LiBelle' Essential Living

12/17/2025

The 8 PM rule is a powerful practice for your health. When you stop eating after 8 PM, your body can focus on digestion, helping it rest and repair overnight. This practice allows your gut to recharge and reduces bloating, giving you a fresher start in the morning.

By cutting out late-night eating, your blood sugar stabilizes, making it easier to control your weight. You also avoid unwanted midnight cravings. Weight control becomes easier because the body burns fat more efficiently when it is not overburdened with food during the night.

As a bonus, inflammation in the body lowers when you follow this routine. It also helps balance morning hunger, giving you better control over your appetite. Making herbal tea part of your nightly ritual enhances relaxation, preparing your body for a restful sleep that’s crucial for your overall health. 🍵💤

12/16/2025

You were never broken.
You were never cursed.
You were never under attack by your own body.

That is not what autoimmunity is.

Autoimmunity is not self destruction.
It is intelligent self defense in a toxic world.

What we call autoimmunity is a misunderstanding of biology.
We see immune activity at the surface and label it a mistake, without understanding why it exists.

Your body is not malfunctioning.
It is responding.

It is responding to overload, toxins, mold, parasites, viruses, metals, and food particles leaking into the bloodstream.
It is trying to survive in conditions it was never designed for.

Your immune system is not attacking you.
It is trying to protect vital organs from ongoing threat.

But when the gut becomes permeable, when infections hide in tissues, when detox and drainage pathways are blocked, that response becomes chronic.

The immune system stays activated, not because it is confused, but because the danger signal never stops.

It begins tagging anything that resembles a threat, even if it looks like you.

And the science already supports this.

Autoimmune conditions are often triggered by infections, microbial burden, and toxic exposure, far more than genetics alone.

Viruses and bacteria do not just mimic proteins.
They infect cells, disrupt function, and embed in tissues.

Your immune system targets infected or dysfunctional cells to prevent wider damage.

This is seen in Type 1 diabetes, where infections can lodge in the pancreas and the immune system clears infected beta cells to protect the whole body.

That is not betrayal.
That is intelligence.

You do not need suppression.
You need support.

You need detox and drainage.
You need nervous system regulation.
You need to remove what is driving the response and rebuild what is missing.

Autoimmunity is the body saying,
“I still care. I am still fighting.”

Honor that signal.
Help the body finish the job.

References:
PMID: 19232064
PMID: 31736939
PMID: 37068036
PMID: 22407396
PMID: 7704000
PMID: 32445945
PMID: 25757504
PMID: 9205340
PMID: 34537272
PMID: 40528008

12/12/2025

💜 Clean Your Pipes, Protect Your Brain 🦋
A LiBellé take on cholesterol, food choices & long-term health

Let’s talk cholesterol — without the panic, the pressure, or the medical jargon.

Think of your arteries and veins like pipes.
When we constantly pour in ultra-processed foods, excess sugar, and unhealthy fats… those pipes get sticky, inflamed, and clogged.
When we choose whole foods, healthy fats, fiber, and balance?
✨ Cleaner pipes. Better flow. Happier heart and brain.

⸻

🩺 Why “bad” cholesterol matters

LDL (“bad”) cholesterol can contribute to plaque buildup, which affects:
• Heart health
• Stroke risk
• Brain circulation

And your brain LOVES good circulation.

HDL (“good”) cholesterol helps clean up excess cholesterol — think of it as the clean-up crew for your pipes.

The goal isn’t perfection… it’s consistency.

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🥗 Simple, natural ways to support healthier cholesterol

(no extremes required)

✅ Fiber is your friend
Oats, beans, lentils, apples, berries — fiber helps trap cholesterol and move it out.

✅ Choose healthy fats
Olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, fatty fish — these support better LDL/HDL balance.

✅ Omega-3 power
Salmon, sardines, walnuts, flax — great for triglycerides, inflammation, and brain health.

✅ Plant power
Veggies, soy foods, herbs, and spices support metabolism and vascular health.

✅ Move your body
You don’t need a gym membership — walking counts. Dancing counts. Life movement counts.

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🌿 What about supplements?

Some people use things like:
• Soluble fiber (psyllium)
• Plant sterols
• Omega-3s
• Berberine or garlic

These can be helpful supports, but they work best with good food choices — not instead of them. Always personalize with guidance.

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🧠 And the statin conversation…

You may hear conflicting information about long-term statin use and brain health. Research is mixed, and for many people statins are absolutely life-saving.

But here’s the empowering part 👉
Why not do good for your body right now?

Food, lifestyle, and foundational supplements:
• Support healthier cholesterol
• Improve metabolic balance
• Reduce inflammation
• Protect heart and brain health

No matter what path you choose later.

⸻

💜 The LiBellé truth

You don’t need fear.
You don’t need extremes.
You don’t need perfection.

You just need better choices, made consistently.

✨ Cleaner eating = cleaner pipes
✨ Cleaner pipes = better flow
✨ Better flow = stronger heart, clearer mind

You are StrongHer than you think — and your body is always listening. 🦋

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

💜 We Are Over-Scent-ized

A StrongHer message about synthetic fragrance + hormone disruptors—and how to make cleaner swaps without losing your mind or your budget.

Walk into the average home and you’ll find scent everywhere.
We shower in it, wash clothes in it, clean with it, spray it into the air, sleep with it on our pillows, and even wrap our babies in it. And because these smells feel cozy, nostalgic, fresh, or feminine—we don’t think twice.

But here’s the truth most people have never been told:

Fragrance ≠ harmless.
And not all scents are created equal.

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🔍 Everyday Household Items That May Contain Synthetic Fragrance + Endocrine Disruptors

You may recognize these in your home right now:

✨ Laundry detergent
✨ Dryer sheets + fabric softeners
✨ Air fresheners + plug-ins
✨ Candles (especially “scented”)
✨ Perfume + body spray
✨ Shampoo & conditioner
✨ Lotions, body wash, deodorant
✨ Makeup + hair styling products
✨ Cleaning sprays + wipes
✨ Dish soap + hand soap
✨ Baby products (diapers, wipes, wash)
✨ Plastic food storage + non-stick pans
✨ Trash bags + paper products (toilet paper, tissues)
✨ Scented feminine products (tampons, pads)

This is layered exposure — and most people don’t realize they come in contact with dozens of hormone-disrupting chemicals before 9 a.m.

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⚠ Why Does This Matter?

Synthetic fragrances often contain phthalates, parabens, musks, oxybenzone & VOCs — many of which act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

What does that mean for the body?

EDCs can:
• mimic hormones
• block hormones
• disrupt hormone production & metabolism

Over time, this may contribute to:

🩸 Hormonal imbalance
🧬 Fertility & reproductive challenges
💤 Sleep disruption & fatigue
🧠 Brain fog & neurological effects
🎀 Thyroid dysfunction
🌸 Estrogen-dominance symptoms (PMS, painful periods, fibroids, PCOS)
🎗 Potential links to hormone-related cancers

Not everyone reacts the same — but reducing exposure lowers the burden your body has to fight through every day.

Think of it as strength training for your cells.
Less interference = more resilience.

⸻

🔬 The Science (Simple, Not Scary)

Your endocrine system is your internal communication network.

It regulates:
💜 metabolism
💜 mood
💜 reproduction
💜 growth
💜 stress response
💜 immune function

When synthetic fragrance chemicals enter the body through skin or lungs, they can bind to hormone receptors like imposters — sending the wrong signal, or blocking the right one. The body becomes confused, communication weakens, and symptoms speak louder.

This isn’t about panic.
This is about awareness.

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🌿 How to Move Toward a Non-Toxic Lifestyle Without Breaking the Bank

Small swaps move mountains over time. You don’t need perfection — just intention.

Start where it’s easiest:

🧺 Cleaning + Laundry

✨ Unscented or essential-oil-based detergents
✨ Wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets
✨ Vinegar + baking soda for simple, effective cleaning

🛁 Personal Care

✨ Look for fragrance-free, phthalate-free, paraben-free
✨ Switch 1 product at a time — lotion first? deodorant next?
✨ Try essential oil perfumes instead of synthetic sprays

🏠 Air & Environment

✨ Crack a window daily (fresh air > plug-ins)
✨ Choose beeswax or coconut wax candles, not petroleum blends
✨ HEPA vacuum if you can — dust carries chemical residues

🍽 Food + Kitchen

✨ Glass over plastic for storage
✨ Don’t heat food in plastic — ever
✨ Filter water if possible

You don’t need to throw everything out.
Swap as you finish products. Slow change is sustainable change.

💜 StrongHer Reminder

This is not about fear.
It’s about power.
It’s about knowing better so you can choose better.

Your hormones deserve clarity.
Your cells deserve peace.
Your body deserves support — not overwhelm.

And you, beautiful woman —
are StrongHer every time you choose awareness.

🦋 One product at a time.
🦋 One swap at a time.
🦋 One step closer to the life you’re building.

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

🌿 StrongHer Truth for Today 🌿

Imagine your worst sick day…
Now imagine living like that every single day while still being expected to work, parent, show up, and push through exhaustion or pain that most people only feel with the flu.

For so many women, this isn’t a bad day — it’s their normal.
They don’t “get better”…
They learn to adapt.
They learn to cope.
They learn to live in the in-between.

And here’s the important part:
💛 We all cope and heal differently.
What works beautifully for one person might not work at all for another — and that’s okay. There is no one-size-fits-all path to healing, strength, or survival.

So today, give yourself credit for the way you keep going.
For the way you navigate your hard days.
For the way you rise, even if some days rising looks like resting.

You’re doing better than you think. 💜✨

11/25/2025

11/23/2025

This is so true!

But because of lupus,

I’ve learned not to waste my good energy on bad people, places & things
I’ve learned to embrace all the little things
I’ve learned to slow down
I’ve learned to touched grass
I’ve gained perspective

For me, I’ve gained more with lupus, than it’s taken from me. I try really hard on the hard days to remember all this. 💜🦋

And when all else fails, I turn on some Reba McEntire & sing with my whole chest.

11/21/2025

💜 Fibromyalgia & Holistic Healing: Natural Ways to Support Your Body, Mind, and Energy

StrongHer. Grounded. Empowered. Living in Alignment.

Fibromyalgia isn’t just a diagnosis — it’s a daily conversation between your body and your nervous system. And while medications can help some people, many women are turning toward holistic and natural therapies to support pain relief, emotional balance, and whole-body healing.

If you’ve ever wondered what else you can do beyond the prescription bottle, this is for you.

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🌸 The Power of a Holistic Approach

Fibromyalgia is not caused by one single issue — so healing rarely comes from one single intervention. Holistic therapies address:

✨ Nervous system overstimulation
✨ Chronic inflammation
✨ Muscle tension + fascia restriction
✨ Hormonal shifts
✨ Gut imbalance
✨ Emotional + energetic stress

When you support the whole body, the whole body responds.

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🌿 Top Natural Therapies for Fibromyalgia Relief

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💆‍♀️ 1. Massage & Myofascial Release

Fibromyalgia causes the fascia (the connective tissue under the skin) to become tight and reactive. Massage promotes:

✓ Improved circulation
✓ Less tension
✓ Reduced pain sensitivity
✓ Better sleep

Techniques that work well:
→ Gentle Swedish massage
→ Lymphatic drainage
→ Craniosacral therapy
→ Light myofascial stretching

(Deep tissue is often too intense — gentle is more effective.)

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🧘‍♀️ 2. Gentle Movement: Yoga, Walking, Tai Chi

Fibro bodies respond incredibly well to consistent, low-impact movement, especially when combined with breathwork.
Benefits include:

✓ Reduced pain
✓ Improved mobility
✓ Nervous system regulation
✓ Mental clarity
✓ Less stress

It’s not about intensity — it’s about consistency.

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🛁 3. Heat Therapy

Heat calms the overactive pain pathways in fibromyalgia.

🔥 Warm baths
🔥 Infrared sauna
🔥 Heating pads
🔥 Warm Epsom salt soaks

Magnesium from Epsom salt also supports muscle relaxation and reduces tenderness.

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🧠 4. Mind-Body Therapies

Your brain plays a huge role in how your body processes pain.
These therapies help rewire that connection:

🟣 Meditation
🟣 Breathwork
🟣 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
🟣 Guided imagery
🟣 Nervous system regulation practices

These aren’t “just mental health tools” — they calm the pain-amplifying centers in the brain.

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🌱 5. Herbal & Natural Supports

Many herbs and nutrients calm inflammation and support the nervous system:

🌿 Turmeric (curcumin)
🌿 Boswellia
🌿 Devil’s claw
🌿 Magnesium
🌿 Omega-3s
🌿 Vitamin D
🌿 CBD or h**p extract
🌿 Ginger

(Always check with your provider about interactions.)

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🔴 6. Red Light Therapy & Infrared Light Therapy

A powerful tool for fibro pain, cellular healing, and inflammation.

Red light (660nm) and near-infrared light (850–940nm) pe*****te deeply into tissues, where they:

✨ Boost mitochondrial ATP production
✨ Reduce inflammation
✨ Improve cellular repair
✨ Calm overactive nerve pathways
✨ Relax tense muscles
✨ Support deeper, more restorative sleep

What the research shows:

A review of clinical studies found that red light therapy significantly improves:
• Pain levels
• Tenderness
• Sleep quality
• Fatigue
• Overall sense of wellbeing

It can be used at home or professionally, and is safe for most people.

Popular options:
🔹 Infrared sauna
🔹 Red light therapy panels
🔹 Handheld infrared devices
🔹 Infrared therapy beds

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🎵 7. Sound Wave & Vibrational Therapy

Fibromyalgia is deeply tied to the nervous system — and sound is a powerful regulator.

Sound wave therapy includes:
🎶 Tuning forks
🎶 Binaural beats
🎶 Frequency healing (432 Hz, 528 Hz)
🎶 Acoustic/vibrational beds
🎶 Low-frequency sound stimulation
🎶 Singing bowls or sound baths

How it helps:

These therapies can:

✓ Calm the vagus nerve
✓ Reduce muscle tension
✓ Improve sleep
✓ Lower stress hormones
✓ Release stored emotional energy
✓ Improve autonomic nervous system balance

For many fibro warriors, sound therapy becomes a weekly ritual that helps their body “reset.”

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🌙 8. Sleep Hygiene & Nervous System Reset

Fibromyalgia and sleep are deeply connected.
Strategies that help:

🟣 Warm bath before bed
🟣 Magnesium glycinate
🟣 Routine bedtime schedule
🟣 Weighted blanket
🟣 White noise or solfeggio frequencies
🟣 Red light instead of blue light at night

Small changes add up.

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💜 9. The StrongHer Reminder

Healing with fibromyalgia is not about “pushing through.”
It’s not about pretending you’re not in pain.

It’s about learning your body.
Supporting your nervous system.
Honoring your limits.
Leaning into gentle healing.
And choosing natural supports that help you reclaim your power.

You are not defined by your diagnosis.
You are StrongHer because of how you rise despite it.