Hmm…The Healing power of the Cruciferous… September 10, 2011

Many of us growing up, had parents who always encouraged us to eat our vegetables, we would eat everything else but…:). Those pieces of broccoli you left at the side of your plate were your liver helpers to prevent toxin build up that can in turn cause cancer. Broccoli and like other vegetables like cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi and cabbage are in the cruciferous family of vegetables which some of us tend to avoid or just don’t know much about them all together. The cruciferous vegetables like the above contains sulforaphane, an agent naturally present with its highest concentration in broccoli which is said to contribute to the development and treatment of various cancers.

According to the Alternative Medicine Review Journal, sulforaphane is a natural phase 2 detoxification enzymes inducer of the liver, a strong antioxidant, and is said to exhibit antimicrobial activity against various bacterias, has an anti-inflammatory , antiangiogenic and antimetastatic influence. Ok…let me back track a bit, there are many pathways and mechanisms that takes place in the liver, the break down and process of our hormones occurs in the liver, cholesterol and energy metabolism and the list goes on occurs in the liver. The liver is a very important organ in our body that tends to be one of the hardest working  so that we can maintain wellness. There are 2 pathways specifically that deals with detoxification called Phase I and Phase II detoxification, phase I is in charge of taking everything that enters our system such as the food we eat, chemicals and toxins we come across on a daily basis breaking it down to be neutralized in Phase II, where that phase contains enzymes that’s in charge of breaking down the unwanted material to water soluble to be  evacuated from our bodies. Eating broccoli and its relatives directly inhibits cell cycle progression, induces apoptosis of cancer cells as well as increase the  clearance of toxins via these pathways.

Sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables has decreased damage from cardiovascular disease and upper airway inflammation induced by oxidative stress, as well as aiding in the improvement of rheumatoid arthritis and helicobacter pylori infection which can cause the development of stomach cancer. Eating these veggies can also reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 42%, colorectal cancer by82%, breast cancer by 40% and lung cancer by 39%.

The cruciferous family also contains Indole-3-carbinols that helps to metabolize our estrogens in a healthy manner and suppressing the potential pathogenic forms of estrogens that can lead to different types of cancers and imbalances.

From now on, no more pushing that broccoli or cauliflower aside, seek to have a serving or two from this family daily and you will drastically decrease your risks.  Each time I take a bite of any of these cruciferous, I’m thinking how happy my liver is .

Naturally Yours,

Kayanne McD.

Allow me to join you on your journey of natural health.

References:

www.altmedrev.com/sulforaphaneglucosinolatemonograph.pdf

Clean, Green & Lean By Dr.Walter Crinnon

 

 

Removing the Obstacles to Cure…. September 7, 2011

In Naturopathic medicine, we learn and develop on the principle of removing the obstacles to cure. If one gets cut by a broken glass, one has to remove the splinter before irrigating and stitching it right? Because if the obstacle, (the splinter) is not removed, infection can develop causing more problems. It’s the same with our health, we have to investigate, find out the cause of our symptoms before figuring out what treatment would be beneficial in helping us getting better.

I’m going to direct my attention to diet and exercise. I’ve come across many especially women who would say they work out 5 days a week, eat nothing but salads, drink wheat grass, water and make their own shakes at home but the fat they are trying to work off is not budging. First of all, alot of these diets that are out now are not individualized or curtailed to YOU, its generalized therefore one specific “diet” is not going to work for everyone. Before considering to make a lifestyle change in what you put in your mouth, how about considering taking a food allergy test.

A IgG/IgE food allergy test indicates foods that you may have sensitivities to that you yourself may not recognize. IgG is Immunoglobulin G that is a type of protein naturally produced by our bodies, as part of the surveillance system of our immune systems. When there is something foreign in our bodies, IgG acts as our secondary immune system response to the foreign body which we call Delayed reaction sensitivity. This means that eating shrimp today and two to three days later, you get diarrhea or an headache. IgE (immunoglobulin E) is another type of protein also produced by our bodies that’s responsible for immediate allergic response to a foreign body, this calls for “anaphylactic shock”. You eat shrimp today and immediately, your eyes are swollen, throat closes in on you, can’t breathe, an Epi pin is needed for relief.

Symptoms that follows food sensitivities are headaches, bloating, increased mucus production, psoriasis, joint inflammation such as arthritis, autoimmune conditions, allergies and many other symptoms that you may be experiencing. Once this test is taken, then the next step would be to eliminate the foods that are causing havoc in your body. This plays a huge role in losing the unnecessary weight that doesn’t want to budge no matter what you do.  For some of you, it may not be losing weight, it may be trying to deal with migraines, allergies, hives, occasional swelling under your eyes, face and sometimes joints.

These food allergy test range from about $85-$200. However, if you can’t afford to do such a test, you can manage your own by doing a food rotation/elimination diet. If you realize when you eat bread or drink milk and a headache comes on a day or two later or stomach feels full as if you ate a complete meal then try eliminating  all sorts of bread for about 1-2 weeks, if you still experience the same symptoms then you know the culprit is not the bread. Then if that’s so, try the same with other foods that you eat.

Before running to your medicine cabinet to take an Aleve for that headache, or benadryl for that allergic reaction for that food you ate last night,  do a little investigation with your diet, find out whats causing that allergic response and remove the obstacle to cure.

Until next time….

Naturally Yours,

Kayanne McD

Allow me to join you on your journey to natural health .

Welcome….Starting with the basics September 5, 2011

Hello everyone,

For the past few days I’ve been observing and thinking what should my first blog be about. Before I continue, first  I would like to state that the purpose of this blog will be to educate, and supplement what most of you have been missing in the field of health & wellness. Feel free to post any questions and/or concerns.

Some may not realize the importance of multivitamins and the effects  that they can have on the overall body. Multivitamins are necessary for the normal function of our bodies’ mechanisms from detoxification to a healthy immune system. There are so many things that occurs in the body, it is constantly fighting off many invaders that constantly tries to impose on our immune system, liver, kidneys , lungs’ and many other organs that needs optimal nutrition in order to function to its proper and full capability.

One may say, I’ve never had to take any vitamins for years and I’ve been healthy, never been hospitalized, never been sick and such forth.  Thank God for that but what does “healthy” mean to you? Does healthy mean, “I’ve never been sick or experienced any physical symptoms of sickness, so I’m healthy”?? No…one can feel they are in tip top shape but your cells, tissues and body is crying out for water, B vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Selenium,  Magnesium, Calcium, Protein, Fats (good), and the list goes on. (Yes I said good fats but that’s another topic).  The above nutrients I mentioned are some of that are consist in a bottle of multivitamin. 

Based on the standard American Diet, and what we eat on average in a meal in one sitting doesn’t give us enough of what our body need on a daily basis. Example: One should be taking at least 2,000mg of Vitamin C daily to assist in helping the liver in detoxification so eating an orange or drinking OJ in the mornings is not enough.

High potency,  high quality and FDA approved multivitamins can reduce your risk of various cancer development, prevent  the common cold, headaches, allergies, just to name a few. 

Some may not like taking “pills”,  however multivitamins are also sold in liquid form. Adding a simple multivitamin to your daily regimen can go a long way and assist in creating a healthier you. Your cells will love you .

As you anticipate the topic of my next blog…I suggest you go to your local health food store or naturopathic doctor to purchase your high quality multi. I suggest you don’t purchase them at a pharmacy, Walmart, Rite aid, CVS….you will get nothing that’s worth your while and health. 

Until next time…naturally yours.

Kayanne McD

Allow me to join you on your journey to natural health.

Hello world! September 5, 2011

Welcome to WordPress.com. After you read this, you should delete and write your own post, with a new title above. Or hit Add New on the left (of the admin dashboard) to start a fresh post.

Here are some suggestions for your first post.

1. You can find new ideas for what to blog about by reading the Daily Post.
2. Add PressThis to your browser. It creates a new blog post for you about any interesting  page you read on the web.
3. Make some changes to this page, and then hit preview on the right. You can always preview any post or edit it before you share it to the world.