Prebiotics & Probiotics

Is everyone you know on the probiotic band wagon? Here’s why… they are the power houses of gut health & even your wellbeing! You may be confused about what probiotics are and what they do. You may have even heard of probiotics and now find yourself even more confused.

What is the difference between prebiotics and probiotics?

Probiotics are live (good) bacteria

Prebiotics are food that support the good bacteria in your gut, this is like fertilizer for a garden. They serve as food for the probiotics (good bacteria). They are indigestible fibers (by humans) that are fermented (by bacteria) along the GI tract.

Do you need both? Yes! They both work together and support the human body’s production and maintenance of healthy bacteria and microorganisms.

Foods rich in prebiotics

  • Asparagus
  • Bananas
  • Apples
  • Oat Groats (whole), and steel-Cut Oats
  • Dandelion Greens
  • Flaxseed
  • Leeks
  • Garlic

Foods rich in probiotics

  • Sauerkraut
  • Pickles
  • Pickled beets
  • Kombucha
  • Yogurt
  • Acidophilus Milk
  • Kimchi
  • Kefir

May your gut be filled with health and proper amounts of both pre and probiotics!

In Wellness,

Dr. Rachel

The Mind-Emotion-Gut Connection

Science is FINALLY catching up to ancient health and wellness knowledge used for thousands of years to both prevent and cure illness and disease. This new paradigm for health has been coined the mind-body movement. Yet, it is only partially beginning to express the deep connection between the mind and the body. We now know that there is a mind-body-emotion connection that impacts our health and wellbeing.

Our mind and our internal thought life create thoughts and thought patterns that then begin to be experienced in the body as emotions. These thoughts and emotions then manifest or materialize within the body impacting health on a cellular level.

Negative thoughts and emotions cause acidity which leads to an imbalance in proper gut function, causes inflammation and a decrease in overall gut health. Since we know that gut health is directly linked to the health of numerous other systems and organ function within the body such as the brain, immune system and entire digestive system function, working towards healing negative thought patterns and processing as well as clearing negative emotions has a powerful impact!

Most of us do not learn effective ways to address our internal landscape, both negative thoughts and negative emotions. This is why taking accountability and seeking to learn new tools and techniques will empower your future health.

When our gut is out of balance it begins to not only negatively effect our physical health but also mental and emotional health. So the cycle of negative thoughts-negative emotions-gut imbalances ends up spinning out of control and feeding the continuation of this cycle which can lead to or trigger symptoms of anxiety and depressions.

If you struggle with mental and emotional health issues, please get the support you need from a professional and also look deeper into your nutrition and gut health as well.

In Wellness,

Dr. Rachel

A Dose of Healing… From Nature?

That’s right, nature delivers a power packed shot of medicine! We are wired to spend time moving our bodies, breathing fresh air, being around trees, grass and beautiful landscapes. But so often us modern busy-bees spend time outdoors, away from computer screens WAY less frequently then our health and wellbeing calls for.

Did you know that most Americans have lowered levels of vitamin D which can lead to depression, lack of energy and even a decreased immune system? That’s right we NEED sunshine. We also need nature. Being in nature reduces anxiety, anger, fear, and stress and increases feelings of wellbeing and happiness. All of which increase our immune system function AND support our parasympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes called the rest and digest system, the parasympathetic system conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and increases gut health, digestion, decreases internal inflammation and acidity.

Exposure to the outdoors not only makes you feel better mentally and emotionally, it increases your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones in addition to the benefits of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Research shows that being in nature can reduce stress significantly, which in turn also positively impacts our bodies wellness through how your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are working. Furthermore, there is a body of evidence, proving what we all know to be true: nature is good for us and has both long and short term mental and physical health benefits.

Some additional health benefits of being out in nature”

  • Produces feelings of calmness & clarity
  • Boosts energy
  • Positively impacts your vision
  • Sunlight helps reduce pain
  • Stimulates brain function

Being in nature for only 20-30 minutes a day has a hugely positive impact on physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing. It fights depression and anxiety and improves inner peace.

For all of these reasons, as a Doctor of Natural Medicine I highly recommend that people spend more time outdoors, in nature. Try to make it a daily practice. Incorporate nature into your mindfulness and spiritual practices as well as your health and self-care rituls.

Mental Detox, A Game Changer!

We can all relate to how toxic our thought life can be at times. We can easily get sucked into negative and spiraling thoughts. Anxiety filled thoughts. Fearful thoughts. Anger thoughts. Resentful thoughts and more. Once our thought life becomes toxic it sends signals not only to trigger emotions but also to trigger our fight or flight response. This slows digestion, reduces our ability to think with clarity and even disrupts our hormone balance and hormone production.

If you have ever heard the phrase ‘holding onto a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’? Yup, that is one hundred percent a reality within our physiological response to negative and toxic thoughts and thought patterns. Additionally, our self-talk or the thoughts we think about ourselves, when these become negative, they also have a toxic effect on our system. There are also real physical toxins that our mind and brain can be impacted by.

First, it is important to understand what is toxic to the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset)? Here are a few:

  • Environmental toxins (the air & pollutants)
  • Foods, beauty products and household products with harmful chemicals in them
  • Stress (mental, physical & emotional stress)
  • Negative thoughts (mind set, self-perception, self-talk & thinking patterns)

How toxins effect the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • Negative and toxic thoughts and mindsets impact mental and physical health significantly! They even change your body Ph. level and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients properly
  • Impact brain health and can cause brain fog, cause headaches, lead to increased anxiety & depression as well as decrease overall brain function
  • Decrease the brains ability to make and balance hormones and neurotransmitters
  • Decrease the ability to mentally focus

Detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) requires both an outside-in approach AND an inside-out approach simultaneously!

Outside-in detoxing requires behavior changes, supplements and nutritional changes to eliminate toxins and also new, healthier choices.

Inside-out detoxing detoxing requires learning new tools (and applying them) to increase balance in your thought life, overcoming limiting beliefs about yourself and others as well as shifting your overall mindset towards positivity.

What are some of the benefits that you can experience after detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • A more peaceful thought life
  • Optimized brain function
  • Decrease in health issues
  • Decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms
  • More clarity
  • More joy!

I am so passionate about cleansing and rebalancing the WHOLE self; mind, body, heart & spirit that I created a FREE 30-Day program in partnership with Nupeutics Naturals. You can enroll HERE

 

 

 

The Importance of Emotional Detox and Cleansing

We have all heard of cleanses and detox programs for the body. But what about our emotions??? Yes, our heart can become highly toxic and effect not only our emotional and mental wellbeing and health, it can have a massive negative impact on our physical and spiritual health as well.

First, it is important to understand what is toxic to the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others). Here are a few:

  • Heavy metals and toxins – yes these create toxicity that impacts our emotions!
  • Stress (mental, physical & emotional stress)
  • Stuck or unprocessed negative emotions (such as anger, resentment, fear, guilt & shame)

How these toxic things effect the the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) –

  • Negative and toxic emotions and relationships (with yourself and with others) impact emotional, mental and physical health significantly! They even change your body Ph. level and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients properly
  • Can trigger negative DNA markers
  • Decreases immune system function
  • Can (when emotions are suppressed or stored long-term) lead to diseases such as cancer and heart conditions
  • Impact your ability to speak your truth in a kind and loving way, as well as to create and maintain healthy boundaries
  • Decrease the brains ability to remain emotionally balanced
  • Decrease the ability to react appropriately
  • Decreases your ability to show up for yourself and others at your best
  • Gut issues

Detoxing and cleansing the the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) requires both an outside-in approach AND an inside-out approach simultaneously!

Outside-in detoxing requires behavior changes in HOW you react outwardly to negative emotions, releasing negative emotions (or clearing them), supplements and nutritional changes to eliminate toxins and also new, healthier choices as well as honoring your boundaries through action.

Inside-out emotional detoxing requires learning new tools (and applying them) to increase balance in your thought life, resolving core emotional issues, changing HOW you process emotions & forgiveness.

What are some of the benefits that you can experience after detoxing and cleansing the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) –

  • More fulfilling & harmonious relationships with self and others
  • Optimized immune system
  • A more balanced emotional life
  • Decrease in depression & anxiety symptoms
  • Ability to respond to negative emotions in a healthier way
  • More joy!

I am so passionate about cleansing and rebalancing the WHOLE self; mind, body, heart & spirit that I created a FREE 30-Day program in partnership with Nupeutics Naturals. You can enroll HERE

Sometimes It’s Okay to Not Be Okay aka The Self-Care Slump

In the world of self-development, as we each adventure towards balance and our best selves it is easy to fall prey to perfectionism, especially when the going gets tough. In our culture what is the first thing we say when someone asks ‘how are you’? Fine, or even better… good. But we are not always good. I have to be authentic here, the more I was growing, somehow the less I felt it was acceptable for me to ever NOT be okay. That is a mindset that I recently discovered was lurking just below the surface for me. It was a completely unconscious belief that had somehow crept in and made a little nest in my unconscious mind.

The non-sense that belief created was that when I experienced something difficult and was having a hard time ‘rising to the challenge’, I found myself judging and even condemning myself. What the *%&#!!!!?!? I do not believe that it isn’t okay to give myself grace, I am not aligned with that type of self-judgement and harsh inner ciriticism… so why was I treating myself this way in the moments I was not feeling OKAY?

That’s when it hit me, yup… time to let go of some more limiting beliefs that are causing me pain and un-necessary suffering. So I got out the mental machete (the loving one made of unicorns and rainbows) and invited myself to gently cut those beliefs away through some powerful questioning… is it really true? Is it okay to not be okay sometimes? If so, how does that look, what can I give myself permission to do, be and experience exactly what and where I am?

Self-care and self-development is not a punishment or a realm where unrealistic expectations should be entertained, or acted upon. We have all heard ‘it’s a process’ or that balance may look different in different seasons of our life. I know I certainly subscribe to that and teach it as well! But what happens when we ‘seem to’ fall off the self-care and self-development wagon, or when life gets ugly, messy and painful for a season and it feels too hard to even show up, crack open our self-development tool kit, use our tools and take care of ourselves as our best selves would? Can it be okay to go through a tough season and simply allow ourselves to do our best… even if our best doesn’t look or feel like any ‘best’ we ever sought to achieve.

During some really dark times in my life, even recent ones, I have struggled with allowing myself to truly be human. Sometimes the grieving process is uncontrollably messy crying. Sometimes finding your way to the next version of yourself after a huge transition is bumpy, it is supposed to be, life is a grand experiment.

Hang a metaphorical ‘under construction’ sign on yourself and give yourself permission to BE IN PROCESS. This stuff takes time. That isn’t an excuse to give up on growth or showing up for yourself to do the deep work. It is acceptance that today’s steps for growth may be very, very limited and that’s okay for today.

Let’s all try to remember (myself included) that you are not broken. You do not need to fix yourself or change yourself in order to be worthy of love & acceptance. Your true self is perfect. It’s a matter of returning to wholeness, balance & alignment through self-development vs. Self-punishment. Be kind to yourself.

Copyright Rachel Eva 2019. All Rights Reserved