Andy's Idea Factory

About two weeks ago I broke my right big toe. I don't even know how it happened - but after loading an oven/range into our neighbors' house and then loading firewood into mine, my toe started to hurt. I took my boot off and it was throbbing and swollen. I iced it for 30, and while doing so, began my usual route for healing: intuitive check-in, muscle-testing, and resources.  Within a a few hours it was black and blue and I was on task. The general consensus is that there's not a lot you can do for a broken toe except rest and ice. But in the natural solutions world, there's always way more you can do. The prognosis was 4 to 6 weeks recovery, and I was leaving for a ski vacation in 8 days, so my plan was to "throw the book at it," meaning to support my body in all ways possible for the quickest recovery possible.  The first 24 hours, I iced every 30 to 60 minutes for 15 minutes, and each time I took Arnica Montana in the oral homeopathy at 200c potency. Arnica...

I have been amateurely studying the benefits of herbs on health for over 25 years now and I've recently been adding Cats Claw into my regime, along with what I always and forever will take  –  whole food concentrates & plant based protein . In addition to that I rotate in a few things for my thyroid, inflammation, and gut health (selenium, magnesium, D, homeopathy, CBD) and in recent months, thanks to what I've been reading from The Medical Medium, Cats Claw is one of them. I've really noticed my body craves it now, if I skip it, I feel my physical being seeking it out. I travel a lot, more so this month, and I think that's why- it's extra immune support, which we need when we are on the road even more. This infographic from Dr. Axe sums it all up perfectly. Learn more here . I'm a firm believer that plants heal, and this her specifically is one of the ancient ones, used in Peru since the early days of herbal healing. If you are clearing out...

Recently I went to an educational talk with Dr. Tamara Sachs, a long time general practitioner who is very passionate about living healthy, and a National Marketing Director with the Juice Plus Company. Her talk was "Living on a Toxic Planet," and while it's depressing to think that we are indeed surrounded by toxins, her talk reminded me that the way I've been living, and the choices I make, mostly keep my body safe from those toxins.  From choosing to live in the mountains of Colorado twenty years ago, to reading every label of every item I buy, it may take a little more effort, but the way my body feels and the longevity that results from living a pure clean life is worth it. For nearly three decades, I have been very proactive about what I put in and on by body; lotions, hair products, household cleaners, and food  –  all of the labels of the items I buy, I read. If you're curious as to why, read my article on Read the Label . It's important to be sure ...

I was in a book store in Oregon, about to embark on a journey across land and sea, when a book fell off the shelf and dropped to my feet. I looked around to see if someone had pushed it - the shelves were the old school library kind, where books were backed up against each other on metal shelves between narrow aisles. But no one was there. I was 23 and a little jumpy. I bent down to pick up the green book and read its unsuspecting, all-text cover. "The Celestine Prophesy," it read. Hmm, prophesy, I thought, that's cool. But what's a Celestine Prophesy? So, I flipped it over and read the summary of a man on a journey to find an ancient manuscript. It felt somehow connected to the journey I was embarking on. I wasn't headed to South America, but it didn't matter, I had been delving into the depths of myself with my first metaphysical teacher for a year and was ready to dive further. I was headed to Scotland, and it was cold and dark and raining there. Perfect...

In my past, rarely did I answer a phone number I don't know. It felt invasive. However, now that I get client and customer direct phone calls from varying area codes for both of my businesses, I tend to answer them more. (If I hear either word "mortgage" or "interest" in the first sentence, I hang up!) Today, I'm glad I answered today's "random" call, because it was the Colorado Department of Health on behalf of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention calling with a health survey, which I was happy to fill out - not only because health is my new career and in hopes to somehow impact the health and statistics on American health, but also for selfish pride that I live in one of the healthiest states in the country and I wanted my healthy body and mind included in the results.  Today I wasn't asked about my nutrition, and so at the end of the survey, I asked why. She knew I worked in the industry of health and nutrition because one ...

Ever since living on the farm in Oregon and learning all the old world holistic trades, I have been a big proponent of do-it-yourself home care. Be it for skin, hair, eating or cleaning, there's so much to be said about making your own. And one of our go-to items is a healing comfrey salve. Burt's Bees makes a great version ( Dr. Burts ), and there are several others like it you can buy at Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, etc. So if you don't have time, having one of these store bought versions in your first aid kit or cabinet is a great idea. The magic of the comfrey plant is legendary - the Native Americans called it "Knit Bone," and used it for all sorts of internal and external remedies. In our house, we use it for rashes, stings, cuts, nicks, scrapes, and most of all, burns. Most versions (home made or store bought) include lavender in their blend, which is an immediate and must-have cure for burns. So this summer, when our comfrey plants took over the f...