Archive | December, 2017

Tis the season to be jolly and with all the treats around this is an easy one to partake in.

But what is going on in our guts with all the holiday cheer we are consuming.

You might want to stop here and maybe read this newsletter after the holiday season.  After all the partying is over and you have indulged to your hearts content.

But for those who want to know read on….

Our immune system is closely tied to our gut bacteria.  In fact it is estimated that 80% of our immune receptors sites are in our intestinal walls.

These gut microbes are largely responsible for our overall health.

The healthy microbes produce Probiotics that are supportive to our Wellbeing, while the unhealthy ones produce Endotoxins that add to our dis-ease.  Most notably higher inflammation level in our bodies.

One role of the healthy microbes is to keep a check on the unhealthy ones thereby maintaining the balance in favor of us staying healthy.

Ok, so lets throw this holiday season into the mix!

Most people diets lean in a direction to begin with, that contains too much sugar, carbohydrates, etc. etc…

And with this a leaning towards an acidic constitution.

Now the holiday season is here and every where you turn there is food being offered as well as drink.

We begin by overeating…putting an extra burden on the intestines.  This overeating alone can kill off healthy microbes.

Next lets add an absurd amount of sugar that is way over the line of our ordinary over-consumption of sugar.

Now we are feeding the bad microbes and they are ever so happy.

Then lets add the holiday cheer and all the toasting we do.

Our guts are in heaven.  At least the harmful microbes are!

There is a whole lot of partying going on down there and they are tearing up the joint…literally!

Our immune system cannot keep up.

We are stressing the organs that help detoxify our system.

Our already high inflammation levels are shooting off the chart.

The healthy microbes just cannot keep up.

Bah Humbug….

Nothing of the sort!

Let’s use the information we have been learning and with a little care we can have what might end up being the best holiday ever.

A few very simple guidelines:

• First drink a glass of water 15 minutes before you are about to eat.  This will aid in digestion.
• When sitting down to eat at a party or feast keep taking time out to talk.  This gives your digestive system a chance to rest.  You will notice that you will very likely not over eat at the same time.
• Eat the most difficult to digest foods first.  Our digestive juices are strongest at the beginning of a meal.
• Going to a pot luck.  Bring a dish to share but also bring food for yourself that is supportive of your health needs.  This way you can sample some     dishes if you want but you have your own food to sustain you.
• This might sound very weird but have some fresh chopped garlic you can add to any dish.  The garlic is supportive of healthy gut microbes.  You can also bring one of the many garlic supplement with you that are odorless if you prefer.
• Let yourself have treats but try and pace them.  There are more and treats being made with stevia or xylitol.  These sugars do not feed the harmful microbes as does sugar.  When done right are so delicious.
• Add a really good Probiotic in this time of year.  If you are going to indulge then support the healthy microbes as best as you can.

The biggest key is to already have a balanced diet in place.  To have already been supporting our microbes.  This gives your gut more leeway should you indulge.

Perhaps most importantly though is to love yourself and whatever choices you make.  Enjoy every treat or toast to the fullest.  Send both out and in Well Wishes of Wellbeing.

May your Holiday Season be filled with the Wealth of Health.

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…

Alexander Gardener

The Lymph Guy

I have always loved afternoon naps.  There is something so special about taking the time for an afternoon nap.

Certain cultures have built afternoon naps into their daily lives.  In fact the whole town may shut down for a “Siesta”.

For us living here in the United States naps have become a luxury that few get to enjoy.

Studies have shown that naps are good for us adults and not just for children.

They do not disrupt the natural circadian sleep cycle, but in fact are a part of it.

Naps were once part of our survival mechanism.  To stay alert for predators, we needed to nap during the day.

Even with a full nights sleep, as the day goes on, our focus and alertness can diminish.

A simple 15 minute power nap can rekindle our alertness and focus and actually help us be more productive for the remainder of our day.

Some companies such as Google and Apple have come to realize this and allow employees nap time.

Children who miss their nap time have shown to have less joy and show less interest.  They tend to have more anxiety and are less skilled at problem solving than children who do nap.

Adults have shown the same trend.

Naps kinda reboot us.  They clear out short term memories and our brain feels refreshed.  We are more open to learning and our memory is once again enhanced.

Short term naps around 10 -20 minutes seem ideal.  We call them power naps and they certainly do work.  They are not long enough for us to go into deep sleep which allows us to get right back to work with increased energy and alertness.

Longer naps can lead to grogginess, though there are days we need longer 60 minute time outs.

If you have trouble sleeping at night you might find a 90 minute nap is just what you need to improve your own emotional health and creativity.

A 90 minute nap is actually a complete sleep cycle of its own.

NASA found naps to boost alertness in pilots.  Pilots that took naps had a higher lever of alertness than those that did not.

Even a short 10 minute nap was effective in a least feeling more alert.

Though longer naps can have you waking up feeling groggy.  The long term effect is that your mental fatigue has vanished.

In fact brain activity remains higher in Nappers all day than those who do not nap.

Naps give us a chance to actually solve problems.  How many times have you suddenly seen the Light and the solution is there after taking a nap.  It has been discovered that the right hemisphere of our brain shows a burst of activity after naps.  This side of the brain is linked to creativity.

Ever feel you are being lazy for wanting to take a nap.  Our productivity actually increases after naps.  We actually work harder with improved results after a nap.

I love to take naps.  And yes naps have shown to lift our spirits.

It is not just toddlers that need naps for a mood booster.

The National Sleep Foundation calls naps a “mini-vacation”.

Zap out Stress with a Nap!

It is not necessary to fall asleep for a nap to be effective.   Just resting in bed or a reclined position gives you all the benefits.

Some even call napping meditation.

So start making time for naps, I mean meditation.  What you call the time out is not important but do take the time for yourself.

You will love yourself all the more for it and have more love to share especially during this holiday season.

Happy Napping….

Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…