Intuitive Health Consulting Glossary

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1		"What Is This? Well, it's informal and it's MEMBERS ONLY. I talk about a lot of things with my clients, and I wondered what would happen if I wrote some of them down... If you have a suggestion for an entry, please leave a comment."
2	Medical Term	Definition
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4	Adrenal fatigue	Yes, your adrenals might be related to your fatigue--especially if you get wiped out by exercise, crash if you don't eat, and wake up in the middle of the night. But don't blame your adrenals! And don't think "adrenal herbs" are going to heal you! The key is to figure out and heal what's stressing out your adrenals in the first place. And ok, ok, you can take some ginseng, but take care of yourself, too, please. (And if you're a habitual, fanatical exerciser, that could be part of your problem.)
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12	Clinical significance	Sure, something might sound good for you (multivitamin!) but will it make a difference in how you feel? I.e., will it change any signs or symptoms? Is it clinically significant? It's one thing to say it changes something on a lab test (your cholesterol went from 210 to 195!), but will it change my chance of living vs dying? (Doubtful in this case)
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20	Evolutionary [ __ ]	Evolutionary medicine/health care/herbalism/...astrology...(fill in your own term). By using that word I'm talking about transcending your current situation--your status quo--and reaching for something stronger, better, healthier, more joyful, stronger, more resilient, more...EVOLVED. Evolution is in three steps: separation, transcendence, inclusion. In terms of your health, you end up with a living system or being that is more powerful and stronger than what was before, and that includes what came before. Evolving doesn't mean you have to become a different person. It means that you start from where you are, recognize there's something better, work like hell to get it, and blossom into a more full version of yourself. Easy, right? Don't worry, we (me, the plants, the stars) are here to help.
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36	Immune System	A diffuse organ of protection that -- at its core - relies on a strong self of self and good boundaries. Many NDs say that the immune system is based in the gut, but I call BS! It's based on a deeper connection to one's own ego and place in the world. And like so many things, if it's based on love (of self), it's going to be a heck of a lot stronger than if it's a protective instinct based on fear!
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52	Metabolic toxicity	Accumulated waste products from normal physiologic functions (production of energy, fighting infections, breaking down old tissue, digesting food, breathing, etc) that can lead to interruptions in normal physiologic 'flow" and often inflammation. For example, brain fog and cognitive decline post-concussion can be due to the brain getting overwhelmed by the metabolic toxicity of inflammation. Slamming the brain up against the skull fires up the immune system and creates inflammation which creates waste that needs to be gotten rid of. The brain's lymph and glymph systems serve that "take out the garbage" role, but they could be inadequate or they could be overwhelmed by the increased amount of 'trash.' And post-concussion or with neurodegenerative disease like Alzheimer's, metabolic toxicity is a key driver of symptoms. And it's not just the brain. This issue can happen anywhere in the body. That's why I love lipsomal glutathione so much! :)
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64	Permethrin	Neurotoxic chemical used for tick prevention. It's toxic to humans and animals while wet. The nice part is that it's NOT toxic after it dries. (Even if it gets wet again). You can buy clothes treated with permethrin and greatly reduce tick bites. You can also do it yourself. AND, Insect Shield willl let you send in a bag of clothes and they'll treat them for you! And the protection lasts for 70 washes! They won't take shoes, though. So buy some permethrin spray (I have Ranger Ready), line up your shoes/boots (and socks!) outside on some plastic, put on gloves, and spray them down. Let them dry for a few hours and you've got some serious tick bite prevention. Research shows that just wearing permethrin-treated shoes and socks into the woods will reduce your chance of a tick bite 72 times. (Yeah...whoah). This chemical is also used in Tick Tubes.
65	Picaridin	Safer than DEET and just as effective for insect bite control, including ticks. 20% Picaridin is a great thing to buy in a spray bottle. You can put it on your skin and it's odorless and greaseless. And unlike DEET, it doesn't melt plastic! Many people also like essential oil applications for insect bite prevention and that works, too. Picaridin is just a bit stronger.
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76	Science	Oh boy, this is a big one! And becoming more and more politically fraught. First: Science is a process, not a thing. Science is never done. You can't point to a conclusion and say "Science says!" and expect it to be true. Science doesn't come up with absolute truths. Hell, history is littered with incorrect conclusions. Was science wrong? No! Science was doing just fine, it's just that science can't give you TRUTH, it can only give you theories that are observable and (hopefully) testable. Science is the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. It's exploration and guessing and testing of of those guesses. Double blind placebo controlled trials are one method of doing science. Indigenous exploration and systematic use of herbal medicine is another. I like to honor both.
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80	Tick Tubes	An ingenious, easy-to-set up system for reducing tick population in your yard by 93%! Alexis Chesney describes it well in her book "Preventing Lyme and Other Tick Borne Diseases." My first thought when I heard the name "Tick Tubes" was that I would be burying little tubes in my yard that unsuspecting ticks would fall into (See "Winnie the Pooh and the Heffalump" for more details.) Turns out, it's much more devious-- 1. Spray cotton ball or scrunched up dryer lint with permethrin; 2. Stuff in paper towel or toilet paper tubes; 3. Set around property near known mouse activity. The mice grab the lint or cotton to build nests. The permethrin doesn't harm the mice but kills the tick larvae that live on mice. And the reproductive cycle of ticks around your home is severely disrupted! You can also buy tick tubes online. And, by the way, it won't harm cats or owls. The amount of permethrin in a tick tube is really really small (.5%) and it's just enough the kill tick larvae and won't biomagnify enough to harm the mouse or the cats or the owls.
81	Toxicity	Commonly understood to be foreign materials that are in our body that may disrupt physiologic function. Synthetic toxins (solvents, metals, etc) come into our body in shockingly large amounts every day. (Even in Vermont!) And our body has the ability to move those toxins through and out (glutathione!). But the chemicals coming IN can overwhelm our capacity to move them OUT, and that leads to toxicity. Excess toxins can weigh down any process: neurological processing, hormone communication, fertility, bone and connective tissue growth, immune system function, mitochondrial function, etc.) And I've found that supporting the body's ability to move those toxins out through the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin can help the body restore function. Though oftentimes, some repair work is needed as well. And all of the above also fits metabolic toxicity as well (see separate entry)
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