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Tag Archives: Digestive Health

Benefits of Green Tea

Introduction

Do you know that green tea has amazing health benefits? If not, where have you been hiding?

Japanese green tea

It is bonkers how beneficial green tea can be. The ability to lose weight, possibly prevent cancer, promote healthy teeth, and lower cholesterol, makes this tea, truly a miracle worker.

In recent times, the benefits of green tea have been widely reported in the media. In most cases, green tea enthusiasts base their opinions on personal experiences with the beverage, but it seems to be accepted globally that this is a healing tea.

China has long consumed green tea due to its miraculous properties.

In China, green tea is used to treat a wide range of ailments, from headaches to cancer prevention. Green tea has many health benefits, which are being revealed through various health studies. Although not a cure all, we are learning more and more about the use of this herbal tea every day. Many studies even have been shown to isolate out the healing properties of green tea such as the natural antioxidants.

In what ways can green tea benefit your life?

Four of green tea’s most significant benefits can substantially change your life.

  1. Weight Loss – The First Health Benefit of Green Tea
Healthy nutrition and weight loss.

As a result of the high polyphenol concentration in green tea, fat is oxidized, and thermogenesis is encouraged.

During thermogenesis, the body burns calories. Due to green tea’s energy boost, which raises the metabolism, more weight may be lost than normal.

Compared to most other beverages consumed in the morning, green tea contains fewer calories than most others.

In comparison to green tea, daily calories are higher if coffee is consumed daily as most people’s morning drink.

By switching from coffee to green tea, you might reduce your waistline significantly.

  1. Having healthy teeth is the second way in which green tea benefits you.
Lady eating healthy salad

Due to one of its ingredients, fluoride, green tea is said to help keep teeth clean.

Bacteria that cause plaque are killed by fluoride in the mouth due to its antimicrobial properties. According to Dentists, fluoride helps to maintain healthy, cavity-free teeth and prevents general tooth decay. Consuming green tea has been shown to improve tooth health significantly.

There are however a number of studies about fluoride, opposing its benefits and you may want to read around that if it concerns you, or just ensure that you do not drink too much green tea in that case. You may feel though that the other benefits of green tea outweigh the fluoride content.

Unlike coffee, which discolors the teeth with a yellow tinge, this will not stain the teeth like that.

  1. Green tea is believed to help prevent cancer as its third benefit

One of the benefits of green tea

Various studies have proven that green tea is an effective way of preventing free radical damage to the body.

Cancer and ageing are caused by free radicals.

The polyphenols found in green tea constantly monitor free radicals to prevent them from being formed into unstable oxygen molecules, in a process referred to as oxidation.

Upon oxidation of cells, proper tissue is damaged and has been related to ailments such as cancer, heart disease, and strokes.

In addition to preventing premature cell division and inflammation, green tea polyphenols have been shown to destroy most cancer-causing agents.

  1. Green Tea has a fourth benefit – it lowers cholesterol
Take care of your heart

High cholesterol sufferers may find relief from the effects of green tea.

Bad cholesterol is often linked to heart attacks and green tea may be able to reduce this high risk. During the circulating process of LDL cholesterol in the body, heavy deposits may be formed in the arteries. When a person drinks green tea, their levels of bad cholesterol, such as LDL cholesterol, drop. This is due to the various catechins present in green tea which are able to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Further, the catechins improve the body’s overall health by maintaining a healthy ratio of good to bad cholesterol.

Benefit of Green Tea Conclusion

If weight loss, cancer prevention, healthy teeth, and a low cholesterol level do not convince you that green tea is a miracle worker, you must be working with some pretty powerful spells.

A couple of cups of tea a day may help significantly decrease the risk of developing a few other health problems too.

Currently, the only side effect is possible excess caffeine, resulting in increased heart rate and blood pressure but one would have to drink a lot of tea for that. However, like anything with caffeine, it’s important to just be mindful not to overdo it.

The use of green tea extract has provided a solution to this problem.

It is possible to take green tea tablets with all its benefits.

I certainly love my morning cuppa with a dash of lemon, so let’s see if this is enough to convince you to start drinking green tea every day from now!

Disclaimer

Article for entertainment and information purposes only and is not meant to treat cure or diagnose. Please see your doctor if you are suffering from any of the above or associated issues. If you would like to see if it makes sense to add green tea to your healthcare regimen or if you would like a GMP certified brand of Green Tea please scheudule a complimentary wellness visit here.

 

 

The Guide to Reducing Toxic Load in Your Skin Care Routine

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Over the last few years, increased popularity has been created around detoxification. Everyone is clamming and sometimes desperate to try the new detox fad, product, or service with many overpromises and minimal scientifically based deliveries. Being in natural healthcare for 17 years, I have seen my fair share of potions and products with new ones being presented every day. However, people do not realize in order to detoxify themselves they may not need to spend $99.99 on autoship every month to decrease their toxic load.

What is toxic load? Toxic load is the bioaccumulation of all of the various environmental toxins found within our environment. These toxins are delivered in microdoses in products here and products there. As the body is being exposed to these microdoses commonly found in many beauty and skin care products it bioaccumulates and is distributed throughout the bloodstream. As it travels throughout the bloodstream and collects via internal organs such as the liver, lungs, kidneys, etc over time (and with additional lifestyle habits) can contribute to imbalances in health known as disease processes.

What are these toxins? Avoiding things such as triclosan, triclocarban in soaps. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol in hand sanitizers, Aerosol sprays in various sunscreens and topical agents, as well as formaldehyde DBP found in nail colors. This, of course, is not an exhaustive list of all of the harsh chemical and toxic agents found in many popular skin care products. I am very much a proponent of the environmental working group, an independent research lab. Companies pay to have their products tested and evaluated by this lab to educate the public about their efficacies and safeties. Those companies that do not elect to be featured on the site, by not having their products publicly tested are simply making a statement to their concern for public insight as to what potential harm their products may do to their concern over long-term use. Therefore, if I do not have a long and trusted relationship with the company then I choose not to use them unless their products have been thoroughly tested.

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What are some of the “Safe Companies”? I personally use Neal’s Yard for my skin care needs and find that their commitment to natural quality products that work well are bar nun. I have used them for years and simply love the way their products make my skin feel. I have no after effects of soap film or feelings of grit after use. I love their combinations of essential oils as well with their skin care products. I also love Young Living and am delighted that they have now added a makeup line. I have used their essential oils for years and am pleased with their seed to seal promise as well as the efficacies they carry with their products. What are some non-product ways to reduce the toxic load? Naturally the cleaner you eat the better yours kin will look. Drinking clean filtered water, as well as organic fresh foods, help maintain the life and health of your skin. And since the majority of your immune system is housed in your gut knowing that most of the health of the skin depends on the foods that are placed within the digestive system.

Juicing is also another way to clean out the inflammation as well as waste trapped within the cells that bog the skin down and make it looking unwell. I encourage you to attend one of our upcoming Wellness Classes where I will educate you on the digestive system and its relationship with the skin. In our upcoming classes, we will learn more about the digestive process as well as how you can become more empowered with clearing out your skin once and for all.

*All information contained in this blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.

How to Improve your Gut Health and Acne for Clear Skin

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All information about gut health and acne contained in this blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.

Learn how to improve your gut health and acne:

This month we have been focusing all on the skin. Various people are challenged with skin conditions. Some people suffer from dry skin, blemished skin, rashes, pumps, and the dis-ease processes that have manifested itself in the skin. But did you know that skin conditions do not often begin there? In fact, it has been found that many skin conditions are merely an expression of underlying root causes found in the digestive system. The digestive system houses the majority of the hormonal, nervous, and more importantly the immune system.

Once the immune system begins to develop immunological reactions it begins to manifest itself in the skin. Imbalances in the microbiome or the sensitive bacterial ecosystem found in the digestive system can lead to long-term chronic skin disorders. Gut flora can become compromised for various reasons. Poor diet, stress, inadequate sleep, heavy medication or antibiotic usage, poor digestion, and/or food sensitivities are just some of the many causes of skin imbalances. As these causes begin to erode the lining of the digestive system known as the secretory IgA, the lining becomes more permeable allowing toxicities to leak through into the bloodstream. This mechanism is often termed as leaky gut when the lining of the digestive system is allowing toxins to leak through into the bloodstream.

Over time, these immune system invaders seep into the bloodstream and can create many skin imbalances. When speaking with practice members who suffer from skin imbalances, I often describe first healing the GI system from the top down. The top meaning what the person is eating to how they are breaking down that diet to their digestion and assimilation as well as their elimination process. If there are imbalances along the way it can impair the body’s ability to break down digest and assimilate food creating issues within the digestive system.

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Advanced testing is now available to uncover these imbalances right away in order to heal the burdens on the skin once and for all. Dunwoody Labs provides a comprehensive state of the art food sensitivity test that uncovers IgG, IgA, and IgM food responses. This takes the guesswork out of figuring out which foods the body is reacting to in order for the patient to eliminate them completely for a period of time. Dunwoody Labs advanced intestinal permeability test, looks at the lining of the digestive system and helps to understand what things are affecting the lining of the GI system.

Great Plains OAT test or Organic Acid testing helps to understand digestion, assimilation, and absorption of macro as well as micronutrients, while Greta Plains Comprehensive Stool Panel helps to discern any microorganisms that are present within the system that needs to be addressed. We offer these state of the art Functional Laboratory Assessments to help determine and address the root causes of why the body is out of balance.

Sometimes these lab panels can be covered under major medical insurances or can be paid for with an in-office payment plan. These lab tests provide incredible insight in terms of what is out of balance with the person and what needs to be addressed so the skin conditions can clear up once and for all.

*All information contained in this blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.

Signs of an Unhealthy Gut and How to Heal it Naturally

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As a naturopath, I often work with people’s digestive system. Mostly because everything is interconnected to it. Our hormone, neurological, and even our immune system is housed in the majority of our digestive system. Our digestive system is the center of our bodies, also in the region of personal power, self-worth, self-love, and self-acceptance. If our digestive system is unhealthy our entire systems are unhealthy. Gas, pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation is just apart of the symptoms often associated with an unhealthy digestive system. Gut imbalances have also been linked to hormonal imbalances, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, eczema, and other chronic health problems. Understanding how the food we eat, and how we break down and assimilate that food is key to beginning the process of healing ourselves. Having food allergies or sensitivities to foods may just be a sign that your digestive system is off balance. Anxiety, depression, mood swings, and irritability may also be chief indicators of digestive imbalances, particularly to the gut flora. Poor memory, concentration, focus, and brain fog are also contributing symptoms when an overabundance of yeast is present in the system. Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, as well as conditions relating to the metabolism, are also generated from poor digestive health. As if these symptoms were not enough frequent infections, chronic yeast infections, autoimmune diseases, and chronic illness are all contributed to a lack of healthy bacteria int he digestive system.

The first step in healing the digestive system is to be mindful of what foods we put into our system. Eliminating proinflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and sugar is often recommended when cleaning the digestive system. It is often not necessary to abstain from these foods forever, yet it is recommended to abstain for awhile while the body heals and repairs itself. As we rebalance the digestive system’s bacterias the body will heal itself and then allow for the body to reintroduce certain foods back into the system. The digestive system tends to appreciate variety, so eating the same foods over and over again does not tend to be recommended as the body begins to develop sensitivities to the foods. This could be because of a variety of reasons such as the herbicides, pesticides, as well as the advent of GMOs in our food. Understanding the current infections is helpful in rebalancing the digestive system. Running a comprehensive stool panel to determine bacterias, parasites, yeasts, and dysbiotic bacterias are key to creating a healthy gut ecology. These infections can be old or new infections and often times viruses the body has been exposed to years ago such as Epstein Barr remain dormant and hinders the entire system from healing. repairing the digestive process including the lining of the digestive system is also important to healing the mucosal barriers of the system.

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Replacing digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, B complexes, carnitine, and bile acids that may be lacking support the bodies ability to break down digest, and assimilate whole foods eaten. Without these digestive supportive aids at times the body is not able to break down the food and thus creates unhealthy bacterias in the digestive system. Once the digestion and assimilation process is repaired now the body is ready for reinoculation of healthy bacterias. Understanding the current digestive microbiome and which strains of probiotics are in the system, which ones need growth, and which ones are in abundance can all be found in a comprehensive stool panel. I tend to not recommend things like Kombucha, or Kimchi unless you know the strains being grown as you may or may not know if the strains play well with one another.

Lastly repairing the lining of the digestive system by renourishing the lining with nutrients such as L-Glutamine, as well as other key nutrients such as zinc, vitamin a, c, e and various herbs such as licorice root or slippery elm. repairing and healing the lining is critical in reducing effects of leaky gut, a condition to which the lining of the gut has been compromised allowing toxicity to leaky through into the bloodstream. Autoimmune conditions are prone to this such as those conditions such as arthritis or thyroiditis as the toxicities normally contained in the gut is now leaky into the bloodstream connecting with either endocrine organs or joint capsules. Repairing this linign of the digestive system will prevent any future damages to these axillary organs and depending on the severity of the immune system compromise can repair the other aspects. This is why prevention and swift action is so critical at any given moment the body is either generating health or generating disease process. The trick is to prevent the disease process by building health int he body at all times. We can create a program to help restore your health one step at a time in our practice. By scheduling a first visit in our practice you can move forward in healing your digestive system, preventing many related auxiliary conditions such as fatigue or acne. It is often more difficult, time consuming, and frustrating to treat a manifestation of disease process rather than preventing one from occurring to begin with so even if you do not have a symptom it is important to support the bodies ability to heal itself one step at a time. Currently we offer a complimentary 15 mins wellness visit to assess your health concerns and educate you about the benefits of natural healthcare. Together we can heal your body and heal your life one step at a time.

All information contained in this blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is neither intended nor suited to be a replacement or substitute for professional medical treatment nor for professional medical advice relative to a specific medical question or condition.