What Are Liver Disease Symptoms?

The liver is one of the vital organs in the body. It acts as a filtration device to keep toxins from invading your other organs. Think of it as the filter in your coffee pot, without the filter your morning cup of precious black liquid elixir would be infiltrated by specs of coffee grounds swimming around without a care to your dilemma.

So if this were coffee to be used in a cold concoction you’d ruin all the good stuff like caramel, chocolate, froth and cream with these un-welcomed guests tainting each needed component.

Without the liver working nonstop to filter the blood of wastes that come from the colon and kidneys many toxins can escape into the bloodstream and cause some toxic build up inside the body tissues and linings that can eventually lead to liver cancer, liver poisoning and other related serious diseases.

Being the body’s automatic detoxification system the liver must be kept healthy in order to work properly. This auto detox is done when an individual sweats, urinates, defecates and even by breathing.

Remember what they taught in biology class about our respiratory system? We breathe in oxygen while we breathe out carbon dioxide. That there is the liver doing its job of ridding the body of wastes, diets lifestyles and even global warming can affect the amount of toxins that the liver. This is why liver detoxification is a necessity.

Liver detoxification is a fairly simple process involving methods that can be conveniently done at home. Liver flushing is typically the first step though for others it is enough to count as the liver detox regimen. Flushing is simply a method of fasting or observing only a liquid diet. The effects of liver flushing are visible on the first or second day where individuals can note that the bulge in their midsection has definitely been reduced. Flushing can be accomplished within five to 10 days after which it will be followed by a liver detoxification diet. Consumption of all organic foods combined with the reduction of processed foods, saturated fats, refined sugars, sodas, foods rich in preservatives etc.

The idea is to consume as much organic food as possible the more unprocessed the better the results. A daily glass of lemon detox drink could also speed up the detoxification process. Another helpful alternative is the use of food supplements that are easily available in health food stores. The good thing about herbal supplements is that it provides the necessary nutrients that are needed to help sustain the diet.

Effects of liver detoxification are immediately visible, individuals who suffer from sluggishness, anxiety, depression, skin problems, headaches, aches and pains and even irregular bowel movements should notice improvements. Liver detoxification makes sure that our liver functions properly. It is essential to take care of it before it is too late, remember the saying: “prevention is better than cure.” Best of Health.…

Selected Guidelines For A Healthy Heart Part 1

Keeping a healthy heart is not negotiable. This reason why this is so not too difficult to find. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. The death rate is greater than the closest five causes of death put together. All in all up to 64 million Americans suffer from one form or another of cardiovascular disease. One of the key ways to maintain a healthy heart is by carefully considering what you eat. In this regard there will be no need to reinvent the wheel as much work and research from the best experts in the world has gone into creating the best suitable meals and recipes for a healthy heart.

Eat more vegetables and fruits

This is a standard yet very important rule across many diseases and conditions. Hypertension patients are encouraged to eat lots of fruits and vegetables as a way of lowering their high blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables also positively influence cholesterol levels. In fact the heart is closely linked to blood pressure. Heart disease can be a cause of high blood pressure in the case of secondary hypertension. Apparently eating fruits and vegetables is also highly beneficial to your heart health. Fruits and vegetables are known to contain substances found in plants that help prevent cardiovascular disease.

There are many ways to keep fruits and vegetables in your mix of diet. The best way is to keep well prepared fruits in your refrigerator for a quick pick as a snack. You can take some along to work or when you go out for a quick energizer in between long hours behind the desk. People who are quitting smoking, an important step to promote heart health and control blood pressure, are encouraged to keep with them some snacks to take instead of having a cigarette on their mouth. Taking fruit instead is a good way of contributing to positive heart health.

Limit unhealthy fats and cholesterol

This is perhaps the most popularly known way of contributing to a healthy heart. Most people today know the dangers of unhealthy fats and cholesterol which are today found in fast food products. These fats and cholesterol have the effect of building up dangerous plaque in the arteries. This increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. It also increases the risk of high blood pressure in people who are not hypertensive. The combination of hypertension and a heart condition increases the risk of mortality in heart disease patients.…

What is Functional Medicine?

Although it may sound "new-age", functional medicine is anything but that. Now more than ever, patients throughout the Western World are turning to a new approach to medicine called functional medicine. But, what exactly does that entail, how is it different from visiting a traditional doctor, and how do you know it will work?

First things first, practitioners of functional medicine receive the same exact schooling, training, and testing as any other doctor, nurse practitioner, etc. In fact, there is practically no distinction in most medical schools and every medical doctor could also be a functional medicine practitioner. However, the difference lies in how that knowledge is applied and what the doctor or medical professional chooses to do with that knowledge that makes all the difference. The most simple explanation is, functional medicine looks at the root cause of the problem and aims to treat the root cause, not the symptoms of the cause. Whereas traditional Western medicine aims to sell you pills and prescriptions to treat your symptoms, thus turning your problems into a lifelong battle that could possibly be solved in much less time for much less money.

The Root Cause

All functional medicine visits begin with your doctor trying to learn more about your life. That is your genetics, where you live, how you live, what your diet looks like, and more. Although some may find that intrusive, it’s highly important to establish exactly why you’re experiencing issues in the first place. As medical science continues to advance, more and more studies are suggesting that genetics and your environment (where you live, what you eat, how you live) play the biggest roles in diseases and other medical problems. Therefore, functional medicine begins by asking lots of questions in the form of patient files, interviews, and most notably different types of tests designed to answer those questions in scientific ways.

To Test Or Not To Test

Functional medicine typically includes general baseline tests that look out for abnormalities within the patient to begin tracking where the root of the cause is. This again varies from traditional medicine because traditional practices may still perform tests like x-rays and blood panels, but they typically only are looking to confirm symptoms and then stop asking questions once they can prove the symptoms. Not so with functional medicine, instead, blood panels, genetic testing, and more are used to narrow down what’s going on but are not used to just verify the symptoms you’re experiencing.

Your Relationship In The Medical Process

Another facet of functional medicine is where the patient fits into the puzzle. In most doctors’ offices, you sit in a chair, get poked and prodded then get told how your life is going to change. Yet, in functional medicine, the doctor or medical staff are equal to the patient. Through empowering the patient, better health outcomes can be reached and treatment can be tailored to individual needs, not just generalities. Functional medicine clinics like Denver Functional Medicine also aim for effective yet less-intrusive means of treatment that transform your life into something more healthy and sustainable over time.…

Work Your Way to a Healthy Heart

With people suffering from heart attacks at younger and younger ages, everyone is now worried about the condition of their heart. This is even more so true if your family has had a considerable amount of members that this has happened to. But even if you have not had heart trouble then starting some exercises for a healthy heart is a wise idea.

Some are a little intimidated by the prospect of exercise because they fear that their bank account or pocket book may take an extreme hit. You will be happy to know that just by doing a few different changes to your daily routine you can help your heart.

Now, if you are not typically a very active person for whatever reason, then you are going to want to start out slow and work your way up. Simple things such as yard work and even house work can give you a great cardio workout. Just remember not to over do it as this can be bad for the heart as well.

It may also be a concern that you will not be able to stick to an exercise plan after doing one for only a few days. The key to exercising for a healthy heart lies in making your routine fun and interesting. For example, you can listen to upbeat music while vacuuming.

After you have put some thought into the exercise routine that you would like to try, you should also remember that you will need to warm up and also cool down. This is quite simple to do with some stretching. This is also ideal for your muscles and joints so that they too can perform better.

In addition to being good for your heart, exercise will also help you to sleep better at night and make joints, ligaments, and tendons more flexible. You will start feeling much better by introducing some exercise into your daily life. Your heart, mind and joints will surely thank you for just a little extra time spent daily on exercise.…

Heal Sinuses With Vitamin C

Over 30 million Americans experience sinusitis every year. The pain and pressure can be intense and many people are not helped by treatment with medication. Infections can occur over and over in people who are resistant to treatment. Symptoms associated with sinusitis include a runny or stuffy nose, swollen sinus tissues, allergies, fatigue, low blood pressure, toothache, suppressed immune system, and low vitamin C blood serum levels.

Your nose normally contains a lining of thin mucus that traps bacteria so that it cannot enter the body. Specialized proteins are produced when threats are sensed inside the nose. These proteins bind with pathogens and kill them off, protecting you from the danger.

When your nose gets dried out, due to artificial heat, outside cold, or seasonal allergies, you essentially have a greatly reduced immunity in your nose. This makes you very susceptible to colds and other viruses because your nose is your first line of defense. Mucus becomes thick and is no longer able to do its job. Inflammation sets in and traps the infectious mucus inside.

Sinusitis generally refers to the inflammation that occurs after an infection or virus has invaded the sinuses. The inflammation of sinusitis puts the immune system in overdrive. Your sinuses do exactly what they are supposed to do, and that is to create more mucus to clear things out and deliver white blood cells to the area.

The extra mucus has nowhere to go, so it compounds the problem causing congestion and more inflammation. The white blood cells can’t do their job when they are bogged down with thick mucus. They trap what infection they can and die. This is why you will often see green mucus if your body is fighting a sinus infection, because the white blood cells actually turn green when they decompose.

Medications that temporarily reduce inflammation, clear congestion, or dry up excess mucus do not actually get to the root of the problem. The inflammation is caused by viruses that attack the cells lining the nasal passages and sinuses. Your first line of defense is to protect those cells from damage. This will prevent the inflammation from occurring. Vitamin C is necessary for your body to produce the antibody interferon, which seals the cells off from invading pathogens.

When it comes to sinusitis, vitamin C combats it in many ways. First, it coats the cells with interferon. Second, it produces extra white blood cells to take care of infections and viruses. Third, it stabilizes and strengthens the immune system so that it doesn’t overreact to allergens. Fourth, vitamin C inhibits the production of histamines and blocks histamine cell receptors, controlling the allergy symptoms that make sinusitis so painful. Fifth, vitamin C controls inflammation. Sixth, it clears out invading pathogens and free radicals that weaken and invade cells. Seventh, it helps to thin out mucus and return it to its normal state of producing specialized proteins, restoring the immunity to your nose where it belongs.

Talk with your doctor before you buy vitamins to treat a condition. The best vitamin C can help you to restore immunity, protect your sinuses from invaders, keep inflammation down, and control immune responses that are not appropriate. Your doctor may also recommend nasal irrigation with a saline solution to take care of stagnant mucus. Exercise is also helpful because it increases blood flow to the sinuses. Treating sinusitis means getting to the root of the problem and vitamin C can help you do that.…

Dieting Tips – The Benefits of a Detoxification Diet

Every day we load our bodies with harmful toxins from the foods we eat, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, air pollution and caffeine. Stress and depression can also contribute to the buildup of waste and toxins in our bodies by releasing certain chemical reactions. A detox diet is just the trick needed to flush out these toxins and get our bodies running again at full speed. Not only that, the detoxification process also helps in weight loss.

If we allow the buildup of toxins in our bodies, it can affect our immune system causing illness and disease. Our metabolism will slow down leading to weight gain and fatigue as well as numerous other problems. This is why it is important to go on a detox diet every once in a while to rid our bodies of these ailments and strengthen our liver and kidneys so they can perform optimally. It is through our liver and kidneys that our bodies naturally dispose of these toxins, but when we allow stress, depression and other factors to enter into our lives, they become weakened.

Knowing this, many turn to a good detox diet consisting of fresh fruit juices, fruits and vegetables, special detox products, liquid fasting and other detoxification remedies. These remedies not only flush out the toxins and built up waste from the body, they also help to clean out the digestive system, boost the immune system and lose pounds of excess fat. Other benefits of a detox diet are:

* Disease prevention such as diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease

* Increased energy levels

* Improved strength, agility and mobility which increases activity at optimal levels during fitness routines

* Improved sleep and sleeping conditions such as insomnia or sleep apnea

Just the thought of shedding off those extra pounds is enough for some people to turn to a detoxification diet. Others use it because it improves overall health and mental well-being. The combination of the two can lead to better sleep, better sex, better appearance and better self esteem.

A detox diet is becoming more popular these days as a way to lose weight, improve health and feel years younger. There are many different remedies and programs out there to choose from. Most can be achieved in a 24 hour period. A period longer than 2 days is not recommended although some have gone through the detoxification process for as long as 7 days. It is best that you talk with your doctor before beginning the process to avoid any complications. Once you begin and see it through, you will notice the results immediately and will feel like a brand new person.…

Detoxification, Health and Weight Loss

I introduced in my last article the concept of intestinal health and detoxification of the body as key principles behind weight loss. I think to many people this will be common knowledge, and to many others it will be news. However even if you’re au fait with the virtues of detoxing, it might be worth reading on to hear how I have detoxed myself.

Detoxing should be to my mind a gentle progressive procedure which we use to degunk our systems. Unfortunately modern living exposes us to so much junk, in every sense of the word, that we all really need to take steps to look after ourselves in this regard.

Now, I am really going to get technical here, because to my mind it cuts to the quick of the matter. There are all sorts of junk, non-foods basically, that we eat in our modern Western diets, things like trans-fats, which cause our bodies huge problems. But I will cover all this later. I want to speak right now about “adipogenesis”. Adipogenesis is the formation of fatty tissues, and there is now scientific evidence coming out that the all the chemicals floating around our environment cause adipogenesis.

These chemicals are everywhere, washing powders, air fresheners, food preservatives, paints, etc etc etc. Many products these days are chemically treated, and the scary thing is that the chemicals used are fairly unregulated, so we have all sorts of things to which our bodies are now exposed. Now there seems to be a clear link between these chemicals, and our putting on weight.

One explanation for this is that when our bodies are exposed to high levels of toxins, our livers become unable to handle the load, and therefore the toxins are sent to a safe place in our bodies where they can do less damage. I.E rather than floating around our essential organs, they are sent to our fatty layers, where they are effectively stored until our body is able to process them. Of course if we are continually under toxic stress, then we will never process them, and we will just continue to put on weight.

This model makes sense to me personally, since I have suffered from obesity and MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, for the last 10 years.

So the solution is relatively straightforward. Cleanse your body properly, and you will allow it to start getting rid of toxins. Once the toxins go, then the fatty layers become redundant, and can also go as well. It is as I say relatively simple, but it is not the orthodox view of weight loss either.

Cleansing as I say should be progressive and gentle. And I should also add, on-going. Once you start maintaining your body to a higher standard than previously, you might as well carry on that way. After all, our environment is not getting any cleaner.

The first step in detoxification is normally intestinal cleaning. But we can step back I think and do a deeper clean. The bloodstream can be a source of life… or death. If it is the latter, it’s best dealt with. My first detox suggestion is to rid your body of mercury and heavy metals. There is a society for mercury free dentistry where you can learn about how awful having mercury, nickel and cadmium in your mouth is, and how to safely and effectively remove it. Ok, I’ll see you in my next article.…