As spring is upon us, this week we're featuring a supremely simple treat

that can be enjoyed in combination with any of your efforts to clean and

lighten from the winter months - a spicy citrus salad recipe. The vitamin C in the citrus fruit serves as

an important antioxidant in the body, helping to effectively remove toxins.

The cinnamon in this recipe has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels and

even help combat insulin resistance.

Spicy Citrus Salad Recipe

• Peel and segment (removing rind, pith, and skin) 1 orange or ½ grapefruit per person.
• Arrange citrus segments on a plate. You may add mint or cilantro leaves as a garnish.
• For each orange, and/or ½ grapefruit, drizzle 1 Tsp agave nectar (or raw honey) and 1 Tbsp orange blossom water over citrus segments.
• For each orange, and/or ½ grapefruit, sprinkle 1 tsp. cinnamon on citrus sections.
• Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, letting the flavors blend, and serve!

Let us know how you like it or what modifications you made.

As the weather continues to get warmer, more local kinds of fruit will

ripen. Try modifying this recipe by using fresh, seasonal fruits found at

your local farmer's market like berries, apricots or peaches. Or try adding

some of your favorite spices like clove, ginger or nutmeg. Be sure to let

us know how it goes - post your comments, questions, and favorite fruit

combinations to our blog.

Ready for more food support?

Don’t forget that recipes like these are only one part of an entire system designed to help you eat in sync with your cycle all month long!Stay in the loop and get more recipes like these by subscribing to our complimentary weekly women’s health newsletters:[gravityform id="3" name="Get on the road to hormonal health!" title="false" description="false"]

How are you holding up this holiday season? Would you like a stress free holiday?(Don't have time to even read this article? You really need some help! Sign Up Here for our Free Holiday Webinar!)

It's only the start, but you may already feel the pressure building, both emotionally and physically, to keep up with all your obligations.Added stress puts strain on our adrenals, those thumb-sized glands that sit right above our kidneys and kick in to help our body combat stress. When overworked from being in a constant state of alert, they can throw off our delicate hormonal balance, impacting our health in a negative way.Some signs that you might be suffering with adrenal exhaustion:

• difficulty waking up in the morning
• insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
• relying on caffeine and/or sweets to keep you going
• foggy-headedness
• depression
• low libido
• getting sick easily, low immunity

Do any of these sound familiar?Not to worry - we've set up a special free holiday webinar just for YOU to get back your energy and avoid the stress and overwhelm that this season can bring. Register by clicking here!Contrary to what goes on in our modern culture at this time of year, in nature winter is the time for focusing inward and nurturing the self. The colder weather outside draws us to a place of inner warmth and reflection, which is why the excessive shopping-eating-drinking-family-stress frenzy that kicks in around Thanksgiving time, is so counter-intuitive and detrimental to our health.We know how draining and stressful the holidays can be - on your adrenals and overall health, as well as your wallet - which is why we're hosting this webinar.

Here is more information on the FLO Holiday Webinar & how you can have a stress free holiday season:

A FLO Fan Holiday Webinar

FLO Living’s Food & Lifestyle Strategies to Avoid PMS Hangovers, Sabotaged Fertility Plans and Zapped Energy this Holiday Season

Tuesday, December 18th, 9:00-10:00am PST/12:00 – 1:00 pm EST

Host: Alisa Vitti, HHC, AADP, FLO Living Founder

Bonus: One lucky lady will win a free FLO Hormonal Sync System valued at $297.

PLUS, each caller receives a $50 FLO Gift Certificate to be put towards a purchase at FLOliving.com.

Sign up now!

PCOS Research - What You Need to Know!

For the past ten years, FLO Living has been the premier advocate for the natural treatment of hormonal imbalances for women in their reproductive years. In this article, we wanted to put a particular focus on Polycystic Ovarian Sydrome (PCOS) since 1 out of 4 women suffer from it, and the statistics are even higher when you include all of the women who have been misdiagnosed or have just not discovered it yet. It is a major health problem for those affected and one of the leading causes of infertility.In Western medicine, PCOS, along with most other hormonal conditions, is considered incurable. Symptoms include all or some of the following: irregular or absent periods, obesity, acne, facial hair, insulin resistance, depression, etc. The most common "treatments" include the birth control pill, Spironolactone for body hair, and Metformin, an insulin-regulating pharmaceutical typically prescribed to diabetics. What do these solutions have in common? They focus on masking your symptoms without getting to the root of what is causing the issue. For those of you reading who have this condition and have tried common therapies, you can also attest to how frustrated most women with PCOS feel about this type of treatment.At FLO Living, we understand the intricate relationship between a woman's hormones, her diet, and her lifestyle. We understand how simple it is to manage your own hormones without having to rely on drugs, once you have the information you need. And we want you to learn this information too, since we feel it is every woman's right to understand her body and know what her options are.A study done by doctors at the University of Naples highlights the fact that "treatment of PCOS and its complications should not solely be based on pharmacological therapies..." but rather states the following:"Taking into consideration the patients' young age and the devastating effects of PCOS on hormonal and metabolic pattern, this complex and multifaceted disease requires a comprehensive approach in order to achieve concrete beneficial effects for PCOS patients."They recommend "Multidisciplinary programs, including dietary and educational counseling, exercise training, stress management and psychosocial support" as the "gold standard" for treatment of PCOS. Doctors are now supporting what we've been saying and teaching for years!

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

Birth Control Side Effects

Hormonal Manipulation and YouEver read those little information pamphlets that come with your hormonal birth control prescriptions? Ever see the long list of potential birth control side effects and wonder just how much of risk there really is?Interestingly enough, many women today don't really know or understand the health risks that are associated with the manipulation of their hormones through hormonal birth control methods. Your endocrine (hormonal) system is part of a complex network that also impacts your vascular health and brain function. In the old days, when receiving a prescription for hormonal birth control, women were required to sign a piece paper stating that they were aware of the health risks involved - when was the last time you had to do this? And while the pill in particular has seen many changes since it was first released in 1962, many of the same potential side effects remain.

How many of these common birth control side effects are you familiar with?

• Nausea, vomiting, constipation, or bloating
• Irregular menstruation and spotting
• Breast swelling or tenderness
• Decreased libido
• Weight gain or loss of appetite
• Mood swings, anxiety, nervousness or depression
• Changes in vaginal discharge and vaginal infections
• Headaches, dizziness and fatigue
• High blood pressure and cholesterol
• Acne or permanent discolouration of the face
• Fluid retention
• Bone density loss
• Hair loss or changes in hair growth
• Enlarged ovarian follicles

And how about these potential long-term complications of hormonal birth control?

• Eye problems or vision impairment
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Embolism
• Resistance to Insulin
• Immune system suppression
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Breast tumors and liver tumors
• Ectopic Pregnancies
• Links with certain cancers such as cervical cancer
• Blood clots in legs, lungs, heart and brain
• Jaundice

Sounds scary, doesn't it? These potential health risks are not something to be taken lightly - manipulating your hormones is serious business. Remember all of the fuss when HRT was found to be more dangerous than previously thought for women in their menopausal years? Why, then, is it still considered "safe" to manipulate women's hormones during their fertile years?It all comes down to choice.We're not telling you all of this to scare you - many women will continue to use hormonal birth control methods, and will be pleased with their effects. Our goal is simply to empower you with all of the information, so that YOU can make the best choice for YOU. As it stands, the last 70 years or so is the first time in human history that we've manipulated female hormones to this degree. Hormonal imbalances are common in women, and infertility is at an all-time high. Can we say for sure this is all connected? No, but we also can't say for sure that it isn't. With so many options available for re-connecting with our cycles as a powerful source of our feminine energy, why take the drug?*Want to learn more?*If you're interested in reading more about hormonal birth control, here are a couple of good articles to start with:Health Risks of Hormonal Birth Control, from the Women's Health Information websiteIs the Pill Playing Havoc with Your Mental Health? from the Aphrodite Women's Health website

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

GYN Education for Women

Alisa was recently featured on the Huffington Post Live along with Marcelle Pick, Karen Bokram, and Gina Ryder. They were interviewed by Nancy Redd and the discussion was about the need for GYN Education for Women.The topic: Lost in the sex-ed debate is the importance for girls to understand their bodies, cycle, and health. Can we have health education not tied to sexuality? GYN Education for Women vs. Sex EdClick Here to watch the ladies in action! This discussion came about as a result of a great article by Cathy Margolin - Ladies Need GYN Education More Than SEX EducationHere is an excerpt of that article:Rarely have I encountered a female patient who does not present with some sort of hormonal imbalance. Young women complain of PMS signs such as menstrual cramps, mood swings or breast tenderness. Middle-aged women complain of foggy brain, sluggishness, depression and weight gain around the middle. Fortunately, the majority of my patients are wonderfully observant regarding their symptoms, yet all seem to lack a basic gynecological/hormone education. I include myself in this observation, at least when I was a teenager.I was given that standard 7th Grade talk and short film but beyond that, I was on my own. There was no owner's manual on what my body or hormones were up to each month. Whatever was going on we didn't talk about, but honestly my mother didn't have a clue, either. It didn't help that I was the lone daughter in my family. But we've come a long way since the '70s, haven't we? I'm not so sure about that.From what I see in my Alternative Medicine practice, not much has changed in 40 years. Teens and many of my female friends bemoan their monthly cycle month after month because they lack an education on hormone health. Their standard answer for their monthly menstrual pain is the same bottle of pain killers that I once used or the birth control pill. I know too many women who are menopausal, suffering with hot flashes and have reached adulthood with sex education under their belts, but without a firm grasp on their our own gynecological and hormone health.Although every woman knows about birth control pills, they don't seem to have a concept of how these artificial hormones upset their natural hormonal balance. We have been raised ignorant and left with limited resources to solve our female issues. Most women do not know what to do for their difficulties except mask them with some form of a pill or a heating pad. Effective as these means are, I believe it is high time we treat the root and not just the symptoms. To do so we will need to change some bad habits and give our daughters (and ourselves) some 21st century sex education. Not on sex, but on all that occurs between our reproductive cycles.Click Here to read the full article.

FLO Living Tips for a Healthy Thanksgiving Holiday

Our tips for a healthy Thanksgiving holiday will help you stay in the FLO! Start by modeling your plate to include these delicious elements:

What you must remember: Please eat breakfast! Starving yourself until the big meal will only make things worse by causing a huge blood sugar dip, which will result in you wanting to eat anything and everything you can find! Make or bring your own sweet dish. Baked apple crumble, gluten free pumpkin bread, and non-dairy coconut cream pie are among the many healthy dessert options you can make. You’ll feel great knowing your dessert isn’t loaded with sugar, and your guests will love it too! Don’t overdo the bread. There are too many other good things to include (see template above) that won’t leave you feeling bloated or ready for a food- coma, as too much bread or stuffing can do. Fill up on gratitude. Don’t forget the main message of the holiday: Giving thanks. Even if your family can be a stress-inducer, see if you can consciously choose to see the beauty and gratitude in everything around you, and don’t be afraid to share it!

Ready for more food support?

Don’t forget that recipes like these are only one part of an entire system designed to help you eat in sync with your cycle all month long!Stay in the loop and get more recipes like these by subscribing to our complimentary weekly women’s health newsletters:[gravityform id="3" name="Get on the road to hormonal health!" title="false" description="false"]

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes to Keep you in your FLO!

Smashed Roots

• 3 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 turnips peeled and cubed
• 1 celery root peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 T olive oil

Prepare all veggies. In a large pot place 3 inches of water and a steamer basket. Steam all veggies, one root at a time. Smash everything together with the olive oil and salt in your serving bowl and enjoy.Health Benefits:A hormone healthy alternative to mashed potatoes, the vit A in the sweet potatoes will help your liver break down estrogen and other toxins (aka alcohol) so you don’t start to break out or have PMS from hell over the December holidays. The turnips and celery root aside from cutting the glycemic load of your typical mashed potato side dish, also contain high levels of potassium, magnesium and vit B6 which help banish bloat, keep your cycle regular, and diminish symptoms of PMS. All a very good thing when trying to have a drama free holiday ;)

Baked Parsnips and Fennel and Green Beans

• 2 bulbs fennel sliced into ½ inch slices

• 6 parsnips quartered
• 1 lb of green beans trimmed
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 T olive oil

Prepare all veggies. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring one medium pot of salted water to boil. Drop parsnips into boiling water for 5 min and place in to your casserole/baking dish. In same pot of water, boil green beans for 5 min or until just tender. Finally, blanche the fennel in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Mix everything together with the olive oil and salt in the baking dish and place in to the oven. Let roast for 20 minutes until everything is golden and the green beans have a caramelized look to the skin.Health Benefits:Fennel will help with digestion and bloating, Green beans and parsnips have a tremendous amount of fiber that will keep you full. The whole effect of the dish is a wonderful combination of savory and sweet and will stave off the cravings for too much dessert after the meal.

Energy FLO Smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1 scoop egg white protein powder (or Vega, Plant Fusion)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/3 banana or 1/4 avocado

Mix all ingredients in your blender or food processor.Sip and enjoy.Health benefits: Having a proper breakfast before the thanksgiving meal is a huge key in not overdoing it with food later. This combination of adrenal-supportive protein, blood-sugar-balancing cinnamon, naturally energizing and anti-oxidizing raw cacao, plus hormone-balancing maca root will keep you in the celebrating mood.

Ready for more food support?

Don’t forget that recipes like these are only one part of an entire system designed to help you eat in sync with your cycle all month long!Stay in the loop and get more recipes like these by subscribing to our complimentary weekly women’s health newsletters:[gravityform id="3" name="Get on the road to hormonal health!" title="false" description="false"]

If your period isn't coming, it is time to connect the dots, find help, and make some changes. Do not stress and worry if your period isn't coming, but you should take time to research and inform yourself as well as talking to your healthcare team about your missing periods. It is part of any healthy hormonal cycle, a key measure of a woman’s overall health, and a symbol of our vitality and creativity. Plus, the symptoms we get when we don’t ovulate are no fun.If you’re experiencing infertility you might be all too aware that you are not ovulating, but the best way to keep tabs is to track your ovulation signs.

Why isn't My Period Coming?

There are 5 ways to track your ovulation signs, including tracking your hormonal symptoms. A great way to do this is with the MyFLO app, which makes it easy and educational.Think of your hormonal cycle as a chain reaction–if one stage does not occur properly, the following stages will not receive the correct triggers. When your ovary releases an egg, the ruptured egg sack produces progesterone.

The increase of progesterone in your body encourages the build up and eventual release of the lining of your uterus (bleeding!). Without proper ovulation, low or no progesterone is produced. Communication between your ovaries, uterus, and pituitary gland (the hormone pump in your brain) goes awry.When this chain reaction loses a link you get symptoms that show up in your period or at another time in your cycle. Ovulation every cycle is the key to avoiding these health issues. To ovulate, your body needs the right nutrients and the right kind of care.

Some of the symptoms you’ll get may not even seem like symptoms to you - in the case of light periods. Other symptoms might be what you consider your norm - like late periods every other month. Your body is indicating what you need to do to get back on track. Please be aware the textbook reasons for not ovulating include: pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, over-exercising, being underweight, or having cysts on your ovaries (PCOS). There are several kinds of PCOS that women can experience on a PCOS spectrum, with specific root causes and specific natural treatments.If none of these apply to you, both you and your doctor might be baffled as to what’s happening and exactly why your period is missing.

But - I know why. I have helped thousands of women bring back their period, regain ovulatory cycles, and banish their symptoms. As I say in the video, one woman came to me who had not had her period in 13 years! After 3 months following my FLO Living protocol she got her period back.It can happen for you, too.

Common reasons for women with a hormonal imbalance

If you are sure that you are not pregnant, and your period isn't coming, there are several explanations. Here are some of the most common cases for abnormal periods for women with a hormonal imbalance:

Light Periods

Your uterine lining not getting the signal to thicken properly.

Lengthy Spotting after Predicted Ovulation Time

Your uterine lining not getting the signal to stay put!

Late/Irregular Periods

These bleeds are usually not officially “periods” at all but breakthrough bleeding instead, which is when your uterine lining builds up, lacks proper signal to release, and eventually breaks through.

Severe Cramps

Cramps indicate not enough progesterone (the “soothing” hormone) produced to balance out high estrogen levels.

Missing Periods

Your period isn’t coming at all. in some cases, lack of ovulation shuts down the entire menstrual process. As you heard in the video, this can happen after you’ve used hormonal birth control, if you have PCOS, or for other reasons.Ovulation can be skipped by your body for a number of reasons - the root cause for women is often stress which, when chronic enough, can throw off your cycle. Other potential factors at play are imbalanced blood sugar and poor sleep.

‍

How to Restart Your Late or Missing Period

The powerful mix of stress and poor sleep is the reason for many women’s period problems.Trying to do it all and have it all leaves us stressed out, overworked, over-caffeinated, sugared up and fatigued. Our high-stress lifestyles take a toll on our kidney/adrenal organ system.In modern terms, this is our stress management system.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is the heart of the body–the source of our basic vitality and creative energy. The kidney system supports all reproductive organs (uterus and ovaries) and activities (sex drive!). If you’ve got adrenal fatigue or “burnout” from doing too much and resting too little, your body may have no energy to produce an egg, hence why your period isn’t coming.

To get ovulation going, you need to rebuild energy in your kidneys. At your local health food store you’ll find plenty of herbal remedies and supplements for building kidney energy, but your body won’t effectively process the delicate herb essences if your diet and lifestyle do not also support you.Luckily, FLO Living’s natural hormone-balancing protocol is designed to simply and effectively solve this issue through implementing the proper food and lifestyle plan for your unique female body - Cycle Syncing. You can start Cycle Syncing today by downloading the MyFLO app to get cycle phase-to-cycle phase advice on the right foods, exercise options, self-care techniques, and other activities to bring back your period, make your cycles regulate, and get you ovulating!

To your FLO,

‍Alisa

A study from the National Institute of Health suggested the majority of women will develop uterine fibroids at some point during their lifetime. These benign uterine growths can range from the size of a pea to that of a melon, and symptoms can vary from none at all to heavy or painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain during intercourse, and lower back pain, to name a few.A diagnosis of uterine fibroids can often mean just one thing: a prescription for the birth control pill as a way to control the growth of the fibroids and symptoms.

This treatment does not get down to the root cause of this health issue or actually address it long term. Hormonal birth control comes with a raft of side effects and can actually exacerbate hormonal imbalances. The other option is often surgery. And most of us, quite rightly, want to avoid invasive surgery as much as possible. The good news is that these are not the only two paths available to most women with fibroids. You can treat fibroids naturally, thus reducing the size of those you have now, preventing the growth of more, and reversing the problem. Understanding what causes uterine fibroids is the first step to treating them.

What causes uterine fibroids?

According to Western medicine, no one knows for certain what causes uterine fibroids. What we do know is that they seem to be affected by our hormones. In other words, excess estrogen in the body seems to make them grow, and they will often decrease in size after menopause (when overall body estrogen is lower). The root cause is estrogen excess or estrogen dominance in the body’s ecosystem. To treat fibroids and alleviate symptoms you need to make food and lifestyle choices that support your body in processing and eliminating this excess estrogen as efficiently and rapidly as possible. You need to create a low estrogen environment in your body. You may have heard that women with fibroids should specifically avoid meat and dairy products from animals treated with synthetic hormones. This is because synthetic hormones (another example is the birth control pill) are unnecessary and powerful estrogens that can create estrogen dominance and provoke fibroids to grow. But, just as some foods are bad for fibroids, some foods are very good for fibroids and can do the opposite, making them shrink and eventually disappear.  Part of the fibroids puzzle is also genetics. If you have fibroids, it’s quite likely your mom or sisters also have this health issue. It’s also more likely that a daughter of yours will be at higher risk of developing fibroids in her teens and 20s. You can of course stop this domino effect in its tracks by ensuring you address the estrogen excess that is the source of the problem.

How to treat fibroids naturally

For decades, here at FLO Living, we’ve offered an alternative to drugs and surgery that has been so effective in minimizing the growth and painful symptoms of uterine fibroids. What makes our approach unique is that we get to the underlying causes of this issue—the estrogen dominance and hormonal imbalance—thus decreasing the likelihood of recurrence.The FLO Living protocol inherently decreases excess estrogen and elevates progesterone levels to bring the hormones in balance. It’s about food choices, but it’s also about eliminating sources of synthetic estrogen from your life like pesticides, chemical-based beauty products and cosmetics, and even generic household cleaners.

There are 5 stages to treating fibroids naturally:

1. Reduce your estrogen overload with changes to your diet and daily routine
2. Improve your lymphatic drainage through movement, sweating, and self-care
3. Reduce your gut inflammation and support your microbiome with fermented foods and probiotics
4. Improve your liver function to encourage elimination of excess estrogen
5. Eat more of these 5 hormone balancing foods and take FLO Living's RELEASE supplement (read more below!)

The emotion-fibroid connection

At FLO Living, we understand that our mental health and physical health are connected. Stress and unprocessed anger can play a role in developing that toxic internal environment where problems like fibroids thrive. Traditional Chinese Medicine points to a connection between the emotional state and fibroid growth. Fibroids are specifically indicative of the energy of the Sacral Chakra or Second Chakra in this practice. Abuse, trauma, blocked creativity,and  resentment can all act as blockers that need to be worked through. More and more research indicates how stress can impact our physical health. Stress weakens the immune system and suppresses the overall optimal function of the body.

An increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, causes an imbalance in progesterone, creating progesterone deficiency and estrogen dominance. Our bodies have a feedback loop and the impact of stress and anger on our physical health can be profound and extend far beyond raised blood pressure. Investigating your relationship with stress and anger and finding healthy outlets for their expression can be a key component in your healing journey. This can mean managing daily stress levels, prioritizing self-care, and elevating the amount of pleasure in your life. Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

The best supplements for uterine fibroids

We've created a supplement kit that contains micronutrients and enzymes to promote healthy hormone balance so that you reduce your uterine fibroid symptoms naturally.Our brand new RELEASE supplement kit contains:

• Sulforaphane: Provides protection against fibroid growth
• N-Acetyl-L-Cystine (NAC): Antioxidant support to fight inflammation, Can reduce the size of ovarian cysts
• Diindolylmethane (DIM): Assists the body in removing excess estrogen, May improve hormonal acne, May reduce long periods (longer than 7 days)
• Calcium-D-Glucarate: Supports the liver in breaking down and removing xenoestrogens

Many women ask the question: Should I freeze my eggs?

While the procedure to freeze a woman's eggs does involve some hormonal supplementation in order to harvest many eggs at

once, the process does also seem to have some benefits. As women, we come into this world at birth with all of the eggs we'll ever have for our lifetime already inside of us - as many as 450,000 - with one being released each month at ovulation. With more and more of us waiting to start a family until we're more established in our careers - in our 30s or in our 40s - more and more of us are also dealing with increased difficulties in conception. As we age, so do our eggs. In other words, even though we're still releasing eggs on a monthly basis, the older we get, the more likely it is that we'll sometimes release eggs that are not viable. This procedure makes it possible for women to harvest their eggs at an earlier age, and then freeze them for use at a later date.One benefit of this option - besides having better quality eggs available when you are ready to start your family - is that it involves some amount of planning ahead, and thinking about your future. For many of us, the time goes so fast - by the time we're settled in our career and are ready to start thinking about having a child, we may already be at an age where the quality of our eggs is in decline.

The FLO Living take

Our line on freezing your eggs? We believe it's an option - and a much better one than IVF, which has one of the highest failure rates of any industry (second only to the diet industry!). With in vitro fertilization, you're already at the point where you're working with less viable eggs; with egg freezing, especially if they're frozen before the age of 32, you've got eggs that are of better quality and therefore more viable - leading to a slightly better success rate.However, this procedure may not be for everyone, and we do have some cautions. Hormonal manipulation is hormonal manipulation - many of us end up using hormonal birth control for years, before deciding to have children at mid-life, and both egg freezing and IVF utilize further hormonal manipulation to provoke your body into releasing several eggs at once. Regardless of the method of conception - whether by egg freezing, IVF, or even the old-fashioned way - spending much of the preceding years manipulating your hormones can make it that much more difficult to maintain a pregnancy, especially a healthy one.Our advice? If you're really serious about having children someday, give yourself a head start by taking good care of your body now. Look to non-hormonal methods of birth control (barrier methods such as condoms and spermicidal jelly, or the Today Sponge, for example), so that whether or not you decide to hedge your bets with egg freezing, you're still setting yourself up for a healthy happy pregnancy at whatever age YOU decide you're ready to conceive.

Holiday Stress Quiz from FLO Living!

Choose the answer in the holiday stress quiz that most applies to you, A, B, or C. Write down your answers.

1. When you think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, etc., your gut reaction is:

---A. Dread and discouragement—holidays are never as much fun as they should be.

---B. Worry about stress and busyness, but looking forward to some fun times with family and friends.---C. Relaxed and amused—everyone else gets crazy at the holidays, but that doesn’t mean I have to!

2. When it comes to attending holiday parties and networking events, you:

---A. Say Yes to every event and after-party. You try to be "good" with your eating habits beforehand which results in not eating enough and then bingeing on food and/or alcohol at the parties.---B. Attend most of the events and try to avoid drinking too much or over-indulging on sweets, but find your willpower slipping.---C. Only choose the events that you really will enjoy and want to go to. You also know how to strategize your meals earlier in the day so that by the time the party comes, you're able to make healthy choices that feel good in your body.

3. Financially this year has been tight for you. At the holidays each family member spends $60 on you, and you do the same for each of them. This year you decide to:

---A. Open a new credit card account and go into debt in order to buy each person the gift they expect from you.---B. Talk to your family members, explaining your financial situation, apologizing for not being able to spend as much as usual, and asking them not to spend on you.---C. Show up on the day with a tin of homemade cookies for each person and a card telling them how much you love them.

4. Your December calendar: the dreaded office party, six other holiday parties, gift shopping, the big year-end report for your boss, and frantic hours at the gym so you can fit into your New Year’s Eve dress. Your strategy:

---A. Rush around and get through it like you do every year. At least the parties provide sugar and alcohol to keep you going, and you can crash in January when it’s all over.---B. Cut back on your activities so you won’t be as tired as usual. You get your boss to extend your deadlines, replace half the parties with restful evenings at home, and use exercise time to manage, not create, stress.---C. Decide that stress is no fun. You hire a temp to work late for you, skip all the parties except one with your close friends, do your shopping online, and replace gym hours with bubble baths, sleep, and love-making.

5. Your lover has just hatched a plan to whisk you away to a Caribbean island for the holiday weekend. You:

---A. Decline the invitation. You always spend the holiday with your family—your mother needs help with the dinner and everyone will be offended if you don’t go see them.---B. Call your mother and siblings to talk it over. If everyone else is cool with you going, you’ll take the trip.---C. Call your mother to tell her the good news and start bikini shopping online!

6. For once you are not hosting the big family dinner, and you are looking forward to relaxing the day before the holiday. Your sister is hosting, and she calls to ask you to make all the desserts, buy the wine, and come early to help her set up. You:

---A. Do as she asks.

---B. Do as she asks, after asking Uncle Willy to pick up the wine, and after letting sis know that she’ll have to find someone else to help next year.---C. Promise to bring your favorite chocolate brownies, suggest several other relatives she could ask for help, and tell her you are taking this year off.

7. You and your mother are in the kitchen chatting and chopping vegetables for the family meal. She makes an unnecessary comment about your weight/your marriage/your children. You stop chopping and:

---A. Your eyes well up with tears of anger and frustration. It’s supposed to be a nice holiday! Why can’t she leave you alone? You take a swig of wine and try to tune her out.---B. Start a conversation with her about why she is so critical of you especially at the holidays, trying to see her side of the issue while making it clear that you don’t like to be spoken to in that way.---C. Take a deep breath, realize there’s nothing wrong with you, go have a five minute chat with cousin Jackie who thinks you are nothing but fabulous, then return to your chopping.

8. Sometime in the last few years you’ve suffered a serious loss, and the holidays just haven’t been the same since. Your plan as you face another holiday season is:

---A. Not to let your friends and family see how much you are affected—holidays are hard on them too, and you don’t want to be a burden. When you are alone you will eat, drink, and sleep a lot; hopefully you’ll feel better in January.---B. To talk to your friends and family about how you are feeling, plus cut back on some of your holiday busyness so you have some extra time to rest and deal with any feelings that come up.---C. To spend the holidays with the people who support you the most, even if that is not your family, and to rally a great support team—good friends who will listen to you and cook you meals; a massage therapist or other healer to make you feel extra nurtured; and a professional counselor if you notice yourself getting very depressed.

Quiz Results: Finding Your Radical Support

Tally up your answers and note how many A’s, B’s, or C’s, then read on…Mostly A’s: Build your support network now!You are very negatively impacted by the holidays. It’s hard for you to say no to other people. You over-commit yourself and deny your own needs—resulting in negative impacts on your health and emotional life. Please call us for some professional support. It is not necessary or healthy to ignore your own needs in order to create a “nice holiday” for other people. You can have healthy relationships that nurture you more, and we’d like to help you. Start now by opening up to a close friend about how you feel at the holidays and by clearing one or two commitments off your calendar. Then schedule a massage so you can start feeling nurtured right away. Then seek out some professional support from counselors like us.Mostly B’s: Cut yourself some slack!You are skilled in the art of compromise. You’ve reduced the kinds of stress that ruin the holidays for you, while still fulfilling many obligations to friends and family. You are honest with the people close to you about what you are thinking and feeling because you want to have real intimacy with them. But there are a few key areas where you are afraid to let go of other’s expectations and love yourself unconditionally. Look back over the quiz and see where you still hesitate to give yourself the support you need to come through this holiday season with flying colors. Rally your friends into a more formal holiday support team for each other. Unschedule three favors for other people and replace them with bubble baths or snuggling with your honey.Mostly C’s; Smile- you're the Holiday Know-it-All!Want to come teach a workshop on how to have a fabulous holiday season? You have figured out that the best way to enjoy the season is to refuse to play by the usual holiday rules. You know that putting self-care first gives you the energy and emotional stability to be loving with your family and tolerant of their holiday craziness. As a dropout of the American holiday stress game, you are qualified to lead them to better self-care, so let that be your gift to them this year. Be a good listener, help them unbook their calendars, and bring them along to your massage appointments. And of course, keep taking wonderful care of yourself.

The Four Pillars of Radical Support

At FLO Living we believe that women deserve a lot more support in their daily lives than they ever dare ask for. That’s why, when you get this support that is normal and healthy, it can feel RADICAL. We recognize Four Pillars of Radical Support for Women; they are especially important at holiday time when stress levels are high.Supportive Listeners: Counselors and friends who have your best interest at heart and who will deeply listen to you speak about your life.Grounding Body Care: The right balance of exercise, rest, hot baths, massage, and loving touch to nurture you out of your head and into your body.Unbooked Time: Permission to clear your calendar and say no to other people’s needs, so that you can have time just for you.Mood-Stabilizing Diet: Check out all of our FLO friendly recipes and contact us with food questions.

Transforming Relationships, Transforming Holidays

Practicing radical self-care and receiving radical support from friends and professional is the absolutely necessary first step to transforming your relationships with your family members and breaking old patterns that keep the holidays stressful. By first learning to give yourself love, you begin to see clearly what kinds of love you want to receive from your family and friends.

Cultures throughout time and from all ends of the globe have traditionally taken baths, or "taken to the waters", as a way to detoxify the body, heal various ailments and illnesses, and improve their overall health. In today's modern world, this ancient healing practice can be a luxurious and important tool for creating and maintaining vibrant health and well-being. Many aspects of our daily lives - high fat diets, artificial foods, stress, pesticides, pollution, plastics, and power lines, to name but a few - can combine to overload our organs of elimination (our liver, kidneys and skin), making them unable to properly process out used estrogens and other metabolic wastes. Read on to learn how taking a bath can be an incredible self-care practice for your body & spirit.

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Indulge, relax, and enjoy bath time!

One of the most pleasurable tools for supporting your body in its natural detoxification process is weekly or daily therapy with salt and water. Soaking in salts or scrubbing down with them feels glorious! Plus, it draws toxins out of the body and allows important minerals to soak in.

Some of the benefits of bathing with salts include:

• stimulates circulation
• reduces skin inflammation
• relieves muscle tension (great if you sit at a computer all day!)
• polishes skin
• opens pores and draws out toxins
• nourishes the body with calcium, magnesium and potassium
• helps clear out "emotional static" leftover from our interactions with other people

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How To: Reap the Advantages of Sea Salt Water Baths

‍Create your own spa rituals at home! Try adding salts to a hot bath, using salts in the water for your hot towel scrub, or scrubbing down with salts and essential oils in the shower. Allow yourself to make these practices a consistent and conscious part of your self-care routine - you'll notice the difference, and your body will thank you!

‍Need help getting started? Here are some of our favorite recommendations:

1. ‍Masada Dead Sea Mineral Bath Salts: high-quality, affordable bath salts scented with a variety of essential oils; try eucalyptus for managing winter colds.
2. ‍Sunshine Spa Herbal Salt Scrub: great in the shower; salts are suspended in luscious, healthy carrier oils from almonds, sunflower seeds, grape seeds, and avocados; try lavender for rest and relaxation.
3. ‍Trillium Organic Body Polish: great in the shower and healthy enough to eat; salts are suspended in safflower oil and vitamin e for moisture balance; try pink grapefruit for cleansing and refreshing.
4. Or try making your own! Start with coarsely ground sea salt - either add it to your bath water with a few drops of your favorite essential oil, or combine it in a jar with an equal amount of coconut, olive, or sesame oil and a few drops of an essential oil to use as a shower scrub. Then treat yourself to a nice long soak with candles, hot tea, and a good book. Be sure your favorite cozy pajamas are waiting nearby!

Will 'Happy Pills' really make you happy? Or do you need hormone help?

Chances are that you or someone you know at some point has been prescribed anti-depressants: for anxiety or depressive episodes that happen before your periods, for postpartum depression, or for PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder). Before you reach for the pills, we want to be sure that you know the underlying causes of your mood imbalances, and that you're aware of the effective natural options available to you. For those with major mood imbalances, these "happy pills" can be lifesavers. However, today’s woman is being overprescribed to for issues that are influenced by hormonal fluctuations and are therefore treatable by natural means.

A Timeline of Medicating Women

To fully understand the medication trend, let’s take a look at a few key points on the timeline:1870s and beyond - Hysteria, had the medical world believing that hysterectomies were the answer to women's mood swings. Not a drug, but a surgical procedure! (We prefer the orgasmic antidote: If you haven't seen this brilliant movie yet, do watch it!)1956- Miltown, the first “psychiatric wonder drug” became an overnight phenomenon, selling out in nearly every drugstore. Psychiatrists and drug companies underestimated Miltown, thinking that people would go for talk therapy instead. This drug was marketed to women struggling with the rigors of motherhood.1963- Valium, in the Guiness Book of World Records for the most prescribed drug of all time, was touted as “Mother’s little helper,” and even got its own theme song by The Rolling Stones. Still a popular drug today, many people take Valium continuously for years, though Valium only provides anxiety relief for around four months.1970- Lithium, a drug that had been used to treat a variety of illnesses unsuccessfully since its discovery in 1817, was approved by the FDA for mania. It has since been used to treat a variety of mood and psychiatric disorders, including premenstrual depression. No one knew why or how lithium worked until 1998.1987 and 1991- Prozac and Zoloft, the first “safe” antidepressants, were introduced and mass marketed to consumers. Zoloft was approved to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder in 2003. Later that year, Pfizer, the company producing the drug, launched its “Zoloft for Everything” campaign, along with a questionnaire on lack of motivation for typical household chores and women hanging their heads. (and just so we’re all aware of how far this brand name has come, my computer officially recognizes “Zoloft” as a properly spelled word…and even capitalizes it automatically)

2000 - Sarafem becomes a new name for Prozac. The FDA approves the marketing of the same drug under a new name to be specifically targeted at women with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), complete with pink and lavender-colored capsules.2009 - Studies reveal anti-depressant medications taken during pregnancy are causing birth defects in babies.Do you see a trend here? Medication is marketed as the escape from the "burdens" of womanhood, yet women are not being made aware of the potential dangerous side-effects of these medications, or of other options available.

We're here to tell you something different

When you care for your female body in the cyclical and natural way it's meant to be cared for, you will clear up the frustrating physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms associated with imbalanced hormones. You will find what we refer to as your FLO.

Why Natural Approaches to Healing PMS, PMDD, and Depression Work

1. The food you eat becomes the building blocks for serotonin, the regulator of your moods. 90% of the serotonin your body make is produced in the small intestine - not in your brain, as you might have thought! What you eat influences how you feel and think.
2. Your liver's ability to break down and eliminate excess estrogen is another important factor in ensuring that your hormones are balanced throughout all the phases of your menstrual cycle. A diet deficient in liver-supportive foods will impair your ability to stay balanced. When our livers are overburdened with medications, pesticides from foods, chemicals in beauty products and cleaning supplies, how can we expect them to properly keep our bloodstream clean, clear, and balanced? We can't.
3. If you treat a woman's body the same every day and every week despite the range of hormonal shifts that are constantly happening, you are not allowing her full expression to come through. Emotions should not be pathologized. Learning how to understand and process your emotions throughout the 4 phases of your cycle should be mandatory education in every school system! The more we allow ourselves to find healthy outlets for anger and sadness, the less they will get stuck in our body, thus causing the depressed feelings many of us experience.

Our protocol in the WomanCode System not only supports your mind and body with the proper serotonin-boosting foods, but it lays the foundation for hormonal balance and a healthy experience with your feminine energy and emotions - a foundation that will last you for years to come.

Important Points to Consider:

• Before you jump to thinking that your irritability or anxiety require medication, take into consideration the fact that your blood sugar might just be imbalanced (which is something treatable with food!)

• If you're dealing with postpartum depression, know that a boost in Omega 3s and B-vitamins through the food you're eating could be the missing link.

• If you've been diagnosed with PMDD or PMS, know that high levels of estrogen could be influencing your moods and liver-supportive foods and supplements will help you create the proper balance in your moods and body.

If you have been prescribed medication for any kind of symptoms but have a feeling that it's not the right option for you, talk to us. We have a team of counselors who would love to chat with you over the phone and get you on the road to balanced moods and hormones.

You can have a healthy Halloween!Halloween is a time when sugar and candy are running rampant, overshadowing the real lure and mischief of the holiday. If you find yourself being drawn to the sweet treats, you might be lacking in the trickery and mischief.All the "being good" pressure that we put on ourselves is enough to make anyone rebel - and understandably so! When you don't allow yourself to break the rules or playfully be "bad," your mischievousness can emerge in a self-sabatoging way. Which is why the "treat" tends to overshadow the "trick" during Halloween.

Have a Heathy Halloween!

On your path to hormonal balance, it's not about being perfect with what you eat and how you care for your female body. It's about making informed decisions for your body, while honoring your feelings and emotions. If your "badness" is coming out in the form of poor food choices that are affecting your health, it's time to make some shifts! Wouldn't it be more fun and satisfying to find other outlets of mischief that don't leave you feeling gross or guilty or sad?Halloween is the perfect time to concoct ways to create fun, harmless mischief in your everyday life. Here are some ideas you can try:

• call out sick to work to spend a day in bed
• don't wear underwear for a day (or longer)
• whistle back at the construction workers

And if you want to indulge in a sweet treat or two, make healthy choices and enjoy every minute of it ;)Try:

• high quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content)
• baked apples with cinnamon and ginger
• natural sweeteners like agave, stevia, and coconut sugar

In other words, choose to trick AND treat!Share your favorite recipes for tricking and treating in the comment box below - and have a happy, healthy Halloween!

If you missed Alisa's informative talk on Dr. Nancy O'Reilly's radio program you can listen to it here! Dr. Nancy and Alisa talk about how nutrition benefits your hormonal health and also discuss research showing that what we eat can transform our ability to feel and BE well.From menopause to PMS, female hormones get a bad rap. In fact, our hormones affect our moods, creativity, drive and energy as well as our ability to reproduce. Click here to tune in!

My dear friend, Michael Eisen, has co-written a book with his father that if read by enough people has the potential to change the world! That's a big statement, but this book deals with a BIG subject - deconstructing the paradigms and beliefs that contribute to anxiety, stress, and unrest within the family unit. The book is called Empowered YOUth: A Father and Son's Journey to Conscious Living and I am recommending this as a 'must-read' to everyone I know.Empowered YOUth is the heartfelt story of Michael and Jeffrey Eisen who rose up from a tumultuous, emotional past to come together in a loving, respectful relationship as father and son; coach and student. They provide a refreshing perspective on how parents and children can work together to empower and support one another by opening the channels of communication, dissolving fear, and surrendering the need for control.With a perfect balance of moving stories, applied learning, and practical wisdom, Empowered YOUth offers guidance and insights for parents, young people and educators. Some people will instantly relate to Jeffrey's struggle to connect with his children, provide for his family, and listen to his own heart's desire, while others will love Michael's honest and emotional examination of an angst-filled childhood laden with stress, sadness, isolation, and self-inflicted pressure. Most will recognize themselves in, and relate to, either Michael or Jeffrey's story.

Through this story of a relationship broken apart and put back together, this father and son provide inspiration for those looking to empower the next generation in a more loving, open and intuitive way. Empowered YOUth will leave readers feeling hopeful, passionate, and optimistic.But don't just take my word for it! Check out Michael and Jeffrey's video about their journey to a healthy, loving relationship and working on this book together.To healthy relationships! xoxoAlisa

Seasonal transitions can be rough. Here in NYC last week, the weather outside got gloomy and stormy, coinciding with the first week of September which always signifies that back-to-school/back-to-work reality check.The weather inside – meaning my own body and mind – was also gloomy and stormy. I struggled with extra rough PMS from a delayed period and I was feeling the depressing effects of whacky hormones combined with lack of sunlight and the atmospheric pressure outside.The result: much difficulty waking up in the mornings, feeling motivationally challenged to do anything but the basics, having carby cravings and scattered thoughts. Bleh. (Yes, even health coaches get down in the dumps sometimes!)The reason I’m sharing this with you is because I have a feeling I’m not alone in these kinds of symptoms. If you have been feeling out of sorts, if your cycle is irregular, if you have now or have had in the past depressive symptoms like low mood and energy, difficulty sleeping, and trouble focusing, then chances are the current seasonal shift is affecting you. You may have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder and PMS at the same time can be completely overwhelming.I’m on the other end of it now and wanted to share my tactics for working through this low-level pre-menstrual depression, as well as preventing it from happening in the future. Given the time of year we’re in, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can begin affecting us, making PMS symptoms even worse, so it’s important to prepare and prevent.Read on for the research I’ve gathered, plus practical tools you can start implementing now!

Why Pre-menstrual Depression & Seasonal Affective Disorder Happen

Both pre-menstrual depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder occur because of low levels of the hormones serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is produced in our bodies from the precursor amino acid tryptophan, and melatonin is converted from serotonin by the pineal gland at night. Thus, low serotonin yields low melatonin, which messes with our sleep cycles and further contributes to depressed feelings.Take away regular doses of natural sunlight with the darkening weather, and it gets even worse – Sunlight increases serotonin production, as well as Vitamin D production, which helps maintain the serotonin levels. I should also mention that the stress hormone cortisol can impact serotonin production, so if you throw stress into the mix, it will exacerbate the problem.

Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder and PMS

Here are the most essential food and lifestyle recommendations to help combat the above-mentioned problems.- Eat good things. Particularly things that contain the amino acid tryptophan. These include: turkey, chicken, seafood, eggs, buckwheat, nuts, seeds, legumes. Vitamin B6 is also important for melatonin production and progesterone production (essential for combating PMS!) so pick up a B6 supplement and increase the foods listed above. I’m also including a smoothie recipe below that is rich in serotonin-boosting nutrients!

- Light up your life. Get out of bed and go for a walk first thing in the morning! Waking your body up with natural light is one of the best things you can do for moods and monthly cycle. If it’s hard to come by where you live, get a natural light bulb, or one of these cool gadgets:o Sunlight-simulating alarm clock by Gaiamo Lightmask by Rio (especially beneficial if you also suffer from migraines)- “Rhythm. Rhythm is a Dancer….” Not just the chorus to one of my fave 90s songs, this phrase indicates adding essential rhthym to your life in a few forms!! Yes, get groovy with your dance moves or find the kind of exercise that is pleasurable for you. Also, get into a rhythm with your schedule overall. Waking up and going to sleep at the same time, as well as eating meals and exercising at similar times every day greatly improve your body’s inner circadian rhythms, which will help regulate your sleep cycle and menstrual cycle.- Get busy under the covers, too. The decreasing sunlight and colder weather we experience in the fall and winter are great excuses to increase heatness in bed. Yes, I mean sex, with a partner or solo. The benefits of orgasm are amazing! Just do it!- Make your social network a reality. Get off facebook and get into real personal contact with humans! Chance are, you’re not alone in feeling down. Picking up the phone to chat with a friend can be the greatest remedy of all. Stay connected.- Imitate children. When was the last time you picked up paints or made a collage out of old magazine pictures? Add art and creative energy to your life by engaging in activities that make you feel like a kid again. Just for fun.Before I leave you with a SAD-busting smoothie recipe, I want to invite you to set up a call with me this month. I’m opening up a few special spots in my calendar for anyone dealing with these kinds of issues and looking to set up a network of support for this fall and beyond. I know it’s not always easy to implement the changes that you know you should, and I happen to be pretty good at getting you to do it ;)Click here to set up your consult so that we can get started! (When prompted, choose the option for Phone Consultation)to your light,Jessica

"Liquid Sunshine" Smoothie Recipe

This smoothie is packed with foods high in tryptophan and B6 (banana, flax), protein, antioxidants, and supportive nutrients for counteracting PMS, SAD, and depression (did you know that turmeric boosts progesterone production, improves the vascular health of the ovaries, AND is a natural anti-inflammatory?).Get your blender out and get to it!

• ½ banana
• 1 heaping tbsp ground flax
• 1 scoop egg white protein or pea protein powder
• handful of frozen blueberries
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp chlorella powder
• 1 cup water or almond milk, or a combination of the two

Blend everything together. Drinking it in the sunshine is preferable :)

Hair loss in women is a common and growing (!) issue. Whether you're dealing with menstrual issues, fertility concerns, or energy and libido struggles, chances are your hair will be affected at some point. It doesn't have to be a cause for concern, though. With the proper care and treatment of the underlying causes, you can prevent hair loss from happening and help restore any that has already been lost. Read on to find out how!As you might imagine hormones both stimulate hair growth and hair loss. Understanding the interplay between your hormonal balance and your diet can help prevent the most distressing aspects of hair loss. Female hair loss is caused by the combination of the presence of an abundance of the androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and having hair follicles that have more androgen receptors for DHT. While there is a genetic component to this issue, you have the ability to do a lot to support your body's ability to process hormones efficiently. Hair follicles are very responsive to hormonal changes and imbalances in the body. The good news is that most hair loss is temporary and resolves itself after the body has regained its equilibrium and with the proper care.

These are the 8 most common causes of hair loss in women:

1. Hormonal Birth Control - Women who have hair loss issues, especially if there is a genetic predisposition to them, can have hair loss occur at a much younger age by taking birth control pills. Usually this is reversible.
2. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) - Women with this condition suffer from a variety of possible symptoms, one of which can be hair loss. It is best to address the complexity of this hormone imbalance through holistic means.
3. Pregnancy/Childbirth - Already mentioned, some women experience major shifts in their hair due to hormone fluctuations. This may mean curlier or straighter hair than normal, thicker hair, and often hair loss. Some women experience these changes during pregnancy while more women experience it after pregnancy. Either way, in most cases it usually resolves itself completely.
4. Thyroid Disease - Both an overactive thyroid and an underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. Thyroid imbalances can be diagnosed by your physician through laboratory testing. These imbalances are completely treatable through holistic means.
5. Deficient diet - With so many fad diets and extreme "detox" plans out there, it's very easy for women to inadvertently affect their hair's texture and thickness. Oftentimes an extreme shift in diet, particularly a low protein diet, extreme calorie restriction, or a predominately junk-food vegetarian diet may cause a protein deficiency that results in massive amounts of hair shedding, often two or three months after the shift in diet began. Choosing safe detox programs and restoring a proper balance to your diet can reverse the hair loss.
6. Medications - Prescription drugs that treat anxiety and depression, as well as blood pressure may cause temporary hair shedding in a small percentage of people. It's important for women to know this as so many women opt for mood-stabilizing drugs when they feel at a loss in facing major life transitions. Most of the mood stabilizer and antidepressant drugs can cause this side effect.
7. Low Serum Iron - Iron deficiency can cause hair loss. Women with heavy or too frequent menstrual periods may develop iron deficiency. Low iron can be detected by laboratory tests and can be corrected with iron supplementation.
8. Stress - Stress is an interesting factor in hair loss for some. It can result from a major stress episode, and will cause the shedding three months after the episode and hair regrowth can resume three months after that. However, so many women now deal with chronic low grade stress, and depending on their genetic predisposition, this kind of stress can trigger earlier onset of androgenic hair loss.

What can you do to prevent hair loss?

First and foremost, avoid taking birth control pills or antidepressants if you don't absolutely have to. Even if you think you do, seek another opinion and alternative first. If you are hormonally sensitive, and increasing numbers of women are (due to the amount of xenoestrogens in the environment and in food), then adding in synthetic hormones can further exacerbate a hormonal issue. In addition, it's very critical to maintain a healthy diet - avoid fad diets, extreme detox programs, or experimenting with vegetarianism without guidance. Physical activity is another fantastic preventative; it serves double duty both in promoting circulation of key nutrients to hair follicles and also in mitigating the hair compromising effects of the stress hormones on your body.

What can you do if hair loss is happening to you?

If you're finding yourself with hair that's thinning, or dealing with a hormonal issue, then first and foremost schedule a call with us at FLO. On the call we'll identify which of the many causes might be the culprit in your situation. What's most important is to learn about what's causing your hormonal imbalance and then to proceed through a healing process that addresses these underlying factors - including proper nutrition, support of the organs of elimination, and stress management. You can also go to your general physician or gynecologist and ask for a full hormonal panel. This way you'll know if there's anything you can work on in the short term - like an iron or thyroid issue. If it's not thyroid-related or if it's not a protein or an iron deficiency, then it's really an indication that your elegantly complex endocrine system needs some attention. Luckily, our programs are designed to do just that!

Does it happen to EVERYONE?

In fact, it is more common than it is discussed. Although it's normal to lose between 50-100 hairs a day, most people experience excessive hair loss at some point in their life. The good news is that most causes are temporary while only a few are permanent. The best news is that learning about how your body works, understanding how to properly care for your hormonal system, and then making that the basis of your healthy lifestyle is the easiest thing you can do as a woman to improve your health for the long term!

FLO is committed to helping you understand the amazing natural healing options that are available to you, so that you can make knowledgeable, powerful choices about how to care for your body and your menstruation, fertility, and sexual health.

First: Monitoring Your Cervical Health

When was the last time you had a check-up? Annual pap smears are important to check for HPV and to monitor the health of your cervix.

With about 70% of the population carrying HPV (human papilloma virus), the chances are good that many of us will have to deal with an abnormal pap smear at some point. Getting an abnormal pap smear can feel very scary. Words like pre-cancer create a lot of anxiety and the proposed treatment - a LEEP procedure - can be uncomfortable and painful.

We all know someone or have ourselves been through the worrisome wait for test results. But the more educated you are about your body, the more prepared you will feel. The reality is that the vast majority of abnormal pap smears show low grade cervical dysplasia or cervical abnormalities that do not lead directly to pre-cancer cells or a cancer diagnosis. Getting yourself checked-up and tested is important, but for most women, an abnormal result should not be cause for alarm. The majority of cervix health issues are very treatable and you can feel confident that the next time you have a check-up, everything will be fine.

When it comes to HPV, even though here is no secret cure in most cases by boosting your immune system and taking the proper steps, you can have a clear pap smear in a matter of weeks. Yes, you can actually reverse your HPV diagnosis, treat it, and get rid of it. This means, once diagnosed, you can work to support your body, boost your immunity, and then, when you return to your OBGyn, the HPV will be gone.

There are, of course, certain cases in which HPV and/or an abnormal pap smear can be more serious, so please work with your health care practitioner to assess your situation, and don’t be afraid to get second opinions. Getting regular pap smears is still the best way to maintain your cervical health.

There is a difference between low grade cervical dysplasia and high grade cervical dysplasia. The following suggestions relate to low grade cervical dysplasia symptoms only. However, we want you to know that your body is remarkably resilient, and there are natural approaches to healing your cervix:

• With good nutrition and the right supplements your immune system could fight off an HPV infection and replace abnormal cells with healthy tissue
• With a strong immune system, your body should be able to clear HPV by itself
• A full 90% of HPV infections will clear in 2 years according to the World Health Organization, but most of us need to boost our immunity to make that happen quickly

It’s important that every woman know this is possible and that you can take a proactive position on your own health and well-being. Knowledge is power, the more you have at your fingertips the better! Plus, how can you know what is best for you and your body without all the information? The following natural remedies have been shown to help clear up HPV when the issue is caught early and cervical cell changes are minimal.

6 Natural Remedies for HPV and Cervical Health

1. ‍Vitamin C  - studies have shown the protective, immunity-boosting benefits of good vitamin C intake on cervical health.‍
2. Zinc - zinc deficiency is considered a risk factor for the development of cervical health issues. ‍
3. Folic Acid - multiple studies have linked low levels of folic acid to a higher incidence of cervical dysplasia. You can also combine it with B12 for increased protection against cervical cell changes.  ‍
4. Beta Carotene - women with high levels of beta-carotene were up to 50 percent less likely to acquire any HPV-related infections than females with low levels of beta-carotene. ‍
5. Selenium - in a recent study, supplementation with selenium improved the cervical health of over 75% of women, over a period of 6 months.
6. DIM - Di-indolyl-methan, also known as DIM, has been shown to have a positive effect on HPV and could potentially halt the spread of cervical cancer.

HPV is very common and often very treatable with these natural remedies. Other common women’s health issues - like UTIs, yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis - are also avoidable and treatable with natural remedies. If you are very prone to UTIs and seem to get them all the time, we have developed a protocol that can stop this cycle in its tracks.

FLO Living is committed to helping you understand the amazing natural healing options that are available to you, so that you can make knowledgeable, powerful choices about how to care for your body and your menstrual and sexual health.

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!

Every so often we like to pull stories directly from our online community to share with you the amazing transformations that are happening here at FLO, and to inspire you to see yourself in someone else's success. Today, we hope you enjoy Paula's awakening and get inspired to know that you can heal your body and hormonal imbalances!Hello ladies!After watching the first video in this module I was soooo moved! I've finally understood what's been happening in my body for the last 5 years: the panic attacks after major exercise, the constant fear and anxiety, the "I'm not a morning person" belief that turned into "I'm an owl" belief, the weight gain, the facial and body hair, the sudden cellulite, the painful periods, the grumpiness, the radical feelings, the constant anger. And then the feeling of unworthiness and the lack of confidence that came as a result of this long-lasting state of mind and adrenal fatigue.I cannot count the numerous endocrine doctors I visited, the gynecologists, the dermatologists, the homeopaths, the naturopaths. It's been there all the time. I remember researching about the adrenal glands, and the hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland. I was young and all my theories faded in front of the doctors. I remember having an ultrasound scan of my adrenals done by some doctor, hormonal blood tests, taking a medicine called Aldactone that my body refused after a month, taking the pill in order to get the testosterone under control even if I did not want to take it (and obviously forgetting about taking it so often!).I remember being told it was nothing or being sent to the shrink, skepticism everywhere and being treated like a little girl who has thrown a tantrum. I remember reading Christiane Northrup's book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, and as amazing as it was, I still felt lost and didn't know where to begin. No one could connect the dots except me, but I guess I wasn't prepared to listen to my body until I discovered Alisa Vitti and FLO living.After beginning the FLO program, I'm not even angry at the doctors or at myself anymore because I'm so happy that it finally makes sense! The answer was there all the time waiting for me to just see it. And that is really what I've been looking for all these years, not just healing, but understanding.I feel so relieved to know I'm not crazy and I don't need a shrink! Now, I understand my story and I understand this can be healed. I'm crying right now, I'm sooo fantastically happy and proud of myself.I’m so looking forward to the future! I feel like I can do anything, be an enhanced version of myself again.I can't stress it enough THANK YOU Flo living team, thank you Alisa Vitti for sharing your story, inspiring us and sharing your knowledge, thanks for the online support I'm getting. This was my best decision ever.~ Paula Muñoz, Designer, Art Director & Filmmaker, Madrid, Spain

Question: What sticky substance is a part of many readily available foods, but may have hindering effects on your reproductive system when trying to conceive (TTC)?

Answer: Gluten!

Gluten Intolerance and Trying to Conceive

By now if you're not already gluten-free, you’ve probably heard the term. Something that may seem like just another diet fad is actually a much more serious health concern, especially for those of us who already have underlying hormonal sensitivities. Over the past decade, we at FLO have seen the connection between gluten sensitivity and hormonal balance and have helped thousands of women use food as medicine to heal their reproductive health. And, we're so excited to have science on our side! Research has determined that gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, may also be a cause of infertility.

Why gluten is an issue for reproductive health

In people with gluten allergies or sensitivities, when gluten is consumed, the immune system responds by destroying the villi (small, finger-like projections) on the small intestine. This causes malabsorption of nutrients and a slower transit time of food passing through the intestines. Slower transit time means that excess estrogen and other hormones and toxins are not eliminated from the body properly, contributing to a hormonal balance that can interfere with ovulation.

Even if you are at the stage where IVF or IUI is a necessary step, your diet is a still a huge factor! This is why many fertility centers, like The Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine, recognize the correlation between their patients' fertility and diet, and encourage them to pursue a holistic route of care in combination with the medical support.

Determining if you are gluten-sensitive or not

Now, it's important to mention that you can be gluten-sensitive but not have full blown celiac disease. There are also women who might not have a sensitivity at all. How can you best determine your tolerance to this sticky substance?

Here are some symptoms that indicate you may be at risk of infertility and/or a gluten allgery -

See if any are persistent issues for you:

• Bloating, gas or abdominal pain
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Chronic fatigue and weakness
• Indigestion
• Absent or irregular menstrual cycles
• Prolonged use of hormonal contraceptives
• Skin issues
• Fatigue and/or weakness
• Irritability or behavior change

What to do next

If you’re having menstrual irregularities, digestive distress, and/or trouble conceiving that seems undiagnosable to doctors, we want to hear from you! There’s a good chance your diet is not supporting your hormonal balance, and our protocol was designed specifically to address this issue. We can help you determine your best route to reproductive health and natural conception!

Sticking with you,

Alisa

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

The Top 10 Health Benefits of Orgasms for Women

1. Improves circulation to organs in the pelvic cavity, delivering nutrients, growing healthy tissues, and regulating your menstrual cycle. Women who have intercourse at least once a week are more likely to have normal menstrual cycles than women who are celibate or who have infrequent sex.

‍2. Increases fertility and sense of wellness by energizing your hypothalamus gland, which regulates appetite, body temperature, emotions, and the pituitary gland, which in turn regulates the release of reproductive hormones that induce ovulation and cervical fluid.

‍3. Provides overall lymphatic massage, helping your body’s natural detoxification process to improve digestion and mood and help prevent cancer.

‍4. Promotes healthy estrogen levels to keep vaginal tissues supple and protect against osteoporosis and heart disease.

‍5. Induces deep relaxation by boosting endorphin levels and flushing cortisol (an inflammatory hormone released by the adrenal glands) out of the body.

‍6. Spikes DHEA levels in the body. DHEA hormone improves brain function, balances the immune system, helps maintain and repair tissue, and promotes healthy skin.

‍7. Helps you look younger —studies show making love three times a week in a stress free relationship can make you look 10 years younger.

‍8. Boosts infection-fighting cells up to 20%–helps fight colds and flu!

‍9. Cures migraines and helps treat other types of pain by elevating pain thresholds (a bonus when preparing for childbirth!)

‍10. Increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is linked to passion, intuition, and social skills—the hormone of bonding and success!

‍If you are missing out on these amazing health benefits of orgasm, it’s time to investigate the reasons why.

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What About Squirting / Female Ejaculation?

Female ejaculation is the expulsion of fluid from the Skene's glands, which are located near the urethra. This phenomenon has been the subject of much discussion, and there is still much to learn about it. However, there is some evidence to suggest that there may be health benefits associated with female ejaculation.

1. Stress relief: Like an orgasm, ejaculation can be a release of tension and result in relaxation. It is possible that female ejaculation may have a similar effect, potentially providing stress relief.
2. Improved sexual satisfaction: Many women report that they experience greater sexual satisfaction when they are able to ejaculate. This may be due in part to the fact that it can increase intimacy between partners and can be a sign of a deeper connection.
3. Improved bladder control: The Skene's glands are located near the bladder, and it is possible that the muscles used during ejaculation may also help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which can improve bladder control.
4. Increased lubrication: Female ejaculation can produce a significant amount of fluid, which can help to lubricate the vaginal area, making sex more comfortable and enjoyable.
5. Possible immune system benefits: Some studies have suggested that the fluid produced during female ejaculation may contain antimicrobial properties that could help to boost the immune system.

It's important to note that not all women are able to ejaculate, and the amount and consistency of the fluid can vary greatly from woman to woman. Additionally, more research is needed to fully understand the health benefits (if any) of female ejaculation.

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Why you’re not having orgasms

Every body is different, so first try and reflect on whether you are more focused on your own pleasure or if you are focused on trying to be "normal." Stress is actually a major cause of decreased libido. Added stress puts strain on our adrenals, those thumb-sized glands that sit right above our kidneys and kick in to help our body combat stress. This can become a very unfair vicious cycle - orgasms are one of the best stress relievers (physically and mentally) and yet stress can make it very hard for women to have an orgasm. The adrenal glands secrete the hormones necessary to keep your libido intact. When overworked from being in a constant state of stress, the last thing your body wants to do is have sex or procreate – which means you won’t get to experience the health benefits of an orgasm! Your body goes into survival mode and is just worried about sustaining itself.

Aside from low libido, here are some other signs that you might be suffering with adrenal exhaustion:

• Difficulty waking up in the morning
• Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep
• Relying on caffeine and/or sweets to keep you going
• Foggy-headedness
• Depression
• Getting sick easily, low immunity

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Does this sound familiar? Take time to address your stress and heal your adrenals with some extreme self-care in the coming weeks. Cycle Syncing® your life is the ultimate strategy for “doing it all” and “having it all” without feeling like you're always on the brink of total burn-out.

How to have more orgasms

You can use the MyFLO app to track when you have sex, but also to learn about the best way to approach sex for each phase of your cycle. The app provides comprehensive advice and tips on how to make sure sex is always great for you, regardless of whether you’re premenstrual or on your period.

For women - the best path to orgasm changes depending on which phase of your cycle you’re in and what’s happening with your hormones. Tracking your cycle and knowing this information can help you to have more and better orgasms.

For example, during your pre-menstrual phase you will likely need more foreplay (like a good make out session on the couch first) and when you’re in your follicular phase you could be more turned on by something novel and new in the bedroom.

Learn more by downloading the MyFLO app. Through the app you can have emails sent your partner that will automatically nudge them towards the kind of intimacy you need during each phase of your hormonal cycle. Thankfully, there’s lots you can do to start having more orgasms .

• Take these 4 sex drive-boosting supplements
• Add these natural aphrodisiacs to your diet - in fact, you can start with this sexy salad recipe
• Try these 3 simple life hacks to increase your libido
• Stop using a vibrator - sorry ladies, it’s true, vibrators are preventing you from receiving the full health benefits of an orgasm
• Ditch the birth control pill - studies show the pill decreases libido for many women, as well as lowering the frequency and intensity of orgasms. Once you’re off the pill, be sure to support your body in making essential hormones again so your libido can bounce back.

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How to Have Better Orgasms to Improve Your Health and Balance Your Hormones. Watch now!

We all know about the most obvious side effects of the birth control pill, like blood clots, breast cancer risk, and depression. But there are a few you probably haven't heard about yet, which may already be affecting you:

1. Counteracting Your Fitness GoalsA study found that women on the pill gain 60% less muscle mass than women who are not taking oral contraceptives. In a 10-week weight training program, half the participants were on the pill and half were not. By the end of the program, women who were not on the pill had gained significantly more muscle mass, had higher levels of muscle-building hormones, and lower levels of muscle-breaking hormones like cortisol.

2. Attracting the Wrong MateGuess what? The pill may also be wreaking havoc on your relationships. In an experiment conducted at the University of Bern in Switzerland, women were asked to smell t-shirts worn by anonymous men and then pick the one that appealed to them most. The results showed that they chose the ones with a certain gene set that were very different from their own, making them genetically compatible. When this set of genes is too similar, the risk of miscarriage increases. Women who were on the pill in this study chose the t-shirts with genes that were very similar to their own, suggesting that the pill interferes with a woman's ability to choose her most compatible mate. As one woman from the study pointed out, "A colleague of mine wonders if the Pill may contribute to divorce. Women pick a husband when they're on birth control, then quit to have a baby and realize they've made a mistake."

Of course, the pill can and does work for some women, however if you're using it to put a band-aid over annoying menstrual symptoms, to regulate an irregular cycle, or because you don't know what else to do, it's time to consider other options.

Getting in touch with your natural hormonal balance is key to unblocking many areas of your life that you may not have even considered were related. We are not knocking the pill and the incredible impact it's had on so many women and the women's liberation movement as a whole. As we at FLO have always believed, it's so important to know the facts and have all your options available before making any decision, especially when it affects your body.

If you are on the pill as a band-aid therapy to mask symptoms like irregular cycles, acne, or heavy and painful periods- you should know there is another more effective option. Our 5-step protocol gets to the underlying causes of all of those symptoms, balancing your hormones and avoiding the dangerous side effects of medication. Why not take a break from unnecessary medication and experiment with what being natural can do for your body - and your love life!

Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this - the science of your body is on your side!to your FLO,AlisaGood things come in threes:I want to hear from you!

First, are you currently on the pill or have you been on it in the past?

Second, have you noticed side effects of the birth control pill that we haven't mentioned?

Third, everyone you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social ;)

Need more Hormone Help?

If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!

Whether you're trying to conceive now or just thinking ahead and wanting to best prepare your body for optimal fertility, we know the journey can feel a bit dull or mysterious at times...We hear questions like this all the time:

"What can I eat to boost my chances of conception?"

"Do I need to worry about my diet if I still have to take the IVF or IUI route?"

And the answer is that your diet has a huge impact on your fertility, but rather than "worry" about it, educate yourself and get proactive! You can boost fertility with food! How you eat and how you treat your body now will affect your fertility journey, whether it's natural or medically supported.

To get you started, here's a spice you might already have in your pantry that will support your reproductive health and boost your chances of getting pregnant!

What is it? Turmeric!

This warming and bitter spice has been clinically proven to improve the vascular health of the ovaries, as cited by Dr. Drew Tortoriello of the SHER Institute for Reproductive Medicine. It is also powerful in decongesting the liver and acting as a natural anti-inflammatory, which are both important for your hormonal health.Ways to use turmeric:

• Use the ground, dried turmeric spice on your eggs, sweet potatoes, or in soups or stews
• Get a supplement like Turmeric Force by New Chapter
• Juice it! You can buy the whole turmeric root (looks similar to ginger root) and make a juice - check out Tera Warner's recipe here, or purchase our favorite pre-made Turmeric Juice here.

Want even more ways to support your diet and fertility?

Access the first step of our protocol here for free!

And tell us below where you are on your fertility journey so that we can best support you!