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| It's Detox Time! Historically, Spring in the mountains also meant a good cleanse that usually was a dose of cod liver oil and eating dandelion greens made into a salad. In today’s society, I think it is even more imperative to cleanse regularly due to the large amount of toxins in our modern lifestyle. Pesticides in food and water, air pollution, cleaners we use around our home and in our work all can contribute to a toxic load. Toxins are most often stored in the fat layers of our bodies when the liver is unable to prepare them for removal through the kidneys. Today, our cleansing regimens but there is a large range of possibilities for those wanting to begin a cleanse either to boost their energy or jump start a weight loss program. Many people simply switch from the heavier fare of winter to a lighter diet consisting of fruit and vegetables for a time to give their GI tract a rest and help the body move into a lighter mode of being. While I am not a supporter of fasting for long periods, I know people who fast once a week to give their digestive system a rest and do well. Plus, you need sufficient energy to begin moving more and circulate toxins to promote their removal from the body. There is a wide range of herbal and nutritional cleansing programs available that often include herbs for cleaning the gut and herbs to support the liver. Some programs last for a week and others are more intense and last for up to 30 days. When cleansing to meet these goals, it is important to remember that cleansing also affects the lymph system and may put an extra burden on the kidneys as more toxins enter the bloodstream to be cleared from the body. You should choose a program that is designed to support your personal goals! Whether you want to lose weight or want to increase your energy, a specific program can be designed to meet your needs. Final considerations….
Happy Cleansing! |
| Neurotransmitters: The Mind/Body Interface Then, neurotransmitters have a direct effect on the glands of the body to stimulate the production of hormones. Some neurotransmitters even function as hormones; a good example is the nor- epinephrine (adrenaline) released from the adrenals in a “fight or flight” response to stress. In reference to emotions, there appears to be a direct relationship between neurotransmitters and emotions. But the question arises as to which comes first. Much like the chicken or the egg question, we are still searching for that answer. There are probably over 100 neurotransmitters in the human body but we have only designed tests to measure a few of them due to their instability in body fluids such as blood and urine. You are probably familiar with the neurotransmitter serotonin because it has had the most research and medications have been developed to address the effects of serotonin imbalances in the body. You will probably recognize the term SSRI, which are serotonin reuptake inhibitors. By functioning to block the reuptake of serotonin, the hope is that the neurotransmitter will remain in the synaptic space between neurons longer and have a positive effect on the emotions. A non-drug approach is to give the body the raw materials needed to build more neurotransmitters. Those raw materials include amino acids, and the vitamins and minerals needed by the body to build new neurotransmitters. When a dietary deficiency is the cause of low levels of neurotransmitters, this often works well to bring relief from certain emotional and physical symptoms related to low levels. However, there are various reasons for neurotransmitter imbalances: dietary deficiencies, toxins that interfere with the biochemical pathways or receptor binding, health of the receptors on cells such as neurons are just a few reasons. My approach to my health is to first utilize the simplest and least expensive approach and then move on to more drastic methods only when those do not work or there are still symptoms left to be addressed. So many symptoms have been related to neurotransmitter imbalances that a good place to start is to determine any obvious imbalances in their levels and/or the levels of the vitamins and minerals needed for them to function properly. Another area to check is whether there is a good amount of Omega 3s in the diet. Omega 3s can help the cell wall health and the transmission of signals initiated by the neurotransmitters. By addressing neurotransmitter levels first, hormones are often affected. I prefer to check my hormone levels only after I have addressed any neurotransmitter imbalances and there are symptoms yet to be resolved. To read more on neurotransmitters that can be measured in the laboratory, go to www.sanesco.net If you are interested in having your levels measured, you can order urine collection kits through www.greenwillowtree.com |
| The Whole Foods Concept: Choosing a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement My personal preference is to obtain the vitamins and minerals I need through a balanced diet. However, like most Americans, even though I have a healthy diet, I rarely get the volume I may need to meet the requirements of an active body. Therefore, I choose a multi/mineral compound made from whole foods! If you consider for a moments how vitamins and minerals must be extracted from their original sources and then melded together into pills and capsules, often with fillers, you will realize that there must be a chemical process involved. You should also question the purity of the original sources- were they derived from organic sources? After searching for a whole foods version that uses high quality foods and herbs in the preparation, I have found two companies that meet my standards: Right Foods and Innate Response. The Right Foods brand may contain individual nutrients along with the foods but Innate Response is only comprised of whole foods. Innate Response also has formulas for those who have been advised not to take certain nutrients, such as vitamin K or iron, because of their medications. In the nutrition industry, the various “experts” will often argue about the correct ratio of calcium to magnesium and other ratios or values that are best to achieve and maintain health. My philosophy is that whole foods contain the ratios and amounts that are best for our bodies and designed to provide the nutrients we need. My multivitamin is the “Womens Over 40 “ formula by Right Foods and also contains herbs that are helpful at this time of life. Later, there is a “Seniors” formula that I will switch to and it contains different whole foods, nutrients and herbs…..Hmmm, I have to look up what age I need to make the switch. To see specific vitamin formulas from these lines, please go to www.greenwillowtree.com If you have any questions, you can arrange a consult to help determine the correct multivitamin formula for you. |