It truly feels as if we are at war with ourselves. I can only imagine that this is what war must feel like, being told that everyone is the enemy. We are told to fragment away from each other like the tiny genetic strands of virus blamed for the mayhem. Who is infected? Contagious? Dangerous? Am I next?
The uncertainty and fear can be crushing, paralyzing. They attempt to asphyxiate. They demonize and polarize. They handcuff us to immobility. Don’t move. Don’t breathe. Be afraid. Go into the dark.
I refuse to stay in the dark.
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I’ve known for years that gluten is not my friend. The symptoms of my gluten intolerance have varied from everything from brain fog to bloating, but they are never quite severe enough for me to say ENOUGH. Although I attempt to “go gluten free” for 3-4 weeks at a time, usually while doing a cleanse, I come back to it, like that old friend who always gets you in trouble but seems like so much fun to be around in the moment.
I haven’t been able to stay away. I am addicted to gluten. And I’ve been addicted to gluten for pretty much my whole life. Until now…
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When I posted my last blog, I thought I was going to lose half of my list… It turns out, my struggle to come out of the closet as a psychic resonated with people.
Here are the 3 biggest reminders the Universe sent me last week.
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You might not know this about me, but I have a gift.
I’ve been afraid to use this gift professionally or talk about it because of the stigma that can be attached to it.
I know that some of you are going to hit “unsubscribe” after reading this newsletter, and I’m ok with that. Naturally I’ll be sorry to lose you, but I’m not sorry to start flying my “freak flag.” Hiding this gift has negatively impacted my health and well-being in so many ways because when I don’t acknowledge or use this gift, I am out of alignment. No more.
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Good things happen when we listen to our intuition. Sometimes , though, we are our own biggest obstacle to getting what we want. I’m going share a story with you about what happened when I got out of my head, out of my way and into my heart.
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Perhaps one of my most life-altering intuitive moments came after I gave birth to my first child. Two days after she was born, a nurse came into my hospital room and told me that I needed to get the rubella (German measles) vaccine because I didn’t have immunity. She told me that if I wanted to have healthy babies in the future, then I needed to get the vaccine or risk major birth defects in future children.
At first I said no, but then something inside of me said I needed to do it. So I said yes. At the time I didn’t pay too much attention to my intuition, so it was unusual for me to listen.
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I was driving down the highway a couple weeks ago when it was time for me to merge from the 2nd lane to the exit lane. I had a “weird” feeling inside but thought that it had to do with the annoying fact that I was stuck between the guy in front of me (who had just cut me off before he decided to drive slower than the speed limit) and the guy next to me, who was traveling at the exact speed as the guy in front of me. Gauging the differences between the cars around me and the speed of the general traffic, I decided it was best not to tailgate but rather slow down to get behind the car next to me so that I could get over.
Well, I didn’t really decide not to tailgate. It was as if a voice had said in my ear, “Don’t tailgate.”
I think I can say with good faith that I generally do not tailgate, because driving in the Bay Area has its crazy moments. My partner and I often talk about the fact that tailgating is a recipe for disaster when the traffic and drivers are so unpredictable.
In this moment, though, I had wanted to tailgate, because I was annoyed with the driver in front of me for cutting me off and then slowing down. That’s double rude, don’t you think?
But the voice was very stern in my ear. “Don’t tailgate.” Despite my annoyance, I slowed back and began to get over to the right. I have learned at this point of my life that “the voice” – that inner knowing, my intuition, or my “gut” – was protecting me, so I didn’t argue with it.
“Don’t tailgate,” the voice continued. I scanned the road in front of me, looking for any signs of trouble. Nothing, it was all good, but I kept my distance from the cars in front of me anyway as I made my way to the exit lane.
And then, as soon as I was in the exit lane, it happened. A 10 foot ladder came flying out of the pick-up truck in front of me. It bounced twice in the road before stopping in the middle of the lane. I swerved around another large piece of metal flying at me as I broke hard and then was able to get around the ladder, slowly, by driving in the shoulder.
My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew what could have happened if I hadn’t listened to that voice.
Had I ignored the voice and been tailgating that truck, or even keeping the recommended distance, that ladder would have struck my car or worse, it could have flown through my windshield and injured or killed me.
When things like this happen – when I get warnings or messages – I often attribute them to my guardian angel looking out for me. Some people might call it “intuition” or simply their “gut.”
While animals are often praised for their instincts and intuition, our culture of “science” doesn’t always give humans the same credit. When we tap into our inner voice, especially in health care, some people call it “woo woo” or “quackery” and don’t take it seriously.
When we shut that voice out, we do ourselves a disservice. There are times when getting out of our heads and feeling into the situation are going to serve us far better than any “data point” or “evidence” might. That voice is there for a reason!
Has there been a time when you listened to your angels, your gut, your inner voice, and it kept you or a loved one safe? I’d love it if you’d comment below to tell your story.
In my next blog, I’ll share you how listening to my intuition helped to protect my babies from their own potential brush with disaster.
Lots of love,
Jennifer
I did not get a cold or the flu this winter, despite being surrounded by snotty noses and some nasty coughs. (In my humble opinion, the flu vaccine is not the answer to health and well-being, let alone preventing illness. You can read more about my thoughts on the flu vaccine here.)
This is the first year in a long time that I didn’t come down with a cold or other upper respiratory bug. Last year wasn’t bad— I had one day where I felt absolutely miserable with aches and chills, spent that day in bed and woke up the next day with a mild cold that stuck with me for a week. This year though, my immune system was able to hold it together. Here’s what worked for me — and what I paid in $$ for it.
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Someone pointed out that the Easter and Passover holidays fall right in the middle of the Warrior Cleanse.
Believe me, I hear you. I’m hosting a big Easter dinner this year. In the past I would have been really stressed out about the food situation. This year, though, I’m super excited to serve yummy recipes from the cleanse! Veggies and hummus appetizer, roasted sweet potatoes, a delicious spring salad, and chocolate chia pudding “pie” with strawberries. (Sure, I won’t be partaking in the ham this year, but that’s probably better for me anyway.)
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I can get really shortsighted when it comes to my own health. I’ll admit that. If you’ve ever heard the expression Healer, Heal Thyself, I can tell you that most of us health care practitioners are pretty bad at healing ourselves. I am no exception. I’m really good at guiding people towards the products and people they need to get well and to get on the path to optimal health, but for myself? Yeah, not so good. And I’ve learned that the hard way.
This is not to say I haven’t tried many times to go it alone, but it has never served me. What I’ve found is that I do much better and am able to accomplish my goals when I have another expert guiding me. I’m also better able to stick to the plan when I have a group where we can cheer each other on and support each other. We are, after all, human beings who thrive on connection with one another.
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I’ve noticed over the years that there are lots of similarities between moms and nurses.
Both are caring and nurturing. Both rely on a gentle touch to bring warmth and comfort. Both want to minimize suffering, whether from a skinned knee, school bully, cancer, or complicated surgery.
There is one similarity between moms and nurses that I want to address today, because I’d like to see it change. It doesn’t serve any of us.
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When I was young, every time a local child came down with chickenpox my mother would drag me to their house so that I would get exposed and get chickenpox myself. As a nurse, she knew that chickenpox was a benign illness for children but had the potential to be much worse for an adult.
Unfortunately my mother was unsuccessful in convincing my body to come down with chickenpox. Not until 2009 as a grown woman in the middle of anatomy finals, with three small children, did I finally come down with chickenpox.
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I remember what it was like to be staunchly pro-vaccine. No exceptions.
I remember how I would vilify people who didn’t want to get vaccinated themselves or didn’t want to vaccinate their children. I made derogatory comments about them. I called them “stupid” and “irresponsible.” I said that not vaccinating was like blowing cigarette smoke in your baby’s face. It was like letting them go hungry, or depriving them of warmth and shelter.
And then one day, I found out that I was wrong.
Terribly, painfully wrong.
Amazingly, gratefully wrong.
Three major events changed my mind.
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Do you ever wonder why they combine 3-6 diseases into one vaccine for babies and children?
The CDC says they give combination vaccines so the kids and parents have to endure less “stress” getting multiple shots. Do you think it’s really because they know how toxic each vaccine is, filled with chemicals and heavy metals?
The thing is, nature doesn’t work that way. Nature doesn’t expose the immune system to multiple diseases at one time. Can you imagine if I took my infant or immune-compromised child to a home where there were active cases of measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox all at the same time?
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2018 was a roller coaster for so many people — a wild year of intense lows and challenges mixed with intense highs and blessings. I know I’m not the only person who heaved a sigh of relief on January 1, happy to have survived another year on this journey called life and being so much better for it.
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This morning I got up early so that I could go for a short hike in the redwoods before facing the masses at Costco. I had been feeling kind of blue the night before, as all of the kiddos were at sleepovers, and I was by myself in the house at night for the first time in almost 3 months.
My mood started lifting on the drive to Wunderlich County Park. I parked, put on my hiking boots and began my climb up the hill to my favorite spot, Alambique Flats.
I said hello to the horses in the corrals, waiting for the day’s riders, stood for a moment at an ancient majestic tree, and watched for deer. It wasn’t until I was sitting on the bench in the Flats listening to the creek that I realized something new about why I love hiking and being out in nature so much.
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There are literally billions of men and women in the world who carry the shame and wounding of sexual violence against them and who feel that wound every time someone makes an excuse for the perpetrator.
Sexual violence takes a huge toll on one’s health and well-being and also places a major burden on our health care system. This burden is not sustainable, and it’s time for each of us to stand up and put a stop to it. Even if you’ve been lucky enough not to have been a victim in your life, look around you. Just because you don’t know everyone’s history or herstory, you know countless people who have been assaulted in their lifetimes, both male and female.
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My 16 year old daughter has been in Switzerland on a school exchange for a week. She has had no food sensitivities whatsoever. She says she has never eaten so much gluten in her life. She feels amazing there--no asthma, no acne, no runny nose, no fatigue. She's not taking any supplements.
The kids and I make financial sacrifices so that we can buy good quality food, and I am so grateful to have access to a weekly farmer's market and clean water. Not everyone is as fortunate. As my daughter is experiencing, though, how we grow our food and raise our animals can be our poison or medicine.
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You don’t have to know anything about nutrition to know that there are hundreds of thousands of nutritional supplement products on the market. And of course, Americans are creative geniuses when it comes to labeling, advertising and marketing, so it’s difficult to make heads or tails of what’s actually good for you and what might potentially harm you.
Luckily, some companies have both high-quality ingredients AND heaping doses of business integrity.
A while back I had the pleasure of sitting down and interviewing Eddie Stone, CEO of Touchstone Essentials, to discuss their newest product called Organic Super Protein.
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So my plan was to make a really cool video for you this week. The universe had other ideas.
I started feeling achy and funky on Friday, and by yesterday morning, it felt like two spear-fighting sumo wrestlers were fighting the match of the century in my throat every time I tried to talk. Ouch.
Rather than leave you empty-handed, I want to share with you this amazing video about empathy. It was developed and produced by the Cleveland Clinic.
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