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A Personal Message
Dear Friends
Happy New Year!
Hopefully you have had a relaxing and rejuvenating break from your normal routines and you are ready to embark on 2009 with enthusiasm and energy. On the other hand you are not alone if you are feeling the holiday season has left you feeling worn out from too many social functions, too little sleep and too many indulgences.
For this reason our focus in this month's newsletter is detoxification or cleansing. Although spring is often the time most people who cleanse regularly embark on a program of detoxification, January can also be a great time of year to get back on track with our nutrition, exercise routines and healthy habits. For me a cleanse accomplishes that.
There are numerous formulas and methods to help detoxify and drain the various organs of the body and for the newcomer to cleansing this can cause confusion.
It has been my experience over the past 20 years of cleansing and encouraging patients and friends to do so that I have come to this conclusion. It is very important to approach a detox program with caution and be very aware of your health condition prior to starting.
Even a strong healthy individual may experience some negative (yet normal) reactions when cleansing. It is very important especially for those with compromised health to consult with a health care practitioner before commencing on a program and to take it very slowly. It may not be the right time for someone who has health issues to embark on a detox protocol or simply making changes to their diet may be the advised first step.
If you have been thinking of doing a cleanse but are unsure if you a good candidate or if you just need some guidelines and information our doctors can help you.
If you are in good health or an experienced cleanser ask about our various treatments that can complement and expedite your detoxification experience such as acupuncture, intravenous therapy and herbal and homeopathic remedies. You can read about our "Supportive Therapies while Cleansing" below.
If you really would like to specialize your detox program consider learning more about your "Genetic Profile"Good Luck
Ara
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Detoxification - Dr. Jennie Weisenburger
Cleansing or detoxification is a tool that we can use to achieve and maintain wellness. There are many measures that we can take to minimize our exposure to various toxins in our environment, but it is getting much more difficult to remove all toxic exposure from our daily lives.
The concept of cleansing has been around for a long time, and has been a common prescription of Naturopathic Doctors. Body purification has been a part of many ancient traditions, religious ceremonies and rituals for health and well being.
Clearly, a normal functioning body was created to handle certain levels of toxins; the concern is with excess intake or production of toxins and/or a reduction in the processes of elimination of toxins.
The body detoxifies and eliminates toxins through the following systems:
Respiratory -- lungs, bronchial tubes, throat, sinuses, and nose
Gastrointestinal -- liver, gallbladder, colon, and whole GI tract
Urinary -- kidneys, bladder, and urethra
Skin and dermal--sweat and sebaceous glands and tears
Lymphatic -- lymph channels and lymph nodes
A well planned detoxification program should support all of these routes of detoxification and elimination. Often the focus is on the liver whereby we ease the toxic burden and allow the liver to catch up on getting rid of accumulated toxins. It is important that all pathways and phases are supported.
A detoxification program includes modifications to diet, the use of herbs, supplements, homeopathics and energetic and physical therapies such as acupuncture, massage, hydrotherapy, exercise and therapeutic sweating.
To learn more about cleansing visit our website or talk to us at your next visit to the clinic.
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Supportive Therapies while Cleansing - Dr. Jeni Lim TCM
Every body has it's own capacity for healing. The body is constantly in the process of healing and striving for balance by regenerating and repairing itself. The ability to heal can become dormant and difficult to access, but it is never completely lost.
Detoxification accompanied by intravenous vitamin C, acupuncture, nutrient supplementation, neural therapy, matrix regeneration therapy, cupping, exercise, sauna therapy etc can reawaken and support the self-healing and regenerating capacity of the body.
It should also be noted that as well as taking care of the physical aspects of toxic overload on our bodies it is equally important to consider the emotional burdens we have to deal with. Stress and other negative emotions wreak havoc on the physical plane and if we truly want to cleanse ourselves we need to cleanse our minds as well.
In ancient times, practitioners of Chinese Medicine were paid for their work as long as their patients remained healthy. Prevention is the best cure.
Congratulations on your decision to cleanse - your body will thank you for it. Try adding a complementary therapy or two to assist and accelerate your next detox program.
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News from the Medical Team
Jeff Ostheimer and Dr. Weisenburger team up to share invaluable information on how to protect parents and their children from the ever-increasing incidence of health disorders related to environmental toxicity.
Time: Sunday, January 25 @ 10:00am - 4:00pm
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Detoxification from a Dental Point of View
For those of you who have recently or not so recently had your amalgam restorations removed you might want to consider taking the Heavy Metal Challenge Test particularly if you have any unresolved health issues. This test provides an evaluation of accumulation of toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, arsenic and others - metals that have no useful, natural function in our bodies. In doing so it may indicate whether some form of chelation therapy would be of benefit.
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News from the Dental Team
We are very pleased to be welcoming to our dental team Dr. Kayvan Ashnaei. He has dental degrees from both Tehran University as well as the University of British Columbia. With his 17 years of experience in the field of general dentistry along with his special interest in cosmetic dentistry, oral surgery and implantology, endodontics and periodontics, he will be a great asset to our dental team. He will be taking new patients as of February 2009.
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| Ask the Doctor
Question: I have been trying to lose weight for a long time. I don't eat very much but I just can't lose weight. I tried some natural weight loss products, but then I couldn't sleep. Are there any other supplements I could take?
Answer: There are many different reasons why people carry extra weight, so to effectively lose weight you need to figure out what your reason is. You touched on the most obvious factor, which is energy input (amount of food eaten) minus energy output (calories burned).
There are many people that do just need to eat less or exercise more, but this is definitely not the case with everyone.
Hormones play a big part in weight management. Some important hormones affecting weight gain are: insulin; the blood sugar hormone, cortisol; the stress hormone, thyroid; the metabolic hormone, and the estrogen and progesterone balance for the ladies.
Food intolerances/allergies, or other obstacles to proper digestion, may also exacerbate weight gain, as well as having high overall body toxicity.
Weight loss suggestions: eat at least 3 meals, all of them with protein. Never skip meals. Skipping meals tells your body to store the food it receives, as well as causes cortisol to be released, which blocks weight loss.
Exercise to get your heart rate up, as well as to promote muscle mass which supports metabolism.
Decrease simple carbohydrates and sugar, these spike blood sugar and insulin, leading to fat storage. Consider a chromium supplement to balance blood sugar, if you and your doctor have determined blood sugar issues are part of your situation. (love handles around the abdomen are a good indicator)
Stress management: Cortisol, the adrenal stress hormone, has a big role here and is often overlooked. If your cortisol is out of whack, you will never lose weight. Ask your ND for the adrenal saliva test, to assess your adrenals, if stress is a big part of your life.
Try a cleanse. Avoid the common allergens, give your digestive system a break, and decrease overall toxic load. Your body will thank you!
Some supplements which can help with fat burning are carnitine, green tea, ginger, fiber, and conjugated linoleic acid. Try to avoid the stimulating over the counter weight loss products which will further stress the adrenal gland.
Get some support, it is hard to diagnose yourself. Proper testing is the key to understanding your metabolism.
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