Essentials for Health

Sunlight contains a much wider array of wavelengths of light than lightbulbs or screens. Our bodies & eyes are best adapted to this natural spectrum of light.

Exposing our skin & eyes to the sun—especially morning sun—is essential for vitamin D production, circadian rhythm, & overall mood enhancement!

When we expose our eyes to morning sunlight, the body prepares for the UV-rich mid-day sun, making our skin more resistant to burning.

Sun exposure also increases melatonin & nitric oxide production, leading to better sleep, antioxidant function, & circulation.

Daily sensible sun exposure is a great foundation for overall health.

Water is essential to our body’s functioning, so we want it to be clean! Tap water & even most bottled water is filled with toxic chemicals, like chlorine, fluoride, & prescription medications.

Filters, like reverse osmosis, can remove the toxic chemicals. Natural spring water can also be a clean source!

Ideally, water should be stored in glass or stainless steel, not plastic. Microplastics & chemicals, like BPA, can leach into the water, especially if it becomes warm.

Make sure to include minerals in your water for adequate hydration. A simple strategy is to add a pinch of high-quality sea salt & organic lemon juice.

There is an abundance of food in our society, but most of it is not nutrient-dense. Processed foods, fast foods, and junk foods are all nutritionally devoid.

The most nutrient-dense foods are animal foods. This includes meat, organ meats, fish, eggs, & dairy.

Animal foods are also a source of bioavailable nutrients, meaning that the nutrients are easily absorbed & used by the body.

The Weston A. Price Foundation is a fantastic source of information. Click here for a copy of their Principles of Traditional Diets, Dietary Guidelines & Dietary Dangers.

When the body becomes overburdened from physical, chemical, and mental/emotional stressors, subluxation (nervous system interference) occurs. Often the nervous system gets stuck in the “fight-or-flight” sympathetic state.

The sympathetic nervous system is trying to protect us from possible threats by changing our physiology in an effort to help us survive. This reaction was fantastic for when our ancestors encountered predators, like lions, but can lead to problems in the modern world when our stressors are constant.

Chiropractic adjustments help to restore nervous system ease by correcting subluxations & making the nervous system more resilient. Diet & lifestyle change also help to reduce nervous system stressors in your life!

In today’s society, we spend much of our day sedentary. Working out/playing sports on the weekends is a great way to get moving, but ideally we should engage in movement throughout the day, everyday.

Movement is not just necessary for physical health. It is also important for brain health.

As we move our bodies, we activate our frontal lobes. This area of the brain is responsible for a variety of things, including behavior, executive skills (planning, decision making, etc.), & emotional control.

Movement doesn’t have to be formal exercise, it can be as simple as moving for a few minutes every hour or even playing!

Check out our Movements for Health here.

Quality sleep is essential for health. Sleep is the time when our brains solidify memories & flush out toxins.

Unfortunately, many people do not get adequate or quality sleep because of lack of sun exposure to the eyes during the day, too much blue light exposure (TVs, phones, computers, etc.) into the night, eating too close to bedtime, poor glucose regulation, poor breathing habits, & being stuck in a “fight-or-flight” state.

By making lifestyle changes, learning how to nose breathe, & doing things to promote nervous system ease (like getting adjusted), you can improve your sleep!

Breathing is something we do all day, every day.

Most people don’t realize that the amount of carbon dioxide present in our blood cells, determined by how we breathe, impacts how much oxygen we can use. Carbon dioxide is what allows red blood cells to release oxygen to be used by the body.

Unfortunately, many people are breathing inefficiently, leaving their bodies in a stressed state. Inefficient breathing is often the result of over-breathing due to chronic mouth breathing.

Training yourself to breathe properly— through your nose, in a quiet, controlled & rhythmic manner— will have a profound effect on your nervous system, the amount of energy you have, & the quality of your sleep.

In our world, we are constantly exposed to toxins. Pesticides on our food & lawns, EMFs from Wi-Fi & bluetooth, off-gassing from new furniture & paint, heavy metals in our dental fillings, phthalates & parabens in our personal care products, & BPA on receipts. Just to name a few.

While our bodies are incredible at detoxification, our world is more toxic today than ever before & our bodies can become overburdened.

Actively working to detoxify our lives by reducing or eliminating toxic exposures is ideal. We can then work to support our bodies in their natural detoxification pathways to handle unavoidable toxins.

EMFs are electromagnetic fields. We are surrounded by them & our bodies are constantly responding to them.

Native EMFs—the EMFs naturally existing in nature—are not harmful to us. However, non-native EMFs— the EMFs created by technology such as Wi-Fi, 5G, & bluetooth— are not natural and negatively affect our physiology.

In our current society, it is impossible to completely avoid non-native EMFs, but we can minimize them, shield ourselves from them, & mitigate the consequences of exposure.

We thrive best in a tribe.

We all yearn to have strong social bonds, to connect with the people that understand us & share our values.

When we have a community like this, we experience laughter, joy, & the freedom to be ourselves. We also know we have love & support through both good times & challenging ones.

Having strong social bonds changes our physiology & impacts our physical & mental health. We become more hopeful & resilient.

Find your tribe. We hope The Homestead family can be a part of it!

Most people are nature-deficient. We live in cities & towns where everything is paved & there are buildings instead of trees. We spend all day inside, staring at screens. We rarely find ourselves truly immersed in the beauty of nature.

Spending time immersed in nature calms our nervous systems, provides us with beneficial microbes, & allows us the opportunity to disconnect from technology & reconnect to ourselves & the world around us.

Find opportunities to spend time in nature. Play at park, hike a mountain, swim in the ocean. Rediscover the peace that you can find in nature.

One part of our purpose statement is to inspire a purposeful community. That is because having a sense of purpose leads to increased optimism, resiliency, & hope.

Our sense of purpose, which can come from our faith, our passions, & our love for others, can be a guiding force or source of strength through life’s choices & challenges.

Having purpose gives meaning to our lives & allows us to feel fulfilled. The joy & satisfaction we find in pursuing something we love allows us to show up better for ourselves, our family, our friends, & our community.

Ultimately, the mental peace that comes from having a sense of purpose leads to overall better health.