THE FULLEST Faves VIII
This month, Nikki shares not just some of her favorite items and practices — but some of her personal perspectives. She opens up about the systemic challenges she has seen in agriculture, medicine, and climate change and shares valuable resources and thought-provoking questions. Equally, she reveals her personal decision making process including trusting your gut and numerology — two practices that are also challenged and exist outside of the mainstream narrative. Read on for some unexpected information and inspiration. Plus, learn more about her genuine intention to share her personal findings in the hope it helps others along their own journey.
Manuka Essential Oil Instead of Deodorant
For over a month, I haven’t used any deodorant — including natural deodorants. The main game changer for me has been using a couple drops of manuka oil under my arms everyday, or every other day. This is mainly applied on warmer days, as after weaning off deodorant, I usually don’t have to put anything under my arms anymore. After some reading, we realized here at THE FULLEST HQ that it’s not necessarily the sweat coming out of your body that smells (although I’m sure after a lot of drinking or eating garlic that most definitely is the case), but it’s the skin on the actual armpit area that has accumulated bacteria that now has an odor. The manuka oil helps to neutralize this because it’s naturally antimicrobial…I dare you to give it a shot!
More Mindfulness Around Sourcing Animal Products
Recently, a large raw dairy operation mentioned they vaccinate their animals. It became an interesting topic for me because I (along with most people) stay away from purchasing any animal products treated with hormones or antibiotics. For me, the same thinking applies to vaccines. After discovering that in order to be a dairy operation in the US, you are required to vaccinate your animals, I began looking for alternatives or underground farms that aren’t necessarily certified operations but are operating as if they are. Also, from my time spent on multiple farms over the past few months, I’ve learned that most animals are artificially inseminated rather than traditionally bred. I’m assuming this isn’t simply about the ease of not having to have male animals on a dairy farm, but also because we just can’t keep up with the demand for meat production and unfortunately need to speed up the process. This appears to be the case even for farms selling grass-fed and grass-finished meat. And finally, the awareness that much of our grass-fed meats are not certified organic is another concern for me because glyphosate (found in Roundup) is one of the main pesticides that would be used on these non-organic grass pastures.So, I guess rather than this being a FULLEST Fave, it’s really a FULLEST perspective. I’ve always been a fan of plant-based foods and naturally gravitate towards eating mainly plant-based, so for our household, when we do eat animal products, we try to focus on ordering wild animal products when we are out, or animal products that we purchase directly from farmers we trust. Fortunately, at our market we can ask them these types of questions (not kidding, I literally asked if their animals have sex), and luckily they do!
Following My Intuition
This one is something I’ve been talking about a lot in recent months. Mainly because the more I trust myself, the stronger my connection is with myself and my family — especially my children. It is known that mothers will always have a deeper intuitive hit with their children because their DNA has been proven to stay indefinitely in our bodies. For this reason, we have a sense of knowing about them. It’s almost as if we can connect with them like we would connect to wifi.It’s always a toss up when you make decisions based on your gut feeling. There will be times when other people will make fun of you, look down on you, or maybe even become offended. However, when you are coming from your heart, it's always the right thing to do! Your job isn’t to keep from disappointing others, but to advocate for yourself and keep from disappointing you.
House Numerology
This July, our baby girl will arrive. My husband and I are quickly realizing we are growing out of our home. Keeping that in mind, we’ve started our search for another home. As we are looking, I’ve been incorporating house numerology into our decision making. It has been so spot on for us in the past. For me, I like that no house has a “bad” number. Instead, it’s really a way for you to evaluate the things you are needing at this time in your life, what you want in the future, and what type of energy you are looking to create in your home. It’s a space you will be growing into spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically — so there are a lot of options to consider. I highly recommend reading about it. Here is the page I typically reference.
Zach Bush GMO Talk
Although he is my son’s specialist and I may therefore be biased, it is my belief that the information Dr. Zach Bush shares on a consistent basis is an important subject matter for every human on this planet. He has a way of relaying horrifying doomsday information so that it feels like maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference. This particular three hour talk is a great one to explore to understand the history of GMOs. It explains the ways GMOs have ultimately brought us to our current environmental state — which includes genetic altering of the human biome. Watch it with your partner, friends, parents, in-laws; anyone you can get to understand why we all need to inform ourselves in order to make drastic changes, fast. People coming together and taking a stance against Big Agriculture and Big Pharma is our true chance to change the trajectory of our climate crisis; and potentially allow the next generation to inherit a planet in which they can live on for generations to come.
Homeopathic and Natural Remedies
There are no pharmaceuticals or over the counter drugs in our household — not even Advil. It’s just not part of our healing protocol. Instead, we take the time to address the root cause and when we need a little help, we go straight to homeopathic medicines, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, and herbs in the form of teas and other products. My only wish is that this type of healing was more widely available. Unfortunately, the reason it's privileged is due to a colonized medical care system that makes it more difficult to access nature’s medicine or the healing touch of a holistic practitioner than to pop a pill. It is my hope that by sharing my experience, you may reevaluate yours and see the importance in others having the right to access this form of medicine just as easily as the current care being covered through insurance.Nikki Bostwick is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of THE FULLEST and host of THE FULLEST Podcast. She has always been passionate about providing wellness content that offers a perspective outside the mainstream narrative — one that is holistic, diverse and inclusive. Since launching, Nikki has grown THE FULLEST to include a daily digital platform, a weekly podcast, a botanical product line, and a wholesale business alongside her amazing team. She is also a mom of two, nestled in Newport Beach with her high school sweetheart and their Siberian Husky.
