No More Congestion! Natural Help for Allergies

Don’t you love the baby green leaves and lovely Spring blossoms this time of year? It may be a feast for the eyes, but for sensitive noses, Spring is no picnic.  According to Web MD, one fifth of all Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. The cost of allergies to the health care system and business is  $7.9 billion dollars. http://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergy-statistics

When you are congested, have a runny nose, itchy eyes and are too miserable to concentrate, you want relief. So, allergy medications are well advertised, and well purchased. But they don’t produce wellness and, and may actually make allergies worse in the long run because they don’t address the root cause.

Recently I have been able to help many patients handle their allergies by using a combination of Allerplex and some herbal medicines such as Albizia or Euphrasia.  And there are homeopathic medicines like Sinusalia and Cold Calm, which help with symptomatic relief as needed. Many people are able to kick their allergy medications altogether. These supplements help to remove the over-load in the sinuses and reduce inflammation. Allergies are like adding gasoline to a fire. A system that is already inflamed just reacts harder when a new irritant is added.

If you are having trouble sleeping, consider that you may have allergies. I have recently found that many people are sleeping better taking Allerplex, even if they do not have the symptoms of full-blown allergies. If you do get congested at night, or have post-nasal drip, Allerplex can help.

To really get to the core of allergies, it is often necessary to address the digestive system. The immune system is usually over-burdened when there are allergies, and that may occur when food or toxins are not broken down completely in the digestive tract. Then particles slip into the blood stream through the gut wall, and that causes havoc. The inside of our gut is actually supposed to be a pipeline to allow nutrients into the system and only very selective nutrients should pass the protective gateway of the gut lining. But the system is compromised by over-use of vaccination, antibiotics, chemicals and processed foods. You may have heard of this condition, named “leaky gut”.

The gut can be repaired, by improving diet, detoxification and limiting exposure to toxins and irritants.  There are simple steps that can be taken, like adding in good quality fish oil and taking digestive enzymes with every meal. Probiotics may help. Often it is fungus, not bacteria, which is causing sinus congestion and inflammation. So, taking antibiotics may make the problem worse in the long run.

Limiting dairy, wheat, and/or sugar is another step. One of the best things you can do for your allergies is a cleanse, like our Purification and Detox program. Spring is a perfect time to cleanse, and programs take from two weeks to a month. Not only will you breathe better, you will sleep better, have more energy and lose weight, all while eating plenty of whole foods.

Drugging your allergies is a short-term solution and all drugs are chemical toxins with long-term consequences. Your immune system cannot get stronger until you give it support with natural medicine. You don’t have to suffer, and you can have a sneeze-free, drug-free, uncongested life!

Real Help to Quit Smoking

Many of you have loved ones who smoke and have expressed concern about their health and future.

Smoking was made cool and glamorous by pure propaganda from the original “spin” doctor, Edward Bernays, who was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He studied the subject of how to influence people in crowds, when their inhibitions were reduced, and behavior altered. He also proposed methods to influence the subconscious mind. Soldiers were given free cigarettes in their packs during World War I. Bernay’s secretary and a couple of other women smoked in public during the famous Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Bernays had them photographed for the newspaper and suddenly it was acceptable for women to smoke. Now lung cancer is the number one cancer for women.

So, here are some tips to pass on to smokers you care about.

Fish oil reduced cravings for nicotine in a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. After one month on high dose fish oil there were fewer cigarette cravings, even when exposed to common triggers. The fish oil contained 2,710 mg EPA and 2,040 DHA. http://www.betternutrition.com/fish-oil-may-help-smokers-quit/

Homeopathic medicine can be used to quit smoking. Lobelia 30c, Tabacum 30c and Carbo Vegetabilis 30c can be taken alternately through the day. All homeopathic medicines must be taken away from any food drink or other things used orally, such as tooth brushing or gum chewing. These remedies are available at Health food stores or online.

Gall bladder/liver cleanses or general detoxes may be effective to help people quit, by reducing general toxicity. The lungs of a smoker are filled with tar. The body seems to crave toxins when it is most toxic.

Balancing blood sugar and improving nutrition may help smokers by reducing cravings. When the body has a drop in energy, it seeks a quick fix. Sugar, alcohol and other drugs are craved more when blood sugar is low or when the diet is low in nutrients. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, protein and good fats will help keep nutrient levels and blood sugar at healthy levels. Supplements can be included, including minerals such as zinc, potassium and iodine.

This is why so many people gain weight when they quit smoking. Addiction is hard to beat completely, so a substitute is often found. Sugar is a common and acceptable substitute for alcohol or cigarettes. So, it is very helpful to do a cleanse and increase nutrition, with fish oil and other supplements.  Dr. Royal Lee formulated a supplement called Pneumotrophin, specifically to help heal the damage to the lungs from cigarettes. We use a lot of Pneumotrophin in the practice, because so many viral coughs from recent flu seasons seem to linger. Some of you have used Pneumotrophin for these coughs, as it will often knock out bronchitis or cough from flu more effectively than antibiotics.

Doing a real program, rather than just quitting cold turkey, may be the key to long term non-smoking status. Don’t fall into the Vapor cigarette trap or the marijuana trap. Breathing smoke of any kind into the lungs is a very bad idea, health-wise. There is no smoke that is healthy for lung tissue. Lungs not only allow us to breath oxygen, they also filter the air we breathe, and allow the oxygen to pass into the blood to be carried to all the cells in the body. To function correctly, and prevent cancer and malignancy, the cells must have oxygen. So smoking interferes with a vital function of life and survival.

Take a few deep breaths and notice how you feel.  If you have any other tips for quitting smoking, let me know and I will pass them along.

Special Promotion on Appetite Suppressant

In case Easter Holiday chocolates triggered your sweet tooth, here is some help. Improve the way your body handles carbs and sugar to reduce sugar cravings, balance blood sugar and help with weight loss.

Garcinia Cambogia is a fruit extract and is safe to use, and effective, according to studies. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22530711   According to Web MD,

Garcinia cambogia may make it easier for your body to use glucose, the sugar your cells need for energy. Mice that got garcinia cambogia in one study had lower insulin levels than mice that didn't. That's another reason, besides weight loss, that people with Diabetes are interested in it. However, if you're taking garcinia cambogia along with a medication to control your blood sugar, your glucose could get dangerously low.

Some research has found that garcinia cambogia can also improve cholesterol levels, lowering triglycerides and LDL(the "bad"cholesterol) and raising HDL (the "good"cholesterol).

Garcinia Cambogia is an aid, but not a magic pill for weight loss. I have seen Garcinia used most effectively as an appetite control. Take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Eat a low carb diet with plenty of vegetables, protein and healthy fats. Eat every 3-4 hours and do not skip meals. Get daily moderate exercise or intense short-burst exercise. Let Garcinia help you to avoid the urge to snack.

The Garcinia Cambogia we carry is 65% HCA, the active ingredient and contains Chromium, Calcium and Potassium to further enhance stable blood sugar levels. The supplement is made in an American lab.  

For the month of April Garcinia is on sale for $20 per bottle, half the usual price.  You can use it alone, or as part of a detoxification program, weight loss program or hormone balancing program. We can mail Garcinia to you, along with any other supplements you need. Call or email to order. 818-562-1400. Lucas.wellbodyclinic@gmail.com  Let me know if you have any questions.

If you are taking prescription medication, check with your MD before using Garcinia Cambogia. However, it is generally safe and has long been known in the herbal world.

Do You Have One of the Four Types of Insomnia?

Patients often tell me that they are tired, and that it is causing a serious problem in their ability to function and enjoy life. They may find it hard to lose weight, have difficulty on their jobs, and they may be moody and irritable causing problems in their relationships.

Before the widespread use of electric lights, people slept an average of nine hours a night. The Inuits (Eskimos) slept 14 hours during the long winters, but only 6 in the summer months, naturally adapting to the amount of sunlight in far northern lands. For more about the history of sleep, check out this sleep time-line, from earliest history to the present. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/history

Why we need to sleep has long been debated. But we do know that lack of sleep causes both physical and mental health issues. There does not seem to be much difference in the amount of sleep that people need to operate well.  7-9 hours seems to be the average. Get less than that and the statistics seem to stack up. Loss of productivity, cardiac issues, disease states, obesity, and earlier mortality are all consequences of insufficient sleep. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk

Since pharmaceutical companies fund many sleep studies, and the agenda may be to push sleep medication, the real question comes down to the individual. Do you feel rested and refreshed from your sleep?  If you sleep only five hours a night and you feel great and have plenty of energy, great! If not, let’s look at what could be improved so you are feeling restored from sleep. Over 38% of surveyed adults report that they fall asleep unintentionally at least once a day. They may need to be taking naps, or getting better nighttime sleep. Sometimes just allowing more time in bed helps. Surfing the Internet or watching television until 2 am can become a habit that needs to be broken so that more time is allowed for a good nights sleep.

There are four main types of sleep issues.

A.     Sleep Onset Insomnia-the inability to fall asleep.

The body needs to be in a state of “letting go” in order to fall asleep. If you are too mentally of physically wired when you hit the pillow, it may take some time to calm down enough. Start your bedtime ritual earlier. Dim the lights, turn off electronics, use a bath, yoga, or other means to relax. Don’t watch late night news. Develop a ritual that tells your body it is time to wind down.

B.     Sleep Maintenance Insomnia-repeated awakenings.

This is the person who reports being a “light sleeper”. They may not be reaching the deeper stages of sleep that are most restorative.  They hover in a light sleep and sound or movement, or body function like nighttime urination or night sweats, wakes them. Using earplugs, making sure the room is very dark, putting pets in another room, keeping the room at a comfortable temperature, and getting to bed earlier, may help. Studies show that going to bed between 10 pm and 12 midnight may allow a better night’s sleep. http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/lifestyle/12741-professor-reveals-best-time-to-go-to-bed.html Our natural circadian body rhythm is geared toward light-dark cycles. Getting to bed early can make all the difference for some people, so that they do not get a “second wind” that causes the body to be “up” and not able to calm enough for deep sleep. Frequent awakenings can also be related to blood sugar imbalances, anxiety and toxins that prevent the body from purging cellular waste. Sleep Apnea is a type of Sleep Maintenance issue that is characterized by interrupted breathing. This prevents sufficient oxygen from reaching the cells, and may lead to various disease states. Oxygen is a vital nutrient. Sleep Apnea is most often associated with being overweight, so weight loss is a must. But there are other causes that can be treated naturally, such as acid reflux and allergies.

C.     Sleep Offset Insomnia-early morning awakenings.

If you are not happy to be up with the birds at early light, but have difficulty sleeping long enough to feel rested, the problem may also be blood sugar and adrenals. Your body may wake up because your blood sugar has dropped, and/or your cortisol levels are too high or too low. Think of cortisol as your get up and go hormone. At the right time, in the right amount, cortisol is an energizer for the body. Cortisol should be low at night so you can sleep, and peak about 8 am. Chronic severe stress may deplete your body of cortisol.

D.    Non-restorative Sleep- Not achieving deep sleep can leave you feeling like

you hardly slept, even if you spent hours in an un-awake state. If you are exhausted, it may be that your body battery is never really recharging. People who report that they never feel rested often over-eat and choose carbs and coffee for quick energy. This only adds to the problem. Switch to protein and fat, eat smaller frequent meals and don’t eat past 7 pm. http://www.sharecare.com/health/sleep-health/article/sleep-better-with-this-simple-schedule-switch

Getting your body in rhythm and balance so that you sleep well can require finding out exactly what is holding you back from getting the right kind of sleep. Hormones play a very large role, and that includes the pancreatic hormones that monitor blood sugar, as well as the male and female hormones. Good sleep is possible at any age, and sleep issues can be improved at any age, even after years of poor sleep.

There are root causes for some of these four problems, such as adrenal fatigue, liver and gall bladder congestion, allergies and sinus congestion, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Natural medicine can safely treat sleep issues, without the harmful side effects of prescription medication. 10 % of Americans use sleeping pills. Sleep medications such as Ambien are associated with great risks. Mayo Clinic has stopped using it because of patients falling while drugged. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/11/19/sleeping-pill-linked-to-hospital-falls-researchers-say Sleep medications are associated with a four-fold increase in mortality compared to non-drug users, even at small doses. http://www.today.com/health/could-ambien-increase-your-risk-death-237723

Restful sleep is a vital part of a healthy and happy life, so consider insomnia as a signal that something needs to be tweaked in your body. Targeting your specific sleep issue is key. Hormone balancing, relaxing herbal medicines, or support for detoxification pathways can improve even long-term sleep problems.

There is an old Irish proverb. "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." 

You are the one who needs to be satisfied with your sleep. It all rests between you and your pillow. Just know that help is there if you need it, even if you have tried lots of remedies. Sleep is as natural as breathing, and better sleep can be achieved.

Sweet good night.