What are Small New Year Changes that can make a Big Difference

Happy New Year, it’s already 1 week into the new year! Now is a time a lot of people like to make New Year’s Resolutions. But 23% of people have already quit by 1 week, and only 36% make it to the 1 month according to a US statistic. But I believe in you! You can do better than that and make this year one of momentum, success and health. You can get what you desire without it being overwhelming. Here are some Tips that I hope will be helpful and inspiring to you:

Don’t

-Make a long list of things to NOT do (you may feel like a little kid being told you can’t do something), and it probably won’t work.

Do

-Choose only 1 thing you can add to your life that will make it better.

-Set a time and time frequency you will do this (For example working out M, W, F after work).

-Anchor it to an activity you already do, so it is easier not to forget it if possible. (For example, meditate for 10 minutes daily after breakfast. If you usually eat breakfast, you make the meditation a habit that goes along with your breakfast). Photo Credit Aaron Davis

-Add another thing you would like to do ONLY AFTER you’ve achieved the first consistently. It will be very tempting to make a list of a few things to change, but often that leads to falling short. Feeling behind is not a fun feeling and people sometimes end up giving up on everything. Instead if you only focus on 1 thing, and do it well, you will start to feel a sense of accomplishment. This sense of achievement feels good and serves as a fuel and motivator for when you are ready to implement the next thing. Everything starts getting easier.

“Slow down and take things 1 step at a time”

Emotions:

We are all human and have emotions. That is what makes life colorful. Sometimes some emotions get in the way of our productivity, our health, and our relationships. I was listening to something the other day and was reminded that:

“Emotional pain lasts 20 minutes, the rest is self-inflicted.” -Manu Shahi

It is humbling to realize that we create most of our own suffering. It is easier to blame our suffering on our circumstances, or what someone did or said to you. But if we can remember to reel in our thoughts so that what we think is true, lovely, life giving, and full of gratitude, this mental state is the fuel for creating positivity in your life and powerful to shift out of what no longer is acceptable.

A strong spiritual state, a strong mind, and resilient emotions are what makes you successful, whether your focus is on more money, more resources, improved relationships, or health. When you take the time to grow in this aspect, the rest comes so much more easily. Let me know if I can help you with any of these aspects. If there is an imbalance in your life, don’t settle and make excuses for it. Even if you don’t see a solution, perhaps seeking the help of the right professional can exponentially speed up and simplify the path to your goals. Happy New Year!

No More Toxic Make Up Removers

Usually I’m able to wash off my makeup with a natural cleanser and water. But some waterproof eye makeup can be difficult to remove without a product. Many makeup removers contain chemicals like isohexadecane, poloxamer 184, benalkonium chloride, methylparaben, sodium benzoate etc. Photo Credit Sunshinecity

It isn’t necessary to ingest toxins for them to enter your body. The skin has a high absorption rate. In fact there are approximately 60,000 deaths per year in the US due to transdermal exposure, and 860,000 occupational reported illness from transdermal absorption of chemicals. Depending on the type of chemical and area of the skin anywhere from 8-70% can be absorbed trans dermally.

Most make-up products are not going to cause immediate issues and are considered “safe”. But the question is how safe? Many products are endocrine disruptors which means they can contribute to hormonal imbalances. Some products such as Vaseline are a petroleum-based product (like gasoline). Some chemicals may cause irritation, inflammation and dryness of the skin.

Well I discovered something a couple weeks ago and want to share with you. It’s very simple. Start with a warm soapy cleanser. Then apply an olive oil, bees wax, vitamin E type of salve to the areas you would usually need a make-up remover. Let the natural salve soak for about 1 minute and everything gently wipes off. It doesn’t need to be a synthetic oil based make-up remover to work. Natural oils work too! I was so happy when I discovered this and wanted to share it with you.

Fat and Hormones. Where’s the fat located on your body?

Does fat in different places of your body corresponds to different kinds of hormone imbalances?

Have you tried to exercise and diet, but still find it hard to lose weight? It turns out certain hormone imbalances can keep you from getting the results you want, even if you’re doing the right things to be healthy. This can be frustrating if you’ve put in a lot of effort with minimal or no results. It turns out where you tend to accumulate fat can be a tell tail sign of what system of your body is out of balance.

Belly Fat

Belly fat is usually related to cortisol imbalance. Stress is a bad culprit to belly fat. If you have a saggy belly starting from the navel down, it is usually related to adrenal issues. If your belly is protruding, it can often be related to liver issues. An apple shaped belly is associated with an increased risk to cardiovascular disease. Photo credit TipsTimesAdmin

Thigh Fat

Accumulation of fat in the upper thighs is often associated with female hormone imbalance. Often there is estrogen dominance. This can be either too much estrogen, or more estrogen in relationship to progesterone. The liver processes and detoxifies estrogens and if this is not functioning well, there can be too much “bad estrogens” which have an inflammatory and proliferative (abnormal cell growth, cancer risk) effect.

Upper Arm Fat

Fat in the upper arms or near the triceps can indicate issues with the thyroid. Hypothyroidism is often associated with overall weight gain, dry skin, fatigue, low body temperature or constipation. That is not to say that there are some very thin patients who have hypothyroidism. Some patients have subclinical hypothyroidism even though they have TSH levels within the normal range. It is important to check thyroid hormones such as Free T3 and Free T4 also when doing thyroid lab testing. Often times there is a correlation between adrenal imbalance leading to thyroid imbalance.

Puffy Face

Extreme “moon face” is associated with Cushing’s syndrome which is diagnosed by abnormally high levels of cortisol. This is not a common diagnosis. If you look back to photos 10 years ago and notice your face has become puffier than before, it can indicate lymphatic congestion, need for improved liver and kidney detoxification. Puffy eyes can be a sign of stress, lack of sleep or hidden good allergies.

Overall Weight Gain

I usually look at both sex hormones and blood sugar levels when there is overall weight gain. Patients who tend to feel hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) are more prone to diabetes (high blood sugar) a few years later if left unchecked. Hypoglycemic crashes can lead to excessive carbohydrate or sugar consumption to correct the low blood sugar symptoms (irritability, decreased concentration, hunger, shakiness, feeling weak etc). Diets high in carbohydrates and aging can lead to insulin resistance. Did you know “Stressed” spelled backwards is “Dessert”? This means the body needs to secrete more and more insulin before blood sugar is balanced. But the problem is insulin can make you gain weight.

So the strategy is getting the body to secrete as little insulin as possible for proper blood sugar levels without the weight gaining effects of insulin resistance. If you are wanting to get to the bottom of why you are gaining weight or having difficulty losing weight, please reach out and I would be happy to partner with you. It is possible to achieve the look you desire and be healthier.

Are there good and bad forms of calcium? Isn’t it just calcium?

When they talk about taking calcium, isn’t all calcium, calcium? Have you seen the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast? Beauty can be coupled with the “beast” or she could be coupled with the “prince”. Which would you prefer? Turns out in chemistry, elements like calcium, iron, magnesium etc. cannot exist alone but is coupled with another molecule of opposite charge to be stable.

Going back to the periodic table, the calcium element has a charge of 2+, so it would need to be coupled with a molecule with a 2- charge in order to exist and be stable. So when we talk about calcium is coupled with something else and that something else does make a difference to the human body. Photo Credit Science Activism

For example, here are some different forms of calcium: Calcium Carbonate and Calcium Citrate.

Calcium Carbonate is basically chalk. Not very absorbable. Too much of it can even contribute to the formation of calcium deposits, hardening of arteries, inflammatory micro-adhesions to name a few. Unfortunately, calcium carbonate is found in most calcium supplements, Tums, etc and most people don’t know it.

A study in the American Journal of Therapeutics showed that absorption by the human body of calcium citrate was 27% higher than calcium carbonate. Another study showed that women taking calcium carbonate for osteoporosis did not have decrease in fractures. Therefore, if you are wanting to take calcium for bone health, most calcium on the shelf “calcium carbonate” would not be as effective.

Calcium citrate is much safer and more bioavailable than calcium carbonate. But even better than calcium citrate is MCHC Micro Crystalline Hydroxyapatite Complex. This is basically a mineral complex that contains calcium and other minerals that are part of the human bone structure. Studies show that calcium carbonate slowed bone resorption (bone loss) by 50%, but that MCHC almost stopped it completely. MCHC also improves the architecture of bone, so that its structure is much more durable and stable against fractures.

Besides taking the right type of calcium, it is also important how your body metabolizes calcium. This means how calcium moves in and out of cells and also how much calcium exists inside cells and outside of cells. Improper calcium metabolism is associated with over 150 diseases, so this is actually something important though often overlooked. For example improper calcium metabolism can contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease, multiple sclerosis and various auto-immune diseases. If you need help with finding the right forms of supplements for yourself or want to delve deeper in underlying health issues you are dealing with, please reach out and I will be happy to help you.

Worried About Your Health A Lot?

“I’ve tried everything.” “I just want some results.” “I know healing takes time, but I’ve been dealing with this for years.”

Are you already taking a lot of supplements and trying to eat well? You are a little better but nowhere near where you want to be with your health yet. You wonder if another test will find out what is wrong. But treating the test results doesn’t seem to do much. What is missing? Photo credit: Jose Navaro

In Japan every kid is taught in school byoukiwakikara which translates to “every disease starts with your emotions.”

I’m not saying it is your fault you are sick. On the flip side, your sickness is also not completely out of your control. The laws of nature (cause and effect) is that negative emotions produce frequencies, congestion, and even biological hormones and molecules that change your physical body in a bad way making it more prone to disease.

So the key to reversing disease is to strategically apply emotions that benefit health. We need to train your thinking to create health promoting emotions and to stop thoughts that are counterproductive. But you say to yourself, “how can I not worry about my health? I will be at peace once these symptoms are gone and my health is better.” It is understandable that your health concerns are scary, worrisome, and weigh on you.

I’ve been on a mission to guide my patients to understand and be willing to take the bold step to do the opposite of what they have been doing. Worrying actually does not make you better, it just gives you the illusion you have some control over what you feel you cannot control, such as your sickness. If you can choose to let the stress, worry, anger, fear, resentment, and disappointment go, you are choosing to put yourself on a “fast track” and “non-impeded” path to healing.

Sometimes it feels like if you stop thinking about your health or stop worrying about it, that you are giving up, being irresponsible, or letting the ball drop. This is not true. Just like you can do

-the action: of washing dishes

-and not think about if the dishes are clean enough for hours after you washed them.

You can also take

-the action: of taking supplements, eating well, going to your health appointments

-and not think about or worry your health so frequently.

It is difficult to do this, often because of how our nervous systems are programed and the difficult circumstances you are in. If you are willing, there are therapies I offer that can shift your nervous system to make controlling your emotions easier, so that you can put your physiology in the chemical state that speeds up healing. Pranic Healing also uses specific researched protocols that work on certain chakras, energy centers and organs in certain orders for certain specific health issues.

For example, if we need to work on the immune system, I work on strengthening the bone marrow because it produces the white blood cells. The basic chakra controls the bone marrow and needs to be worked on. The lymphatic system is important to clear out the viruses, bacteria, mold and toxins and is controlled by the throat chakra which we also work on for the immune system.

You may have noticed that if you are more stressed, have a disagreement with someone, overwhelmed or have difficulty saying no, that you are more susceptible to getting sick. How this is connected is because basic chakra is about feeling safe, belonging, OK and calm. The throat chakra is about being understood, heard, able to express yourself, or say no when you need to. This is an example of how the mind and body are related. Healing the parts of the body through Pranic Healing give double benefit because they help with your physical issues with an added benefit of improved emotional life.

There are protocols for almost every health condition and I feel so blessed to get to practice these additional tools. They have resulted in healing in even some of the more complicated cases. Please reach out to me and I would be happy to discuss how to specifically help your situation.