Beautiful Health * Detox Introduction

Have you ever felt you body not feeling right?  Fatigue, body aches, unable to digest the foods you eat?  Maybe unexplained headaches?  Skin is dry, breaking out, hair is falling out at an more frequent rate!? Your body could be developing a buildup of toxins, found in the food we eat, air we breathe and the products we use. Toxins may be heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, or other chemicals that don’t mesh well with our optimal health.

What Exactly are Toxins, and Where Do They Come From?

A toxin is defined as any substance that causes harmful effects to our body.  Normally, the immune system, liver and kidneys work together to remove toxins at the same rate as they are encountered.  When toxin levels are in excess of our body’s capacity to remove them, toxins build up and are stored until they are removed.  We can have toxins stored in our bodies for years without experiencing any negative symptoms, but once the burden of toxins becomes too high, we start to feel ill.  We may feel fatigue, headaches, dry and dull skin, experience an increase in allergies, insomnia, just to name a few possibilities.

Environmental Toxins

* Polluted air from factories

* Auto exhaust

* Solvents (paint and cleaning products)

* Heavy metals

* Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides

* Radiation

* Inhalants

Lifestyle Toxins

* Nicotine

* Alcohol

* Caffeine

* Recreational drugs

* Prescription drugs

* Over-the-counter drugs

* Artificial food additives, colorings and preservatives

* Meats that contain hormones and antibiotics

* Refined foods and sugars

* Dietary choices (fast foods, fried foods)

Internal Toxins

* Bacterial, yeast, fungal overgrowth

* By-products of metabolic reactions (such as carbon dioxide, ammonia, hormones)

* Undigested food

* Stress

* Unresolved trauma or abuse (experienced as a child or as an adult)

* Unhappy relationships (with a relative, a spouse, a “significant other”, a boss, a co-worker, a neighbor, etc.)

The Science Behind Phase I and II Liver Detoxification

The liver is an amazing organ.  Besides filtering the blood, storing glucose for energy, breaking down steroid hormones and producing/secreting bile, our liver plays a major role in detoxification.  This critical function relies on a two-step enzymatic pathway for the neutralization of unwanted toxic chemical compounds that our bodies encounter on a daily basis. These two pathways occur in series and are known as Phase I and II detoxification pathways.  When either or both of these pathways are not functioning properly, toxins pass through the liver unaffected and move into our blood circulation where they are deposited in various tissues of our body.  This can lead to symptoms such as digestive system disturbances, toxemia, hormonal changes, low energy, mood changes and high cholesterol

Implementing the Detox!

For 10 days you will follow a   specific eating plan. You will start by gently removing toxic products from your diet.  Days 5-7 are considered the core days where you will be eating very specifically and using the UltraClear product.  After the core days, we gently add back some of the more beneficial food groups. You are eating as this is not a starvation diet. Many suggestions and recipes are provided. After the detox, you will gently re-introduce foods to and be able determine what and how foods affect you. This is very powerful, as many foods cause inflammation, sinus issues, and even affect our emotions. You will notice that you feel great.

The product used, UltraClear, is a medical food designed to meet the heightened nutrient needs of individuals with impaired or compromised detoxification capacity, which may be associated with health conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and multiple chemical sensitivity. UltraClear is a low-allergy-potential, natural rice protein formula fortified with a specific blend of vitamins, minerals, and accessory nutrients to help promote healthy, balanced detoxification. UltraClear is also enriched with additional antioxidants to help protect against harmful free radicals that are generated during the detoxification process.

Remember, you do EAT during this process, please do not  include any diet habits less than 900 calories per day.

Contact Kassie with any questions at 612 824 7611.     kassiekuehl@Hotmail.com

What is your favorite Green SMOOTHIE?

Cleanse with GREEN SMOOTHIES!

Making smoothies at home saves time and money and you know exactly what is going into your body!

Add into your blender:

1. 1 1/2 cups fresh water

2. 2 cups leafy greens, kale/spinach/ collard greens, you choose

3. BLEND until it is a smooth color consistency

4. add in your fruits

5. add in some dried stevia leaf or honey if you need extra sweetener

6. Blend it all together

Get started with one of these GREEN combos, one for every day of the week:

1. Spinach, mango – simple and surprising!

2. Kale, pineapple, mango

3. Collard greens, pineapple, banana

4. Spinach, pears, apples and cinnamon spice

5. Banana, grapes and parsley

6. Kale, blueberries and bananas

7. Romaine, banana, orange juice & fresh ginger

Cheers!

Xenobiotics and Beautiful Health

Are you aware of what you are putting in your body or on your body? Do you know what most pesticides, herbicides and fungicides contain?

"NO?" Than you will be able to say yes by the end of this blog topic.

Let's spread some light about xenobiotics, what they are, what they are in, how they have an affect on the body and burden it over time, the many diseases and disorders linked to them and how to detoxify your body from them.

What Are Xenoiotics?

Xenobiotics are a foreign substance, derived from petroleum oil, that originate outside the human body, have hormone like and estrogen like activity in the body, and thus a profound impact on hormone balance. The molecular structure of a petrochemical contains the basic "key" to the hormone receptor "ignition " of the cell switching on the hormonal action, thus behaving as potent estrogens.

How does this concern you?

Estrogen in general tends to promote cell division, particularly in hormone-sensitive tissue such as breast and uterine lining, this is why they cause cancer. Now there are several reasons why women in particular suffer from estrogen dominance, some of them being birth control, menopause, pregnancy, increased stress levels, etc. but without getting into that what I would like to do is recognize that in line with the already high levels of estrogen to progesterone imbalances people are suffering from, we are swimming in a sea environmental xenoestrogens (xenobiotics)

The longer these foreign substances stay in the body the more opportunity they have to do damage. The bottom line is that the body has to detoxify these chemicals every day and over time this can become a burden.

How do they get into our bodies?

One source of oral intake of xenoestrogens is by way of animal fats , particularly red meat and dairy fats. Not only are these animals exposed to estrogenic substances as a means to fatten them up for market, they are further exposed to petrochemical pesticide, herbicides, and fungicides, potent xenobiotics, by way of the grains they eat. Billions of pounds of these substances are dumped on our fruits and vegetables every year.

Other common sources of xenobiotics are found in:

· Solvents and adhesive found in nail polish, paint removers and glue

· Emulsifiers and waxes found in soaps and cosmetics

· Nearly all plastics (ex. baby bottles, Tupperware, water bottles, food wrapped or packed in plastic, medicines

· Waste from sewage treatment plants

· Synthetic estrogens and progestins found in the urine of millions of women taking birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy that is flushed down the toilet and eventually works its way into the food chain

What are some things you can do to reduce your exposure to these harmful substances?

Now that you have a better understanding as to how these foreign substances may be getting into your body lets explore some things you can do to reduce your exposure.

1. First take a saliva lab (this test the active form of hormones vs blood which tests the inactive) to find out the cycle of all your hormones.

2. Eat organic fruits and vegetables, the more we, as consumers, demand organic produce the more likely it will be grown that way. Studies show that organic fruits and vegetables contain 50-80% more nutrients than conventionally raised produce

3. Eat hormone free, antibiotic free, free range meats and dairy products. Toxins are stored in fats and keep in mind that "you are what you eat"

4. Use alternative ways to garden in your homes. There are several simple, easy and cost effective methods of organic gardening and pest control.

5. Because it is so difficult to identify which plastics contain high levels of xenobiotics assume all do. Eliminate all plastic from your house. Use pyrex glassware, stainless steal water bottles, get drinking water delivered to your house or use a filtration system, eat organic and hormone free foods, switch to essential oils or organic hygiene, and household cleaning products.

6. GO GREEN!

7. If you are on a birth control or Rx medication, start to educate yourself on what this does to your gut, immune system, hormonal system...your entire body! The body is a system of systems and nothing is linear when you take it.

8. Start reading food labels so you know what you are putting in your body. You would be surprised how much of what you eat is 95% chemicals!

Some arguments:

1. It is in such a small amount, which will have no affect on us humans?

What we are not taking into account is the many ways we are being exposed to the EVERY day of EVERY year. So it is not the small amount, it is the sum of the small amounts and the overloading of the detoxification system of the body that makes them so harmful.

2. How are we supposed to eat, heat things up, drink water out of, etc?

a. Eat out of: use pyrex glassware b. Heating things up: use stove top, toaster oven or oven c. Bottles: You can use bottles from SIGG or from Canteen.com, which are stainless steel. d. Water: install a sink, fridge or entire house hold filtration system

Symptoms of Xenoestrogens:

Some symptoms include but are not limited to:

Allergies, decreased libido, depression, fatigue, water retention, infertility, miscarriage, osteoporosis, fat gain around the hips, waist and thighs, breast and cervical cancers, early menstruation cycles for young girls.... for more information visit www.drjohnleemd.com.

Reference: East/West Natural Health & Dr. John Lee