Thirteen People Who Have Helped My Health This Year

As I was organizing for an article on WHAT has improved my health this year, I realized I first need to write about WHO has improved my health this year.

I realized that every new health idea came from a person, whether someone quite close to me, or someone I never have met.

So here goes:

 1.  My husband Travis

Travis called me out on some ways that I have been bringing negativity into my communication and home life.  Sometimes we need to be called out!  Knowing that my son and husband are the most important people in my life, I’ve really been trying to be more calm and loving in my daily interactions.  

2.  My son Lincoln

My seven-year-old son is so sweet and caring, and so curious and excited about the world.  He teaches me about the real meaning of life.

3.  My office manager Amy

It’s not easy to run a small business, and for years I struggled with feeling unsupported.  I am so thankful to have Amy who offers the dedication that allows me more breathing room.

4.  My FDN mentors

This year I completed my course in Functional Diagnosis Nutrition.  I am completely fascinated by functional medicine and am grateful for all I am learning about my own health through this work.  My special thanks to Reed Davis, Ann Melin and Lisa Pomeroy.

5.  My yoga teachers

I fell away from yoga as some of my favorite teachers moved to other studios.  To my delight they joined forces and opened up a very sweet studio, Love Hive Yoga, where I’ve been falling in love with the practice all over again.

6. My staff at Blue Sky

I am so lucky to be surrounded by people who make light of leaking roofs and rodents with jokes and smiles.  If only every work place could be so fun.

7.  My local practitioners

Some years ago I became obsessed with the online world.  Over time I realize that online is great, but it can never fully replace in-person contact.  I am thankful for the massages, cranio-sacral therapy and acupuncture that keep me in close communication with my body.

8.  My new friend Pista

I told a new friend about this crazy practice I heard about called the Miracle Morning where you get up early to do 6 self-help habits.  He said, “great, let’s do it!”  Thanks to him I am actually getting up and doing this powerful practice.

9.  My colleagues

I am blessed to have a growing network of colleagues who inspire me, believe in me and help me.  I learn from their knowledge and am energized for my mission thanks to them. I’m so happy to share their health expertise with you.

10.  Mother Earth

I heard somewhere that we are least thankful for what we have the most.  So I’ll pause a moment to be thankful for the air I breathe and the gravity that holds me to this beautiful planet.

11. My farmers and grocers

How lucky am I that I only have to go about two miles to get fresh, organic groceries?  Thanks to the people at my favorite market, New Seasons, to our CSA this year, Winslow Food Forest, and to all the farmers and ranchers who may never meet me me but keep me alive!

12.  My support companies

Here’s a shout out to the supplement and lab companies I work with.  The labs we can run nowadays are so sophisticated and amazing, and the supplement formulations we have access to are equally so.

13.  You!

Having an online community is something I really enjoy.  Imagine so many women, with so many backgrounds and stories, with a common striving for health.  Thank you!

I could go on and on, but I’ll call it for now!  Stay tuned for some of my favorite STUFF that kept me healthy this year.  ~Bridgit

Is there anyone you'd like to thank?  Please share below.  It feels good to state it publicly, and it feels good for us to read it too!

Food as Medicine with Pharmacist and Health Coach, Ahn Nguyen

Dr. Anh Nguyen always wanted to be a pharmacist, and enjoyed many aspects of the work.  But she realized people were just getting on more and more medications, and were never really coming off of them.  

She was curious about how she could help people come off medications safely, and how to use food as medicine instead.  

This led her to study health coaching and functional medicine.  She also got interested in bodybuilding and started to train for competitions.  Meanwhile she was dealing with illness in her family, which led to her own compromised health.

She shares some of her learnings with us on this interview.  Here's what we talk about:

• How to approach pharmaceuticals in a safer way

• How pharmaceuticals can cause nutrient depletions

• How pharmaceuticals can cause thyroid symptoms

• Which nutritional supplements she recommends to restore thyroid health

and much more.  

Dr. Anh hosts a popular weekly podcast called Food As Medicine that you can find on iTunes or through her website, Dranh.com.  

I was her guest on episode 49, talking about Fertility After Age 35.  

Thanks for checking out the show!  If you like it, we really appreciate you telling a friend.  If you're not yet subscribed, please take a moment to do so through your podcast player.  

Have a Healthy Relationship with Money with Janin Johnston

Money has power, and energy.  How do you relate to money?  

Do you label money as good, or bad?

Do you overspend it, only to feel guilty later?

Do you avoid it, never checking your bank account?

Are you afraid of it, that you'll never have enough?

Do you feel worthy of spending money on your health, or your pleasure?

Is money the topic of a lot of arguments with your spouse/partner?

Today's interview is a bit out of the box of what you'd traditionally think of as health care, but I find this too-rarely-discussed subject very important.

Money can be a major source of worry, which can severely affect our health.  Money, or fear of spending it, can affect our health care decisions.  Money is also about the biggest reason that couples fight, which again affects our health and happiness.

I hope you can take a little time to listen to this conversation about money and women with our guest expert Janin Johnston of Fashionable Finance.  Janin is a really sweet and bright woman form Hawaii and she is actually an expert on finance and fashion...which is perhaps the goal of many women!

If you'd like to share anything about how you've learned to manage money in a healthy way, please do so below.

If you are not yet a part of our Women's Wellness community, sign up for our Hidden Health Stressors quiz on our main page, and you get our latest blogs, videos and interviews every week!

These interviews are also available as weekly podcasts through iTunes or most podcast players.

Warm Regards, Bridgit

Finding Wellness in the Workplace with Rachel Wagner

I got a request for a show about health initiatives in the workplace.  At first I had no idea who to invite, and then I thought of an old friend, Rachel Wagner.

Rachel has been an active person since childhood, and got a graduate degree in Health Promotion within the field of public health.  

Her first job out of graduate school was with a consulting firm to help businesses of all sizes get healthier.  She never pictured herself in corporate wellness, but she learned a lot.

She now runs wellness programs at a local liberal arts college, and finds her busy, young students have many of the same challenges to health as office workers did.

Rachel observed that people were most successful in improving their health when they made small steps.  She also saw that when health initiatives came from within the employee population, those worked better.  And when there was some kind of community accountability or reward system, that element of fun and togetherness helped people reached their goals.

A big thanks to Rachel for coming on the show, and a big thanks to our subscribers- we love you!

You can listen and comment below, and be sure to subscribe to this podcast, with a new expert interview every Tuesday, on iTunes or your Android podcast player.

Episode style:  Conversational

Easiest Broth Ever

Boiling a chicken carcass or some beef knuckles is an important thing to know how to do.  You can get a great quantity of delicious and nutritious broth to use while cooking rice, making a soup, or just to enjoy on its own.  You can learn more about doing it the proper way here at our video.

But sometimes I am out of fresh broth, or don't have time to deal with un-thawing frozen broth. Enter...the easiest broth ever.

This is so easy you can make it a couple times a day without any trouble.  The whole thing takes about 3 minutes!

Ingredients:

• 1 T Great Lakes unflavored beef gelatin 'collagen joint care' (find online or at some health food stores)

• Water

• A few dashes of ground black pepper

• A few dashes of garlic powder

• Two generous pinches rock sea salt, or several dashes of fine sea salt

1. Set 12 oz. of water to boil

2. When it's near to boiling, add 1 T cold or room temp. water to your mug

3. Add the 1 T gelatin and mix immediately

4. Add the pepper, salt and garlic

5. Pour in the boiled water and stir

This is a nice, savory cup of broth with many health benefits:

• The salt is good to boost to a healthy level of blood pressure and circulation in (common) cases of low adrenal function.  It can give you a little pick-me-up.

• The gelatin powder has a good amount of protein (11 grams) needed to steady our blood sugar.

• Gelatin also has many beneficial amino acids, including glycine, which is calming, and glutamine, which helps heal the gut lining.

• Fluids:  we all need more, right?  Two cups a day gets you 24 more oz., giving you energy and flushing out waste.

I am currently experimenting to see if two mugs a day will help my lower bowel function.  Many people report healthier hair and nails as well.

Do you have any broth experiences to share?

Migraines: How to Get Rid of Them! with Dr. Alexis Shields

Migraines headaches have to be one of the worst experiences many women endure.  They can make you cancel important meetings, load up on potent pharmaceuticals, and miss out on life.

Luckily we have today as a guest Dr. Alexis Shields, who throws it down about where migraines come from, how to treat them, and also what we still don't know about them.

She explains that there is a dys-regulation of the electrical system of the brain that precipitates a migraine.  (Did you know that the vascular theory has been disproven??)

Dr. Shields talks about certain foods and food additives that are triggers. (Did you know that left-overs are more apt to cause a migraine??)

She also talks about the underlying factors, such as hormone imbalance, misalignment and more.  (Did you know oversleeping can be a problem??)

She gives specific apps, book and sites she likes, and I'll share a few of those below:

App:  Headspace

Site: Yoga Glo

Book:  It Starts with Food

To learn more about Dr. Shields and her online practice, see her site here.

Listen now below, and remember to get subscribed in Itunes to get every interview.  Love the podcast?  Learn how to join free Fan Club here, with exclusive benefits.

Fertility After Age 35

This time it was my turned to be interviewed!  I love talking about health, as you'll soon hear...

I was a guest on the fabulous podcast, Food as Medicine.

My topic is "Fertility after Age 35."

• What is different about fertility after 35?

• What foods do I recommend?

• Are men included in this age/ fertility thing?

Find out here!

Did anything help you a ton while trying to conceive?  Please share below to help others!

The Value of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet with Dr. Jessica Black, ND

Dr. Jessica Black, ND is an experienced clinician and accomplished author.  Her first book, which started as a compilation of the recipe suggestions she was giving to her clients, became very popular.  She has since written a second edition of The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book, as well as a companion version, More Anti-Inflammation Diet Tips and Recipes.

She also co-authored a book about Living with Crohn's and Colitis, and is currently working on books about a blood sugar diet, and then pediatrics.  Somehow in all this she manages to see patients at her clinics in Portland, OR, and McMinnville, OR, raise two daughters, and eat tons a vegetables along the way!

With her varied background, we bounce around a bit, talking about picky eaters and how she's developed a strong plan for controlling blood sugar in her clinic.  But at the core of this conversation is the anti-inflammation diet.

This diet is so important because it prevents and treats so many diseases, from PCOS to joint pain to gastric distress.  Yes, we know there are so many fad diets, but when my clients ask me what diet I promote, I usually say the anti-inflammation diet.  It's safe, and treats the array of diseases caused by inflammation (much of which comes from inflammatory foods.)

Find out the tenets of the anti-inflammation diet at the player below.  To get these interviews delivered right to your phone every week, be sure to search "Womens Wellness Radio" in your podcast player.

Has an anti-inflammation diet helped you? Join in the conversation in the comments field below.

The Fertility Awareness Method with Hannah Ransom

Today's interview is with guest, Hannah Ransom, is a Certified Fertility Awareness Educator in the sympto-thermal method.  

Today we talk about:

• What is the symptom-thermal method?

• How effective is it?

• How does it work?

• How does it compare to other methods?

Hannah specializes in this system of monitoring your basal body temperature, symptoms and cervical mucus mainly for birth control.  I have used this type of cycle monitoring with my clients more for fertility.  So we have a nice dual set of perspectives that we can share with you.

Many women are interested in natural birth control, but are nervous if it will work. Getting educated can really dispel these worries.

Still other women were on chemical birth control for years, and are now trying to get pregnant. It is now time to get to know their cycles and learn their fertile windows, and this is a great jumpstart for some, and a chance to fill in knowledge gaps for others.

So if you are:

• Thinking of switching your birth control method

• Are not happy with your current method

• Are worried about side effects of chemical birth control

• Are trying to gain more cycle awareness to help your health

• Are monitoring your cycle in order to get pregnant

This is a great episode for you!  

Find out more about Hannah at HolisticHormonalHealth.com.

The best way to stay tuned is to join our newsletter and be subscribed in iTunes!  We post a new guest expert interview every week.