Several months ago I purchased my dream... and infrared sauna blanket. I had wanted so badly to get a sauna for years, but space is limited, and I am not really prepared yet to go all out remodeling the house in order to have the most amazing infrared sauna room.

So why a sauna blanket? The right Infrared Sauna Blankets detoxify the body and boosts your metabolic rate so you burn calories like you’re working out, without working out. This can be so supportive when your body just won't budge, but you perhaps can't workout. Wouldn't you love to get that elated workout feeling, you know that runners endorphins, without the exhaustion?  Infrared sauna therapy has been shown to significantly decrease pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome, a chronic disorder that is characterized by widespread pain with localized tenderness. It researchers are just beginning to study these effects of infrared sauna therapy on pain and stiffness caused by different autoimmune diseases, showing in four weeks those with rheumatoid arthritis showed improvements in pain, stiffness, and fatigue.

However if you are an athlete, you get the benefit of that “hyperthermic conditioning”. This is the idea of using your sauna as a biohack to your next performance as when you use the sauna it optimizes blood flow to the heart, skeletal muscles, skin, and other tissues because it increases your plasma volume. This hyperthermic conditioning session then leads to endurance enhancements in your next workout or physical activity, when your core body temperature is once again elevated.

On top of that I find it supports me in getting a great sleep. Many of you know that I have battled with my adrenals for years, and as such my cortisol levels can spike in the evening and keep me wide awake when my body really craves sleep and renewal. Infrared has been show to increase feel good chemicals and lowers cortisol.


So think about the idea of relaxing into the soothing, yet stimulating heat in the evening, as those infrared rays also trigger your brain’s happiness chemicals. That's where the idea of the healthy, rejuvenating experience that leaves you feeling euphoric, Higher Dose, comes into play.

Of course I didn't want just any sauna blanket. This blanket has healing amethyst which deepens benefits of infrared, a tourmaline layer that generates negative ions and a charcoal layer to amplify detoxification process. It also has a medical grade magnetic strip for improved blood circulation and is made from premium non-toxic interior and exterior fabrics. I loved that this was model designed in part by Dr. Raleigh Duncan, Founder of Clearlight Saunas.

So when I asked in my sauna group about it, everyone was like, you need a low EMF heating device. Of course, this is. I even bought an EMF detector to test it out because EMFs are so dangerous that I even mention them in my book, Exploring Aromatherapy.

EMF is the flow of electrons, and low frequency EMFs are those that come from human-made electrical machines. These low frequencies cause an energy disruption in our energy fields because it is the natural order of energy. Aromatherapy, smoke cleansing, sound therapy, energy work and anything that helps to increase your higher vibrations will help with keeping us aligned. However they are not something that will keep the EMFs from doing what they do, and so it’s a constant battle of balance. Over the last 30 years the concern that daily exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields, considered to be 1 to 300 Hz, might be harmful to human health. 

 So I tested it, and my vibration plate since it was nearby... and then in the second video my computer. This was put together for the guy that runs the sauna group, because he will only promote items that are low EMF. Listen, the guy sits naked on his deck daily for the Vitamin D... he's serious about his wellness.

Many celebrities including Selena Gomez swear by these blankets, as she recently told Elle.com, Selena said, “It's changed my skin, it's kind of changed my body as well, so it feels really good." Many sports professionals also travel with it, because it's compact and lightweight enough for taking on the road, but FYI, not probably something you want to check in baggage so better for road trips.

The group I am in highly touts infrared sauna for the deep detox as it is seven times more detoxifying than using a traditional heat for cleansing.

They say that it is anti-aging and can boost collagen and produces a healthy "glow". I get the healthy glow idea, but I find that if you overdo your sauna without replenishing moisture to your skin, the effect is drying. So I always use my mixture of facial oil and moisturizer before bed, especially after a sauna session. When I am looking to detox I follow the niacin protocol several hours before my sauna, and then when it heats my tissues several inches deep, the infrared vibrates those water molecules pulling toxins out that are stored deep within your fat cells. I've talked a lot about the "whoosh factor" and my Fat Activation program, because we have to lose the mindset of "losing fat" and instead engage in activating our fat to be it's healthiest. When we are enveloped in infrared heat, our body will go into full relaxation mode without resistance, which allows toxins to be more easily released. Of course I follow my sauna with a cold shower, and a good binder, or two, to make sure I am grabbing those items I've released to help them along their way.

I decided about a month ago that I was going to finally take the plunge. No, I am not going to go ice hiking with Hof and dunk my body into an ice vat. Yes, I am taking a detox from social media... my new chocolate ... my new addiction.

I realized that over the last year the amount of time I was spending opening up Facebook and Instagram on my phone was growing exponentially. It's natural because as we make friends, we want to connect. When we connect, we get that big jolt to our reward center. As a fourth generation alcoholic, that's not something that works for me in the healthiest way. My drinking was big in my youth, and I left it behind. However as my need for social media was growing, my need for just a little bit of cider, or whiskey, or rum was also growing. It was apparently clear to me that this addiction to social media was a gateway drug.

So I started prepping. I do business online, which means I wanted to create and schedule content for my followers. As well, I also wanted to prepare myself with an agenda of "things to do". About a week before Lent (which starts tomorrow) I decided to just go ahead and take the apps off my phone. I felt like someone had cut my arm off. It was an awful wake up to how dependent on that fix I had become.

I started trying to tune into what my body was feeling, and I also may have carb loaded through some of the emotions I was going through. It's not unusual for an addict to replace their drug of choice with sugar. This is why the focus for recovery is a healthier way of eating. Sugar is also a gateway drug.

I will keep you all updated as I go through this journey, but so far I am talking in a more complex and concrete manner with my friends. I am learning to ask for what I need, and share how I am feeling without gifs. I am going to be doing a meditation a day, and trying to add a short yoga sequence into my workout program (which has been put off for a week because I had hormones injected into my right butt cheek... more on that to come soon). It will be interesting to see how much I downsize my social media interactions when I return. At this point I may not want to put the apps back on my phone because I am starting to feel the release.

I will say that today as I was waiting for a video to finish encoding for a new project I am working on, I opened a new tab and clicked on Facebook. I immediately closed it and was in shock and awe that I had created this programming of not being able to have the patience to even sit with my feelings for a minute or two. This has come up a lot in my life recently, this idea of understanding that timing is what it is, and patience is part of that program. You may feel like you are already there, and rush into something rather than taking the time to process how you feel and make your choices worth it. This is another lesson that I will have a lot of gratitude for as this detox completes.

So I will be finished on April 9th, and until then from time to time I will update on how I am. Wish me luck, and learning, because it is time to transform this programming into something more aligned with my holistic desires.

Depression...
Irritability...
Fatigue...
Insomnia...

Maybe you have Adrenal Fatigue &
perhaps Copper Toxicity??

Having been a copper craver my whole life, I started looking into what copper toxicity really was. When you have a copper toxicity in your tissues from lack of copper binding proteins, it turns out you'll have a struggle with your histamine levels as well. High histamine symptoms are often equated with estrogen dominance symptom because of under-methylation. Your adrenals become the innocent victims of this toxic realm. I remember several years ago at my doctor's appointment when she was like, "Wow, your adrenals are shot!" Thank you so much.

Part of the story is when B12 slows down histamine release, which is why vegans often struggle the right balance of histamine levels, the result is small amounts of PCOS symptoms that seem to come and go. But if you are an under-metalator... B12 is not your friend, and you cannot be vegan... that is what they say. We need B12 dearly, and they say you should get it naturally not in supplementation. Luckily there are so many good ways, like shots and highly absorbable B12 options now, but it was interesting to go through this process. The worst was having my mast cells going crazy, especially with the agitation of how my body already deals with allergens and mold. 




The best sources of B12 in foods are: Sardines, Salmon, Tuna, Cod, Lamb, Scallops. One serving of any of these will give 100% of your B12 needed. And when I take a regular b-complex... look out... my anxiety goes through the roof... its folate I need not folic acid. And it seems to be that I cannot just use a regular methylated B12 either. What works best for me is a combo B12 with adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin. I have a chewable that I take along side my whole food supplement that has been a winning combination for me.

How do Histamine Levels Figure Into All Of These Issues?

I'm So FROZEN (have you seen Frozen II?) ... Oh wait, that's just excess histamine release ...

The extreme chill you feel could be excess histamine release. As well symptoms that appear to be allergy related may be more obscure than you think. For example, sneezing may be an allergy symptom, but muscle pain, insomnia and acid reflux may also be signs of allergy. These are all signs of excessive histamines. Since histamine has a large amount of functions within the human body, the effects of high histamine blood levels can vary widely.

Current studies have shown that there are direct links between histamines, the irritants produced in an allergic reaction, and the nervous system. People with too much histamine in their brains experience anxiety and depression. And detox raises histamine levels. I first started to figure out histamines when I would come home from the gym and an hour later is when I'd start to freeze and want to curl up in a ball under a mountain of blankets.

The symptoms of toxicity may also be more obscure than you think. You may have headaches, joint pains, colitis and even poor coordination may be signs of toxicity. Another sign is skin eruptions and rashes. I woke up with a nice little rash this morning, too.

Your body has a unique detoxification system. It comes with many fail-safe mechanisms. A toxin may simply be detoxified and rendered harmless – usually by the liver. This is often accomplished through enzymes with the help of antioxidants. These poisons may be turned into useful tools, such as when blood toxins are turned into bile to help us digest fat from our diet.

Some toxins are difficult to detoxify; they may be stored permanently in fat. Other toxins and allergens are stored temporarily in water in the lymphatic system. Detoxification, stress, and even like I said, exercise can cause these symptoms. This is why people get "puffy" with allergies or toxicity. I know you've had that issue before. These high-histamine levels often are due to a metabolic imbalance that results from under-methylation. Sound familiar??

I think I'm going to kick up my Acerola Berry and Citrus oils today, because both of these help release those toxins that my body just wants to dig deep and hold on to.

The key is you need to clear out more than just your colon. You need to clear out your system all the way through to the tissues. That can't be done in a quick cleanse. It takes a natural, healthy routine in your life. I plan to do a quick two week cleanse in the new year... so make sure you follow along.

I think my body is ready for some renewal before for this new year. Want to join me? I offer a clean two weeks every month, so just jump in when you are ready. Connect with me after the holiday and get your wellness consult or quantum biofeedback session and see how I can help. Believe me that you can feel better if you work through your wellness process with a support team.

January is going to be an amazingly busy month, so for a lot of my clients that may mean email consults when you can't find a space for a one-on-one. I will be increasing my online lives and so you will get to see some of my sunny (or not so sunny) personality on Facebook and IGTV. I do have one opening for a holistic branding or book authorship client, and one design client spot currently open for January. Don't wait until they are filled to decide you want to work with me.

This is something I plan for every year, and so I wanted to talk about how we plan for life. Because if you don't plan life, it will create on it's own. My number one priority is to live an elevated joy-filled life that feels as balanced as possible. I get this with a variety of items that are my Core alignments.

1 - Choose healthy for me
2 - Actively engage in parenting in a loving manner
3 - Connect to those I love
4 - Pursue with awareness in everything I do

If I were to sleep in, eat junk, close myself off (even when you ache and want to), spend hours online, let the house fall into chaos ... none of that would be aligned to who and where I want to be in this life. For me I found that everything came back to wellness. When I pull out all of the punches and wake myself up to the possibilities and manifest my dreams it all comes back to my wellness. If I am not in it, I cannot give 100% to anything. So I have to honor my number one priority by getting all of those whole foods, moving and grounding, taking time to unwind, being in the moment and aware of my desires and why they are in existence at this time. I have had to learn the art of saying 'no'. Sometimes we can't do it, and that's okay.

There is this Principal of Progressive Overload that I learned about in my fitness certifications. It is based on the fact that when the amount of exercise (or overload) is progressively increased, the body continues to adapt. When the amount of your purpose fueled tasks are performed without momentary failure, your personal goals will be developed into reality. When the amount of items pop up in your life that has nothing to do with your alignment, the chaos and obstacles will continue to increase. You will adapt in a manner that will undermine everything you are trying to achieve.

I want you to focus in on three key areas of your alignment this month. Frequency, Intensity, Duration. Whenever you look at items on your project planner, calendar, or to-do list ask yourself the following... Am I doing this frequently enough or too frequently? To get where I want to go do I need to rev up the intensity, or am I plowing over others and missing an opportunity to listen and enjoy the moments? Do I need to do this for a longer duration, or am I putting in too much time for this task?

I am like a giant satellite. Being intuitive I gain so much knowledge from the fringe of who everyone is, what their emotions are, what they desire... and then whatever I feel gets thrown out there full on and broadcast to everyone. So that intensity and plowing can sometimes block opportunities if I don't realize I am broadcasting too much frequency, am coming on too intense, and I am not allowing for patience to play into the manifesting process. Like my child I have ZERO patience for anything ... although all of the best things come to those that wait.

I know that all of our personal growth really depends on getting those three items right for everything you choose to spend your time doing. So make sure you are asking these dimensional questions because this will either align your progress, or not. We have moved a lot in 2019, which is why I really need to take the next few weeks to rejuvenate my heart, my soul and my body. When I return to clients on January 6th, I expect that I will be even more open, more joyful, more aware of the possibilities and desires for this new year.

Much love,
Barbara Christensen - Paleo Vegeo

The early pioneers of both wellness and network marketing were motivated by the sense that it was possible to create a better life than the conventional routes offered - better personal health and better economic health, respectively. Now the 'alternatives' of yesterday have become the economic powerhouses of today and tomorrow. - Paul Zane Pilzer