Easy Remedies For Christmas Over-Indulgence

Whatever your favorite Christmas treats, too much of a good tasting thing can result in bloating, upset, nausea or even achy joints and headaches. It is no accident that cold, cough, and flu season seems to arrive with the wreaths and Christmas trees. There are a few natural things that are easy to get ahold of quickly to help.

Ginger is a natural stomach remedy. It calms nausea and reduces inflammation. It can help for pregnancy, over-eating, or stomach flu. Use fresh grated ginger in a hot water to make a tea. There are also ginger candies (such as Chimes) that have real ginger, as well as a small amount of sugar.

Peppermint tea can also give digestive help. Don’t lie down after drinking peppermint tea. The peppermint opens up the stomach sphincter muscle, which helps digestion, but can cause some reflux if the body doesn’t stay upright.

Sugar, alcohol, flour, and processed foods alter stomach acid. They prevent digestion because food needs high acid to break down. The partially digested foods and chemicals (preservatives and pesticides, for example) then disrupt the health flora and microbes that line the digestive tract and are part of the immunes system.

Apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, 1-2 Tbls diluted in a cup of water, can help restore acid. It is also a way to diminish cold and flu symptoms and may assist in a speedier recovery. A touch of honey, stevia, or monk fruit can be added to taste.

There are homeopathic remedies to keep on hand. Gasilia helps with bloating and gas. Rhinallergy is a wonder if overindulgence triggers congestion, or for sleep if your nose gets stuffy at night or you have post-nasal drip. Nux Vomica 6c helps for over-indulgence in food or alcohol. Oscillococcinum is useful to keep on hand for the first sign of a cold or flu.

Extra probiotics will support the immune system by bolstering the gut flora and healthy bacteria that guard the intestinal walls.

There are many Standard Process and Mediherb products that can make the Holidays merrier. Zypan, Enzycore, Betaine HCL, Digest Forte and Multizyme are wonder for digestion. 

Prosymbiotic , Lact Enz, and Zymex will help keep gut flora happy. Happy gut bugs mean a healthier life.

Congaplex, Thymex, Andographis, and Immuplex can be used when immunity is under attack. I suggest taking 1-2 tablets or capsules every day during the cold and flu season to ward off illness. Far safer and more effective than a flu shot.  The whole family can stay healthy through the winter this way. Many patients who do this report that they stay healthy even when everyone else around them is sick.

Livton, Livco, and Livaplex will help the liver and gall bladder to process rich food and Holiday libations.

Feel free to text, call, or email me if you find yourself fighting something.  It is hard to be merry if your nose glows like Rudolph’s.

My goal is to help you make 2020 your healthiest year ever! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Whatever you believe, if we believe in each other, what binds us will always be stronger than what divides us. We can always make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Want a good laugh about Holiday Weight Loss struggles? Catch this episode of “Rachel” with Kirstie Alley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLDgqm5jxeA

Move Over Salmon-Broccoli as Brain Food

Actually, you can still eat your (wild-caught) salmon. And by all means, take Cod Liver and other Fish Oil supplements. These Omega 3 Fats give the brain the fuel needed for nerve cells to operate.

Sulfuroaphane has long been known to be vital for Liver Detoxification, particularly Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Liver detox steps. In fact, without it the liver cannot fully neutralize environmental toxins and that may be a factor in susceptibility to serious disease states.

But it may be that Sulfuroaphane also stimulates neural stem cells for brain regeneration. It appears to help with inflammation, which seems to be one of the most important factors in brain cell health and avoidance of cognitive disease and decline.

The good news is that Sulfurophane compounds are easy to add to your diet. They are found in the vegetables called “cruciferous”, which includes broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, and cabbage. Broccoli sprouts are the most concentrated source, but eating these foods every day may just provide both your liver and your brain with the sulfur compounds needed to keep them in healthy function.

Pass the word along to your elderly family members. So often I hear that senior parents suffering from cognitive issues are existing on cookies and crackers because they live alone and cooking for one is unappealing.

Of course all of us need to limit sugar and processed carbs like alcohol, rice, wheat and baked goods. These cause a spike in blood sugar that can wreak havoc with the function of the brain because nerve cells operate best when blood sugar levels are in an optimal range. A recent study, which followed over 5,000 participants over the course of a decade, found that people with high blood sugar had significantly faster rates of cognitive decline — and the higher the sugar, the swifter the decline. In fact, people with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop dementia — which is why Alzheimer’s disease is now referred to as type 3 diabetes.[i]

Sugar also requires B vitamins for processing, and B vitamins are also vital to nerve cell function. Can we say anything good about sugar? Not really, except for the taste.

 More news- research from the University of Alabama shows that the brain and nerve cells of mice and humans also have microbes. High resolution microscopy shows that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes are home to bacteria, despite the fact that the brain has been thought to be a sterile environment. Most of the bacteria identified in the brain were the same type commonly found in the mouse and human gut. So, it may be that these bacteria are migrating from the gut. And perhaps they are interacting with other cells in ways we don’t yet know, just as we are learning about gut bacteria.

Of course, this is another reason to avoid using antibiotics, and to eat plenty of fibrous vegetables and fruits in order to feed the healthy, protective bacteria that seem to be everywhere in the human body. This may be the real reason that five servings of fruits and vegetables daily have been shown to protect against all types of major diseases. Showing your microbes some love is good for them-and good for you.