Discover why Vitamin D levels drop in winter, how it affects mood, immunity, and energy, and what you can do to support your health during colder, darker months. Practical insights + simple solutions.

And How I Help People Feel Like Themselves Again

The Truth About Sugar, Holidays, and Your Health

Why You Might Feel "Off" Right Now

What the Viral Consumer Reports Article Got Wrong

Let’s rewind to the early 2000s—before “clean living” was trendy, before your feed was full of non-toxic swaps, and before I even knew what was lurking in everyday household products. Back then, I had a baby... and a problem. Every single laundry detergent I tried gave my sweet son a rash. I mean, I was ready for the sleepless nights, the diaper blowouts, the “I forgot my coffee in the microwave for the 3rd time” kind of days—but laundry detergent ? That one caught me off guard. At the time, “natural” or “non-toxic” products were few and far between—and crazy expensive. We were broke. I was lucky if I could afford Tide, let alone something with eucalyptus on the label. So I did what a determined mama does: I made my own. After years of tweaking, testing, and learning some things the hard way, I’ve landed on a laundry recipe that works. Like, actually works . It’s cheap, clean, easy to make, and has kept my family rash-free for years. Some Hard-Won Laundry Lessons: 💡 Skip the liquid DIY soap. Cooking it is a waste of time and space. The powder version works just as well and stores way easier. 💡 Don’t overstuff the washer. Max it out at ¾ full. If your clothes don’t have space to move, they don’t get clean. Period. 💡 Leave the washer door open. Always. Helps prevent mold and keeps your machine smelling fresh. 💡 Use an extra rinse. Especially if you have hard water like us. That buildup is real. 💡 Smelly clothes = still dirty. Clean laundry should smell like…nothing. If it stinks, it’s not clean (even if it smells like “Spring Breeze”). 💡 Ditch dryer sheets and liquid softeners. Full of junk. Instead, use 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle. Nope, your clothes won’t smell like a salad. Yes, it works like a charm. A Few Extra Laundry Boosts: Lemon essential oil – Brightens whites without bleach Lavender oil – Perfect for calming vibes on your bedding Tea Tree or Cedarwood – Use for dog beds or travel laundry to kill bacteria and bugs (yep, even bed bugs) Orange oil – A grease stain and post-gym lifesaver Okay okay, here’s the recipe you came for! ✨ DIY Laundry Powder Ingredients: 2 cups Borax 2 cups Washing Soda 2 cups Baking Soda (find in the baking aisle) 1 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated Instructions: Grate the Fels Naptha bar, mix everything together in a big bowl, and store in a cute jar or container with a scoop. Use 1 tablespoon per large load. Don’t forget to add that 1 tablespoon of vinegar in the rinse cycle for an easy, toxin-free softener! From one mom to another: you can keep your laundry routine simple, clean, and budget-friendly—without sacrificing performance. I’ve been doing this faithfully for years, and it’s saved our skin (literally) and our wallets. Let me know if you try it! 💛 time to make some more!

One thing you probably don’t hear is that a measles vaccine DOES NOT guarantee immunity. I know, because I have had more than 5 jabs personally. I actually lost count because over a 10 year period I had to get tested for antibodies multiple times and I always tested negative. I feared outbreaks, especially when I worked with children, but now I know this is not an illness to be feared. For those with generally good functioning immune systems, this illness will actually provide a system upgrade for your body! There are now known benefits of contracting the illness, including decreasing your chances of cancer. http://aonh.org/Blogs/Details/3 What I wish I knew then, what I know now is too much to list but here are a few things: --There is a homeopathic prophylactic protocol available. Homeoprophylaxis is a great option if you want support for measles instead of getting the vaccine or if you are someone like me who tests negative for antibodies. Dr. Isaac Golden suggests taking MORBILLINUM 1M once weekly for four weeks. I can help you obtain this if you want. Just contact me. --A little Vitamin A goes a long way! The best source is always getting your nutrients from your food, and the most potent and bio-available form of Vitamin A comes from Dairy, Eggs, and Liver (I do not recommend daily liver ingestion as this can lead to Vitamin A and Copper toxicity). If you choose to take Vitamin A as a supplement, make sure it’s good quality and you take with a fatty food (Seeking Health Brand Vitamin A Drops are a great option!). Also, too much Vitamin A can be toxic, you need the right dose for your body. To be fair most Americans are currently Vitamin A deficient, so this is hard to do, but definitely possible. Many medications, such as those for cholesterol will make you deficient in Vitamin A so talk to me or your doctor with questions. (Nutritional Therapy, Dr. Alan Gaby, p.69) There’s no need to fear this illness anymore, especially if you are healthy! There is hope and there are options!

Last week, I shared a link on social media to a podcast, Culture Apothecary . In this episode, Alex Clark interviewed Kim Witczak, a member of the FDA Psychopharmacologic Advisory Committee. Kim's role involves educating healthcare providers and advocating for greater transparency and regulations regarding prescriptions, particularly antidepressants. I have received feedback from a few followers and clients about their experience with antidepressants, and feel a need to address this topic of concern. First, I want to share that I understand the drive, need, and desire for these pharmaceuticals. Soon after I got married, I was hit with one big stressor after another and was really struggling. OK, I was a big mess. I was also trying birth control pills, and now know those were a contributing factor to my emotional state. I went to a doctor at the Mayo Clinic and he got me started on an SSRI, for a temporary time to get me back on track. Thankfully, he only had me on them for 2 months and I went off them, not noticing a difference and I did not experience any withdrawal effects. A few years later after the birth of my daughter, I was depressed. My doctor put me on Zoloft and I gained a ton of weight fast! I was also working out and barely eating because we were so poor we didn’t have much food. So I freaked out and went off them pretty quick. The only change I noticed while on them was the weight gain. Thankful no withdrawal symptoms, I wasn’t on them long. Fast forward a few years after the birth of my son which triggered the activation of a virus I had contracted years earlier. My doctor and I didn’t know at the time it was the virus, so he had me try multiple drugs including several different SSRIs. I really do think he didn’t believe anything I said, as a few times he mentioned my symptoms were in my head. I was in real pain and agony and doctors thought I was crazy. I cycled through several meds, and high doses. I started experiencing weird side effects from different meds. After researching the effect these meds have on the brain, I freaked out and went off cold turkey not knowing what I was doing. It landed me in bed for quite awhile, and a little suicidal. But to be honest, I was already in so much pain I couldn’t tell if it was withdrawals or my unknown disease symptoms. I did end up on a protocol that was manageable. A muscle relaxant, Flexeril, and a pain med. The pain med according to my doctor was mild, non habit forming, and safe as Tylenol. He put me on Ultram, aka Tramadol. I was taking this four times a day for over 6 years. Year five, I started to notice severe withdrawal side effects in between doses that would flatten me disabled on a daily basis. I was beginning to learn my doctor was not informed on the reality of this drug, IT IS habit forming, AND works similarly on the brain as an SSRi as an opioid. I knew I had to get off this drug. My doctor wasn’t helpful, so I set out on my own to wean, but weaning was torture, pure torture , so I made the the decision to go cold turkey. Yep, I’m a rip the band aid off kinda girl, and it was hell, pure hell. I was in bed for 2 weeks. I experienced akathisia. I saw demons crawling on my walls and roaches crawling on my skin. I wanted to rip my skin off. I had brain zaps (felt like my brain was beign electrocuted), nightmares, emotional rages, tears, and pain in my body like I have never felt before. My sweet husband nursed me with broth, protein shakes, and took care of the house and kids. I eventually was able to get outside in the sun and slowly weed the garden to get fresh air and movement back in my life. As I was beginning to feel a little more human again, I contracted one of the worst cases of poison ivy that I still have scars from! I ended up on high doses of steroids and felt all of those side effects and withdrawal symptoms. It was three months of agony, and to be honest I have no idea what kept me going, but I did it. I share all this to say, I understand the drive and desire to find a quick fix, a pill, hope for a cure for the hopelessness. I also understand what it means to have a doctor prescribe a drug and they are not informed of the science behind that drug, the consequences and then unintentionally lie to you about the drug when you ask questions. We have this beautiful country with rights to informed consent. If our doctors are not informed how can we be? The research is really our own responsibility. Now before a doctor recommends a drug to me or for my kids, I pause and research like crazy. A few years ago, my daughter was having a rough time. The first response our doctor had was to recommend an SSRi. I was desperate to get my daughter the help she needed and I trusted my doctor, but habit is, I need to do some research first. Boy, I am so thankful I did! I first listened to a podcast of Beverly Thomson who is from the UK who researches antidepressants and youth. Her work revealed more information than I was ready for. These meds come with a black box for a reason. Our doctor said the black box isn’t a worry, but the statistics and research papers say otherwise. We chose a different path for our daughter and it worked! With the rise of antidepressants there has been a rise of suicide in all ages! Not just youth. There are no papers to be found that prove lack of serotonin is a cause for depression. In fact, they prove that a surplus of serotonin causes psychotic breaks, suicide, and many other physical conditions like IBS-D, headaches, carcinoid, and fibrosis that leads to cancer. There are no diagnostic tests available for serotonin levels (except done during autopsy) therefore the testing for depression that deems a need for these drugs is actually a symptom survey that was actually drafted by Pfizer’s marketing team with no scientific research to back it up. What we are learning through the work of some amazing clinical psychiatrists like Dr. Chris Palmer from Harvard is that depression, anxiety, and psychosis can be managed through a healthy metabolism . The myth that mental health issues are a chemical imbalance has been exposed (that too, a lie generated by Pfizer's marketing team for zoloft to sell the drug not based in any science). Decreasing the body’s overall inflammation through diet and lifestyle is reversing mental health disorders even bi-polar and schizophrenia. I can’t wait for Dr. Palmer to conclude his current study and reveal the results! I personally experienced this mental health breakthrough! When I went carnivore a few years back, after 3 weeks I had a breakthrough! I was at such peace and calm, I didn’t even know I was living in constant anxiety. I was awake, alert, alive, and free! I am now sensitive to what I eat does affect my mental state. My inflammation levels do affect my anxiety levels. The gut and brain are tied together! The greatest thing about this understanding is knowing if I am feeling down and out: 1: It’s temporary 2: I can control my mood through my diet 3: I have control over my mental health through caring for my physical health. 4: I don’t have to depend on a drug (not proven by any science it works like people say it will work) and sometimes being sad or depressed is a good thing! If you are someone who is on a med and you are not happy with how you feel, I understand! I have been there! But DO NOT go off any medications without working side by side with your doctor, and if your doctor isn’t willing to work with you, find another one! There is so much I know now, I wish I knew then to help me through the weaning process. Supporting myself nutritionally, stress coping mechanisms, and an understanding community of people would have helped so much! Supporting our clients as they work with their doctors to wean off unwanted meds is a joy, we can’t do it alone. A team effort is beneficial for success! Choosing to stay on medication is ok too! You need to be in a healthy, safe place in your life to go through a weaning process. This is part of the conversation you need to have with your physician. It can take a toll on the body to detox and recover. It can take 3 months to 3 years to adjust. I do not recommend doing what I did and just quit. I could have ended up experiencing a stroke or worse-death. God had my crazy back. He miraculously brought me through my crazy detox. Talk about mercy, but if you’re reading this, you know better. Be better than me! If you are taking meds please take care of your body. These things will deplete you of essential nutrients that can make you end up feeling worse! I personally prefer to test my clients to see where they are at, but common nutrient deficiencies while taking these meds are B vitamins, CoQ10, Magnesium, Omega 3's, Zinc, Vitamin D, and Melatonin. Quality supplements are necessary while on these types of meds! Working with a client earlier this year as she was weaning off antidepressants was challenging but rewarding. At one point, she said I need to go back on these meds, I feel crazy. My response. “ That is courageous! Because you are going to go back on a med knowing full well how they will change your thinking and your health, and what it takes to go off them if you choose to do so in the future. There is no shame in making a choice when you are fully informed of the consequences, and that takes courage.” I truly do respect that! For those who want more information and go down the rabbit hole here are some resources for you to check out: Selling Sickness: SSRIs & The Side Effects Buried By Pharma | Kim Witczak Dependence Forming Psych Meds | Beverley Thomson - MP Podcast #125 The downfalls of serotonin & SSRIs https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/articles/a-popular-theory-of-depression-wasnt-debunked-by-a-new-review-it-got-debunked-years-ago-363986 Dr. Chris Palmer MD book Brain Energy https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1808 https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/freud-fluoxetine/202003/the-story-prozac-landmark-drug-in-psychiatry https://www.optimallivingdynamics.com/blog/7-important-nutrients-depleted-by-psychiatric-drugs-antidepressants-antipsychotics-stimulants-benzodiazepines-induced-guide-vitamins-medications https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5874849/ https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/about_us/sponsored_resources/Nature%20Made%20Handout.pdf?trk=public_post_comment-text https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/drug-nutrient-interactions.html https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25218-antidepressant-discontinuation-syndrome

As a motivational tool, and honestly, it works! I like them better than seeing the number go down on the scale. We are a weight obsessed culture and so many people have the daily routine of stepping on the scale each morning to determine if they are successful or failing at life. To me that personally sounds miserable, maybe because as a woman that scale is always moving in one way or another. But hey! It’s supposed to!! I wish someone had told me that a long time ago. Anyway, the thing about weight is it’s all relative, every person has a different ideal healthy weight, that number for a woman should fluctuate throughout the month according to her cycle. That number also doesn’t really give you a good indicator of what’s really happening inside your cells. 1- Muscle weighs more than fat! 2-Water weighs a lot and you are more than 70% H20 and that amount fluctuates A LOT! 3-There are different types of fat and some you really really need!! 4-Fat is a protector and a provider and if you live in a toxic soup those cells are saving your life. Regardless we all have a tendency to measure ourselves by the scale's number, but what about the non- scale wins! When I first started the Carnivore Diet in January of 2022 in a desperate attempt to heal, I quickly lost 20 pounds. The non- scale victories outnumbered the amount of weight I lost though! I could think clearly again! My IBS resolved! I had learned that my body buzzed with anxiety my whole life, because all of a sudden it was gone! My joint and muscle pain began to disappear! I slept through the night! I also had sustainable energy and lost my need for a daily 2 hour nap to get through the day!! And so much more! Then the scale stopped moving down after 6 months. But, my clothes kept getting bigger and looser. Hmmmmm, that’s weird, my toes also were getting skinnier and my ankles were smaller. My experience with the scale and what was happening to my body and symptoms were not adding up. See, the scale is not always an indicator of success! This past summer after being in school and learning Biochemistry and how to use formulas for measuring food and increasing metabolism, ya know all those sciency health tools. I realized we were doing all the right things but the scale still wasn’t going down. So, I met with a Carnivore health coach, and it turns out the body functions a tad differently on a carnivore than a standard diet and I needed to adjust our formulas. I could go on and on about the new science I learned but I will spare you, I can feel my kids eyes rolling as I think about trying to tell them about it all. Anyway, I reevaluated the numbers of caloric input and basically doubled our food intake for both me and my husband. Yep, we doubled our food intake and guess what happened? He lost around 28 pounds and I lost 14 pounds in less than a month!!! Since then I haven’t stepped on a scale because I mentally want to stay a winner! Can you relate! Funny thing though, my clothes still fit the same. See sometimes what the scale says and what you experience just don’t add up. This past week though, a beautiful client blessed me with a gift. A sweatshirt that came with the apology saying “I’m sorry it’s a medium the only size they had but I really wanted to get it for you, maybe you can use it as motivation to keep going!” Well, I got home and it fit!!! It fit perfectly! I haven’t been able to fit in a medium sized anything in over 8 years! This is a big non scale win!!! I would bet you the numbers on my scale haven’t changed much but my clothing size has officially dropped! Woo hoo!! One way to stay motivated in your health journey is to stay focused on each and every individual win, because at the end of a week, a month, a year they add up!!! Just think, walking 1 mile a day for a whole year and you’ve done 365 miles! Staying consistent in the small things, adjusting or stacking habits along the way, and paying attention to EVERY SINGLE non scale win is a great way to keep your head in the game! When you are coming from a life of chronic illness, frustration, and a long time of battling, counting your non-scale wins and thanking God for them are a game changer! If you could dream up a list of non scale wins what would they be? A clear mind, more energy, better sleep, less pain, the ability to eat a donut and not land in bed for 2 days as a result! Time to dream my friend! Time to pay attention and notice your daily victories! You may even surprise yourself! #nonscalewin #nonscalevictory #weightloss #chronicillness #metabolism #carnivore #carnivorediet