For me sugar is the hardest thing to cut back on. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sugar! I used to joke I don't have a sweet tooth. I have a mouth full of sweet teeth. However, with all I've read, refined sugar especially is VERY VERY bad for you. When you eat sugar, it creates inflammation. The body’s response is to make cholesterol to protect itself and reduce the inflammation. Refined sugar not only contributes to the inflammation, but adds no nutritional value. I've tried substituting maple syrup and honey for refined sugar. These are both natural products that provide some nutritional value. Working with them proved easy enough, and they provided a sweet product that took care of my craving. However, the more I learned about cholesterol the more I learned about nutrition and the body as a whole. As I did, I found honey and maple syrup are better options, but they still spike your insulin levels. Increased insulin levels cause a spike in LDL or bad cholesterol. I was disappointed by this, but unwilling to give up sweets. Then, I found dates. Interestingly, I have no desire to eat a date by itself, but they add the perfect sweetness in baked goods. They also add lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. And most importantly, they took care of my sugar craving. The end result is not the equivalent to eating refined sugar so don't expect your cookies to taste exactly the same, BUT they give a wonderful sweet taste to baked goods. As a self-described sugar addict, it satisfies me.
Even though dates are a better choice, your body still responds to sugar the same way so it needs to be used in moderation. The next step for our family is to reduce the number of dates I use in cooking. If I slowly reduce the number of dates used in a recipe, the taste buds should start to adjust. Before I was lactose intolerant, I changed myself over form 2% milk to skim using this method. I knew skim milk was better for me, but I did not like the taste. So, I came up with the method to adjust to drinking it. I would fill most of my glass with 2% and just a little skim milk. Then in a couple of days or a week, I filled it with less 2% and more skim. I continued with this process until I was drinking all skim milk. My taste adjusted with this process, and skim milk tasted "normal" by the time I was finished. I never went back to 2%. So, my hope is the same with dates. I will try to reduce them in my desserts and hopefully my tate buds will adjust. At this point, I am not ready to give up my daily sugar treat.
One other note - when we started eating healthy, I found increasing the fiber in my diet reduced my sugar craving. As you can tell, it did not elimiate it, but it drastically reduced it. If you are trying to cut back on sugar, maybe you will find increasing the fiber in your diet will help too.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Tips for muffin recipes
Things to note for muffin recipes:
1. I highly recommend a food processor. It will give the best results.
2. I purchase my dates at Costco in bulk. My local Costco offers two varieties. Medjool dates which are larger, softer, and not pitted. You must remove the seed from these. They also offer pitted dates that are firmer and smaller but cost less. When I use the pitted dates, I double the number of dates.
3. In all of my recipes I use almond milk. I believe substituting other types of non-dairy milk would work, but I have not tested.
4. I use double acting baking soda in my recipes.
5. Keep the muffins in the refrigerator. This keeps them fresh for about 5 days.
6. Since I do not have Celiac disease, I use old fashioned oats, and I make flour from that instead of buying oat flour. It is more cost effective. Oats are considered gluten free, but can come in contact with gluten in the processing plant. If you are on a strict gluten free diet, please use certified gluten free oats.
7. I measure my oats prior to making them into flour. If using oat flour, try reducing the amount to ¾ cup. Then, if you feel the batter is too runny, you can add a little more.
8. Muffins are best after they cool.
1. I highly recommend a food processor. It will give the best results.
2. I purchase my dates at Costco in bulk. My local Costco offers two varieties. Medjool dates which are larger, softer, and not pitted. You must remove the seed from these. They also offer pitted dates that are firmer and smaller but cost less. When I use the pitted dates, I double the number of dates.
3. In all of my recipes I use almond milk. I believe substituting other types of non-dairy milk would work, but I have not tested.
4. I use double acting baking soda in my recipes.
5. Keep the muffins in the refrigerator. This keeps them fresh for about 5 days.
6. Since I do not have Celiac disease, I use old fashioned oats, and I make flour from that instead of buying oat flour. It is more cost effective. Oats are considered gluten free, but can come in contact with gluten in the processing plant. If you are on a strict gluten free diet, please use certified gluten free oats.
7. I measure my oats prior to making them into flour. If using oat flour, try reducing the amount to ¾ cup. Then, if you feel the batter is too runny, you can add a little more.
8. Muffins are best after they cool.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
"The Heart Speaks" by Mimi Guarneri
I am currently reading The Heart Speaks by Mimi Guarneri. She is a cardiologist. She speaks to loneliness and depression, and their impact on the heart. She found that people who are lonely and depressed are at great risk of heart attacks. She discussed one patient that was very depressed and isolated. She had worked with this patient for some time, and she had exhausted all of the options she could think of to help her. She decided to try one last thing. She wrote out a perscription for the women to get a dog. This completely changed the woman. The next time Dr. Guarneri saw her she was smiling and happy. It didn't cure her, but the dog gave her the unconditional love and companionship that she deperately needed.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Dr. Hyman's website - gut health
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/04/28/ultrawellness-lesson-4-gut-digestive-health/
IS SOMETHING WRONG with your inner tube? The inner tube of life that is your digestive system? It is likely that you suffer from (or have suffered from) some type of digestive disorder–irritable bowel, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, gas, and things too gross to mention in print.
And you are not alone. Over 100 million Americans have digestive problems. The number three and seven top selling drugs in America are for digestive problems costing us billions and billions of dollars. There are more than 200 over-the-counter (OTC) remedies for digestive disorders, many of which – most unfortunately – can create additional digestive problems. Visits for intestinal disorders are among the most common to primary care physicians.
And that’s not even the worst news.
Most of us do not recognize or know (including most of your doctors) that digestive problems wreak havoc over your entire body leading to allergies, arthritis, autoimmune disease, rashes, acne, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, autism, dementia, cancer and more.
So having a healthy gut means more to you than just not being annoyed by a little bloating or heartburn! It is central to your entire health. It is connected to everything that happens in your body. That’s why I almost always start helping people treat chronic health problems by fixing their gut. Later I will tell you how to find out if you have a problem with your gut (though many of you won’t need me to tell you – your gut will speak for itself), and how to create a healthy digestive system. First let me explain why your gut is so important?
Good gut health
The health of your gut determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out, and therefore it is directly linked to the health of the total organism. Intestinal health could be defined as the optimal digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. But that is a big job that depends on many other factors. For example, the bugs in your gut are like a rain forest – a diverse and interdependent ecosystem. They must be in balance for you to be healthy.
There are five hundred species and 3 pounds of bacteria in your gut; it’s a huge chemical factory that helps you digest your food, produces vitamins, helps regulate hormones, excrete toxins and produce healing compounds that keep your gut healthy. Too many of the wrong ones like parasites, yeasts or bad bacteria, or not enough of the good ones like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria can lead to serious damage to your health.
Many diseases that seem totally unrelated to the gut, such as eczcema or psoriasis or arthritis, are actually caused by gut problems. By focusing on your gut you can get better.
Your entire immune system (and your body) is protected from the toxic environment in your the gut by a layer only one cell thick. This thin layer covers a surface area the size of a tennis court—yet it’s basically containing a sewer. If that barrier is damaged, you will get sick and create an overactive immune system, producing inflammation throughout the body.
And then there is your second brain, your gut nervous system. Your gut, in fact, contains more neurotransmitters than your brain. It is highly wired back to your brain and messages travel back and forth. When those messages altered for any reason in any direction – from the brain to the gut or the gut to the brain – your health will suffer.
Then, of course, your gut has to get rid of all the toxins produced as a byproduct of your metabolism that your liver dumps in through the bile, and if things get backed up, you will become toxic.
And in the midst of all of this, your gut must break down all the food you eat into its individual components, separate out all the vitamins and minerals and shuttle everything across that one cell thick layer into your bloodstream for you to stay healthy.
Why your gut may be in trouble
Even in a perfect world, our gut has a hard time keeping things balanced. But in our world there are many things that knock our digestive system off balance.
What are they?
•Our low fiber, high sugar, processed food, nutrient poor, high calorie diet that makes all the wrong bacteria and yeast grow in the gut leading to a damaged ecosystem.
•Overuse of medications that damage the gut or block normal digestive function – things like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, acid blocking drugs, and steroids.
•Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasites, or even more serious gut infections.
•Toxins damage the gut such as mercury and mold toxins.
•Lack of adequate digestive enzyme function – which can come from acid blocking medication use or zinc deficiency.
•Stress can alter the gut nervous system causing a leaky gut and changing the normal bacteria in the gut.
It is so important to understand that many diseases that seem totally unrelated to the gut, such as eczema, psoriasis, or arthritis, are actually caused by gut problems. But by focusing on the gut you can get better.
One of my patients who suffered from eczema; a weeping, red, oozing, scaly, itchy rash all over her body, is a perfect example of someone who saw doctor after doctor, who was given salves, lotions and potions, steroids and antibiotics and never addressed the underlying cause of her problem. This 57-year old woman had severe, unrelenting eczema for eight years. She ate a high-sugar diet, and had a history of frequent vaginal yeast infections. When I saw her, I checked her gut and found she had a leaky gut; the barrier was not working and she developed 24 IgG food allergies. Her stool had no healthy bacteria and an overgrowth of yeast. She also had very high blood antibodies against yeast.
So I helped her gut improve by having her stop eating the foods she reacted to, told her to stop feeding the yeast by cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates (which they thrive on), and killing the yeast in her gut with antifungal medications and herbs. Then I put back in healthy bacteria, and healing gut nutrients. Her eczema disappeared for the first time in eight years and stayed away!
How to get gut health
So how do you keep your gut healthy?
•Eat whole unprocessed foods with plenty of fiber: vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Eat real food, mostly plants, as Michael Pollan author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma so simply put it.
•If you think you have food sensitivities try an elimination diet. Cut out gluten, dairy, yeast, corn, soy and eggs for a week or two and see how your gut feels and what happens to your other symptoms.
•Treat any infections or overgrowth of bugs like parasites, small bowel bacteria, or yeasts.
•Take digestive enzymes with your food.
•Take probiotics, healthy bacteria for your ecosystem.
•Take extra omega 3 fat supplements which help cool inflammation in the gut.
•Use gut-healing nutrients such as glutamine and zinc.
If you want to be healthy, you have to get your gut working properly.
IS SOMETHING WRONG with your inner tube? The inner tube of life that is your digestive system? It is likely that you suffer from (or have suffered from) some type of digestive disorder–irritable bowel, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, gas, and things too gross to mention in print.
And you are not alone. Over 100 million Americans have digestive problems. The number three and seven top selling drugs in America are for digestive problems costing us billions and billions of dollars. There are more than 200 over-the-counter (OTC) remedies for digestive disorders, many of which – most unfortunately – can create additional digestive problems. Visits for intestinal disorders are among the most common to primary care physicians.
And that’s not even the worst news.
Most of us do not recognize or know (including most of your doctors) that digestive problems wreak havoc over your entire body leading to allergies, arthritis, autoimmune disease, rashes, acne, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, autism, dementia, cancer and more.
So having a healthy gut means more to you than just not being annoyed by a little bloating or heartburn! It is central to your entire health. It is connected to everything that happens in your body. That’s why I almost always start helping people treat chronic health problems by fixing their gut. Later I will tell you how to find out if you have a problem with your gut (though many of you won’t need me to tell you – your gut will speak for itself), and how to create a healthy digestive system. First let me explain why your gut is so important?
Good gut health
The health of your gut determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out, and therefore it is directly linked to the health of the total organism. Intestinal health could be defined as the optimal digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. But that is a big job that depends on many other factors. For example, the bugs in your gut are like a rain forest – a diverse and interdependent ecosystem. They must be in balance for you to be healthy.
There are five hundred species and 3 pounds of bacteria in your gut; it’s a huge chemical factory that helps you digest your food, produces vitamins, helps regulate hormones, excrete toxins and produce healing compounds that keep your gut healthy. Too many of the wrong ones like parasites, yeasts or bad bacteria, or not enough of the good ones like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria can lead to serious damage to your health.
Many diseases that seem totally unrelated to the gut, such as eczcema or psoriasis or arthritis, are actually caused by gut problems. By focusing on your gut you can get better.
Your entire immune system (and your body) is protected from the toxic environment in your the gut by a layer only one cell thick. This thin layer covers a surface area the size of a tennis court—yet it’s basically containing a sewer. If that barrier is damaged, you will get sick and create an overactive immune system, producing inflammation throughout the body.
And then there is your second brain, your gut nervous system. Your gut, in fact, contains more neurotransmitters than your brain. It is highly wired back to your brain and messages travel back and forth. When those messages altered for any reason in any direction – from the brain to the gut or the gut to the brain – your health will suffer.
Then, of course, your gut has to get rid of all the toxins produced as a byproduct of your metabolism that your liver dumps in through the bile, and if things get backed up, you will become toxic.
And in the midst of all of this, your gut must break down all the food you eat into its individual components, separate out all the vitamins and minerals and shuttle everything across that one cell thick layer into your bloodstream for you to stay healthy.
Why your gut may be in trouble
Even in a perfect world, our gut has a hard time keeping things balanced. But in our world there are many things that knock our digestive system off balance.
What are they?
•Our low fiber, high sugar, processed food, nutrient poor, high calorie diet that makes all the wrong bacteria and yeast grow in the gut leading to a damaged ecosystem.
•Overuse of medications that damage the gut or block normal digestive function – things like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, acid blocking drugs, and steroids.
•Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasites, or even more serious gut infections.
•Toxins damage the gut such as mercury and mold toxins.
•Lack of adequate digestive enzyme function – which can come from acid blocking medication use or zinc deficiency.
•Stress can alter the gut nervous system causing a leaky gut and changing the normal bacteria in the gut.
It is so important to understand that many diseases that seem totally unrelated to the gut, such as eczema, psoriasis, or arthritis, are actually caused by gut problems. But by focusing on the gut you can get better.
One of my patients who suffered from eczema; a weeping, red, oozing, scaly, itchy rash all over her body, is a perfect example of someone who saw doctor after doctor, who was given salves, lotions and potions, steroids and antibiotics and never addressed the underlying cause of her problem. This 57-year old woman had severe, unrelenting eczema for eight years. She ate a high-sugar diet, and had a history of frequent vaginal yeast infections. When I saw her, I checked her gut and found she had a leaky gut; the barrier was not working and she developed 24 IgG food allergies. Her stool had no healthy bacteria and an overgrowth of yeast. She also had very high blood antibodies against yeast.
So I helped her gut improve by having her stop eating the foods she reacted to, told her to stop feeding the yeast by cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates (which they thrive on), and killing the yeast in her gut with antifungal medications and herbs. Then I put back in healthy bacteria, and healing gut nutrients. Her eczema disappeared for the first time in eight years and stayed away!
How to get gut health
So how do you keep your gut healthy?
•Eat whole unprocessed foods with plenty of fiber: vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Eat real food, mostly plants, as Michael Pollan author of the Omnivore’s Dilemma so simply put it.
•If you think you have food sensitivities try an elimination diet. Cut out gluten, dairy, yeast, corn, soy and eggs for a week or two and see how your gut feels and what happens to your other symptoms.
•Treat any infections or overgrowth of bugs like parasites, small bowel bacteria, or yeasts.
•Take digestive enzymes with your food.
•Take probiotics, healthy bacteria for your ecosystem.
•Take extra omega 3 fat supplements which help cool inflammation in the gut.
•Use gut-healing nutrients such as glutamine and zinc.
If you want to be healthy, you have to get your gut working properly.
Dr. Hyman's website- Detox
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/04/28/ultrawellness-lesson-5-detoxification/
The role of toxins and detoxification in health has been largely ignored by medicine. But thankfully scientists and practitioners are starting to recognize its importance in health. But how do you know if you are toxic?
Many of you probably have symptoms of chronic toxicity that you don’t label as being toxic. Here is a list, and if any of these sound familiar, keep in mind that detoxifying might be critical for you to get healthy and feel good again.
•Fatigue
•Muscle aches
•Joint pain
•Sinus congestion
•Postnasal drip
•Excessive sinus problems
•Headaches
•Bloating
•Gas
•Constipation
•Diarrhea
•Foul-smelling stools
•Heartburn
•Sleep problems
•Difficulty concentrating
•Food cravings
•Water retention
•Trouble losing weight
•Rashes
•Skin problems
•Eczema
•Psoriasis
•Canker sores
•Acne
•Puffy, dark circles under your eyes
•Premenstrual syndrome
•Other menstrual disorders
•Bad breath
When you hear the word “detox” you might think drug detox or alcohol detox or wheatgrass enemas. That’s not what I am talking about.
I am referring to the science of how our bodies get rid of waste. If waste builds up, we get sick. And the key is to figure out how to enhance our body’s capacity to detoxify and get rid of waste while minimizing our exposure to toxins.
And why is this important?
It’s because many diseases of our society are actually related to toxicity. Here are some of the diseases that are linked to toxicity:
•Parkinson’s
•Alzheimer’s
•Dementia
•Heart disease
•Chronic fatigue syndrome
•Fibromyalgia syndrome
•Cancers
•Autoimmune diseases
•Food allergies
•Arthritis
•Digestive diseases like Crohn’s disease, ulcers, colitis, and inflammatory bowel
•Menstrual problems like heavy bleeding, cramps, PMS, menopausal symptoms, mood changes, and hot flashes
It might seem that everyone is toxic. That may be true to differing degrees.
Problems with detoxification is one root of illness. The gut is one of the core systems in the body that must be working well for you to be healthy. If you feel lousy, it’s likely you’re toxic.
If you answer yes to any of these questions you may be toxic.
•I have hard, difficult to pass movements every day or every other day
•I am constipated and only go every other day or less often
•I urinate small amounts of dark, strong smelling urine only a few times a day
•I almost never break a real sweat
•I have one or more of the following symptoms: fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, concentration and memory problems
•I have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
•I drink tap or well water
•I dry clean my clothes
•I work or live in a “tight” building with poor ventilation or windows that don’t open
•I live in a large urban or industrial area
•I use household or lawn garden chemicals or get my house or apartment treated for bugs by an exterminator
•I have more than 1-2 mercury amalgams
•I eat large fish (swordfish, tuna, shark, tilefish) more than once a week
•I am bothered by one or more of the following: gasoline or diesel fumes, perfumes, new car smells, fabric stores, dry cleaning, hair spray or other strong odors, soaps, detergents, tobacco smoke, chlorinated water
•I have a negative reaction when I consume foods containing MSG, sulfites (wine, salad bars, dried fruit), sodium benzoate (preservative), red wine, cheese, bananas or chocolate, even a small amount of alcohol, eating food with garlic and onions
•When I drink coffee or caffeine containing substances I feel wired up, an increase in joint and muscle aching or have hypoglycemic symptoms (anxiety, palpitations, sweating, dizziness)
•I regularly consume any of the following substances or medications: acetaminophen (Tylenol), acid blocking drugs (Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Prevacid), hormone modulating medications in pills, patches or creams (the pill, estrogen, progesterone, prostate medication), ibuprofen or naproxen, medications for Colitis or Crohn’s disease, recurrent headaches, allergy symptoms, nausea, diarrhea or indigestion
•I have had jaundice (turning yellow) for any reason or I have been told I have Gilbert’s syndrome (an elevation of a liver test called bilirubin)
•I have a history of any of the following conditions: Breast cancer, smoking induced lung cancer, other type of cancer, prostate problems, food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances
•I have a family history of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other motor neuron diseases, or multiple sclerosis
It is important to understand why we are toxic and how we can detoxify. I will explain how you can detoxify a little later, but first I want to tell you about where toxins come from and how we are overloaded.
How much toxicity is too much
To understand toxicity you must understand the concept of total load.
This is a total amount of stressors on your system at any one time and what happens like a glass filling over with water. It takes a certain amount to fill the glass and then, after a certain point, you put more in and it overflows.
When our detoxification system is overwhelmed, is overloaded, that’s when we start getting symptoms and get sick, but it may take years of accumulated stress and toxins to get to that point.
•The total load includes the load of things like heavy metals, mercury and lead, petrochemicals, residues, pesticides, and fertilizers.
•It includes food allergies, environmental allergies, molds and toxins from molds.
•It includes a SAD (standard American diet).
•It includes stress — the mental, emotional and spiritual toxins that affect us; isolation, loneliness, anger, jealousy, hostility, which all translate into toxins in our system.
•Medications can sometimes be toxins. Often we need medications, but the reality is that most of us are over-medicated and use medications for things for which there are better solutions such as lifestyle and diet.
•Lastly, there are internal toxins, things like bacteria, fungus, and yeast that are inside our gut and may be affecting us, as well as hormonal and metabolic toxins we need to eliminate.
Now why aren’t we all sick given this incredible load of toxins?
It is because each of us is genetically and biochemically unique. Some of us are good at getting rid of toxins and waste, and others are not. I am not. That is why I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
I became overloaded with mercury and I couldn’t get rid of it because I am missing a gene for GSTM1 — a critical detoxifying enzyme for mercury. But by learning to support my system and learning how to detoxify I was able to cure myself from an incurable condition.
How to detox
There are five key steps to optimal detoxification. Here they are:
•Identify and Get Rid of Toxins
•Fix Your Gut — a source of toxic load for many
•Get Moving — to help your blood and lymphatic circulation do its job
•Get Your Liver and Detox System Working
•Detox your Mind, Heart and Spirit
But let me make it more practical for you. I can summarize them into ten basic principles you can start now:
1.Drink plenty of clean water, at least eight to ten glasses of filtered water a day.
2.Keep your bowels moving, at least once or twice a day. And if you can’t get going, then you need some help and this can include taking two tablespoons of ground flax seeds, taking acidophilus and extra magnesium capsules in the form of magnesium citrate. If you have any chronic diseases or problems you have to be careful about taking supplements, you should work with your doctor.
3.You should also eat organic produce and animal products to eliminate the toxins in our food.
4.You should eat eight to ten servings of colorful fruits and vegetables and specifically include, every day, the family of the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, collards, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, as well as the garlic family, garlic and onions, which help increase sulfur in the body and help detoxification.
5.Avoid stimulants, sedatives, and drugs such as caffeine and nicotine and try to reduce alcohol intake.
6.Exercise five days a week with focus on conditioning your cardiovascular system, strengthening exercises and stretching exercises.
7.Get rid of the white menace, which is white flour and white sugar.
8.Sweat profusely at least three times a week, using a sauna, steam or detox bath.
9.Take a high-quality multivitamin and mineral.
10.Relax deeply every day, to get your nervous system in a state of calm, rest and relaxation.
The comprehensive program outlined here will help to correct problems caused by toxicity, maximize your body’s own detoxification capacity, and help you safely eliminate stored toxins.
Depending on your symptoms, genetic predispositions and environmental exposures, you each may need different levels of nutrients and types of treatment. But remember, getting rid of toxins and learning how to optimize your detoxification system is essential for creating UltraWellness.
Next lesson, I will explain why creating energy is something many of us have trouble with and how to boost your energy metabolism!
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below—but remember, we can’t offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
The role of toxins and detoxification in health has been largely ignored by medicine. But thankfully scientists and practitioners are starting to recognize its importance in health. But how do you know if you are toxic?
Many of you probably have symptoms of chronic toxicity that you don’t label as being toxic. Here is a list, and if any of these sound familiar, keep in mind that detoxifying might be critical for you to get healthy and feel good again.
•Fatigue
•Muscle aches
•Joint pain
•Sinus congestion
•Postnasal drip
•Excessive sinus problems
•Headaches
•Bloating
•Gas
•Constipation
•Diarrhea
•Foul-smelling stools
•Heartburn
•Sleep problems
•Difficulty concentrating
•Food cravings
•Water retention
•Trouble losing weight
•Rashes
•Skin problems
•Eczema
•Psoriasis
•Canker sores
•Acne
•Puffy, dark circles under your eyes
•Premenstrual syndrome
•Other menstrual disorders
•Bad breath
When you hear the word “detox” you might think drug detox or alcohol detox or wheatgrass enemas. That’s not what I am talking about.
I am referring to the science of how our bodies get rid of waste. If waste builds up, we get sick. And the key is to figure out how to enhance our body’s capacity to detoxify and get rid of waste while minimizing our exposure to toxins.
And why is this important?
It’s because many diseases of our society are actually related to toxicity. Here are some of the diseases that are linked to toxicity:
•Parkinson’s
•Alzheimer’s
•Dementia
•Heart disease
•Chronic fatigue syndrome
•Fibromyalgia syndrome
•Cancers
•Autoimmune diseases
•Food allergies
•Arthritis
•Digestive diseases like Crohn’s disease, ulcers, colitis, and inflammatory bowel
•Menstrual problems like heavy bleeding, cramps, PMS, menopausal symptoms, mood changes, and hot flashes
It might seem that everyone is toxic. That may be true to differing degrees.
Problems with detoxification is one root of illness. The gut is one of the core systems in the body that must be working well for you to be healthy. If you feel lousy, it’s likely you’re toxic.
If you answer yes to any of these questions you may be toxic.
•I have hard, difficult to pass movements every day or every other day
•I am constipated and only go every other day or less often
•I urinate small amounts of dark, strong smelling urine only a few times a day
•I almost never break a real sweat
•I have one or more of the following symptoms: fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, concentration and memory problems
•I have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
•I drink tap or well water
•I dry clean my clothes
•I work or live in a “tight” building with poor ventilation or windows that don’t open
•I live in a large urban or industrial area
•I use household or lawn garden chemicals or get my house or apartment treated for bugs by an exterminator
•I have more than 1-2 mercury amalgams
•I eat large fish (swordfish, tuna, shark, tilefish) more than once a week
•I am bothered by one or more of the following: gasoline or diesel fumes, perfumes, new car smells, fabric stores, dry cleaning, hair spray or other strong odors, soaps, detergents, tobacco smoke, chlorinated water
•I have a negative reaction when I consume foods containing MSG, sulfites (wine, salad bars, dried fruit), sodium benzoate (preservative), red wine, cheese, bananas or chocolate, even a small amount of alcohol, eating food with garlic and onions
•When I drink coffee or caffeine containing substances I feel wired up, an increase in joint and muscle aching or have hypoglycemic symptoms (anxiety, palpitations, sweating, dizziness)
•I regularly consume any of the following substances or medications: acetaminophen (Tylenol), acid blocking drugs (Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Prevacid), hormone modulating medications in pills, patches or creams (the pill, estrogen, progesterone, prostate medication), ibuprofen or naproxen, medications for Colitis or Crohn’s disease, recurrent headaches, allergy symptoms, nausea, diarrhea or indigestion
•I have had jaundice (turning yellow) for any reason or I have been told I have Gilbert’s syndrome (an elevation of a liver test called bilirubin)
•I have a history of any of the following conditions: Breast cancer, smoking induced lung cancer, other type of cancer, prostate problems, food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances
•I have a family history of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other motor neuron diseases, or multiple sclerosis
It is important to understand why we are toxic and how we can detoxify. I will explain how you can detoxify a little later, but first I want to tell you about where toxins come from and how we are overloaded.
How much toxicity is too much
To understand toxicity you must understand the concept of total load.
This is a total amount of stressors on your system at any one time and what happens like a glass filling over with water. It takes a certain amount to fill the glass and then, after a certain point, you put more in and it overflows.
When our detoxification system is overwhelmed, is overloaded, that’s when we start getting symptoms and get sick, but it may take years of accumulated stress and toxins to get to that point.
•The total load includes the load of things like heavy metals, mercury and lead, petrochemicals, residues, pesticides, and fertilizers.
•It includes food allergies, environmental allergies, molds and toxins from molds.
•It includes a SAD (standard American diet).
•It includes stress — the mental, emotional and spiritual toxins that affect us; isolation, loneliness, anger, jealousy, hostility, which all translate into toxins in our system.
•Medications can sometimes be toxins. Often we need medications, but the reality is that most of us are over-medicated and use medications for things for which there are better solutions such as lifestyle and diet.
•Lastly, there are internal toxins, things like bacteria, fungus, and yeast that are inside our gut and may be affecting us, as well as hormonal and metabolic toxins we need to eliminate.
Now why aren’t we all sick given this incredible load of toxins?
It is because each of us is genetically and biochemically unique. Some of us are good at getting rid of toxins and waste, and others are not. I am not. That is why I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
I became overloaded with mercury and I couldn’t get rid of it because I am missing a gene for GSTM1 — a critical detoxifying enzyme for mercury. But by learning to support my system and learning how to detoxify I was able to cure myself from an incurable condition.
How to detox
There are five key steps to optimal detoxification. Here they are:
•Identify and Get Rid of Toxins
•Fix Your Gut — a source of toxic load for many
•Get Moving — to help your blood and lymphatic circulation do its job
•Get Your Liver and Detox System Working
•Detox your Mind, Heart and Spirit
But let me make it more practical for you. I can summarize them into ten basic principles you can start now:
1.Drink plenty of clean water, at least eight to ten glasses of filtered water a day.
2.Keep your bowels moving, at least once or twice a day. And if you can’t get going, then you need some help and this can include taking two tablespoons of ground flax seeds, taking acidophilus and extra magnesium capsules in the form of magnesium citrate. If you have any chronic diseases or problems you have to be careful about taking supplements, you should work with your doctor.
3.You should also eat organic produce and animal products to eliminate the toxins in our food.
4.You should eat eight to ten servings of colorful fruits and vegetables and specifically include, every day, the family of the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, collards, kale, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, as well as the garlic family, garlic and onions, which help increase sulfur in the body and help detoxification.
5.Avoid stimulants, sedatives, and drugs such as caffeine and nicotine and try to reduce alcohol intake.
6.Exercise five days a week with focus on conditioning your cardiovascular system, strengthening exercises and stretching exercises.
7.Get rid of the white menace, which is white flour and white sugar.
8.Sweat profusely at least three times a week, using a sauna, steam or detox bath.
9.Take a high-quality multivitamin and mineral.
10.Relax deeply every day, to get your nervous system in a state of calm, rest and relaxation.
The comprehensive program outlined here will help to correct problems caused by toxicity, maximize your body’s own detoxification capacity, and help you safely eliminate stored toxins.
Depending on your symptoms, genetic predispositions and environmental exposures, you each may need different levels of nutrients and types of treatment. But remember, getting rid of toxins and learning how to optimize your detoxification system is essential for creating UltraWellness.
Next lesson, I will explain why creating energy is something many of us have trouble with and how to boost your energy metabolism!
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below—but remember, we can’t offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
Notes from "Hungry for Change"
I love the movie, Hungry for Change! These are some notes I took while I watched it.
Foods you should avoid:
1. High fructose corn syrup (I have read numerous places this should be avoided. ALWAYS!)
2. Aspartame
3. MSG
4. Grilled food with char on it.
5. Fried food
6. Potatoes
7. corn
8. waffles/pancakes
9. White anything - bread, rice, noodles..
10. Refined sugar
11. Diet drinks of all kids. (They said diet drinks cause brain cells to die.)
Don't tell yourself that you can't have something. Tell yourself you can have it, but you don't want it.
I thought this was very interesting. I had heard about detoxing before, but I didn't understand why it was important. A lot of chemicals that we eat, breath, or come in contact with are not water soluble. In order for your body to protect itself, it wraps that chemical in fat. When you start to exercise and lose weight, you can unlock these particles from the fat that is wrapped around it. This causes free radicals in your body which you don't want. To get rid of these, you need to eat green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, and romaine lettuce), chia seeds and flax seed (both of these when mixed with water form a gelatinous product. That picks up the toxin and pulls it out with it when excreted from the body), sea weed, parsley, and cilantro. It is also important to drink lots of water to help flush the kidneys. Juicing or smoothies are also good ways to cleanse. It helps you eat a lot of veggies at once and gets it into your system quickly. I have one recipe posted in my blog. It is good. Check it out!
Deep sleep is important to fix stress. It is one of the best ways to get rid of it.
Post a note on your mirror that says, "I accept myself unconditionally right now." Look into your eyes and say this to yourself twice a day for 30 days. You may have some thought come up such as "No I'm not" or "This is stupid". Keep at it. You will notice a change at the end of 30 days.
Three questions to ask about your food.
1. Where does my food come from?
2. What attitude went into the preparation of the food?
3. What is my intention for the food? Entertainment or sustenance
Foods you should avoid:
1. High fructose corn syrup (I have read numerous places this should be avoided. ALWAYS!)
2. Aspartame
3. MSG
4. Grilled food with char on it.
5. Fried food
6. Potatoes
7. corn
8. waffles/pancakes
9. White anything - bread, rice, noodles..
10. Refined sugar
11. Diet drinks of all kids. (They said diet drinks cause brain cells to die.)
Don't tell yourself that you can't have something. Tell yourself you can have it, but you don't want it.
I thought this was very interesting. I had heard about detoxing before, but I didn't understand why it was important. A lot of chemicals that we eat, breath, or come in contact with are not water soluble. In order for your body to protect itself, it wraps that chemical in fat. When you start to exercise and lose weight, you can unlock these particles from the fat that is wrapped around it. This causes free radicals in your body which you don't want. To get rid of these, you need to eat green leafy veggies (kale, spinach, chard, collard greens, and romaine lettuce), chia seeds and flax seed (both of these when mixed with water form a gelatinous product. That picks up the toxin and pulls it out with it when excreted from the body), sea weed, parsley, and cilantro. It is also important to drink lots of water to help flush the kidneys. Juicing or smoothies are also good ways to cleanse. It helps you eat a lot of veggies at once and gets it into your system quickly. I have one recipe posted in my blog. It is good. Check it out!
Deep sleep is important to fix stress. It is one of the best ways to get rid of it.
Post a note on your mirror that says, "I accept myself unconditionally right now." Look into your eyes and say this to yourself twice a day for 30 days. You may have some thought come up such as "No I'm not" or "This is stupid". Keep at it. You will notice a change at the end of 30 days.
Three questions to ask about your food.
1. Where does my food come from?
2. What attitude went into the preparation of the food?
3. What is my intention for the food? Entertainment or sustenance
NPR's show on food waste
I heard a wonderful show today on NPR's show Central Standard in conjunction with Harvest Public Media about food waste. This is the link to the show website. The episode was called, "Are You Going To Eat That?"
http://kcur.org/programs/central-standard
http://kcur.org/programs/central-standard
Monday, September 22, 2014
Recommended books/movies/websites
These are some of the books/movies/websites that I found interesting and helfpul.
Book: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Book: The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr Mark Hyman
Book: Daniel Plan by Rick Warren
Book: The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, MD
Book: The UltraMind Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman
Movie: Hungry for Change
Website: http://www.capeboston.org/
Book: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell
Book: The Blood Sugar Solution by Dr Mark Hyman
Book: Daniel Plan by Rick Warren
Book: The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, MD
Book: The UltraMind Solution by Dr. Mark Hyman
Movie: Hungry for Change
Website: http://www.capeboston.org/
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Three Nut Muffins
Created by Amy Hinrichs
Makes 12 average size muffins
o 1 cup walnut halves
o 1 cup almonds
o 1 cup pecan halves
o 1/2 cup almond milk
o 2 teaspoons lemon juice
o 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
o 3 tablespoons water
o 1 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats or oat flour
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 2 teaspoons baking soda
o 2 teaspoons baking powder
o 6 seedless Medjool dates or 12 smaller dates
o 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
o 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Place the walnuts, almonds, and pecans on a cookie sheet. Put nuts in the oven while it is warming to 375. Toast for 5-8 minutes or until they are fragrant.
3. Measure out the milk and add the lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes so it will “sour”.
4. Mix the flax seed and water. Let the mixture sit until it thickens slightly.
5. Pull out your food processor and put the chopping blade in.
6. When the nuts are toasted, add them to the food processor. Chop them until they are a consistency similar to sand. Pour into a mixing bowl.
7. (If using oat flour, skip this step.) Next add the oats to the food processor. Process until flour consistency. Add to mixing bowl.
8. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder to the mixing bowl. Mix just a couple of seconds until ingredients are incorporated.
9. Add the dates to the food processor. A soft date will squish in your fingers. If the dates you are using are not very soft, process them for a minute before adding the other ingredients.
10. Add the milk, flax seed, vanilla, and applesauce. Run the food processor until all the ingredients form a smooth mixture.
11. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just to incorporate all ingredients.
12. Divide the dough evenly into the muffin tins.
13. Cook 30 minutes until the top is firm.
14. Cool them on a wire rack.
Makes 12 average size muffins
o 1 cup walnut halves
o 1 cup almonds
o 1 cup pecan halves
o 1/2 cup almond milk
o 2 teaspoons lemon juice
o 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
o 3 tablespoons water
o 1 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats or oat flour
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 2 teaspoons baking soda
o 2 teaspoons baking powder
o 6 seedless Medjool dates or 12 smaller dates
o 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
o 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Place the walnuts, almonds, and pecans on a cookie sheet. Put nuts in the oven while it is warming to 375. Toast for 5-8 minutes or until they are fragrant.
3. Measure out the milk and add the lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes so it will “sour”.
4. Mix the flax seed and water. Let the mixture sit until it thickens slightly.
5. Pull out your food processor and put the chopping blade in.
6. When the nuts are toasted, add them to the food processor. Chop them until they are a consistency similar to sand. Pour into a mixing bowl.
7. (If using oat flour, skip this step.) Next add the oats to the food processor. Process until flour consistency. Add to mixing bowl.
8. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder to the mixing bowl. Mix just a couple of seconds until ingredients are incorporated.
9. Add the dates to the food processor. A soft date will squish in your fingers. If the dates you are using are not very soft, process them for a minute before adding the other ingredients.
10. Add the milk, flax seed, vanilla, and applesauce. Run the food processor until all the ingredients form a smooth mixture.
11. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just to incorporate all ingredients.
12. Divide the dough evenly into the muffin tins.
13. Cook 30 minutes until the top is firm.
14. Cool them on a wire rack.
Pumpkin Muffins
Created by Amy Hinrichs
Makes 12 average size muffins
o 1/2 cup orange juice
o 2 tablespoon ground flax seed
o 6 tablespoons water
o 1 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats or oat flour
o 1 cup sorghum flour
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
o 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
o 2 teaspoons baking soda
o 2 teaspoons baking powder
Makes 12 average size muffins
o 1/2 cup orange juice
o 2 tablespoon ground flax seed
o 6 tablespoons water
o 1 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats or oat flour
o 1 cup sorghum flour
o 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
o 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
o 2 teaspoons baking soda
o 2 teaspoons baking powder
o Zest from 1 orange (make sure to wash the orange)
o 6 seedless Medjool dates or 12 smaller dates
o 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
o 1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
o 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.
3. Mix the flax seed and water. Let the mixture sit until it thickens.
4. Pull out your food processor and put the chopping blade in.
5. (If using oat flour, skip this step.) Add the oats to the food processor. Process until they have the consistency of flour. Pour into a mixing bowl.
6. In the mixing bowl, add the sorghum flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just a couple of seconds until ingredients are incorporated.
7. Add the dates to the food processor. A soft date will squish in your fingers. If the dates you are using are not very soft, process them for a minute before adding the other ingredients. Don't go too long or it will become a large ball. Chop for 1 minute max. Then add a little of the applesauce (maybe half) to the dates and process until small pieces.
8. Add the orange juice, flax seed, vanilla, pumpkin, and applesauce to the food processor. Run the food processor until all the ingredients form a smooth mixture.
9. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just to incorporate them.
10. Divide the dough evenly into the muffin tins.
11. Cook 30 minutes until the top is firm.
12. Cool them on a wire rack.
o 6 seedless Medjool dates or 12 smaller dates
o 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
o 1 can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
o 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray the muffin tins with cooking spray.
3. Mix the flax seed and water. Let the mixture sit until it thickens.
4. Pull out your food processor and put the chopping blade in.
5. (If using oat flour, skip this step.) Add the oats to the food processor. Process until they have the consistency of flour. Pour into a mixing bowl.
6. In the mixing bowl, add the sorghum flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix just a couple of seconds until ingredients are incorporated.
7. Add the dates to the food processor. A soft date will squish in your fingers. If the dates you are using are not very soft, process them for a minute before adding the other ingredients. Don't go too long or it will become a large ball. Chop for 1 minute max. Then add a little of the applesauce (maybe half) to the dates and process until small pieces.
8. Add the orange juice, flax seed, vanilla, pumpkin, and applesauce to the food processor. Run the food processor until all the ingredients form a smooth mixture.
9. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir just to incorporate them.
10. Divide the dough evenly into the muffin tins.
11. Cook 30 minutes until the top is firm.
12. Cool them on a wire rack.
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