Autumn Equinox

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Fall is a time of change. Temperatures change from warm to to cool, days of abundant light give way to longer periods of darkness, nature changes its colors from vibrant greens to the fall colors of red, yellow, and eventually brown. As we approach the autumn equinox, a sense of change and renewal is all around us.

Spiritual Significance of Autumn Equinox

The autumn equinox is the day when the sun passes directly over Earth’s equator. The name equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). On this day at the onset of fall, the daytime and nighttime are equal in length, just before the nights begin to lengthen and daylight hours shorten.

Because of this, the autumn equinox is the perfect time to celebrate balance. As we move into a time of longer periods of darkness, we can reflect on the waning year with gratitude and look to the year ahead with mindful intentionality. This is the time to reflect on your plans and resolutions. It’s a time to evaluate where you are and look ahead to see where you want to go.

Take Inventory

Take time to examine where you are in your life and how your current focus is crafting your reality. Fall is a time to envision yourself where you want to be and plant some new seeds of intention.

Consider the leaves on a tree. When they are green and healthy, they provide nourishment, bring beauty, and gather energy to the tree. But when they begin to turn brown and wither, they no longer serve the tree and they are released back to the earth. These leaves enrich the soil to nourish seeds that will give way to the next generation.

What “leaves” do you need to release? Analyze what is no longer working for you and have the courage to let it go. The longer we hang on to what doesn’t draw life to us, the slower we move ahead. Reflect on the dead leaves in your life, while embracing the lessons learned that will pave the way for new growth and life.

Start a Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal is an excellent way to keep a positive outlook. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way, even when the going is rough. The act of recording 3-5 things each day for which you are grateful can change a negative outlook. Even on the worst of days, we can find something good for which we can give thanks.

Keeping a gratitude journal may actually lower stress levels and promote self-awareness and an optimistic attitude. After months of keeping a journal, you can look back and see a written record of blessings in your life.

Bring Balance in Your Home

During this time of refreshing and resetting, you may feel the need to do some fall cleaning. Clear your space and get rid of things that are no longer needed or don’t bring you joy. Even just rearranging furniture can spruce up an old room and make it feel fresh again.

Restore Your Health

Fall is a great time to focus on your health and evaluate your habits. Consider starting a new workout routine or a dietary cleanse. Reset your relationship with food and learn how think about food as nourishing medicine.

Take a Meditation Walk

Make time to connect to the world outside this fall. Take a walk in the crisp fall air and listen to the rustle of the leaves, being mindful and present. Take note of the colors around you, and breathe in the scents that surround you.

As you walk, allow yourself to just “be”. Do not try to analyze or overthink the problems of the world.  Just be present. As do so, ask yourself, “Is there anything I need to release?” If there is, offer up a simple prayer of gratitude, release, and letting go.

How do you commemorate the changing of the seasons and the fall equinox? Comment and share below.

Want an opportunity to reset your body before the long winter months? Join the Clean Slate Cleanse!

Check out these fall must haves to gear up for this fall and even winter!

Health Benefits of Limes

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Limes. Such a simple ingredient, but man, do they pack a punch. Not only do limes add a burst of flavor to many foods and beverages, they also bring along a host of other benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of limes.

Improve Liver Health

Limes contain acid that can help push energy out of the liver. The liver is an energy hog holding excessive amounts of energy, and sometimes we need to move it out. Limes have even been shown to reduce liver damage.

Promote Healthy Digestion

Digestion begins in the mouth when food mixes with saliva. The acid contained in lime juice aids in digestion because it helps saliva break down food. Limes and other citrus fruits also help reduce certain bacteria that cause digestive issues, such as gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric carcinoma.

Improve Immune Function

Vitamin C is a micronutrient that is necessary for a healthy immune system. Limes are high in vitamin C, which has been shown to be effective for the prevention and treatment of many common illnesses. Because vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant, it may even help reduce inflammation in tissues.

Stabilize Blood Sugar

Vitamin C is also beneficial for lowering blood glucose levels. Stabilizing blood sugar can also encourage healthy weight loss when paired with exercise and a normal diet.

Support the Cardiovascular System

Limes contain magnesium and potassium which help promote a healthy heart. Additionally, limes have been shown to reduce atherosclerosis, or the build up of plaque in arteries, which often contributes to heart disease. Vitamin C in limes also helps our bodies absorb iron. Iron is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body.

Boost Brain Power

Neurodegenerative diseases result from the gradual degeneration of the central nervous system and/or the peripheral nervous system. Limes contain an abundance of polyphenols called flavonoids. These phytochemicals have neuroprotective properties that are beneficial for the prevention of neurodegenerative disease.

Promote Kidney Health

Kidney stones are deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. These deposits become hard stones that can be very painful as well as cause other complications. Citric acid has been shown to be beneficial for preventing the formation of kidney stones. In addition, a squeeze of lime added to your water just may encourage you to drink more, which in turn helps improve kidney function as well.

Prevent Cancer

Studies show that flavonoids are not only great for your brain, but they also help protect our bodies from cancer. Limonene is another compound found in limes that is known for its anticancer properties. The anticancer activities of this miracle fruit include inhibiting the metastasis, or spread, of cancer cells; blocking the blood supply to cancer cells; and encouraging tumor suppressor genes and even death of cancerous cells.

To Sum it Up

These are just a few of the great health benefits from eating limes and other citrus fruits. In addition to adding extra flavor, limes offer nutrients that have a variety of health benefits. So let’s lime it up!

Check out this recipe for a refreshing Ginger Lime Mocktail!

Looking for more ways you can use food to improve your health? Come check out the Clean Slate Cleanse!

Natural Remedies for ADHD

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that can cause hyperactive and impulsive behaviors in children and adults. People with ADHD may struggle with focusing on a single task, or sitting still for long periods of time. Additionally, they may also have difficulty handling distractions and with memory. Many people turn to a slew of drugs to manage ADHD. Fortunately, there are some great natural remedies for ADHD as well.

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Evaluate Your Diet

While the causes of ADHD are debatable, direct correlation between lifestyle behaviors and the occurrence of ADHD have been shown. With this in mind, modifying behaviors and diet may help to alleviate some symptoms of ADHD.

Often, preservatives, chemicals and other additives in food can cause or exacerbate ADHD symptoms. Processed food, fast food, and pre-packaged snacks contain lots of ingredients to avoid. Try eliminating foods containing the following ingredients and note any changes in behavior:

  • Synthetic food dyes are often a problem for children with or without a diagnosis of ADHD. Look for dyes listed on labels, including: FD&C blue #1 and #2, yellow #5 (tartrazine) and #6, red #2, #3, and #40, green #3, orange B, etc.
  • Preservatives may influence hyperactive behavior. You may have to do a bit of research to remove all preservatives. Some common culprits include: monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium benzoate, BHA, BHT, sodium nitrate, and TBHQ.
  • Simple sugars present an increased risk of ADHD symptoms. While consuming sugar is unlikely to cause ADHD, it can definitely make symptoms worse. Glucose, fructose, and galactose are the primary culprits. Giving junk food to someone with ADHD is like adding fuel to their hyperactive fire.
  • Food allergens have been associated with ADHD as well. Hyperactivity may actually be a systemic response to an allergen, and many people have positive results when eliminating certain foods. Primary culprits include wheat/gluten, milk, nuts, and eggs.

What You Should Eat

  • Lean protein helps balance blood sugar and increases focus and concentration.
  • Complex carbohydrates found in fruits, nuts, beans, and whole grains are good for brain health.
  • Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals that can support focus and overall cognitive function.

Want a chance to reset your diet? Come check out the Clean Slate Cleanse.

Make Sure You are Getting Proper Vitamins and Minerals

Proper nutrition is key for brain health. Additionally, some vitamins and minerals show promising results for people dealing with ADHD.

Try Herbs and Other Supplements

Get Adequate Exercise

Exercise has a positive effect on symptoms such as attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, and social disorders in children with ADHD.

Limit Screen Time

Individuals who spend hours focused on a screen, such as TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones, have a harder time staying focused. One study even showed a correlation between having a television in the bedroom and a higher likelihood of ADHD. Keep track of time spent focused on a screen. In addition, take frequent breaks and avoid screen time for at least 30 minutes before bed.

Managing ADHD can be a challenge, but intention for whole-body wellness and a mindfulness about common triggers bring hope. What are your tried-and-true natural remedies for ADHD? Comment below and share them with us!

Try this Focus Roll On to help with concentration and focus.

Want even more education about essential oils, supplements, and wellness? Check out my book, Essentials: 75 Answers to Common Questions About Essential Oils and Supplements! Come on over and while you’re at it!

Recovering From Emotional Trauma Naturally

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Emotional trauma affects so many people, and the road to recovery is often long and tiresome. Read about one soldier’s experience during September 11, 2001, and how he overcame by using essential oils and natural supplements for recovering from emotional trauma.

Restoring the Mind & Body After Emotional Trauma

Today is a special day for so many in America as we remember those we lost 17 years ago. The attacks on America hit hard and our government responded quickly. We have now been at war for the following 17 years since 9-11-2001. The amount of trauma that many have experienced because of these wars is nearly immeasurable. Citizens and soldiers have carried the burdens of war for far too long.

I know firsthand as I served 2 tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I didn’t know what hit me, but when it did it was like a freight train running all over my life. There is no way to fully train or prepare for emotional traumas. Whether civilian, military, police, fire, or emergency medical, we just can’t predetermine how our mind and body will respond to trauma.

I trained hard for my job as a Cavalry Scout. I could shoot well from nearly any position and distance, moving or fixed. My soldiers trusted me to take care of them with emergency medical training I received from our Special Forces counterparts. I did all the right things, and quickly moved up in rank because of it. The one thing I could not do is know how I would respond to the traumas of war.

The Product of Trauma

The full details are not necessary here, but I was discharged with a medical separation because of the traumas I experienced and how my mind and body responded. I struggled even more when I returned home. After wrestling with the pains of my trauma for nearly 8 years, I finally found a better way than what I was offered at the VA.

The road to restoring my life after trauma was long. Over the years my body was sending signals of the struggles I dealt with from my traumas, and I didn’t have any effective tools to resolve those signals and improve my life. That is, until I was introduced to essential oils. They changed the equation from long-and-drawn-out to fast-and-effective results.

The Path to Freedom and Restoration

Here’s a few things I learned along the way:

  • All too often we don’t understand our emotions. Therefore, we don’t understand our body’s responses to trauma.
  • Our physical body is interconnected to our emotional body. It takes a “whole-istic” approach to overcome emotional traumas.
  • Supporting our physical body with quality organic foods and supplements, like vitamin D3, vitamin B’s, magnesium, and omega-3’s, is vital to recovery.
  • Combining this proper diet and supplementation with essential oils enables a safe and effective way to release the pains associated with trauma.
  • There’s no magic potion that will eliminate the emotional pains of trauma after one use.
  • Be intentional, consistent, and persistent in your journey to emotional freedom.

Although this phrase has been politicized a bit too much for my liking it is still true at the core: “Freedom isn’t free.” I know that it’s true as a combat veteran, and I know that it’s true as I have fought for and achieved my emotional freedom after all the traumas of war.

The key is to learn the skills and use the tools of a natural diet, supplements and essential oils to shift out of the trauma-induced lifestyle that can keep us in bondage from our fullest potential. Then we can use these newfound skills and tools to shift our lives into living our passion with confidence, peace and joy knowing that whatever comes our way, we can overcome!

Blessings,

Jason Sapp, MATS, CPC

Former Army Sergeant & Iraq war combat veteran ’03-’04 & ’06-‘07

www.jasonsapp.com

To learn more about using essential oils to support your emotional well-being, check out the Emotions and Oils Master Class.

Have you spent time recovering from emotional trauma? Leave a comment below on how you supported a healthy body and mind.