Never Ever Ever Give Up

I gave this to my oldest son when he was about 8 or 9 years old, engraved on a flat stone. I thought it was one of the best lessons I could impart to him as a young mom. He would often try something new and get frustrated if he couldn’t figure it out quickly. He would then throw the object or project down and give up. We would talk about it, and I could often convince him to try it again and not get so down on himself when he didn’t get it the first couple of times. He is a very persistent young man now.

But what if we don’t figure it out after lots of tries? What then? Are there a certain number of attempts we should try before throwing in the towel? I had a patient this week tell me, “I am just going to give up! I have tried so many things, and I can’t get well under this amount of stress. I’ve applied to 16 job offers, and I haven’t received a single call back. Even if I sleep well and eat well, I am so unhappy I will never heal!”

So many times, we have goals that seem impossible to achieve from where we are in life. What is the difference between those who reach their goals and those that fall short? Maybe many factors make the difference, but I am sure that one thing that gets us across the finish line is persistence in the face of any odds and suggestions that we cannot win.

Sometimes we are called on in life to do hard things. Often, we are called upon to do hard things for many days or even years in a row. When we give up on ourselves, we are often giving up on those that depend on us as well. Our decisions affect more areas of life than just our own space. We are so interconnected to each other.

When we give up on our own goals, that can be rough. When we disappoint ourselves and our personal points of integrity, that can affect us for a lifetime. I was thinking this week that life can get pretty convoluted! Decisions and choices made in conjunction with others can take us down paths that are hard to turn back from. All the threads can weave us into places and spaces we never planned to be. What happens when our path isn’t the right one for us? How do we get back? How do we get back to ourselves? Do we choose to give up when the going gets tough? Do we pretend that the relationship, job, and school are just the right ones for now until now turns into later and later is most of our life?

Having kids has, hands down, made me a better person. I know my boys are watching when I am tempted to give up on a situation or a plan that I know is right, but that might be hard for me to accomplish. They see my choices, and I remember that little rock, and I think, “Never, never, never give up!” Never give up your dreams. Never. Never give up loving even when it is hard. Never give up when the road is tough and when all the things seem to conspire against you. If you know the way is right and the goal is worthy, persist.

You don’t have to be alone. Communicate, find help if you need it, find support, and believe that you deserve it. We all have our struggles, and sometimes it is hard to ask for help. Ask for help at work; you don’t know what can be done if you talk to someone. Ask for help in a relationship. You might be surprised that a helping hand is waiting for you if you ask. Ask for help with your health. Now that is something worth working on! It can be challenging. I started a new fitness program this week, and partway through the class, the teacher asked how I felt. I told her, “Old!” My body is sure not what it was 20 years ago! It would be tempting to give up, not try to put my body through difficult motions that feel super awkward and not at all graceful. I have committed to a 6:00 am yoga boot camp this Friday morning!

I am telling you because I want to do this. I want my body in shape; I want to feel flexible and strong. I want to have excellent cardiovascular health. I want to have lots of energy down the road and not be that woman who cannot get up off the floor! That doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. I am coming back from a severe ankle sprain I sustained last September. I had started a fitness plan last summer only to have to go back to zero after having to be in a boot for almost six weeks! Then the PT and rehab! There went my built-up reserves and strength! Starting again from scratch! Thankfully, I have a great rehab specialist and an excellent soft tissue specialist! They have cheered me on and encouraged me to meet my fitness goals no matter what! A good coach is a wonderful thing!

Never, never, never give up. We all must start from somewhere. We always have to start where we are and build from there. I know that slow and steady wins the race. Being consistent every day gets you closer to the goal. And don’t forget half the fun is in the journey! That childish project turns into a dream, goal, workout, or health program. We can so easily sabotage ourselves with our thoughts and past failures. The self-talk we have going on in our heads can either help or hurt us so much!

One exercise I do when I am worried about or unsure how to handle a situation that has tempted me to give up is to write down the things I feel the most defeated about. Next to them, I write some possible solutions and who might be available to help me with them. Sometimes that simple exercise can be enough to spark a solution, remind me of someone I can ask to help me, or remind me to Never Ever Ever Give Up. I also like to keep thoughts like this one or others that I need to work on somewhere close by for easy viewing. I often have the solution in the palm of my hand, but the confusion all around me can make me miss it.

If you feel stuck in a health habit you can’t seem to break, reach out to me. I have solutions! You are not alone. You don’t have to give up. There is help! If you feel you have tried so many times that it isn’t in you to try again, I can help. I have observed that life and living can be messy. Trust yourself. Don’t give up and fight for your dreams. You deserve them, and you don’t have to ask anyone for permission to achieve them! You are enough. Your dreams are enough. Fight for them. Achieve them. Let me know if I can help.

Lots of love for the journey!

The Alchemy of Thoughts

Happy New Year! Here we are. A new year and I am wishing a beautiful fresh start for all of us.

I was thinking about thoughts the other day. How powerful they are; how they mold us and change us. Think negative thoughts and there we are having a negative experience. Think about creating a new thing or a new reality and there we are doing that!

Thoughts are the alchemy that can save us or doom us. I don’t mean to ignore or leave aside things that are happening and pretend they are not happening. I mean, in the thick of it, what we have is how we respond to the things we think, the things we let get into our personal space.

On this new year, let us think on the things we want to have, the things we know we need to do for ourselves and others, the healthy, joyful things. Let us flow with what life brings and strive really strive to see the positive sides and the way we can change the flow of our lives to make it more the way we want it, more stable, more healthy more balanced.

If we are practical about this let’s consider diets. Some of you I know struggle with changing things you have done for a lifetime. You know it’s too hard, you’ve failed so many times before.

You’ve started another diet how many times? Maybe to lose weight and gain it back again plus a bit more. Said you’d exercise, but just don’t get up or hang out on the couch with a good book or a great show. Said it was time to get the sugar out but somehow there is a treat in your hand as you watch tv or read. I know this because I have been there myself. I have done all of these things and been frustrated and unhappy and even mad at myself and the situation and any number of things.

A Truce!

I would like to propose a truce!

A truce between yourself and all the self-destructive ideas and thoughts that have won so many times, stealing the joy out of life.

I would like for you to realize this is your journey, your day your year. Many of you have sought my help and have done smashingly, changing and growing and achieving goals. I am so proud of every single one of you who has been in front of me and had the courage to make different choices for your health and for your future.

We have all been through an actual real-life pandemic. For over 2 years! Wow! And good on us for being here and for making it through despite all the trials this has entailed. On top of the last two years, we still had life; kids, relationships, health problems, sickness and you name it. We all deserve a month-long sabbatical to the south of France! I hope you get to take one! If you don’t I would like to suggest something else.

I want to suggest that you take a minute and think some thoughts about how cool you are. How you work so hard and take care of others, yourself and your family, the world. The world is made up of so many yous! The yous that do not give up, that cry a good cry and keep on, the yous that love when all the signs say you should not. I see you. I hear you and I want to say to you that you are enough. I want you to think that thought today. Let’s not even think anything else today. Let’s think, I am enough, more than enough to do to be to have what I want, what I need.

The Destructive Thought Diet

Instead of a diet this year, let’s have a destructive thought diet. Let’s resolve to think those things that build us up not tear us down. Let’s eat the foods that nourish us and if we make a less positive choice, let’s make a new one tomorrow. Let’s move so our body is happy. Let’s resolve to minimize the stresses we can and get rid of the ones that are hurting us. Let us find our strength to believe in ourselves and find and kick out those people or things that don’t feed us or heal us.

Let’s resolve to love ourselves and do those things that we know are best for us, that will give us health, and peace and joy.

Detoxify your Mind and Body

I would like to invite you to do a detox of mind and body. I have a very special but simple program that entails basic changes that enable you to maximize your own wellness, to get a jump start on a sustainable lifestyle. Because that is what this is about, sustainability. It isn’t about a diet or even losing 15 or 20 pounds. It is about loving yourself enough to do those things that give you energy and joy and stability.

Some of the foundations of these are sleep 7-8 hours a night going to bed before midnight if possible, eating 3 meals a day and snacks if you need them. Hydrating every day with enough water to flush out toxins from your cells and keeping your thoughts positive and healthy as well. My physical detox includes eating fresh fruits and vegetables, avoiding alcohol, sugar, gluten and dairy. Doing these things alone will make you feel pretty amazing.

I have a recipe for a special detox soup and a detox smoothie. The supplements in my detox encourage the Phase 1 and Phase 2 liver detox and will give your cells antioxidants for healing. We will remove those food toxins that many of us possibly overdid over the holidays and then we will bathe those cells in good nutrition and get a boost from the special antioxidants included in the program. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals.

In very high levels free radicals damage cells and genetic material. Free radical damage can change the instructions coded in our DNA. It can cause a condition called oxidative stress that damages cells and can lead to chronic diseases. We are not defenseless though the current environment in which we live gives plenty of challenges. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, glutathione, Co Q10, flavonoids and many others serve as natural defenses against these free radicals.

Fresh, organic foods provide the best sources of antioxidants in the way our bodies can use them best. That is why we add these things into our diet in large quantities. Stress, lots of sugar, alcohol and other drugs, environmental pollutants and medications all add up to a toxic mix that makes our bodies work harder and can damage our fragile cell structure.

So we are going to change that!

What are you Grateful For?

I want you to start your day with gratitude. Think of 2 things every day that you are grateful for before you start your day. I also challenge you to make a decision to think those thoughts that feed you and do the things that bring more health and more life to you. Let’s change the endorphin rush of sugar or alcohol into the rush of feeling real energy coursing through our bodies, real food, real sleep and let us determine to love ourselves, with all our perceived failings realizing we are pretty dang perfect the way we are. Let’s detox body mind and spirit. 

Within

She understood

that it all began

with her.

The responsibility

the possibility

and the love.

She found delight

and strength

in this

knowing that all she

really needed

came conveniently

from within.

Jeannette Encinias

Until next time, love yourselves. It is how you will begin the work to drink as you pour.

Dr. Melodie Billiot

Two Effective Strategies for Sound Sleep

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

Here are two powerful techniques to help anyone suffering with insomnia.

I have personally found them effective.

1: The 4-7-8 breathing technique

The 4-7-8 breathing technique also known as “relaxing breath,” involves breathing in for 4 seconds through your nose, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling through your mouth for 8 seconds. Rest the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, right behind your top front teeth. You’ll need to keep your tongue in place throughout the practice This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or help people get to sleep. Some proponents claim that the method helps people get to sleep in 1 minute. Do this approximately 8 times.

2: Rhythm technique

This next technique is illustrated by Jim Donovan. Jim Donovan, M.Ed., is a professional musician and assistant professor at Saint Francis University. He teaches us a simple, quick method to slow your brain down by using rhythm. Watch this 12 minute video for full explanation of this technique.

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

Allergies: Two Things You Must Know

For the many adults and children who suffer from food and environmental allergies, there is one overriding, crushing piece of missing information:

You can often effectively desensitize allergic substances and foods

In other words, in many, many cases, it’s possible to reduce or eliminate allergic reactions for future years and possibly the rest of your life.

“Wait, wait. Are you trying to tell me that the years I’ve had to avoid foods, take meds for pollen, constantly have sinus drainage and stomach upset… and I didn’t HAVE TO?”

(Sadly), Yes.

There are Two Methods:

1: Acupressure desensitization

The concept behind acupressure desensitization is that allergies and sensitivities are inappropriate reactions. For example, if you have an egg sensitivity, your body has decided that eggs are a toxin and reacts as if this were true. However, eggs aren’t really toxic.

The acupressure treatment focuses your body’s attention on eggs as a healthy food compared to the body’s previous mistaken idea of eggs as a stressful toxin. The result is that your body now perceives eggs correctly as food, not as a toxic substance. This response is similar to changing your mind about something based on observing some new information.

Dr. Devi Nambudripad developed the first workable acupressure desensitization technique in 1983.

Here is National Institutes of Health paper on her technique.

I began using acupressure desensitization extensively on thousands of patients in 1999. In 2005, I developed a more efficient version of the technique, up to ten times faster. I have done many thousands of these treatments every year, often with life-changing results.

2: Food antibody desensitization

Some food sensitivities are from an inappropriate reaction of the immune system. In this case, the body develops antibodies to foods, treating the allergic food similar to an invading virus.

When the antibodies are of the IgG variety, any reaction can be delayed up to three days. With the delay, you can never determine which food is causing a problem.

Desensitizing this type of allergy is a three-step process:

1: Do a blood test with a lab to find the foods triggering the IgG antibodies. The test I use the most is for 184 of the most commonly eaten foods.

2: Stop eating foods that show high antibody levels on the test. I work with patients to help them find substitutes and avoid foods in ways that are not too stressful.

3: After 12 weeks, the body will often have dropped many of the antibody levels. If the foods are then reintroduced on a rotating basis, often the immune system will not react, and the food may be able to be eaten from then on without any ill effect.

Other Issues Caused by Allergies

Most allergies affect the gut, which is the source of 75% of your immune system. Allergies can cause many chronic health problems, including many that you would never normally associate with allergies.

If you have “mysterious” health problems that don’t respond well or at all to routine treatment or have no available treatment, you may be suffering from allergies or sensitivities.

I’ve found sensitivities in patients suffering from migraine headaches, hormone problems, infertility, digestive problems, ADHD, brain fog, and anxiety/depression. When the sensitivities were desensitized, these problems were reduced or resolved in many cases.

If you have health issues that don’t resolve, you may be dealing with allergies… and just never knew it.

Hidden Allergies

In my experience, many patients with sensitivities causing their health problems have no idea that they are sensitive. Their symptoms just aren’t what they would associate with “allergy symptoms,” and their sensitivity reactions are delayed, so they don’t realize that they are reacting to any particular foods.

Here’s an excerpt from a JAMA article (Journal of the American Medical Association):

Question  What are the prevalence and severity of food allergy in US adults?

Findings  In a population-based survey study of 40 443 US adults, an estimated 10.8% were food allergic at the time of the survey, whereas nearly 19% of adults believed that they were food allergic. Nearly half of food-allergic adults had at least 1 adult-onset food allergy, and 38% reported at least 1 food allergy-related emergency department visit in their lifetime.

Meaning  The findings suggest that food allergies are common and severe among US adults, often starting in adulthood.

Patient Story:

Introduction

You may have heard the term “SIBO” and wondered about it.

SIBO is Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth. It usually results from the poor passage of food through the small intestine, which creates a breeding ground for bacteria.

The bacterial overgrowth can cause diarrhea/constipation, weight loss, malnutrition, bloating, gas, belching, distended abdomen, abdominal pain and discomfort.

Medically, this condition is often treated with antibiotics to kill off bacteria and reduce overgrowth. Antibiotics often give only temporary relief and can damage digestion and immune systems (studies show a recurrence in half of the patients treated with antibiotics).

Good News

If you have any combination of the symptoms listed above, I may be able to help.

A simple lab test can determine if it’s likely that you have a problem with SIBO. In this case, correct dietary supplements and some dietary restrictions can give your body the assistance it needs to get the situation under control and eventually heal.

Below is a case review from a colleague of mine that clearly shows how these cases can resolve.

SIBO- Overlooked Cause of GI Issues (Case Review)

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

A 47-year woman named Kristina was seen with the following symptoms:  Chronic bloating, gas and belching, abdominal distention, intermittent diarrhea/constipation, and abdominal pain/discomfort.

Based on the patient’s symptoms and her medical records from her primary physician, I was suspicious of a condition called SIBO (Small Intestine Bowel Overgrowth).

SIBO, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is defined as an increase in the number of bacteria and/or changes in the types of bacteria present in the small bowel.

The normal small bowel, which connects the stomach to the large bowel, is approximately 20 feet long. Bacteria are normally present throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract but in varying amounts. Relatively few bacteria normally live in the small bowel. In most patients, SIBO is not caused by a single type of bacteria but is an overgrowth of the various types of bacteria that should normally be found in the large bowel.

The most accepted test to diagnose SIBO is called the hydrogen/methane breath test. 

Here are the results of Kristina’s SIBO breath test:

Antibiotics are often used to treat SIBO. However, studies show that recurrence develops in almost half of all patients within one year despite treatment with antibiotics. The most commonly used antibiotic for SIBO is rifaximin. The treatment I decided to recommend included natural botanical supplements. I worked the patient up from a low to a higher dose over two weeks to minimize die-off symptoms.

In addition to the botanicals, I recommended a SIBO diet. The SIBO diet is a temporary elimination diet that incorporates low–FODMAP* foods to decrease bacterial overgrowth. Click Here for a food guide for SIBO.

Kristina followed the above treatment protocol for six weeks with excellent results. Her follow-up breath test was negative. It has been eight months, and she is still doing quite well.

FODMAP is an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. These are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that may be absorbed poorly by the small intestine. Some people have cramping, diarrhea, and other symptoms after eating them.

Here is a list of high and low FODMAP foods.

Compliments from Functional Medicine University