Did you miss out? It's not too late for an Intermittent Fasting KickStart!

Did you miss out on the first opportunity? No worries, because now you have another chance! There is always a new day, a new opportunity for a kickstart. This fall for the first time, we are offering an Intermittent Fasting Kickstart. Why? Because it's sustainable. It's easy and it's life affirming.

What does this mean? It means, it's not about dieting. It's not about deprivation. It's not about eating less. It's about eating less often. To find your own daily rhythm. A rhythm that suits your unique body the best.

It's what everybody is talking about it! Here's the "Who's Who" of experts in healthy living from the famous Cardiologist who wrote Wheat Belly Total Health to the recent book by Dale Bredesen, MD on The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline. Who doesn't want to have the sharpest mind, no matter what age?!

Dr Ben Lynch writes about the benefit of intermittent fasting to clean up your dirty genes. YES! You can change the expression of your genes with diet and lifestyle! You are not bound by your genes, nor are you bound by any diagnosis. This is what we will be talking about in our first online webinar that is included in your 7 Day KickStart to Wellness.

Do you want to feel and look your best? Then, please, I urge you to join us and sign up before October 25th when we will hold our first online kickstart webinar, where you will commit to a 7 day Intermittent Fasting Kickstart program. The program will officially begin on November 1st when your Tasty6 supplemental organic fresh soups, juices, nut mylks, and MCT shots with turmeric will be delivered to your home or office.  This can be shipped directly to the address given when you register.

The day after Halloween is a perfect time to begin. Whether your goal is to prepare for the holidays, or a wedding, you want to heal from a war torn body, or you want to find your optimal weight and health.  This is the perfect program for you to get group support, education and knowledge so you can confidently create positive lifestyle change that is sustainable.  We are providing you with the best organic juices and food voted by Washingtonian Magazine, vetted tried and true simple recipes, a guidebook on eating out, group support and more.

We are really excited to be able to offer this program to you and hoping that you will join us to find your optimal health and wellness.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

Why Kick-Start? What's The Difference?

Food is Love.  What's the difference in a Kick-Start to Wellness Program and a cleanse? It depends. The purpose of the Kick-Start is for you to identify what your unique body needs with education and support.

Our goal is to Inspire, Educate and Empower you to find your own optimal health and wellness.

Join us a week from Thursday, September 21st for a FREE Webinar to learn more.

This is a way for you to:

1. Bring in healthy foods that are decadent and delicious, nourishing and nutritious. 
2. Minimize food sensitivities, toxins, and inflammation and 
3. Help you to prioritize self-care.  

Here we will discuss specifics on why and how you can Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize.

This is NOT about dieting or deprivation! Feeling HANGRY (Hungry and angry) is NOT our goal!
See the funny towel my sister gave me below:

Each one of us are unique and different. We can have ten people with the same medical diagnosis and all ten could have different root causes and therefore different nutrient needs, different genetic capabilities to detoxify, and different environmental factors. A Kick-Start helps you discover what your unique body needs starting with what you are eating.

This Thursday, I'm speaking at the Loft @ Lululemon Store in Georgetown for a group of runners training for the Marine Corp Marathon. Click here to for more information and to register.

Territory Foods will be serving dinner while I speak about maximizing nutrition and give a few pointers for increasing breath work and the importance of rest and repair during training.  When preparing for a marathon is NOT the time to do a cleanse!  It is, however the time to Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize YOU so you can be your best!

So how is our Kick-Start to Wellness program different from a cleanse? First of all, this is not a one size fits all program. Included in the program is a health history and symptom questionnaire and a 30 minute consult to determine what your unique body needs are so you can set the goals you wish to accomplish over the next three weeks.

It includes group support, education and motivation. Something all of us, myself included, can benefit from. Just because I know what to do doesn't mean I always do it. I need you to keep me motivated too.

Most of all, this is about self-love and life affirming food, thoughts and actions.

Email me if you would like to join us Thursday, September 21st for our Free "Why Kick-Start?" Webinar to learn more.

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance. 

Are you Ready for a Fall Kick-Start to Wellness?

For me, Fall is a time of new beginnings. As a child, back to school meant new classes, new friends, new opportunities. As a mother, it meant more structure and needed discipline to meet busy schedules.

The summer heat wanes and encourages us to focus inward. It's a great time for nourishing savory soups and kitchari. Fall foods prepare us for the winter season and can protect us from seasonal allergies.

Individuals and families today have more stressors than ever in our history. This week I spoke with a client in Houston as well as a doctor I consult with about the effects of Harvey on their lives and their businesses. We have unprecedented physical and emotional challenges from the floods to the assault on our brains and bodies due to increasing toxins in our food, water and air. It is hard not to turn on the news and worry about the health of our country. Many feel anxious about the state of affairs.

When I graduated from nursing school in 1981 there were only a few autoimmune diseases, now there are well over a 100. Autoimmune disease, cancer, autism, ADHD, Aspergers and Alzheimer's have all risen dramatically.   

What has changed dramatically in my lifetime? (Our genes haven't, only the expression of them). Specifically, we've seen a dramatic:

1.  Increase in consumption of non-food items; an estimated 600,000 products in the grocery store stored in a box or a can that our ancestors would not recognize. If they can sit on the shelf and the bugs won't eat them, why do we think we can? 
2. Thousands of new chemicals and toxins added to our food and environment every year, none of them tested in synergy with other toxins. (please read this section in my book). We've known about this since 1962 when Rachel Carlson published Silent Spring.

When we are in fear mode, we often fail to make the most loving choices. Love is the antithesis to fear. So my quest and challenge to you is to practice self-loving, life-affirming actions.  EAT, THINK & THRIVE

We know that toxicity and inflammation is the root cause of all chronic dis-ease.  So how do we maximize nutrition and minimize toxicity and inflammation?

Take time to get to rediscover what your unique body needs. 

Use curiosity to turn fear and overwhelm into empowerment. 

Join us for my Kick-Start to Wellness Program.  Make conscious choices that will yield more energy and less stress. Join us for weekly educational webinars and support to bring in positive actions and prepare you for the fall and winter season.

Optimal health is not complicated but if you could have found it on your own you would have done it already. We are social beings and studies show that our health and longevity is determined by the people we surround ourselves with. Join our community to consciously choose constructive change.

Be the change you want to see in the world.
Introductory Webinar is Thursday, September 21st followed by three Wellness Wednesday Webinar sessions.

Register Here: 

Carpe Diem Wellness

Because nothing is more important than your health.

Lisa

ABOUT LISA JACKSON, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN, AFMC

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance. 

Woo Hoo, I did it!

I'm very proud to say that I passed my Functional Medicine exam and am now certified as a Functional Medicine Practitioner!

Here's a video about my school filmed last fall.

Last year I completed the coursework to become a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. This allows me to help you find the root cause of your dis-ease so that you can become your own best advocate. After all, no one knows your body better than you do. To quote Dr. Jeffrey Bland,  the Father of Functional Medicine,

"The origin of the disease is always unique." 

This I know for sure. Ten clients could have the same diagnosis and have ten different root causes. So how do we expect that one pill is going to reverse illness and rebuild health? It doesn't. It will merely mask the symptoms so you feel better and hope that your body heals itself. Hence the title of this blogpost Healing From Within.

"Your body's self healing and self repairing, if you can just get out of your own way." 

Functional Diagnostic testing helps you do that. So does the D.R.E.S.S. for Success Program addressing Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress reduction and Supplementation customized to you after identifying your HIDDEN stressors. Together, we identify Stressors caused by imbalances in your Hormones, Immune system, Diet, Detoxification capacity, Energy production and Nervous system.  We then use fundamental principles to rebuild health.

So what is Functional Medicine? This is the evolution of medicine. I can't tell you how many of my clients see multiple physicians, and have multiple diagnoses and labels, each given multiple medications, to manage their dis-ease.

In my former clinic, I would see patients with Crohn's disease, or stomach cancer, or iron deficiency anemia (and witness) not one physician (from well known institutions) recommending a change in diet to alleviate symptoms. One of my favorite patients had had 5 bowel resections and had been bleeding for 10 years requiring regular iron infusions and b12 shots. I asked him if anyone had suggested he go on a gluten free diet. He replied

"No, but I've read about that and have considered it myself." 

I gave him my Kick-Start to Wellness Guidebook with recipes and 3 weeks later received an email from him. For the first time in 10 years he stopped bleeding and his hematocrit and hemoglobin (H&H) blood levels rose. H&H measures the amount of oxygen in your blood, when low you may get a diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia. A prime example of how health begins in the gut.

To quote the Institute of Functional Medicine,

"Functional Medicine asks how and why illness occurs and restores health by addressing the root cause of disease for each individual."

How many times have you gone to the doctor, received a diagnosis and a prescription drug and told to just exercise more and lose weight?  What's wrong with this picture? First of all, if it were as simple as this, you would have done it already. A Functional Medicine Practitioner helps you uncover the hidden internal and external stressors that is keeping you stuck.

In fact, most of my clients need to do just the opposite. Most need to exercise less and eat more healthy fat. This is not a typo. Despite the recent hoopla on the news, coconut oil does have benefit and (healthy) fat will not make you fat. Understanding that cholesterol is the essential precursor to your sex and metabolic hormones as well as the lining of your cellular membranes is key to changing these old medical myths.

So in a nutshell, this is what I do. I help you uncover what your unique body needs. We then co-create a plan to replete digestive and nutritional insufficiencies, eliminate hidden internal and external toxins, and help you prioritize you so your unique body will do what it naturally does...heal from within.

Carpe Diem and enjoy this glorious weekend!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa Jackson,

About Lisa Jackson RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire, educate, and empower, clients towards optimal wellbeing.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the Functional Forum and Evolution of Medicine, the New Self Health Movement and the founder of the Wellness Inspired Network and Carpe Diem Wellness. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

New Normal

This phrase, this concept of accepting "a new normal" is interesting to me. I first heard it after a tragedy. My neighbor's son was paralyzed. I also heard it from patients and families undergoing cancer treatment. I've heard my children refer to it during and after our own tragedies.

Something about this just didn't sit right with me. The angry defiant me wanted to cry, "NO! Don't accept this as your new normal!" This idea of "the new normal" felt disempowering to me. This acceptance felt like giving up.

This morning I heard the phrase in a new light. An inspiring light. I heard it referred to as a way to uplift us into the life we want to lead.

After all, life isn't what happens to us, it's how we respond to it that matters.

How do we take our challenges and turn lemons into lemonade? (This is something I've had ample practice in, and am actually kinda good at.)

We hold on to hope and optimism. We refuse to accept the temporary pain as "forever". We fight for our lives...truly, courageously.   We choose to create a new normal based on where we want to go.

This is the precious gift I learned while working with cancer patients. This is why I am so very inspired by stories of Radical Remissions. Those who have spontaneous remissions from even the worse diagnosis, do so because they refuse to accept the new normal. They choose to do things radically different from what they've done in the past.

They engage in simple solutions. Not that this is always easy to do. You have to bypass social norms. We are hardwired to want to stay in our comfort zones. Fear feeds this paralysis. They refuse to be limited by labels and the status quo. They become the difficult patient; they question everything.

You have to decide to take personal responsibility for your thoughts and your actions. Recognize that we are here today because of past conscious or unconscious actions. We live into our present bodies. Each one of us are unique and different.

If you are in a health crisis, then instead of beating yourself up over "What's wrong with me?" Ask a radically different question.

"What is my loving body trying to tell me? What can I do, that is radically different, to change this course?" This is no time to bargain. You're either in, or you are out for your "New Normal."

The new normal has got to include new ways of feeding yourself, physically, emotionally and mentally. This requires commitment and support. We are social beings and food is emotional.

What if our comfort foods, so tied to our childhood and positive feelings, could be making us ill? How do we change these habits that made us feel so good?

We find a new normal.  But this new normal is NOT about dieting or deprivation. This new normal must be decadent and nourishing. The new normal is not fear based. The new normal seeks food, thoughts and actions that will lift you up. That will give you energy to rise higher. That will allow you to live a radically different, awesome, incredibly, energized life.

Someone dear to me recently said, "I'd like to start living my life as if I only had 100 days to live. Being conscious of every decision I make. Asking myself, does this food make me feel good or is it creating dis-ease in my body?"

I couldn't have said it any better. I'd like to challenge you. For the next 3 days, to write down everything you eat. Document how you feel one to two hours after eating. Do you feel better or worse? Is the food energizing and nourishing or does it pull your energy down? If you cannot last 3-4 hours between meals then you are not eating enough healthy fat and protein for your unique needs. Are you feeding dysbiosis or bad bugs in your gut? Or, are you feeding the new you that you want to become?

Take an honest personal assessment, with love and compassion. This is the first simple step to creating your new normal. This is my wish for you.

If you would like a coach or guidance, let me know. I'm seeking clients who are 100% committed to finding this new normal and willing to make the investment in themselves to do so.  This is how I remain inspired to reach my new normal.

Carpe Diem.

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

Please Join us Saturday for Befriending Cancer: the Transformative Power of Yoga and Nourishment

Please register ASAP if you are interested in attending one or all of the workshops this Saturday. My session is from 1:00-3:30pm and I would love to see you there. 

You must sign up under the session(s) you wish to attend HERE

"The study of epigenetics has clearly proven that we are not bound by our genes. The fact is that the role of genes in the development of cancer is only 5-10%. Diet and lifestyles are also "inherited" and these environmental roles determine 90-95% of our outcomes. We can change the expression of our genes with our daily choices."

Saturday, June 17th 1137 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA 22066 Each session $45 adv/$55 door. Full Day $111 Join us for a day long series of talks and practices to get educated, inspired and empowered. Whether you are a yoga teacher, a person going through the sacred journey of cancer, a friend of family of someone who is on the journey or perhaps a medical professional with an interest in Yoga and cancer, this is an ideal place to begin! In approaching cancer, we believe it requires a multi-modality approach. Our science is based on the poly-vagal theory and the study of the Vagus nerve in the regulation of our systems. The power of Yoga is that now Science is able to explain why YOGA is not only effective, it is also essential to awaken the transformative power of cancer by empowering the individual to have tools of Self-Care! Loving Compassion and Nourishment Led by Anu Kaur, MS, RDN, RYT-500  9:00 - 11:30 am Transforming Fear and Overwhelm into Empowerment Using Small Simple Steps  Led by Lisa Jackson, RN, 500 hr RYT, FDN, CHC 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm It's Essential! Fierce Self-Care with Yoga Led by Maryam Ovissi, 500 hr eRYT 4:00 - 6:30 pm You must sign up under the session(s) you wish to attend HERE About Lisa: Former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, a retired Registered Nurse, Yoga Teacher and Certified Health Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and functional medicine practitioner  Lisa's passion is to inspire educate and empower clients to health from within to achieve optimal health.

Important clues in your blood work that is often missed.

Are you suffering from fatigue? Have you been told that you have low vitamin B12 or iron in your blood? What does this really mean? What might your hematologist or oncologist NOT know to tell you? Like why this is low, and what you might do to elevate them? Please don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing your doctor. I'm merely pointing out the fact that although he or she spent $200,000 and 10 years in medical school, what is sorely missing in the curriculum is nutrition and functional medicine. Ask them, they will tell you. This is why we need to move away from disease management towards prevention and an integrative functional approach.

I've spent the last few years studying applied functional medicine for coaches. You can see me in the video on the home page.  

So I'd like to share why you may be deficient in B12 and iron. More importantly, I want to empower you with education on what you can do about it.

First, always ask for a copy of your lab work so you can take it to a practitioner that will read it and explain it to you in practical functional terms. When I recently worked for a hematology/oncology clinic, I had on my desk the book, Your Blood Never Lies. Two fellow Nurse Practitioners noted this and said, "Why weren't we trained in this?" 

Unfortunately doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses are not trained in the wealth of functional markers in standard blood work. You will have to seek and find a functional nutritionist to help you; read on.

One good marker to look for in any complete blood count, CBC is the MCV, (mean corpuscle volume) measuring the size of your red blood cells. The red blood cells, RBC, carries oxygen to cells. This is essential for life.  RBC's that are too small don't carry enough oxygen; too big and they don't fit in the small capillaries like in the eyes and the kidneys. 

This is why your vision and kidneys are often the canary in the coal mine. if you've read my book you know that I no longer wear bifocals after decades of use. This is because I've learned how to maximize oxygen. Getting the right size RBCs is one way. Anything over 90 is too big to be optimal, and yet is still within normal limits on the test. This is why it is so often overlooked. 

Normal denotes the "mean average of those tested within a given population" in blood tests. It has nothing to do with optimal. Look around, obesity and chronic disease is epidemic. We need NOT to be normal. We need to create a new healthy normal. We need to assess for optimal levels.

I discovered that my RBCs were too big which suggests either B12 or folate deficiency. I've learned that I also have a genetic snp called MTHFR which affects folate metabolism. To compensate, I take a methylated folate and b vitamin complex every day. This is a simple solution that allows me to avoid brain fog and is essential for energy production and detoxification. This is essential for prevention of all chronic disease, including cancer and heart disease. This is a simple solution. I can tell the difference, so am happy to commit to this. I also notice when my night vision becomes impaired and or my vision begins to get blurry, I now recognize the need for more self care. More deep breathing, more relaxation, more yoga and supplementation, more green juice (again in my book, not the sugar laden ones in stores), and essential fatty acids to nourish cellular membranes.

MTHFR is a simple test to add on to the Spectracell Micronutrient test, one of several, that I recommend to clients.

Please note that folate and the synthetic version, folic acid are NOT the same. This is how you can tell a reputable vitamin company. Does your multi have folate in the form of methyl tetrahydrofolate or the cheaper synthetic folic acid? This is important, you can become toxic on folic acid, if you have an MTHFR snp. Lack of folate leads to miscarriages as well as trouble with energy production and impaired detoxification. Can you begin to see the power in nutritional assessment of your blood work? How missing these critical pieces can contribute to chronic disease and even misdiagnosis? 

There are several forms of vitamin B12. The most common is cyanocobalamin, which is a molecule of cyanide and cobalamin. This is the cheapest, most common form found in supplements. I don't think I need to tell you why you may NOT want to be taking cyanide every day in a supplement. The best supplement companies will have either methylcobalamin, or adeno or hydroxocobalamin, or a combination. Yes, purity and quality definitely matters when it comes to supplementation. A good nutritionist can help you with this too.

Also important to know, is that a serum B12 level does not tell you what is actually being absorbed into the cells. MMA or methylmalonic acid, is a functional marker found in an organic acids urine test, or can also be done as a blood test, or Spectracell Micronutrient test. These will all give you cellular or functional levels for your unique body. 

What food sources are rich in vitamin B12? This needs to come from animal sources. If you are vegan, you can get it from microorganisms in algae. Every body is unique and so are your needs. Some may get plenty from algae, some may need supplementation. A common root cause of low vitamin B12 in the cells is not enough stomach acid. You need HCL to cleave the b12 so it can be absorbed further down in the intestines. 

What is the major cause of low stomach acid? Stress. We live in sympathetic nervous system overdrive. Here's a picture from my book:

Stress decreases stomach acid. This impairs digestion starting in the stomach and inhibits absorption in the small intestines. Nutrition is not what you eat, it's what you absorb. You could be eating all of the right food but not giving your body the signal that it is safe to rest and digest, rest and repair, or mate and ovulate. Everything is interconnected. 

The FDA and AMA laws dictate that I cannot diagnosis, treat or cure any of the 14,000 (and growing) diagnosis codes that describe any human condition. What I AM allowed to do is to teach you how to become your own best clinician through education and coaching. Now I find that inspirational and empowering! I hope that you do too.

Carpe Diem!

WEEKEND EVENTS

June is the halfway point in 2017. Lots of opportunities for self care. This weekend in Northern Virginia is the Love Your Body Day Festival in Reston I wrote about last weeks blogpost and a PEMF demonstration in Alexandria. Also Golden Health Pharmacy in Sterling, VA will be having an Open House Saturday from 11-3pm with discounts, raffles, food and more!

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Fundamentals: Sometimes we just plain forget the Simple Solutions!

Optimal Health is not complicated. Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize. Do these three things consistently and your body can naturally heal and repair from even the scariest diagnoses.

I've put in over 10,000 hours of study in applied functional medicine and functional diagnostic nutrition. I've coached hundreds healing from everything from infertility to autoimmune disease and cancers. I'm fascinated by complex health histories and marvel at the bodies natural ability to heal, once we've uncovered hidden stressors and get to the root cause of of the dis-ease.

I say this not to brag (although client testimonials are what keep me going). I say this because sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in all the data and to forget the fundamentals. To forget the simple solutions.

Let me give you an example. I've seen multiple clients with intense anxiety and autoimmune disease (where the body is literally attacking your own tissue), heal both (symptoms in remission), by eliminating gluten and other food sensitivities. I am not talking about celiac. Many will test negative on IgE test but that does not mean that they can tolerate gluten.  In fact, if you have a cancer or an autoimmune disease then the first thing you have to do is remove inflammatory foods, and heal the gastrointestinal tract. It is intestinal permeability (leaky gut) that has allowed large protein molecules to enter the gut associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) to create the antibodies that attack the tissue.  If you cannot remove the inflammatory foods, then you cannot heal the gut.

This is fundamental to functional medicine. Unfortunately, this is still not common knowledge in conventional medicine. Once you have one autoimmune disease you are prone to others. The only way to reverse the flood of antibodies attacking the body, is to turn off the spigot.

I've asked myself, why do we suddenly have this epidemic and increasing numbers of autoimmune disease? When I graduated from nursing school in 1981 there were a handful, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Crohn's. Now there are over a hundred! We didn't know then that epilepsy, macular degeneration, and type 1 diabetes (called juvenile diabetes way back then) are also autoimmune. I didn't know this as a nurse. Most of your doctors don't know this. I didn't know this until I studied functional medicine. Years ago, I was diagnosed with my first autoimmune disease, vitiligo. I was told there was nothing I could do about it. I was told to just wear sunscreen over my unsightly hands, elbows, knees and spots on my mouth and eyelids. I also wore a lot of makeup back then.

How has this happened in my lifetime? First, we are bombarded with chemicals and toxins in our food, water, personal care, cleaning products and lawn service products. Second, our wheat used to be 4% gluten. Today it has been hybridized so that it is ~50% gluten which makes for wonderful gummy, gooey breads. Good for the tastebuds, not so good for your gut.

Unfortunately, both of these factors play havoc on the gut. Chemicals, toxins, OTC drugs and gluten cause inflammation and wear and tear on the thin lining between the gastrointestinal tract and the immune system. The immune system is your friendly police force designed to protect you. When there are foreign invaders like undigested food, the police start firing and your body feels the collateral damage.

Gluten also causes the excretion of zonulin which actually opens up the tight junctures in the gut allowing undigested protein to enter the gut associated lymphatic tissue (GALT).  These tight junctures are designed to only allow macronutrients like amino acids to pass thru the gut and send bigger molecules downstream for further breakdown and digestion.

If your your defense system has to spend all of its resources fighting undigested food particles, what is left over to fight viruses, toxins, chemicals and pesticides (which also pass through)?

Today, a colleague just posted another new study from the NY Times that dormant viruses can cause multiple diseases . A second colleague posted a story in the Atlantic how autoimmune disease is the root cause of psychiatric disorders in young children. These are treated with heavy duty pharmaceutical interventions which can be life-saving. What is missing from these stories are the fundamentals. Well meaning providers and newscasters are not educated on the fundamentals. Review the first slide to see the effects on the brain, the adrenals and systemic inflammation.

So what do we do to prevent, and heal and repair our out-of-control autoimmunity? We enlist the 5 R's of functional medicine. Simple Solutions that are the fundamental foundation to health:

1. REMOVE the inflammatory foods, 
2. REPLETE nutritional insufficiencies, (whole foods/micronutrient testing)
3. REPAIR the gut lining with supplemental herbal solutions, aloe vera, bone broth soup
4. RE-INOCULATE the gut, 
5. REST and digest (or mate and ovulate if that is your goal) and alleviate external and internal hidden stressors. 

This is why food is the foundation. Stress reduction, addressing toxicity, and a healthy gut are essential fundamentals to health.

The truth is this. I don't care how many supplements and/or medications you are taking. If you cannot sleep, and you are still eating food that is inflammatory, then you are resigned to a lifetime of drugs to alleviate symptoms.  Good for big pharma and the processed food industry, not good for you!

If you want to heal, then commit to simple, small incremental changes over a minimum of 3-6 month period. Otherwise you will continue to waste money on other therapies. You cannot ignore simple solutions, and the fundamentals. Not if you want to heal from within.

This is where a health coach with applied functional medicine and functional diagnostic nutrition training becomes an invaluable member of the healthcare team. Health coaching and nutrition can uncover key missing pieces to your unique puzzle.

Let me know if you are ready to remove the physical blocks and uncover hidden stressors that are keeping you from obtaining optimal health. I have left the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and am now opening up my practice to taking on a few more committed clients. I welcome the opportunity to be a witness to your optimal health. Please schedule a short discovery call with me to see if we are a good fit for each other.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Feeling a little GREEN today?

Feeling a little GREEN today? Did you have too much green beer to celebrate St. Patricks Day last night? Or did you have food that doesn't feel good to you causing gas, burping or worse?

Did you find yourself waking up today with a headache? Leg cramps, dehydrated or ravishingly hungry for sugar and empty carbs? Do you need a strong dose of coffee to get you going ? Do you have afternoon fatigue that begs for another dose of strong coffee and sugar?

If so, how do you get off of this roller coaster? 

Here's a few simple solutions:

1. Take an honest personal assessment. Do you find yourself feeling under pressure to drink even when you don't really feel like it? Or do you find it socially unacceptable to say no to food that doesn't serve you well? Think about what might be at the root of this. Could you possible go out and drink soda water and lime instead and still have fun and be sociable? 
2. Drink plenty of water and eat a meal with plenty of healthy fat, protein and vegetables before going out. 
3. Think HALT. Don't allow yourself to get too HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONELY or TIRED. Otherwise the bad gut microbes inside of you will overcome any semblance of willpower. Believe me, yes this is so true! You will reach for that bag of chips, chocolate or favorite vice with a "What the Hell" attitude.

What to do about that incredible headache or the leg cramps? The most common missing mineral in the standard American diet (SAD) is magnesium.  Magnesium Threonate is the only form that will cross the blood brain barrier and is so helpful for headaches and migraines.  

Totally dehydrated and need some electrolytes and d-ribose (that sugar that your cells need for energy that will not negatively affect your blood sugar)?  My favorite energy and sports drink is what many professional athletes get from their nutritionists.  It's called Catalyte by Thorne Research. I also recommended this frequently to patients undergoing chemotherapy or for post surgery nausea or if you've had the flu.  It is indeed a lifesaver! Contact me if you'd like to know how to order it.

Last but not least, consider joining me in a Spring Kick-Start to Wellness program so that you can be surrounded by a supportive group to springboard. yourself to a healthier happier you.

Have a great weekend and may we all be as healthy and happy as my beautiful grandson! 

Miles 14 months old

Events:

$5 FOOD DEMONSTRATION

“The Power of the Brew”

Fermented Vegetables are great sources of the bacteria we need for good gut health, (and a healthy gut will lead to a leaner body). Come learn how to make kimchi with Yonina

When:       Tuesday, March 21,  2017 at 6 pm

                                    Or

                  Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 10 am

Where: Comprehensive Primary Care, 15825 Shady Grove Road, Suite 140, Rockville, MD 20850

Cost: $5 per attendee. Open to all.

Please RSVP to yoninabh@hotmail.com

Carpe Diem!

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age. 

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational. 

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.