Funny enough, today, I’m still asking myself that.

How do we know when we have arrived?

Is it working that coveted job? Leaving the corporate job and becoming a holistic wellness practitioner? Getting married? Having kids? Then the child’s milestones and their marriage? Grandchildren? Retirement?

Life tends to slip by so quickly, yet we know all along that something intangible is whispering for our attention.  “Is there more?”  “Am I missing something?” We don’t know what to do about this nagging, so we refocus our attention on the milestones.

Then, before we know it, the body is ailing and aging.  The dreams of youth have given way to the ups and downs and obligations of life.  Now the physical body has taken priority over any emotional, intangible sense of lack.  Now we have one to a few medical diagnoses and a life history, our story, as we continue to be carried by milestones — birthdays, holidays, summer vacations, graduation, New Year’s…

Such is the wheel of life, and it keeps on spinning.

We’re all on the wheel, that rolls out into a timeline. However, you can stop it long enough for you to see yourself on the wheel.  You can evaluate which way you are spinning and change direction if you like, or get off the ride entirely and choose another.

I’m inviting you to pause now on the cusp of this next New Year and congratulate yourself for all the milestones you’ve reached.  Take a look at the past 10 or 20 years and acknowledge all the old goals you had and met. Wow!  And how about this past year, or even your to-do list from last week.

You have already accomplished so much.  It’s so easy to forget, because the old milestones have been reached, and you’ve moved on to the next thing. We can live so much of our lives in a state of lack because our next goals are ever on the horizon.  Moreover, we can carry a vague sense of unfulfillment because we haven’t updated our goals and clarified what we truly want now, which evolves as you change.

How are you defining success today?

Professionally, at 28, I just wanted to finish medical school and finally work as a doctor.  Five years later, that wasn’t enough; I wanted to learn more about how to prevent disease, not just treat it.  After 2 years of Ayurvedic training in New Mexico, I wanted to integrate medicine and build a life in Austin.  One year later, I craved financial stability over start-up risk.  After two years of a last full return to corporate medicine, I defined success as sensibly building my own thriving medical practice. Now, one year into developing my Integrative practice, in addition to continuing individual consultations, I feel called to share and educate groups as well and write an Integrative book.  As you can see, my idea of success at 28 looks quite different than my vision now at 40.

Part of these moments of stillness is to realize that the endpoint is shifting, and therefore not an end at all. Reaching one goal leads to the next. This is also how we know we are growing and is what gives us the drive to be alive.

Congratulate yourself for reflecting long enough to truly see yourself.   Present-You loves Past-You for all the lessons you brought it. Future-You loves your excitement but is reminding you that how you do something is as important as what you do.

Stop also to check-in and see if you are creating goals and living your life in alignment with your deepest passions and sharing your most unique gifts. If you are not used to living this way, it can be daunting and feel impossible.  However, even a fraction of attention to something you personally desire is better for you than none at all. It paves the way for more. It’s not too late.

So pause with me. Celebrate your life — milestones and goals, past and future.  And, as you are drawing up your New Year goals, seek the truest alignment with who you are today, remembering to listen to that inner whisper of dreams that may still blossom if given the fertile ground, the space, for your creativity and play.

Happy New Year!

Nisha

This content is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

The post Are We There Yet? appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

You are here.
You chose to be here.
You chose your parents, your physical form, your gifts, your weaknesses, your trauma.
You are not a victim.
You are in charge.
You are in charge of what you think next, what you feel next, what you do next.
You are in charge of your “re-action” to the past and your action in the present.

Stop looking back. Stop looking out there. Touch your body. Feel your breath. Come back in here. Be in your body, now. Your release is in your body.

Nobody, no matter what their life looks like, is happier than you. We are all sharing every emotion in this human consciousness soup. So “re-member” that you and your sadness are not unique. Your loneliness is just a forgetting that everyone is truly alone. Alone with their thoughts and emotions. Alone on their soul’s journey. And there’s a togetherness in everyone being alone. See?

So stand up. Breathe. Deeply. Fill each aspect of your lungs with life. Breathe in the gratitude that you can draw breath. The only difference between you and a spirit is that you have a body and draw breath. It’s a gift.

Remember your gifts, those given to you and those you have to give. Today, affirm that you will discover, uncover, and use your gifts. Your unique special talents that you chose as offerings to the altar of your soul’s remembrance and as your gifts to humanity.

Use your next breath to utter an expression of love, gratitude, praise.
Use the next gesture of your hand as an offering of love, service, or assistance.
Use your Prana to create more Prana.

There’s no room for sadness to linger or take ahold of you, if you step outside, breathe in fresh air, and help someone who needs you. There are plenty of living beings that do.

The problem is thinking too small. Expand your focus to include more life, to include your neighbor, to include the world, and you will come into now, this precious now, and into what you are going to do with now.

Here are some steps to take now:

Go outside.

Take a few really deep breaths.

Shake your body all over for at least 2 min or 10 to 15 min (like no-one’s watching.)

Smile for 1 minute straight.

Wash your hair, get in or under some running water.

Listen to some vibrational sounds like Jonathan Goldman or in person  — a crystal bowl or a gong soundbath.

Nisha

This content is intended for educational/inspirational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace psychotherapy, the care of a psychiatrist, or the seeking of urgent medical or psychiatric attention.

The post A Letter to Someone Who’s Sad appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

1) Get my head wet. I don’t wash my hair every day; so when in a funk, I at least wash my hair, but preferably submerge my whole head in a body of water. Natural spring water or a salt-water pool is preferable.

2) Vigorous exercise. Gentle to moderate exercise is my norm – so a really hard sweat and racing heartbeat are great to move physical and mental toxins around and out. Sauna therapy is a great substitute if you cannot exercise

3) A light fast. When I’m down and negative, I may crave heavy, tamasic food. The opposite is what I need to unfunk. My usual diet is pretty satvic (light/yogic), so taking it a step further is what works best. A fast on a veggie-heavy, mineral-rich broth balances out heavy qualities within the being, and the willpower exerted in a light fast, ignites mental Agni(clarity), clearing out the clouds and murk of a funk.

4) Journaling with my higher self. This is one of my favorites and works really well in conjunction with the others. We have all the wisdom within to delve deep into the root cause of the funk. We just need to connect and write it out. Enter into an actual Q and A dialogue with this part of you, and let your subconscious pour out onto the page. It’s really quite amazing for me each time.

5) Spiritual Reading. Funks can only exist with a microcosmic focus, me and my small world of “i”. Any work that expands your focus to the macrocosm (as both a part of creation, and Creator of your creation) is helpful.

6) Do something nice for someone else. This is surprisingly effective. Focusing on your role in serving someone else helps expand that funky microfocus.

7) Humming or toning. A meditation practice I learned last year, essentially calls for you to hum on each exhale. It’s really simple. Inhale through the nose, exhale hum. This is one of my all-star favorites. 30 minutes of this will definitely unfunk you. At least that’s the case for me. Even a few minutes of it goes a long way.

Being in the light (mental clarity, positivity, connectivity, joy) feels like home to me. So, it’s really uncomfortable when I’m not. We all have ups and downs. There’s nothing wrong with being down and relaxing into it. The discomfort arises in wanting something else, something to be different. Let’s honor wherever we are. There’s no shame. Sometimes just the allowing and acceptance of a state is all we need. It’s ok to be in a slump. It’s ok to be anxious. It’s ok to have a melt-down. And, when you’re ready, when you want something different, these are the things I do to shift my mind, body, and spirit back to home.

I hope this helps. Please share in the post ways you unfunk yourself.

Nisha

p.s. You are not your mood. You are always and eternally peace, love, and boundless joy. Our physical existence can cloud and murk our realization of this truth. So unfunking methods only serve to facilitate this remembering.

The post How to “Unfunk” Yourself appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

Have you been in a conflict with your partner, where you felt misunderstood?  Unappreciated?  Insulted even?

I’d be surprised and impressed if you hadn’t.

The Feminine’s instinct here is to close.  “Fine, you don’t see me.  You don’t value me.  See what life is like without me!”

We give the silent treatment.  “Nothing’s wrong.  I’m fine!”

Clearly something is wrong.  You want them to definitely know something is wrong and struggle/squirm a little in the discomfort of knowing your pain. Realize their mistake.  Apologize sincerely and reaffirm their true love for you. 

It’s a challenge to not withdraw when we are triggered.  One, I’m curious to overcome.

David Deida diagrams the highest feminine evolute as – Being Love.  Moving from needing to receive love from others, to giving herself the love she seeks, to actually embodying Love itself.

What a concept!  To be the Love we seek.  Love does not close.  It is forever open, whole, and desires to flow.

So in that setting, where I feel triggered by my partner, “You wouldn’t say that or do that if you loved me,” and my instinct is to retreat, my current approach is to stay open, steady, and ready to flow.

Most disagreements are founded in unmet needs.  Superimposing your own unmet needs, in reaction, does not attempt to address the root.

I had a soul dialogue where I asked,

“Have we learned boundaries?  Are we ready to go beyond the lesson of establishing boundaries, maintaining all the learning, and in the heated moment, stay open in listening and love?”

“Yes, I think so.”

Let love soothe and cool the wound – yours and your partner’s.  Then patiently, maybe hours later, address your unmet desires and needs. Often at this point, in light of your compassion, presence, and responsiveness, your partner will admit some responsibility for their thoughts, words, and actions.

I’m not suggesting you be a doormat.  I’m just saying, there comes a point where the answer is simply, “More Love!”

as we ask ourselves, “What would Love do?”

love,

Nisha

This content does not constitute medical advice and is intended for educational purposes only.

The post The Feminine Opens In Love appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

“A healed mind does not plan. It carries out the plans that it receives through listening to wisdom that is not its own. It waits until it has been taught what should be done, and then proceeds to do it. It does not depend upon itself for anything except its adequacy to fulfill the plans assigned to it. It is secure in certainty that obstacles can not impede its progress to accomplishment of any goal that serves the greater plan established for the good of everyone.”

– A Course In Miracles

At first glance, this quote sounds like a dangerous surrender of personal will to a leader and communist/cult thought that was employed to brainwash masses.

Yes, but it’s not that.  It’s an invitation to commune with yourself, with your highest self, and realign with what serves your highest good.  What serves your highest (immaterial) good also always serves the good of everyone, because at the highest numerator we have the same denominator.

This quote was so timely for me last week. I found myself contracting around really wanting something that I thought was the perfect fit for me – the perfect next step in my future. It was all I could think about, circling back to it throughout the day, despite my best intentions to be surrendered. I felt like I was choking, not walking the walk.

Why was I so susceptible to being rocked and swayed?

My root chakra was stagnant and frozen in fear. Fear of how will I survive?  Will I be safe? Will I be able to meet my basic needs? This constriction next blocked the energy in my sacral chakra, (in all my chakras!) and I wasn’t able to flow. Fear by its nature of sympathetic arousal mobilizes muscles but is paralytic to consciousness.

I read this quote, and it resonated and bumped me out of my contraction as I remembered the words. It was only after I considered the worst outcome and realized that it was actually better and further away than the associated suffering in anticipation of not getting what I wanted, that I was able to fully be at peace, regardless of the outcome.

I can use my best discernment and do all I can to what I intend. Although I may think I know best, there may indeed be something better —  better for me, more aligned with my higher self’s goals, and potentially the greater good. The key for me is discernment of obligation versus inspiration. Am I acting from fear and obligation? Or from inspiration and creation?

Afterall, I didn’t get that thing I really wanted, that I thought I really needed. I still think it would have been great. I am also open to something better. More time to play, expand, and morph into whatever it is that is most aligned with my highest purpose.

Maybe the point of it all was a reminder of the obligation versus inspiration axis and then maybe to remind you here.

A healed mind gives its best effort and surrenders — to the inner wisdom that knows it is safe, whole, calm, and certain. A healed mind acts from inspiration. If you are acting out of fear, fracture, pain, or cloudiness you are mostly likely not listening to a healed mind. You are probably listening to the nagging voice in your head, that circles and encircles till it chokes flow. The voice of a healed mind is clear, calm, and certain. It is whole with or without that thing you want/need. It is open and patient to be directed by the wisdom within you that frolics in freedom and divine flow.

Here’s to not getting what I wanted but being open to the lesson and something better!

Love,

Nisha

The post A Healed Mind Does Not Plan appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

I just published my first book!

It’s a book of poems! and is dedicated to all women open to miracles.  Titled “Drops of Gold, Poems for The Modern Day Enlightened Woman,” I use the word enlightenment to mean the process of bringing in more light.

Over the past few months, I had a miraculous flow of creativity and inspiration spill out onto the page.
The book is a compilation of 69 poems, many of which flowed such that the first line was a repetitive nag in my head, till I wrote it down.  Then, within about a minute, the whole poem was written.  I noticed I would try to step out of the way and just write the first thing that came into my head.  I had little regard for whether it would make sense.  Somehow, the poem would come together beautifully, better than I could have conceived if I had thought hard about it.

I’m so excited to compile these drops into a book and share it with whoever wishes to hold a copy.
It’s available on Amazon, and of course, in person if you would like a signed copy when I see you.

With so much love,

Nisha

The post “Drops of Gold — Poems for The Modern Day Enlightened Woman” appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

I first learned of it in a crash-Course in Miracles last year. I felt it. I wanted to avidly write about it back then, but I didn’t know if I could sustainably put it into practice. After a windy road of loving it and then mostly forgetting it, I’m back. It’s the only thing that matters. All truths point here.

Taking a step back in Esalen, I realized that there is no way, absolutely no way, my body can be completely healthy if I harbor even an ounce of resentment or criticism of another being. Those molecules of anger, comparison, separation etc. become part of my body and create dissonance and disease. You see, each cell’s highest, healthiest vibration is love and gratitude, so anything out of sync with this feeling equals disharmony.

I want to be healthy, so healthy. So the most important question to me is will I let those feelings linger in my body and create disease? What do I value more? Being right and an innocent victim of the world or being healthy?

I know my ego needs those beliefs to feel safe. I can recognize that. I can talk to it and say “yes, I see you are having those thoughts, because you need to feel like you matter and have purpose, and that the world as you know it makes sense to you and is, therefore, a safe place.” The ego is not a bad thing. It’s actually protective for your physical safety. The problem is when it is left unchecked.

Lately, inspired Margot Anand’s writing, I’ve been visualizing my ego as a little, cute kitten that I put into a box. When it asks for attention, I stroke its face, acknowledge its intentions, and understand its needs. I’m not this kitty. I get to decide what I see and feel. I can choose my perception. I can choose my response.

I can choose to see love and innocence. I can choose laughter.

Part 1 in the formula to health then, is letting go of my grievances against humanity and choosing connection over separation. Connection is always the more difficult and profoundly more rewarding option. I can choose to see what I don’t like in my world as a catalyst for my own growth. Then, lingering dis-ease literally doesn’t stand a chance.

Part 2 is surrender. Openness. Allowing. Flow. Presence. Expansion.

That feeling when you want something so bad, that you have to have it yesterday (I’m all too familiar with it) — that’s constriction. Worry about anything eg. your kids, your finances — that’s also constriction. I love the quote “Release your grasp on life. Let what wants to stay, stay. What wants to flow out, leave.”

Step out the way. Be open to the magic. Release your grasp, so that you can allow the pearl to float into your palm.

This world, let it surprise you. Remember, the surprise is so much better than the plan.

Connection plus Surrender equals Health.

No disease can exist in their radiance. But they are also the keys to a magical, miraculous life – one of confidence in Wonder.

When given the option these days, I choose peace. I choose love. I choose trust. I choose magic. I choose my health.

Namaste.

Breath

I love myself so much.

So much, that I show up with bells and bright colors. 

So much, that I raise my hand to question

and my voice to sing.

So much, that I fill the space around me, with my ecstasy.

So much,

that if you don’t swell with me, 

you may feel small.

But that’s not my intention.

I intend to love, live, and breathe. 

With one breath, you can do the same. 

There’s room for you here.

Come now. Breathe with me

And together we’ll expand the world.  

Love,

Nisha

This content is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

The post A Healer’s Heart appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

I was on the airplane, listening to an audiobook on the importance of creativity but distracted and perturbed by the gurgling distention in my intestines.

“I preach the path to intestinal health, why am I suffering with this now?” Traditional things hadn’t worked. Most recently, I had tried homeopathy, and it felt like it was almost working but my symptoms would return for no apparent reason. It was perplexing. It was distressing. “I’m going on vacation. Can this just be ok?”

So I pause my audiobook. I stop for a second and ask my body to relax. “Hey, I know, I know. I hear you. It’s been a mess. Maybe it was that day at the lake that did it. But I’ve got this. I’m taking care of you. We are on track. The homeopathy is exactly the right treatment. I’m going to make sure you get a daily dose. Trust me. I got this. I’m going to take care of you. You don’t need to yell anymore.”

And just like that, with one conversation, it calmed down. All of my symptoms subsided in an instant. A couple days later there was a slight hint of a return. I reminded my body to trust me and in the plan. “Hey, it’s ok. I remember. Trust me. You don’t need to tell me again. I’m staying on track. I’m taking care of you.”

It whispered just two more times, again I reassured it, and my symptoms never returned. I knew I was healed. I knew that I physically and spiritually took responsibility for my healing.

You may be familiar with the saying, “All dis-ease is information, not affliction.” When you hurt, you (the “I” in you) does not have a stomach-ache or a back-ache, but your body is simply trying to tell you something. There are two separate entities (you and your body) that can enter into a dialogue. If you listen to it, talk to it, reassure it, make a plan to take care of it, and share the plan with your body, that may just be enough so that the symptoms go away.  Possibly the healing is instantaneous, or it takes a little while.  However, the foundation of friendship is laid.  The communion and communication are present.  Surrender and trust, and then it’s only a matter of time.

Amazing, right! Try it.

–Nisha

Forgive me for calling you fat.

Forgive me for wanting you to be something you’re not.

Forgive me for not accepting you when you changed.

Please know I love you, now and forever.

You are always so gracious, serving me daily.

Wherever I lead, you follow.

Now that I’ve come home, back to you,

I see your glorious curves and softness

Where there was once straighter, colder edges.

I remember your love for and in service to life.

Forgive me, my body, your beauty surprises me,

Because it’s shockingly different, yet familiarly so.

This content is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

The post Body Talk appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

What follows is a practical application of this principle of non-violence. It’s fitting that the key to more effective communication and richer, more fulfilling lives rests on a foundation of compassion and play. What I share is derived and extracted from a recent re-read of Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg.

Head: “I’m so much better than you.” What motivates you to judge something to be so? Even within your chosen circle, there are people just a fraction different than you. Does that then mean that they deserve your judgement? – organized, sloppy, loyal, flakey … You don’t have to judge Anyone because by nature, no two people are exactly alike. Therefore, everyone either deserves your judgement or Nobody does. So what’s the point of categorizing? To keep you feeling separate and isolated from people you think you love and thinking you are better than everyone else? Is your judgement life-enhancing or life-contracting? Remembering and recognizing that categorization only serves to bind and separate us, hopefully helps create a bit more freedom in your head.

Heart: “I don’t want your pity.” What motivates you to do something for others? What would you like someone’s motivation to be in doing something for you? I’m sure it’s not fear, obligation, guilt, or shame. They are the opposite of love, and these intentions definitely diminish the action. What if the sole motivation behind our actions was to enhance eachothers’ lives? Nothing you said or did would be uncompassionate to you or to others. Life would be play.

Likewise, when we punish/reward certain behaviors we influence the motivation. It’s no longer purely to enhance life, but taints it with conditional emotions. Also, when we use the word “should,” we infuse an action with a sense of obligation and take the fun out of it. We are autonomous beings and will actively avoid being told or expected to do something – even if the voice is in our own head.

So this is the foundation of non-violence: an unbridled mind without categories and an open, willing heart.   Now the easy but critical part – the language formula. It’s actually a little awkward to implement at first and takes practice as we get used to communicating so clearly. However, it will save you in a difficult conversation with friends, a spouse, and children, and it will diminish negative self-talk so that you will indeed fall in love with yourself and your life.

The 4 Step Language Formula:

1) State your feelings. Not “I feel you are irresponsible,” which is more of thought, than a feeling. But actual feelings, such as “I feel disappointed, fearful, ashamed etc.” Take responsibility for your feelings as “I feel,” not “you make me feel.” Nobody makes you feel anything.

2) State your unmet need. Be vulnerable and speak from the heart. “I feel frustrated, because I have a need to be punctual.” Not “I feel ____ because you are always late.” Use “because I” followed by your need, versus “because you.”

3) Request “offer” an action. Clearly request what you would like to occur in meeting your needs to enrich your experience of life, and surrender the action without attachment to whether it happens or not. “I feel disappointed, because I have a need to be punctual. It would really enhance my experience of the evening if we were on time. It would mean a lot to me if you would consider being ready 15min early for our next outing.”

No one is obligated to do something for you, besides we want people, even children, to want to do something for us rather than feel they have to “or else!” So, if it doesn’t happen next weekend, don’t be upset. At least you were crystal clear and compassionately vocal, and thereby probably saved yourselves a fight moving from a simmer to an explosion. We want to give others multiple opportunities to meet our needs because they truly want to make life more wonderful for us. Honor their freedom, and they will find a way to honor you in a way you voiced to meaningful to you.

4) Ask for confirmation of understanding. Ask them to reiterate back to you what they just heard you say to ensure your feelings, needs, and request were heard clearly.   Keep trying patiently till you hear back what you communicated. This is an important part, because there is often room for interpretation in someone’s mind when information is being filtered by past experience of a similar situation. They may state back to you “You’re telling me you’re fed up, because I’m always late and that I’m such a failure taking away from your evening’s experience. Well, you need to chill out!” As you can see, this is indeed not what you said and there is alot of opportunity to reach a more compassionate understanding.

The same process can be used to translate back what you hear other people feeling, needing, and requesting. It will greatly enhance your sense of communion in conversation. In such a manner, people finally feel understanding and empathy. Such empathy can mean the difference between violence and peace or connection and isolation, on a household and global-political scale.

There you have it. I wrote this piece for me as well as you. I want to remember nonviolence in its tiniest manifestation, practice it with my thoughts and language, and move forward with a sense of freedom and play. Don’t we all? Let’s work to enrich eachothers’ lives and our own. Do nothing that doesn’t feel like play.

Love,

Nisha

This content is intended for educational purposes only.

The post Nonviolent Communication appeared first on Nisha Khanna, MD.

Energy, Sleep, Mental Health, Healthy Weight, Libido, Fertility.

Also, most environmental toxins are linked to higher rates of cancer and earlier onset of dementia. Listed below are some broad categories of toxins we may encounter on a regular basis.

Hormone disruptors – found in the linings of most canned foods and canned drinks, plastic water bottles, paraben preservatives, and the ingredient called “fragrance.” These chemicals strongly stimulate estrogen receptors (highly undesirable in men, but also problematic in women), and thereby can cause weight gain, affect fertility and libido, and can increase the risk of some cancers. Also, estrogen receptor stimulation may cause men to develop breast tissue and women to grow fibroids and have more PMS, painful breasts, and painful menses.

1. One of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce exposure to these chemicals is to stop drinking water bottled in plastic. This is especially important when the bottles have been exposed to heat or sunlight. Non-plastic water bottles are healthier for you, and the environment!
2. Use unscented body care products, or products scented only with essential oils
3. Buy tomato sauces in glass jars, not in cans. Tomatoes are acidic and highly concentrate the BPA found in the linings of cans. In general, transition away from canned foods. Eat fresh foods or foods in glass jars instead.
4. Avoid personal care products that use paraben compounds as preservatives.
5. Eat organic food, and especially avoid non-organic foods found on the Dirty Dozen list by the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org). Non-GMO certification is nice, but remember that non-GMO does not mean that it wasn’t sprayed with hormone-disrupting (leaky gut-causing) pesticides or herbicides such as Roundup. For this purpose, organic certification is more important than non-GMO.
6. Avoid animal products where pesticide concentrations bioaccumulate. Eat vegan or consume only organically-raised animal products.

Halogens – Why does exposure to chlorine, fluoride, and bromine matter to you? These are a class of chemicals that can interfere with iodine use in the body. Iodine is an essential nutrient for good thyroid function. Good thyroid function is essential to everything, as it is your metabolic powerhouse. It regulates optimal weight, body temperature, sleep, bowel function, mood, cognition, and hair, skin, and nails, to name a few.

Unfortunately, thyroid dysfunction is becoming epidemic in this country.

Other tissues that depend on iodine are those of the breast and ovaries. The thyroid, breasts, and ovaries often form cysts as a response to iodine deficiency which can be reversed with iodine supplementation and avoidance of halogens.  Listed below are prevalent halogens.

1. Bromine
   1. Flame retardants
   2. Brominated wheat flours
   3. Brominated vegetable oils found in some sodas
   4. Brominated swimming pools
2. Fluoride
   1. Toothpaste
   2. Fluoride mouth rinses.  Instead, favor oil-pulling which supports bone and gum health without disrupting your metabolism.
   3. Drinking water! – favor drinking reverse osmosis water. Avoid drinking directly out of the faucet.
3. Chlorine
   1. Chlorinated swimming pools – swim in natural bodies of water when possible.
   2. Drinking water
   3. Bath water – adding a ½ tsp of vitamin C to bathwater may help deactivate the chlorine.

Heavy Metals – they interfere with normal energy production in the body (mitochondrial impairment) and impede the body’s ability to detox, potentially leading to fatigue, brain fog, and chronic pain.  Examples are listed below.

1. Mercury – major exposure comes from silver-colored dental fillings (amalgams), fish, and some vaccines. Ask your dentist for composite fillings, if fillings are necessary. If you choose to remove your mecury amalgams consult with a biologic dentist who can do so safely. Avoid larger, predatory fish as they tend to be higher in mercury.
2. Arsenic – a current major source is rice grown in Southern US soil, as it was previously treated with arsenic-containing pesticides. Favor wholegrain rice grown in California or Asia and avoid foods made with processed rice such as rice crackers, as the source of the rice is unknown.
3. Cadmium – sources include tobacco and chocolate, therefore if consuming these, consume in moderation.
4. Nickel – a primary source is stainless steel pots and kettles used for boiling water and preparing food. Favor porcelain-enameled cast iron or cast iron, if possible.

Environmental toxins are pervasive.  We need to first educate ourselves as to their presence and effects and next actively work to avoid them.  In doing so, we advocate for our personal health and also that of the planet.  Once again, on a physical and energetic level the internal world mirrors the external.  As we work on more global environmental solutions, it is important to try to protect ourselves as best as we can.

The knowledge we have shared is widely available but not globally accepted or practiced.  We offer it here to share some basics with you, as it will take going against what is commonly practiced and accepted to reclaim your health and lead the most vibrant version of your life.  In essence, a simple life of unprocessed food and natural, non-disposable goods will accomplish a lot of the recommendations listed above.  Technology has taken us too far to one extreme, and today we invite you to take it back to the basics.  For your health.

Drs. Nisha Khanna and Dane Mosher

The above content is intended for educational purposes only.

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