Have you endured a deep level of emotional or physical stress for a long period of time? Has it affected your mental or physical health? Have those stressors left you feeling depleted and exhausted?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, I wrote this blog for you. Actually, I wrote it for me also, as a reminder that we all fall off the self-care wagon from time to time.

I feel like a broken record when I say most of us are living our lives at an unsustainable speed, in a world that does not encourage rest and homeostasis. I see it on a daily basis in my practice. We are working longer hours, not getting enough sleep, eating food that is over processed and devoid of nutrients, often while caring for others when we are not at work. Without proper self-care, this level of stress alone is a burden to the body that will leave us exhausted and strained. If the universe adds on a double whammy in the form of a job change, divorce, injury, death of a loved one, etc., you better believe that you are going to need some serious self nurturing to keep your super human head above water!

The joys of summer are finally here!

This is the time to pay attention to your magnesium levels as we spend time in the sun playing and sweating.

I like to rev up my magnesium during the summer months as the loss of electrolytes can disrupt magnesium stores and can cause adrenal fatigue if left unchecked.

The ability to enjoy, perceive, sense and experience life is dictated by the firing rate and health of your brain. It is impossible for a person to become healthy mentally or physiologically without a healthy brain.

– Datis Kharrazian, DC, MS

I live in Northern California in a coastal town surrounded by vineyards and pot farms. Most people who live in the “Emerald Triangle” have been steeped in the medicinal properties of cannabis for decades now, but truth be told, the medicinal use of cannabis predates recorded history.

I am not a cannabis user; however, I jumped onto the CBD bandwagon after I experienced the profound anti-inflammatory, sleep-inducing, and pain relieving herbal compound for myself. But don’t take my word for it, the CBD industry reported 518 million dollars in 2018 and is projected to reach 22 billion dollars by 2022. It is quite clear that with the legalization of cannabis across the US, this plant is going to continue to grow in its popularity and its medicinal uses are likely to expand exponentially as well.

Most people interested in growing old gracefully agree that supporting brain health and preventing cognitive decline is a priority if they want to live a long and healthy life.

In this day and age, neurodegenerative disease is at an all time high, making it a necessity to put in place as much cognitive support as you can, as early as possible, to offset the chances of developing neurodegenerative disease. While most people reading this may feel too young to have to think about Alzheimers or Parkinsons, research shows that neurodegenerative disease can plague a person for up to 20 years BEFORE they even receive any traditional

symptoms of neurodegeneration. My experience has taught me that an ounce of prevention is much better than a pound of cure!

Thanks to the groundbreaking research that has been done in the field of neuroscience, it is now a well known fact that some of the first telltale signs of poor cognitive health show up with poor sleep patterns.

If you are a parent you probably know well or remember, keeping up with the boundless energy of a young child. From the first light of day until bedtime little children have the ability to effortlessly run circles around grownups. Similar to little energizer batteries...”they keep going and going and going”. The truth is that the energy levels of human beings are directly representative of the energy inside their cells. For within the cells structure are little “energizer batteries” called mitochondria, designed perfectly to support energy production. However, as our bodies age, our mitochondrial function goes down and our energy levels decrease as a result.

With that in mind, what would your life look like if you could increase and fine tune your cellular “powerhouse” energy so that you could live a more youthful energetic existence? Would you need coffee in the morning or afternoon or stimulants throughout the day? Would you start exercising again or spend more time doing the things that bring you joy?

Neurogenesis is a new buzz word in the community of biohacking and there have been revolutionary discoveries in this new frontier regarding brain health.

I dove head first into this field of study two years ago while studying Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and recently devoured two books on brain health that have radically changed my perspective on the healing process. “Why isn’t my brain working?” by Dr. Datis Kharrazian explores the brain gut connection, and “Brain Maker” by Dr. David Perlmutter explores the microbiota and its connection to brain and body health.

Well the good news is, there are a multitude of ways we can support our brain function and neurogenesis may hold the key to optimizing and unlocking your brains longevity factor.