Our quest to optimize our health began after we were exposed to toxic mold. Let’s rewind a bit here. After both graduating from University of Southern California  in 2017, we were well on our way to start career paths in the competitive corporate worlds. We moved into our first post grad apartment with two other girlfriends from our USC sorority, ready to take on our young twenties with genuine excitement. But everything began to shift after moving in. Little did we know that the raging insomnia, gut issues and crushing fatigue were just some of the symptoms that would plague years of our lives, all of which were brought on by this toxic exposure. 

OUR STORY BEGINS HERE...

We slowly started to put together the pieces of our very complex health puzzle and learned that the exposure triggered a host of health issues, some of which include Lyme disease, virus activations, autoimmune diseases like hashimotos, hormone irregularities, parasites, heavy metal toxicity and gut problems. Instead of thriving in our new careers and living the 20-something life we anticipated, our worlds were instead consumed with researching and trying every possible therapy- western, alternative and integrative- in attempt to heal ourselves from the debilitating symptoms we lived with on a daily basis. 

Our healing journey back to wellness sparked an insatiable curiosity for learning and research, so much so that we are pursuing a master’s degree in Functional Medicine and Nutrition and IFMP certification. We also started an Instagram account called The Detoxing Duo where we have been chronicling our evolving health journey, sharing what we have learned along the way and inspiring our community to live a cleaner lifestyle.

In order to heal from these various chronic health issues, we overhauled our entire way of eating, adopting an anti-inflammatory diet with a focus on organic, nutrient dense whole foods that would provide the nourishment our bodies so desperately needed to heal. We stopped using conventional, hormone disrupting household products and made the switch to a non-toxic lifestyle in order to continue to reduce our toxic burdens. We also learned that healing means not just addressing the physical, but the entire mind body spirit connection. So, we delved into the world of meditation, reiki and breath work which helped us shift our bodies into a more parasympathetic, or “rest and digest” state, which was more conducive to our healing.

 OUR DAILY ROUTINE

So, what does our day to day routine look like now, as we continue to heal and detox our bodies? We typically start our day with a hot lemon water to stimulate bile flow, or a fresh organic green juice (we love the juice company Crated, based in LA!) to start our bodies off on an alkaline note. If we don’t have fresh juice on us, or the time to make one, we love Organifi’s organic green juice powder as as substitute! Then we have a matcha (always ceremonial grade- Pique tea has an amazing one!) or an organic mold-free coffee like Bulletproof or Kion. If we are intermittent fasting still, we will have these beverages with no milk, but if we’re breaking our fasts we will make them latte-style with an organic nut milk like Malk which is organic and contains very minimal ingredients! We usually like to fast for 16-hours as this is very beneficial for gut function and microbial diversity! We break our fasts with a nutrient dense meal filled with antioxidant rich veggies and some sort of high quality grass fed protein. This is what most of our meals look like- simple, clean, delicious and so nourishing! We typically do our detox protocols in the evenings (aside from coffee enemas- which we like to do in the mornings as they can sometimes give you a caffeine boost!). We aim for a 45 min infrared sauna session (we love our Sunlighten solo systems which are portable and detox you of toxins on a cellular level, from the inside out!) and we like to dry brush our bodies beforehand to open up our pores for enhanced detox. If we don’t have time for a sauna session, we draw an epsom salt bath with also draws out toxins! As we approach bedtime, we actively wind down by journaling or meditating- even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes this helps us relax and prepare for a solid night’s sleep. Oh, and CBD is a must in the evenings too- we love the brand SoulCBD which has different blends of supplements and tinctures. Their Dream blend- which is a mix of CBD, valerian root and low dose melatonin- is a must for a good night’s sleep…it’s improved our Oura ring sleep scores significantly since taking! 

This is what an ideal day would look like but of course sometimes life can get in the way, and we don’t beat ourselves up when it does! For us, it’s just about finding the time to fit these things in when we can - as at this stage in our healing journey these modalities are still essential!