5 things to share...vol #1
I truly appreciate the weekly, "helpful tidbit" emails from people such as Tim Ferris and James Clear and for years, I’ve wanted to do a similar email. Here's the first.
Every now and then, I’ll share with you what I am actually reading, studying, and experimenting with (what’s working, what isn’t) along with links to key resources.
"A few things..." emails are intended to be organic, a bit raw and unstructured — and of course always helpful & actionable.
This is an experiment and will evolve. I hope you find them of value as a resource and as inspiration for wellbeing.
Let me know what you think — and share with others if you find useful.
Enjoy!
1. Here are the weekly resource / “digest” style emails I subscribe to and actually read with some regularity. They all provide curated content related to personal growth, health, and inspiration.
- Tim Ferris — 5-bullet Friday — 5 Things Tim’s Been Loving, Using, and Reading: Books, Gadgets, Hacks, and more.
- The Marginalian — interesting and inspiring articles across art, science, philosophy, creativity, children’s books, and other strands of our search for truth, beauty, and meaning.
- James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter — Author of Atomic Habits (a great book). Thought-provoking and practical with outstanding tips on how to live a better life. If you dig stoicism, you'll dig this.
- Dr. Mark Hyman — Mark’s Pick’s weekly newsletter with what he’s using to take his health to the next level: books, podcasts, research, supplement recommendations, etc. (P.S. he also recommended our Oral Care Complete Kit - cool!)
2. How I healed my gums: a journey from injury to full recovery with natural methods
I accidentally injured my gums over a year ago and while they separated a bit from my two front teeth, they are now reattaching.
Per my dentist, if you avoid re-aggravating the area and keep it free from plaque, gums actually can reattach to teeth. However, it can be hard to do and some people just have the loose gum area surgically removed. (update, there is now PRF therapy to help gums firm up).After my dental cleaning a few weeks ago, they advised me to massage CoQ10 into my gums, and I recommitted to Oil Pulling every day.
[UPDATE: While skeptical, I carefully stuck it out and they have fully reattached. Reminder of how our bodies can self-heal.]
3. Here’s what I did when I ran out of Skin Fuel a few weeks ago.
I order from the site just like you. When I couldn’t get more since Akamai was temporarily sold out, I turned to the kitchen for a simple short-term solution and used one of our unrefined, plant-based cooking oils - coconut oil (probably the heaviest - use sparingly), olive oil (medium - a classic oil used for centuries) and avocado oil (which is lighter/faster absorbing than the other ones).Note: I'd never use a commercial lotion for lots of reasons — including not wanting to screw up my biome with nasty chemicals / fake natural ingredients -- e.g. "naturally derived" pervasive in so-called "natural" brands.
4. Elevated levels of cortisol and stinky armpits.
My levels of stress have been high lately — tipping into stress (not healthy) vs eustress (healthy).
I could smell "me" and that is not normal.
I was reminded of the benefits of not masking our underarms with deodorants so I noticed excess cortisol production.
This enables the pits to be a warning system that stress levels are too high and to practice stress-reducing techniques.
[I kicked the underarm habit about 5 years ago for lots of reasons… specifically chemical-related. Want to learn more? Check out our (UN)Products™ Deodorant]
If you notice the stress/cortisol smell, you can simply wash your pits with soap and water, or use any hand sanitizer or wipe. This will get rid of the smell temporarily.
The cure is addressing the cortisol/stress - meditation, music, exercise, breathing exercises (like this 4-7-8 breath routine) work well - supplements like L-theanine, cbd, ashwaganda, cordyceps, kava, magnesium among others can all help soothe the adrenals. Our Wellness Resources page includes a list of our favorite supplements, we recommend to find what works for you.
5. Words I live by: Make it as simple as possible but no simpler — Albert Einstein
PS. I've been wanting to "hatch" this email series for 4yrs. Today, I accidentally stumbled across this draft I made way back in March 2021, and thinking it wasn't good enough, stalled.
So for all of us perfectionists let's remember Voltaire's quote as we strive for excellence — "Perfection is the enemy of good." 🙏
