The Calcium Paradox is a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN) in response to a meta-analysis revealing that hip fracture probability rates were significantly lower in countries with low consumption of dairy and dairy products. The meta-analysis involved 72 studies from 63 countries conducted over a 60-year period between 1950 and 2011. The criteria to consider when reviewing scientific studies includes: How old is the study? How many people participated? How long were participants studied? Was the study published in a reputable peer-reviewed journal? Who funded the study? When it comes to studies about nutrition and bone health, here are some additional considerations: Any long-range study is going to rely on self-reported data. The researchers don’t confine participants to a lab and control everything they eat. Nor can they reach back in time. For example, studies concluding that high milk consumption during adolescence increased the risk for hip fractures later in life are relying on participants’ memory of how much dairy they consumed a teenagers. We typically eat a variety of foods. When a study focuses exclusively on one food item, that may overlook the impact of other foods on bone health. For example, whole wheat interferes with the absorption of calcium. So if people consume their calcium in the form of milk atop a bowl of cereal or in a dish of macaroni and cheese, the presence of wheat impedes absorption of the calcium in that meal. Environmental considerations may impact bone health. Weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones so someone who works in an active job may have stronger bones than someone who sits at a deck all day. Someone who works outside gets plenty of sunshine and vitamin D. An eighteen year study involving 72,000 postmenopausal women concluded that,“An adequate vitamin D intake is associated with a lower risk of osteoporotic hip fractures in postmenopausal women. Neither milk nor a high-calcium diet appears to reduce risk.” And finally, do the differences in the milk production process matter? In 1993 the FDA approved a bovine growth hormone that increased milk production in cows by nearly 33% from 15,000 pounds of milk per cow per year to nearly 20,000 pounds of milk per cow per year. That’s nearly 55 pounds of milk per cow per day. But Canada and the EU banned the sale of milk from cows treated with this hormone due to animal welfare concerns. So the milk consumed by people in those countries could be chemically different from milk consumed in the US. Let’s return to the Calcium Paradox. Despite all the unknowns such as sunlight exposure and exercise, one thing is still clear -- people in countries with low milk consumption are at a much lower risk for hip fractures. How much calcium do we need? The answer depends on who you ask. The WHO recommends 500 mg / day, whereas the UK advises slightly higher 700 mg / day. The USDA recommendation is double the WHO recommendation at 1,000 mg / day for people under the age of 50 and 1,200 mg / day for older adults. According to a 2020 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommendation is based on a study involving 155 adults over a period of 3 weeks which is consistent with information I found on the USDA’s website. This is a very remarkably small population and short duration for measuring nutritional impact on health. While I was on the USDA's site, I ran across an article from 2007 stating that the guidelines may be excessive. Despite this article on the USDA's own website, the official guidance still stands. The USDA replaced the Food Pyramid with MyPlate in 2011, which recommends three servings of dairy products per day. Interestingly, MyPlate encourages consumption of low-fat dairy products although the article from the New England Journal of Medicine indicates: “Among 12,829 adolescents followed for 3 years, intake of low-fat milk was positively associated with gain in body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters), but intakes of full-fat milk and dairy fat were not…”. In 2017 Harvard Medical School published their version of My Plate called the Healthy Eating Plate which recommends limiting dairy to 1-2 servings a day. In the accompanying text it states, “MyPlate recommends dairy at every meal, even though there is little if any evidence that high dairy intakes protect against osteoporosis, and there is considerable evidence that too-high intakes can be harmful.” In closing, this is an excerpt from the conclusion of the 2020 article in the New England Journal of Medicine: Pending additional research, guidelines for milk and equivalent dairy foods ideally should designate an acceptable intake (such as 0 to 2 servings per day for adults), deemphasize reduced-fat milk as preferable to whole milk, and discourage consumption of sugar-sweetened dairy foods in populations with high rates of overweight and obesity. I invite you to join my Intention Circle. It's free and every Friday you will receive my latest content delivered to your in-box. I promise not to sell your email and I make it super easy to unsubscribe.

Breath is life, yet many people breathe in a less than optimal manner, perpetuating the stress response in their bodies. We can learn to conquer stress through intentional breathing. When the stress response is triggered, the body undergoes complex physiological changes. Heart rate accelerates, nonessential functions—such as digesting food, dispatching virus, and generating new cells—are put on hold, and respiration becomes fast and shallow. However, in today's world where stressors are frequent and often immaterial to physical activity—after all, I cannot outrun nor battle my way out of a traffic jam—a biological response designed for occasional use is constantly activated to some degree. By intentionally breathing with long, slow inhales and exhales, we invite the body to return to homeostasis. This helps optimize functions such as digestion, immune system response, and cellular growth. Key aspects of intentional breathing include: The diaphragm, a thin muscle between the lungs and the abdominal cavity, should ideally extend downward during inhalation, causing the belly to slightly distend. The exhale should be longer than the inhale. Pausing for several seconds between respirations reassures the body that it is safe to discontinue the stress response. Intentional breathing should be practiced daily, not just when you’re feeling stressed. I've created a guided video to coach you through two minutes of intentional breathing. Pick a time in your daily schedule and breathe with me every day to promote your overall well-being.

They may be subconscious, but we all have innate expectations about how things are supposed to be in the world, including how other people are supposed to conduct themselves. These expectations can be a source of distress when they are not met. For example, a parent may have expectations for their child's behavior. If the child does not meet these expectations, the parent can become frustrated. There are two ways to close the gap between expectations and reality. The first way is to try to convince the other person to behave the way you expect them to. However, this does not usually work. The second way to close the gap is to release your expectations. Instead of expecting certain behavior, be curious about the reality of the situation. Why is the other person behaving the way they are? What core beliefs and life experiences shape their behavior? We can also be curious about our own expectations and where they come from. Why do we expect what we expect? Realistically, the only expectations we can manage is our own. By exploring our unfulfilled expectations, we can better understand ourselves and others. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join my Intention Circle at no charge. Every Friday you will receive a link to my latest video plus bonus content curated exclusively for Circle members. By exploring unmet expectations, we can better understand ourselves and others.

Have you felt unexplained aches, fatigue, or recurring illness despite good medical care? Traditional medicine may not have all the answers. Modern science is beginning to validate how disruptions in our energetic biofield can lead to physical dis-ease. Energy medicine can clear blockages and support your body's natural healing abilities. Energy medicine is an umbrella term for various treatment modalities rooted in the correlation between the flow in our energetic systems and our overall well-being. Referred to as chi in Tai Chi, or prana in yoga, National Institutes of Health (NIH) introduced the term biofield in 1992. It delineates the energy that flows through, and emanates from, all living beings. Clearing congested energy restores an unimpeded flow of life force energy, allowing the body to heal itself. Using electromagnetic devices to promote healing is common in traditional Western medicine. Healthcare providers use therapeutic ultrasound to promote the healing of soft-tissue injuries. A 2020 article in the Journal of Pain Research  concluded that electromagnetic-field therapies were a safe, noninvasive, and effective treatment for pain from musculoskeletal disease, while advising that more research was needed to determine the optimal frequency calibration. According to a 2003 article in Techniques in Orthopeadics, the magnitude and quality of energy emitted from the hands of Therapeutic Touch practitioners was comparable to the waveforms from the electrical-stimulation devices doctors use to heal fractures that do not respond to standard treatment. Acceptance that a human healer, who does not require calibration, can mimic the effects of a mechanical device has been slow. Yet techniques like Therapeutic Touch and Healing Touch are taught in nursing schools and offered to patients in hospitals, Veteran’s Administration facilities, and outpatient cancer treatment centers. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) teaches energy medicine to licensed mental health professionals. Despite growing use, research involving human healers is limited, as it is easier to obtain funding for a marketable product than studies that corroborate our ability to heal each other and ourselves. Comprehensive guidelines for researching biofield therapies were not published until February 2024. If this content appeals to you, you are invited to join my Intention Circle. For a limited time, new members receive a 25% discount on an energy healing session.

We have two brains. One is our original survival-oriented reflex brain that reacts without thinking. The doctor taps our knee with a rubber mallet and our leg jerks. Hence the phrase, knee-jerk reaction. Sense a threat, move away. Sense a pleasure, move closer. Sense food, eat it. As human skulls evolved, our expanding foreheads created space for our rational brain that we can use to identity options, weigh pros and cons, and solve complex problems. When we feel safe, our rational brain dominates. When we feel threatened, our reflex brain kicks in and our ability to make wise, informed decisions is impeded. Stress hijacks our brain. Scammers influence our behavior by activating our reflex brain. For example, the email that appears to have been sent from Amazon indicating that your credit card is about to be charged $3k. "Click the link below to cancel the order," it says. Since our reflex brain responds faster than our rational brain processes, the scammers are betting you click the link before your rational brain is fully engaged. In the past 4 years, we have collectively experienced a lot of threats. First, there was uncertainty about how to protect ourselves from a novel virus. As pandemic fears eased, there was uncertainty about the economy. Shuttered factories restarted gradually leading to supply chain issues. Low supply / high demand led to rising prices. As schools reopened, the learning loss became apparent. Our social support systems dwindled as many of us continued to work from home. In 2023 the Surgeon General of the US declared an epidemic of loneliness as detrimental to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We continue to experience major storms, droughts, and wars. As uncertainties mount, our survival-oriented reflex brain revs in overdrive. We feel worried, overwhelmed, isolated, or angry most of the time. We seek to restore a sense of safety and predictability by controlling our circumstances, including the people around us. Although differences of opinion are nothing new, people who are not part of “our tribe” seem more threatening than in the past. Despite the triggering news reports, most of us are not in any immediate danger--but our reflex brain doesn't know that. As long as reflex brain senses danger, it grasps the rudder ordering rational brain below deck. Reflex brain is critical to our survival but it is not designed to captain the ship. Considering all the stressors coming at us, we should spend time every day soothing our nervous system. There are videos on my channel that will guide you through techniques such as intentional breathing, tapping, or grounding that silence the alarm bell allowing rational brain to take the helm. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join my Intention Circle. It's free and every Friday you receive bonus content created exclusively for Circle members. Join by noon Eastern on Thursday, February 29 to be entered to win a one-hour energy healing session.

Electrical systems, including the human energy field, need a grounding wire to prevent short circuits. The hara, or Line of Intention, extends from above our head, through the origination point of each major chakra, deep into the earth. When we are grounded, the energy flows freely through our field. When we are ungrounded, thoughts zap around our mind like the bouncing white ball on a spinning roulette wheel. No matter how much we try to channel our inner Idina Menzel, we just can't "let it go." Direct, uninsulated contact with the earth is one way to ground ourselves. When a barefoot stroll is not convenient, we can also ground ourselves through intention. Learn how in this week's video. If you want to experience energy healing firsthand, I'm giving away a one-hour session. Register at IntendWell.US by noon EST on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Illustrations depicting the chakras show rainbow-colored symbols extending from the red Root chakra at the base of our trunk to the violet Crown chakra at the apex of our skull. Thank you to Intention Circle member, Lisa, for this question, "If everything is energy and all energy vibrates, why are the chakras fixed?" Your comments and questions always inspire me. I appreciate it so much! Leave me a comment below or email me carolyn@carolynpitts.com. If this content appeals to you, I invite you to join our Intention Circle at IntendWell.US. Every Friday you will exclusive content tailored specifically for Intention Circle members. It is free to join and you may unsubscribe at any time.

What do you notice when you first meet someone? Perhaps their age, gender, height, weight, coloring, clothing? We are biologically wired to constantly scan our environment for potential threats to our safety. It is our human survival instinct to assess and judge other humans. Our brain evaluates the visual input about a person's appearance based on our beliefs, our interpretation of life experiences, and information from sources that we trust. Do I feel safe around this person? Can I trust them? A 16-month study conducted across 10 US hospitals in 2015-2016 surveyed over 4k patients' impression of a physician’s trustworthiness and competence. Over half had a more favorable perception when the doctor was wearing a white lab coat. Another study in 2021 with nearly 500 participants came to the same conclusion. How someone looks seems like important information but what does it really tell us? Anyone can buy a white lab coat. The criteria that we use to evaluate a person’s appearance is subject to change. I could have an experience today that prompts me to reconsider my interpretation of past experiences, which could lead to a change in my beliefs. What’s changed in your belief system? When I was a child, I believed that Santa Claus left gifts under the tree because that’s what my parents told me and I trusted my parents. We can carry a belief for years until a day arrives that the belief no longer serves us. We cannot ignore how someone looks nor can we cannot override our primal instinct to judge their appearance. But understanding how our brain works frees us to notice the assumptions that our brain makes. A beautiful thing about humans us that we can think about our thinking. There is within each of us a divine spark that is our true essence. We embody that divine spark our entire lives regardless of our age of physical appearance. Through every weight gain or loss, outfit change, or bad hair day - our spark persists. In qigong it is called the Dan Tien. In energy healing, we call it the Core Star. I like to practice connecting with other people’s divine spark. Try this the next time you are checking out in a store. Imagine a thread of white light connecting your heart to the clerk ringing up your purchases and see what happens. How does it change your initial perception of them? How do they respond to you?

You are not the person that you were yesterday nor the person you will be tomorrow. You are rivers of scintillating, ever-changing energy. The air in your lungs now will be replaced by your next breath. New blood, bone, and skins cells are being born as old cells die. Food is received, processed, nutrients delivered, and waste expelled. We identify with our tangible body. We can see it, touch it, feel with it. Yet there is so much more to us than what our sense perceive. We radiate energy that can be measured up to 6 feet away although it likely extends even farther. This energetic bio-field is composed of our thoughts and emotions. All energy vibrates at a frequency that is measured in hertz (Hz). Emotions like regret and shame vibrate in the range of 20 - 100 Hz while love and serenity vibrate in the 500-540 Hz range. High-vibe emotions feel good; low-vibe emotions—not so much. My transition from chronically low-vibe to chronically high-vibe began with observing my thoughts. I noticed that much of the time I was reliving events from the past as my inner critic complained that I should have handled the situation differently. As the unfairness of it all dredges up another unpleasant memory I begin to stew in a chowder of low-vibe emotions. One irrefutable truth about the past—it can’t be changed. When I wasn’t reliving the past, I was worrying about the future; spoiling a perfectly satisfying present with unlikely worst case scenarios. On irrefutable truth abut the future—we don't know what will happen. With practice I trained my brain to live in the present even when it is not all unicorns and rainbows. The frigid wind that steals my breath away today only enhances my pleasure of the soft breezes caressing bare skin in summer. Gurgles of empty stomach in this moment will make a full belly more pleasing. The present deserves our undivided attention. As I appreciate my life in the moment, my vibration rises. To raise your vibe, begin by observing your thoughts. Notice how thoughts connect to emotions. Redirect your focus when unproductive thoughts steal your joy. Thank you for reading. If you enjoy this content, I invite you to join our Intention Circle by completing the information below. Circle members receive free bonus content every week. If you have comments or questions, send an email to carolyn@carolynpitts.com.

With polarization on the rise, wouldn't it be handy to know how to win an argument with anyone about anything? Try this approach the next time you butt heads with someone. Step 1 Listen Listen to what the other person is saying - really listen. Because you need to remember the main points that they are making for the next step. If your brain is shifting through possible comebacks that you will launch into as soon as they stop speaking, then you aren’t paying close enough attention. Step 2 Summarize When the other person stops speaking, summarize your understanding of their main points. Maintain a neutral tone and resist the urge to scoff or roll your eyes. Ask the other person whether they agree that you summarized their perspective accurately. It could look something like this — “So if I understand you, an army of evil clowns is coming from outer space to take over the world. Did I get that right?” Notice that I didn’t say I agreed or disagreed with their viewpoint. I just restated my understanding of what they said. Step 3 Move Forward or Go Back Now this is where the discussion can go in different directions. Ideally, they will explain “Yes - you got it!” in which case move forward to the next step. But there’s a chance that they will reiterate their perspective. Perhaps they aren't satisfied with your summary or they weren’t listening to you. Either way repeat the first two steps until they agree that you have summarized their perspective accurately. True story - I have watched people go at each other with so much enthusiasm (and so little listening) that they didn't realize that they were saying the same thing. I confess that it was kinda fun to say, “You know you guys are vehemently agreeing with each other, right?” Step 4 List Areas of Agreement and Explore Differences List areas where your perspectives overlap. and gently mention where your perspective differs. You could say — “I agree with you that clowns are scary but I don't know if they ride around in space ships. Don’t clowns usually drive tiny cars with amazing seating capacity?” Once people feel heard and understood, they may be ready to entertain other perspectives. But that doesn’t always happen. Our opinions are formed from: Our beliefs - often subconscious and formed in childhood The meaning that we attribute to our life experiences Information we receive from sources that we trust All of these sources are unique to the individual so of course we are going to have different perspectives. Let’s take the example of someone who has worked hard all their life and attained a comfortable life style. They believe that hard work pays off. On the other hand, someone who has worked hard all their life and still struggles to pay their bills may not believe that hard work pays off. Which one is right? They both are! Despite holding two distinctly different opinions and both are right. Also, these aspects are subject to change. I used to be a perfectionist (ask anyone who worked with me). My need for perfection stemmed from my belief that mistakes were to bad. Only after some deep inner work did I become aware of this subconscious belief from my childhood. Then I was able to release it. I used to believe that weight loss was a simple balancing of calories in / calories out through diet and exercise because that's what the textbook for my Health Coach certification said. It was information from a source that I trusted plus it seemed logical. But in the decades since 1997 numerous studies have shown that weight loss is much more complicated. To help my clients, I had to learn new perspectives on weight loss. Reframing Winning How do you win an argument with anyone about anything? By reframing winning. It feels good when other people agree with us. But why is that? I think it goes back to our survival instinct. Humans form communities for communal safety and mutual benefit. Knowing that the other members of our community share our perspective reinforces our sense of safety. If I disagree with other members of my community, the tribe might vote me out or bonk me on the head. But modern society is different. If my neighbor votes for a different candidate or has a different opinion about what books should be on the shelves in our local library, my physical safety is not at risk. I don't need other people's validation to reassure me I am right. My opinion is true for me just as their opinion is true for them. Your power is not in your ability to get other people to see the world the same way that you see it. Your power lies in feeling comfortable with your truth without seeking validation from others … and being open to changing your mind.

Welcome to cold and flu season (or should I say cold, flu, Covid, and RSV season?) I want to share a simple energetic self-care technique to boost your immune system in 1 minute. Before diving in, let's address a common misunderstanding about how the immune system functions. I'm going to divide this simple explanation into 2 parts - first line of defense and full frontal attack. First Line of Defense Viruses (bugs) enter our bodies through openings such as our nose, mouth and ears, settle into the first hospitable location they find and start reproducing. The immune system, which is always patrolling our body, detects foreign invaders and launches the first line of defense. If the bug settled in our nasal cavity, the immune system cues mucus production. The bugs become trapped in globs of mucus, which are expelled when we blow our nose. If the bug embeds itself in the lining of our throat, the immune system cues the production of mucus in our throat as well as the destruction of inhabited tissue. Strands of dead tissue tickle our throat. When we cough, the bugs are forcibly ejected. The lining of our throat is going to feel raw and sore until our body replaces the damaged tissue. Sometimes the immune system will turn up the thermostat making our bodies uncomfortably warm for bugs. A stuffy nose, sore throat, cough and fever can make us feel pretty rotten but it’s for a good cause. It's our body's way of combating viruses. Full Frontal Attack While the first line of defense is underway, the immune system has been preparing for a frontal attack by training T-cells. These cells go door-to-door rousting out the remaining bugs. If our body has encountered this strain of bug before, it know exactly how to eradicate it. But if the bug is unfamiliar, the immune system needs more time to plan its attack. Have you ever felt like you were getting sick but the next day you feel fine? Your body may have just defeated a bug that you caught in the past. And that is why viruses are always mutating. So when I start to feel icky, I don’t say “Oh, no! I’m getting sick!” I say “Thank you immune system! What can I do to support you?” Hydration is important because it takes moisture to manufacture mucus. Rest is also important because your body can direct more energy toward defending itself. If you follow my content you know that thoughts and emotions are energy. Anxiety and low-vibe emotions like anger drain energy away from the immune system. Add Thumping to Your Daily Routine For some energetic self-care add thumping to your daily routine. The thymus, spleen, and liver are important components of the immune system. Use the flat palm of one hand to thump each area for about 15 seconds. The thymus is in the center of the upper chest below the throat. The thymus “trains” T-cells to respond to pathogens in the body. Say out loud or to yourself, "My loving thoughts keep my immune system strong." The spleen produces white blood cells and antibodies. Lift your left arm and thump down and up the side of your rib cage a few times to wake up the spleen. Say out loud or to yourself, "I am safe. All is well." Repeat on the right side to give your liver a boost. The liver detoxifies the body, particularly antigens in the digestive tract. Say out loud or to yourself, "Every molecule of my being is functioning perfectly." Offering these organs a little encouragement every day keeps the energy flowing. Remember - you are as healthy as you believe that you are!

Nutritional yeast (also known as “nooch”) is a staple in my kitchen. Unlike the yeast used in baking or brewing, nutritional yeast has been through a pasteurization process that de-actives its fermentation properties. While I used to have to buy it at a health food store, nowadays most grocery stores carry it. Of the brands available, I use Bragg or Bob's Red Mill. Before we became empty nesters, I bought nooch in bulk. Before I show you how I use it, let me explain why you will want to try it even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan. Nutritional yeast is...well, nutritional! First, it is a rare plant-based source for all 9 of the essential amino acids. These are proteins that our body must get from food because it cannot produce them itself. Additionally it It is loaded with B vitamins: B1 can help manage anxiety, improve sleep, produce energy and regulate appetite B2 produces energy and regulates cell growth B3 lowers cholesterol and surpasses inflammation B6 supports the functioning of the nervous and immune systems B12 forms red blood cells, reduces arthritis symptoms, improves memory, reduces depression A serving of nooch has 5 grams of protein (but none of the fat found in meat). Finally, it is low in sodium. OK, so what can you do with nooch?? Nutritional yeast has a cheesy nutty flavor so it is often used in plant based cheeses. Added to soaked ground cashews, it substitutes for ricotta cheese for my vegan lasagne. It’s essential for vegan mac-and cheese. I sprinkle it on top of pasta in place of grated parmesan. Long before I adopted a plant-based diet, I was buying nutritional yeast to sprinkle on popcorn. Stirred into polenta, risotto or scrambled tofu it adds a cheesy note. Nutritional yeast thickens soups and chilis. It’s tasty sprinkled on roasted vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Next time you reach for the cheese, add (or substitute) nooch instead. If you enjoy this content, I invite you to join our Intention Circle to receive free bonus content created exclusively for Circle members by entering your email address at IntendWell.US. I promise not to flood your inbox of sell your information.