalance that can lead to things
like breast cancer and other disease processes.
Breast
cancer health is so much more than a mammogram.
Speaking of mammograms, thermography is actually a safer, painless, and more accurate alternative. Thermal imaging is a diagnostic technique that allows for early detection. While detection is an important part, the key is that we know how to reduce toxins from our environment that are contributing to breast cancer and other diseases.
We talked about some of the ways you can reduce your
exposure to cancer. These are great tools to help you reduce the risk factors
so you can decrease your chances of ever getting cancer.
Cancer doesn’t happen overnight. We talked about some of the
risk factors like heavy or painful periods, fibroids, weight gain, and
infertility. Other things to consider are, ovarian cysts, adult acne, chronic
fatigue, or autoimmune conditions. If you’re suffering from any of these things
or have a history of breast cancer in your family, or a history of a diet high
in processed foods, something like the DUTCH hormone test could be beneficial
when it comes to prevention.
The awesome thing is, even if you have a genetic
predisposition, you don’t have to be another statistic. You have a choice to
take your health into your own hands.
If you prefer video version, catch this 7 minute video with
the same information.
When we find something that truly drives us, and we know why, then we can set our focus on getting there, and the rest just kind of happens. That’s exactly what happened with me. Today I want to start from the beginning and tell you a little bit about why I do what I do.
I grew up on a typical Standard American Diet, however, my family was blessed with fresh farm foods, straight out of my grandparents garden. Like many of you, I also snacked on a lot of those fast food items growing up, like candy bars and sodas. I loved a good Snickers bar.
My symptoms of sickness actually started when I was a child. I remember my mawmaw looking at me one day and saying, “child you get every sickness that comes down this family line.”
What was she talking about?
Blood sugar issues, inability to pay attention, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea after meals. These were just some of the things I was experiencing as a very young child.
To my doctors, these things were called IBS, hypoglycemia, and ADD. This was me in grade school. The older I got, the more diagnoses I received. In college, my doctors called it depression, anxiety, hypothyroidism, and then came the dreaded perimenopause at age 29. Now all of these were just diagnoses, not to speak of the symptoms that actually came with them.
Migraines that lasted sometimes a month with no relief, chronic fatigue that would land me on the couch for a daily nap, sugar addiction, hair loss, stuttered speech, foggy thinking, poor memory and concentration, chronic pain and inflammation, acne… the list goes on. This list kept growing and growing, year after year, with no end in site.
UNTIL…
I decided that I would not live like this forever. I made a decision to get well, no matter the cost. I didn’t care how much time, money, effort, or pain it took. I was determined. One of the things I ask anyone who comes to me for advice on health today is, “rate yourself on a 1 out of 10 – how committed are you to living symptom-free, or as close to it as possible?” When you’ll do anything to change your current circumstances in your health (or any area for that matter), then you’re ready. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve had to turn people away who weren’t committed to making the changes needed to live in health.
What many people don’t tell you is that for some people, it’s hard work. When I started looking at what it would cost me to get well, I never worried about the finances- and we weren’t rich. It was everything I felt like I was giving up to get there. If the truth be known, that’s probably why I stayed sick for so long. I wasn’t ready to be well. I see people in that same place every single day, and it saddens me.
As a nation, we are getting sicker every year. How is that, when we’ve advanced so much in the field of medicine? I imagine it has a lot to do with the fact that we’re relying on big business to tell us what to put on the end of our forks, and what pills to take for our ailments.
We’ve forgotten the simple principles of healthy living, but another missing component is that there is so little education on the amount of toxins in our environment and in our food that we aren’t even aware of what we’re doing to our bodies to cause them harm. We’re also not educated on how to get rid of these toxins once our bodies become sick and diseased because of them.
What can we do about it?
On my journey to health, I learned that many of the chronic ailments we deal with on a daily basis can be taken care of by getting back to the basics of healthy living as our ancestors did, and implementing protocols that help us rid much of the toxicity we bring in on a daily basis, not only in our physical bodies, but in our minds as well.
It’s important that we begin to take an active role in our health instead of letting someone dictate how it should look for us. Our bodies are intelligent, but we were never intended to live on chemicals and call it food. Our convenience driven society has us in a place of sickness, and it’s my greatest desire for you to understand that you don’t have to stay there forever.
Hippocrates said it well, “if someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him.”
In the book I wrote, Healed His Way, you’ll find many of the same resources that I used to heal my body naturally, the way God intended. I use those same healing principles with the clients I work with today. They can work for you too.
It starts with you. You have a choice to bring health and healing into your own body. You make those decisions every single day, whether you realize it or not. When you’re ready to heal, your teacher will appear.
CLIENT TESTIMONY
I’d like to share with you a recent testimony from a client so that you understand how simple this process can look. My client is very similar to me. She came to me at age 22. I fell in love with the idea of helping her, because it was about the age I was when I started feeling my symptoms kick into high gear. When she came to me, she was looking to relieve what she called, “period episodes” right before her menstrual period began. Short story… This was so severe for her that she got so physically ill that she would pass out and even ended up in the hospital the week before we started working together.
Listen to what she has to say:
” I was looking to relieve period episodes/cramps. I would say it’s a 180-degree turnaround. I went from living in fear of what would happen when my period starts, eating foods that made me feel sluggish, not being very active or energetic throughout the day to a new version of me. Now I feel great with little to no symptoms. I don’t even know when my period is about to start. I eat healthy and I love it. I go to the gym because I want to, and feel awake and energetic throughout the entire day! My greatest accomplishment is that I have learned to do what is right for my body; I understand what certain foods do to my body; and I now take action to make the right food choices every day! I enjoyed working with Chelsie because of her honesty, confidence, encouragement, wisdom, and willingness to help me understand and go through the process with me. She is very relational and caring! She created the perfect plan that fit exactly what I needed. Her goal was to help me get to the root of my issue, resolve it, and to help me overcome whatever I was facing.
Thank you Chelsie for teaching me and walking with me through my health journey. I know things that I never learned in school about health. I am now confident and feel free to do the things I love (like travel) without feeling anxious or fearful of what could happen because of my health. I am beyond grateful to God that our paths crossed and that you imparted such wisdom and knowledge. Thank you for your passion and excitement and for changing my life!”
Tanya Yaremkiv Engelwood, CO
What are you doing to live your best life?
I encourage you to take authority over your future self today, whatever that may look like. Only you can determine what optimal health will look like for you.
Make today amazing, because you are amazing, and you deserve an amazing day!
I’m currently in the middle if a cleanse challenge with a group
of phenomenol ladies. I’ll say, for most people, cleansing brings weight loss –
especially if it’s done right. But my experience tells me that weight loss is
more than a simple diet. It can look quite different for a lot of people.
So many diets fail because they treat us human beings as if we were calculators. And the truth is, it’s not that simple. You can’t just say something as simple as high fat low carb works for everyone. Another truth for you– all diets work– at least for a period of time. And depending on if you have found the right one for your body or not, will determine how long it works for you. If they didn’t work, then people wouldn’t do them.
So why do we fail?
1. We don’t work on toxin removal
2. We give up way too soon
3. We aren’t honest and cheat our way through
4. We aren’t on the right program for our individual body
When we create a change in the body, the body begins to
respond. So something as simple as going on a diet and removing things like
starchy carbohydrates or sugar or sodas or junk food will give us somewhat of a
result.
And as a matter of fact, a lot of people stop dieting because they hit a plateau. But the truth about a plateau is that it’s also normal.
Plateaus can actually happen for many reasons.
1. The body holding water in place of the fat. It does this
as an energy saving mechanism. And when the body realizes you aren’t going to
refill those cells with fat, you’ll release it. That’s why some days on a diet,
you’ll wake up 3 pounds lighter and wonder how you lost all that mover night.
2. Body fat to muscle ratio Exchange. If you’re exercising,
you’re gaining muscle and the exchange prevents the scale from moving. Plain
and simple. BIA ( bioimpedance analysis) is a more accurate way of measuring. It
looks at more than just weight and can measure things like water and fat % as
well. If you talk to my clients, they will tell you that I believe your
bathroom scale is a big liar.
3. Inflammation. Releasing fat and toxins as well as stress
on the body, even in the form of good stress like exercise can lead to small
amounts of inflammation.
The reasons for plateau above are just a few obvious ones, but as I said earlier, the body is not that simple, and if we trust the process and keep pushing, we will overcome the plateau, if we’re on the right plan for our body.
What if you feel like you’re doing everything right with no
results?
You’re eating supposedly the right Foods, doing your aerobic
activity and weight lifting exercises, getting appropriate sleep, ridding your
body of toxins the best way you know how, and implementing stress-reducing
practices. You’ve been meditating, praying, starving, fasting, fueling yourself
on excess protein, trying diets like keto that supposedly work for everyone.
You get the point.
As I mentioned earlier, the body is not a calculator and
sometimes all of those things are great, but what if you have not found the
root to your weight problem?
What if eating all those healthy foods are actually poison in
your system? Take salmon, for example. It’s a healthy food for most people, but
if you have a sensitivity to it, then you’re actually adding fuel to your fire
of inflammation every time you consume it.
Food sensitivities are just one piece of the puzzle that I like to investigate when helping someone implement a healthy lifestyle change that will actually help them get to the root of their issues so they can live a life of freedom from the yo-yo diet.
There are many things that can upset our systems in a way that prevents us from overcoming our weight and metabolism issues. Things like:
-Hormones imbalance
-Eating the wrong foods for your body or in the wrong ratios
-Problems digesting your food appropriately or not absorbing
your nutrients
-Overgrowth of certain gut bugs or imbalance
Yep! You heard me right gut bugs can get in the way of you losing excess body fat. What am I talking about here? Parasites, bacterial infections, fungal infections, yeast. These are all things that can live in our bodies, but we need to get rid of certain ones and the balance of these bugs needs to be addressed. And the great thing is, you can test your gut to see what’s in there.
What’s next?
I love to empower those who are overweight and sick for
unknown reasons so they can get to the root of their health issues and live the
life they desire. Truth is, you were created for greatness. You were created to
live a life of free from sickness. You should not struggle everyday for the
rest of your life, whether it’s in your weight or suffering from nagging or
chronic symptoms like headaches, fatigue, food cravings or anything else for
that matter.
How long have you been struggling, friend? That is a very
important question. And what are you willing to do to end that struggle?
After dealing with symptoms of sickness in almost every organ
system of my body, I worked with some of the greatest mentors in the field of
functional medicine and have gained knowledge and understanding on how to
implement protocols that have helped thousands of others get to the root of
their health issues so they can truly live the life of their dreams.
What are you waiting for? I remember being sick of being
sick. My rock bottom was after years of suffering silently. I know you may be
doing the same right now. Or maybe you’re complaining. Either way, there’s hope
for you! All it takes is the right plan.
I’ll be sharing more about my journey and what I’ve done to
get well and help others do the same in upcoming articles. So stay tuned.
And if you feel a connection in a way that encourages you to do a little detective work in your own life, I’d love to share more about how you could do that. My book, Healed His Way is a simple straightforward read, and it’s a great place to start. And when you’re ready to go deeper with some one on one support, I’ll be here to provide you with the resources you need to do that.
I’m wishing you an amazing day of health and happiness!
Here’s an 8 minute video on the same content if you’d rather tune in here.
Did you know your thoughts can impact your physical health?
What you should know about the Mind-Body Connection…
I love to cleanse the body at least a couple times per year to do a little reboot. During this time, I implement different strategies that bring me what I need to clean up debris from old toxic patterns that I’ve allowed to creep in over the previous season.
Today I want to focus on cleansing from a mind-body
perspective. I believe the way we get the most bang for our buck (if you will)
is to see them as one.
THE PROCESS
It takes preparation when we decide to cleanse or detoxify
the body. I’ve found that it’s super important, especially in this day because
our environment has become a dumping ground for toxic waste. As a matter of
fact, detoxification was a complete game-changer for me during my health
journey, to the point that it’s something I use with every one of my clients
today. After experiencing health symptoms that I just couldn’t get rid of, like
foggy thinking, headaches, gas, bloating, indigestion, joint pain, waking up
tired in the mornings, and inability to sleep through the night, I worked to develop
a seasonal cleansing protocol based on the knowledge and experience I gained
from many of my mentors. In working with others, I also found that sometimes
all it takes for them to see a complete turnaround in their health is to give
them the same tools to implement these detoxification strategies on a regular
basis.
Cleansing has been a part of my life from the beginning,
since embarking on my journey to health. Along the way, I learned that cleansing
and detoxifying can be quite different. In short, we can cleanse the body by
eliminating certain foods and allowing the body to rest or reboot. You’ve probably
seen juice cleanses, and heard of people implementing certain types of fasts,
and even teas and other potions that are supposed to cleanse the body. There’s
nothing wrong with this, but if you are attempting to completely detoxify the
body, and clean up the cells, there needs to be certain components in place for
that to happen.
I come across many teachings that focus on detoxifying the
body but there are 2 things I want to focus on today that I feel are many times
missed in these discussions.
#1 the importance of the liver
#2 the importance of cleansing toxic thoughts
I know… these may seem super random, but I believe we
cannot cleanse a toxic body and leave a toxic mind alone. This is what I like
to refer to as the mind-body connection for cleansing and detoxification.
If the body goes through this detoxification process, but we
are still in a pattern of addiction and self-destruction due to traumatic
events that we have not processed, then we never move into a place of freedom.
PHYSICAL DETOX
I mentioned that cleansing and detox are quite different. The
process of physical detox actually requires a 3-step process. This is known as
the 3 phases of detoxification. For detoxification to take place in the body,
there must be certain vitamins, amino acids, and nutrients on board. The body
then goes through a systematic process to do the clean-up work.
Our liver is our major detoxification organ – so learn to
love your liver.
What happens in the 3 phases?
In phase
1, the liver uses enzymes and oxygen to break up the toxins.
In phase
2, the toxins are packaged up into a water-soluble package
In phase
3, the liver, kidneys, and intestines work to excrete the toxins
There are many things that can get in the way of
detoxification taking place in the body, but some of these include things like:
Overgrowth
of pathogenic microbes (parasites, bacteria, fungus) in the digestive tract
Lack of
fiber
Magnesium
deficiencies
Food
intolerance
Signs that you need to detox are:
Belly
bloat
Abdominal
fat – also known as “the spare tire effect”
Joint
and muscle pain
Feeling
exhausted all the time
Acid
reflux/heart burn
Dark
spots on your skin and dark circles under the eyes
Excessive
sweating or stinky sweat
Unexplained
weight gain
Headaches
Menstrual
Irregularities
MENTAL / EMOTIONAL DETOX
So now that you have a better understanding about what it
takes to do a physical detox, let’s talk about the mental/emotional aspect.
This is one topic I rarely see approached when there is a discussion around
detoxification. I imagine it is one of the most toxic things in our environment
though.
Thinking back to my own healing journey, this was one of the
most important for me. It’s actually where my journey began.
I remember when I wasn’t the most positive person. Growing up,
I wasn’t necessarily negative, but my self-talk wasn’t very good. I imagine
it’s something we could all work on. Most of us probably tend to be a little
harsh on ourselves compared to how we are with others we love.
We pick this up from those around us many times. And we also
have false notions of what’s really important in life because we watch things
go on around us and feel like we have to live up to the worlds ideas instead of
creating our own.
Conforming to those around us and the things of this world
can be very toxic to our mind and emotional state.
In my time of working through my own issues and helping
others do the same, I’ve found that our mind has the ability to control us and
bring us into negative thought patterns if we allow it.
We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind,
on a daily – and even moment-by-moment basis. This means we have a choice in
where we end up emotionally. We can either become victim to our emotions,
sickness, or other circumstances, or we can go THROUGH them and find strength
to endure.
We detox our thoughts and mind by casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. That
means casting down negative thought patterns like fear, anxiety, worry,
depression, and doubt. We are to process our experiences and go through them.
If we don’t bring our thoughts into captivity and choose to process them, then
they will hold us captive and we will assume the position of being a victim to our
very own thoughts.
MIND-BODY CONNECTION
Toxic thoughts become toxic to us physically. When we believe
we are sick, overweight, broke, ugly, then we become those things, because
whatever we focus on, we bring about.
I work with people on a daily basis who believe these things.
I work with them to shift these thought patterns so they believe what is true,
instead of believing a lie. The things we worry about are things that we dream
up in our subconscious. They are many times things that don’t even matter.
Other times these are thoughts that arise because we’ve been through a
traumatic event. But if we fail to process these thoughts, then we will become
their slaves.
In the physical body, there’s a shift in our cellular makeup that actually can create physical matter. Dr. Caroline Leaf is one of the greatest researchers in this area. She says that disease is created first as a negative thought.
Whatever you meditate on and think about it in your heart,
you will become. This world was created by a thought that was verbalized, when
God said, “let there be light.” And there was light. So that thought became a
physical reality. That’s exactly how your thoughts and language and body work
together.
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE ACTION?
As you can see from above, there are things that need to be
in place for you to physically clean up your cells appropriately. I encourage
you to work with a qualified professional if you are feeling any of the
symptoms mentioned. You want to make sure you have the right things in place,
including nutrients as well as make sure you are eliminating properly before
implementing any detoxification program.
My desire is that you understand this information in a way
that allows you to implement it on a regular basis – not only that, but learn
the tools you need so you can one day do it on your own.
If you’re ready for a different take on losing weight,
getting rid of depression and anxiety, and ridding things like digestive upset,
headaches, pain and inflammation, swollen legs and feet… if you want to learn
how to live in health in your mind and body so you can live your best life,
then join me and the others who have already made the decision to invest in
themselves for my seasonal
cleanse challenge.
If you missed the window to register, that’s okay! Check out my coaching page and stay tuned for other coaching programs you can access to invest in your health.
I receive a lot of questions about foods containing gluten.
And that’s why I’ve dedicated my past 2 health articles to the subject. You may
say, “you seem a little obsessed with gluten. What’s the truth about this
food?” I’ll share a little bit more today, in a different light. Let’s
look at one of the questions I get posed often.
“If it was good enough in the biblical days,
what’s wrong with it today?”
This is where my interest is piqued because I love the word
of God and I love science and nutrition.
In the biblical days, the harvesting of wheat was an annual
event. An abundant harvest was a sign of abundant blessing. Wheat and bread
were also seen as acceptable sacrifices to God. Jesus even spoke about bread,
saying that He was the bread of life. He taught us to pray and thank God for
our daily bread. He even performed miracles and multiplied bread to feed
thousands.
While all of these things are true, nowhere in the Bible does
it tell us that bread was created to be a staple and sustain us and provide us
health.
The big problem was discussed by cardiologist, Dr. William
Davis, in his book called Wheat
Belly. Like many of the foods we know today, the crossbreeding of
wheat and non-wheat began many decades ago, in hopes that we would yield a
higher crop. It worked!
The problem is, today’s wheat isn’t even wheat after using
chemicals, high-dose gamma rays, and x-rays. Over the years, we’ve seen about a
400% increase in things like celiac disease, diabetes, obesity, and other
inflammatory diseases. This hybridization decreases the amount of amino acids
we receive as well as the nutrient content. He recommends that everyone
completely eliminate this food for that very reason.
So, is this gluten free craze really a big deal
or is it just another flawed fad?
Here’s where the science comes in.
Gluten has been found to either contribute to or cause over
200 disease states, some of them being heartburn, anemia, thyroid disease,
autoimmune disease, depression, migraines, chronic fatigue, gas and bloating,
dizziness, skin rashes, gallbladder malfunction, and even infertility.
My personal experience is that I had EVERY symptom above
except autoimmunity and infertility- likely all related to gluten exposure and
consumption.
Here are a few other pieces of information that
come from the research:
Consuming excessive amounts of gluten can cause either
excessive weight gain or excessive weight loss.
Children with hyperactivity and learning disabilities who are
placed on a gluten-free diet typically respond very well and show improvement
in symptoms.
Gluten can be found in cosmetics and body care products and
can cause the same problems as if it were consumed through food.
According to gluten expert, and author of No Grain, No Pain, Dr.
Peter Osborne, the hallmark symptoms of celiac disease can also be caused
by corn, soy, dairy, viral, and parasite infections –
which all create intestinal permeability. For more information on that topic,
check out my health article on warning
signs your body gives you when something isn’t right.
Eating processed foods that are labeled gluten-free is a bad
idea. Even truly gluten free processed foods are often cross contaminated about
41% of the time.
About 92% of people who follow a traditional gluten-free diet
still have symptoms related to consumption of these processed foods as well as
corn, rice, quinoa, and other grains.
Those who have issues with gluten can have issues consuming
dairy, since it is a cross-reactive food.
You may ask if it’s worth giving it a shot, giving up gluten.
I know how difficult it can be to remove foods like this from your diet. I know
the cravings, the addictions, the comfort, and feeling like you have no idea
what to eat when you remove certain foods or food groups from your diet.
I will also tell you 100 times over that I didn’t realize how
important my health was until I hit rock bottom and had none left. If you asked
me today what I would be willing to experience the healthy life that I have today,
my answer would be, ” all I have to give!” There is no food worth
losing your health over, and there is no amount of money I would not be willing
to spend to be where I am today. To me, food is a tool and money is a tool. You
simply can’t put a price on health, no matter what you must give up.
What’s next?
It can take up to 3 years to repair the body and recover from
gluten induced disease. Every time you’re exposed, it extends the healing
process. The best way to test for gluten sensitivity is through DNA lab testing,
or just remove it as Dr. Davis suggests.
My desire is for you to feel better than you ever remember
feeling in your life so you can live your best life. You are made to live a
life greater than you can probably imagine right now, and truth is, if you
don’t feel like it, then you simply won’t do and be all you were created to.
If you are looking to gain access to the tools you need to
investigate your health concerns further, I’d love to take the opportunity to get
to know you a little better and offer feedback on a Complimentary Discovery Call.
When you’re ready, complete
my online form and you’ll receive a link to schedule your call
with me.
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