Gut Health – Part 1

Understanding Gut Health

by Dr. Rachel Eva Dew, DNM

We have all heard the phrase ‘Trust your gut’. But is following that actually a health practice that is also backed by science? Yes, it sure is!! You may think that your brain has the most nerve endings and receptors, but it doesn’t… your gut does! This means that your gut is responsible for receiving more signals then your brain and is deeply interconnected to the healthy functioning of the entire body, including the brain.

‘According to Dr. Ganjhu, the gut serves as a communication center for the brain, not only to ensure optimal digestion but also other important health functions. “I often refer to the brain as a part of the gastrointestinal system, because the brain and gut are in constant communication,” she said.’ – NYU Division of Gastroenterology Department of Medicine

What does this mean for you and your health? It means that taking intentional steps towards creating the optimal healthy gut is a health and wellbeing game changer!

Let’s dive into WHAT IS YOUR GUT?

Your gut is not just the stomach and intestines as many believe. According to The National Institute of Health ‘The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract—also called the GI tract or digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus. The hollow organs that make up the GI tract are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The liver, pancreas, and gallbladder are the solid organs of the digestive system’. The entire ‘gut’ is a complex and interconnected system.

Your whole gut is actually made up of the following:

  • Mouth & Salivary Glands
  • Esophagus
  • Digestive System – Stomach, Small intestine, Pancreas, liver, gallbladder
  • Colon & Rectum

The Importance of Gut Health –

The health and proper balance of your gut contributes to both health and illness in significant ways. No matter what health issues someone is facing, adding intentionality and effective actions towards increasing gut health will make a positive impact.

Your gut health effects every organ and system in your body, especially the following:

  • Your immune system
  • The balance of neurotransmitters in your brain
  • Your digestion & absorption of nutrients
  • Your Ph levels
  • Your microbiome (more on this below)
  • Brain function
  • Internal inflammation (inflammation is associated and present with all illness & disease)
  • Mental and emotional health
  • Hormones

Begin making healthier choices when it comes to your gut health and stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog series!

In Wellness,

Dr. Rachel

Mental Detox, A Game Changer!

We can all relate to how toxic our thought life can be at times. We can easily get sucked into negative and spiraling thoughts. Anxiety filled thoughts. Fearful thoughts. Anger thoughts. Resentful thoughts and more. Once our thought life becomes toxic it sends signals not only to trigger emotions but also to trigger our fight or flight response. This slows digestion, reduces our ability to think with clarity and even disrupts our hormone balance and hormone production.

If you have ever heard the phrase ‘holding onto a resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’? Yup, that is one hundred percent a reality within our physiological response to negative and toxic thoughts and thought patterns. Additionally, our self-talk or the thoughts we think about ourselves, when these become negative, they also have a toxic effect on our system. There are also real physical toxins that our mind and brain can be impacted by.

First, it is important to understand what is toxic to the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset)? Here are a few:

  • Environmental toxins (the air & pollutants)
  • Foods, beauty products and household products with harmful chemicals in them
  • Stress (mental, physical & emotional stress)
  • Negative thoughts (mind set, self-perception, self-talk & thinking patterns)

How toxins effect the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • Negative and toxic thoughts and mindsets impact mental and physical health significantly! They even change your body Ph. level and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients properly
  • Impact brain health and can cause brain fog, cause headaches, lead to increased anxiety & depression as well as decrease overall brain function
  • Decrease the brains ability to make and balance hormones and neurotransmitters
  • Decrease the ability to mentally focus

Detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) requires both an outside-in approach AND an inside-out approach simultaneously!

Outside-in detoxing requires behavior changes, supplements and nutritional changes to eliminate toxins and also new, healthier choices.

Inside-out detoxing detoxing requires learning new tools (and applying them) to increase balance in your thought life, overcoming limiting beliefs about yourself and others as well as shifting your overall mindset towards positivity.

What are some of the benefits that you can experience after detoxing and cleansing the mind (brain) and entire mental system (brain + though life + mindset) –

  • A more peaceful thought life
  • Optimized brain function
  • Decrease in health issues
  • Decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms
  • More clarity
  • More joy!

I am so passionate about cleansing and rebalancing the WHOLE self; mind, body, heart & spirit that I created a FREE 30-Day program in partnership with Nupeutics Naturals. You can enroll HERE

 

 

 

The Importance of Emotional Detox and Cleansing

We have all heard of cleanses and detox programs for the body. But what about our emotions??? Yes, our heart can become highly toxic and effect not only our emotional and mental wellbeing and health, it can have a massive negative impact on our physical and spiritual health as well.

First, it is important to understand what is toxic to the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others). Here are a few:

  • Heavy metals and toxins – yes these create toxicity that impacts our emotions!
  • Stress (mental, physical & emotional stress)
  • Stuck or unprocessed negative emotions (such as anger, resentment, fear, guilt & shame)

How these toxic things effect the the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) –

  • Negative and toxic emotions and relationships (with yourself and with others) impact emotional, mental and physical health significantly! They even change your body Ph. level and the ability to digest and absorb nutrients properly
  • Can trigger negative DNA markers
  • Decreases immune system function
  • Can (when emotions are suppressed or stored long-term) lead to diseases such as cancer and heart conditions
  • Impact your ability to speak your truth in a kind and loving way, as well as to create and maintain healthy boundaries
  • Decrease the brains ability to remain emotionally balanced
  • Decrease the ability to react appropriately
  • Decreases your ability to show up for yourself and others at your best
  • Gut issues

Detoxing and cleansing the the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) requires both an outside-in approach AND an inside-out approach simultaneously!

Outside-in detoxing requires behavior changes in HOW you react outwardly to negative emotions, releasing negative emotions (or clearing them), supplements and nutritional changes to eliminate toxins and also new, healthier choices as well as honoring your boundaries through action.

Inside-out emotional detoxing requires learning new tools (and applying them) to increase balance in your thought life, resolving core emotional issues, changing HOW you process emotions & forgiveness.

What are some of the benefits that you can experience after detoxing and cleansing the heart (emotional system; emotions, relationships with self and others) –

  • More fulfilling & harmonious relationships with self and others
  • Optimized immune system
  • A more balanced emotional life
  • Decrease in depression & anxiety symptoms
  • Ability to respond to negative emotions in a healthier way
  • More joy!

I am so passionate about cleansing and rebalancing the WHOLE self; mind, body, heart & spirit that I created a FREE 30-Day program in partnership with Nupeutics Naturals. You can enroll HERE

Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Toxins

We live it a world filled with environmental toxins. They are all around us, in the products we use, the food we eat and the air we breathe. So how do we reduce enough to make an impact on our lives and our health without living in a bubble?

Since we can’t do anything to make the air quality better in this instant, it’s about reducing the biggest toxins that we are CHOOSING while also reducing our foot-print so that we contribute to a better and less-toxic tomorrow. That’s right, every time we buy a product or order food we are literally making a choice.

Many of us have given up on trying to figure out what all the crazy ingredients listed on the back even mean or feel overwhelmed by all of the toxic things that are potentially in our food, water and products that they are not transparent about or that we feel we have no control over. That is correct. We do not have control over cutting ALL environmental toxins out of our lives. So let’s focus on the simple and easily accessible fixes.

Before we dive into these solutions, let me give you a brief idea WHY it is hugely important to invest some energy into this endeavor first.

Environmental toxins are the harmful elements found in air, food and products we use. These negatively impact or mental and physical health.

‘Like most complex diseases, cancer results not from a single flawed gene, but rather the interplay of multiple genes and any accumulated damage to DNA caused by environmental factors such as exposure to chemicals, or aspects of lifestyle, such as smoking’ – Amy Roeder, Harvard Public Health.

‘More than two decades of research has shown that air pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes, and irregular heart rhythms, particularly in people who have or are at risk for heart disease’ – Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH.

‘Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain’s enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected’ – Eva Selhub, MD.

*All quotes above are from a conference at Harvard Medical School called Taking It All In: Environmental toxins and your health. You can read the full transcripts HERE.

Here are some impacts you may personally be experiencing from environmental toxin exposure –

Here are some simple steps you can begin taking now in order to reduce the environmental toxins you are being exposed to (and effected by) daily…

  1. Shop organic foods at farmer’s markets
  2. Avoid foods & products in plastic
  3. Switch to organic & natural beauty products that come in glass containers
  4. Switch to using organic non-toxic makeup
  5. Switch to natural non-toxic cleaning products
  6. Diffuse essential oils to clean the air (Lavender oil or OnGuard from Dottera – you can get them HERE)
  7. Store foods and drinks in glass containers
  8. Filter ALL your water (for cooking, drinking & showering)
  9. Use an air purifier
  10. Eat organic non-GMO whole foods
  11. Carry your water in a non-toxic bottle (glass is best)
  12. Ditch the toxic deodorant & switch to a natural, non-toxic one (Read my blog review of the current ones on the market HERE)

 

To see some of my favorite non-toxic products, click HERE

At the end of the day it is all about making progress in a balanced way! Try not to get bogged down and overwhelmed. Taking one step to reduce one toxin from your life is better than none. Start where you are and move forward from there.

In Wellness,

Should Armpit Detoxing Be the Next Fad?!?

DETOXING INFO Plus… Natural Deodorant Review & Detox

My top favorites AND a simple under arm detox and care routine that will boost your immune system!

But first, why consider armpit detoxing at all? Why is it INCREDIBLY important to both detox your under arm lymph nodes AND make a permanent switch to a natural and non-toxic form of under arm deodorants, like yesterday?

First you need to get to know your pits a bit… we have so many lymph nodes just under the surface of our arm pit area and these little lymph’s have the job of fighting off infections. Lymph nodes pull out toxins and secrete them out of the body. When our under arm lymph nodes are continually coated with toxins like aluminum or blocked from sweating out the toxins they can become blocked and the toxins build up.

‘The lymphatic system is one of the body’s primary tools for fighting infection. This system contains lymph fluid and lymph nodes, which occur in critical areas in the body. Cancer cells sometimes enter and build up in the lymph system.

Lymph nodes are responsible for filtering lymph fluid and detecting chemical changes that signal an infection is present. When these filter points are in the armpit, doctors call them axillary lymph nodes.

As axillary lymph nodes are near the breasts, they are often the first location to which breast cancer spreads if it moves beyond the breast tissue.

The number of axillary lymph nodes can vary from person to person, ranging from five nodes to more than 30.’ – Rachel Nall, RN, BSN, CCRN

Here are is my self-care routine to keep your under arm’s stink free while also stimulating your under arm lymph nodes to work optimally in order to increase your immune system, fight off illness and decrease the risk of cancer.

PIT-CARE & DETOX ROUTINE

#1 Go Non-Toxic – Switch to an organic, non-toxic deodorant (see my review and recommendations below)

#2 Exfoliate – A full body exfoliation is an amazing detoxer for all skin & helps with lymphatic drainage as well. Exfoliate in the shower 2-3 times per week – I like using exfoliating mits, find them HERE

#3 Dry Brush – Use a dry brush weekly to stimulate lymphatic drainage – don’t have a dry brush? Get my favorite one HERE

#4 Sweat It Out! Hit the gym and get your sweat on or sit in a steam room or dry sauna for 20-40 minutes

#5 Armpit Detox – Detoxing the lymph nodes is hugely important! I use this under arm detox with the built in roller for additional lymphatic massage, I call it Lymph Rescue and you can purchase it HERE or you can simply mix activated charcoal, bentonite clay, apple cider vinegar and coconut or Argan oil – coat your underarms with it and let it soak in for about 30-45 minute and then wipe with a moist HOT towel – be sure to use a dark towel to avoid the charcoal staining the towel.

#6 Massage – Get a lymphatic massage or try an Ayurvedic Abhyanga self-massage

#7 Switch Your Soap – Skip toxic deodorant soaps with chemicals and fragrances– Opt for organic and clean non-toxic soaps, this means you should recognize ALL the ingredients and they should be natural. Use an organic all natural non-toxic soap that does not have perfumes in it. If you like scented soaps make sure they are scented with 100% pure essential oils. You can find some good options at Whole Foods and check out the ones I use HERE or I love these ones infused with essential oils HERE

Ok, Drum roll please….

I have been testing natural deodorants for over 4 years, including homemade options. Yup, this long experiment has been a challenging one, but I feel so strongly about this that it was worth it in order to share my results with every single one of you! All in all, over the years I have tested over 100 different natural and non-toxic deodorant options. I am not going to list them all, only the winners and a review of a few popular ones on the market today.

DEODERANT REVIEW

Over the last few years I have tested and compared over 50 different types of natural, organic and non-toxic deodorants. I like to circle back around and re-test every once in a while to see if new and better cleaner options (for my body and for the environment) have been released. Here is my top reviewed deodorant products of 2019 along with the products pro’s and cons:

#1 – First Place Winner – Schmidt – Charcoal & Magnesium

In theory this one is my favorite because of all of the additional health and detox benefits that you get from the charcoal and magnesium. However, slight warning, it is a tad stickier then my #2 pick below so if slight stickiness really bugs you go with #2. This one smells great, works and helps detox you as well as give your body a much needed magnesium boost… for anyone who has ANY stress in life, this is very beneficial. You can buy it HERE

#2 – Second Place Winner – Milk & Honey – Coconut Lemongrass

Absolutely the best so far for performance. It gives dry pits and a non-sticky feeling. Excellent odor protection. Clean ingredients. Gentle on the skin. You can buy it HERE

#3 – Third Place Winner – Dottera

I absolutely love the Doterra products because of the non-toxic ingredients, ethical sourcing and plethora of research and transparency they provide on each product. The deodorants smell amazing since they are infused with high quality and locally sources essential oils. You can buy it HERE

Other deodorants tested…

Lume – Jasmine Rose

Somewhat stickier then others but worked for 24 hours and smells good! Buy it HERE

Love, Beauty & Planet – Argan Oil & Lavender

Sticky and stays sticky but works moderately. Leaves a coating on the skin – be sure to exfoliate after using this product. Buy it HERE

Crystal – unscented solid mineral stick

This is one that I REALLY wanted to work because I do not typically like stick deodorants because of the stickiness. I tried this product multiple times of a 2-year period. I kept circling back hoping it would work, it didn’t AT ALL L

Everyman Jack – Cedarwood

Do not recommend – thumbs down, to sticky and only hides the funk, aka covers it up.

The Healthy Deodorant – Vanilla Lavender (sold at Whole Foods)

Do not recommend. I SO wanted this one to be excellent, but it was less than excellent for sure. Did not keep odor away at all.

Native – Coconut & Vanilla (has some chemicals)

Moist but not sticky at first application. Nice scent but less clean ingredients than other competitors, still non-toxic. Worked somewhat well keeping odor away, however it did not stop me from sweating all day and getting my t-shirt wet. Buy it HERE

EO Organic Deodorant – French Lavender Spray

Love that it is a spray, excellent for delicate clothes that you can’t get sticky with a roll on or stick deodorant, and has a nice scent. Does not have strong coverage but works excellently if you wash your pits once and re-spray midday and after exercise. For those who hate any form of sticky or deodorant stick, this one is your winner. Buy it HERE

Nuud

Do not recommend. Sticky and did not keep odor away, so thumbs down but major points for the mindfulness to the environment!

Tips & Tricks Transitioning to Natural

Keep in mind that everyone’s body responds differently based on your unique body chemistry and Ph balance. Because of that you may have to try a few options before you find the right product and pit-care routine that works for you.

There is also a noteworthy detox period. So imagine that you have been creating layers and layers of toxins over time, these toxins will begin to release out but will take up to 1 month to full cleanse from your body. This may add to your odor. So if you think, ‘Oh these natural deodorants make me smell worse’, it’s most likely NOT the deodorant, it’s the previous gunk that is no longer being suppressed in your body finally beginning to escape.

The pit-care self-care tips I gave above will DRAMATICALLY reduce the detox time and help you pull those toxins out!

Please note: There is also a detox period so the first week or two you may need to shower more often. Stick with it, it gets better!

Copyright Dr. Rachel Dew 2019-2021. All Rights Reserved