Foundational Health: The Key to Long Term Success
Embracing Holistic Foundations for Health and Wellness
Restoring health and wellness begins with understanding the foundational elements of our well-being. Our body’s biochemistry plays a crucial role, and often the most profound changes come from addressing our diet and mindset. Many people overlook the connection between daily habits and the symptoms they experience, which is why I focus on Foundational Health.
The Journey to Wellness
Taking the step toward overcoming chronic health issues, preventing disease, and enhancing your quality of life starts with nurturing your foundational needs through thoughtful dietary choices and lifestyle adjustments.
Core Principles of Foundational Health
Nutrition
Your diet is the bedrock of healing. Providing your body with the right nutrients helps it detoxify and rejuvenate. Prioritizing basic nutrition is the essential first step on your path to vibrant health and happiness.
Digestion and Elimination
It’s not just about what you eat; it’s vital that your body effectively absorbs those nutrients. A healthy digestive system plays a key role in nutrient absorption and in keeping out harmful toxins and pathogens. Factors such as stress, caffeine, poor diet, food sensitivities, dysbiosis, chemical toxicity, medications, heavy metals, emotions, and energetic imbalances all affect gut health.
When the digestive system becomes irritated or inflamed, it can compromise its protective barrier, allowing bacteria, toxins, and other harmful substances to enter the body. This condition is commonly referred to as intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut," and it can lead to a range of health issues. Research suggests a potential link between increased intestinal permeability and autoimmune diseases. Many individuals suffering from chronic illnesses - such as allergies, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome - may find that intestinal permeability plays a significant role in their health challenges.
Blood Sugar Regulation
Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is crucial for consistent energy and overall well-being. The average American unknowingly consumes 180 lbs of refined sugar every year leading to imbalances that impact their health. It’s important to recognize that blood sugar regulation affects everyone (even people who have a healthy diet) and addressing it can alleviate a range of issues from fatigue, emotional stress, immune dysfunction, and hormonal imbalances.
Healthy Fats
Incorporating healthy fats into your diet is essential for energy, brain function, and hormonal balance. The quality of fats matters more than the quantity; understanding which fats to include can greatly benefit your overall health.
Many people are deficient in essential fatty acids due to a lack of good quality fat and/or poor dietary choices. In fact, one common sign of trans fats creating problems is a craving for fried food, or snacks fried in oil, like potato chips. The body is actually craving the essential oil it needs, but when deep‐fried food is substituted, it gunks up the liver and gallbladder, creating a more severe deficiency than before.
Poor quality fats compromise cellular integrity resulting in nutrients leaking out of cells, while toxins and pathogens enter. Common issues arising from a lack of healthy fats include dry skin, muscle fatigue, and hormonal imbalances. More serious consequences can affect the nervous system, as the myelin sheath - an insulating layer around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord - is primarily composed of fat.
Additionally, the consumption of hydrogenated and trans fats has been associated with increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer. These fats also promote inflammation by shifting the body's anti-inflammatory pathways into pro-inflammatory ones. Therefore, individuals dealing with chronic pain and inflammation should avoid hydrogenated oils and trans fats altogether.
Mineral Balance
Minerals play vital roles beyond just building strong bones. They are essential for numerous bodily functions, including hormonal balance, blood sugar regulation, and detoxification. Unfortunately, modern diets and lifestyle factors such as excess sugar consumption, lack of nutrients in processed foods, and stress can all lead to mineral deficiencies, impacting overall health.
Hydration
Water is the cornerstone of health. Adequate hydration supports cellular function, nutrient transport, and waste elimination. Staying well-hydrated can help alleviate a variety of health issues including constipation, inflammation, allergies, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, and much more.
Detoxification
The body naturally detoxifies itself, but environmental toxins can overwhelm this process. Supporting your body’s detox pathways, particularly through liver health, is key to preventing a range of health concerns. With over 500 known functions, the liver plays a vital role in digestion, hormonal balance, blood sugar regulation, and protein and fat metabolism.
When the liver is congested it can create a wide variety of symptoms including migraines, PMS, deficiency of fat‐soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K), dysbiosis, leaky gut, allergies, fatigue, poor digestion, pain and inflammation, arthritis, and skin problems.
Emotional and Energetic Wellness
Emotional and energetic factors can profoundly impact your health. Many clients find that unresolved emotions hinder their healing process. Emotional release work is a significant aspect of my practice, as addressing these underlying issues can facilitate progress toward wellness. Emotions are closely tied to physical health; addressing emotional blocks is crucial for holistic healing.
Our emotional landscape is often shaped by past experiences and societal conditioning, influencing our present well-being. By mastering our emotional responses and shifting negative thought patterns, we can cultivate a more positive life experience.
Incorporating these foundational elements into your life can lead to profound transformations. Remember, your journey toward holistic health is a personal and unique path. Together, we can explore these principles and empower you to embrace a healthier, more fulfilling life.