Detox

 Do you want to  Detox ?

     Many people ask me how to detox? My answer is what are you detoxing from ?  Do you have a leaky gut, metabolic, energy and sleep issues or hormonal imbalances ?  Acute and chronic stress both create inflammation and therefore affect the way which we need to detox. I believe that detox is an ongoing process and because the body is capable of self regulation , it is essential that the body can detox from toxic substances daily!

    However, before considering detox, let's  look at the non negotiable factors which include blood sugar balance, sleep and pooping. These are essential features affecting overall health.  Other factors include our social networks, hydration status, stress levels and our emotions.  Diet and nutrition play an important role in modifying anybody's health condition.  Toxins  are  created internally (endotoxins) or come from external (exotoxins) sources.  They  predominantly get eliminated through the skin ( via sweat), lungs (breathing), bowels (stool), and kidneys (urine), and via the lymphatic system.  The problem arises when someone is eating good quality foods,  taking good supplements including probiotics, but they just don't feel well . The blood work done by your doctor  is essentially normal but there may be complaints  of low energy, anxiety, and  stress and/or  gas and bloating. So what's really going on here ? 

     Many chronic health issues can be examined utilizing a model of  three roots and many branches. The roots are Genetics , Digestion, and Inflammation. Each root has a circle of influence of factors that can modify theses roots. Every symptom or diagnosis is a branch. If you think of a tree with three roots and many branches, the soil and the  environment  can affect the overall  growth of the tree.  It isn't what you eat necessarily , but what your body can assimilate. 

      Digestion is affected by chemical, structural, mechanical or microbial factors. Questions to ask.. Are  you chewing your food enough to break it down?  Is there a blockage somewhere in the intestines?  Do  you have an imbalance of good and bad microbes in the intestines(the microbiome)?  Do you produce enough stomach acid? Can your body break down the proteins, and fats so the body can utilize the nutrition? Microbial factors include food  quality, purity, variety, timing and the amounts  of exercise and sleep . Disrupters of the  microbiome include NSAIDS, Antibiotics, antacids,  chronic stress, eating foods that you might be allergic to (dairy, gluten, alcohol), eating processed foods with hydrogenated oils, and lacking fermentable plant fibers in the diet.  

Genetics factors include Movement , Mindset , Food , and Environment. Questions to ask.. what kind of exercise do you do ? Are you doing too much or too little ? How do you relax and de-stress? Do you have anxiety or depression? What external toxins are you exposed to via  air, water, or personal care products? What is the quality, quantity, and timing of the food you eat? 

Inflammation occurs when the body is affected by toxins, foods, environment, sleep, ability to relax, stress levels, immunity  and the ability of the body to adapt to changes? Influential factors  affecting inflammation include enhancing or modulation of the immune system,  clearing the body of potential triggers and avoidance of toxins.  If there is overreaction of the immune system, then we might  be dealing with chronic diseases like Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease or Alzheimer's Dementia . If there is an under reaction of immunity, then we might  be dealing with Cancer . 

There are three phases of detox: Phase 1, Phase 2 and Elimination or Phase 3 .

Phase 1 occurs in the liver and the breakdown requires a functional healthy liver and gallbladder. The byproducts of breakdown create substances which are very toxic and need to be eliminated by phase 2 processes. This also occurs in the liver. There are multiple processes in phase 2 that direct the substances produced to be eliminated through the bowels, urine, or via the skin and lungs. If these chemicals are not eliminated by the body, they get reabsorbed and we feel sick. It's important to be able to have healthy, regular bowel movements so toxins can be reduced. All phases of detox require certain nutrients like vitamin B , C, Zn, and magnesium to name a few. If there is a deficiency of these nutrients, then the detox pathways will be ineffective. 

I now come back to the question of what are we detoxing from ? Do you have a digestive system that is unable to process toxins and there is constipation ? Are there any infections , toxic mold, yeast or heavy metal accumulations ?      The best place to start is the digestive system . We can heal a leaky gut, and provide good bowel function with proper nutrition and hydration . We can establish ways to rest and relax utilizing vagal nerve maneuvers and deep breathing techniques. We can enhance elimination of toxins and improve the function of the liver using castor oil packs and coffee enemas. Blood sugar balance can be improved with consuming plant starches,  fruits and vegetables,  avoiding sugar and processed foods eliminating trans fats. Microbiome support will be assisted by the above as well as adding prebiotics and probiotics, ensuring proper sleep and adding  mild to moderate exercise. 

Further testing may be needed if necessary after that. 

A good place to start is by eliminating all dairy , gluten , sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed foods with minimal animal fats eating mostly organic plant foods if possible and keeping yourself hydrated with good clean filtered water for at least 3 weeks. You can support elimination of your bowel function and your liver with what I mentioned above. I generally do not recommend supplements early on .  There are products to support your gut depending on your particular gut issues ie a leaky gut. After the three weeks then slowly reintroduce food groups one at a time separated by 2 or 3 days to identify if there are any food allergies or sensitivities. 

Vitamin C Increase

Vitamin C Increase

Author: oliviamungal | Leave a comment

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By: Kerri Whatley
The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of vitamin C is less than half what it should be, scientists argue in a recent report, because medical experts insist on evaluating this natural, but critical nutrient in the same way they do pharmaceutical drugs and reach faulty conclusions as a result.
The researchers, in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, say there’s compelling evidence that the RDA of vitamin C should be raised to 200 milligrams per day for adults, up from its current levels in the United States of 75 milligrams for women and 90 for men.
Rather than just prevent the vitamin C deficiency disease of scurvy, they say, it’s appropriate to seek optimum levels that will saturate cells and tissues, pose no risk, and may have significant effects on public health at almost no expense — about a penny a day if taken as a dietary supplement.
“It’s time to bring some common sense to this issue, look at the totality of the scientific evidence, and go beyond some clinical trials that are inherently flawed,” said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, and one of the world’s leading experts on the role of vitamin C in optimum health.
“Significant numbers of people in the U.S. and around the world are deficient in vitamin C, and there’s growing evidence that more of this vitamin could help prevent chronic disease,” Frei said.
“We believe solid research shows the RDA should be increased,” Frei said. “And the benefit-to-risk ratio is very high. A 200 milligram intake of vitamin C on a daily basis poses absolutely no risk, but there is strong evidence it would provide multiple, substantial health benefits.”
An excellent diet with the recommended five to nine daily servings of fruits and raw or steam-cooked vegetables, together with a six-ounce glass of orange juice, could provide 200 milligrams of vitamin C a day. But most Americans and people around the world do not have an excellent diet.
Even at the current low RDAs, various studies in the U.S. and Canada have found that about a quarter to a third of people are marginally deficient in vitamin C, and up to 20 percent in some populations are severely deficient — including college students, who often have less-than-perfect diets. Smokers and older adults are also at significant risk.
Even marginal deficiency can lead to malaise, fatigue, and lethargy, researchers note. Healthier levels of vitamin C can enhance immune function, reduce inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis, and significantly lower blood pressure.
A recent analysis of 29 human studies concluded that daily supplements of 500 milligrams of vitamin C significantly reduced blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and directly attributes to an estimated 400,000 deaths annually in the U.S.
How do you get your Vitamin C intake up?

Seven Toxic Foods to Avoid

NaturalNews) With so much conflicting information out there about which foods are healthy and which foods are not, it can be difficult for many people to determine how best to approach a healthy lifestyle that includes eating well. But a good place to start is to avoid these seven toxic foods, beverages, and additives that are quite common in the American diet.

Diet sodas and beverages sweetened with artificial chemicals. One of the more common dietary misconceptions in mainstream society today is the idea that "diet" beverages are somehow healthier than their sugar-sweetened beverages. Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) saccharin (Sweet'N Low), and sucralose (Splenda) are among the more popular artificial sweeteners used in many diet sodas, juices, chewing gums, and other foods (http://www.naturalnews.com).

Not only are artificial sweeteners bad for your health (http://www.naturalnews.com), but they also tend to promote obesity (http://www.naturalnews.com/022785.html). If you want to protect yourself against chronic illness and toxicity -- aspartame literally converts to formaldehyde in the body and causes metabolic acidosis -- it is best to stick with either raw sugars or natural sugar substitutes like pure stevia extract.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the silent killer. It is not really much of a secret anymore that HFCS, despite all the corn industry shilling, is a toxic sweetener that should be avoided (http://www.naturalnews.com/hfcs.html). Since it is linked to obesity, brain damage, low IQ, and even mercury poisoning, avoiding all foods that contain HFCS -- this can include breads, cereals, and other seemingly innocuous foods -- will do wonders for your health.

Most vegetable oils, including hydrogenated and 'trans' fat varieties. The misdirected war on saturated fats has convinced millions of people that unsaturated vegetable oils are a healthy alternative. Not only do many vegetables oils turn rancid quickly, which means they are toxic (http://healthwyze.org), but many of them also contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids which, apart from omega-3 fatty acids, can cause severe health problems like heart disease and cancer. (http://www.naturalnews.com/022860.html)

Many vegetable oils are also derived from genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), including canola, soy, and corn oils. These same oils are often hydrogenated as well, a process that turns them into heart-destroying solid oils. Avoiding these and sticking instead to healthy fats like grass-fed butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and hemp oil will greatly improve your health and lower your risk of disease.

White bread, pasta, and other refined flour foods. They are cheap, plentiful, and come in hundreds of varieties. But white breads, pastas, and other foods made from refined flour are among the top health destroyers in America today. Not only are most white flour products carcinogenic because they are bleached and bromated, but they also lack vital nutrients that are stripped away during processing. Avoid them, and all processed wheat products if possible, to optimize your health.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), carrageenan, and refined salt. Often hidden in foods under deceptive names (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html), MSG is a pervasive salt chemical you will want to avoid that is linked to causing headaches, heart problems, brain damage, and other problems. Carrageenan, another chemical additive often hidden in "natural" and organic foods like nut milks and lunch meats, is similarly worth avoiding, as it can cause gastrointestinal upset and colon cancer. (http://www.cornucopia.org)

And processed salt, which is added to just about everything these days, lacks the trace minerals normally present in sea and earth salts, which means it ends up robbing your body of these vital nutrients (http://www.naturalnews.com/028724_Himalayan_salt_sea.html). Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and stroke are just a few of the many conditions that can result from refined salt intake, so your best bet is to stick with unrefined sea salts and other full-spectrum salts.

Sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.naturalnews.com


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