Category:

Wellness

Holistic Skincare Update and a GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!

Finally a holistic skincare update! I’ve been promising you guys this one for a while. Before I dive into all the skincare details, I want to announce the AMAZING GIVEAWAY I’m hosting on this post. I’ve teamed up with some of my favorite brands to give away the ultimate self-care skincare package (a $635 value!) to ONE LUCKY WINNER. Included are literally all my favorite products. Best of luck to everyone who enters! Here are the dets…

GRAND PRIZE INCLUDES:

January Labs Daily Brightening Tonic, Restorative Tonic Mist, Revitalizing Day Cream and Retexturizing Night Cream – What I love about January’s line is that it’s pared down perfection. The line focuses on less products that do more, so you don’t need 5 serums AND 2 creams. (And in case you can’t wait to see if you win, use promo code WUHAUS for 15% off anything on site from now until 3/20)
ACTIVIST Raw Mānuka Honey +100, +300, +850 – I use this amazing Manuka honey both internally and externally. I use the +100 and +300 in teas and tonics, and I use the +850 on it’s own as a face mask. It’s so healing for my skin. I absolutely love it. (And in case you can’t wait to see if you win, use promo code ACTIVATE10 for 10% off one order)
Sun Potion Yin Power and Solar Rose Water Mist – The Yin Power includes a variety of herbs and adaptogens that support the skin from the inside. I mist the Solar Rose Water over my face a few times a day.
MIRTH Caftans Laos Robe – This lightweight robe is my favorite. Not only is it super cute, it’s comfy, lightweight and breathable.

CONTEST RULES AND HOW TO ENTER:

Leave a comment ON THIS BLOG POST telling me why you want/need/deserve this bag of goodies in your life.
For an extra entry, follow @alison__wu @januarylabs @activistmanuka @sunpotion @mirthcaftans on Instagram then leave ANOTHER comment ON THIS BLOG POST telling me you’re following everyone.
For one more entry, tag a friend (or several) in the comments section of THIS INSTAGRAM POST to let them know about the giveaway.
Contest open to residents of the US and Canada only. Must be 18-years-of-age or older.
Contest closes at midnight PST on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Winner will be notified on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 by email.

Before I dive into how I take care of my skin, I want to talk about modern beauty culture for a sec. I am absolutely all for taking care of yourself (duh, self-care). But I also absolutely acknowledge how privileged I am, and one must be, to have the time and energy to care, let alone afford all these nice products and facial treatments. These things are a nice-to-have, but absolutely not a necessity. I’m sharing my routine and the products I use with you, but please remember, you absolutely do NOT need these things. You are perfect and beautiful just as you are in your natural state.

I think it’s also important to note, we live in times where the predominant beauty standard has reached unachievable heights. We have young girls who are looking up to the Kim Kardashians of the world and think that they should look like that too. And don’t get me wrong, I support every person’s right to choose, and this includes their choice to change their appearance. I just also think it’s important to acknowledge how dangerous it can be. Our desire to constantly change or “fix” our appearance is a very slippery slope. No amount of surgery, procedures or expensive products will help us find the self-love and acceptance we really seek. That takes hard work and looking at ourselves very honestly, not through a FaceTune filter. It’s learning to love our strengths, what we perceive as beautiful, AND our weaknesses, what we perceive as flaws. There is SO MUCH beauty in the diversity of our appearances. Let’s embrace them all. Let’s expand what society has deemed as the standard by accepting and loving people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors and skin types and demanding that there is equal representation of ALL people in the mainstream culture.

Everyday Essentials
Honestly, I’d say some of the most important things I do for my skin are relatively easy and FREE. Drink plenty of water everyday (I aim for 3-4 liters). Get enough sleep (I aim for 8-hours a night). And be conscious and cautious about what you put on and in your body. This last one is a bit more tricky, but it just takes mindfulness. Start to notice which foods effect your skin in good ways and which foods effect your skin in bad ways. If you have super sensitive or reactive skin like me, limit the amount of products you use and never start using more than one new product at a time. You don’t need 100 products. Simplify. Find what works for you.

(Mostly) Everyday Routine
Over the years, I’ve come to understand my sensitive skin on a deeper level. It changes from day to day, so I’ve really had to tune into it and try to figure out what it’s asking for. I adapt my skincare routine to the state of my skin and its needs. It’s another lesson in listening to your intuition. If you get a feeling about something that’s going on with your skin, chances are you’re more than likely right. This is the routine I generally follow and the products I use most days unless my skin is being overly reactive (which actually happens more than you might think):

- Upon rising: wash my face with alternating warm and cold water for about a minute. Dab January Labs Daily Brightening Tonic over my face using a soaked cotton pad in an upward motion from the center of my face outward. Smooth January Labs Revitalizing Day Cream over my face avoiding my eye area. Somedays, I dab January Labs Eye Cream around my eyes, but I’m not religious about using it. Use my jade roller (tutorial on my IG Stories highlights) for 3-5 minutes. I currently use this Suntegrity board-spectrum sunscreen, but I would love to find something that’s a bit more lightweight (any suggestions?!). Finish with a spritz of January Labs Restorative Tonic Mist or Sun Potion Solar Rose Water.
- I focus on hydrating from the inside. Constantly sipping water throughout the day. 3-4 liters if possible!
- I focus on eating lots of vegetables and healthy fats throughout my day. I often add in some adaptogens (like the Yin Power) to my morning matcha to support balance within my body.
- In the evenings, I wash my face with the Osmia Black Clay Facial Bar. Dab my face with the Daily Brightening Tonic again. Several nights a week, I use the ACTIVIST 850+ Manuka Honey as a face mask (spread evenly over entire face and leave on for 20-60 minutes). I finish with the January Labs Retexturizing Night Cream.
- I try to get 8-hours of sleep every night. I recently switched to using Upstate Silk Pillow Cases, and I’ve noticed a major difference in the amount of sleep lines on my face when I wake up. Silk pillow cases are also great for hair health.

Perioral Dermatitis (PD) Routine
As some of you may know, I was diagnosed with perioral dermatitis (PD) about 5 years ago. I’m not going to go into major detail here, as I have an entire blog post talking about my experience with it. The main takeaways are that PD hates relatively all products and makeup, so as best you can avoid putting anything on your face. I will say though that if there was one product that may help, it would be the Avene Cicalfate Cream. I got an Instagram DM from a reader who recommended using this cream and absolutely nothing else on my skin for 2 weeks, and my 6-month-long outbreak of PD pretty much disappeared by the end of the 2 weeks. I’ve heard from many of you that it’s been helpful in getting rid, or at least calming, your PD as well. Might be worth a try if you haven’t already. Once you have PD, it’s likely to come back, so it’s great if you can identify your triggers. I haven’t had a major outbreak in over a year, but little bumps come up now and again. PD is also aggravated by stress. It feels counterintuitive, but I’ve found that when my skin is overreacting, it’s usually best if I just leave it alone all together and avoid looking in the mirror as much as possible.

Skin Fasting
I learned about skin fasting last month through an article I read on Man Repeller (explains the theory behind why it works). It really resonated with me. While I’d never done a full 7-day skin fast, there were many days (sometimes 2-3 in a row) that I would refrain from using any products because of the overly reactive nature of my skin. So I decided to embark on a 7-day skin fast. For the entirety of the fast, I didn’t use a single product on my face including my lips. I washed with alternating warm and cold water in the mornings and used a warm washcloth laid over my face in the evenings. I was really surprised by how my skin responded. Besides my lips feeling extremely dry and burning for the first 4 days, my skin reacted great to the fast. My face never really got dry and any blemish or inflammation I had seemed pretty calm the whole week. I didn’t get any new breakouts or irritations during the fast either. Overall, it was a great opportunity to step back from my regularly routine and really look at all the products I’m using. While, yes, I enjoy using my day and night creams, maybe I don’t absolutely need them all the time. It felt good to take a break and give my skin a chance to breathe. Since the fast, I’ve been doing 1-2 days a week product free. I especially recommend this practice to people with very sensitive or overly reactive skin like me.

Holistic Facials
I started getting monthly facials about a year ago. I’m almost 33, and I noticed my skin start to change a few years ago after I turned 30. My regularly facialist here in Portland, Oriana (she’s amazing!!!), uses a combination of LED, microcurrent and Reiki during our treatments. Besides the positive effect they have on my skin, I’ve actually found that I really love the relaxation and stress relief aspect of facials. Facials have fast become my favorite form of body care. I don’t really get massages anymore (maybe 1 or 2 a year) since I’ve started getting regular facials. Not that they need to be mutually exclusive, but I personally don’t have the budget to afford both. I will say that I think it’s worth finding a facialist that uses LED, microcurrent, microdermabrasion, oxygenation or other techniques that you wouldn’t be able to do at home. In NYC, my favorite facial that I’ve had is at Joanna Vargas. If you have any other NYC facial recommendations, I would love to know!

Microneedling
Skin needling, also called microneedling therapy, collagen induction therapy (CIT), and percutaneous collagen induction (PCI), is a minimally invasive skin-rejuvenation procedure that involves the use of a pen that contains fine needles. The needles are used to puncture the skin to create a controlled skin injury. Each puncture creates a channel that triggers the body to fill these microscopic wounds by producing new collagen and elastin. Through the process of neovascularization and neocollagenesis, there is improvement in skin texture and firmness, as well as reduction in scars, pore size, and stretch marks. I did 4 initial treatments with Kimmer (highly recommend!) at Echo Natural Beauty one-month after another last winter, which is recommended to begin. It is considered a minimally invasive treatment, but it’s still pretty intense. You need a couple days of recovery afterward. No touching your face, no sun exposure whatsoever, no physical activity, no alcohol. Essentially your whole face is an open wound, so you have to be very careful about aftercare. That being said, I did notice a big difference in the overall texture of my skin after the 4 treatments. My pores were visibly smaller from the microneedling. It’s recommended to go back 1-2 times a year after the initial 4 treatments.

LED Light Therapy
LED Light Therapy is a non-invasive and soothing way to expedite the skin’s healing process. LED works by sending light waves into deep layers of the skin, stimulating natural intercellular response. LED can reduce wrinkles, improves skin tone and texture, stimulate collagen production and kill acne bacteria. LED is beneficial for all skin types and overall a soothing treatment (read: I usually fall asleep under the lights). I’ve found it to be especially helpful for any sort of breakout, even PD. I always notice a difference in my skin a day or so after a treatment.

Microcurrent
Microcurrent uses a mild electrical current to stimulate the skin and facial muscles, promoting collagen and elastin production. This treatment lifts and contours the face, softens wrinkles and improves overall complexion. It’s pretty incredible how you can visibly see your face more lifted after a treatment. I purchased an at-home microcurrent device through Oriana, and I usually use it once a week. The currents are not as strong as the professional machines that estheticians use, but it’s great for maintenance and relatively easy to use at home. See Oriana giving me a microcurrent treatment in the video below.

March 13, 2019 581 comments

Self-Care Wellness

Vaginal Health and Sustainable Period Products

Vaginas are beautiful, sensuous, vulnerable, mysterious and sensitive. For so long, talking about sex, our periods, our anatomy, our intimate desires was stigmatized. It’s conversation that was better kept between your most trusted confidents. It’s been so refreshing to see sex, vaginal health, periods, women’s pleasure come into mainstream conversation. In these modern times, we need to equip ourselves with as much information as we can so that we can better care for our minds and our bodies. This happens through having conversations, reading, listening, experiencing and any other ways we can learn to take knowledge and use it to empower us to make better decisions, to stand up for our needs and desires and ultimately care for ourselves more deeply. In the spirit of open communication, I want to share my own experience with taking care of my vagina and with making the switch to sustainable period products.

I’ve partnered with Sustain on this blog post. Sustain makes everything from condoms and lube to organic cotton tampons and washable period underwear to their newly launched period cup. They’ve developed all of their products to be vagina AND earth friendly. They also donate 10% of profits to women’s healthcare organizations. Sustain is offering you 20% off your first order with code: WU20

Over the years, I’ve suffered from countless UTIs, bacterial vaginosis, painful sex and periods. Most of the time quietly. Consulting the help of my regularly changing healthcare provider. Taking antibiotics at first and then as I got into herbal medicine, learning to help myself with natural remedies. Of course, there’s tons you can do to take care of your vagina. Eat well. Exercise. Use natural soaps and beauty products. Take herbs and vaginal probiotics. Pee after sex. Tell your partner to stop when sex is painful (which unsurprisingly is very hard for many women – listen to this podcast episode). Sleep underwear-less. But unfortunately sometimes doing all of those things isn’t enough.

There are many factors that effect the bacteria and pH levels down there. I have a hunch that the way our body chemistry reacts to our partners can also play a part. Since I’ve been with my husband, stopped taking hormonal birth control and took antibiotics for the last time (hopefully ever), which were ALL right around the same time in my life, I haven’t had any cases of BV or UTI, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had any odor/itchiness down there, which were all minor and went away in a day. Painful sex still happens sometimes, but I feel confident and comfortable enough to speak up and say “stop” when it does.

I finally made the switch from organic tampons to the Sustain period cup and underwear. I don’t know why I waited so long to make the switch. I honestly was just telling myself a story that I made up in my head about how it wouldn’t work for me and how I thought it would be difficult and messy. After going through a few successful periods using both the period cup and underwear, I can now say, that while there is a bit of a learning curve, they both are relatively easy to use, and I really don’t see myself switching back to tampons ever again.

Learning to use the period cup has brought me closer to my body. I’ve learned more about my cervix and how its position changes through my cycle than I ever knew in my life. I’ve become more intimate with my blood and how much blood I’m producing on different days through my cycle. At first it felt intense, but after a couple days I felt empowered and more curious about my female anatomy than ever before.

Inserting the period cup can be tricky at first, but with practice you’ll be a pro. Sustain has lots of info to get you started, but leave it to me to not read any info before I tried mine for the first time. I simply looked at the drawings in the pamphlet included in the box and went for it. TBH, I didn’t realize how far it was supposed to go up. Unlike a tampon, there’s no string that hangs down. The cup actually sits all the way up inside your vagina. Anyways for the first day, I wasn’t inserting it all the way (which would normally cause leakage), but I was working from home, so I just kept incessantly checking it and didn’t have any leaks.

The third day of my period I had to head out to an appointment and then to film a video with my friend Kait. I brought a tampon to use for the video shoot, just to be 100% sure I wouldn’t leak on set since I wasn’t that comfortable using the cup yet. I wore the period cup to my prior appointment though. When I got to the house where we were shooting the video, I went to the bathroom to change my clothes and switch from the cup to the tampon. I reached down to pull on the little silicon piece that hangs down from the cup, and it wasn’t there. I started panicking right away. I was in the honest-to-God smallest bathroom ever, and now my period cup was stuck up inside my vagina, AND everyone was waiting for me to come upstairs so we could start filming. Luckily, I did remember reading that if you can’t get it out, don’t panic. Remember to breathe. So there were several moments of vacillating between panic and “you got this!” Relaxing and getting my hands on some part of the cup, but then it would slip away, and I would be sent into a fit of panic again. Finally I sat down on the toilet, and released the grip of my vaginal muscles (akin to what it feels like to pee, you gotta push!) and slowly felt the cup drop to where I could actually grab onto it. PHEW! I wasn’t going to have to cancel the photoshoot and go to the emergency room.

After that experience, I had all these realizations about the cup and how you were actually supposed to use it. I came home and of course did all sorts of Googling and reading. I honestly haven’t had any issues removing it since. Like I said, it just takes practice and getting used to your own body.

A couple general tips that have helped me:

+ Shorter finger nails are better with the period cup. Honestly I had a couple moments where it felt like I gouged my vagina with my nails. Not a good feeling.

+ Use a wet wipe or wet paper towel for public bathroom use. Before going into the stall, I always wash my hands (which you should do anytime you insert or remove your cup) and grab a wetted paper towel just in case anything gets messy when I’m removing or reinserting. Just pour the blood from your cup into the toilet and use the wet paper towel if you need to clean your vagina, hands and/or the cup.

I’ve been using the period underwear on days when my flow is super light or super heavy. On heavy days, I sometimes use both the cup and the underwear. Sometimes it’s nice to have the reassurance of the underwear when my flow is super heavy on days 2 and 3. The cup is super reliant and won’t leak once you get the hang of it, but the underwear’s got your back if not. And on the first or last day, when I’m barely bleeding, I’ll just wear the underwear on its own. Feels great to not have to wear a tampon when you’re barely bleeding. Caring for the underwear is super easy. I usually just rinse it in the sink with cold water before I pop it in the washing machine with my other laundry. I have 2 pairs of the underwear, so I don’t have to be constantly washing one pair.

There’s tons of great info over on the Sustain blog. And as always, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have or share my experience with something if I forgot to include it here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.

December 6, 2018 8 comments

Drinks Wellness

Adaptogenic Dream Tonic and Tips for Restful Sleep

This evening I’m sharing a brand new adaptogenic dream tonic recipe and my favorite tips for promoting restful sleep. Though the winter months are more conducive for sleep because it’s colder and darker, I find my sleep is often times more disrupted during the holiday season. Whether it’s the stress or indulgent eating and drinking, sleep often suffers this time of year. We may wake up feeling unrested and may have a harder time falling asleep.

Incorporating herbs and adaptogens into my daily routine over the past several years has improved the quality of my sleep tremendously. Adaptogens work to help the body better react to stress by balancing cortisol levels in the body. Because adaptogens work bi-directionally, they not only help promote relaxation and restful sleep, but also give us more energy and stamina overall. Adaptogens work to bring the body into better balance, giving our bodies the power to better respond to various external stimuli.

I’ve been drinking Mountain Rose Herbs Dream Tea for years now, and I love it. When they asked me to make a dream tonic, I thought it would be lovely to use their tea mixed with a couple of my favorite adaptogens for sleep. This creamy tea latte is one of my favorites to drink an hour or two after dinner time. As always, Mountain Rose Herbs is one of my favorite places to source organic and sustainably harvested herbs. They offer a large variety of bulk herbs and spices, as well as some of my favorite tea blends out there (try the spicy, caffeine-free turmeric chai if you haven’t already).

Create a nighttime ritual
Creating a nighttime ritual that I look forward to is one of my favorite ways to get me excited about going to bed each night. I usually make a tea tonic (like the recipe below!), turn down all the lights in my house, spend 30 minutes or so in the living room lounging, sometimes reading, other times talking with my husband. Then I dedicate about 15-30 minutes to my evening self-care routine. In the colder months, I might take a bath a few nights a week. Otherwise, I spend time taking care of my skin and teeth before getting into bed. By this time, I’m usually pretty wound down, but I usually like to read for about 15 minutes at least and/or take time to practice deep breathing.

Shut off screens at least 1 hour before bed.
And if possible, dim the lights throughout your living space. Soft, dim light signals the body to relax and that it’s time to wind down. Blue light, which electronic devices like our smartphones and computers emit in large amounts, does the exact opposite. It tries to trick the body into thinking it’s daylight.

Include herbs that promote sleep and relaxation
My favorite herbs that help promote rest, relaxation and overall calm are: peppermint leaf, chamomile, skullcap, mugwort and oatstraw. Adaptogens for sleep: ashwagandha, tulsi, eleuthero and schisandra. Try incorporating some of these powerful herbs by drinking the Dream Tonic recipe below, or you can take them in whatever form calls to you (capsules, tincture, infusion, etc.)

Stick to a sleep schedule
Waking up and going to bed at the same time everyday allows your body to get into a rhythm. As we create habits, our bodies respond either positively or negatively based on what these habits are. Our bodies love routine. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule will improve the quality of your sleep. If you want to start waking up earlier in the morning, at first it’s always challenging, but if you stick with the same sleeping schedule, over the course of a few months, your body should slowly adapt to your new bedtime and morning wake up time.

Limit caffeine after noon.
This rule doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, I definitely recommend limiting caffeine intake, especially after noon.

Remove the clock from your bedside table.
I can’t stress this one enough. There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night, turning over and seeing your clock staring back at you with the numbers 3:15AM in red. I never check my clock (on my phone, as I don’t have an alarm clock) if I wake up in the middle of the night or if I’m having trouble falling asleep. I know from experience that this gives me anxiety and then I usually have a very difficult time falling asleep. Instead lying there thinking about how soon in the morning I have to wake up.

Set up your sleeping space for success.
Lots of cozy blankets. Supportive pillows. Mood lighting. Plants. Crystals on your bedside. Whatever it is that makes you feel safe, calm and protected in your space.

For enhanced dreaming, sleep with a piece of labradorite or spectralite by your bedside.
I’m always impressed that this works. Crystals are magic! Whenever I sleep with a piece of labradorite or spectralite next to my bed or under my pillow, my dreams are much more vivid, and I usually have an easier time remembering them.

Adaptogenic Dream Tonic
[Serves 2]

2 Tablespoons Mountain Rose Herbs Dream Tea
3 1/2 cups boiling water

1.) Steep loose leaf tea in boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and/or cheesecloth.

_________________________________

1 oz (2 Tablespoons) coconut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground ashwagandha
1/2 teaspoon ground schisandra
1-2 teaspoons raw honey or 1 medjool date (optional)

1.) Blend all ingredients with steeped Dream tea in a high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes. Serve, sip slowly and enjoy!

December 4, 2018 1 comment

Beauty Self-Care Wellness

Immune Support Bath and Tips to Stay Well this Winter

Okay friends, unfortunately, cold season is upon us. Now is a great time to adapt immune-boosting practices into your daily routine. Besides getting plenty of sleep and staying hydrated, one of my favorite ways to support my immune system is with a relaxing bath using Epsom salts and essential oils. Mountain Rose Herbs is my favorite one-stop-shop for herbs, spices, essential oils, salts, teas, etc.. All of their essential oils are 100% pure, certified organic and high-quality from farm to bottle. I’ve long been inspired by MRH’s commitment to sustainability. You can read all about what they do as a business, here. Also in this post, I’m also sharing some of my favorite tips for staying well this winter. Take care of yourselves, bbs.

Essential Oils for Immunity:

Eucalyptus – Known for its ability to support upper respiratory health and break up congestion. Eucalyptus is also an anti-inflammatory for the lungs. Great to use in a the bath, hot shower, sauna and/or a facial steam especially during a cold or the flu. Eucalyptus also help fight infection by stimulating antibodies.

Lemon – A powerful detoxifier. Used as a lymph tonic to help move cellular waste out of the body during a cold or the flu.

Rosemary – Provides a great boost to the immune system and can be helpful in loosening mucus clogging nasal passages. Can also help relieve a sinus headache.

Oregano – One of the best all natural antibiotics because of its high carvacrol and thymol content. Oregano essential oil can be used both help strengthen the immune system and prevent cold and flu, or to shorten the timespan of an illness once you get sick.

Cinnamon Bark – One of the most powerful antibacterial/antivirals among all essential oils. You can add a drop or two to your bath. I also love add to a spray bottle with water and use to clean surfaces in my house. Just be sure to let the cinnamon-water spray sit for 2-5 minutes on a surface before wiping dry.

Clove Bud – Has antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antiseptic and antiviral properties. One of my favorite essential oils for stimulating the immune system.

Frankincense – Strengthens the immune system by increasing production of white blood cells. Also acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Immune Support Bath
2-3 cups Epsom salt
4 drops clove bud essential oil
3 drops lemon essential oil
2 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
2 drops eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop rosemary essential oil

Optional after bath care:
In 2 teaspoon of jojoba oil (or any other carrier oil of choice), add 3 drops of oregano essential oil and 2 drops of frankincense essential oil. Massage into the soles of your feet then cover them with cotton socks to allow the oils to absorb.

Tips for Staying Well:

Plenty of sleep – This is KEY. Any time we’re worn down, overworked or stressed, our bodies become way more susceptible to illness. I always advocate for getting plenty of rest, but I find especially in the colder months good sleep is essential to staying healthy. For me that means at least 8-hours a night. Sometimes more if my body is craving it. Winter is a good time to slow down, get more rest, stay closer to home and really nurture your body and your mind.

Plenty of water – Hydration is so important for every aspect of health. In the cooler months, it can be harder to get your daily water quota, so you may want to sip warm water with lemon instead of room temp or cold water. I aim for 3 liters of filtered water a day. Sometimes more when I feel like I need an extra boost.

Dry brushing – Dry brushing (I do it before bathing or showering) stimulates the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. This helps clean the body’s tissues and maintain its balance of fluids. Our lymph nodes filter out waste, toxins and pathogens like bacteria and viruses. Dry brushing also improves skin health and appearance by increasing blood flow and exfoliating dead skin.

Apple cider vinegar – One of my favorite things to soothe, and usually get rid of, a sore throat. In a mug, mix 1-2 Tablespoons of ACV with warm (not hot!) water, lemon juice and a little bit of raw honey. Sip morning and night until sore throat goes away.

Vitamin C – A real powerhouse. I bolster my immune system with Vitamin C anytime I feel the slightest bit run down. There are plenty of food sources of Vitamin C: Papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, bok choy, grapefruit, etc. I also take this supplement when I feel like I need a little extra.

Adaptogens – As we start to move into the cooler months, now is a great time to start bolstering your immune system for cold and flu season. One way I love to do this is with adaptogenic herbs. Adaptogens have been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine lineages. If you want to start incorporating some adaptogens for immunity this season, these are five I recommend:

Astragalus – my top choice for immunity. However discontinue use if you do actually get sick and reincorporate after getting well again.
Ashwagandha – immune boosting as well as helps the body combat stress and anxiety
Reishi – the queen healer mushroom – strengthens immune system, antimicrobial
Chaga – the king healer mushroom – antiviral and immune-boosting properties
Rhodiola – best taken in the morning as it’s energizing and helps with focus.

Start slowly, incorporating 1-2 into your daily routine and see how your body responds. You can always add more after a month or so if you feel called to. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon of each adaptogen per day. Autumn is also a great season to incorporate warming herbs and spices. Try adding powdered adaptogens into your favorite chai recipe or into a warming bone or mushroom broth.

Cut out dairy, sugar and alcohol – I don’t eat dairy or sugar normally, and I cut out alcohol completely from January – March every year. It might be worthwhile to cut one or all of these things out of your diet during cold and flu season, or at the very least, at the first signs of cold or flu. All three of these things act as immune system suppressants. Dairy also increases mucus production, which can make you feel worse if you’re fighting a cold.

[This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

October 23, 2018 2 comments

Lifestyle Wellness

My Experience with Contraceptives, and How I Found the Fertility Awareness Method

I want to start this post by saying everyone’s body is different. What may work well for one of us might be the wrong choice for another. That goes for so many aspects of our health and our lives, and it continues to be true about birth control methods. It’s important to educate yourself and/or talk with a trained professional to help figure out which contraceptive method is right for you. And if you’re like me, the right method for you today might not be the right method for you 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 or 10 years from now. We’re ever changing, both physically and in how we want to live our lives, so its important to remember that we often need to adjust how we care for ourselves. Today I’m sharing my experience using contraceptives throughout my life from the time I lost my virginity up until present day. Please keep in mind that this is a personal narrative. Having safe sex and protecting against pregnancy sometimes means taking hormonal birth control and wearing condoms. Sometimes it means abstaining from sex all together. THERE IS NO SHAME IN YOUR CHOICE. I stand by all people and their right to choose what is right for them.

I lost my virginity when I was 15. To my boyfriend at the time. We were together for a year or so. Immediately following the first time, I told my mom I wanted to go on birth control pills. I didn’t tell her I had become sexually active, and though I’ve always felt loved completely and never judged by my mom, we never really openly talked about sex and different contraceptive methods. I assume she knew I had become sexually active, and she made an appointment for me with the nurse midwives where she went and the same group of midwives who delivered both my brother and me. Talk about full circle.

At the young age of 15, I started taking Ortho Tri-cyclen. What would be the start of about 10 years of daily hormonal birth control. I bounced around to different pills and back to the same ones again over the years. Some pills caused me to not get my period for months at a time, which when you’re a sexually active college student is absolutely frightening. As some of you may know, I’ve struggled with digestive issues for most of my life. Starting at a young age when my parents figured out I was lactose intolerant. It will probably always be somewhat of a mystery, but my guess is that many of my digestive issues come from a combination of chronic antibiotic use from age 2 all the way up into my twenties (I was born with 60% hearing loss and had surgery on my ears 3 times before the age of 6 then I suffered about 15 UTIs and a kidney infection starting at the time of becoming sexually active into my mid-twenties) and then long-term hormonal birth control use from age 15 to 24. Hormonal birth control pills essentially act like antibiotics in your gut, destroying the essential microbiome balance, depleting all the good bacteria needed for proper digestion. Some other negative side effects from hormonal birth control include mood swings, headaches, acne, bloating and weight gain, irregular spotting and low libido.

The number one reason I decided at 24 that I was going to finally go off the pill was because I strongly believed it was giving me anxiety, mood swings and depressive thoughts. I finally woke up to the fact that I was putting hormones in my body that were negatively effecting my life. I wanted to take a clean break from all hormonal forms of birth control, so I did. It took my body a little while to adjust back, but after about a year, I felt way better overall. Less anxious feelings and depressive thoughts, higher libido and a greater connection to my body and my natural cycle.

Though in many ways I was feeling better health wise being off the pill, it still left the question of what birth control method I should use now. The first year I relied mostly on using condoms. I always used condoms with any new partner before both being tested for STDs. However, condoms really bother my vagina and make sex burn and hurt for me. I found myself uninterested in sex and disappointed that there weren’t better options for people like me.

So after about a year of using condoms, a friend mentioned an IUD, and I was intrigued. I honestly don’t remember hearing much about the IUD before that time. That’s likely because “comparing 2006–2010 with 2011–2013, IUD use increased 83% (from 3.5% to 6.4%)…” It seemed like every woman I knew was getting an IUD around that time. Sticking with my plan of not using hormonal birth control, I decided to get the copper Paraguard IUD in December of 2011. I never really had heavy periods or bad cramping, so I wasn’t so concern about the side effects associated with the Paraguard IUD, which include heavier and more painful periods and cramping/back pain associated with menstruation.

I’m not going to lie the first 2-3 years of having the Paraguard IUD were rough. My periods were next level. I would soak through a super tampon every 3 hours during the first 3-4 days of my period. Looking back now, I’m honestly shocked I stuck with it. I remember telling myself that it would get better. That it wasn’t THAT bad. I’ve always had a high threshold for pain and always seem to forget it once it pasts, so each month once my period was over, I’d just keep going along until another insanely painful period hit me the next month. A few years in, I started to notice my PMS symptoms were the worse they’ve ever been. Luckily I was introduced to evening primrose oil and that definitely was a game charger for the intense feelings of loneliness that would always strike a week before I started menstruating. Overall, I think I put up with the negative side effects of the IUD because I didn’t want to use the hormonal IUD or go back on the pill, and I really trusted the effectiveness of the IUD (99.2% to 99.4%). I had settled down and gotten married, and the IUD seemed like the best method for me at the time.

A couple years ago, I started to grow wary of the IUD. Mainly because of the insane amount of inflammation it caused in my body. My womb space literally felt swollen, not just when I was having my period, but at various other times throughout my cycle. I started to consider getting it taken out. I began looking into different options, and this time the one that came up and stuck with me was the fertility awareness method. Essentially this is when you track your cycle (using various methods) so you know when you are ovulating (fertile). Then you either abstain from sex or use a barrier method on the days of your cycle that you’re at risk for pregnancy. About a year ago I got my IUD removed. I’ve been using the fertility awareness method ever since.

I started using Daysy in June to help me track my cycle with better accuracy. Daysy is a basal body temperature thermometer fertility tracker that works using the fertility awareness method by learning and tracking your cycle over time. Each morning right when I wake up, before getting out of bed, I pop Daysy under my tongue to get my temperature reading. The easy-to-read color coded system on Daysy will illuminate either red (fertile), green (not fertile) or yellow (not enough information to determine status – the “learning” phase when you first start using Daysy). When I’m in the red (fertile) or the yellow, we use condoms when having sex. With over 30 years of data collection, Daysy predicts your cycle with 99.4% accuracy. Every few days, I sync Daysy to the DaysyView app where I can view findings and see my cycle at a glance. I’m not planning a pregnancy in the foreseeable future, but if/when I do someday, I love that Daysy is also a reliable method for women trying to get pregnant. It’s important to note that Daysy does not protect against STDs. And its only recommended for women with cycles 19-40 days in length. For where I’m at in my life right now, using Daysy to help me track my cycle works really well for me. It’s empowering to feel connected to my body and its natural rhythms in a way I’ve never felt before.

When I first became sexually active, I never really considered any other form of birth control besides the pill because the options seemed so limited to me at the time. Nowadays, it seems like the sex conversation is way more mainstream. It’s less taboo to talk about because, duh, safe sex education is SO important. There’s even great resources like Bedsider that educate you on all birth control methods and help you find which method is right for you. As always, I’m here to support you on your journey. I’m happy to answer any questions as they pertain to my personal experience with contraceptives.

[This post is sponsored by Daysy, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.]

September 19, 2018 32 comments

Wellness

WALTER + Berkey Water Filter System

I want to start this post by saying how grateful I am that I live in a place that has access to clean, running water. The fact that I’m able to use a water filter in my home is a privilege. There are so many people on this planet that do not have access to safe, clean water. If you have the means, please consider donating to charity : water, a non-profit that works to bring clean water to developing countries.

Water is an essential component of human, plant and animal life, as well as the planet as a whole. Our bodies are composed of 70% water, and the earth is composed of 71% water. Water is a part of almost every function of the body, including those on the cellular, tissue and organ levels, as well as circulation, digestion and elimination. Water also carries important minerals throughout our bodies. To maintain optimal health, we should be drinking 8 glasses of water per day. I personally drink at least 3 liters of filtered water a day. Staying very well hydrated gives me energy and vastly improves the quality of my skin and digestion. Being someone who is conscious of what I put in and on my body and how that effects how I feel on a daily basis, I’m also passionate about the quality of water I’m drinking.

I was introduced to the Berkey Water Filtration System a couple years ago. At the time I was using your standard Brita filter, cycling through filters every 2-3 months. Of course, this was a step up from the days of drinking out of plastic water bottles. When I think of the years back in the late 90s and early 2000s when it was “cool” to drink out of plastic water bottles, I literally feel sick to my stomach. Ugh. And unfortunately, after spending some time in Houston recently, I realized that drinking out of plastic water bottles is still the reality for the majority of people. Buying a water filter and using a reusable water bottle is such an easy way we can help cut down on plastic use, and also save our own money. The Berkey Black Filter is relatively affordable for how powerful it is and how much water each filter can purify before needing to be replaced. (See more about cleaning and replacing filters below.)

Berkey Water Filters can remove:

Lead – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Iron – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Mercury – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Chlorine – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Bisphenol-A – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Chloramines – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Pharmaceuticals – Removed to greater than 99.5%.
Petroleum Contaminants – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Methylcycohexane-methane – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Pesticides – Removed to greater than 99.9%.
Heavy Metals – Removed to greater than 99.1%.
Coliform and e-Coli – Removed to greater than 99.9%.

There’s also a Fluoride Removal Filter that can be added to remove [PLEASE NOTE: The regular-size WALTER only fits the Berkey Black Filter, not the fluoride filter.]:

Fluoride: Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Fluorosilicate, Fluorosilicic Acid (aka Hydrofluorosilicic Acid)
Arsenic: V and pre-oxidized Arsenic III
Other residual heavy metal ions

The Berkey Black Filters can purify about 3,000 gallons of water before needing replacement. When the flow of water starts to slow, you can also clean your black filter. The black filters can be cleaned up to 100 times before needing to be replaced. Cleaning the Black Filter is super simple. Just dissemble your filtration system. Clean the Black Filter under running water using a designated scrub sponge or small brush (a new toothbrush works). Rotate the filter with one hand while using the other hand to light scrape clean, or exfoliate as you will, the Black Filter. Reassemble your filtration system, and be amazed at how fast your purified water is flowing again.

WALTER! We got our WALTER about a year ago, and we could not be happier. WALTER is an amazing ceramic filtration set up that was made to house the Berkey Black Filter. The best of both worlds: a stunning handmade ceramic vessel and an amazing water purification system. The Berkey Black Filter easily screws into the top chamber of WALTER, and the purified water collects in the bottom chamber, ready for you to drink! Cassie, the woman behind WALTER, is offering all Wu Haus readers $20 off their purchase of WALTER (includes everything on site except the all black WALTER) for the next 2 weeks (after that $10 off) with promo code: WUWALTER . [PLEASE NOTE: The regular WALTER only fits the Berkey Black Filter, not the Fluroide filter.] Here’s a little insight into Cassie’s inspiration behind creating WALTER:

Q: What inspired you to create WALTER?

A: My best friend came home from Brazil with the most beautiful terra cotta water dispenser and I was obsessed with it as an object. I wanted to remake in my own way and but include the most effective filtration available. After a bit of research I found Berkey and designed WALTER to fit their Black Filter. I knew that there wasn’t anything on the market that was aesthetically pleasing AND had the best purification and filtration, so I set out to change that.

Q: Why is drinking filtered water important to you?

A: Well, I try to be as thoughtful as I can with what I choose to put in my body, so it only makes sense to be intentional with our base element, water. What I have really become interested in is the accidental ritual that happens when you use WALTER to purify. It really becomes a mindful measuring of intake and outtake, in this very calming way. It slows everything down and makes you more conscious….and has actually helped everyone in my house drink more water! If you are putting effort into your water quality you inherently think about it more. You value it more and you want it more.

Q: What’s next for WALTER? Any new products/styles on the horizon?

A: We recently launched the BIG WALTER, which houses two filtration elements and can accommodate a fluoride filtration attachment in the lower chamber. Dual filters means it can purify more water, faster than the original WALTER, so it’s perfect for larger families and offices. I envision it taking the place of the conventional water cooler (no more water deliveries and plastic jugs). It makes way more sense financially, has zero carbon footprint and it’s gorgeous!

August 30, 2018 6 comments

Self-Care Wellness

Natural Deodorant + Tips for Healthy (Arm)Pits

Surprisingly enough, I talk about my (arm)pits quite a lot. I’ve always been a heavy sweater, so managing my underarm area feels like a part-time job. I feel like my friends and I are always talking about how to maintain healthy armpits and which deodorant we’re using to help the fight. I made the switch from antiperspirant to natural deodorant about 3 years ago. Sweating is the natural process of cooling and detoxifying your body. In short, it’s really good for you! By using antiperspirant regularly, you distrupt you body’s natural attempts to remove toxins, which can ultimately lead to adverse long-term health effects. It can also change the bacterial microbiome in your pits, causing an overproduction of bad bacteria. Translation: your sweat is smellier. By eliminating antiperspirants from daily use, you allow your armpits to recalibrate to their neutral state.

I’ve tried pretty much every single natural deodorant under the sun. After a year-long search, I landed on a brand that I liked only to find out late last year they were bought out by a large multi-national corporation with a history of testing on animals and with ties to rainforest degradation. For me, this was enough to say farewell. I have to admit, I was bummed that I had to start the search for a new natural deodorant. But luckily this time it didn’t take long! I stumbled upon milk + honey randomly, and after my first day of using their Baking Soda-Free Deodorant, I was hooked. No sweat, no smell, and I didn’t have to reapply throughout the day. I’m sensitive to baking soda (more on that below), but if you’re able to tolerate it, milk + honey also makes a Regular Strength and even an Extra Strength Deodorant. The Austin-based company is offering you guys 25% off any purchase on their site with code WU25.

So let’s talk healthy pits! Here are my tips and insights for maintaining a favorable underarm situation:

1.) Wear natural fibers. There’s nothing that will make you sweat (and smell) more than unbreathable, synthetic fibers. Linen, cotton, wool and silk are all top choices. I’m also very conscious of how small the armholes are on the tops I buy. I hate feeling constricted in that area, so I almost always shop for tops that have a low-cut armhole.

2.) Drink plenty of water, and limit caffeine (especially coffee). When I was a coffee drinker, I noticed my underarm stench was wayyyyyy stronger than when I got off coffee. Something to think about. Maintaining healthy hydration has positive effects on all aspects of your skin, even your pits.

3.) Exfoliate. I do it every other day. My bath bar has built in exfoliation, but you could use a dry brush, a loofa or this luxurious body polish. Exfoliating your pits will leave them feeling soft, smooth and clean.

4.) Apply a small amount of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or witch hazel to your armpits in order to neutralize bad bacteria. Let air dry. These are all natural antiseptics and sterilizers, so can be very helpful in combating underarm bacteria.

5.) Let them breath and dry out post shower. Before running to apply your deodorant, make sure your pits are completely dry. Bacteria loooooves moisture, so ensuring your underarms are dry before applying deod will keep them fresher for longer.

6.) Less is more. I know the tendency is to slather on the deodorant (or at least that’s my tendency…), but one good swipe of the deodorant bar up or down will do the trick.

7.) Try a clay mask for your pits. Doing this once a week or once every couple of weeks can help draw out impurities and detox your underarm skin. You can use the same clay mask you’d use on your face. Leave on for 10ish minutes and rinse off in the shower.

8.) Food affects all. A diet rich in alkalizing foods will help keep underarm stench away. Incorporate leafy greens and try supplementing with wheatgrass, or my personal fave, chlorella. Some foods that can contribute to a stronger underarm smell: animal proteins, garlic, onions, fermented foods and curries. Not that you should change up your diet at all, but on days you notice your underarm stench a bit stronger than normal, it could have to do with what you ate for dinner the night before.

9.) If you’re skin gets irritated from natural deodorant, give a baking soda-free deod a try. My underarms cannot tolerate baking soda. After about a month or two of use, I would get a red, itchy and painful rash under my pits. Since switching to baking soda-free deodorant, I’ve never had a rash.

10.) Remember: it’s good to sweat! The idea isn’t to stop sweating all together. We just want to cut down on the smell associated with sweating by detoxing our pits. Give your pits a break from deodorant once and while. Let them breathe and do their thing.

[This post is sponsored by milk + honey. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

July 25, 2018 9 comments

Wellness

My Experience with SIBO and How I Found Balance with Digestive Health

My struggle with digestive issues has been life long. It’s debatable whether there was something specific that caused this or if I was just predisposed to it. I feel like it’s probably some combination of both. Repeated antibiotic use as a child, but also being born lactose intolerant. Either way, it’s been a journey, at times very complicated, to get where I am now. And my digestion is by no means perfect, but I’ve learned to manage symptoms, and though it’s something I still deal with, it’s not debilitating or incapacitating. My naturopath believes that people with digestive issues will often deal with them their entire lives. That there’s no magic cure. It’s just about finding a balance and figuring out different healing modalities that help.

This past fall I saw a naturopathic dermatologist after dealing with a 6-month-long flare of perioral dermatitis (read my post about PD here). She immediately brought up SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth). She said based on my symptoms (skin and digestive) and what she saw work with her other patients that adapting the SIBO Specific Food Guide Protocol and doing rounds of herbal antibiotics may help me. I decided that I would give her recommendations a try because I was literally desperate to clear my skin at that point.

I went back to my regular naturopath before starting the protocol to tell her what had happened and that I was going to try the diet and herbal antibiotics. She wasn’t surprised, as she had already been treating me with a variety of the herbal antibiotics over the past several months without ever bringing up the word SIBO to me (which in hindsight I appreciate). She said she wasn’t a fan of the diet, that she felt it was too restrictive and by starving bacteria in the small intestine, you also run the risk of eradicating any good bacteria as well. She also said she never officially tested me for SIBO because she believes the test is flawed. She very rarely sees someone test negative, which indicates that either everyone has SIBO or that the test is not accurate. For this reason, I never did the SIBO breath test. But nonetheless, I embarked on doing the 8-week SIBO Specific Food Guide Protocol while adding some 17 supplements to my regimen.

Honestly, most of the time I was stressed about what I could or couldn’t eat. I felt like I was failing most of the 2 months. Worrying that maybe I ate 4 pieces too many of butternut squash than I was supposed to. Taking 17 supplements at a time twice a day literally made me feel sick. Unfortunately, the protocol and all the different herbal antibiotics really did not work for me. In fact, in many ways I think they made my digestive symptoms worse. The stress and anxiety I felt caused way more dis-ease in my stomach and gave me more frequent diarrhea. And my skin did not clear up (it eventually did about 2 months after I ended the SIBO protocol through different treatment methods). I would say the only positive thing about doing the diet was that I discovered sensitivities to eggs and almonds, but I could have likely figured that out doing a more straightforward elimination diet.

After coming out of a 2-month period of very, very restrictive eating and a diet that felt like the farthest thing from intuitive that I’ve ever done in my life, I personally do not buy the SIBO hype. I think it’s a trendy diagnosis, and I believe the strict protocol/diet can create deep food fear and disordered eating. I know many people believe that the protocol and antibiotics do really solve their digestive issues. I believe this is only short term. Most people who see results end up with digestive symptoms down the line, whether that’s 6 months later or 2 years later, it depends.

Coming out on the other side of this experience, I’m back to where I started: I believe in a balanced approach to dealing with digestive issues. The following things are what I’ve found to be the most helpful on my journey. These are by no means the only things that help with digestive issues. I recognize that every body is so different, so what may work for me, may not work for you. I think the bottom line is that it takes time, patience, compassion and deep exploration to figure out what will work for you. Overall, remember it’s important to be easy with yourself. Stressing and obsessing over digestion really only makes it worse. Try to find the ease within the effort. Be gentle. Nurture yourself. Eat slowly, chew your food more than feels normal and enjoy the process of slow eating.

[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I’m simply sharing what has helped me on my journey. Consulting with a doctor is always the best approach when diving into any of this work for the first time.]

Probiotics:
A high-quality probiotic is key to a healthy gut. I’ve been taking Silver Fern Ultimate Probiotic for the past several months, and I love them. These shelf-stable spore form probiotics are formulated to survive through the acidic environment of your stomach, where most refrigerated probiotics are too fragile to survive. When looking to buy a probiotic, it’s very important to make sure that it has been tested for survivability (so that you’re not just throwing your money away) and one that has been DNA verified (so that you can rest assured that the capsules match the label), like Silver Fern. Regularly introducing good bacteria, like the kinds in the Ultimate Probiotic, will not only help with overall digestive health, but it will also help curb sugar cravings and promote healthy immune function. There is also strong evidence to suggest there is a connection between our guts and our brains. Supplementing with a high-quality probiotic can also help reduce depression and anxiety symptoms. After taking the Silver Fern Ultimate Probiotic everyday, I noticed curbed sugar cravings after about a week and after a month more consistency in my bowel movements. I’ve also noticed the positive effects on my immune system (little to no sickness in the winter months) with taking probiotics consistently over the past several years. Silver Fern is offering you all 15% OFF ANY ORDER with code Wuhaus

Intermittent Fasting:
I’ve been practicing intermittent fasting pretty consistently for several years. Essentially intermittent fasting gives the digestive system a break by fasting for 12-16 hours. I typically eat my last meal of the day around 7/7:30 and then I fast until about 11:30/12 the next day. I eat a breakfast-like meal around 11:30/12 and then I eat a more typical lunch around 3/3:30. I do still drink my morning matcha potion around 8 or 9am and that includes collagen and healthy fats. Intermittent fasting is definitely not for everyone, but I’ve found that intermittent fasting has helped tremendously with bloat and digestive upset when I do eat my meals. If you’ve never tried intermittent fasting, start with a smaller fast of 10-12 hours. If your body reacts positively, you can slowly increase the length of time. It’s important to note that intermittent fasting does not mean you skip meals. It just means that the window of time when you eat your meals is smaller. If you don’t think intermittent fasting is right for you, you could try eating smaller meals/portions throughout the day instead of 3 main meals. I know this method of eating works really well for some people.

Food Combining:
This is something I’ve been really into since this past fall. I’ve found it to be extremely helpful in mitigating bloat and indigestion after meals. I definitely don’t practice this all the time because it can be limiting/restrictive, but I try to be mindful about what foods I’m combining when I’m in my regular routine. The theory behind food combining is that each macronutrient (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) digests at a different rate and requires different digestive enzymes to be broken down. So we create improper food combinations when we eat foods that have opposite digestive requirements at the same time. Improper food combinations can result in symptoms like gas, bloating, belching and abdominal cramps. There are a few ground rules for the food combining model, but I also think it is something to explore on your own since our bodies are all so different. Personally, I find that I can eat fruit with nuts/seeds or with other foods when processed into a smoothie without any problem. Becoming aware of food combining may help you begin to take notice of certain food combinations that don’t sit well with you. If you’re interested in learning more about food combing, I like this chart.

Mayan Abdominal Massage:
We get other forms of massage all the time, but abdominal massage is often overlooked or many people don’t even know about it. We hold so much of our stress and tension in our bellies. We’re taught, especially as women, that everything below the waist should be tight and firm. This leads to so much holding and unnecessary clenching that we aren’t even aware of on a daily basis. Abdominal massage is an amazing way to release tension and give your belly some extra love. It’s really amazing how after a 60-90 minute massage, my abdomen feels way more relaxed and at ease. Maya abdominal massage techniques slowly break down fascia adhesions, scar tissue and remove any ‘kinks’ in the digestive tract. You can also practice abdominal self-massage at home. I’m planning a full blog post with how-to video on abdominal massage coming in the next month or so. Stay tuned!

Castor Oil Pack:
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always love using a hot water bottle at night time on my abdomen. It’s very soothing and has helped me with countless stomach aches over the years. One of my new favorite tummy-care practices is using a castor oil pack with my hot water bottle (or heating pad). There’s a multitude of ways to do this, but the way I learned is to lie down in your bed, apply a thin layer of castor oil onto your abdomen (I use this refillable roll on) – you can focus on specific areas/organs or just apply all over – then place an old towel or cloth you don’t mind getting oil on over the treated area with the hot water bottle or heating pad on top of that. Relax with the castor oil pack for 20-40 minutes. For maximum effectiveness, do this nightly or at least 4 nights a week. Castor oil packs improve circulation and promote lymphatic drainage, which can help the small intestine become more efficient at fat absorption and removing bad bacteria or toxins. This is also a wonderful form of self-care. A time to relax and send healing energy to your belly and digestive track.

Identifying Trigger Foods:
This can be very beneficial. It requires doing some sort of elimination diet and slowly reincorporating foods to see which ones may cause you digestive issues. It can definitely be a frustrating process and requires a level of patience. Take notice of not only foods that trigger symptoms, but quantities. For instance, I’m sensitive to almonds, but only if I eat a lot of them at one time. I can tolerate a small amount each day, but just need to be careful not to overdo it. I did do the US BioTek IgE and IgA tests through my naturopath. I don’t recommend using a food allergy/intolerance test as the only way to discover food sensitivities, as they aren’t 100% accurate, and your experience is always the best teacher. I think using a food intolerance test in combination with an elimination diet would be a smarter approach. Once identified, I recommend eliminating trigger foods for at least 6 months before trying to reintroduce.

Acupuncture + Chinese Herbs:
Acupuncture promotes healing by helping to move stagnant energy in the body. For digestion, an acupuncturist can work with points on the body that speed up metabolism, increase gastrointestinal muscle contraction and relaxation, reduce gastric acid secretion, regulate small and large intestine function and restore stomach acidity to normal levels. Acupuncture is incredibly relaxing for the nervous system. Much like abdominal massage, acupuncture helps to ease tension and stress in our abdomens. Practitioners often prescribe Chinese herbs in conjunction with regular acupuncture treatments to help address whatever imbalances in the body that may be causing your symptoms.

[This post is sponsored by Silver Fern, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.]

April 11, 2018 11 comments

Self-Care Wellness

All About Herbal Yoni (aka Vaginal) Steaming

I first heard about yoni/vaginal/pelvic steaming at Spirit Weavers Gathering a couple years ago. It wasn’t until this last year that I become more curious and interested in it. My wonderful friend, Jeevan Singh, facilitaes steams and offers abdominal massage (post on that coming soon!) and other bodywork out of her practice here in Portland. She was kind enough to come over to my haus and facilitate an in-home steam for me, as well as teach me about this beautiful practice so I could write this blog post for all of you. Jeevan is a gifted healer and a warm and loving friend.

The practice of yoni steaming is a beautiful, introspective ritual that you can incorporate as part of your monthly or bi-monthly (2x a month) self-care routine. Like our noses, the sensitive vaginal tissue is very absorbent and rich in blood supply, so the medicinal properties of the herbs used in a steam can directly enter the bloodstream. For this reason, you want to select the herbs used for your steam with caution and correct knowledge. The herbal recipe featured in this post is considered safe for most women. If you are dealing with any conditions or sensitivities (and even if you aren’t), it’s always best to research what herbs to work with or better yet, work with a trained herbalist. This post is intended as a starter guide to yoni steaming. If you’re interested in learning more, Jeevan has a great printed guide to at-home steaming. Jeevan also recommended Steamy Chick as a resource.

Some Benefits of Yoni Steaming

+ Reduced pain and bloating around menstruation
+ Decreased menstrual flow
+ Regulates menstrual cycle, or helps to bring back an absent cycle
+ Increased fertility, especially when combined with Mayan abdominal massage
+ Heals and tones the reproductive system after giving birth
+ Reduces uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, uterine weakness, uterine prolapse and endometriosis
+ Emotional healing from past pain and trauma

Precautions + Contraindications

+ Steam is HOT! Be very, very careful, as you don’t want to burn the sensitive skin of your vagina. NEVER take the lid all the way off your pot. Read the instructions for at-home-steaming thoroughly and be slow and mindful in the process.

+ Pregnancy. While steams can be beneficial for conception and after birth in the postpartum period, steaming during any stage of pregnancy is absolutely contraindicated. Do NOT steam if you are pregnant or even if you think you might be pregnant. If you are actively trying to conceive, do not steam after ovulation during the luteal (2nd half) of your cycle.

+ Do NOT use essential oils for vaginal steams, as they are much too harsh for vaginal tissue.

+ Do NOT steam if cancer is present anywhere in the body.

+ IUDs. There’s much debate about whether women with IUDs should steam or not. The main concern is that the medicinal herbs could cause the uterus to contract, which could potentially cause problems with the placement of the IUD. That being said, some people with IUDs still steam and find it to be beneficial. Talk to a trained practitioner to learn more and see if steaming would be a good option for you.

+ Do NOT steam when you are actively bleeding. You can however steam the day after the last day of your period to help move out any remaining blood. Steaming in the week leading up to your period can help with cramps and other menstrual complaints. But never steam when you’re actively menstruating. If you are prone to heavy bleeding, it is recommended to wait to steam until your cycle is more regulated, as steaming increases circulation to the pelvis, which could result in more bleeding.

+ It is NOT recommended to steam with any active infection.

What You Need to Steam At Home

+ Steam stool – Jeevan’s stools are beautiful, handmade here in Portland and reasonably priced. Perfect if you are looking to invest and make this a regular practice. Otherwise, you have a few options. You can lie in child’s pose with your pelvis positioned over the bowl. You could use the squat or kneeling method. Basically any way that you can position your body over the pot and feel supported and comfortable. You could also try sitting on the edge of your bath tub. Whatever method you choose, you want to be sure you are as warm and comfortable as possible, so don’t be afraid to use props and extra blankets to get set up. If you do a quick Google search for DIY yoni steam seat, there’s a bunch of different options and ideas.

+ Lidded pot and electric hot plate OR a small 3-4 quart crock pot (that you would dedicate to using only for yoni steaming aka don’t cook soup in it afterwards) – Either of these work well. If you don’t have a crock pot, you can get a single electric burner for about $15 and use that with a large lidded pot. If you don’t have a way to keep your pot of water heated while you’re steaming, you can use a pot of boiled water, just be aware that the steam may not last the full 20-30 minutes of the steam.

+ Water and herbs (herbal recipe below) – You’ll need about a cup of dried herbs or a quart of fresh herbs, and about 3 quarts filtered water. You can source your dried herbs locally, from Mountain Rose Herbs online or Steamy Chick makes a variety of blends for vaginal steaming.

+ Cozy socks and/or slippers – SO important to keep your feet super warm and cozy.

+ Bedsheet and a heavy blanket (wool works well!) – This will wrap around your lower body creating a cloak to trap in the steam. Wrap the bedsheet first then the blanket on top.

+ Journal, pen, tarot cards, crystals or any other talisman of choice, sage or palo santo for clearing – It’s nice to clear the area with palo santo or sage before you begin to move out any old energy. You can create a small altar space if desired. Keep a journal and pen nearby if you’d like to write while you steam. If you have a tarot deck, you can pull a card before you start and use this card to meditate on during your steam.

The Steaming Process

1.) Set up your stool or whatever you are using in a comfortable, quiet place with your journal and pen, a glass of water and any altar items nearby. You can use palo santo or sage to clear out any old energy in the space.

2.) Place your herbs in your lidded pot or crock pot and then pour boiling water over them. The heat will help extract the volatile oils of the herbs. Set your crockpot to low, or your electric burner to low if you’re using that method. You can turn it up later if it’s not warm enough. Place the lidded pot or crockpot under your stool with the lid fully on, so the steam doesn’t escape.

3.) If you want to draw a tarot card, this would be a great time to do so. If there’s any other ritual you want to include in this practice, please do. You can read a passage from an inspiring book, repeat a mantra a few times, say a prayer, whatever resonates with you.

4.) Get undressed from the waist down. You can use a towel as padding for your butt on your stool or whatever you are sitting on. Put your socks and/or slippers on. Wrap a sheet around your lower body then wrap at least one more blanket around you. The blankets should reach all the way to the ground so they create a tent around your body. Keep in mind that the heavier and thicker the blankets you use, the hotter the steam will be. I like to use a flannel sheet and one thick wool blanket.

5.) Once you are all set up, release the steam very slowly. Start by removing the lid about a half inch. The heat should not feel intense, but light at first and will slowly build over the course of the steam. If you think it’s not warm enough though, you can remove the lid another half an inch. Just proceed with caution, as you do not want to burn your precious vaginal tissues!

5.) Steam for 20-30 minutes. You can use this time to meditate, go inward, write in your journal, be contemplative, read poetry, listen to music or a guided meditation, whatever you feel you need in the moment. Once you are done steaming, you can offer the steeped water with herbs to any plants in your yard that you’d like to give special attention to.

Flower Steam Bath Recipe by Jeevan Singh
[A blend for self-love and renewal]

1⁄4 cup organic calendula
[Herbal sunshine. Inner warmth. Empathy. Healing inner woundedness.]
[Skin-healing and soothing. Anti-inflammatory. Moistening. Tones uterus.]

1⁄4 cup organic lavender
[Calming. Clarifying. Clearing.]
[Relaxant. Antispasmodic (eases cramps). Stimulates flow (good for scanty periods).]

1⁄4 cup organic motherwort
[Resonance with physical heart and uterus – the two hearts. For those needing mothering. Mothering ourselves.]
[Strengthens and relaxes uterine muscles, eases cramps, stimulates flow, balances hormones.]

1⁄4 cup organic rose petals
[Heart medicine. Love vibration. Uplifting. Soothing.]
[Eases menstrual pain. Astringes heavy bleeding. Anti-inflammatory.]

April 5, 2018 11 comments

Wellness

Inside My Spice Cabinet

What would food be without the spices??! Of course the natural flavor of the foods we eat are incredible, but I find so much joy and pleasure in finding spices to compliment the natural flavors in the dishes I’m making. From dukkahs to dressings, I’m always finding ways to incorporate new spices. I love buying my spices in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs. I value MRH’s commitment to sustainability and the highest quality of sourcing. It’s so important that we support brands that are dedicated to the most sustainable sourcing practices as with the age of Amazon the quality and means of sourcing can be easily jeopardized. MRH has so many different herbs and spices to choose from, and you can purchase them in a variety of quantities. I use a funnel to transfer them into recycled glass bottles and jars to store in my spice cabinet.

As a general rule of thumb, ground spices last about a year while whole spices can last 2-3 years. To extend the life of your spices, store them in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. If you want to keep track of when you purchased your bulk herbs and spices, just write the date you purchased or received them on a piece of masking tape and stick it on your bulk bags and/or bottles/jars. You can also usually tell if a spice has gone bad if the color and/or the aroma is faded or dull. In this post, I’ll go through the most commonly used spices and herbs in my spice cabinet. These are by no means the only spices and herbs I use, but the ones I use on a daily and weekly basis.

Here’s one of my favorite dressings using dill OR fennel pollen. Super simple recipe that packs a ton of flavor.

Dill or Fennel Pollen Dressing
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dill or fennel pollen
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Salt – I keep a variety of salts on hand. My favorites are Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, smoked sea salt and black lava salt.

Peppercorns – I seriously loooooove pepper. I grind it fresh on most of my meals. I love the richness and depth that a mix of black, white and pink peppercorns offers.

Turmeric – Turmeric should be mandatory in every person’s spice cabinet. I love that it can be used in sweet and savory preparations. I’d have to say my Golden Chip Bliss Balls top my list.

Cardamom – I love adding a hint of cardamom to my potions and elixirs, and of course my Walnut-Cardamom Bliss Balls are a crowd favorite.

Ceylon (Sweet or True) Cinnamon – I use this one everyday in my matcha, but cinnamon has so many uses. This warming spice is packed with antioxidants and is recognized for its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help stabilize blood sugar levels.

Ginger – I love using ginger powder in moon milks and bliss balls. The fresh stuff is still my favorite, but I always keep the dry stuff on hand.

Mesquite – A great low-glycemic natural sweetener, mesquite powder has a mild, slightly sweet and nutty flavor with hints of caramel and molasses. I often use mesquite in my matcha and moon milks.

Vanilla Bean Powder//Vanilla Beans – These are a bit pricey, but for me they are worth it. I prefer to use these over vanilla extract, but the extract is a great more affordable option.

Nutmeg – I don’t use this one that often, but when I do, I always use my microplaner to grate it myself. Like pepper, nutmeg just tastes better when it’s freshly grated.

Herbs de Provence – Such a lovely blend. I love adding these to tomato sauce and pizza dough. Also lovely on roasted chicken and fish.

Bay Leaves – Great for enhancing the flavor of any broth, soup, stew or sauce.

Fennel and/or Dill Pollen -Highly aromatic and alive with freshness, both dill and fennel pollen are great additions to a spice cabinet. I love using them to infuse dressings with flavor. You can also just sprinkle them over your favorite salad or meal.

Caraway Seeds – My favorite way to use these is in dukkah as well as in sautéed purple cabbage. I also love making caraway pickled carrots.

Fennel Seeds – So fragrant when toasted and used in dukkah. Also love using this seed in tomato sauce and in homemade chai tea blends.

Coriander Seeds – Another dukkah ingredient, these guys pack a serious flavor punch. Also great to use in pickling brines.

Cumin Seed and Powder – I love making cumin seed oil and using them toasted in dukkah. The powder is great in so many dishes. Just used in in my shakshuka from this past weekend.

Nigella Seeds – Tiny black seeds that I love to toast and sprinkle over my finished dishes or use in dukkah. They taste slightly bitter and resemble cumin or oregano with hints of toasted onion.

Sumac – This one I just started using last year, and I love it. It has a bright, tart and almost sour flavor. I add it to dukkahs and dressings.

Smoky Paprika – I love the deep smoky flavor this spice imparts.

Urfa Biber – A dried Turkish chili pepper with a sweet-smoky-sour flavor. I love using it as a finishing pepper.

Chili Powder – My favorite popcorn topping with nutritional yeast, vegan butter and salt. Yum!

Cayenne – This spice brings the heat! A little goes a long way. I love adding a sprinkle to soups and curries.

Curry Powder -Curry is a staple dish in our haus. In the winter, I make it once a week. Curry powder is also a great popcorn topping!

Red Pepper Flakes – I use this for Italian-inspired dishes. One of my favorite pastas is just olive oil, sautéed garlic, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes.

Za’atar – This is one of my favorite spice blends. I love using it to top roasted veggies and chickpeas, and it makes a great addition to socca batter.

[This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

April 3, 2018 1 comment

Lifestyle Wellness

All About Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a way for consumers to support their local farmers directly by purchasing a share at the beginning of the season. A share is essentially a weekly membership or subscription. Typically each week of the season members get a box of fresh produce direct from the farm. Some CSAs deliver. Others have local pick-up locations on a certain day(s) of the week. Some CSAs offer optional add-ons like dairy, meat, honey and other provisions. Many CSAs these days include or send an email newsletter with suggested recipes using the produce from that given week. If you’re worried about how much produce you’ll get each week and/or think you might not be able to use it all, consider splitting a share with another family or a few friends.

Benefits of CSA:

- The freshest, best tasting produce you can imagine.
- You’ll develop a relationship with and directly support a local farmer. Paying the farmer up front at the beginning of the season greatly helps with the farm’s cash flow. For better or worse, you are investing in the farm. If you’ve ever worked on a farm, you know how long the days are and how laborious the work is. To be able to support people doing this work everyday is a beautiful thing. With a CSA, there is a level of shared risk, which means farmers do their best to have an abundance of vegetables each season, but if a crop fails or something unexpected happens, members are not reimbursed. CSAs are really all about community and the idea that “we’re all in it together.”
- Exposes you to new and different varieties of vegetables that you wouldn’t normally buy at the store. A great way to expand your knowledge and challenge you in the kitchen.
- You know exactly where your food is coming from. Lots of farms even have a CSA day where you have the opportunity to visit the farm.
- Saves you money. If you normally buy organic produce at the store or farmer’s market, joining a CSA will save you money.
- Saves you time, as you won’t have to worry about picking out produce at the store.

I’ve been part of a CSA for the past 4 years. It’s been an incredible way to connect with local farmers and to receive the most amazing, delicious and beautiful produce. I absolutely love receiving my basket each week and feeling surprised and delighted with what’s inside. It’s a fun challenge to cook with veggies I’m not used to buying. Pushes me outside my comfort zone and adds variety to my everyday routine.

Last year and this year, we’re part of the Helsing Junction Farm CSA. I’ve absolutely loved being a member. They deliver to my doorstep, which makes it SO easy, and all of the produce has been amazing. Last year we received both a large CSA share and a flower CSA share (yes, fresh flowers delivered to my doorstep!). Helsing Junction is offering all of you in the Pacific Northwest (yes, Oregon AND Washington!) $20 off any CSA subscription with code: WuHausCSA18 .

I’ve also been a member of Tumbleweed Farm and Working Hands Farm CSAs in past years and highly recommend both if you are in the Portland area. No matter where you are, lots of communities have CSA programs in place. Local Harvest is an amazing resource for learning about and finding CSAs in your area. Farmer’s markets are a great alternative option if you can’t find a CSA in your area. I also love what Imperfect Produce is doing. Below are some photos from Helsing Junction of the types of produce and flowers in their shares in the middle of the summer season.

March 15, 2018 0 comment

Wellness

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