detox

Auto-immunity, the what, where, why and how

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My favorite question is “why?”.  I ask it many times in my mind during an intake until I really get to the root causes of the health concern.  When we ask ourselves, our body, “why is this happening to me?”, we can often find the answers ourselves.  Our body is always trying to communicate to us what it needs and doesn’t need.  With awareness of the wisdom of the body, even in its dis-ease, we learn, grow, have hope, and enlighten ourselves and all that we touch.  We learn to trust the body, its vital energy to heal itself, and this leads to miraculous healing power emerging.  So this is a conversation, into the “why” of auto-immune disease.  Enjoy.

What are common auto-immune diseases?

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis

What causes auto-immunity?

It happens when our immune system sees our normal cells as foreign cells.

Why does this happen? The term is cross-reactivity. The cells of our immune system are not operating properly and see a particle in the blood that should not be there, they make a “red flag” warning label for this particle. This particle looks VERY similar to a protein in our body’s structure, and sends the immune system army to attack it.

Why does this cross-reactivity happen?

2 reasons

First reason.  The immune system is geared more towards something called Humoral and Cell-mediated Immune response (aka TH2 response). The body has allowed foreign substances into the blood stream.

Why is the immune system tipped toward TH2?

Because the TH1 system or balance is suppressed.

Why is it suppressed?

Toxins in the body suppress it. Such as mercury and lead, pthalates (perfumes), exhaust from diesel, benzene, pesticides, insecticides and more. These actually suppress the chemical signals of the TH1 immune system, and use up our glutathione (the most important de-toxer in the body)

What is the first sign that this is happening in the body?

Allergies, and a person that “never gets a cold/flu”, or one that has chronic infection they cannot fight.

 

Second reason.  The body allows things into the body that should not be there, term is permeability.

Why does this happen?

Body linings have become permeable, or “leaky”

Why?

Some insult to the body causes this, here are a few.

Stress (I know you hear this all the time, it is researched to be true)

Drugs, commonly, steroids, NSAIDS (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc), anti-biotics, alcohol, other infections

Food intolerances, eating foods you are intolerant to, causes toxins in bowel

Dehydration cause dry cracked membranes (nose)

NSAIDS break down our healthy mucus protective barrier

Anti-biotics kill our natural immune barrier army

Alcohol damages the lining of the gastrointestinal tract

Other infections such as candida

So what can I do?

Avoid chemicals and things that suppress our immune system. Buy a high quality air purifier for your home or at least your bedroom. Chemicals travel on dust particles. Change your chemicals for cleaning out for vinegar, boric acid and baking soda. Do not wear perfume. Eat organic, non-GMO foods. Avoid plastics as much as possible. Sweat daily, in the form of exercise, sauna, or hot Epsom salts baths. Take NAC or n-acetyl-cysteine and buffered vitamin C daily to increase glutathione. See a naturopathic physician to help guide you through the process.

 

Can I reverse auto-immune disease?

Yes, while we don’t yet understand how to regenerate damaged tissues, you can certainly lower the anti-body levels, put your disease in remission, and live a long healthy life.

 

 

Detox and lose weight with the far infrared sauna

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Our world is full of toxic chemicals.  Never before have such large numbers of people been exposed daily to chemicals from building materials, home furnishings, food additives, solvents, pesticides, insecticides, heavy metals, phenols, formaldehyde, BPA’s, PCB;s and VOC’s.  These are found in hundreds of products we touch every day.  The problem is that these toxins accumulate in the body, commonly in the adipose or fat tissue, and eventually make us sick.  Toxins in the body are known to be part of the underlying cause of the following conditions.  Ever wonder if you are toxic?  Take the Toxicity Questionnaire and find out.

Some of the chronic illnesses associated with toxicity:

Fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Rheumatoid arthritis

Auto-immune conditions

Allergies

Cancer

Chronic pain

FIR sauna therapy is an effective way to get these toxins out of the body and heal from these chronic diseases.  FIR stands for Far Infra-Red, which are rays from the sun.

Recently, Oprah Winfrey, featured an FIR sauna on her show as a “life extension” device.  Dr. Oz, who was featured on the show, explained how the FIR can burn up to 700 calories in an hour.  The FIR also helps increase circulation, promote healing of tissues, lower blood pressure, and remove toxins through the skin.

Imagine relaxing in a sauna for 10-30 minutes 3-4 times per week and greatly benefiting your health at the same time.  The FIR sauna is not like regular dry or wet sauna found in health clubs. Sauna therapy with far-infrared sauna is quite unique.

How do the Far Infra-Red rays work in the body?  How are they different?

Far-infrared (FIR) rays are beneficial to the body by causing a physical phenomenon called cellular “resonance”.  This resonance invigorates the cells, promotes metabolism, blood circulation and cellular renewal.  Increased metabolism means that the cells use more energy, and release more waste products.  Fat soluble toxins are stored in fatty tissues of the body which are under the skin.  The FIR rays penetrate a few inches into the body, into the fatty tissue and stimulates the cells to release these toxins.  When the body sweats, these toxins are released.  Research studies confirm that toxins are released during sauna treatment.  The urine samples taken after sauna treatment  is complete contain less toxins.  

Other natural “side effects” or benefits of FIR sauna therapy include reducing pain in the body, blood pressure, joint stiffness, relief from muscle spasms, tissue healing, cellular rejuvenation and weight loss.  

Not all FIR saunas are alike.  Contact Dr. Wells to discuss the pro’s and con’s of various sauna’s prior to purchase. 

Check out Zazen Health Solutions for interesting research information or Heartspring for my research article on the subject.

Remember for a free consult, contact the office at 480-607-0299, or email me directly.  I’d love to talk to you!  Check out our facebook page and follow our feed on twitter.

Lose weight and feel great by eating more fiber

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The weight loss and health benefits of fiber are vast.  When we eat fiber, food passes through the body quicker, less fat is absorbed.  We have a decreased appetite.  Our cholesterol level is decreased.  We use more calories because we have to chew longer and the stomach takes more time to digest.  Best of all, fiber is detoxifying to the body.

Dietary fiber is that part of plant cell walls, such as lignans and polysaccharides, which our bodies cannot digest.  There are two main types of fiber: insoluble and soluble.  The best known insoluble fiber is cellulose.  An example of this type of fiber is wheat bran.  Soluble fibers include: hemicelluloses like oat bran, gums, mucilages found in psyllium seeds, pectins in apples or lignans found in flax.  These water soluble gel-forming fibers provide many beneficial effects.  For your convenience, here is a list of high fiber foods .

Here are a few easy ways to increase our fiber intake:

Buy ground flax seeds.  Flax seeds contain both kinds of fiber. The seed hulls are insoluble, and internal lignans  are soluble.  I have patients grind flax seeds and put them in a shake.  2 heaping tablespoons per day.  They taste nutty and delicious. The lignans protect us against breast cancer, research shows. 

Eat brown rice.  Rice bran fiber helps you stay lean.  Rice bran is only in brown or wild rice, not white rice.  It absorbs fat in the large intestine, and helps heal the lining of the GI tract.  You can take it in capsule form or just eat brown rice, 1 cup per day. 

Eat more vegetables.  To get more fiber in, just eat more vegetables, don’t be afraid to sit down to a very large bowl of steamed broccoli  or kale and eat the whole thing! 

In addition to losing weight and feeling great, eating fiber increases your immune system, feeds the good pro-biotic bacteria there, keeps the gut lining healthy and strong, absorbs and pulls out excess hormones, fat and toxins from the body.  Remember, fiber is essential to detoxifying the body.  A diet rich in fiber reduces our risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, gall stones, and kidney stones.  The healthiest people on the planet are the ones that consume larger amounts of fiber. 

For a personalized detoxification, nutritional counseling or weight management plan, feel free to contact me directly.

Remember for a free consult, contact the office at 480-607-0299, or email me directly.  I’d love to talk to you!  Check out our facebook page and follow our feed on twitter.

Food additives and preservatives

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Did you ever really look at the labels of some of the foods you eat?  Have you ever wondered WHY all that stuff is in there?  I often find myself looking at labels, then I put the box or bag back on the shelf!  We are meant to eat live foods, foods that are close to life, not those that have been rolled, pressed, shaped, put in plastic, added chemicals from drums, put in boxes, shipped across the world… well you get the picture!

I am a big fan of eating local, shopping at farmers markets when possible, and buying foods that are not pre-packaged.  These markets carry mostly organic fresh picked delicious fruits, vegetables and meats.

Some of the most toxic food additives and preservatives include sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, pesticides, BHT, sodium nitrates, MSG, brominated vegetable oil, dyes and partially hydrogenated oils (trans fat).  Many of these toxins, especially pesticides, build up in the system and are stored in the body in the fat tissue.  They way heavy on our immune system and can cause chronic disease.  The best way to get them out is to sweat using a far-infrared sauna.

For details on which are the most important foods to avoid due to pesticides, you can go to www.ewg.org and download the shoppers guide to carry with you.  I like this blog about the dangers of the additives and preservatives that are put in our foods.  Once you make the switch to whole foods, your health will surely benefit.  After beginning this new way of eating, you may be interested in further detoxification of your body.

Remember for a free consult, contact the Scottsdale office at 480-607-0299, or email me directly.  I’d love to talk to you!  Check out our facebook page and follow our feed on twitter.