Spring into Health with a Cleanse!

Spring Cleaning.  Now is the time. If you would like to be healthier or would like to lose weight, a cleanse would be a fabulous place to start. Cleansing helps the body get rid of harmful toxins so that it runs more effectively and efficiently.
Cleansing is the antidote for the American diet. A clean body has more energy; it sleeps better, thinks more clearly, digests and assimilates food efficiently, looks better and has fewer health problems. A cleanse is also a good way to jump start a diet.
The standard American diet is full of processed and refined foods plus fast foods that tend to overwhelm our bodies and clog not just our arteries, but our livers, colons, lymph systems and kidneys as well. Over the long run this results in clogged tissues, suffocated cells, and loss of energy. Both over-consumption and reduced eliminative function will cause congestive disorders such as frequent colds and flu’s, arthritis, gout, allergies, cardiovascular disease, and more.
There are many different forms of cleansing. One of my favorites is an herbal cleanse that cleans all channels of elimination – kidneys, liver, lymph, blood, skin, colon and lungs. What is nice about this kind of cleanse is that it is relatively user friendly and it contains herbs that not only clean the body, but rebuild and strengthen it as well.
Herbal cleanses need to be taken with fiber and omega 3 oils. The fiber acts like both, a broom and a sponge and helps sweep out your insides. The omega 3 oils help soften and lubricate your insides to make them easier to clean.
People who do this kind of cleanse talk about how good they feel during and after the cleanse and how it helps eliminate certain health problems from constipation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gall bladder attacks, joint pain, low energy, and more.
The herbal cleanse I recommend is a 30 day program and it is very thorough; however, depending on your history, you may want to follow it with a candida cleanse (almost everyone needs this), a parasite cleanse, a liver cleanse, or a heavy metal cleanse. These additional cleanses can really help eliminate chronic health problems. If you really want to be healthier, thorough cleansing is a great first step.
If you have never done a cleanse before, there are gentler cleanses that should be done before attempting the 30 day program. These “first step” cleanses are also good for those that are very sensitive, or have reactive digestive tracts.
A body that hasn’t been cleaned is kind of like a house that hasn’t been cleaned. Stuff builds up over time. It is a good habit to cleanse the body at regular intervals – at least once per year. Cleansing gets rid of toxic waste so that it won’t accumulate and slow you down. Try it so you can have a “spring” in your step.

Dear Regular Readers:  This is a repeat of an old article – it is just time to remind everyone to do a cleanse again.

Porous Bones – Fix them Naturally!

“Porous bones” is the literal meaning of the word osteoporosis. In the United States, over 25 million people are affected by osteoporosis. Eighty percent of these are women. As I mentioned in previous articles, osteoporosis is not just a calcium deficiency problem, it occurs when bones are torn down faster than they are rebuilt for various reasons.
Osteoporosis is broken down into 3 types. Type I is related to hormonal changes around midlife in women. Type II is linked to dietary deficiency and Type III is linked to specific drug treatment for certain illnesses.
One of the misconceptions around Type I osteoporosis is that it is deemed to begin at menopause. For most women, it actually begins much earlier. Bone mass typically starts declining in a woman’s mid-thirties, accelerates for about 3 to 5 years around the time of menopause, and then continues to decline at a lower rate each year.
Because bone loss accelerates at menopause when estrogen levels decline, conventional medicine’s viewpoint is that osteoporosis can be cured with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). However, estrogen does not build bone; it merely slows bone loss – which can be a very important component.
There is no question that estrogen slows bone loss around the time of menopause, but the scientific evidence is also very clear that after 5 to 6 years, bone loss continues at the same rate with or without estrogen. A study involving 9500 women found no benefit in estrogen supplementation in the bone health of women over the age of 65.
One of the missing links is the natural hormone progesterone. Natural progesterone is notable because it facilitates the action of bone building molecules known as osteoblasts. Please note that synthetic progestin is not the same and does not perform the same functions in the body. Synthetic progestin also has many negative side effects associated with it.
Doctors have shown that using a “natural” progesterone cream will actively increase bone mass and density in women with significant bone loss, and can reverse osteoporosis. Some patients consistently showed as much as a 29 percent gain in bone mineral density in three years or less of progesterone therapy. Note that those with the lowest beginning bone densities had the largest improvement while those who had good bone density to begin with maintained that using progesterone.
Progesterone does seem to be part of the key to bone health since many women experience a decrease in progesterone production beginning in their mid-thirties. This coincides with the beginning of the decline of bone mass in women. Progesterone has many benefits; it is relaxing, it promotes proper thyroid function, it is a natural anti-depressant, it promotes libido, it normalizes blood sugar and much more.
Natural progesterone cream can be found at health food stores. Reputable brands will contain 20 mg of USP micronized progesterone per quarter teaspoon.
Remember, when dealing with bone health, there is no one single magic bullet or pill. Lifestyle issues of exercise and diet are also important. Bones need weight bearing exercise for health. Diet involves not just what you include, but what you exclude as well.

Serotonin – Could your diet be causing your depression?

Serotonin is the brain chemical that makes us feel happy and content. It also helps us sleep soundly at night. When we eat a wholesome meal, the body is notified through the release of serotonin that we are well fed, helping us feel content and satisfied. A lack of serotonin causes depression, anxiety, insomnia and food cravings. From a nutritional standpoint, a lack of serotonin is frequently a result of food reactions.
Reactions to certain common foods decrease our levels of serotonin and make us crave sugar and other refined carbohydrates. When we have food sensitivities or food reactions, the picture of contentment is upset and the well orchestrated symphony of chemical reactions in our bodies begins to break down.
As we eat reactive foods, they enter our system as macromolecules that the body doesn’t recognize, triggering an inflammatory response which results in swelling and bloating. Then the body releases endorphins which give a feeling of relief along with a “high”. When the endorphins wear off, we crash and feel the need to eat this reactive food again so that you can get the endorphin release again.
To complicate matters, our adrenal hormones rush to the rescue to help the body cope with the allergic reaction, but also contribute to the initial high and the ultimate crash. Eventually, the levels of serotonin become depleted because the white blood cells that help to transport serotonin are busy with the inflammatory reactions in the body.
If you are a “carbohydrate craver”, it will seem virtually impossible to break the cycle. Get some animal protein back in your diet. Tryptophan is the amino acid required for natural production of serotonin. Beef, poultry, eggs and milk (if you are not allergic to them) are all good sources of tryptophan. Also, get outdoors. The natural sunlight increases serotonin levels as will moderate exercise such as brisk walking.
Next, begin to identify food allergens in your diet and eliminate them. The most reactive seven foods are wheat, milk, sugar, soy, peanuts, corn, and eggs.
One easy way to identify food reactions is by taking your pulse rate before and after you eat. Adrenal hormones cause your heart rate to increase. If your pulse is elevated after you eat, chances are that you ate a reactive food.
Food reactions harm the metabolism more than any other single dietary factor. They slow the metabolic rate. They increase the hormones that cause weight gain. They create hypoglycemia. They depress energy. They also contribute to inflammation and illness.
Supplements that will help increase your serotonin levels along with your mood and your energy levels are a good balanced B-complex vitamin with at least 20 milligrams of B-6, along with 100-200 micrograms of selenium and 200-400 mg of magnesium.
Another helpful supplement that increases serotonin levels is 5-HTP. It is a metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan and the precursor to serotonin. 5-HTP is best taken in small doses throughout the day as it is not stored in the body. My favorite serotonin enhancing supplement is St. John’s Wort – but it has to be fairly high quality to get good results.
Take this information on food reactions seriously. Staying away from those foods you react to is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to be healthy and happy.

Homocysteine – More than just a heart health indicator!

Homocysteine is an important indicator of cardiovascular health. High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been liked to increased risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and venous blood clots even among people with normal cholesterol levels. Abnormal homocysteine levels contribute to atherosclerosis by damaging the cells lining the inside of the arteries which leads to the formation of plaque. Homocysteine also results in accelerated production of collagen, which causes the plaque to increase in size.
Homocysteine is a sulfur containing amino acid that is naturally synthesized in the body. It is normally broken down into useful components. If certain enzymes and cofactors are not present in the body, homocysteine cannot be properly metabolized. The absence of these substances may be due to genetic defects, but more commonly are related to dietary deficiencies in specific B vitamins such as B-6, B-12, and folic acid.
There are many studies that show a clear association between elevated homocysteine levels and both heart attack and stroke. There are also several studies that show a correlation between normal homocysteine levels and consumption of folic acid and vitamin B-6. One particular study followed 101 men with vascular disease for 4 years. All participants were given supplementary doses of folic acid, B-6 and B-12. Ultrasound examinations of their carotid arteries found a decrease in the amount of plaque in their arteries, with the greatest effect in those whose homocysteine levels had been the highest before the treatment began.
Excess homocysteine is indicated in conditions other than coronary artery disease. These include osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, depression, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and type II diabetes.
For those of you who have been following my recent articles relating to neurological health, homocysteine is key predictor for things like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Homocysteine levels can be tested thru routine blood work – if you have not had yours tested, it is worth doing so at least once so you know if it is something you need to keep an eye on – or not.
Supplementation of folic acid, B-6, and B-12 does seem to be effective at improving the homocysteine pathway in the body. Here is a brief review of the benefits of these supplements:
B6 has many functions. It is especially important in the function of the central nervous system. Symptoms of deficiency include tremors, skin diseases, carpal tunnel syndrome, motion sickness, tendency towards fainting and arteriosclerosis.
Folic acid is B9. It is very closely linked to B12 or cobalamin. Both are important to energy and an overall feeling of wellbeing. Symptoms of deficiency include anemia, fatigue, general weakness, nerve problems and difficulty with muscular coordination.
If you have elevated homocysteine, you may be deficient in some key nutrients that will not only help your homocysteine levels, but your neurological system as well. There are combination supplements available at your local health food store.

Note: If you are supplementing and expecting results, do not buy the cheapest supplement you can find.  Buy quality and correct form.  There is a difference.