Archive | July, 2014

Drinking Water Is Good For Digestion…

We all know that drinking water or really any beverage before a meal is bad for digestion.

Right!

Actually Wrong!

Whenever I mention that is actually good for our digestion to drink a glass of water before a meal I am often met with but…..

Today I wanted to share the science behind why it is so helpful for our digestive system to start with this glass of water before we eat.

Our stomachs are lined with a bicarbonate layer, which is essential to buffer the acids that the stomach produces for digestion.

This layer of protection is 80% water.

In the very first newsletter I sent out I mentioned that studies have shown that 95% of us do not drink enough water and are dehydrated to some degree.

If the body is dehydrated and there is not enough water to maintain the water ratio in this bicarbonate layer, the stomach does not produce as much stomach acid needed for digestion.

The stomach knows to cut back on acid production as a protection for the stomach lining.

Without adequate stomach acids we cannot digest our food properly and this undigested food passes out of the stomach and into the intestines where it can create numerous health problems.

The intestines can become irritated, congested, and the lining of the gut can swell and block the lymph drainage vessels.

This can translate into poor digestion, weight gain, and overall poor health.

There is a term called “thermogenesis” which refers to the generation of heat in the body.

Drinking water before a meal increases this thermogenesis action that in turn aids in digestion and can even help with weight loss.

With both more stomach acid and thermogenesis occurring it helps our bodies digest foods that otherwise can be very difficult to digest such as wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, etc.

Those with food allergies, drinking a glass of water before every meal could make a huge difference.

Other benefits would include more energy from the foods you eat, less gas and bloating, better bowel function, not to mention just better overall health.

For anyone working to control a yeast overgrowth this is essential as the undigested food material feeds the yeast and encourages its growth.

Drinking a glass of water (8-16oz.) (15-30 minutes) before a meal can mean more digestive acids, which means better digestion, that means better health.

Cheers….

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

Alexander Gardener
The Lymph Guy
thelymphguy.com
thelymphguy@gmail.com

A Perfect Food?

There are not many foods that can be included in practically any diet and for practically any type of individual.

When I was researching foods to help treat inflammations in the body, avocados came up at the top of the list.

It struck me what a wonderful gift avocados are and when they say, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food,” they must have had avocados in mind.

Not only are avocados a wonderful food to include in our diets but there are many external uses also.

Avocados are a fruit, more specifically a berry.

They have more potassium than bananas (twice as much).

They are one of the few high protein fruits containing 18 of the most important amino acids all of which are available to the body to use.

Avocados are high in fiber, vitamin E, the B vitamins, and folic acid.

Avocados are low in fructose but rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy.

Research is showing, besides its anti-inflammatory properties,  avocados may help to protect us from liver damage and may actually improve its overall health.

Avocados contain compounds that appear to destroy oral cancer cells.

Because of its beneficial raw fat content, advocados enable our bodies to more easily absorb fat-soluble nutrients.

When you use avocados as a mask the antioxidants, amino acids, and essential oils help to repair damaged hair, treat dry skin by replenishing moisture to the cells, soothe sun burns, and perhaps even reduce winkles.

Because of the high levels of vitamin E and moisturizing plant sterols and lecithin, avocados are helpful to heal skin problems such as acne.

A mixture of Avocado Oil and Castor Oil* has a similar effect, as does Oil Pulling to clear our blocked pores, reduce sebaceous gland inflammation, and generally improve skin tone.

Or you can just simply smash an advocado and spread it on your face for about 1/2hr as a mask.

As an extra bonus, avocados are one of the top Alkaline foods for anyone needing to balance the body’s ph.

Avocados are the perfect food to be our medicine and the perfect medicine to be our food!

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

Alexander Gardener
The Lymph Guy
thelymphguy.com
thelymphguy@gmail.com

What Exactly Is Bacteria?

While I was writing the article on Oil Pulling, I wondered how many us actually know much about bacteria.

Bacteria have their own classification due to their unique cellular and morpholigal characteristics that make it different from other classifications such as fungi, virus, or animal.

The oldest known fossils are of Bacteria, 3.5 billion years old.

They are microscopic, single celled organisms that are ancient and are responsible for numerous lethal diseases as well as causing numerous basic health issues.

But Bacteria also help us in many ways.  For example Bacteria is the “tang” in our yogurt and the “sour” in our sourdough bread.

Bacteria help our bodies as well as plants convert nitrogen into a useable form.

We tend to refer to Bacteria as “germs”, but they do help us in amazing ways such as making vitamins, breaking down waste material in our bodies, as well as even helping to maintain our atmosphere.

Bacteria are some of the earliest forms of life that existed here on Earth.  They helped shape the planet into what it is today.

And no doubt will have an impact on our tomorrow.

Some bacteria can live off sunlight like plants and actually give off oxygen just like the trees.

Other bacteria live off the digested food in our gut or off the material they are living on or in.

They can live in extreme boiling hot springs as well as in the frozen Antarctic.

They can exist as an independent organism or as parasites living off of another life.

So what we are seeing here is a complex situation where as with many things there are helpful Bacteria and Bacteria that can prove harmful, even deadly.

So getting back to the Oil Pulling and its ability to rid our mouth of Bacteria.

There is always going to be Bacteria in our mouths as well in many areas of our bodies.

The problem is when the level of bad Bacteria grows to an unhealthy level.   This is when we haven potential problems with our breath, teeth, or gum diseases.

The basis of a healthy system is Balance.

If any organism gets out of balance such as the bad Bacteria in our mouths then we are open to a wide range of problems.

Left unattended the problems can only grow worse.

There are actually some bacteria in the back of the tongue that helps to prevent halitosis, the formal name for bad breath.  At the same time there is bacteria causing it.

There are good bacteria and bad bacteria.

A treatment such as Oil Pulling helps to maintain the balance where the bad bacteria are being eliminated and the good bacteria are being supported.

Maintaining our immune system helps to keep the balance between healthy bacteria and harmful bacteria.

Diet is perhaps the area that impacts this balance more than anything else other than stress.

And stress can throw the balance off of the healthiest lifestyle.

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

Alexander Gardener
The Lymph Guy
thelymphguy.com
thelymphguy@gmail.com

The Best Anti-Inflammation Foods!

We have all experienced inflammation at some point in our bodies.  Usually it is associated with an injury to soft tissue such as a sprain as it gets red and swollen.

This inflamation can occur anywhere in our bodies and to any tissues.

By adding anti-inflammatory foods into our daily diet we are helping the body reduce the inflammations and help the body return to a more balanced state.

We do not want to stay in an inflamed state for very long.  The natural Acute Inflammation response that is now a 24/7 Chronic Inflammation state is not healthy for the body to be in.

Symptoms such as fatigue, IBS, reflux, poor digestion, constipation, headaches/migraines, allergies, joint pain, and numerous other symptoms can be linked to Chronic Inflammation.

So what can we do to help our bodies?

One of the best anti-inflammatory foods is Avocados.  They are high in nutrients that help prevent inflammations especially arthritis.

The next wonderful food to add is Ginger.  Very high in ultra potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols.

Turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties.

Turmeric can actually help prevent swelling and pain.

Then we have Garlic!

Garlic is one of those essential foods in natural healing.  It is anti most anything that can hinder our well being from inflammations, to fungus, to parasites.

Adding fresh chopped garlic a few times a day to our meals can make a huge difference as to how we feel.

Beets and Asparagus are two more foods that can help reduce and prevent inflammations in our bodies.

If you are not already taking some form of Omega 3 every day you certainly want to be.

Adding Flax Seed Meal* to our diets is one of the best ways to get this crucially important nutrient into our systems.  Not only is it a natural anti-inflammatory but also will support brain health and many other essential body functions necessary for overall good health.

Adding the right foods in to support reducing inflammation is of course only half the equation.  The other half is what foods to avoid that actually increase inflammation responses in the body.

The most important foods to avoid are sugar, red meat, caffeine, dairy, processed foods and grains, hydrogenated oils, and most packaged and prepared foods.

Perhaps the most important non-food support will come from plenty of rest.  The body heals itself in an alkaline state (rest state).  Supporting the adrenals and our energy reserves is necessary for any consistent healing to occur.

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

Alexander Gardener
The Lymph Guy
thelymphguy.com
thelymphguy@gmail.com

*It is important to use Flax Seed Meal or oil, as the whole seed cannot be digested by our bodies and tends to pass through with little to no benefit.