Healing Protocols, Tools & Resources
Protocols I followed to get the needle moving
Hello & welcome to part two of my healing journey! Today I’m sharing an overview of some of my healing protocols and specifics, supplements that helped me in my journey, and tools that helped to move the needle in my health and healing process.
Before we get into it, I want to provide you with some insights on the foundation of my lifestyle, the framework I follow when it comes to healing through food, and why I practice what I practice. When I was sick, simplicity was what changed the game for me. After trials and tribulations with different lifestyles, diets, and healing methods (as well as lots of research) I found a common theme amongst many of the books and from many healers and it was this: a diet focused on plants, alkalinity, cleansing, and simplicity heals. And it made sense. At the root of all dis-ease is inflammation and inflammation is created in an acidic environment. So when we eat mainly acidic and mucus-forming foods (think refined sugar, gluten, dairy) our internal terrain becomes highly acidic. The first thing to note here is that our internal terrain is what either creates or fights off dis-ease. When we eat, we have a choice to make: reduce inflammation and prevent dis-ease or promote inflammation within the body, and in turn, create dis-ease. Once I really understood this, I was able to take my healing into my own hands. Knowledge is power and it’s also the key to healing the body from within. The environment that we create within our bodies, on a cellular level, really does determine the state of our health and our bodies ability to prevent disease. So we really truly are what we eat as every input creates an output. And it’s our choice to determine what we want our physical output to be: optimal health & healing or dis-ease.
If you’ve followed along my journey, you know that I follow a cleansing lifestyle. I eat, sleep, and breathe this lifestyle and believe in it with every fiber of my being. It’s really my greatest joy. I When I embarked on my journey to healing, I learned just how crucial cleansing and detoxification was and I’m here to share all of that with you. Cleansing and detoxification (no matter if you are healing from chronic illness or not) is necessary to reach optimal health. The health of your body, and a pathogen’s ability to live to thrive in it, depends on your internal environment. You can buy all the supplements in the world, but if they’re going straight into a system that’s highly acidic, toxic, and clogged, it will only create more toxicity. Think of it like a house: if your kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes, you are not going to stack clean dishes on top of them. They will only dirty the clean dishes and do no good. The same applies to our bodies. It’s crucial that we clear out the internal toxicity in our bodies before bringing in supplements and other things to optimize. When trying to heal the body from within, we must cleanse what is clogging our system before adding anything else into the mix. Cleansing via foods and practices is the first step in healing our bodies and feeling good again. It’s as simple as that!
Now that you have a general understanding of my philosophy and an explanation as to why cleansing is crucial when healing, here are some specific protocols, tools, and resources that changed the game for me in my healing process. All of these tools and practices are part of the cleansing lifestyle that I live, working to move toxic waste out of the body and alkalize the system for deep healing.
What I eliminated:
Alcohol. If you are struggling with your health, chronic illness, or debilitating symptoms of any kind, alcohol must go. When healing, the goal is to reduce inflammation in your body. Alcohol does the opposite of that. It’s incredibly inflammatory and keeps us in the vicious cycle of chronic illness. Alcohol is ethanol (aka poison). When we drink alcohol, we are hurting our immune systems and brains, shocking our nervous system, constricting blood flow, and hurting our liver. Anyone who tells you that alcohol has “benefits” is lying. If you’re serious about healing, the first thing to go are the drinks. Alcohol prevents our bodies from healing. So my advice to you is lean into mocktails, they’re just as good (actually they’re better) and just as much fun.
Refined sugar. Refined sugar is the culprit for so many conditions and symptoms. If you are regularly consuming refined sugar found in most processed foods, not only is this slowing down your healing process, but it’s perpetuating it. In order to heal, refined sugar needs to be cut out. Don’t confuse this for natural, unrefined sugar (glucose) from fruit that our bodies require for healing. Eat fruit, lots of it! But cut the refined stuff (cane sugar, simple syrup etc.) out.
Gluten. Although some people can get away with eating gluten and feeling fine, the truth is gluten creates inflammation in the body, contains multiple allergens, and can trigger symptoms and many conditions. Gluten confuses the immune system (your primary defense against disease) and can feed viruses and enable chronic illness.
Dairy. While I know there is a lot of talk about the benefits of dairy as of late, the fact of the matter is that dairy is mucus producing. Mucus is acidic and causes inflammation in the body. Even organic and free-range dairy is mucus forming (and in turn, inflammatory). While some raw dairy may contain vitamins and nutrients, it still produces mucus when consumed. When healing, it’s best to eliminate acidic, mucus forming foods so that inflammation can lower and our bodies can begin to cleanse. The goal here is to consume alkalizing foods & avoid acidic foods. This is where the true healing happens!
Corn. The reason corn is problematic when it comes to healing chronic illness is because, no matter if it’s labeled as organic or not, in today’s society all corn is GMO. This causes inflammation in the body and can feed viruses, pathogens, bacteria, and mold. Because of this, corn can trigger symptoms especially for people healing chronic illness. Avoiding corn or corn byproducts (corn chips, popcorn etc.) is worth doing if you’re struggling to see progress in your healing and want to start feeling better.
Processed meats. I eliminated meat completely when I began healing, however, you do not have to eliminate meat from your diet if you enjoy it. You can still heal when eating meat. That said, you want to make sure you’re 1. sourcing clean, grass-fed meat without hormones or antibiotics as the quality of your meat will either make or break your healing process and 2. eat more plants than meat. If you are eating meat, make plants the focus of your plate (90%) and allow meat to act as the “side” or “condiment” to yours meals (10%). This can ensure that you’re getting in all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and healing properties that plants have to provide, while still incorporating the meat you desire.
The pillars of my diet when healing:
Fresh pressed green juice
Fruit
Non-starch vegetables
Starchy vegetables
Raw leafy greens
Herbs
Daily Protocols:
Warm water with 1/2 the juice of a lemon and a pinch of sea salt (30-40 oz)
Drink this upon waking in the morning to hydrate and replenish the body on a cellular level. This coats and alkalizes the stomach lining, supports digestion, cleanses toxins, and replenishes key minerals and electrolytes.
Optional: raw honey
Fresh pressed celery juice (at least 16 oz)
You want to drink this on an empty stomach in the morning. It’s best fresh pressed and you want to have it within 20 minutes of juicing because that’s when it’s really magical (most alkaline, raw live enzymes are super medicinal, super detoxifying, most potent). Drink this before caffeine and food and wait 30 minutes before putting anything else in your body for optimal nutrient absorption and so it can do its magical cleansing work. Celery juice is the most healing tonic on the planet - it heals and regenerates our cells and reduces inflammation. I always say that celery juice got me out of bed and up on my feet again and I mean it. If you’re just beginning your cleansing journey, 16 oz may be too much for your body to tolerate so start with 8 oz or so and work your way up. If you’re really struggling with chronic illness or chronic symptoms of any kind, aim to work your way up to 32 oz for deep cleansing and quicker healing.
Heavy metal detox smoothie
This smoothie works to safely and effectively remove heavy metals from the body. The five key ingredients in this smoothie (wild blueberries, barley grass juice powder, spirulina, Atlantic dulse, and cilantro) work in synergy to pull metals like lead, copper, nickel, aluminum, and cadmium deep from within your organs & out of your body. There are metals in the foods we eat, the water we drink, shower, and wash our hands in, in our cookware, and in so many other places we don’t even realize. The issue with heavy metals is that they hide deep in our tissues and heavily contribute to our bodies toxic burden. Heavy metals act as poison to our bodies and overtime begin to oxidize affecting every system in our body (our brains, digestive system, liver, nervous system). They also weaken our immune system and make our bodies both vulnerable and susceptible to illness. This smoothie was the biggest game changer in my healing process. I began drinking one every single morning after my celery juice or fruit and it changed my life. I still have one daily and nothing makes me feel more energized, light, and cleansed. Believe it or not, you can actually feel the metals leaving your system. For some (especially those just starting out), this smoothie can have a strong detoxifying affect on the body. You can start by cutting the below recipe in half and working your way up to tolerate the full thing. Regardless, this smoothie will completely change your life and your health. It’s magic and so deeply healing.
Recipe:
2 cups frozen wild blueberries or wild blueberry powder
1 or 2 bananas
1 tsp spirulina
1 tbsp Atlantic dulse
1 cup of cilantro
Orange juice & water
For the best results, drink a heavy metal detox smoothie at least 30 minutes after celery juice. Then wait another 30 minutes to consume anything else. This will allow for optimal absorption and deep cleansing to take place.
Fruit
In my book, there’s no limit when it comes to fruit. Fruit in abundance is the most healing thing we can give our bodies. The human body is designed to eat fruit. Fruit is packed with essential vitamins & minerals that our bodies and brains need in order to thrive and heal. I eat fruit in the morning, on an empty stomach, after my green juice or HMDS smoothie so it can properly cleanse my system. Fruit acts as a cleansing agent in the body, moving through and sweeping up toxic waste and dead cellular debris for elimination. Fruit kills off viruses and bacteria and fights pathogens and dis-ease. Our brains are made of glucose and run on sugar (therefore, our brains quite literally require glucose from fruit to properly function), our cells run on sugar, and every nutrient we need cannot be absorbed unless it is accompanied by glucose. This means that no matter how clean you eat or how many supplements you take to optimize, if you are not fueling your body with proper amounts of glucose, they won’t help you in the way you intend. The answer? Fruit. Lots of it. On an empty stomach after celery juice or before & after a heavy metal detox smoothie.
Raw leafy greens & vegetables
When it comes to healing, raw leafy greens and a variety of vegetables are essential. Raw leafy greens help to expel toxins from the body, eliminate mold, bugs, and pathogens, reduce your bacterial load, support neuron health, intestinal disorders, and deeply cleanse the body. Vegetables contain essential minerals, nutrients, and vitamins the body requires in order to heal. When on a healing protocol, I recommend eating raw leafy greens & vegetables with each meal. Especially when eating cooked foods, raw greens help to break down the food for optimal digestion and absorption. Make sure leafy greens and raw vegetables are on your plate at each meal. You can throw a big handful of spinach or other greens into your morning smoothie, throw a bunch of raw veggies into a salad at lunch, or add some steamed veggies onto your dinner plate alongside a big leafy greens salad. Raw leafy greens and a variety of vegetables heal the body so eat and enjoy in abundance!
Supplements:
Below are some of the supplements that helped my body heal. While there are many others, these are some of the more general supplements that I took when beginning to heal and detox (and I still take many of them). One thing to note: supplements are not one-size-fits-all. Every person is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Do what works for you and always do your own research.
Vitamin D3, Turmeric, Micro-C Vitamin C, Nettle Leaf, Liquid Zinc, Herbal Biotic, Glutathione (code BEWELL), Phosphytidalcoline (code BEWELL), Milk Thistle, Spirulina, Barley Grass Juice Powder, Cat's Claw, Artemisia Trinity, NAC
Binders:
Binders are crucial when on a detoxification protocol and when healing from Mold, Lyme, etc. Binders work to mop up toxins and biofilms in the body. When you begin detoxing, toxins begin to rise to the surface. Binders ensure that as these toxins begin to purge to the surface, they’re also effectively being removed from the body. The worst thing we can do is begin to bring toxins to the surface through detox with nowhere for them to go. The goal is to open up our drainage pathways (via detoxification: celery juice, lymphatic drainage, walking, hydrating with mineral water, heavy metal detox, cleansing fruits, supplements are all tools that aid in detox) and use binders to grab onto the these toxins to safely be removed from the body.
Healing Teas
During my healing process, I discovered just how medicinal herbal teas were. Tea became a staple in my life and it still is. I drink different teas to receive different medicinal benefits. Many of these teas listed below fight viruses, bacteria, and pathogens, support the nervous system, cardiovascular system, promote blood flow, and deeply cleanse the body. I highly recommend drinking herbal tea at least once a day to further support your body in healing (in a nourishing, simple, and easy way). Here are a few I love:
Nettle leaf tea (anti-inflammation & fights pathogens), Lemon balm tea (nervous system regulation), Licorice root tea (critical pathogen fighter), Everyday detox tea (liver detox), Ginger tea (anti-inflammation & digestive aid), Chamomile tea (anti-inflammation, purges toxins & cleanses the system), Thyme tea (reduces viral toxic load in the body & eliminates free radicals and other disease promoting substrates from the body) recipe: 2 springs of fresh thyme, 10-16 oz of hot water, let it steep for 15 min, remove springs & strain).
Books that changed my life:
Medical Medium: Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal
Medical Medium Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine of Our Time Healing Millions Worldwide
While this is based on my own personal journey, I hope this helps you wherever you are at in your own. Remember that healing is baby steps. One step forward, a few steps back. Then one step forward again. Trial and error. And most of all, time. Give yourself time, grace, and compassion. Healing isn’t overnight. It’s a lifestyle, a major commitment, and takes dedication. I recommend taking things day by day, implementing one thing in at a time, and going slow. Slow and steady always wins the race. And as always, do your own research when it comes to certain supplement for protocols and always check in with a practitioner to see if it’s right for you. That’s most important of all!
I’m here on this journey with you! More to come soon. x
Wow, such great advice and tools in there! thank you!!!