Empowering You Organically - Audio Edition

Latest Episodes:

A Superhero Herb for Body & Brain: KSM-66 Ashwagandha Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

Ashwagandha is an important herb used in the ancient Indian system of medicine known as Ayurveda to promote general health and well-being. In Ayurvedic practice, ashwagandha is classified as a Rasayana, which means an herb or preparation that rejuvenates, extends life, and promotes a youthful state of physical and mental health. Listen in to discover more about ashwagandha's incredible health benefits in general and a special potent "superhero" form known as KSM-66 ashwagandha. What Does Ashwagandha Do? Ashwagandha's superpower is that it is an adaptogen. Adaptogens are non-toxic therapies that normalize our bodily functions – both physical and mental – that are thrown out of balance when we are exposed to chronic, uncontrolled stress. They do so by correcting imbalances in the neuroendocrine and immune systems [2]. In short, adaptogens enhance our ability to cope with stress. There are more than 35 natural compounds in ashwagandha including alkaloids, steroidal lactones, saponins, and with anolides. These compounds have been shown to have anti-stress activity in multiple laboratory models of chronic stress and in some human studies as well [1-5]. Additionally, ashwagandha extracts as well as specific bioactive compounds present in this plant – primarily in the roots – have been shown to help: counter pain and joint swelling associated with arthritis • boost various components of the immune system • protect the brain and nervous system • slow down or even kill abnormal cells • enhance both male and female sexual desire and function What Is KSM-66 Ashwagandha? KSM-66 Ashwagandha is a high-concentration ashwagandha root extract manufactured and sold by Ixoreal Biomed, located in Hyderabad, India [6]. Ashwagandha KSM-66 is made solely from ashwagandha roots, which contain its main bioactive ingredients, without using any other parts that are considered to be less effective. A unique feature of KSM-66 ashwagandha is that it's standardized to a withanolide content of at least 5 percent. Withanolides are a group of around 300 naturally occurring steroid compounds, some of which are naturally present in ashwagandha. One example is Withaferin A, an anti-inflammatory compound that has also been shown to stop tumors from growing their own blood vessels, slowing down their growth, and perhaps even shrinking them. Last but not least, KSM-66 ashwagandha is produced by a unique extraction process, based on the principles of "green chemistry," without using alcohol or any synthetic solvents. Let's take a closer look now at some of KSM-66 ashwagandha's benefits for health. What Too Much Cortisol Does to the Body Any stressful event in our lives causes our adrenal glands to produce cortisol, a steroid hormone that acts to control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, lower inflammation levels, influence memory formation, and manage salt and water balance [7]. The more stressed we are and the longer we're stressed, the more our adrenals respond by releasing cortisol into our bloodstream. Too much cortisol in the blood over a prolonged period of time can lead to: rapid weight gain high blood pressure osteoporosis muscle weakness mood swings anxiety, depression, or irritability increased thirst and frequency of urination [7] Ongoing high cortisol levels can also eventually cause a lack of sex drive in men. In women, periods typically become irregular, less frequent, or may even stop altogether (amenorrhea). How Can Ashwagandha Help Us Cope With Stress? To answer this question, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of KSM-66 ashwagandha (which, as mentioned above, is a high-concentration, full-spectrum ashwagandha root extract) in 64 adults [5]. After 60 days of treatment, the study authors observed a "substantial reduction" in four separate measures of stress in the study participants. KSM-66 ashwagandha also reduced levels of the hormone cortisol in the blood. By lowering cortisol, ashwagandha tones down the body's response to stressful situations, in effect "calming us down." No serious adverse events were reported [5] and the study researchers concluded that: "High-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual's resistance towards stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life." Similarly, in another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 60 stressed but otherwise healthy adults were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or an ashwagandha root extract once daily for 2 months [8]. At the end of the study, participants given ashwagandha showed a significant reduction in their stress, anxiety, and depression scores. Once again, ashwagandha consumption was associated with a greater reduction in the levels of cortisol in the blood, when compared with placebo [8]. The Connection Between Stress and Obesity Chronic stress has been associated with many illnesses, including obesity. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, ashwagandha consumption was seen to lead to significant reductions in emotional and uncontrolled food cravings while also lowering cortisol, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) in 52 subjects subjected to chronic stress [9]. Indeed, laboratory experiments in mice have shown that one of the main active ingredients in ashwagandha known as Withaferin A can protect against obesity caused by a high-fat diet by reducing inflammation in the liver, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance [10]. These and other findings make it clear that ashwagandha is a powerful tool in our battle against ongoing stress, likely by regulating various specific aspects of our hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This is an interactive neuroendocrine system that plays a key role in maintaining our body's internal equilibrium, along with orchestrating our body's response to stress. Ashwagandha Benefits for Joint Pain Ashwagandha is a key ingredient in many Ayurvedic formulations prescribed for joint-related conditions such as osteoarthritis. Indeed, many research studies show that ashwagandha and its bioactive ingredients help to manage and reduce inflammation levels. For instance, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over clinical trial published in 1991, 42 patients with osteoarthritis were randomized to receive a formula containing ashwagandha, frankincense, turmeric, and zinc – or placebo – for three months [11]. Clinical efficacy was evaluated every 15 days in terms of severity of pain, morning stiffness, Ritchie articular index (a weighted score of tenderness and swelling in 53 joint groups, each scored on a 0-3 scale), joint score, disability score, and grip strength. Throughout the study, the herbal formula was seen to significantly reduce the severity of joint pain and disability. No significant adverse effects were reported. In another study, 86 patients with joint pain were given 5 grams of ashwagandha powder twice a day for three weeks with lukewarm water or milk [12]. Then these patients took another Ayurvedic preparation known as Sidh Makardhwaj – a formulation used in rheumatoid arthritis and neurological disorders – daily for the next four weeks. Treatment with ashwagandha and Sidh Makardhwaj for seven weeks led to significantly improved scores of joint swelling, tenderness, and pain, indicating that this combination treatment is likely to be beneficial in rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, in laboratory experiments, an ashwagandha root extract was seen to reduce inflammation in knee cartilage taken from chronic osteoarthritis patients [13]. Ashwagandha for Boosting Endurance, Muscle Strength, and Recovery Ashwagandha has long had the reputation of being able to enhance cardiovascular endurance and physical performance. As stated earlier, consuming this herb is said to impart the strength and stamina of a horse [1]. In a prospective, double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled study, KSM-66 ashwagandha was shown to significantly boost cardiorespiratory endurance and improve self-reported quality of life (QOL) in 50 healthy male and female athletic adults [14]. In another randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, 57 young men with little previous experience in resistance training were randomized into treatment and placebo groups [15]. Participants in the treatment group consumed 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily, while those in the control group took starch placebos instead. Multiple measurements – including muscle strength, muscle size, body composition, testosterone levels, and muscle recovery – were made before the start of the study. Both groups then went through resistance training for 8 weeks and the measurements were repeated when they were done. Promisingly, the group of men taking ashwagandha root extract had significantly greater increases in muscle strength and arm muscle size relative to the placebo group. They also showed significantly less exercise-induced muscle damage, higher testosterone levels, and a greater reduction in body fat percentage. In other words, ashwagandha supplementation is associated with significant increases in muscle mass, strength, and recovery after exercise. In another randomized, double-blind strength and conditioning study known as the STAR trial, 500 mg of an extract of ashwagandha roots and leaves was consumed by recreationally active young men for 12 weeks [16]. Body composition, muscular strength, power, and endurance, cycling time trial, and blood chemistry were measured before and after the study. Consuming the ashwagandha extract was seen to improve upper and lower body strength and improve distribution of body mass in these men, once again without causing any serious adverse effects. Ashwagandha as an Immune System Enhancer Ashwagandha enhances immune function. In a small study, ashwagandha root extract was seen to activate multiple types of immune cells in the participants [17]. Similarly, a tea fortified with five herbs including ashwagandha was seen to activate so-called "natural killer" (NK) cells in not just one, but two independent double-blind intervention studies conducted in India on healthy volunteers [18]. NK cell activity is an important aspect of our body's early immune response to infections. Interestingly, in other situations, ashwagandha extracts have also been shown to suppress specific components of the immune system. For example, one of the characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the continuous production of pro-inflammatory compounds known as cytokines in joint cavities, triggering inflammation and cartilage destruction. In laboratory experiments in rats, a root extract of ashwagandha was seen to suppress production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduce oxidative stress [19]. The Brain-Boosting Benefits of Ashwagandha Numerous laboratory studies show that ashwagandha – traditionally used in Ayurveda to boost intellect and memory – can slow, stop, and reverse damage to brain cells and may even help to reconstruct brain cell networks. For instance, ashwagandha extracts have been shown to promote nerve cell growth in culture [20]. Withanolide A, withanoside IV, and withanoside VI were identified as the bioactive compounds responsible. Ashwagandha extracts as well as specific bioactive compounds (e.g., withanolide A) have also been shown to protect nerve cells in culture against damage caused by various toxic agents [21]. Amazingly, the administration of withanoside IV for 21 days led to recovery in a rat model of spinal cord damage [20]. It is well known that toxic free radicals damage brain cells and contribute to both normal aging and aging-related health conditions. In a 2015 study, both ashwagandha extracts and a bioactive compound known as withanone were seen to protect nerve cells from oxidative damage [22]. Not surprisingly, ashwagandha has long been used in Ayurveda to enhance memory and improve mental faculties. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, 50 adults suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) – who are considered to be at a greater risk of developing dementia later in life – were treated with either 300 mg of KSM-66 ashwagandha twice daily or placebo for 8 weeks [23]. After 8 weeks, the ashwagandha KSM-66 group showed significant improvements in both their immediate or short-term as well as general memory, relative to the placebo group. The ashwagandha group also showed significant improvements in executive function, sustained attention, and information-processing abilities. Can Ashwagandha Even Help Protect Against Abnormal Cell Growth? Ashwagandha and other species of Withania are well known in folk medicine traditions for their anti-cancer properties and their extracts have been shown to be toxic for multiple types of cancer cells in laboratory experiments [24]. They appear to act by slowing down or even stopping cancer cell growth by inducing programmed cell death or "apoptosis." As stated earlier, Withaferin A, an anti-inflammatory withanolide, has been shown to act as an anti-angiogenic. In other words, it can help stop tumors from growing their own blood vessels, slowing down their growth, or perhaps even shrinking them. As reported in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology in August 2019, growing evidence suggests that Withaferin A is very effective against cancer [25]. For instance, low response rate and recurrence are common issues in lung cancer. Withaferin A has been shown to exhibit potent toxicity against several lung cancer cell lines in laboratory experiments. Not only that, the combination of Withaferin A and chemotherapeutic drugs were shown to have additive effects on lung cancer cell survival [26]. Withaferin A has also been shown to be toxic for breast cancer and cervical cancer (HeLa) cells in laboratory experiments [27,28]. Similarly, other bioactive compounds in ashwagandha have also been shown to be toxic for cancer cells in laboratory experiments [29]. KSM-66 Ashwagandha's Impact on Libido and Infertility Ashwagandha root extract has been shown to enhance sexual desire and function in both men and women. For instance, ashwagandha has been described in Ayurvedic medicine as an aphrodisiac that can be used to treat male sexual dysfunction and infertility. In a pilot study conducted to evaluate the effects of ashwagandha in patients with a low sperm count (known as oligospermia), a total of 46 male patients were randomized either to treatment with KSM-66 Ashwagandha or placebo for 90 days [30]. At the end of the study, participants given KSM-66 ashwagandha showed a 167% increase in sperm count, a 53% increase in semen volume, and a 57% increase in sperm motility relative to baseline. In comparison, only minimal changes were seen in the placebo group. Further, a greater improvement in hormone levels was seen with KSM-66 ashwagandha. In other words, ashwagandha is likely to be very effective in treating oligospermia, which is a leading cause of male infertility. Similarly, a meta-analysis showed that ashwagandha significantly improved sperm concentration and sperm motility even in men with normal sperm parameters, without any adverse effects [31]. Ashwagandha has also been shown to enhance sexual function in women. At the Trupti Hospital and Santati Fertility Center located near Mumbai in India, 50 women were randomized to either ashwagandha treatment or placebo (300 mg twice daily) for 8 weeks [32]. In this study, ashwagandha supplementation was shown to lead to significantly higher scores in multiple markers of sexual desire and function. But Is Ashwagandha Safe? Ashwagandha root powder has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, and it is believed to be completely safe and free of any toxicity. Extracts of…

Full show notes at the publisher

Suffering from Back Pain? Leading Expert Shares Her Secrets to Being Pain-Free Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Worldwide, back pain is the single leading cause of disability, preventing many people from engaging in work as well as other everyday activities. Experts estimate that up to 80% of the population will experience back pain at some time in their lives. Emily Lark is one of those statistics, but she's been able to get pain free, naturally. Tune in and find out how to ease YOUR back pain naturally!

About Emily

Emily Lark is a speaker, author, studio owner, and creator of the internationally bestselling program Back to Life. After living most of her life with debilitating back pain, Emily created a method to naturally heal back pain that has now helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Back to Life is so simple that anyone can do it from home in just minutes a day and it has quickly become the #1 healthy back DVD program in the world.

Back Pain Statistics

Back pain accounts for more than 264 million lost work days in one year—that's two work days for every full-time worker in the country.
Experts estimate that up to 80% of the population will experience back pain at some time in their lives

Emily's one thing that most people are doing wrong when it comes to chronic pain.

"I think one of the key things that people are missing when it comes to chronic pain, I think the biggest thing that people are missing is the strength-building, too, because if we can strengthen the muscles to support our skeletal system, then they don't start feeling that pain, the joints have more life to them."

The worst back pain advice that many doctors are still giving.

Most of us, when we injure ourselves, when we're in pain, we think that what we need to do is just kind of rest. But now, we're really starting to find that movement is actually the fastest route to healing in most cases.

Emily's Top 3 Stretches to Stop Back Pain.

Neck and shoulders
- Doorway stretch, where you go into a doorway with your elbows on the side like goalposts, you lean the chest forward, and you hold for just 30 seconds. Then, you can work your elbows up a little bit, you can work them down. But you want to feel that stretch in the front of the chest. I try to tell people to remember to do it just three times a day. Get up for 30 seconds and stretch that out.
Your core (your abdominal muscles, specifically the ones in the lower abdomen region)
- All you do is sit up really tall, and then you just lift one knee up and pull the belly in. And you lower it down and lift the other one up. That's going to activate those lower abdominal muscles. You can do a marching movement; you can lift and hold.
Your spine
- Try to move the spine in all six directions at least once a day. And so, that would be a forward bend, a back bend, side bend to the right, side bend to the left, and then a twist, and a twist.

Stretching Tips

You want to ease into it, because if you try to push too hard into a stretch, your body actually gives the opposite reaction of tensing up the muscles.
Start in a stretch where you feel that edge, but you're not feeling any pain, you're not feeling horrible amounts of tension. And then using the breath, breathing in and out through the nose, actually has a very calming effect on the nervous system and it actually, if you think of your breath kind of communicating directly with your muscles, that will help the muscles start to release.
Rather than pushing them into it, try to breathe into those muscles.
You always want to hold a stretch for at least 30 seconds. That's kind of like the magic timeframe, where if you hold for 30 seconds, that's where you're going to get the most bang for your buck. Anything less than 30 seconds, they've shown you don't actually really increase your flexibility.

Don't Forget to Warm Up

If you haven't moved at all yet in the morning, absolutely, you can go into some gentle morning stretches, but don't push the body if it's the first thing you're doing. If you've been moving around throughout your day, your body is kind of warmed up, and then you can go into it a little bit more.

What back pain is really telling us.

"I think the worst thing that we can do is just try to medicate and numb the pain out. Because clearly, if we're in pain, our body's trying to tell us something." ~Emily
People often think that it's our strong muscles that are the ones that are the tight ones. It's actually the opposite that's true. The weaker the muscles are, the tighter they get.

Simple daily tips to help with back pain like how to stand, sit and sleep.

Stacking your posture
- When you're standing, always try to stand with your feet lined up with your hip bones, with your toes straight forward. Standing with the feet straight forward, and then slightly lifting your arches, you'll feel the ankles stop rolling together, and the knees stop knocking together.
- From there, we kind of work our way up to the low belly. I always advise people, as much as we can remember, try to draw the low belly in.
- We want the shoulders to draw back right over the hips rather than forward.
- Then, we want to draw the ears back right over the shoulders.
  - And a great test for this, to see if you're standing up as tall as you could be, is to go stand with your back against a wall and try to see if you can get your shoulder blades to touch the wall, the back of your head to touch the wall at the same time, and then here's the kicker, see if you can get your low ribs to touch the wall at the same time.

* * *

Deeper Dive Resources

INSPIRED Library Articles on Back Pain

https://organixx.com/?s=BACK+PAIN

Organixx – Clean Sourced Collagens

https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/QDxYPYGKBx7qmdyvdnGm?ch-tn-box=third-box&gl=5d88ec8202e26bb740380841

Organixx – Turmeric 3D

https://shop.organixx.com/a/secure/checkout/OobbS9ROAoETfnAGmGDF?ch-tn-box=first-box&gl=5d8908c502e26b5f0c38083c

Emily's Website

https://www.emilylark.com/about-emily

Emily's Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/EmilyLarkOfficial/

Back to Life Program

https://www.healthybacksystem.com/organixx

Back Pain Statistics

https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/What-is-Chiropractic/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics

Why Boosting Your Immune System During a Pandemic Can Kill You…Do This Instead! Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

Coronavirus is still with us this Fall and Winter. Tune in to find out from Jonathan and TeriAnn why BOOSTING your immune system right now may not be the way to go. We help you understand your immune system; innate and adaptive, cytokine storms, and the role of beta-glucans, or a β-glucans for short, play in SUPPORTING your immunity. Which leads you into the magic of mushrooms. Here's a hint…they aren't just for anti-aging! "Boosting" your Immune System may be the worst thing you can do during a pandemic… The single best thing you can do for your health and the health of your loved ones is to take steps towards supporting the health of your immune system. And I chose the word "support" carefully because new research is now showing that... Immune SUPPORT is better than an immune BOOST during a pandemic! Let's Look at The Immune System The immune system protects the body from possibly harmful substances by recognizing and responding to antigens. Antigens are substances (usually proteins) on the surface of cells, viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Nonliving substances such as toxins, chemicals, drugs, and foreign particles (such as a splinter) can also be antigens. The immune system recognizes and destroys, or tries to destroy, substances that contain antigens. Your body's cells have proteins that are antigens. These include a group of antigens called HLA antigens. Your immune system learns to see these antigens as normal and usually does not react against them. Important Distinctions of Your Immune System Innate Immune System The innate immune system is made of defenses against infection that can be activated immediately once a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or limit their ability to spread and move throughout the body. The innate immune system includes: Physical Barriers such as skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the nasopharynx, cilia, eyelashes and other body hair. Defense Mechanisms such as secretions, mucous, bile, gastric acid, saliva, tears, and sweat. General Immune Responses such as inflammation, complement, and non-specific cellular responses. The inflammatory response actively brings immune cells to the site of an infection by increasing blood flow to the area. Complement is an immune response that marks pathogens for destruction and makes holes in the cell membrane of the pathogen. The innate immune system is always general, or nonspecific, meaning anything that is identified as foreign or non-self is a target for the innate immune response. The innate immune system is activated by the presence of antigens and their chemical properties. The Adaptive Immune System: Precision and a long memory If the body's first line of defense – the innate immune system – is unsuccessful in destroying the pathogens, after about four to seven days the specific adaptive immune response sets in. This means that the adaptive defense takes longer, but it targets the pathogen more accurately. Another advantage: It can remember the aggressor and acts specifically against certain antigens. If there is new contact with an antigen that is already known, the defense response can then be quicker. This way the defense responses of the adaptive immune system are more efficient and faster than those of the innate defense, if the antigen is already known. The adaptive immune system can remember the antigens because it produces memory cells. This is also the reason why there are some illnesses you can only get once in your life, because afterwards your body becomes "immune." While after first contact with the pathogen it takes several days for the immune system to respond, a second infection often has no consequences, or at least the symptoms are weaker. The adaptive immune system has several parts that react in different ways, depending on the place in the body where the pathogen is. Antibodies are made available for germs outside the cells (in the blood and in body fluids). To eliminate pathogens that are inside the tissue, a cell-mediated immune response is necessary. These parts of the adaptive defense include: T lymphocytes B lymphocytes antibodies as soluble proteins in the blood cytokines in the blood and tissue as hormone-like messenger substance Cytokines Cytokines form a group of proteins that participate in cell signaling, intercellular communication and in many cellular and immunological functions. They are prominently involved in inflammatory responses and defense against viral infections. If the other parts act like soldiers protecting you, then cytokines are like Navy Seals, sent in for only the toughest missions. These cytokines are small molecules in the body that are released by certain cells to help coordinate the battle against infection. So, you might be thinking "Great! How do I get more of these hard-working cytokines into my system?" And that makes sense. If they're the best of the best for fighting illness, then you'd want more of them, right? Well, it's not so simple and now some doctors have recently made a startling discovery… As it turns out, "boosting" cytokines during a pandemic like this might cause what some doctors call a "cytokine storm." And this cytokine storm might be the explanation of why some people rapidly decline in a pandemic, while others are able to stay healthy. Scientifically speaking, a "cytokine storm" is when, in some cases, the body's own immune system actually overreacts to an infection. And that's when problems can start. While cytokines are generally a good thing for your immune system… Too many of them at once might actually cause an overreaction. This "overreaction" could cause more damage to the body's own cells than to the invading disease cells it's trying to fight off. Your Cellular Immunity Defense System There is one thing that almost every single medical doctor does agree on when it comes to diseases… A compromised immune system is the single biggest risk factor anyone can have. You might be wondering… How do I build the foundation of my immune system without overloading it? Fortunately, there is something you can do, and it has to do with what doctors and medical researchers call... your Cellular Immunity Defense System Cellular immunity protects the body through: T-cell mediated immunity or T-cell immunity: activating antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that are able to induce apoptosis in body cells displaying epitopes of foreign antigen on their surface, such as virus-infected cells, cells with intracellular bacteria, and cancer cells displaying tumor antigens; Macrophage and natural killer cell action: enabling the destruction of pathogens via recognition and secretion of cytotoxic granules (for natural killer cells and phagocytosis (for macrophages); and Stimulating cells to secrete a variety of cytokines that influence the function of other cells involved in adaptive immune responses and innate immune responses. Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that survive in phagocytes and microbes that infect non-phagocytic cells. It is most effective in removing virus-infected cells, but also participates in defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria. It also plays a major role in transplant rejection THIS LITTLE-KNOWN NUTRIENT - Activates Your Cellular Immunity Defense System It's called a beta-glucan, or a β-glucan for short. Outside of freshman chemistry class, you may never have heard of a beta-glucan. But these β-glucans attach themselves to white blood cells and stimulate them to seek and destroy bacteria and viruses. Your body already has natural bacteria killing cells called B cells and T cells, and dozens of research studies show that once β-glucans are in your system, they activate and strengthen these killer cells. It's like sending every little immunity soldier into battle with a rocket launcher packed with an unlimited supply of bacteria-seeking missiles. And that's not all they do… Remember those little immunity defenders called cytokines? We know that overloading the system with them can cause a "cytokine storm," but striking the right balance of them can really fortify your immune system. Well, that's part of the magic of β-glucans... β-glucans are what trigger natural and healthy cytokine production and those little cytokines are what spring to action in an immune response. So, the more β-glucan you have in your body, the stronger your immune system. AND what's more, β-glucans naturally regulate your cytokine production, so they won't "overload" and cause a dangerous cytokine storm. So, you might be asking, how do I make sure my β-glucans are strong and that my system has enough of them to fight off infectious bacteria? Well, there is one superfood that contains extremely high amounts of β-glucan. The #1 Superfood That Fortifies Your Cellular Immunity Defense System: NUTRITIONAL MUSHROOMS - The Cutting Edge of Natural Immune System Research Just by using nutritional mushrooms regularly, researchers say you can increase your levels of β-glucans more than any other nutrient on earth. It's like having a never-ending supply of reinforcements to send into the war against infectious diseases. Researchers have found that nutritional mushrooms contain 0.53 grams of β-glucans per 100 grams of mushrooms, which makes them far and away the most β-glucan-rich food you can find on the planet. 3 Mushrooms That Act Like "Turbo Shots" To Your Immune System SHITAKE In a 2011 study, 52 healthy adults, aged 21 to 41, took home a 4-week supply of shiitake mushrooms. They were told to eat one 4-ounce serving of the mushroom every day. Then after the 4 weeks were completed, they returned for some simple blood work. Their results showed a decrease in inflammatory proteins which the researchers thought was a pretty good benefit in itself… But then they looked a little harder at the data and saw that each patient's B cells, T cells, and natural bacteria-killing cells had all increased. When they finally figured out what triggered this response, it was no surprise that it was all connected back to the β-glucans that came from the shiitake mushrooms they had been eating. "If you eat a shiitake mushroom every day, you could see changes in their immune system that are beneficial," said Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor Sue Percival, who was the leader of the study. She also said that those β-glucans were not only able to "Enhance the immune system," ... but "also reduce the inflammation that the immune system produces." And the benefits of shiitake don't just stop there, because these mushrooms flood your system with other nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin D, selenium, niacin, and 7 of the 8 essential amino acids. Plus, the enzymes packed into shiitake also make it easier for your body to absorb almost any nutrient. Which means if you're already taking a vitamin C or D supplement for your immune system, shiitake will actually make those supplements work better! REISHI Known as the Mushrooms of Immortality, reishi mushrooms are packed with polysaccharides, antioxidant properties, and those crucial β-glucans that can help with immune function. As early as 206 BC there are writings about reishi mushrooms being used to help people live longer. Today's researchers now know that they were living longer simply because their bodies were better equipped to fight off disease. Simply put, they had super strong Cellular Immunity Defense Systems.Again, it's thanks to the high content of those powerful β-glucans! In fact, reishi mushrooms have been shown to have as much as 5.8% levels of β-glucans, higher than any other mushroom strain on earth. MAITAKE Remember those important cytokines? Well, we know it's important to strike the right balance of them in your system… So that you have enough of them to help your immune system fight off bacteria... But not too many to cause a dangerous "cytokine storm". It turns out that maitake mushrooms may just be the secret to striking this delicate balance. A 3-week study of a group of healthy young women taking Maitake mushrooms resulted in the benefits you might expect. Similar to reishi and shiitake, they all saw improvements in their immune systems thanks to the increase in β-glucans… But the study with maitake gave researchers some really exciting results with those cytokines It turns out that maitake was able to trigger both stimulatory (IL-2) and suppressive (IL-10) cytokines. That means they were able to increase the cytokines, but not past a certain level so they got out of control. But here's where things really start to get interesting… Maitake is not the only mushroom researchers have studied for the immune response… While it was by far the strongest in supporting the immune defense reaction… There was one way they were able to trigger an even bigger response… They combined it with shiitake! And it was that combination that was stronger than any other. MUSHROOM POTENCY CAN BE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY WHEN THEY ARE USED TOGETHER! Just look what happened when the research team from the National Institute of Complementary Medicine, the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Integria Healthcare started mixing mushrooms together… They started with nine varieties of whole mushroom extracts. They tried them each individually with some pretty good results… But then they tried mixing a few of them together, and as you'd expect, the results dramatically increased. And when their work was done do you know which 3 of the 9 mushrooms worked best for the immune system? You guess it - the magical trio of reishi, shiitake, and maitake. When these 3 were combined, the lead researcher told the media that they came together to create and immune system "super-force." "What we found that was surprising was that the (combination) gave three to four times the impact that what we would expect," Associate Professor Joe Tiralongo said. 7M+ by Organixx 7M+ is a breakthrough proprietary formula that ensures you're getting the most powerful combination of those 3 crucial mushrooms packed with those β-glucans at a level no other mushroom supplement can offer. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of 7M+ give you what you need to help support your immune system like nothing else on the market. And… It turns out there's so much more that mushrooms can do for our bodies than just immune support. That's why Organixx added 4 other nutritional mushrooms into this formula…. CHAGA Chaga has been used for centuries primarily in the East. It's known for its immune support and soothing properties. Many traditional healers have used it as a soothing tea for a powerful and natural digestive support. It's also shown the potential to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. Chaga also has very powerful antioxidant properties that make it a powerhouse on its own. CORDYCEPS Cordyceps mushrooms have been shown to help regulate a healthy immune system. Cordyceps were at one time so highly valued that they were only allowed to be consumed by the Emperor of China (who lived to 100+ years old and still fathered children into his 100s). Also known for the ability to support sexual health and athletic ability, cordyceps have been the most sought after nutritional mushroom in the Orient. LION'S MANE One of the more interesting mushrooms coming from the ancient east. Lion's mane is known to support brain health, support cognitive function, and aid against age-related memory los…

Full show notes at the publisher

Holiday Hacks - 27 Tips for Staying Healthy During the Holidays Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

HOLIDAY EDITION, where you will learn helpful tips for heading into the holidays, before a holiday party, while you are at the party, the morning after the party, and to deal with holiday stress.......all to help you stay happy and healthy during the holiday season!

Has this ever happened to you? You're in a routine of eating well, exercising, and making time for activities that keep you emotionally and mentally well… and then the holiday season arrives and all your healthy habits seem to fly out the window. If this sounds like you, you're definitely not alone. To help, here are 27 tips to keep the holiday weight gain and stress at a minimum this year, while helping you feel as good as possible going into the new year.

Be sure to download the show notes at empoweringyouorganically.com for all 27 tips in one place!~

Top 10 Ways To Become More Grateful From The Leading Expert on Gratitude and Happiness Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

Gratitude undeniably improves our well-being. Science proves it! Tune in this week for 10 ways to become more grateful. There are some interesting suggestions here - you don't want to miss it!

The Expert on Gratitude

Robert Emmons, who has a PhD and is the leading scientific expert on gratitude, shares a lot of really good information. He is a Professor of Psychology at the University of California – Davis and the founding Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has authored many books around gratitude and happiness and emotions and positivity, and this is his top 10 list for becoming more grateful.

Top 10 List for Becoming More Grateful

Keep a gratitude journal.
- Establish a daily practice in which you remind yourself of the gifts, grace, benefits, and good things you enjoy. Setting aside time on a daily basis to recall moments of gratitude, associated with ordinary events, your personal attributes, or valued people in your life, give you the potential to interweave a sustainable life theme of gratefulness.
Remember the bad.
- To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember the hard times that you once experienced. When you remember how difficult life used to be and how far you have come, you set up an explicit contrast in your mind, and this contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness.
Ask yourself three questions.
- Utilize the meditation technique known as Naikan, which involves reflecting on three questions: "What have I received from __?", "What have I given to __?", and "What troubles and difficulty have I caused?"
Learn prayers of gratitude.
- In many spiritual traditions, prayers of gratitude are considered to be the most powerful form of prayer, because through these prayers, people recognize the ultimate source of all they are and all they will ever be.
Come to your senses.
- Through our senses, the ability to touch, see, smell, taste, and hear, we gain an appreciation of what it means to be human and of what an incredible miracle it is to be alive. Seen through the lens of gratitude, the human body is not only a miraculous construction, but also a gift.
Use visual reminders.
- Because the two primary obstacles to gratefulness are forgetfulness and the lack of mindful awareness, visual reminders can serve as cues to trigger thoughts of gratitude. Oftentimes, the best visual reminders are other people.
Make a vow to practice gratitude.
- Research shows that making an oath to perform a behavior increases the likelihood that the action will be executed.
Watch your language.
- Grateful people have a particular linguistic style that uses the language of gifts, givers, blessings, bless, fortune, fortunate, and abundance. In gratitude, you should not focus on how inherently good you are, but rather on the inherently good things that others have done on your behalf.
Go through the motions.
- If you go through grateful motions, the emotion of gratitude should be triggered. Grateful motions include smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude.
Think outside the box.
- If you want to make the most out of opportunities to flex your gratitude muscles, you must creatively look for new situations and circumstances in which to feel grateful.

Homework from Jonathan: Exercising Your Gratitude Muscle

According to UCLA's Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, having an attitude of gratitude changes the molecular structure of the brain, keeps the gray matter functioning, and makes us healthier and happier. When you feel happiness, the central nervous system is affected. You are more peaceful, less reactive, and less resistant. Now that's a really cool way of taking care of your well-being as you go through not just the holiday season but the rest of your life.

Joan Moran, from UCLA Recreation's FITWELL program, wrote an opinion piece in 2013 for the Huffington Post where she discussed positive benefits of an attitude of gratitude.

We want to help you exercise your Gratitude Muscle this holiday season! So, we're sharing her timeless tips with you today. And challenging YOU to incorporate this into a daily practice this holiday season….and beyond!

The following questions (and their honest answers) will help you grow your attitude of gratitude during the holidays:

Ask who in your life — past and present — has given you inspiration, motivation, love, support, and guidance.

These people can be family, friends, teachers, mentors, or work colleagues. You carry these people around like angels on your shoulders because they are always giving you energy. Take a moment to acknowledge them and give thanks that that they are in your life. You can follow up with a note or phone call of thanks to let them know that they matter to you.

Ask what skills, talents, personal characteristics, values, beliefs, and education opportunities you utilize every day and are you grateful for.

The one stable gift that I am grateful for is my ability to teach. This is the gift I cannot live without because it leads to other fabulous learning and knowing experiences as well as different skill sets. You will recognize your greatest talents and gifts by reflecting on the values and beliefs that you live by and personal characteristics that you have developed. Ask yourself what gift keeps on giving for you. What gifts will change your life mightily?

Ask where you have been in your life that has deeply affected you emotionally, intellectually, physically or spiritually.

In what ways have experiences outside your normal daily activities positively influenced your life? It is likely you have experienced some travel during your life. The places you visited, the people you met, perhaps from other cultures have broadened your life, influenced your view of the world and affected your sense of self within your community. Take time during the holidays and reflect on how these powerful experiences have shaped who you are today.

Ask how you normally express your gratitude.

Do you express gratitude daily? And if you are not taking the time to do so, why not? It is easy to forget to say thank you because our lives are so busy and filled with "to-dos" and "musts." Make it a habit at least twice a day to find a quiet place to pause and say thank you for your gifts. Reach out to friends by phone or email to say thank you to them for being in your life because they cherish you and give you support and love. Acknowledge and be grateful for your loving community.

Ask what negative situation could be a positive in your life.

Why should you be grateful for the negative things that happen to you in life? Life isn't perfect. Bad stuff happens. But inside every negative experience is a positive experience waiting to happen. Eliminating the negative self-talk, you put yourself through develops stronger mental health habits. It allows you to become more accepting of everything that happens in life — the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the process of removing negativity creates the opportunity for growth and transformation.

* * *

Deeper Dive Resources

Episode 59: Do This "One Thing" Every Day to Improve Your Emotional, Mental, and Physical Well Being

https://organixx.com/empowering-you-organically/improve-your-emotional-mental-and-physical-well-being-episode-59/

Robert Emmons

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/robert_emmons

The Science of Gratitude by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf

Pause, reflect and give thanks: the power of gratitude during the holidays

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/gratitude-249167

UCLA's Mindfulness Awareness Research Center

http://marc.ucla.edu/

Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/application_uploads/Emmons-CountingBlessings.pdf

Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/major_initiatives/expanding_gratitude

Naikan Method

https://www.naikan.eu/english/naikan-why.html

Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10503307.2016.1169332?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=tpsr20

Neural correlates of gratitude

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01491/full

What Does a Grateful Brain Look Like?

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_does_a_grateful_brain_look_like

Subscribe to Empowering You Organically Never miss an episode! APPLE PODCASTS SPOTIFY GOOGLE PODCASTS

Angie Corogin: Mindfulness for All Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

Angie Corogin is back this week to help us unlock the power of Mindfulness. Angie shares the difference between Formal and Informal Mindfulness, gives us practical exercises to use, and shares a story that will resonate deeply with all of us! Relaxation here you come…

Angie Corogin

Angie is a heartful yoga and mindfulness (MBSR) instructor, yoga studio owner, mindset coach, and certified integrative wellness consultant. She supports communities, corporations, and individuals to integrate functional wellness practices into their modern lives. Angie is committed to an earth-conscious lifestyle, from what she eats & drinks to all of the things that she consumes and is inspired to share this way of life with others. Angie has earned degrees in Environmental Education (B.S.) and Intervention Services (M.Ed).

Definition of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom." JKZ

It is holding our attention to whatever is rising. Being here. HumanBEING not humanDOING. This can be hard at first, boring, restless, thinking we aren't doing it right.

We sense the world through, hearing, tasting, touching, seeing. That is our only way to know anything at all. Our senses inform our thoughts. And this is our perception, from where we form opinions and then make decisions and hold positions. Its a completely a personal experience but one that we can often collectively understand and benefit from sharing our experience with others.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). The timelines of stress research and mindfulness research start to merge in 1979. Jon Kabat-Zinn recruited chronically ill patients not responding well to traditional treatments to participate in his newly formed eight-week stress-reduction program, which we now call Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This program includes mindful meditation, mindful eating, walking, and mindful movement (aka gentle yoga).

Substantial research has mounted demonstrating how mindfulness-based interventions improve mental and physical health—comparably so to other psychological interventions

Our body is a partner to each moment. Here in the west, we spend a lot of time disconnecting from our body. Body shaming, and in fact spending a whole lot of time up here, in the mind, thinking.

And so again, mindfulness - paying attention for the sake of paying attention. We can start to recognize our habitual patterns. Knowing our patterns can really change things.

You can do this practice long, short, in a car, while washing dishes, having a cup of tea, eating a meal, walking, in the shower. Mindfulness can be invited into each and every moment. It's a practice, not a performance. We just keep coming back to each moment. Giving each moment incredible value, importance and attention.

Simple right, not so easy. A very important aspect of mindfulness is bringing an attitude of kindness to our own self. Right, what's that? Yes, being kind to ourselves is a thing.

S.T.O.P

The STOP acronym is one of the most well-known and cherished brief mindfulness practices to use during the day. It's super simple:

S – Stop

T – Take a breath

O – Observe what's going on

P – Proceed

This can be done any time during the day when you remember. You become aware of what's going on around you or inside of you, you ground yourself with some conscious breaths, and then you proceed with more clarity and from a place of choice.

Here are three wonderful ways to practice STOP in more depth: The ABCs of STOP—or practicing STOP for Awareness, Beauty, and Compassion:

STOP — A: STOP for awareness

Using the STOP practice to become fully aware of the present moment: What is going on in the body? The mind? The emotional field? Or asking yourself: What is out of my awareness right now? It can be as simple as noticing your brain is foggy after being on a conference call for two hours (and that you need a stretch break) or that you have been thinking about the upcoming teacher meeting all morning. Simply stop and take a breath.

STOP — B: STOP for beauty

Pause for a moment and notice something beautiful in your surroundings. It can literally be to "stop and smell the roses." Use all of your senses to find something and then take it in for a breath or two. If that feels too big of a stretch you can ask yourself: "Ok, I know this is a stressful moment right now, but if there was something beautiful about it, what would it be?" Maybe then we notice the flowers on the table, which blend into the background when we are busy. Or the beautiful braids of the woman in front of us in the (long!) check out line at the grocery store.

Compassion is a natural, caring response to suffering, big and small, in ourselves and in others.

STOP — C: STOP for compassion

In a moment of stress or pain, practice STOP to open your heart to kindness and compassion. Compassion is a natural, caring response to suffering, big and small, in ourselves and in others. Sometimes the tug of compassion calls us to stop, at other times we need to stop and really take something in, so we can open the doors of the heart and invite compassion in. Maybe we are a little impatient with our child complaining at length about something that happened at recess. Maybe the adult brain doesn't see it as hurtful but stopping and truly listening might allow us to connect with the truth of her hurt and allow our heart to melt a little.

Breath Focus Practice

Take a moment and find something to let your eyes rest on. Soften your gaze but looking. You might like to rest your hands…. And when it is comfortable begin to let your eye lids lower, any amount or all of the way closed. Feel yourself sitting, standing, know what you can about being right here. Only this moment matters right now. What can be known? Begin to look at the inside of the eyes. Look with awareness. Look to know, to see what's there.

Move your attention to your breath. You might even feel this ability to look inward at the breath. From any perspective that you can you know the breath. From the nose, the nostrils, the throat, the chest, or ribs moving or belly. You might sense warmth and then cool as your breath enters and leaves.

And then gently open your eyes again. And continue to look with this awareness.

Deeper Dive Resources

Angie's Website

http://www.angiecorogin.com/

Angie's Newsletter

https://angiecorogin.com/mbsr-course

Angie's MBSR Course – Next One Starting November 23, 2020

https://angie-corogin-wellness.thinkific.com/courses/mbsr-winter

Angie on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/movementality/

https://www.facebook.com/angiecorogin/

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5679245/

A meta-analysis of Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) show that MBIs are effective in reducing acute symptoms of depression but not anxiety

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25865879/

The acceptability and potential benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in improving psychological well-being for adults with advanced cancer: A systematic review

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29389483/

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Depression, Cognition, and Immunity in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Feasibility Study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7429186/

What Works in Mindfulness Interventions for Medically Unexplained Symptoms? A Systematic Review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7373253/

The ABCs of STOP: Three Short Mindful Breaks for Your Day

https://www.mindful.org/abcs-stop-three-short-mindful-breaks-day/

Organixx on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OrganixxSupplements

Organixx on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/organixxliving/

Subscribe to Empowering You Organically Never miss an episode!

APPLE PODCASTS SPOTIFY GOOGLE PODCASTS

Ruth Cummings: Letting Go of Emotional Pain - Part 2 Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Emotions we don't release get trapped in our bodies. Or as today's guest, Ruth Cummings, puts it "Our bodies are a trash can for all the emotions we didn't process". Tune in for Part 2 to learn how we can better manage the connection between emotions and disease.

Ruth Cummings

Ruth Cummings is the owner of Athletic Touch Therapeutic Massage, which she founded in 1995.

She has over 50,000 hours experience as a massage therapist working on all types of clients, ranging in age from infants to centenarians and everyone in-between.

Ruth has worked on professional athletes in the NFL, MLB, and UFC, as well as amateur athletes in college and elsewhere.

She specializes in chronic pain relief and injury rehabilitation, but her real passion is the treatment of emotional pain in teens and their parents.

Ruth has a BA in psychology and creative writing, is a natural therapeutic specialist, as well as a personal trainer.

She coaches soccer and tennis, and her coaching achievements include two high school state championships in soccer and one in tennis.

She is an effective communicator with teens, and offers personal coaching in positivity, anxiety control, and self-esteem. Ruth is married with two teens and her family loves to travel. Check out her blog or massage website.

Summary: What is Emotional Pain - https://familyfitnesstravel.com/what-is-emotional-pain/

We feel physical pain after emotional intense situations in our lives that manifest into the physical pain we feel.

Our bodies hide painful, scary and stressful feelings to keep us safe and alive. The difference between emotional pain and non-emotional pain, is how chronic and stubborn it is.

Most of the time we are not even aware that we are stuffing emotions at the time of the intense situation, which makes it difficult to let things go that we didn't even know we were holding onto.

We can hold emotions from our younger years all the way to a few minutes ago, and each can cause odd pain in our bodies that are logically hard to explain.

The mind and the body don't always see eye to eye which makes unraveling these emotional pains challenging. Once we can get the mind and body to recognize the pain pattern in which they are spinning, the healing is much easier.

Awareness is the main ingredient in starting the healing process, then breath work, journaling, seeing a counselor are a few Self-Care suggestions to implement to start feeling better.

Heart Chakra

Location: The center of your chest, just above the heart.

Color: Green

Meaning: Love, Compassion

Blocks in our heart chakra can manifest in our physical health through heart problems, asthma, and weight issues. But blocks are often seen even more clearly through people's actions.

People with heart chakra blocks often put others first, to their own detriment. It's the middle of the seven chakras, so it bridges the gap between our upper and lower chakras, and it also represents our ability to love and connect to others. When out of alignment, it can make us feel lonely, insecure, and isolated.

Throat Chakra

Location: The throat.

Color: Blue

Meaning: Love, Communication

As one would expect, this chakra is connected to our ability to communicate verbally. Voice and throat problems as well as any problems with everything surrounding that area, such as the teeth, gums, and mouth, can indicate a blockage. Blocks or misalignment can also be seen through dominating conversations, gossiping, speaking without thinking, and having trouble speaking your mind. When in alignment, you will speak and listen with compassion and feel confident when you speak because you know you are being true to yourself with your words.

Deeper Dive Resources

Ruth's ALL Humans Welcome Prayer Chain

https://familyfitnesstravel.ck.page/38470dc383

Ruth's "In Touch with Kindness" weekly email with health, self-care and fun happy tips.

https://familyfitnesstravel.ck.page

Ruth's Blog – Family Fitness Travel

https://familyfitnesstravel.com/about/

Ruth's Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Family-Fitness-Travel-101244591542431/

Ruth's massage website:

www.athletictouch.com

Ruth's Play & Self Care website:

www.familyfitnesstravel.com

Ruth's FREE Newsletter with Weekly Tips:

https://familyfitnesstravel.ck.page

Links From Ruth:

19 Ideas to Release Stress & Emotions From Your Body

What is Emotional Pain?

Self-Care Basics: A Beginner's Guide

Dr. Lad's Pranayama (Breathing Exercises)

Root Chakra Healing Sound (one of my favorites...there are many)

Sacral Chakra Healing Sound

Heart Chakra Sounds:

https://youtu.be/qxLoVPZvtTY

Throat Chakra Sounds:

https://youtu.be/QJs4iCV-g6I

The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

https://untetheredsoul.com/

Thich Nhat Hahn Foundation

https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/

Live It Challenge

https://organixx.com/live-it

Organixx on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OrganixxSupplements

Organixx on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/organixxliving/

Unlocking the Power of the Sacred Plant Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

The sacred plant has been used for 5,000+ years to prevent, treat, and even beat hundreds of debilitating conditions and diseases. Up until 80 years ago, the sacred plant was readily available and used for countless ailments and chronic pain. But then, during the rise of the modern medical system, the sacred plant was unjustly suppressed by lawmakers who feared its healing powers, and sought to eliminate it so it could sell patented synthetic drugs for profit. It's been hidden and forbidden ever since.

Lia Hawks

The Sacred Plant is a mission centered company started in April 2017. Since their beginning, their team has been dedicated to understanding, helping, and empowering patients, loved ones, caregivers, and more. Helping to ignite the conversation around knowing there are powerful, natural, safe options for them to live a healthy, happy, and pain-free life.

Lia Hawks is a founding team member, holding the role of Director of Content. What is most important to note is the work she has done alongside the experts, patients, physicians, researchers, lawyers, nurses, advocates, and more to get an essential understanding of just how The Sacred Plant can make a difference in the lives of so many who once had lost hope.

What is The Sacred Plant? Cannabis

CBD & THC

The two most found cannabinoids in the plant out of over 100+ others.

CBD is known for:

Anti-inflammation

Anti-Anxiety

Energy Boosting

Stabilizes Cancer

Bone density and formation

Various others…

THC is known for:

Kills cancer cells indirectly through apoptosis restart

Pain reliever

Muscle Spasm

Depression

Body relaxation

Ratios

3 parts CBD to 1 part THC will remove the psycho active feeling of the THC. Whereas, a 20:1 CBD:THC would negate all benefit of THC that your body could benefit from.

What is the Endocannabinoid System?

Our body has the ability to heal itself, however when our immune system is compromised, that ability to heal is turned off.

Through our Endocannabinoid System we can optimize our body's response. Kick starting healing, repair, and feeling well!

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a complex cell-signaling system identified in the early 1990s by researchers exploring THC, a well-known cannabinoid. Cannabinoids are compounds found in cannabis.

Endocannabinoids, also called endogenous cannabinoids, are molecules made by your body. They're similar to cannabinoids, but they're produced by your body.

Experts have identified two key endocannabinoids so far:

anandamide (AEA)

2-arachidonoylglyerol (2-AG)

These help keep internal functions running smoothly. Your body produces them as needed, making it difficult to know what typical levels are for each.

Endocannabinoid Receptors

These receptors are found throughout your body. Endocannabinoids bind to them in order to signal that the ECS needs to take action.

There are two main endocannabinoid receptors:

CB1 receptors, which are mostly found in the central nervous system
CB2 receptors, which are mostly found in your peripheral nervous system, especially immune cells

Endocannabinoids can bind to either receptor. The effects that result depend on where the receptor is located and which endocannabinoid it binds to.

For example, endocannabinoids might target CB1 receptors in a spinal nerve to relieve pain. Others might bind to a CB2 receptor in your immune cells to signal that your body's experiencing inflammation, a common sign of autoimmune disorders.

Deeper Dive Resources

FREE Report from The Scared Plant – 5 Ways CBD Helps Prevent & Treat Cancer

http://TheSacredPlant.com/EYO

The Sacred Plant on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/oursacredplant/

Getting High on the Endocannabinoid System

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3997295/

The Therapeutic Aspects of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) for Cancer and their Development: From Nature to Laboratory

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5412000/

How the Endocannabinoid System was Discovered

https://www.labroots.com/trending/cannabis-sciences/8456/endocannabinoid-system-discovered

Organixx on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OrganixxSupplements

Organixx on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/organixxliving/

Angie Corogin: Mindfulness for Stress Management Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

The Live It Challenge continues with Angie Corogin. 2020 has been a stressful year for the world. Today is all about stress and mindfulness. Angie shares how the practice of mindfulness may help you meet challenge and stress differently. And you will enjoy the exercises Angie walks us through as she explains. Relaxation here you come…

Angie Corogin

Mindfulness

Today is all about stress and mindfulness. I would like to share how the practice of mindfulness may help you meet challenge and stress differently.

These practices are easy, nothing you haven't done before, however, this is not so simple.

Let's start with a practice, I invite you to minimize all of the extra windows on your devices or life, begin to gather yourself here. Totally here. Calling yourself back from all of the places that you are.

Short Attentional Focus Practice

5-Sense Pause (look around, hands/feet, soundscape, soften the mouth/jaw, breath)

Rub hands, eyes / tap forehead, temples, cheeks, chin, chest

Brush off arms and shoulders

SH massage / GB 21 (neck, shoulder, headaches, too much thinking)

Standing Yoga

Mountain/ arms up & down

Edges of feet, ankle rocks

Knees Hips

Swing arms/chair Sunflowers

Mountain

Sit/ Thymus thumps

We took that time to practice because we can use all of these words to point at what mindfulness is. We can quote studies, articles, and interview experts too, but we really can only know mindfulness through the direct experience of the practice, our own practice of paying attention. And now, I am going to attempt to use words to describe stress and mindfulness, which are both, felt and known by each of us… and known by us differently. We all describe stress and mindfulness a little different.

Definition of Stress

I'd wage that humans have been feeling stress since day 1. This look at stress with the lens of science is relatively new. Researchers have had a difficult time agreeing on an acceptable definition of stress. Some have conceptualized stress as a demanding or threatening happening or situation (e.g., a high-stress job, overcrowding, and long commutes to work). Such conceptualizations are known as stimulus-based definitions because they characterize stress as a stimulus that causes certain reactions.

But stress is more than that. Stress is something that we each feel. Stress is the state which is seen in response to internal or external stressors. And here is what I think, its difficult to define something that is so…so individually experienced. Every system of the body responds to stress in varying ways. Sweating, quickened breath, fast heartbeat or skipping beats, holding our breath, blinking a lot, it can manifest in as many ways different as we are different from one another.

Stress enlists changes affecting almost every system of the body, influencing how people feel and behave.

History of Stress

I want to zoom back in time a bit and keeping this brief, but I want to go back to something I said. The "formal" study of stress is relatively new so lets have a quick chat about that.

In the 30's Walter Cannon coined flight or flight. He was studying dogs swallowing buttons, and the swallowing mechanism. He discovered emotions impacted this somehow. He found fight and flight.

Fight I can meet this challenge. Flight I can flee this challenge.

Around the same time Hans Seyle was exploring the concept of general adaptation syndrome, a study on stress, any kind - mind, body, emotions. When we encounter stress, especially when its prolonged our body biology changes.

It 1984 Stress researchers Lazarus and Folkman at Berkeley expanded and proposed a way to look at stress differently. Their transactional theory of stress considered stress as a transaction between a person and their environment that is appraised as taxing or exceeding resources and endangering their well-being.

So, this theory introduces the idea that our perception of the stressor could be the source of stress. Stress is transactional.

Let me break it down. We have some awareness we can bring to assess our ability to meet our stress. Ex. I'm making a new meal for dinner and am excited to share it with my husband, he was supposed to be home at 6, and rolls in at 630… I'm frustrated and disappointed and trying to figure out how to enjoy the cold meal. It's the next day, dinner is at 6, I'm busy at work, I have NO idea what to make and need extra time. He gets home at 6:30 and I'm relieved. Same situation, my appraisal of it is different.

OK, so what can we do with all of that. Stress has been defined in lots of ways; we know it in our own way. A powerful, a potent antidote to stress… is mindfulness.

Definition of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom." JKZ

It is holding our attention to whatever is rising. Being here. HumanBEING not humanDOING. This can be hard at first, boring, restless, thinking we aren't doing it right.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).The timelines of stress research and mindfulness research start to merge in 1979. Jon Kabat-Zinn recruited chronically ill patients not responding well to traditional treatments to participate in his newly formed eight-week stress-reduction program, which we now call Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This program includes mindful meditation, mindful eating, walking, and mindful movement (aka gentle yoga).

Substantial research has mounted demonstrating how mindfulness-based interventions improve mental and physical health—comparably so to other psychological interventions

Our body is a partner to each moment. Here in the west, we spend a lot of time disconnecting from our body. Body shaming, and in fact spending a whole lot of time up here, in the mind, thinking.

And so again, mindfulness - paying attention for the sake of paying attention. We can start to recognize our habitual patterns. Knowing our patterns can really change things.

You can do this practice long, short, in a car, while washing dishes, having a cup of tea, eating a meal, walking, in the shower. Mindfulness can be invited into each and every moment. It's a practice, not a performance. We just keep coming back to each moment. Giving each moment incredible value, importance and attention.

Simple right, not so easy. A very important aspect of mindfulness is bringing an attitude of kindness to our own self. Right, what's that? Yes, being kind to ourselves is a thing.

Visualizing Resistance

Make a fist. This is resistance. Resistance in your body, mind and soul.

Try to pry it open. Come on, pry it open. What do you notice when you pry and push?

Now use the other hand to support and be kind. Now what do you notice? Powerful because we can feel it. You can use this in your practice because you can actually do this.

Stress is a sense of threat. Things happening that I don't want to happen. OR wanting a particular thing to happen that is not.

So, what is this hand, what is support to your stress…. A deep breath. Counting to three. Looking around, find a few green or blue things. Feel your feet, hand. Sense into the sounds around you.

Take a deeper breath.

Breathing is a huge tool for many of us that we underutilize.

Parts of Brain

Our stress response is hard-wired, automatic, habitual. When we experience a threat, the automatic sympathetic nervous system goes into high gear (with signals from the brain stem and limbic system).

Different parts of the brain are responsible for initiating this automatic reaction:

This here is the brain stem and is the earliest part of the brain to form was what many refer to as our reptilian or lizard brain (brain stem). This is the survival part of our brain.

Responsible for basic survival—keeps our hearts beating, keeps us breathing.

Lizards that weren't vigilant enough ended up getting eaten, which is why this part of the brain is hardwired to feel a constant, vigilant anxiety.

Next part of the brain to evolve was the mammal or mouse brain (limbic system – amygdala, hippocampus) regulates our emotions and desires. Its main job is to move us toward the things that maintain life. The amygdala is the smoke alarm, detecting stress.

The most recent part of our brain to evolve is the primate or monkey brain (cortex) handles the higher cerebral functions—thinking critically, problem solving, planning, making mental maps of our world, and connecting with others. In essence, our online brain. Monkeys that weren't able to connect with other monkeys did not survive.

When encountering stress or a challenge that we appraise outside of our ability to meet. Thinking goes out the window and our prefrontal cortex goes offline. We are operating from the lizard and mouse like part of our brain.

Fortunately, most of the time we do not find ourselves encountering life-threatening situations.

Unfortunately, physiologic responses to non-immediate stresses are largely the same as when you're fighting for survival. Our body doesn't know the difference. But we can tell it!

We're still prone to go into fight or flight when our sense of control is threatened, even if we're just driving on the freeway or we receive harsh feedback from coworkers. Our brain still perceives events in terms of mortal threats to our well-being and sense of self, even when there is none.

THIS IS AUTOMATIC, HARD-WIRED, HABITUAL REACTION FINE-TUNED FOR SURVIVAL.

SO, what can you do?

If it's a non-life-threatening moment, we can one - breathe. Take a few breaths. Let your prefrontal cortex come back online. You might want to sit or lay down, lower your eyes, take a slow walk.

Most of all, we can get to know how stress feels as it begins in our body. We can also develop wisdom in how to support ourself in the heat of the moment. In the senses, we can often find a way back to homeostasis.

"We can't stop the wild and painful catastrophes of life, but we can learn to cope." JKZ or as Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and revered teacher says, "Without the mud, you cannot grow the lotus flower."

Breath Focus Practice

And then gently open your eyes again. And continue to look with this awareness.

Deeper Dive Resources

Angie's Website

http://www.angiecorogin.com/

Angie's Newsletter

https://angiecorogin.com/mbsr-course

Angie's MBSR Course

https://angie-corogin-wellness.thinkific.com/courses/mbsr-winter

Angie on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/movementality/

https://www.facebook.com/angiecorogin/

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5679245/

A meta-analysis of Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) show that MBIs are effective in reducing acute symptoms of depression but not anxiety

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25865879/

The acceptability and potential benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in improving psychological well-being for adults with advanced cancer: A systematic review

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29389483/

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Depression, Cognition, and Immunity in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Feasibility Study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7429186/

What Works in Mindfulness Interventions for Medically Unexplained Symptoms? A Systematic Review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7373253/

Organixx on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OrganixxSupplements

Organixx on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/organixxliving/

Ruth Cummings: Letting Go of Emotional Pain Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

Emotions we don't release get trapped in our bodies. Or as today's guest, Ruth Cummings, puts it "Our bodies are a trash can for all the emotions we didn't process". Tune in to learn how we can better manage the connection between emotions and disease.