Holistic Health Care Articles
MOST RECENT POSTS
For years, Be Well Clinic has been providing support for those healing the symptoms listed above using the GAPS Nutritional Protocol. In order to support those who come to us more comprehensively, we have created this new program to include built-in features that we have found to be invaluable to our patients in the past.
This fall we piloted our new way of doing GAPS support. We have developed a new curriculum, established various means of support and worked out a few technological kinks so that we could be ready to present our new official program for supporting those going through the GAPS Nutritional Protocol in 2023!
Here are some of the features of our GAPS Program that differentiate it from other GAPS programs:
Welcome to our new, comprehensive GAPS Program designed for those who are determined to heal their minds and bodies holistically through food and professional naturopathic support. This program is based on the understanding that in order to heal your mind and body, it is necessary to address the foundations of gut health and emotional health.
Hollie answers the 5 most frequent breastfeeding questions from her personal and professional experience as a mother of 3 who is still breastfeeding her youngest(Functional Nutritional Therapy practitioner, Certified GAPS practitioner, Registered Nurse and Course Creator.
I believe that everyone should have a grandmother who passes her family’s healing traditions down to future generations. While they are often called “old wives tales,” these healing traditions are usually founded in profound wisdom and have been successful in reducing symptoms for centuries. I am one of those blessed to have a grandma like this in my life.
Summer is in full swing and there is a lot of talk about how to be “safe in the sun.” I would like to turn the conversation around. Instead of talking about “safety,” I want to talk about optimizing our time in the sun. I do not think that we were made to constantly be thinking about safety. I do, however, think that we should wisely consider how to optimize our health.
Because we believe that we are all one person… physical, spiritual, and emotional beings all in one. When I (Amy) first started studying healing, I started with the physical. After all, isn’t that what needs to be healed… our physical bodies? But as I helped my body heal, and worked with more and more patients I realized that focusing on physical symptoms is not enough. That’s because we aren’t just physical beings. Our physical bodies are constantly being influenced by emotions… either our emotions and feelings, or the emotions from people around us.
When we talk about health, our first stop must be the digestive system - not only the basic organs and where food goes, but also the several key “big ideas” of digestion, what can go wrong, and how to simply correct these problems to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate treatment. This is an important topic for everyone to understand, but especially for parents to know how to assess and help their children when it comes to gastro-intestinal issues.
Simply put, science is knowledge about, or study of the natural world, based on facts learned through experiments and observation. The method we use in science is: Observe, question, hypothesize, experiment, analyze and conclude. Remember talking about the scientific method as a child? As a society, but also as individuals, we need to get back to understanding the importance of following the scientific method ourselves and teaching our children to be scientists.
These are only some of the signs that your body does not have enough of the right kind of fats. Did you know that women should be 28% made up of fats? Men should be about 18% fat. 60% of our fat needs to be constantly replaced. This is why it is important to have fats in our diets throughout the day, every day.
Eggs are an actual superfood, packed with protein, healthy fat, numerous vitamins, zinc, magnesium and more. Not only are they full of nutrients, these nutrients are also easy to digest. Raw egg yolks in particular are often equated with breastmilk in the ease of nutrient absorption basically without any digestion needing to be done first. For people with digestive issues, a food that needs almost no digestion in order to get the benefits is a huge win!
With talk of viruses so prevalent, many people have been introduced to the concept of zinc deficiency. However, this is not a new thing - in the 1930s zinc was found to be essential for humans. In the 1960s it was found that deficiency of zinc can cause several symptoms. More recently we have been finding more and more symptoms associated with zinc deficiency as the world seems in general very zinc deficient. Some estimates show that zinc is involved in more body functions than any other mineral.
Has this question been on your mind? Are you toying with the idea of homeschooling your child but unsure if you should or can? If so, more than ever, you are not alone. Across the United States, parents are trying to decide how to raise their children in a way that is congruent with their beliefs and finding that this may not include sending their kids to school. As parents weigh their options, homeschooling is becoming increasingly more appealing, although perhaps no less daunting.
Headaches are not normal. They are a common symptom in pregnancy, but this does not mean they are normal or should be expected. A diet emphasizing nutrients to support the brain, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and gut are necessary in pregnancy anyway, but even more so when it comes to preventing and relieving headaches. My hope for this article is that rather than simply shutting up your body with Tylenol, you are able to see your body’s symptoms as cries for help and know how to respond accordingly.
When I first began my deep-dive into the world of GAPS (Gut and Physiology Syndrome) several years ago, I would have said a resounding "no" to the question of working through GAPS while pregnant. There is some merit to this. The reasoning behind this mindset is that GAPS is a powerful protocol marked by detoxification and healing. While the healing aspect could be priceless for both the mother and the unborn child, the detox could potentially be dangerous for the baby.
After experiencing "Morning Sickness" with each of my 3 pregnancies, I have probably read every blog/recommendation possible. Many of them go into the nitty-gritty details of vomiting day and night. Let me spare you my own details, and just say that morning sickness can last all day, all night, from a few days to the entire pregnancy. It is discouraging, it changes your mood, your patience level, and your motivation.
The endocrine system is a complex network of glands and organs, communicating with each other through hormones and other chemical messengers. It regulates a large variety of functions in our body, and if your endocrine system is off, there is a good chance you are experiencing symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
We have all been under extra stress for the last several months. Whether you have felt stressed, or if you have felt fairly even-keeled, I can almost guarantee that your body has experienced stress. Why? Because stress is not just an emotional experience, but is a word used to describe things that make the body work harder to maintain homeostasis.
I first heard about this idea years ago, but recently have been learning more and more on the subject, and thought I would share it with you, my wonderful readers! This area is the idea of persistent primitive reflexes. There are great people who research and teach about this fascinating piece of the health puzzle.
We can get ill for a variety of reasons and the effects can linger in our bodies for weeks, months, or sometimes years. The good news is we can help our bodies recover! Read on to learn more about helping your body recover after a long illness.
Our lungs are obviously essential for life! Healing our lungs can be tricky because they are something we have to keep using frequently even in the midst of healing. In this article, we’ll share more to help you understand the lungs function, what can harm the lungs and how they get hurt, and, finally, what the lungs need to heal.
The end of summer and beginning of fall offers us an abundance of great produce, whether it’s from our own garden or from farmers. While we can, in theory, continually purchase produce from the grocery store, we get better quality and more cost effective produce if we eat seasonally and locally. This great produce is only available at certain times of the year and it has to be stored somehow!
A liver shot is so great for your body! It’s a quick way to get the important vitamins and minerals that liver provides for your body. Desiccated liver is also a great option since it is raw, dehydrated liver. However, desiccated liver can be cost prohibitive. Liver shots are far more cost effective (grass fed liver is around $3 a pound here.) Liver shots are also raw. ⅔ of the nutrients that liver contains are lost when you cook it. You won’t taste the liver at all!
Castor Oil Packs are a delightfully basic, time proven method of encouraging detox, promoting bowel movements, and inspiring healing. Creating a castor oil pack is easy and cost effective. Only a few supplies are necessary, and you may already have some of them in your home!
Social Connection has long been known to be a necessary part of health. An article in Science from 1988 stated, “Social relationships, or the relative lack thereof, constitute a major risk factor for health - rivaling the effect of well established health risk factors such as cigarette smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids, obesity and physical activity” (House, 1988).
Water is essential for our bodies and our health for two major reasons. One, as we are well hydrated, our cells are able to easily detox. Toxins are able to be flushed out of the body and our cells are overall more healthy as they are well hydrated. The second reason we need water is for energy. We are electrical beings and maintaining properly hydrated cells and systems allows conduction of electrical signals and energy production and overall best communication and function of our body.
Ah salt. This poor mineral has been demonized, much like fat, and many of us were taught it is unhealthy or leads to health problems like heart disease. In actuality, the “salt” used by many of us, especially fast food, that leads to these problems is extremely processed, often with chemicals, and bears little resemblance to natural salt. True sea salts contain many trace minerals that our body needs to be healthy and add flavor to our cooking.
Books that include the statistics of disease prevention and what affects vaccinations had or did not have on reducing deaths from infectious disease. Including supporting historical charts from government agencies as well as discussion of the history of many diseases.
That big yellow blob in the sky has so many benefits for us! We teach our children to get outside and play but did you know all the amazing benefits the sun can give us, even as adults?
Hollie shares some exciting changes for her family and Be Well Clinic’s Northglenn location.