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Ep #015: Mastering Lifestyle Changes

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Everyone knows it’s hard to change behavior especially around diet and exercise. To change our health requires making a deep change to our entire lifestyle, which for many people can be very challenging.

In this episode we discuss how Dr. Baylac has used certain methods in her practice to create lasting lifestyle changes in the people she works with and how this directly impacts longevity.

Tune in to join the conversation about designing a lifestyle and acquiring a mindset that promote a long, healthy and happy life.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Podcast: Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher

RESOURCES & LINKS

Psychology, Spirituality and Lifestyle Changes in Naturopathic Medicine

Detox for Weight Loss. Lifestyle Changes to Keep It Off

Lifestyle Change Program for Medical Conditions

Fasting for Change

Join us for a SPRING CLEANSE from March 16-29, 2020. Choose from water fasting, juice fasting and wellness detox packages.

Water Fasting

Wellness Vacations

healthy vacations in Hawaii, Thanksgiving 2019 Kealakekua Bay

Ep #013: Fitness For Life

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Staying fit is more than just exercise, it’s a lifestyle that can keep you healthy and prevent disease and illness.  Most people are aware of this, however fitness encompasses more than just exercise and diet… it includes things we mostly take for granted, such as the air we breath and the water we drink.   In this episode we will be discussing the importance of fitness & longevity.  Enjoy!

Tune in to join the conversation about designing a lifestyle and acquiring a mindset that promote a long, healthy and happy life.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW


Podcast: Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher

Join us for our New Year’s Wellness Detox Jan 9-19, 2020. Choose from water fasting, juice fasting and our signature 10-Day Wellness Detox.

Water Fasting

Wellness Detox

10 Day Detox Retreat in Hawaii

13 Easy Actions You Can Take to Be Healthier

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As more and more and more studies make the connection between poor nutrition, lifestyle habits and chronic illness, a new consciousness has arisen in mainstream medicine aiming at reversing chronic illness with a healthy lifestyle. This is now known as lifestyle medicine. Just like smoking cessation decreased the number of deaths from lung cancer, we can hope that with adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet, particularly a plant-based diet as more and more studies show the benefit of a plant-based diet, to see a decrease in type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and liver disease.

As this message is spreading through society, people are making attempts to change their diet and lifestyle on their own. Many fail and go back to their old habits.

I want to let you know that your failure is not out of weakness or lack of will. It is difficult to overcome the addictive nature of foods with a high content of sugar, fat or chemical food enhancers without a method. Not only have processed foods been made to be addictive, but it’s also found everywhere. In contrast healthy foods have to be sought out.

In this article I would like to contribute a few thoughts to your strategy for better success. Achieving small wins is important for positive reinforcement to keep you motivated.

Not all unhealthy food need to be eliminated at once. You may focus on meat or cheese or bread and cookies and pizzas or sugary foods, depending on what you indulge in the most or whichever is the biggest problem for your health.

Here are 13 easy actions you can take to be successful at changing your diet:

  1. Clean your pantry, freezer and refrigerator of the foods you are not going to eat. Get rid of candies, white sugar, cookies, pastries, ice-cream, anything with fructose corn syrup.
  2. Get support from your family or other people who live with you, to do the pantry clean-up with you.
  3. Shopping: research new stores selling organic foods and go to farmers markets. Utilize online shopping resources like: Wise Choice Market, Thrive Market and Vital Choice.
  4. Avoid bakeries or wineries or any areas tempting you to purchase items that you were addicted to.
  5. Eliminate behaviors associated with a certain activities, like munching on chips when you’re watching TV and go for a walk instead.
  6. Repeat positive statements to yourself: when the thought comes, “I want a hamburger” substitute that thought with, “I like vegetables and I can be nourished by vegetables. I like the feeling of lightness I get with vegetables”.
  7. Make sure you have healthy food to eat, should you be hungry. Take some food with you to work. Prepare some food in advance so that you don’t have to cook while hungry and can enjoy cooking.
  8. Take some cooking classes, learning how to prepare vegetables or raw food. Check out The Raw Chef’s online courses.
  9. Change how you think about food, from a commodity to a creative activity, from cheap food to healthy foods.
  10. If you are an emotional eater stop using food to avoid feeling and seek a therapist who will help you deal with your emotions in a proper way.
  11. Eat at regular hours so that you feel the hunger and satiety cycle. Avoid eating late at night.
  12. Do not snack, sit down to eat instead. Make sure you are relaxed and take time to enjoy your food. Be grateful for the bounty of the earth and all the people involved in bringing that food to your table.
  13. ENJOY – you are not deprived, you are making the right choices, be proud of yourself.

17 Things to Avoid to Protect Yourself from Cancer

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  1. Underwire bras constrict the lymphatic system and have been identified as a cause of cancer https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-underwire-bras-cause-cancer/
  2. Synthetic fiber clothing and bed sheets. Use organic cotton or silk.
  3. Carcinogens are ubiquitous. Carcinogens are chemical compounds that cause mutation in our DNA, the genetic material inherited by our parents. They are found in house cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, make up, food and drinks. The most dangerous carcinogens we are exposed to are Round Up (an herbicide) and chlorine. Use organic food to avoid chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers. Do not use Round Up on your lawn.
  4. Chlorine. Chlorine is found in tab water and swimming pools. It is a common household product sold as Clorox. Avoid drinking or showering or bathing in tap water. Buy a water filter for your house or get a filter for your shower and sink. Avoid swimming in a chlorinated pool.
  5. Detergents in commercial cleaning supplies. Use vinegar and water instead or regular soap.
  6. Overuse of soap. Body soaps removes natural oils on the skin and flush vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D are usually found in people with cancer. Test for vitamin D levels. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer…/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens.html
  7. Household furniture, carpets, pressed wood, curtains contain fire retardants, formaldehyde benzene and naphthalene. Memory foam is particularly toxic.
  8. VOC or volatile organic compounds are contained in paint and off gas for years. Buy “no VOC” paint.
  9. Electronic equipment produces electromagnetic field (EMF) disturbing to the natural electricity of our cells. Eliminate them from your bedroom to have a regenerating sleep: remove TVs, computers, phones in particular smart phones.
  10. Location of the house: danger of power lines and high voltage power lines. EMFs emitted by power lines have shown to cause cancer.
  11. Regenerating sleep at night, in a dark room or natural light. Go to bed early and get up early.
  12. Eliminate toxic habits. Smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking alcoholic beverages, consuming illegal drugs including marijuana and pharmaceuticals. Smoking is associated with lung, esophageal and bladder cancer. Quit.
  13. Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for certain head and neck cancers, particularly cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx (throat), and larynx (voice box). Quit.
  14. Pharmaceuticals are the fourth leading cause of death. Over prescribed antibiotics destroy beneficial bacterial flora causing fungal overgrowth and creating dysbiosis.
  15. Processed and GMO foods in particular processed meats and food additives linked to colon cancer. Thirty percent of the processed meat tested in commercial stores contains C. Difficile, a diarrhea causing pathological bacteria difficult to get rid of, eventually causing colon cancer. Additives and emulsifiers added to bread and other processed foods to extend shelf life, alter gut bacteria causing inflammation and causing colorectal cancer.
  16. Infections by carcinogenic bacteria and viruses. Twenty percent of cancers are associated with bacteria or viruses. Herpes virus associated with nasopharyngeal cancer, H. Pylori bacteria associated stomach cancer, EBV (Epstein Barr Virus), the cause of mononucleosis or the so-called kissing disease because it spreads through the saliva, associated with naso-pharyngeal cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma, EBV associated with lymphoma, HIV associated many types of cancer. HPV (Human papilloma virus) with cervical cancer, esophageal cancer from oral sex, Hepatitis B and C associated with liver cancer. Treat all infections as soon as diagnosed or after diagnosis.
  17. Air pollution. The air we breathe is contaminated with particulate matter, decreased oxygen, and various pollutants from industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, combustion, heating activities and vog (in Hawaii). Fresh air composition: Nitrogen @ 78.09% Oxygen @ 20.95% and Argon @ 0.93%. That makes up about 99.97%. Indoor air pollution is usually worse than outdoor air pollution. Air pollution is responsible for the number one cancer type: lung cancer. Read the article, 9 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality.

9 Ways to Improve Air Quality in Your Home

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Indoor air quality matters, because it is a huge contributor to toxic load and carcinogen exposure. Indoor pollution is generally higher than outdoor pollution unless you consciously reduce it by building your house with non-toxic materials, remove your shoes prior to entering your house and use an air filter in urban areas. Air pollution is a common cause of neuro-inflammation and respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

Air is a commonly overlooked nutrient, but it is so essential. Humans can live without food for 4-6 weeks, without water for 3-5 days, but without air only 3-4 minutes. The average person breathes about 20,000 times a day. Air is made up mostly of oxygen and nitrogen. Every time we breathe in, it fills our lungs and supplies our blood with oxygen. Without this process our bodies would not receive the oxygen it needs to stay alive.

The body needs oxygen so it can combust food to release the energy stored in it. In other words oxygen is the fuel that allows our cells to produce energy from the food we eat. Oxygen appears abundant – we are surrounded by a sky full of it. Air creeps in everywhere, all we have to do is open a window. The problem is that air is also polluted so in spite of it appearing abundant and easy to get, we want to give some serious consideration to the quality of air we breathe.

Most people have the erroneous idea that the air inside their homes is cleaner than the air outside. The consensus is that as long as I’m inside a house or building, I don’t need to worry about the polluted air. Unless you’re living in a large cosmopolitan city, right next to a gas station, next door to an oil refinery or next to a freeway, this is simply not true. The air inside our homes are more toxic than outside and we are better off opening our windows and letting the outside air circulate through.

Although outdoor air is polluted, it is usually less polluted than indoor air.

Sources of Air Pollution

There are many things that affect the air quality we breathe such as industrial pollution, perfumes, pesticides, herbicides, smoke, vehicle exhausts, mold, pollens, allergens, indoor and home pollutants. The biggest offenders are industrial polluters. More than 2 million tons of known carcinogens are released into our air, land, and water by industrial facilities around the world each year.¹

Health issues linked to toxins and pollutants in the air include cancer, allergies, asthma, birth defects, infertility, growth problems, weight gain, skin problems, respiratory problems, digestive problems, and overall imbalance within the body.

Indoor Air Pollution

Since we cannot control outdoor air pollution, let’s focus our attention on getting familiar with what influences air quality inside our homes. However, if you are living next to a gas station, busy highway, golf course, conventional agriculture area with heavy spraying of pesticides and herbicides, or commercial livestock farms that produces lots of methane gas, you can consider moving to an area where the air quality is less impacted by these activities.

Dust

Dust in homes, offices, and other human environments contains small amounts of plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, human skin cells, burnt meteorite particles, and many other materials which may be found in the local environment. – Wikipedia

Our indoor environment is an important source of chemical pollutant exposure. A new study shows that chemicals are not just volatile compounds that off gas into the air, but also accumulate as particles in house dust.

Indoor dust today has a chemical make-up from a wide variety of products. Household items like electronic devices, televisions, furniture, beauty products, cleaning products, and flooring materials shed chemicals that end up in the air and in the dust of our indoor environments.

Allergens

Dust mites accumulate in dust and is a common household allergen. Seasonal pollen are carried indoors by the wind and pet dander may be present in your home regardless of whether you have a pet or not. Cockroach droppings contain a protein than can be a potential allergy trigger. And finally mold and mildew are potential allergens that can cause very serious illness.

Mold

Water damaged homes, especially homes that are made of dry wall and cardboard ceiling is a perfect place for mold to thrive when damp. Although mold is natural in our outdoor environment and even some types indoors, there are species of mold that can wreak havoc on health once they settle inside a home. Since these molds (like Stachybotrys) are often not seen as they can be hidden within the walls or roof and behind the shower, it can be hard to identify that there is a serious health risk to be dealt with.

Toxic molds produce mycotoxins that can make you sick or slowly break down your immune system. Possible reactions include immune suppression and cancer. Mycotoxins are chemical toxins present within or on the surface of the mold spore, which can be inhaled, ingested, or touched.

Toxins: VOC’s

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. A 1985 study (TEAM) by the Environmental Protection Agency showed that the greatest personal exposure to solvents come from air in the home, especially at night. One study identified a total of 586 different chemical pollutants in the indoor air of 52 homes along the Arizona-Mexico border.

Major sources of indoor air pollution include pressed wood products, carpets, paints, and furnishings treated with flame-retardant chemicals, such as mattresses, upholstery, drapes and curtains.

VOCs/solvents are hazardous to our health in many ways:

  • They pose a threat to normal development of infant and fetus
  • Affect the reproductive system
  • Are carcinogen (cancer causing) to the body
  • Impact the immune system
  • Disrupt the endocrine system (natural hormone release cycles)

List of Indoor Air Quality Hazards In Your Home²

Indoor Air Pollutants Combustion by-products from:

  • Fireplaces
  • Smoking
  • Candles
  • Stoves
  • Water heaters
  • Furnaces
  • Attached garages

Solvents (volatile organic compounds) from:

  • Paint, paint strippers and other solvents
  • Wood preservatives
  • Glue
  • Upholstery
  • Carpeting
  • Household cleaners and disinfectants
  • Aerosol sprays
  • Moth repellents and air fresheners
  • Dry-cleaned clothing
  • Electronics
  • Dryer sheets
  • Perfumes
  • Stored fueled and automotive products

Dusts and particulates from:

  • Molds
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Infectious agents
  • Animal dander
  • Chemicals from indoor building supplies
  • Pesticides

9 Ways to Improve Air Quality in Your Home

What lifestyle changes can you make to reduce your airborne toxic burden? We’ve put together a list of easily actionable items, to ensure you get the best air quality possible in your home or office.

1. Detox Your Home

Stop using unnecessary pollutants in your home and move paint containers and other chemicals to areas that are far removed from bedrooms, living areas etc. Preferably a separate garage. Switch to natural cleaning products. There is no need to have a particular chemical cleaner for every item in the house: carpet cleaner, oven cleaner, toilet cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, furniture cleaner, window cleaner, etc. Once you let go of this you will quickly realize that you do not need it.

Take off your shoes

All sorts of toxic compounds find their way inside your home via shoes.  Studies have shown that herbicides, lead dust, coal tar from asphalt road, Roundup from your lawn and harmful bacteria find they way inside your home through your shoes. Without talking about the noise pollution inflicted on the neighbors below.  It is not a common practice to remove shoes in our western culture but it is tradition in many countries such as India, Japan and Hawaii.

Think twice before purchasing new household items

Getting a new couch, pillows, or mattress? Thinking about carpeting or freshly painting walls? These items can be extremely toxic when brand new. Even hardwood floors that are glued together is a problem. These improvements will off gas volatile organic compounds for a considerable time and increase the toxic load of your indoor air.

Choose organic, natural upholstery and pillows whenever possible and look for paint that doesn’t contain VOCs and solvents. Carpeting in the home is not recommended at all, but if you absolutely have no choice or if you’re looking for area rugs, buy natural types of rugs and do research on how the rugs were bound together. Even on natural rugs certain glues can be used that will off gas.

2. No Smoking

If you are a smoker or get visitors that smoke, smoke outdoors and far enough away that the smoke cannot be carried indoors at all. Smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products will contaminate your indoor air and will stick to the walls and other hard surfaces.

Cigarettes and cigarette smoke contain chemicals, carcinogens and toxic heavy metals like benzene, formaldehyde, pesticides, vinyl chloride, arsenic, cadmium, ammonia, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nicotine. Secondhand smoke contains some 250 chemicals and about 70 cancer causing chemicals.

3. Change Dry Cleaners

Unlike what its name implies, dry cleaning is not actually a ‘dry’ process. Clothes are soaked in a different solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically toxic tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene or PERC), which the industry calls PCE.

This is the same solvent that is used in paint strippers and spot removers. PERC lingers in recently dry-cleaned clothing and slowly escape into household air. Bringing your dry cleaning home and hanging it in your closet means that those chemicals will off gas and contaminate your indoor air.

Best option is to research for a dry cleaner that use natural dry cleaning methods and research what PERC-free dry cleaners that advertise themselves as green actually use. When this is not possible, hang your dry cleaning outside. Also, remember unless you perspire very heavily, your clothing probably doesn’t need to be cleaned as often as you think. Spot clean at home and hang in the sun for a few hours to freshen your dry clean only labeled clothes. You can also rethink buying dry clean only clothing in future.

4. Rethink the smells coming from your laundry room

Use unscented natural, biodegradable laundry detergent and fabric softener. Stop using dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are a source of solvent indoor air pollution. What you will notice is that you actually don’t need it. Bicarbonate of soda or Borax make for excellent natural fabric softener and is much kinder to the environment.

5. Keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose

The nose is designed to trap air pollutants through the hair it contains. Let it do its job. Chronic sinus problems or blocked nose can make this tricky, but observe your habit of breathing and focus on deliberately filling up your lungs properly with each breath and allow the air to push your diaphragm down properly.

6. Keep it clean

Keep your house dust free and clean. As we have seen dust contains allergens, molds, toxic chemicals and more. Wipe down hard surfaces with a moist rag at least once a week. Vacuum floors or sweep and wet mop once a week.

7. Create a schedule to periodically check your house for leaks and mold

This is a must! Create a schedule to check for water leak or water damage that may have gone unnoticed. Especially if you live in areas that get lots of rain. If you want to go the extra mile which is highly recommended check your house for mold spores by using mold detecting kits.

If you see water damage or mold growing take action immediately. Black mold or Stachybotrys thrive on drywall and board-type ceilings, are toxic. They create neurotoxins which damage the nervous system and are powerful carcinogens.

8. Walk in nature and bring air purifying plants indoors

Ever feel better after a walk in the woods? Spend time in nature walking in the woods. Do that as frequently as you can – walking consciously and breathing consciously (deliberately filling your lungs fully with deep breaths). Japanese researchers suggest that we take in beneficial substances when we breathe forest air. Three major factors that research identified that can possibly make us feel healthier after a walk in the woods: beneficial bacteria, plant-derived essential oils and negatively-charged ions.³

Some plants can help to clean the air in the home or office. These natural air purifiers are only effective when there are LOTS of them in a room. Read about plants that can clean indoor air.

9. HEPA while you sleep

A good strategy is to purify the air in your bedroom while you sleep by utilizing a HEPA air purifier. At least your body can get clean air while it’s in rest and repair mode at night. As we mentioned above the 1985 TEAM study showed that the greatest personal exposure to solvents come from air in the home, especially at night.

Controlling air quality inside your home is an important step towards better mental and physical health and a long life. Use the following diagram to identify the possible sources of pollution and remediate it.

Resources for Further Reading

Not Just Dirt: Toxic Chemicals in Indoor Dust

Top 20 Air Purifier Reviews by PlentyAir

Plants That Can Clean Indoor Air

Top 10 Toxic Ingredients Used In The Fossil Fuel Industries

What Chemicals are in Cigarettes and in Cigarette Smoke?

Steps to Stop Smoking

Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality

 

REFERENCES:

  1. Website: WordoMeters.info, http://www.worldometers.info/view/toxchem/
  2. Crinnion, Walter (2010-02-09). Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat (Kindle Locations 2186-2188). Turner Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
  3. Website: TheConversation.com, https://theconversation.com/why-a-walk-in-the-woods-really-does-help-your-body-and-your-soul-5322
  4. Mitro, S.D., R.E. Dodson, V. Singla, G. Adamkiewicz, A.F. Elmi, M. K. Tilly, A.R. Zota. 2016. “Consumer product chemicals in indoor dust: a quantitative meta-analysis of U.S. studies.” Environmental Science & Technology.

Plants That Can Clean Indoor Air

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Are there plants that can clean indoor air? The answer is yes, but for plants to effectively purify the air in your home you will need to keep the following two things in mind.

1. Choose the right plants

Plants are not equal in their ability to naturally purify the air. To clean the air in your home, you need to choose plants that can clean indoor air as backed up by scientific study.

Research has been conducted over the past two decades by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to determine which plants can remove toxic chemicals from the air for the use in space stations.

These first five plants came top of their list and were particularly effective at clearing the air of formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene.

  • Mass cane (dracaena massangeana)
  • Pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
  • Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
  • Warnecki (Dracaena deremensis “Warneckei”)
  • Ficus (Ficus benjamina)

Other plants that were also effective at air purification are:

  • English Ivy (Hedera helix)
  • Marginata (Dracaena marginata)
  • Mother-in-laws tongue (Sansevieria laurentii)
  • Peace lily (Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”)
  • Chinese evergreen (Algona “silver queen”)
  • Banana (Musa oriana)
  • Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
  • Heart Leaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium)
  • Green Spider Plant (Chlorophytum elatum)
  • Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis “Janet Craig”)
Mother-in-law tongue plant

Sansevieria laurentii (common name: mother in law’s tongue, aka snake plant) is a natural air purifier and easy to grow.

2. Go for a jungle effect

In spite of what you may have read on various popular wellness blogs or in magazines, for the above plants to actually work in a therapeutic manner and create measurable results for cleaning the air in your home you will need LOTS of these plants. To quote environmental medicine specialist, Dr. Walter Crinnion, “By getting a variety of such plants and ‘making their home a jungle,’ several families have found that their chronic health problems have dramatically improved.”

You will need to go for a jungle effect and place lots and lots of plants in your home. One way to go about this is to start in your bedroom so that you can at least have the best quality and cleanest air at night while you sleep.

Still, since plants will brighten up your house, if you are using plants as part of decor in your home, you may as well choose from the plants that can clean indoor air.

Sleep Yourself to Optimum Health, a Better Body and Mind

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We all think we can push ourselves and deprive ourselves from getting sleep in order to get more done, but the truth is that the biological consequences of losing sleep are simply not worth it. Many vital processes happen during sleep and we must make getting daily restorative sleep part of our lifestyle. This simple lifestyle hack can change the quality of our physique, relationships, performance and health. During sleep, is when we get enhanced physically, emotionally and mentally.

Sleep provides an opportunity for the body to repair and rejuvenate itself. When animals are deprived entirely of sleep, they lose all immune function and die in just a matter of weeks. Many of the major restorative functions in the body like muscle growth, tissue repair, protein synthesis, and growth hormone release occur mostly, or in some cases only, during sleep.

Sleep Impacts Body Shape More Than Diet and Exercise

Consider that sleep impacts our physique and body shape more so than diet and exercise combined. Hard to believe right? Here’s how that works. During sleep the body secretes most of our human growth hormone (HGH) and HGH helps to maintain lean body mass (muscle). Muscle is our bodies’ fat burning machinery.

In contrast, sleep deprivation increases cortisol which allows cortisol levels to become unbalanced. Cortisol has the unique ability to break down lean body tissue and turn it into glucose (fuel for the body). Glucose turns on insulin, which essentially will store this glucose as fat if there is no expenditure of this extra fuel.

During sleep we produce the sleep hormone melatonin and melatonin increases brown adipose tissue (good fat). Brown adipose tissue behaves more like muscle than fat, as it also burns white adipose tissue (the fat we don’t want) the same as muscle does.

Research shows that just one night of sleep deprivation reduces the body’s leptin levels. Leptin is the body’s satiety hormone that helps to regulate the body’s normal hunger-satiety cycle. In addition one night of sleep deprivation increases the hunger hormone, grehlin. Let’s not think we can stick to a healthy eating regime if we’re swimming upstream by depriving ourselves of sleep. Willpower is seldom stronger than the basic biological functions of the body.

Sleep Detoxes The Brain

The brain detoxifies while we sleep. Like the body has the lymphatic system for cell waste management, the brain has the glymphatic system, which is 10x more effective while we’re sleeping. When we sleep, our bodies focus on detoxifying our brains, it actually shrinks our brain cells by 60% to create more room for detoxification. This explains why not sleeping often feels like walking around drunk, because the brain didn’t get a chance to detoxify the previous night.  New research links memory loss and Alzheimer’s to an inability of the brain to detoxify itself.

We Secrete The Most Powerful Anti-Cancer Hormone When We Sleep

The World Health Organization has labeled night shift work as a class 2 carcinogen, because night shift work disrupts the production of melatonin which is possibly the most potent anti-cancer hormone the body makes.

What does melatonin do?

  1. Melatonin maintains the body’s sleep cycles through our circadian rhythm (24 hour internal clock).
  2. It’s a powerful antioxidant acting as a free radical scavenger and has the ability to control pro-inflammatory molecules by:
    1. Enhancing the activities of a variety of antioxidative enzymes.
    2. Stimulating the synthesis of another important intracellular antioxidant, glutathione.
    3. Reducing oxidative stress by effectively reducing electron leakage from the mitochondria electron transport chain.
    4. Having synergistic interactions with other antioxidants.
    5. It’s ability to generate byproducts when it scavenges free radicals and related reactants, that are also free radical scavengers thereby greatly exaggerating the antioxidant potential of melatonin.
  3. Strengthens the immune system, because of its antioxidant capabilities, and effect on the GI tract. Melatonin is secreted along with another hormone called prolactin. Together these hormones produce an immune reaction in the gut that targets viruses, pathogenic bacteria and man-made toxins to restore a healthy flora balance. Melatonin also promotes T-cell and Natural Killer cell production; two important cells of our immune system.
  4. Melatonin helps control the timing and release of female reproductive hormones. It helps determine when a woman starts to menstruate, the frequency and duration of menstrual cycles, and when a woman stops menstruating (menopause).
  5. In cancer therapy, melatonin counteracts chemotherapy toxicity, by acting as an anti-oxidant agent, and promotes apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancer cells, thus enhancing the toxicity of chemotherapy.

The secretion of melatonin by the pineal gland progressively declines by age. Strong reductions of circulating melatonin are also observed in numerous disorders and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, various other neurological conditions, pain, cardiovascular diseases, cases of cancer, endocrine and metabolic disorders, in particular diabetes type 2.

It is commonly understood that melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain, however, new research shows that we have up to 400x more melatonin in our guts and that bacteria in the gut are communicating with the cells that produce sleep related hormones. A healthy microbiome is essential for so many bodily functions including good sleep and adequate melatonin production which as you have seen is imperative for immune function and getting rid of free radicals.

Getting Restorative Sleep Keeps Us Focused on the Positive Side of Life

Not getting enough sleep, promotes emotional instability. Brain imaging scans show increased activity in the amygdala of sleep deprived subjects and decreased activity in the prefrontal and insular cortex. The amygdala is the primitive, survival part of the brain that only cares about the survival of self. While the prefrontal and insular cortex is responsible for decision making, distinguishing between right and wrong and social control. This effect was demonstrated in a study by exposing people to stimuli (images) and measuring their responses. Sleep deprived subjects were 60% more reactive to negative stimuli. Furthermore, it was much harder to bring the sleep deprived subjects brains back to a normal (not so negative) state. When we don’t get enough sleep, we’ll overreact and pay more attention to the negative than when we’re well rested. When we’re sleep deprived we show up in life and come into situations as not the best version of ourselves. This clearly shows how sleep impacts our relationships, mood and outlook in life.

We Excrete Many Important Hormones When We Sleep

Sleep plays a major role in neuroendocrine function. Neuroendocrine cells release hormones that act like neurotransmitters that regulate specific body functions like metabolism, growth and reproduction.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is mostly released during sleep and stimulates the growth of bone and tissue.

Luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, both involved in reproduction are released during sleep. The sleep-dependent release of luteinizing hormone initiates puberty.

Melatonin, we already mentioned, coupled with a healthy microbiome is absolutely vital for immune function and cancer protection.

Studies show that sleep restriction affects glucose metabolism by causing metabolic and endocrine alterations, including decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin and increased hunger and appetite.

Our Brains Are Powered By Sleep

Sleep research has come a long way in the last decade with advanced brain imaging technology that’s become available to sleep researchers. If we want a fast learning, clear thinking, good concentrating and calm brain, we’ve got to get good quality sleep as our brains are powered by sleep more than anything else. It’s during sleep that our bodies take all the information that we were exposed to and assimilated during the day and converts this data to our short term memory, specifically during REM sleep. Long term memories are formed by moving information stored in the short term memory the previous day to the long term memory and myelination happens mostly during sleep as well where the fat or insulation is laid down on the neuropathways which integrates all these new experiences in the brain. This is known as the brain plasticity theory where changes in the structure and organization of the brain takes place while we sleep. This theory is demonstrated in the effect that sleep and sleep deprivation have on people’s ability to learn and perform a variety of tasks. Sleep helps us master various skills, as our brains review and consolidate all the streams of information gathered while awake.

Sleep Refuels the Brain

One of the reasons we feel refreshed and alert when we wake up is that while we’re awake, neurons in the brain produce adenosine, a by-product of the cells’ activities. The build-up of adenosine in the brain is thought to be one factor that leads to our perception of being tired. Caffeine has the ability to block the actions of adenosine in the brain for a short period, which explains why caffeine helps to keep us alert. Researchers think that this build-up of adenosine during wakefulness may promote the drive to sleep. As long as we’re awake, adenosine accumulates and remains high. During sleep, the body has a chance to clear adenosine from the system, and, as a result, we feel more alert when we wake.

As we can see making quality, restorative sleep essential to our daily lifestyle can change our relationships, health and bodies in profound ways. If you’re sleep deprived or have difficulty sleeping, we encourage you to get help today.

If you have Insomnia, you can read about the condition and treatment in the Insomnia section. And this article provides tips for getting a good nights sleep.

TIP: Remove Troublesome Light Spectrum from Your Devices

Harvard researchers have found that our devices and computers diminish our sleep quality by suppressing melatonin production at night. Melatonin production is stimulated by night fall when light diminishes. The most troublesome light spectrum that come from our devices is the blue light spectrum. It suppresses melatonin twice as much as green light and disrupt circadian timing twice as much. Red light is the least impactful on the circadian rhythms and this corresponds with our evolutionary track of fires at night that are mostly red, orange and yellow light spectrums.

Desktop or Laptop

F.Lux is software that automatically pulls the most troublesome spectrum of light from your computer monitor or laptop screen when it gets dark, based on its settings. Once you’ve set it, it will automatically do it’s thing in the background and you can forget about it.

https://justgetflux.com/ – Just Get Flux – F.Lux software to make your life better.

Ios IPhone or IPad

If you have the latest IOS software for your iphone/ipad, Apple has a new tool called night shift. You can find this setting on the toolbar when you swipe up, where you find the flashlight and calculator. Activate nightshift and it will automatically pull the most troublesome spectrum of light from your phone at night.

Want Change In 2016? Discover The Key To A New You

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The Constant Flow of Change

Life is constant change. When we live in the present we experience this constant change as a pleasant sensation like floating gently down the river. Everything around us is a fresh discovery with acceptance of change. We feel like a child who has a sense of wonder. We experience life without fear. But then, slowly as we become adults, we learn how to live in the mind and the illusion of the past and the future. We hold on to the past and we try to control the future. The future cannot be controlled because it does not exist. It exists in our mind, but there is no physical reality to it and we can only control the present. The present has a physical form: we hear the birds or the sound of traffic and we can change our focus or move away from that experience. When we want to control that which cannot be controlled, anxiety sets in. We must learn and accept that it is impossible to control the future and stop wanting to control it. When we stop wanting to control the future the anxiety falls away on its own and we live peacefully in a stream of constant change.

When we resist change, we swim against the current and the stream becomes more powerful and dangerous.

stopresistingchange

The Crisis of Change

When we hold on to habits that do not serve us anymore a conflict arises in us. We find ourselves in situations where we do not want to be. Embodying behaviors empty of meaning, we get confused, the battle within us takes a lot of energy and we find ourselves tired, sometimes not wanting to get out of bed because we don’t want to face a life that does not make sense. Depression sets in. We experience fear of the future and the unknown. We are stripped of our power and strength. We are in crisis, we need a change, but we waited so long that all we can see, live and experience is the crisis; we cannot see clearly anymore, we are drowning and we scream for help. Hopefully someone hears us. We will need a safe and nurturing environment to restore trust in life.

Small Changes to Avoid Crisis

The lesson to learn from the crisis is to stay aware and be honest with ourselves.

We cannot continue to take care of everybody except ourselves. We have to stop pushing ourselves in a direction that we don’t believe in. We have to stop reaching for a substance to relieve our anxiety. Seeking pleasure does not work anymore. This pill does not help to get out of bed; this job does not serve my purpose. How long will I take abuse from this man or woman? How long will I accept feeling numb? Old habits, including the painful ones, are old friends and we hold on to them because they are familiar. Fear of the future and the unknown can only be conquered by acceptance of the present and loving the adventure of life.

constantchange

Make a Change Now

Another year is around the corner and full of potential. 2016 is an empty space and time like a blank canvas daunting our creativity. A painting to be created, a new story to be invented, a positive intention for a bright future, a wish for peace within, a whisper in the silent universe.

Our Programs Include Lifestyle Changes, Detoxification, Raw Foods, Gerson Therapy, Fasting, Rejuvenation, Transformation

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10 Lifestyle Choices for Breast Health

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We have joined forces with so many others by changing our attitude from “Breast Cancer Awareness” to “Breast Health Awareness”. Prevention is key and we must be vigilant in living healthy lifestyles that promote optimal health. The good news is that the majority of breast health practices are also practices that contribute to good health in general and to longevity. Research has concluded that only 10% of breast cancers are hereditary and the other 90% are caused by environmental factors. Take charge of your breast health by creating a healthy environment for your body and by making good lifestyle choices.

We have put together ten lifestyle choices to create breast health.

1. Avoid Wearing a Tight Fitting Bra, Avoid Wearing an Underwire Bra

Many women wear bras that fit wrong and that are too tight. Tight fitting bras prevent proper lymph drainage which prevent the removal of toxins from the breast tissue. A tight fitting bra literally cuts off the lymph circulation. The lymphatic system is a vital part of the immune system. It helps the body to get rid of toxins, waste and unwanted materials by draining it into the lymph fluid which is then carried away by the lymph system. In addition the lymph fluid contains white blood cells that protect the body from infection. To give an example, if you are wearing antiperspirants that contains aluminum and your body tries to drain the toxins out through the lymph fluid, aluminum potentially can start accumulating if it cannot be removed because lymph flow is disrupted by a tight bra. You want to ensure that your bra allows for the lymph fluid in your breasts to flow freely to be drained by the lymph nodes in the breast and under the armpits.

Michael Schachter M.D., F.A.C.A.M writes in his article, Integrative Medicine: The Prevention and Complementary Treatment of Breast Cancer:

Over 85 percent of the lymph fluid flowing from the breast drains to the armpit lymph nodes. Most of the rest drains to the nodes along the breast bone. Bras and other external tight clothing can impede flow. The nature of the bra, the tightness, and the length of time worn, will all influence the degree of blockage of lymphatic drainage. Thus, wearing a bra might contribute to the development of breast cancer as a result of cutting off lymphatic drainage, so that toxic chemicals are trapped in the breast.¹

Underwire bras on the other hand present a couple of its own problems to breast health. If you have ever been to an acupuncturist or Chinese medicine doctor they may have taped small metal balls (small magnetic patches known as AcuAids) over a particular acupuncture point to let you receive prolonged stimulation to that particular point.

In the same way metal from underwire bras stimulate pressure points that are located beneath the breasts. Below the breasts are two important neuro-lymphatic reflex points and metal from underwire bras is constantly activating these points. The neuro-lymphatic reflex point underneath the right breast is connected to the liver and gallbladder while the neuro-lymphatic reflex point underneath the left breast is connected to the stomach.

Doctor John D. Andre, D.C., N.D, explains the repercussions of this mechanism in his article, Dangers of Underwire Bras:

These reflexes, like all acupuncture points, follow the Law of Stimulation. In the beginning of stimulating a point, it is stimulated – often causing an increase in associated function. Later on, this continued stimulation causes sedation of that point and a subsequent decrease in its associated function. It’s a mechanical thing.
If a woman keeps the metal underwires on top of those reflex points, over time that WILL mess up the functioning of the associated circuits: Liver, gallbladder, and stomach.
Bottom Line: It will likely make her sick; slowly and quietly.²

The second problem with an underwire is the conducting aspect of the metal and that it can serve as a receptor and antenna for electromagnetic waves like the signals from cell phones, wi-fi, cordless phones and smart meters. We do not want to magnify electromagnetic waves right at our breast tissue. If you are still not convinced that EMFs cause cancer and pose a major public health risk, then see this plea by more than 190 scientists earlier this year.

On May 11, 2015, over 190 scientists from 38 nations submitted an appeal to the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and UN member states, requesting they adopt more protective guidelines for exposure to electromagnetic fields and wireless technology, based on increasing evidence of risk. The scientists who have signed the Appeal have published more than 2000 peer-reviewed research papers on the health effects of EMFs.
Heading the Appeal, Martin Blank, PhD, of Columbia University, states, “International exposure guidelines for EMFs must be strengthened to reflect the reality of their impact on our bodies, especially on our DNA. The time to deal with the harmful biological and health effects is long overdue. We must reduce exposure by establishing more protective guidelines.³

What Can You Do? 

We recommend that you get a bra fitting and get rid of all tight fitting bras. Next start doing lymphatic drainage massage in the shower daily. See the video below for instructions. You can also try essential oil for the massage (see resources at end of article). If you want to wear wired bras, replace the metal with plastic wires. If you search for this online you will find many resources for that, or try your local sewing and fabric store. Avoid wearing a bra for longer than 12 hours per day.

How to do a lymphatic breast massage4

For those women who would consider not wearing a bra at all, in the table below is a summary of the results from a study done by Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer (a husband-and-wife medical anthropology team). The study included 4,000 women and concluded that wearing a bra increases a woman’s risk for developing breast cancer. This study also showed that women with cysts in their breasts experienced marked improvement when they stopped wearing bras.5 This study is controversial and the The American Cancer Society states that it did not take into account known risk factors for breast cancer. For example, overweight and obesity. Women who opt to go braless probably have smaller breasts and are most likely thinner than woman who wear bras. Nevertheless, this is interesting data and certainly worth considering when making a personal decision about what type of bra to wear and how long to wear it every day. Do your own research and empower yourself to make good choices.

  • Bra Wearing Time
  • 24 hours per day
  • More than 12 hours/day and not to bed
  • Less than 12 hours/day
  • Rarely
  • Breast Cancer Risk
  • 3 out of 4
  • 1 out of 7
  • 1 out of 52
  • 1 out of 168

2. Be Conscious of Your Diet

Pay attention to your diet and eat a whole foods (non-processed), only organic and non-GMO diet with lots of fresh vegetables. Avoid known allergenic foods like dairy, wheat and soy. Pesticides and herbicides and chemicals contained in food are fat soluble and love our fatty breasts. Read about eating organic here. Include plenty of vegetables in your diet and a large amount of green vegetables. Let at least 50% of your food be raw (uncooked). This is the proper way to hydrate and clean our cells.

3. Limit Alcohol Consumption to One Drink Every Once In a While

The more alcohol you drink the more you increase your chances of developing breast cancer. Research has shown that two drinks a day could increase breast cancer risk by 21%. Alcohol stimulates the production of estrogen and an increased lifetime exposure to estrogen increases the risk of breast cancer.

4. Abstain from Smoking or Quit Smoking Now

Studies show a link between smoking and breast cancer. If you are thinking about quitting smoking, you will find this article helpful: Steps to Stop Smoking.

5. Avoid Environmental Pollution and Toxins

It is extremely important to live a lifestyle that avoids environmental toxins and that provides the body with support to clean these toxins from the body. Exhaust fumes from gasoline in particular is bad for breast health.

Environmental toxins are present in breast milk6 as well as in the blood of unborn fetuses. The accumulation of these toxins in the human body is undeniable, particularly the so-called Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs). The United States Environmental Protection Agency writes the following on their website in regards to the Toxics Release Inventory Program, “These PBT chemicals are of particular concern not only because they are toxic but also because they remain in the environment for long periods of time, are not readily destroyed, and build up or accumulate in body tissue.”7

Some environmental toxins like DDT and other chlorinated compounds accumulate in the body because of their fat-soluble nature. Other compounds do not stay long in the body, but still cause toxic effects during the time they are present. For serious health problems to arise, exposure to these rapidly-clearing compounds must occur on a daily basis. Read further about toxins here.

There are 188 air toxics listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the Clean Air Act (CAA), based on their potential to adversely impact public health.8 

As we can see we live in a world where we are surrounded by toxins and chemicals. Many of which we do not have much control over. However, we can stop purchasing consumer goods that contain chemicals and toxins. We can also demand that manufacturers make products that will not give us cancer. This requires letting go of many things we would normally use or buy, however one quickly realizes that it is easy to get along without these items. Household cleaning products, make-up and personal care products are great shopping categories to start voting with your dollar.

6. Avoid Xenoestrogens Derived from Synthetic Chemicals

The balance between the two classes of female sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone is very important. The body tends to balance these two hormones naturally. Prolonged excessive estrogen or progesterone deficiency (estrogen dominance) has a direct correlation to a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Xenoestrogens are foreign (“xeno”) substances that mimic estrogen’s action in the body. Xenoestrogens can either be natural chemical compounds or synthetic. These chemicals are foreign hormones to the body that produce the same effects as estrogen. The increasing number of synthetic xenoestrogens in our environment have been linked to breast cancer.9 Some enhance the production of the so-called bad estrogens while others bind to estrogen receptors which unnecessarily signals the receptors to increase cellular growth.

Natural xenoestrogens include phytoestrogens which come from plants and exposure to these natural phytoestrogens are usually by eating them and are sometimes called “dietary estrogens”. This exposure is minimal and do not have the same disrupting effect as synthetic xenoestrogens.

Synthetic xenoestrogens are also known as Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals (EDC’s) because of their impact on the endocrine (hormone) systems of the body.

Some examples of synthetic xenoestrogens are –

  • Bisphenol A (BPA) – plastic bottles, sports equipment, CDs, DVDs, water pipe linings, coatings in many food and beverage cans, thermal paper as in sales receipts
  • PCBs
  • Phthalates (plasticizers) added to plastics to increase their flexibility, phytransparency, durabality
  • Nonylphenols (industrial surfactants and pesticides)
  • Astrazine (weedkiller)
  • Pesticides and Insecticides
  • Parabens (personal care products)
  • Bovine growth hormone in commercial diary
  • Birth Control Pills

It is important to avoid the accumulation of synthetic xenoestrogens in the body over time. You can minimize your exposure to xenoestrogens by avoiding:

  • pesticides and insecticides by eating organic only
  • eating food from plastic and styrofoam containers
  • storing food in plastic containers
  • reheating foods in plastic and styrofoam containers
  • drinking canned drinks
  • drinking water from plastic bottles
  • dairy especially commercially farmed dairy that contains bovine growth hormone
  • parabens found in moisturizers and hair care products

7. Maintain a Healthy Weight Especially After Menopause

Overweight and obesity increase your chances of breast cancer. Obesity is also a well-known risk factor for breast cancer recurrence and poor prognosis.

8. Have an Active Lifestyle

An active lifestyle means being outside, moving your body and getting some sun! You do not have to join a gym to have an active lifestyle, but you can of course if that is your preference. Take up gardening or hiking with a group in your area or go for solitude walks in nature. The key here is moving our bodies and preferably in the sunshine. This is the best way to make vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential to prevent all cancers. Wearing sunscreen will repel UVA and UVB rays. The only wavelength that will have your body make vitamin D are UVB-rays when they shine directly on the skin (bare arms and legs). Moving the body is key to stimulate lymph flow and for the immune system. Remember this is different than just exercise. Exercise is great and important but an active lifestyle is about doing activities as part of your life that involves moving your body and being exposed to the sun a few times a week. This will also reduce stress and create a state of relaxation.

9. Avoid Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy

Avoid menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) even bio-identical hormones. HRT has been linked to an increase of breast cancer in many studies and bio-identical hormones have not been studied yet.

10. Avoid Unnecessary Radiation from Medical Diagnostic Procedures

Examples of diagnostic procedures that expose us to radiation are CT scans, Chest X-Rays, and Mammograms. These procedures have been linked to an increase in breast cancer. Thermal imaging is an alternative to mammography for breast screening. Thermal imaging can also  be used as an adjunct screening to mammography. A thermal image can show changes in breast tissue long before a mammogram can. These changes are tracked by measuring inflammation in the breasts as well as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. Tumors grow their own blood supply to feed them. Both inflammation and angiogenesis will result in higher infrared reading by an infrared camera. A woman who’s thermal image shows ‘hot’ areas can then choose to take action by making aggressive lifestyle changes to address the changes that are observed. Regular thermal follow-up screenings (every 3-6 months) can then be scheduled to compare further changes in the breast tissue. Thermography uses infrared heat cameras to capture an image of a particular area of the body. To find out more about about thermal imaging, please visit our traveling thermographer, Lisa Kalison of Discovery Screening’s website.

What Thermal Images Look Like. Image courtesy of Discovery Screening.

What Thermal Images Look Like. Image courtesy of Discovery Screening.

In January 2013, the Swiss medical board was mandated to conduct a study on mammography screening. The report was published in 2014. The results showed that mammography screening might prevent about one death out of one thousand women screened. The harm of mammography screening lies in false positive tests and over-diagnosis. “For one breast cancer death prevented in the US, women over a 10 year course of annual screening beginning at 50 years of age, 490 to 670 women are likely to have a false positive mammogram with repeat examination and 70 to 100 an unnecessary biopsy10”. The recommendation of the board was that no new mammography screening would be introduced at that time and to place a time limit on the existing programs.

Doctor Maya Nicole Baylac, N,D. shared the following about her personal and professional mammogram experiences:

I got one mammogram in my life, around the age of 50 after being subjected to pressure from a friend. The experience scared me so much to have my breast squeezed between two metal plates that I did not do it ever again. I am glad that this information about the harm caused by mammography is now released at a time where doctors are put in jail for giving treatments to women who did not ever have cancer.

From asking my patients how they discovered their cancers, I never heard anyone say that it was from a mammogram. Instead, most found their cancer from self-examination. This shows the need for us to be responsible for our health in any ways possible. Prevention is the key for breast cancer as it is for all chronic illness. Reversing cancer is possible but more difficult.

We recommend you do regular self-examinations on your breasts. We also recommend that you find a thermographer in your area. This is not necessarily to replace mammograms if you feel comfortable with this screening method, but thermography can be used either as an adjunct or stand-alone screening method. It will show increased blood flow and inflammation in the breast long before a mammogram will pick up a tumor. Mammograms can see a growth when it is about the size of a nickel. Earliest detectable age by mammogram is after eight to ten years of cancer cell growth. Thermal imaging can detect metabolic indicators for cell changes as early as three years from first abnormal cell development. Thermal screening is about prevention and making lifestyle changes. We recommend that you educate yourself on recent changes in breast screening recommendations and make your own judgement about screening your breasts. Do not blindly follow your gynecologist or doctor’s recommendation without debate and discussion.

REFERENCES:

  1. Integrative Medicine: The Prevention and Complementary Treatment of Breast Cancer, Michael Schachter M.D., F.A.C.A.M.,
    http://www.healthy.net/Health/Article/The_Prevention_and_Complementary_Treatment_of_Breast_Cancer/533/4
  2. Relfe.com, Dangers of Underwire Bras, John D. Andre, D.C., N.D., http://www.relfe.com/wp/health/dangers-underwire-bras/
  3. http://www.earthcalm.com/scientists-appeal-to-un-for-more-protective-emf-guidelines
  4. http://www.breasthealthproject.com/lymphatic-breast-massage.html
  5. Dressed to Kill, 1995, Sydney Ross Singer, Soma Grismaijer, http://www.selfstudycenter.org/dressedtokill.htm
  6. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2009 Dec 17;129(24):2606-9. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.09.0696
  7. Fact Sheet on EPCRA Section 313 Rulemaking. Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/pbtrule-fs.pdf
  8. J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2004 Feb;54(2):157-71.
  9. Fernandez and Russo, Estrogen and Xenoestrogen  in Breast Cancer, Toxicol Pathol 2010: 38(1); 110-122
  10. N England J Med 2014; 370:1965-1967

RESOURCES:

  • Discovery Screening’s Lisa Kalison travels to The Big Island bi-annualy to do thermal screenings on the island. Please visit her website if you would like to set up an appointment for the next time they will be on island.
  • Thermography information is available on Discovery Screening’s website, go here.
  • Essential Oil formula that can be used during a lymphatic drainage massage: Healthy Girls Breast Oil. Get info here.

Top 10 Strategies to Detox the Body and Liver

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Detoxification Medicine

Detoxification medicine is the hallmark of the hygienist movement. It was founded at the turn of the 20th century by doctors such as Herbert Shelton, Max Gerson, Paul Bragg and Norman Walker to name a few. These doctors believed that modern diseases were the result of toxicity and used natural detoxification strategies such as juicing, fasting, exercise, hydrotherapy and coffee enemas to treat and prevent disease.

Unfortunately, this branch of medicine was severely suppressed by the pharmacological interventions and died out until it resurfaced as a branch of medicine 20 years ago. Today detoxification medicine is becoming mainstream. This is brought on by a growing interest in alternative approaches from a public disenchanted with conventional medicine.

Recipes for home protocols such as “The Master Cleanse” or gallbladder and liver flushes flourish on the internet. Detox formulas and products are in high demand and found in the main chain stores selling the very products responsible for the toxic burden of the body. Detoxification medicine is becoming a modality in the practices of cutting edge MDs and NDs alike.

Why Detoxification Makes Sense

First, we live in a toxic world. There is no doubt that the level of pollution attained on the planet has reached alarming levels threatening our health and the environment. Our air, water and soil contain carcinogenic, neurotoxic and genotoxic chemicals that have been implicated in the etiology of the diseases that kill us: heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease to name a few.

Second, increased environmental exposure overburdens the innate ability of the liver to detoxify. The liver is the master organ responsible to remove ingested, inhaled or absorbed toxins and toxicants from circulation through phase 1 and 2 detoxification pathways. It does so by transforming these chemicals to a water-soluble form that allows them to be excreted in the urine. With excess toxins, the vitamins, minerals and amino acids necessary to conduct the chemical process of liver detoxification become depleted, detoxification is impaired and the body becomes burdened by a chronic toxic overload.

Third, this chronic toxin overload impairs organ and cell function. A weakened immune system allows parasites, pathogenic bacteria and fungal infections to colonize our digestive tract increasing the toxic burden. We start feeling the diffuse symptoms of an overburdened liver such as fatigue, depression, headaches, lack of clarity and skin rashes as the hepatocyte cells of our liver are destroyed.

It is time to act before the toxic burden evolves to a full-blown disease.

10 Strategies to Detox the Body and Liver

1. Stop Toxic Exposure

Avoid coffee, alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical drugs, recreational drugs, processed foods and sodas.

These substances have the effect of stimulating phase 1 liver detoxification but not phase 2. Phase 1 creates more dangerous intermediary metabolites than the original products themselves. If not eliminated via phase 2 detoxification, these intermediates build up in the skin, blood and tissues of our system causing inflammation and disease.

Reduce lung exposure and direct skin absorption by using non toxic building materials, organic household cleaners and personal care products.

Toxic Exposure in Your Home

2. Keep the Organs of Elimination Open

Use sauna, dry skin brushing and exercise.

The liver is the most important organ which breaks down toxins for elimination. Before stimulating liver detoxification it is important to make sure that the bowels, the kidney, the lungs and the skin are functioning optimally.

The skin is an important organ of elimination. It contains glands that secrete sweat. Sweat eliminates fat-soluble toxins like pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals stored in the subcutaneous fat. The excretory function of the skin can be improved through the use of a FAR Infrared (FIR) Sauna, daily dry skin brushing and avoidance of soap.

The bowels and the kidneys eliminate the water-soluble waste products from digestion. Fat-soluble toxins are more difficult to eliminate and often time are recycled to the liver through the blood, overwhelming the liver and finding their way to subcutaneous fatty tissues and the brain. The excretion function of the bowels and the kidneys can be increased with the consumption of fiber and nutrient rich whole foods, colon hydrotherapy and water. Colon hydrotherapy will stimulate the peristaltic movements, reshape and restore the integrity of the colon and improve its efficiency. Implantation of friendly bacteria following a colonic displaces pathogenic bacteria and fungi for living space in the colon.

The lungs eliminate carbon dioxide and inhaled pollutants. Aerobic exercise such as jogging will increase the excretion capacity of the lungs.

Rope Parasite Eliminated by a Patient During Colonic Irrigation

Rope Parasite Eliminated by a Patient During Colonic Irrigation

3. Support Proper Digestion

Consume bitter herbs and vegetables. Add digestive enzymes and probiotics.

Bitter herbs and foods are important for digestion and elimination. Bitter herbs stimulate receptors on the tongue that signal the brain to increase the production of digestive enzymes and saliva. Adding dandelion leaves, arugula and mustard leaves to a salad mix at the beginning of a meal will increase appetite and launch an efficient digestive process.

Digestive enzymes are required to break our food down into component molecules that can be readily absorbed through the gut and into our tissues. Stress and old age are associated with lowered digestive enzyme production. Molecules that are too large to be absorbed, sit in the gut and ferment. Fermentation in the gut leads to inflammation and eventually leaky gut syndrome. In leaky gut syndrome, intestinal cells lose their tight junction allowing these larger food particles to escape into the blood. Once in the blood, our immune system recognizes these molecules as foreign invaders and mounts a reaction. Our body becomes constantly inflamed and allergic to many foods. Symptoms of leaky gut syndrome is gas and bloating, cramps, diarrhea, fatigue, food sensitivities and frequent illness.

Probiotics make up the beneficial flora living in our gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). It is estimated that our GI tract contains 8 lbs of bacteria working to digest our food, protect against infection and support a healthy immune system. Antibiotic use, stress and eating processed foods and antibiotic containing foods like farmed fish and the meat from industrially farmed animals are a few ways our healthy colonies are destroyed. Supplementing with probiotics and eating prebiotic foods is part of the second stage of healing the gut, after cleaning up the diet.

4. Support Proper Liver Detoxification Pathways

Use antioxidants and a nutrient rich diet.

An efficient liver detox requires the necessary nutrients to balance out phase 1 and 2 detoxification pathways to avoid recirculation of toxins and ensure that fat-soluble toxins will be transformed into water-soluble compounds for elimination by the kidneys. Antioxidants are also needed to protect from free radical damage by the detoxification intermediates. Dr Baylac recommends the sulfur containing compounds vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower cabbage, onion and garlic. Dr Baylac is fond of fresh artichoke, turmeric, dandelion root and leaves for their liver regenerative function. In more advanced cases of toxicity it is necessary to supplement with Vitamin C and E, B complex, magnesium, selenium, milk thistle, SAM e, glycine, taurine, methionine and NAC. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful antioxidant with the higest concentration found in the liver cells. It is essential for detoxification and is injected intravenously. Milk Thistle contains sylimarin, a flavonoid anti-oxidant, thought to repair liver cells.

Liver Detoxification Pathways and Nutrients

5. Promote Bile Flow

Practice coffee enemas.

Coffee enemas and artichoke leaf extract will increase the amount of bile produced by the liver and therefore will increase the dumping of non- soluble fat toxins in the bile. Coffee enemas will also increase the production of glutathione by the liver. Read about liver detoxification with coffee enemas, here.

6. Treat Bacterial and Viral Infections of the Liver and the Digestive Tract

Candida detox, parasite cleanse, probiotics. Avoid white flour, raw fish and meat.

Poor digestion and toxins ingested with our food compromise the equilibrium of our microbiome. Imbalance in our intestinal flora has been implicated in many illnesses from digestive disorders to neurologic disorders. Chronic Hepatitis B or C, Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), H Pylori, candida overgrowth and pathogenic bacteria must be actively treated.

7. Remove Allergenic Foods

Eliminate dairy, wheat, soy and genetically modified foods.

Dairy products, grains, and in particular wheat have deleterious effect on the intestinal mucosa creating inflammation. With gut permeability, undigested particles will spread into the blood generating an autoimmune response. Glyphosate, more commonly known as Roundup, is sprayed on crops to speed up the harvesting process. Residues of glyphosate has been found on processed sugar, corn, soy and wheat. The effects of glyphosate on the system include but are not limited to: autism, Crohn’s, Colitis, infertility, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, MS, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s), Alzheimer’s, depression and obesity.

8. Remove Heavy Metals and Chemicals

Remove your silver mercury fillings, avoid large fish, vaccination, filter your tap water and chelate heavy metals.

Almost every single person we test at our center for heavy metals is high in lead and mercury. Lead is stored in the bones where it displaces calcium and it is also is implicated in atherosclerosis. Mercury is mostly stored in the brain where it generates neurologic symptoms. Mild exposure can be treated with NDF, cilantro and chlorella while heavy exposure requires chelation with EDTA and DMSA. Chemical exposure is extremely varied due to the high prevalence of chemicals in our food and water supply. Out of thousands chemicals, we are only mentioning glyphosate found in Roundup herbicides and chlorine and bromide found in our water supply. The hypothyroid epidemic can be traced back to the general use of chlorine as a disinfectant in our public water supply.

9. Provide Your Body with a High Nutrient Diet

Juices, non-GMO organic fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.

Juices concentrate vitamins and minerals and are highly absorbable. Raw organic fruits and vegetables have the fiber to bind toxins and hormone metabolites for excretion plus the nutrients to support radiant health. Seeds are a source of essential fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory to our system (omega-3 in particular), promote good cell communication and mental health. Nuts contain saturated fats which are necessary in all cell membranes and in making hormones.

10. Give Your Digestive System a Rest

Fast.

Periodic fasting is a powerful method for giving your digestive system a chance to rest and for the body to focus its energy on doing a proper clean up. A fasting program can be a broth fast during colder months, or a juice fast in the summer. It is generally good to try and fast for at least 7 – 10 days, however any period of fasting (even 24 hours) will do wonders for your health. It is extremely important that prolonged fasting be done correctly. Here we are referring to breaking the fast as not to do damage to your digestive system. Read more about fasting HERE.

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