Turning Your Leaf

07/17/2025

So many benefits!!

🌿 Lymphatic reflexes on the feet: How reflexology can help support natural detox and reduce puffiness

Your lymphatic system is like your body’s inner cleansing crew, quietly working to remove waste, toxins, and excess fluid. But when it gets sluggish (think stress, lack of movement, or even the heat of summer), you might notice puffiness, swelling, or that heavy, tired feeling.

That’s where reflexology comes in.

By gently stimulating lymphatic reflex points on the feet, a reflexologist can help:
✅ Encourage the natural movement of lymph fluid
✅ Support the body’s detox pathways
✅ Reduce swelling in feet, ankles, or legs
✅ Leave you feeling lighter and more balanced

A soothing, natural way to help your body refresh itself from the inside out. 💜

07/14/2025

“Living healthy is too expensive.”

It’s one of the most common beliefs keeping people stuck, and it’s not entirely their fault.

We’ve been sold the idea that health comes in a bottle, a box, or a subscription. That without access to boutique fitness studios, organic superfoods, and personalized supplements, wellness is out of reach.

But the truth is, the core pillars of health were never meant to be monetized.

Before we had gyms, apps, or lab tests, we had:
☀️ Sunlight to regulate our circadian rhythms, optimize vitamin D, and support mitochondrial health.
🌿 Nature to lower cortisol, boost immunity, and ground our nervous system.
😴 Sleep as the most powerful detoxifier and repair mechanism on the planet.
💨 Breathwork to reset our stress response and shift into parasympathetic healing mode.
🏃‍♂️ Movement, not exercise for the sake of burning calories, but natural, daily physical activity that keeps blood flowing, muscles strong, and inflammation at bay.
❤️ Community to buffer stress, increase lifespan, and create meaning.
🙏 Gratitude, laughter, touch, stillness, purpose: all free, all life-enhancing.

Yes, access to high-quality food, clean water, and healthcare matters. And yes, there are systemic barriers that need fixing. But we also need to reclaim the truth: your biology is wired to thrive in the right environment, and much of that environment is free.

Health isn’t something you buy. It’s something you build…choice by choice, breath by breath, step by step.

Let’s remember the basics. They’re still the most powerful medicine we have.

07/09/2025

06/19/2025

Many women use alcohol to wind down at the end of the day or have a nightcap to help feel drowsy so they can drift off to sleep. And it works... temporarily. A glass or two of Shiraz may leave you nodding off during your favorite Netflix series. But it ultimately lessens the quality of your sleep and increases restlessness toward the early morning hours, especially if you're drinking right before bed.

Drinking within an hour of bedtime lengthens your non-REM sleep and shortens your REM sleep during the first half of the night; as a result, you don't get into that deep restorative sleep for very long. As your liver sops up the ethanol from your bloodstream, your body can go into a bit of withdrawal during the second half of the night, making you restless and more likely to toss and turn. Avoiding alcohol can also help reduce the number and severity of hot flashes. So have that glass with dinner, but switch over to tart cherry juice (more on that in my book Next Level) before bedtime. Your sleep with thank you.

Study links can be found here:
https://bit.ly/4jSZ8JC
https://bit.ly/4l63MVt

06/16/2025

I wish I didn’t like my toast crispy golden brown😭

06/11/2025

Your complete bible.

03/27/2025

….and when they’re doing that “thing”….making that awful face, saying those mean words, talking “down” to you, it’s HARD to recognize the attachment intention underneath the behavior…..and vice-versa because you likely do it too.
It’s so easy to get stuck in “enemy” mode when we’re mad and nervous systems are flaring saying “protect! Get them to see how much I’m hurting! Get them to see how wrong they are so they’ll finally get it and they’ll change and we’ll be okay!”
The truth is that underneath all of these truly awful words and behaviors is something so much softer and more vulnerable: fear of abandonment and rejection, fear of failing, shame, and dangling grief. I’ve yet to work with a client who hasn’t had these parts buried underneath their attacking and protective behaviors. This work is about behavior change and real behavior change is about healing, so how can we really heal if we aren’t able to reach the hurt places?
These deeper feelings are related to unmet attachment needs that happened in the past and are happening in the present. When those deepest needs go unmet and the wounds get touched, one of two things is going to happen: either a fight OR a vulnerable connection…..or sometimes a fight then a vulnerable connection (during the repair).
My job as a therapist and author is to teach people how to do the first and the third. I do that in my private practice, here on Instagram and in my book Secure Love.
For more information on attachment needs and the negative cycles they create when they’ve gone unmet, please scroll through my “Start Here” highlight.
For the most thorough and organized presentation of this information, and a walk-through the healing process which mirrors the process I use in my practice to help couples stop fighting and start finding each other, check out my book Secure Love which is available anywhere books are sold, in hardcover, audiobook and ebook. ❤️

12/20/2024

12/06/2024

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a fascination with essential minerals. What got me started looking at them in a deeper way was the interrelationship they have with heavy metals. In other words, essential minerals compete with heavy metals (for absorption, metabolism, etc.) due to their similar chemical construct, so if we are getting adequate essential minerals (the average person needs about 20 of them), we might be better internally protected and able to ward off the effects of heavy metals. That said, we definitely need more research on that interrelationship. More on that topic at our blog here: https://deannaminich.com/metals-and-minerals/

Aside from the heavy metal connection, essential minerals are required as cofactors in thousands of metabolic reactions (even activation of vitamin D requires magnesium as a cofactor). Unfortunately, our soils and crops are becoming more depleted of these vital elements. I aim to eat mineral-rich foods every day, such as root vegetables, nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, berries, leafy greens, and avocadoes, to name a few.

10/27/2024

Reflexology keeps the body's “vital energy” flowing. 👣 🌱
Over 7000 thousands nerves in each foot are worked on during a reflexology session, which translates into a session rich in communication with your nervous system.🧠

The body’s parasympathetic nervous system is directly affected during a reflexology session thereby slowing heart rate, facilitating digestion, and promoting deep relaxation.😴

Stimulation of nerve function activates better connection between body and brain and can provide a multitude of benefits for the body / mind.🧠

All body systems benefit, circulation, energy, memory, immunity and detoxification improves, tensions are eased, hormones are balanced and overall health is greatly enhanced.
Vital energy flows! 💥👣

10/19/2024

I'm super excited for you to participate in The Melatonin Masterclass, a series of interviews I conducted with the world’s leading experts on melatonin. You’ll gain insight and clinical pearls on the many applications of melatonin beyond sleep that will transform how you supplement and optimize circadian health.

Consider melatonin for aging, immune health, brain health, chemoprevention, and fertility - we’re covering it all! Plus, choose from two interview tracks for health professionals and the general public to access content tailored to you.

Registration is open now and for a limited time only, from October 31-November 11, you can access all of the content for free. Sign up for FREE at https://www.melatoninmasterclass.com.

10/07/2024

One of the biggest questions I get from women going through menopause is not "how do I stop the hot flashes?" but "how can I get rid of belly fat?" and "how can I sleep better?". Of course, there are many aspects to better body composition and quality sleep. One of them is the gut microbiome. A recent study showed that visceral adiposity in postmenopausal women was associated with a pro-inflammatory gut microbiome. Makes sense!