WHY I DO MUSHROOMS!

I BET YOU THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME  MAGIC MUSHROOM DRUG EXPERIENCE!

Sorry to disappoint you but, I was talking about regular mushrooms ... you know the ones you cook and eat! HAHAHA

I hate them in my food!

I hate the way they taste!

I don’t like the way they smell!

The texture makes me feel yuck!

I WILL NEVER ORDER THEM ON MY PIZZA!!!!!

                You would expect me to be super against mushrooms wouldn’t you? Nope I like them.  Only in a supplement form though. Mushrooms in essence are a fungus. A natural occurring fungus in nature. You can find certain edible mushrooms simply by going on a hike.

                Mushrooms you eat say on a pizza (Yuck) are quite good for your health.  However over the last few years I’ve been introduced to 2 types of mushrooms that have not only made a significant impact in my life but also helped many others around the world.

Mushroom supplementation can be dated back centuries and is commonly used in Chinese medicine. It’s used primarily as a holistic approach and due to that, it has not been widely accepted in western culture. However once you take your sights off big pharma and look to these natural holistic methods a new world of health and wellness can open up to you.

One of my go to supplements is Lions Mane! Lion’s mane Hericium erinaceau is a mushroom that grows on the dead trunks of Harwood trees.

As a combat sport athlete and former football player the effects of concussions and CTE are always on my mind.  So I began to do research into preventative and regeneration methods in 2017 when I suffered a serious concussion and had serious post-concussion syndrome for 2 months.

Benefits include

-          Increased cognitive function

-          Support with digestive health

-          Fights Cancer cells

-          Boosts Immune system

-          Aids Nerve Regeneration

-          Reduction in oxidation and inflammation

-          Preventative in mental health issues (depression)

The last, and to me the most noticeable benefit was the reduction of brain fog. We all have it. Lack of sleep, change of weather, sinus issues and multiple other things can lead to brain fog. Lions mane helps reduce those effects and can’t help you go from the “screw this I can’t focus on anything” to “let’s get ‘er done I feel pretty good”

Our next mushroom is the Mushroom Cordyceps. I’ve been using these for about 3 months now and have seen a drastic change in my health and wellbeing.  Cordyceps is a generic term of over 400 species of mushrooms.

I briefly touched on Cordyceps last month but I will go more into depth now.

Traditionally used in Chinese medicine there are no significant studies to back up the research behind cordycept use. This is why I like to try these things out personally before I write or recommend their use. It was recommended by my naturopath to use these.

The benefits of mushroom cordycepts are

-          Reduction in inflammation

-          Increase in energy levels

-          Increased endurance

-          Increased immune response

-          Anti-aging effects

-          Preventative diabetes method

So how do I know cordycepts work?

Well I will open up briefly here. Early in 2022 around February for the first time in my life I experienced some mental health issues. These issues carried over to my stomach. It got so bad I could barely keep food down and for the first time admitted I suffered from occasional depression. 

I had to seriously slow down for 2 months. For March and April I did the bare minimum to reduce my stress levels to the point I finally felt better. I got some help but the problems were more than just mental.

Between constantly training, running a business, home life and combined with lockdowns my body was in overdrive and my cortisol and stress levels were through the roof which caused this.

Up until about May I still struggled quite a bit. Once we found out that I was intolerant to dairy one piece of the puzzle was solved. Increased inflammation levels caused by cortisol stress still caused day to day issues. Once I was prescribed mushroom cordycepts and started to routinely taking a dose in the morning and before bed I really turned the corner.

Mushroom cordycepts are not miracle drugs. When I wake up I can feel the effects of training and stress. Once I take the codycepts within 20 minutes my body and brain clear up and I can tackle a tough day with no problem.

What they do is manage my cortisol and inflammation levels. At key times I.e. morning and night when these levels can spike and throw your whole day off I take my dose and I feel fantastic. It’s not a miracle pill but when I feel the effects of cortisol and stress related inflammation coming on it has saved me.

We cannot eliminate all stressors in our life so as we get older and wiser we learn how to manage them. This modality of simple supplementation with a natural supplement is key to managing day to day stress. I’ve done some digging and many others who suffered the same way I did implemented this into their life and saw amazing results.

For those who are interested feel free to reach out for more of my experience.

I hate mushrooms but I can’t stop taking these two supplements as they keep me going day to day and have kept me from crashing!

I hope this helps!