With my research on Hashimoto's over this past year, I discovered there may be a link between thyroid health and amalgam fillings. I checked in with my dentist and found I had amalgam fillings, one on each corner of my mouth. I remembered getting these fillings vividly, kicking and screaming the whole way. It definitely made a severe negative neural impression on my brain. I get reminded of my fear every 2-3 weeks when I get my nails done. I love how my nails look when I'm done, but sitting through the part where they drill the hard coating on my nails is torture.

During our cruise, Doug and I did an excursion in Puerto Costa Maya, a Mayan Healing Ritual. As a hypnotist, I love looking at other healing rituals and wonder what I could incorporate into my own practice, personally or privately. We were greeted by our Chaman (Mayan for Shaman, I guess) who would lead us through the 5 part process that included a holistic mix of treatments and rituals. The knowledge has been passed from one Chaman to the next, who must complete an extensive education and proven to be worthy of the honor. Our Chaman was in her mid-late 60’s, and carried with her a distant, but warm demeanor.

Growing up Italian during the holidays meant special treats…I was surrounded by cookies, pasta, cakes, and breads. All of them were homemade, and each one became a comfort food. And them in March of this year, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. One of the first things I read was the importance of removing “gluten” from my diet.

Wait…what? You’re asking me to give up everything I’ve come to know and love about food?

Some years ago, I met a lady who was a Chinese medicine physician. We met at Hypnothoughts and struck up a conversation about how we use hypnosis. She mentioned that she used hypnotic techniques to ask her patients what their symptoms and personal history were. She noticed she had a several clients that had various pains in their breasts, or undetected breast cancer. In nearly all cases, these women had “mommy issues,” miscarriages, abortions, and/or given up babies for adoption. Her clients with endometriosis were often sexually abused.

Doug and I were looking forward to seeing our friend Mark yesterday. I met Mark several years ago at a Law Of Attraction Meet Up Group, and just liked his energy. We gave him a tour of the place and wanted to show him one of the condos we bought a few months ago. When we got to the top of the steps, our elderly neighbor “J” was slumped over the table on his porch, and a young lady named “K”, the neighbor on the other side of his condo, was trying to get him to respond but a little unsure of what to do next.

As a writer and a hypnotist, I end up sitting a lot through out the day. Sometimes, I have to set a timer to make sure I get up and move around! It’s really important to remain active. Our bodies were designed to move, so moving is a great way to honor your body. Diet and exercise are important partners in achieving/maintaining a healthy weight as well. But how much exercise, and how intense?

Lately, I’ve experienced mental fog - big time! I’m juggling a lot of different projects right now, and my mind always seems to be racing from one thought to the next…and then poof! Whatever I was just thinking about is abracadabra…gone! We’ve all experienced mental fog. As a hypnotist, I help my clients deal with this all the time, but sometimes I need a reminder on how to alleviate the symptoms so I can work at my maximum effectiveness!

Just a reminder to all of my clients who are self isolating: KEEP MOVING. It's easy to get complacent, sit around and wallow in fear and "woe is me" thoughts. Your bodies are designed to move. You are biologically meant to be active. Your mind creates all kinds of natural happy chemicals when it moves in ways that makes it happy, so move it!