In today’s toxic world where we are exposed to thousands of chemicals in our air, food and water, the need for detoxification is higher than ever. Rates of chronic disease, cancer, autoimmune disease and heart disease/high blood pressure are commonplace; chances are you have a close friend, coworker or family member who is dealing with a disease. Our chronic toxic exposure puts us at risk so it is prudent to be vigilant about such matters. We all have toxic chemicals in our body.The average person contains 91 toxic chemicals (this was an American study but we can ‘guesstimate’ that Canadians would have similar profiles). Chemicals that cannot be properly disposed of in the body are stored in our fat because the body does not know how else to deal with them. Some of the channels for toxic elimination include the liver, kidneys, bowel, lungs, and skin. The body needs to be able to convert the toxin into a form that is capable of being excreted. Various food substances can help with this and I will name them later in my blog. First of all we need to reduce entry into the body in the first place.

Reducing toxic substances coming into the body requires vigilance. Start with your household exposure – household cleaning supplies carry many different carcinogens and are likely your biggest exposure around your home. Switch to eco friendly cleaners which are safe for your home and body. I use shaklee cleaners (shaklee.com) and no, I don’t sell them. They are cost effective and work well to get your house clean. Leave your shoes at the door when you step in your house. Tracking debris through your house will up your exposure to chemicals, doubly so if you work on a farm or work in an environment where you are exposed to chemicals (chemical plants, mechanics, hairdressers, office workers, etc). Toss air fresheners that are marketed on tv and magazines and instead fill a container with water and add drops of essential oil like lavender or sage to scent your air safely. Sensitive to people? Bathe in a bath of 1/2 cup sea salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. This will clear your energy field of residue from your day.

Buy organic produce especially when you buy the dirty dozen> spinach, kale, peaches, peppers, apples, lettuce, carrots, celery, cherries, grapes, pears, nectarines, and strawberries. These are the highest in pesticides (the average peach contains 32 pesticide residues). If nothing else, decide to purchase these vegetables only if organic. The cleanest nonorganic produce (lowest in pesticides) are asparagus, onions, avocados, cabbage, eggplant, kiwi, mango, papaya, pineapple, sweet corn, sweet peas, and watermelon. These are the safest produce to buy if you are considered about the cost. They should still be washed though. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off of fruits and vegetables. A pesticide wash solution you can use is > 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp baking soda and 1/2 lemon (juice). Mix together and put in a spray bottle. Spray it on your produce and let it sit for 5 minutes before rinsing off with water. Use an acid wash on apples, celery and bell peppers. Fill a large container with water, add a cup of vinegar and let soak for 30 minutes; then scrub with a vegetable brush. Soak grapes and cherries for one hour.

Avoid farmed salmon which contain PCB’s, dioxins and other chlorinated contaminants at all costs and buy wild salmon instead. Avoid tuna, swordfish, shark, lobster, halibut, bass, snapper, orange roughy, and mackerel which are high in mercury. For more information on toxins in fish and our food supply in general, check out Clean, Green & Lean by Dr. Walter Crinnion. To be continued…

Chronic inflammation is at the basis of many health problems and has been linked to diseases including cancer, heart disease and alzheimer’s. Inflammation is the body’s first line of defense against a multitude of harmful invaders including unwanted bacteria, viruses and other harmful pathogens. If the inflammatory reaction becomes chronic and does not switch off, it becomes a problem. There are many factors that can contribute to inflammation and many factors that can reduce it. First of all, pay attention to the fats you are using. Stay away from all hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Use extra virgin olive oil to cook but only at reduced temperatures or drizzle on food once it is cooked. You could also use organic expeller pressed canola, o.e.p. sunflower or o.e.p. safflower oils. Reduce your saturated fat intake by cutting out whole fat sources of dairy products. Cheese is a big source of saturated fat so choose skim sources of cheese or low fat alternatives. Try dairy substitutes like rice and almond milk to reduce fat content if you experience sinus congestion on a regular basis which may red flag a dairy allergy. Many brands of rice milk are fortified to make them a reasonable alternative to milk. Avoid red meat and all processed meats (read luncheon meats with nitrates). Avoid pork and bacon. Free range grass- fed bison is an alternative to store bought ground beef. If you have a high degree of inflammation in your body, I would limit red meat including bison to 2 servings a week max. Avoid sugar which is very proinflammatory. Reduce flour consumption and consume whole grains such as brown rice, whole oats, buckwheat, and quinoa. Aim for 40 grams of fiber daily. Avoid alcohol to reduce inflammation. Red wine has health benefits but if you have inflammation avoid it. Cut out all fast foods.

You need to flood your body with healthy nutritious rich food. So what do you focus on? Start with an abundant source of fruits and veggies. Choose to eat three veggies to one fruit. Because fruit is high in sugar in high amounts in can lead to higher insulin levels which is more proinflammatory in the long run. Green veggies are phenomenal at reducing inflammation and this is why I recommend blending up green drinks daily. Vegetables like carrots, beets, and white potatoes should be eaten in lesser amounts due to their high glycemic index. Make sure to eat them with a source of protein like nuts or beans which have healthy fats to help stabilize blood sugar. Choose soybeans versus processed forms of soy or fermented forms of soy such as miso or tempeh. Choose raw nuts such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds which can help reduce inflammation. Fish is not always a good choice for your health because of the amount of toxins in our oceans. If you eat fish, choose wild salmon versus farmed. Black cod is okay as are sardines packed in water or olive oil and herring.  Consuming 2000 mg of a molecularly distilled high quality fish oil with food is a great way to get the antiinflammatory benefits of fish minus the toxicity. A high quality fish oil will have antioxidants added such as some form of Vitamin E to preserve the stability of the oil. Consume avocado, ground hemp or flax seeds for vegetarian sources of healthy fat. Drink 6 – 8 cups of filtered water daily to flush out toxins. Consuming tea such as oolong, green or white tea gives you additional inflammation reducing benefits as does eating one dark square of chocolate daily (cocoa content 70% +).   

Lastly, stress is a big source of inflammation in the body and possibly the greatest source of inflammation. My in house treatment of choice for reducing stress is emotional freedom technique. 30 – 60 minutes of exercise daily and learning how to breathe (20 deep breaths daily is a start) will help to reduce stress. Take time out of your day to have some fun! Make time to do things that you love and make time for the people that you love!

I did a workshop this weekend. It was emotional freedom technique level 2. This weekend was like undergoing personal therapy for twelve hours. Level 2 teaches the participants how to access your core issues by getting in touch with your subconscious mind (which runs you 95% of the time versus the conscious mind which runs you 5 % of the time!) and works on reprogramming it. This is so important. The subconscious mind is like a tape player. It contains beliefs that you learned in your first six years of life. Bruce Lipton who is a brilliant scientist on the planet right now states that your propensity to develop a serious disease is set by the age of six…isn’t that crazy?!

Yes, we are at the mercy of our subconcious programming to a point until we become conscious of it and learn tools to work with it. We can reprogram the tape player so it plays a tape that supports our health and healing. EFT is one tool that can access the subconscious mind and work with it. It can release the energy tied up in the subconscious and liberate it so the individual is free to live an empowered conscious life. EFT is like acupuncture without the needles; psychological acupressure that allows for optimal energy flow along meridian pathways. It is simple and effective; this technique helps release energy that has been stored in the body preventing optimal health.

This workshop as mentioned was fairly intensive. What struck me though was the courage that people had to be vulnerable in front of other people. The instructor was at the front and would often seek audience members that wanted to work on personal issues. All of the people that went to the front had tears flowing. These individuals that had the courage to be transparent in a group full of strangers should be commended. It is not easy to be this vulnerable but the people that bravely went to the front of the room gave us so much of their heart and soul. I thanked one particular women after the class finished telling her that her bravery allows us all the courage to be more vulnerable in the future. What all of us need to see and be with each other is vulnerable and real. We have to take off our masks and let people see who we really are. Who we really are is individuals wanting to connect with other individuals hoping to be loved no matter how vulnerable we may appear in any given moment. This is the courage to be vulnerable. Bravely offer your love to someone who has shown the courage to be vulnerable in  your life. I can tell you I am gathering courage to go to the front in a level 3 workshop….