Author: Chris

chlorophyll

I often see advertisements for cleanse or detox programs. Our modern lifestyle choices combined with a cumulatively toxic environment (Fukishima) and compromised food supply (Glyphosate) make this practice a necessity. However, as with most topics of natural medicine, the internet is filled with quick fix ideas on how to cleanse that can be ineffective or even dangerous. Here are just a few things that you should consider before starting a cleansing/detox protocol.

Before you cleanse you need to remember to clean out the elimination pathways.

So if you are considering a liver or gallbladder cleanse you need to ensure that the large and small intestines are working optimally and capable of moving out whatever toxins the liver and/or gallbladder release. In many cases the best way to ensure they are working is to start with cleansing the large and small intestines. You can do both with Tiao He liver cleanse. This is my go-to recommendation as the liver is the largest detox organ in the body, and the bowel is cleansed at the same time.

There is no set order or frequency guideline, but there are a few principles that might help you in deciding when and how often to cleanse. The body naturally undergoes a cleansing process with the change of the climate so many people find value in doing a mild cleanse at the change of every season. This is just a suggestion for scheduling moving forward. If you have not cleansed in the past then now just might be the right time.

“Can you combine cleanses?” is a common question. There is no short answer to this question. The principle is only cleanse the part that the body is ready to cleanse. As a general rule, I do recommend that you do most cleanses individually and allow adequate time in-between each for the body to get re-balanced and nourished. Understand that even though it is for a beneficial reason, cleanses can be very taxing on the system.

Along with evaluating the need for a small and large intestine cleanse before doing any others I suggest that you check to see if a candida cleanse is needed. If you have a pervasive candida outbreak then you may want to start there. It is perhaps the only cleanse that can in some cases even be done before the colon. Since a candida infection can potentially cause absorption issues for those that have a problem it is often the place to start.

Once Candida is addressed, if it was an issue and the liver and small and large intestine are clear and ready for duty, we can now look to other detox issues.


Radiation

We don’t often think of Fukishima, or even Chernobyl for that matter, because radiation is invisible and isn’t immediately lethal. That doesn’t mean the effects aren’t still quite present in our environment. The effects of these disasters have and will continue to reach all around the world as is evidenced by many studies. Most problematic is a radioisotope of iodine, also called i-131 or Iodine-131. It is a by-product of the nuclear fission of energy production and accounts for the major health risk associated with the nuclear disasters of Chernobyl and the Fukushima nuclear reactor melt downs. The result of i-131 in the body has the acute reaction of stopping or restricting endocrine function. This results in a collection of symptoms that include higher than normal levels of: irritability, mental fog, anxiety, depression, appetite change, body temperature variation. Fatigue is strongly present along with a general lack of interest in things that would normally bring joy such as hobbies, family, sex and time with friends. I am aware that this symptom profile is common for many people. This is a result of the commonality of adrenal and thyroid dysfunction. Exposure to i-131 will greatly amplify this already chronic problem. While there are many reasons for such symptoms; however, this environmental toxin greatly amplifies the breakdown of an already nutritionally depleted system. There are three nutrients that are VERY important in supporting the body in it’s fight to eliminate this particle from the system:

Iodine in both topical and internal forms is a very critical piece in this detox process. This flooding of the system helps push the i-131 into the lymph pathways making it freely available to be bound and removed from the body. I use NSP’s kelp products because they are the only company that I have ever found that test their kelp for all 6 actives and test down to 1 part per trillion for pollutants. It is VERY common to have store bought kelp full of ocean pollutants up to and including i-131. Of course I don’t need to explain how foolish it would be to further pollute our systems by using a cheap dirty kelp product and when NSP’s is very reasonably priced why would you risk it?
Dulse Liquid
Kelp capsules
I would also suggest ionic mineral tonic with fulvic acid. This rich mineral complex also works to push i-131 in preparation for removal.
Master Gland capsules offers endocrine support and are also recommended.

Hydrated bentonite has the ability to hold 7 times it’s own weight in toxins and is uniquely suited for binding with i-131. I recommend that adults take approximately 1-2 tsp twice daily with water and with a few shavings of fresh lemon peel grated and mixed in. I don’t know of another company aside from Nature’s Sunshine that has a Hydrated Bentonite that I trust.
Hydrated Bentonite

Chlorophyll. The ph balance of our body tissues plays a very big role in the ability of our system to bind with and remove i-131 so I strongly recommend a higher than normal amount of Chlorophyll. I recommend several glasses of water with 1 tsp Chlorophyll ES daily. Natures Sunshine’s Chlorophyll ES is flavored with mint and very palatable even for kids.
Chlorophyll ES

There is much more to discuss on the topic of detox. I will address those in another post. Please note, this post is a reference for my clients. If you have questions about cleansing , please get in touch. I rarely charge for consultations with compliance to recommended protocols, so please don’t let cost be an obstacle.

banner-lavendar
I used to LOVE the smell of DOWNEY. I looked forward to “clean sheets Friday”. But then I learned some unsettling news: Most commercial dryer sheets and fabric softeners are loaded with all sorts of toxic chemicals including Benzyl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Chloroform and Linalool; none of which are good for your health. In addition to all the chemicals that end up on your skin, when heated, the fumes are also toxic.  These toxins go straight to their brain’s most sensitive neurological centers and wreck havoc.

In a recent study performed by UW professor Dr. Anne Steinemann, a research team conducted a small study to understand the effects of fragrances in laundry products (both detergent and dryer sheets). The team discovered  more than 25 VOCs emitted from dryer vents, with highest concentrations of acetaldehyde, acetone, and ethanol (two of which are considered carcinogenic). To put it in context, one of the carcinogenic VOC’s, acetaldehyde, had emissions that would represent 3% of total acetaldehyde emissions from automobiles in the study area. This is a major omission of toxic chemicals.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and industry-generated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from the 1990s, the following is a list of chemicals in fabric softener products, most in untested combinations.

1.  Alpha-Terpineol–This chemical has been linked to disorders of the brain and nervous system, loss of muscle control, depression, and headaches

2.  Benzyl acetate–Benzyl acetate has been linked to cancer of the pancreas

3.  Benzyl alcohol–This upper respiratory tract irritant can cause central nervous system (CNS) disorders, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and dramatic drops in blood pressure.

4.  Chloroform–Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic. Really toxic to your brain. Inhaling its vapors may cause loss of consciousness, nausea, headache, vomiting, and/or dizziness, drowsiness.

5. Ethanol– Another fabric softener ingredient which is on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and linked to CNS disorders.

6. Ethyl Acetate–causes headaches and is on the EPA Hazardous Waste list

7. Linalool–in studies, this chemical caused loss of muscle coordination, nervous system and brain disorders, and depression

8. Pentane–causes headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, and depression

Yikes!!!! So what do you do if you want to have fresh smelling clothing, sheets and towels? You discover Essential Oils! Have you heard about them but not quite sure how to use them? Visit the essential oils resource page. Here you will learn how to replace not only dryer sheets, but also household cleaning and even personal care products. You can also download this fun essential oils resource page. Still have questions? Get in touch at the Contact page and let me know how I can help!

 

  • Are you experiencing weight gain?
  • Are you tired all day but have trouble sleeping at night?
  • Do you feel a general sense of fatigue and fog?

 

These are NOT normal signs of aging.

 

While genetics may play a role in health challenges you are likely to face, the actual expression of those characteristics, your phenotype, is dependent more on the lifestyle choices you make. Getting a prescription to mask these problems doesn’t solve anything; and many times can lead to more issues…and more pills.  When you take away things that hurt and replace with things that heal, you find the key to wellness.

Decisively creating the way your body feels is very doable, but takes a committment.    Not sure how to do that?  I can help!  Lifestyle transformation… It’s what I do!

Since when did wellness get so complicated?  I think it came right about the time our lives were made easier by technology.  Yep, the more conveniences we have the more complicated our lives seem to become.  We have smart phones that are like master control panels for our lives.  Sure, we can send emails and Christmas shop while we wait for our children at the orthodontist’s office.  You would think that would free us up for more downtime to relax.  If that’s the case, then why are we so stressed out all the time?  There are a couple of reasons for that.  The most obvious is that we are compelled to fill that free time.  Sometimes it is with more productivity and other times it is with a “relaxing” guilty pleasure net surf or catching up on a series on Netflix in a free afternoon.  We never allow our minds to just be.

That’s a problem.

You may follow a perfect Paleo diet, get in an abundance and variety of exercise and stretching, treat yourself to healthful  Infrared Sauna Therapy  and massages, supplement with adaptogenic herbs, make your own environmentally responsible personal care and household cleaning products, make your own cultured foods and drink out of a glass water bottle.  That’s great and those are all a great jumpstart toward healthy living.  But if you aren’t ensuring proper downtime, you could be setting yourself up for any number of health concerns.  Stress is one of the major contributing factors to adrenal fatigue and is a well known trigger for autoimmune disease.  So what can you do?   Lets start by taking a closer look at stress.

When it comes to stress, most Americans don’t need a designated month to realize what they already know – stress is part of modern life and can’t always be avoided. Perhaps the most puzzling issue around stress is what really works when it comes to reducing it.

Recent surveys by the American Psychological Association (APA) reveal that stress is an increasing and on-going issue for Americans. More than one third (36 percent) of U.S. workers report experiencing work stress regularly, according to APA survey findings released in March. Another significant APA survey released in November revealed American families recognize they have high stress levels, but lack the time and willpower to make appropriate changes.

What is “stress?”

Stress comes from our perception and emotional reactions to an event or idea. It can be any feeling of anxiety, irritation, frustration, or hopelessness, etc.

Stress is not only created by a response to an external situation or event. A lot of daily stress is created by ongoing attitudes, that is, recurring feelings of agitation, worry, anxiety, anger, judgments, resentment, insecurities and self-doubt. These emotions are known to drain emotional energy while engaging in everyday life.

It is emotions—more than thoughts alone—activating physical changes that make up the “stress response.” Emotions trigger the autonomic nervous system and, in turn, trigger stress hormones that cause many harmful effects on the brain and body.

Stressful feelings actually lead to a chaotic pattern in the beat-to-beat changes in the heart’s rhythm–indicating that our nervous system is out of sync. When this happens, a cascade of over 1,400 biochemical changes are set in motion that have a wide range of effects on the body’s systems.

Why Today’s Stress is Different

Experts say an important factor in today’s stress experience is that it’s not just about the single incident type of stress that naturally follows trauma, illness, job change, or other major life event. For most people it’s the wear and tear of daily life. What used to work for stress relief before may not be as effective today, because modern stress is more about the on-going levels people are experiencing.

Daily life stress can be difficult to change because of how the brain works. Through repeated experiences of stress, the brain learns to recognize the patterns of activity associated with “stress” as a familiar baseline, and in a sense, it becomes normal and comfortable. Without effective intervention, stress can become self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing.

Traditionally, stress research has focused on the mental processes that affect our perception and the body’s response to it. Some of today’s most pertinent stress research comes from the Institute of HeartMath, which has contributed greatly to the understanding the underlying mechanics of stress and its relationship to our patterned emotional responses.

HeartMath research examines the role of the emotional system in the stress process. Scientists discovered a critical link between stress, emotions, heart function and cognitive performance. From this research they have seen that while mental processes play a role in stress, the real fuel for the stress is un-managed emotions. Simply put, emotions have the power to fuel a thought into a high-definition experience of stress.

According to the research, the harmful effects stress places on the brain and body are in fact the physiological repercussions of negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, fear, resentment, etc.

What Works and What Doesn’t Work

Most stress has an emotional source, yet until now most of the widely used stress management methods have not focused directly on emotions. Instead, more often they focus on distraction methods, quieting the mind or trying to relax.

These practices may be enjoyable – such as taking a hot bath, or treatments like massage and aromatherapy – yet the fact remains that real solutions need to address the root cause of stress. They need to transform the deeper, recurring emotional patterns that sustain stress-producing feelings. Without essential changes at the emotional level, any other stress-relief method is likely to be short-lived.  I have been studying the work of the Institute for Heart Math for several years now.  It was cutting edge in 2008 when I first stumbled onto it.  The research into heart rate variability and the advances they have made are simply stunning and incredibly relevant to our wellbeing climate.  I will be posting specifically about HRV in an upcoming post.

HeartMath Summer Sale - Get 30% off

It’s October and cold and flu season is rapidly approaching.  I have over heard many people say they are specifically NOT getting a flu shot this year.  You can probably guess that I feel the same way.  I suspect that if the brutal winter that I hear is being predicted arrives and brings with it half an office hacking up lungs, some may waver on their decision.  I say, ” stay strong and get silver!”

silver_shield

What is it and how does it work?

Silver Sol (a new patented formula designed to eliminate toxicity issues) functions as a non-toxic internal antimicrobial or external disinfectant that is delivered to the site requiring treatment via one or a combination of three separate delivery systems:  liquid, topical gel and aerosolized.  SilverSol uses three primary mechanisms for action:

I.  Silver Oxide

II.  Resonance

III.  Magnetic viral DNA disruption

Silver Oxide:  Silver oxide kills bacteria on contact by pulling one electron from atoms comprising the bacterial cell membrane, thereby rupturing the bacterial cell.

Resonance:  Silver sol resonates at 890-910 terahertz- the same antimicrobial frequency used in “blue” germicidal laboratory lights.  Silver sol nano-paritcles are small enough to enter and rupture host cells via resonant frequency without additional risk of exposure to the surrounding tissue.

Magnetic Viral DNA Disruption:  Viruses consist of a capsid that contains incomplete DNA segments.  The silver sol particle is engineered with an opposite charge that attracts the viral DNA and mechanically interferes with the ability of viral DNA to replicate.  “Healthy” DNA does not contain a magnetic charge and remains unaffected by the charge of the Silver Sol.

Silver Sol destroys bacteria (at least 143 different types), viruses, fungi and other microbes.

Silver Sol destroys MRSA, SARS, Malaria, Anthrax, gram negative bacteria, gram positive bacteria, and viruses including hepatitis C, HIV, and influenza.

Silver Sol can be used as an internal and external disinfectant because it passes through the body unchanged, producing no dangerous metabolites and is 99 percent cleared by the next day.

You can get yours here .

Write to me here if you need help putting together an herbal first aid kit or with other herbal and detox questions.