Spring is a great time to Detox

Although you can go an a detox diet at any time, Springtime has traditionally been regarded by naturopaths as the most important time of the year to detox. They say that the body’s energies have cycles and the energies come to the surface at Springtime making it easier to detox.

The Body Naturally Detoxes.

The science of it is that the body is constantly detoxifying every second at a cellular level. These cellular toxins are pumped into the extracellular environment where they are picked up by white blood cells. They then travel through the lymphatic system, venous system, and arteries to the organs of elimination like the liver, kidneys, lungs, bowels, skin, and mucus membranes for removal from the body.

Why should you Detox?

Toxins act as obstacles to optimal health by creating increased work for the body and preventing optimal cellular metabolism. Toxins are primarily stored in fat and organ tissue and disrupt hormone, neurotransmitter, and energy production and often lead weight gain and difficulty losing weight.

A successful detoxification program should decrease exposure to toxins, support all of the organs of elimination, and promote optimal nutrition throughout. Unfortunately, many cleanses and detox programs focus primarily on herbal laxatives and neglect many of the organs of elimination and optimal nutrition. That is why I use Metagenics Ultraclear to help you detox and support your body’s natural detoxification systems.

Why Metagenics?

Metagenics UltraClear is a science-based medical food designed to provide high density, easily absorbable nutrients that include natural ingredients that promote all three phases of metabolic detoxification.

Fat...Good or Bad?

The Fat-Free craze that began in the 90’s has really distorted the American view of fat. Fat will not make you fat. However, too much of anything will make you fat. (please ask me more about this)

According to a Mercola.com article: “Over the past 60 years, research has repeatedly demonstrated that there’s NO correlation between high cholesterol and plaque formation that leads to heart disease.”

Not only is fat good for you, your body needs it, all forms of it.

Fat provides needed energy. Fat is needed to prevent essential fatty acid (the building blocks of protein) deficiency. Fat is needed so your body can absorb the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, and prevent deficiencies of these vitamins. Fat surrounds and insulates nerve fibers to help transmit nerve impulses. Fat is part of every cell membrane in the body.  It helps transport nutrients and metabolites across cell membranes. Your body uses fat to make a variety of other building blocks needed for everything from hormones to immune function.

What happens when we don't have enough fat in our diet?

Dry, scaly skin

Hair Loss

Cold intolerance

Bruising

Poor growth

Poor Mental Function

Lower resistance to infection

Poor wound healing

Loss of menstruation

The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

It’s not just for salad dressing. Vinegar has many medicinal benefits and is a great home remedy for many conditions.

It is antiseptic, astringent, antispasmodic, antibacterial and antifungal.

Apple Cider Vinegar can be ingested or used topically.

Sipping ACV diluted in water first thing in the morning helps encourage efficient digestion. Drink warm ACV diluted in water with a teaspoon of honey will help you sleep. Also, ACV with honey soothes a sore throat and helps relieve cold symptoms. Inhaling the steam from hot ACV will help reduce bronchial spasms relieving coughs and calms asthma attacks.

Topically, Apple Cider Vinegar can be used as a douche to treat yeast infections, and drinking diluted ACV can treat thrush of the mouth. Apply ACV to insect bites and bee stings to reduce swelling. AVC can also treat athletes foot and eczema.

Having a bottle in your kitchen and your medicine cabinet might just be what the doctor ordered.

The Effects of Dehydration

The effects of dehydration are numerous, and dehydration is more common than you might think.

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water depending on age, gender and amount of body fat, and water is essential to human life.

Water forms the basis for all fluids in the body, such as blood and digestive juices, and it's the catalyst in all metabolic functions throughout the body. Water removes toxins and waste products from the body, and it carries nutrients to the cells of the body.

You lose water routinely when your body performs normal functions such as breathing, sweating and eliminating waste. Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving your body is greater than the amount being taken in.

Severe dehydration can cause symptoms such as extreme thirst, lack of sweating, rapid heartbeat and delirium, and it can be life threatening. But most people who experience dehydration experience mild to moderate dehydration.

Here are the effects of dehydration at a mild to moderate level:

• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Poor concentration
• Headaches
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Decreased metabolism

Many people who suffer from one or more of these ailments have no idea that dehydration is the cause, and that getting relief is as simple as consuming more water. Water is the best type of fluid to drink to stay well hydrated because water is processed by the body differently than other types of fluids.

So how much water should you drink to avoid dehydration and stay healthy? Eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is a commonly quoted amount, but this is just a general rule. The amount can vary widely from person to person depending on factors such as age, physical condition, activity level and climate. If you drink enough water so you rarely feel thirsty and you produce urine that's clear or light yellow, your water intake is most likely adequate.

You also need to make sure that the water you drink is as clean and healthy as possible. This is why I recommend drinking filtered water instead of tap water or bottled water.

Tap water contains trace amounts of a variety of contaminants such as chlorine, lead and pesticides. Bottled water is often little more than tap water in a bottle. Using a high quality water filter is the only way to ensure that the water you drink is clean and healthy.

An Ounce Of Prevention

...is worth a pound of cure. This old proverb was first penned by Henry de Bracton in 1240 and has been repeatedly quoted ever since, and for good reason.  It is a viable piece of advice.

It has been proven that preventative care costs less than sick care. Taking the time to do the things that keep you healthy will give you greater quality of life for a longer period of time. Doing the following things will help prevent illness. They cannot guarantee you won’t get a cold or flu but they can reduce the severity of them, and also reduce  symptoms of seasonal allergies.

Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands with soap is much more effective than common hand sanitizers in killing bacteria. Use hand sanitizers when needed if soap and water are not available.

Brush Your Teeth. Gum disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke, complications during pregnancy, uncontrolled blood sugar, and pneumonia. The link is that long term periodontitis causes a chronic low-grade infection that lowers the immune system.

Get Your Sleep. We need 7-9 hours of sleep every night so the body can restore and repair itself. Lack of sleep increases stress hormones and lowers the immune system.

Move Your Body. Regular, moderate exercise increases immunity, lowers stress levels anincreases energy.

Eat Whole Foods. Eating foods closest to their natural form provides necessary vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients that keep your body performing optimally. Food additives (preservatives, colors, ect) stress your body and can lower your immune system.

Get Outside. Sunlight activates serotonin and Vitamin D, improving mood and energy.

Drink Water.  It is recommended that we drink half our body weight in ounces of water every day (ex: 180lb man would drink 90 ounces of water). Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.  One mistaken sign of thirst is the sensation of hunger. If you are feeling hungry between meals have a glass of water first and see if the hungry sensation subsides. If not, get something healthy to eat.

Clean Your House. Inside air is dirtier than outside air. Bacteria, viruses, molds, ect can get trapped in your house if it is not cleaned often. Use non-toxic cleaners as often as possible (baking soda, vinegar). Air out your house when weather allows to bring clean air in. Change your furnace filer regularly.

Supplementation. Taking a multi-vitamin/mineral is a good first step to making sure you are getting the micro-nutrients your body needs to function properly. Taking Vitamin D, probiotics, and herbals (for example: astraglaus, echinacea, ginseng) that boost your immune system will help keep you healthier and give you the defenses you need to fight illnesses.

Echinacea Synergy by Metagenics

This is a great Herbal Immune Support blend to help support healthy respiratory function and general immunity.

I keep this on the shelf, especially this time of year when colds and flus are far too common.

Pick up a bottle today to keep yourself healthy this season and all year.

ImmuCore by Metagenics

ImmuCore is designed to provide a multiple mechanistic approach to support immune system health through enhancing functions of macrophages, natural killer cells, and T cell subsets.

This supplement contains Vitamin’s C and D, Zinc, Selenium and a combination of

mushroom extracts to support your immune system.

I carry Metagenics products in my office as another way to provide

the best care I can for my clients.