I think it is safe to say most of us have heard of the SMART goal setting strategy. This is a super reliable and successful way of setting goals, I will write a blog post all about it in the future. Today, I will not be referring to that strategy of goal setting. Today I will be giving you things to consider when you do want to set a new goal.
Set Intentions – but don’t do this out of fear or pressure from anyone else. Do the intentions as a form of self love and compassion to yourself, knowing that in the end, it will benefit you whole heartedly. Another important step of this stage is to always celebrate the small wins and your success, because this is what will ultimately drive your motivation rather than willpower alone.
Be Realistic – it is all too common that we will make big goals and not be able to keep up to them because they were too big of a step. Start small and make attainable goals, this includes not being so hard on yourself! If something in your life calls for 15 min of your time but you have 5 min, then do it for 5 min. Keep it simple, because doing it for the time you have is better than not doing it at all.
Change your Mindset and Make it Positive. Depending on what your goal is, try to not see it as you’re taking one thing away and instead you are adding another. Instead of saying I have to ‘stop doing X’ or ‘don’t do Y,’ switch it to I GET to ‘start doing X’ and ‘do more of Y.’ The way we speak to ourselves makes a huge difference.
What is Most Important to You? Think about what is most important to you in relation to your goal and keep your focus on that. Each and everyone of us are unique and have different goals and aspirations. Don’t let yourself become compared to someone else’s life on Instagram. You keep doing you, because if someone hasn’t said it to you already today, you’re doing great.
Still Not Convinced? Ask yourself these two questions: How will I feel if I continue versus if I stop? What will my life look like in one year if I continue versus if I stop?
I think it is safe to say that we have all looked back on a year that has just gone by and thought to ourselves, “where did the time go?” Time goes by fast, and if you really want a change and it’s important to you, start now.
Goal setting does not need to be complicated. Start small, and go from there. Remember to not be hard on yourself, if you go a day or two without working towards your goal, dust yourself off and get back to it. Our bodies have a funny way of telling us that we need a break or get back to it.
Five minutes a day is all you need to start. Ready? Go.
We have all been there, too busy, tired or have more important things to do than to exercise.
I’m going to be giving you some tough love, because I’ve had to recently do this for myself.
There is ALWAYS time to exercise in life. One of three things is usually the culprit of why exercise does not happen in our lives.
Priorities. Everything we do in life is about priorities, and priorities dictate the way our life moves. If you do not prioritize exercise and training, you will not do it because there are so many other things and distractions that will get in our way instead. So, work today on how you are going to prioritize exercise and movement.
Time Management. Telling yourself that you do not have time to exercise is 99% of the time not true. You do have time, but your time management is poor. Have you ever looked at your screen time and how much of your day you are on your phone? I bet you may be spending most of your day on your phone looking at instagram, TikTock or some other mindless distraction when you could be spending that time moving and exercising. Instead, put your phone down and stretch, strengthen, work on your mobility or flexibility for 20-30 min. Want to watch your favourite show? Okay no problem, but while you are watching it, roll out a mat and exercise WHILE you watch it. Another idea, if you can, get to bed earlier and wake up earlier before your busy day gets started and exercise. Time management is everything, it gives us the freedom to do the things we love.
Excuses. We have all used excuses in the past and some even in the present, you may be using one right this second. As mentioned above, excuses can be valid and true at times, but they really are not serving you. You have this thing that is very valid, but it serves no purpose in your life. So what you need to do is get rid of your excuses, get them out of your life. Because once you start doing this you will all of a sudden find more time to do more things. Excuses are just justifications to make ourselves feel better.
Think of this equation the next time you want to skip out on exercise:
make exercise a priority + work on your time management skills = less excuses
If you work on making exercise a priority (in any shape or form of activity), and you work on improving your time management skills and MAKE the time for it in the week, then you will not have any excuses left to get it done. Start with 2 times a week for 5-10 min, believe me when I say, your body will thank you. And you may find out that you really like exercise. In fact, it may turn into love one day.
Now, this is not to say that if you have been working hard and training all week that taking a day off to rest is bad. IT IS NECESSARY. In fact, you should have at least 2 rest days a week if you are training or being active 3-5 days out of the week. I’m saying this for the people like myself that has not been consistently active. 5-10 min is all you need to stretch, strengthen or mobilize. Set a timer and get the thing done.
As a continuation from last week’s post of what can make tea not gluten free, here are some companies I have contacted to find out if they are 100% gluten free or not. As a disclaimer, I was not sponsored by any of the companies in this blog post.
First, let’s start with the companies that cannot make any claims that their tea is safe for someone with celiac disease. As a disclaimer, do your own research into all of the companies listed if you need to in order to feel more comfortable. The information below is the replies I received from the individual companies. I asked if they can 100% guarantee that their tea is gluten free within the ingredients AND the facility they are made in. Every person with celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity has different comfort levels when it comes to ordering out or buying processed products.
The tea companies that potentially have gluten – Sip at your own risk
Starbucks–Teavana
This company uses Teavana tea, which used to be a solo store franchise but back in 2017 Starbucks closed all locations. Since then you can still purchase certain select Teavana tea’s at Starbucks store locations and when you order a tea from the barista it is from Teavana. Starbucks cannot 100% guarantee the tea or tea lattes made in house are 100% gluten free. They also did not mention if their tea bags are sealed with wheat paste. This is the reply I received from Starbucks:
“Please note that Starbucks locations cannot guarantee a gluten-free environment due to the possibility of cross-contamination. Products made with no gluten-containing ingredients does not mean the item is gluten-free. It means the item was not made with any ingredients derived from wheat, rye, barley, or oats, but may contain gluten due to the risk of cross contact.”
As mentioned in my last post, gluten can be hidden ingredients like ‘flavourings,’ which most of the teas from Teavana have included. If it contains or may contain any gluten or wheat ingredients this has to be stated on the packaging by law. So be sure to read the labels before you consume your tasty drink and be aware that possible cross contamination can occur in house as the baristas do not typically do a deep clean of the machinery before making any of your drinks. You can also ask to read the ingredients before you order as well. I personally did this with their hot chocolate mix and the bag stated that it may contain gluten, so I personally passed on the mocha. However, if you are in dire need of a warm drink, getting a tea bag and hot water may be a safe option.
I was a bit disappointed with Tim Hortons customer service as the only answer I received was a link to the ‘Nutrition and Wellness’ section of their website which is not very detailed. Therefore, I am going to presume they will be similar to Starbucks where they cannot 100% guarantee their tea and drinks will be gluten free due to cross contamination in the facility it is being made. The boxes of the tea does not state anything about gluten or ‘may contain.’ However, some of the teas do have flavourings added and as mentioned above if it contains wheat or gluten it must be stated in the ingredients. As for if the tea bags are sealed with wheat paste, I did not get an answer so I cannot say ‘yay or nay’ for sure. As always, do your own due diligence and contact the companies yourself to be sure you are comfortable with consuming their tea products at the restaurants or in the individual boxes you can purchase at select stores and in Tim Hortons locations.
This was one of my favourite cafe’s to go into for a tea latte. Unfortunately, this will be no longer as they cannot guarantee no gluten cross contamination. Here was their response:
“Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Lauren, we just wanted to do our due diligence on this as we can understand it is a sensitive case. Our teas are gluten free however, we’re unable to guarantee that there will be no gluten traces as the production facility they are put together in may contain other gluten products. Our stores also do serve gluten products so there may be some cross contamination that can occur. I’m sorry that it seems we cannot accommodate your particular needs but we will make note of this as feedback for us to take into consideration as we move forward with new products and store openings.”
So as unfortunate as it is, at least they will be taking it into consideration for future reference.
I have always loved the tea but also the great customer service from David’s Tea. The representative responded to my email as so:
“Although most of our teas do not contain gluten, they are not produced in dedicated gluten-free facilities. There is always a risk of cross-contamination with all our teas.
At this time we suggest that all people with severe allergies avoid consuming our products. Even though there may not be allergens in a particular tea blend, there is always a chance that somewhere along the line they may have come in contact with potential allergens as our producers do not have allergen-free facilities.“
They did mention that the chances of their ‘straight teas’ coming into contact with gluten is very low, however, they do not regularly test their products for allergens. If you feel comfortable with those odds, have at ‘er!
Similar to other companies, Lipton cannot guarantee their products are gluten free at this time.
Many Unilever products are produced using ingredients which naturally do not contain gluten. However, at this time we have not validated that our suppliers can guarantee the elimination of any potential cross-contamination risks from other materials within their production facility which may contain gluten or from shared equipment. Unilever products labeled as gluten-free contain gluten-free ingredients and no cross-contact of ingredients during processing. We apologize we cannot be of more assistance.
Therefore, if you are to buy a Lipton tea product, look for a ‘gluten free’ label. If this label is not on the product, make your own judgement if you are comfortable with trying the tea or not.
This company unfortunately does not test for any traces of gluten and therefore cannot guarantee their products to be gluten free. As stated by the companies reply:
Unfortunately we do not test for gluten. Because Tazo products and ingredients are not tested for gluten content, we are unable to say that they are gluten-free.
The response of this one did make me a bit sad as this is a tea company from my hometown, regardless of allergens, it is bloody good tea.
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately I cannot guarantee that our teas are 100% Gluten Free. Although many of the teas do not contain any known traces of gluten, they are not manufactured in a 100% certified gluten free facility.
He did say that there are no ‘known’ traces of gluten, however this does not mean the tea is 100% gluten free as they do not actively test for any traces of allergens including gluten at this time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed they may change their minds and start testing their products in the near future.
The tea companies listed below are not tested or can say that their tea is 100% gluten free, however they do have strict measures in place to decrease the likelihood of any gluten in their tea products.
Traditional Medicinals
This company does not actively test for gluten, but they do have allergen policies that they follow as stated below:
Thanks for reaching out to us. While we don’t make any gluten-free label claims and don’t actively test our products for gluten, we take precautions to prevent gluten cross-contamination. All of our ingredients – including the tea bags and packaging – are naturally gluten-free and we do not process/use gluten ingredients in our supplement manufacturing facility. In order to prevent cross-contamination before the herbs enter our facility, we actively maintain allergen policies with all of our suppliers.
As they do take precautions to prevent gluten cross contamination, you may be comfortable consuming their products. If you are not, look for teas that have gluten free written on the label or the certified gluten free symbol on the product’s box.
This one is a bit of a tricky one. They can confirm that their suppliers ingredients are gluten free, but they cannot guarantee because they do not test the products themselves for any traces of gluten.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We do not test our teas for the presence of gluten, nor do we certify them as gluten free. We have collected statements from our ingredient suppliers stating that all ingredients we purchase are gluten free. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge all of our teas are gluten free. However, we cannot guarantee that our teas are gluten free due to not testing them ourselves, at this time. Our tea bag products do not directly come into contact with gluten-producing production equipment, but are manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat-containing products. We do have an allergen control program in place to minimize any risk of cross contamination. Our loose leaf tea production facility is allergen-free from the eight major US allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat or soybeans.
I personally, as a celiac, have never had and issue with consuming Stash tea. However, they cannot fully guarantee their products are gluten free as they do not test the products themselves. Therefore, I had to put this company in the ‘may not be’ gluten free section of this blog but if you are comfortable with the response above, their tea is delicious. I do make sure I only buy their tea that does not have any questionable ingredients such as added flavouring.
This one was a bit tricky, but here we are representing another Canadian company on the gluten free list. Their suppliers cannot 100% guarantee their tea’s are gluten free due to how it is handled in the facility. However! The company themselves do have specific measures in place, and has mentioned that their flavourings are even gluten free. Read the following reply for the full response:
Thanks for your message. Unfortunately, none of our suppliers offer a 100% gluten-free guarantee. They don’t want to take the risk that somebody down the line has a sandwich before handling your tea and causes cross-contamination. That being said, they have very stringent measures in place. Even the flavours that are being used, don’t contain gluten. If you really want to be on the safe side, only purchase teas and herbs that are pure, without any flavours.
As mentioned in the paragraph above, if you are concerned about any gluten contamination, you can opt for their plain teas without any flavourings. But if you are really concerned and do not want to take the risk, go for the companies on this gluten free list that can 100% guarantee that their teas are all gluten free.
They replied with a very detailed email explaining their protocols with the processing and labeling of their teas. I have shortened it a bit as follows:
We do not have lists of products that are specifically considered to be gluten free. Reading the label is the best way to check for the presence of ingredients which contain gluten. If gluten is a major ingredient, it will be specified in the ingredient list. For consumers concerned about the presence of trace amounts of gluten, we suggest avoiding products that include oats, natural flavors or spices.
Hain Celestial Group products that make a gluten-free claim are declared as such by utilizing the a triangular Gluten-Free symbol, by carrying the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) Seal, or stating “gluten free” on packaging.
In addition to meeting the FDA’s standard for ‘Gluten Free’ of less than 20 parts per million of gluten, all of our gluten free products are formulated without the presence of any gluten containing ingredients. All manufacturing facilities for Hain Celestial’s products employ good manufacturing processes and procedures to prevent allergen cross-contact. Each facility has established rigid allergen control programs that include staff training, segregation of allergen containing ingredients, production scheduling, and thorough cleaning and sanitation. These allergen and sanitation programs are verified by our Quality Assurance department.
Therefore, read the labels of their teas and look for ones that are labeled ‘gluten free’ or have the gluten free symbol on them.
The tea companies listed below are 100% positively, no questions asked gluten free.
Yorkshire Tea
Their response was very short and sweet and right to the point:
We can confirm that all our Yorkshire Teas are Gluten free.
I asked if all loose leaf and bagged tea was gluten free, so I am assuming this means the tea bags, tea leaves, flavourings and the facility is all free of gluten. If you need more confirmation, please contact the company.
This company can 100% guarantee their tea’s are for sure gluten free.
None of our teas contain gluten.
We obtain allergen declarations for all ingredients and any factory we use them in and for any co-manufactured product. Suppliers must disclose whether the products contain any allergens and whether there is any risk of cross-contamination from other ingredients or products that our teas may come into contact with.
If the supplier answers yes to this second question and cannot guarantee that cross-contamination can be avoided, then we would include a “may contain” warning on pack.
Based on these declarations, if the product does not have a “contains” or “may contain” statement on pack, then it does not contain an allergen. Such pack warnings would also be bolded so they’re easy to see.
As always, be sure to read the labels of the products you are buying to look out for any gluten containing ingredients or ‘contain’ or ‘may contain’ statements on the package.
This company does not permit any of the top allergens into their facilities. Therefore, you will know while you are sipping on your great cuppa, that your belly will be free of not just gluten but other allergens as well. As the company stated in their reply:
Twinings does not permit the presence of any of the allergens that require declaring under allergen labeling regulations. • Gluten • Egg • Milk (except for Chai Latte & French Vanilla Chai Latte K-Cups®) • Crustacean • Fish • Mollusc • Nuts • Sesame seeds • Soy • Mustard • Celery • Sulphur dioxide • Lupin • Wheat • Coconut (Except for our Comfort blend) Therefore all our teas and infusions are free from those components and their derivatives.
Representing another amazing Canadian tea company that I personally am obsessed with. They originate out of my home city of Toronto, and even though I may be biased, I can genuinely (pun intended!) can confirm that this may be some of the best tea you get your hands on. This is not a sponsored blog post at all, however I wanted to give this company a shout out on my gluten free list of teas as they are 100% gluten free! The best part about purchasing from this company as well is 1% of all proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), how amazing is that! I originally contacted this company through Instagram to find out about the possibility of cross contamination of gluten in their teas. Their response is as follows:
All of our teas are 100% gluten free, no trace of gluten or cross contamination. The taste notes listed on the packages are simply notes regarding the flavour and those ingredients are not actually in the tea.
There are ‘tasting notes’ listed on the front of their packaging, and one of the ingredients can be malt. As we learned in my last post, malt can sometimes be a sneaky ingredient for hidden gluten. But rest assured, in this case it is just what the tea ‘tastes’ like and does not actually contain those ingredients. I would highly recommend giving this tea company a try!
This is another fantastic gluten free tea company. The certified gluten free symbol is on their boxes so you can be assured that their teas are all 100% gluten free and celiac safe! Not to mention that their teas are absolutely delicious as well. Be sure to read the labels and look for the certified gluten free symbol on the boxes when you purchase to be sure that at the time you buy them the company has continued to certify their products.
Yet another great tea company choice (again, pun intended). Their teas are flavourful and are gluten free! Therefore, you can be assured that their teas are all 100% gluten free. Be sure to read the labels and look for the certified gluten free symbol on the boxes when you purchase as the company seems to have moved their processing facility, read the response below:
All our teas and packaging materials are still gluten free. Our East West Tea facility, where Choice Organics teas are now being produced, is a brand new LEED certified building and is gluten free. However, given that East West Tea Company has not gone through the process to obtain official gluten free certification, our products are not labeled as such.
Even though their new packaging does not have the certified symbol on it anymore, they have ensured that their teas and packaging materials are all still gluten free, as mentioned above.
I drink this tea every single day, and it is absolutely lovely. The company has ensured that all ingredients and the facility that the tea’s are made in are all 100% gluten free.
Thank you for contacting us! Numi Tea’s, across the board, are safe from all of the most common known allergens:
milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soybeans, gluten
Our teas do not contain these ingredients and are processed in facilities that are free from these ingredients.
Their company also gives back to the community, “Your purchase helps fight global warming, reduce plastic waste, and provide fair wages and opportunities for tea farmers around the world.” It is nice to know a portion of the proceeds of your purchase will be going to some good in the world.
This is a fantastic tea company, I would highly recommend!
If you want an incredibly smooth and delicious matcha, this is the one! I spoke with the company over Instagram about their gluten free policies:
Yes our teas are gluten free. Only green tea is processed in our facilities.
I was never a fan of matcha before, but this company has made me fall in love with it. It is an absolute bonus that their teas are 100% gluten free. The quality of their matcha is one of the best in my opinion. As mentioned on their website, “DōMatcha® is 100% authentic Japanese stone-ground green tea, directly from Kagoshima and Uji, Kyoto where Japanese matcha originated, and most premium matcha is produced today. Our supplier is based in Uji, Kyoto and has been in the tea business for 300 years. DōMatcha® is partnered with the famous 16th-generation Japanese tea master Kazunori Handa-san, whose family’s knowledge and expertise has been handed down generation after generation for over 400 years. We are very grateful and continuously excited to work with such illustrious Japanese experts to bring superior matcha to North American and international markets.”
I would highly recommend this matcha for your gluten free enjoyment!
I am still waiting a response from the company at this time and will update the blog post once I do get a response. However, on the companies website they have a ‘frequently asked’ section which talks about gluten in their products:
“All Pukka teas are free from gluten containing ingredients. However, we want to point out that Night Time and Relax contain oat straw flowering tops. Although the analytical tests undertaken on these teas show that gluten is absent, consumers who are extremely sensitive may want to check the suitability of oat straw further for related gluten allergies like avenin.”
I do really like that they brought in the awareness to oat in some of their products as some individuals with celiac disease may react to the protein avenin found in oats. I’ll write a blog post more on this subject at a later time. I personally drink their teas and have never had an issue with them, but I do steer clear of the ones with oats in them.
If you are a lover of tea but have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, be sure to do your research into the teas you are consuming on a regular basis to see if there are any potential cross contamination risks of gluten. Whichever your comfort level of cross contamination, be sure to read the labels of the products you are buying to look for any gluten containing ingredients or ‘may contain’ statements. Continue to sip and be happy!
If you have any other tea companies you would like me to look into regarding gluten contamination, please feel free to write them in the comments below 🙂
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This will be my third time trying to find a way to type out what I’d like to say and include in this post. But considering I have not posted anything on this blog since September, I may be a bit rusty. Let’s just say, I have had a lot going on in the last few months that I needed to take a step back to collect my thoughts.
Over the last year since starting this blog, I have been having an ongoing struggle and mind battle of if anyone would want to hear what I have to say or write about, and in turn, this has deflated my confidence. What started all of this was honestly the engagement levels on all of my platforms, or lack there of I should say. Instagram’s forever changing algorithm has not only deflated my confidence but many other’s as well, like a blown up duck in a bathtub with an alligator. I was noticing my engagement going from amazing numbers to absolutely nothing in the matter of weeks, and I had changed nothing about my content or posting schedule. I feel I can go on and on about this, so I may save this for a blog post on it’s own. Long story short, I found myself lost in counting the numbers instead of trying to get information out into the world to help someone. This was the moment I knew I needed to take a step back from social media. So what have I been doing since September and why am I starting to write again you may ask? Well, let’s just say I have had some health conditions along with some “a-ha” moments that have encouraged me to step outside of my comfort levels and give this a go again.
As you may know from following me on instagram, YouTube or this blog, you will know I just passed my 4 year anniversary of being diagnosed with celiac disease. To this day, I am continuing to heal my gut from the damages of the disease in my small intestine. I will have symptoms pop up here and there but they are starting to not be as frequent (unless I get cross contaminated again). Some of the on going symptoms that I seem to be having is a faint sharp pain in my upper right abdomen and acid reflux, but not the burning kind, it is the annoying something is stuck in your throat all the time acid reflux. This seems to be triggered with certain foods I eat and what kind of stress I am under. What foods are those? I have a small idea but I’m not 100% sure. There are some smaller symptoms but those two are the most irritating at the moment. Back in September, I knew the answer to having a clear mind was to heal my gut so I could think straight about everything else. Therefore, this has been a top priority for me not just in the last 4 years but will be ongoing into my future as well.
Next, I have had old injuries come back with a vengeance. For the last 2-3 years, I have gone from working out 5 days a week to very quickly and drastically dropping to zero days a week (excluding a few hikes and hockey games once in a while). I did this truly because I had no energy from my body trying to heal my gut and have my body not be in an autoimmune flare 24/7. The last few months I have been focusing more on my body’s strength, mobility and flexibility equally. After all, I am a Certified Athletic Therapist and should probably start taking my own advice at some point. However, something I have taken a notice to, is I will feel better both gut and body wise but I’ll head to the gym and go through a program that I used to do on a regular basis and I’ll be knocked out sore and tired for 1-2 weeks after. In the last few months I have been constructing a treatment plan for myself to slowly get back to what I was able to accomplish in the past but better than before. This is something that I am excited to use myself as an experiment and share with you the findings and outcomes. I’d like to bring you along the journey to maybe spark some inspiration in yourself or someone you know who may be feeling the same way.
Back in September 2020 I decided to start working with a lovely woman by the name of Stella. She has been helping me organize my thoughts and what I’d like to work towards into the coming future. With her I have discovered that I would like to move my practice over to a more active caseload rather than all hands on treatment. The reason for this, is not only because my body is hurting from being a manual therapist but also because I know deep down that they real way to get people pain free is by teaching them how to move their bodies correctly. Having an equal balance of mobility, flexibility, pliability and strength is very important to maintaining a healthy body. I have been also going back and forth in my head about going back to school or not. I am feeling very grounded with the decision to not go back to school at this time and instead improve my treatment techniques at the clinic and start putting focus into this blog.
Stella and I have put together a purpose statement for myself, “I teach people how to care for their bodies through the science of movement, mindfulness and nutrition. With this blog, I plan to do just that.
Now, with that being said, I am going to be starting to make consistent weekly posts onto this blog. I’ll be writing and sharing my experience as a celiac and what I’ve learned, information on athletic therapy and the human body, health and wellness, exercises and fitness, lifestyle tips, and some of my own gluten free recipes that I have made and would love to share with you all. I may even throw in some random plant facts in there as well, because we all know how much I love my house plants. Basically I will be sharing everything I love to spend my time learning about and my journey back to being better than I was before my diagnosis of celiac disease.
Follow along and share this with anyone who may be interested, and I’ll see you here once a week. Until my next blog post, have the best week!
I believe everyone has had a form of this in someway, whether it be getting the best grades at school, wanting to be the best at everything you do in life, or being the MVP on your team.
I for one am very hard on myself, and always have been. The last few months I have been extremely hard on myself, and almost feel like I have gone nowhere. If this is you to, know that you are not alone. There are thousands of people around the world working towards the perfect life, the perfect children, the perfect career, the perfect relationship, the perfect instagram ready life. If you really stop to think about this, no one is flawless, and being perfect is a completely subjective concept that we all try to live up to, but this is in fact impossible.
There is increasing research into this topic of perfectionism and it is showing that this can not only be really bad for our wellbeing but also have a huge impact on our mental health. This in particular is exactly what I have been experiencing myself the last few months. I have been knocking myself down for not having my TTG blood levels down, for not healing my gut by now, for still having symptoms appearing 3.5 years after my diagnosis of celiac disease. But not just that, I’ve been kicking myself for not having my life figured out by now, or not really knowing what it is that I’m trying to accomplish in life. When really if I take a step back and clearly think about all of this, none of it can be accomplished over night and it all takes time.
There are five strands of perfectionism: self-oriented perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, overt perfectionism, and covert perfectionism.
Self-Oriented Perfectionism: this is the kind of perfectionism that boils up from within, you set really high goals which then leads to harsh self criticism when you have not met those high standards.
Socially Prescribed Perfectionism: it is not just about what comes from within but also from what is directed towards us. There are expectations in the social environment that people in your life may have set standards in the way that they see you. This can be the people who are close to us but also the general environment that we live in, people can be very judgmental when we have not reached the standards that they perceive us to have.
Other-Oriented Perfectionism: This is the strand of perfectionism that is projected onto others. They expect other people to be perfect and are highly critical of those who fail to meet their impossibly high expectations. Saying things like, “I expect you to be perfect, I expect you to live up to and hold excessively high standards, and when you haven’t I will be critical.”
Overt Perfectionism: Overt perfectionists have a very strong preference for order and show increased anxiety when they don’t have order around them. They tend to be opinionated and like to be right and often avoid activities that they cannot do well or don’t understand. I suspect that this type of perfectionism is linked to having a fixed mindset – the belief that your abilities (e.g., intelligence, athleticism, creativity, etc.) are fixed or pre-determined and cannot be developed. Overt perfectionists fear failure and do everything they can to prevent it by being in control.
Covert Perfectionism: Covert perfectionists are “closeted” perfectionists and can sometimes be hard to identify because their actions don’t always match the perfectionistic thoughts in their head. Covert perfectionists tend to have low expectations of those around them and will outwardly say they prefer being average or laid back, yet internally they secretly want to succeed. They may underachieve to avoid any pressure to succeed or competition with those who may be better at an activity.
What is the link between social media and perfectionism?
Scientists data shows that the “Socially Prescribed Perfectionism” can be the most damaging. It is this idea that others and the environment around us expects us to be perfect. This can come into the idea around social media, most people show the good that is happening in their world rather then the days that they are sick or not as productive. When we do this it can give us a sense that people have excessive amounts of expectations weighing on us, and peoples judgement and approval are dependent on us meeting those standards. When we haven’t met those standards we feel like we have let people down, we feel humiliation, embarrassment, and shame. This can be very damaging because even if we do live up to those expectations we feel are placed upon us, we don’t feel satisfaction and we feel the better we do the better we are expected to do. This can cause a sense of self defeat.
Clinical numbers have been increasing in this exact type of perfectionism and may be linked to the rise of social media popularity. A master clinician by the name of Karen Horney, talked very persuasively about how perfectionism boils up from an inner conflict between an actual and idealized self. This culture teaches us that there is an ideal life but at the same time makes us feel miserable for not quite being able to attain it. It’s this conflict that springs perfectionist tendencies, a need and desire to be perfect and project perfection onto other people. There is a lot to be said in this view point for what is occurring today because in the 1950’s, consumerism was just taking off but now we are in a completely new culture and era. Social media has put those neurotic conflicts on a completely different level. This has elevated social comparison and an idea that perfectionism is projected towards us 24/7 through our social media as something that is normal, attainable, and desirable. We aspire to these ideas of perfectionism but sometimes we cannot quite live up to it. As a consequence we feel a lot of conflict and negative emotions, and to cope with them we adopt perfectionist tendencies because it goes back to the cycle of self defeat. In our eyes, if we are perfect or project perfection, people will value us, people will approve of us, we will get likes and followers within social media and therefore feel better about ourselves. However, this is the problem, if we are using social media to help our self esteem, then this is the wrong reason to use social media and this may be why scientists see more perfectionist tendencies.
How do we change this?
Social media being a big part of the world today it is more important now then ever to tone down the perfectionist tendencies that may arise with the increasing use of social media on a daily basis. So how can we stop this perfectionism and enjoy social media as a platform to connect rather then show off our “perfect” lives?
Understanding that we feel the way we do because of how culture is. This will take a lot of weight off our stresses and anxieties. Because this teaches us that the way other people are living their lives does not reflect on anything we have done wrong but actually that there is a broader context to those feelings and that we operate in a society that actively creates them. For example, the beauty industry selling us products “that can improve our lives” and makes us assume that we “need” to improve our lives and that somehow, we are incomplete in the first place. So understanding that we live in a culture that can make us feel miserable can help to take the weight off our mental state.
Focus on the process of learning and growth within ourselves. If we focus on the growth and development of our lives, the outcomes will naturally come, because the learning process suggests that if we continue to develop that the learning process will follow.
Self compassion. It is really crucial for us to go easy on ourselves when we may have slipped up. We will always make a mistake or not perform as well as we did the other day then beat ourselves up for not being perfect. Instead of saying negative thoughts about it, recognize when those intrusive negative thoughts are starting to come in. Then try swapping the negative thoughts with positive and more constructive thoughts of kindness and self compassion. Think about it, how would you speak to a friend or family member in the same experience? You would rationalize with them and tell them it’s not the end of the world, and say things like keep your head down and keep learning. However, we do not apply these same rules to ourselves. Self compassion is one way we can silence that inner critic.
Finding something that you are passionate about. Finding your “purpose” in life can help to sway perfectionism in a way that you can focus in on your one thing. But do not let this be your identity and your only sense of well being. Have your passions, but stay in check with the other important things in your life like your health, family, exercise, friends, other hobbies and interests.
Perfectionism has a way of taking over our lives sometimes, but there are ways to recognize it and change our mindset on it. Accept yourself for who you are and use this to improve your wellbeing. In a chaotic world, life will often defeat us. But that is okay, failure is not weakness. Let’s celebrate the joys and beauty of imperfection, as a normal and natural part of everyday living.
Articles are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. We cannot and do not provide medical advice or specific advice on products related to treatments of a disease or illness.
You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers.
You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on our website.
It is your responsibility to consult with your professional health care providers before starting any diet changes, exercise or supplementation program, and before taking; varying the dosage and / or ceasing to take any medication.
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There are a lot of blogs out there that are or have shared their wellness journey’s and I realize some of them can be construed as not health and wellness or they don’t need to be doing this journey because from the outside they look healthy and happy. Key phrase here is from the outside, we never know what someone is going through on the inside because we cannot see it.
This is actually a very vulnerable post for me, but I think if I am up front and honest about how I have been feeling the last few years then maybe it will help someone else have the strength to do the same. For those of you who do not know, I was diagnosed with celiac disease just over 3 years ago from this post date. The first year after being diagnosed I was relieved, and had a great year of feeling better then I have ever felt – I finally knew what it felt to be “normal.” But then I went out to eat one day and long story short I was given the wrong bread and I became ill for 8 months after. Since this incident I have not been able to get myself back on that high feeling, and instead I seem to have hit a plateau of, “things are the way they are and this I just how it is going to be from now on.” It seemed like no matter what I did my symptoms would get a bit better but then come back, for a lack of better words, in a raging shit storm. I have not been able to get my TTG levels to drop in my blood (antibody test for celiac disease) for over 2 years. This has discouraged me and made me unmotivated because it just seemed like, no matter what I did, my levels were not going to drop any lower and I would always have symptoms appear out of no where. One day I’d be happy go lucky and feeling great and the next it was like I had eaten the wrong bread again.
I guess the best way to describe this is by explaining what I used to be like. I was very active and loved it, I loved going to the gym and playing sports, I never stopped moving. I woke up excited about life and used to get up around 5:30-6:30am on my own without an alarm and never hit the snooze button. I would wake up and think, I’m going for a walk or just excited about what it was I was going to eat that morning.
Now, as I’m sure you can guess, it is the opposite. Over the last 2 and a bit years I have lost motivation and drive, I was always physically and mentally exhausted or not feeling well. It became very hard to get out of bed and I was always hitting the snooze button. I stopped being active and doing the things I used to live for, I became lost. I know having a physically demanding job that I absolutely love did not help with my motivation to be active, but I used to be able to look past this and still get to the gym and do something for me.
I really feel as though it took the pandemic and being forced to stop working for me to realize where I had brought myself. When I was forced to stop I then started to feel all my aches and pains in my body. My left shoulder keeps going numb with neck pain and my right hip will scream at me if I do too much sitting or moving. The kind of pain that will make you wince and look as though you have aged 50 years over night. As an Athletic Therapist I know and have seen this all too often with my patients and know that I have lost my strength, mobility and flexibility. Once I build these back up and correct my muscle imbalances, I will live up to my last name of Walker and be an unbeatable Jedi again. I have been on again, off again, bloated with mental challenges and brain fog, anxiety, decreased motivation and drive, and decreased focus. If there is anything I have noticed over the last few years it is that the gut brain connection is a true and serious thing.
However, with all of that being said, I am happy to state that as hard as things have been in the past they are improving and from this day forward I will not accept anything but. It is going to be challenging and I will of course still have off days – but I will not let them drive me away from my goal of becoming strong and happy again.
So you may be thinking, how are you going to do this? Excellent question, here is how:
Fitness: I will be working on my muscle imbalances and correcting my biomechanics. I will be doing this through mobility, flexibility and strength. There needs to be an equal amount of all of these to have a well balanced musculoskeletal system. So I will be making myself a fitness plan that will include all three of these components.
Nutrition: I have been dabbing into this component for the last 2 months already and I am happy to state that following the diet I have been doing has helped to decrease my TTG antibody levels in my blood and increased my iron. There is still a lot to improve in this department but it is a start! For the first 3 weeks I followed the hypoallergenic diet without consuming any grains. I was to cut out processed foods, dairy, certain meats, eggs, soy, peanuts, corn, tomatoes, artificial butters and sweeteners, refined sugars, and glutinous grains (obviously for me) but the naturopath had me cut out all grains just for the first 3 weeks. I followed this to a T and even continued it past the 3 weeks because of how much better I felt, but then, my digestion started to go wonky again and my energy has dropped. This is why I feel these full on restrictive diets are not meant to be eaten forever (other than the food you have to avoid for health reasons).
Science actually shows that if you are under eating you will have immune problems and digestion issues. It may seem like you have a food intolerance but in reality your restrictive eating will cause digestive issues because the digestive system is not receiving enough energy, and if it does not get enough energy it cannot properly extract the nutrients your body needs to function. Mind.Blown. Therefore, I have decided that following a very restrictive and paleo diet long term is not the way to go for me. I believe my TTG levels being high is due to cross contamination in food that is processed and made in restaurants that are not careful. Also, having a very restrictive diet has made me very anxious around food, I’m always afraid whatever it is that I am eating will cause food intolerance symptoms. I know I do have some food intolerances because after eating certain things like corn and oats, I instantly have full body autoimmune symptoms. However, I do wonder, if I get my TTG levels to lower to zero, will these intolerances go away? Because technically once I get those levels to zero, that means my gut lining has finally healed and it will be able to digest food properly again. So as long as I stay away from my kryptonite, gluten, I should be okay to eat a variety of food again without feeing sick. That thought actually makes me so excited and pumped to get my gut lining healed.
Mindfulness: This one is HUGE! I have been trained in transcendental meditation and started doing it back when I was in university as I used to have a huge amount of exam anxiety. This technique helped me get through my certification exams, and to be honest, I stopped doing it, and that was a big mistake. I told myself I was way too busy and did not have the time to sit and meditate for 20 minutes twice a day, but this is the exact person that needs to make time for exactly this as they typically need it the most. Since I have started meditating again, I cannot even begin to explain the benefits I have experienced in my everyday life. My thoughts are clearer, I do not snap as much if at all, I’m positive, focused and motivated. Mindfulness does not just have to do with meditation, it also includes living intuitively. If you have a negative thought come into your head, change it right away for a more positive one. If you are overworked, cut your hours. Our bodies need us to start living more intuitively because we all need to start listening to our bodies and giving it what it wants and needs.
These are the three ingredients to not just my wellness journey, but I believe everyone’s. If the health of our mind, nutrition and fitness does not exist, then we are more likely to develop muscle imbalances that will cause injuries. We may have a leaky gut or improperly functioning digestive system because we are not fuelling it properly or moving to help stools pass through your bowels or have a horrible gut brain connection where now the health of your gut effects your mental health and vice versa. All three of these components are absolutely essential for an overall well balanced health and wellness plan, you cannot do one without the other. It only took me siting down and writing this blog for me to truly make this connection. I always tell my patients to include all three but it has really clicked with me as to why.
Regardless if you are on a wellness journey of your own or want to see me through mine, I hope you find what it is you are looking for, because the sun really is brighter on the other side.
Please Keep This Disclaimer in Mind:
Articles are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. We cannot and do not provide medical advice or specific advice on products related to treatments of a disease or illness.
You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers.
You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on our website.
It is your responsibility to consult with your professional health care providers before starting any diet changes, exercise or supplementation program, and before taking; varying the dosage and / or ceasing to take any medication.
We do not collect any personal information or store cookies. You can turn off cookies on your web browsers.
When was the last time you truly stopped and started living in the moment? I’m not talking about the things we do on a regular basis to make us “stop”. Things that do not count as a true stop are: going to bed and sleeping, a 15 min break in the day, eating, watching TV, reading or finally taking a breath once you get your kids to their soccer game. It also does not count if you plan a jam packed vacation with something planned every single day, I have been there and done that, I can tell you that is not a break it is an adventure. Usually you need a vacation from your vacation in this instance.
What I’m talking about is having a day where you had nothing planned at all, you wake up and just do the things that come to your mind that day. Nothing to do with work or scheduled appointments, where you literally had absolutely nothing to do that day. To be honest with you, I do not remember the last time I had a day like this even during the times right now with living through isolation and not working, somehow I have found a way to still be working on something. Blogs, YouTube channel, videos, Instagram posts, recipes, gardening, you name it, I have found it to keep myself busy.
Staying busy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it helps to keep us structured and in a routine, but when you are only keeping yourself busy, this can take a toll on your body.
It is always very difficult to just stop; stop doing and start being. Stopping allows you to take in the true beauty of life, without feeling like you need to produce something or tend to someone else’s needs. Stopping may allow you to see the little things in life that everyone passes by everyday but never takes any notice to it because we are all just so busy. Things like that mural on the wall of the coffee shop you go to everyday, the different bark on a tree trunk that you walk by everyday, or noticing just how tired you have been the last few months while being too busy to notice it.
In the Western world, we value our work more than we cherish the time spent with a loved one. If you think about it, it’s really quite sad. All we do is work, work, work and then work some more. We are all guilty of exactly this, we make productivity our priority of everyday, this then does not leave much room for living in the now because we try to fit in as much as we can into one 24 hour day. What happens when we do not finish everything on the list for that day?
We scrutinize and bully ourselves into thinking that we did not accomplish anything that day, when in reality, we did. You think to yourself: I got ready and went to work, got only 90 of the 100 projects I set out for myself today done and had a busy day running around. When maybe we are looking at this all wrong, what would happen if we started celebrating the small victories of each day? Instead, think to yourself: I woke up today, brushed my teeth (or at least I hope you did), went for a 15 minute walk or walked/biked to work instead of driving, I went the whole day not thinking one negative thought, I stretched for 5 minutes, and finally sat down to meditate today. Why don’t we ever feel happy for the little things in each day?
It’s a bit ironic that we work to enjoy the simple things in life and yet here we are working our buns off and never taking a break. To live a full and peaceful life, we need to stop and look inside ourselves and remember exactly what it is that lights the fire within us. This is the big part of having a mindfulness practice everyday, it allows you to have that 15 or 20 minutes in the day to truly stop what you are doing and observe your breath or just how busy your mind is with all of the thoughts running through it. If you do not have 15-20 minutes, try 5 minutes to start.
So I’m going to ask you to stop and consider the last time you truly stopped what you were doing to just be in the moment. If taking a staycation is not an option for you right now, here are some things you can do to live in the moment each day – no technology aloud.
Take a day off and go to a park or museum.
Make a one day self care plan, think of it as a spa day at home. It can include naps, mediations, pedicures, reading, calming music and walks.
Go on a silent retreat – I personally have not been on one of these but my brother has and absolutely loved it.
Get into nature – move and breathe in it, then be still with it. Listen to the different noises, see the scenery and smell scents it has to offer. Like wind running though the leaves, water falling off a cliff or down a stream, the strong and beautiful scent of that massive lilac bush next to you or the stunning view of a sunrise or sunset.
Take 3 hours and do something creative like draw, paint or play an instrument.
If you cannot take a full day or a few hours, not a problem, start by doing something just for 5 minutes a day. I can almost guarantee if you do this, you will see and feel the benefits of it and that 5 minutes will turn into 15-20 minutes. Do things like a meditation practice, breath work, sit in silence while you concentrate on one object like a lit candle, draw or colour, play an instrument, or writing in your journal.
If you feel like you do not have time for any of the above, then you my friend are the exact person that needs to make this a priority. If you make something a priority in your day, I can guarantee you it will get done. What is stopping you from giving this a try? The fear of missing out on something or the opportunity to “get something done?” You may learn something about yourself if you give this a try, so set aside some time every week to stop doing and start being.
We all know that having vitamins and minerals in our diets daily is essential for living a healthy life. But did you know that you can take too many vitamins to a point of toxicity in your body? I learned this at school but never thought I would ever reach those levels. I mean they are vitamins, the essential ingredient to everyday life, they can’t hurt me right? I learned this the hard way.
To give you a bit of a background, I have celiac disease and have known for just over 3 years. The biggest thing with celiac disease is it can cause malnutrition in the body due to the decreased absorption rate in the small intestine. However, once your small intestine starts to heal on a gluten free diet, you start to be able to absorb nutrients at a regular rate. I did not keep this in mind when I went through my most recent diet venture. I get my blood tested every three months to check TTG levels (celiac test) and iron levels. I have not been able to decrease my TTG levels and my iron keeps fluctuating. My most recent test came back, and yet again, my TTG was up a level and my iron had dropped significantly. I have been keeping an eye on this for the past two years and the TTG is always high (when it should be low) and the iron is always going up or down but never out of the iron deficiency range. Point of my story, this is what drove me to do what I have now done.
When I was first diagnosed I went on a paleo based diet called the hypoallergenic diet, where you cut out processed foods, dairy, certain meats and refined sugars along with caffeine, we temporarily cut out grains as well considering my condition. You can however eat certain fish and meat, fruit, vegetables, some starches, nuts and seeds and natural sugars. Along with this diet I took a nutrition powder to help boost my vitamin and mineral levels, I only took one scoop of it a day for a month. I tell you, I felt better then I have in years while on this diet. It all started going downhill when I started eating processed foods and going out to eat again. I had the brilliant idea, let’s do this diet again and fix my blood levels once and for all.
I’m not sure if it was because I was so motivated to feel better or that I had the thought that I could not be taking too many vitamins because I still have active celiac disease, but I made a big mistake that I thankfully caught quickly.
I started the diet just over a week ago, and I started to feel good, then I got a lot worse. I started to have symptoms of being tired, bloated, gas, sharp abdominal pains, hair felt brittle and was falling out some, I became constipated, was not sleeping well, and just in the last day and a half (brace yourself, this is a bit gross) I have been having mushy, yellowish, foul smelling stool that sticks to the toilet bowl. Now I have seen this before because the same thing can happen with someone who has celiac disease, but I know I have not eaten gluten lately so this is what started to make me question the last week. Keeping in mind the change in diet could be a factor as well, but the last day and a half I have not taken any supplements (other then a digestive enzyme before meals and a probiotic at night) and continued with the same diet and my digestion has improved, no sharp pains or bloating and bowel movements are becoming normal.
Over the last 9 days, I was taking the nutritional powder supplement twice a day, a multivitamin, an iron supplement, vitamin D, and biotin…now that I look back at this; past Lauren; you were taking way too many vitamins! I guess I was just thinking, “it can’t hurt right?”
All of the products in this photo are fantastic and I will continue to take them when I need too, but only ONE AT A TIME and once a day.
Recommended Dietary Allowance / Adequate Intake / Tolerable Upper Intake Level: What does this all mean?
The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) and the AI (Adequate Intake) are the amounts of vitamins and minerals you need to keep healthy and nourished. They’re tailored to specific ages of women and men.
The UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) is the maximum amount of daily vitamins and minerals that you can safely take without risk of an overdose or serious side effects.
How Much Is Too Much?
Take a look at the UL (tolerable upper intake level), and do not exceed it. “There are some vitamins and minerals that you can safely take a dose much higher then the RDA or DV without coming close to the UL” WebMD. “With some vitamins and minerals, the upper limit is pretty close to the RDA. So it’s easy to get too much. For example, a man who takes just over three times the RDA of vitamin A would get more than the upper limit. High doses of vitamin A — and other fat-soluble vitamins like E and K — can build up in the body and become toxic. Other risky supplements include the minerals iron and selenium” WebMD. Personally, I would not exceed the RDA and not go near the UL to play it safe.
For an example of the possible symptoms, here is a quote from one of WebMD’s articles: “Too much vitamin C or zinc could cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Too much selenium could lead to hair loss, gastrointestinal upset, fatigue, and mild nerve damage.”
An Important Message: Supplements are designed to be an addition to your everyday diet. You should be getting as many nutrients from the food you eat as you can so you do not have to take a supplement. Supplements should only be an addition to your everyday routine if you are not getting certain vitamins and minerals naturally from the food you eat. You should eat a well balanced diet and only take supplements to fill the nutritional gaps. Following a whole food diet will be sufficient enough for most people without having to resort to an expensive supplement that you will essentially be peeing away. However, in some cases supplements are necessary, for example, malnutrition from celiac disease or iron deficiency. But even in those cases you should just take them to a point that the nutrients you were missing are now level. After they become level, stop taking the supplement and continue getting it from it’s natural food sources. The end goal is to always get you off of supplements for the long-term, or until they are needed again.
So, just how many vitamins was I taking?
First things first, there are water-soluble vitamins (they dissolve in water) and fat-soluble vitamins (do not dissolve in water). Water-soluble vitamins are readily excreted from the body, while fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in tissues. Fat-soluble vitamins are more likely to cause toxicity, although water-soluble vitamins can do so as well.
Fat-Soluble
What I consumed
RDA
UL
Vitamin A
1355 mcg
700 mcg RAE
3000 mcg
Vitamin D
50-75 mcg
15 mcg
100 mcg
Vitamin E
117.3 MG
15 MG
1000 MG
Vitamin K
0
90 mcg
N/A
The following water-soluble vitamins have set ULs, as they can cause adverse side effects when taken in high doses:
Water-Soluble
What I consumed
RDA
UL
Vitamin C
625 MG
75 MG
2000 MG
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
38 MG
14 MG
35 MG
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
45 MG
1.3 MG
100 MG
Vitamin B9 (folate)
2550 mcg
400 mcg
1000 mcg
Mineral
What I consumed
RDA
UL
Selenium
270 mcg
55 mcg
400 mcg
Zinc
50 MG
8 MG
40 MG
Iron
63 MG
18 MG
45 MG
The calculations above are some of the vitamins and minerals that can potentially cause damage in the body, I was taking everyday for 9 days. I went just a bit over or WAY over the RDA and just a few I went over the UL. After researching the side effects of taking too many of just these vitamins, it explains why I was getting the symptoms I was the last few days. This is not even including the vitamins and minerals I was getting from the food I was eating. Moral of the story, do not take over the RDA of vitamins and minerals in a day (again, unless your doctor has told you so for deficiency reasons).
What have I learned?
Your multivitamin may have more then the RDA of a vitamin or a mineral within it. Which means, if it is a water-soluble vitamin, you are just peeing the unneeded amount out. They can potentially be a waste of money, unless you are deficient in that vitamin or mineral, your body will soak up all it needs in that case.
Harmful symptoms can occur if you take too many vitamins and minerals everyday, and it may hit you by about day 3 or 4, and just get worse as you continue to take them.
Unless you have a deficiency in a vitamin or a mineral, or have an underlying condition that is preventing you from absorbing the correct nutrients from your diet (like say celiac disease), taking a multivitamin everyday may be a waste of money as most of the nutrients and your money will be going down the toilet.
Articles are for educational purposes only and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. We cannot and do not provide medical advice or specific advice on products related to treatments of a disease or illness.
You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers.
You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of information on our website.
It is your responsibility to consult with your professional health care providers before starting any diet changes, exercise or supplementation program, and before taking; varying the dosage and / or ceasing to take any medication.
We do not collect any personal information or store cookies. You can turn off cookies on your web browsers.
LEW's Life 