How To Heal You

I met my naturopathic doctor during a networking meeting I would attend regularly as a small business owner. She joined to try to grow her practice more and boy, did it work! I’ll never forget the words that resonated with me most when she said, “given the right tools, the body can heal itself.” I think that’s when the pivotal light bulb moment happened for me and my life hasn’t been the same since - in the best way. A little background about me: I was sick more than the average child. I missed a lot of school, had chronic fatigue syndrome that pulled me out of school for 4 months during 7th grade and vascular headaches that pulled me out of school for 2 months in 8th grade. I had chronic asthma and relied on several inhalers, a nebulizer, steroids, and an allergy pill to “control”. I had chronic migraines that got so frequent, I learned to live a normal life even being in constant, severe pain. It got to the point where I would be taking migraine medication every other day, which you’...

I was a few years into my journey to better health when my naturopathic doctor suggested looking into the Berkey Water Filters . Berkey filters out the most impurities and contaminants that can be found in your drinking water than any other water filtration system on the market. Check out their website for an in-depth explanation and detailed list on what they filter out. I ordered the travel size Berkey, which is the smallest one they offer. I figured that would be good enough for just my husband and I. We can find ourselves filing it up on average two times per day, so I do see the appeal behind a larger unit, even for just two people. I do appreciate that the travel Berkey doesn’t take up too much space in comparison to their larger units, though. It’s definitely the better option for small living spaces. Putting the Berkey system together presents itself as a challenge if you’re trying to follow the instructions included in the manual. They are completely confusing to follow. The ...

Washing your sheets and changing your bed on a regular basis is a basic way to keep you healthy. Sweat, bacteria, skin cells, and dirt build up in your bed easily. Your face will experience more breakouts and acne if you don’t change your pillowcase often. Sweat and skin cell build up = a mess for your face. If you dust or pollen allergies, the build up in your bed over time can aggravate those allergies. If you or your partner have a contagious illness, a soiled bed can lead to illness for the other person. If you or your partner sweat a lot, the bed sheets become soiled quicker. Dark, wet environments are prime hang out spots for things like dust mites. How often should I change and wash my sheets? Once per week. How often should I wash my blankets and comforters? Once per season. How often should I wash my pillow? One or two times per year. How often should I wash my mattress protector? Once every two months, unless spills or messes happen in between. Make sure you’re washing yo...

"Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release technique. This can help relieve muscle tightness, soreness, inflammation, and increase your joint range of motion", according to healthline.com . Foam rollers are often used a way to warm up or cool down before or after workouts, but how can foam rollers be beneficial outside the gym? Personally, I swear by my foam roller for my back. I have suffered multiple back injuries throughout my life that leave me relying on things like massage therapy and daily stretching to avoid flare ups. When I start to feel tightness in my back, I’ll lay on my foam roller and roll it up and down the upper half of my back. I know to avoid super low and super high, as my massage therapist said rolling on these parts can create more harm than good. After a good few rolls, my back loosens up and I’m ready to take on the day! It’s a great addition to a solid morning routine. Although I typically use the foam roller on my back, you can use a foam roller most...

Wet sock treatment and therapy involves wearing a pair of wet, cold socks to bed to let your body do the work during the night to dry the socks out. To be able to do this successfully, your body increases circulation to the feet which helps relieve congestion in the head and chest. This can be especially helpful for those suffering from chronic headache or migraine and chronic asthma or breathing issues. You will need 1 pair of 100% cotton socks, 1 pair of 100% wool socks to utilize this therapy. Here’s what you’ll need to do to practice wet sock therapy successfully: Soak the cotton socks completely with cold water. Make sure to ring the socks out well so they are dripping wet. Make sure you’re completely ready for bed - teeth brushed, went to the bathroom, etc. Sit on your bed and put the cotton socks on first. Put the dry, wool socks on directly after. Get under the covers immediately ensuring your feet are completely covered. Keep the socks on the entire night. They should be comp...

Branch Basics is a line of household cleaning products that uses ingredients you can pronounce, leaves out the toxic, synthetic stuff, and comes completely fragrance free. It’s also good for the environment, as all bottles are reusable and you only need to re-purchase the bottle of concentrate to make more solution. They are human safe, not tested on animals, biodegradable, fragrance free, non-GMO and contain no harmful preservatives. If you purchase their Premium Starter Kit, you will receive one of every bottle and solution Branch Basics has to offer. This includes the following bottles: All Purpose Streak Free (like Windex) Bathroom Laundry Foaming Wash (for washing hands) You also receive a large bottle of The Concentrate and a full size canister of the Oxygen Boost.   The Concentrate is used in different amounts to create each solution. The Oxygen Boost is multi-purpose: it can be used to give your laundry a boost, scrub a stubborn spot in your shower or on your stovetop, and ...

Craniosacral therapy, otherwise known as CST, is “a gentle hands-on treatment that may provide relief from a variety of symptoms, including headaches, neck pain and side effects of cancer treatment among many others. CST uses a light touch to examine membranes and movement of fluids in and around the central nervous system.” as explained by my.clevelandclinic.org . Craniosacral therapy uses light touch to move the cerebral spinal fluid throughout the central nervous system, to help provide pain relief and boost immunity. As someone who has been a personal recipient of craniosacral therapy for several years, I can attest to the success rate. I suffered from chronic headaches and migraines, utilized migraine medication more often than not. I had changed my diet and reduced stressors, but needed something else to help fully move past my head being in constant pain. I was skeptical when I first found craniosacral therapy. There is limited research on it outside of anecdotal evidence, but t...

If you have tried lots of birth control only to suffer multiple side effects, it may be time to switch to natural family planning! What is natural family planning? Natural family planning, also known as the fertility awareness method, is a form of pregnancy planning that does not involve medicine or devices, such as birth control pills, the depo shot, an IUD, etc. Natural Cycles is the first FDA approved hormone-free birth control app. Their mission is to help people discover hormone-free birth control that is side-effect free and learn the unique pattern of your period cycle. On the flip side, the app can also be used to help you get pregnant, as it tracks your cycles, alerting you to your most fertile days. How does it work? You can’t get pregnant everyday of your cycle. You can only get pregnant the day of ovulation, as well as 5 days before due to sperm survival. Natural Cycles helps track your unique cycle by tracking your daily temperature using a basal thermometer and inputtin...