Currently viewing the tag: "Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center"

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Are You Taking Care of Your Lymphatic System?

Your lymphatic system is crucial for your immune system and for protecting you from inflammation and illness. If your lymphatic system is congested, it cannot protect you as effectively and can make you prone to infections and disease. Keeping your lymphatic flow smooth and free from lymph congestion can be critical to your health.

What Does Your Lymph System Do For You?

Your lymph system is a network of blood vessels and lymph nodes working together to carry fluids from your tissues to your blood and vice versa. It is your body’s inner drainage system.

You can find lymph nodes in your throat, groin, armpits, chest and abdomen.

Besides your lymph vessels and nodes, your lymph system includes several organs such as your tonsils, spleen, thymus, and adenoids.

All of these play a critical role in fighting infection, recovering from illness, and healing wounds. They recognize harmful organisms and trigger the creation of infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Your lymph system also helps to keep bodily fluids in balance and takes care of fluid buildup or swelling due to injury or health issues.

Ways Your Lymph System Can Become Congested

Being under a lot of stress can lead to lymph congestion. When you are under stress, your body creates stress-fighting hormones, which result in free radical waste products that can lead to a variety of health problems.

Chronic illness may lead to lymph congestion, because when your body is fighting microbes, your body is creating more white blood cells to fight them and may fill up your lymph nodes, backing up the system, and creating swelling.

Another reason for lymph congestion is digestive imbalance. Digestive imbalances may irritate the intestinal villi causing lymph congestion because a majority of your lymphatic system surrounds your gut.

Not drinking enough water and lacking physical activity can result in your lymph fluid slowing down. Your lymph system relies on pressure from muscle movement and breathing to move fluids around. A sedentary lifestyle or chronic dehydration may slow and congest your lymph system.

In addition, nutrient deficiencies may lead to lymph congestion as well. Iodine, magnesium and vitamin C are all important to mitigate the harmful effects of environmental toxins and to support your lymph system in protecting your body.

Ways to Improve Your Lymphatic System

Exercising daily may be one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost the health of your lymphatic system. Whether you are lifting weights at the gym, dancing around your home with your kids, or going for a jog with the dog you are encouraging the health of your lymphatic system and improving immune function.

Another excellent way to purify the lymphatic system is through the practice of rebounding. Rebounding is a low impact exercise, which involves jumping on a trampoline. It promotes the flow of lymph through the body and is believed to increase the drainage of toxins from organs and muscle tissue.

Use Stress Reduction Techniques to encourage the flow of lymph through your body. Some of these techniques may involve yoga, Pilates, deep breathing exercises, stretching, and maintaining good posture. These practices relieve congestion and stimulate the circulation and detoxification of lymph through the body.

When lymph becomes stagnant in extremities, a buildup of pathogenic substances, inflammatory markers and cellular debris can wreak havoc on the immune response leading to a decline in health.

These stress reduction techniques encourage the contraction and relaxation of muscle, which push debris out of organs, and decreases the likelihood of debris buildup and becoming stagnant. A simple stretch upon waking up is an easy way to initiate the circulation of lymph fluid throughout your body.

The rib cage is a major lymphatic pump in our bodies, which is essential for increasing lymphatic flow. So take in deep breaths throughout the day if possible.

One key mechanism by which our bodies remove toxins is through perspiration. That can be through exercise or using an infrared sauna. Infrared saunas offer a non-invasive form of light therapy, which heats internal muscles and organs thereby pushing toxins into circulation for their removal from the body.

The Ayurvedic practice of dry brushing boosts circulation and therefore boosts lymph flow and detoxification. Dry brushing helps to remove dead skin cells and toxic waste as well as stimulate sweat glands by opening pores and promoting underlying lymphatic circulation.

This practice is as simple as using a coarse bristle brush and moving the brush along the skin towards the heart.

Consuming a diet of anti-inflammatory foods, specifically fruits and vegetables, helps to hydrate the body and promote an alkaline environment.

Some of the best foods that detoxify the lymphatic system are red fruits and vegetables like pomegranates, cranberries, beets, cherries and raspberries. These foods boost lymphatic function and help thin bile, which is a major component to the regulation of the immune response in the gut. Consuming a diet rich in omega-3s is also critical to fighting inflammation and fighting infectious agents. 

Hydration is key to the proper function of the lymphatic system as it is primarily made up of about 95% water. Sipping on lemon water is a great detoxification strategy because it not only hydrates the body but it also encourages an alkaline environment.

Your clothes may be restricting lymphatic vessels, which may hinder the adequate flow of lymph fluid, so choose your attire appropriately.  Try not to wear tight-fitting undergarments which can cause the inability for fluid to be drained from the breast, arms and chest into surrounding lymph nodes. It is also recommended to never wear tight-fitting clothes while sleeping.

Getting a massage can also help. Connective tissue massages such as shiatsu massage can relieve symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue. Therapeutic self-massage treatments can be found online and offer techniques for increasing the flow of lymph fluid throughout the body.

Patients who suffer from the most common lymphatic disease known as lymphedema can benefit from a type of massage called the Manual Lymph Drainage technique performed by specialized practitioners.

Chiropractic care may also help remove anatomical disruptions, which block the flow of lymph fluid. Chiropractic care assists to remove these obstructions and relieve tension from the lymphatic vessels stimulating detoxification.

Lymph congestion can affect your entire body. Symptoms of lymph congestion may include fatigue, stiffness, muscle and joint pain, bloating, holding onto water, breast swelling during your cycle, itchy and dry skin, brain fog, headaches, weight gain, swollen glands, cold hands and feet, chronic sinusitis, colds, sore throats, or ear issues, skin problems and cellulite.

So using some of the above techniques can be a good way to help the lymph system stay decongested.

Your lymphatic system is essential for your immune system and for protecting you from inflammation and illness. Keeping your lymphatic flow smooth and free from lymph congestion can be crucial to your health and well-being.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation.  Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing ® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

Endometriosis

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Endometriosis is one of the most common health issues experienced among women and one of the leading causes of infertility.

It may affect more than 11 percent, more than 6½ million women in American between the ages of 15 and 44. It is especially common among women in their 30’s and 40’s. 

For women with endometriosis, the lining tissue of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. The misplaced tissue responds to the monthly hormones by thickening and shedding with every menstrual cycle; however, the thick tissue is outside of the uterus and is unable to pass through the vagina and out of the body. The endometrial flow is then trapped and may cause inflammation and pain. Adhesions, or scar tissue, may form and stick one organ to another. It can even cause the fallopian tubes to close, which can lead to infertility.

Most often, endometrioses is found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, tissues that hold the uterus in place, and outer surface of the uterus. Other sites for growths can include the vagina, cervix, vulva, bowel, bladder, or rectum. Rarely, endometriosis appears in other parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain, and skin.

Symptoms of Endometriosis

With many women, the progression of endometriosis symptoms is slow, developing over many years. Each woman experiences a different range of pain, which can make a diagnosis difficult. The pain typically begins in the lower abdomen and intensifies during a women’s menstrual period or sexual intercourse. As the pain becomes more severe, it may begin to radiate through the lower belly, back, and legs—it is often described as cramp-like pain.    

The most common symptoms of endometriosis can include very painful menstrual cramps, chronic lower back and pelvis pain, painful periods, irregular periods, painful intercourse, increased pain during bowel movements, increased pain during urination, excessive bleeding, spotting and bleeding between cycles, painful digestion, constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, infertility, joint pain, nerve pain, chronic fatigue, and bloating.

Inflammation is also an issue and the forming of scar tissue and adhesions (type of tissue that can bind your organs together) can be a problem. The scar tissue may cause pelvic pain and make it hard for you to get pregnant.

Causes Endometriosis

No one knows for sure what causes this disease, but possible causes are problems with menstrual period flow. Retrograde menstrual flow is the most likely cause of endometriosis. Some of the tissue shed during the period flows through the fallopian tube into other areas of the body, such as the pelvis. Genetic factors can be a reason because endometriosis seems to run in families.

A faulty immune system may fail to find and destroy endometrial tissue growing outside of the uterus, and research shows that the hormone estrogen appears to promote endometriosis.

Treatments for Endometriosis

While there are many conventional treatments for the symptoms of endometriosis, there are also many natural ones as well.

A healthy diet is a great way to start when attempting to relieve symptoms naturally.

Begin by eliminating foods that lead to inflammation. This includes dairy, processed foods, refined sugars, caffeine, and carbohydrates. Eliminate these foods from your diet for at least three weeks, paying close attention to your body. You may also want to eliminate alcohol, soy, and other high-estrogen foods from your diet because of their estrogenic effects.

A 2004 study published in Human Reproduction found that there is a significant reduction in the risk of developing endometriosis in women who consume green vegetables and fresh fruit.

So, try to add these beneficial anti-inflammatory foods to your diet: green leafy vegetables, celery, beets, broccoli, blueberries, salmon, pineapple, walnuts, coconut oil, chia seeds, flaxseeds, turmeric, ginger, and bok choy.

Magnesium-rich foods also help soothe the uterus and reduce pain. These include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, black beans, avocado, almonds, bananas, chard, and spinach.

Iron-rich foods are important as well because they replenish the loss of iron in the body, which is a result of excess bleeding. Some foods containing iron include liver, beefsteak, navy beans, black beans, spinach, egg yolk, prunes, artichokes, and collard greens.

In addition, you can help to reduce inflammation, relieve joint, and muscle pain, and regulate hormone production, with omega-3 foods.

Add flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, salmon, trout, tuna, sardines, anchovies, and mackerel to your diet.

If you are suffering from constipation as an endometriosis symptom, eat high-fiber foods like quinoa, vegetables, berries, coconut, figs, artichokes, peas, okra, brussel sprouts, turnipsand acorn squash.

Acupuncture may also be effective, safe, and well-tolerated as an adjunct therapy, according to a study conducted at Harvard Medical School for endometriosis-related pelvic pain. For the study, 18 young women, ages 12–22 with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis-related chronic pelvic pain, were analyzed. Participants in the active acupuncture group experienced 62 percent less pain after four weeks, which differed significantly from the control group’s average reduction.

In addition, the essential oil, clary sage, was found to help balance hormones naturally and has been found to effectively reduce pain and cramping when applied topically.  You can apply two to four drops added to a carrier oil, then apply it topically over the abdomen, and then apply a warm compress over the area to relieve the pain.

Can You Prevent Endometriosis?

You cannot prevent endometriosis. However, you can reduce your chances of developing it by lowering the levels of the hormone estrogen in your body. Estrogen helps to thicken the lining of your uterus during your menstrual cycle.

To keep lower estrogen levels in your body, you can exercise regularly (more than four hours a week). This will also help you keep a low percentage of body fat. Regular exercise and a lower amount of body fat help decrease the amount of estrogen circulating through the body.

Avoid large amounts of alcohol because it raises estrogen levels. No more than one drink per day is recommended for women.

Avoid large amount of drinks with caffeine. Studies show that drinking more than one caffeinated drink a day, especially sodas and green tea, can raise estrogen levels.

Does Endometriosis Go Away After Menopause?

For some women, the painful symptoms of endometriosis improve after menopause. As the body stops making the hormone estrogen, the growths shrink slowly. However, some women who take menopausal hormone therapy may still have symptoms of endometriosis.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107 in Frederick. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

DEALING WITH HEMORRHOID PAIN

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Hemorrhoids, also called piles, are swollen and inflamed veins around your anus or in your lower rectum. There are two types of hemorrhoids: the external hemorrhoid and the internal hemorrhoid. 

Hemorrhoids are normal in all individuals from birth. These vascular structures or “cushions” help regulate bowel movements at the end of the rectum. People who experience the discomfort of hemorrhoids are often dealing with enlarged hemorrhoids.

Many people are reluctant to talk about their problems with hemorrhoids, but this is a common issue and can cause challenges for many people’s quality of life.

Hemorrhoids are common in both men and women, equally, and affect about 1 in 20 Americans. About half of adults older than age 50 have hemorrhoids.

Are There Complications from Hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids sometimes cause complications, including blood clots in an external hemorrhoid, skin tags (extra skin left behind when a blood clot in an external hemorrhoid dissolves), and an infection from a sore on an external hemorrhoid. The hemorrhoid can also become strangulated when the muscles cut off the blood supply to an internal hemorrhoid that has fallen through.

Symptoms and Causes of Hemorrhoids

The symptoms of hemorrhoids depend on the type you have. If you have external hemorrhoids, you may have anal itching, one or more hard tender lumps, and an ache or pain, especially when sitting.

Also, be aware that too much straining, rubbing, or cleaning around that area may make your symptoms worse. For many people, the symptoms of external hemorrhoids go away within a few days.

If you have internal hemorrhoids, you may have bleeding from your rectum (bright red blood on stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet bowl after a bowel movement) or a hemorrhoid that has fallen through the opening, called a prolapse. Internal hemorrhoids that are not prolapsed most often are not painful. Prolapsed internal hemorrhoids may cause pain and discomfort.

Keep in mind that although hemorrhoids are the most common cause of these symptoms, not every symptom is caused by a hemorrhoid. Some hemorrhoid symptoms are similar to those of other digestive tract problems. For example, bleeding from your rectum may be a sign of bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or cancer of the colon or rectum.

Ways to Treat Hemorrhoids

You can try treating your hemorrhoids at home for a week by making some lifestyle changes. Try adding foods high in fiber to your diet, or take a fiber supplement such as psyllium. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day, and stop straining during bowel movements. Also, do not sit on the toilet for long periods and avoid regular heavy lifting.

If your hemorrhoids are painful, you can try sitting in a tub of warm water (called a Sitz bath) several times a day to help relieve the pain. You can also try applying over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams or ointments made for hemorrhoids, which may relieve mild pain, swelling, and itching from external hemorrhoids.

Also, maintaining a healthy digestive system is one of the simplest ways you can prevent and treat uncomfortable hemorrhoids. Increasing oral fluids is one of the first lifestyle changes recommended to patients struggling to find relief from their hemorrhoids. Optimal hydration improves lymphatic drainage and has total body inflammation-reducing effects.

Straining the abdomen and pelvic floor muscles while having a bowel movement may be easily treated by avoiding constipation. Hydrating throughout the day with purified water is a great way to loosen stool, making bowel movements easier.

Our toilets may be one reason that people suffer from hemorrhoids. Once you find your way to the toilet, do not sit, but rather squat. One tip on doing so is to have a step stool nearby your toilet, on which you can then place your feet.

Squatting is common in undeveloped countries and is a natural position to go to the bathroom. Doing so removes strain off the rectum while relaxing muscles, which better allows the passing of a bowel movement and prevents bleeding from swollen veins. Furthermore, when you have the urge to use the bathroom, allow your body to have a bowel movement immediately rather than waiting, thus avoiding problems like constipation, which can lead to hemorrhoids.

Following are some more helpful tips to help you avoid hemorrhoids. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can cause dehydration and constipation. Avoid both unhealthy fats like fried foods and processed foods and certain spices, which can irritate and worsen hemorrhoids. Eat well and add fiber-rich fruits and vegetables into your diet to improve digestion and decrease the transit time that stool sits in the colon. Eliminate any known allergens from your diet that can cause constipation: common triggers include gluten, eggs, dairy, and shellfish. Include fermented foods into your daily meals to maintain healthy gut bacteria and improve stool evacuation from the digestive tract. Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity is a common risk factor that is associated with hemorrhoids. Exercising regularly increases the likelihood of having a regular bowel movement. Do not wait for a big urge to use the bathroom. The bowel not only loses its softness from water being taken back up into the body, but it also allows toxins to be absorbed as well, so try to train your bowels to evacuate by squatting on the toilet the same time every day. Try to limit being seated for long periods; doing so puts pressure on the veins, the same as if you were sitting on a toilet for too long.

Foods You May Want to Avoid If You Have Hemorrhoids

If you have hemorrhoids, your doctor may recommend eating more foods that are high in fiber and avoiding foods that have little or no fiber, such as cheese, chips, fast food, ice cream, processed meats, microwavable dinners, and prepared packaged foods and snack foods such as cakes, cookies, candy, and so forth.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Better yet, come to our Free Nutritional Seminars held on the third Wednesday of every month. Call us for the time of the class. Dr. Lo will demonstrate Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body and determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health.

The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107 in Frederick. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107 in Frederick. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

*Source: https://www.niddk.nih.gov; https://www.nlm.nih.gov, https://www.drjockers.com.

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

Is Secondhand Smoke Putting Your Health in Danger?

Secondhand smoke is composed of sidestream smoke (the smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette) and exhaled mainstream smoke (the smoke exhaled by the smoker. Most nonsmokers do not want to breathe tobacco smoke. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds, and secondhand smoke contains many of the same chemicals that are present in the smoke inhaled by smokers. Because sidestream smoke is generated at lower temperatures and under different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in cigarette smoke. The National Toxicology Program estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic.  When nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke, they inhale many of the same cancer-causing chemicals that smokers inhale. The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke; even small amounts of secondhand smoke exposure can be harmful to people’s health.

Secondhand smoke contains a number of poisonous gases and chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide (used in chemical weapons), carbon monoxide (found in car exhaust), butane (used in lighter fluid), ammonia (used in household cleaners), and toluene (found in paint thinners). Some of the toxic metals contained in secondhand smoke include arsenic (used in pesticides), lead (formerly found in paint), chromium (used to make steel), and cadmium (used to make batteries).

Children Are Most Exposed in the Home

The home is the place where children are most exposed to secondhand smoke. Children who live in homes where smoking is allowed have higher levels of cotinine (a biological marker of secondhand smoke exposure) than children who live in homes where smoking is not allowed. As the number of cigarettes smoked in the home increases, children’s cotinine levels rise.

Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke. Mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have lower birth weight babies, which makes babies weaker and increases the risk for many health problems. Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, which increases the risk for many health problems. Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, in infants and young children. Secondhand smoke exposure causes children who already have asthma to experience more frequent and severe attacks. Secondhand smoke exposure causes respiratory symptoms, including cough, phlegm, wheeze, and breathlessness, among school-aged children. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk for ear infections. 

Protecting Yourself and

Loved Ones from Secondhand Smoke

Protecting yourself from secondhand smoke is important because breathing even a little secondhand smoke can be harmful. The Surgeon General has concluded that the only way to fully protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of secondhand smoke is through 100-percent smoke-free environments. Opening a window, sitting in a separate area, or using ventilation, air conditioning, or a fan cannot eliminate secondhand smoke exposure. You can protect yourself and your loved ones by making your home and car smoke-free, asking people not to smoke around you and your children, and making sure that your children’s day care center or school is smoke-free. You can also choose restaurants and other businesses that are smoke-free, thanking businesses for being smoke-free and letting owners of businesses that are not smoke-free know that secondhand smoke is harmful to your family’s health. You can also teach children to stay away from secondhand smoke. You should avoid secondhand smoke exposure especially if you or your children have respiratory conditions, if you have heart disease, or if you are pregnant.

If you are a smoker, the single best way to protect your family from secondhand smoke is to quit smoking. In the meantime, you can protect your family by making your home and vehicles smoke-free and only smoking outside. A smoke-free-home rule can also help you quit smoking

There Is No Risk-Free Level of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

Scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Breathing even a little secondhand smoke can be harmful to your health. It causes lung cancer. It is known that concentrations of many cancer-causing and toxic chemicals are potentially higher in secondhand smoke than in the smoke inhaled by smokers. It can cause heart disease. Breathing secondhand smoke for even a short time can have immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, interfering with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of heart attack. Even spending a short time in a smoky room can cause your blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability. Persons who already have heart disease are at especially high risk of suffering adverse effects from breathing secondhand smoke, and should take special precautions to avoid even brief exposure. It also causes acute respiratory effects. Secondhand smoke contains many chemicals that can quickly irritate and damage the lining of the airways. Even brief exposure can trigger respiratory symptoms, including cough, phlegm, wheezing, and breathlessness. Brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack in children with asthma. Persons who already have asthma or other respiratory conditions are at especially high risk for being affected by secondhand smoke, and should take special precautions to avoid secondhand smoke exposure.

Conclusions

Smoking is the single greatest avoidable cause of disease and death. Millions of Americans, both children and adults, are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. Also, in some states, it is still legal to smoke in bars.

Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and in adults who do not smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25-30 percent and lung cancer by 20-30 percent.

The scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Conventional air-cleaning systems can remove large particles, but not the smaller particles or the gases found in secondhand smoke. Routine operation of a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system can distribute secondhand smoke throughout a building. So only by eliminating smoking in indoor spaces can you fully protect nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke.

Interested in quitting? You can access a telephone quit-line serving your area by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1¬800-784-8669) or visit www.smokefree.gov.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

Resource: https://digitalmedia.hhs.gov

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo

We all have been on a diet at some time in our life. We deprive and discipline ourselves for days, weeks, and even months to achieve a certain goal, only to see our results sabotaged because of our inability to maintain that level of strictness. Few individuals can make drastic changes and have lasting success.

The body is always striving for health, and it attempts to achieve that by continuously cleansing itself of waste material. Your body will work on its own to help you heal and be healthy, even if you do little to help the process along. Unfamiliar to most, weight-loss diets today are toxicity control, and toxicity is the primary cause of excess weight, particularly in people who have problems losing weight and keeping it off.

Toxins can be produced in the body from the byproducts of foods that are not properly digested. This is increased with the ingestion of processed and chemically altered foods. We are not biologically adapted to deal with these forms of “food.” The more toxic waste that builds up in your system, the more this translates to excess weight.

Imagine working in a large corporation, where your job is to shred twenty boxes of paper a day. Now, let’s say you don’t have enough time or energy to shred twenty boxes a day and all you shred is fifteen boxes; that means that the next day you will have twenty boxes to shred, plus the five boxes from the day before. If you, again, only shred fifteen boxes, you will now have ten extra boxes. By the second Monday of your job, after your delivery of twenty boxes, you will have a total of fifty boxes to shred and capable of only shredding fifteen. The boxes will have to be stored somewhere until they can be shredded, but where? If you have a weight problem, this is precisely the predicament your body has to deal with. If you build more toxic waste every day than is eliminated from your body, then your body is going to have to store it somewhere. Your body will tend to store the waste in your thighs, buttocks, around the mid-section, upper arms, and under your chin.

Three reasons why your body may have problems with toxins are: poor digestion, poor elimination/constipation, and a sluggish liver.

Digestive enzymes help us digest our food. They boost our energy, boost metabolism, detoxify, and aid in weight loss. You can get enzymes by eating more raw fruits and vegetables, drinking water with lemon, making a tea with apple cider vinegar, or taking a supplemental enzyme formula. If you are overweight; diabetic; under stress; have bowel or digestive issues; drink coffee or sodas; eat white sugar, candy, and/or cakes; or eat mostly cooked and processed foods, you will want to take enzymes.

The colon or large intestine is the end portion of the human digestive tract, where waste is eliminated. Our intestines function as our bodies own waste-disposal system. Any breakdown in the intestine’s natural cleansing process is accompanied by risks of poor food assimilation and toxicity build-up.

To lose weight, cleanse, and detoxify, it is paramount to support the avenues of elimination. You will want to increase the amount of fiber you consume to 25-35 grams per day. Most Americans get about 7-10 grams per day. You will want to do this slowly, so as to decrease gas production and avoid further constipation. The best way to increase your fiber is to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Eat foods like lentils, steamed broccoli, cabbage, and whole grain rice. You can also take flaxseed or psyllium seed, or the one I recommend: Whole Food Fiber from Standard Process.

Lastly, a sluggish liver fails to remove poisons and metabolic waste products. When the liver functions well, the whole body functions better. When the liver is congested, back-up systems are required, which add extra burden or stress to other organs.

Health is a dynamic process: “making do” is the same as losing ground. Do you look and feel healthy right now? Look around. Do the people around you look healthy, vibrant, and full of energy? Most of us don’t know what healthy feels like. We ignore common ailments, put off that workout, completely overlook ourselves, and underestimate our need for sleep.

Ask yourself: Is this the best version of you? Re-examine your relationship with food, your lifestyle, and your health. Chose a diet rich in whole foods, eliminate sugar and processed foods, increase your fiber intake, support your liver and take digestive enzymes. True health is achieved by taking care of the inside.

If you are interested in changing over to a whole food diet, having more energy and better sleep, call Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 or attend one of the free nutritional seminars on rotating Tuesdays and Thursdays, featuring a drawing for a free footbath detox at every seminar. The Center is located at  7310 Grove Road, Suite 107, in  Frederick.