Danielle Valencia

Welcome!

May 7, 2016

I am so glad you are here! There are a LOT of exciting things happening in here and on my other business spaces. This is a great place for everyday healthy living content. You can find daily content on my Facebook page Chelsea Barlow, BioEnergetic Practitioner. Please also check out All Good Things Academy or on Facebook at All Good Things Academy which will host practitioner level education from many amazing teachers. AND MudWise! MudWise is a course for anyone to learn how to MudPack right from the comforts of their own home and MORE! It can be found at MudWise with Chelsea.

Avoiding Illness During Travel

April 26, 2016

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As the days draw closer and closer to summer, there is one thing that I am sure is on everybody’s mind: VACATION. When it comes time for vacation, there is always a laundry list of tasks to complete before boarding the plane. But, there is one thing missing from your to-do list: how are you going to prepare your body for the flight? Here are some tips to keep your exposure level low so you can ensure you are feeling 100% on your summer vacation.

Before the flight: drink water

I can’t say this enough: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Water is one of the main fuels your body uses to function and fight off germs. Never board a plane dehydrated, because the dry air in the cabin will only serve to dehydrate you more, leaving your system weakened and your body vulnerable. Start upping your water intake the day before the flight and always bring an empty water bottle to fill up once you pass through security. If you’re worried about annoying your seatmates with several trips to the bathroom, don’t be! You boarded your plane to go on a fun vacation–don’t let a minor inconvenience ruin your fun or your health.

Take your vitamins and supplements–or, at least vitamin C and Zinc

Vitamin C and Zinc are two amazing immune boosting substances that will give your body some extra support when you are squished between strangers and are holding your breath any time one of them coughs or sniffles. Check to be sure you are getting the correct dosage, though. Too much Zinc has actually been shown to temporarily lower the immune system.

Be mindful of what you touch

Personally, I don’t follow this rule too strictly. I will touch cart handles and bathroom door knobs with wild abandon! Germs are good for you, after all. But, if you are laser focused on keeping germs at bay for a week or two, then be the type of person that uses a sanitizing wipe before grabbing a cart or who washes their hands immediately after getting home. This can be quite an effective method for staying well short term. Long term? You’ll do more harm than good.

Use hand sanitizer (sparingly!)

In a pinch, hand sanitizer can save the day. Keep it on hand for those vacation days when you or your child touch something yucky and can’t find a sink nearby. I try to avoid hand sanitizer because overuse of it contributes to bacterial resistance and because soap and water is still considered a better way to cleanse. So, be smart with your sanitizer!

Stress and Pregnancy

April 21, 2016

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Once you get the news that you are pregnant, you become hyper aware of every move. Every bit of nutrition that enters your body also effects the baby. Every move you make effects the baby. Every feeling that you feel effects the baby.

Stress is the hardest feeling to manage. As the saying goes, there is no right time to have a baby, which means many are financially and sometimes emotionally unprepared for when that test reads positive. Bam! Instant stress! Of course, the cruel irony is that the more you stress, the more you stress about being stressed and try to reduce the stress which, in turn, causes more stress. You get me? It’s a mess. Here are some tips to keep you chill so you can focus your energy on growing your baby, and maybe actually enjoy the process.

Get Better Sleep

Why does it sometimes seem like getting adequate sleep is the hardest part of the day? We live in such a fast-paced work-oriented world. Sometimes it seems as if not getting enough sleep is romanticized or is being normalized. I’m not a fan of this mentality. I’ll be clear: not getting enough sleep messes. you. UP. Especially if you are pregnant. Not only will it increase your level of depression an exhaustion, but women who get less sleep often have sicker babies. Studies have shown that your menstrual cycle is closely linked to your circadian rhythm, so if you aren’t pregnant yet and are looking to be, having a crazy sleep schedule could be hindering your fertility.

Get outside

Let the sun shine on your skin! This will allow your body to create vitamin D. If you have trouble getting sunshine, look for some vitamin D supplements. Not only will this increase your energy levels and boost your immune system, but it will have a drastic effect on your mood. While you’re getting your sun on, go ahead and take your shoes off and put your bare toes in the grass. This is called grounding and it is AMAZING for you. Please follow the link and learn more.

Do something for yourself

There is a pretty big stereotype that pregnant women get whatever they want whenever they want. You and I know the truth, though. There is a lot of sacrifice that comes with pregnancy, and sometimes the responsibility can feel crushing. So, take some time out of those busy 40 weeks to do something purely for yourself. Your needs don’t end just because a child is coming into the picture. Get a fancy foot massage or splurge on a sugary dessert. Anything to help reduce your stress.

Talk it out

Whether your concerns lie with your spouse, your doctor, or employer, the best way to get them out of your head is to confront them head on. Though you may think this will cause you more stress, getting the weight off of your shoulders will be worth it in the long run.

Pray

Take some quiet time each day to talk with God about your fears and doubts. Whether you are afraid of an early miscarriage, or worried you won’t be a good parent, there is nothing too big for Him to handle. Take a deep breath and trust that all that will happen is what He wills to happen.

Managing Nausea During Pregnancy

April 19, 2016

Close-up Of Woman Suffering From Stomach Ache

Pregnancy brings many wonderful things and some not so great things, one of them being nausea. Some women experience pregnancy symptoms at a much greater strength than others. Some insist that the power of nausea is dependent on the sex of the child.

If you feel your symptoms need to be quelled, your OB-GYN may prescribe anti-nausea medication. However, if you are trying to keep your body toxin free, you may want to try some of these more natural, and potentially more affordable alternatives.

Magnesium oil

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for the body’s health. Each cell in your body relies on an adequate supply of magnesium to function properly. Magnesium can also help with morning sickness, fatigue, constipation and gestational diabetes. I suggest rubbing magnesium oil on the skin rather than taking it internally, as it will more quickly enter the blood stream and because your body will regulate the absorption of the oil so you get exactly what you need.

HCL/Pepsin

Digestion can get a little weird during pregnancy. Hormones slow down the digestive process, which can lead to nausea as well as heartburn and acid reflux. That’s where HCL and Pepsin come in. HCL is something our stomachs secrete naturally during digestion, so these pills simply help a natural process along rather than pushing your body to do something artificial. A capsule a two per meal can help kickstart your body into a more regular digestive routine.

Crackers

No, this isn’t the name of some fancy new supplement–I’m talking about good old fashioned crackers. The starch soaks up stomach acid, which makes you feel better. I recommend keeping a sleeve or two in your nightstand so when you wake up with that gut wrenching feeling and a rush of saliva in your mouth you can quell your queasy gut. Other great places to stash crackers: the car, the diaper bag, and the office.

Prenatal vitamins

Hopefully you are taking these anyway, but make sure to take your pill after you munch on some crackers. Your nausea may be due to an deficit of certain vitamins in your system, and your prenatal may have exactly what you need. A little bit of food will help you absorb it better.

Ginger

Ginger promotes the secretion of various digestive enzymes that help to neutralize stomach acid. It also contains phenols which help relax stomach muscles and speed up the digestive process to help move digested food and toxins through your system faster. There are many different ways you can take ginger: in capsules, lozenges, tea, or purely raw. You can even grab a ginger ale, though I suggest looking for the real stuff rather than the overly sugary soda.

Essential Oil

Put a few drops of an essential oil onto a cloth to carry in your pocket, and inhale the scent if you feel nauseous. Lemon and mint oils seem to be favorites, however any scent that you find soothing will work. Just make sure that you are checking with your doctor to be sure that the oils you are using are safe for both you and baby.

Activity Trackers: Pros and Cons

April 14, 2016

There is a big buzz about activity trackers right now, and I have to admit that I get the hype. It is so interesting to see a day’s worth of activities narrowed down to data points and plotted on a graph. Data for every step. In a society that seems to be taking less and less care of itself, a device that elicits this sort of close attention seems like a great idea. However, some of the steep price tags and limitations of the devices may be quite unappealing. If you are thinking about joining the masses with activity trackers, consider these pros and cons and then decide if they are right for you!

Con: Facing Reality – I’m serious here–once you get an activity tracker, you are going to be faced with just how little you really walk. Honestly. I spend a lot of time working behind a desk and even though I find an excuse to get up and move a few times an hour, I still make very little progress toward my step goal. This initial discovery may be a little disheartening, but hopefully this accountability will push you in the right direction rather than bum you out.

Pro: Accountability – Especially for the fitness trackers like Fitbit that sync your progress up with your friends, your laziness will be on full display. Let your desire for fitness rise to combat the possibility of your sedentary lifestyle being exposed.

Pro: Range of Investment – I have seen activity trackers for as low as $14 dollars, and as high as a couple hundred dollars. There is a huge difference in what these devices track, though. The more affordable ones may only act as a pedometer while the higher end ones can track things like sleep, heart rate, speed, calories burned, and more. I consider this a pro because you won’t be forced to pay extra for features that you aren’t interested in or won’t use. If you look hard enough, chances are you can find exactly what you are looking for in an activity tracker. The best value for your buck–what’s better than that?

Con: Accuracy (or lack thereof) – Fitness trackers are not entirely accurate. Third party testing has shown time and again that there can be a relatively wide margin of error. This might not be a deal breaker for you, but who knows how advanced these things could get within the next couple of years. It may be worth it to wait on the sidelines while the bugs are worked out. Or, you can look for other sources of monitoring your fitness. If you are only interested in counting steps, find a pedometer app that you like (Argus is a good choice for iPhones and Androids). Studies have shown smartphones are more accurate pedometers than activity trackers anyway.

Con: Exposure – All activity trackers have to be worn on the body to do their job. Most likely you will be sporting your device 12+ hours daily–even longer if you use yours to track sleep. This means that you will be constantly exposing yourself to potentially harmful signals coming off of your technology. These signals can interrupt and slow your body’s natural rhythm and cause negative effect. There is a way to overcome this, though, through biofield remediation. On my smartphone, I use a chunky sticker that has been said to harmonize the radiation off the phone to be compatible as well as beneficial to the human biofield. This is simply checked with Muscle Response Testing (MRT) to see if it is good for you. If your fit bit, or whichever device you pick, affects your MRT, we can improve the effect significantly.

Do you use an activity tracker? What do you think about it?

Best Apps for Achieving Your Health Goals

April 12, 2016

Source: CAFNR via Flickr

If you think hard–really hard–you can probably remember the days before technology was so prevalent in our lives. We asked strangers for directions and went to restaurants without reading reviews. We sent snail mail and went to the library when we had a question that needed answering. Without a doubt, technology has simplified our lives. In other ways, though, it has complicated it. Things that we didn’t have access to before are now possible just through a quick download. One of my favorite ways to use technology is to help achieve my health goals. These are some of my favorite picks that you might enjoy as well!

MyFitnessPal

Once you input your height, weight, and activity level, MyFitnessPal will calculate the exact amount of calories and nutrients you need to achieve your health goals. This app will help you lose weight, gain weight, or just maintain your regular weight–whatever your goals are, this will help you accomplish it. With the dietary information of over 6,000,000 foods, input is quick, easy, and accurate. At the end of the day I can input all that I ate and check how closely I stuck to my daily recommended intake all within about five minutes! If you are interested in changing your weight or simply seeing the nutrition your body is getting, this is the app for you! – available on Android and iOS

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Waterlogged

This may seem like a frivolous app, but for those of us who want to be more careful about how much water they are consuming on a daily basis, this is a perfect fit. Not only can you track water, but other liquids such as sodas and teas. Input is easy–you enter drinks by choosing ‘favorite’ cups, such as water bottles, coffee mugs, or the typical 8oz cup. I love the visual nature of this app. The fact that I can see how much water left I have to go each day keeps me driven to fill up that little virtual bottle. Plus, sodas and other beverages don’t count toward your daily goal, so it keeps you honest. 😉 – available on iOS

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Bowel Movement – BM

The prior apps will make sure that what is going in to your body is good, and this one will make sure what is coming out is agreeable as well. This app tracks what time you poop, what type of poop you have, and how much of it you have. All the data you compile will be plotted on a calendar and averaged across the week so you can find patterns in your poo schedule. See if work stress triggers irregularities, or if drinking more water really does help your digestion. It’s a little odd and no one likes to be the one to say it, so I will: Your poops are important! The ideal bowel movement should be like a smooth brown banana and you should have 2-3 movements every day. If you aren’t, you could potentially have something going wrong, so use this app to make sure you are on track! – available on Android

5krunner

5K Runner: 0 to 5k Trainer

If your health goals include better fitness, you’ll love this app. Running is one of the best things you can do for your body and the best thing about it is that it is free! It isn’t always easy to get out there and hit the track, though, so let this app be your personal fitness coach as it takes you from a couch potato to a 5k runner in just eight weeks. Carry your phone with you while you exercise, and it will record your workout, telling you when to run hard and when to walk and allow yourself a break. I’ll admit, I’m not in 5k form yet, but this is inching me ever closer every day! – available on iOS

Pacifica

In times of turmoil I know I can often be found distracting myself with the internet. This app turns that habit of distraction into something that can actually be beneficial. Pacifica is an app that helps you manage your mental health. Each day, you track your emotions and choose from a list of activities to help improve that mood, whether that means calming your stress or examining your thoughts. The activities are based on cognitive behavioral therapy combined with relaxation and wellness techniques. These are daily holistic techniques you can use to improve your mental health. Don’t be like so many and let your mental health fall by the wayside. Download this app and give it a shot! – available iOS and Android

Do you have any favorite health and wellness apps? Share them in the comments below!

All Natural Allergy Treatment

April 7, 2016

Allergies are nothing to sneeze at. Dust, pores, and pollen come in through the nasal passages, irritating you and leaving you sniffling and sore as you gradually forget what it once was like to not be congested. We have all been there. Unfortunately, the conventional choices are either to suffer through the season or medicate with allergy medication that simply knocks you out. I for one don’t want to sleep through spring, so I use these strategies to make the season bearable.

Stay in good health

This may be an obvious point, but the better health you are in at the start of allergy season, generally the better off you will be. Be sure to eat a lot of produce and drink half of your body weight in ounces of water per day. Plus, because your body won’t be in overdrive from reacting to all of your allergy triggers, it will be greater equipped to fight off other illnesses and leave you feeling better overall

Herbs

The following herbs have wonderful historical results for improving allergy symptoms. Try to find them as ingredients in herbal teas:

Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) – Used as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory.
Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis) – Reduces congestion and secretions. It is good for itchy eyes, sneezing, and excess mucus.
Gingko (Gingko biloba) – Contains bioflavonoids and is used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) – Helps reduce allergic, inflammatory, and histaminic reactions and supports liver function.
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) – Helps build the body’s resistance to allergies.
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) – Used as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Reduces congestion and secretions.

If tea isn’t your thing, you can also try to find these herbs in the form of supplements. Be sure you check with your health practitioner to get the best herbal recommendation for you to make sure they won’t interfere with any medications you are currently taking. If in doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

FSA (Fun Sweaty Activities)

Not only will this help you achieve your goal of good health, but several minutes of vigorous activity will open up nasal passages and decongest you.

Homeopathics

The concept behind homeopathy is that “like cures like.” So, homeopathic treatment for allergies is for one to take very small amounts of that which they are allergic to. Eventually, the body will create a tolerance. I can individualize homeopathic recommendations to help support your body through allergy season.

Energetic Assessment and Allergies

April 5, 2016

Sniffles, sneezes, body aches, and exhaustion. Seasonal allergies are a real pain. How do you treat them, though? The conventional method is by popping pills and drinking thick syrup every time symptoms rear their ugly heads. If you are familiar with these treatments, then you know what comes next: heavy eyelids and coma-like sleep.

While sleep can be relieving after a rough day of dealing with symptoms, is this really the proper way to deal with allergies? If you are just sleeping through your symptoms, what is really being solved?

This is where I come in.

While I cannot diagnose anyone with an allergy, I can perform an energetic assessment to show you the way your body reacts to certain elements and recommend appropriate homeopathics to help support your body. The way that the assessment works is as follows: frequencies of different elements (specific tree pollen, molds, etc) are introduced through the skin via a metal stylus and a stress response is recorded. The higher the stress response, the more likely there is a sensitivity.

I will run through a list of frequencies of common pollen and molds as well as a number of other toxins that could possibly be linked to your symptoms. Then, I will imprint the frequencies of the specific allergens into a bottle that is securely balanced for environmental allergens. This will give your body the support it needs to feel well again.

This test is non-invasive and results are immediate. In one sitting, you can be assessed for how your body responds to stressors at an energetic level and receive a custom protocol for healing. Why not give it a try? Sign up for a free phone consultation and let’s talk about your needs.

Holistic Management for Chronic Pain

March 31, 2016

If you have spent any amount of time on the blog, you should probably know how I feel about masking symptoms. Symptoms are your body’s cry for help and the only way to answer that cry is by finding the cause of those symptoms. However, chronic pain is not an easy thing to live with and if one is going to soothe pains I would rather it be through the channel of natural and safe methods rather than through a prescription pill bottle. Here are some safer ways to manage your chronic pain while you search for the root cause.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese technique that has been in practice for thousands of years. It involves placing hair thin needles under the skin to manipulate the body’s meridian system. The meridian system is the channels by which Qi (pronounced chee) flows. When there are blockages within this system, the placement of a needle near the blockage site will unblock and allow the Qi to flow once more, alleviating stress.

Aromatherapy

Studies have shown a decrease in pain among people with rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, and cancer who use essential oils. Some notable oils include peppermint, lavender, chamomile, and rosemary. Just make sure you use them safely.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a pain management technique that teaches the patient to consciously affect normally involuntary bodily functions, such as blood pressure and heart rate. The thought is that, by becoming aware of these functions, one can manipulate them in accordance with one’s pain. It is inconclusive why biofeedback helps with pain, but one theory is that it simply allows one to relax, which in turn reduces symptoms that are typically worsened by stress. Electromyography, or EMG, measures muscle tension and is the type of biofeedback that has been shown to be most helpful in pain management.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a root often ground and use as a spice in Indian cooking. It has anti-inflammatory properties that make it perfect for pain management. A dose of about 240 to 500 milligrams of turmeric a couple times per day should help, but check with your doctor to be sure that is right for you. Don’t use turmeric if you are on blood thinners or are pregnant!

Heat Therapy

Heat and cold therapy are easy, inexpensive ways to target pain directly. Hot epsom baths relax the body and draw out toxins. Ice applied directly can reduce inflammation locally. The key is knowing when to use either. Use ice on red and swollen acute injuries. Using heat in these situations will increase blood flow and swelling. On muscle aches and spasms, use heat. Ice will tighten muscles and make spasms worse.

Meditation

Researchers who assigned sufferers of chronic pain to either a meditation program or a wait list found that those who did the meditation reported less pain, as well as lower anxiety and depression and a better mental quality of life, than those who did not.

Chronic Pain: Finding the Root Cause

March 29, 2016

It is undeniable: we live in a world that is obsessed with masking symptoms. All around you are magic pills promising to disappear your aches and dull your pains. What we need to be focusing on is why there is a pain in the first place. If you kept finding holes in your dry wall, would you simply patch over it each day, or would you ask questions and figure out why all of those holes kept appearing?

Now, conventional approaches in this arena can be frustrating. With any sort of chronic anything, conventional doctors are quick to mask the symptoms. Some good ones may search for a cause, but it is customary to give up quickly. If you can get rid of the pain with a prescription, then why bother with the expensive tests and man hours?

I will level with you. Neither I nor any other natural health practitioner will be able to diagnose you. But we are not particularly interested in diagnosing you. We are simply interested in letting your body be the best it can be. We do this through targeting the negative things in your body and your negative habits and making moves to change these things. Once your habits are changed and you begin a regimen to support your body, things like chronic pain or fatigue tend to disappear.

Energetic assessment is a good way of finding root causes of pain because it targets toxins that may be present within your body. Once we can locate these toxins, we can begin your detox and through this process we can see if the inflammation caused by these toxins are what were ailing you. If you are interested in being energetically assessed, contact me and we can set up an appointment!