"Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure" Thomas Edison

Think of the advances we've enjoyed since Thomas Edison and the lightbulb. Let's bring his wisdom home. I just got off the phone with a client who is concerned about fertility. Newly married, she wants to prepare herself for pregnancy. She’s learning that a healthy baby needs healthy parents. She has rediscovered that optimal nutrition and supplementation is critical for a full four months prior to conception. Just one example of the power of prevention.

Our current healthcare model is focused on the absence of disease. We manage signs and symptoms with pharmaceutical interventions. This is not curative. This is palliative and unsustainable, for individuals as well as our country.  80% of our 3 TRILLION, healthcare-dollars is spent treating chronic disease.¹ Disease that could be prevented, and better addressed with diet and lifestyle modifications.[1]

Nutrition is critical in every stage and aspect of life - from preconception to prevention of cancer. This is indisputable.  Read cancer is a preventable disease in the National Institutes of Health archives.

If I could wave a magic wand, prevention would be a top priority in mainstream modern medicine. I currently offer my clients a Personalized Prevention Plan for wellness care. At a minimum, this functional, preventative, plan could be a complementary offering to the current corporate executive physical offered to employees. 

For individuals and companies who want to manage escalating healthcare costs and offer a true wellness benefit, please read on.

What does a Personalized Prevention Plan encompass? Functional medical testing and health coaching. Tests include: a micronutrient test, a food sensitivity test, comprehensive stool test, complete thyroid test (not merely TSH and T4), dried urine hormone tests, and complete cardio metabolic test.  These are all preventative functional medicine tests not commonly offered in conventional medicine.

Most Americans see their doctor once a year for their annual physical, or to manage symptoms. Fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, insomnia, anxiety and depression are the most common complaints seen in doctor's offices across the country. Current testing does not address the root cause of dis-ease. It often overlooks what is going on inside the body – those hidden internal stressors. To get inside the body we need to first see what is brewing in your gut (gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus). Hippocrates said that "All Disease Begins in the Gut" - and he was right; dysfunctions in the gastrointestinal system interfere with absorption of vitamins and minerals and allow unwanted pathogens into the rest of the body. 

For instance, if you have an imbalance in the gut such as bacterial overgrowth or even parasites, you may not be able to make your b vitamins, necessary for energy production and detoxification, or serotonin, your feel-good neurotransmitter, or dopamine, the neurotransmitter necessary for focus and impulse control, or melatonin, required to sleep. If you have inflammation in the gut,  you may experience signs and symptoms ranging from gas and boating to eczema, trouble focusing, anxiety, depression and/or insomnia. Do you see how everything is inter-connected?

Instead, current common conventional medicine forces you to see a different specialist for each symptom - a gastroenterologist for gas, bloating and GERD, a psychiatrist for depression, anxiety and ADHD, a dermatologist for eczema and a neurologist for insomnia. The result - a handful of prescription medications for each symptom without identifying and addressing the root cause.

Multiple specialists are unlikely to figure the unique puzzle that is YOU - not when they are looking at the individual pieces, and not at the whole. Isn’t it better to understand the root cause? Isn’t that superior to having a diagnosis and a self-limiting label?

If you are currently taking supplements, it is a good idea to do a micronutrient test to determine if the supplements are helping or hindering your progress. Nutrition is not just what you eat. Nutrition is what is absorbed. You may be eating a healthy diet but if your body is not digesting or absorbing those nutrients correctly then they are interfering with your nutrition.

In the case of my fertility client she had food sensitivities including a 4+ severe IgG antibody response to peas. Although on a clean diet, her morning protein shake was made from pea protein. She was drinking this 4 days a week - no wonder she wasn’t feeling as well as her husband with the positive dietary changes they both made. Bingo! The simple action of switching to a hemp protein powder improved her overall health and boosted her energy.

Often, it’s the little things we do everyday that can make a big difference.

Do you have chronic colds, infections, viruses that you can’t seem to shake? Perhaps your immune system is so busy dealing with food sensitivities (that it sees as a foreign body) that it can’t do its job of fighting viruses, bacteria or cleaning up rogue cancer cells?  What you don’t know can and may just kill you.

In a perfect world we wouldn’t need supplements, but most of us do not live in a world without stress, crap food, and toxins.  (I have a whitepaper I wrote on how to maximize nutrition.  If you’d like a copy, just send me an email and I’ll send it to you.)

You may be aware of your external stressors,

but are you aware of the hidden stressors that could be a root cause of your zapped energy?

Do you want to be your best? Do you want more energy? Let’s look at hidden sources like sensitivities to foods you are eating every day. Or consider a comprehensive stool test to look at the microbes in the gut that could be zapping your energy. If you’re a lover of sushi as I am, perhaps there’s a parasite in your gut that is eating up your nutrition.  How would you know without a comprehensive stool test?

If you have toenail fungus or frequent urinary tract infections or vaginitis, you may have an opportunistic overgrowth of candida, a yeast fungus in the gut that thrives with sugar, alcohol, bacterial overgrowth, parasites, and /or heavy metals. This is identifiable with testing.

What’s in your gut? How do you know what probiotic to take? Or is your probiotic doing any good? It’s good to test for it. Do you have adequate stomach acid and/or pancreatic enzymes to thoroughly digest your food? A comprehensive stool test can give you clues to answer these questions.

I’ve personally witnessed this after working with hundreds of patients and clients. Heal the gut and the symptoms go away.

We all have stress and stressors. But how is your vital reserve? Are your adrenals stressed or do they need rest and/or nourishment? Is your cortisol and DHEA at optimal levels?

How are you metabolizing your hormones? Are they going down the right detox pathways so you can prevent estrogen related breast, ovarian or prostate cancers? I am so passionate about this! Let’s catch this and prevent cancers before you get a diagnosis. Worried about a relapse? Let’s test your detoxification pathways to ensure you are adequately clearing estrogens and support you with aromatase inhibiting food.

Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia…80% of our healthcare dollars are spent on chronic disease that can be better treated through diet and lifestyle modifications.

Let’s look at you from a functional viewpoint so you can make small, obtainable changes to create sustainable optimal health and well-being.

Let’s create a culture of wellness and breed leaders with more true strength and energy so we can get back our competitive advantage in our corporations. According to the World Health Organization the United States spend more on healthcare and is at the bottom of the list for longevity and healthy outcomes.  We currently spend more and receive less. This affects productivity in the workplace and affects quality of life and well-being. This will bankrupt our country.

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied."  Heophilus, Greek physician 335-280 BC

How do we reverse this? It’s called prevention. No two of us are alike so why do we tolerate a “one size fits all” healthcare model?  Work with a functional medicine trained coach to create a personalized preventative plan for your unique body.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

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

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

---

[1] Are you Confused About what to Eat? Here’s Why Mark Hyman, MD https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/01/24/confused-eat-heres/

Clarity

This morning I sit in clarity.  This is the power of yoga and meditation. Today, I’m preparing for my clients.  I love my client’s; they inspire me to keep doing what I do.  I have some clients with scary diagnoses; a couple of clients with more than ten diagnoses. Successful, well-educated individuals whose “job” now is spent going to doctors.  I have other clients who simply want to lose a few pounds or want support to rediscover lost passions, purpose and direction.

This morning, I’m reviewing complex organic acid and hormone testing. I’m putting together the unique puzzle for my individual clients. I’m looking at urinary bi-products to ascertain missing nutrients, biological markers of toxicity, neurotransmitter insufficiencies, gut dysbiosis, and oxidative stress markers. In doing so, a simple solution emerges. One that is essential for all of us, no matter our goals. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the complexity that we forget the power of simple solutions.

Yes, reviewing testing to find root cause is extremely powerful. It gives us concrete action items to develop a personalized plan towards rebuilding health.  This is the power and essence of functional medicine testing. It enables one to look below the surface signs and symptoms so often simply palliated with medications.

Equally important is to understand what is needed to follow through to execute the plan. To uncover and address the common roadblocks that gets in the way. This is the power and essence of coaching.

What is the medicine that we all need the most? A Mother’s medicine. Your job, no matter the dis-ease, is to unconditionally love yourself. To nourish, nurture and love your God given body. For most, this is a new skill.  If you did not have a stellar role model, you may wish for guidance and support.

It’s true, love heals. A heart in love is physiologically different than a heart filled with worry, pain or fear. Different chemicals are emitted, sending different messages to cells and organs affecting function. Send love to your body every day and the body will heal.  A hug and a teddy bear are as strong as any synthetic medication, without the side effects!

This holiday season, what loving messages can you send to yourself daily? This does not mean to feed addictions or addictive behavior. As your virtual coach, I’d like to challenge you to find new ways to feel good. If sweet sugary substances are your addiction, what else can you give yourself that feels sweet and yummy to you? Is it a walk, holding hands with a loved one? Is it touch? (sometimes needed without the drama or baggage of sexual performance.)

This means cultivating self-compassion. It requires listening to your unique body. It means consciously choosing gratitude over fear and the automatic negative beliefs that pop up in your head. Maybe it’s sitting in silence with a pet on your lap. Or perhaps writing a heartfelt, overdue letter to an estranged family member or friend. What can you do to heal and nourish your soul as well as your body?

For me it’s a daily yoga practice; sometimes practiced alone, sometimes in a class. My practice includes breath work, physical movement to music, and meditation. This keeps me grounded and in my body.  It allows time and space to feel areas of my body that are stuck. It clears my mind and makes me appreciate the simple solutions.

Carpe Diem and Happy Holidays. I am eternally grateful to you.

Lisa

About Lisa

Lisa is a retired Registered Nurse, yoga teacher, 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 system 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.

Shhhhh! Savvy Secret’s to Survive Holiday Stress

In my book, Savvy Secrets I explain the nervous system, particularly the autonomic nervous system which basically acts like a light switch.  We are in either one or two states, “fight or flight” or rest and (and digest) repair. Why is this important?  Because we cannot meet any of our health goals if we are constantly in the ON switch for Fight or Flight. 

Rather than give you an anatomy and physiology lesson, suffice it to say that most of us are in overdrive stimulating our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responsible for fight or flight and need some support in stimulating the para sympathetic nervous system (PNS) in order to rest, digest, repair, rejuvenate and even to procreate.  Having trouble getting pregnant? Have high blood pressure? A serious chronic illness? Want to know the secret to slow down aging? Read on please…

Here’s seven success tips on how to stimulate the PNS:

#1 BREATHE…Just Breathe.  Deeply into the lower belly with a longer exhale.  Put your hand on you lower belly and breath into the chest, the side rib cage and then into the lower belly to the count of 4. Hold your breath for the count of five and then slowly exhale to the count of 7.  Repeat 4 times.  You can do this in the car, on a plane or at your desk.  Do this before meals then think of something you are grateful for.  You are now ready to assimilate and digest your food.

#2 BREATHE. Place your right thumb over your right nostril to block the breath there and inhale and exhale through the left nostril.  Do this for 5 -10 minutes in bed before sleep and sleep like a baby

#3 While deep breathing, scan your entire body starting with the feet. Tense and release the muscles so that every muscle relaxes. Notice where you are holding your tension. Better yet, do this to music and dance your tension away. (Let me know if you want to attend my next yoga dance workshop).

#4 Be conscious of your thoughts. Recognize the fear that keeps you stuck, Notice the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that fill your brain. Practice re-framing them. Concentrate on what you want and where you want to go instead.

#5 Be conscious of what you eat. Food can stimulate your SNS or PNS. Food can give you lasting energy or artificial stimulation that will leave you tired and wired.  Nicknamed “The energizer bunny,” I can definitely help you here. Write down everything you consume for 3 days. Simply doing this will improve your health.

.

#6 Discover your hidden stressors. If you are in metabolic chaos, you may benefit from additional functional tests to uncover hidden stressors. Some of us can eat all the right food, exercise and still have hidden toxins and internal imbalances that need correction. Contact me after the new year when I’ve completed my certification in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, if you are interested in more information.

#7 Do have fun! Find an exercise that is joyful. Some yoga practices stimulate an already overactive SNS and some stimulate the PNS. Many include an opportunity for both. Explore and discover the right program for you that takes in to account your physical limitations as well as your health goals. Try laughter yoga, yin yoga, or dance yoga. Be sure to find one that you enjoy or you will not stick with it.  

Most important is to give yourself the gift of health every day.  Prioritize YOU, become the leader of your life and everything else will flow more smoothly. Rediscover your health by relaxing and having fun.

Carpe Diem, seize the day.  Learning to live in the moment means not ruminating about the past or worrying about the future.  Consistently practice these seven steps to make the most of each day.

Finding Freedom From Fear

Finding Freedom.

Our species has faced generations of oppression.  We no longer run from the saber tooth tiger.  We now run from each other.  We have the power and the knowledge to self-destruct.  There’s even a movement to make killing ourselves legal.  In the name of science, we have labeled what we don’t understand to be “quackery” or years earlier, “witchcraft”. We persecute that which we don’t understand or identify with.  This holiday weekend, Washington DC has been laced with the fear of an ISIS attack.  

We also fight our internal demons.  In my book, “Savvy Secrets”, I said that fear was the cancer. Today I want to talk about how to find true freedom.  Freedom from fear and the incapacitating anxiety and addictions that keep us bound and imprisoned in our own minds.

Knowledge is power and a meditative practice provides us with discovery and knowledge of self.  Whether it's a moving meditation called yoga or a walk or a run on the beach; all enable us to release pent up energy and provide the gifts of self-care, self-discovery, and peace.  Train your mind to let go of the judgment, guilt and the fear that no longer serve you. Learn to listen to what your heart and body are communicating. Learn to love and care for yourself as you would your children, lover and friends.

If you’ve attended any of my workshops, whether it is yoga dance, cooking classes or educational and empowerment series, you know that they include fun and nourishing food and thoughts.  

So this weekend as you celebrate our freedoms, lets celebrate the power we have every second to make personal choices on how we are going to think, feel and react.  We can focus on what’s wrong with the situation, or we can focus on where we want to go and what we want to create.  We can continue to beat ourselves up and be consumed in battle, or we can learn how to relax and enjoy the journey.  We can focus on war, or we can focus on creating love and peace. We can react out of fear or we can respond out of self-love. No matter how dire your circumstances may feel, we always have a choice. This was proven by Dr Viktor Frankl, in a A Search for Meaning, as he writes of finding peace and love in the middle of a Nazi concentration camp.  The beauty is that you get to decide. Which is going to serve you best?

PS

Thank you to all those who've made a commitment to self and signed up to join us on our awesome Self Health Retreat Vacation! Due to the Holiday week, Debbi has generously extended the $600 off the early bird incentive to the end of this weekend.  Read below on why you don’t want to miss out on this! No, it wasn’t a typo, bring a spouse or a friend for an extra $1  Email me if  you have more questions after reading the invitation below.

Come join us for our Self-Health Retreat September 25-28th in California at Asilomar in Monterey, California.  Commit and Book Now as we have a JUNE EARLY BIRD RATE available for all 4-days of classes and events $317 instead of $997. I promise you will leave with simple solutions you can implement at home, plus some new found friends and savvy secrets.

There is also a one day Saturday pass available as well.  Please hurry because the rooms book up fast at Asilomar and I want to be sure my VIPs (Very Important People) are there!  I have partnered with 15 other authors and health coaches to offer a long weekend of knowledge transfer for you. Tara Gesling and her story of going from 5 years in a wheelchair to the healthy woman she is today is amazing and inspirational! So is Emma Galland, CEO of Gogi Fit's recovery from Graves Disease at the age of 30.

Here’s what you will enjoy:

1. Yoga and yoga dance classes offered on the beach and inside.

2. Personalized small health coaching groups to help you walk through obstacles and health challenges

3. I’ll present my Seven Steps to Inspired Wellness in an informative, experiential session where you will leave inspired and empowered to take back your health and understand the process to meet personal goals. We will walk through how to go from “Overwhelmed” to “Empowered”!

4. You can choose workshops from over a dozen authors and health coaches. The conference outline is on our website

5. You will enjoy amazing gourmet food, seafood, California wines and bonfires to music.

6. Saturday night we will witness the lunar eclipse while listening to live music under the stars on the beach.

7. You will enjoy luxury accommodations, with chimneys in the rooms, wooden floors, trees and the beach to help you relax fully and recharge.

Read more and register with our early bird rate HERE.  You can also bring your spouse or a friend who wants to enjoy the refuge by the sea while you partake at the conference for a reduced rate of $1.  There are nearby golf courses, shopping and the quaint towns of Monterey and Carmel by the Sea.

You definitely deserve this and I would LOVE to spend this time with you!

ABOUT LISA JACKSON, RN, CHC, RYT
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, retired RN, certified health coach and yoga teacher. Her book, Savvy Secrets: Eat,Think & Thrive; Seven Steps to Optimal Health,is a self health book to enable healing from within.  Her goal is to inspire wellness and to help others look and feel their best at any age. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement, the International Health Coach Association and the Wellness Inspired Network. She is the mother of four adult children, soon to be Grandmother, and believes that optimal health should not be a secret! When she is not coaching, speaking and writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance at every opportunity.

"There's never enough time!" Last chance invitation

"There’s never enough time" Deepak Chopra, MD says that this mantra is the fastest way to a heart attack.  To quote me, “Our thoughts determine our Destiny. We become what we think.” When we are constantly telling ourselves, there is never enough time; well then…we most certainly will run out of time! Plus this takes a toll on your heart; believe me, I intimately know this all too well.

I first noticed this (and my achy heart), when I was in Arizona for my daughter’s cancer treatment.  Every morning we would be in a rush, really in a panic, to get our juice and food together, and out the door for the commute to the clinic.  Dana would be stressed and unhappy with me, as I was generally the pokey one.  I always have “one more thing to do” before getting out the door. My mantra was, “There’s never enough time”.

When I recognized this, I said to myself, “Just stop it!” When you are afraid for your daughter’s life, every second with her is so precious. 

We were spending our precious time together stuck in fear, panic and anxiety.  We were so focused on what was wrong, that we had trouble seeing the beauty and the opportunity in the journey.  We were staying in Fountain Hills; the surroundings were beautiful.  We were in warm sunny Arizona in the winter, we were staying with best friends in their beautiful home, and we had the luxury to go to an integrative treatment program. We had spouses, family and true friends that supported our journey. We were indeed so very blessed. 

How often do we miss the forest for the trees?

It is true, that fear, worry and procrastination are the devils that so often keep us stuck and from living a life fulfilled. Last year I missed the 500-hour yoga therapy certification program I wanted to do. I procrastinated with my application until the spots were full. Ditto for the Ph.D. program and for so many family vacations that were intended but left unfulfilled.  At the end of the day, people regret most, not the mistakes that were made, but the opportunities missed.

Do you want more love, passion and joy in your life? Try taking 5 – 10 minute mini breaks for a conversation with your heart. What is it that you really, really want? What is it that is really, really important to you?  If you don’t know, will you give yourself time to figure this out? Do you schedule time to be with your most important person, yourself?   Next time when you are rushing and hear the words, “There’s never enough time”, will you just stop, take a slow deep breath and say, “Yes, there IS enough time”.  “I have all the time in the world”.  After all, would the world end if you were 5 or 10 minutes late? No! Doesn't it feel better to be relaxed, rather than anxious?  Wouldn't that make the journey more fun and memorable?  Maybe then we will see the beauty and strength surrounding us and from within. 

Ask yourself now, “What has your procrastination, fear, and worry cost you?”

And yes, time is running out if you want to take advantage of our amazing discounted offer for a transformational mini retreat vacation for you in September. Next week, July 1^st,  the cost goes up. Bring your spouse, friend or significant other. They can join you in workshops or go play golf, sightsee or shop in quaint towns, or walk on the beach.  You are both worth it, your relationship is worth it, and so is your life.  See more details below. If you have any questions or are remotely interested, please give me a call or email ASAP 

and Carpe Diem!

With Gratitude,

Lisa

Come join us for our Self-Health Retreat September 25-28th in California at Asilomar in Monterey, California.  Commit and Book Now as we have a JUNE EARLY BIRD RATE available for all 4-days of classes and events $317 instead of $997. I promise you will leave with simple solutions you can implement at home, plus some newfound friends and savvy secrets.

There is also a one day Saturday pass available as well.  Please hurry because the rooms book up fast at Asilomar and I want to be sure my VIPs (Very Important People) are there!  I have partnered with 15 other authors and health coaches to offer a long weekend of knowledge transfer for you. Tara Gesling and her story of going from 5 years in a wheelchair to the healthy woman she is today is amazing and inspirational! So is Emma Galland, CEO of Gogi Fit's recovery from Graves Disease at the age of 30.

Here’s what you will enjoy:

1. Yoga and yoga dance classes offered on the beach and inside.

2. Personalized small health coaching groups to help you walk through obstacles and health challenges

3. I’ll present my Seven Steps to Inspired Wellness in an informative, experiential session where you will leave inspired and empowered to take back your health and understand the process to meet personal goals. We will walk through how to go from “Overwhelmed” to “Empowered”!

4. You can choose workshops from over a dozen authors and health coaches. The conference outline is on our website

5. You will enjoy amazing gourmet food, seafood, California wines and bonfires to music.

6. Saturday night we will witness the lunar eclipse while listening to live music under the stars on the beach.

7. You will enjoy luxury accommodations, with chimneys in the rooms, wooden floors, trees and the beach to help you relax fully and recharge.

Read more and register with our early bird rate HERE.  You can also bring your spouse or a friend who wants to enjoy the refuge by the sea while you partake at the conference for a reduced rate of $1.  There are nearby golf courses, shopping and the quaint towns of Monterey and Carmel by the Sea.

You definitely deserve this and I would LOVE to spend this time with you!

ABOUT LISA JACKSON, RN, CHC, RYT
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, retired RN, certified health coach and yoga teacher. Her book, Savvy Secrets: Eat,Think & Thrive; Seven Steps to Optimal Health,is a self health book to enable healing from within.  Her goal is to inspire wellness and to help others look and feel their best at any age. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement, the International Health Coach Association and the Wellness Inspired Network. She is the mother of four adult children, soon to be Grandmother, and believes that optimal health should not be a secret! When she is not coaching, speaking and writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance at every opportunity.