Group Detox #2 Posting & Discussion
Hi All,
I have created this blog post so that we can all have a forum for discussion as the detox program goes forward. Please use the comments option at the bottom of this post to leave your questions and comments. I will reply daily and post a little something myself. Please do share your cool food ideas so that we all my benefit from what you are doing.
Also if you go back a few blog entries you can also check out the comments from the detox I helpd last month. And one before that was an article on detoxing. They may be of interest.
Happy cleansing and have fun!
Jim Chialtas, L.Ac.
I have created this blog post so that we can all have a forum for discussion as the detox program goes forward. Please use the comments option at the bottom of this post to leave your questions and comments. I will reply daily and post a little something myself. Please do share your cool food ideas so that we all my benefit from what you are doing.
Also if you go back a few blog entries you can also check out the comments from the detox I helpd last month. And one before that was an article on detoxing. They may be of interest.
Happy cleansing and have fun!
Jim Chialtas, L.Ac.
Hair loss in women: Stress or something more masculine?
It is quite astonishing really the number of women I hear of complaining of hair loss these days. It may not be massive hair loss mind you, but this is something that we tend to pay attention to. It is something that a great many men end up looking forward to if they like it or not, but for women, it is a whole other thing completely. Hair loss in a woman when it is bad can be a significant source of anxiety and poor self image. So what is going on? Why do I hear about it so often these days? Well, like many other medical conditions, hair loss has a lot to do with our lifestyle. It may just be possible that you are contributing directly to your hair loss every day without knowing it.
There are several common reasons for hair loss in women. Stress can certainly do it. I have known women who when stressed actually get bald spots which will eventually re-grow. Low thyroid conditions can certainly lead to hair loss and are particularly common in women. But the big one that I want to talk about today is hair loss due to elevated blood sugar, Insulin and Testosterone.
Yep, when a woman ends up with elevated Testosterone she will lose her hair. But why you ask does a woman get elevated Testosterone in the first place? I suppose that there could be some tumor somewhere producing it, but that is extremely uncommon. The most common reason is elevated blood sugar and/or Insulin. The way it goes is that when we eat sugar, or a lot of simple carbohydrates, our body responds by producing Insulin in an attempt to get that high blood sugar back down. The more sugar the more Insulin. It just so happens that Insulin, besides helping to lower our blood sugar, ends up turning on an enzyme in women called 17, 20 lyase which is found in the Thecal cells of the ovaries. This enzyme produces Testosterone. So the more sugar that is consumed, the more Insulin is produced and therefore the more Testosterone a woman will make. This will lead to not only hair loss, but can also lead to irregular periods, infertility, Polycystic Ovaries, unexplained weight gain, and unwanted hair growth on the face and chest for example. Add to that all of the health concerns with elevated blood sugar by itself as being the leading cause of heart disease and stroke and the fact that this can often times lead to full blown diabetes it becomes really important to pay attention to this hair loss. All cosmetic concerns aside for a moment, this is a sign of some serious stuff here!
At the very beginning of this article I said how astonishing it was to see so many of these complaints. But then when you think of it, how many people (not just women) do you know who head straight for Starbucks or similar establishment for their liquid dessert, first thing in the morning? If you really stop and add up all the sugar that we consume every day either by choice or consequence, it is easy to see how there could be so much hair loss going on. If this is a concern of yours, please, come in and get worked-up and see which one of these mechanisms are at play. You may not only be able to fix your hair, but you could be protecting yourself from much worse things than hair loss.
There are several common reasons for hair loss in women. Stress can certainly do it. I have known women who when stressed actually get bald spots which will eventually re-grow. Low thyroid conditions can certainly lead to hair loss and are particularly common in women. But the big one that I want to talk about today is hair loss due to elevated blood sugar, Insulin and Testosterone.
Yep, when a woman ends up with elevated Testosterone she will lose her hair. But why you ask does a woman get elevated Testosterone in the first place? I suppose that there could be some tumor somewhere producing it, but that is extremely uncommon. The most common reason is elevated blood sugar and/or Insulin. The way it goes is that when we eat sugar, or a lot of simple carbohydrates, our body responds by producing Insulin in an attempt to get that high blood sugar back down. The more sugar the more Insulin. It just so happens that Insulin, besides helping to lower our blood sugar, ends up turning on an enzyme in women called 17, 20 lyase which is found in the Thecal cells of the ovaries. This enzyme produces Testosterone. So the more sugar that is consumed, the more Insulin is produced and therefore the more Testosterone a woman will make. This will lead to not only hair loss, but can also lead to irregular periods, infertility, Polycystic Ovaries, unexplained weight gain, and unwanted hair growth on the face and chest for example. Add to that all of the health concerns with elevated blood sugar by itself as being the leading cause of heart disease and stroke and the fact that this can often times lead to full blown diabetes it becomes really important to pay attention to this hair loss. All cosmetic concerns aside for a moment, this is a sign of some serious stuff here!
At the very beginning of this article I said how astonishing it was to see so many of these complaints. But then when you think of it, how many people (not just women) do you know who head straight for Starbucks or similar establishment for their liquid dessert, first thing in the morning? If you really stop and add up all the sugar that we consume every day either by choice or consequence, it is easy to see how there could be so much hair loss going on. If this is a concern of yours, please, come in and get worked-up and see which one of these mechanisms are at play. You may not only be able to fix your hair, but you could be protecting yourself from much worse things than hair loss.
February is Heart Health Month!
Heart Disease is something that I have written about many times before, but it being Heart Health Month I felt it only appropriate to reintroduce some concepts that we might not otherwise be fed by the mainstream outlets. That’s right folks, there’s more to heart disease than the TV commercials, magazine ads or even our doctors are telling us. I want to provide for you here a list of concerns that can pose serious threats to your heart health. And please take note that I don’t mention cholesterol… Nope, we hear enough about cholesterol already. (By the way, the cholesterol lowering drugs called Statins are some of the most widely prescribed drugs today, yet only 50% of the people who die from heart disease have elevated cholesterol! The other 50% have normal cholesterol. So where is the legitimacy in lowering cholesterol? And if the drugs are so good why doesn’t the ratio shift away from 50/50?) Ok, so that’s my little rant, now on to the good stuff.
Our Guts:
• Pretty much all of the current literature on all the major health problems can be traced back to inflammatory molecules floating around our body wreaking havoc. This is not disputed in either the mainstream or alternative worlds. And where might you ask does this inflammation come from? Not from a swollen ankle that’s for sure! Nope, it primarily comes from our guts. Inflammation along the lining of our stomach and intestines produces systemic inflammation which works to inflame our arteries, making them “sticky,” and more easily susceptible to plaque and vascular disease. An inflamed gut equals inflamed arteries and probably eventual heart disease. It is important to figure out what is inflaming your digestive tract and fix that for any lasting heart health to be had.
Our Guts… Yeah there’s more:
• Besides the inflammation there are often some pretty interesting bugs living in our guts that can leak into our blood and infect the lining of our arteries. This is a really quick route to vascular disease. There is one bacterial infection in particular which is known to infect the lining of our arteries called H. Pylori. It originates in our gut and can be passed by kissing, sharing drinks, food, etc. It is perhaps the most common communicable disease in the world. But finding this bacterial infection and killing it is a really important heart health concept that I assure you goes unchecked in your doctor’s office. And something which no Statin drug can address.
Homocysteine:
• Homo what now? Yes, Homocysteine. This is a little molecule in our bodies that when elevated not only promotes heart disease, but even before that works to injure our brain health. This is not new stuff folks, and it is a wonder to me why it is not part of a routine blood work up for heart health. Somehow our medical system is just stuck on the cholesterol model for heart disease. Let’s leave the 80’s behind us and get with the times. If you haven’t had your Homocysteine levels checked, please get in touch with me and let’s do just that. It is a simple and cheap blood test. Well worth it!
Donuts:
• Ok, not donuts per se, they are just easy to pick on and they bring to mind a guilty pleasure. But what I am talking about here is proper blood sugar control. Donuts of course would work to sabotage this effort so avoid them at all costs! Diabetics usually die of heart disease by the way. But people with poor blood sugar control, either high or low, will have an increase in heart disease risk. Remember inflammation? Well this is one way to be inflamed in a big way. Please people, eat your breakfast. Make it a high protein and/or high fiber content meal. Snack on healthy things every couple of hours and don’t let yourself get too hungry. Avoid too much simple stuff and sugars. This is all basic info, just remember to take it seriously. Oh, and cardio exercise. Please include this in your regimen. It will help your heart in a many number of ways, but will certainly help you balance your blood sugar.
So I think that about covers the most of it for now. I really could go on for hours informing the public about all of the other stuff we aren’t told pertaining to heart health. We don’t hear much about these things because they don’t translate directly into Statin drug sales. Just remember next time you are seeing one of those ads (and that should be in about five minutes or so) that there is much MUCH more to it than what we are told. Remember, if you follow what the mainstream says about heart disease you only have a 50/50 chance to make it out alive! And I for one don’t like those odds. Get in touch and we can have a look and do what your insurance company should be providing for you as a matter of basic health care.
Our Guts:
• Pretty much all of the current literature on all the major health problems can be traced back to inflammatory molecules floating around our body wreaking havoc. This is not disputed in either the mainstream or alternative worlds. And where might you ask does this inflammation come from? Not from a swollen ankle that’s for sure! Nope, it primarily comes from our guts. Inflammation along the lining of our stomach and intestines produces systemic inflammation which works to inflame our arteries, making them “sticky,” and more easily susceptible to plaque and vascular disease. An inflamed gut equals inflamed arteries and probably eventual heart disease. It is important to figure out what is inflaming your digestive tract and fix that for any lasting heart health to be had.
Our Guts… Yeah there’s more:
• Besides the inflammation there are often some pretty interesting bugs living in our guts that can leak into our blood and infect the lining of our arteries. This is a really quick route to vascular disease. There is one bacterial infection in particular which is known to infect the lining of our arteries called H. Pylori. It originates in our gut and can be passed by kissing, sharing drinks, food, etc. It is perhaps the most common communicable disease in the world. But finding this bacterial infection and killing it is a really important heart health concept that I assure you goes unchecked in your doctor’s office. And something which no Statin drug can address.
Homocysteine:
• Homo what now? Yes, Homocysteine. This is a little molecule in our bodies that when elevated not only promotes heart disease, but even before that works to injure our brain health. This is not new stuff folks, and it is a wonder to me why it is not part of a routine blood work up for heart health. Somehow our medical system is just stuck on the cholesterol model for heart disease. Let’s leave the 80’s behind us and get with the times. If you haven’t had your Homocysteine levels checked, please get in touch with me and let’s do just that. It is a simple and cheap blood test. Well worth it!
Donuts:
• Ok, not donuts per se, they are just easy to pick on and they bring to mind a guilty pleasure. But what I am talking about here is proper blood sugar control. Donuts of course would work to sabotage this effort so avoid them at all costs! Diabetics usually die of heart disease by the way. But people with poor blood sugar control, either high or low, will have an increase in heart disease risk. Remember inflammation? Well this is one way to be inflamed in a big way. Please people, eat your breakfast. Make it a high protein and/or high fiber content meal. Snack on healthy things every couple of hours and don’t let yourself get too hungry. Avoid too much simple stuff and sugars. This is all basic info, just remember to take it seriously. Oh, and cardio exercise. Please include this in your regimen. It will help your heart in a many number of ways, but will certainly help you balance your blood sugar.
So I think that about covers the most of it for now. I really could go on for hours informing the public about all of the other stuff we aren’t told pertaining to heart health. We don’t hear much about these things because they don’t translate directly into Statin drug sales. Just remember next time you are seeing one of those ads (and that should be in about five minutes or so) that there is much MUCH more to it than what we are told. Remember, if you follow what the mainstream says about heart disease you only have a 50/50 chance to make it out alive! And I for one don’t like those odds. Get in touch and we can have a look and do what your insurance company should be providing for you as a matter of basic health care.
Group Detox Post: A place to stay connected while detoxing together
Hi Everyone,
I am posting this blog entry for all those involved in the group detox that will be starting January 22nd and going through January 28th. We had a great pre-detox meeting last night and I was glad to see most of you there. And I was also glad to see a couple of you doing some networking yourselves! That is one great thing about getting a group of people together for a good cause. Get healthy and get connected!
So now down to business... In your kit you will have all of the products that you will need for the week. And you will also find the booklet with tons of info on how and when to do what. Check pages 22 and 24 for foods and the schedule. We discussed this last night as well, but if you have any questions along the way please feel free to either contact me directly or use the comments function on this blog post. That way we can all see the questions and my answers. And please if you find something cool share it with us here as well! Things like food ideas/recipes are really great. And if you are on Facebook get onto my Fan Page (Jim Chialtas L.Ac., Functional Medicine) and you can read through the posts from last years group under the Discussions tab. Check out the posts by Erin. She shared some recipes that were really great!
Lastly, there are several of you who were wanting to start the first two days of the cleanse with a lemonade fast. This last part of the post is a description on how to do this. For those of you who are not interested in this more advanced detox concept, just keep your first two days totally vegetarian and follow the protocol for the rest of the program...
I am posting this blog entry for all those involved in the group detox that will be starting January 22nd and going through January 28th. We had a great pre-detox meeting last night and I was glad to see most of you there. And I was also glad to see a couple of you doing some networking yourselves! That is one great thing about getting a group of people together for a good cause. Get healthy and get connected!
So now down to business... In your kit you will have all of the products that you will need for the week. And you will also find the booklet with tons of info on how and when to do what. Check pages 22 and 24 for foods and the schedule. We discussed this last night as well, but if you have any questions along the way please feel free to either contact me directly or use the comments function on this blog post. That way we can all see the questions and my answers. And please if you find something cool share it with us here as well! Things like food ideas/recipes are really great. And if you are on Facebook get onto my Fan Page (Jim Chialtas L.Ac., Functional Medicine) and you can read through the posts from last years group under the Discussions tab. Check out the posts by Erin. She shared some recipes that were really great!
Lastly, there are several of you who were wanting to start the first two days of the cleanse with a lemonade fast. This last part of the post is a description on how to do this. For those of you who are not interested in this more advanced detox concept, just keep your first two days totally vegetarian and follow the protocol for the rest of the program...
The Lemonade Fast
During the first two days you will still drink the morning and evening shakes from your kit and will be taking the Alpha Base Foundations Caps. But during these first two days ONLY, you will not be eating any other food. Instead you will be sipping a lemon and/or limeade sweetened with grade B maple syrup. There is really no exact recipe for this drink it is to taste only, just make up a bunch for the whole day.
To make it you will just juice the lemons and/or limes in water or a dilute green tea. Using the green tea can help with appetite control so consider using it. Then add the syrup to taste. It is very important if you go this route to sip the drink every 15 minutes. Just take constant sips all day long. Drink and pee, drink and pee... That will be your day while doing this. Doing this will actually lead to a very stable blood sugar. Just don't get lazy and skip sips! That will lead to a low blood sugar state and you will start to feel bad. If you absolutely must eat something pick one veggie like steamed fresh green beans for example and only eat a few at a time.
After two full days of the morning and evening shakes, Alpha Base Caps, and the lemonade drink you will start the plan of days 3 - 7 where you bring back in the foods on the good list as well as the shakes, Alpha Base & PhytoCore caps twice a day. Oh, and remember to drink a lot of water through this. We want to pee that stuff right on out of us folks! Try to shoot for half of your body weight in ounces. I weigh approximately 160 pounds so I will shoot for 80 ounces of clean (not bottled or tap) water per day.
I think that about does it. Happy cleansing! And keep checking this post for comments.
Sincerely,
Jim Chialtas, L.Ac., MTCM
A Good Time to Detox in an Otherwise Toxic World
In the last 33 years the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has tested for safety only 200 chemicals and banned only 5 of the more than 80,000 chemicals in commerce today. Since the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) became law in 1976, the number of chemicals in commerce has risen from 60,000 to the 80,000 mentioned above. Currently, under TSCA language, chemicals are considered safe until proven otherwise. In my opinion our Government has it backwards. If the health of the people truly came before the profits of the corporations every new chemical put into commerce would need to be proven safe before its widespread use in America and around the world. Wouldn’t you agree?
So how are we Americans being impacted by this chemical exposure? In 2009 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released the findings of their National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) looking at 2500 participant’s blood cells, serum and urine samples. The findings were less than positive. Below are only a few examples of what was reported:
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are fire retardants that accumulate in the environment and in human fat tissue. They were found in the serum of all of the NHANES participants.
• Bisphenol-A (BPA) found in plastics and deemed by Canada and other countries to be a clearly toxic substance was found in 90% of the urine samples of the participants.
• Perflorooctanoic acid (PFOA) found in non-stick coatings of cookware was found in most participants.
• Another CDC study found that 97% of Americans contain the chemical oxybenzone found in sunscreens which has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage. Approximately 84% of the 910 sunscreen brands contain oxybenzone.
So I ask you this, “Are we living in the same world that our parents lived in? And should we do the same things that our parents or grandparents did to protect their health? Should we do nothing and just hope for the best?” My sincere hunch is no. We need more than ever to take deliberate actions which work to counter the ever increasing exposures and environmental influences that are working to harm us literally with every breath we take and every bite we swallow. The reality is that we have a long way to go to change the politics behind what is happening. But what we can easily do is take better control over what we put into our bodies and how we help our bodies throw out the stuff that does not belong.
Symptoms of such toxicity could be any or all of the following:
• Brain fog / poor memory
• Allergies
• Joint pain
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Ringing in the ears
• Headaches / Migraines
• Autoimmune disorders
• Skin disorders
I will be offering a group Detoxification program in late January to work with some of these concerns. This will be my second annual group program and I am very excited about it. This program will be 7 days long and involve a modified diet while on the program, a hypo-allergenic rice protein based powder packed with anti-oxidants and nutrients, and some nutritional/herbal supplements which all aid in Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification pathways. Included with this program will be an introductory meeting to discuss and solidify the understanding of the program and the reasons why it is important. There will also be an online chat in which all participants can write down their questions and/or experiences while on the program. I will be interacting with the group as a whole in this manner. The more participants the better on things like this and I will be participating as well. There is power in numbers. Let’s all help each other stay healthy!
The program is scheduled to go from January 22nd – January 28th. We will hold the pre-detox meeting on the 19th at 6:30 pm and all interested participants must contact me by January 12th to secure their spot and have plenty of time to get the products ordered. If you have any questions or want to RSVP now please contact me either by phone or email. I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Happy New Year! And be well…
So how are we Americans being impacted by this chemical exposure? In 2009 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released the findings of their National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) looking at 2500 participant’s blood cells, serum and urine samples. The findings were less than positive. Below are only a few examples of what was reported:
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are fire retardants that accumulate in the environment and in human fat tissue. They were found in the serum of all of the NHANES participants.
• Bisphenol-A (BPA) found in plastics and deemed by Canada and other countries to be a clearly toxic substance was found in 90% of the urine samples of the participants.
• Perflorooctanoic acid (PFOA) found in non-stick coatings of cookware was found in most participants.
• Another CDC study found that 97% of Americans contain the chemical oxybenzone found in sunscreens which has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage. Approximately 84% of the 910 sunscreen brands contain oxybenzone.
So I ask you this, “Are we living in the same world that our parents lived in? And should we do the same things that our parents or grandparents did to protect their health? Should we do nothing and just hope for the best?” My sincere hunch is no. We need more than ever to take deliberate actions which work to counter the ever increasing exposures and environmental influences that are working to harm us literally with every breath we take and every bite we swallow. The reality is that we have a long way to go to change the politics behind what is happening. But what we can easily do is take better control over what we put into our bodies and how we help our bodies throw out the stuff that does not belong.
Symptoms of such toxicity could be any or all of the following:
• Brain fog / poor memory
• Allergies
• Joint pain
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Ringing in the ears
• Headaches / Migraines
• Autoimmune disorders
• Skin disorders
I will be offering a group Detoxification program in late January to work with some of these concerns. This will be my second annual group program and I am very excited about it. This program will be 7 days long and involve a modified diet while on the program, a hypo-allergenic rice protein based powder packed with anti-oxidants and nutrients, and some nutritional/herbal supplements which all aid in Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification pathways. Included with this program will be an introductory meeting to discuss and solidify the understanding of the program and the reasons why it is important. There will also be an online chat in which all participants can write down their questions and/or experiences while on the program. I will be interacting with the group as a whole in this manner. The more participants the better on things like this and I will be participating as well. There is power in numbers. Let’s all help each other stay healthy!
The program is scheduled to go from January 22nd – January 28th. We will hold the pre-detox meeting on the 19th at 6:30 pm and all interested participants must contact me by January 12th to secure their spot and have plenty of time to get the products ordered. If you have any questions or want to RSVP now please contact me either by phone or email. I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Happy New Year! And be well…