Life’s a journey of ups and downs, of choices and decisions, a lifelong adventure, in learning, appreciating what you have and taking ownership of your health. My motto this year is “Restore in 2024.”
We don’t give our health as much thought as we give our wealth. Most of us take our health for granted until there is a problem. Then we spend our hard earned money getting our health back.
What if we could change that, by changing our mindset and tweaking our habits?
What if we take action and be proactive rather than reactive?
You will have more than one car and live in more than one home in your lifetime but we only get one body. We have daily, weekly, monthly tasks we do to maintain our home and car. Oil changes, vacuuming, changing the furnace filter ect. Yet when it comes to our health we are not as intentional about maintenance? Beyond bathing, brushing our teeth, feeding our bodies and working out.
We don’t check in with ourselves! Pay attention to the early warning signs. We brush them off. Telling ourselves it is just indigestion, I am just stressed or I am tired I need more sleep.
Heck I was even told by the doctor ny blood work was normal and it was just stress. Good thing I listened to my body and my intuition.
Until I had Cancer I had no idea there were blood tests you could have. Tests you could have run to find imbalances in your body even before you have warning signs and symptoms. There are blood tests, poop tests, hair tests that can measure markers for heavy metals and cancer. There is something called a thermography where you can scan your whole body or just parts for under $500. It showed the cancer even before a mammogram did.
Why are we not running those tests for prevention and early recognition? Why did I not know about their existence? Why are they not covered under insurance? There are so many alternatives to the western medicine protocols that are easier, cheaper and less invasive to our bodies, that will give us answers instead of guessing or worse waiting until we have symptoms.
My friend Dr. Kelly Shockley says if you are not testing you are guessing. Why are we not protecting our #1 asset?
The choices you make will affect how healthy you will be. You are the only one that knows what is right for you. So listening to your gut, that inner voice and putting you first is not selfish, it is essential.
Our bodies are an amazing work of art with 11 operating systems that work together and that compensates when needed and bypass parts that are injured or not functioning the way they should. Our bodies can take a lot of abuse. Imagine how good you will feel and what you can accomplish if we treat it like the asset it truly is. If we did not take it for granted.
We want to be like everyone else. We compare ourselves to others. Yet we were all made to be different. We are different in how we think, in what we believe and in our choices and desires. We need to appreciate how unique each of us truly are.
We also need to be aware that while protocols ar3e great they are not right for everyone.
It has been my experience that traditional medicine has standard operating procedures, treating symptoms and providing us pills for ills. Today more than ever people are looking for ways to improve their health, avoid dis-ease or reverse health conditions.
Too many people are suffering from life debilitating chronic illnesses. Medications can help relieve symptoms but they rarely address the root cause.
While healthcare and modern medicine have come a long way and are impressive in treating symptoms, we have forgotten these symptoms are a sign our body is in distress. We used to look at the whole body and ask better questions. Now we have so many specialists and have niched down so much, we have broken each body part down treating them separately from the rest and most of our protocols are based on the majority.
What if you don’t fall into that category? I don‘t know about you but I feel many Western medicine Doctors, the ones that accept insurance, don’t really take the time to listen…really listen to what is happening.
When I had Cancer I had to be my own advocate, I was told my symptoms were just stress related. If I had listened to the first doctor I probably would still not know I had Cancer. I had to go outside of what my insurance covered to find answers. I was lucky I have good friends and have the money to seek alternative care, find the providers that were willing to listen, go outside the standard protocols and investigate.
Sometimes I wonder why I work so hard to pay for insurance that does not cover my individual needs or care for that matter. Why do I because we are told you need it, you need to be prepared for the what if’s? There is the fact that if I did not have insurance… would I have gone for the mammogram? I was lucky I had it and it covered the choice I made. Yet, I made the choice I made mostly out of fear. Fear of the unknown. I went for the more predictable outcome knowing that standard practices of care have not really worked for me in the past.
There are many paths you can take to reach a destination. There are many scientific studies and research that may be true today but may be obsolete when you listen to this.
I cannot tell you how many doctors and other professionals I have gone through to get answers about what is happening in my body. I kept looking until I found someone that would listen and help me.
I have spent thousands of hours and dollars looking for answers to solve problems. Both with trying to have a baby and having 8 miscarriages being told I would not have a baby and cancer. I did not believe what I was being told. Every fiber of my being told me it was not true. My daughters name is Faith because I had Faith in my intuition and kept looking for answers.
Health care providers only know what they were taught. The more I learn in this field the more I know I don’t know. Someone does and sometimes you just have to keep looking.
If you feel your provider is dismissive or you are not being heard and you feel there is something wrong it is time to find a new provider.
There is one out there that can help you find the answers you are looking for.
If you do not resonate with a provider or something they say… is ok! You are not crazy!! Follow your gut, your instances I call them little voices. Evaluate the information objectively and take away what works for you, throw away what does not and move on..
I am not saying our healthcare system does not have its advantages, but we seem to have forgotten to look at the body as a whole and that our bodies must be in balance to be truly healthy.
We have so many man made processed modified foods our body does not know what to do with them. Then add in water that has so many contaminants, metal, and antibiotics it is no wonder our bodies are out of balance. It keeps score and can only take so much before it says enough is enough.
It is wise to listen to the knowledgeable people around you, but you know your body best and you are ultimately responsible for your choices and decisions you make.
Being informed makes for better choices.
When you take full responsibility for your life, your body, your health and your choices you will find quick fix, symptom relieving options less attractive.
We treat our mouth separate from our body; it even has separate insurance. I have never understood that!
We have treated our mouth separately from the rest of our body for as long as I( can remember. But it is all connected. I don’t know about you, but my head is connected to the rest of my body. What we put in our mouths and how we take care of our mouths totally affects the rest of our body.
Your mouth is a window into your body if you have disease in your mouth I believe something in your body is not imbalanced.
I have seen it time and time again how it is all connected. Heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Healthy body, healthy mouth and vice versa.
For example if you get a lot of cavities you actually have a pH imbalance, If you have any disease you have a pH imbalance. If you have bleeding gums on just the front teeth you are more than likely a mouth breather, If you have periodontal disease more than not have a chronic illness possible even undiagnosed. Like diabetes or even Cancer.
Follow your inner voice the more you do the more natural it becomes.
Life goes so fast and there is so much noise and so many opinions. Imagine for a moment you have the time to catch your breath in a day of mayhem. I wish I had taken the time everyday to be more present more in the moment and soak in what was happening around me. I am grateful for the memories and the moments I did do this. But I wished I took the time to be still and listen more to myself. To my inner voice it has never led me astray.
Have you ever thought of Dental health as being crucial for overall health, appearance and self-esteem in childhood and throughout life. I was made fun of as a child because my teeth were yellow gray from being sick and taking an antibiotic that stained my teeth. It affected how I felt about myself. I was also a mouth breather. I know first hand how important your teeth are. People judge you by your appearance. We turn that judgment inward and it stays with us. If you are lucky you can turn it into something positive. I did and I am using it to teach others now. Creating courses for Moms to know what to look for before things become a problem.
If you’re like me, you were taught you need to brush floss, use a fluoride toothpaste and visit your dentist regularly to prevent cavities. Well, here’s the thing. While that’s true , it is just a small piece of the puzzle. There’s more to the story than what we have been told and we are learning more and more every year.
Whether you’re here for yourself or to learn how to help a loved one, this is the place to be.
What’s going on in your mouth or the mouth of the person that you’re taking care of? Everybody is different. Our genes are different, epigenetics and what we are exposed to are different and our mouths affect everything. If you’re having cavities, bleeding gums, Gingivitis, gum disease, they are actually a symptom or a sign that something is out of balance, whether it’s out of balance just in your mouth, or it’s out of balance in your gut or another part of your body.
Warning signs should not be ignored. cavities are not just something that we inevitably get. Yes they are very common. even though it’s the number one preventable childhood disease. It’s still preventable. That’s what I said, it’s a preventable disease. But you have to know what to look for to prevent dental disease. Or stop it from progressing.
Why is your mouth so important?
Good oral health promotes a beautiful smile. A beautiful smile promotes self-esteem. Self-esteem promotes confidence. Confidence promotes a successful life. It’s all linked together.
The real benefit of good oral care is prevention and establishing life-long healthy habits. Proper dental care also helps prevent bad breath, tartar build-up, cavities, gingivitis, gum disease, breathing issues and systemic diseases. When we talk about being healthy we should really start with the respiratory system. How are you breathing?
Let’s face it, If you have a family of four and one child is getting cavities and the rest are not. That’s usually a sign that their mouth is more acidic. So that means they have something going on in their mouth, gut, or body. They could be drinking more acidic beverages. Eating a lot of goldfish, have gastric reflux or gerd. Something is causing the imbalance. Maybe they’re diabetic, maybe they have a thyroid problem. Maybe they have sleep apnea. Maybe they’re breathing through their mouth more than their nose. All of this stuff affects your health. It’s not just about brushing, flossing and more fluoride. It’s about the diet and what you put in your mouth, the pH balance and whether or not you’re a mouth breather or nasal breather.
Our healthcare system is actually a sick care system that treats symptoms. When you are experiencing a problem they address that specific issue. They don’t look at your body as a whole or teach us what to do to prevent disease from happening in the first place. The information is out there but we must search for it. These past few years have taught me to be my own advocate and health is wealth!
This is why I have created a healthy habits self guided workshop to show you how it is all connected, what to look for and what action steps you can take.
Click the link below and join me. You are worth it, your family is worth it. Health is the new wealth. If you do not have your health you will inevitably spend your money on your health and feeling better again.
In the workshop we are going to be talking about taking ownership of your health with simple habit hacks that take a few minutes a day, plus signs to look for. So stick with me. Watch at your own pace. You can watch it all in one day.or break up. Keep a journal, what you’re thinking and experiencing, take pictures before and after photos.
Knowing what to look for to fight against oral problems, and prevention is an important lesson even no matter what your age to get the most out of an oral health routine.
In our culture, we misplace a lot of our attention and energy into motivation.. when that is usually not the problem. I believe our motivation or lack of it, has to do with confidence in our actions. Motivation is another small piece of the healthy mouth puzzle!
I’d say the most important thing is to move towards your ultimate goal, be consistent and create unconscious healthy habits.
Changing a habit can change your life! Creating a habit is essentially rewiring your brain, Dopamine is what is released to help us create habits. When we do something that feels good our brain releases this feel good chemical that says lets do that again.
So if we can create scenarios where we’re getting dopamine in pursuit of worthy goals, and it’s in alignment with our values, then we’re essentially hacking the system for our own benefit and creating habits good or bad.
Since being diagnosed with Cancer I want to live my life. I have taken a more holistic approach? There are always so many what ifs in life you could drive yourself mad. So if you want to get back to the basics, take ownership of your habits and live a healthier life. Join my workshop it breaks down 5 out of six basic needs we need to not only survive but thrive.
Now, I want to be very clear, nothing you’ll hear in this workshop is medical advice. This is coaching. I am sharing my own opinions and best insights as a dental hygienist Mom, myofunctional therapist and best selling author.
Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional about your specific nutritional and medical needs. I am giving you knowledge about healthy habits that will make a difference in your health.
As you will see there is so much more involved that we once thought. It is not rocket science. But it is not talked about like it should be. I wish I had this information 30 years ago.
Start where you are with the tools that you have. You may need some other things in the future, again, everybody is different.
The Key to Making Healthy Changes Stick, the truth is that it’s a skill, isn’t it? It is consistency. If you develop it, you get faster; you get better; you get more confident, and it gets easier. So, part of the key to a healthy habit is developing confidence and competency, which comes with practice.
The more you practice the better you get the more confident you are. When we are confident with our abilities we tend to want to keep doing the things we feel we are good at.
The reward for taking care of your mouth is feeling good about yourself and being healthy. It takes 66 days to create a habit. I think a 66 day challenge would be a hard one to commit to so we are starting with 5 things discussing what you need to know how they are connected and what action you can take to create the habit!
Oxygen
Water
Nutrition
Enough sleep
Respecting yourself
The power of habit is up to you! You are the OWNER of the one body you get.
The choice is yours. Join me. I will see you on the inside side.
https://healthymouthinfo.com/challenge
