Elizabeth Cassano Fx Wellness Specialist

06/11/2022

Bottom(s) up: It's proven that fundamentals for optimal health start with the basics (which are often neglected).

I use this chart to:

Build and maintain a strong base,

and to

Ensure I constantly keep focus on prevention or overcoming poor function that allows imbalances such as those displayed in the bubble at the top (many more, and many others that evolve if we don't keep order in the body)

If I'm not working on the bottom, I'm not putting up my best defense to avoid the top.

Another celebration for "Bottom(s) Up"!

Cheers to your health!

04/07/2022

Myth busting.

Salt vs sodium. And why you need one and not so much the other.

Vital to understand and implement.

When you were a child you were probably told that going in the ocean would help heal your cuts and scrapes faster. Or, perhaps your mother had you gargle with warm salt water to soothe a sore throat. (Today, many holistic dentists continue to recommend salt water rinses to heal inflamed gum tissues....

04/06/2022

Sugar is the dangerous white stuff!

If you suffer from chronic pain, one of the first things you MUST do is significantly reduce your intake of sugar and simple carbs.

Excess sugar and carbs:
* cause insulin spikes and the release of stress hormones
* contribute to gut microbiome imbalances like Candida overgrowth
* contribute to gut permeability, “leaky gut”, thus causing MORE inflammation
* burden the adrenal system, causing nutrient deficiencies that can make pain worse

03/29/2022

It's the over abundance, even in tiny doses, that add up.

Avoiding is impossible, but when we know toxins are present we can make better choices.

It's the collection of toxins, that brew in the body - over time, and create a chemical soup.

Mix into that chemical soup a stressed out Momma and maxxed to the gil Dad, and that concoction can easily yield lousy symptoms - and if we don't acknowledge and love up on those symptoms and our worn out bodies, the symptoms can progress into something that might be diagnosable - YUCK.

Kroger is a favorite in some areas, so here's to altering your chemical soup recipe.

The Good Lord knows we have enough unpreventable toxins coming in. So let's protect ourselves where we can.

Knowledge is power.

Thanks for all you do to keep our families safe from the nasties.

Some products from Simple Truth Organic private label at Kroger were found to contain high levels of lead and were sued.

03/15/2022

When I started learning about all the chemicals in just about all mattresses and pillows - from mattress, big box and furniture stores, and the burden these chemicals place on the body, I knew we had to make a change.

I’ve read so many anecdotal stories about how life changing a clean sleep has been for many.

If you’ve been around a bit, you know I’ve had quite the adventurous wellness journey.

There’s no timeline or finish line for achieving optimal health - it’s a perpetual one - so this is my next step to a cleaner home.

I’m going to share our sleep experiences. I’ll be sure to let you know our thoughts.

Cheers to sound and clean sleeping!

01/20/2022

Journeying through Thyroid Awareness Month

3 Tips for Optimal Nourishment of Your Thyroid

1. Start with nutrient dense foods that contain the vitamins and minerals listed is vital for optimal health.

2. Knowing my body's unique levels and needs of vitamins and minerals helps me to decide if I need targeted supplementation.

3. I was a Hot Mess. Test don't Guess: blood, urine, hair tests, and yes, my p**p, too, are telling pieces of my thyroid story - your story, the story of the girl at the gym, the office, the one next door, and your BFF's story, the message is loud and clear...

YOUR BODY IS UNIQUE, discover and honor your individual needs.

Don't you want to grow from status quo to optimal?

01/16/2022

Seems so many are struggling with symptoms: being cold even when others are not, relentless fatigue, unexplained weight gain, unable to shed pounds even when doing all the right things, slow metabolism, constipation, suppressed heart rate, losing hair and others...

While there can be multiple root causes for these symptoms, one that is very simple to rule out is often slighted.

Yes, that would be your thyroid.

When I look back on the lab results from my very first thyroid labs, the only thyroid marker collected was TSH.

Grant it, that was in 2001. And my TSH was 117. When there is dysfunction, the TSH is not typically THAT high, even when it IS elevated.

While TSH alone is not an indicator of a poor functioning thyroid, a TSH of 117 combined with the percolating symptoms I was experiencing were screaming - YOUR BODY NEEDS ATTENTION.

For over a decade now, it's been recommended that a FULL THYROID PANEL be drawn to determine/track thyroid function.

I often see client labs with only one, two or maybe three thyroid related markers that have been signed off on as "all good," yet client has numerous relentless symptoms and an unsupported thyroid.

Their TSH may be 3, 4 or 7, maybe even 1.9, but no other marker has been considered. They have been left to think they are crazy. And feel hopeless.

PLEASE if you've only been getting TSH T4/T3 or maybe TSH, FT4/FT3, it's NOW time to request a full thyroid panel.

Experts say three markers are not sufficient to determine thyroid function. Poor thyroid function is being overlooked because not enough lab markers are being reviewed.

Throwing a thyroid med at a poorly functioning thyroid may help symptoms BUT taking thyroid meds does NOT get to the root cause. Ask me how I know?!

Random notes:

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is not actually made in the thyroid. It's made in the pineal gland.

You need a healthy liver to convert T4 to T3.

You need to know both of your thyroid antibodies to rule out autoimmune thyroiditis.

And Reverse T3 can signify stress in the body, not necessarily your thyroid but other areas.

AND did you know, elevated cholesterol can be associated with an underactive thyroid?!

So much to know about the thyroid, the body's regulator.

I remember thinking, my thyroid, what the heck does THAT do?

Two decades later, and I remain a voice for thyroid health.

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Get your regulator checked. Request a full panel. If your medical provider won't order one, you can order labs for yourself.

Check the "my thyroid is healthy" box.

Be your thyroid's voice.

01/16/2022

Empowered. What’s it mean to you?

I use it often in the context of “educating clients to feel empowered so they can own their health.”

I have either taken that feeling for granted or simply lost it after so long, but yesterday…it consumed my whole body, again.

And it was incredible. And inspiring.

After three shots, my eyes swelled with tears, I set the g word down and simply cried.

Standing next to a phenomenal woman, who’s also the instructor, and one who I know gets it, I let it flow.

I was overwhelmed with the emotion and feeling of being empowered to own my health. Still in my usual context, but even deeper. My courage, my confidence, my safety, and my sense of protection, for myself and those around me.

It’s an absolute amazing feeling to be empowered, to own it, your wellness + health = your wellth, and your everyday safety and protection.

Guaranteed, it’s a feeling I will cherish and respect, no longer taking it for granted.

Thank you for empowering women just like me! And for capturing this photo that exudes badassery, I am grateful.

What do or can you do to feel empowered?

12/20/2021

The liver is our main detox organ. It is in charge of making toxins less dangerous through biochemical processing inside liver cells. Our body is exposed to toxins on a daily basis, some are avoidable, many are not.

👉What can you do to support your overtaxed liver in its function of breaking down toxic substances?

🟢Eat your crucifers. The cruciferous family of vegetables includes broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. The same receptor on cells that environmental toxins use for their negative effects is also used by cruciferous vegetables. That means when you eat more of them, you crowd out the bad environmental toxins. Crucifers contain sulforaphane that boosts production of glutathione, the queen of detoxifiers in your body.

🟡Eat your alliums. In addition to the crucifers, add more onions, garlic, leeks (alliums) to your diet to increase your glutathione levels.

🟢Sweat. In the previous post, I talked about the benefits of saunas. Another way to sweat that I describe in WOMEN, FOOD, AND HORMONES (https://bit.ly/DrGottfried_WomenFoodHormones) is to soak in a hot bath with Epsom salts. My recipe: 4 cups of Epsom salts + about 1–2 cups of baking soda, a few drops of at least two essential oils (spruce and frankincense are my favorites on repeat), and then I soak in the hottest water I can tolerate for 20 minutes or more. Then I lie in bed over a towel while I continue sweating, and I read a favorite book. What are your favorite essential oils that you use in your bath?

🍷Oh, and it goes without saying, reduce your alcohol intake. I know the holidays are here but out of all the toxins that the liver is busy processing, alcohol is always bumped up to the front of the toxin line, no matter what. Reducing alcohol consumption to a minimum to free up your liver to focus on other toxins.

💊Supplements for the liver coming tomorrow. Save these posts to have on hand during the holidays.