Health Benefits of Wheatgrass

Most people on raw food are familiar with wheatgrass. Many green superfood supplements contain some percentage of it, and many juice bars offer freshly pressed wheatgrass juice. 

What is wheatgrass?   

Wheatgrass is the young green grass that grows from germinated seeds of the common wheat plant or Triticum aestivum. The plant grows in the temperate regions of the United States and Europe where the ripe berries are harvested and usually turned into flour. Wheatgrass, however, is harvested long before the plant riches its maturity.

Wheatgrass consumption was initiated by the famous holistic health practitioner, Ann Wigmore. She observed dogs and cats eating grass to improve their digestion and believed that humans could also benefit from the practice. And the easiest way to introduce wheatgrass to human diet was to juice it. 

Ann Wigmore developed a strict health regime for patients with chronic or incurable diseases. The patients were to avoid meat and diary products. They were put on raw, living food diet and had to drink fresh wheatgrass juice. This diet produced incredible results. Patients with cancer, gout and diabetes got healed. Many skin disorders and immune system related problems disappeared as patients indulged in the nutrition-rich foods. Great part of the success was attributed to the detoxifying and alkalizing effect of the wheatgrass juice.

Nutrition facts

Wheatgrass is rich in chlorophyll and SOD (Superoxid dismutase) enzyme. It is a natural source of various minerals and vitamins, including iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, and vitamins A, C, E, K, and B vitamins including B12. Wheatgrass is a perfect source of protein. It provides all essential amino acids. Moreover, the protein comes in the form of polypeptides which are easily utilized by the body.

Wheatgrass is gluten-free and can be safely consumed by people with gluten allergy and gluten sensitivity. The type of gluten that causes adverse reactions exists only in the wheat grains which are seeds that produce the grass. 

Health benefits of wheatgrass

As mentioned before, wheatgrass is believed to have many health benefits:

• It has the capacity to detoxify blood and liver. It helps neutralize environmental toxins and pollutants. Thanks to SOD it helps to remove heavy metals and radiation form the body;
• It helps alkalize the body and relieve such ailments as peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis;
• Thanks to a high chlorophyll content, it helps to cleanse and oxygenate the blood and increase the red blood cell count;
• It helps to clear the brain fog;
• It helps improve digestion and relieve constipation, diarrhea, bloating, bad breath and body odor;
• It stimulates the thyroid function and may help to manage weight problems;
• It can help reduce inflammation in the body and alleviate such ailments as rheumatoid arthritis when used topically as a compress;
• It helps improve many skin conditions thanks to its detoxifying and alkalizing function and the effect it has on digestion;
• When consumed fresh in form of juice, it may increase bio-electricity and awaken inner life-force. It helps to increase vibrancy and activates self-healing mechanisms within the body.

Grow your own!
 

If you are living in a big city, you probably have no problems finding a juice bar that serves freshly made wheatgrass juice, but wheatgrass is not as easily accessible in smaller communities. In this case the best thing you can do is to grow your own.

By growing your own wheatgrass you will be in control of its quality and purity. By choosing organic seeds and purified water you can make sure that the wheatgrass you are consuming truly is organic and pollutant-free. You also determine the conditions for growth and the moment of harvest.

Should you decide to grow your own wheatgrass, remember not to expose it to a direct sunlight or it will taste bitter. Also make sure that it does not develop a mold. For best results grow it in specially developed trays and follow the instructions of the manufacturer.

Best time to harvest your wheatgrass for juicing is about one week after germination of the seeds, short before the so called jointing stage. In the life of a cereal plant such as wheat, jointing stage is a moment of growth at which the internodal tissue in the grass leaf begins to elongate and form a stem. By harvesting your wheatgrass at this stage of growth you make sure that your juice will have the highest concentration of nutrients. Once harvested, you can leave the cropped grass in the tray and allow to grow again. With a little practice you will be able to grow your own healthy grass.

Juicing wheatgrass

Juicing wheatgrass is very easy if you have the right tool. Juicers such as the Champion juicer have additional attachments specially developed for juicing grass. There are also juicers on the market that were designed only for juicing grasses and leafy greens. Some of them are electric, some are manual. The price varies depending of the type of juicer. If you decide to buy one, always buy the best you can afford, but make sure it is easy to clean.

A word of caution

Wheatgrass is a powerful detoxifying superfood. Depending on your health condition it may cause so called Herxheimer reaction if consumed in large amounts. This reaction occurs when more toxins are released into the bloodstream that the body can process. Symptoms may include headache, skin rush and even a light fever. To prevent this you should start your detox gradually and always drink a lot of water to support the elimination of toxins from the body. 

 

By Dominique Allmon 

Dominique Allmon©2024 

*This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Health Benefits of Wheatgrass by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

To Your Health! - Water

We are in the middle of a wonderfully hot summer. When temperatures soar, you are more likely to experience thirst. The only beverage that your body really needs is water.

The human body is composed of about 75 percent water. The remaining 25 percent are solid matter. Water regulates body temperature, lubricates the skin and the joints. It delivers nutrients and oxygen to your cells, removes and transports the waste products out of your body.

We lose water through urination, respiration and transpiration. Also, alcohol as well as drinks containing caffeine, like sodas, coffee and black tea for instance, cause the loss of water in the human body. If you do not replenish the lost water, you will start experiencing the first signs of dehydration like headache, impaired cognition, disorientation, sluggish digestion, pain in muscles and joints, lower back pain, exhaustion, and body odor. Your urine will turn dark and have a strong odor as well. 

The lack of water leads to a chronic dehydration which is the root cause of many degenerative diseases. You can, however, prevent and reverse dehydration simply by increasing your daily intake of water. The amount of water you need to drink depends on your lifestyle, the work you are performing, and the climate you live in. If you are more physically active and sweat more, you will need to drink more water.

Learn to monitor your water intake. To calculate the amount of water your body needs, take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That should give you the number of ounces of water that you need to drink daily. For example, your weight is 150 pounds. Divide 150 by 2. You will get 75 which is approximately the number of ounces of water your body needs - 75 or slightly more than a gallon. Increase this amount if you are working out, jogging, or performing other physically demanding task. Replenish your water if you regularly drink coffee and sodas. 

The quality of water you drink is very important as well. Filtered, ionized water is most beneficial. A low sodium bottled mineral water with high mineral content is a good alternative if you do not own a water filter or a water ionizer, or are on the go.

Approximately 20 percent of the water your body needs comes from many foods that you eat. Fruits and vegetables have a very high water content, cucumber and water melon being among the highest. Make sure that you include enough of them in your diet as they also deliver the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly. 

Some people count the coffee as liquid that adds to the daily liquid intake. Unfortunately, coffee is a known diuretic that makes you lose water quickly. If you area a coffee drinker, do like the Italians, or the Austrians do - have a glass of water with your coffee.

Dehydration can have devastating effects on your body. The damage can be reversed. All you need to do is to hydrate and replenish the lost water in your body. You can eliminate pain, hypertension, digestive disorders cased by dehydration. You can also lose weight and rejuvenate your skin and joints if you drink more. 

Our bodies need electrolytes for the hydration to be delivered to all cells. To replenish lost electrolytes simply add a pinch of mineral-rich, unrefined, pink Himalayan salt or any other ancient sea salt, and a few drops of freshly pressed lemon juice. To make your water taste even better, add some fresh mint or any fresh herb of your choice.

Stay well hydrated, especially on hot days. Drink more water!

By Dominique Allmon

Sugar Addiction And How To Break It

Sugar consumption is on the rise all over the world. This fact has horrendous implications since the metabolic syndrome, obesity, Type 2 diabetes in adults, and alarmingly early onset of Type 2 diabetes in children, are only few consequences of sugar consumption.

Scientists have demonstrated that refined sugar is a highly addictive substance. One study found that the extremely sweet taste can surpass the cocaine reward even in people who are addicted to heavy drugs. In another study scientists demonstrated that quitting sugar can be as difficult for some people as quitting nicotine or alcohol.

Are you addicted to sugar?

Addicts seldom admit that they have a problem and often find justification for their behavior.

• Do you always eat dessert? 
• Do you always have to have something sweet in your house?
• Do you make excuses to take just one more piece of that delicious cake?
• Do you struggle to say no when you are offered something sweet? 
• Do you have sugar "attacks" where you feel you must have something sweet or you will not make it? 

If you eat sweets on regular basis try to give them up for a day or two and see what happens. If you develop headaches and mood swings the chances are that you are addicted.

A few years ago one of my favorite nutritionists, Patrick Holford, devised clever nutritional strategies for people who wished to quit their addictions. 

Quitting any kind of addiction is not an easy process. The withdrawal symptoms are often unbearable and can make it difficult for anyone to give up the stuff he or she is addicted to - be it nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, heavy drugs or even sugar. While drugs or alcohol are considered harmful to our health, sugar addiction is often trivialized, neglected or not even recognized as such. Worse, many people do not even know that sugar is harmful to health. Many do not know that they are addicted.

What is sugar?

Sugar is the generalized term used for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food to sweeten and improve the taste. They are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Together with starches and fiber, sugars belong to the class of carbohydrates that are necessary to provide energy and regulate protein and fat metabolism, among others.

All sugars are either monosaccharides (simple sugars) or disaccharides. Simple sugars are easily and quickly digested and utilized by the human body, but there is a difference in the way liver processes glucose and fructose. (This is a vast subject that requires another article.) Disaccharides such as sucrose or the common white table sugar, on the other hand, require enzymes in order to be converted into simple sugars that are then utilized by the body.

Sucrose, which is composed of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, is found in sugar beets, sugar cane, sorghum, maple syrup, molasses, and pineapple. It is composed of one molecule of fructose and one molecule of glucose and can be metabolized in a healthy body.

Sucrose is used extensively to sweeten food and beverages, but even people who do not add sugar to their diet may be consuming large amounts of so called "hidden" sugar that is added by the food industry into ever growing amount of foods. Salad dressings, mayonnaise, ketchup, peanut butter, baby formula, bread, sausage, luncheon meat, etc. all have sugar added to them.

Addiction to sugar begins very early in life and is constantly reinforced by millions of dollars spent on advertising all over the world by the food industry. Average person living in America consumes more than one hundred fifty pound of sugar per year! It is estimated that only thirty pounds come from sugar that people are consciously adding to their food. The remaining amount comes from industrially produced foods and drinks.

Why should you quit sugar:

• Sugar can make you fat! Sweets and foods with added sugar deliver incredible amount of empty calories and no fiber or nutrients to keep you nourished and satiated. As soon as you had your sweet fix you normally crave for more. You not only eat more calories than you can burn, but sugar promotes belly fat that once there is probably the most difficult to lose.
• Excess sugar consumption has the same toxic effect on liver as does alcohol. In fact, increased sugar consumption had the same detrimental effect on health as the consumption of alcohol and could be responsible for hypertension, myocardial infarction, insulin resistance, obesity, malnutrition, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and pancreatitis.
• Sugar suppresses the release of  the human growth hormone or HGH. Consumption of sugar, especially within two hours after workout, causes hypothalamus to release the inhibitory hormone somatostatin. Somatostatin from the hypothalamus inhibits the pituitary gland’s secretion of the HGH and the thyroid stimulating hormone. 
• Sugar disrupts the immune system. In the 1970s the Noble Prize winner Dr. Linus Pauling discovered that the vitamin C increases the body's ability to fight infections. He also found that sugar inhibits this ability. In order to be able to fight bacteria and viruses, our white blood cells must accumulate vitamin C at the 50-fold concentration all the time. Vitamin C is constantly being moved through the cell membranes into the white blood cells all over your body. Dr. Pauling discovered that glucose, which has similar chemical structure as the vitamin C, can replace vitamin C concentration in the white cells. In fact, when blood sugar rises to 120 after a consumption of cakes, candies or sodas, the ability of white cells to fight infections decreases by about 75%! Moreover, it can take up to six hours to restore optimal levels of vitamin C in the white blood after consumption of sugar. 
• Sugar depletes vital nutrients or interferes with their absorption. Levels of vitamin D, calcium, chromium, and magnesium in the body are affected the the high intake of sugar.
• Sugar can increase risk of cancer. Researchers have found that sugar in the intestine triggers the formation of a hormone called GIP. GIP is controlled by a protein called β-catenin that depends entirely on sugar levels in the body. This in turn, increases insulin released by the pancreas. Researchers found that there is a strong correlation between β-catenin and the cell's susceptibility to cancer formation. Moreover, research also shows that high sugar consumption lowers the survival chance of breast cancer and colon cancer patients.
• Sugar can damage your heart and shorten your life. In 2013 the Journal of American Heart Association has published a study confirming that sugar affects pumping mechanism of the heart and can potentially increase the risk of heart failure. Researchers found that a glucose metabolite called glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) that is derived from sugar and from starch was responsible for the changes in the muscle protein of the heart. These changes could eventually lead to heart failure. 
• Sugar contributes to premature aging. When sugar enters your system it has the tendency to bind to fats and protein molecules in your body. This process is know as glycation. It results in the production of advanced glycation end products known as AGEs. These molecules cause damage to connective tissues and are responsible for chronic inflammation. But AGEs are not only responsible for processes that are "hidden" deep inside our bodies. They also are the cause or visible aging. Collagen and elastin are the proteins in skin that are responsible for the health and youthful appearance. These proteins are also most susceptible to the glycation process. 

It is probably much easier to enumerate reasons for quitting sugar than to quit this sweet addiction. Like many people I have a very sweet tooth and cannot imagine a festive dinner menu without dessert, but I also know too well that sugar is not good for me. It is enough for me to look into a mirror the next day after I satisfied my sugar cravings the night before. The skin looks inflamed and the joints feel stiff. I know that if I continued eating sweets for another day or two things would get even worse. So I quit for a week or two only to get tempted again.

Young people can recover from the sugar binge much faster and may not even gain weight, but with age the damage done by sugar becomes more obvious and almost irreversible. So, how do we quit sugar cravings?

Sugar craving exist on two levels:

• physiological, where it manifests itself as an addiction to sugar, the chemical substance that affect entire body chemistry
• emotional, where it manifests itself either as craving for comfort and happiness, or as a reward for a particular type of behavior.

To successfully quit sugar we must understand and address both, the physiological and the emotional  dependence on sugar.

If you are addicted to sugar you must understand that there is no one-fits-all solution to addiction. Every human being is unique and will power and self-motivation are not always enough. However, everyone can implement a few simple steps that would gradually re-set the addicted brain and re-program body chemistry.

The Break-Sugar-Addiction Program

The plan involves two aspects of our physiology: brain chemistry and blood sugar balance. Deficiency in certain neurotransmitters, especially serotonin, often leads to sugar craving. Fluctuation in blood sugar leads to cravings and energy crashes.

• The very first step to recovery from sugar addiction is a gradual change of diet. Begin your personal program by conscious reduction of sweets and desserts you consume. Sweets and desserts are the obvious, identifiable sugar sources. This would mean that you have to remove sugar and sweet foods from your pantry and change your shopping habits. Stay clear of cookies, candy, cakes and ice cream, and less sugar to your coffee and tea. Going a cold turkey does not work for everybody so you may need to replace your desserts with sweet fruit that at least has vitamins and minerals, and has a form of sugar that can be digested by the body. Try to replace fast food with high quality protein and add fresh vegetable to your menu. At the same time you should supplement your diet with high quality multivitamin and mineral formula. Vitamins and minerals will help you nourish your body and may help reduce  cravings. In addition you should take a high quality Omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics to restore flora in the intestines.
• Removal of sugar from the diet may cause mood swings, low energy, or headaches. To balance the brain chemistry supplement with L-tryptophan and 5-HTP. These two supplements will help the brain to produce the mood enhancing serotonin. To support blood sugar balance take a chromium supplement. Also, add sugar-balancing cinnamon to your diet.
• To control sugar cravings supplement with saffron extracts and amino acid L-glutamine. The suggested dose of L-glutamine supplement is 500mg, 3-4 times a day, best taken on empty stomach about 30 minutes before a meal, or when you feel your blood sugar is very low and you feel like having something sweet. The sugar craving may vanish within minutes and you will not even feel jittery or stressed. 50-100 mg standardized saffron extract will help boost dopamine levels in your brain and decrease carbohydrate cravings.

Many nutritionist suggest that we should consume foods that have low glycemic load, or the GL. The GL tells us how a particular food will affect the blood sugar balance. Foods with high GL will cause sugar spikes and cravings. Foods with low GL convert slowly into glucose and encourage body to burn fat. A low glycemic diet will keep you nourished and satiated and will not only help you break your sugar addiction, but also lose weight.

Depending on your current situation you may need to consult a certified health practitioner who will help you break the sugar addiction. A certified nutritionist will help you create a healthy nutrition plan. He or she will also help you clear candida that may also be the cause of your sugar cravings.

If your craving for sugar is mostly emotional you will need to address the underlying emotional issues. Yoga, relaxation and meditation in combination with supplemental magnesium, L-tryptophan and 5-HTP may help a lot, but you may have to see a therapist to understand why your emotional problems are causing addiction. And if you reward yourself with a large piece of cake, you should probably change your strategy. Try a large bowl of fresh strawberries the next time you feel that you need a reward.

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2017

Post scriptum

 

Many people who wish to break the sugar addiction resort to artificial sweeteners to satisfy their love and craving for the sweet taste. The only artificial sweetener that I would take is stevia. Stevia is made from the leaves of South American plant Stevia rebaudiana. Studies demonstrated that stevia may actually lower blood sugar levels and improve the function of insulin.  

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Antioxidant Power of Spirulina

Spirulina* is a green food supplement made of single-celled blue-green algae from the genus Anthrospira that floats freely in highly alkaline waters. Two species of the algae are used to produce spirulina supplements: the Anthrospira platensis and the Anthrospira maxima. The algae are believed to be one of the oldest organisms on our planet. The species used to produce nutritional supplement spirulina are cultivated all over the world in specially designed water farms.

Nutrients

The blue-green algae has been valued as a food source for a very long time. Aztecs discovered its nutritional properties and used it as their staple food. It was also consumed by the Mayas and the Olmecs.

• The blue-green algae is probably the most concentrated source of nutrition. It is the best source of complete protein. It contains 18 amino acids including lysine, threonine, phenylalanine, and methionine.
• It is rich in vitamins, especially of the B group including B12. This makes the spirulina supplements perfect food for vegans whose diet normally does not include sufficient amount of the vital vitamin B12. Some research suggests, however, that the vitamin B12 in spirulina is an analog form of vitamin B12 which is not easily absorbed by the human organism.
• The high chlorophyll content makes it a perfect plant source of bio-available chlorophyll for the human body. Chlorophyll which has a similar structure to human hemoglobin, carries oxygen which enriches our blood, helps to normalize digestion and to keep our intestines healthy.
• The blue-green algae is rich source of minerals. Among others it contains zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, and selenium. The algae is very high in calcium and iron. Unlike other supplement sources, the iron in spirulina is easily absorbed by the human body. Spirulina is low in sodium and iodine.
• The blue-green algae is high in GLA or gamma linolenic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid used by the body to fight allergies, decrease inflammation, and prevent skin damage, among others.
• One of the characteristics of this algae is its high content of carotenoids, especially beta carotene. In fact, its beta caroten content is ten times higher than that of carrots. 10 grams of spirulina provide 23,000 IU of beta carotene which is 460% of the RDA recommendation. It also contains astaxanthin, fucoxantin, and zeaxantin. The total content of mixed carotenoids is about 0.37 per cent.
• The blue-green algae contains very high levels of SOD, or superoxide dismutase enzyme. SOD has a remarkable ability to fight free radicals and to retard aging.
• The algae also contains only 15 to 25 percent of carbohydrates. Two main polysaccharides, glycogen and rhamnose, are easily absorbed by the body and do not cause insulin spikes. 

Spirulina as an antioxidant 

An ongoing research is being conducted all over the world. Spirulina may be the best antioxidant available to us. It is a highly complex superfood. Its high content of mixed carotenoids and the SOD enzyme, as well as selenium, makes spirulina a valuable antioxidant supplement. Spirulina also contains vitamin C and vitamin E which are both known for their antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of these nutrients is well researched. They work in synergy and seem to be most effective when acting together. In spirulina they all come in a natural proportion and are not synthetically manufactured to compose an antioxidant formula.

Like beta carotene and selenium, SOD effectively decreases the generation of free radicals in the body and reduces oxidative stress. It fights the superoxide, which is the most ubiquitous and aggressive free radical in the body.

Researchers also found that the algae contains the water soluble phycocyanin, a pigment that gives it its blue hue. Phycocynin is considered to be a free radical scavenger that protects liver and the kidneys from the oxidative damage. Phycocynin is also a powerful immune system modulator and is believed to alleviate the damage caused by radiation. The Russians successfully used spirulina to treat the victims of post-Chernobyl radiation.

Health benefits of spirulina

High nutrient content makes spirulina a superfood supplement. Although there are some conflicting findings, spirulina is generally believed to :

• help control weight
• improve digestion
• detoxify the body
• build muscles
• reduce inflammation
• reduce cholesterol
• enhance immune system
• inhibit viral replication in the body
• lower the risk of certain cancers
• inhibit growth of tumors in the body
• help digestion
• improve the skin
• assist with the PMS
• alleviate malnutrition

Daily dosage 

The suggested dosage is 500mg three to four times daily. Total daily dose of spirulina should not exceed 5,000 mg. Spirulina comes in the form of tablets, capsules, or a powder that can be mixed with juice or water, or added into smoothies. Spirulina has a very strong detoxifying effect and may cause Herxeimer reaction* in the body. It is sensible to begin supplementation with a small dose and increase the dosage gradually over a period of few days.

A caution is advised while buying spirulina supplements. Always consider buying spirulina from a certified, organic source as spirulina is subject to contamination. Because some allergic reactions have been observed, consult your health care provider before commencing supplementation. Discontinue use if condition worsens.

By Dominique Teng

Dominique Teng©2016

* The Anthrospira species of algae were once classified in the genus Spirulina hence the resulting confusion between the name of a nutritional supplement and the name of a species. Spirulina species belong to a genus of the Cyanobacteria in the Kingdom of Bacteria. In the older literature we still find the terms Spirulina platensis and spirulina maxima.

* Herxheimer reaction occurs in the body when a large amount of toxins flood the body as a result of a rapid detoxification.

 

Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.

Mental Detox

Let's detox our cluttered academic brain. That's what the poet does. People call it daydreaming, detoxing our minds and taking care of that clutter. It's being able to let in call letters from the poetry universe. - Juan Felipe Herrera

Image: Tidying Up in Fort Canning Park, Singapore by Dominique Allmon©2016

Spring Cleaning or How Toxic is Your Home?

How toxic is your home?

Spotless, fresh-smelling home has been a dream of every housewife since the introduction of television set into ordinary households. The trend intensified in the 1950s and 1960s and continues to this day. Clever marketing strategies were perfected over decades to sell ever growing number of products promising to make your laundry whiter, your floor cleaner, and your sink shiner than ever. The commercial ads are omnipresent and the promise very tempting.

Unfortunately both, the desire for cleanliness and the promise of thereof, carry unexpected dangers to health. On the one hand, sterilized environment prevents our immune systems from developing natural resistance to common germs. On the other, many products contain chemicals that may be harmful or even toxic to our health.

The fear of germs and frequent use of germicides created a paradox with very sad consequences, especially for young children. In 1989 a so called "hygiene hypothesis" was first presented by D.P. Strachan who postulated that reduced early childhood exposure to germs resulted in increased occurrence of hay fever and allergies. Microbial diversity is necessary for the immune system to develop immune tolerance. Immune system learns to identify pathogens and to fight them off. Lack of exposure to microbes is believed to lead to a faulty immune system that expresses itself in increased susceptibility to disease.

The use of harmful or even toxic chemicals to keep our homes clean not only increases occurrence of asthma and allergies, but it may lead to the so called environmental illness where the immune system is unable to deal with every day toxins and simply collapses. Even the smallest amount of chemicals can trigger immune system reactions. Autoimmune diseases are often the consequence of malfunctioning, oversensitive immune system.

The natural way

With a growing environmental consciousness consumers also opt for products that do not harm or unnecessarily pollute our already fragile environment. This trend created a paradigm change for manufacturers as well. This change comes with a price. The "cleaner" cleaning products are often more expensive and not every household can afford to buy them. This is really a pity because, on the long run, a small investment could mean a much healthier home and much smaller medical bills in the future.

To prevent allergies and other diseases, including cancer, many households, especially those with young children and pets, are turning to natural products. More and more people resolve to traditional home-made recipes that utilize common household goods such as alcohol, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, salt and lemon juice. We do not have to be poisoned simply because we want to stay clean. Our grandmothers managed their households with a few time-proven recipes and made sure that our parents grew up healthy. Such recipes were passed from one generation to another and the time is ripe for their renaissance.

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2015

Going Green - Juicing for Better Health

If you are new to juicing you might be mesmerized by all the green juice talk in juice bars, in health magazines and all over the world wide web. So what is this green juice hype all about? 

Green juices are probably the best food-based medicine we can give our bodies. They are particularly beneficial for all these people who:

• have problems with their digestion
• those whose bodies are highly acidic
• those who suffer from toxic overload
• for those who need to lose weight

Juices are easily absorbed as the juicing process breaks down the cell walls of fruits and vegetable making them easier to digest. This means that the nutrients are getting directly into your system. 

One very well known benefit of using green herbs and vegetable in juicing is the fact that they are rich in chlorophyll. Scientists discovered that hemoglobin in human blood and chlorophyll in green plants are almost identical. Just like our hemoglobin chlorophyll contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The only chemical difference in the organic construction of the chlorophyll in plants and in blood is that the former contains magnesium while the latter contains iron. 

A research in Germany demonstrated that chlorophyll helped reduce high blood pressure, eliminated anemia, made weak men strong, cured digestive troubles, and seemed to be a potion of youth. Once in the digestive system, chlorophyll immediately enriches the blood. The red blood cells increase considerably in number while their haemoglobin content rises. The blood circulation improves and more nutrients and oxygen are transported to tissues and organs. At the same time more toxins are neutralized and removed. The blood is enriched and reinforced with new life. 

No wonder, then, that those who consume considerable amounts of chlorophyll-rich foods are not only reporting recovery from chronic diseases and ailments, but also more energy, stamina and radiance that they have not experienced for a long time, if ever at all.  

Best fruit and vegetable combination for a nutritious alkalizing green juice:

• cucumber, celery, cilantro
• lime, celery, cucumber, cilantro
• cucumber, celery, fennel
• fresh aloe vera leaves, green apples, lemon balm
• green apple, celery
• green apple, pear, cucumber
• celery, bell pepper, cucumber
• pear, mint, cucumber
• cucumber, fennel, celery, green chili pepper, cilantro
• cucumber, parsley, bell pepper
• apple, kiwi, cucumber
• honey dew, celery
• bell pepper, green chili pepper, cucumber
• spinach, green apple, cucumber
• kale, celery, cucumber
• apple, cucumber, fresh stinging nettle
• green asparagus, cucumber and pear

These are only few suggestions. You can start from here. Experiment with green herbs and veggies; add limes or lemons. Add ginger. The taste will change when you change the proportions of your ingredients, but the alkalizing and detoxifying action will remain unchanged. 

I prefer to make pure vegetable juices, but some people love to add a little sweetness of a fruit. I rather add herbs. And I always add a pinch of Celtic salt and few drops of virgin olive oil to activate the bile flow. If you are planning a detox or a weight loss program, end of summer is a perfect time to begin, but you can start juicing at any time. Start slowly and gradually increase the amount of green, alkalizing foods.

 

If you have never done juicing before, start slowly. You do not want to overwhelm your digestive tract. Consult certified nutritionist if you suffer from any chronic disease or are taking medication. 

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2014 

 

For more healthy juice recipes visit my Passionately Raw! raw food blog

The Ancient Tibetan Garlic Cure

 Organic garlic

Last year a colleague of mine told me that her grandmother makes her own garlic potion to stay healthy. She marinates garlic in alcohol for up to six weeks and when the potion is ready, she drinks few drops a day for few weeks. She repeats this cure every year and never gets sick.

I wondered if anyone else knew about the garlic cure and started an online search. To my surprise the search produced the "Tibetan garlic cure." The post showed up on several blogs and some bloggers claimed that this healing garlic recipe was inscribed on a clay tablet that was discovered in the ruins of ancient monastery in Tibet sometime around 1971. The formula was deciphered and translated to many languages by an UNESCO commission. 

Unfortunately, I do not have any better information and cannot verify this claim, but I know that the therapeutic properties of garlic were known in many cultures for centuries, and that many cultures use alcohol to prepare herbal liquors, tinctures and medicinal wines. The Chinese used therapeutic liquors for centuries; so did Hildegard von Bingen in Medieval Europe. Herbs, flowers, fruits, roots, and even small animals (such as snakes) or animal parts were preserved in alcohol. Alcohol potentiated the healing properties of used ingredients and allowed better preservation from spoilage. To this day Chinese pharmacies in Hong Kong and everywhere where Traditional Chinese Medicine is practiced, sell therapeutic wines. You can see a coiled snake or a ginseng root that has been preserved to extract the its highest healing potential.  

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a plant native to Central Asia. For thousands of years garlic has been used not only in cooking, but also as medicine. The Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese, Tibetans, Indians, Ancient Greeks and Romans, all valued garlic's therapeutic qualities. They discovered garlic's potential to kill germs and used it as medicine to cure various infections, including typhus, dysentery, influenza, and cholera.

Modern research confirms what the ancients knew for ages. Garlic not only kills germs, it is also an effective herb that can be used modulate and strengthen the immune system. Scientists also found that garlic can also prevent cardiovascular disease and reduce blood pressure.  

Garlic seems to be a very healthy herb all by itself. Is it possible that preserving it in alcohol enhances its healing potential even more? 

Miron glass bottles with garlic tincture

To make the garlic solution you will need about 12 ounces (350 g) garlic, 3 ounces of 96% pure, food grade alcohol, and a tight closing jar. 

I decided to use a violet Miron glass jar. Miron glass blocks the complete spectrum of visible light with the exception of the violet part. At the same time it allows a certain part to be permeable for radiation in the spectral range of UVA, and infra red light. This unique combination offers optimal protection against the aging processes that are released by visible light, thus lengthening durability and potency of products. Scientists in Germany found that Miron glass enhances the therapeutic strength of products stored in it.

Making the Tibetan Garlic Cure

• Wash and sterilize the jar. Dry it carefully and set aside.
• Peal the garlic. I suggest you wear rubber gloves.
• Roughly chop the garlic cloves and transfer them into your clean jar.
• Slowly pour the alcohol into the jar making sure that the garlic is well covered. Add more alcohol if you find it necessary. 
• Tightly close the lid and place the jar in a cool, dark place. Allow the garlic to marinade for 10 days.
• After 10 days carefully open the jar and strain the garlic tincture through a sieve pouring it into a clean measuring jar. 
• Pour the clear liquid into a clean dark glass bottle and close it with a pipette stopper.  (I used Miron glass bottles)

This is how the Tibetan garlic should be made according to various websites. I changed the method a bit remembering that my colleague's grandmother kept her garlic in alcohol for at least three weeks. I allowed the tincture to mature even more when I transferred it into two small Miron glass bottles. I stored the bottles for another three weeks before I began the cure. 

There is a suggested way to administer the garlic cure beginning with one drop and breakfast on the first day and increasing the amount with each meal up to 25 drops on day eleven. Continue taking 25 drops per meal until the tincture is finished. Remember to shake the bottle before each use and take the tincture in 1/2 cup of milk that was warmed up to the room temperature.   

 

I am not sure that such "schedule" is necessary, although some homeopathic or alchemical principles might be involved here. I decided to take two drops with each meal, three times a day and I take it either in a spoon of yogurt or a spoon of honey to neutralize the strong garlic taste.  

 

The tincture is said to have incredible healing potential: 

• it may help decrease blood pressure
• it may improve blood circulation
• it may help regulate and balance blood lipids
• it may prevent the LDL cholesterol buildup in arteries
• it may help prevent thrombosis
• it may help speed up metabolism and stimulate fat burning in the body
• it may help detoxify the kidney and improve the kidney function
• it may help improve the function of the immune system
• it may help eradicate candida
  

These statements are based on the generally accepted properties of garlic. In many cultures the smelly bulb was used for centuries not only to spice the food, but also to cure countless ailments. Modern research shows that certain compounds in garlic may in fact be effective to prevent cardiovascular disease.

 

Many people use the Tibetan garlic cure to detoxify the body, clean the arteries from arterial plaque, balance sugar, protect against cancer, and to strengthen the immune system. The efficacy of this natural remedy was not tested in the lab, however, those who use it swear to it.

Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2014

 

*This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. 

How Mushrooms Can Clean Up Radioactive Contamination

The mushroom cloud by Peter Kuran

Eight-step clean-up plan by Paul Stamets

Many people have written me and asked more or less the same question: "What would you do to help heal the Japanese landscape around the failing nuclear reactors?"

The enormity and unprecedented nature of this combined natural and human-made disaster will require a massive and completely novel approach to management and remediation. And with this comes a never before seen opportunity for collaboration, research and wisdom.

The nuclear fallout will make continued human habitation in close proximity to the reactors untenable. The earthquake and tsunami created enormous debris fields near the nuclear reactors. Since much of this debris is wood, and many fungi useful in mycoremediation are wood decomposers and build the foundation of forest ecosystems, I have the following suggestions:

• Evacuate the region around the reactors.
• Establish a high-level, diversified remediation team including foresters, mycologists, nuclear and radiation experts, government officials, and citizens.
• Establish a fenced off Nuclear Forest Recovery Zone.
• Chip the wood debris from the destroyed buildings and trees and spread throughout areas suffering from high levels of radioactive contamination.
• Mulch the landscape with the chipped wood debris to a minimum depth of 12-24 inches.
• Plant native deciduous and conifer trees, along with hyper-accumulating mycorrhizal mushrooms, particularly Gomphidius glutinosus, Craterellus tubaeformis, and Laccaria amethystina (all native to pines). G. glutinosus has been reported to absorb – via the mycelium – and concentrate radioactive Cesium 137 more than 10,000-fold over ambient background levels. Many other mycorrhizal mushroom species also hyper-accumulate.
• Wait until mushrooms form and then harvest them under Radioactive HAZMAT protocols.
• Continuously remove the mushrooms, which have now concentrated the radioactivity, particularly Cesium 137, to an incinerator. Burning the mushroom will result in radioactive ash. This ash can be further refined and the resulting concentrates vitrified (placed into glass) or stored using other state-of-the-art storage technologies.

By sampling other mushroom-forming fungi for their selective ability to hyper-accumulate radioactivity, we can learn a great deal while helping the ecosystem recover. Not only will some mushroom species hyper-accumulate radioactive compounds, but research has also shown that some mycorrhizal fungi bind and sequester radioactive elements so they remain immobilized for extended periods of time. Surprisingly, we learned from the Chernobyl disaster that many species of melanin-producing fungi have their growth stimulated by radiation.

The knowledge gained through this collaborative process would not only benefit the areas affected by the current crisis, but would also help with preparedness and future remediation responses.

How long would this remediation effort take? I have no clear idea but suggest this may require decades. However, a forested national park could emerge - The Nuclear Forest Recovery Zone - and eventually benefit future generations with its many ecological and cultural attributes.

I do not know of any other practical remedy. I do know that we have an unprecedented opportunity to work together toward solutions that make sense.

For references, please consult Paul's latest book, Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World or his website www.fungi.com. 

Cellfood - The Amazing Oxygen Supplement

Improve your health with nascent oxygen

Cellfood® is a safe, prescription-free oxygen supplement that has been used successfully by people all over the world for more than 40 years. Cellfood® is a proprietary blend of 78 ionic minerals, 34 enzymes, 17 amino acids including 8 essential amino acids, electrolytes and nascent oxygen suspended in an acidic solution of deuterium sulfate. It is a result of a long research that was first conceived and conducted by Everett L. Storey. 

Everett L. Storey was a scientist involved in the secret American war project known today as the Manhattan Project. He invented the technology that was used to develop the triggering mechanism of the hydrogen bomb. Like many other scientists of the era, he become disenchanted with the results of his work and decided to devote his intellectual powers to peaceful research. Exposed to high radiation during the bomb tests, Storey developed radiation sickness and was wasting from it. However, he created an unique nutritional supplement and was able to cure himself. He was 74 when he died in 1984.

One area of Storey's expertise was the practical application of the deuterium - the only non-radioactive isotope of hydrogen. He believed that the same technology that was used to develop the hydrogen bomb could practically save human lives. Around 1956 he created a formula, that was later given the name Cellfood, and was convinced that his creation was the ultimate solution to end human suffering from disease.

Cellfood® is used to enhance and restore optimal bodily functions. Because of its high Zeta potential and its colloidal structure and composition, Cellfood® is compatible with body fluids such as blood, lymph, and the cerebro-spinal and synovial fluids. Many preexisting conditions can be improved or alleviated because Cellfood® creates aerobic environment in the body and helps the body to mobilize its own defenses. After ingestion it is quickly absorbed through the mucosa. It delivers nutrients and oxygenates and detoxifies the body at the cellular level. It helps to restore the proper body pH and has the remarkable ability to amplify the absorption of other nutrients in the body. 

Cellfood® has the unique potential to split the water molecule in the body into nascent oxygen and nascent hydrogen. Nascent oxygen is a negatively charged singlet atom of oxygen (O-) that binds in the body with the positively charged singlet atom of oxygen (O+) and forms the O2 molecule thus preventing a cascade reaction from so called reactive oxygen species. The O2 molecule binds for instance with the carbon in the body and produces CO2 that is eliminated from the body via the respiratory tract. Nascent hydrogen is used by the body in many bodily processes. Among others, it is used by the body for lubrication, osmosis, transportation of nutrients, reconstruction of the immune system, and in response to systemic inflammation. 

Supplementation with Cellfood® is very easy. The initial dose is eight drops of the concentrate dissolved in a glass of purified water. This dose should be increased to eight drops three times a day taken in a glass of purified water. Because of its acidic taste, some people prefer to take it in a glass of freshly squeezed grape or carrot juice. The mixture should not be allowed to "sit". It should be drunk immediately. It is best taken on empty stomach about 30 minutes before or one hour after a meal. Because Cellfood® increases the absorption of other nutrients, nutritional supplements can be taken about five minutes after the ingestion of Cellfood®.

Cellfood® can be used for detoxification as it initiates the natural detoxification processes in the body. Toxins that have been locked in the body are being released gradually without any distress to the elimination organs. It is important to drink 8-10 glasses of purified water a day and increase the amount if necessary. The initial detoxification dose can be as high as thirty drops a day taken in a glass of purified water. In order to avoid the Herxheimer reaction in the body, the dose should be increased gradually over a period of time after the body's pH has been restored to the optimal 6.4 level. Although Cellfood® can be safely ingested in higher amounts, it is not recommend to begin with high doses as this would lead to toxic overload due to rapid detoxification.

Because Cellfood® facilitates absorption of other nutrients, other products have been developed on the base of Cellfood® concentrate:

• Cellfood® Silica
• Cellfood® Natural Weight Loss Formula
• Cellfood® DNA/RNA (formulation I have only seen in South Africa)
• Cellfood® 100% RDA Multivitamin Spray
• Cellfood® SAM-e Formula
• Cellfood® Skin Oxygen Gel

There are very few supplements on the market that could measure up to Cellfood®. It not only works on the physical level, but helps to restore mental faculties and emotional well being. Taken before sleep, it helps the body to restore and relax completely during the night.

By Dominique Allmon

*This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or cure a disease. Please, consult your health care provider before commencing supplementation.

Cellfood - The Amazing Oxygen Supplement by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Natural Treatments for Radiation Exposure

Nascent iodine

Even relatively modest doses of radiation can increase the risk that a person will develop thyroid cancer at some point in life. There's a delay between exposure and cancer that can run 10 to 20 years. - Dr. Rigual

Nuclear power plant disasters like the Chernobyl reactor explosion in 1986 or the most recent disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant make us aware about the dangers of radioactive exposure.

Radiation is colorless, odorless, tasteless and chemically inert and can only be detected with a Geiger counter. Any amount of radiation is potentially dangerous because of its effect on the living cells. Radiation can disrupt normal chemical processes within the cells and cause abnormal growth or cell death. Cells that are affected by the radiation divide and produce more abnormal cells. This pathological division may eventually lead to cancer.

Our bodies have the amazing capability to heal themselves. When we are exposed to low doses of radiation, healthy cells are able to repair the damage rapidly. Cells that died due to exposure are replaced by the body. If we, however, are exposed to very high doses of radiation, the body may not be able to replace the damaged cells fast enough and tissues or organs may fail to function properly. This is when the radiation sickness sets in.

More than sixty radioactive elements are found in nature, but most people are unaware that they are exposed to radiation on a daily basis. Radiation is present everywhere and there is no way to escape it. There are three different types of radiation:

• terrestrial radiation - emitted by the rocks, soil, oceans, and plants. Radioactive elements enter our bodies when we drink water, breath air, or eat foods which contain them. The naturally occurring radioisotopes such as carbon-14, potassium-40, thorium-223, polonium-218, uranium-238 and its decay product radon-222, are the elements that cause exposure to radiation from within our bodies.
• cosmic radiation - is the results from the interaction of cosmic rays with the upper atmosphere of our planet. Cosmic rays permeate the entire Space and are composed of highly energized, positively charged particles and high energy photons. They approach the earth at the speed that almost equals the speed of light. Most of these particles are blocked by the earth's atmosphere and the magnetic field, but many are able to penetrate and form radioactive isotopes that affect us daily. The exposure grows with the altitude. High mountain peaks and high altitude intercontinental flights receive the highest dose of cosmic radiation.
• man-made radiation - is the radiation caused by human activities and is found in many areas of our daily lives, often where we do not even expect it: our building materials such as bricks and cement may contain uranium ores and are sources of the deadly radon gas; tobacco products contain radioactive polonium-210 which naturally occurs in tobacco plants; commercial food irradiation; radiation from computers and television screens, cell phones, medical diagnostic technology such as X-rays and CAT scans, and the full body scanners at the airports, contributes to the daily cumulative exposure; fission products from weapons testing; nuclear waste from fission reactors; nuclear power plants disasters that add another dimension to our daily lives as fallout is highly radioactive and has immediate cell damaging potential. 

The dangers of radiation are well understood by the medical and the scientific communities. In order to determine the damage caused by radiation, a total dose resulting from repeated exposures to ionizing radiation over a period of time has to be established.

Radiation has a cumulative effect which means that even if we were never exposed to a radioactive fallout from a nuclear power plant, the damage results from our exposure to different forms of radiation over longer periods of time. This is the reason why people who, for instance, work at nuclear facilities or who operate x-ray machines have to be constantly monitored.

Since we are naturally exposed to radiation, additional exposure should be limited to an absolutely necessary minimum.

Nuclear fallout, however, comes unannounced and carries far more deadlier radiation than any other source, with the exception of an atomic bomb, of course. Cesium-137 and iodine-131 are the radioactive particles that contaminate the environment after a nuclear fallout. As these particles are carried by the winds, they can contaminate vast areas thus affecting people who do not live in the immediate vicinity of a nuclear disaster.

Fortunately, the atomic incidents are rather rare, but since they occurred in the past, we have gathered enough experience in the field of treatment and prevention. Traditionally few very effective supplements and herbs were used to prevent the body from the possible effects of radiation or to "detox" the body after exposure. They offer simple and natural solution and are quite effective and rather inexpensive.

Natural treatments for radiation exposure:

• iodine - is one of the most important natural antidotes to radiation. Our bodies need iodine for the optimally functioning thyroid gland which utilizes it to produce metabolism regulating hormones. Unfortunately, the thyroid cannot tell the difference between the radioactive iodine-131 and the beneficial form of iodine that is normally found in natural sea salt and in sea vegetables. This is most unfortunate as the radioactive iodine attaches itself to iodine receptors in the thyroid causing mutation and cell death and, eventually, cancer. Supplemental iodine, which usually comes in a strongly bound form of potassium iodide, is usually administered to prevent the damage from exposure to the radioactive iodine. The bound forms of iodine, however, are biologically inefficient as the body is able to absorb only about 20 percent of this nutrient. For a better protection nascent iodine is the preferred choice. Nascent iodine supplements deliver iodine in its atomic form which is easily absorbed and utilized by the thyroid gland. It is important to understand that supplemental iodine can only protect against radioactive iodine, but does not protect against other radioactive particles such as cesium and strontium.
• sodium bicarbonate - a substance also known as baking soda, is the best means to minimize the kidney damage caused by the uranium exposure. Oral doses or infusions of sodium bicarbonate help alkalize the urine and render uranium ions less toxic to the kidneys. Sodium bicarbonate binds with uranium and promotes its excretion from the body thus reducing the severity of the damage caused by radiation. Sodium bicarbonate can also be added to bath water for a full body detoxifying effect. The suggested amount is one pound for a low grade exposure and up to five  pounds for an acute radiation exposure. Sodium bicarbonate is also very effective in removing uranium from contaminated surfaces and from the soil.
• sweet water algae - micro-algae such as spirulina and chlorella have been used with great success by the Russian doctors to treat patients after the nuclear reactor explosion in Chernobyl. Micro-algae are very rich in nutrients and have the capability to bind to toxins and sweep them out of the body. They alkalize and purify the blood and restore its chemistry. The algae also enhance the immune system that is normally compromised by radiation.
• seaweeds - especially kelp, are rich in sodium alginate - a polysaccharide which binds to radioactive strontium and removes it from the body. Sea vegetables are also rich in iodine and help prevent uptake of the radioactive iodine. Other nutrients such as vitamin B 12, iron, sulfur, and zinc, inhibit the absorption of radioactive cobalt, plutonium, sulfur and zinc particles. 
• medicinal mushrooms - mushrooms such as reishi and maitake enhance the immune system after the exposure to radiation and prevent tumors from forming in the body. They also protect the DNA from the damage caused by ionizing radiation. Mushrooms are rich in beta-glucans that are known to protect and restore the skin from the damage caused exposure to radiation. 
• Korean ginseng - is an herb that increases mental and physical endurance. It has the capability to inhibit tumor growth and prevent hemorrhage after exposure to radiation. It prevents the degeneration of bone marrow and stimulates formation of new white blood cells.
• organic sulfur - inhibits the uptake of radioactive sulfur. It also enables transport of oxygen across the cell membranes thus contributing to a fast regeneration of the damaged cells. The mineral has the ability to detoxify heavy metals and neutralize free radicals. It is a building block of many amino-acids that are necessary to restore the damaged body tissues.  
• liquid zeolite - especially the clinoptilolite which can absorb all kinds of toxins and help remove radiation not only from the human or animal bodies, but also from the affected environment. Clinoptilolite was successfully used to clean up the radioactive damage after the Three Mile Island incident and in Chernobyl. Because of their molecular structure and the negative charge, zeolites are able to absorb positively charged mercury, aluminum, cadmium, lead, arsenic, and radioactive ions of uranium and plutonium. Zeolites trap these and other substances like a sponge and carry them out of the body without causing any additional damage to the body.

As I mentioned above, our bodies can heal themselves. A healthy body with a strong immune system is capable of correcting any damage. We can support our bodies with balanced nutrition, regular detoxification, proper relaxation and stress management. Daily diet should be supplemented with vitamins and antioxidants to protect the body from free radicals that are generated by the radiation.

We cannot escape radiation, but we can protect our genetic substance from the damage caused by it at least to some degree. People working in nuclear power plants, miners, submarine personnel, flight crews, and those who are in daily contact with medical diagnostic technology should take extra care and undergo regular detoxification.

By Dominique Allmon 

P.S.

Some foods are naturally radioactive. Bananas, for instance, contain natural potassium, which includes the naturally radioactive isotope potassium-40. The same is true of the human body. What physicists miss, but no biologist would, is that potassium in the human body is homeostatically regulated, so regardless of how many bananas you eat, the amount of potassium-40 in your body is constant. Therefore, your radiation dose is constant regardless of your banana intake. Things change when we are exposed to radioactivity from a nuclear plant fallout. No dose can be considered harmless.

*This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.

Natural Treatments for Radiations Exposure by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Spring Detox Program

 Master Cleanse

Change of seasons is a good time for reconstruction and renovation. As Winter comes to its end, we should consider a detoxification program for our bodies. This will help the body not only to remove the toxins accumulated during the cold winter months, but also to shed pounds and prepare immune system for the coming spring when many allergy sufferers are affected by the pollen released from the plants coming back to life.

You might already have your own detoxification routine, but if this is your first time, take a special care of doing it gently as there is a chance of so called Herxheimer Reaction or a healing crisis. The healing crisis occurs when the body is detoxifying too rapidly and toxins are released faster than the body can eliminate them. Nausea, headache, vomiting and overall malaise are the most common symptoms. To avoid such reactions you should prepare your body for your detox program. More about this later.

In our daily life we are exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals and the number is on the rise. Our environment, our food and water supplies are flooded with damaging compounds that negatively affect our bodily functions, suppress our immune system and disrupt our hormonal balance.

Most health problems are related either directly or indirectly to toxicity and over-acidity of the body. The food we eat and the water we are drinking regularly may not be supplying our bodies with alkalizing substances necessary for detoxification and the body, unable to process and detoxify all the noxious substances, is storing them in our fat tissue. Often weight gain is the result. Detoxification begins with nutrition. Now is the time to scrutinize your eating habits. To avoid the healing crisis you should gradually remove sugar, caffeine and alcohol from your diet, as well as all the unnatural and processed foods that contain additives and preservatives. Choose organic produce whenever you can and add more fresh fruit and vegetables to you diet. Especially when consumed raw, fruit and vegetables contain vitamins, alkalizing minerals and enzymes necessary for the proper function of all bodily systems, as well as fiber necessary for the stimulation of the bowel elimination. Regular bowel movement is important and necessary for the elimination of toxins via the digestive tract.

It is also vital that you examine what you are putting on your skin. Unless certified organic, most personal care products contain dozens of harmful, often cancerogenic chemicals. Check the labels carefully and discard everything that may cause more harm than good. If unsure, visit Skin Deep Website to find out how safe the products you are using are.

There are also excellent household cleaning products and detergents that will help you to reduce the exposure to harmful chemicals in your own home. To help the kidneys to function properly, drink 10 - 12 glasses of purified water. 

Start your day with the Master Cleanse: a glass of hot water mixed with the juice of half organic lemon, one teaspoon of organic maple syrup and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This will activate your liver's detoxifying function and help alkalize your body.

 

Skin brushing, sauna, steam baths, alternate hot and cold showers will help your blood circulation.

To get your lymph moving some form of exercise is necessary. Refrain from heavy workout during your detox program. Try yoga, tai qi or walking, instead. Mini trampoline jumping is considered to be the best lymph flow stimulating exercise. Be gentle to your body as it is working hard to remove and eliminate the toxins that were stored in the tissues for too long.

To support the detoxification process and help eliminate the healing crisis, you may want to use the foot detox patches. This is an excellent non-invasive product that removes the toxins from your body while you sleep. It is a well known method of detoxification in Asia, especially Japan, based on the ancient poultice formulas. The product stimulates blood circulation and the lymph flow and draws the toxins out of the body. The patches should be used every night, on both feet for the course of three to four weeks.

Although you should eliminate as much medication as possible and only take what is absolutely necessary for your condition, you may consider taking natural supplements to support your body's detoxifying processes. There is a multitude of products out there and it may be difficult for you to chose the right ones.

Remember to relax and get a good quality of sleep. Detoxify your mind from all the negativity and stress.

Stress is one of the most misunderstood toxic factors. An unnatural tension that is present in the body over extended periods of time has negative side effects like hyper-acidity and toxic colon, that are felt throughout the entire system. Proper relaxation is necessary for your body to perform the detoxifying action.

Good health is attainable. It is within your rich, but you have to commit yourself to supporting your own body and make some lifestyle changes. Detoxifying and cleansing your body from inside out on regular bases, at least twice a year, will help you eliminate many ailments and lose weight if you need to. And you will see the results immediately: increased energy, improved cognitive function, strong immune system. You will not only lose some unwanted weight, you will look and feel younger, your skin will have a better tone, and you will have more energy to enjoy outdoor activities.

By Dominique Allmon  

 

Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.  

AI generated image source here 


Spring Detox Program by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.