DETOX STEP 1 – Am I healthy?

1 Comment

I was joking with a patient the other day, when asked about health and nutrition. She was asking for advice but maintaining that she always eats healthy. It came to me in a flash that we all believe that we eat healthy. Why would we purposely do anything to harm our body? I shared with her, that so did I, ever since I can remember having the freedom to choose my own food in 7th grade.

My “healthy” diet was Diet Coke for breakfast and a slice of pizza at the local pizza place for lunch. Of course, I had a mom who packed me a lunch everyday (THANKFULLY!!) that contained fruits and vegetables. But when left to my own choosing it was Diet Coke and Pizza. I lost almost 20 pounds from 6th Grade to 8th Grade. Retrospectively, I was going thru puberty and my hormones and my growth shed the extra pounds naturally, as it often does for teenage girls; but I attributed this to my new “healthy” diet.

This continued into High School where pizza was exchanged for McDonald’s or Hardee’s and still the Diet Coke remained a staple. No one was teaching us about nutrition; well, except for the one week unit in health class that reminded us to eat mostly grains and to add some fruits and vegetables for good measure. This is where I added in Ramen noodles with canned peas or corn for a “well rounded” meal.

Once I graduated and went off to college, I really had a handle on healthy eating. I followed the latest food “guidelines”. Any of you who experienced the 90’s as a young adult know what I am talking about: avoid fat at all costs, eat carbs, eat less and exercise more. I thankfully still enjoyed fruits and vegetables because this is what I was raised on (when my mom was in charged of feeding me). I followed this to the letter: pasta, canned corn, canned beans, meat of any kind on occasion (when I felt the need) and don’t forget the Snack Well Cookies – no fat and only 100 calories. Diet Coke still prevailed and now that I was “grown up”, add a splash of booze when needed! I ran and worked out all the time!! By my last year in school, I was down to an “acceptable” weight, after gaining the obligatory 15 pounds at the beginning of college. Again, thanks to my “healthy” lifestyle.

Out into the real world I went! A job, an apartment, a car, a new stereo and money I hadn’t had in college. Now I could go out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This started to catch up to me and I naturally migrated back to cooking and adding in more whole food (thankfully) but still unconsciously.

It wasn’t until I was planning to get pregnant with my first child that I really started researching healthy eating. Not for me necessarily, but to give my baby the best start possible in life. I quit coffee cold turkey (what a miserable couple of weeks of headaches and nausea), I gave up Diet Coke and switched to the occasional “Real” Coke. I added more fruits and vegetables at every meal and started taking a multivitamin. This is were my journey really started, with my concern for the health of my daughters at the forefront and eventually for my own health.

Again, in retrospect, I am amazed that I emerged from that experience unaffected, or so I thought! It was just a few extra pounds, a little fatigue, and sprinkled with a bit (or a lot) of postpartum depression.

Then, over time, the real effects started to show up. The fatigue got worse; I didn’t have the energy to exercise so the weight remained a bit elevated. Then the sluggish thyroid turned into Hashimoto’s and finally the rheumatoid arthritis was revealed!!

I no longer focus on why this happened, other than to move me toward a healthier place. There is a whole world of epigenetics to explore. In a nutshell, this is looking at what external factors trigger modification of your gene expression. I just began to focus on what external factors I could control to modify this again.

The point of this story is that we need to reflect on what we believe to be healthy and what we could do to improve upon this. We are only able to welcome change if we first change our mindset. Once we allow this paradigm shift, change will begin.

The good news is that our bodies are amazingly designed to detoxify and excrete toxins.

“Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.” 
― Jim Rohn. 

The bad news is that our bodies are not equipped to handle the sheer volume of modern environmental and other toxins we are exposed to today; and some of us are less equipped than others.

We have so many toxin exposures every single day!

COMMON TOXINS: Food toxins, air pollutants, water pollutants: pesticide residue, pharmaceuticals residue, hormone disruptors, nitrates from fertilizers, heavy metals (mercury from fish), GMOs from factory farmed animals, PCBs, dioxin from paper products and tampons, pesticides on non-organic produce, cleaning supplies, cosmetics and grooming products, plastics, detergents and soaps, carpet.

We should incorporate detox regularly, not just ONE AND DONE.

I have started looking at it like cleaning my house. I like to keep up on the mess and the laundry to prevent it from building up, but every month or two I need to do a cleanse and clean up and clear out the things that are cluttering up and interfering with my space. Sometimes this gets away from me and it will be 6 months or a year before I address some of these things. This is a direct parallel to our bodies. We will do ourselves a wonderful service by cleaning up our diet and eliminating as many toxins as possible, but we still need to neutralize and clear out the toxins that have gotten in. The program 66 Day Health Mastery Program has been my best tool ever for cleaning up my diet and clearing out the toxins.

Questions to Ponder:

  • Where am I at today?
  • What can I do right now?
  • Will I allow myself to be paralyzed by fear?
  • Will I allow this to empower me to seek solutions?

Where do I start?

  • Food is always a good place to start
  • Choosing organic when possible and especially when necessary
  • The EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a fantastic group that makes this process a little easier!
  • The Clean Fifteen & The Dirty Dozen

WHY VITAMIN D?

Leave a comment

Vitamin D is actually a hormone that regulates so many functions in our bodies.

Inadequate Levels of Vitamin D can lead to:

  • Decreased immune function
  • Increased Inflammation
  • Slower Wound Healing
  • Hair Loss
  • Low Energy
  • Depressed Mood
  • Increased Bone or Muscle Pain
  • Impaired bone health
    • Specifically Vitamin D guides calcium into our bones where it belongs, rather than calcium going to the kidneys or to the arteries to form calcifications when Vitamin D is inadequate.

Our bodies manufacture Vitamin D from sunlight. This requires 10-30 minutes of daily sun exposure with no sunscreen. It is best not to shower right after to allow the manufactured Vitamin D to absorb into the skin and into the body.

Most of us are not able to find the time for this exposure on a regular basis. This is why supplementing with Vitamin D3 is so important.

A good starting dose of Vitamin D3 is 2000-5000IU. Levels can be tested with a simple blood test. Typical normal range is 30-80 ng/ml, 30 is surviving and 80 is thriving.

Vitamin D3 5000 IU Soft Gel w/Coconut Oil, Sports Research

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

WHY VITAMIN C?

Leave a comment

Benefits of Vitamin C:

  1. Antioxidant
    1. Antioxidants bind free radicals and help your body fight inflammation
    2. Exercise is good for you but intense exercise causes oxidative stress and free radicals. 
    3. People with adequate vitamin C are able to oxidize more fat during moderate exercise
  2. Boosts Immune System
    1. Reduces severity of allergic reactions and helps your body fight off infection
    2. Reduces inflammation, essential for immunity and general health
  3. Increases Iron Absorption
  4. Helps Build Collagen in the Body
    1. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body
      1. Provides skin with structure
      2. Strengthens Bones
      3. May help with gut health, healing/preventing intestinal permeability

Any micronutrients (vitamins/minerals/polyphenols) are best absorbed through fresh, organic, whole foods. This being said, it’s difficult to get high enough amounts of Vitamin C from diet alone. In my opinion, vitamin C supplements are a helpful addition.

Vitamin C is water-soluble and is better absorbed when taken throughout the day rather than all at once. I take 3000-4000mg of vitamin C on a daily basis, spread throughout the day. Since the start of this coronavirus I have at least doubled that.

  • Lipophilic Vitamin C is better absorbed but also more expensive.
  • I prefer capsules to tablets because there are less “junk” ingredients.
    • <a href="http://<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=ginalynnwelln-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0013P1GGI&asins=B0013P1GGI&linkId=0918d145e9bd38f5cce64f4aa2ebe67d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=5fb0c1&bg_color=ffffff"> NOW Vitamin C 1000mg
  • Vitamin C powders are great; you just have to implement them into your diet.

Food sources of Vitamin C include:

  • Sweet Potatoes, Cantaloupes, Citrus Fruits, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Peppers, Kiwi, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Asparagus
  • I have been adding ½ teaspoon (2000mg) of the PURE Vitamin C Powder to my 32 ounce water, along with the juice from 1 lime, a pinch of pink Himalayan salt and a dropperful of Lemon Sweet Drops (I usually drink 2 of these throughout the day)

Some of these products may not be available at Amazon at the moment. Keep checking back.

Hi! My name is Gina Lynn and I’m so happy you’re here!

1 Comment

So, who am I?

This is really a deep topic to consider when I really sit and think about it. I am a child of God. I am a daughter. I have wonderful parents who taught me what it is to love and gifted me the name Gina Lynn. I am blessed to be a sister to two of my best friends. I am a mother, to two beautiful daughters (Emma & Tessa), something I count as my biggest blessing. I am a friend. I am a co-worker. I am a neighbor. I am a friendly face. I am a kindred spirit. The list could go on and on.

There are so many “hats” we all wear. These hats shape who we are but they don’t necessarily define us.

Of course my story started when I was born. I lived in a small town in rural Wisconsin and loved growing up in that small town. My journey lead me to UW-Madison, School of Pharmacy. This is where I feel my “own” journey started. The time when I ventured out into the world, maybe still sheltered a bit, but making the transition to adulthood nonetheless.

Pharmacy school was a great adventure, I met wonderful friends and learned more than I ever thought possible. It was a struggle at times, it was lonely at times, and it was so fun at times. Just like life, a journey that ebbs and flows; you have to learn to flow with the tide and work to overcome obstacles.

I have been practicing pharmacy for 26+ years. I was drawn to this life path because I am drawn to helping people. I have learned so much along this career path; I am still learning and grateful for all of my experiences.

Now, I feel I am being led to help people in a different way! I know there is so much healing we can do when we nurture our bodies, our minds and our spirits. We need all three to be in balance in order to thrive.

I have been blessed with health my whole life and then, a few years ago, just like that, I began to feel less than vibrant. I was tired all of the time, my hair was thinning, my body was swelling, my joints were achy, my mood was depressed and I was impatient. I knew I had to figure this out and began to really research health. I learned so much about nutrition, inflammation, meditation, yoga, deep breathing and supplements. I was going to figure this out and get back to being me!! This was a promise I made to myself.

My path led to IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition) where I learned about so may different dietary and healing modalities and completed my first health coach certification. This was a spring board to my learning. I continued to read so many books and continued to research health.

I was making progress with my diet, lifestyle and supplement changes, but the fatigue and swelling was still there. I figured out how to order labs for myself and nothing came back that was concerning. I finally reached a point where my work, the work of my family doctor and the work of my naturopathic doctor weren’t giving me the all the results I was hoping for. Then came the referral to rheumatology and the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and a secondary diagnosis of Hashimoto’s. There was no time for denial. All of the symptoms were there but the blood work did not point to anything being wrong seriously. Inflammatory markers were not elevated, the RA Factor was negative, Thyroid levels were low, TSH was elevated and the Thyroid Antibodies were present but not at a critical level. My rheumatologist said “if we wait for the blood work to prove what we already know, there will be irreversible damage to the joints”. Through tears and fears, I agreed to take steroids to help with the inflammation and methotrexate to modulate the attack my immune system was waging on my joints. Some people will say that I am lucky because I know so much about these medications, but honestly, I think this knowledge made me even more afraid. These 2 medications helped but I was not reaching my goal of remission. Hydroxychloroquine was added to further modulate the immune attack on my body. I had tolerated both of the other medications, but this one made me nauseous and gave me headaches. Finally, came the discussion of the biologics. I was terrified but determined to get back to my vibrant self!! It was a long process with cost, insurance, mail order, etc. I pushed thru and injected my first dose. I consider myself very fortunate; 4 days after my first injection, my swelling decreased!! I could bend my fingers again, my joint pain subsided and I could wear shoes other than slippers and Birkenstocks.

My next step was to use this victory to dive deeper into the repair of by body, to get completely into remission and to be able to drop the medications that I know were helping me temporarily but also adding to the toxic burden on my body.

I did extensive work to heal my gut. I supported my mental health. I dug deeper into my hormones. I continue to improve my diet. The steroids were no longer needed, the methotrexate was slowly decreased.

My journey then lead me to HMI (Health Mastery Institute) which is proving to be the source that ties everything together into a beautiful, abundant, actionable information package. HMI has shone a bright light on my life path to vibrant health.

In the midst of my learning through HMI, I received call from my rheumatologist when this coronavirus was released into our world. He was calling to express his concern for me being on medication that decreased my immune function, while working as a pharmacist with an increased risk of exposure to the virus. He suggested I stay on the medication until there was a confirmed case in my co-workers or in my family. Because of the progress I had made with healing my body, I made the decision to stop injecting because of my interaction with so many people over the course of a single work day. With so few tests available, I decided to treat my situation as if I had been exposed. My last injection was February 28, 2020. I choose to view this as a blessing and the push/permission I was looking for to stop all medications.

I am concentrating on putting only what can help me into my body. I am not perfect but this opportunity to be medication free has given me more resolve to support my body and my immune function to the best of my ability.

Sharing my story with you has been therapeutic; thank you for indulging me!! My hope is that my story will resonate with you on a personal level or because of someone you know; and the information shared here will help on your journey.

I believe that we’re are all here, on this life journey, to help one another. Originally I was called to help people through my role as a pharmacist. There have been so many changes over the past 3 decades in the field of medicine and I feel my calling has evolved. I now know that by concentrating on physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, the vibrance of true health can be realized. My true calling is to Guide, Empower and Teach any one who finds themselves seeking this vibrancy on their life journey.

G.E.T happy G.E.T. healthy G.E.T. whole