Get calm with this flower

Albizia Flower is a Chinese herb that is used to help anxiety and promote calmness without drowsiness.  The way I take this is as a tincture and it is in an alcohol base.  I find it to work fairly instant and has been a wonderful thing to keep in my purse for any moment of uneasiness I may have.  

This flower is actually found on a tree that belongs in the Magnolia family and is known as the tree of happiness. 

Albizia is thought to enhance all aspects of neurotransmitter secretion and regulation. However, because of its blood-moving properties, it is contraindicated for use during pregnancy. I love and trust the Dragon Herbs brand and have included the link below.   

As the month of May nears the end, I still want to draw awareness to mental health and its various forms.  

Getting to the root of your Anxiety

Last week I began talking about Anxiety as a part of Mental Health Awareness month, I am continueing that with a more personal insight into how if affected me. 

I know when I started to get anxiety really bad I could trace back how it first began, kinda like stair steps up up up to the peak of a couple panic attacks. 

We had gone through some extreme financial loss right after having Addi and we picked up some but it got bad again once I was pregnant with charlie. My sense of security and stability was really rocked and I was in full on survival mode.  Figuring out how I could save what we still had (a house I wanted to have this second child in) grow my business to make more money, and of course continue to raise my almost 2 year old.   Charlie came out perfect but chose not to sleep at night.   two year old, business, not sleeping, my body began wearing down.  It started with headaches that I made into more than headaches (what if something is wrong with my brain). Which led me to feeling tired as I drove.  So then it popped into my head that I could fall asleep while driving with the kids, and that totally freaked me out.  Now, that had not come close to happening, but once I planted that thought....... it grew.  So in the car with the kids I would yawn all the time and be super anxious. We would stop somewhere and I would be fine.  If I was driving without the kids i was still tried but the worry of falling asleep wasn't there

                                            **I didn't care if I got hurt........ yes! :( *****

So as you can see, it started with stress and lack of sleeping and i allowed it to manifest to a brain issue and the possibility of wrecking my car with the kids in it.  I really just needed a nap.  I could have taken things to repair my adrenals but I was breastfeeding and many were not good for my milk production.  I did notice as he got older and did not solely depend on me for food that my body was able to have a little more recovery time.  I also began trying to talk about what was on my mind. All the things I was worried about in our home, how I felt I was failing as a mother, how I wish my business would have been growing faster.  As I got them out I released that tension and energy from my body.  I also began to look at my successes rather than my short comings.  

I began to understand what was happening, accept it not as me being weird but as something that was going on for me in this period of time and it would pass.   And it did.  I was able to do things to help my adrenals recover. When I chose to stop nursing he instantly slept through the night and so did I.   I also got better at asking for help.  

Anxiety does suck, panic attacks are the worst, BUT when you begin to understand the root you can begin to get yourself to a place where it/they do not control your life.  

Hang in there, it really does get better,

Mental Health Awareness Month

The month of may is mental health awareness month.  Since the beginning of my practice I have had many clients on anti depressants, anti anxiety and mental health medications.   I will not make light of mental illness but I do want to offer an alternative to the traditional model of counseling and prescriptions.  Counseling being a must if it is an aware therapist that does not want to just medicate. You have to be willing to get to the source and dark part of you that is causing this extreme uneasiness. 

There is a direct correlation between mood and the gut.  90% of our serotonin is housed around the gut and when the gut is compromised then so is our mood and ability to regulate it.  Once this begins to happen then we also find our adrenals being overworked. Once adrenal fatigue sets in then it really is kinda downhill from there. BUT there are ways of eating, food based supplements and herbs along with coping techniques that can aid in relief and also help to get your off of any prescription medication when the time is right. 

I have a personal story I will be sharing through out this education that has prompted me to create a program centered around anxiety relief.  I know it can be embarrassing to have anxiety or panic attacks and sometimes you have no clue they will come up.   I can assure you there are options and ways of coping that will get you down the right path. I have only had small amounts of anxiety creep up on me.  It has been 8 years since my last panic attack.  

I look forward to sharing with you this week and I would love for you to share, as you feel comfortable how anxiety has effected you and how you have chose to manage it (no judgement here) .

Cacao: Bring the Love In

Chocolate is enjoyed by almost everyone.  Dark, milk, white chocolate most people know their preference when asked.  What many people do not know is that real raw natural cacao is so good for you.   We have been fooled to look at chocolate only as a dessert of treat.  We have not been taught to view it as a pleasurable food that is also a healthy dessert. 

Hershey's screwed it up for everyone, when the general population thinks a bar filled with sugar and milk is chocolate. At the state of a candy bar there is nothing of positive nutritional value in the chocolate they serve. 

Raw Cacao is an amazing superfood that starts out in a pod, each pod has cacao beans inside.  Each of those beans can be crushed to be cacao nibs or made into a fine powder which is cacao powder. It is very dark and biter but full of antioxidants and minerals. 

Cacao contains a high content of magnesium and will stimulate the release of endorphins. This is why cacao is considered a bliss food and also relaxing. It is very good for depression and mood swings. It also contains an amino acid called Theobromine, which will open up the capillaries. Anything that is taken with cacao is absorbed at a higher rate.  This also helps to support the heart chakra.  This is why many believe cacao to be a heart opening food, spiritually.  It allows us to take in more love.   

Do you buy raw cacao powder?  How do you use it?   

Goji Berries: A fruit for all

It is no secret here how much I love goji berries. I have talked about them for years.  Yes there are a lot of wonderful berries, and many grown locally,but goji packs a punch and is filled with so much goodness you will want to get them today.  

Goji Berries are a complete protein and have a full amino acid panel.  They are the perfect fruit for vegans and vegetarians who are wanting to vary their protein intake. 

Goji Berries, or Wolfberry, also called the Himalayan Superfruit. They are one of the most nutritionally- rich fruits on the planet, packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and antioxidants. It  is a top longevity and strength-building food. It is also an adaptogen, which will help strengthen the body in times of stress, but can also calm the adrenals. 

They boost immunity, keep you alkaline, enhance stamina, longevity and sexual energy. 

A single goji berry can contain up to 21 trace minerals, including zinc, iron, copper, calcium and 18 different amino acids. Most goji berries are sun-dried, cultivated & harvested to maintain their potent raw qualities. The plant that produces these delicious gojis, Lycium barbarum, is a unique strain that has been used in Asian traditions for thousands of years. Goji Berries have been used over time for those with diabetes, high blood pressure, fever, and are greatly beneficial for eye problems. Goji Berries are also very good for boosting libido and for getting increased blood flow. Goji can also naturally boost HGH in your body which is a natural age reverser. 

As you can tell Goji Berries aren't all hype.  Add a tablespoon or two into a chia pudding or smoothie. They are great in a trail mix and soaking in hot water to make a goji berry tea.  As you continue to add them to your diet let me know what changes you notice.  

Spirulina, and why you should be eating it.

It's hard when changing lifestyles and including all kinds of new foods.  What are the most important things to take daily? Where can I buy them, can I afford them?  

When I started eating superfoods I wanted them all.   I was excited and overwhelmed by the amount of nutrition and healing powder in these foods. 

There are great places online but I found it was hard for me to remember to order and I would be with out.  I chose a few that were easy to get that I would have daily.  Spirulina is one of them.  

Spirulina is a sea vegetable or known as  blue green algae.  It is packed with all kinds of nutrients and minerals.   Loaded with B12 and two grams of protein per teaspoon.  In packs more protein per gram than beef chicken or fish! Spirulina's protein is 80-90% digestible and contains no cellulose so its aminos are almost instantly absorbed, which is pretty amazing. 

Now I have talked about how important chlorophyll is in your diet. It is amazing for your gut and also for cleansing the blood.   Spirulina carries 10 times more chlorophyll than basic salad greens. 

Spirulina also carries a blue pigment that is hard to see, this pigment is phycocyanin. Phycocyanin is what allows sprirulina to aid the body in heavy metal and radiation removal.   It boosts your immune system and is anti viral. 

You can find Spirulina in pill or powder form. I prefer my clients to take the powder. It can be blended into drinks, smoothies or added into my fav homemade raw chocolate.  You can sprinkle in on top of salads or add it into a homemade salad dressing.  Whatever way you can get it in your body!     Below I have included an amazon link to a brand I find to be high quality.  

Let me know if you start using it! 

Ep:15 How Do you Define Pleasurable Eating?

This weeks theme on the blog and newsletter has been choosing things that are pleasurable, outside of food, to not negatively eat.  This video I dive into that a lot more. Let me know your thoughts below! 

Eating for Pleasure

How often do you grab something to eat only for the purpose of satisfying a bad emotion?  Do you eat crap food after a crap day?  Pleasurable eating can be both healthy and enjoyable.  

We have to stop the cycle of rewarding our day negatively with negative food. Bad day at work, go home and have a drink or some wine.   Break up with your boyfriend/girlfriend eat ice cream.  We all have done it. But why?   because at the time it brought us some sort of emotional pleasure that took us away from the pain we were feeling.  If this is a one time thing, that is ok, if it continues daily it leads to being overweight and having health issues. 

We have to start understanding the root cause of our issues and not remedy them with food.  Stop for a moment when reaching for destructive food and say how will this serve my body. Will it help with what is bothering me?   If I do still want to have my favorite things in my life, how could I make them healthier for me.  

Be mindful and take care of your body,