☃️ Welcome to December in "The Haven"

Hello, My Dear, 

Welcome to The Haven, Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care’s Monthly Newsletter. 

The Haven is a place where you have a safe, informative space to explore yourself, your body, your needs, and how to honor each. 

Healing begins with and in safety–a space where you can connect with your body, release what does not serve you, and receive what you deeply need. 

We've crafted our newsletters for you with care and with your healing and safety in mind. 

You deserve abundant spaces in this world to be still, to feel safe, and to flourish freely and authentically. 

We hope The Haven becomes such a space for you. 

If you missed us last month, READ:

🍂 Welcome to November in "The Haven"

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☃️ December in The Haven

The rich, warm hues are behind us as winter❄️ begins and settles in.

With lower temperatures, longer nights, and the subtle shift of nature’s energy, it’s a powerful time to rest, reflect, and care for yourself.

We hope you’ll take a moment for yourself, curl up in your favorite spot, grab a warm drink to sip on and enjoy these warm, cozy vibes in The Haven.

Read & Enjoy—

These informative and intentional articles are curated to support you during this winter season and this season of your life.

• Consider viewing the articles in your browser or the Substack App for the full experience. With the background of Haven Green, everything vibes even more for you.

• Click the link of each article title to explore, read, and enjoy.

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Recipe & Book Highlight of the Month

This recipe right here changed my life.

Might that be a dramatic turn of phrase? I promise it’s not.

My last surgery in March 2021 to remove the Endometriosis from my body took a hefty toll on me for the better part of that year. It was my third surgery, so I thought I knew what to expect during my recovery.

I was sadly mistaken.

Physically, I struggled for months, well past my convalescent window. I struggled mentally well beyond my physical struggles, and emotionally, I was overwhelmed, tired, and numb all at the same time.

I felt so disconnected from my body.

And on top of the pile of things boiling over, I was deeply self-conscious because I was 30 to 40 lbs heavier than I had ever been in my life.

The surgery and follow-up pelvic floor physical therapy (I RECOMMEND FOR EVERY WOMEN) helped me; however, that really was the end of medical “care,” and I knew I still had a long way to go to recover and be healthy again.

*ENTERS* a book📚 with recipes

This recommendation is twofold: a recipe and a book that changed my health, so it changed my life.

The front matter of this book was, at the time, the most informational resource I’d come across on Endometriosis and the intersection of nutrition. It was game-changing in how I approached my food choices and decided to nourish my body.

I first read this book in 2021, and I made this recipe as recently as November 17th of this year (photo above), so you know this recipe love affair is real.

When I began my healing journey, I ate it for breakfast most days, and it served me so well. I looked forward to it every morning, and preparing a big batch made it readily available to me every morning. I needed that ease while making different choices to create better habits for my health.

Looking at my personal experience through the lens of my formal education in holistic health, I know all the levels of how this recipe was a powerhouse.

This recipe supports your:

• Blood sugar balance

• Hormonal health

• Daily protein needs

• Nutritional needs

So enjoy—and let us know if you try it!

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Vaginal Care Product Recommendation: Underwear, Tampons, Pads, Toliet Paper, Soap

We have used and continue to use all of our recommended products for our personal health care. We are not financially affiliated with any of these brands. We want to connect you to safe, clean ingredients that will support your health and healing journey.

*As with every product you use in or on your body, check out the ingredients of all these products before use. We provided links to the product details.

Your vagina is an important and often ignored gateway and gatekeeper to your gynecological health, your hormonal health, and your overall health.

With hormonal imbalance, gynecological conditions, and autoimmune diseases on the rise among women, what you are putting in, on, or around your vagina can not be ignored.

You can do all the right things, but if you are putting poison in, on, or around your vagina, your health will deteriorate.

And when I say poison, I mean poison with some of the recent findings in mainstream menstrual products.

Personally, after three gynecological surgeries, I stopped using tampons after my last surgery in March 2021. At the time, I just trusted my instinct, and with all the pain I felt from Endometriosis and surgeries, the thought of putting tampons in my body did not resonate with me.

This led me only to use pads, which was new and not always pleasant for me with certain menstrual particulars. Over time, I got used to it, and in a way, it encouraged me to be more intentional in cycle-syncing my life.

Tampons allowed me to move and groove, almost like I wasn't even menstruating. Pads don’t give the same experience, so I started slowing down more during that time, allowing my body to rest and be still on my heavy days.

And two truths clicked for me:

1. We should not ignore our menstruation and seek to act like it isn’t there. This mindset contributes to our disconnections with our bodies and awareness of what is good for us and what isn’t.

2. Outside of needing to be more vigilant of leaks with a pad, it makes so much sense that on the heavier days of menstruating, your body will need more rest than usual and will benefit from you being still.

You’ll notice in this newsletter that I use the gentle verbal approach to encourage you; however, in this, I’m going to use some straightforward talk.

Don’t discount this recommendation.

Don’t treat it as if it is a small thing and there are more significant health things to pay attention to.

Plan and simple.

This also includes anything that touches your vagina— toilet paper, your underwear, soaps.

Vaginal Health Guidance:

• Use organic cotton menstrual products

• Use non-bleached, non-chemical toilet paper

• Wear organic cotton underwear

• Use fragrance-free, minimal ingredient soaps on the outside of your vagina, never internally

Make the choice TODAY! Make the change TODAY!

You’d be surprised how the small, day-to-day, consistent care practices profoundly support your overall health and assist with lowering underlying conditions.

Give your vaginal, hormonal, and gynecological health all the chances to flourish!

Menstrual Products

• Read the Women’s Health Magazine Article:

  • The 8 Best Organic Pads of 2024, Tested & Reviewed to research whether the brand and its products align with your needs.

Toilet Paper

• For this one, we encourage you to do some research since there are additional factors to consider regarding the kind of system you have in your home.

• While researching, look for non-bleached, toxin-free, and chemical-free products to get you started.

Underwear

• Read Green with Less’s Article:

  • 12 BEST ORGANIC COTTON UNDERWEAR BRANDS THAT WILL TAKE OVER YOUR UNDIES DRAWER to research whether the brand and its products align with your needs.

Soaps

• Take a look into:

  • Moon Valley

  • Dr. Bonner’s

  • Auromere

We encourage you to look at your current menstrual products, toilet paper, underwear, and soaps and research whether the ingredients or materials are good for your health or challenging it.

Our recommendations are a great starting point; however, we always encourage you to continue researching to find what aligns best with your needs and what you want for yourself and your health.

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Evergreen Women’s Holistic Care

• Learn more about Evergreen’s Holistic Care & Integrative Bodywork offerings at www.womensholisticcare.com

• Connect with us on Instagram:

Haven Housekeeping

The Haven is for you.

If there are topics, subjects, or information you’d like to see or learn in upcoming newsletters, please send us your thoughts so we can serve you in the way you need.

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We hope December in The Haven served you well and brought you valuable tools and perspective to support you on your health & healing journey.

See you here again next month!