How much attention or thought do you put into your small intestine? Rarely do we hear much about this “small” organ. “Little things” can often be overlooked and in doing so, clues can easily be missed. Truly, the small intestine isn’t so very small….. It’s a 15-20 foot long digestion and absorption machine….. Usually overshadowed by its fore and aft kinsmen, the stomach and large intestine.. 
I relate to the small intestine as a middle child myself!😜  The stomach and large intestine have their individual strengths and frailties. While the small intestine has its own set of “responsibilities”, its wellbeing is greatly affected by sister stomach and brother colon.
If you’ll recall from last week’s chat about the stomach, having low stomach acid is not a good thing and may lead to some significant issues that literally drain into the small intestine. Have you ever heard of the term SIBO? It’s an acronym for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, occurring when bacteria in the colon (large intestine) travels upwards into the small intestine where a relatively small amount of bacteria should be present on any given day thanks to stomach’s healthy acid content and cousin pancreas’s contribution of digestive enzymes! If either the stomach or colon (or both) don’t perform as they should, the small intestine will suffer.
I’ve listed common clues of SIBO on the graphic.  None of them are drop dead urgent clues, right? Annoying, irritating, and perhaps even aggravating ….. but nothing that would cause an urgent SOS trip to your favorite health professional.
In a perfect digestive family environment, a healthy small intestine is a strong contributor to overall health. It facilitates absorption of some minerals (including sulfur, calcium, copper, iron, & zinc), fat soluble vitamins A,D,E &K, B vitamins, and Vitamin C. Small intestine also facilitates absorption of sugars, proteins, cholesterol, and bile salts.  It allows these nutrients to be absorbed all the while blocking foreign substances (ie: toxic “bullies”) from also being absorbed. If the small intestine walls become inflamed and damaged, it is unable to effectively discern between friend and foe, and bad influencers make it into the family body.
SIBO, if left unattended, contributes to:
🔥IBS, Diverticulosis, Crohn’s, Celiac, poor gut motility (greater than 75% have confirmed SIBO)
🔥Fibromyalgia  (78% have confirmed SIBO)
🔥Restless Leg Syndrome
🔥Interstitial Cystitis
🔥Diabetes
🔥RA, Scleroderma, and other autoimmune disorders
🔥Skin conditions
🔥Nutritional deficiencies
🔥Neuropathies due to deficiencies
In addition to poor stomach acid production, common contributors (aka lifestyle clues!!) to SIBO include: 
🔎Stress
🔎Poor diet (review what is typically known as the “standard American diet” / aka “SAD” indeed!)
🔎Mechanical issues (low stomach acid included here!)
🔎Antibiotic use (especially recurrent use)
🔎Regular use of acid reducers or proton pump inhibitors (ex: Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec)
🔎Opioid use (results in gut motility issues)
🔎NSAID use (ex: Ibuprofen, Naprosyn… damage the lining of the intestine)
🔎Gastric bypass surgery
🔎Moderate (or greater) alcohol use (est 90% have confirmed SIBO)
🔎Aging (due to decreased stomach acid and enzyme production)
🔎Long term colon dysfunction ( 78% of those with IBS have confirmed SIBO)
👉👉Note that while SIBO can be age related, it’s not uncommon to find it in children👦👧👶 who have chronic constipation/ diarrhea, have received antibiotics, are formula fed, or have received medication for reflux, or whose eating habits mirror the standard American diet.
It is estimated that 20-22% of the US population has some form of SIBO, and while there are ways to identify it through functional medicine testing, perhaps it may be more economical to simply identify existing physical and lifestyle clues, and then proceed towards alleviating the problematic areas. 
❤️Showing the small intestine some love thru a healthy diet, adequate exercise, proper amounts of sleep are an excellent start! ❤️
Additional ways to support and love on the small intestine include:
❤️Consume 30-45 grams of soluble fiber daily (Hello Young Living ❤️Balance Complete Meal Replacement Shakes!)
❤️Digestive Enzyme supplements that contain Betaine HCl (Hello YL Essentialzyme caplets!)
❤️Probiotics (Hello YL Life 9 and for kiddos….. MightyPro!)
❤️Organic bone broth
❤️Olive leaf extract (Hello YL Olive Essentials capsules!)
❤️Young Living’s Peppermint, Caraway, Oregano, and Cinnamon Vitality essential oils. If you are a science hound, do some digging in pubmed.gov for a gold mine of information. If you are not a science hound, just know that these oils are your small intestine’s friends! 
Remember that our bodies are constantly giving us clues which buys time before “big things” generally happen. I’m so thankful that the body has the resilience and capability to restore itself to good health when clues are recognized and supportive measures are implemented. SIBO is a clue itself, indicating a potential downward spiral of the entire body at some point in the future if not addressed. 
Indeed…. Seemingly small things can often be important big ones! 
xoxo~ liz
www.goodmedicine.info (👈 for more info on the good stuff!)
#sharingiscaring
#digestivehealthclues
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine 
#findingSIBO
#ThanksYL

I have been taking Longevity in a capsule for about 5 years now..... supporting healthy and structurally sound DNA (hello!.... who doesn't want that? There's nothing good about mutated DNA... nada... zero.... zilch) ..... and then I saw this post 👇👇 in another group..🙌🙌
It may be the continual improvement to lifestyle habits  I've been making over the past several years in addition to the Longevity capsules I take daily, but I can say with absolute certainty that I look younger than I did when I was in my 40's..... I certainly FEEL healthier. (I also include 2 drops of lemongrass in my capsules)
If you aren't already doing what this post👇👇 suggests (many of you have a bottle of Longevity that was a Young Living freebie a few months back but haven't used it)....there's no time like the present! (I use 3 drops twice a day, which is a little different than what is suggested)
Always learning and improving..... that's what we do! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
***********************************************
Oh my goodness!!! Check out these photos of these women. Totally awesome….yes?!!!
Well, who doesn’t want their face to look brighter and less wrinklie?
Who has ever wanted a facelift or those shots they put in your face to smooth out the wrinkles (I shall not say the name of it).
I don’t want to look like some of the movie stars that have been stretched and stretched.  I just want less floppy, and more younger looking skin.
Here are the details...
✔️ Young Living’s C🐝D Rose Oil Beauty Boost—4-5 drops on your face and neck each night before bed.
✔️Longevity Vitality essential oil—orange, clove, thyme, and frankincense—go to PubMed to see all the goodness it can do.  Take 7-10 drops in a capsule every day in the morning or evening. 
(Side note: for those who attract mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, Longevity in your body helps to deter these pesks.)
So, the 3 products you need on hand are:
C🐝D Rose Oil Beauty Boost--84.95
Longevity Vitality essential oil--16.50
Veggie Capsules--7.75
Here's what to do:
•Drop 4-5 drops of CBD Beauty Boost in your palm. Gently rub this all over your face, neck, and the tops of your hands.
Avoid dangerous endocrine disruptors and also enjoying the benefits of great skincare by using a clean product line like what YL has!
CBD Beauty Boost is item 32953. It is  85.08 and comes in a 1 oz dropper bottle. This will last you a little more than a year by only using a few drops. 
According to the YL website, here are some other benefits of CBD Beauty Boost
Helps reduce the appearance of redness, fine lines, and wrinkles
Helps calm and soothe skin
Moisturizes skin
Boosts skin’s natural glow
Ideal for all skin types
Contains 0.0% THC
Meets Young Living’s Seed to Seal quality standards.
xoxo~ liz
www.goodmedicine.info (for more info on the good stuff)

​Wolves in sheep's clothing. It's getting harder and harder to find quality healthy products. 
Young Living is proudly a purpose driven company who will not compromise their integrity for profit. 
Sadly, that can't be said of brands I formerly trusted. Many of these were bought out years ago, and ingredients subtly changed as a result. 
Know your company. Your health depends on it.
xoxo~ liz
www.goodmedicine.info
#knowbetterdobetter
#sharingiscaring
#thanksYL

Hello Sunshine! 🌞 
Have you started spending time in the sun already this spring? Before you grab your traditional bottle of ray blocker..... consider these facts: 
There are more than 6 common sunscreen ingredients that should cause you to raise a hairy eyebrow and think twice. Common ones include:
☠️ avobenzone
☠️ oxybenzone
☠️ octocrylene
☠️ ecaamsule 
☠️ homosalate
☠️ octisalate
☠️ oxtinoxate
Frequently we hear that most commercial sunscreens are banned in areas where there are coral reefs.🐙🐠🐟🐬🐡 Why is that? Certainly because these ingredients are derived from petroleum (and we all know what an oil slick does to an ocean environment!)..... but think about this, coral reefs are living breathing organisms, and toxins affect them!
News flash! So are we! 
Would you use a product known to disrupt your endocrine system, lower sperm count, increase cancer risk, or cause skin or respiratory tract irritation (think COPD, emphysema or asthma prone peeps)? 
I'm sure none of us would. Truly, it's what you don't know that can hurt you. 
A recent study has found that these toxic ingredients are not only pretty problematic, they are also bio-accumulative...... meaning that it's very hard to remove them from your body once they get in there.
For example.....( in this particular study) blood concentrations of oxybenzone (just one of the dangerous 6 listed above) soared  to more than 180 times the FDA's level of concern after a single application of sunscreen. Blood levels continued to rise to more than 500 times the FDA's level of concern after 4 days (think vacation or pool time!) of regular use.
Now, factor in the bio-accumulative situation. 😳😱😬
It truly confounds me why these ingredients are even allowed to be on the market here in the USA. 😳... especially since the FDA is aware of this data. It's their own information! 
Thankfully, we have YL Sunscreen. No bad stuff peeps.... only good! Rest easy. Apply liberally. Enjoy the sun! 
xoxo~ liz 
www.goodmedicine.info (for more info on the good stuff!)
#sharingiscaring 
#thanksYL 
#YLsunscreenforsafesunprotection
#yourgonadsareasimportantasacoralreef

Down the alimentary canal we go..... Clues you can use from your head to your tush!
I’ve gone round and round in my head about how best to approach this next topic. It’s a “which came first…. the chicken 🐣or the egg situation”, so I will leave it up to you as to how you choose to run with these clues! 
As we travel down the alimentary canal, some of the roughest waters are located right beyond the oral cavity. An estimated 60-70 million people have chronic digestive disorders in the USA, with 25% of the adult population experiencing weekly symptoms of reflux. 
Here’s “the chicken”: 
 - Reflux commonly results from either a mechanical dysfunction or environmental trigger. Mechanically, it may be caused by a diagnosed hiatal hernia, pregnancy, excessive weight, eating a large meal too close to bedtime…...there are others, but these are the biggies.
Biochemically, certain foods and beverages may also trigger reflux in some people. Spicy, oily, or fried foods, alcohol, and caffeine are well known irritants.
👉👉There are two other under diagnosed but VERY COMMON dysfunctions….. Hypochlorhydria: a deficiency of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and insufficient digestive enzyme production within the body. 👈👈
Causes of low stomach acid include: 
 - Stress
 - A deficiency of Zinc or B vitamins
 - Medications taken for reflux 
 - Gastric bypass surgery
 - Age - people over the age of 60-65 are most likely to have inadequate stomach acid production
Before refrigeration and the advent of the processed food industry, normal diets were rich in food that contained prebiotics, probiotics, and enzymes that supplemented what was already made within the body. Sadly, the Standard American Diet (aptly acronymed ‘SAD’) contains none of these, and the “fakeness” of many foods has made the digestive process even harder to accomplish.
Digestive enzyme insufficiency has several possible causes:
 - Gallbladder removal
 - Crohn’s or Celiac 
 - Leaky gut
 - Chronic Stress
 - Inflammation (often due to toxin load)
 - Genetics
 - Aging
Certain diseases affecting the pancreas     
Low stomach acid and/or insufficient digestive enzymes can cause a cluster of clues over time….
🔎Bloating and burping
🔎Upset stomach that sometimes feels worse when you take supplements
🔎Heartburn or indigestion
🔎Diarrhea and gas
🔎Hair loss
🔎Fatigue
🔎Protein, B12, Calcium and magnesium deficiencies
🔎Neurological issues such as numbness, tingling, and vision changes
🔎An appearance of or worsening of an autoimmune disorder (lupus, allergies, asthma, skin conditions, etc)
🔎Osteoporosis
Prescription trends reflect this stat: Approximately 65 million prescriptions are written for reflux medications on an annual basis…. The most common being💊 acid reducers. 
WAIT. WHAT??!?!?  If the reflux problem is commonly related to too little acid in the stomach, why in the world are drugs like 💊Pepcid, Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix 💊prescribed so regularly? After all, they are designed to reduce acid in the stomach.  That, my friends, is the multi- billion dollar question you’ll need to ask Big Pharma about.  
I make no recommendations to quit any medication without talking to your favorite health care professional first. I’m not a doctor…. only an observant pharmacist who knows when things don’t add up. #followthemoney
And now we come to “the egg”..... the medications regularly recommended for heartburn. You see, the drugs within the acid reducing class are approved by the FDA for short term use only (generally 8 weeks or less) and yet we all probably know multiple people who have been on them for years.
What happens when the pH within the stomach continues to slowly become more alkaline? 
* A worsening of B12 deficiency which affects many parts of the body, but especially the nervous system. Prolonged deficiency increases the risk of dementia and neuropathy. 
* An increased risk of hip, wrist, and spine fractures due to accelerated osteoporosis
* A 50% greater risk of pneumonia
* An increased risk of a cardiovascular event 
* A worsening of overall digestive problems
* Increased risk of kidney disease
How can this particular  “chicken/egg” question be avoided? The biggest answer to nearly everything we talk about is always going to revolve around diet, exercise, stress management, sufficient sleep, and removal of toxins whenever possible.  It’s not always easy to incorporate enzyme and stomach acid supportive foods into today’s daily eating habits, and yet they are a valuable and needed piece of the wellness and vitality puzzle.
Thankfully,  we have some very supportive digestive enzyme supplements available to us! 🙌🙌 
Young Living’s Essentialzyme caplets also contains Betaine HCl which help support healthy stomach acid pH. 
Young Living's Essentialzymes-4, Allerzyme, and Detoxzyme are also digestive enzyme supportive capsules, and Mightyzyme chewables are for kiddos (or adults who like them!) who might need a little extra digestive support! 
As always….. This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure….. Rather to give you the tools you need to make the best and most informed decisions you can make in regards to your own health. You are the responsible party for Y.O.U. …… no one else. 
xoxo~ liz
www.goodmedicine.info (let's chat!)
#sharingiscaring
#digestivehealthclues
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL

Emotions and thoughts are powerful things.🔥 I'm reading a book right now (written by a medical doctor) about the physiological consequences of even low grade chronic fear (most often manifesting as stress and anxiety).... and the difference between "true" fear (a bear is about to eat me), and "false" fear (all those things we tell ourselves in our head). The body cannot differentiate between the two types, so it acts the same.
The same thing holds true for other destructive emotions and thought patterns that tend to grip us humans (and animals too!). 
Oh but oils can't help with that. Really?? Have you tried? Really tried? Retraining your brain is like working to repair a deeply worn path in the ground. Not only do you have to forge a new path ( thought process), you also will need to fill in the dirt.... plant new plants.... and make a concerted effort to let that old path heal without returning to it. It takes work! 
The brain is a powerful piece of machinery, and our essential oils are a powerful tool to help get the job done... the amygdala / limbic system in the brain is  more powerful than you can imagine (especially when given the right support tools! )
...... all good things take time and effort, and YOU are a good human!.... very worth the time and effort to train your brain to stop doing whatever is holding you back! 
Notice anything interesting about this graphic? Yep! All these helper oil blends are free😍 this month as a gift with qualifying purchase❤. 
xoxo~ liz 😘

#sharingiscaring 
#thanksYL
#healingcomesinallforms
#slowandsteadywinstherace
(Graphic credit: Mica Kucera. Thank you for sharing!)

​
Do you utilize vitaflex/reflexology points on your hands, feet, and even ears👂 when you apply essential oils? Do you have an excellent massage therapist who is able to make you feel better both physically and emotionally after a nice long appointment? Have you ever employed the powerful tool of acupuncture or acupuncture point based therapy as a means of retaining or regaining health or function? 
Or, are you just not sure “those things” are real? As a 100% science minded health professional, I needed some strong evidence….. After all, these applications are not taught in the Western medicine education system. So, as any good doubting Thomas would do, I set out not to disprove what I didn’t understand..... but to dig for validation and information of what was confounding me! Never discount something because it doesn’t make sense to you or doesn’t fit the mold you’ve been taught!  Dig until you find the truth. My own digging has led me through many books, conferences, professional journal articles, and pubmed…. and through these…. Hard facts and data. 
We are energetic beings. Energy⚡️ is measured by the rate of oscillation of an electrical current (measured in  hertz/ Hz). The rate of this oscillation of current is called frequency. EEG’s and EKG’s are measuring the frequency of the brain and heart respectively. Those are only two organs….. The entire body is one big energy frequency machine! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
Acupuncture is based on 14 energetic meridians in the body. (For ease of discussion, I will refer to them as rivers)  If one of those energy “rivers” (meridians) becomes stagnant, damaged or “clogged”, the entire “river” will be affected. Over time, that damaged “river” flow will cause pain, dis-ease or dysfunction within the parts of the body it runs through. As that meridian becomes more damaged, it will begin to affect other meridian functions too. 
The role teeth play within a body’s energy circuits is one of the most important clues I will write about. This is where physics meets biology! Our teeth are crystalline structures, and they act as a circuit breaker for the meridians in our body. A decayed tooth or a root canal (which actually leaves residual decay behind even when patched up) acts as a resistor on the specific electrical circuit, and eventually, this will show up as pain, dysfunction, or illness somewhere else in the body along the same meridian (river). Interestingly, over 90% of malignancies are associated with a root canal or decayed tooth on the same meridian. 
The easiest way to utilize teeth as clues for both present and future health concerns is to reference a chart. ( I will include an example of one below this article).I often use teeth as a clue to “root cause” and “root prevention”.  Pun intended!
Let’s take my 1st upper molar as an example. If I had a root canal or untended cavity in that particular tooth,  over time, the frequency would drop within the stomach meridian of my body. Because I know my frequency is now prone to dropping in the stomach meridian, I would pay special attention to, and support all of the corresponding organs and tissues in an effort to prevent future dis-ease and dysfunction. (Refer to the chart )
* I would watch my thyroid numbers closely thru comprehensive annual (if not more frequent) thyroid labwork, and support my thyroid function as needed with Young Living’s Thyromin capsules and/or Endoflex essential oil blend.
* I would also make sure my liver, pancreas  and stomach had the tools they needed to function efficiently. Digestive enzymes (Detoxzyme or EssentialZymes-4 are my two favorites), and Juvatone capsules for liver support on the regular!
* I’d work to keep my body well hydrated, exercise, and avoid medication that is particularly hard on the kidneys (ex: Ibuprofen  and other NSAIDS).
* I’d know that my weakest point on my spine was potentially going to be where the thoracic vertebrae meets the lumbar portion of the spine, and I would work to keep it strong, healthy, and flexible thru exercise focusing on core strength and flexibility. 
* I’d know that my jaw and knee joints would be things to keep an eye on and support accordingly to prevent injury. 
* I’d know that my trunk muscles needed extra focus at the gym in terms of muscle groupings. #legday #BLMandSulfurzymeforthewin 
* I’d want to support my maxillary sinus in a healthy way so that I don’t become prone to sinus infections. I would do this by diffusing all our healthy “breathing oils” and by using my home made (amazing!!!) nasal spray regularly.
All of these body parts I just mentioned are tied to the stomach meridian in the body, and they are going to need a little extra TLC to keep them healthy since the tooth itself is now working against the body.
​
Forewarned is forearmed, right?!?  Using the health of specific teeth to determine how best to support your body is an easy and excellent way to hopefully sidestep potential issues elsewhere in your body in the future! 
If you’d like to know more about teeth and their relationship to our health, here are some excellent book 📚 resources (note that all of the authors are either doctors or dentists who have also done their additional research to learn the truth!!):
Healing is Voltage - Jerry Tennant MD
Toxic Teeth - JM Swartz MD and YL Wright MA
The Toxic Tooth - Robert Kulacz DDS and Thomas Levy MD/JD
The Root Canal Coverup - George Meinig DDS 
xoxo~ liz

#sharingiscaring
#healthcluesyoucansinkyourteethinto
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL

   🌷🌺🌸🌹🌼🌻Happy May Friends!🌷🌺🌸🌹🌼🌻    
Did anyone else grow up in a community that celebrated May 1st by making little baskets of food and candy and then leaving those gifts on people's doorknobs after ringing the doorbell and running away?
Now the FedEx or USPS drivers don't usually ring the doorbell anymore, but your monthly order just might contain one or all of these oils as with qualifying gift with purchase!
While each of these oil blends smells amazing diffused or used as a perfume, it's the individual oils within that affect our brains and cells in very specific ways. In fact, the names of the oils are suggestive of their action on specific parts of the brain that help us navigate certain feelings and emotional responses . It's not woo woo stuff..... this is science in action! 😍😍 #sciencenerdsunite
If you sat in on our Oily Underground chat last Monday on ZOOM, you would have heard some very interesting conversation about keeping our cells and DNA healthy, happy, and intact. It was very relevant information for the times we live in. Many oils were mentioned, and there was quite a bit of discussion on how to know which oils to choose to use. As I looked thru the individual oils listed in each blend in May's gift with purchase, I observed that these 5 oil blends contain so many of the individual oils we talked about!
💖PERFUME WITH PURPOSE! 💖
As you put your monthly Subscribe to Save together (formerly known as Essential Rewards), know that YL's got your back (and brain and cells! 😉).
You might also check out the very timely Mother's Day sale! My most favorite beautiful diffusers are on sale.... The Lustre and Lucia. These glass diffusers are so classy and pairing them with an oil or two would make a great gift! At 25% off, these two diffusers are super affordable! I'll post more info in the comments!...... if you are not yet a part of our community, this is a terrific inexpensive way to get plugged in! I'll post more info about the sale in the comments.
xoxo~ liz 
#sharingiscaring
#ThanksYL
(PS: Oily Underground chats on Monday nights at 7:30pm CST are a perk of team membership...... these ZOOM calls are NOT recorded, and are always loaded with healthy helpful, valuable, personalized,  science backed information! If you'd like to know more, please message me here or thru www.goodmedicine.info)

Teeth Clues Part II:

Our body is highly skilled at sounding alarms🚨 that we often “hit the snooze button” on, ignore out of ignorance, or simply disregard. I was “that person” many years ago when I went through about 18 months of tooth emergencies.😭 I didn’t have a single cavity until I was in college, and always had pretty stellar dental visits. However, when I was in my mid 30’s, something strange started happening. On 3 different occasions, a piece of tooth would literally fall off of a molar while I was driving to work in the morning. 😳 Though I had no evidence of wear on my teeth, my dentist finally determined that I must be gritting my teeth so hard while I slept that I was literally breaking my teeth. Once we figured out the root cause and I found better ways to manage my stress , I quit breaking teeth, stopped having headaches every morning upon waking up, had fewer neck, elbow, and wrist problems, and generally felt better and happier as a human! My body was giving me so many clues, and I was ignoring all of them (or “patching them”) until my body literally started falling apart. It was an expensive but valuable lesson! 
* Worn down or regular breaking of teeth are often signs of stress. Internalized chronic stress has the same effect on the body as smoking 5 cigarettes a day, and who wants to abuse their body like that?? Not sure if you are grinding or clenching your teeth?  Sometimes the flatness on the teeth can be felt with the tongue or seen in the mirror, or your dentist may have made a comment to you. A chronically stressed body may also see a higher incidence of canker sores or fever blisters…. all are clues that shouldn’t be ignored.
* Chronic stress will cause consistently higher levels of cortisol in the body, eventually wreaking some major havoc. Manage stress properly by incorporating mindset management skills, prayer/meditation, exercise, diet and  proper amounts of sleep.  Consider supporting  healthy cortisol levels with Young Living’s Cortistop. If clenching, gritting or grinding is your nighttime gig, you may also want to consider a mouth nightguard to help mediate damage, and apply Peace & Calming, RutaVala, or Tranquil essential oil blends on the base of the big toes at night.   
* Thin enamel or cracking/crumbling teeth are often clues of acid reflux. (We will go over  acid reflux clues in greater detail soon.)  Several medications may also affect the integrity of teeth. Asthma medications (inhaled), chewable aspirin, birth control pills, immunosuppressive agents, chemotherapy agents,  and any of the 400+ meds that cause dry mouth ( revisit that section for more details) are among the bigger culprits. If you find yourself in a situation where any of these medications are deemed necessary, make sure you are rinsing your mouth out often with Thieves Mouthwash to create an inhospitable environment for bad bacteria that may want to set up camp and create further damage.
* Chronically sensitive or swollen gums may be a sign of an underlying Vitamin C deficiency (approximately 13% of the US population), an early sign of heart disease, diabetes, or (less commonly) a blood disorder.  It can also simply be a sign of poor oral hygiene! Medications that may cause bleeding gums include blood thinners, aspirin, and regular use of ibuprofen or other NSAIDS.
* Gum overgrowth (hyperplasia)  is more pronounced than simply swollen gums. While often a symptom of poor oral hygiene, it most frequently results from the use of certain medications:  anti seizure meds, immunosuppressants, or calcium channel blockers (a class of blood pressure medications). There are physiological disorders that may cause hyperplasia too. Diabetes or Crohn’s disease are two of the more common ones.
* Pretty much everyone brushes their teeth in front of a mirror, which is an opportune time to make a quick daily evaluation of teeth, gums, mouth & tongue. Once you get into the habit of doing this, you will notice small changes pretty quickly, and you can often correct a situation without professional intervention! 
 Next week, I’ll discuss specific tooth health as a predictor for potential health concerns! It’s fascinating and such a helpful tool in knowing how to care for yourself preemptively.
xoxo~ liz
www.goodmedicine.info 
#sharingiscaring
#healthcluesyoucansinkyourteethinto
#healthcluesyoucanuse
#goodmedicine
#ThanksYL

​Thanks to my friend Phyllis! Her functional medicine doctor gave her this website. The application of knowledge is power and it just might change the course of your life.