STEP FOUR: INNER BODY BRIGHT, DETOXIFY IN 2013!

As we are traveling along the digestive tract from finish to start, past the bowels, we arrive at the liver. The liver acts as part of our digestive system by producing bile which helps to bind fat soluble materials in the intestine, then filters those substances, and others,  from the bloodstream through a myriad of enzyme systems.
A gentle, simple way to detoxify by supporting the liver's function is to start each day with a section of organic lemon squeezed into water.
It's important to include the rind with your section of lemon, as it contains high quantities of the essential oil limonene which is the part of the fruit that provides the most liver support.

Khalsa Way® Pregnancy Yoga Workshop

Taught by Blossom Bitting ND

Saturday February 16^th,

9am-12 noon

Dance Breathe Practice Meditate

When it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, nothing can prepare a woman's body, mind and spirit better than The Khalsa Way® pregnancy yoga.

Learn techniques that will help to bring comfort through all stages of the prenatal period; conception, pregnancy, birth and beyond. The workshop will include a pregnancy yoga practice that you can continue at home throughout your pregnancy, for all levels of practice.

Please call to register, space is limited

857-1300

Fee: $45

Pear Tree Clinic & Yoga Loft 1067 Champlain St Dieppe

STEP THREE: Inner Body Bright, Detoxify in 2013!

Adding plenty of water and extra fiber to your daily intake should be helping with " smoother" elimination. The third step towards basic bowel detoxification is adding a daily dose of probiotics. Probiotics are bacteria from fermented foods that lend benefit to human health. One of the benefits probiotics provide is helping with bowel regularity. I have seen many cases of patients with "IBS" have their symptoms resolve once probiotics are introduced. If dairy products pose no threat to your bowel health and function yogurt is probably the easiest way to have daily beneficial bacteria. All yogurt should have active culture so do not be fooled into thinking you need one specific yogurt brand. If dairy is not an option choose another healthy fermented food like kimchee, miso, or raw sauerkraut  or take a probiotic supplement that is labelled dairy free. y favorite probiotics are HMF forte by genestra, a well researched line which contain human specific strains of beneficial bacteria.

Step Two:Inner Body Bright,Detoxify in 2013!

FLAX

Wonder if you've mastered yesterday's step one of daily detoxification? How do you know if you're drinking enough water for your individual needs? One sign of OVER HYDRATION  is the consistent need to urinate more often than every 1.5 hrs. While one sign of UNDER HYDRATION is skin tenting, pinch the skin up on the back of your hand, if it stays tented that's a good sign your body and skin tissue need further hydration.
Step two towards detoxification through better elimination is adding dietary fiber. Ideally we want our bowels to move 1-3 times per day in a formed, soft, J or S shaped stool. I suggest consuming 25-30 grams of fiber daily. Foods that naturally contain lots of fiber and water like fruits, vegetables and cooked whole grains are a good place to start, but most of us have to supplement with a fiber rich seed to bring our totals up to goal levels. My favorites are ground flax seeds for women who could also benefit from gentle hormone balancing, and ground chia seeds which are also rich in protein and omega three fatty acids. Psyllium and bran are also popular choices, but are known to irritate the bowel in a segment of the population.

STEP ONE: Inner Body Bright, Detoxify in 2013

If you are thinking of making a few lifestyle changes that will increase your own radiance this year, to bring you more health, more energy, more bliss, the next 10 days will provide a daily dose of detox that can help you to sync better with natures rhythm.
The number one goal for us as we start to focus on detoxification is to ensure proper elimination. Yes, I am talking about poop. If our bowels are not emptying, any attempts we make at detoxification are moot. If toxins are carried into the intestine by way of bile from the liver, and  they sit there for several days, chances are at least some, of not most of them, will be re-absorbed.
The first step in your radiance plan is to ensure that you are drinking plenty of water. Our bodies do not metabolize properly without water, things do not move, they get sluggish. A general easy to remember rule for most adults is 8x8, 8 glasses of  8oz of water 9 just under 2 litres). A more specific formula is to drink the same number of oz, as your body weight in kg. For example a 160 lb person weighs 73kg, they should be drinking 73 ounces ( just over 2 litres) of water daily, plus an extra litre per hour of intense exercise.

Strategies for Nausea in Pregnancy

There are several theories as to what causes nausea during pregnancy, but no one knows for certain why women experience it, or why some women experience it and others do not, or why there seems to be great variation in a woman’s experience between pregnancies.

Current theories include blood sugar fluctuations; the idea is that the nausea is worse when blood sugar dips. The other mainstay theory is related to the hormonal fluctuations; high levels of progesterone are replacing the typical balanced interplay between estrogen and progesterone, the system is adjusting to the presence of growth hormone in higher and higher levels. Or finally, that nausea is an evolutionary asset to protect unborn children from environmental hazards; which may explain why certain smells can really trigger nausea in many pregnant women.

The top naturopathic strategies I’ve used in practice take some trial and error, as all women are different, a treatment that works amazingly for one woman may not work for the next, my advice is to never throw in the towel before exploring all your options.

Start with nutrition. Eating enough is crucial, eating often, as often as every couple of hours is very helpful is reducing mild to moderate pregnancy nausea. Protein is very important to include whenever eating as it helps to keep blood sugar levels stable. If soda crackers on the night stand work, make sure to follow up with some nuts, seeds, meat, legumes or dairy to keep blood sugar levels more stable. The fast release sugar from starch in the crackers is helpful but it will trigger another dip in blood sugar if not properly balanced with protein. Too nauseous to eat? Start with another strategy until your feel up for small protein containing snack sized meals. As a Naturopath I am always focused on liver function, supporting the liver can help with blood sugar control as well other areas of metabolism. Eating plenty of fresh green vegetables and having fresh squeezed lemon in water first thing in the morning are gentle liver support techniques for expectant mamas. I also love to see moms at least three months before trying to conceive to cleanse the tissues and support liver and digestive function to prepare as much as possible for a smooth pregnancy.

My favorite botanical medicine for nausea is ginger. It is readily available in countless forms; capsules, tincture, ginger chews, lollipops, ginger ale, ginger tea, fresh ginger root. I encourage women to take it frequently throughout the day when nausea is bad. I love using this herb, as when it works for a woman; it generally works very fast, allowing it to be used as a preventative, or, as needed for occasional nausea. Remember, if a one of the sugar laden forms of ginger is chosen it should be combined with a snack size serving of protein or the whole cycle may be triggered again.

Vitamin B6, pyridoxine, is one of the two active ingredients in diclectin, the pharmaceutical anti-nauseant used during pregnancy. There is B6 in most prenatal vitamins but there may not be enough to exert a therapeutic effect, it can be safely taken in much higher amounts. Vitamin B6 helps with hormone breakdown in the liver, so theoretically this is why it helps prevent and treat nausea during pregnancy. B6 is readily available at pharmacies or health food stores. It should always be taken with food with the advise of your health care practitioner.

Acupuncture can also be very help for nausea during pregnancy. One point in particular pericardium 6 (PC 6) has helped enough pregnant women and sailors through bouts of nausea that a company has manufactured a device to keep the point steadily stimulated (C-bands). PC 6 is located on the inside of the wrist about two inches from the base of the palm, going towards the elbow. It is located by searching for a tender spot between the two mid-line tendons there. A women can apply pressure to this point when ever feeling a bout of nausea starting, or seek out a Naturopathic doctor or other licensed acupuncturist for a more comprehensive treatment approach.

Many women do still feel occasional nausea after the first trimester, and some experience it during their complete gestational period. The good news, of course, is that most cases of severe nausea have significantly relented by the end of the third or fourth month. Rest is by far the best strategy. A woman should stay active, but she should also relax and take it easy on herself as much as possible during this precious time.

Try Eating a Rainbow

Try Eating a Rainbow & other “colorful tips” for family immune boosting foods






The winter wind down
As the days shorten and our exposure to vitamin D providing sunshine and fresh air decreases, cold and flu season creeps in with all of it’s microbial critters. Many of my patients have had families caught in a seemingly never ending cycle of one bug “piggy backing” onto the next throughout the entire winter. While hand washing and other hygienic attempts to decrease the spread can be helpful, we as Naturopathic Doctors really focus on helping our patients to improve their immune resistance to infection. Three ways to increase that resistance is to increase fresh plant based foods to your diet, eat more omega three fatty acids, and add to your body’s bounty of beneficial bacteria.

Go eat a rainbow
When choosing fresh produce choose colorful, organic, not genetically modified whenever possible. The colors in food come from carotenoids and flavenoids, vital food chemicals for our immunity. All plant based foods contain plant cholesterol like structures called sterols & sterolins which act as immune modulators. Fresh and Frozen produce is also naturally high in anti-oxidants, the cellular repair molecules which are plentiful in dark pigmented fruit and vegetables. One relatively easy way to increase whole natural food consumption is to make sure you have two natural colors of food on your plate every time you eat. This is a fun way for kids to get excited about trying new produce too. When you go grocery shopping you should be sure you have several choices from each color group of the rainbow.
• Red- red pepper, strawberries, watermelon, apples, radishes, raspberries, grapefruit, plums, and tomatoes.
• Orange- mango, carrots, oranges, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, peaches, apricots, bell peppers, cantaloupe, mangoes and yams.
• Yellow and Light green- yellow beans, yellow peppers, bananas, pineapple, avocado, bok choy, cabbage, celery, fennel, kiwi, pears, lemons, limes, onions, and zucchini.
• Green- lettuce, spinach, broccoli, green pepper, Swiss chard, asparagus, parsley, collard greens, peas, pear, cucumbers, leeks, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, and kale.
• Blue/ Violet/ purple- blueberries, blue kale, blue corn, grapes, beets, purple cabbage, blackberries, currants, eggplant, cherries, onions, and plums.
This ensures that you have good variety in your diet and that you are getting plenty of fruit, vegetables, and fiber. A great way to eat a rainbow with kids is to make skewers of colorful fruit or raw vegetables in the rainbow spectrum.

Want to take getting a full selection of fruits and vegetables one step further?
There are nine vegetable families: including one food from each family daily provides a full spectrum of phytochemicals necessary for optimum metabolism and immunity. Fitting in the full spectrum is easily achieved in salads, Stir fries or by juicing.
• Cabbage- includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, cauliflower. Please note; members of this family should be lightly steamed so they won’t interfere with the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
• Lettuce, sunflower
• Carrot/ parsley
• Beet/ Spinach
• Mint/ basil
• Tomato/ peppers
• Beans/ peas
• Cucumber/ Squash
• Onion/ garlic/leeks - garlic contains good organic selenium, imperative for immune system support.

Get your daily omega three fatty acids.
No doubt you’ve heard of omega three fats, how these fats are excellent for mood support, cardiovascular health, anti-inflammation. They are also excellent immune system balancers, supporting immune function without over stimulation. Omega three fatty acids are referred to as essential fats, meaning it is essential to ingest them. Our bodies cannot manufacture these fats from other components, You may have also heard that fish is the best food source of omega threes which is true. Cold water fish; salmon, tuna, mackerel, halibut, haddock, cod, sole, sardines, have the highest quantity. Plant foods high in omega threes include flax seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds. All plant based omega threes have to be converted by an enzyme in our bodies before our bodies can use them properly, unfortunately some people have less of this enzyme making the conversion slow, or inadequate.

Do not forget your healthy bugs.
Did you know that a big part of our immune system resides in and around our intestinal tract. When you think about how important it is to fight off any microbes that come into our body through food, this makes perfect sense. Part of what helps to win this fight is not really part of our bodies at all, but is provided by beneficial bacteria residing in our intestine. Probiotics have been made into a household word by the manufacturers of certain yogurt brands, and it does hold true yoghurt is probably the best food source of probiotics available to us. If you or your family members do not tolerate dairy products well (I have read that at least fifty percent of the adult population has some degree of dairy intolerance) any fermented food such as miso paste, raw sauerkraut, cultured vegetables, kimchee all contain probiotics too.

Now let’s put it all together.
How can you make practical meals with all of these immune boosting components? Here are a few examples of menus to give you an idea of how to get started with combing the concepts; Sweet- homemade granola (with flax, hemp hearts and walnuts) parfait with yogurt or soyghurt, blueberries and blackberries, or a green smoothie with chia and kefir. Savory- Miso Soup with lots of veggies and chunks of cod fish, or local organic sausage with sauerkraut, red onion, arugula and a flax seed oil dressing.
Sometimes thinking about food as more than caloric sustenance allows us to start to explore how helpful it can be in maintaining our health and preventing disease. Modeling healthy food choices is the only way to get your children to eat well. Folks cannot expect their children to want those fresh organic veggies if they “don’t like them”. I challenge everyone to have three different colors from the rainbow of fresh foods everyday this winter, topped up with a daily serving of omega three and probiotic rich food. See it as an experimental effort to help in making your household healthier this winter.