While I love and appreciate herbs and their abilities to help us heal in many ways, they can only do so much. It is up to us to make sure our bodies are capable of mounting a correct immune response. There are issues of genetic inheritance that do make real difference, but how we live our lives, what we eat, and how we invest our mental/emotional energy can change how our genes work. This is the field of epigenetics and is a fascinating topic to study. We will also be incorporating some of the concepts of psychoneuroimmunology in today’s topic.

The summary of what we will discuss today is as follows:

• What you do matters!

That’s really it. In a world which at times can feel out of control and random, there are things we can do that can make a difference. Let’s jump right in shall we?

Our thyroids are busy keeping our metabolism running, warming us up, and stimulating growth, development, and repair. Let’s talk about healthy thyroid function, a few key nutrients needed for optimal function, and signs to look for if you suspect an issue with your thyroid.

Health starts in our guts. We often hear that we are what we eat, but that’s just part of it. A more accurate phrase would be: we are what we absorb. Let’s explore the lining of our digestive tracts and learn more about healthy function. This is a continuation of our journey with Calendula as this sunny herb can help soothe and heal irritations all along our digestive tracts.

Did you know that our skin is our largest organ? Did you know that it’s constantly communicating with our nervous system, our hormonal systems, and our immune systems? When thinking of our skin, we usually think only about what happens when it’s not functioning well. Today, let’s stop to ponder what healthy skin feels like, means to us, and what it’s actively doing without our conscious input.

We all know that our liver is important, but how much do we really know about the liver? Let’s explore this extremely important organ and come to a better understanding and appreciation of it. The liver is involved in five main areas of body functioning: filtering your blood, digestion via bile production, blood sugar regulation, blood clotting, and biotransformation of endogenous (made by the body) and exogenous (introduced to the body) toxins - AKA detoxification.

Spring is a popular time to consider “doing a detox”.  While this is a very common term to hear in the alternative medicine world, this can mean many different things.  I frequently get asked for supplements and protocols for detoxification, but often when I ask clarifying questions, people are unsure what their goals are beyond a nebulous idea of cleaning up.

Many stores and websites will be happy to sell you detox kits, but they only do one thing - make you rush to the bathroom. Don’t get me wrong, getting things moving isn’t a bad idea, but triggering diarrhea by taking large doses of harsh laxatives isn’t the best way to do it. Plus only focusing on clearing out our bowels misses the majority of detoxification capabilities. Instead of helping someone profit off of a misunderstanding, let’s educate ourselves and support our beautiful bodies in what they are already doing day in and day out.

There is so much we dislike about ourselves, and we struggle with personal obstacles we wish we could overcome.  Unfortunately, it is much easier to ignore or resent our needs which are a part of what makes us unique.  This is a huge problem we must all face.

Love is the answer.  It really is.

When you feel ungrounded, stress seems to have a larger sway on your emotions and ability to cope. It is hard to get started on taking action, and your thoughts and energy seem to race all over the place without giving you insight into how to handle each situation that arises. If you find yourself in a state where it almost feels as if all your focus is on your thoughts and you feel detached from your physical body, this is another sign of being ungrounded. Practicing grounding techniques is a great way to rebalance and refocus, it also has wonderful and measurable benefits for our immune systems, nervous systems, and overall health.