Advanced Detoxification Protocol

~ H O W  T O  H E A L ~

••Advanced Detoxification Protocol••

**The cause of chronic illness is toxicity, infection and trauma at the very CORE.**

*T H E  A I M*

~ Eliminate toxicity from the body that poison our mitochondria whilst simultaneously nurturing the adrenals and nervous system, eradicating stealth infections that are fuelled by toxicity and retraining the brain.

#1 ~ AVOID TOXINS

#2 ~ BIND TOXINS

#3 ~ ELIMINATE TOXINS

#4 ~ MOBILISE TOXINS

#5 ~ SUPPORT ADRENALS & NERVOUS SYSTEM

#6 ~ KILL PATHOGENS

#7 ~ RESET, RELEASE & RETRAIN

*BONUS GUIDANCE FOR WOMEN

#8 ~ CLEANSING AND BUILDING WITH YOUR CYCLE AND MAXIMISING YOUR HEALING BY UNDERSTANDING YOUT HORMONES.

……………………………………………………………………..

~ S T E P  B Y  S T E P ~

*STEP #1 AVOID TOXINS*

Avoidance is SO important, your environment is SO important. You cannot heal in the same environment you got sick in.

~ Toxic mould in home, work and school.

Test your home using a HERTSMI now: https://www.mouldlab.com.au/hertsmi

~ Toxic skin care, makeup, shampoo, conditioners, hair spray, hair dye, nail polish, nail polish removers, spray tan, conventional cleaning products, perfumes, cologne, aftershave, air fresheners and deodorants.

~ Conventional produce: pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilisers and fungicides.

~ Do not live near agriculture & industry

~ Fresh paint, new carpets, glues, sealants, new furniture off gasing.

~ Drinking and showering in tap water: fluoride & chlorine.

~ Electromagnetic frequencies from cell phones, cordless phones, computers, tablets, Wi-Fi, cell towers (live 500m + away) and smart meters. Radiation from X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and air travel minimised.

~ Artificial blue light

~ Petrochemicals: plastics, petrol, diesel, exhaust fumes, gas, kerosene, chemical solvents, dioxins and paint.

~ Toxic cookware

~ Processed, synthetic and chemical laden foods of all kinds.

~ Pharmaceticals

~ Alcohol & drugs

*STEP #2 BIND TOXINS*

~ Bind the toxins we have been exposed to throughout our lives and that have been passed down in utero.

~ Bind toxins we actively mobilise.

~ Continue to bind toxins that we are exposed to every day single day as maintenance.

BEST BINDERS AND HOW TO USE THEM:

http://juliehealing.com/why-toxin-binders-are-essential-for-healing/

BINDERS Q & A:

http://juliehealing.com/qabinders/

‘A binder is a substance that binds onto toxins in the gastrointestinal tract and carries them safely out of the body for elimination. You can think of them like a strong magnet that has an affinity for various toxins due to their net charge and various molecular bonds. Many work because their negative charge is attracted to the positive charge of various toxins. Binders are essential because of the enterohepatic circulation of toxins. Once the liver has processed toxins, they are excreted from the gallbladder with bile into the small intestine. If there are no binders present, these toxins are reabsorbed and continue to put a massive strain on the liver, kidneys and the body as a whole’ ~ Amy Louise Southorn

*STEP # 3 ELIMINATE ~ RELEASE TOXINS THROUGH ALL ELIMINATION PATHWAYS*

MOVE and thin lymphatic system and fluids.

Thin blood with low to no overt fat diet to allows toxins to move out of us with more ease.

Remove obstruction.

OPEN all elimination channels ~ Lymphatic system, colon, kidneys, skin and lungs to allow TOXINS to be RELEASED from your body.

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

~ The aim is to move in some way everyday to move the lymphatic fluid.

~ Very gentle yoga to stronger yoga If you can.

~ Walking

~ Pilates

~ Swimming

~ Drinking enough pure water

~ Deep diaphragmatic breathing

~ Pressing up onto your big toes (acts as a pump) as you walk or on the spot

~ Specific lymph movements and self massage

~ High Carb, Low Fat, Raw food diet. High fruit.

~ Fruit acids thin and dissolve lymph. Period of no fats to thin and flush stagnant lymph.

~ Contrast showers

~ Dry body brushing

~ Gua Sha

~ Scrubbing the entire body with a baking soda and ACV paste

~ Rebounding

~ Saunas

~ Enemas & colonics

~ Cupping

~ Lymphatic herbal blends (I like Dr Morse’s glycerin tinctures).

~ Red root & cleaver alcohol free tinctures

~ Lymphatic massage with a specialist (with caution) always take binders.

~ Castor oil packs on the abdomen and liver

~ Deep sleep for brain detox (glymphatic system).

COLON

~ Enemas

~ Colonics

~ Stomach & bowel herbs

~ Mineral supplementation

~ High raw, high fruit and low fat diet

KIDNEYS

~ High raw, high fruit, low fat diet

~ Kidney and bladder herbs

~ Raw cold-pressed juices particularly grape and lemon.

SKIN

~ Sauna

~ Thyroid & endocrine herbs

~ Dry body brushing

~ Gua Sha

~ Scrubbing with ACV & sodium bicarbonate

~ Scrubbing with sand after a swim in the ocean

BREATH

~ Herbal formulas

~ Diaphragmatic breathing

~ Breathwork

*STEP #4 MOBILISE TOXINS ~ GENTLY*

Mobilising toxins means to free toxins from cells, tissues and organs.

*WARNING ~ MOST PEOPLE WILL FEEL WORSE DOING ALL OF THE BELOW IN THE BEGINNING OF THEIR DETOX JOURNEY. DEFAULT BINDERS PROTOCOL FIRST ALWAYS BEFORE MOBILISING.*

DIET

~ Moving up the detoxification levels encourages the mobilisation of toxins. From wholefood plant based up to water fasting. I only recommend short juice and water fasts.

~ I don’t believe it is safe for the modern human to do long dry and long water fasts.

~ It’s important to move between levels. Between cleansing and building.

~ Most intense toxin mobilisation to least intense:

#1 ~ Short water fasts (24 – 72 hours max)

#2 ~ Short juice fasts (1 – 7 days depending on adrenal health)

#3 ~ Fruit & greens only

#4 ~ Raw vegan zero fat

#5 ~ Raw vegan with around 15% fat

#6 ~ High raw vegan with cooked mucusless vegetables

#7 ~ High raw vegan with cooked mucusless vegetables and around 15% fat

#8 ~ Wholefood plant based with zero NO FOODS and minimal mucus forming vegetables, pseudu grains and legumes.

#9 ~ If someone isn’t ready or doesn’t desire to give up animal products entirely, bivalves may be consumed and only if absolutely necessary small, white wild fish in small amounts with lots of leafy greens. These are the least obstructive, congesting and problematic animal foods.

FOLLOWING PROPER FOOD COMBINING IS ESSENTIAL ~

Food Combining For Optimal Digestion

MUCUSLESS DIET LIST ~

List of Mucusless Foods – Acid-Binding, Non-Mucus-forming, Mucus-Free Foods

~ Coriander/Cilantro

~ HMDS (Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie)

~ Chlorella

~ Nano zeolites

~ Glutathione (never do IV glutathione)

~ Herbs and nutrients that increase Nrf2 – potent antioxidants including sulforaphane, circumin and carotenoids.

~ High sulphur and free-thiol rich foods especially cruciferous vegetables, onions and garlic mobilise metals, particularly problematic for mercury toxic individuals.

~ Exercise, especially fasted and vigorous exercise mobilises toxins in fat cells.

~ Deep tissue massage

~ Lymphatic massage

~ Infrared sauna

~ Pushing the gallbladder to dump bile and toxins with bitters (and catch with binders). Exessive fat intake will stimulate a lot of bile to be dumped into the small intestine, this can cause extremely severe symptoms for some highly toxic individuals (Toxic Bile Syndrome).

~ Synthetic chelators/mobilisers:

~ DMSA

~ EDTA

~ DMPS

~ ALA (crosses the blood brain barrier)

*These will all mobilise toxins and make many people feel worse.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS ~

~ Dr Robert Morse ~ Detox Miracle Source Book

~ Anthony William ~ ALL BOOKS

~ Arnold Ehret ~ The Mucusless Diet Healing System

*NO FOODS ~ MSG, DAIRY, CANOLA OIL, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS, NATURAL FLAVOURS, GLUTEN, PORK, CITRIC ACID, SOY, PROCESSED BEET SUGAR, FARMED FISH, EGGS, ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS & CORN.*

*STEP #5 SUPPORT ADRENALS & NERVOUS SYSTEM

~ A slow and steady approach to healing.

~ Pacing yourself and true physical and mental rest when needed. Learning to listen to your body.

~ Avoiding extreme fasts and caloric restriction.

~ Toning the vagus nerve

~ Trauma work (mentioned again below)

~ Adrenal herbs, b vitamins, vitamin C.

~ Addressing stress and trauma.

*STEP #6 KILL PATHOGENS ~ GENTLY*

As our toxicity levels lower, our pathogen load lowers.

*Infections are present because of toxicity, an immune system suppressed by toxicity (particularly mercury, lead and mould mycotoxins) and pathogens feeding on toxins ~ both EXO and ENDO-toxins from consuming the wrong foods in the wrong combinations and dysbiosis.

DIET

~ Healing foods. Eating a deeply detoxifying diet to remove obstruction and eliminate toxicity on a cellular level ~ the fuel for pathogens. AIM ~ To create an environment that is not hospitable to pathogens. To clean up the terrain. Pathogens only thrive in a weakened host.

We want to REMOVE obstruction BUT we also want to nourish.

~ ANTIMICROBIALS

Focusing on treating VIRUSES, BACTERIA, PARASITES and potentially symptom management during the process keeping fungus in check.

Mobilisation and awakening of toxins may flare fungus during the healing process. This can be uncomfortable and some people need to manage these symptoms. Ultimately Candida is present to clean up the terrain and will bloom and multiply when needed to assist the body. Candida is on our side always. It is only overgrown because of deeper issues ~ toxicity & infection.

~ MM VIRAL protocol + Cistus Tea

~ MM Streptococcus protocol

~ Parasite herbs rotated when needed over the full moon

ADDITIONAL WAYS TO FIGHT INFECTIONS ~

~ Sunshine

~ Fresh air

~ Earthing

~ Blocking blue light

~ Negative ions

~ Sleep

~ Sauna

~ Buhner protocol for Lyme

~ Suppositories

~ Ozone therapy

~ Essential oils

~ Frequency based medicine

~ IV vitamin C

~ Herbal enemas

~ Oral health care

~ Cavitations surgery and ozone

~ Treating sinus infections

ADDRESS ANY DEFICIENCIES ~ To strengthen.

~ Zinc

~ Magnesium

~ Deep Re-Mineralisation

~ B12, B6, Folate

~ Iodine

~ Vitamin C

I BELIEVE in the power of smart supplementation using high quality supplements. I do not agree with avoiding supplemens.

RELEASE EMOTIONAL TOXICITY AND TOXIC PEOPLE FROM YOUR LIFE.

*STEP #7 RESET, RELEASE AND RETRAIN THE BRAIN*

MEDITATION

~ Dr Joe Dispenza Meditations. It is recommended to begin with ‘Body Parts’ and ‘Water Rising’ first. Moving onto BOTEC #1, #2 and #3, You are the Placebo, Tuning in to New Potentials, Reconditioning the Body to a New Mind, Changing Beliefs and Perception and so on.

I highly recommend first reading or listening to his books and this podcast:

https://www.aubreymarcus.com/blogs/aubrey-marcus/you-are-supernatural-with-dr-joe-dispenza-amp-219

~ Mindfulness meditation

~ Yoga Nidra

BREATHWORK

~ Buteyko breathing

~ DMT breathing https://youtu.be/vzrlnkqWE3c

~ Wim Hof breathing

~ Dr Joe Dispenza’s breath

BRAIN RETRAINING

~ The Gupta Program

~ DNRS Annie Hopper

~ Dr Joe Dispenza

~ FasterEFT

TRAUMA RELEASE

~ Somatic Experiencing

~ EMDR

~ Psilocybin assisted Psychotherapy

BODYWORK ~ adressing structure and PHYSICAL trauma.

~ Osteopathy

~ Chiropractic

~ Remedial massage

~ So many amazing forms of body work

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE 8 LAWS OF PERFECT HEALTH

Nature’s 8 Laws Of Radiant Health

I KNOW YOU CAN HEAL!

DETOX IS AN ART. DETOX IS A DANCE. ~ between CLEANSING & BUILDING. AWAKENING & RELEASING.

There are many other modalities and supplements not listed, it’s important to work with a health professional to assess your unique situation and needs.

Blue Light Toxicity And How To Avoid It

Toxicity and infection are the cause of chronic disease at the very core. One toxin that is often overlooked and ignored is blue light. Blue light is the artificial light emitted from the fluorescent and LED light bulbs in your home, work and school, your phone, computer, tablet and television, LED alarm clocks and street lights. It was only 150 years ago that humans were exposed to no artificial light at all. The only light we were exposed to at night was moon light, dim candle light and the orange light of a fire. We have not evolved to deal with chronic blue light exposure.

Blue light exposure acts as a mitochondrial poison*, disrupts the circadian rhythm and prevents the production of melatonin that results in issues falling asleep and staying asleep. Melatonin is also crucial for the brain to detox efficiently. Blue light exposure has been shown in studies to increase blood pressure and has also been linked to insulin resistance, weight gain (especially around the waistline due to excess cortisol), mood disorders, eye damage, increased night time cortisol and cancer.

*The mitochondria are responsible for making ATP that your cells use for energy. If the mitochondria inside the trillions of cells in your body are poisoned, sufficient  energy will not be produced and this affects every single system of the body.

Being exposed to artifical blue light at night sends a signal to the brain that it is daylight and that you need to stay awake, this is very confusing for the body. This distrupts normal hormonal secretions that occur as we wind down for sleep. Naturally our bodies wake with the sun and fall asleep after sundown.

So what do we do to address this? Blue light is everywhere but there are some clever hacks we can follow to avoid blue light, reset our circadian rhythm and improve our sleep and our health overall.

In summary ~ WE WANT ONLY NATURAL BLUE LIGHT EXPOSURE FROM THE SUN IN THE DAY, AND ONLY ORANGE AND RED LIGHT AT NIGHT. This replicates the natural cycle of nature and how we have lived for the majority of our human existence.

BLOCK ARTIFICIAL BLUE LIGHT

#1

Wear clear lense blue light blocking glasses during the day if you work under LED or fluorescent lights and are unable to use a blue light blocking feature on your computer such as Iris and f.lux. Clear or yellow blue blocking glasses are only suitable for day time wear. I like Baxter Blue and Quay.

#2

Wear orange or red tinted blue blocking glasses after the sun has set until you go to sleep. Orange to red blue blocking glasses block the entire spectrum of blue light whilst the clear lense glasses only block a very specific blue light wavelength, this is not enough for evening wear when we want protection from ALL blue light spectrums. I like these blue light blockers.

#3

Use the blue blocking setting or app on your phone and blue blocking software on your tablet and computer. Iris and f.lux are the best.

#4

As soon as you can in the evening turn off any LED or fluorescent lights. Invest in a red globe or do what I did and paint a light globe with red non-toxic acrylic kids paint. A Himalayan salt lamp also has a nice orange glow.

#5

Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible while you sleep. If that is not possible invest in a high quality sleeping mask that does not press on the eyes and distrupt REM sleep. If you need a light during the night invest in a red light torch or red night light.

#6

Do not take any electronics into your room. Only use and charge electronics outside the bedroom and do not use a LED alarm clock.

#7

Expose your eyes and skin to the sun as soon as you can upon waking to signal the body that it is daylight. This is an important step in resetting the circadian rhythm. Exposure to the NATURAL blue light from the sun during the day tells the body it is day time and then only having orange and red light exposure at night tells the body it is night time and time to sleep. This step alone increases energy dramatically and balances hormones.

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: I also want to emphasise here that one of the major causes of ME/CFS is mitochondrial poisons and cellular constipation. It isn’t only mitochondrial poisons such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, prescription drugs, mycotoxins from mould, EMFs and intracellular infections that poison the mitochondria and prevent energy from being produced and many other negative effects ~ Blue light is a major mitochondrial poison too as previously mentioned.

It is absolutely crucial to avoid blue light if you are healing ME/CFS, Lyme or want to optimise your health.

Are you avoiding blue light? How has it helped you?

 

Food Combining For Optimal Digestion

Proper food combining is essential for optimising digestion because different foods require different environments to digest and are broken down and move through the gastrointestinal tract at varying speeds.

Combining certain foods can lead to bloating, gas due to fermentation, dysbiosis, inflammation, lymphatic stagnation, issues with glucose metabolism, brain fog and fatigue.

The digestive process requires more energy than any other system in the body. Combining certain foods together puts added stress on the digestive system to do its job properly and tends to flare pre-existing health conditions and symptoms.

Adhering to the food combining principles listed below will allow your digestive system to process food much more efficiently and therefore you will experience a reduction in any unpleasant digestive symptoms and potentially many other symptoms you didn’t realise were linked to the health of your digestive system. Food combining is also a crucial practice to follow if you are healing from a chronic illness.

FOOD COMBINING RULES ~

DO NOT Combine Protein & Carbohydrates*

*The only exception is low carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens with protein.

Protein rich foods require an acid environment with acidic enzymes to be digested whilst carbohydrates require an alkaline environment with alkaline enzymes. Consuming both protein and carbohydrates together typically leads to indigestion because proteins require a very acidic environment to be broken down into amino acids. Protein is very hard to digest. Consuming a carbohydrate with a food rich in protein will stimulate the secretion of alkaline enzymes and create a more alkaline environment preventing protein from being broken down adequately. This can lead to gas, bloating, stomach pain and fatigue.

DO NOT Combine Fat & Carbohydrates*

*The only exception is low carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens with fats.

Combining fats and carbohydrates is a recipe for disaster. It is also one of the most common combinations found in modern cuisine because it is the most palatable and hugely addictive.

The body’s preferred fuel source is glucose, once a carbohydrate is broken down into simple sugars it’s enters the blood stream (fructose has to first be converted to glucose by the liver prior to reaching the blood stream). An increase in blood glucose stimulates the production of the hormone insulin. Insulin’s job is to deliver glucose into the cells where it is used for energy.

The issue is, if a fat is consumed at the same time as a carbohydrate or if a high fat diet is consumed prior to carbohydrate consumption, the fats are broken down into fatty acids in the small intestine, travel through the lymphatic system and then into the blood stream where they coat the cells and inhibit the uptake of glucose into the cells. This results in hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, lipid induced insulin resistance and may in extreme cases lead to diabetes. Blood sugar issues are not caused by natural sugars, but the fat it is combined with. This combination also tends to cause a flare in dysbiosis, fungal overgrowth in the GI tract and systemically and SIBO particularly when it comes to combining fat with fruit, starch or concentrated sugars like maple syrup, honey and coconut sugar. The reason this occurs is because carbohydrates are typically digested and metabolised very fast, fat slows down the digestive process and gut mobility when combined with carbohydrates and this tends to lead to the fermentation of sugars and starches in the gastrointestinal tract ~ hello flatulence!

DO always eat fruit alone on an empty stomach.*

*The only exception is consuming raw leafy greens, some low carbohydrate vegetables, greens powders, sprouts, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla with fruit if tolerated.

DO always eat melons alone on an empty stomach.

DO properly combine fruits. Acid fruits can be consumed with sub-acid. Sub-acid fruit can be combined with sweet.

DO combine starches such as grains, beans and legumes with starchy vegetables, low carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens only.

DO combine nuts and seeds with low carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens only or eat alone.

DO eat concentrated protein sources with whole food fats, low carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens.

A recommendation I give regularly is to also eat from LIGHT TO HEAVY over the day. This means you are consuming the foods with a faster transit time first and the foods that digest at a slower pace after. This is the best way to prevent fermentation and bacterial and fungal flares.

For example: In order throughout the day ~

~ Lemon water

~ Celery juice or green juice

~ Melons

~ Smoothie

~ Whole fruit

~ Raw salad with low carbohydrate vegetables and fat or cooked vegetables and salad. Any denser protein sources and fat are best left until later in the day after the lighter and easier to digest foods are consumed.

This approach is also in sync with the body’s natural rhythm of eliminating in the AM and building in the PM. Eating lighter in the day allows the body to complete it’s daily cycle of elimination and it also supports the liver in detoxification.

Not only do people report feeling better when they follow proper food combining principles but they typically lose weight, inflammation melts away and swelling and lymphatic stagnation resolves.

I will leave you with my favourite food combining charts below.

Image via The 80/10/10 Diet.

Image via @fullyrawkristina

Image via Dr Robert Morse

Have you tried food combining? What results have you had?

With love, Amy x

How To Heal From ME/CFS, Lyme And Other Chronic Illnesses.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is an extremely  severe and complex illness that causes symptoms related to the dysfunction of the brain, gastro-intestinal system, immune system, endocrine and cardiac systems.

After 10 years of personal experience actively healing from ME/CFS (it took me 5 years to get a diagnosis prior to beginning my healing journey) and comprehensive research I wanted to share how I believe you can treat it successfully. This is only a summary. There are no magic cures listed here or short cuts. You need to put in the work and address every single step listed if you want to heal from severe ME/CFS.

Every step is extremely important. Please carefully read and think over every point made.

PLEASE use this post as a checklist for you to tick off what you have investigated to get to the root cause of your health issues. Leave no stone unturned on this journey to health.

If you are unable to read ask a family member or your carer.

{ THE CORE CAUSE OF ME/CFS IS  — TOXICITY + CHRONIC STEALTH INFECTION. Plus DEFICIENCY. }

We are born into this world already carrying generational toxins passed on from our mother, and her mother and so on. Then we are exposed to new toxins every single day of our lives. Your health status not only depends on what toxins you are exposed to in your lifetime but also what was passed on during your time in utero. As toxicity increases and your system is depleted your body becomes extremely susceptible to infection. And because of the severe immune suppression from various toxins and heavy metals including but not limited to mercury, aluminium and lead these infections become chronic and take advantage of a weak host sadly. Over time there are layers upon layers of infections that continue to weaken the host.

{ To heal you must address — TOXICITY + CHRONIC INFECTION (EBV/HHV-6>/CMV/STREPTOCCOCUS/BORRELIA+CO INFECTIONS). Plus DEFICIENCY. }

This is what you need to address to heal ME/CFS, LYME AND OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES –

AIR QUALITY –

1 – TOXIC MOULD

Test your home for mould using an ERMI or HERTSMI test. Think back to everywhere you have lived in your life, the schools you have attended and where you have worked and whether you believe you have potentially been exposed to toxic mould. You cannot always see mould growing. It is often hidden behind walls where leaks have occured. If you live in a mouldy home, in order to heal you must leave your home and all of your possessions that are contaminated with highly toxic mycotoxins. These mycotoxins are making you sick. I recommend a sabbatical where you find a safe home or camp with only brand new and minimal possessions. You cannot heal in the environment you got sick in. I recommend EFFECTIVE mould avoidance. After you leave your toxic home, work and/or school you need to begin BINDING the mycotoxins with the appropriate binders.
Also consider whether you are sleeping on an old mouldy mattress or pillow. Do you potentially have mouldy antique or second hand furniture in your home you may be sensitive too? Have you moved from a mouldy home and taken your possessions?

I recommend finding a doctor who is familiar with Dr Richie Shoemaker’s protocol for mould illness (CIRS) and I highly recommend Lisa Petrison’s website and book A Beginner’s Guide to Mold Avoidance.

IMPORTANT – All other modalities will have very minimal if not zero positive affect if you are still exposed to toxic mould. It doesn’t matter if you eat the cleanest diet and take the best supplements. You will not heal in mould.

2 – INDUSTRY

Do you live near industry? Factories emitting toxic chemicals? Does the area you live in have particularly bad air pollution? You may need to move to heal.

3 – CARPET & DUST

Do you have old carpet in your home or carpet period? Is your house dusty or dirty? Carpet is not ideal for CFS sufferers as it accumulates allergens, mould and toxins. If you have carpet at the very least use a HEPA filter vacuum and an air filter. New carpet is extremely toxic as well and should be avoided at all costs. Make sure you dust your home with a damp microfiber cloth instead of dry dusting as it just moves the dust everywhere triggering reactions.

4 – AGRICULTURE

Do you live or have you lived near agriculture? You may have been exposed to glysophate and other herbacides, pesticides, fungicides, heavy metals and other toxins in excessive amounts. You have inevitably been exposed to these substances anyway and that is why detox is so important. BUT If you have lived close to agriculture for significant amounts of time then it would be appropriate to focus further on testing for and detoxing these substances.

5 – TOXIC SKIN CARE AND CLEANING PRODUCTS

Do you still use toxic skin care products, makeup, cleaning products and perfume? Stop the use of any unnatural products as soon as possible and switch to organic and natural products only.  There are so many amazing companies now making highly effective skin care products, make up, cleaning products and natural perfumes made from essential oils. What you put onto your skin and breathe in goes directly into your blood stream. It doesn’t even get filtered by the liver first like toxins do when they are consumed. Make the switch now!

6 – TOXINS IN A NEW HOME & FURNITURE

Have you moved to a brand new home with brand new furnishings, carpet and freshly painted walls? You may be exposed to excessive levels of VOCs, formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals. It may be essential for you to change your home environment by disposing of toxic items. New carpet is particularly toxic. If you can, move to an area of the house without carpet to sleep and spend time. Do you have a new mattress? Mattresses are unfortunately a huge issue when it comes to chemical exposure. We spend so much time in such close proximity to them as well. Also consider your pillow, doona and sheets. Organic or 100% bamboo is best. Always wash in natural detergent.

7 – TOXIC COOKWARE & PLASTICS

Avoid non-stick pots and pans unless they are certified non-toxic. Also avoid aluminum foil. Opt for low or no nickel stainless steel, glass, ceramic or cast iron cookware.

Avoid drinking from plastic, storing food in plastic and buying food already packaged in plastic.

EMF EXPOSURE

8 –  ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

Do you live close to a power station or power sub-station? Is your bedroom close to one? Do you live close to a cell tower? You can find this out by searching on this website. Is there a large appliance such as a fridge behind the head of your bed? Do you live in an apartment with excessive electromagnetic radiation. Do you have Wi-Fi? At the very least turn your Wi-Fi off at night when you are sleeping and consider using only wired Ethernet. If you live in a city you may need an EMF protection canopy for your bed. Do you place your fingers directly onto your laptop mouse and keypad? The EMF exposure from this alone exceeds government recommended levels. Purchase a wired mouse and keyboard.

WATER QUALITY

9 – WATER

Are you drinking, showering and bathing in highly purified water? Tap water is filled with chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, bacteria, parasites and traces of pharmaceutical drugs to name a few. Filtering the water you drink is crucial to heal BUT it is equally as important to filter your shower and bath water. When you shower in hot water the chlorine is dispersed into the air and you breath it straight into your lungs. Not only is this adding to your toxic load without your liver filtering the toxin but it damages the lungs slowly over time. I highly recommend filtered spring water, distilled water remineralised with Concentrace, Seychelle filters, Berkey filters and RO filters. You can find shower and bath filters on most online stores that sell quality water filters.

BINDING TOXINS

10 – BINDERS

Binders are crucial for healing. You need to reduce your toxic load inside your body once you have eliminated all toxin exposures in your environment. If you live, work or attend school in mould and try and bind the mycotoxins from mould it is like trying to empty a bath with the tap still running. Our buckets are full and overflowing when we are sick we need to reduce this as fast as we can – AVOID TOXINS, BIND and MOVE BOWELS.
We want to stop enterhepatic recirculation. Many of the most dangerous toxins are stored in our liver. They are dumped with our bile into our small intestine from our gallbladder. Bile is extremely expensive to make so it is reabsorbed further down the small intestine with these toxins UNLESS we bind and eat certain fibres to stop the cycle and reduce symptoms. Different binders have an affinity for and bind different toxins. We are all exposed to thousands of different toxins. Rotating the binders below enables you to bind a wide variety, detoxify and heal.

The best GI binders are –

• Activated coconut or bamboo charcoal
• Zeolite (Zeolith, Zeobind & Toxaprevent)
• Enterosgel
• Microsilica
• Humic & fulvic acids
• Calcium Bentonite (Biopure)
• Biosil (activated silica)
• Chlorella
• Modified citrus pectin

Intracellular binders (still experimental in my eyes) ~

• Results RNA Zeolite
• Advanced TRS
• Cytodetox
• Vitality Detox Drops

Make a daily binder cocktail and rotate certain binders.

Binder Cocktail Recipe ~

1 litre of water
1/2 tsp activated coconut charcoal
1/2 tsp zeolite
1/2 tsp calcium bentonite

You can add Microsilica to the cocktail but it is best taken alone an hour after with lemon water.

Take Enterosgel, Biosil, Toxaprevent and Chorella separately away from the binder cocktail.

Keep your bowels moving with a high carb, low fat plant based diet and mineral supplementation.

You may need to up your binders whilst you kill pathogens and also detox heavy metals.

11 – DIET

EAT ORGANIC – Eat as much organic food as possible and follow the dirty dozen clean fifteen list that can be found here. Only eat non organic foods that have a thick skin.

Sourcing uncontaminated food is the most crucial first step!

Finding a therapeutic dietary approach that works for you is crucial. This may change over time as you heal. So be open to change if what you are doing is no longer working.

I am a huge fan of Anthony William’s approach as well as Dr Robert Morse for ME/CFS. That is my opinion. Do not take what I say as gospel. I am passionate about deep tissue detoxification and also follow the work of Natalia Rose and Dan McDonald.

High Carb, Low Fat – High Raw, Plant Based Diet. ‘Raw Vegan’ with high quality raw bee products (Beegan). I am actually not a fan of labels, but its easier to paint a picture quickly here using them.

Medical Medium Dietary approach with specific healing foods for CFS, EBV, other Viruses and Streptoccocus.

Smart supplementation. Appropriate high quality supplementation that is essential when eating a plant based diet plus any diet because of soil nutrient depletion. This includes primarily B12 (methylcobalamin & adenosylcobalamin), Iodine, Vitamin A, Zinc, B vitamins, K2 and magnesium.

Mindful eating. Prayer. Whole foods. Prepared with love.

A period of no overt fats is crucial to heal.

Food combining is crucial.

DO NOT combine fruit or starches with fat. Do not combine anything that converts to sugar with fat. Only combine healthy plant fats with leafy greens and low carbohydrate vegetables. Read more here.

Food timing is crucial. Eat from light to heavier foods over the day. Always eat fruit earlier in the day and follow with any cooked vegetables after eating fruit. Fruit digests fast and you do not want other heavier foods getting in the way and causing fermentation.

Eat fruit alone or leave it alone (leafy greens, greens powders and lime and passion fruit on papaya are exceptions.)

A great order to follow over the day –

Lemon water, juices (celery followed by mixed), smoothies, melon or papaya, other fruit, salad, cooked food (when not 100% raw).

Also look into the work of Dr Robert Morse and Dr Doug Graham for further information on a high carb, low fat and raw vegan diet. I personally believe Anthony William’s dietary approach works best including all appropriate healing foods.

Consistency with diet is key to heal. Let go of other’s judgement of you and your dietary choices. Quite frankly, it is none of their business.

This dietary approach will challenge some. It is crucial that you eat low fat to heal – to thin and oxygenate the blood. To allow the liver to function optimally and eradicate pathogens and toxins. To thin sluggish and stagnant lymphatic fluids and flush toxic and infected lymph.

Unfortunately a diet restricting carbohydrates will always backfire eventually. Your body runs on glucose. Periods of omitting them from your diet and fueling on fats stresses your body and this results in high levels of adrenaline and cortisol being produced in the body to compensate. Restricting carbohydrates also stresses the thyroid and causes thyroid issues.

12 – TREAT VIRAL AND BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

Medical Medium recommended supplements for EBV and Streptoccocus are crucial. Start slow and take what you are comfortable with.

I also recommend Cistus Tea for retroviruses. Look into Dr Klinghardt’s work on this here.

I am a fan of the Buhner protocol for Borrelia and co-infections if that resonates.

Along side taking antimicrobials you must focus on boosting immunity and strength with beta-glucans from medicinal mushrooms, vitamin C and other supportive supplements, eating a healing diet and addressing any deficiencies.

13 – THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

Focusing on the health of the Lymphatic System is crucial – the lymphatic system is the sewer system of your entire body. Its main role is to rid the body of toxins and cellular waste. It carries lymph fluid rich in infection fighting white blood cells throughout your body. It consists of lymph nodes, vessels and ducts that cover your entire body. It plays an integral role in immune function. It is your body’s secondary circulatory system but unlike the circulatory system the lymphatic system does not have a pump (heart). The lymphatic system also absorbs fats and fat soluble vitamins and delivers it to the blood and the cells. The lymphatic system requires movement to function optimally which becomes difficult when you are sedentary, when the lymphatic system is infected with streptoccocus and when it is extremely congested due to a high fat diet, high protein diet and toxins.

• The aim is to move in some way everyday to move the lymphatic fluid.
• Very gentle yoga to stronger yoga If you can.
• Walking
• Pressing up onto your big toes (acts as a pump) as you walk or on the spot
• Specific lymph movements and self massage
• High Carb, Low Fat, Raw food diet. High fruit.
• Fruit acids thin and dissolve lymph. Period of no fats to thin and flush stagnant lymph.
• Contrast showers
• Dry body brushing
• Gua Sha
• Scrubbing the entire body with a baking soda and ACV paste
• Rebounding
• Saunas
• Enemas
• Deep breathing
• Red root & cleavers alcohol free tinctures
• Lymphatic massage with a specialist (with caution) always take binders.
•  Castor oil packs on the abdomen & liver

14 – TREAT NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES + KPU

Deficiencies are inevitable. We are born deficient. Unless you have eaten organic your entire life and supplemented wisely you will have deficiencies. Chronic infections drain your resources of specific vitamins and minerals. Parasites consume your food and the vitamins and minerals you consume.
Every person with a chronic illness and who is under chronic stress looses essential stores of zinc, B6 and Biotin. Every person tested for KPU aka Pyroluria tests positive with CFS, LYME, MOULD ILLNESS and other chronic illnesses. Dr Klinghardt shares his knowledge on KPU here.
Other deficiencies that are common are iron deficiency because herpes viruses such as EVB and HHV-6 feeding on iron/iron stores. I recommend a transdermal iron cream if necessary and never oral supplementation unless is it a plant based organic curry leaf extract and of course iron rich plant foods combined with vitamin C rich foods.
Test your B12 levels. Make sure your doctor tests the metabolically active B12 holotranscobalamin.
I would say that almost every CFS sufferer is deficient in B12 and B12 injections are crucial. Regardless of whether you test active B12, tests do not show you whether you have adequate B12 stores in your nervous system, tissues and organs. We require adequate stomach acid and intrinsic factor to absorb B12 and these are chronically deficient in most CFS patients resulting in B12 deficiency no matter how much B12 they consume. Make sure to only inject hydroxocobalamin, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin. Absolutely do not touch cyanocobalamin. Weekly injections are important initially and then they can be spaced out further. Oral supplementation is also key and I recommend a supplement that combines both methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.
Iodine deficiency is also extremely common. I recommend a urine test and supplementation with Lugol’s iodine initially to increase levels fast and then nascent iodine daily. I believe nascent iodine should be taken every day no matter what your iodine status is.
Other tests for deficiencies should include folate, vitamin D and if available in your country tests for other essential vitamins and minerals.

15 – MINERALS

We are mineral deficient. Our soils are depleted. Our water, even when purified or sourced from a spring does not provide adequate life giving minerals. Tap water that is filtered is dead water. Remineralise with Concentrace or equilavant. Remineralise every day. When you are mineral deficient heavy metals, that appear similar in structure to healthy minerals are utilised by the body and stored. Heavy metal accumulation occurs. I also recommend Biomins by Thorne Research.

16 – SUNLIGHT

Sunlight exposure every day possible for at least 20 minutes. Without sunglasses so that light can enter your eyes. As much skin exposed as possible. I would also recommend looking into sun gazing at first and last light.

17 – CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

Cicadian Rhythm reset. Make sure to step outside as soon as you can upon waking to get sunlight exposure. Before 10 am is ideal. Get sunlight in your eyes. This signals the body to wake up.
Then what you must do is to be very careful with your blue light exposure in the evening. Wear blue light blocking glasses, download f’lux for your computer and use the blue light blocking feature on your phone. Purchase red globes for any lights used at night. Resetting your circadian rhythm is so important. Limit the use of your computer and smart phone at night.

18 – EARTHING

Be in contact with the earth as much as possible. Be in nature as much as possible. Place your bare feet on the earth daily. In your backyard, in a park and on the beach. So many of us have free electron deficiencies from literally no contact with the earth. Earthing lowers inflammation, mitagates electromagnetic radiation and helps the healing process.

19 – NEGATIVE IONS

If you are able to make it to the beach, a swim in the ocean is extremely healing and a great way to obtain negative ions from the ocean and the salty sea breeze. Another way to obtain negative ions is from Himalayan salts lamps, plants and certain air filters.

20 – SLEEP

Sleep will improve dramatically once you are out of mould and reducing your toxic load with binders. Sleep in darkness, use a sleep mask if needed. Dim and orange lights prior to sleep. No electronics used prior to sleep. Turn Wi-Fi off. Leave any electronics out of bedroom and turned off. Organic sheets and bed if possible. Clean air. Legs up the wall yoga pose. Alternate nose breathing. Liposomal melatonin can also be helpful for some.

21 – INTRAVENOUS VITAMIN C

I would highly recommend this if you can afford it. It is a potent antioxidant and acts as a very effective antimicrobial in the blood. You might need to start with a lower dose around 15 grams and work up to 30 – 50 grams per session. Make sure you are well hydrated prior to the infusion.
AVOID any IV glutathione and chelating agents.

22 – PARASITES

I believe treating parasites is a crucial step in healing CFS. You need to be strategic about when you do this. We all have them! No matter whether they come up on lab tests or not. Parasites like a weak host. Naturally as your body strengthens parasite numbers will fall. Parasites consume our food but also the toxins we are exposed to. Killing parasites can cause a lot of discomfort and an increase in symptoms if the parasites (namely worms, not microscopic parasites) do not leave the body whole. This is because of the toxins being released into the body as they are broken down. There are many approaches to treating parasites. I believe they should all be rotated and used over the full moon period every month until you notice an improvement. I am a fan of the Kerri Rivera/Kalcker protocol. I have taken many of these orally but also in enemas:

• Wormwood, Blackwalnut Hulls and Clove
• Freeze dried garlic or raw garlic
• Mimosa pudica
• Oregano Oil
• Artemisinin
• Ginger
• Peppermint
• Fennel
• Neem
• Pumpkin seeds
• Grapefruit Seed Extract
• MMS
• Papaya seeds
• Ozonated Oils
• Doterra DigestZen and Onguard
• Compounded mebendazole and pyrantel pamoate
• Alinia

23 – DETOXING MERCURY & OTHER HEAVY METALS

We need to tread very carefully here. I do not recommend addressing mercury and other heavy metals until you have regained a lot of strength and have healed significantly. Even then, being gentle is key. I do not recommend chelation. This flares symptoms for so many. You do not want to push your body. Some people do well with the Andy Cutler Protocol where frequent dosing of DMSA, DMPS and ALA are used but regardless I think it is too risky. I strongly recommend you start with Dr Shade’s approach Push + Catch, but WITHOUT any R-Lipoic Acid or glutathione. You want to gently push the gallbladder to dump toxins with bitter herbs and catch the toxins with binders. It is essential you use mercury specific binders – Microsilica, Enterosgel, Chlorella and Zeolite. His approach basically includes cleansing your GI tract of metals and toxins and Nrf2 upregulation with sulfur and antioxidants.
Always start with simply binding toxins, this is your default protocol. You really need to clean up your GI tract first before going any further.
I also recommend the Medical Medium Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie HMDS, with CAUTION. Begin with very small amounts of cilantro (coriander) or ommit entirely if you are sensitive and use parsley instead. Cilantro is a powerful mobiliser of mercury and can cause serious issues for some people. The compounds that mobilise mercury can cross the blood brain barrier and pull mercury from the brain and tissues. This can cause extreme physical and psychological symptoms for some people.

24 – ORAL HEALTH CARE.

I recommending assessing jaw structure if you have TMJ issues with a neuromuscular dentist. An underdeveloped upper maxilla is a common cause of TMD that causes the jaw to sit too far back blocking glymphatic flow and blood flow. This also typically causes sleep apnea, grinding to compensate for the lack of a normal very gentle rocking moving movement made by the jaw during sleep that assists in brain detoxification via the glymphatic system. I also recommend finding out whether you have cavitations. Especially if you have had jaw issues, teeth extracted and braces. For general oral care I recommend daily tongue scraping, oil pulling with coconut oil and Doterra Onguard. I also recommend rinsing with baking soda and Celtic sea salt after eating acidic foods to avoid enamel erosion and using a natural remineralisng toothpaste like this one.

25 – NEAR AND FAR INFRARED SAUNAS

I highly recommend sauna therapy. Sweating it so important and helps to sweat out toxins. If you have a small budget try a sauna blanket. Otherwise try a near infrared sauna with red heat lamps or a quality far infrared sauna. Saunas are incredibly helpful for detoxification and reducing symptoms related to toxin overload and infection. Start with short sessions and build up. You may find it takes a while for you to sweat in the beginning.

26 – ENEMAS

I believe enemas are crucial for healing. They assist detoxification and improve bowel function. Keeping your bowels moving is SO important. It will reduce symptoms and allow your lymphatic system to drain faster. SO crucial during deep tissue detoxification, heavy metal detox, parasite eradication and treatment of pathogens. Start with purified water with some Celtic or Himalayan salt. From there you may feel comfortable trying herb infused enemas and coffee enemas. You need to be really careful with coffee enemas. I do not recommend them to everyone. They can be helpful for some at particular points in their healing. Binders must always be taken orally prior to performing coffee enemas. This is because particular compounds in the coffee stimulate the gallbladder to dump toxins that have travelled from the liver into the small intestine. We need to mop them up with specific binders in the SI tract.

27 – TREAT INFECTIONS IN SINUSES

Treat infections in the sinuses and maintain healthy sinuses by using neti pot, ayurvedic neti and antimicrobial nasal sprays. Test for MARCoNs infection. This is common after living in mould.

Neti Pot formula – 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp birch xylitol and 4 drops approx of Lugol’s iodine.

Antimicrobial sprays – Oregano nasal spray, colloidal silver spray and Xclear.

28 – BODY WORK

Assess muscularskeletal system for abnormailites. See a qualified osteopath or chiropractor for this.

29 – OZONE THERAPY

If you have access to ozone I would highly recommend making it a part of your healing protocol. If you can afford it, purchasing your own machine is the most intelligent approach, I like Promo Life. I recommend rectal insufflations, ear insufflations, drinking ozonated water and bagging if necessary. If you have access to a doctor specialising in ozone therapy I would still recommend rectal insufflation because it is a great way to delivery ozone systemically. Major and minor autohemotherapy can be helpful too. I have personally used EBOO, major and minor autohemotherapy, ear insufflations and Russian IV. Ozone is a potent antimicrobial and oxygenates the body after the ozone breaks down into it’s individual oxygen atoms. Ozone is made of three oxygen atoms.

30 – MEDITATION & BREATHING

I recommend a yoga nidra guided meditation audio where you can lie down, surrender and truly relax. I also recommend Joe Dispenza’s book Breaking The Habit Of Being Yourself and the recommended meditations.

Assess your breathing. Are you shallow breathing into your chest or deep breathing into your belly? I would recommend yogic breath.

31 – MOVEMENT

Move in some way, every day. In the beginning this might be literally moving your toes or feet. This helps pump the lymphatic system. Then it might be a few gentle yoga movements on a yoga mat or in bed. Do what feels right for you. I have worked my way up to yoga and specific lymphatic stimulation movements and self massage in the morning, a walk or ride in the day for 30 minutes approximately and some strength work later in the day. Only gentle strength work right now for a few minutes. I can do this because I have come a long way over the past 10 years. I have improved dramatically since being bed ridden for many years.

IMPORTANT NOTES

LYME DISEASE

There is no doubt that the Borrelia bacteria can be an issue for some people and cause debilitating disease. Unfortunately it does appear to currently be over diagnosed and a default diagnosis for many people who present with symptoms of ME/CFS. This may prevent some individuals from digger deeper and identifying true underlying causes.

Please be careful not to fall for the Lyme disease fad. Of course the situation is different if you have been bitten by a tick, have acute symptoms or test positive. Seek medical attention as soon as you can. I am also not denying that Borrellia can be an issue for many people. But I do worry that many well meaning holistic doctors are now diagnosing everyone they see who has a mystery illness with Lyme Disease without testing and not treating the true cause. I would recommend not taking antibiotics no matter how hard your MD is pushing for you to take them if you have ME/CFS. I have seen way too many people destroyed by long term antibiotic use prescibed unnecessarily for Lyme Disease. I personally was so excited when I tested positive and was told I had Lyme because I felt it explained why I was so sick. My doctor wanted me to take antibiotics before my lab tests for Borrellia had even returned. But unfortunately treating it got me no where because toxicity and viruses are the main issue in most cases.

CANDIDA

Candida is another fad sadly. Candida is actually there to assist you. It protects you by consuming toxins and waste matter. Candida does overgrow when you have high levels of heavy metals in your body, undigested and putrifying food and other toxic chemicals. But it does not cause the health issues and symptoms many claim it does. It is beneficial and plays an important role in cleaning up our inner terrian. We must be going after the bacteria streptoccocus. It is important to address the root cause of illness. Toxicity and infection. Focus on killing viruses and Streptoccocus primarily before Candida.

GUT HEALING

Every step I have included here will allow your gut to heal. Every step is crucial. There is no magical gut healing supplement or herb. You cannot live in mould and heal your gut, you cannot have parasites and heal your gut, you cannot have a GI tract loaded with mercury and heal your gut. Of course certain herbs and foods are crucial to consume whilst you address everything else listed here but do not expect miracles until every step has been addressed.

There are many more things I could add to this list but I feel these are the most important.

The severity of someone’s ME/CFS usually depends on the number of layers of chronic infections, the toxic burden and what deficiencies need to be addressed.

What breaks my heart the most about this disease is not only how difficult the road to recovery is for so many but that many of the crucial steps that need to be taken are extremely expensive and life altering when mould is involved.

I will be elaborating further on every point made in future posts.

As you can see this is a complicated illness that requires a multifaceted approach to overcome. These are the non-negotiables when it comes to healing ME/CFS. Every individual will have other modalities that have helped then in some way.

The main aim is to REDUCE TOXICITY, ERADICATE PATHOGENS and ADDRESS DEFICIENCIES.

What would you like me to cover in more detail in future posts?

With love, Amy

 

Say This Prayer To Improve Your Digestion

In recent times I have been struggling to remain present in my daily life. I have been feeling anxious and irritable due to my current circumstances. This has resulted in me using my mobile phone a lot more than usual and this habit has made its way into my precious and sacred meal times. I am making a conscious effort to change this.

Eating without distraction is one of the best things you can do to improve your digestion. I have spoken about optimising digestion before in my post 5 Steps To Perfect Digestion. Being present whilst you eat, smelling your food, chewing your food well and being grateful for your food can truly make a huge difference to how you digest each and every meal you consume.

I wanted to share my prayer that I try and say before each meal that I eat. Some of it might resonate. Some of it may not. Take what feels right for you and see if it makes a difference for you.

Before I eat I sit down with my meal without my phone. I take a moment to look at my food, admire it and smell it. I take a deep breath into my belly to check in with my body and breath. Then either to myself or spoken quietly I say my prayer:

I bless this food, I bless my body.

I love this food, this food loves me.

I thank the universe for bringing this food to me, for healing and nourishing me, and bringing me perfect health, vitality and clarity.

I enjoy every bite, eat mindfully, chew well and digest this food with ease.

Bon appétit.

I hope this prayer can help you upgrade your digestion and bring you the health you truly deserve, After all, perfect health begins in the gut. We can eat all of the most amazing organic wholefoods in the world but if we are anxious, stressed and angry whilst we eat, this is going to effect how we digest and assimilate all of the beautiful life giving nutrients in our food.

Do you say a prayer before each meal?

I would love to hear from you!

With love, Amy X

 

How The Paleo Diet Destroyed My Health

At the age of 20 (9 years ago), after a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I was encouraged by a medical professional to begin eating a diet devoid of grains, legumes, gluten, soy, dairy, refined sugars and natural sugars from fruit. The diet I was recommended would soon be referred to as the Paleo Diet. This term was generally unheard of back then. The premise of the diet was that we must eat like our ancestors for optimal health and vitality.

The paleo diet revolves around the consumption of high quality, organic and grass fed beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, wild seafood, free range eggs, bone broth, gelatin, nuts and seeds, ‘healthy fats’ such as coconut oil, avocado oil, avocado, ghee, olives and olive oil. There is also a huge emphasis on the consumption of organic vegetables, especially low carbohydrate vegetables and low sugar fruits such as coconut, blueberries, raspberries, lemons and limes. I liked that many of it’s proponents advocated focusing on the quality of foods consumed and the focus on whole foods.

I began the diet straight away. Like always, I would do anything to heal my body and regain my health. I also chose to rigorously research this way of eating myself. I always like to be well informed and know exactly what I am doing. I discovered that there was a massive paleo/ancestral diet movement occurring in the United States. Australia was not far behind. I decided to work with two health professionals that specialised in ancestral nutrition and functional medicine so I was guided through the process.

I ate this way for 7 years in the hope of healing my health condition whilst simultaneously trying every other healing modality I could access to treat infections and toxicity. Throughout this time I mostly ate an extremely low carbohydrate paleo diet. I also did the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Diet, The Body Ecology Diet as well as the Ketogenic Diet. During this time I did notice some minor positive changes including more balanced blood sugar levels. But to be completely honest, after 7 years of being extremely strict barely anything changed for me. I truly believe I gave it my best shot. Of course there were other factors holding me back including living in a mould ridden house and not using toxin binders.

During my time eating a strict paleo diet I put on weight, my lymphatic system became extremely sluggish, stagnant and swollen throughout my entire body. The lymphatic congestion in my head was particularly painful and also embarrassing. I was so ashamed to go out in public because I did not look like myself anymore. My head, neck and collarbones were covered in a thick layer of stagnant lymph that I attempted to move everyday with self-massage and rebounding. I was also in constant pain and felt like I had been hit by a bus every day. Moving around the house was extremely difficult. At this point I was house bound and bed ridden. The symptoms I suffered including severe fatigue, neurological fatigue, pain and digestive issues to name a few did not improve during the 7 years I ate a paleo diet.

A very important point I want to make here is that a very healthy and active person free of infections and toxicity, with a strong constitution, a healthy liver and adequate bile secretions may do very well on a paleo diet. The high amounts of animal protein and fat that are typically consumed on a standard paleo, ketogenic or GAPS diet require an already robust digestive system and healthy liver. I do personally believe that this is not an optimal diet for anyone. However, if the ‘paleo’ diet is done right, it can be a very healthy diet. Because of the extreme amount of toxins we are all exposed to everyday in this modern world a unique dietary approach is necessary to obtain optimal health. I believe a plant based diet is the most effective diet to achieve optimal health and vitality. This might look like 90% of your meals coming from plants and the other animal foods. But it will vary for everyone as we are so unique.

After eating a paleo diet for 7 years I knew I needed to make drastic changes to my diet. I was doing the same thing for years on end, with minor tweaks and expecting the same results. I kept on seeing the saying ‘If you want something you have never had, you must do something you have never done’ all the time!

I began to be guided in a new direction. This tends to happen to me when I need to make changes. My intuition guides me and I begin to receive relevant information from practitioners and others on a similar journey.  I was told to begin eating a raw vegan, high fruit diet recommended by Dr Robert Morse, Dan MacDonald, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram and Anthony Williams to name a few. This approach sounded ludicrous to me initially coming from a background of relying so heavily on fat as fuel, being petrified of carbohydrates and being completely sold on the concept that natural sugars were hugely detrimental to the human body. I purchased Dr Morse’s book called the ‘Detox Miracle Source Book’ and began devouring it, excited for this new chapter. Yet, it still scared me giving up fats and fueling off carbohydrates.

It took a while for me to be convinced about this approach to healing the body but once I was sold and well educated, I jumped right in. I remember it so clearly. Within 3 days of following Dr Morse’s protocol it was like a massive layer of lymphatic stagnation and swelling literally melted away from my body. My pain levels decreased dramatically. I started to feel and look like myself again. I could feel my body screaming thank you, to me. It was finally able to let go of toxic lymphatic congestion, toxic fat and tissue. At this point I was drinking a huge amount of organic, cold pressed green juice, fruit, raw leafy greens, salad vegetables and at night when it was cold some pumpkin or sweet potato dry baked without oil. As the temperatures increased I had periods of eating completely raw and continued to omit overt fats to accelerate detoxification. I cannot tell you how much eating this way improved my quality of life. It felt miraculous.

One of the biggest pitfalls of eating a paleo or ketogenic diet when you are healing your body is that the high amounts of fats consumed make it extremely difficult for your body to let go of toxins and are extremely taxing to the liver. It is a very congesting diet, which is counterproductive when you are trying to detoxify and heal. Toxicity is at the very root of all dis-ease. The high amounts of animal protein typically consumed are also hugely pro-inflammatory and congesting in nature.

Depending on your situation I believe a plant based diet or predominantly plant based diet is best. If we need to label it, Dr Mark Hyman recently coined the term ‘Pegan’! Bringing together the best of both dietary approaches. We need to be consuming adequate levels of fiber to sweep the bowels, bind toxins and to be regular. I also feel it is beneficial to lower fats in the diet and dramatically increase healthy carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables. If one is to continue eating animal products then being selective with the sources and eating only small amounts is key. You can read my diet page for my recommendations. Depending where you are on your healing journey and your age you might not require any animal foods at all, whilst others may require a small amount once a week, once a month or less frequently.

I am not at all suggesting that everyone should go raw vegan here. If you are eating a paleo or ketogenic diet I think it is very important to assess whether this is truly working for you. These diets are hugely popular right now, but that does not mean they are the optimal diet for you. I understand that a short period of omitting carbohydrates can be helpful for some people to re-balance their gut microbiota. But this should be viewed as a short-term therapeutic diet. Cutting out carbohydrates for an extended period can cause serious health issues. I urge you to take some time to reflect on your diet and whether it is giving you the results you desire. I wish I had made changes earlier. I do believe severe cognitive dysfunction caused me to remain stuck and stagnant, doing the same thing day in and day out.

This is my opinion and my experience. But some food for thought!

What has your experience been with a paleo diet?

With love, Amy x

Why You Don’t Have To Be Strong

Musings about strength ~

I thought I would share my thoughts.

Why do we feel the need to be ‘strong’ all the time?

Is it because of loved ones past reactions when you were honest, open and vulnerable? Were you shut down in the past? Is it because you don’t want to confront the feelings you are suppressing that so badly want to come to the surface and be released. Is there shame around crying for you and being sensitive? Did your parents tell you that you need to be strong or to toughen up growing up or were you rewarded only when they felt you were?

The reality is, what is perceived as being strong is culturally accepted and celebrated in our society. We are conditioned to believe this is a positive attribute from a very young age. The only time I have observed complete freedom to express emotion without any concern of judgement is from small babies, young children and maybe at a women’s healing circle or post group meditation discussion.

How many times have you had to force yourself to leave the house to run errands. Walking feels like running through mud. Tears are welling up in your eyes. You have a lump in the back of your throat. Yet when someone, whether it be a stranger, acquaintance or a friend asks if you are ok. You tell them everything is great, or maybe even fabulous! This was just an example. Everyone is going through something whether it be a chronic illness, grief, depression, anxiety or stress from the inevitable challenges life throws at us.

How often do you feel comfortable sharing your truth and the realities of what you are going through?

I personally have always felt the need to be ‘strong’ and withhold details of my suffering because I didn’t want to worry anyone. I didn’t want to be a burden. I didn’t want anyone to make a fuss. I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t ok. It just made me feel so uncomfortable being honest! Even though I would divulge certain details they were always sugar coated, masked with fake laughter, a smile and a lighthearted statement to dismiss any of the details I had shared.

One of the core reasons I did this I recently identified is because I am a people pleaser and care way too much about what other people think of me.  I was conditioned to want others to see me only as the carefree, fun loving party girl I once was (who was secretly suffering). Little did I know was that my loved ones actually love me unconditionally. They love all shades of me. A really beautiful and pivotal moment occurred when I was struggling one day and a dear friend told me that her love and the love of our friends surrounding us was unconditional. It is funny how one small comment can change everything. I also think change came from falling in love with myself, the real me. Letting go of all identities.

It takes so much strength and courage to be vulnerable, open, honest and to share from the heart in our society. I feel it is much harder for men and I want to acknowledge this.

Something I think we need to remember as we shift from being the sharer and the listener in our relationships is that what people share with you is important to them. What we share is important to us. Something seemingly insignificant to you could be an important share for another. It’s important to practice active listening always.

How do we create change?

I believe it starts with having the courage to be real, raw and honest with family, friends and lovers. Even though it is extremely scary and takes you out of your comfort zone. Being vulnerable, open and honest = strength.

I understand this comes with the risk of not feeling heard, seen and understood by a loved one. Which is so scary. Especially if it is someone very dear to you. But it also comes with the potential to make you feel heard, seen and understood. Which is healing and transformative.

Although there may be people you love who do not appear to be able to hold space for you, listen without judgment and be present, this is generally a reflection of their own internal reality and deep suffering. Sadly we must accept that some people are not ready to face their own struggles and therefore often the suffering of others. On the other hand being open is contagious! There is a high chance that if you take the plunge and share from your heart, the other person will too. Even if it is at a later date. You have started a trend!

When it comes to being the one holding space for another and listening to a loved one open up, it is important to remember that your active listening ear and presence are the most important and precious things you can offer them. You do not have to fix anything. You do not have to offer them anything. Of course you can if you feel it is appropriate at the time.

In our modern world I do feel (because of shortening attention spans due to the use of technology) people find it harder to practice active listening and presence. I know I am guilty of this and I feel like using a smart phone has contributed. I am now making a conscious decision to limit the use of my smart phone.

My intention for sharing my musings on this subject is I want to start the conversation. I wanted to share my thoughts. I would love for you to contribute by commenting below or sharing this post.

With love, Amy x

 

 

3 Crucial Things I Learned From A 14 Day Water Fast

In March of this year I completed a 14 day water fast which I broke very cautiously with one week of green juice and another week with green juices and smoothies.

I had been researching the benefits of fasting for many years and after successfully completing some short juice fasts and eating a very cleansing high carb (high fruit), low fat raw vegan diet for two years I felt it was time to attempt a water fast. Being the extremely disciplined and determined person that I am, I jumped right in! My intention was to finally heal my body and accelerate the elimination of toxins I had accumulated over my life time. I was praying the fast would result in a miraculous recovery.

Water fasting has been practiced for thousands of years for religious and spiritual purposes as well as to heal many serious diseases (Jesus, the Prophet Mohammad, Buddhas and the ancient Greeks, Plato, and Hippocrates all practiced fasting). Studies have found that water fasting induces a process called autophagy (‘self-eating’) where old parts of cells are broken down and recycled. Autophagy prevents damaged cells from accumulating in the body preventing disease and increasing lifespan. During a water fast your body is in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is the state in which your body begins using energy from your internal fat stores instead of food. Water fasting has been proven to slow aging, promote longevity, regenerate your immune system and improve brain function.

Water fasting became particularly popular during the ‘Natural Hygiene’ movement that began in the 1830’s to treat serious disease. Natural Hygiene physicians rejected conventional medical practices and taught people how to live disease-free lives by utilising the healing power of nature. The physicians were ahead of their time and recommended a plant-based diet. They promoted water fasting and the avoidance of unnecessary drugs and surgery.

Is water fasting in 2018 the same as water fasting in the 1800’s? The answer is a big NO. A long water fast undertaken in 2018 is very different to water fasting 50 years ago and even 10 years ago. New chemicals are being released into the atmosphere everyday. Approximately 2,000 different unregulated chemicals are released annually in the United States alone. As our planet becomes increasingly toxic, so do we. We are the microcosm of the macrocosm. We are now exposed to thousands of chemicals on a daily basis from the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume, pharmaceutical drugs, toxic mould exposures, synthetic fragrances,  the chemicals we put on our bodies and clean with as well as chemicals off-gassing from furniture, bedding, building materials and paints in our home. The level of toxicity present in the average person in 2018 is very different to someone living in the 1800’s. This is evident when looking at blood and urine samples taken from adults but also from testing the levels of chemicals in the umbilical cords of new borns.

This brings me to my first lesson ~

~  Water fasting (extended) is a very different experience now than it was in the past. DO NOT DO IT!

I do not recommend long water fasts. The only fasting I would recommend is very short water fasts, juice fasts and intermittent fasting.

BUT a caveat.

If you are wanting to truly detoxify your body from the accumulation of toxins in this modern world you need true binders. If you are going to fast and these toxins are released from fat and tissue into the blood stream and then into the gut only some water soluble toxins are excreted through urine. This puts a huge stress on the kidneys. Also most toxins are fat soluble and are excreted from the gallbladder with bile. During a fast gut function comes to a halt. These toxins are literally released and then reabsorbed.

If you do a short water fast or a juice fast please use binders such a Charcoal, Bentonite, Zeolite, Enterosgel, Microsilica & Biosil. You will literally be in the very same position you were prior to a fast after you finish as the toxins settle back into fat cells, tissues and organs without them. I personally did use a very minimal amounts of binders at the very beginning of my water fast but this was not enough.

If you really truly believe that a water fast is going to benefit you please only do it supervised by professionals at TrueNorth.

~ Do not water fast when your body is already depleted of nutrients.

I intuitively knew that I shouldn’t water fast. My determination, desperation, discipline, and desire to heal (and to heal fast) overrode this. Prior to beginning my fast I was low in iron, B vitamins and essential minerals including iodine. If you are to do a short fast make sure you are strong enough and have adequate nutrient stores.

~ Do not water fast when you have heavy metal toxicity.

I have had high levels of heavy metals for some time. This is a contraindication for water fasting. For some reason I thought I would be fine and that maybe my levels had gone down over the past 7 years. It is not worth risking let me tell you!

During my water fast I felt calm, connected and at peace. Considering how awful I felt physically going without food for 14 days this was surprising. It wasn’t until I began eating fat again (2 weeks post water fast) that I realised something was very wrong. Fat stimulates the gallbladder to release bile and this is where accumulated fat soluble toxins are released. From my experience and understanding the toxins that had been mobilised and stored in my liver over the past 14 days began being dumped into my intestinal tract. Because of enterohepatic re-circulation most bile salts and toxins are reabsorbed in the small intestine. I began to have serious psychological symptoms that are very rare for me and only seem to occur when I try to chelate heavy metals too fast. I experienced an overwhelming feeling of dread, I was depressed, I couldn’t stop crying, my brain felt ‘numb’ and I could not leave the house.

I am going to be real, raw and honest with you, for me water fasting caused a decline in my health.  I was a dangerous 40kg when I finished fasting and it took me a long time to recover and put on weight because my gut function was impaired due to toxins being dumped into my digestive tract, dysbiosis, fat malabsorption and diarrhea. I was so incredibly weak and it took many months to build strength and replenish lost vitamins and minerals. Pushing my body into such a hard and fast detox caused a huge amount of stress that it could not deal with. My poor adrenals, kidneys and liver suffered as well as many other organs and systems. The fast depleted my immune system and my white and red blood cell counts were extremely low after completing the fast.

I wholeheartedly believe that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to healing chronic illness. A lesson I learn over and over again on this journey.

I was unsure whether to share my experience as there is a lot of shame for me around what I did. I feel like I failed yet again. I believe it is important for people to read about my experience so they can understand that water fasting can be incredibly dangerous. I am not denying that it can be helpful for some people when done under supervision and at times life changing but I feel this is becoming increasingly rare because of the extreme amount of toxins we are exposed to. As I mentioned earlier a gentler approach is more beneficial in most circumstances ~ utilising a therapeutic high carb (high fruit), raw vegan diet (Medical Medium, Dr Morse, Dan McDonald), short (longer if experienced) juice fasts with high quality binders, intermittent fasting and short water fasts (24-48 hours) with binders.

Remember this is my experience and my opinions being shared but I do hope I can make you re-think whether a fast is the right thing for you at this time and to be aware of the importance of binders.

I am happy to report that after 5 months I now feel I have mostly recovered my health to where it was prior to my fast. I am now working on my core issues ~ heavy metal toxicity and infection as a result of a suppressed immune system caused by the heavy metals and general toxicity. Simultaneously I am taking pyroluria, methylation and detox support supplements. You can read more about what I am doing here.

Do you have experience with fasting? I would love to hear from you and I am open to any feedback.

Sending so much love to you all.

Amy x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ozone Therapy And HBOT In Cyprus, Is It Worth It?

 

It is hard to believe it was one year ago I was receiving medical treatment in Cyprus. On May 3rd 2017 I travelled to Larnaca where I began my treatment at the Poseidonia Medical Centre. The Poseidonia Medical Centre offers a unique treatment package to treat Lyme Disease or ‘Lyme like illness’ as it is often referred to in Australia. The treatment protocol costs approximately €5,750.00 ($9,000 AUD) per person and involves –

• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) – Daily sessions (40 hours) at 2.4 ATA.
• IV Ozone & Vitamin C – Daily sessions, Ozonated Saline & Vit C through a drip feed.
• Ultrasound – Professional handheld units – Daily sessions.
• Vielight Intranasal Laser Light Therapy – Daily sessions.
• Projuvenox™ FIR Detox/Lymphatic Massage or FIR Sauna with Chromotherapy Lighting System – Three times a week
• IV Laser Therapy – Twice per week.
• IV Minerals – Twice per week
• Ozonated Colonic Irrigation – Recommended 1 per week at a Colon Hydrotherapy clinic 5 minutes from the HBOT clinic.

The treatment protocol was gruelling. I attended the clinic 6 days per week from approximately 9 am until 2 pm each day. The days began with intravenous vitamin C (a small amount prior to the injection of ozone), Russian ozone therapy, laser, intranasal laser therapy and this was followed by hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Projuvenox, intravenous minerals and the colonic were alternated each day of the week.

There wasn’t really any time to rest at the clinic. A small amount of time was allocated for a bite to eat in between treatments. I felt like I was back at school, being ordered around and feeling the pressure of the tight schedule. There was a lack of empathy from the staff. I was judged almost immediately upon walking into the clinic for the first time about how I was ‘high functioning’ because of the way I look. This is certainly not new for me but I expected there to be some level of understanding from the staff. Some disabilities are invisible.

In general I felt the clinic lacked professionalism so therefore I didn’t feel particularly safe or at ease during my 27 days of treatment. The treatment protocol for Lyme Disease at Poseidonia Medical Centre was only created shortly prior to my arrival so consequently staff were eager for feedback from myself and other patients. Unfortunately the feedback delivered was not received with grace, and conversations often ended in conflict. I believe constructive criticism is imperative for a clinic such as the Poseidonia Medical Centre.

I personally found travelling to Cyprus extremely challenging because I was feeling so  incredibly physically fragile at the time. The air travel itself was exhausting, especially without any assistance. I reacted negatively to the flight itself because of the excessive radiation, toxic recycled air and time zone changes. If you are considering treatment overseas please do think really hard about whether your tolerance for air travel will impact the results of the therapies.

If I am honest I didn’t particularly warm to the area I was staying in Cyprus or the country itself. There are some beautiful areas in the Troodos mountains, and Ayia Napa is worth visiting. I did enjoy seeing Aphrodite’s rock.

What was most confronting for me was the way I was treated by the Cypriot men during my stay in Cyprus. They were generally misogynistic and when I was in the company of a male, they only spoke directly to the male. My advice would be to have someone to travel with if you are a female. I had men approach me on my apartment balcony often – some were harmless bearing flowers, others were predatory asking for affection. Old men often yelled from their shop fronts, one grabbed my hand, forcing me to stroke his beard, another yelled slut aggressively as he drove by. This is just a snap shot of my experience, and it is just that, my experience.

It has been a year since my treatment in Cyprus and I can confidently say that unfortunately it did not help me in any way that is evident. My condition actually declined during my treatment and by the end my adrenals had crashed, candida had flared and I was a mess physically and emotionally, The exacerbation of my symptoms during treatment could have been due to what some refer to as a herxheimer reaction because of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi dying off. I usually see an improvement after this has passed but for me this was not the case. I have been trying to pick up the pieces for the last year.

I personally believe toxicity is at the very core of all chronic illness and for me this is certainly the case. My time in Cyprus really did shine a light on this for me and even after so many years of detoxification I know I need to focus solely on addressing mercury toxicity. Another profound insight for me occured during my 27 x Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy sessions when my ears did not neutralise. The only way my ears would neutralise was by drinking a litre of water and swallowing hard which left me busting to go to the toilet during the 2 hours HBOT sessions. Each HBOT session was nerve wracking and painful because my ears were so full of fluid. The reason my ears are so congested is mainly due to structural issues. I have had TMD for 14 years and I only just discovered the cause after finally seeing a very experienced neuromuscular dentist – an underdeveloped upper jaw and significant over closed bite which in turn forces the lower jaw to close in a retruded (backward) position compressing the TMJ joints. The TMJ spaces consist of nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Because my lower jaw sits too far back it presses against my ear canal, restricts blood and glymphatic flow and causes sleep apnea because my tongue sits too far back and blocks my air way. If you have issues with your jaw this article is a must read.

‘Impairment of the glymphatic system: The brain has two main methods of detoxification. One is melatonin, and the other is the glymphatic system. When you sleep, the brain shrinks, and gets “washed” with CSF. The glymphatc systems physically moves by the pumping action of the jaw every time you swallow. With TMD, this pumping action is inadequate due to lack of vertical height of the molars, and thus toxins are unable to be cleared by the brain. The body will sometimes try to compensate by grinding or clenching the jaw at night (though this can also be a symptom of parasites).’ – Bryant Rubright

This post is simply sharing my experience. I wanted to be honest and completely transparent. I hope that sharing my experience is helpful to you and please contact me if you have any further questions regarding ozone and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. There are ways to access this treatment in Australia and to do it yourself for a fraction of the price.

With love, Amy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature’s 8 Laws Of Radiant Health

The fundamentals of optimal health are often overlooked despite being essential. With an abundance of information available today addressing health and wellness it is very easy to become extremely overwhelmed. I have been there myself. It can also be terribly confusing when there is so much conflicting scientific evidence on how to heal your body and what to eat. My advice is to always come back to addressing nature’s 8 laws of health. If you are adhering to all 8 I have no doubt in my mind that you will heal and your body will find perfect balance again.

#1 Fresh & Clean Air

Spend as much time outside as possible in nature. Spend time near the ocean or in the forest where the air quality is optimal. Address the air quality in your home. Test for toxic mould in your home and/or work using a HERTSMI or ERMI and stop using chemical cleaners and air fresheners. Be aware of toxic chemicals used in the production of furniture, beds, linen, clothes, carpets and paint. Make sure you dust your home with a wet micro fibre cloth as dust can flare allergies because of other toxic substances found in the air and leave your shoes outside. Invest in a air filter if you live in an area that has poor air quality.

#2 Pure, Clean & Alive Water

Source pure water. There is much debate on the best water to drink. At the bare minimum opt for filtered tap water which you can remineralise with Concentrace drops. Spring water is the best option but make sure it is filtered as there can be pathogens present. Distilled and reverse osmosis water are other options but again you do want to make sure you remineralise the water after it has been stripped of essential minerals with a mineral supplement. It is also equally important to bathe and shower in filtered water. Tap water typically contains chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, parasites and bacteria. Some of these substances are absorbed through your skin and chlorine is dispersed into the air during a hot shower where it can be breathed into the lungs. You can find filters for your shower head and bath online very easily.

#3 Sunshine & Earthing

Aim to get sun exposure in the morning between 6 – 10 am every day to stimulate the body to wake up and maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Get your bare feet directly on the earth daily. It is important to get sun on the skin and into the eyes. Not directly into the eyes unless you are sun gazing right on sunrise or sunset but be outside without sunglasses for 20 minutes. To take your health to the next level consider blocking blue light emitted from televisions, computers, phones and lights at night for optimal health and to reset your circadian rhythm. Blue light disrupts hormones and prevents the release of melatonin required for a healthy nights sleep and brain detoxification.

#4 Adequate rest

This law has to be one of the hardest to follow in this fast paced modern world. On top of the normal stressors so many experience on a day to day basis we now have technology which puts many of us in a constant fight or flight state. We are contactable 24/7, we are bombarded with information and confronting news through the media and we are constantly exposed to invisible, carcinogenic electromagnetic frequencies. Make sure you are sleeping well and going to bed at a decent hour. Take time out to meditate, have a guilt free nap, try alternate nose breathing, square breathing, spend time in nature and put your bare feet on the earth.

Are you getting these four types of rest –

Physical Rest – Sitting, lying down, or relaxing. Not eating late at night or before bed.

Sensory Rest – Quietness and refraining from using the eyes.

Emotional Rest – A withdrawing from the ups and downs caused by personal interaction.

Mental Rest – A detaching of the mind from all intellectual demands or activity

#5 Nutrition

Eat organic, wild, whole foods when possible. Eat intuitively but depending on your health status be open to adhering to a therapeutic diet plan for a certain amount of time to accelerate healing, remove bioaccumulated toxic compounds and eradicate pathogens. Nourish your body with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, fibre and living water from organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, pseudo grains and animal foods. See animal foods as supplementary to plant foods and only consume high quality and organic animal foods. The healthiest and longest living people in the world eat mostly plant foods supplemented with animal foods. Unfortunately the majority of animal foods available are not safe to eat because of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, plastics, mercury, bacteria and parasites. Focus on quality, nutrient density and healing foods.

#6 Temperance

This is more than just abstaining from alcohol. This is about finding your balance and avoiding things that exacerbate your health issues. Typically this means avoiding alcohol, drugs, negative people, unhealthy foods, overeating, emotional eating, chemicals in body care, make up and cleaning products. Avoid anything that is harmful to your body. Listen to your intuition and the signals your body is giving you.

#7 Movement

Use movement as medicine, not as punishment. Move in some way, every day. That is my exercise motto. Our bodies require movement to thrive. For some this might be gentle yoga and walking. For others it may be running, weights, pilates and dancing. Do what works for you and listen to your body. Ideally move in nature with your bare feet on the ground daily.

#8 Trust, Connection & Community

Have trust and faith you will heal and live a life that you love. Although there will be times when it all feels too hard and you will question whether you are on the right path, let this be a reminder that you are, and the universe has a grand plan for you that is unfolding just as it should. You are exactly where you need to be. No matter what your beliefs are, do not be afraid to pray and give gratitude. I will also add that addressing the physical is only one part of the healing process and living a life of health and happiness, do not underestimate the power of connection and community.

No matter where you are on your health journey rest assured that you are healing. Your body is constantly striving for homeostasis. Sometimes we just have to get out of the way, remove obstructions, release what does not serve us and allow ourselves to heal. If you feel like you have lost your way, refer back to nature’s 8 laws and remind yourself of the essentials steps to achieving vibrant health and well-being.

With love, Amy