Holistic New Year Resolutions - 24 Things To Consider by Dr. Alicia Armitstead

1. Get Muscle Tested

If you have not tried it or it's been over two months, your first New Year's resolution should be to get muscle tested. This is definitely the right way to start a new year. Holidays are done with, and everyone wants to be healthier. Instead of guessing what to eat to be healthier, why not get muscle tested to see exactly what would be healthy for your body? 

Using muscle testing, we can address your health concerns, help you detox heavy metals or chemicals from your body, put you on a personalized cleanse, and tell you exactly what to eat or not eat for better health. Make the new year about you and your health. 

2. Clean Makeup Only

What you put on your skin will absorb into your bloodstream, so using makeup with clean ingredients is a must. I help many women detox heavy metals from their makeup, including titanium and aluminum. Read the ingredient list every time you buy a new product, or even better, bring it in to get muscle tested to see if your body likes it. My favorite makeup line is Kjaer Weis.

3. Emotional Release

Stress is a natural response to life's ups and downs, but what happens when our body doesn't shut the stress response off? I have suggested to patients more exercise, better sleep, deep breathing, or meditation to handle their stress better so the body's nervous system doesn't get out of balance. Keeping the nervous system in a state of balance, or homeostasis, is key to better health.

Sometimes, patients come to me, and I see that their body is stressed out, but when I ask them about their stress level, they don't feel stressed. This is because their mind is not stressed, but their body is. I see the stress in the body through a technique called Emotional Release. 

The Emotional Release uses muscle testing to tell us what emotion(s) it wants to work on and where it is stuck in the body. We then use magnets on the area where the emotions are stuck and a magnet on the spine to neutralize the nervous system for about 30 seconds. The magnets polarize the nervous system to reset the stress response in the body so it's not so easily triggered. 

4. Grow An Herb

There is no way to beat the nutrition from a plant you just pulled out of the dirt yourself. All the enzymes and nutrients are available. Whether you have acres of land or no backyard, there is always a way to grow something to eat. Start with a simple window bench herb garden. Pick 3 of your favorite herbs and grow them on your windowsill. It's the easiest way to go and requires very minimal maintenance or skill. Another option is a community garden.

5. Take Deep Breathes

This should be the easiest habit of all to create this year! Deep breaths can be done anywhere, at any time. Just three deep breaths can shift your mood and nervous system to be more calm when feeling out of sorts. Besides helping your stress level and mood, it strengthens your lungs. Yes, the lungs are an organ that you can exercise. The stronger they are, the healthier they can be, even if you don't have asthma or other breathing issues. There are tons of different breathing techniques out there, so pick one and use it daily. I personally love and use heart-centered breathing from Heart Math.

6. Use An Essential Oil

Also, for stress, one can use an essential oil. My favorite stress-relieving oil is Lavender. One big inhale of Lavender, and I feel my whole body relax. You can wear it on your wrists, put it in a diffuser, or spray a dilution on your pillowcase to inhale it as you go to bed for a deeper sleep. Doterra makes a great relaxing blend with Lavender called Peace. They put the Lavender in with other calming herbs: Ylang Ylang, frankincense, and clary sage for the ultimate calming effect.

7. Gua Sha Daily

Gua Sha is a lymphatic technique utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. When done on the face, gua sha reduces fine lines and wrinkles, restores firmness and elasticity, promotes a brighter complexion, relieves jaw tension, promotes lymphatic drainage, and decreases puffiness. It can also help with sinus congestion and headaches. I find that doing it in the morning helps with mental clarity and reduces brain fog. The lymph's job is to carry toxins, so gua sha is a great way to detox.

The flow of lymph only goes one way: toward the heart. So when you use the gua sha stone, the strokes should be from the center of the face outward and move down the face and neck. Watch this video to learn how to gua sha: https://youtu.be/vaJiBU83tWo.

8. Drink Bone Broth

Bone broth is the number one food with collagen, and the question is, do you test better for chicken or beef bone broth? Drinking 8 ounces, or 1 cup, daily is better than drinking a lot once or twice a week. It is best taken on an empty stomach; this way, the body can absorb more nutrients from it. After drinking it, wait 20 minutes before eating or drinking anything else. If you are doing the capsule or powder, that can be taken with food. 

9. Add Micro-Movements

Exercise is always great for health, there is no doubt about that. However, I have learned from a great book called Quench by Dr. Dana Cohen that micro-movements also help keep us hydrated. Any movement, including fidgeting, helps push water into the body's fascia instead of staying superficial. From the fascia, the water then goes into the organs and muscles of the body so that the cells can absorb it. Micro movements can include turning the head and shoulder circles, but even little movements, such as tapping your foot, can make a difference. 

10. Drink Healing Arts Apple Cider Vinegar Tea

Years ago, I suggested that patients drink apple cider vinegar to help with candida problems. Still, when I discovered that Hippocrates (the father of modern medicine) knew about apple cider vinegar's antibiotic properties and recommended it to his patients centuries ago for its healing properties, I started researching more.

Apple cider vinegar has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Not only does it help kill all those microbes and boost your immune system, but it also helps with allergies, acne, high cholesterol, joint pain, weight loss, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, dandruff, chronic fatigue, candida, sore throat, gum infection, and acid reflux. It's also used to help dissolve kidney stones and lower high blood pressure, and it's also been shown to help with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity.

Even though vinegar is acidic, it has an alkaline effect on our bodies when we drink apple cider vinegar. The fact that apple cider vinegar causes our pH levels to become more alkaline could play a large part in its healing abilities. It also reacts to some toxins in our bodies, converting them into less toxic substances. Our bodies need a slightly alkaline pH balance to be healthy. The typical Western diet creates an acidic pH in our bodies, and many health problems are attributed to this. Taking a tonic containing apple cider vinegar can help restore alkalinity and, therefore, assist the body in getting rid of some of the health problems listed above.

The recipe I am about to give you has been perfected over the years of experimenting with various apple cider vinegar concoctions. It has apple cider vinegar with baking soda and lime juice, which are all alkaline, helping raise the pH. 

• 1 tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 organic lime squeezed
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• the baking soda will fizz, so wait for it to fizz out, then add 1/2 cup of warm water or more
• a pinch of cayenne
• a pinch of turmeric
• a pinch of black pepper

Drink 20 minutes or more before breakfast every day.

The spices are added to the tea tincture because cayenne will increase circulation, which is beneficial in healing, and turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. The black pepper is added to enhance the turmeric. 

11. Boost Immune System

Drinking apple cider vinegar tea can boost your immune system, but so can many other things. Once a month or more, even once a week, do something to take care of your immune system. I built the Healing Arts Wellness Center based on this philosophy, so I wanted one place with all these healing services at your convenience. To keep the immune system boosted, we have the Himalayan Salt Booth and Lymphatic Therapy to help. The salt booth is excellent for four things:

• Sinus and lung issues
• Skin issues
• Boosting the immune system
• Detoxing from crappy NYC air

Just 10 minutes in the salt booth can boost your immune system as you inhale deeply the salt that breaks up inflammation and kills viruses, bacteria, parasites, candida, and mold. 

The lymphatic drainage therapy works differently, using electric bulbs across your skin to get your lymphatic system to move. Your lymphatic system carries white blood cells to infections, boosting your immune system in this way. You could also go for cupping, massage, or acupuncture. There are lots of ways to keep your immune system boosted. 

12. Stay Detoxed

Besides keeping your immune system strong, it is essential to keep your body detoxed. I want you to do at least one thing a month that can help you detox on a deeper level. It could be a liver flush where you take certain supplements for a week to break down what is stuck in the liver, and then one night before bed, you drink 1/4 cup of olive oil to get the toxins to move out of the liver. At the office, we have lots of different services that could help with detox.

You could do a PEMF session, using energy to move out toxins or a Detox Foot Bath that pulls toxins out of your body through your feet using an ionic charge. The most potent detox we have is the Ozone Sauna, where you sit in a personalized sauna pod from your neck down, and heat builds as the pod is pumped with ozone. Ozone is oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule. When you combine the wet and warm skin with the ozone gas, the extra oxygen goes into the body and has great detoxing and anti-inflammatory effects. Ozone therapy is an excellent detoxer because it breaks up lactic acid, increases cellular respiration in muscles, speeds up the recovery of damaged tissue, and accelerates muscle growth for those with tight, sore muscles. Ozone therapy improves blood circulation and vitamin and mineral absorption, fights inflammation, and kills mold, parasites, candida, viruses, and bacteria.

13. Drink Ozonated Water

Since ozone is so powerful, another way to harness its healing abilities is to drink it. I muscle test for how much ozonated water someone should drink, but on average, I get 16 ounces daily. Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. The health benefits result from the ozone breaking apart, creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use. The more oxygen in the body, the better! Ozone adds oxygen to the bloodstream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function and boosts the immune system, making it stronger and better able to fight infections. Several scientific studies have shown that this type of water kills bacteria and viruses. That's why I also use ozonated water to wash my fruits and vegetables. Regularly drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach can detoxify your intestinal tract and give you energy. So there are a lot of health benefits to drinking ozonated water. You must buy a machine that puts the extra oxygen in the water. I use the Ozo-pod, and you can purchase it in the office. 

14. Add MCT Oil To Your Diet

MCT oil is a type of oil from coconut. It is known for fueling your brain for more energy and focus throughout the day. So, a few teaspoons in the morning or before a workout can fuel your brain and body for hours - better than any other food or coffee drink.

MCT oil or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are unique fatty acids that can remarkably stabilize blood sugar and enhance ketone body production. This process makes MCTs a powerful tool to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism, and enhance cognitive function.

Most people tolerate MCT oil very well. However, too large of a dose too quickly can cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea or diarrhea. If you have this problem, you can quickly reduce or eliminate these symptoms by starting with a minimal dose of MCT oil. This would mean starting with 1/2 tsp. If you can tolerate that, then in 3 days, go to a teaspoon until you work up to a tablespoon.

15. Anti-aging Routine

It's never too early to start an anti-aging routine.

• Our holistic facials are an important part of staying healthy. The skin is a detox organ and needs care to do its job well. We only use organic facial products in the office because everything you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body within 26 seconds. It's so important that what you use on your skin is clean and organic. 

• Infoceuticals is another thing that will keep you looking young. We use cutting-edge homeopathy to make a personalized tincture just for you at the Wellness Center. It has been wonderful to give women personalized hormone support in this way. 

• Stem cells are a fantastic way to support your body at the cellular level to make healthier cells. They come in capsules, and we have 16 different types. We have stem cells to support the skin, bones, thyroid, adrenals, kidneys, hormones, and liver. 

• PEMF therapy is a mat you lay down on that gives an electric current to the body. The cells absorb the electric current and can produce more energy, making you feel refreshed and energized. 

16. Do Something for Yourself Every Day

Health is mind, body, and spirit, and if not addressed daily, the stresses of life can get to us and our health. When you are stressed, taking time for yourself is hard, but it's when you need it the most. Doing this before you feel depleted is important to prevent the burnt-out feeling. When you feel burnt out, know that your immune system is low, too, so it's easier to get sick, which can further stress you out. So, the time it takes to take care of yourself is worth it to prevent getting sick. To help with the stress of life, all you need is 5 minutes any time during the day to reset. It could be longer than 5 minutes, but at least 5 minutes every day, invest in yourself. It could be a quiet moment of deep breathing. It could be meditation, exercise, writing, foot rub, talking to a good friend, or anything that fills you up and makes you feel good mentally or physically. 

17. Mirrorwork

Mirrorwork is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself. Every day, look in the mirror. Make eye contact with yourself. Don't look at your nose or past yourself, but look at yourself and say, "I love you'. It will feel weird, but eventually, it will make you smile. 

18. A Relaxing Bedtime Routine

The body needs structure to signal that it's time to unwind and go to sleep, so for the last 30 minutes of the day, have the same relaxing routine. A good night's sleep is important. It's only when you are sleeping that the body is healing. Even if you think you sleep well, it's a good habit not to have any electronics on at least 30 minutes before bed. This includes phones, computers, tablets, and TVs. The blue light from the screens signals our body to stay awake. If you do this, you will feel like you get a deeper sleep.

So what do you do with those 30 minutes before bed? Some ideas: take a hot shower or bath, read a good book that could be more exciting, do your deep breathing technique, meditate, or listen to a visualization. This is also an excellent time to practice gratitude. As you lie down in bed, review the day and make a list, either in a journal or mentally, of all the good things that happened that day that you are grateful for. In this way, no matter how intense of a day it was, you go to bed only thinking of the positive things. It is also helpful to start the 30-minute bedtime routine at 10:30 pm at the latest and be asleep by 11 pm.

Every organ follows a circadian rhythm, which means that in a 24-hour cycle, it has a 2-hour window where it is at its peak and performing strongly and 12 hours later where it is at its weakest, most vulnerable stage. So the reason for the 11 pm bedtime is that the liver is at its peak, dumping all the toxins from the day into the gallbladder duct, where it travels to the large intestine to be excreted the next morning. It is best to be asleep between 11 pm and 1 am so the liver can easily do its job and move more toxins. Again, the body only heals while it's sleeping. If you need help sleeping, try our or our Chakra Light therapy at the office to help.

19. Use Full-Spectrum Light Bulbs

Seasonal depression is a real thing. During the fall and winter, we don't get enough of the sunlight exposure needed to stimulate the hypothalamus, a part of the brain linked to our body's internal clocks controlling the sleep-wake schedule, among other things. Without enough bright light stimulation from the sun, our brain may increase its production of the sleep hormone melatonin while decreasing the production of serotonin. This feel-good brain chemical helps regulate mood.

A full-spectrum light bulb can help seasonal depression. It's a special light bulb that resembles a regular lightbulb but emits the full visible spectrum of natural sunlight. Try a light therapy box that provides striking, bright white light consistent with the sun's color temperature at noon for more intense therapy. Light boxes produce very powerful light and are intended as therapy, not as a general light source. The goal is to sit in front of a light box for up to 30 minutes per day, allowing your eyes and body to receive a simulation of sunlight that would otherwise be difficult to receive this time of the year. 

20. Spend Time with Nature

Another thing to help us with our mood is to spend time in nature. I know, it's so simple. That's why there is no excuse to incorporate more walks in the park, going for a bike ride or a long hike. Especially for my NYC patients, we need this more than the average person, yet we are less likely to do it. Getting outside and just going for a walk is helpful, but the nature part is missing, yet it can be so healing. 

21. Use Less Aluminum and Plastic

Our test kits contain 45 different heavy metals and 28 different heavy chemicals. Our office's whole point of health is to help the body detox, which can heal with proper nutrition. The heavy metal that muscle tests most frequently is aluminum. It's in our daily lives, creating big health problems if our body does not detox it. It's scientifically proven to cause Alzheimer's. The brain absorbs aluminum very well, and it's one of the main places where aluminum gets stuck in the body. 

When helping patients detox aluminum, I tell them to do their best to avoid eating and drinking from aluminum cans, foil, baking sheets, pots, and pans and check their aluminum deodorant. Stainless steel is okay to use. In the oven, I use glass dishes or baking stones. You can also put parchment paper on your baking sheets so the food does not touch aluminum. Check your rice cooker to see if that is aluminum. Mine is nonstick Teflon, which I don't love because if it gets scratched underneath, it is aluminum, so we are just careful not to scratch it. When you eat out, you cannot do much about aluminum toxicity. The restaurant's kitchen will probably use aluminum; if you have leftovers, they will come in aluminum or plastic. When you get home, transfer it to a glass container.

Avoiding plastic is hard, but do the best you can, not only for your body but also for the Earth. Many are familiar with the need to buy BPA-free plastic. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogen-like endocrine disruptor that leaches into food and can increase body weight, cause insulin resistance, and throw hormones off. There are now BPA-free products, yet in 2011, it was reported that "almost all plastic products" sampled released chemicals that acted like estrogen.

Plastic in the body acts like estrogen and is a true hormone disrupter, causing weight gain, PMS, infertility issues, and more because the body thinks it has too much estrogen. Avoid plastic water bottles by trying to buy water in glass bottles. Sometimes, it is not an option, so when you have water from a plastic bottle, don't drink straight from the water bottle because more plastic will leach into the water, with the heat of your mouth being 98.7 degrees. Also, avoid putting plastic in the microwave. Use fewer plastic forks, knives, spoons, straws, baggies, and Tupperware. Get the glass Pyrex with the rubber tops for leftovers. If you like straws, they now have stainless steel straws, which come with their own brush and are easy to carry when you are out. 

22. Take Soy Out of Your Diet

Before you take soy out of your diet, the best thing to do is get muscle tested for foods to see which foods your body reacts to and which are fine. But if you can't get muscle tested, I suggest eliminating soy from your diet for three weeks and then adding it back and seeing how you feel. If you notice any negative changes when adding it back in, your body is telling you it doesn't like it, and I would continue to stay away from it. 

Soy contains something in it that acts like estrogen in our body. We call it phytoestrogen. 'Phyto' means plant, and when something acts like estrogen in our bodies, it really does disturb our hormone pathways. Animal feed contains a lot of soy, and the extra hormones animals are given are the main reason why I think girls reach puberty and get their periods at a younger and younger age each generation. Science also shows phytoestrogens have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women. Soy phytoestrogens are known to harm the thyroid, cause hypothyroidism, and may even cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.

Soy has high levels of phytic acid, which reduces the body's ability to absorb calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc. Vitamin B12 in soy is not absorbed and actually increases the body's requirement for B12. So, instead of being nutritious, soy depletes our body of nutrition. 

When asking patients to avoid soy, besides avoiding edamame, tofu, and soy sauce, eating only good quality pasture meat and eggs is in order. Otherwise, the animals eat a lot of soy. Also, read food labels to look for hidden sources of soy. Soy is hidden in so many foods, such as soybean oil, soy lecithin, and MSG. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is an extreme neurotoxin and is formed during soy food processing, and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.

23. Oil Pull

Oil pulling was introduced in 1992 by Dr. Karach, MD. He claimed that oil pulling could cure a variety of illnesses ranging from heart disease and digestive troubles to hormonal disorders. The oil is worked in the mouth by chewing and seething it. You see the oil by pushing it through the teeth for 20 minutes. The best time is in the morning before eating breakfast, but it can be done before any meal on an empty stomach. I pop the oil in my mouth, shower, and prepare for the day. The best oil to use is 1-1.5 spoonfuls of unrefined, high-quality, organic, non-toasted sesame seed oil. I love using Banyan Daily Swish. 



Once completed, spit the oil out, rinse your mouth with warm water and sea salt, and then brush your teeth. Never swallow the used oil because it is loaded with bacteria, toxins, pus, and mucous. 

Oil-pulling benefits are better oral health, strengthened teeth, healed gums, whitened teeth, strengthened immune system, improved digestion, reduced skin problems (acne, eczema, psoriasis), decreased allergies, lessened headaches, and cleared sinuses. 

24. Healthy Skin

Besides oil pulling and taking the right supplements for your skin, getting muscle tested for the right foods to support your skin is important. What you eat makes a difference with your skin health. Using the correct skin products on your face also makes a difference. This is why we use only organic plant-based skincare when we do facials. If you need more clarification about your current skincare routine, bring in the products, and we can muscle test you to see what your body says. Also, make sure you are staying hydrated. The skin needs water to stay healthy. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. 

So there you have it! 24 things that will make a difference in your health for 2024. Start with the easier changes and work on the harder ones. Keep this list on hand to refer back to because certain things may slip in a few months, but your goal is always to get back on track.