Even with many advancements in diagnostics and medical care, heart disease continues to be the number one cause of death – responsible for one third of deaths globally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Leading risk factors for heart disease and stroke are high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.”
To identify potential weaknesses in the cardiovascular system, start by checking your comprehensive metabolic panel along with discussing your particular symptoms with your holistic practitioner to confirm areas of weakness.
Your practitioner should work with you to help improve and strengthen your cardiovascular system and thereby help reduce your risk of developing heart disease. They should educate you on the importance of lifestyle changes as it pertains to improving your health foundations.
Specific foundations I encourage my clients who have heart support needs is the following:
limit or remove all processed sugar
increase healthy fats
add garlic and fennel to their daily nutrition plan
include sweat-inducing exercise 3-5 days per week
get 7-8 hours of sleep per night
stay hydrated by drinking half their body weight in ounces (4-5 ounces every 30 minutes)
consider supplements such as CoQ10, turmeric, omegas, and digestive enzymes
Cortisol, often referred to as the “stress hormone”, is not actually that. We call it this because when our adrenals are overactive from stress we can have too much cortisol. Cortisol is actually our wake hormone. When functioning properly, cortisol is released in the early hours of the morning to gently wake us up and keep us awake throughout the day.
In my practice many people have overworked adrenals and their cortisol has been working overtime from excess stress which will eventually cause a reversal of energy. This causes a difficulty waking up and usually a surge of energy around 7pm coupled with a difficulty going to sleep.
To support proper adrenal function, it is important to remove all sources of caffeine as that can cause your endocrine system more confusion by telling you that you do not need wake hormone in the morning since you are providing a shot of caffeine. This will cause you to be extremely tired at around 2pm.
It is best to wake to natural sunlight, or use a full spectrum light and look at this light for about 10 minutes while doing deep breathing exercises. Drink around 8 ounces of pure water to oxygenate your cells and help mitochondrial function (ATP) to wake up. Reduce stress and consider taking some adaptogenic herbs to allow your body to adapt to stress better such as ashwagandha, cordyceps, or turmeric.
One of our favorite menopause relief items is phototherapy used with the right probiotic! Ask me about the right patch and check out these amazing benefits when you use the right probiotic strains together!
Microbiome-18 by PRL contains eight powerful strains, clinically tested for their menopausal support properties along with 10 other strains that are highly beneficial for your overall health!
Strain #1: B. Subtilis is a rare probiotic that is highly effective for digestion. A study of 200 people showed an average 8.5% impact on weight after several weeks of consuming.
Strain #2: B. Longum activates genes that impact fat metabolism and support our levels of blood sugar in the body. B. Longum can help support the immune system. 70% of the immune system is located in the intestines. Good gut bacteria can maintain a healthy immune response, which can also support the gut wall to improve digestive issues such as IBS and gluten intolerance.
Strain #3: B. Breve is a special strain has been shown to support digestion, manage inflammatory responses, and help cholesterol levels. B. Breve may also help improve the appearance and hydration of healthy hair and skin by preventing water loss and improving the skin’s elasticity.
Strain #4: L. Plantarum is a probiotic that can help break down food, absorb nutrients, and helps improve the immune system to fight off the unwanted organisms that might cause diseases. This strain also helps relieve menopause symptoms and improves sleep. It is one of the main strains in the mouth and it supports dental health.
Strain #5: L. Rhamnosus helps to relieve bloating and other IBS symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, and gas. It may also help to suppress appetite and food cravings for women. L. Rhamnosus also supports the relieving hot flashes and night sweats.
Strain #6: L. Casei supports better sleep and helps relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. L. Casei also may help improve the appearance and hydration of healthy hair and skin by preventing water loss and improving the skin’s elasticity.
Strain #7: L. Acidophilus supports the relieving hot flashes and night sweats. Women between 40 and 60 that supplemented with Lactobacillus acidophilus noticed improvements in menopause symptoms. This strain helps menopausal women with fatigue, vaginal dryness, and nervousness. L. Acidophilus promotes heart health by helping to maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels already within normal range. This helps to support a healthy cardiovascular system.
Strain #8: L. Bulgaricus is important for maintaining dental hygiene and health. It plays a role in preventing intestinal diseases and supporting the immune system.
Combining Strains L. Acidophilus, L. Casei and L.Plantarum –When taken together, these strains helped to influence mental well-being in a positive way. Improvements are noted in mood, with a marked decrease in depression and anger and an increase in overall positivity. There is also a decrease in cortisol over time when taking these strains together.
Get Microbiome-18 and other great supplements like NAD-H, NAC, and PQQ at:
Coffee… considered by many to be the elixir of life and even called the elixir of the gods. Many humans cannot even function in the morning before their cup-of-joe ritual. On the other side did you know that coffee is toxic? No one needs coffee, but somehow everyone is addicted to it. All of the popular posts on why coffee is good for you are false. They are written by addicts trying to justify their addiction. In a nutshell, coffee disrupts your endocrine system. Coffee is not the elixir of life… coffee is the elixir of death.
Too dramatic? Let me help you understand why coffee is bad.
Coffee torpedoes your endocrine system. Your endocrine system are the glands that regulate all of your hormones throughout your entire body. There are eight major endocrine glands (13 in total) and they regulate practically every aspect of your world from your metabolism, sleep patterns, energy, moods, temperature, growth and development, blood pressure, stress response, and pretty much everything surrounding reproduction and your sex life.
Put simply, your hormones regulate your life, and coffee disrupts them all.
Imagine a world where you sleep well, wake up refreshed and fully energized, your metabolism is working properly, your moods are stable throughout the day, your stress response is in tip top shape, etc etc? Pretty great right?
Stop drinking coffee! Do it for 30 days. Stick to it! You’ll feel so much better after the 30 days! Your endocrine system will start to heal and your natural energy will return.
COFFEE SWAP PROTOCOL
Stop all caffeine consumption of any kind. No coffee, no decaf, no tea (herbal is fine), no caffeinated sodas, no chocolate, no Excedrine or pills containing caffeine.
Drink lots of alkaline water. At least half your body weight in ounces. Example: if you are 200lbs then divide that by two swap the lbs to oz to give you a daily intake of 100 oz of water. Add 20 ounces if you workout (which you should). Drink this water slowly at a rate of 4-5 ounces every 30 minutes. Doing this will keep you properly hydrated.
Swap your morning coffee with Dandy Blend Instant Herbal Beverage with Dandelion. You can buy single use packet sticks on Amazon. Use 1 packet with every 4-6 ounces. The less water you use, the more like coffee it will taste. Teeccino is one that tastes very much like coffee and is also from dandelion or chicory root. Add some natural sweetener if you like, but dandelion is sweet already. Adding cream is not necessary but you are welcome to if you want it to be more creamy.
Optional to speed up detox: Juice at least once per day. Masticating juicers are best, but a centrifugal juicer is fine too. Drink 12-16 ounces of juiced dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach. Add cucumber, celery, and green apples. Use fresh ginger too if you are experiencing nausea. Drink within 15 minutes of juicing to obtain the most benefits.
Take a hot bath every night with 2 cups Epsom Salt for the first 7 nights. For the remainder of the detox take 2 baths per week. If you do not have access to a bath, a foot bath will do (use a large bowl with warm to hot water or buy a foot tub).
Get a circulation enhancing deep tissue massage once a week. These are often called sports massage and will encourage blood flow. If you are unable to get a massage, preform one on yourself by rubbing firmly each limb, away from your heart.
Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. A brisk walk is fine. You must maintain a higher heart rate and should be sweating by 10 minutes into the exercise. If you’re able to freely talk to someone then you’re not trying hard enough. You must get your lymphatic system moving.
Give yourself freedom to nap and sleep longer. If napping in is not an option, then make sure you go to sleep 2 hours earlier than normal.
Expect to be crabby! Your body won’t be happy but it’s important to stick with this for the full 30 days. Mood swings and a bad temper are to be expected. You may use several emotion supporting essential oils such as Lavender, Sandalwood, Frankincense, and Black Spruce, and emotional supporting supplements such as Turmeric and Vitamin D3.
I’ve helped hundreds of women go off coffee with this. They all tell me that they wanted to prove me wrong only to find out what a blessing it has been for them. I hope this blesses you and I’m here for support if you need it!
