Adapt and Adaptogens

Reishi and Lion's Mane, Chaga and Ashwaganda. These mushroom are all the rage now, added to coffee, matcha and soda. I even saw them in a chocolate product last week at the farmer's market. I love mushrooms, just about all of them. Eating them and in supplements. I've been using mushrooms and other adaptogenic herbs for all sort of things, mainly for energy and balancing stressing and hormones. But not always. I believe herbs have a therapeutic benefit and just like essential oils, with great power, comes great responsibility. Do you know what each one does?

What does it mean to adapt? Physiologically, your body is doing it every second, bringing your body into balance, or homeostasis. We have to. It's a dance. We don't live in a vacuum (nor do we want to.) Stress is necessary and good, in the right doses - but unfortunately it's not always up to us how much stress we're exposed to. (Or is it!?)

The biggest part of what I help my clients with is just that. Getting the body to reach homeostasis more easily by removing the toxins and microbes, balancing the gut, lowering inflammation and targeting deficiencies. What what about work stress? and relationship stress? and financial stress? and ... the list can go on.

When you have stomach upsets is it necessarily because you ate something iffy? Or is your backache because you slept wrong or... you're just getting older?? I'm sure you've experienced a physical symptom when something emotional stirred up. Or you started getting a symptom after an injury... or when you have to have to get on a plane.... or when you have to meet with that boss or supervisor or that one relative. Think about it.

My favorite part of working with my clients is this - investigation! When did you first start getting acid relux? 10 years ago? What happened 10 years ago? Oh... you....

• lost your mother?

• fell off your bike and collided with a tree?

• moved accross the country?

• got divorced?

• got into a car accident?

• lost your job?

These life events on any scale of "traumatic" (little t Trauma as much as big T Trauma) get stored in the body. (Read: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk and The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate) The brilliant doctor-authors highlight how releasing these trauma is critical to the long-term health in all individuals. These stored traumas/emotional/energy blocks can be healed and cleared to no longer serve as agents of illness in the body but you need to take time to look at them and process them.

Techniques like mud therapy and NET can help realign the energy pathways to change your body's programming and mind's perception to alter the course of your health journey! Don't overlook the importance of looking back and healing old injuries and trauma.