Toxins are a Hidden Factor in Slow Metabolism

Researchers and medical experts recently uncovered a disturbing fact. Toxins from your food, water, and environment can make you gain weight.  They call these toxins obesogens. From blood sugar imbalance to insulin resistance and more, toxins can change your metabolism and may just be the reason you can’t shed excess weight like you used to.  If you’ve ever struggled with stubborn fat, where diet and exercise aren’t working like you think they should… it’s time to focus on detox.  The body is smart and does not want environmental toxins in the organs so there's two places it goes: into the fat cells and into joints. If it goes into our fat we gain weight in an unexplainable way and if it goes into our joints we will have joint pain or stiffness that will eventually lead to arthritis.  Helping you detox is how we can help! 

We use muscle testing to identify what specifically needs detoxing.  Using homeopathic vials we test for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, food sensitivities, parasites, candida, and bad gut flora like bacteria, and viruses.  For more details on what we test for visit: www.muscletestingnyc.com.  No matter what your health concern is we muscle test all these toxins on every visit.  The whole point of health in our office is to help the body detox and with the right nutrition your body can heal.  

Once we identify the toxin stressing out the body we then muscle test for the supplement that is going to help detox.  The majority of supplements we use come from an organic farm in Wisconsin called Standard Process. We truly believe food is medicine and giving the body the right nutrition can help so many of your symptoms and also prevent disease.  If you are observing the health of your parents and want to prevent going down the same road as them know that there is hope.  For example, detoxing aluminum not only helps the brain function better, helping our dementia and Alzheimer’s patients but it also helps prevent Alzheimer’s.  Another example is for both men and women, detoxing plastic at any age below 45 helps with fertility and hormones. 

Besides using organic food supplements from Standard Process we also use BIND from Systemic Formulas.  Detoxing does not have to cost $3,000+ in I.V. chelation.  Besides the cost, I don’t prefer chelation because it forces the body to dump the toxins too fast which burdens the liver and kidneys and usually makes a patient feel worse before better.  In our wellness center the key is to help the body detox by supporting the body’s own detox pathways with the right food and supplements, not to force the body to get rid of toxins.

BIND is a powerful supplement that combines super-activated carbon with humates and key botanicals to efficiently bind and eliminate toxins. And while most activated charcoals interfere with nutrient absorption, BIND is designed to eliminate up to 300x its weight in toxins while providing critical minerals, not blocking their absorption.

If you think BIND can help you detox ask at your next visit.  Less toxins = better health.

8 Steps to Better Brain Health

Brain Health

Brain fog, lack of concentration, feeling tired, poor memory and headaches are all signs that your brain isn't getting the right nutritional support it needs.  Supporting the brain is not easy because of the blood-brain barrier that is a sheet of capillaries that carry blood to the brain and spinal cord that blocks the passage of certain substances.  This filtering system is important to keep toxins from reaching the brain and spinal cord but also doesn't allow many nutrients into the brain as well.

So what can we do to help the brain knowing that not all things can pass the blood-brain barrier?  Here is a list of my favorite things.  Everyone is different and may need different things for support so getting muscle tested is the key to figuring out exactly what you need.

1. Protein - A lack of protein in the diet can cause the brain to slow down.  If you are a vegetarian make sure you are eating enough protein and supplementing with vitamin B12.  The brain loves vitamin Bs and B12 can only be found in meat.  Another good supplement is a vegan supplement from Standard Process called RNA.  RNA is the building blocks of protein and this supplement can really help rebuild the brain at the cellular level.

2, Vetiver Essential Oil - The moment you smell something it goes into the brain because the olfactory nerve responsible for smell goes straight into the brain.  So any smell is fast acting and when you put vetiver oil in a diffuser or on your wrists it helps with boost energy levels when you’re exhausted. In addition, it’s used to cool the body during very high temperatures and soothe feelings of anxiety and nervousness.  Recent research credits vetiver oil for treating symptoms of ADHD and ADD maybe due to the relaxing component that it gives. It’s also known to increase libido and treat insomnia.

3. Bee pollen - It is a great brain booster, lifting brain fatigue, improving alertness and helping concentration levels over an extended period of time. Rich in the B vitamins; B1, B2 and B3 – these are essential for a healthy nervous system and powerful detoxifiers, especially to the brain. They are often referred to as “anti-stress” or “morale” vitamins - when the nervous system is working optimally anxiety and stress can be greatly lessened.  Bee pollen can be eaten raw or can be added to your favorite cereals, smoothies, yogurt or hot drink. I see most people test for 1-2 teaspoons a day as a daily dose.

4. Tuna omega-3 oil - The brain, being about 60% fat, is one reason why the body loves having the right fats in the diet.  Fish oil also has an incredible impact on the brain and I have seen it work wonders especially for mild memory loss and depression.  You do have to be careful to get a good brand, for tuna is known for mercury toxicity.  Standard Process and Nordic Naturals are both brands I trust for their fish oil.

5. Min Tran - It is a vegetarian product from Standard Process that contains iodine and other minerals to support emotional balance when you are stressed and the nervous system is too much in 'fight or flight' mode.  In this way it supports a healthy nervous system, eases stress, and calms us down.

6. Exercise it!  If you don't use it you lose it.  So play crossword puzzles, sudoko, trivia pursuit, read for fun, etc.  20 minutes a day or more.

7. Blueberries - When we follow a diet rich in plant-based foods, like blueberries it can help with dementia. In a recent study, researchers found healthy older adults (ages 65 to 77) who drank 30 milliliters of concentrated blueberry juice (the equivalent of 230 grams of berries), had a significant increase in brain activity, blood flow and even memory compared to the placebo group. Flavonoids, abundant in blueberries, are likely to be an important factor in what's causing these effects, which can lower dementia risk.

8. Drink water - One of the main reasons for a headache is dehydration.  So the moment you start feeling head pressure grab a tall glass of water and see that many times the pressure will dissipate.  On average you should be drinking 3 liters of water a day.  This can include herbal teas.

So start incorporating these 8 things in your daily life for better brain health.  

Turmeric Is a Brain Health Miracle

Are you concerned about maintaining the health of your brain as you age? I wasn't concerned until I read that by age 65, sadly 1 in 8 Americans will suffer from severe cognitive decline, and by age 80, an astonishing 1 in 2 will at the Alzheimers prevention website.

Researchers have been working for years to develop an effective treatment. But one "miracle" drug after another has failed to live up to its promises, and it's becoming more and more apparent that pharmaceuticals are not the solution. Unfortunately, the medical establishment is so narrowly focused on finding an elusive "cure" that scientifically proven prevention strategies are often ignored.

There are a number of natural brain protectors out there, but did you know that one herb has shown more promise when it comes to supporting your neurological system than any other medical finding to date? It's a scientific fact that curcumin, an antioxidant compound found in the root of the turmeric plant, is one of the most powerful natural brain protecting substances.

The hallmark process associated with certain types of cognitive decline is the formation in the brain of abnormal protein structures. Normally when malformed proteins are formed with the brain, the immune system sends out cells known as macrophages, which engulf and destroy the proteins. If this ordinary function fails, defective proteins accumulate in the brain and cognitive decline can follow.

Curcumin works by encouraging the immune system to send macrophages to the brain in order to destroy these abnormal proteins, restoring proper brain function.

For more information on how healthy turmeric can be for you read how turmeric helps with killing Candida and cancer and another blog on 8 reasons to drink golden milk or to add turmeric to your curries, apple cider vinegar drink, smoothies or in supplement form.