Health Q & A: Detoxing

Q:

My new year’s resolution s to be healthier.  I wanted to kick it off with a cleanse of some kind, but I’m unsure of which to do since I’ve heard stories of people doing colon cleanses and then being stuck in the bathroom all day.  I don’t want that lol.  Do you have any recommendations or ideas for me? 

A:

A goal to be healthier this year is a wonderful resolution, and a whole body cleanse is a great way to begin.  Many people are afraid to take cleansing products for the reason you mentioned, but we have a number of great ones at the store which are gentle but still very effective.  A new product we’ve gotten recently in that I really like is Nature’s Plus Complete Body Cleanse.  It’s a formula with vegetarian capsules that are taken morning and night.  It contains three different bottles- a cleansing formula with probiotics and organic herbs which helps to detoxify the liver, colon, lymphatic system, blood, kidneys and more; a fiber formula, and a gentle nighttime herbal laxative formula which also contains probiotics and probiotics.  I’d say it’s definitely the most complete whole body cleanse we have and the one I would recommend above all others.

For general health after your cleanse, there are three supplements which I think everyone should take, the first being a quality multivitamin which will help to fill in nutritional gaps in your diet.  The next woule be vitamin D, which most Americans are deficient in, especially in the winter months.  Vitamin D is crucial for the immune system, bone health, cardiovascular health and a myriad of other benefits.  The third supplement would be omega 3 fish oil.  Omega 3 fatty acids are needed for proper brain function and also help with reducing inflammation in the body as well as lowering cholesterol (specifically triglycerides) along with a long list of benefits for other health conditions.  It's important to note that the body cannot produce omega 3 fatty acids- they must be obtained through diet.  If a person is not eating fatty fish or flax/chia seeds on a regular basis, it is extremely likely that they are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids.

A quality diet is also important for vibrant health, with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, as is being physically active.  Exercising can be difficult in the winter months since the freezing temperatures aren’t really conducive to outdoor exercise.  Groupon has been having good deals lately for exercise classes in the area, sothat’s worth looking into.  There are also some great free exercise videos available online.  Fit Sugar is a website I really like that has wonderful quick 10 minute workout videos.   Another good one is Fitness Blender.  They have a fast 8 minute workout that’s really great and still gets the heart rate up.

Health Q and A: Help for Heartburn

Q:

I’ve been having heartburn a lot lately.  I’ve been taking a lot of antacids, but don’t think that’s really great for an everyday thing.  Do you have any suggestions of natural things that could help?

A:

Heartburn is basically caused by the lower esophogal sphincter (a muscular valve at the bottom of the esophagus which keeps which keeps stomach acid in the stomach) is loosened or weakened and stomach acid splashes up into the esophagus.  Usually heartburn is caused or worsened by lifestyle factors like overeating, eating too close to bedtime, smoking, and being overweight.  Certain foods can also exacerbate the condition, spicy or fried foods for example.  There are even foods which naturally loosen the lower esophogal sphincter (tomatoes, chocolate, onions, garlic, caffeine, and alcohol to name a few), so if you commonly experience heartburn, avoiding those foods can make a real difference.

Digestive enzymes have helped many people with heartburn.  Enzyme supplements are taken with a meal to help to break down food in the stomach, making it easier to digest.  When the stomach is able to digest food easier, a reduction in heartburn symptoms is often seen.  Digestive enzymes are completely safe to take, and simply give a natural boost to the digestive enzymes produced in the body.  The amounts of digestive enzymes our stomach’s produce decreases with age, and not coincidentally, the number of digestive complaints many people experience increases with age as well.

Another supplement which I’m a big fan of is DGL licorice.  Licorice extracts can raise blood pressure, but the “DGL” stands for deglycyrrhizinated, which means that the compounds which could raise blood pressure have been removed.  DGL licorice comes in chewable tablets (the company Enzymatic Therapy has some in a German chocolate flavor which taste seriously fantastic) which are to be taken 20 minutes before a meal.  DGL licorice works by coating the esophagus so it is protected against stomach acid.  Since the esophagus is protected against stomach acid, it not only prevents the pain and burning of heartburn, when taken consistently it prevents the damage from stomach acid and helps the esophagus to heal, particularly in people with GERD (a more serious form of heartburn).

Finally, the last supplement I would mention is d-limonene, a specialized citrus extract which has shown amazing results for people suffering from both heartburn and GERD.  One clinical study found that d-limonene was able to reduce or eliminate heartburn for up to six months in most people after taking one 1,000 mg pill every other day for 20 days.  It also helps to detoxify the liver and gallbladder, and is an easy and inexpensive thing to try for lasting heartburn relief.