Hummingbird Health

Book an appointment with me for Reiki if you're in need of an energetic tune-up! ❤️🙂✨️

Needing an energy tune-up? Book an appointment for Reiki with me! Reach out with any questions, or to schedule an appointment! 💖

Looking forward to seeing clients for Reiki in my new office, starting June 1! Hoping to have my new website up and running soon, but in the meantime, if you'd like to book with me, please feel free to message me and we'll get you scheduled! :)

Health coaching appointments will be soon to follow... :)

SLEEP! Prioritize it. Aside from eliminating highly refined and processed vegetable and seed oils, this is probably the #1 health change you can make.

Sadly, over 70 million Americans don’t sleep well. This lack of sleep is degrading our health. We feel it in our energy level, it’s hard to focus, and it can even contribute to chronic illness.

In a recent episode of my new Masterclass series, I talk all about sleep and why it’s essential for a healthy body; why sleep is so important, how we can get better sleep including tips to create your own sleep ritual, and answer a variety of questions from our community.

You can listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/3sFPUrv

by Victoria Erickson, Writer

(instagram: victoriaericksonwriter)

Industrial seed oils are some of the most toxic things you can put into your body. They are the first thing I recommend people get rid of in their diet, for good reason!

How Industrial Seed Oils Are Making Us Sick - Chris Kresser Industrial seed oils can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, autoimmunity, and many more chronic health conditions. Find out what you should eat instead.

Food is SO important--but there are so many other things that factor into our health. ❤

Feeling well means feeling whole, balanced, vibrant, and alive. And there are many moving pieces that we can tap into to feel empowered in our own wellness journey.

The key focus areas that I always recommend my patients pay attention to are community, spirit, emotional health, relationships, nutrition, movement, purpose, and mindset. Within these areas, we can have a dramatic influence on our immediate and future health.

There is so much you can do to help yourself to prevent, treat, and heal disease no matter what situation you’re in. You have the power to change your health and these areas are where it all begins.

What’s one area you think you need to work on?

This is not surprising, but it is appalling. How can we help our kids recognize and choose real food?

Ultra-processed foods now account for two-thirds of kids' and teens' diets Ultra-processed foods -- such as frozen pizza, microwave meals, packaged snacks and desserts -- accounted for 67% of calories consumed in 2018 up from 61% in 1999, according to research.

It's SO important to move your body! I love this list of just some of exercise's many incredible benefits. 😊❤

I always say, if exercise could be put in a pill, it would be the biggest blockbuster medication of all time. Here’s why:⁣⁣
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Better insulin sensitivity. Exercise makes your cells and muscles more sensitive to insulin so you don’t need as much. Less insulin means less belly fat.⁣⁣
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Reduced stress. I often hear patients say a good workout relieves excess stress. That’s because exercise reduces cortisol – the stress hormone. Too much cortisol and you become insulin resistant and store belly fat. Too much cortisol also makes you crave sugar and carbs and seek comfort food.⁣⁣
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Improved brain health. Your brain on exercise performs so much better. Exercise improves memory, learning, and concentration. Vigorous exercise is a better antidepressant than Prozac. Exercise helps to improve your mood, boost your energy, and reduce overall stress in your body and mind.⁣⁣
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Reduced risk for chronic disease. Exercise does this through several mechanisms. It protects your heart and reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke. It reduces inflammation (the cause of almost every disease of aging). And it balances hormones, therefore reducing breast and other common cancers.⁣⁣
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Enhanced detoxification. Besides stimulating the colon, intense exercise allows your body to release toxins through your skin. It boosts the detoxification of environmental chemicals. Vigorous exercise will help you work up a sweat, but gentle exercise keeps your circulation going and flushes out all the toxic fluids that build up in your lymphatic system. Even just lying on your back and putting your legs straight up against the wall for 20 minutes can make a huge difference. ⁣⁣

Slowed aging process. If you want to turn back the clock figuratively, exercise becomes absolutely crucial. I will never forget a movie I saw in my 8th grade gym class about Larry Lewis. He would run five miles back and forth to work every day at (are you ready for this?) 105 years of age!⁣⁣
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Improved s*xual function. Increased circulation and more energy are two of many reasons that consistent exercise can spark up your s*x life.

"The power of a heart and mind so synchronized and oriented to alter the internal environment and the shared environment for good is inestimable...."

Empowering; isn't it?! :)

Epigenetics suggests that our behavior can influence which of our genes are turned on or off. This has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine.⁣⁣
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Most people tend to attribute far too much power to their genes. I’ve seen thousands of patients who have blamed genetics for their ailments and diseases, however it is your lifestyle washing over your genes that determines who you are in any moment. ⁣⁣
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What you eat, how you move, how you restore your system, along with your thoughts, feelings and social connections, regulate your genes. ⁣⁣
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Those genes end up creating the expression of who you are and how you are. You can turn on genes that create health or disease, weight gain or weight loss. Some genes can predispose you to obesity, type 2 diabetes or heart disease. But predisposition is not predestined. ⁣⁣
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Ninety percent of our current health is controlled by the environment in which we bathe our genes – the food we eat, our exercise regimen, our resilience in the face of stress and our exposure to environmental toxins. ⁣⁣

Wisdom. ❤

Today I read a post from someone who wrote extensively about being harassed for following me. As I read the allegations I could feel my heart start to pound. I’ve read these allegations (that couldn’t be further from my truth) many times + came to a relative state of peace.

Today, I did not feel that peace.

I felt anger + the impulse to defend myself. All signs that I was fully within my ego.

Walking our own unique path takes courage. It takes being uncomfortable— being vulnerable. Allowing others to have their own reality while honoring our own.

I wrote this prayer, mantra, affirmation for all of us.

As we heal, as parts of ourselves die so that new parts may be expressed.

As we grieve.

As we learn the hardest thing to do in the human experience: to surrender. To allow all that’s happening without attempting to control the narrative.

To show up over + over again as a peaceful warrior in full knowing of the truth of our power.

Let’s us remember who we actually are: loving awareness—even when our egos temporarily blind is to this truth

...and this is the reason I became a health coach in the first place. Wise words from David Perlmutter, M.D.

Think about it. When we evolved, there were no television, no Facebook, no Space Race, no glyphosate, no ice cream trucks, no iPhones, and no breakfast cereals.

Yet we're acting like the way modern society functions can't possibly be bad for the genome that formed over tens of thousands of years. We may have beat the odds for a while, increased human lifespan, and beat back many deadly diseases, but just look at rates of obesity, diabetes, and so many other health conditions that reflect the total health state of the world: things are trending towards the negative. Something has to change. To move forward, we have to look inward.

My wish is that we all remember this.

❤

100%

Breakfast doesn't have to be complicated! On today's menu: leftover roasted Brussels Sprouts and broccoli from dinner last night, scrambled eggs with sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and a portion of the berry/avocado smoothie that was leftover from the one I made for my son. 😉 Quick, easy, and delicious. How are you fueling your life? ❤

Brunch today: amazing leftover sauteed kale (thank you, Lovechild!) with 2 poached eggs and a smoothie with frozen berries, avocado, and spinach. Wine glass for smoothie is optional, but highly recommended if you want to feel fancy. 😉

Having one of my favorites for breakfast - salad! Spinach, leftover chicken, strawberries, avocados, and runny eggs with lime-balsamic dressing. How are you fueling your body today? 😊😋

Masking the symptoms of disease in the body is not the answer. Healing requires work and not a quick fix.

Acid blocking drugs obviously block acid that can cause symptoms of heartburn and reflux. But your body actually needs stomach acid to stay healthy. Stomach acid is necessary to digest protein and food, activate digestive enzymes in your small intestine, keep the bacteria from growing in your small intestine, and help you absorb important nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B12.⁣
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There’s evidence that taking these medications can prevent you from properly digesting food, cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and lead to problems like irritable bowel syndrome, depression, hip fractures, and more.⁣
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For example, studies show that people who take acid-blocking medications for the long term can become deficient in vitamin B12, which can lead to depression, anemia, fatigue, nerve damage, and even dementia, especially in the elderly.
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These are all treatable conditions that you don’t need powerful acid blocking drugs to fix.⁣
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To properly diagnose the causes of your reflux, you may need to do the following:⁣
-Ask your doctor for an H. pylori blood antibody test or breath test.⁣
-Consider a test for IgG food allergies and celiac disease.⁣
-Get a breath or urine organic acid test to check for small bowel bacterial overgrowth.⁣
-If you don’t get better with the suggestions below, consider getting an upper endoscopy or upper GI series x-ray to see if there is anything else wrong.⁣
-Try to eliminate dairy and gluten.⁣
-Eliminate alcohol, caffeine, citrus, tomato-based, and spicy foods.⁣
-Don’t eat within 3 hours before bed.⁣
- Avoid processed foods.⁣
-Eat cooked foods, like fish, chicken, cooked veggies, and rice; avoid raw food for now.⁣
-Take 2 to 3 capsules of digestive enzymes with each meal.⁣
-Re-inoculate the gut with healthy bacteria by using probiotics.⁣
-Try 75 to 150 mg of zinc carnosine twice a day between meals ⁣
-Take 3 to 5 grams of glutamine powder in water twice a day to help heal the gut lining.⁣
-Chew 2 to 3 chewable tablets of DGL (a form of licorice) 15 minutes before meals.⁣
-Try 200 to 400 mg of magnesium citrate or glycinate twice a day.⁣
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*Please consult your physician before trying any new supplements or treatments⁣

Knowledge is power! A fantastic listen, if you have the time.

"...Many people don’t realize we can prevent chronic disease through our everyday choices, like diet and exercise. That means we’re missing out on valuable protective measures that give us greater immunity and longevity. So while we all hope and wait for a coronavirus vaccine, it’s important to focus on what we can do right now to support our health."

The Doctor's Farmacy with Dr. Aseem Malhotra I’m joined by Dr. Aseem Malhotra to talk about the impact COVID-19 is having on the UK, the risks that metabolic diseases pose with the virus, and more.

Oh, friends...another month and a half of quarantine. I've never felt so close to others and a common goal---while being so far apart, physically! How are YOU taking care of YOU?

I hope everyone's hanging in there!

Sitting in meditation at noon tomorrow (March 22) and offering Reiki for anyone who may need it! Please DM me if you are interested.

Will you remember?

Taking a cue from my dear friend, Metamorphosis Healing, and offering up a little extra healing for anyone who feels like they need it right now. I will be sitting in meditation and offering up Reiki tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for anyone who wants it. Please PM me and let me know if you'd like me to include you in my intentions.

Hello, friends. I am hoping to be a source of information, humor, and support through the days and weeks to come. Please feel free to reach out!