Disclaimer: The information contained herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Nicole Fey and her community. Nicole Fey encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
Always work with a qualified health professional before making any change to your diet, supplement use, changes to your prescription drugs use, lifestyle, or exercise activities. Please understand that you assume all risk from the use, non-use or misuse of this information. Probiotics help bring intestinal flora back into balance. How do you know if you're intestinal flora is out of balance. Easy. Your digestion isn't functioning well. Signs of this are: bloating, gas and stomach discomfort after eating a meal, belching, acidic conditions such as acid reflux and heartburn, chronic constipation and diarrhea and the myriad symptoms of toxicity including skin conditions and rashes, headaches, migraines, chronic fatigue, weight gain, hard to lose weight, bad breath, body odor, etc. The best way to work on healing your digestion is to 1) take foods that you are sensitive or allergic to, out of your diet 2) further clean up your diet by eliminating foods that fail to nourish you, while taxing your digestion (refined grains, sugar, processed foods, alcohol, junk food) 3) work on bringing your gut flora back into balance. Unfortunately, along with all the uncomfortable symptoms of poor digestion, an overgrowth of yeast, called Candida will commonly occur and compound the digestion problems. Candida is actually a fungal infection and many people with perpetually poor diets high in refined sugar and carbohydrates, can have Candida in their gut for twenty years or more. It is not an easy infection to get rid of because you need to build good bacteria in your gut while simultaneously using anti-fungal agents and cleaning up your diet. Addressing just one of these pathways will not be enough. I specialize in working on all three pathways with my clients when we are dealing with Candida: food sensitivity testing, elimination diet and repairing the gut. A good probiotic is an integral part of this process. I most often recommendGarden of Life Raw Probiotics for Women, Garden of Life Raw Probiotics Women 50 & Wiser (for women over 50), Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics for Men, and for children, Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics Organic, (in tablet or powder) to my clients. I like the Garden of Life probiotics because they are raw, gluten free, soy free and have no binders and fillers. For Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Ulcerative Colitis, VSL #3 is widely recommended by physicians and health practitioners. With 112.5 billion live bacteria, it contains more than any other probiotic. It is best to work with your physician in treating IBS, UC and Candida and always consult with them before starting this or any supplement. Many of the symptoms of Candida are the same as the symptoms for poor digestion and toxicity in the body. Therefore it is difficult to distinguish which is the culprit or which came first. A blood test for Candida will reveal if you are suffering from the infection. But regardless, taking a good probiotic is now a necessity for most people. Because of the onslaught of toxins on a daily basis in the form of air and water pollution, pesticides and herbicides, antibiotics and hormones in our food (eat organic to avoid this), the prevalence of processed, chemicalized food in the American diet and the high stress levels most people maintain, protecting your gut health is a smart thing to do. If you are seeking a certified health coach to work with you on your diet, on changing sabotaging lifestyle and food choices and to break cycles of poor eating, weight gain and digestive issues, email me for a free Nutrition Breakthrough session to talk about your choices for moving forward with your health goals. It has been found that the total costs of low-back pain in the United States exceed $100 billion per year.Reports have shown that the average cost of a back injury related workers comp claim can be $40,000 - $80,000 per employee.[1]
We all know of someone that has chronic, if not debilitating back pain. It's a nightmare to work with back pain. It decreases productivity and increases absenteeism not to mention healthcare costs. Here are some effective ways to reduce or completely alleviate back pain at work. 1. Try the No-Chair With an adjustable base and back height, these "no" chairs force you to sit up straight. One of the causes of back pain from sitting is due to the loss of the lordotic curve. This the large natural curve in your lower spine. The tendency when sitting for long periods is to bend forward in the lordotic area. This way of sitting also causes kyphosis, or an excessively rounded upper back. Both situations can be avoided or alleviated by sitting up straight when sitting for long periods of time. Many people swear by these balls so if poor posture is your issue, you may want to give this a try. 2. Start taking yoga classes There's nothing like sitting for long periods of time and being sedentary for reducing flexibility in the muscles and reducing mobility in the joints. And once the stiffness sets in, well it just feels bad in our bodies. I often tell my yoga students that loss of flexibility is not about aging, its about becoming sedentary. Have you ever seen an 80 year old yogi. They can be perfectly flexible. Because they never stopped stretching those muscles. Its a matter of "use it or lose it." Luckily, you can regain flexibility in a relatively short period of time. After working with participants of my yoga program at Newell Rubbermaid in Maryville, TN, every person in the class has shown marked improvement in all areas of flexibility. If you've considered bringing yoga to your workplace, set up a consultation [email protected] for an overview and price quote. 3. Invest in a lumbar support for you car A lumbar cushion and neck pillow for the car can make a big difference in reducing back pain. Second only to sitting at a desk all day, driving in the car is ergonomically treacherous for the spine. Most every car seat gives inadequate lumbar support and no neck support. If you suffer from back pain, going from poor sitting posture at work to unavoidable slouching in the car, compounds your problem. 4. Use a Standing Desk For some people, this completely alleviates all their back pain. I try to stand whenever I can, while working. Some standing desks Ergonomic Solutions allow you to simply transform your existing workstation into a standing one. My advice is to get one that adjusts easily. Bottom line is that sitting all day is disastrous for the spine and for most people, this fact has become glaringly obvious. Take some steps today to help your back pain. [1] Katz, Jeffrey N. "Lumbar Disc Disorders and Low Back Pain: Socioeconomic Factors and Consequences." The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. . Print. For your Holistic Health Consultation, contact [email protected] or 865-548-8208 Many people use stress as a motivator to get things done. After all, when you're "under the gun," you have to make things happen. But, in the case of ongoing long-term stress, just the opposite happens. It impairs your ability to focus and can greatly affect your ability to work.
Stress in the short-term causes adrenaline to rush into the bloodstream, giving us extra energy, ability and stamina as our senses are heightened. But after a while the senses start to become too heightened and we are easily distracted. Concentration becomes impaired. And because people tend to use stress as a motivator, so begins a self-defeating cycle with trouble focusing. Impaired focus can have many causes besides stress. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep, nasal congestion and even your physical environment can all affect your ability to concentrate and focus throughout the day. Here are some tips to lower stress levels and improve focus: 1. Take 5 minutes each morning to do long deep breathing. When you breath deeply and fully, you regulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which relaxes you and slows the heart rate. It brings the brain to a new level of alertness, and it regulates the body's pH (acid-alkaline balance), which affects your ability to handle stress. Breath with me on my YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxaPu7E4XK4 2. Eat leafy greens daily. Leafy green vegetables such as kale, chard, spinach, bok choy, watercress, arugala, lettuce and broccoli, improve our ability to concentrate. High in antioxidants and carotenoids, they improve brain power, memory and focus. If you are not getting enough leafy greens, or vegetables in your diet, try a green juice every morning for a week. You will definitely notice a difference! Here's a recipe out of my book, The Ultimate Juicing & Holistic Health Program. Glorious Greens Drink
3. Sleep more. Many people short themselves 1 -2 hours of sleep a night. That makes a big difference on your mood, energy levels and ability to concentrate the next day. A lack of sleep impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. Trouble sleeping? Try essential oils. Lavender oil: use a high-grade essential oil. I recommend Young Living. Put a few drops on a tissue and put near your nose so you breath it in while you sleep. You can diffuse it into the air or rub it on the bottoms of your feet. SleepEssence is a blend by Young Living that also helps with sleep. 4. Skip the refined carbohydrates before bed. Consuming a lot of refined carbohydrates depletes serotonin stores and B vitamins required to convert amino acids into neurotransmitters, our chemical messengers. Eating too many refined carbohydrates overall can lead to blood sugar imbalances and cognitive impairment. 5. Clutter clear your office. Energetically, extraneous belongings and clutter will overload us mentally and emotionally. Anything in your immediate environment has an affect on you. A picture of a relative that gets on your nerves, a pile of mail that reminds you that you procrastinate, a dying plant that makes you feel bad every time you look at it. There is a saying, "Use it, love it, or lose it." There is a whole profession of people that offer clutter clearing and organizational services. Clear your space and clear your head. For clutter clearing and Feng Shui services. 6. Clear nasal congestion. Inflammed sinuses definitely make it difficult to focus. Anyone who has had allergies can tell you that. Nasal congestion can be caused by allergies, a food intolerance such as dairy, dust or mold spores in the air, and air pollution. Try clearing out the nasal passages with a netti pot. You can buy one at a good pharmacy or online. Some other suggestions are to put an air purifier in your office, get tested for food sensitivities and dust your workspace more often. 7. Balance your gut flora. UCLA researchers now have the first evidence that changing the bacterial environment, or microbiota, in the gut can affect brain function. In the study, women ingesting probiotics (beneficial bacteria) improved their brain function. The connection of brain function and gut flora and intestinal health is now be widely studied. (for Nicole's recommended probiotics) According to Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine (digestive diseases), physiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, "There are studies showing that what we eat can alter the composition and products of the gut flora — in particular, that people with high-vegetable, fiber-based diets have a different composition of their microbiota, or gut environment, than people who eat the more typical Western diet that is high in fat and carbohydrates," Mayer said. "Now we know that this has an effect not only on the metabolism but also affects brain function." For appointments for Health Coaching: [email protected] For a Workplace Wellness consultation: [email protected] According to Inflammation and the Host Response to Injury, a large-scale collaborative research program supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakes its own tissues as foreign and mounts an inappropriate attack on the body. Overblown inflammation is a common thread in these chronic conditions. Examples include multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
In the case of autoimmune diseases, overproduction of cytokines and chemokines leads to inflammation of a body tissue. For example, too many cytokines in the joints can lead to rheumatoid arthritis. This condition worsens when chemokines summon more and more destructive immune system components — cells such asmacrophages, neutrophils, and T cells — to the joint, amplifying the inflammatory response. Science is now recognizing the connection between the GI tract (gut health) and the immune system. GI tract inflammation is a mark of how the gut is reacting to external and internal challenges including pollution, toxins, stress and food sensitivities. Inflammation in the gut compromises the immune response and can lead to autoimmune diseases such as Fibromyalgia, Arthritis (inflammatory), Crohn's Disease, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, IBS and Ulcerative Colitis. When we eat foods that we are sensitive to, it damages our gut lining. This lining when healthy, is semi-permeable, not allowing any waste, toxins or partially digested foods from the intestines to leak out into the bloodstream. When this lining is damaged, a condition known as leaky gut occurs triggering an autoimmune response and many uncomfortable symptoms including migraines, joint pain, digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, depression and skin disorders. An unhealthy diet, overeating, food sensitivities, medications, stress and toxic overload all contribute to the condition of leaky gut. Once you reach a point of leaky gut, a domino effect occurs, leading to systemic imbalance in the body that effects myriad aspects of your health that completely disrupts the body's systems including the nervous system, endocrine system, digestive and eliminatory systems, and metabolic systems. Join me for a 6 week Autoimmune Series where we will be transitioning to an anti-inflammatory diet, reducing toxins, pinpointing food sensitivities and learning stress-management techniques. Click here for information and to register for the Autoimmune Series. |
Nicole FeyMidlife Health Coach, Juicing Expert and Kundalini Yoga Teacher Archives
January 2021
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