22 Healthy Things to do for a Healthy 2022
New Year, New You! Making changes to enhance your health and your life can be difficult but what better time than in the new year. I made a list of 22 things that I do in my life and often recommend to my patients to help them make healthy changes. I loved putting together a list for 2021 so much that here’s the list for 2022! Even though it’s a list and the goal of any list is to accomplish each item as soon as possible know that you have all year to make these changes and stick to it. So maybe the hard part is not making the changes but sticking with it. Some days it may be easy. Other days may be harder but every day is a new day so hold yourself accountable to always doing your best. With enough momentum, over time, it will get easier and easier to stick to it until one day you realize you are making these healthier choices with very little effort. That these healthier choices have become habits that are easy for you to do is the goal.
It was not easy to narrow this list down to just 22 things. I could think of so many different things that you may or may not be doing that could make a difference in your health. Many of these things are not new but reminders of things you know are good for you that you may not be doing. As you go through the list I recommend starting with an easy one and working towards the hard ones. I also recommend making only one change a week. This way you can make changes that last. Slow and steady wins the race. Do too many changes all at once and it won’t stick for the long haul. The goal is to make changes that will last and over time it will be good to review this list to remind you of items that may have slipped through the cracks. Healing is a journey and so are the changes that get you healthy and keep you healthy. We are here on that journey to help you.
Get muscle tested
If you haven’t tried it yet or it’s been more than 2 months your first New Year’s resolution should be to go get muscle tested. This is definitely the right way to start a New Year. Holidays are done with and everyone wants to be healthier. That’s why, all of a sudden, the gyms are full every January. Instead of guessing on what to eat to be healthier, why not get muscle tested to see exactly what would be healthy for your body?
Using muscle testing we can address your health concerns, help you detox heavy metals or chemicals from your body and put you on a personalized cleanse and tell you exactly what to eat or not eat for better health. Make the new year about you and your health.
2. Add bee pollen to your diet.
When muscle testing what foods to add into your diet bee pollen is one that can be very beneficial to a lot of people but no one seems to be eating it. Bee pollen is a great brain booster, lifting brain fatigue, improving alertness and helping concentration levels over an extended period of time. Rich in the B vitamins; B1, B2 and B3 – these are essential for a healthy nervous system and powerful detoxifiers, especially to the brain. They are often referred to as “anti-stress” vitamins - when the nervous system is working optimally anxiety and stress can be greatly lessened. Bee pollen can be eaten raw or can be added to your favorite cereals, smoothies, yogurt or hot drink. I see most people test for 1-2 teaspoons a day as a daily dose.
3. Soak your nuts, grains, etc.
Nuts, grains and beans are packed with healthy fats, protein and minerals, but to get that all good stuff assimilated into your body, it is recommended that you prepare them by soaking them. See, nuts, legumes and seeds contain phytic acids and enzyme inhibitors to keep them from sprouting until nature delivers the sun and rain that they need to grow. Have you heard people, maybe even yourself, say “nuts or beans are hard on my stomach”? Well, enzyme inhibitors/phytic acids are the reason. By soaking, enzyme inhibitors are neutralized, the beneficial enzymes are activated and the vitamin content increases. Soaking makes seeds, nuts and legumes easier to digest and the nutrients more easily absorbed. For directions on how to soak nuts, grains and beans: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2014/12/nuts-grains-and-beans-oh-my.html
4. Grow an herb
There is no way to beat the nutrition from a plant you just pulled out of the dirt yourself. All the enzymes and nutrients are available. Whether you have acres of land or no backyard at all, there is always a way to grow something for you to eat. Start with a simple window bench herb garden. Pick 3 of your favorite herbs and simply grow them on your windowsill. It’s the easiest way to go and requires very minimal maintenance or skill. If you have more space consider taking a local gardening course to know which plants are most suited for your climate and some basic skills to ensure your garden is successful. There’s also many community gardens to join if you don’t have a backyard.
5. Take deep breathes
This should be the easiest habit of all to create this year! Deep breaths can be done anywhere, at anytime. Just 3 deep breaths can shift your mood and nervous system to be more calm when you are feeling out of sorts. Besides helping your stress level and mood, if it’s one thing this pandemic has taught me it is the importance of strengthen your lungs. Yes the lungs are an organ that you can exercise. The stronger they are the healthier you can be even if you don’t have asthma, or other breathing issues. There are tons of different breathing techniques out there so pick one and use it on a daily basis. I personally love and use heart centered breathing from Heart Math, and coherent breathing which I probably use the most of. Coherent breathing is simply breathing in for 6 counts and breathing out for 6 counts. I think there is something calming about the counting as well. It gets you out of the emotional, upset right side of the brain and more into the logical, mathematical left side of the brain.
6. Use an essential oil
Also for stress one can use an essential oil. My favorite stress relieving oil is Lavender, . One big inhale of lavender and I feel my whole body relax. You can wear it on your wrists, put it in a diffuser or spray a dilution of it on your pillow case to inhale it as you go to bed for a deeper sleep. Doterra makes a great relaxing blend with lavender called Peace. They mix lavender in with other calming herbs: ylang ylang, frankincense and clary sage for the ultimate calming affect.
7. Dry Brush and Gua Sha daily
Gua Sha, also known as “coining”, “skin scraping”, or “pressure stroking” is an ancient lymphatic technique utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine using a stone to apply pressure to the body. When done on the face, gua sha can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, restore firmness and elasticity, promote a brighter complexion, relieve jaw tension, promote lymphatic drainage, and decrease puffiness. It can also help with sinus congestion and headaches. I find that when I do it in the morning it helps with mental clarity and reducing brain fog too.
The flow of lymph only goes one way: towards the heart. So when you use the gua sha stone the strokes should be from the center of the face outward and moving down the face and neck. The best way to learn how to do gua sha on the face is by watching a demonstration, so I posted this video on Youtube to show you: https://youtu.be/vaJiBU83tWo
One of the biggest positive cosmetic benefits I notice when I perform facial gua sha on myself is a reduction of facial puffiness, most notable in my cheeks. You could say that it sculpts my cheeks. Others may notice de-puffing of their eyelids, jawline, under their eyes, or in the forehead. The reason that facial gua sha reduces puffiness is due to the drainage of lymph out of the face and neck. The lymph’s job is to carry toxins so gua sha is a great way to detox.
To move the lymph and toxins from other parts of the body you need to dry brush. Instead of a stone roller it is a specific bristled brush that you will use on the rest of the body. Use the brush and start at your feet and brush each area 5 times towards the heart. For a video demonstration: https://youtu.be/PlgJVAtgJTI
8. Add collagen to your diet.
Collagen is a protein that’s naturally found in the body. It makes up 25 to 30 percent of the proteins in your body and gives structure to connective tissue like your skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, muscles, bones and blood vessels. I test for collagen supplements to help people improve skin elasticity, reduce appearance of skin wrinkles, increase skin hydration, reduce bone loss, improve brittle nails, boost hair health, support heart health, heal leaky gut, and improve weight loss. Because collagen helps gives so much structure to the body it can be used for lots different reasons in the body. When I test for collagen ! test for it in capsules or powder. There are lots of different kinds out on the market and they are not all made the same so before you add it into your daily life I highly suggest getting muscle tested for it.
Bone broth is the number one food that has collagen in it and the question is do you test better for chicken bone broth or beef? It is best taken on an empty stomach and just a little every day is better than a lot once or twice a week. Sip on one cup daily for best results. This way the body can absorb more nutrients from it. If you are doing the capsule or powder that can be taken with food.
9. Add micro movements
Exercise is always great for health and if you are not on a weekly routine that should be part of your New Year’s resolution. But what I have learned this year from a great book called Quench by Dr. Dana Cohen is micro movements help too by keeping us hydrated. Any type of movement including fidgeting actually helps push water into the fascia of the body instead of staying superficial. From the fascia, the water then goes into the organs and muscles of the body so that the cells can absorb it. What I found fascinating reading the book was that even micro movements counted as helping move water into the body. Micro movements can include turning of the head and shoulder circles but even little movements such as fidgeting can make a difference. Studies show that fidgeting actually improves the longevity of a woman's life up to 43% by pushing water into the body. The book specifies for better health you really want 360 degrees of movement, full range of motion, so every tissue in your body has in and out flow to remain supple and healthy.
10. Drink Healing Arts Apple Cider Vinegar Tea every morning
Years ago I started suggesting to patients to drink apple cider vinegar to help with candida problems but when I found out that Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) knew about apple cider vinegar’s antibiotic properties and recommended it to his patients for its healing properties centuries ago I started doing more research.
Apple cider vinegar has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Not only does it help kill all those microbes and boost up your immune system but it also helps with allergies, acne, high cholesterol, joint pain, weight loss, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, dandruff, chronic fatigue, candida, sore throat, gum infection, and acid reflux. It’s also used to help dissolve kidney stones, lower high blood pressure, and it’s also been shown to help with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity.
Even though vinegar is acidic, when we drink apple cider vinegar it has an alkaline effect in our bodies. The fact that apple cider vinegar causes our pH levels to become more alkaline could play a large part in it's healing abilities. It also reacts to some toxins in our bodies, converting them into less toxic substances. Our bodies need a slightly alkaline pH balance to be healthy. The typical Western diet creates an acidic pH in our bodies, and many health problems are attributed to this. Taking a tonic containing apple cider vinegar can help restore alkalinity, and therefore assist the body in getting rid of some of the health problems listed above.
The recipe I am about to give you has been perfected over the years of me experimenting with a variety of apple cider vinegar concoctions.
1 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar
1/2 organic lime squeezed
1/4 tsp. baking soda
the baking soda will fizz, so wait for it to fizz out then add 1/2 cup warm water or more
a pinch of cayenne
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of black pepper
Drink 20 minutes or more before breakfast every day.
Make sure the water is warm, not hot, for hot water will change the properties of the vinegar and lime juice.
The spices are added to the tea tincture because cayenne will increase circulation which is beneficial in healing and turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. The black pepper is added to enhance the turmeric. Studies show that with black pepper, the ability for the body to absorb and use turmeric increases by 2000x.
11. Boost Immune System
Drinking the apple cider vinegar tea can keep your immune system boosted but so can lots of other things as well. Once a month or more, even up to once a week, do something to take care of your immune system. I built the Healing Arts Wellness Center based on this philosophy and that’s why I wanted one place that had all these healing services at your convenience. To keep the immune system boosted we have the Himalayan salt booth and lymphatic therapy to help. Before COVID I was thinking the salt booth was great for 4 things: sinus and lung issues, skin issues, to boost the immune system, and to detox from crappy NYC air. Now with COVID I think doing salt booth sessions is a must to stay healthy. We can no longer just assume we are healthy but we need to take preventative health measures to ensure we really do stay as healthy as possible. Just 10 minutes in the salt booth can boost your immune system. As you inhale deeply the salt goes into the body and breaks up inflammation and kills viruses, bacteria, parasites, candida and mold. The lymphatic drainage therapy works differently, using electric bulbs across your skin to get your lymphatic system to move. Your lymphatic system carries white blood cells to infections, in this way boosting your immune system. You could also go for cupping, get a massage or acupuncture. There are lots of ways to keep your immune system boosted.
12. Stay Detoxed
Besides keeping your immune system strong it is important to keep your body detoxed. I want you to do at least one thing a month that can help you detox on a deeper level. It could be a liver flush where you take certain supplements for a week to break down what is stuck in the liver and then one night before bed you drink 1/4 cup of olive oil to get the toxins to move out of the liver. At the office we have lots of different services that could help detox. You could do a PEMF session, using energy to move out toxins or a detox foot bath that pulls toxins out of your body through your feet using an ionic charge. The strongest detox we have is the Ozone Sauna where you sit in a personalized sauna pod from your neck down and heat builds as the pod is pumped with ozone. Ozone is oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule. When you combine the wet and warm skin with the ozone gas the extra oxygen goes into the body and has such great detoxing and anti-inflammatory effects. Ozone therapy is a great detoxer because it breaks up lactic acid, increases cellular respiration in muscles, speeds up recovery of damaged tissue and accelerates growth of muscle for those who have tight, sore muscles. Ozone therapy improves blood circulation, improves vitamin and mineral absorption, fights inflammation, and is wonderful at killing mold, parasites, candida, viruses and bacteria. Because it’s such a strong way to detox we offer 10 minute, 20 minute and 30 minute sessions depending on how much detox you can handle.
13. Drink Ozonated Water
Since ozone is so powerful another way to harness it’s healing abilities is to drink it. I muscle test for how much ozonated water someone should drink but on average I get 16 ounces a day. Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. The health benefits are a result of the ozone breaking apart creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use. The more oxygen in the body the better! Ozone adds oxygen to the blood stream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function. Ozonated water also boosts the immune system making it stronger and better able to fight infections. This type of water has been shown in a number of scientific studies to kill bacteria and viruses. That’s why I also use ozonated water to wash my fruits and vegetables. Drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach regularly can also detoxify your intestinal tract and give you energy. So there are a lot of health benefits to drinking ozonated water. You will have to buy a machine that puts the extra oxygen in the water. I use the Ozo-pod that you can buy online,
14. Add MCT oil to your diet
MCT oil which is a type of oil from coconut, is known for fueling your brain for more energy and focus throughout the day. So, a few teaspoons in the morning or before a workout can fuel your brain and body for hours —better than any other food or coffee drink. And because the body metabolizes MCTs at a higher priority than carbs or other fats (and optimizes your metabolism for fat-burning), they’ll help you burn calories instead of packing them away as fat.
So what is this magical oil? MCT oil or medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) are unique fatty acids that are found naturally in coconut and palm oils. They have a remarkable ability to stabilize blood sugar and enhance ketone body production. This process makes MCT’s a powerful tool to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism and enhance cognitive function.
Most people tolerate MCT oil very well, however, too large of a dose too quickly can cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea or diarrhea. If you have this problem, don’t panic and give up on MCT oil right away. You can easily reduce or eliminate these symptoms by starting with very small doses at a time. This would mean ½ tsp several times daily and slowly increasing the dosage as tolerated. Adding MCT oil can substitute for some of the oil in your diet but should not be used to replace all the fat in your diet. Begin using MCT 1 tablespoon per day and slowly increase over several days. 1-3 tablespoons per day is recommended.
15. Have an anti-aging regiment
People don’t think the fountain of youth exists but I do. Our fountain of youth is stem cells that our body makes in our bone marrow. Stem cells are blank cells that once stimulated go anywhere and become any new cell. The question is how do we stimulate our stem cells? There is something called stem cell therapy that we do at Healing Arts. We use Biocell Stem Cell supplements which are formulated to optimize cell function because if we have healthy cells we will be healthier every day. Biocell supplements work together to promote energy production and cell growth.
Another thing you can do to help stem cell growth is Intermittent Fasting which is a certain way of eating that can stimulate stem cells. I do see most patients get the best results eating from 1pm-7pm.
I think stem cell stimulation has something to do with pressure. We have to use it to not lose it. That’s why the number one treatment for osteoporosis (bone loss) is weight bearing exercises. We need to apply pressure to the bones to stimulate the stem cells and get calcium into the bones. I believe bones can remodel and grow more dense into our 70s and likely longer. Of course it’s easier if you are 25 years old or younger but it still can be done.
Sleep is very important for stem cell stimulation. Research shows that sleeping only 4 hours a night decreases the ability of stem cells to migrate 50% compared to an 8 hour sleep. A 7-8 hour sleep cycle actually stimulates stem cell circulation. For more on a better night sleep, listen to this podcast https://healingarts.buzzsprout.com/894679/3795920-sleep-well.
To help the aging of the skin we use a stem cell supplement from Biocell called Dermal and then topically a frankincense roll on for dark aging spots which I see mostly on patients’ faces but I have seen them at times on back of hands and shoulders too. 65% of the time they will go away just with the frankincense roll on but the combination is excellent for most aging dark spots.
When we breath, oxygen goes into our body and finds an electron to stabilize itself. Oxygen does this by stealing it from any molecule it can and then that molecule has a free, unpaired electron. Now this makes for a very unhappy little electron because it is missing its partner. Electrons like to be in pairs and so the single electron now behaves very radical-hence the name free radical. When this happens in the body, that free radical will look to find an electron anywhere it can. Unfortunately when it snatches an electron from a cell it damages it in the process creating another free radical. This process is repeated continuously until the free radical meets up with a molecule that has an extra electron that it can donate to the equation to stop the reaction. In the body this donor electron might come from something like Vitamin C that has extra electrons. This is why Vitamin C is called an "anti-oxidant". It is a substance that helps there be less oxidation in the body. So one thing you could do this year is make sure you add more anti-oxidant foods to your diet including blueberries, beets, broccoli. For more information on antioxidant rich foods: https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2019/07/purify-your-blood-naturally.html.
The most powerful free radical fighter you have is your lymphatic system. The body's lymphatic system holds 80% of your body's anti-oxidant capacity. To help keep the lymph system happy and your anti-aging ability up I highly recommend lymphatic drainage therapy.
16. Do something for yourself every day
Health is mind, body, spirit and if not addressed on a daily basis the stresses of life can get to us and our health. When you are stressed it’s hard to take time for yourself but it’s when you need it the most. It’s important to do before you feel depleted in order to prevent the burnt out feeling. When you feel burnt out know that your immune system is low too and so it’s easier to get sick which can further stress you out. So the time it takes to take care of yourself is worth it to prevent getting sick. To help with the stress of life all you need is 5 minutes any time during the day to reset. It could be longer than 5 minutes but at least 5 minutes every day invest in yourself. It could be a quiet moment of deep breathing. It could be meditation, exercise, writing, foot rub, talking to a good friend, anything that fills you up and makes you feel good mentally or physically.
17. Talk to yourself
Besides doing something for yourself every day to help your stress and your health, I want you to learn to talk to yourself. This is a good way to manage stress and address underlying issues that you wouldn’t necessarily address unless they blew up in your face. This is a way of checking in with yourself. Think of it as free talk therapy. You may not have the best advice for yourself but you can watch the negative self talk and choose to do less of it. You can also be your own sounding board. Check in with yourself and see how your body feels. What does your body want to tell you that you need to listen to? Is it the stomach ache, the stress headache or the trouble sleeping? Listen to yourself and to your body before something becomes more of an issue. The nice thing is this can be done anytime of day and no one needs to know.
18. A relaxing bedtime routine
The body needs structure to signal that it’s time to unwind, relax and go to sleep so for the last 30 minutes of the day have the same routine. A good night’s sleep is so important. It’s only when you are sleeping the body is healing. Even if you think you sleep well it’s a good habit to not have any electronics on at least 30 minutes before bed. This includes phones, computers, tablets and TV. The blue light from the screens actually signal our body to stay awake. I promise you if you do this you will feel like you get a deeper sleep. So what do you do with those 30 minutes before bed? It’s like an unknown. If I don’t have my electronics I don’t know what to do. Find a healthy bedtime routine. If you do about the same thing every night it helps signal the body to start winding down. Some ideas: take a hot shower or bath, read a good book, but not too exciting, do your deep breathing technique, meditate or listen to a visualization. This is also a good time to practice gratitude. As you are lying down in bed review the day and make a list either in a journal or just mentally of all the good things that happened that day that you are grateful for. In this way, no matter how intense of a day it was, you go to bed only thinking of the positive things which is helpful to get a deeper night’s sleep and for your mental health. It is also helpful to start the 30 minutes bedtime routine at 1030pm at the latest and be asleep by 11pm. Every organ has a circadian rhythm that it follows which means in a 24 hour cycle it has a 2 hour window where it is at it’s peak and performing strong and 12 hours later where it is at it’s weakest, most vulnerable stage. So the reason for the 11pm bedtime is because that’s when the liver is at it’s peak dumping all the toxins from the day into the gallbladder duct where it travels to the large intestine to be excreted the next morning. It is best to be asleep during this 11pm-1am time so the liver can easily do it’s job and move more toxins. Again, the body only heals while it’s sleeping. If you need help sleeping try our PEMF therapy or our Chakra Light therapy at the office to help.
19. Use full spectrum light bulbs
Seasonal depression is a real thing and I think after the year we just had anxiety and depression are at a full time high. During the fall and winter, we don’t get enough of the sunlight exposure needed to stimulate the hypothalamus, a part of the brain linked to our body’s internal clocks controlling the sleep-wake schedule, among other things. Without enough bright light stimulation from the sun, our brain may increase its production of the sleep hormone melatonin, while decreasing the production of serotonin, the feel-good brain chemical that helps regulate mood.
Besides spending more time outside, even if all you are doing is sunbathing your face for 10 minutes every day, the second easiest thing is to buy a full spectrum light bulb. It’s a special light bulb that looks like a regular lightbulb but emits a light spectrum that simulates the full visible light spectrum of natural sunlight. You can easily replace lightbulbs in your lamps to full spectrum light bulbs and then to get the benefit just turn the light on in the room.
For more intense therapy try a light therapy box provides striking, bright white light using fluorescent or LED light in a color temperature between 5000-6500K, which is consistent with the color temperature of the sun at noon. Light therapy boxes emit 10,000 lux (a measure of the perceived brightness of light) of blue/white, more energetic wavelengths, intended to trigger a biological response in our bodies.
Light boxes produce very powerful light, and are therefore intended as therapy and not a source of general light. The goal is to sit in front of a light box for up to 30 minutes per day, allowing your eyes and body to receive a simulation of sunlight that would otherwise be difficult to receive this time of the year.
20. Spend time with nature
Another thing to help us with our mood is to spend time in nature. I know, so simple. That’s why there is not excuse to incorporate more walks in the park, going for a bike ride or a long hike. Especially for my NYC patients, we need this more than the average person and yet we are less likely to do it. Getting outside and just going for a walk is helpful but the nature part is missing and yet I think that it can be so healing, both mind and body, to spend time in nature. Have you every spent time out in nature and came back in a bad mood? No, it just doesn’t happen because nature has a way of calming us down, making us feel at home.
21. Use less aluminum
Our test kits contain 45 different heavy metals. The heavy metal that comes up the most frequent is aluminum. It’s in our daily lives and it creates big health problems if our body does not detox it. It’s scientifically proven to cause Alzheimer’s. The brain absorbs aluminum very well and it’s one of the main places where aluminum gets stuck in the body.
When I am helping a patient detox aluminum I tell them to do their best to avoid eating and drinking out of aluminum cans, foil, baking sheets, pots and pans and check their deodorant for aluminum as well. Stainless steel is okay to use. In the oven I use glass dishes or baking stones. You can also put parchment paper down on your baking sheets so the food does not touch aluminum. Check your rice cooker to see if that is aluminum. Mine is nonstick teflon which I don’t love because if it gets scratched underneath it is aluminum so we are just careful to not scratch it. When you eat out there is not much you can do about aluminum toxicity. The kitchen of the restaurant will probably use some aluminum and if you have leftovers forget it, it’s going to come in either aluminum or plastic. When you get home transfer it to a glass container like a Pyrex and I just make sure food does not touch the rubber tops.
Most deodorants use aluminum as their active ingredient so look at your deodorant ingredients and if there is aluminum go ahead and switch to something without aluminum. You can find non-aluminum deodorant at your local grocery store now. Even Dove makes a non-aluminum version. Some people complain that the more natural deodorants don’t work as well. It is hard sometimes to find the one that works best for your biochemistry. My top 3 favorites are Thai crystal, Kiss My Face roll-on and Every Man Jack with Every Man Jack being the strongest and what I suggest for men.
22. Take soy out of your diet
Before you take soy out of your diet the best thing to do is get muscle tested for foods to see which foods your body reacts to and which ones are fine to eat. But if you can’t get muscle tested then I do suggest eliminating soy from your diet for 3 weeks and then adding back in and seeing how you feel. If you notice any negative changes when adding it back in your body is telling you it doesn’t like it and I would continue to stay away from it.
A lot of studies have been done about the ill effects of soy. Soy contains something in it that acts like estrogen in our body. We call it phytoestrogen. ‘Phyto' means plant and when something acts like estrogen in our bodies it really does disturb our hormone pathways. Animals eating a lot of soy and being given hormones is the main reason why I think girls reach puberty and get their periods at a younger and younger age each generation. Science also shows phytoestrogens have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women. Soy phytoestrogens are known to harm the thyroid too and cause hypothyroidism and may even cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Soy, like beans, have high levels of phytic acid which reduces the body’s ability to absorb calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Vitamin B12 in soy is not absorbed and actually increases the body’s requirement for B12. Soy also increases the body’s requirement for vitamin D. So instead of being nutritious, soy depletes our body of nutrition.
When asking patients to stay away from soy, besides avoiding edamame, tofu, and soy sauce eating only good quality, pasture raised meat and eggs are in order otherwise the animals eat a lot of soy. Also read food labels to look for hidden sources of soy. Soy is hidden in so many foods as soybean oil, soy lecithin and MSG. Monosodium glutamate or MSG, is a extreme neurotoxin, and is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
So there you have it 22 things that will make a difference in your health to make sure you do for 2022. Start with the easier changes and work to the harder ones. Keep this list on hand to refer back to because in a few months certain things may slip but your goal is to always get back on. I know you are already looking forward to my 2023 list!
21 Things to do for Your Health in 2021
Making changes to enhance your health and your life can be difficult and sometimes the difficulty is actually in where to start so I made a list of 21 things that I do in my life and often recommend to my patients to help you make healthy changes. Even though it’s a list and the goal of any list is to accomplish each item as soon as possible know that you have all year to make these changes and stick to it. So maybe the hard part is not making the changes but sticking with it. Some days it may be easy. Other days may be harder but every day is a new day so hold yourself accountable to always doing your best. With enough momentum, over time, it will get easier and easier to stick to it until one day you realize you are making these healthier choices with very little effort. That these health choices have become habits that you just do is the goal.
It was not easy to narrow this list down to just 21 things. I could think of so many different things that you may or may not be doing that could make a difference in your health. Many of these things are not new but reminders of things you know are good for you that you may not be doing. As you go through the list I recommend starting with an easy one and working towards the hard ones. I also recommend making only one change a week. This way you can make changes that last. Slow and steady wins the race. Do too many changes all at once and it won’t stick for the long haul. The goal is to make changes that will last and over time it will be good to review this list to remind you of items that may have slipped through the cracks. Healing is a journey and so are the changes that get you healthy and keep you healthy. We are here on that journey to help you.
1. Meditation and Prayer
Keeping the mind and the body less stressed is key to your healing journey no matter what you are trying to heal from. A key tool to stress management is meditation. Yet meditation isn’t about closing your eyes and trying to empty the mind. I truly believe we can spend this time in a full cycle of communication with our higher self. Call it God. Call it Energy, Spirit, Universe we know there is a power greater than ourselves that we want to connect to during meditation. After years of meditating I realized that this connecting in silence wasn’t enough and that connecting with words was also needed.
I truly believe that words are powerful. They truly are a vibration that we either say in our head or out loud to one another and that vibration goes out into space and creates a change. Thoughts and what we say are that powerful and for that reason I start each of my meditations with an intention. Just a brief statement on what my expectations are. Think of a meditation as a full cycle of communication with your higher self. To do this we then need to still our conscious mind to feel the connection to higher self. I think we have this connection at all times but are not always aware of it. Once you enter stillness ask a question, voice a concern or share what’s on your mind. This is a form of prayer. Then go back into stillness and expect to receive an answer. Listen to that quiet voice within that has so much to say and yet we have a hard time listening to. This is the full cycle of communication that needs to happen if we are to get the most out of our meditation and really let go of the stress.
2. Visualization
If you aren’t great at meditation or are too overwhelmed to try it, start with listening to a visualization. Listening to someone’s voice can get you out of your head and into a quieter head space which is important when managing stress. Don’t wait until you are stressed to do this. Listening to a visualization or meditation should be done on a daily basis, sometimes even twice a day, for 20 minutes each time. There are tons of free ones on Youtube to listen to or apps like Headspace or Calm.
There is a second part to visualization which is to watch your thoughts. Again, thoughts are energy and we want to be mindful to stop the criticism, especially the self-criticism. We are worse with our judgements towards ourselves than others. If we can learn to have more self loving thoughts we can lower stress that way too.
3. Drink more water
On a daily basis I tell patients to drink more water so much that I wish I had a recording of it I could just play it instead of having to say it again and again. I don’t think the average patient even drinks half of the water that they should be drinking and yet it’s always at our disposal and we just need to be more mindful. The average person needs to drink at least 64 ounces of water. If you drink caffeine or coffee, even if it’s decaf, then you will need to drink even more water than that. It also depends on what type of water. Really do your best not to drink tap water. The healthiest bottled water is Mountain Valley but is hard to find. Second best is Evian and third, Smart Water. If you can, pour the water in a glass or ceramic cup before drinking to reduce plastic toxicity.
4. Use less plastic
Not only is using less plastic good for the Earth but also for your body. Plastic in the body acts like estrogen and is a true hormone disrupter, causing weight gain, PMS, infertility issues and more because the body thinks it has too much estrogen. To continue with the plastic water bottles try to buy water in glass but if you can’t don’t drink straight from the water bottle because more plastic will leach into the water with heat and your mouth is 98.7 degrees. Also don’t put plastic in the microwave. Try to use less plastic forks, knives, spoons, straws, baggies and Tupperware. Get the glass pyrex with the rubber tops for leftovers. If you like straws they now have stainless steel straws which come with their own brush and are easy to carry when you are out.
5. Daily Immune booster
Every morning you should do something to boost the immune system to handle what is to come for the day. It could be juicing ginger to put in your green juice, a ginger turmeric shot, garlic chopped up in honey, taking your vitamin C, vitamin D or zinc. I personally take an immune tonic every morning for the last year to stay strong and healthy. It takes a little more time to make but make a bunch of it and it will last about 2 weeks.
Ingredients:
2 small fresh lemons (~1/2 cup) – (with the skin or not, cut into large chunks)
1/2 cup fresh ginger – (peeled, cut into chunks)
1/2 cup fresh garlic cloves – (peeled)
1/2 cup raw organic Manuka honey (the higher the number the more medicinal it is)
Add all ingredients and roughly chopped in a blender, pulsing for a few seconds until everything turns into a paste.
This immune boosting tonic is best taken at one or two teaspoons on an empty stomach in the morning and/or half an hour before meals or before going to bed.
6. One thing a month to boost immune system
Besides the daily boost I also recommend doing something at least once a month if not more to keep the health you have gotten. I am a big proponent of preventative healthcare and this is how you do it. Once a month or more, even up to once a week, do something to take care of your immune system. I built the Healing Arts Wellness Center based on this philosophy and that’s why I wanted one place that had all these healing services for your convenience. To keep the immune system boosted we have the Himalayan salt booth and lymphatic therapy to help. Before COVID I was thinking the salt booth was great for 4 things: sinus and lung issues, skin issues, to boost up the immune system and to detox from crappy NYC air. Now with COVID I think doing salt booth sessions is a must to stay healthy. We can no longer just assume we are healthy but to take preventative measures to ensure we really do stay as healthy as possible.
Just 10 minutes in the salt booth can boost your immune system as you inhale deeply the salt that breaks up inflammation and kills viruses, bacteria, parasites, candida and mold. The lymphatic drainage therapy works differently, using electric bulbs across your skin to get your lymphatic fluid to move. Your lymphatic system carries white blood cells to infections, in this way boosting your immune system. You could also go for cupping, get a massage or acupuncture. There are lots of ways to keep your immune system boosted.
7 . First thing in the morning to help detox
Your body works hard at night healing while you sleep. At 11pm-1am the liver dumps the toxins from the day into the large intestine so we excrete it out the next morning. To help the body with this flush I recommend to many of my patients to drink 32 ounces of water first thing in the morning. Depending on the health concern we add 1/2 lime or lemon to the water or a tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Sometimes instead of all that water I recommend they do a specific apple cider vinegar drink which is not about flushing but more about helping change the pH of the body. For more info on the ACV Drink, click here. https://healingartsnyc.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-healing-apple-cider-vinegar-drink.html. The catch is when you drink something medicinal like this in the morning you have to wait 20-30 at least to drink or eat anything other than water. The drink needs a little time to work through the body.
8. One thing a month to help detox
Besides the daily detox, I also want you to do at least one thing a month that can help you detox on a deeper level. It could be a liver flush where you take certain supplements for a week to break down what is stuck in the liver and then one night before bed you drink 1/4 cup of olive oil straight to get the toxins to move out of the liver. At the office we have lots of different services that could help detox. You could do a PEMF session, using energy to move out toxins or a foot detox bath that pulls toxins out of your body through your feet using an ionic charge. The strongest detox we have the Ozone Sauna where you sit in a personalized sauna pod from your neck down and heat builds as the pod is pumped with ozone. Ozone is oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule. When you combine the wet and warm skin with the ozone gas the extra oxygen that goes in has such great anti-inflammatory and immune boosting effects. Ozone sauna therapy is believed to be a powerful treatment which may be comparable to IV ozone administrations just without the needle. Ozone therapy is a great detoxer because it breaks up lactic acid, increases cellular respiration in muscles, speeds up recovery of damaged tissue and accelerates growth of muscle for those who have tight, sore muscles. Ozone therapy improves blood circulation, improves vitamin and mineral absorption, fights inflammation, and is wonderful at killing mold, parasites, candida, viruses and bacteria. Because it’s such a strong way to detox we offer 10 minute, 20 minute and 30 minute sessions depending on how much detox you can handle.
9. Movement
I feel like people have done one of two things last year, either upped their exercise routine or forgot about it all together. If you are one who has lost his/her exercise routine get back to it. If you are still waiting to feel safe at the gym that’s no longer an excuse. You must find a different way to exercise. There are lots of good apps out there and I personally use Down Dog for my yoga and they have a HIIT app as well I use for my cardio. You can also try their meditation app. Make this year about finding a routine that works for you. For many of you working from home and don’t have clear work boundaries you may want to get up in the morning as if you were going to the office and even go outside and walk around the block to clear your head and be ready for the day. I even suggest at the end of the day to walk around the block or longer to again have your ‘commute’ so that when you go back home you have transitioned out of work. Finding healthy boundaries this way is super important to keep your mental and physical health.
10. Buy local and organic
I still remember being in college when organic started to become a thing and I soooo didn’t want it to make a difference in my health because I didn’t have the money but unfortunately it makes a difference and I see the money I spend on buying organic as an investment in my health. I see the biggest difference not eating organic when I travel and have to eat out. I’m eating all the right things but it’s definitely not organic and on the third day I start to notice. With me, I notice fatigue and trouble digesting with bloat and slower bowel movement. I also think it’s important to buy local and in season. This way you are guaranteed to have your food as nutrient dense as possible which is extremely important to your health. Healthy food equals a healthy you. It can be very overwhelming to make the change to organic, local food so I suggest making one change once a week so that over time you can eat all organic and local food. Another key is to get excited about new foods.
11. Eat pasture raised eggs only.
Pasture raised eggs come from chickens that have been raised outside eating worms and grass. It’s not only about being treated better but the actual natural diet is healthier creating healthier eggs that are loaded with more nutrients. You put a pasture raised egg next to an organic egg you will see a difference in the yolk. The pasture raised yolk is dark yellow because it’s richer in vitamins and minerals compared to the organic egg. Worms and grass beat organic soy and corn feed any day.
12. Relax time needs to be scheduled in daily.
I feel like if relax time is not scheduled in then we might not do it. Relax time can easily be eaten up by a phone call that goes 10 minutes over or taking 10 minutes more than you should trying to figure out what is for dinner. Then by the end of the day you are rushing to get to bed at a decent hour or you are staying up way too late to get your relax time in but it then backfires because you are too tired the next day. So part of what you might need to do is better time management overall or maybe pencil in a relax time. Some people do best with relax time at the beginning of the day. They feel like they start the day off on a better foot not rushing into the day. Some need a breather in the middle of the day and will take their relax time with lunch or some feel more relaxed at the end of the day and do it then. Whatever your preference, it doesn’t matter, just make sure it is 20 minutes of doing something, anything that is relaxing. “Me time” is what I like to call it and I personally like to take it in the morning before my kids get up. It fills me up and gets me ready for the day. Trouble is if one of the kids gets up too early and interrupts my 20 minutes I’m cranky so I have to learn to not rely on it so much.
13. Learn a breathing technique
If my 20 minutes me time gets interrupted I realize to help my mood I need to do more deep breathing that day to help. Luckily breathing deep can be done anywhere at anytime. Just 3 deep breaths can shift my mood and nervous system to be more calm. I do suggest going deeper than just 3 deep breaths this year and taking the time to learn a breathing technique. If it’s one thing this pandemic has taught me it is the importance of strengthen your lungs. Yes the lungs are an organ that you can exercise. The stronger they are the healthier you can be even if you don’t have asthma, chronic cough or other breathing issues. There are tons of different breathing techniques out there so pick one and use it on a daily basis. I personally love and use heart centered breathing from Heart Math, Wim Hof is an extremist athlete who has some amazing Youtube videos, and coherent breathing which I probably use the most of. Coherent breathing is simply breathing in for 6 counts and breathing out for 6 counts.
14. Look at ingredients of everything you put in your mouth and on your skin.
Reading food labels I think is a skill set they should be teaching in school. Imaging if every kid read the ingredients of the cereal they were asking their parents for. What they would come to realize is there is a lot of words on there that they may not be able to pronounce. So one of my rules is if you can’t pronounce what’s in it, don’t eat it. Also, it’s a good place to look for hidden sugars that you may want to stay away from and you will quickly learn just because it says organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy for you.
Besides food, we should be reading labels of our skin care, hair care, toothpaste, lotions, makeup, etc.. Everything we put on our bodies makes a difference because it gets absorbed by the skin. The main ingredient to stay away from is titanium dioxide. So choose wisely, choose healthy products, it does make a difference.
15. Eat 5 servings of veggies a day.
That is not a typo. Thinking about this one has made me create my own food pyramid that I am currently working on and will share soon and trust me, bread is not at the bottom with 6-11 servings like the original food pyramid that the USDA put out and used 1992-2005. I do agree with the food pyramid’s vegetable serving of 3-5 servings a day and want you to push for at least 5 servings a day. What is a serving size? You might be surprised to realize 1 cup broccoli and 12 baby carrots is a serving size. In general, 1 cup for raw vegetables and 1/2 cup for cooked vegetables. So what does that look like for me? 1 cup of spinach in the morning in my pea protein (I love Kachava, here is a code for $15 off) or collagen smoothie (I use Garden of Life). I need to alternate to keep my body happy. 2.5 cups arugula for lunch and 1.5 cups arugula for dinner. I keep it simple and obviously love arugula with whatever protein I am going to eat. You may want to get interested in different vegetables. I think the key is to find a way to have a serving at breakfast. There is no such thing as breakfast food so maybe start with a cup of leafy greens with eggs or hid it in a smoothie like I do.
16. Once a month do chiro and massage to keep in alignment.
Why are we doing all these healthy things? To support our body and give it the nutrition that it needs to heal. Part of that support should be getting body work done to take stress off the joints and muscles so they can function better. Even when you don’t have joint or muscle pain I do suggest getting body work done as a preventative. On average I do suggest once a month getting adjusted and once a month getting a massage to keep the joints in alignment and muscles relaxed. Some people might need more and some might need less depending on the stress you are putting on your body or the mental stress you are going through. Thinking of mental or emotional stress the other thing you may want to keep in alignment is your chakras. Chakras are energy centers in your body that need to stay open to have the energy flow. Closed or blocked chakras will cause emotional upset, self sabotage and even physical issues like trouble sleeping, sore throats, poor digestion and more. Chakra light therapy is the best known therapy I know of for aligning the chakras and energy of the body. It’s relaxing to do for 20 minutes by lying on a massage table and letting special crystals emit certain frequencies of light into your chakras while you relax. You can get muscle tested at your next appointment to see if chakra therapy would benefit you. Just like when I put pressure on the organs I can put my hand in your energy centers and see if they are balanced. Benefits of having your chakras aligned are increased energy, feeling relaxed, better sleep, better mood and less stress.
17. Drink Ozone water
I muscle test for how much ozonated water someone should drink but on average I get 16 ounces a day. Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. The health benefits are a result of the ozone breaking apart creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use. The more oxygen in the body the better! Ozone adds oxygen to the blood stream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function and boosts the immune system making it stronger and better able to fight infections. This type of water has been shown in a number of scientific studies to kill bacteria and viruses. That’s why I also use ozonated water to wash my fruits and vegetables. Drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach regularly can also detoxify your intestinal tract and give you energy. So there are a lot of health benefits to drinking ozonated water. You will have to buy a machine that puts the extra oxygen in the water. I use the Ozo-pod and you can buy online, https://healingartsnyc.com/shop/ozone-pod
18. Remember the Serenity prayer
If you haven’t heard of it before or need a reminder, here is the Serenity prayer:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
When I’m going through a hard time I have to remind myself of this prayer daily. It helps me remember to concentrate on what I do have control over and just let the rest go. I think we cause ourselves a lot of stress when we worry about things that we don’t have control over. Remembering this prayer is a way of trusting and giving you direction in your life during stressful times.
19. No electronics 30 min. before bed
A good night’s sleep is so important. It’s only when you are sleeping the body is healing. Even if you think you sleep well it’s a good habit to not have any electronics on at least 30 minutes before bed. This includes phones, computers, tablets and TV. The blue light from the screens actually signal our body to stay awake. I promise you if you do this you will feel like you get a deeper sleep. So what do you do with those 30 minutes before bed? It’s like an unknown. If I don’t have my electronics I don’t know what to do. Find a bedtime routine. If you do about the same thing every night it helps signal the body to start winding down. Some ideas: take a hot shower or bath, read a good book, but not too exciting, do your deep breathing technique, meditate or listen to a visualization. This is also a good time to practice gratitude. As you are lying down in bed review the day and make a list either in a journal or just mentally of all the good things that happened that day that you are grateful for. In this way, no matter how intense of a day, you go to bed only thinking of the positive things which is helpful to get a deeper night’s sleep and for your mental health.
20. Go to bed at 11pm at the latest
So now that we talked about what to do before bed let’s talk about a bedtime. Yes, even adults should have a bedtime. The reason I say to be asleep by 11pm is that your body works on a schedule. Every organ has a circadian rhythm that it follows which means in a 24 hour cycle it has a 2 hour window where it is at it’s peak and performing strong and 12 hours later where it is at it’s weakest, most vulnerable stage. Good examples of this is the afternoon slump that a lot of people feel at 2-4pm is due to the adrenal glands being at their weakest so the body produces less adrenaline. If the adrenal glands are healthy you won’t feel the slump but if they are already struggling you will feel a shortage of energy at this time. The heart’s weakest at 3-5am. That’s why if someone has a heart attack and they make it through the night their chances of surviving are greatly increased. MDs know this as a statistic and now you know why. So the reason for the 11pm bedtime is because that’s when the liver is at it’s peak dumping all the toxins from the day into the gallbladder duct where it travels to the large intestine to be excreted the next morning. It is best to be asleep during this 11pm-1am time so the liver can easily do it’s job and move more toxins. Again, the body only heals while it’s sleeping.
21. Find a healthy indulgence with food
A big part of my job is to help people change the way they are eating. The muscle testing I do is very specific with what foods to avoid to have better health but sometimes they are the foods we eat a lot of. I know it’s not always easy to avoid the cheese you love or the sugar you crave. So our goal is to help you find the healthier alternative so you don’t feel so deprived. If cheese is your thing try nutritional yeast. If it’s chocolate try Evolve chocolate made with coconut sugar. I love Anita’s coconut yogurt if you need to find a milk alternative. There are so many more products out there than even 5 years ago and trust me when I was first starting a program in 1997 gluten-free was not a thing. I think there are so many great alternatives. Your goal is to find which ones work for you and keep them stocked in the kitchen so you eat the healthy alternatives instead of reaching for what you know you shouldn’t.
So there you have it 21 things that will make a difference in your health to make sure you do for 2021. Start with the easier changes and work to the harder ones. Keep this list on hand to refer back to because in a few months certain things may slip but your goal is to always get back on. I know you are already looking forward to my 2022 list!