What if I told you that your detox...and therefore your healing…could be hindered by your emotions?
How are the two things even connected, you might ask.
Well let my liver tell ya!
Read more...
People comment all the time on my energy levels and vitality. It’s not a lie or a facade I put on. I legitimately feel GOOD, with real energy and optimal health while I’m also treating my Lyme and healing my body.
I think there's a number of reasons for this, and I'm going to share the biggest one with you today! Read on to find out how to kick start your energy and boost your wellness more effectively too!
As always, I’m not here as a provider to treat, diagnose, or cure anything at all! Just sharing what I’ve learned about healing along the way in the event that it helps you too!
Being part Italian, I consider garlic a major food group in and of itself. I literally put it (fresh or dried) on ev.er.y.thing. It’s one of my top 2 seasonings on a daily basis. Even as a little kid, garlic was my jam! Imagine experiencing the garlic breath of a 3yo lol! That was ME.
Little did I know until much more recently how helpful this seasoning habit could actually be for my healing.
Supposedly Hippocrates, considered the father of western medicine, used tons of garlic for healing. We also know that it was used in Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Babylonian societies in ancient times for healing purposes. So I take this to mean that garlic was some of the "original medicine" of all time. As if I didn't love it enough already!?
The BEST form of garlic for healing is going to be garlic in its raw form. The raw form actually preserves beneficial nutrients, particularly from the enzyme allicin. Allicin is a sulfur compound that is sort of “activated” when garlic is chopped, crushed, chewed, etc, and provides anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticarcinogenic properties.
Raw garlic also contains tons of vitamins and minerals including some manganese, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin Bs, copper, calcium, iron, and more! Minerals are KEY for our health overall, so any time I can add a bit more minerals to my daily diet, I'm game!
~ immune system support to fight common bugs
~ its ability to help lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure (reducing risk for heart disease!)
~ high antioxidant levels which fight cellular damage and aging (including Alzheimer’s/dementia)
These possible healthy "boosts" certainly appeal to me, and knowing I can turn to nature to help support my body in these healing ways is the cherry on top! For those healing Lyme especially, properties like immune support, detox aid, and cardio and neuro-protective are REALLY impactful! This is how we arm our bodies to be the healthiest they can be while they fight to keep tick-borne illnesses at bay.
For those interested, here are just some of the research articles out there for reference:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26764326/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34371842/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34829718/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27748188/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103721/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/garlic
Of course, ALWAYS double-check supplementing anything with your trusted provider, because there are a few key safety pieces worth considering, but these garlic tidbits make it an awfully attractive addition to regular meals and such for many of us looking for an easy, healing boost.
To hear about how to ingest more garlic without feeling like all you smell like is, well, garlic, check out this video I did where I share what we do in our family to keep the garlic plentiful AND tasty!
I’m not going to sugar-coat it. Headaches, for me, are a persistent symptom I’m honestly SICK of having to deal with. I just spent a week recently with a headache or migraine nearly daily. It was hell. While it isn't always quite that bad, know that I’m on this particular journey to healing headaches WITH you, and you better believe I’m sharing everything I can along the way.
So here are the simple, starting-point ideas I want to share with you to help you kick headaches to the curb.
Let me for sure start by saying that this is not a substitute for medical care or advice! See your doc or trusted healthcare provider if you have headaches. Persistent headaches are worth investigating and taking seriously! It’s NOT unreasonable either to get to the cause. If you KNOW the cause, you can treat the cause! So for SURE if you have or suspect Lyme and coinfections, then you need to be treating those effectively and thoroughly.
Beyond that, these 5 tips may just do the trick for ya too!
Hydrate! REALLY honestly ask yourself if you’ve been drinking enough. Try a large glass of water or 2 any time you have a headache. And aim for at least half your weight in ounces of water each day. If you struggle to do this consistently, you may like the Water Warriors Challenge I’ve created! It’s FREE and you can hop in it right away right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lymeyandcrunchy/learning_content/?filter=390587122018759
Do you need to eat? Nutrition might be a key piece of your headaches. Try eating foods high in vitamins/minerals like sea salt, fruits, veggies, and meat, and/or foods that act as binders which are more starchy foods, raw milk, raw almonds with skin still on, etc. If you are getting headaches due to detoxing or heavy metal dumping, these types of binder-like foods may help.
Consider these easy-access supplements that can help: vit D, vit B (6 & 12 specifically are usually most common, but also don’t underestimate Riboflavin! It’s B2!), magnesium, and even sodium in some cases
Consider essential oils as an easy & effective alternative option that can be used safely and OFTEN. Mint and herb oils are often good for headaches, but also consider Lavender, Frankincense, & Copaiba too. One piece of advice I give is this: sniff a few oils you are considering using and go with what “speaks” to you! I most often use Peppermint inhaled strongly and applied to my temples and back of my neck, Deep Relief applied to my temples and neck, and M-Grain applied to my sinuses, neck, and shoulders. I also use CBD muscle rub cream or roller and/or oral drops and sometimes that alone does the trick!
Consider sleep, stress, & alternative therapies to address physiological causes. Sleeping enough and reducing stress MATTERS. Protect those two keys as though your health depends on it - because it DOES. Alternative therapies such as massage/myofascial release/craniosacral/lymphatic drainage, chiropractic, Zyto scanning, acupuncture, cupping, reflexology, etc can also help with tension, misalignment, posture, inflammation, detox, internal causes for headaches, and more.
What are YOUR natural and non-toxic headache go-to helps? I’d love to keep building my arsenal for relief while working on healing the root causes of my headaches.
Did you know I also have done FREE workshops around the topics of sleep, pain, toxin-removal, and hydration?? I hope you’ll hop into them here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lymeyandcrunchy
