Blogs - Women's Integrative Health

May 5, 2022

Part 4 – Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health

Gut Flora and Stress

An imbalance in your gut flora doesn’t just affect you physically, it can affect you mentally. Studies show that having an overgrowth of certain bacteria in the gut can trigger a systemic stress response that keeps you in fight or flight mode, which is characterized by increased heart rate, high blood pressure, increased blood glucose, difficulty focusing and slowed digestion at all times. Staying in fight or flight long-term can cause chronic inflammation that leads to chronic diseases. Conversely, having the “right” balance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus can turn off the hormonal signals that cause that chronic stress response.

Importance of Probiotics

Probiotics are live cultures that provide some type of benefit to the host-you. In the case of gut dysbiosis, probiotics help repopulate the gut with good bacteria to help restore the balance. There are two major ways to introduce probiotics into your gut.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are not a new thing. Fermented foods are those that have been preserved using a process called lacto-fermentation. During this process, bacteria feed on the sugars and starches naturally present in the food. Fermentation does more than increase a food’s shelf life. It makes the food more digestible, changes flavor and texture, reduces the presence of carbohydrates known for causing gas, and synthesizes vitamins like vitamin B12.

Supplements

Continue reading “Part 4 – Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health”

May 5, 2022

Part 3 – Healthy Digestion and Gut Health

Avoiding Chemicals and Processed Foods

Our typical diet is all about convenience. When it comes to food choices, the top three criteria for many of us are convenience, potability and taste. Processed foods contain many artificial ingredients and chemicals that your body doesn’t recognize them as food. When you regularly eat foods like this, your body responds by attacking the ingredients it doesn’t recognize – end result? A damaged gut!

Don’t be fooled by buzz phrases like all-natural, gluten-free or made with natural ingredients. These phrases are designed by manufacturers to make you think a packaged food is a healthy choice even when it’s not. Just because a processed food doesn’t contain gluten doesn’t make it healthy. It may be filled with other gut-damaging ingredients like soy and sugar.

Make your own meals at home whenever possible using fresh, whole ingredients. If portability and convenience are your concerns, spend a few hours on a day that you have some time prepping and preparing meals for the week. Cook in bulk and separate food into single-serving containers. Cut up fruit and vegetables and put them in baggies that are easy to grab on the go. Buy raw nuts and unsweetened dried fruit in bulk and put single servings into sandwich bags. Keep these bags on hand wherever you think hunger might strike unexpectedly. Put some in your desk drawer at work, leave some in the car or keep them in your purse.

Continue reading “Part 3 – Healthy Digestion and Gut Health”

May 5, 2022

Part 2 – Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health

A Natural, Real-Foods Approach

Focus on filling your plate with natural, real foods. Vegetables should take up the remaining 80 percent of your plate, while high quality proteins and fat make up the remaining 20 percent. Fruits are full of beneficial nutrients, but should not take up a significant percentage of your plate. You can add a piece of fruit to your balanced meal or snack.

Food Quality

Purchase organic fruit and vegetables that are free of chemicals and pesticides. While getting organic produce from your grocery store is good, local farmers’ markets are better.

Eat with the seasons. If a fruit or vegetable doesn’t grow in the winter where you live, skip it at the grocery store until spring or summer, the time it naturally grows. Your body was meant to eat with the seasons. This helps prevent food sensitivities and ensures that you are getting a wide range of nutrients from foods that you may not normally eat.

Many conventional meats come from cows, pigs, and chickens that are fed a grain or corn rich diet. Farmers give grain and corn to animals in an attempt to fatten them up quickly and inexpensively. Since this isn’t the animal’s natural food source, it affects the quality of the meat.

The best meat carries three labels: organic, grass-fed and pasture-raised. Do your best to choose the highest quality meats while staying within your budget.

Continue reading “Part 2 – Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health”

May 5, 2022

The Importance of Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health

Your body uses nutrients like vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fatty acids to carry out every single one of its physiological processes, such as fixing damaged cells and making new ones. Nutrients give cells what they need to work, grow and divide. The only way to get most of the nutrients your body needs is through the foods you eat.

When your gut is healthy and your digestion is working properly, your body has access to everything it needs to keep itself healthy. When your gut is imbalanced and your digestion is out of whack, your body cannot absorb nutrients no matter how clean your diet is. Adopting a clean diet only one aspect of gut health. You must also work to fix your damaged gut so you can absorb nutrients by taking the proper supplements, engaging in stress-reduction techniques and staying properly hydrated.

Identifying Digestive Problems

Bloating, belching, burning, and flatulence after meals
A sense of extreme fullness after eating
Indigestion, diarrhea or constipation
Rectal itching
Weak or cracked fingernails
Dilated capillaries in the cheeks and nose
Post-adolescent acne or other skin irritations, such as rosacea, eczema and hives
Iron deficiency
Chronic intestinal infections, parasites, yeast and unfriendly bacteria
Greasy stools
Easily bruised skin
Fatigue

Continue reading “The Importance of Healthy Digestion and Good Gut Health”

February 23, 2022May 3, 2022

Garlicky Veggie-Packed Omelet

Gut Health Recipe

Gracious Garlic

A member of the lily flower family, garlic is a beautiful plant that can give your meal a tantalizing aroma and a unique flavor that can’t be found in anything else. Use garlic or garlic powder to dress up dishes or create a savory flavor.

Garlicky Veggie-Packed Omelet

Delicious vegetables and garlic combine with fluffy eggs and egg whites to make a simple, satisfying and savory meal that will start off any day right! Protein-packed and rich in complex carbohydrates from the vegetables, this is a tasty way to get some valuable nutrition.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 1

Calories 357 kcal

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil or coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced button or cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup torn spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped tomato
2 large whole eggs
4 large egg whites

Instructions

Heat olive oil or coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.
Saute' onion for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and water, and saute' until mushrooms are softened, about 3-4 minutes
Sprinkle mixture with garlic powder and add spinach leaves and tomatoes, stirring constantly.
Whisk together eggs and egg whites and pour over the sauteed vegetables.
Immediately begin pushing the outer edges into the center with a spatula for one turn around the whole pan. Let omelet set for 2 minutes.
Gently slide the spatula under omelet and quickly flip.
Continue cooking omelet for another 3 - 5 minutes or until no longer runny.

February 16, 2022

Fitness of the Body

Bodily fitness is being able to deal with and handle the daily stresses of life, good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise, and habits. Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, in ourability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with all the necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes is a part of overall fitness. Fitness refers to the condition of good physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Fitness of the body occurs when all the body processes, physical and mental are functioning as the peak levels. What does it take to achieve complete body fitness? It requires more than simply taking a trip to the gym, or a walk in the park.

Many factors come into play when we consider our body’s fitness. The daily intake of food, vitamins, and water are absolute necessities, and most often the items thought about. What about the conditioning of our body to deal with life each day?

Does our physical exercise have anything to do with the fitness of our body? Absolutely. For one condition without regard to the other, is not a complete whole. The body includes all of our physical processes, our mind, and our physical being as a whole. When we give thought to the fitness of the body, most often we contemplate our physical condition as it applies to our cardiovascular needs and our weight. But our bodies are much more than heart and a nice figure. What about all of our other organs? Are they fit? How do we maintain a fitness of the entirety? Daily physical exercise that benefits the body as a whole, taking time to rest and restore what has been depleted from our body over the course of the day, and making sure that we adequately supply our entire body with the nutrition necessary for healthy function.

If we use our resources wisely and educate our selves about the things our body needs to maintain fitness, over the course of our life, it isn’t a difficult thing to attain. But you cannot abuse your body for years, and then hope for immediate results in trying to attain overall fitness. It didn’t become unfit overnight, and it won’t become fit again that quickly.

Proper attention to the physical needs of each part of your body results in the fitness of the whole. Every part of your physical body exists to work in unison with another part of the body. Two hands are necessary for optimal functioning of the limbs, two feet, two eyes, etc. The physical body is designed to work better than any machine invented to date. It is more complex and powerful than any piece of equipment we have on the market. It takes more abuse than believable, and continues to operate, even without the daily requirements being met, for several days. It is a fascinating machine, as machines go. But it is an even more fascinating subject, when we choose to care for our bodies as the temples they really are. They house our mind and soul, and when the body is fit, it does its job tremendously well.

For help with ways to handle the stresses of life, physical and mental health, get in touch. We can develop a plan of action to help optimize your health mentally and physically.

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019

Tips to Calm and Prevent PMS Symptoms

PMS really does not feel good. Moods and reactions can be off. Being more anxious or depressed, sleep cycles disrupted and having painful cramps are some of the symptoms we can experience.

So, here are some ways to bring back your joy premenstrually and in the peri-menopause stage, or when you are suffering from anxiety and depressive symptoms in general.

First, what exactly is happening in your body?

From the time of ovulation until menses, our ovaries secrete progesterone. The intention is to prepare the uterus and body for pregnancy. Our bodies are designed to respond to progesterone. This actually helps us to stick closer to our partner, to feel more connected and intimate and closer to home by caring for our home and loved ones.

When our bodies are not secreting enough progesterone because it’s blocked or being used up faster and there is more estrogen circulating (including xeno-estrogens and endocrine disruptors from out toxic environment) we become more estrogen dominant.

Being Estrogen Dominant Can Lead To:

Severe PMS
Anxiety
Depression
Mood swings
Irregular or heavy menstrual cycles
Breakthrough bleeding
Ovarian cyst
Bloating
Weight gain
Decreased libido
Acne
The monster within us to emerging!

6 Tips to Balance Your Hormones in PMS and Peri-Menopause

Get a good night’s sleep (7 – 9 hours)
- Create a relaxing nighttime ritual
- Take an Epsom salt bath
- Turn electronics off at 9 p.m.
- Practice meditation, deep belly breathing and stretching before bed
- Take supplements to support sleep such as melatonin or magnesium
- Use Serenity Capsules or oil at bedtime. Use on bottom of feet and/or diffuse – more information here – they can be purchased together or separately
Eat alkalizing and detoxifying foods
- Detoxing excess estrogen is essential to a healthy hormone balance.
- Enjoy cruciferous vegetables daily. Increase your intake of broccoli cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and dark greens like kale, collards and chard.
- Add the Women’s Health Kit to your daily routine. This combination of products helps to reduce estrogen, helps our bones as well as using the oil on our abdomen helps to relieve symptoms of PMS. You can find out more about these products here.
- Use this guide for adding alkaline foods to your diet. Try adding something new every few days. Strive to add the foods under the “Highly Alkaline” foods.
Indulge with dark chocolate
- Indulge and soothe the senses during this time. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants.
Nourish yourself
- Eat healthy fats and proteins at each meal and in the evening add complex carbs like sweet potatoes. Avoid snacks and dairy. Add probiotic-rich and fermented foods.
Schedule in playtime
- Add in daily activities you love with people you love. This will help increase the hormone oxytocin and will help you connect with those around you. Restoring hormones of connections can help balance these feelings of isolation and loneliness and will increase serotonin and dopamine, which will keep you happier and calm.
Herbal supplements
- Chasteberry
- Dandelion
- Dong Quai
- Red Raspberry

Continue reading “Tips to Calm and Prevent PMS Symptoms”

November 28, 2019

Digestive Enzymes and Hormones

So, how can digestive enzymes help with hormone balance? Food and digestion is at the center of our overall health and hormonal balance. We all have heard “you are what you eat”. This new term holds more truth: “You are what you can digest and absorb.” If our digestive function is compromised, we cannot fully benefit from the nutrients in our diet, no matter how high the quality of our foods.

Since we have many feasting opportunities ahead of us at this time of the year, I would like to help you digest food more efficiently. It will help you feel and look better during times of feasts and beyond; and good digestion prevents putting on those extra pounds!

So what about hormone balance and gut health? Good gut health is crucial to re-balancing your hormones regardless of the imbalance. Poor digestive health is especially impactful on women because of their physical and hormonal
makeup. All of our hormones are processed through our gut. When our food is not properly digested, all of our systems are compromised.

Who needs digestive enzymes?

This is where digestive enzymes come into play in our digestive health. Who needs digestive enzymes? Anyone who displays any of these:

Occasional bloating and gas, particularly after eating
Feeling full after eating only a small quantity of food
Infrequent mild indigestion/heartburn
Bowel irregularities such as occasional diarrhea and/or constipation
Undigested food in stools
Allergies
Estrogen dominance
History of gallbladder problems
Lost gallbladder due to surgery

What to expect from Digestive Enzymes

Women who add digestive enzymes to their regimen often feel:

Lighter and energized after a meal
Improvement in digestion
Less food intolerances
Better bowel movement (less constipation or loose stool)
Less allergies ( this is because the liver gets a break from undigested food)
Improved energy and overall well-being (nutrients get properly absorbed)
Improved thyroid function (especially with Hashimoto’s)

You have probably heard that your gut is your second brain. If your digestive system is on track you are set up for our whole body system to be on track. The opposite is also true.

TerraZyme, my go-to Digestive Enzyme Complex, is a proprietary blend of active whole-food enzymes and supporting mineral co-factors that are often deficient in cooked, processed and preservative-laden foods. TerraZyme’s powerful combination of digestive enzymes support the body’s constant production of enzymes critical for healthy biochemical functions throughout the body including healthy digestion of food nutrients and cellular metabolism of nutrients to energy. TerraZyme includes a variety of whole-food enzymes that help with digestion of proteins, fats complex carbohydrates, sugars and fiber.

Here is a list of benefits

Supports healthy digestion and metabolism of enzyme-deficient, processed foods. Speeds conversion of food nutrients to cellular energy
Promotes gastrointestinal comfort and food tolerance
Supports healthy production of metabolic enzymes
Provides important mineral co-factors for systemic enzymatic activity

Enzymes do more than we think

Enzymes are not only necessary for digesting food nutrients and converting nutrients to energy in cells, they also function as catalysts in almost all cellular functions and chemical reactions throughout the body. They are also necessary for breathing, thinking, immune function, hormone regulation, detoxification, and thousands of other biochemical functions.

The body’s constant need to produce digestive enzymes can result in chronic deficiencies in metabolic enzymes that re critical for optimal health and cell function. One example of an important metabolic enzyme is superoxide dismutase (SOD) which protects cells from free-radical molecules. Metabolic enzymes are also Continue reading “Digestive Enzymes and Hormones”

November 20, 2019

Using a Multivitamin While Preparing for Conception and Maintaining Hormone Balance

Multivitamin for Conception and Hormone Balance?

When you are trying to get pregnant or trying to maintain hormone balance in general, we are hearing from many different sources that is it a good idea to begin using a prenatal multivitamin before you get pregnant. The same is being said for maintaining hormone balance outside of conception. There are now studies backing this advice. Multivitamins serve as a type of “back up” plan to our diets. While eating a healthy diet is of utmost importance it is always good to include a whole food prenatal for pregnancy and a whole food multivitamin in who general.

“A study from Harvard Medical school involving 18,000 has shown that taking a multivitamin, particularly, folic acid, can improve chances of pregnancy.”

That study followed nurses who have hoped to get pregnant for an eight year period. Women who took their multivitamin six times a week were 40% less likely to fail to ovulate than women who took none.

The Importance of Nutrients for Fertility, Pregnancy and Hormone Balance

Nutrition plays a big role in having healthy fertility and experiencing a healthy pregnancy. Nutritional deficiencies have been linked to ovulation issues hormonal imbalances poor egg health, low sperm count and so much more. We are literally what we eat. Every cell in our bodies that makes up our organs, creates hormones and enzymes that make us function is created by the food we eat and the nutrients we take in. If this is being compromised due to poor diet or poor digestion, the side effects could affect fertility and hormone balance.

Did you know that there are specific nutrients like folic acid that are needed by the young fetus before you can even detect pregnancy, and a deficiency in this nutrient could cause serious birth defects? Another example is iron – iron deficiency and low levels of iron in the blood has bee linked to lack of ovulation.

So, nutrition does play a big role in our health, fertility and hormone balance. Taking a whole food multivitamin daily can help to fill the gaps where diets may be falling short.

Do You Need a Multivitamin?

Multivitamin Checklist

Ask yourself these questions-check all that apply to you

Do you skip one meal or more a day?

Do you have a food allergy or intolerance?

Do you have dark circles under your eyes?

Are you under a lot of stress at home or at work on a regular basis?

Do you eat a lot of processed foods?

Do you eat at least 2 servings of fruit a day?

Do you eat at least 3 servings of vegetables a day?

Do you get sick often?

During your menses do you have dark blood, cramps or blood clots?

Do you get enough sleep?

Do you eat at least one dark leafy green a day?

Email *

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Important Nutrients for Fertility and Hormone Balance

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is needed to help the body create sex hormones which in turn affects ovulation and hormonal balance. Yale University School of Medicine conducted a study of 67 infertile women. It was discovered that mere 7% had normal Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E has been shown in studies to improve sperm health and motility in men. Studies have shown a diet deficient in Vitamin E to be the cause of infertility in rats. The meaning of the name for vitamin E ‘Tocopherol’ literally means to bear young. Vitamin E is also an important antioxidant to help sperm and egg DNA integrity. Continue reading “Using a Multivitamin While Preparing for Conception and Maintaining Hormone Balance”

November 5, 2019November 12, 2019

Natural Remedies for PCOS

Today many women are turning to natural remedies for getting their PCOS symptoms under control. And, the good news is – these remedies are working!

One of the remedies that is working is essential oils. When using essential oils, it is important to remember that a little goes a long way because of how potent they are.

Today we will explore the best essential oils for PCOS; how to use them and a potent DIY Essential Oil Blend to support you on your healing journey.

What is PCOS?

PCOS (Polycystci Ovary Syndrome) is a set of symptoms that come about because of increased androgens (male hormones) in women. PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women between the ages of 18 and 44.

One or both the ovaries can be affected by PCOS which is characterized by a collection of cysts on the ovary, which causes it to bulge and produce more androgens than normal.

PCOS is also one of the leading causes of infertility. It is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some risk factors of PCOS include

Obesity
Lack of physical exercise
Family history of someone with the condition

Symptoms of PCOS

Some women experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Irregular menstrual periods
Heavy periods
Excess hair
Acne
Fatigue
Weight gain or trouble losing weight
Insulin resistance
Low sex drive
Thinning hair on the scalp
Pelvic pain
Difficulty getting pregnan
Patches of thick, darker velvety skin

To see if your symptoms indicate PCOS, use our questionnaire here.

How do Essential Oils Help with PCOS

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances. They are made up of many chemical constituents – terpenes, ketones, acetates and more. These constituents are what makes each essential oil special and different from each other. They give an essential oil its numerous therapeutic properties. Some of these properties include hormone-balancing, cytophylactic, anti-inflammatory, tonic, stimulant, antibacterial, analgesic and more.

What makes essential oils special is there therapeutic properties. Here are the following benefits of essential oils for PCOS:

Help balance hormones
Reduce inflammation in the body
Reduce thinning hair on the scalp
Fight acne
Increase fertility
Act as natural aphrodisiacs
Regulate menstrual periods
Help in weight management
Reduce pelvic pain
Increase energy and boost mood

Here are my top 10 Essential Oils for PCOS:

Clary Sage Essential Oil

What it does: Balances hormones; assists in hair growth; acts as a utrine tonic; boosts estrogen levels; works in synergy with geranium essential oil for ovarian support.

geranium essential oil

What it does: Supports women’s health; regulates hormones; promotes healthy functioning of reproductive system; fights hormonal acne.

Lavender essential oil

What it does: Quells anxiety; reduces stress; regulates scanty periods; balances the endocrine system; blends well with geranium and clary essential oils for ovarian support.