Archive | November, 2014

Does The Neti Pot Really Work?

Millions suffer from sinus problems; clogged nasal passages, facial pain, and headaches.

Then there are those of us who have a temporary sinus problem when we get a cold or flu.

There are some wonderful home remedies but the Neti Pot is without a doubt a wonderful tool to reach for.

Using a nasal saline solution, a therapy that uses a salt and water solution has been the answer for relief for hundreds of years for many.

The Neti Pot is like a small Aladdin’s Magick Lamp and Magick is what it does.

Very simply the saline solution thins mucous and helps flush it out of the nasal passages.

Inside the nasal passage are tiny hair-like structures called cilia.

They wave back and forth pushing the mucus either to the back of the throat to be swallowed (or spit) or to the nose to be blown out.

The saline solution actually increases the speed of the cilia’s movement as well as improve the functioning of the cilia making them more efficient in removing any allergens and other irritants within the sinus cavities.

Neti Pots are a very convenient way to do a sinus treatment.

Now that the Neti Pot is so readily available I do recommend picking one up and having it around for when you need it.

One very important teaching I learned from Gardenia is to have all the healing tools you might need around before you actually need them.

When we do need it, we need it now!

The only real tricky part of doing a saline flush is how much salt to add to the water.

Too much salt will irritate the sinus passage and too little limits it’s effectiveness.

As each of us is very different in this regard I recommend starting off with a very weak solution and experimenting as to what works best for you.

One general recipe is to use 16 ounces of warm water (distilled, sterile, or previously boiled) with 1 teaspoon of salt.

The Neti Pot is designed to allow you to pour some of the solution into the nose and irrigate the sinus passages.

Simple directions will come with all Neti Pots.

Keep the solution to water and sea salt and never add any essential oils as they could easily burn the passage way.

Sinus irrigation is simple, safe, and yet so effective in relieving and even preventing sinus symptoms.

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

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

Is Gluten Really The Enemy?

Today we are surrounded by Gluten Free Diets and Foods.

So many people are avoiding Gluten.

Is Gluten really the problem?

Gluten is a hard to digest protein.

It is meant to be digested in the stomach by our digestive juices before passing on into the small intestines.

Undigested Gluten is an irritant to skin and villi of the intestinal wall and can cause any number of health concerns.

Acting as an irritant it can inflame and create leaks in the intestinal villi (leaky gut syndrome) allowing gluten, other undigested proteins, and toxins to move into the lymphatic system that surrounds the digestive tract.

Remember there are more lymph nodes in the abdominal area than any other part of our body combined.

Numerous health conditions such as bloating, fatigue, mental confusion, weakening of the immune system, and allergies are all associated with undigested Gluten.

The problem for most people is not the Gluten but the weakening of the stomach’s digestive power to do what is meant to do.

Digest the food we consume!

We talk a lot about Digestive Fires and how if this “fire” is insufficient to break down the foods we eat, health problems follow.

Specifically it is HCL (hydrochloric acid), which is found in the stomach that is what breaks down our hard to digest Gluten as well as most proteins.

A HCL deficiency seems to be at the root of most Gluten allergies.*

So why are the Digestive Fires so weak in so many people?

We discussed in a previous newsletter how if the stomach wall becomes dehydrated, the stomach has to cut production of HCL.

We know how involved the liver and gallbladder are in digestion and how with all the stress and poor diet these organs are not functionally optimally.

Stress alone disrupts the digestive process.

Eating while standing or on the run certainly does not support digestion.

Constipation is another contributing factor to weak digestion.

A plate overflowing with poorly combined food groups just confuses our digestive system.  And will just shut down!

For most people the problem is not Gluten but a very weak capacity to digest.

Just drinking 8oz. of water 15-30 minutes before a meal will rehydrate the stomach lining and stimulate the production of HCL.

Also by adding an HCL supplement can make a huge difference.

We know Gluten is resistant to most of the pancreatic and duodenal enzymes that the body produces for protein digestion.

Gluten relies on HCL and our gut microbes to be broken down.

What is most important and seems to being missed by so many practitioners and others is that Gluten, for most people is not the problem but rather a symptom.

I am always hearing of people being on a Gluten free diet, but hardly do I ever hear of anyone talking about how weak their digestion is.

Or even making a connection between the two.

It is as if the two are not even related!

And as with so many other health concerns, stopping the symptom is more the focus than the why and then the how can we heal this.

What is our body trying to tell us?

There is a problem we are not addressing.

In most Gluten allergies our body is crying out to tell us we are having a digestion problem.

Are we listening?

So much keeps back to the microbiology of our gut and again in relationship to Gluten it is also true.

We know that the microbes in our gut help us digest undigested proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, etc.

So here is another factor affecting Gluten allergies.

I certainly agree to limit or avoid a food we are having trouble digesting is the right thing to do.

Let us just not stop there assuming we have corrected the problem.

Let us heed the warning sign that something is not right in our body, our Temple.

Avoiding Gluten does not address or heal the body’s weakness in the digestive tract.

And what this means is that even though you might not be having allergenic symptoms, a system in our body is in need of attention.

HCL is not just there for Gluten but to help digest all proteins.

HCL also stimulates many duodenal and pancreatic enzymes that along with bile from the liver are integral parts of the digestive process.

If you are not digesting Gluten, then assume you are not digesting properly.

A proper treatment would include improving the health of the gut’s microbes.

Watching our stress levels especially while eating and after while digesting.

Rehydrate the stomach lining and supplement our HCL production.

Eat gluten in moderation.  Keep in mind that bread is mostly meant to be a winter food (it is harvested in fall) when our digestive fires are stronger.

So is Gluten really the enemy or a barometer to let us know how our digestion system is working?

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

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

*There are specific health concerns such as Celiac Disease that do require an avoidance of Gluten all together.

How Great Is Ghee?

Ghee is butter with the milk solids skimmed off.

An Ayurveda food that has been used for thousands of years in India for it’s many health benefits is getting a lot of attention here now in the west.

Ghee has a high smoke point which means you can cook at high temperatures and the oil does not break down into free radicals as does other oils.

Many Ghee’s do not need to be refrigerated and there are actually Ghee’s that can last up to 100 years.

In India, Temples and families pass down Ghee as a treasured heirloom.

Many people who have dairy allergies are fine using Ghee and can enjoy the butter taste, as Ghee is both casein and lactose free.

Ghee is rich in A, D, K, K2, and E.

Like Coconut Oil, Ghee is a natural source of medium chain fatty acids that are absorbed directly into the liver and are burnt as energy.  A great source of consistent energy.

Ghee is high in lauric acid as is Coconut Oil.

Lauric acid helps our body kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Ghee, being high in lauric acid can aid in the treatment for Candida.

Perhaps though the greatest health benefit of consuming Ghee is that it is a very rich source of butyric acid.

In previous newsletters we discussed how the microbiology of the gut digests fiber and converts it into butyric acid that is needed for intestinal support.

For most of us who do not produce enough butyric acid on our own, Ghee is a great way of supplementing our body’s own production.

Butyric Acid is essential for a healthy digestive system.

Ghee increases the digestive fire needed by our bodies to digest our food.  It does this without increasing the Pita or Fire element in our system.

Butyric Acid supports the production of killer T cells in the gut thus supporting the immune system.

Butyric Acid is being used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases as well as having a strong anti-inflammatory effect.

Ghee is an Anti-Cancer food!

In India, Ghee is considered a Satvic food.  Satvic foods support positivity, growth, and expansion of consciousness.

Ghee is used externally also to heal many wounds such as burns, broken bones, bruises, bedsores, skin rashes, and even for eye irritations.

It was traditionally used to massage newborn infants as well as those nearing death.  It is calming and soothes agitations.

Ghee has the capacity of being a carrier for healing herbs and spices.  Medicated Ghee’s are used extensively in many healing programs.

Also incorporated into many cleansing programs, Ghee can help rid our system of toxic buildups due to its wonderful capacity as a carrier.

When we cook with Ghee, any spices such as Turmeric can be delivered to the tissues needing them the most.

Cultured Ghee from organic grass fed cows will have the highest levels of butyric acid.

Once again, the foods of our ancestors are gifts to help us with today’s health needs.

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

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

So which is better Ghee or Coconut Oil?  They both offer some similar health benefits as well as being different in certain ways.  Personally I use both.  Including both Ghee and Coconut Oil in our diets will only make us stronger and healthier.

Popcorn: A Healthy Treat?

That’s right!  Popcorn is now being hailed as a wonderful snack food with numerous health benefits.

Considered a whole grain, Popcorn has all the health benefits associated with other healthy whole grains.

Whole grains include three parts: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm.

The germ contain healthy oils, vitamin E, protein, many B vitamins, and minerals as well as antioxidants.

The bran is rich is fiber as well as B vitamins and minerals.

The endosperm is primarily starch with some protein and some fiber.

Dietary fiber is a major benefit of whole grains and Popcorn contains 4 grams of fiber for every 4 cups of popped Popcorn.

Popcorn is also a source of folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, B6, and K.

And no cholesterol!

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the antioxidant levels of Popcorn.

In the fact the concentration of polyphenols found in Popcorn was higher than any fruit or vegetable.

An amazing 60% more!

Polyphenols have many health benefits including the prevention of degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Polyphenols also have an anti-inflammatory action.

Air popping is the healthiest way to make Popcorn.

Though I have to admit I tend to use the old-fashioned crank popcorn maker.  I use Coconut Oil to cook it in and then top it with Ghee and Himalayan Pink Salt.

For those with concerns around glycemic levels, Popcorn comes in just under the upper end of low-GI foods.

Depending on your own system you may find Popcorn just fine on your diet especially if you limit the amount you consume and are careful with the preparation.

So get out your favorite movie, a bowl of freshly popped Popcorn, a friend or two, and have a night filled with a healthy treat and fun.

As you are munching know that you are feeding your body a healthy snack and enjoy!

Mangiere e divertirsi…*

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

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

Ghee is another one of those incredible foods that we will focus on in our next newsletter.

FYI:  It is the hull or the part of popcorn that gets caught in our teeth that is packed with all the health goodies discussed here.  Be sure to chew these hulls well and know they are nourishing you.

*eat and enjoy…