HYDRATION
Hydration is such a great place to start listening to your body. Here are some symptoms of dehydration that many people think aren't related:
Hunger: This is ALWAYS thirst in disguise unless you're in a severe calorie deficit
Dry lips, dry skin, dry mouth, dry eyes: Signs of dehydration, not a lack of moisturizers
Low Energy: Yawning out of nowhere at 2 PM can mean you're significantly dehydrated
Factoid: Thirst NEVER arrives before dehydration has already set in
ROOT CAUSE HOLISTIC MEDICINE vs SYMPTOM-BASED MEDICINE
Understanding the root cause of heath concerns allows us to make changes naturally and safely, without needing toxic man-made solutions.
Symptom-based medicine ignores the cause of the ailment and band-aids the problem until it ends up coming back as something worse.
Root Cause: Looking at symptoms to determine what caused the challenge is always the first step. Simply removing the cause can be a quick, simple fix when it's possible to do so. If not, proactive natural lifestyle changes are made to address the cause while using natural solutions to manage symptoms until the underlying cause is healed. "Food as medicine", exercise, herbology, acupuncture, Chiropractic, massage therapy, aromatherapy, and reiki are all highly effective holistic practices.
Symptom Treatment: Looking at symptoms as they stand alone keeps us from being proactive about the cause of the ailment. Being reactive about health concerns leads to a constant cycle of being ill or in pain. Being proactive by healing the root cause leads to enjoying a life more free of illness and pain.
TOXIN AVOIDANCE
Toxin load, beyond what the liver and kidneys can handle, is the root cause of the vast majority of illnesses, cancers, autoimmune disorders, and gut health issues.Toxins in Food & Water: Instead of watching calories, watch toxins; calories from non-toxic foods rarely lead to poor health. Learn how to read labels and protect yourself and your family by being proactive. I recommend organic foods when possible; studies show a drastic difference in toxin load between organic and conventional foods. Use EWG.org to see which produce items are best to avoid if not organic (Dirty Dozen) and which are typically ok to eat if not organic (Clean 15). They also have a database showing water quality results for EVERY municipality in the nation so you can see how to best protect yourself from what's lurking in your tap-water. As determined by a study done at Fredonia State University, all water from plastic water bottles contains plastic. Most bottled water is also acidic.
![]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b4785e_4250e0dd46b74005ac66541cd5b416f1~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_71,h_106,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/b4785e_4250e0dd46b74005ac66541cd5b416f1~mv2.jpg)
Toxins in Your Cleaning Cabinet: Switch to non-toxic cleaning supplies to protect yourself and your family from a wide array of damaging chemicals. EWG.org has another useful tool providing toxin ratings on virtually every item on store shelves, including those claiming to be toxin-free. Laundry products like dryer sheets and fabric softeners are highly toxic and can be replaced by wool dryer balls.
Toxins in Your Medicine Cabinet: Switch to natural solutions, and away from toxic man-made products from the pharmacy. Safely using aromatherapy (essential oils), herbology, "food as medicine", CBD, and other holistic natural solutions minimizes toxin load. Recent peer-reviewed studies confirm that natural solutions are proven to be both safer AND more effective than man-made NSAIDS like Advil or Tylenol, OTC meds like Pepto-Bismol, or Robitussin, and prescription meds.