Grounding as a health treatment
I like to track my nightly resting heart rate and heart rate variability to see how well my body is responding to my life. You know what’s crazy? The biggest factor I have found that lowers my resting heart rate and increases my HRV is. . . grounding. Not fasting, not eating well or not eating before bed, not avoiding alcohol/caffeine. I’ve tried it all and grounding is definitely the factor that makes my body respond to stress well.
It makes sense.
Our bodies accumulate an excess of positive charges and free radicals from radiation and environmental toxins.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage DNA and cause aging, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the body.
The earth’s surface is full of negative electrons. Harnessing free electrons allows the body to pair these excess positive charges with a corresponding negative charge and instantaneously negate the inflammatory effects.
Free electrons short-circuit inflammation and neutralize free radicals wherever they may be present in the body.
Having your bare feet touch the earth daily is one of the most healing, rejuvenating, (and free) things you could do for your body.
I prioritize grounding daily over supplements or any other health device or treatment. It’s just that good.
Gotta read the classic book that started it all
Hormones and Neurotransmitters are not the problem
Let’s be real, I get caught up in blaming my hormones all the time, but then I remember what controls my hormones. I can’t blame them, they are just the messengers, not the senders.
I hear it all of the time. . . depression and anxiety are because of an imbalance of neurotransmitters. Mood swings, low energy, low libido, brain fog, weight gain etc. are because of hormonal issues.
I disagree.
Sure, you may have too low or too high hormones or neurotransmitters, but that is a symptom, not a cause.
Often people think hormones are the root of symptoms, but they are not. What caused them to be low (or high)? That’s the root. If you just focus on taking something to raise your hormones or neurotransmitters, that isn’t fixing what caused them to be off in the first place.
Hormones do change how you feel, but there are things that control them.
There is a hierarchy that controls what your sex hormones do.
You guys, I had an entire course just dedicated to hormones so I could write about this forever, but to keep it short (ish) and sweet:
If you want to balance your hormones and neurotransmitters, you have to start with the building blocks that create them/tell them what to do
focus on cortisol: controlling your perspective of stress, the story your body needs to be telling your brain is that you are safe and you have energy. Things like tricking your body that stress doesn’t exist, turning your smartphone into a dumbphone, and having a daily awareness, perception, and focus practice like this.
focus on insulin: nourishing your body, checking for your nutritional toxicities and deficiencies. Apple cider vinegar or berberine at meals is an incredible tool for managing insulin.
focus on oxytocin: Oxytocin is one of the most healing molecules that exist. Far more powerful than anything you can consume. Great news: prioritizing love and touch and deep connection daily balances your hormones.
I don’t take probiotics
It’s true. I haven’t taken probiotics for the last seven years. Why?
Our gut *should* have somewhere between 500-1,000 species of bacteria living in it, yet most probiotics usually have less than 10 species of bacteria total, that you’re introducing at extremely high numbers.
If you start taking 3 or 10 species of bacteria at 60 billion copies a day, you will very quickly move AWAY from a complex integrated ecosystem of 1,000 species and instead create a “monoculture” of these 3-5 species.
It is possible that being on one single type of probiotic long-term is the exact opposite of what we want.
We want DIVERSITY of different species, not billions of just 3-10 species. It’s not about having a high amount of good bacteria, it’s about having the right balance and a diverse amount of bacteria.
Don’t take my word for it, listen to the brilliant Dr. Zach Bush explain it here.
Instead, I eat fermented foods and I take Ion every day to create biodiversity and strengthen the tight junctions of the gut.
Expensive skincare is not necessary
When I became an Esthetician 13 years ago, I started out working at high-end spas with very pricey skincare. I was so excited to see what these products would do, but quickly learned what actually changes people’s skin, and it wasn’t what I was putting on it.
What changes your skin the most:
Cellular hydration: If we could stay perfectly hydrated in the intracellular environment, our aging would slow down if not reverse.
True hydration means CELLULAR HYDRATION. As we age or have imbalances in the body, our ability to get quality water into the cells from the bloodstream decreases. For true hydration to occur, proper water needs to get into the cells. Which means hydration is not about just drinking more water.
So the question should not be, how can I drink more water, the question should be, how do I get living hydration in my cells?
Removing toxic build-up: When your body is overburdened by toxins, it is focused on trying to get those toxins out, not cellular rejuvenation. Fasting, taking supplements that support your organs of elimination, and doing what you can to lighten up your toxin load will show up on your skin (in a good way)
Foundational skin (and hair) nutrients: omegas 3s, essential amino acids (not BCAAs), collagen, trace minerals (ocean minerals are my favorite)
Sun: I am not telling you to always cover up and lather with sunscreen when you go out. I don’t. I’d rather have my skin a little more aged because of the sun rather than not get that critical Vitamin D from it. But it is true, people who don’t have a history of baking themselves in the sun year after year (guilty) will have younger-looking skin. Now I focus on protecting my face and the top of my hands when I go out and let the rest of my body soak it in.
Thought of the week
I saw a friend post a study that said: “Scientists have discovered that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless it is done in play, in which case it takes only 15-30 repetitions.”
I don’t know the validity of this, but from personal experience, I can see how this could be very true.
Working out became a habit when I started moving in ways that I loved that felt more like play vs work. Whatever good thing you are working on adding to your life, how can you add more play to accelerate the process?
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Love ALL of these and trying to put many of them into place over the years. I love the pyramid diagram. :) I think my ultimate nemesis is 'accepting' I am aging and what I did to my body years ago is showing up. (yes, I was the person who used baby oil to get a tan ;) I LOVE the water and just lived in it over the summers growing up as a swimmer and lifeguard. Over the past few years, downgrading from a stressful job and lifestyle of 'go-go-go' has definitely helped balance my emotions and energy. No one gives you a book on how you'll feel as we age. We have other people's experiences of whatever they feel comfortable sharing and the constant ads of how 'not to age', so it definitely messes with one's head and adds more self-pressure. Coming from a healthcare background focused on prevention and wellness, I have strived to keep myself as healthy as possible, I didn't appreciate the under current of how stress and moving into menopause would all collide together - also, possibly some genetics thrown in there, too... Thank you, Megan for taking the time to share!