If you are in my Wellness Tribe as a Wellness Warrior, then you know that Probiotics are a MUST!

Why take probiotics? The friendly bacteria in our gut is a hot topic in the wellness world, but you may still be wondering exactly what these supplements can do for you.  The World Health Organization defines probiotics as, “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” So what are the health benefits? How can probiotics support our health?  More and more, research is exploring how the bacteria in our gut can explain our moods, and how the health of our intestinal flora is connected to the quality of our digestion and immune system. Today, maintaining a proper balance of healthy gut flora can be difficult due to our exposure to antibiotics, chlorinated water, pesticides, chemicals used in food preservation, and chronic stress. If the delicate balance of our inner ecosystem is upset, opportunistic bad bacteria and organisms like yeast, fungus, and parasites are more likely to take up residence.  Balancing your intestinal flora is a powerful way to combat these threats and support your health. When we take probiotics, we help fight invaders, improve our nutrient absorption, increase our ability to detoxify, and reduce the negative effects of antibiotic use.

#1 Probiotics help fight invaders

Our gut is filled with hundreds of different species of good bacteria. A truly healthy gut will contain more good bacteria than cells in the entire body. This healthy gut flora is the first thing other organisms encounter in the digestive tube as they fight to protect their territory and prevent other organisms from taking hold. Another reason why you should take supportive probiotics  — they have important positive effects on immunity by helping the immune system fight invaders.

#2 Probiotics help Improve nutrient absorption

A healthy gut acts like a fermentation tank inside your body and it’s our intestinal flora that do the fermenting. Because they have different digestive systems from ours, beneficial bacteria can perform certain chemical tricks with food that our bodies can’t, alone.

One of their most important functions in the body is the production of crucial b-vitamins, specifically folate (B9), biotin (B7), and B12. These nutrients have to be pre-digested by bacteria before the body can absorb them. When we are not getting these nutrients, we can experience a variety of symptoms that seem to appear out of nowhere like low energy, brain fog and skin issues. Another simple reason why you should take probiotics is to ensure that you are getting all of the nutrients in your food that you need to thrive.

#3 Probiotics improve daily detoxification

The intestinal flora is arguably the largest detoxification component of the body and it’s something that can continually be replenished. In this sense, our flora serves as a satellite to our main elimination organ — the liver. To put it another way — if the gut didn’t have a well-balanced intestinal flora, the liver would have to work almost twice as hard.

Supporting our intestinal flora with supplemental probiotics can help to rid the body of toxins entering our air, food, and water. Probiotics, like lactobacillus, look promising in helping to detoxify heavy metals, and to prevent their absorption into the body. This is why probiotics are a key component of your path towards wellness!

#4 Probiotics improve symptoms during and after antibiotic usage

Antibiotics are a major destroyer of our bodies’ bacteria — bad and good. While our culture is beginning to become aware of the regular over-prescribing of antibiotics, children and adults are still regularly and frequently prescribed antibiotics for every kind of infection or potential infection.

Because this antibiotic regime starts early, far too many of us have always lived with compromised intestinal flora for years or even decades and have never been truly healthy.

Dr. Junger writes in Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself, “I see more and more of this in my practice every year. It is my experience that chronically ill people, who often present with an elusive diagnosis, have a long history of consuming antibiotics. The earlier they started, the more complicated their symptoms are later in their lives and the harder it is for doctors to find a diagnosis.”

Research suggests taking probiotics during antibiotic therapies is effective in preventing and treating antibiotic associated diarrhea as well as reducing the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The Big Picture: Why Take Probiotics?

Our understanding of the bacteria in our gut and the environment they live in is still evolving. Our understanding of how to properly re-populate the gut with good bacteria is even less complete. So, why take probiotics?

Taking probiotics has shown promising evidence that they can be very beneficial for our health. Their support in reducing the toxins we inevitably encounter day to day, modulating the immune system, improving digestion and nutrient absorption, and their ability to decrease typical symptoms of antibiotics are a few benefits we don’t want you to miss out on.

Now Which Ones Do You Take? 

Just click on the links below to get directed right to Meg’s webstore at: www.wellconsulting.org, access code 7777

Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut,” more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was.   Your DAILY probiotic supplement needs to have a significant strength or potency, for this you look at the culture count. The culture count refers to the total amount of live, friendly bacterial cultures in a single serving, also known as CFU’s.  At W.E.L.L. we believe you need at least 25 billion cultures (for children) and 50 billion cultures (for adults) to begin to make an impact on your health—often more, depending upon your age or health-related concern.  Research is showing that more is better, so keep an eye on the number of cultures or CFUs (colony forming units) for best results, and quality brands really make the commitment to ensuring you that you get what you are paying for, and what your body really needs. Total CFUs or culture count will often be determined at time of manufacture, but very few remain at full strength through their expiration date, again the right brands will make a HUGE difference.  Look for a high quality probiotic that displays potency on the label at time of expiration, not manufacture.

When choosing a probiotic it’s also important to pay attention to the number of strains, at least five different should be a part of your daily probiotic, but most of the brands above more like 10-15 strains, which will optimize their effect on you!   The strains, or specific types of bacteria, plus the culture count of each should be listed on the label. Over 1,000 strains of beneficial bacteria can be found in the human gut, so it makes sense to choose a probiotic supplement that reflects this natural diversity, and the more effective strains can be the merrier.

Wellness Fact & Tip: When you scan the label of a good probiotic you’ll see strains that begin with Ls and Bs, like Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria.  A good trick to differentiate these is that the L strains are more native to the little (small) intestine and the B strains are generally found in the big (large) intestine or colon. Look for lots of Ls and Bs because each person’s body utilizes certain bacterial strains better than others.

While probiotics are also utilized in the upper digestive tract, the majority of bacterial populations exist in the lower small and large intestines. So how do the good bacteria get all the way down there?  Probiotics must travel through the harsh stomach environment and be delivered to the intestines to colonize. Delayed-release capsules are engineered to remain intact through the stomach and begin dissolving in the intestine, where they are needed most.

Still wanting to know more about how probiotics will keep you on your path?   Connect with Meg at Whole Energy Lifestyle Living.

Garlic as a Natural Remedy

Garlic has been used as a natural remedy for illness for thousands of years. There are historical records of its use in Ancient Greece and Rome, and it was part of the legendary vinegar of the four thieves tincture that supposedly saved four thieves from death during the bubonic plague. There are almost 5,000 published studies that support garlic’s healing ability for everything from hypertension to hair loss and everything in between. The fastest and most effective way I use garlic for illness is mincing it up and drinking in water. It isn’t the most appetizing, but it works. I just mince one clove of garlic into tiny pieces and put in a small glass of water. I drink the water and just swallow the garlic pieces without chewing. Unfortunately, my kids aren’t a fan of taking garlic this way because of the strong taste and they have more trouble swallowing the pieces of garlic. Since the most common childhood infection is an ear infection, I’ve been using a traditional garlic oil remedy for years to help fight ear infections quickly.

Garlic Olive Oil for Ear Infection: Traditional Garlic Olive Oil is a remedy that has been used for dozens, if not hundreds of years for ear infections. Unlike many other conventional remedies, garlic can work with the body and provide relief quickly with long-lasting results. Troublesome ear aches and ear infections can usually be relieved in short order with home remedies which include garlic. Garlic has a natural antibiotic called allicin and it is an essential ingredient in some of the most effective home remedies for ear infections and ear aches. Garlic can also be used alone and it can be taken orally to speed the recovery from ear and other infections Antibiotics are often prescribed for ear infections, even though the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has not recommended this as a general practice since 2004, and yet so many of my patients still tell me that this is the ONLY option they are given by their doctors. Many ear infections are caused by viruses, which are unaffected by antibiotics. Thousands of children unnecessarily get antibiotics each year for ear infections when the antibiotics are not even effective for most infections. This has potential long-lasting side effects as antibiotics can permanently alter gut bacteria and many types of bacteria are becoming antibiotic resistant due to overuse of these drugs. Additionally, research has shown that most children fight an ear infection on their own within 24-72 hours without the need for antibiotics or other intervention. That said, just hearing that your child will be better in 1-3 days is not comforting to a mother who is holding her toddler as he or she screams from the pain of an aching ear. Fortunately, there are remedies, like this garlic ear oil, that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used to ease the pain of ear infection and speed the healing process.

Why it Works: Garlic is powerful on its own and olive oil is soothing to infection as well. Olive oil is often used as the base for healing salves and lotions because it contains potent polyphenols which reduce inflammation. Together, garlic and olive oil can help ease the pain of ear infection and reduce healing time.

Important Note: This remedy is very effective, but it is important to make sure that the ear drum has not ruptured before using this or any other remedy in the ear. I have an Otoscope on hand to check my child’s eardrum before using any remedy inside the ear canal. Typically, pain subsides if the ear drum bursts so the presence of pain can indicate that the ear drum is still intact, but I always like to check. If one of my children does ever experience a ruptured eardrum, I would definitely get him or her checked my a doctor, though often not much can be done besides keeping the ear dry and letting it heal naturally.

Meg’s Recommendation for YOU: There are a lot of recipes out there for you to make your own garlic oil. I like to stick to one that is made by medical professionals and one that is tested for quality and efficacy. You can get the one that my family and I use right at my webstore: http://www.npscript.com/wellconsulting/mullein-garlic-ear-oil/HP0142PAR#undefined1 This is almost “magical” how fast and quick it works! You can ease the pain and pressure of an ear infection with this synergistic blend of mullein (Verbascum densiflorum) and garlic infused oils. These oils used together kill pain and fight bacteria.

It’s that time of year … the marathon between Halloween and Christmas.

Take notice of the availability of holiday treats in all the places you go – dishes of candy at the office, gift-wrapped boxes of cookies, bottles of wine at parties and dinners out. Even in your own home, foods you don’t normally eat sneak into the fridge via well-meaning guests, gift baskets, etc.

Indeed, wining and dining and overindulging is expected this time of year, and even celebrated. For so many of us, the holiday season is ALL about food – from Halloween candy corn to Thanksgiving stuffing to champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries on New Year’s Eve. It’s an integral part of our family traditions! It triggers and accompanies all the high and low emotions that arise this time of year – like being around family, or not being around family, or feeling lonely or feeling celebratory, etc.

And of course it’s okay to eat what you want to eat and enjoy your particular familiar holiday treats (mine is my recipe for “Meg-Nog!”) within reason. But even the most steadfast among us typically come off this season with a physical and emotional hangover, and a New Year’s resolution to get back on track. There’s a reason most gym membership specials start on January 2nd!

Now, Close your eyes and imagine a holiday season in which you didn’t get OFF track.

Staying on Track

Imagine if you wrote out a plan for the month of December that outlined exactly how you wanted to live your life, treat yourself, and nourish your body during these hectic, emotional weeks. Imagine if you made and kept a few simple promises about your diet, your meditation routine, your sleep schedule, X number of yoga or exercise classes per week …

How do you think you would feel on January 2nd?

I can tell you, because I have done this myself. I have actually seen the other side of a holiday season that isn’t designed around dinners and indulgences. I can tell you from personal experience that reaching that goal on January 2nd, you feel high as a kite. I mean it!  Spiritually, physically, emotionally … there is no greater high on earth than the feeling of being able to trust yourself.

Holiday Food Promises

The trick is to make and keep promises to yourself. Look at my list of holiday party promises:

1) Drink three tall glasses of water 30 minutes before each party/meal

2) Limit of one alcoholic drink

3) Limit of one serving of simple carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar)

4) Have no desserts or keep it to only one bite of a dessert (trust me you will savor that one bite, and it will be just the right amount!)

5) Be in bed by 12:30, min eis actually 11:00pm, but that is just because my body NEEDS sleep

I double-dare you to choose one or all of the above promises for yourself! It takes commitment, and afterwards you’ll feel AMAZING, 100% guaranteed! Remember: It’s not about punishing yourself or playing victim to a strict set of rules. It’s about moderation, accountability, happiness and above all, authorship. You can even consciously decide to gain 5 pounds over the holidays and schedule a plan of action to undo the damage, if that’s what works for you. The real point is to connect with your heart, your deepest yearnings, YOUR highest ideals. Sounds awesome, right?

Amazingly, you can change your mind. You can learn how to control your thoughts, act in accordance with your beliefs, lose your vices, achieve your goals, and have the life you want. When you honor your word and actually DO the things you really want for yourself, you build a trust and a self-worth that moves mountains. Your dreams come true, literally. How is THAT for a holiday treat?

As always remember that Meg is here to support you on your personal quest towards wellness.  Keep fighting the WELLNESS REVOLUTION!

At Whole Energy Lifestyle Living, essentials oils are part of our daily routine. They keep us calm, rejuvenated, and shining! In other words, they are… essential!

You may see them being used during your session or in Meg’s office. Don’t be shy, they are free for you to test. We also have several scents for sale. But first, what exactly are essential oils? Read our Essential Oils 101 to find out more.

What is aromatherapy?

The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy defines aromatherapy as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants {aka essential oils} to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit.

What are essential oils?

Pure essential oils are extracted directly form different parts of plants {peels, rinds, flowers, leaves, stems, berries, resin, or roots}. For it to be considered essential, it must be extracted from the plant by physical means only such as distillation (using water or steam) and expression (cold pressing citrus peels).

What are the benefits of essential oils?

The olfactory system is our sense of smell, which is an incredibly important factor when it comes to our moods. Studies link aromatherapy to improved mood, relaxation, stress and anxiety relief, better balance and well-being, and reduction in headaches and body aches and sinus/chest conditions to name a few.

The olfactory system is connected to many body systems. When we inhale airborne molecules through the nose, they immediately interact with the brain, specifically a variety of receptor sites in the limbic system, which is considered the ’emotional brain.’ The limbic system is directly connected to the parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance. Furthermore, if we inhale through our mouth, odor molecules immediately pass through our lungs having an impact on the respiratory system.

So, by breathing in beautifully smelling essential oils, they affect the body on an physical and emotional level.

How can I integrate them into my life?

There are many ways to easily integrate essential oils into your life. At W.E.L.L. we sell the doTerra line in over 15 scents as well as beautiful diffusers. You will see diffusers on around the office for our patients to enjoy during their visits. Some of our favorites are Eucalyptus, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Peppermint, and blends such as Breathe, Elevation, and On Guard.

How do I use them?

• Mix a few drops in water and place in a diffuser.
• Put them in your hot bath water.
• Soak a washcloth in warm water with a few drops of oil.
• Add a few drops to your lotion.
• Place on your temples and all the spots you put perfume like neck and wrists.

Next time you’re in, make sure you give our essential oil selection a try or meet with Meg for a personalized consult on the BEST oils for you and your family.  If you would like to replenish your supply or learn more about essential oils visit Meg’s online webstore at: www.wellconsulting.org