Articles ¬ BEING WELL nEwsletter ¬ Spring Cleanse
Spring Cleaning
You are familiar with the concept for your home, but what about for your body? In Chinese medicine, the spring is believed to be the best time to strengthen the digestive and liver functions. It has been my experience that has showed that spring cleansing greatly decreases seasonal allergy symptoms, increases energy, lose a few pounds, break bad eating habits and is excellent for maintaining your good health.
There are many ways to cleanse your body. One gentle method is to have the juice of half a lemon, unsweetened in water 10 to 15 minutes before breakfast every morning. The sourness of the lemon stimulates bile and stomach acid production. Both the tastes sour and bitter aid in digestive and liver function.
Dandelion greens are an excellent food to get more of this time of year. You will find them the most palatable if picked before the flowers open, steamed with a little extra virgin olive oil. Dandelion has a chemical in it called inulin which helps to balance your blood sugar. If you can taste the sweetness from the inulin in dandelion greens that is a sign that you need them to help you cleanse.
Cleanses can be for a few days or a few weeks, really depending upon the type that you prefer to use. If you would like to look into this regime further, I can determine which cleanse would be best for you.
Heavy Metals
Do you have mercury amalgam fillings? Do you eat fish? Do you use aluminium pots for cooking or anti-perspirant? Have you lived in a home that contains pre-1970’s paint? Have you been exposed to any pressure- treated wood? Do you smoke tobacco? Answering yes to any of these questions may increase your risk of an accumulation of heavy metals in your body. This year I have incorporated hair analysis with more of my patients when their conditions are looking stubborn. I've been shocked to see how often these people are overloaded with more than one toxic metal.
At a very basic level the body actually requires small amounts of the metals that we often refer to as heavy or toxic. The problem comes when we have too much of these metals as they will kick out the more important ones that happen to be more difficult to absorb (e.g. calcium and iron). Numerous health issues can arise from an excess of heavy metals, depending on the amount and which metals are too high. Illnesses and symptoms that arise include; Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, MS, digestive disorders, thyroid issues and arteriosclerosis.
If you have ever wondered what your load of heavy metals is you may want to get a hair analysis test performed. Anamol Labs does the testing for us and screens for 38 elements, toxic and essential and also gives suggestions for where you may have picked the heavy metals up. I have natural products available for decreasing heavy metal load.
Food for Thought
Food is the most important medicine that you will ever use. An adult requires daily, for optimal functioning, at least 30 grams of fiber, 4 to 6 glasses of water, a variety of fruits and vegetables with a range of colors, as this signifies the variety of vitamins and minerals contained in each. It's best to have three meals and two snacks daily with snacks at mid-afternoon and before bedtime. Your goal is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% good quality fats.
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