As a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and holistic health practitioner I’d never thought I’d feel so strongly about talking about this topic as somebody who was once quite enthusiastic about the functional medicine space, supplements over drugs, and herbs as medicine.

But the more I have studied the body and health, the more I have realized and experienced with myself and my own clients, that it is simple inputs, consistently, that provide the path to radical health and healing. In my experience the people I meet who are on a path of functional medicine or naturopathic lab testing, supplements and herbs are on a never ending loop of chasing “healing”. And I speak on this because it’s something that has become quite relevant with the experiences of clients I have been meeting over the past two years or so as an interest in holistic medicine has grown quite significantly. 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as medical advice nor to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Chelsey Mollin, Lac does not diagnose, cure or treat disease.

Functional Medicine Labs

Look, I’m not saying these are never helpful, but I don’t find them to be that helpful most of the time for the types of people coming through my door. I will say that I am a bit biased because my background is in traditional chinese medicine, so I am trained to understand somebody’s patterns and symptoms and identify root causes through observation and thoroughly collecting information through the client interaction. People’s patterns are SO obvious when I have the opportunity to get to know them. I don’t need a dutch lab to know that you have excess estrogen and low progesterone and that your cortisol levels are out of whack. A dutch hormone test does not tells us WHY you’re having the symptoms you’re having. The story of your life is what tells us that. The symptoms are the roadmap to fix it. For certain circumstances and particularly tough cases these technologies are absolutely helpful, but for most presentations of chronic issues I see, I’m not sure how much they really move the needle. 

How I explain this to clients is that the testing won’t change the treatment plan. And while it can be great to have objective information in some cases, in my experience I find that is just reinforces the story of sickness and disease more to the client, when what they really need to focus on (if they really want to get better) is providing the environment for healing through their everyday life. It also puts them on an ever ending quest to find answers through testing, rather than looking inside themselves. And when you can step back and understand your body, you’ll see the answers are all right there. They’ll feel better, but they’ll want to “check” their labs to make sure. Or they wont feel better and they’ll want to test to see what’s missing even though it’s right there in front of us in the details of your life. My work is all about connecting to your own body. You don’t need labs to tell you when you’re sick or when you’re well. Healing is about focusing on health and healing, not chasing and focusing on the problem. 

(I actually was going to school for functional medicine to get my PhD in functional medicine, but I quit 1.5 years in because it really just wasn’t in alignment with my approach and I didn’t find that what I was learning was helping me help people at all. I enrolled because I wanted to learn and understand the body better, but what it ended up feeling like was allopathic medicine rebranded – symptom management but with different tools. It still felt rooted in fear and rooted in lab testing and supplements and mold and parasites etc…not much rooted in the truth of the innate intelligence of the body or how to actually achieve vitality, longevity and coherence. It sounds better than current conventional care… but it still over rides the body and doesn’t help people create sovereignty or get all the way better. So I quit! And this is all said with no hate to FMD’s or ND’s, I genuinely believe we all do our best with our best understanding of the truth and the information we have, this is just my experience and I recognize there are amazing practitioners out there in addition to what I am referencing <3 )

I share this from a place of wanting to see people feel better and understand their body’s. I’ve met too many people who pour time, money and energy into protocols that only bring partial and temporarily relief. My goal isn’t to dismiss tools that have helped people but to offer a clearer and more simple path towards lasting vitality that I know people are seeking!

Supplements

Again, it’s not that supplements are never helpful, but supplements are just that – a SUPPLEMENT. They are not meant to replace anything. This conversation really stems off of the functional medicine lab one – because a typical situation is that labs will show you that you are deficient in x, then the treatment plan will be to supplement x. Vs fixing WHY one was deficient in x in the first place. Or the tests will show you x hormone is too high, so the treatment plan will be to lower x hormone with a supplement. Nutrients and hormones don’t work in isolation, and they don’t resolve in isolation. 

This becomes particularly problematic when the functional medicine protocol starts involving an enmeshment of pharmaceutical drugs in combination with herbs and supplements. A great example of this is SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) when the client/patient will go for gut mapping tests, but then be prescribed antibiotics. The presence of bacteria in the small intestine doesn’t explain WHY the person is experiencing bloating, food sensitivities, pain, constipation, diarrhea etc. And the use of antibiotics to wipe out those bacteria won’t resolve this problem. And now you’re stuck on a loop of not feeling well → test the gut → find the bacteria → antibiotics → feel better for a bit → feel sick again → test again → bacteria came back → back on antibiotics…. 

The only thing alternative about this approach is the tests being utilized. Your health is simple, and in my opinion this approach makes it feel very complicated, difficult and mysterious. (Remember when I said your patterns are so obvious!! …so is the path to fix them)

Another great example is digestive enzymes. When somebody has a bunch of digestive symptoms they will typically be recommended digestive enzymes. An alternative that is without a doubt a better and safer option than a proton pump inhibitor (like prilosec) They will make your stomach feel better, but they won’t address why you are not producing stomach acid on your own, or why you are not moving your bowels on your own. 

This becomes a never ending chase of test → supplement → test →  supplement → test supplement → get 50% better, 60% better, maybe even 80% better, but never 100% – and never when you take the supplements away. 

Not to mention all the money people spend on supplements and these labs. And look I’m not saying don’t spend money on your health, nor is it inexpensive to work with me, but the goal should be to not need to continue to do all of this. It should be an investment that has a significant and infinite return – your abundant health and vitality. 

I’ve watched the functional medicine and holistic space grow so quickly over the years and while I have my critiques I will also say that it feels like a natural pendulum swing and natural over correction from a conventional western approach to an alternative approach. My hope is that people will start to land somewhere more in the middle so they can actually heal & thrive!

Just recently I had a new client who was working with a naturopath and was taking a whole bunch of supplements and herbs. She had high cortisol amongst other measurable issues and was looking for help addressing the patterns that caused her to have extreme post menstrual symptoms post partum/post breast feeding. She was also wanting to heal from and eventually come off the drugs she had been prescribed to address this initially. When I met her she was going to an intense hot yoga class 3x/week first thing in the morning. I knew right away I wanted to recommend she stopped doing this. The class was not in her best interest for all kinds of reasons…the intensity, the sweating, the time of day, the fact that it was Winter +++. It was a recipe for hormonal chaos for her particular circumstances.

Reluctantly she stopped going even though she loved it so much… and within a week she started to feel better in different areas. Her stomach felt better, her skin looked better, she felt like she looked and felt better than ever… just from that one simple shift 🙂

My point is, that she could take all the cortisol and nervous system supplements in the world… and keep checking labs for her cortisol and trying different protocols…but 3x/ week all month long she was damaging her cortisol, amongst other things, and subsequently affecting all other hormones and just overall stressing her body out when it was already stressed.

Read more in this blog about why cortisol isn’t at all the enemy – it just needs to be regulated 🙂

Herbal Medicine

I’m a board certified herbalist trained in traditional Chinese medicine. Herbs are an incredible medicine…but they don’t work unless you change WHY the dis ease was there in the first place. Yes they will make you feel better even if you don’t change anything, but only temporarily. You have to resolve these patterns at their root. 

I work with women a lot and a pattern I see is women with PMS/PMDD issues and painful periods are taking herbs that manipulate steroid sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) but these hormones don’t work in isolation. So not only does manipulating these hormones with herbs not resolve the patterns at the root, but eventually you’re going to start to have other issues as well because of the way you’ll be subsequently influencing all other hormones that work upstream… you may feel better before your period but then you’ll start to experience spotting, irregular cycles etc. 

I will stand ten toes down that while herbs are an incredible support, they don’t even shine a light on how powerful your own energy, your life, your thoughts and beliefs are. I tell my clients that herbs can help them get from point a to point b faster because they will help the body heal, but at the end of the day you can heal without them as well.

The Simple Truth

So all in all, in my experience recently a lot of my clients are coming to me after being in this functional medicine/naturopathic space where the treatment plan is rooted in testings, supplements and herbs… and they’re coming to me because they are either barely getting better at all, or they are hitting a plateau. 

So I’m here to tell you that if there’s symptoms and dis ease showing up in your body, it is there to HELP you. So the solution is not to manage, manipulate or suppress the disease, but to restore coherence to function to your body so it can then carry out its own curative functions. Your body is designed to heal and you do not have to jump through hoops to make it do so, you just have to provide the environment. 

If you’re not seeing improvements or not the level that you’d like, you have to understand that there is nothing inherently wrong with you, you are just missing something fundamental. That’s why I said functional medicine labs, supplements & herbs keep you stuck, because they keep you searching for something outside of yourself when really what you need is to slow down, look at your life and resolve at the root. It’s what you do everyday and who you are that make up your health or your dis ease

The path to how you want to feel isn’t in another test or supplement protocol or parasite cleanse, it’s what you do everyday and who you are

The path looks more like:

Your routine

Your breathing

How you move through the world

Cellular hydration

Everyday habits

Eating schedule

Sleep hygiene

Electronic exposure

Relationship with light & nature

Connecting to your own body

Belief systems

Emotional regulation

+++

Abundantly healthy is your natural state. Reclaim your inherent vitality. If this resonates with you feel free to book a virtual Foundational Deep Dive for New Clients with me HERE, or download my ebook below. 

In abundant health,

❤️Chelsey

The post Why Functional Medicine Labs, Supplements & Herbal Medicine Keep You Stuck appeared first on Chelsey Mollin Holistic Health.

First, What Does It Actually Mean to Balance Your Hormones?

“Balancing hormones” is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot — especially on the internet — kind of like gut health. But what does it actually mean to balance your hormones, and how do you do it?

When we’re talking about hormonal balance, we’re typically talking in the context of reproduction and menstrual health, fertility, so that’s the context I’m mostly focused on here.

The hormones that directly affect menstruation and reproduction are your steroid sex hormones. That’s your estrogen, your progesterone, your testosterone. And these are typically the hormones that get referenced when discussing balancing your hormones.

But zooming out, you want to understand that those hormones live in a system with dozens of other hormones — and all those hormones together are influencing each other.

Think of it like an orchestra. Everybody’s involved and everybody plays a role. One instrument is going to affect how the other instrument sounds and performs, and vice versa. So balancing your hormones actually means providing the environment for this orchestra to be able to perform. Let’s talk about it! 🙂

The Mistake People Make When Balancing Hormones

So when we’re thinking about balancing hormones, and there’s an issue rooted in hormonal dysregulation- like painful periods, irregular cycles, PMS, heavy bleeding, infertility, hormonal acne, mood issues — whatever it is — the part where people get lost and essentially miss fixing the root pattern is that we isolate those sex hormones and focus on them alone.

Because those hormones are living in synergy with dozens of other hormones that influence your blood sugar, your sleep, your skin, your appetite, your digestion, your repair, your immunity, etc. There are all these other systems living in connection with reproductive hormones. Nobody is isolated or working alone. So when we isolate systems in the body, we might see changes in symptoms for a bit, but we’re not actually resolving the root patterns driving the problem.

So in this case, whether you’re using drugs to affect these steroid hormones, or you’re trying to take a more natural approach to manipulate or affect estrogen, progesterone or testosterone, you are missing the bigger picture.

A Common Example: Estrogen

A great example of this is people doing seed cycling or eating a certain diet, or taking specific herbs to try to have an effect on there being too much estrogen in their body. They may eat carrots or flax seeds to try to bind to the extra estrogen and remove it, because it’s causing symptoms like painful breasts, premenstrual irritability, painful periods. The idea is to get rid of the excess estrogen, so this will be effective and reduce these symptoms. 

But the more important question is—why is there too much estrogen in the first place? Why can’t the body get rid of it itself? That’s the real pattern you need to address—and the solution is not carrots and flax seeds. So balancing hormones is actually not so much about balancing in the sense that “we need more of this and less of that,” but rather, it’s about restoring efficiency to the whole hormonal orchestra. In the case of excess estrogen it’s typically really rooted more in chronic stress and a detoxification issue.

If you’re doing seed cycling, you might see improvements in your symptoms. But if you stop seed cycling, symptoms returned and nothing really got fixed. It’s not good or bad or right or wrong — it’s just efficient or inefficient. Are you addressing a branch pattern, or addressing a root pattern?

The Hormonal Pyramid

You want to think of the hormones that directly influence menstruation and reproduction as living quite far down the chain from a lot of other hormones.

Picture a pyramid.

At the top of the pyramid, you have hormones like insulin, cortisol, melatonin, leptin thyroid hormone.

If those hormones aren’t doing their job effectively (and if you have menstruation or reproductive issues and you know they aren’t- because the sex hormones down here aren’t doing their job) — then the issue at the bottom of the pyramid can’t ever get resolved.

What people often do when they’re not aware of that is they go down the chain to try to manipulate those sex hormones — and they miss everything happening up the chain.

This issue with the steroid sex hormones can’t ever get resolved if everyone up the chain isn’t functioning properly as well. And the way you get everyone up the chain functioning properly is by thinking from a holistic mind, body, spirit perspective.

• Hydration.
• Nutrition.
• Sleep.
• Light exposure.
• Relationships.
• Safety in the body.
• Breathing.

All of these things influence your hormones. Remember, hormones are messengers so all of the inputs you’re giving your body are signaling those messages.

The Holistic Band-Aid Cycle

When you start messing around with herbs — again using estrogen as an example — if you’re trying to influence estrogen with herbs but you’re not addressing why there’s too much estrogen, the body is always going to continue adapting and compensating around this root issue.

If there’s too much estrogen and you start manipulating it (and I say “manipulate” because you’re going in through almost like a side door) then the other hormones that are compensating and being affected by estrogen are also going to start shifting.

You may start having other issues like spotting or irregular periods. This is how people enter into what I call a holistic band aid cycle. They’re using herbs, certain diets, certain therapies but they are really just putting a more natural bandaid over something that has a deeper root cause. Then they end up going from protocol to protocol to protocol, from this doctor to that practitioner to this person… in an endless search of answers. When really, the solution is usually rooted in simple things that they’re doing every day.

Just having a simple understanding of how your body works can open the door to true, sustainable, long term resolution of chronic issues. And it’s usually a lot simpler than people think!

Simplify Your Health Through Understanding

It’s what you do every day and who you are that makes up your health — or your lack of it. Download my free ebook, Foundations for Radiant Health and start living the medicine. Simplify your health through understanding and application 🙂 

In abundant health,

Chelsey

❤️

The post How to Balance Your Hormones appeared first on Chelsey Mollin Holistic Health.

20 Affirmative Beliefs for Trusting Your Body, Healing, Cultivating Radiant Health and Reframing Symptoms

This is a guide to repatterning your biology of belief, shifting your relationship to your symptoms and connecting with the innate intelligence of the body that heals and repairs. Your body is not broken and your symptoms are not a problem-they are a portal-  a map. 

Your body is an intelligent, self healing ecosystem. It’s intelligent, and always adapting and communicating. Every symptom or issue that comes up is not your biology failing you, it’s your biology working for you and communicating.

In a world that conditions us to fear our own body, fear disease, override intuition, and mask the physical and energetic signals our body sends us, we’ve disconnected from the body.

Your body and its inner workings is always on your side, always attempting to keep you good, safe, alive. In response to emotional threats, nutritional deficiencies, environmental toxins etc., it adapts, recalibrates and protects-even when that feels painful, inconvenient and frustrating. 

I created this guide with beliefs to explore and affirm to help shift your relationship with your body from fear and avoidance to trust and communication. 

Here you can begin to reshape the unconscious beliefs that shape your experience with 

• your health
• your biology
• your symptoms
• the body’s healing response
• how you self regulate
• how you heal and repair

This is an invitation to reclaim your inherent vitality.

You are the medicine.

Your life is your medicine. 

The medicine is and has always been, inside of you.

How To Work With Your Beliefs:

The body needs to know that it’s safe to heal. In order for that to happen you need to understand that there is no battle between you and your body. Your body loves you and wants to keep you alive and thriving. When you can learn to listen and adapt, rather than mask, ignore or feel perpetually frustrated- you can create a synergistic and mutually beneficial relationship between you and your body.

Every belief you carry has an energetic imprint on you and shapes your physical experience and how you see the world. We want to provide signals to the body that it’s safe to heal and thrive. 

Our beliefs shape:

• our physical experience
• our health
• relationships
• immune function
• digestion
• pain
• hormones
• emotional regulation
• skin

So read slowly and notice what softens, what tightens, what shifts?

Notice when a belief feels true, or deeply untrue. Both are invitations to look deeper and show you what beliefs need to be reorganized in order for you to experience what you want. (Repeating affirmations like this only work if you actually believe them, so if you don’t, that’s ok! You don’t need to force it, just sit with it and see it as an opportunity to understand where your beliefs don’t align with how you want to feel.)

As you read, breathe slowly and treat this like a conversation with your body. 

20 Beliefs for Abundant Health & Healing

⭐️ My body loves me and is always working for me, even when I don’t understand the messages it’s sending.

⭐️ My inner ecosystem is constantly adjusting, repairing, and recalibrating on my behalf.

⭐️ Every sensation I feel is an invitation to understand myself more deeply.

⭐️ My symptoms are communication, not my body betraying me. 

⭐️ I understand my body has an innate intelligence beyond my ability to fully conceptualize or analyze.

⭐️ I meet the signals that come through from my body with curiosity, compassion, and partnership.

⭐️ I don’t fight my body, I collaborate with it. We’re on the same team.

⭐️ I am safe in my body. My inner body knows how to return me to equilibrium.

⭐️ I trust the parts of me that repair, regenerate, and restore coherence and harmony.

⭐️ Healing is not about control- it’s about allowing my biology to do what it already knows how to do.

⭐️ I live in an overflow of health, strength and radiance. 

⭐️ My energy radiates health and vitality from the inside out.

⭐️ My body responds powerfully to nourishment, care, and restorative rest.

⭐️ I create the supportive environment my body needs to thrive.

⭐️ Every choice I make in alignment with my well-being provides the environment for healing and repair.

⭐️ Everything that comes through my body is information-even when I make a choice that feels wrong or bad, it’s all okay and provides information for my greatest good. 

⭐️ My health is a byproduct of who I am, what I think, what I believe, what I feel and how I behave. 

⭐️ I trust that restoration is happening underneath the surface, even when I cannot see it.

⭐️ I live in abundant health. 

⭐️ I am a person who thrives, listens to my body, partners with my biology, and heals from the inside out.

What’s cool about beliefs (other than they shape everything in your reality) is that they can change. So ask yourself- where did you learn what you believe? Who taught you that? Is it ultimately true? If you don’t like what you see in your life- start by changing what you think and feel about it. The stories we tell ourselves about our health and our body, shape our experience with our health and our body.

Looking for deeper support? Let’s work together ⤵️

If this awakened something in you – excitement, possibility, a remembering, a desire for health and peace with your body – I’m so glad you are here!

If you’re feeling the pull to go even deeper and desire personalized 1:1 support, want to clearly understand your symptoms, decode your patterns, and build on the foundations for sustainable abundant health and healing – my Sovereignty Support Program is where we work closely together to provide you with a clear and actionable path forward, with tons of support from me. My approach blends support, functional nutrition, customized traditional chinese herbal medicine, cyclical living framework, circadian rhythm support, nervous system toolkit, and ongoing education and support. You can also start by booking a Foundational Deep Dive for New Clients or message me!

This work provides holistic solutions to: PMS/PMDD, painful periods, birth control, fatigue, brain fog, chronic pain, headaches, migraines, insomnia, acne, irregular cycles, night sweats, hot flashes, chronic infections, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, food sensitivities, weight issues, anxiety, depression & more

⭐️Your symptoms are not a mystery.

⭐️Suffering is not your destiny.

⭐️Your body is designed to be healthy and self regulate.

⭐️You are the medicine. 

Disclaimer: The information & services provided on this website are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. They do not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult with a healthcare provider for any medical concerns. Use of this website is at your own risk, and we disclaim any liability for damages arising from its use.

The post Inner Ecosystem of Your Belief appeared first on Chelsey Mollin Holistic Health.

I know if you are reading this and experience the awful symptoms of extreme premenstrual syndrome, and even have an official diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder- you may be thinking umm yeah right, too good to be true. I’m simply telling you first hand what I’ve experienced working with women with these symptoms and these diagnosis- some even starting out on anti depressants that often don’t even help in the first place.

So if your life is miserable half the month- I can only tell you that you are not inherently designed to suffer, and there are holistic solutions to your symptoms when the root patterns driving them are resolved.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as medical advice nor to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Chelsey Mollin, Lac does not diagnose or treat PMDD. Please consult your medical provider before making any changes to your healthcare.

 

What Is PMDD?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is classified as mental health disorder associated with menstruation and the brain. The problem with receiving a diagnosis like this is that it’s presented to you to as reason for your symptoms. For example you are suffering from depressed mood, mood swings, insomnia, feeling withdrawn, migraine headaches, severe anxiety-all the 1-2 weeks before menstruation (or starting out right after ovulation occurs). So then you’ll go to the doctor and potentially be told you have this disorder- and it will be presented to you as a reason for your symptoms. In some cases it may even come as a relief…”ahh ok, this is why I am the way I am.”

A diagnosis of PMDD is not at all the reason for your symptoms, but rather a label to describe this cluster of symptoms and when they occur. The patterns actually driving these symptoms are rooted in:

• Living out of alignment with your hormonal rhythms (both daily & monthly)

• Nutritional deficiencies

• Emotional stagnation

• Chronic dehydration

• Inefficient rest

• Chronic stress

• Emotional trauma

• Unhealthy relationships

• Disconnection from the body

What I see in my practice is symptoms diagnosed as PMDD are not mysterious and permanent conditions…they are a predictable response to a women’s body living out of alignment and living on survival mode for too long. So when this pattern is rectified, symptoms will shift- and in my experience- they shift rather quickly, noticeable improvments in one menstrual cycle and complete resolvement of unwanted symptoms in a few menstrual cycles.

These symptoms associated with a PMDD diagnosis are not something to fight, fix, or override- they are information. It tells us that hormones, nuerochemistry, energy production, repair, and the nervous system are all in need of some help. The body isn’t malfunctioning, it’s responding. And if you learn to listen, you can repair the system and return to harmony and optimal function.

 

Why Symptoms Intensify After Ovulation/Before Menstruation

During this time period—the luteal phase—the body enters into a time of lower stress tolerence. The luteal phase doesn’t cause PMS & PMDD symptoms-it lowers the threshold and reveals what you’ve been carrying throughout the month, month after month. (Think of this also like Winter vs Summer—on a beautiful sunny day in July, an event may not bother you the same way it does on a dark, freezing, windy day in January.)

This is where things like chronic stress, blood sugar dysregulation, mineral depletion, emotional suppression, over giving, lack of safety in the body or the home, lack of restorative rest and repair, emotional trauma and chronic inflammation all surface. Overriding the system stops working during the luteal phase because pushing through is not what the body needs during this phase, it needs support and correction.

 

How Symptoms Can Shift Within One Cycle

When the body is significantly strained, it’s going to send a loud signal. (Being a female is actually a gift in this way- your body is always speaking with you and trying to help you through your cycle!) So when you’re able to reduce that stagnation, and create free flow, the body can respond quickly and efficiently. Think of it like a river that’s been dammed up every month before your period, the pressure builds and builds, creating flooding, chaos, lack of harmony and nourishment in the ecosystem of the river…. Then when you clear the blockage and restore flow, the relief is immediate. The water and the ecosystem of the river finds its natural flow and function again-this is the way of nature. (& you are part of nature!)

At first relief often looks like a decrease in symptoms, and a shorter symptomatic window. More calmness, better sleep, less volatility, easier digestion, less breast tenderness….and then before you know it you don’t even realize your period is coming. (& then you will connect to your body in a whole new way and have new signals for these shifts in your cycle that are not pathological).

Don’t take my word for it it-here are real life testimonials from women.

 

What Real Support & Healing Looks Like

The most important part of resolving these symptoms is understanding that there is nothing wrong with you. True health and healing is about restoring function and harmony to the body, not about eliminating symptoms. The symptoms are there as a signal and an adaptation system.

Results driven healing looks like:

• Understanding the why behind your symptoms

• Understanding the basic biology and needs of your body

• Releasing the narrative around what these symptoms &/or a diagnosis mean to you, and about you

• Circadian health- aligning to the season and daily rhythms of light

• Simple, functional nutrition

• Creating safety in the body

• Deep, restorative rest

• Movement that works with you, not against you

• Breathing

When you provide the environment for health, health will follow. Your body is designed to thrive and feel good.

 

Managing Something Vs Resolving It

In your health, and in your life, your beliefs matter a lot. If you believe the symptoms of PMDD are something that you have forever, and the label of PMDD is something you identify with-managing symptoms will only take you so far. There is a difference between allowing something to completely resolve and moving on from it, rather than chosing to manage it forever.

When you “manage,” it-it’s always there. PMDD is just a label that describes an experience of symptoms- and when you resolve the patterns driving those symptoms-they don’t have to be there anymore, and neither does the label.

If you’ve been told the symptoms of PMDD, or any level of PMS symptoms, are something you need to manage forever, and it’s just how you are, I wrote this post for you to know that there is another way- and that you are designed to feel good. You don’t need more supplements, seed cycling or a cleanse, and you don’t need to brace for impact every month- you need to understand and connect with your body- and provide the environment it needs to thrive. Your body is your home after all- and you deserve a safe and functional and beautiful home 🙂

If you’d love support in this, my Sovereignty Support Program may be the perfect fit for you – for individuals wanting to take grounded, inspired action towards lasting health and vitality. You receive personalized care to restore function to your body with clear, simple and effective guidance rooted in the fundamentals of optimal health. This is not fluff or a quick fix but true and sustainable healing through restoring health to the body.

We dive deep into your personal story and address systems from a physical, emotional and energetic perspective with a clear and actionable path forward. These support containers are a partnership in your health and wellness and I’m there to guide you every step of the way.❤️

 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be taken as medical advice nor to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Chelsey Mollin, Lac does not diagnose or treat PMDD. Please consult your medical provider before making any changes to your healthcare.

 

In abundant health,

🤗Chelsey

Read More on the Living the Medicine Blog❤️

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The post Cycle Syncing Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Practice of Listening to Your Body. appeared first on Chelsey Mollin Holistic Health.

The Hydration Paradox

A lot of people think hydration is about just drinking enough water, but it’s actually soo much more than that. Hydration is the essence of life, we are mostly made up of water. How hydrated we are doesn’t just depend on how much water we drink, but actually how charged we are and our internal ability to absorb and flow water.

This is why some people drink plenty of water (actually often too much-if you’re one of those people who can’t go anywhere without their 32oz stanley cup-I’m talking about you haha). Or maybe even use electrolyte supplements, but still come up against symptoms of being dehydrated, or just other symptoms of feeling unwell they aren’t even aware of that are actually due to chronic dehydration.

This is because true hydration happens inside of the cell- and the reason light affects how hydrated we are is because of how our mitochondria (energy maker of the cell)  respond to light.

Disclaimer: The information & services provided on this website are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. They do not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult with a healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Hydration Happens At The Cellular Level

There is a critical difference between water that exists outside the cell and water that is held within it. You can drink plenty of water and still be functionally dehydrated if that water isn’t being properly absorbed, structured, and retained at the cellular level.

Let’s talk about coherent water. Inside and around optimally functioning cells, water exists in a more organized, structured state- often referred to as coherent or exclusion zone water. This organized form of water supports proper electrical signaling and metabolic processes. Water outside the cell must be actively managed and transported and without the right cellular conditions and charge, much of it simply passes through the body without truly hydrating our tissues-leaving us lacking energy and flow. This is where mitochondria come in.

Mitochondria are what you probably remember from high school biology as the cell’s energy producers, but their role goes far beyond making ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Through efficient energy production, mitochondria help create and maintain the electrochemical gradients that allow cells to hold onto water and get rid of waste (HELLO DETOXIFICATION – please lets ditch the incessant cleanse culture and just properly hydrate our cells and let them take care of the rest)

When mitochondrial function is strong, cells are better able to:

• Generate energy efficiently

• Maintain mineral balance

• Create and retain intracellular water

In this way, hydration is not just a matter of intake- it is an energy-dependent process. Without sufficient cellular energy, the body struggles to create the internal conditions and electron charge required for true hydration, no matter how much water is consumed.

Understanding hydration as a cellular and energetic process shifts the conversation of hydration entirely from asking “Am I drinking enough?”, to the more meaningful question, “Is my body able to create and hold the charge for hydration.” In that case we have to talk about how mitochondria are light sensitive.

Our mitochondria evolved under the broad spectrum of sunlight, not inside, under fluorescent lights and behind a computer screen- so you could appreciate the power of being exposed to the natural light. We evolved constantly influenced by the flow of signaling of light and darkness, day in and day out. Exposure to these natural light signals regulate electron flow (aka energy production), hormone production and regulation, digestive cues, repair, neurotransmitter firing +

All of the above create coherence in the body, creating coherent and organized water-allowing for proper hydration, energy flow and metabolic processes to occur.

Morning sunlight as a hydration signal

Getting outside in the morning to see the morning light on your face and in your eyes, regardless of if the sun is out and about, sets the day in motion for everything in your body to be firing optimally. It signals mitochondrial efficiency and sets the stage for proper fluid movement throughout the day.

Artificial Light And Mitochondrial Stress

Blue light at the wrong time

Bluelight is 2 percent of the broad spectrum of natural light, but our computers and phones are 100 PERCENT BLUE LIGHT. Woah. This incessant exposure to screens actually dehydrates us, because it creates a wildly mismatched light signal, confusing electron flow, it increases oxidative stress (cellular damage). Therefore less efficient flow of electrons = compromised intracellular hydration.

Nighttime light & melatonin suppression

Melatonin serves as one of the body’s major antioxidants-think of it like your body’s neighborhood friendly handyman-it comes in whenever needed to repair what needs fixing. Without it, we are in major trouble (a thought for another day- suppression of melatonin is a HUGE link to the development of cancer)

When we are exposed to artificial light at night when it’s supposed to be dark, this suppresses melatonin and reduces repair and overnight restoration and leads to a lack of production of coherent water in the body-aka dehydration.

Why Dehydration Isn’t Always A “Water Problem”

When we have impaired mitochondria, we have impaired water absorption, production and flow. Kidneys, hormones, and cellular function can all fall out of rhythm when light signals are off.

Simply drinking more water without fixing this circadian foundation can dilute minerals, increase urination, and worsen various symptoms as the body is working that much harder to return to some semblance of harmony.

Signs Your Hydration Issues May Be Light Driven

• Thirst despite high water intake

• Constant clear urine, frequent urination

• Brain fog or fatigue after screen time or being sedentary

• Restless sleep, waking feeling tired

• Dry skin or lips with high water intake

• Feeling better outdoors without changing water intake

Supporting Hydration Through Mitochondrial-Friendly Light Habits

• Get morning sunlight

• Connect to nature and get outside whenever possible

• Avoid use of sunglasses when you can

• Spend time in darkness/dim lighting at night

• Sleep in the dark

• Avoid screens when possible and use bluelight blocking glasses to protect your eyes

Why This Is Foundational & Not A “Biohack”

Light affects:

• Mitochondria

• Hormones

• Nervous system

• Mineral balance

• Repair

• Detoxifiction

These are base line fundamentals of health. When the body is not supported by proper light signaling- dehydration happens as a result. Simply focusing on the water and not the vessel that takes in the water is just fixing a branch of a deeper issue (yes your water quality is important too!

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The 4 Phases Of Your Cycle — And What To Eat, Do, And Prioritize In Each

(And Why This Changes Everything About How You Live, How You Succeed And How You Thrive!)

If you don’t feel good all month long, or you have any sort of issue with your menstrual cycle-please know there is nothing wrong with you, you’ve just been misinformed. Most women are taught from a young age to disregard their period and live every day the same. Same expectations, same workout, same food routine… And when that doesn’t work and we end up with painful periods, premenstrual mood swings, and all other kinds of health issues- we are told that’s normal and instructed to take birth control or to “just deal with it,” or that “it’s just part of being a women.”

 

I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be any further from the truth and that you are designed to feel good all throughout the different phases of your cycle. Your period isn’t an inconvenience, it’s a gift, and it has its own operating system that calls for us to live in alignment with it. Conventional life and medicine focusing on suppressing this operating system and disregarding it. Working with your cycle is about understanding how your body works and learning to work with it. When we are unaware of these shifts and are living out of alignment with them, that’s when we come upon against all kinds of headaches. (literally and figuratively!)

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and it is not intended to be taken as medical advice nor to diagnose, treat or cure disease. Please consult your medical provider before making any changes to your healthcare.

Zooming Out: The Two Halves Of Your Cycle

Before we break down the four phases of your cycle, let’s zoom out see it as two halves. You gave two major energetic shifts across your cycle. ⤵️

First Half → Menstrual → Follicular → Ovulation. Energy and fertility rising as the lining of your uterus sheds and rebuilds.

Second Half → Luteal. Energy conservation as the body prepares for menstruation or potential implantation.

As hormones fluctuate across these two phases, your metabolism, brain chemistry, stress tolerance and creative output all fluctuate as well. Aligning with these shifts helps you to feel clear headed, energized, healthy and confident.

If you’re in a relationship, inviting your partner into the conversation around your hormonal fluctuations is transformational for both your health and your connection. When you’re each having completely different experiences in your body- miscommunications are inevitable. But conflict rooted in hormone issues is completely preventable. I created the Synched Together Journal to help you track and organize all the ways you change from phase to phase, then share that insight with your partner so he can truly understand and support you. Imagine replacing confusion with clarity, and feeling genuinely seen throughout your entire cycle. Don’t let preventable misunderstandings create distance in your relationship-get the Synched Together Journal below on Amazon-and start building the understanding that strengthens your connection.

The 4 Phases Of Your Menstrual Cycle

Phase 1: Menstrual Phase | Inner Winter

Menstrual phase is the start of a new cycle. Your estrogen and progesterone dip to their lowest here as the lining of the uterus sheds. Then you begin to release follicular stimulating hormone from the brain to start to rebuild the uterine lining.

What to prioritize:

• Rest, reflection, more sleep

• Gentle movement, or none at all

• Meditation

What to eat:

• Warm, mineral rich foods

• Soups, stews, broths

• Iron rich and blood building foods

• Minimize cold foods, iced drinks and caffine

The common mistake people make

• Pushing through the desire to rest

• Forcing productivity

• Overriding pain

Phase 2: Follicular Phase | Inner Spring

Once your lining is shed, it immediately starts to build itself back up. The calls for the ovaries to produce estrogen. As estrogen rises comes an increase in energy and creativity. Menstrual phase into follicular phase supports planning and new beginnings as the body prepares to release an egg during ovulation.

What to prioritize:

• Brainstorming, planning

• Being more active

• More social activity

What to eat:

• Fermented veggies

• Fermented dairy

• Simple proteins → Eggs, Fish, Chicken

• Lighter meals (may experience decreased appetite)

Phase 3: Ovulation | Inner Summer

Ovulation represents a peak of yang energy where communication, connection, confidence and magnetism all come alive. Estrogen peaks here creating a big increase in social energy and release of luteinizing hormone from the pituitary gland, which triggers ovulation and the release of a mature egg and the potential for fertilization (regardless of intentions to conceive-just what biology is doing!)

What to prioritize:

• Collaboration

• Networking and social engagements

• The majority of your to do list

What to eat:

• Sardines, Salmon, Eggs, Pasture raised beef

• Seasonal fruit

• Fermented veggies

Phase 4: Luteal Phase | Inner Autumn

After estrogen peaks in ovulation, it will start to decline as progesterone levels rise, thickening the lining of the uterus, resulting in a gradual decrease in energy, and a sharpened level of discernment and intuition as the body biologically prepares for menstruation or a potential implantation (even if your intention is not to conceive).

What to prioritize:

• Deep cleaning

• Finishing projects

• Implementing boundaries

• Spending more time alone

• Detail oriented &/or creative projects

• More sleep and rest

• Less activity

What to eat:

• More complex carbs

• Warm, comforting meals

• Red meat and fatty fish (protein with every meal)

• Magnesium rich foods

• Don’t skip meals

When you work with your body, everything flows better. When we rest when we need to rest, nourish when we need to nourish, give it our all when we have the energy to give it our all—our health improves, our creativity opens up, and we have MORE energy.

Being female is not the inconvenience we were sold since we were girls—it’s actually so fun and a gift and can be your superpower, if you let it. ☺️ ☯️ Reclaim the magic of your menstrual cycle and start aligning with it today. ❤️✨

Abundantly healthy,

Chelsey

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The Step-By-Step Plan To Clear Brain Fog And Restore Mental Clarity

The post The Step-By-Step Plan To Clear Brain Fog And Restore Mental Clarity appeared first on Chelsey Mollin Holistic Health.