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Other Modalities of Healing that can aid in your healing

modalities of healing

Other Modalities of Healing that are Amazing!

I am such a huge lover of HTMA and true holistic mineral balancing, but over the years I have learned about so many other awesome modalities to heal.  HTMA is a great base- at the end of the day, your minerals HAVE to be balanced in order for the body to heal.  We need a solid nutrition base in order to fix any health issues, period.  So it works pretty well in tandem with a lot of other forms of natural healing.

I wanted to make a good list of other modalities because I have noticed that everyone can be so different with what forms work for them.  Since we are ALL different, it is important to realize that not everything will work the same for all of us.  For example, I know plenty of people that love EFT (tapping) but it never really helped me (whether I was on my own or with a practitioner).  I do very well with acupuncture, but I’ve heard from many that did it for months and it didn’t help them.  You have to learn about a few methods and go with what seems best to you.

I think that there is merit in picking a few modalities in your healing journey.  Depending on what you are dealing with, you will NEED more than one thing to help you through this crazy path of healing!  Read and research some of these methods and go with your gut on what sounds best to you.  It is our responsibility to be our own best health advocate- there will not be one doctor or health care practitioner that can know or do it all so it’s best to keep looking for other options!

So here are some of the best natural modalities out there (I covered some of these in my post about emotional healing as well if you want to check that out for other ideas on healing emotional trauma specifically!):

HTMA

HTMA stands for hair tissue mineral analysis.  This is a simple, non-invasive test that looks at the mineral balance in about a heaping teaspoon of hair.  We look at the ratios between these minerals to determine things like adrenal strength, poor nutrient absorption, how the body is responding to stress, and more.

When people first learn about HTMA, they usually think about the old school methods- lots of synthetic supplements (some recommend about 30 pills or more a day).  This is NOT what we do here at Sassy Holistics. We try to take a true holistic method with our HTMA protocols- whole foods, food-based supplements when needed, stress management, herbs, and more.  We work on healing the gut and liver for a majority of people because if these functions aren’t up to par then the entire body can suffer. We work on healing the ROOTS of our health issues.  Nutrition is everything- we have to eat too so why not get it tailored to your specific needs?

Chiropractic

According to the ACA: “Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.”

Chiropractic care can help the whole body as well- there is a lot of evidence that different vertebrae correlate with different parts of the body.  Here is a cool chart that outlines this! (I experienced this first hand when my little bubba was only a few months old- he was a gassy little monkey and his first adjustment allowed his little body to release all of that stuck gas. It was rather funny- my chiro adjusted him, we put him back in his car seat, he farted louder than he had in his whole life, and then went right to sleep! LOL)

Chiropractic care was one of the first natural healing modalities I ever used- I actually depended on it quite a bit for about a year or 2.  It helped me SO much with my chronic pain issues- I was dealing with fibromyalgia, costochondritis, and countless other health issues at the time.   I had only wished that I knew about mineral balancing back then because as I started balancing my minerals I needed the chiro less and less- it would have saved a lot of pain and money if I was instructed in nutrition back then! This is why multiple modalities can be so helpful- it seems like even in the natural health world, doctors and practitioners chose one “specialty” and neglect other systems.  A copper imbalance is a huge reason why people have issues with holding chiropractic adjustments as well!  For me, as I balanced my copper, I no longer had joint issues like I used to.

Homeopathy

Homeopathy has been documented since 400BC, but became more popular in the 1800s when Samuel Hahnemann became the main founder of it and added a lot more research to it.  This form of natural health is safe, gentle, and truly holistic. Kids, pregnant women, pets, and anyone else can safely benefit from homeopathy, whether it is an acute or chronic issue. Homeopathy is all about “Like cures like”: something that causes symptoms in one person can cure another. No one will end up with the same remedies even if they have the same symptoms- it is truly individualized and holistic. In the early 1900s, 20% of US docs were homeopaths. 500 million people worldwide practice homeopathy! So for those that think homeopathy is not effective or relevant can learn a bit from the rest of the world.

Working with a great homeopath is best- don’t go it alone for chronic conditions!  I highly recommend Khush Mark– she is who I worked with and I found great healing with her recommendations. I was still keeping up with my HTMA protocol for myself as well- and it was huge proof that these 2 modalities can work very well together.

Massage

I’m pretty sure there is no need to explain what massage is- everyone knows it and most people love it.  There are many forms of massage out there, but the best thing to look for is a legitimate massage therapist that knows what they are doing.  Massage is quite trendy so there are a lot of people that just do it as an add-on service at salons or at the mall.  Just do your research and find the best for you.  Deep tissue, lymphatic drainage, relaxation- no matter what your purpose is, massage can help! Massage helps to increase circulation, can help to remove toxins from the body, stimulates the lymph system, reduces pain, and it also can help with releasing deep emotional trauma that is stored in tissues.

I recently invested in this home massager that I’m loving- it’s helping my lymph a lot and it’s been an invaluable tool during my recent healing of EBV.  This massager specifically has almost 3000 reviews on Amazon and has a 4.5 rating- pretty amazing! It has several attachments for different spots of the body.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is another one of my favorite methods of healing.  It basically just helps your body do what it is trying to do. It makes the healing process easier as it opens up the energy blockages.  Acupuncture can pretty much help with any health issue- depression, infertility, chronic pain, obesity, digestive issues, and so much more.  Length of treatment will depend on the severity of your issues- the most common recommendation I have seen is about 10 weeks of weekly appointments.  Just like with anything else, make sure the acupuncturist you are seeing is properly trained.  Even better if you can find someone that you found by a word-of-mouth recommendation from someone that had success with that particular acupuncturist.

Most people get a little scared of the needle aspect of acupuncture but they really are very small!  There are many studies backing up the effectiveness of acupuncture as well- you can read a bit more about this here. For most people, acupuncture can create an almost immediate increase in energy and a boost in mood.  For those that are actively trying to heal, it can take several sessions before you feel a huge difference. Healing reactions are absolutely possible with acupuncture (and any other modality out there). My first few sessions made me absolutely exhausted for a day or 2 but then I started to feel so amazing after each session.

EMDR

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.  This is a “psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. ” (source)

I’ve known many people that have had success with EMDR and absolutely love it. It has sparked my interest as well as it seems to be another method that is supposed to help you heal with the minimum amount of discomfort.

EFT

Emotional Freedom technique is not new, but it has been garnering a lot of attention over the last few years in the natural health field. This method used meridian tapping to harness your body’s energy to heal itself.  Many people swear by this method.  My suggestion for this is to find a good practitioner that knows all about EFT and how to properly do it because it seems to be much more powerful this way. Doing EFT on your own can help too, but some only notice the benefit if they speak with a practitioner. YouTube has plenty of how-to videos too!

No matter what healing therapy you choose, just remember that healing can take time. We don’t get sick overnight so it will take awhile before we regain our health completely.  Don’t give up! Have patience, faith, and determination.  Consistency is key as well!

modalities of healing

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What needs to be organic

what needs to be organic

What Needs to be Organic- according to Sassy Holistics

When I first dove into the world of natural health, it was absolutely overwhelming.  At times it is still overwhelming!  Possibly even more so when years past and you realize that not enough people are even aware of the “why” behind jumping into the natural health bandwagon.  Everywhere you look you can see that people are NOT healthy, and you’d think they’d wonder why we’re all so sick these days.

Anyway- I wanted to put together a (hopefully easy) guide on the things I would *try* to find organic when it comes to food, household products, etc.  There are definitely non-negotiable for me- if I can’t find these specifically then I don’t bother getting it.

Foods- Either these foods are on the dirty dozen or there are GMO versions of these foods that have been released

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Potatoes
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Papaya
  • Beef (grass-fed), chicken, and eggs (free range is best)
  • Dairy products (grass-fed is best, raw is the absolute best but can be expensive/hard to find/illegal in some states, ugh)
  • Grains- oatmeal, wheat, etc (yes, we eat these in our house! We just look for the best quality that we can)
  • kale and spinach
  • peaches
  • You can read the full Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 here, but the above is pretty much the worst of the worst and I do my best to always buy organic!

Tea and Coffee

Look for organic, but also look for unbleached or untreated tea bags. Traditional Medicinals is one of the best brands out there for tea and they offer a LOT of different types of teas.  Alvita is another brand I’ve found to be clean.  Buying herbs in bulk is also an option- Frontier and Mountain Rose Herbs are among the top brands out there.

Coffee is a tricky one because we’re now aware that many coffees actually are at risk for mold and mycotoxin contamination.  I would recommend researching the brands you currently use and look for info about mold testing.  Some brands that are definitely clean are Kicking Horse (Kick-ass is my favorite blend and one of the extra safe ones!), Bulletproof (can be pricey though), and… well right now those are the only 2 I know of but if I find more, I’ll update it here 🙂

Herbs and Supplements

Not all herbal products and supplements are created equally.   Many have nasty fillers or are just poor quality in general.  The main companies I trust for herbal products are BioRay, Herb Pharm, Frontier, Mountain Rose Herbs, Herbalist & Alchemist,  The best brands for supplements are Perfect Supplements, Pure Radiance, Grown by Nature, and the rest of my list is here (as well as the reasons why I don’t recommend a few of the most popular brands out there)

Household products

The average woman puts on about 515 different synthetic chemicals daily – and most of that is just in the morning! There are about 82,000 known chemicals used in everyday household items, and most of them have never been tested for safety.  These chemicals are cancer causing, hormone disrupting (especially causing infertility), and skin irritants. The skin is the largest organ in our bodies and using these harsh products on our skin daily is truly wreaking havoc for our health.

The most important things to switch out first would be (and why to switch them):

Take a look on the Skin Deep Guide on the Environmental Working Group’s website to see how your favorite products rank. They have about 60,000 products listed!

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Changing our relationship with Food

changing our relationship with food

Changing our relationship with Food

I’m about to get VERY real with you all about something I’ve dealt with in my life. I hope that my story can help others (as I know a lot of my other health struggles have- I swear that I’m able to say that everything I have dealt with has been for a reason. I’ve been able to help others with similar issues to heal!).

I was recently recommend this book to read called Intuitive Eating because I’ve been always had my own struggles with weight and body image.  The question that I was asked when I was speaking about my health was this: “Are you even eating enough calories?” And the answer was an emphatic “No”! This was a few months ago and it’s really made me think more about this, but I think I’ve been blocking out a lot when it comes to this issue.  Now I see that this is something that needs a lot more attention than I’ve been giving it. As we heal, we literally have to peel back the layers of pain and trauma, and I think right now this is what I’m needing to address.

You see, I was one of those girls in middle and high school that basically starved herself to stay even remotely thin.  Most days I would eat maybe 1 full meal, usually dinner. I’d go to school skipping breakfast and usually at lunch I wouldn’t bother with anything unless a friend offered me an extra snack. Why did I do this? Well because for one, we all know how the media has always been saying that you only matter if you’re thin. But I personally had a step mother at the time that was constantly telling me I was overweight. She’d call me fat, tell me I have huge thighs, and she’d make fun of me quite often. I dealt with this for about 6-7 years of my childhood!

Sometimes I think “oh boo hoo I had it so hard, get over it” but in reality, this was really something that set up me up for failure in life with food, dieting, weight, and body image.  I never have really considered myself to have an actual eating disorder, but I definitely have never had a comfortable relationship with food.  What happened is that these 6-7 years of being told I was fat and then realizing that I could only stay thin when I was not eating enough made me think that I didn’t deserve to eat because it would make me fat.

And when you tell yourself this long enough, you start to believe it and it becomes ingrained in your subconscious, even when you can logically tell yourself otherwise.

 

I cannot even begin to tell you all how many people have similar stories to mine. I’ve had quite a few clients at this point tell me that they’ve dealt with parents trying to control their diets as kids or they always struggled with weight issues from a young age. It’s quite disgusting honestly! How can these adult figures in our lives be so cruel? How can they degrade us as children, make us feel useless and gross instead of actually HELPING us?! Clearly I had a terrible metabolism already by the age of 7- but that was not MY fault. But instead of being helped, I was made to think that it was all my fault, as if I could control the way my body worked.

So what is my point with all of this?

DIETING does not work. Period. Think about it: How many people do you know that go on a diet, lose a lot of weight, then go back to eating normally, and then gain all of the weight back? Basically EVERYONE that diets! And then they take it out on themselves- they weren’t strict enough, they had too many cheat days, they had too many carbs or too many grams of fat, they didn’t exercise enough, and the list goes on.   So many people these days that are dealing with chronic illness and adrenal issues have been a part of this group of chronic dieters too! We’ve all deprived ourselves of so many nutrients for so long, and our bodies are screaming out for nutrition.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

It’s time to take back our health and change our relationship with food. I highly recommend the book I mentioned above, Intuitive Eating, if you want a good start. I only got into the first few chapters and before I had my ah-ha moment. And I knew I had to share my story in the hopes that it gets more people on the right path.

I’ve written a LOT about weight loss on my blog before. It’s almost always the main concern that people want to address when they start out on a healing path. But I almost always have to mention that our bodies are not concerned with weight loss right off the bat- they are concerned with HEALING. As we heal, we lose weight. And many of my clients do lose weight easily once they start healing. But there are many reasons why weight loss will not happen quickly, and I do believe one of them is that we’ve really lost touch with how to actually eat to nourish ourselves.

I have to admit- even just writing this article has been a bit therapeutic!

Here are all of my other main resources on weight loss:

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Why Healing From a Chronic Illness Can Take So Long- And why you shouldn’t give up!

 

Healing can take a long time- but you shouldn’t give up!

I know the healing journey can be long and sometimes frustrating. I also know that I see so many people looking for that “one thing” that is going to fix them. There is no one thing, I’m sorry to say. Our bodies are so multi-faceted and we really need to look at the whole picture. There really is no need to complicate things though- going back to the basics (especially when you are feeling stuck) can make a big difference, especially at the beginning of your journey.
 
I see it time and time again that people look in nooks and crannies for obscure answers when in reality they are overlooking the basics like healing the gut, getting rid of processed foods, eliminating toxins in the home, looking for underlying infections, or even something like living in a very toxic situation where people are constantly using you or creating negativity.

Why can healing take so long?

1) We didn’t get sick overnight

Many of us are trying to heal from years, decades, or even generations of poor health.  Deficiencies and toxicities can be inherited from our parents, and then most of us continue to live that lifestyle that gave them these issues in the first place. It seems like each generation is getting worse and worse earlier in life too.  So many kids are dealing with autism, seizures, cancer, and more- they’re getting the brunt of the damage thanks to what continues to get passed on through each generation.
You can read my entire post on why we’re all so sick these days right here– it’s a good one to share, especially with those that just don’t believe in WHY so many people are jumping onto the natural healing bandwagon.

2) The Body is a Whole

Healing is NOT easy. It’s not meant to be easy because our bodies are so complex.  If you have one issue going on (like hypothyroidism) there is always going to be other systems out of balance (like the gut or liver).  When we heal, we have to take into consideration all of these parts of the whole- gut, liver, lymph, adrenals, etc as well as the emotional healing side of things.  You can’t neglect the emotional side while trying to heal the physical and I often see people think that there is no need to even heal past traumas.

It’s going to take time, commitment, faith, and a lot of patience to heal.  Even though there are lot of things that are bundled into healing, we don’t need to make things complicated.  If we look at healing in stages instead of trying to work on fixing ALL THE THINGS at once, it gets overwhelming and we’re bound to give up easily.

3) Healing is not Linear

Most of us grew up with the mentality of “take this and be cured”. That is an absolute lie that is perpetuated by conventional medicine.  These days, most people are dealing with many nutritional imbalances, toxicities, and even chronic underlying infections.  Healing happens in stages and in layers- you will feel better for a time, and then feel a bit worse as the body gets through the next layer. Healing reactions, healing crisis, die-off, no matter what you call it, it can happen.  When we suppress symptoms for so long (with conventional medicine), we eventually have to deal with these things as they pop up.

Our bodies heal the way that THEY want to heal us, working from the most important layer to the least.  Often, the last things to resolve are the things we want fixed the fastest- energy, weight loss, brain clarity, etc.  Our bodies are meant to heal and they WILL if we give them time and the right tools.  There will be ups and downs though- you will have good days and bad days, but as time goes on the good will start to outweigh the bad.  A good rule of thumb that I learned when I first started my own healing journey- count on at least 1 month of healing for every year you’ve been sick.

4) Sometimes we just approach things incorrectly at first

There has been so much more info lately about about chronic infections (like Lyme and EBV), heavy metals, and parasites.  More often then not, when we learn about these bad things we just jump right into trying to trying to eradicate, kill off, or detox these things.  So many people overlook the basic foundational care that is needed before even attempting to work on these issues.  You *have* to heal the gut, work on the detox system, clean up your environment,  get overall strength in the body up, and more before working on these issues.  If you dive right into detoxing, you are likely to crash and set yourself back months or even years- I say this not to scare people but just because it is what I have seen so many times.

With our HTMA package, we do try to look at the whole picture and we try to work on the most critical pieces of the puzzle right from the start-which usually involves general foundational care first to start getting the body stronger before getting into these infections and other toxins.  

Healing can be hard, but you can’t give up!

Overall, we really need to start looking at health in a different light- there are no quick fixes, there will be ups and downs, and there will be times you want to give up.  But holding onto the GOOD things that are changing can make the biggest difference (sometimes we forget how much worse we used to be as we start healing- we forget the progress we’ve already made and we keep focusing on the symptoms that are still there).

Stay on your path, learn as much as you can, and have faith that your body is doing what it needs to be doing. You will get there!

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Giveaway for May- Buy an HTMA and get entered to win a Bitter Herbs Bundle!

Here at Sassy Holistics, we are crazy about bitter herbs.  Lately we can’t really shut up about them, so we thought we’d do a bit of a giveaway this month for a pack of our favorite bitter brands.

Why do we love bitters so much?

  • They help with overall digestive fire and increase nutrient assimilation
  • They help to stimulate the body to create stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and bile
  • They are gentle liver healing tools
  • They can help symptoms like bloating, gas, and belching.
  • read more here and here!

 

Not sure what HTMA is all about? You can read all about it here!

A quick breakdown of HTMA:

  • It shows you your mineral levels which can help us determine the strength of your adrenals, thyroid, and overall metabolism
  • Minerals are needed for the enzyme reactions in our bodies- and enzymes are what run our bodies!
  • Our HTMA service focuses on balancing the minerals as well as gut healing, detoxification support, and more.

So from now until the end of May, if you order an HTMA, your name will be entered to win a  bundle of our favorite Bitters. You’ll get: 1 Herb Pharm Better Bitters Classic, 1 Herb Pharm Better Bitters Bittersweet, 1 Herbalist and Alchemist Original Bitters, and  1 Herbalist and Alchemist Spiced Bitters.  So basically, you’ll get free digestive support for a LONG time! And you will be able to try a variety of bitters so you can pick your favorite kind to stick with.

We’ll pick a winner on June 1st and announce it in our Mineral Mavens Facebook group!

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HTMA Class Sale! 5/9-5/20 Save $50!

Save $50 with the coupon code HTMA2018 for my HTMA class from now until 5/20!

My goal with this course is to give the absolute essentials needed to read and interpret HTMAs, and give you the confidence and knowledge needed to help others that embark on a mineral balancing protocol. My approach with HTMA uses a true holistic outlook with whole food nutrition and healing the body as a whole.

This course will consist of videos, lots of notes, and several quizzes to reinforce key points. The main topics covered in this course are:

What is HTMA and what does it test for

The Main Ratios

The Main Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium

The Next 4 Main Minerals: Zinc, Copper, Phosphorus, and Iron

The Other Minerals on HTMA

Heavy Metals

My Remedies and Protocols

Other Information (Blood tests and other helpful tests)

This course is best for current health professionals that want to add HTMA to their existing practice or those that just want to learn all about HTMA and mineral balancing the Sassy Holistics way. There will be an optional final test to complete that you will be able to email directly to me in order to get a Certificate of Completion. You will also have the chance to join our small Facebook group of class participants that are either other practitioners or HTMA enthusiasts.

 

Read more about the class here or sign up today!

 

What people say about the course:

” Loved the class! Definitely helped me understand HTMA more and I love your approach to balancing minerals with food and letting the body heal in its own time on its own schedule. I still don’t understand how you know if a mineral is actually what the HTMA says or its being dumped, but I need to study more on my own and look at lots of HTMA’s. I also love that you have tried everything that you suggest and I plan to do the same. I won’t recommend something unless I have tried it. Thanks Kristin!!!”

“This course was very well done. It did help me understand so much more about balancing the minerals and understand why certain people will react they way they do based on what comes back in their tests. I’m glad you recorded everything and I noticed you put the chat screens up on some of them too. I think that will be so helpful to go back over as I start analyzing tests.”

“I absolutely loved this course! I have learned a tremendous amount of knowledge about HTMA and all the support you provide to us is priceless. I am currently a wellness nurse; however, this will be my first time opening up my own consulting business. I feel like this is only possible because of you and how great this course was. Thank you so much for all the knowledge you
share and even more so, for going above and beyond the expectations of the course to really make sure us students are successful.”

“Most balanced HTMA class I have ever taken, plus there is such a bigger focus on actually using food, herbs, and more holistic ways to heal instead of popping 20 pills a day. Having gone through the HTMA process with Kristin personally myself, I found this class to be enlightening and I understand the WHY behind it all so much better now. This course is for those that was a more modern take on mineral balancing and for those that want to break free from the protocols, synthetic supplements, and isolated nutrients. This class is packed with info, especially considering the price- most other classes out there are more than double the price and still don’t explain things this well!”

“Kristin’s class was incredibly informational and was made easy to understand even to a novice. She made sure to answer any question posed and was very pleasant to work with. I would recommend her class to anyone interested in HTMAs or just the body’s minerals in general.”

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Why we do Retests for Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

Did you know that the best way to get results with HTMA is to retest on time?

Hair tissue mineral analysis shows us about 3 months of time- it’s a very solid view on what your body has been doing when it comes to your mineral levels over a longer period of time (versus blood or other tests).   The main reason why we retest the HTMA every 3-4 months is huge- you want to make sure that you are still needing the program that you were originally put on!

I spoke with a client recently about this and it became so clear to me how important retesting truly is! On a retest, we saw how just in 3 months a significant change in one mineral level can start throwing off a few others. In this case, magnesium was getting pretty high in relation to the other nutrients but sodium barely budged. If we hadn’t retested and seen these changes, this person could have been still taking in too much magnesium and could potentially start to lower their sodium further as time goes on.

The hair test shows us about 3 months of time, so once you do start healing we can really see quick changes happen with our minerals. Retesting ensures that we’re either on the right track still and do not need to deviate too much from what we are doing, OR it could actually be that things have shifted so significantly that it would be time to change everything around.

I’ve also seen in just 3-4 months where the minerals get significantly better and then we can move onto the next stages of healing depending on what the person is going through- usually more detox support for things like EBV, parasites, heavy metals, etc.  Retesting gives us the best insight on how strong a person is getting in the process and when we can start introducing more into the healing program.

Retesting on time is the best way to ensure that you’re healing is on track and that you aren’t wasting time and money on things you no longer need.

We do offer a retest price for those that have tested with us in the last 6 months as well- you can check that out here.

 

(sometimes we extend the time to retest to 5-6 months if we started super duper Turtle speed on the protocol though- when you speak to your consultant, they will likely give you a time-frame for you!)

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Far Infrared Heat Benefits: Weight Loss, Detox Support, Better Sleep, and more!

far infrared benefits

Why should we care about Far Infrared Heat Benefits?

When it comes to health and wellness, I am always trying to find the best methods for improving health.  Recently, a friend started talking to me more about this far infrared heating pad that she got.  I had heard of infrared sauna before, and know that the sauna is an awesome way to aid the body to detox more effectively- however, any kind of sauna can be a bit rough for those with low electrolytes, so it’s not something that I have ever really recommended.

Enter the infrared heating pad! The best of both worlds: you get the awesome benefits of infrared, without the intense electrolyte wasting that the sauna can induce.  I got this exact heating pad about a month ago, and I’m ready to report that it will be something I’ll be recommending a lot more.  I’ve already been hearing amazing results from the few people that I’ve spoke to about it!

What are the benefits of this infrared heat?

What this heat basically does is stimulate your metabolism by increasing body heat slightly. This helps with getting the lymph moving, healing underlying infections, and even helps with weight loss.  Some sources compare far infrared to a non-surgical form of liposuction- it can stimulate the fat cells to open up and dump their contents. This is why we need to start slowly with introducing this awesome healing tool- toxins get stored in fat, so this flushing can create quite a massive detox reaction.

Far Infrared has been studied all over the world for decades now, and the benefits are incredible.  Basically, this form of heat is actually the beneficial form of heat we get from the sun!  So we get the benefits of the sun without risking the sun burn part.  Sunlight itself has so many well known benefits- better immune health, more balanced moods, and it even contributes to keeping weight more stable.

Main Benefits of Far Infrared:

  • Stimulates blood flow and better circulation
  • Weight loss
  • Stimulates the metabolic rate- can help with healing any chronic illness people are dealing with if they are in slow oxidation.
  • Heals the lymph system, boost the immune system, and encourages the body to heal underlying infections like parasites, EBV, and Candida
  • Aids in more effective detoxification- our bodies are overloaded with toxins, and those with sluggish metabolisms will have a hard time properly detoxing. FIR helps a lot with this issue
  • Detox support for heavy metals and other toxins
  • Improved joint and muscle health (these pads are especially used for pain relief- FIR heals a lot deeper internally than traditional heating pads.)
  • You can read a giant list of things that FIR can help with here.

According to Life Extension: “The benefits of infrared heat may be further enhanced by natural jade stone. Jade is the most efficient natural infrared heat absorber of all the semiprecious stones. When run through jade, far infrared passes its heat smoothly to the body. It also creates negative ions, which is a further benefit. Our bodies are positively charged, and introducing the body to a negative ion environment (such as that found at the ocean side) is calming and soothing.”

This is why I recommend UTK for far infrared heating pads-they use jade and Tourmaline in their pads. They also say on their own website that they make these pads to have as little EMF as possible. They also have quite a few more articles and studies about the benefits of FIR.

How to use the infrared heating pad

Low and Slow and Turtle Speed are phrases I say quite often.  Things are no different with this infrared heating pad. 5-10 minutes at first would be great, and eventually you can do much longer sessions.  The instruction book even recommends starting with about 15-20 minute sessions at first so you can see how you react.  It CAN create detox reactions.  But the best part is that it will start stimulating your metabolism more so you can handle detoxing better.

Once you feel comfortable with the infrared heat, you can increase the length of time you use it.  Right now, I try to use it for 1-2 hours a few days a week.  My personal observations have been better sleep, easier detox reactions (especially with pathogens), and some old scars that I have had are actually disappearing!

There are some precautions to using infrared, and they’ll differ depending on who you speak with.  If you are dealing with a health issue and are concerned with if infrared is a good fit for you, check with your doctor (hopefully a naturally based one as they are more likely to have a clue what you are speaking about).  I would avoid using infrared while pregnant or nursing at the very least, and I wouldn’t use it over open wounds. Check with the manufacturer’s manual for other warnings, or see the list here from UTK.

Happy Healing! I really feel like this tool will be a huge helper for those stuck in the constant struggle of detoxing with sluggish adrenals.

If you are curious about your oxidation rate, the state of your adrenals, and if you are dealing with heavy metals, check out HTMA! You’ll get a program tailored for your personal biochemistry, which takes a lot of the guessing out of healing.

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HTMA Class Information: Learn all about the Sassy method of mineral balancing!

Sassy Holistics/Mineral Mavens Academy Program Outline

This course will be 7 week program, lasting 1-2 hours each week. We will be covering the following topics:

1) Introduction to HTMA

2) The Main HTMA Ratios

3) The Four Main Minerals (Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium)

4) The Next Four Main Minerals (Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, and Iron)

5) Other Mineral Info (The rest of the main minerals on the test0

6) The Main Heavy Metals

7) Gut Healing and Detoxification

 You can now enroll in this class whenever you’d like to learn at your own pace! Learn more here!

What you will accomplish in this program:

My goal with this course is to give the absolute essentials needed to read and interpret HTMAs, and give you the confidence and knowledge needed to help others that embark on a mineral balancing protocol. My approach with HTMA uses a true holistic outlook with whole food nutrition and healing the body as a whole. There will be a test towards the end of the course that will outline the most important aspects of the course- and it is not a graded test, just something to help reinforce key lessons.

For those with the ability to get your own lab account (I highly recommend TEI, but ARL is also good), you should be able to start your own HTMA consulting with your own account. (*)

*Please keep in mind that some states/countries have restrictions on who can order HTMAs. For example, in the USA, New York state does not allow HTMA (as well as many other health related tests). Check with the labs to see if you are able to order from them first. The labs are pretty lenient with who can open an account with them too, so I recommend calling or emailing them to find out if you qualify. This course is best for those that are already health practitioners of some sort, or for those that really just want to learn more about minerals even if you don’t plan on starting a practice of your own.

I highly recommend doing some more holistic nutrition courses as well to further your knowledge in this area. Never stop learning!

More information:

The current price for the course is $650. There will be other general examples of HTMAs to view as the class goes on. There will be a link for this to order from once your application is approved. Thanks for your interest, and I am very excited at being able to share this knowledge about HTMA and holistic nutrition with others.

**If you are interested, please email Kristin at sassyholistics@gmail.com and an application will be sent to you.  Once your application is approved, I will send over the information on how to pay for the course**

 

The class will start on March 15th Thursday 6PM Eastern Standard Time, and will continue every Thursday at 6PM for 7 full weeks. Each session is recorded and emailed over by the next day (so if you are in a different time zone or just can’t make it, you can still do the class). I will also have all of my notes that accompany each week’s topic to send over.

The course will be on a live call on a weekly basis and I will be recording and emailing each call to the participants to keep for future reference. I will also be making a Facebook Group for practitioners for continued support. If you are in a very different time zone then you will have the option to just sign up to get the recordings of the class as well as entrance into the Facebook group.

This class is best for individuals that are already in the health/nutrition field that want to add HTMA to their practice, or for those that just want to learn more about minerals and holistic nutrition.  This class does not guarantee a lab account for ordering HTMAs. 

What people are saying about this course:

” Loved the class!  Definitely helped me understand HTMA more and I love your approach to balancing minerals with food and letting the body heal in its own time on its own schedule. I still don’t understand how you know if a mineral is actually what the HTMA says or its being dumped, but I need to study more on my own and look at lots of HTMA’s.  I also love that you have tried everything that you suggest and I plan to do the same.  I won’t recommend something unless I have tried it.  Thanks Kristin!!!”

“This course was very well done.  It did help me understand so much more about balancing the minerals and understand why certain people will react they way they do based on what comes back in their tests.  I’m glad you recorded everything and I noticed you put the chat screens up on some of them too.  I think that will be so helpful to go back over as I start analyzing tests.”

“Most balanced HTMA class I have ever taken, plus there is such a bigger focus on actually using food, herbs, and more holistic ways to heal instead of popping 20 pills a day. Having gone through the HTMA process with Kristin personally myself, I found this class to be enlightening and I understand the WHY behind it all so much better now. This course is for those that was a more modern take on mineral balancing and for those that want to break free from the protocols, synthetic supplements, and isolated nutrients. This class is packed with info, especially considering the price- most other classes out there are more than double the price and still don’t explain things this well!”

“Kristin’s class was incredibly informational and was made easy to understand even to a novice. She made sure to answer any question posed and was very pleasant to work with. I would recommend her class to anyone interested in HTMAs or just the body’s minerals in general.”

 

 

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Healing on a Budget

healing on a budget

Healing can be hard- but it doesn’t have to be expensive! Here are my tips for Healing on a Budget

When you see the abundance of people out there that are suffering from chronic illness, it can really make you mad! Why are so many people suffering?!  One main reason seems to be that crap food is so super cheap, so people tend more towards cheap, fake foods as their go-to meals instead of real, organic, wholesome foods. And I get it, trust me! By no means does my family eat 100% organic- but we do our best and budget for the absolutely essential foods and supplements we need to stay on our healing journey. I do have some tips on where to shop to save money on real food here as well.

Since I have been thinking of this, I really wanted to put together a good post for those that really want to start healing, but might not have the money to go all out. And honestly, this is the best way to go when you are first starting out on this healing journey! Make baby steps and small changes as time goes on and that will ensure that easiest, most comfortable transition into a natural lifestyle.  Of course, I always will recommend trying to aim for an HTMA first with one of our practitioners because this can eliminate a lot of the guessing when it comes to picking specific supplements and foods that you might need to really get on the best path to health. But there are a lot of things you can start with before you get to that point.

Gut and liver healing

Gut and liver healing are absolutely essential for everyone- period. If you are dealing with any kind of health issue, you will need to do some sort of gut and liver healing. Luckily, a lot of what I tend to recommend for both gut and liver health are affordable and help BOTH gut and liver. To learn more about the remedy listed, just follow the links!

  • Apple cider Vinegar is one of the MOST affordable helpers to help out with gut healing. You can usually find a big ole bottle for $5 and it should last about a month or 2.
  • Aloe Vera is amazing for healing and dealing the gut lining, soothing internal inflammation, and for healing both the liver and colon. George’s brand is my favorite as it is tasteless and 100% pure aloe (most of the aloe supplements out there will have a ton of nasty preservatives as well as a rough taste). **
  • Castor oil Packs help immensely with liver healing and soothing, boosting bile flow, and they are incredibly anti-inflammatory. Many of my clients report amazing results with the packs especially with sleeping, detox support, and with decreasing histamine issues. **
  • Dandelion root tea runs you about $4-5 for 16 tea bags (Traditional Medicinals brand is great!). Dandelion helps with liver healing, bile flow (essential for detoxing, fat/protein utilization, and proper absorption of fat soluble vitamins)
  • Bitter herbs– Dandelion root itself is a bitter, but the blends like Herb Pharm’s Better Bitters are relatively affordable and very effective at stimulating production of stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and bile flow. **
  • Fermented foods are 100 times cheaper than probiotic supplements and I honestly think they are much more effective in the long term. You can spend less than $20 a month on produce to ferment some veggies, where many of the popular and actually effective probiotic supplements will run you at least $40-60 a month. Not everyone can tolerate fermented foods at first, especially if there are histamine issues going on, but it’s still an important part of gut healing.
  • Bone broth or collagen. Bone broth is relatively affodable to make, especially if your family has access to organic whole chickens. Just cook the chicken in the crockpot and save the bones for the broth! Read here for an easy recipe. Good, high quality collagen powder can be pricey, but always stay tuned for sales from Perfect Supplements- you can snatch up a few tubs of collagen for 30-45% off at these sales.

**Not to be used while pregnant or nursing! Please click the links on the remedy to learn more about specific reasons**

Nutrient Dense Food Options and Nutritional Support

When it comes to nutrition, I’m all about getting more bang for your buck. Gut and liver healing play a role in this as well- the better your digestion, the more you are going to absorb from your food! There are a lot of awesome, nutrient dense foods that won’t break the bank too.

  • Herbal Infusions- These are the BEST alternatives for multivitamins. Nettles and chickweed are the best for general use for many different health issues, but oatstraw, red raspberry, and red clover are other popular ones. You can read all about herbal infusions here! A 1 pound bag of any of these herbs will run between $15-20 and a bag will last about a month depending on how frequent you do the infusions.
  • Dead Sea Salt Baths or Foot Baths- you can find a good dead sea salt bath mix that is relatively affordable on Amazon. Doing these baths can be a easy, cheap, and effective way to get in some awesome bioavailable minerals, especially when you are working on gut healing.
  • Pumpkin seeds are another insanely nutrient dense food. One quarter cup has: .43mg of copper, 2.5mg of zinc, 1.47mg of manganese (nearly the whole RDA!), 190mg of magnesium, 9 grams of protein, and about 400mg of phosphorus. Look for raw, organic, and hulless pumpkin seeds. Check Costco if you can- they recently just started selling a big bag in my local store.
  • Bone broth (see info in the gut section!)
  • Keep an eye out for sales on Perfect Supplements and BioRay as well! They both tend to offer sales a few times a year. They both offer truly amazing, high quality supplements. I tend to announce sales through my newsletter, so be sure to sign up if you haven’t already!

I’ll likely add more to this as time goes on, but this is quite a big list of ideas to start with! I hope it helps to know that healing doesn’t have to be hard or majorly expensive.

healing on a budget