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The Art of Living: Finding Balance in a Fragmented World

by Donnie Yance

In our hyper-connected yet somehow disconnected modern world, many of us find ourselves longing for something deeper—a sense of wholeness that transcends the fragmentation of daily life. We seek not just physical health, but a harmonious existence that nourishes body, mind, and spirit equally. This integration isn’t just a luxury; it’s increasingly becoming essential for navigating our complex lives with grace and purpose.

The Forgotten Wisdom of Wholeness

Ancient healing traditions from around the world share a common understanding: true wellness emerges when we honor the interconnectedness of our physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. From Traditional Chinese Medicine’s concept of qi balance to Franciscan spirituality’s reverence for natural harmony, these wisdom traditions remind us that fragmentation leads to suffering, while integration leads to flourishing.

The Latin root of the word “health” is salvus, which is also the root of “salvation”—suggesting that true healing involves both physical restoration and spiritual wholeness. Similarly, the words “health,” “whole,” and “holy” share linguistic origins, pointing to an ancient understanding that true wellness encompasses far more than the mere absence of disease.

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Maca: Nature’s Energizing Root from the Mountains of Peru

By Donnie Yance

What is Maca?

Maca (Lepidium meyenii), is a resilient cruciferous root vegetable native to the high Andean plateaus of Peru at elevations of 11,500-16,400 feet. It has recently garnered significant attention in the natural medicine field due to its extraordinary nutritional, antiviral, and antioxidant properties. Traditionally cultivated by indigenous communities for over 2,000 years, maca has been used both as a dietary staple and medicinal herb.

Its roots contain approximately 60% carbohydrates, 10% protein, and 10% fibers, with the remainder comprising various bioactive compounds.1 For centuries, people in Peru have valued maca for its ability to boost energy and enhance fertility.

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Detoxification: Everything you need to know and what to do

plants for clean air

Part 5-  Plants: the Guardians of Indoor Water and Air Quality

By Donnie Yance  

“The key to stopping the environmental apocalypse is not science but love.” – Steven Charleston

Previous posts in this series have covered how plants play a vital role in assisting the detoxification of dangerous chemicals out of our bodies through nutrition and supplementation. Plants also have little-known abilities to actually clean the water and air of our home environments.

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Detoxification: Everything you need to know and what to do

Foods for detox

Part Four: Lifestyle and Herbs For Detoxification

By Donnie Yance 

Life Force and Herbal Medicine

The Life Force, or Vital Force, is an innate energy that exists in all of nature. Plants are made up of highly organized molecules governed by this same Life Force with divine intelligence. Herbal medicine assists healing through the sacred human-to-plant relationship. God and nature have cooperated to create cleansing and nourishing allies throughout the plant kingdom.

Detoxification

We must consider that the creation of the universe had a purpose rather than being a mere result of chance. Plants were among the first settlers on Earth and depended on their adaptability for food and medicine. The plants learned how to convert sunlight into energy. They also learned to generate molecules to protect themselves from pollution, radiation, and predators. These molecules then become protective for us when we consume these foods and herbs. 

Human beings and plants are manifestations of creative, divine intelligence, harmoniously connected through a shared vibration. The fact that we breathe the plants’ exhaust (oxygen) and they breathe our exhaust (carbon dioxide) is an example of this harmonic relationship. 

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Detoxification: Everything you need to know and what to do

gluamine, glycine and NAC for detox

Part Three: Key Nutrients and Pathways for Optimizing Detoxification

By Donnie Yance

Now we will begin digging into the amino acids, minerals, and pathways that support healthy detoxification.

Key Goals for Detoxification

  1. Remove or reduce the source of toxic exposure. 
  2. Regenerate networks through herbal, nutritional, dietary, and lifestyle medicine
  3. Restore cellular energy primarily using adaptogens which are the root-system medicine for detoxification. 
  4. Improve energy transfer by ensuring efficient utilization of oxygen, fats, proteins, and sugars for energy. The more efficient the system, the fewer toxins are produced. 
  5. Reduce cellular inflammation. 
  6. Activate key detoxification and antioxidant pathways, including: Cytochrome p450, Glutathione (GSH), Nrf-2, Methylation, Sulfation, and Glucuronidation. 
  7. Eliminate stagnation of oxygen, blood, and lymph by engaging in gentle activities such as: deep breathing, walking in nature, swimming, or yoga. 
  8. Reduce stress, stay calm, and manage anger, worry, and fear.
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Detoxification: Everything You Need To Know and What To Do- Part 2: Endocrine Disruptors and the Disease Burden of Plastics and Other Environmental Toxins

Plastic detox

By Donnie Yance 

“Nature itself is the best physician.”– Hippocrates

The Costs of Chemical Exposure

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are synthetic chemicals found in pesticides and some plastics that can enter the body through the food chain and interfere with hormone balance and disturb proper endocrine health. When levels go up, so too does body-mass index (obesity), as well as the risk of several cancers, fibroid tumors, endocrine-related diseases, and infertility. Breast cancer in men is becoming more and more common as a result of these hormonal toxins.1,2  

Exposure to pesticides (cloransulam‐methyl, diflufenzopyr, thiamethoxam, and trifluralin), was recently found to be associated with an increased risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer.3

EDCs, via daily use of plastics, are a major contributor to the overall disease burden in the U.S., and a large-scale analysis revealed that the associated costs to society amount to more than 1% of the gross domestic product.

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