Friday 22 November 2013

Why Detox? Tips for a Proper Healthy Detoxification

Do you have headaches regularly?

Are you often tired or lethargic?

Are you suffering from muscle ache and pains regularly?

Do you suffer from allergies?

Do you feel bloated or suffer from diarrhoea, constipation or other digestive issues regularly?

Do you have poor short-term memory or concentration affecting your ability to function at work?

If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above and are not feeling well, toxicity may be the reason you feel unwell.

Toxins are very common in our busy modern world.  Everything we encounter nowadays is exposed to environmental toxins to a certain degree, which include things like heavy metals, pesticides, chemicals, food additives, drugs and pollutants.  These may be present in the air, water and also food that we consume.  Toxins do not only come from your external environment; toxins can also be generated internally by “bad” bacteria, yeasts and parasites in your digestive system.  These internally generated toxins are then absorbed into your bloodstream, affecting your health and vitality.

Toxins are harmful to our body and your body, naturally, has the mechanisms for eliminating them.  However, if you continue to produce, consume or absorb more toxins than you can easily get rid of, your body’s detoxification pathways can become overwhelmed and start to be less effective.  To avoid this, you need to reduce your exposure to toxins as much as possible and optimise your body’s ability to eliminate toxins everyday, rather than letting them build up.  If you are not feeling 100%, a safe proper healthy detoxification program can help.

Do not take any detoxification program lightly.  A natural detoxification program can be one of the most effective ways to rapidly improve your state of health as it will help clear accumulated toxins out of your body and leave your feeling energetic and healthy.  Detoxification is a serious business and you need to ensure that you are safe and comfortable with the detoxification process.  Everyone is different and the detoxification program needs to be suited to your individual needs.  A standard detoxification package may not be suitable for you and may actually leave you feeling sick and tired.  You should not attempt to do a detox without guidance and support from a qualified healthcare professional.

Our 3R Approach to Detoxification

A safe, proper, healthy and effective detoxification program involves the completion of three stages:
  1. Remove – this stage focuses on removing “bad bugs” from your digestive system. 
  2. Rejuvenate– this stage is aimed at replacing the “bad bugs” and populating your digestive function with the “good” bugs to facilitate the final stage below, so that wastes or toxins eliminated by your liver and kidneys can be moved out of the body effectively. 
  3. Release – this is the final stage and it involves the consumption of natural medicines to support and enhance your body’s (especially your liver and kidneys) capacity to remove waste and toxins.
During your detoxification stages, you need to be eating the right foods for your body in order to maximise the detoxification process, a diet based on your individual requirements.

Here are some tips on how you can make simple dietary changes today to help reduce your level of toxicity:

  • always look for fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables;
  • avoid packaged and processed foods as much as possible;
  • eliminate foods containing artificial colours, flavours , sweeteners, additives and flavour enhancers as well as foods containing hydrogenated fats; and
  • always read the ingredients list to ensure that your food does not contain high amounts of saturated fat, salt, gluten and/or sugar.

Also, live the detox lifestyle – exercise, drink plenty of water, avoid recreational drugs and minimise the use of heavy metal and chemical based skin / hair care products, cleaning products and deodorants.  If the label contains many numbers and chemical names that you can’t pronounce, avoid them unless you know what they are, e.g. botanical names for essential oils.

Friday 8 November 2013

Natural Solutions to deal with Fatigue and boost your Energy

Are you feeling tired all the time?  Do you wake up feeling un-refreshed and fatigued despite getting a full night’s sleep? If you jump straight into bed at the end of the day, have a good night sleep but still have to drag yourself out of bed and struggle through the day, you may be suffering from fatigue.

Most people nowadays have extremely stressful and busy lives.  So, it is normal to feel tiredness some of the time.  This tiredness generally resolves itself after some rest and relaxation.  However, increasingly more and more people are experiencing persistent, unremitting tiredness.  Chronic fatigue is becoming a common presenting compliant of many New Zealanders and Australians.  However, it is often misunderstood and at times even dismissed, particularly if there is no easily identifiable cause.

 There are many reasons for fatigue.  Things that may lead to fatigue include:
  • infection
  • low iron levels
  • digestion issues
  • liver issues
  • hormonal imbalances
  • insomnia
  • excess body fat
  • inflammation
  • toxicity in the body
  • stress and adrenal fatigue
  • unstable blood sugar level
  • mitochondrial dysfunction
As you can see, there can be multiple reasons why you feel tired.  Basically, you can feel fatigued and lack energy when your body systems are not functioning at the optimum levels.

Persistent ongoing stress is a big contributor to fatigue.  Our adrenals are designed to pump out stress hormones for the fight or flight response. The hormone, adrenaline, converts our stored glycogen into sugar for us to run away from the saber tooth tiger.  The muscles have the sugar and the pupils dilate all ready for the run.  Modern day stress usually does not have a physical component, and the sugar made ready for the muscles to use is often not used up.  Persistent high levels of sugar in the blood stream can compromise immunity, increase inflammation, store fats and cause insomnia.


Persistent high level of stress hormones also shuts down proper digestion, which in the long term, affects our absorption of nutrients.  Nutritional deficiencies and a sluggish digestive system from stress and adrenal fatigue can profoundly impact energy production.   

Poor energy production at the cellular level is the key contributing factor for feeling weak and fatigue.  To increase your energy level, you need to ensure that your mitochondria are working at full capacity for optimal energy.  Mitochondria are the “powerhouses” within every cell.  They make energy to keep each cell in your body functioning well.  Mitochondria require certain nutrients to work efficiently.  No matter what else is going on in your body, you will have reduced energy production if the mitochondrial function is impaired.

If you experience fatigue, improving mitochondrial function is the important first step towards improving your energy levels.  Damage to your mitochondria is a primary reason why you feel fatigued.  This damage occurs when bad diets and lifestyle choices stimulate the formation of free radicals.  Free radicals are potentially harmful substances formed in your body that can damage your cells, your mitochondria and your DNA. Here are some common nutrients that can help support your mitochondrial function naturally and give your energy levels a boost:
  • Magnesium - an essential mineral that is used in over 300 biochemical processes in your body and is essential for the conversion of sugars, fats and proteins to energy.  Over half of New Zealanders and Australians are magnesium deficient.
  • CoEnzyme Q10 – a vitamin like compound that is essential for energy production. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that is beneficial in the management of fatigue as it enhances cellular energy production.
  • Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids – these nutrients from fish oil or krill oil are vital for the integrity and      stability of every cell in your bodies.  Omega-3 can help lower stress levels and reduce fatigue by stimulating the growth and size of the mitochondria.
The nutrients above can help wipe up these free radicals and help boost your energy levels.  However, these nutrients may not be sufficient and depending on the level of mitochondrial dysfunction, additional nutrients may be required, especially when you have been suffering from fatigue for a long period of time.  In short, if you are tired, make sure you eat a healthy balanced diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day.  The quality and balance of the food you consume will have a significant impact on your energy and vitality.  Engaging in regular exercise is also important to help address some of the underlying issues causing your fatigue.

If you have adrenal fatigue, you need to rebuild your adrenals to support normal body function again.