NoBS Wellness

Each year 60 to 70 million people in the U.S. suffer from digestive issues with IBS ranking as one of the top diagnoses. But what exactly is irritable bowel syndrome and how is it linked to SIBO and leaky gut syndrome? We get into all of this and more in this episode with Phoebe Lapine. Phoebe tells us about her journey to reclaim her health after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's and then having to do it all over again when she started to suffer from SIBO. She breaks down SIBO and the related gut health issues into an easy to understand primer on the topic while sharing some great tips on healing from SIBO as well as preventing gut health issues. We also talk about her new book, SIBO Made Simple.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole talks about a recent experience with antibiotics that completely wiped out her gut microbiome and caused her major stomach issues for several weeks.

Episode Recap: Interview with Phoebe Lapine - 1:59, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 43:36

Highlights:

• Gut health used to refer to the good flora in your large intestine
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) - research shows that a majority of IBS cases caused by SIBO
• SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) - too much bacteria too far up in your small intestine
• Leaky gut (intestinal permeability) - bacteria eats through the mucus barrier of your intestinal tight junctions, which can cause inflammation and potentially an autoimmune disease
• Risk factors for SIBO fall under three categories: biochemical abnormalities, migrating motor complex abnormalities, and structural abnormalities
• Biochemical abnormalities that can put you at risk for SIBO:
• • Low stomach acid
  • Immuno-compromised
  • Missing gallbladder/no bile salts
  • Low pancreatic enzymes
• Migrating motor complex - propulsive movement that kicks in during periods of fasting (after 90 minutes) and sweeps undigested material through the small intestine
• Risk factors affecting migrating motor complex:
• • Stress
  • Snacking
  • Hashimoto's/other autoimmune diseases
  • Food poisoning
• Structural issues that are risk factors for SIBO:
• • Anything pressing or bearing down on intestines
  • Kink in your intestines, abdominal tumor, prior abdominal surgery that didn't heal right
• If you think you have SIBO/gut issues, start by spending a week:
• • Start with your diet and noticing what bothers you
  • Chewing your food thoroughly
  • Not snacking, leaving 4 hours between meals for digestion
  • Cook or puree foods that might irritate you
  • Try a low FODMAP diet
• You can heal from gut health issues, but you need to drill down to your root causes, treat and then repair
• Top 3 Tips for Supporting Your Gut Health:
• • Chew your food thoroughly
  • Stomach acid is important -- support that
  • Avoid chemicals and antibiotics as much as possible AND get dirty by touching/spending time in nature

Resources:

Where to find Phoebe Lapine:

• Website: https://feedmephoebe.com/
• Instagram:  @phoebelapine

• SIBO Made Simple

• The Wellness Project

There are many ways to work with sound for healing, and we get deeper into the science of sound and how it can be used for healing. We talk with David Khan, a sound healing expert with a background in both music and science, to understand the process of unsticking stuck emotions through different frequencies. David explains how vibro-acoustical sounds, vibro-neurological sounds, and brainwave entrainment all come into play in this modality. He also shares some simple, straightforward tips on using and playing with sound to realign with your true self.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole tells about her interesting experience while using one of David's soundscapes. And Shanna talks about how she listened to the soundscape in a few different instances to maximize the effects.

Episode Recap: Interview with David Khan - 2:10, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 53:28

Highlights:

• We experience reality as a blend of our internal and external environments
• Sound was used in ancient times for healing
• Audio Neural Stimulation is the frequency following response where the dominant frequency of the brain starts to follow an external source, like a drum or a beat
• Vibro-Acoustical Sounds - can break up the emotional tension (energy) in the body
• Vibro-Neurological Sounds - can bring your body into the theta brainwave state, which can help retrain the brain to relax
• Brainwave Entrainment - allows the brain to move into deeper brainwave states and retrains the brain to move through the different brainwave states
• Sound healing can  help remove the chronic stress that you carry
• Self-healing equals frequency plus intention
• Flow state equals sufficient technique plus sufficient relaxation
• Sound healing can help with:
• • Allowing you to get out of your own way
  • Letting go of the grief you carry
  • Feeling more rested and getting better sleep
• Top 3 Tips for Better Attuning to Yourself:
• • Begin the process of making humming and guttural noises on a daily basis
  • Shaking the body/bouncing and letting sound come out of the body
  • Returning to nature and listen to the sounds

Resources:

Where to find David Khan:

• Website: www.thebladeandchalice.com
• Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1167215
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thebladeandchalice

Special soundscape giveaway for listeners of NoBS Wellness Podcast:

https://www.thebladeandchalice.com/nobs

It seems like we are constantly becoming more reliant on technology, but what does that mean for our health and well-being? This episode is all about understanding tech toxins and how to approach technology in a healthy, safe, and mindful way. We talk with August Brice, Tech Wellness Advocate and founder of TechWellness.com, about some of the not so healthy ways that technology impacts our lives and what we can do about it. August has spent over 25 years of research and discovery on this topic and makes living mindful in a digital world approachable. You don't need to completely give up technology to thrive mentally, emotionally and physically!

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna talk about how they were intimidated by this topic at first, but felt so much more educated and empowered after talking with August. Nicole shares about how she has taken steps to limit her EMF exposure. And Shanna highlights an additional tech toxin that she thinks people should be aware of: sitting too long and using poor posture, especially when on your smartphone.

Episode Recap: Interview with August Brice - 2:07 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 48:35

Highlights:

• Tech Toxins:
• • Addiction
  • EMF Radiation and Bluelight
  • Privacy Stealers
• There are over 2,000 peer reviewed studies that show a link between EMF radiation and certain health issues such as infertility and cancer
• Exposure to too much blue light and blue light at the wrong time of day can reduce your melatonin levels
• Blue light blocking glasses work to a degree depending on the color of the lenses and what they are coated with
• To help with eye strain, make sure to look away and into the distance from screens, especially if you are spending a lot of time looking at screens
• EMF Radiation reduction tips:
• • Reduce your proximity to EMF Radiation
  • For your phone, try to be at least 3 feet away when not using it
  • For wifi, try to be at least 40 feet away
  • Turn off your wifi at night
  • You can put your wifi in a Faraday cage
• Tips for being more mindful of your tech addiction:
• • Include an unplug period each day
  • Be aware of how much you are drawn to your phone, especially when you are away from it
• Privacy Stealers:
• • Every step you take online is tracked if you allow the default privacy settings
  • If the product is free, then you are the product
• Use a VPN (virtual private network) when online to help protect your privacy
• • August recommends Proton VPN
• Top 3 Tips for Being Mindful with Technology:
• • Take a daily unplug for perspective.
  • EMF Radiation is very real. Distance is your friend when it comes to EMF Radiation, not shields.
  • Don't accept the default for privacy settings. Review the settings before accepting them.

Resources:

Where to find August Brice/Tech Wellness:

• Instagram: @techwellness
• Facebook: Tech Wellness
• Website: www.techwellness.com

Information on "text neck" that Shanna references: https://lytyoga.com/blog/the-truth-about-text-neck/

The Social Dilemma 

In this special solo episode, Nicole and Shanna reflect on the resiliency that they have each cultivated by building more awareness of how they coped during difficult times in their lives. They each share about the tools that have helped them when they are struggling as well as the awareness of the physical and mental signs that they need to turn to their resilience toolkit. Using the pandemic as a general frame and prompts posed by an email they received from the Ten Percent Happier podcast, Shanna and Nicole dive into how they feel in their bodies, hearts, and minds when they are going through challenging life events. They also discuss what they do to feel better during this process. 

Highlights:

• Prompts used to reflect on resilience from Ten Percent Happier:
• • Check in with your body. What physical feelings are predominant? Can you try tuning into those feelings, whether they're pleasant or not, and noticing them, like a witness? Can you remember how the body felt at different times during the past year, both high and low? Take a moment to remember and re-embody those times. And then: what tools or techniques were helpful to you?
  • Move to the level of the heart. What were some of the most difficult moments of the past year, and how did you get through them? And then, as before: what were the resources, inner and outer, that helped you get through?
  • And then, to the mind. See if you can remember how your mind felt at moments of resilience, openness, or sheer endurance. What did the mind feel like when it was brave, or loving, or fierce? Re-inhabiting these mental states can help the mind become more familiar with them.
  • Look at the transpersonal and interpersonal. Who and what really mattered to you over the pandemic? Which friends showed up, and which ones disappeared? What gave you purpose? What was hard to give up, and what was surprisingly easy?
• Take time to catalog what helped you through difficult times so you can revisit in the future
• Shanna's Top Reflections:
• • Everything is interconnected so fill your resilience toolkit with tools targeted at mind, body and heart
  • Running (and similar activities) can help you learn how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable
  • Notice if there are times in your life when you withdraw and connect with what those reasons are
  • Explore things you are curious about as curiosity can help you through the malaise
• Nicole's Top Reflections:
• • Listen to your body and what it's trying to tell you (hint: physical pain or discomfort may not always indicate a physical problem -- it may be emotionally triggered)
  • Make sure to constantly check in with yourself
  • Have a list of the things that help make you feel better
  • Schedule time to take care of yourself

If you're looking for some advice on how to take your time management skills to the next level, look no further than this episode. We talk with Life Coach, Keysha Milana, all about planning, setting goals, and managing our time to be productive and take care of ourselves. She tells us about the idea of procrastinating on purpose as well as the importance of incorporating fun into our everyday lives.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole explains why she loves the idea of using procrastination as part of time management, especially as it turns something that is typically seen as a negative into a positive tool. Shanna talks about how procrastinating on purpose has helped her when she has felt overwhelmed.

Episode Recap: Interview with Keysha Milana - 2:12 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 44:35

Highlights:

• Life Coaching is focused on helping someone maximize their full potential and reach their desired results. This can be done in a variety of areas of life such as money, career, spirituality, health, etc.
• When planning as part of time management, make sure to look back and assess what went well or poorly, and what you can do more of or do differently.
• Example questions to ask yourself when reviewing your past week:
• • Did you have too much on your plate?
  • Did you take time for self-care?
  • Did you get to a point of burnout from trying to do too much?
• You need to include fun stuff in your week, not just work and personal to do's.
• Tips for including fun in your calendar:
• • Try something new to keep your day-to-day fresh and fun
  • Plan time in your calendar for fun and self-care
  • Make fun and self-care a consistent part of your routine
• Make your goals positive
• For setting realistic goals, be aware of where you are right now, what is your timeframe, and what does that mean you need to do in that timeframe to get there.
• Procrastinating on Purpose Questions:
• • Can you automate the task?
  • Can you delegate the task?
  • Do you have to do the task now?
• If you need to do a task, then prioritize when you do that task based on "due date."
• Top Self-Care Tips:
• • Schedule self-care into your day
  • Be intentional with your self-care
  • Figure out what you do for self-care that is free to do
  • Do different types of self-care to focus on the different aspects of your health

Resources:

Where to find Keysha Milana:

• Instagram: @keyshamilana
• Website: www.keyshamilana.com
• Email: [email protected]

Dance/Movement Therapy is a psychotherapy technique that uses movement to improve an individual's health and well-being by allowing the patient to bring awareness to the body and the effects that mental, emotional and social factors have on the physical experiences in the body. Don't be fooled by the name, though. Dance Therapy is not about large, expressive movements or learning a dance routine as we find out from our expert and Board Certified - Dance/Movement Therapist, Jessica Knochel. In this episode, Jessica helps us to understand what Dance Therapy is, how it is helpful to individuals, and how it may be a better option for those not interested in traditional "talk therapy." She walks us through what someone will experience in a session as she works with Nicole on her recurring shoulder pain during the interview.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna talk about their misconceptions about Dance Therapy and what they appreciate about the subtlety of the modality. Nicole gives more insight into her mini-session with Jessica from the interview and how that felt in her body.

Episode Recap: Interview with Jessica Knochel - 1:32 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 45:42

Highlights:

• Dance/Movement Therapy does not look like the traditional idea of dance or movement. For example, stillness is very much part of the process.
• A Dance/Movement Therapist is trained to use their body as the instrument to attune, witness and reflect what is coming up for the patient in the session.
• Dance Therapy helps a patient feel seen without needing to have the exact words to describe what they are thinking or experiencing.
• Dance Therapy is the container for the patient's process of being present in their body and being aware of what is coming up/expressing in their body.
• Jessica finds that a majority of her patients have come to Dance/Movement Therapy when they are tired with the coping mechanisms that their bodies have relied on.
• Dance Therapists use words and questions to help inform the patient as to how they are feeling/getting into their body.
• Mirroring is a Dance Therapy technique.
• Name It to Tame It -- bring awareness to what's going on to reduce the fear/tension around it.
• A Dance Therapist figures out how to create a safe space for the patient so the patient can feel safe to get into their bodies and feel safe in their bodies.
• It's more socially acceptable to be in our heads and overthink than it is to trust what our bodies are telling us.

Resources:

Where to find Jessica Knochel:

• Instagram: @matriarchymovement

The supplement industry is a $40 billion dollar industry in the U.S. with very limited regulations. On top of that, supplements seemed to be advertised at every turn, but how many of us really understand why we need supplements and which ones to take? We get into all of this and more in this episode with Courtney Bursich. Courtney is an AADP Board Certified health coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who has worked with clients for many years now on understanding their body and what supplement protocols they need. She talks with us about when supplements are appropriate to take, what to look for when buying supplements, and how to determine where to start with supplements. This is a great episode for anyone who is curious about supplements, but also intimidated.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna share about their experience over time with supplements and how they've honed in on what to take by doing in depth testing with their doctors. They also talk about the importance of using supplements to fill the gaps of what you may not be getting from what you eat.

Episode Recap: Interview with Courtney Bursich - 1:34 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 47:27

Highlights:

• Courtney's advice on starting your wellness journey: start small, start somewhere
• Supplements on the market today have limited regulation and wide variety of quality
• Supplements should aid what you are already doing in the kitchen; you should be getting a lot of nutrients from your foods
• Over-farming can deplete the nutrients in the soil which means less nutrient dense foods
• Toxins in the body can also deplete some of your nutrient reserves
• Use supplements to fill the gaps where you aren't getting enough
• Some estimates show that 80% of people are Vitamin D deficient
• Courtney started her own supplement line to have a quality product on the market that she could feel confident recommending. As part of that, Courtney and her team ensure that the supplements:
• • Use real, whole food sources for their ingredients
  • Test the ingredients for identity, purity, and potency
  • Test for heavy metals, microtoxins, and mold spores to eliminate them
  • Minimal processing to maximize potency
• When looking at buying supplements, do the research into the companies selling them:
• • What are the company's values?
  • What is the company's vetting process?
  • Does the company share the products' certificates of analysis (COA's)?
• You can work with a professional to do functional testing to determine deficiencies in your body.
• Courtney's Top Three Tips for Starting to Use Supplements:
• • Take inventory of what you have and why you bought it. Do a purge of the supplements if the ingredients are questionable, the product is out of date, or you don't know what it's supposed to help you with
  • Write down some of the things that your body is telling you and talk with a trained professional regarding what you're experiencing and what supplements may help you
  • Get involved in the process of knowing what you are buying

Resources:

Where to find Courtney Bursich:

• Instagram: @organic_blondie
• Website: https://www.organicblondielife.com

Where to find Plant Rx:

• Instagram: @the.plantrx
• Website: https://www.plantrxshop.com/

"Everything you have and don't have in your life comes down to your habits." - Sandra Chuma

This episode is all about habits, and our guest, Sandra Chuma, brilliantly shows the power of habits while breaking down how to realistically approach them. Sandra is an entrepreneur, speaker, coach, podcast host, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. She personally knows how important habits are and has supplemented this with training to become a certified habits coach. Sandra shares with us the science and psychology behind habits as well as simple tips and tools that anyone can employ to up-level their habits.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna share their favorite tips that they learned from Sandra and how they've applied them in their lives.

Episode Recap: Interview with Sandra Chuma - 2:17 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 51:16

Highlights:

• 50% of everything you do is habit-based
• Only 8% of people who set a goal achieve their goal, and the difference comes down to habits
• Habits are behaviors that we do repeatedly without conscious thought
• Behavior is anything we do and anything we think
• 3 Components of Behavior in relationship to Habits
• • Motivation (how much or how little do we want to do the behavior)
  • Ability (how hard or easy is it to do the behavior)
  • Prompt (trigger to remind you to do the behavior)
• Celebrating yourself is crucial to creating habits
• The ABC's of Habits
• • Anchor (the prompt/trigger to remind you to do the habit)
  • Behavior (make it easy to do the behavior that will form the habit)
  • Celebrate
• You cannot reliably rely on motivation and willpower so you need to figure out "how can I make it as easy as possible to do the behavior/habit?"
• Start small to create success motivation, which makes you want to do the thing again
• How do you make the habit small enough so it doesn't feel overwhelming?
• 5 minute rule to stopping procrastination:
• • Set a timer for 5 minutes
  • Do as much of the thing as you can that you are putting off
  • At the end of 5 minutes, decide if you want to do more or you want to stop
• When you introduce a conscious thought into your habits, you are likely to fail
• 5 second rule for habits:
• • When you are prompted to do a habit, count down 5-4-3-2-1 and then just do the thing
• The language of the subconscious mind is emotions
• • You want to feel good about yourself and that will help you create the habit
  • Ask yourself, "What are the habits that make me feel good about myself?"
• Breaking habits follows the same methodology as creating habits, but in making it harder to do the habit you want to break. You can also replace the habit you want to break with another habit.
• Top 3 Habit Tips:
• • Start Small
  • Celebrate Immediately - right when you do the habit
  • Monitor your thoughts because thoughts are habits too

Resources:

Where to find Sandra Chuma:

• Instagram: @sandra.chuma
• Website: https://sandrachuma.com
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mssandrachuma
• Worthy Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/iamworthy.co/
• Worthy Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/worthybrand.co
• Worthy Website: https://iamworthy.co/

Essential oils aren't just for aromatherapy use, but it can be a little intimidating on how to branch out and use them in other ways. Jodi Cohen, author of Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body, educates us on different safe uses of essential oils that can help your overall well-being. She talks through the ways our bodies may be out of balance and how essential oils can assist in bringing balance back. This episode is littered with practical advice on using essential oils to support your wellness journey. Jodi also shares details about her new book and why it became important for her to write it. (Spoiler alert: This book offers so much more than just essential oil recipes and uses for your health.)

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole clarifies that she does in fact like baths when used for relaxation purposes, which means she may try out Jodi's Epsom salt plus essential oils bath recommendation. Shanna and Nicole also talk about some of the ways they've incorporated essential oils into their lives beyond just aromatherapy.

Episode Recap: Interview with Jodi Cohen - 1:59 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 49:45

Highlights:

• Jodi Cohen is the founder of Vibrant Blue Oils
• When using essential oils, it is important to use organic
• Jodi's favorite essential oil recipe used to shift out of stress to calm:
• • Clove essential oil, Lime essential oil, and Fractionated coconut oil
  • Put a dab behind your ears on your mastoid bone
• When applying essential oils topically, you want to use a carrier oil:
• • Use fractionated coconut oil for faster acting
  • Use jojoba oil or castor oil for slow/time release of essential oil
• When diluting essential oils, start with one drop and see how you respond. Add drops one at a time and see how you respond.
• Five Root Causes for Why People are Out of Balance:
• • Poor sleep
  • Nervous system is constantly in fight, flight or freeze
  • Circulation is challenged
  • Low energy
  • Immune system is under or over functioning
• Five Step Process for Healing:
• • Sleep is the #1 priority
  • Shift nervous system to a parasympathetic state (rest and digest)
  • Deal with congestion in the lymphatic system, especially in the neck
  • Energy to heal
  • Immune system modulation
• Calm an anxiety or panic attack by smelling any essential oil or any citrus fruit in your left nostril while plugging your right nostril)
• Jodi's Top Essential Oil Tips for Beginners:
• • Trust your smell. If you like the smell, start with that essential oil. 
  • Lemon essential oil gets sharpie off anything.
  • Take an Epsom salt bath with this recipe: 2 cups Epsom salt, one cup baking soda, and 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil. Mix those ingredients together and then add to the bath.
• Research shows that rose essential oil turns off the olfactory receptors that smell fear. This means that smelling roses or rose essential oils can help to pull you out of the fear response.

Resources:

Where to find Jodi Cohen:

• Instagram: @vibrantblueoils
• Website: www.vibrantblueoils.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Book: Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body
• Free chapter of the book: www.boostthebrainbook.com/gift

Research in epigenetics shows that traumatic experiences can be genetically transmitted. This means that we all carry trauma in our systems that we don't even realize we have because we inherited from our ancestors rather than experiencing it ourselves. In this episode, Dr. Valerie Rein, psychologist and women's mental health expert, talks with us about the "special" kind of ancestral trauma that all women share, Patriarchy Stress Disorder (PSD). We go deep into understanding PSD in our conversations: how Dr. Valerie discovered it, why it's important to understand, how it impacts women, and how we can start healing from it. We also talk about the importance of understanding all the types of trauma that a person can experience and how trauma tools are beneficial to have in your toolkit. Dr. Valerie leaves us with an intriguing challenge -- shift your thinking from "how much can I tolerate?" to "How Good Can It Get?"

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole and Shanna talk about their experience attending The Thriving Experience virtual retreat hosted by Dr. Valerie Rein. Nicole shares about her love for mind-body tools as she's had past training in it through other trauma work that she has done. She also discusses how she loved the support from the group of 100+ attendees to the virtual retreat and the collective healing that comes from realizing that you're not alone in dealing with trauma. Shanna explains how she initially struggled with the mind-body tools used throughout the retreat. As she explains, she already has a strong connection to the body, but her willingness to try the tools eventually allowed her to appreciate how they could, in fact, bring her into a deeper mind-body connection.

Episode Recap: Interview with Dr. Valerie Rein - 2:25 , "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 52:05

Highlights:

• Trauma: any experience that made you feel unsafe (physically or emotionally) in the fullest authentic expression that led you to creating adaptations to keep you safe
• Trauma adaptations often include disconnecting from our bodies. For example:
• • Sex: may find it difficult to orgasm or be fully connected to the physical pleasure
  • Sleep: may find it hard to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up refreshed
  • Emotions: may not allow space to feel ALL your emotions (anger, joy, sadness, etc.)
  • Numbing emotions through food, drink, streaming shows, social media scrolling, online shopping, etc.
• Trauma tools are the same regardless of the type of trauma you've experienced
• You don't need to know the "story" behind the trauma adaptations you experience in order to shift them
• Epigenetics study referenced by Dr. Valerie
• Re-Power Tool: speaks to the nervous system in the language it understands (which isn't thinking)
• • Getting in touch with all your senses
  • Feet on the ground, feel your breath, look around to take in everything in your physical surroundings, skin to skin touch (touching your arms, cheeks, hands, etc.)
• Other trauma healing tools can be found in Dr. Valerie's book, Patriarchy Stress Disorder, and online at https://www.drvalerie.com/book
• Collective healing is the most successful for collective trauma like Patriarchy Stress Disorder
• Top Tips for Healing Trauma:
• • Know that if you are human, you have trauma. And there is nothing wrong with you.
  • Safety is needed to heal trauma
  • • Internal (in your nervous system)
    • External (supportive community)
  • Work with a qualified, trained professional to support your trauma healing

Resources:

Where to find Dr. Valerie Rein:

• Instagram: @drvalerierein
• Hashtag: #patriarchystressdisorder
• Website: www.drvalerie.com
• Book: Patriarchy Stress Disorder