Ask Elissa

I really need to talk to you and find out about your emotional and physical history to help you zero in on what the root cause of the anxiety is, but in the meantime, I have a few suggestions for you to take the edge off. I love the following supplements:

Pure Encapsulations Inositol (take as directed)

Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Citrate  (2-3 capsules before bed)

Pure Encapsulations L-Theanine (you can take up to 600 mg/day)

Organic India Tulsi Tea helps balance your stress and anxiety and drink anytime of the day.

Let me know if you use these supplements and how they work.

I’m so glad you reached out to me and I’m happy to help you. I would do the following for two weeks and see how you feel. It’s an anti-fungal, candida, pathogen, etc. protocol.

Take the following in the morning:

Gaia Oregano Oil – 2 capsules
Eclectic Garlic Capsules (take as directed)
Nutribiotic Grapefruit Seed Extract (put either 40 drops in water or fill up an empty veggie capsule; It has a very strong taste!)

I also like the following, but I don’t want to overload you:

Gaia Olive Leaf Capsules (take as directed)
Gaia Astragalus Capsules (take as directed)

Put 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water or lemon water

Drink Pau d’Arco Tea every day

Take the following before bed:

Take a strong probiotic like Renew Life Women’s Complete, but make sure it’s 50 Billion Plus

Let me know how it goes!

Alopecia is from the adrenals lacking a hormone; there’s a dozen hormones that come from adrenals that aren’t on the radar yet. One of them keeps hair on your head. Do everything you can to do to support your adrenals:

• Pure Encapsulations Ester-C – 4000 mg (2000 mg in the morning and 2000 in the evening)

• Nutrex Hawaiian Spirulina Powder of Tablets (the only one to buy) – take double the dose on the bottle

• Gaia Adrenal Support (take as directed)

• Organic India Ashwagandha (take as directed)

• Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate (1-3 capsules before bed)

• Drink Organic India Tulsi Tea all day long!

• Eating every 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs

The last and most important key to restoring your adrenal function is to heed your mind and stress needs. Pay attention to your body!

• Rest when you feel tired as much as possible.

• Sleep 8–10 hours a night.

• Avoid staying up late and stay on a regular sleep cycle — ideally, in bed before 10 p.m.

• Laugh and do something fun every day.

• Minimize work and relational stress.

• Eat on a regular food cycle, and reduce your caffeine and sugar addiction.

• Exercise (even moderate exercise and walking can help).

• Avoid negative people and self-talk.

• Take time for yourself (do something relaxing).

• Seek counsel or support for any traumatic experiences.

If you don’t have any other health concerns, it sounds like you’re not absorbing your nutrients. I would recommend the following:

Mary Ruth’s Certified Organic Multi Vitamin and Mineral Liquid (take as directed)

Global Healing Vitamin B12 Liquid (1 dropper 2x/day)

Pure Encapsulations B Complex Plus (take as directed)

Vimergy Barley Juice Extract Powder (1-2 teaspoons in lemon water, green juice or smoothie)

Let me know how this works!

The following are some supplements that I recommend for Ulcerative Colitis:

A strong probiotic, like VSL#3 because it has the ability to stimulate mucus and alter the mucosal immune system that triggers inflammation (either in the morning or before bed on an empty stomach)

Pure Encapsulations L-Glutamine Powder to help rebuild and strengthen your gut and intestinal lining (3 grams in water, green juice or a smoothie)

Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D 5000 iu to help rebuild your intestinal lining and help fight this autoimmune disease

High Quality Fish Oil Paragon Fish Oil or New Chapter WholeOmega Fish oil to lower inflammation

Mary Ruth’s Certified Organic Multi Vitamin and Mineral Liquid to help you get them into your cells and tissues without having to worry about digesting a supplement

My top 4 supplements are the following. Oh no! It’s going to my top 5…LOL!

Pure Encapsulations B Complex Plus and/or Global Healing B12 – We burn through our B vitamins because of stress and it’s really hard to get enough high quality B12

Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate (2-3 capsules before bed) Every part of our body needs magnesium to function and our soil and food is lacking it!

Renew Life 80 Billion Women’s Probiotic – We can’t get enough beneficial bacteria in our gut.

Eidon Ionized Zinc – We need to protect our organs from viruses and pathogens and continually build our immune system.

Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D 2000 – 5000 iu (depending if your vitamin D is low) – It helps rebuild the lining in our gut and immune system.

Hi! You’re the second Bay area local to reach out, maybe it’s a sign that I need to head north 😉 At this time my program is available in the Los Angeles market only.

My book has a full seven day cleanse program, it is not the S.O.U.P. Cleanse but does have some components of it (my signature Detox Tonic). If you purchase my book, I highly recommend trying the included seven day program out – I’ve seen incredible results in my clients who have tried this DIY version.

Yay! It’s amazing to hear your friends have been raving about my delivered cleanse program. I would love to make it available nationwide, but since that won’t be happening in the near future. I could send you the recipes to make it yourself or at least try some of the signature items out on your own (I will send to your email).

I can tell you all my healthy recommendations for Los Angeles, but unfortunately I am not aware of similar options available in San Francisco at this time.

Hi Laura,

I’m a big fan of the Pure Encapsulations Brands for Selenium, Vitamin D, and Magnesium.  You can easily order all three of these via Amazon.

In regards to plant based proteins, I tend to lean towards products that are 100%  Certified Organic. Swanson’s Pea Protein is a good one.

Thank you for writing to me!

I know how frustrating skin issues can be and I am so sorry you feel embarrassed by your acne. I’m sure you’re in pain too, and this is never comfortable.

The first thing you should do is to address the gut-skin connection, because when you have beneficial bacteria lining your gut it’ll create a healthy sealed barrier that prevents inflammation. A great way to boost beneficial gut bacteria is through diet and a probiotic supplement. I have many probiotics that I recommend, but the one that comes to mind for you is Renew Life Women’s Complete Probiotic 90 Billion. The probiotic-rich foods you can add to your diet are coconut yogurt kefir, coconut water kefir, organic tempeh and cultured vegetables (sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.)

The second thing is that people with cystic acne tend to be low in is zinc. I love the supplement Eidon Ionic Zinc. Also, I would consume high-quality grass-fed beef (if you eat animal protein) chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and cashews to prevent a zinc deficiency. Zinc also supports a healthy digestive tract.

Then add the following foods into your diet:

• Kale, spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots, because they have vitamin A that helps fight infection and speeds healing.
• Veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds (flax, chia, hemp) and high quality gluten free grains, because the fiber will encourages colon cleansing as well as the growth of good bacteria in the gut.
• Eat more cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower as well as leafy greens, pears and apples to help the liver process any extra hormones out of the body.

It’s really important to be sleeping 8 hrs a night to help restore and replenish your body and have some form of stress relief (yoga, meditation, reflexology foot massage, Epsom salt bath).