Rejuvenate your body with a spring cleanse
Seasonal detox flushes out hormone-disrupting toxins that make you fat. Male fish producing eggs, beluga whales with both male and female organs, male frogs turning into females - this is scary stuff! And now scientists are discovering similar problems in humans.
Seasonal detox flushes out hormone-disrupting toxins that make you fat.
Male fish producing eggs, beluga whales with both male and female organs, male frogs turning into females - this is scary stuff! And now scientists are discovering similar problems in humans.
"Testosterone levels are down 16 percent in men," researcher Theo Colburn, professor emeritus at the University of Florida in Gainesville, told NPR last week, "and sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 60 years." Environmental toxins in "practically everything we use" from herbicides, pesticides, PCBs, flame retardants, and plasticizers in food and water to toxins in cosmetics and household cleaners are to blame.
Just one type of pollutant, "endocrine disrupters are even more threatening than climate change," says Dr. Colburn, who has identified 966 different toxins impacting hormone health.
The impact on humans goes far beyond reproductive health - resulting in ADHD and learning problems, early onset and later cancer (particularly breast and prostate), diabetes, and the current obesity epidemic in both children and adults. Affecting the adrenal-hypothalamic-pituitary glands, endocrine disruption occurs before you realize that your health has been damaged.
Dr. Ann Louise's take:
I have been a big fan of Dr. Colburn's work ever since I read her landmark book, "Our Stolen Future," a modern day version of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking "Silent Spring."
And now we have a new term known as "obesogens," chemicals that promote obesity. Coined by Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D., a University of California developmental and cell biologist, obesogens include many endocrine disruptors, drugs such as DES (still used to fatten up cattle) and plastics like bisphenol.
This is one very important reason why I've been promoting safe, effective cleansing techniques for decades! Get rid of fattening toxins and you can help get rid of weight.
While spring is a traditional time to detox, you can promote long-term health - and eliminate dangerous toxins - throughout the year by adjusting your detox program to fit each season as Fat Flush for Life describes.
Spring (when the natural world is reawakening) is the prime time to support your body's main detoxification organs - the liver and gallbladder. Some symptoms that these detox organs may need a little boost:
• Chronic tension in neck and shoulder
• Fatigue, especially feeling tired and sleepy after eating
• Hormonal imbalances (PMS and hot flashes in perimenopause/menopause)
• Light-colored stools
• Nausea, especially after eating fatty foods
• Rib-cage sensitivity, particularly on the right side
• Waking up between 1 and 3 a.m.
Detox with spring greens
Nutrient-rich greens are the hallmark of spring, so enjoy plenty of arugula, burdock, cilantro, collards, dandelion greens, all varieties of lettuce, kale, mustard greens, parsley, spinach and watercress this time of year. Also include fresh sprouts (alfalfa, bean and broccoli) in your diet.
In Fat Flush for Life, I also recommend drinking one Green Life Cocktail daily. This drink is rich in cleansing and healing chlorophyll to help eliminate the negative effects of pollution and to block carcinogens.
You can use either wheat grass or the Liver-Lovin' Formula (containing chlorophyll, artichoke and the amino acid taurine, which boosts bile production). Another important ingredient in Green Life Cocktail is the natural sweetener Flora-Key to oxygenate and purify your system, promoting both elimination and the production of beneficial bacteria the body needs for enhanced immunity and weight loss.
A study published in Nature shows that good-guy bacteria (probiotics) help break down toxins and fight fat - where the body tends to store endocrine disrupters and other toxic chemicals. And other research links probiotics with weight loss.
Seasonal fat flush
To nourish your liver and gallbladder for spring, you'll also want to eliminate dairy - except for whey protein - and many heavy winter foods (like legumes and potatoes). Undenatured and unheated, Fat Flush Whey Protein is free of allergy-producing casein or lactose found in other dairy products. Dairy is mucus producing - something you definitely want to avoid this time of year.
You'll still need at least 8 ounces of cooked lean protein: fish and seafood (wild-caught whenever possible), grass-fed meat and free-range poultry - both hormone-free - and omega-enriched eggs. Don't forget slimming oils. For Spring Fat Flush, I recommend 2 tablespoons of High-Lignan Flaxseed Oil or fish oil daily. You may also want to spritz a little extra-virgin olive oil in an oil mister (like Misto) on your pans before cooking.
Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons - or 1 more during spring detox - of omega-3-rich Chia seeds onto eggs, salads, soups and veggies daily. Gluten-free, these nutrient-rich seeds are an excellent source of fiber - and are easily digested without the extra step of grinding.
In addition to low-glycemic fruits and veggies, include sea vegetables (agar, arame, hijiki, kombu, nori, sea palm forms, and/or wakame) in your diet to inhibit the absorption of toxic heavy metals. Or use 1/2 teaspoon of Seaweed Gomasio daily to season your food.
Other detox support
Dandelion root tea is the premier springtime herbal beverage, providing gentle liver decongestion by stimulating bile and helping to alleviate liver inflammation. If you have any of the liver or gallbladder symptoms mentioned earlier, drink one to two cups of this tea daily.
Other herbs to consider for spring detox include:
• Gentian root to stimulate the gallbladder
• Milk thistle, an antioxidant-rich herb that protects and helps rejuvenate the liver
• Oregon grape root to help clear up liver-related skin conditions like acne and psoriasis
• Yellow dock, a time-honored liver purifier and tonic.
Now that the weather is changing, try to balance your exercise routine between indoor and outdoor activities. Not only is spring's fresh air invigorating, but you can also catch some bone-building, immune-enhancing vitamin D rays. Sunlight also provides healthy stimulation to the optic nerve, which tones each and every organ in the body!
Sources:
• Fat Flush for Life
• The Fat Flush Plan
• http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/03/01_frogs.shtml
• www.hereandnow.org/#2
• www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=637169
• www.endocrinedisruption.com/home.php
• www.endocrinedisruption.com/files/HouseEC-Birnbaum-ED-FinalClearedWrittenTestimony.pdf
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20160124
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19348861
• www.coloradowomenslobby.org/news-and-resources-about-safe-cosmetics
Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the award-winning author of more than 30 books on health and nutrition and guest on many TV and radio programs. She resides in Kootenai County. Info: annlouise.com