​Did you know that conventional mouthwash can damage your oral flora and cause more problems than it solves? Here’s why:
 
Your mouth has it’s own ecosystem that includes up to 1000 types of bacteria, enzymes for digestion, proteins that feed the bacteria, and more. The microbes work in a fine balance with your gut microbes and immune system to keep you well. Using a mouthwash that “kills 99% of germs” means that you are killing off this ecosystem that is designed to keep you healthy.
 
These common conventional mouthwash ingredients kill off both good and bad bacteria:

• Alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide, which can also kill the cells inside your teeth.
• Chlorhexidine, which also stains teeth, increases tartar and alters taste perception.
• Hexetidine, which is linked to unstable heartbeat and allergic reactions.
• Triclosan, which can lower thyroid hormones and is linked with cancer and fertility issues.

 
Bad breath or bleeding gums are indication of a system out of balance. There is an overgrowth of particular harmful bacteria that like to burrow into your gums to find iron in your blood to feed on and they can make your gums bleed.
 
The best way to stop this overgrowth is to support the helpful bacteria with oral probiotics. Strains like Lactobacillus Salivarius and Streptococcus Salivarius improve bad breath, reduce plaque and support healthy teeth and gums. Here’s one chewable probiotic that can help.
 
These are some other common ingredients in commercial mouthwash that can impact our health in a negative way:

• Artificial dyes, which can stain your teeth and are toxins so put strain on the liver.

• Methylparaben, which is an endocrine disrupter.
• Sodium benzoate, which is also an endocrine disrupter.

 
It is also important for oral health to make sure you take care of your gut health, keep inflammation at bay and keep your nutrient levels are strong. Let us know if you need help to see where you could improve things.
 
Other alternatives to conventional mouthwash are:
Oil Pulling - Swish coconut oil or olive oil around your mouth for 10-20 minutes and then spit it out.
Homemade mouthwash – I have been tweaking my recipe for taste and have arrived at this combination. For safety, it’s important to use only very high-grade essential oils.

• 12oz water
• 7 drops peppermint oil
• 5 drops melaleuca oil
• 3 drops cinnamon oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt.

 
As always, please share your thoughts and experiences with us. We love to hear from you!

Here is a guest blog from our Women Wine, & Wellness - Lowry speaker for July, Natalie Gentry. ​

Many of us admire women who shine their lights brightly. I’m talking about women like Oprah, Brene' Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, and others… These women are empowered, confident, and self-possessed. If you’re like me, you may have asked at some point, “How did they get there and how can I get some of that?” What I have come to realize is that sometimes getting to the point of shining our own light requires that we go through a transformation of sorts.  In order to transform, we have to drop all of the false stories and beliefs we’ve relied on to define us. We also have to uncover the truth of who we are so we can shine in ways that are meaningful to us.

THE DISCONNECT
I remember feeling like a sparkly little unicorn as a child; I was quirky, funny to others, and rather introspective. Then I grew up learning to feel ashamed of myself for things that had nothing to do with me. College helped me to start uncovering those parts of me that I’d learned to hide and I leaned in to my adventurous spirit by honoring my intuition and my quirkiness throughout my 20’s. I shelved it all in my 30’s by embracing the sometimes soul-choking role known as “adulting”. I woke up around age 40 and realized that I didn’t even recognize myself anymore. I’d compromised myself so others would feel comfortable with me to the point where I no longer had any idea of who I was anymore. I wanted myself back. I was even willing to fight for it and to let go of things that weren’t working for me anymore in order to reclaim my SELF. The first casualty became my marriage and the loss hit me like a ton of bricks.

MY DAY OF RECKONING 
​Thank God for my day of reckoning…I remember it well. I was sitting on my couch, talking with my Spiritual teacher and my sangha (my community of spiritual brothers and sisters) who I was grateful to have met a year earlier. My teacher dropped a verbal bomb that shook me to my core; she posed this question to my group, “Who would you be if everything you used to define yourself suddenly disappeared?” Mic drop. And with that, my transformation began. I had to face the truth that I wasn’t coping well with my newly found freedom. I was faking my okayness. Who was I now? How could I get to the place of living my truth and embracing my fire from a place of deep strength and wisdom? The answer would only unfold when I began to truly LOOK at myself and SENSE my own TRUTH. I needed to feel my life again.

MY JOURNEY HOME  
I was turned off by therapy; I’d participated in it for years but it didn’t really touch what I was dealing with in a way that helped me to feel resolved. I was trying to “think” my way into healing. I also was approaching healing from a perspective that there was something I had “to do” in order “to fix” myself. What I came to realize is that I wasn’t broken; I just had to “come home” to myself and to reconnect with who I am at my core. And to do that, I had to simply listen, allow myself “to be”, and to trust my intuition. Yep, you heard me! There was nothing to do; I just had to give myself space to be. The solution sounds simple but it was challenging to me. However, I was determined to feel my life again and to connect with that inner Wild Woman I sensed was still there. I began to open up to listening to my body.  With the support of teachers, coaches, and practitioners, I learned/relearned a number of things: I learned how to quiet my mind and how to be still through meditation. I also spent time out in nature. I took walks and laid out in my favorite parks. I also took hikes and spent weekends in the mountains. Nature is healing. I also received healing touch through massage, which helped me to feel my body again. Additionally, I learned how to breathe more deeply and fully through breath work, which helped me to let challenging feelings go. And, best of all, I learned how to move through feelings, express myself, interact with others, and how to play again through dance. 

COMING FULL CIRCLE
Today, I can feel my life again. I have a reignited sense of passion and growing freedom. I can feel my Inner Wild Woman! While I still have triggers that give me pause, I also have a willingness to try new things and to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I approach my life differently; I’m gentle with my limitations (we all have them) and I focus a lot more energy on the things that I do well. I have desires that I can now see are completely okay to have. Life is good! We aren’t taught that our bodies can be our most trusted ally for living fully in our own power; we are often taught that we have power if others approve of us or if we achieve that thing that makes us worthy. Not true. We hold the keys to our own freedom if we give ourselves the space and time to listen.

“ONE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE RHYTHMS AND MEANINGS OF THE OUTER WORLD UNTIL ONE HAS MASTERED THE DIALECTS OF THE BODY.”  ~TIMOTHY LEARY

Contact Natalie:
www.nataliegentry.com |[email protected] | 303-325-4150

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately working with hormonal balance and it has reminded me, yet again, of how much hard work it is to be healthy in a world full of toxins. There is so much to know and it seems, however hard we try, we can never avoid chemicals completely. Chemicals and toxins are so pervasive and the food supply is so contaminated that I think many people start to glaze over, and sometimes give up totally, on trying to live and eat in a “clean” way. The good news is that reducing your exposure to toxins isn’t an all-or-nothing pursuit! For example, a recent study showed that eating organic for just one week reduced pesticide in urine by 90%. So my approach is always to keep improving things where I can and not to stress about being perfect.
 
Below are some suggestions around the food you buy to encourage you to eat as clean as you can, as well as some other tips that you might consider implementing in your life. Take it a step at a time and don’t freak out!
 
If you’d like to learn more about your hormones and how to get them into balance then take a look at our 2 hour workshop on Nourishment for Hormonal Harmony – Feel Sexy and Vibrant Again! We’d love to have you join us!
 
 
1. Avoid food from cans lined with Bisphenol-A

• What are you avoiding?

 
Bisphenol-A acts as a synthetic hormone or xenoestrogen and confuses the body into thinking it’s a real hormone. BPA has been linked to everything from breast and other cancers to reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty and heart disease. It’s tough to avoid! Government tests show that 93 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies!
Check the labels on canned foods. Non-BPA lined cans will be labeled as such.
 
What else can you do? 

• Opt for non-paper receipts and wash your hands if you have to handle them.
• Avoid plastics marked with PC (polycarbonate) or recycling labels #3 or #7, which may contain BPA.
• Use glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers instead of plastics where you can. Even if plastics are marked free of BPA, other plastics are proving to be just as damaging.

 
2. Buy organic, grass-fed or pastured animal products (meat, eggs, dairy) and wild caught and smaller varieties of fish.

• What are you avoiding?

 
Dioxins are a family of toxic chemicals formed as a by-product of many industrial processes that do not break down easily. As a result they accumulate in the food chain and, in particular, in the fatty tissue of animals. They are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and cause cancer.
 
Mercury is a naturally occurring but toxic metal that gets into the air and the oceans primarily though burning coal. It is found in larger varieties of seafood. Pregnant women are the most at risk from the toxic effects of mercury, since it can interfere with brain development. Mercury can bind to hormones and damage cells. Exposure is linked with neurotoxicity, autoimmune disorders, weakened immune system and altered hormone signaling.
 
What else can you do? 

• Take a chlorella or spirulina supplement when you eat seafood to help you detoxify mercury and any other heavy metals. We carry some different options if you’d like a suggestion.
• Having a strong basis of minerals like selenium and zinc can also be helpful. (Let us know if you’d like to hear more about our micronutrient blood testing.)

 
3. Buy organic produce

• What are you avoiding?

 
Neurotoxic organophosphate pesticides are among the more common pesticides in use today. They work by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Many studies link organophosphate exposure to effects on brain development, behavior and hormones.
Another chemical found in herbicides is atrazine. It has been linked to breast tumors, delayed puberty and prostate inflammation in animals. Some research has linked it to prostate cancer in people.

What else can you do? ​

• If you can’t afford to eat completely organic then focus your organic spending on the most pesticide ridden produce. Take a look at the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list to find out which are the worst offenders.
• Use a water filter that is certified to remove atrazine.

 
4. Include seaweed and seafood in your diet

• What are you avoiding?

 
Perchlorate, a component in rocket fuel, contaminates much of our vegetables, fruits and milk. When perchlorate gets into your body it competes with the nutrient iodine, which the thyroid gland needs to make thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism in adults and are critical for proper brain and organ development in infants and young children. Seaweed and seafood are good sources of iodine, which can help keep your iodine status strong.
 
What else can you do? 

• Drink and cook with water filtered by a reverse osmosis filter.
• Use iodized sea salt.

 
5. Avoid microwave popcorn and fast food with paper food containers

• What are you avoiding?

 
These containers use Perfluorochemicals (PFCs), which are so widespread and tough to detoxify that 99% of Americans have them in their bodies and some don’t ever break down. Exposure has been linked
 to decreased sperm quality, low birth weight, kidney disease, thyroid disease and high cholesterol.
 
What else can you do? 

• Avoid non-stick pans.
• Avoid stain and water resistant coatings.

 
6. Eat a nutrient dense diet

• What are you avoiding?

 
Ditch the junk food, and eat a diet rich in micronutrients – vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (plant compounds). These help protect your body from heavy metals like mercury, lead and arsenic and detoxify unwanted toxins like atrazine that can be wreaking havoc with your body chemistry.
Lead for example is linked with permanent brain damage, lowered IQ, hearing loss, miscarriage, premature birth, increased blood pressure, kidney damage and nervous system problems. Research has also shown that lead can disrupt the hormone signaling that regulates the body’s stress response system and may lower sex hormone levels. To assist with removal of lead it is helpful to have a good status for calcium, iron and vitamin C levels.

• What else can you do?

 
Make sure you do not have any peeling lead paint in your home.

• Check for lead in lipsticks.
• Use a good water filter.

 
Other ways to reduce toxic load

• Use personal care items that are paraben and phthalate free.
• Use glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers instead of plastics where you can.
• Avoid plastic wrap made from PVC.
• Avoid products that use the catch all word “fragrance” on labels.

 
Phthalates are xenoestrogens that are found in #3 plastics and fragrances. Studies have linked phthalates to hormone changes, lower sperm count, less mobile sperm, birth defects in the male reproductive system, impaired neurodevelopment in girls, obesity, diabetes and thyroid irregularities. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in personal care products. They act as weak estrogens once absorbed in the body and interfere with hormone levels and balance.

• Remove your shoes inside the house to avoid spreading pesticides from lawns and gardens into your home.

• Use a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner to cut down on house dust laden with toxic polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs) used as fire retardants. These chemicals can imitate thyroid hormones and disrupt their activity. That can lead to lower IQ, among other significant health effects.

• Cleaning supplies and paints can be a source of glycol ethers, which are linked with infertility and allergies in children. Avoid products with ingredients like 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME).