Your brain is the commander-in-chief of your body. It constantly receives information from your internal and external environment and decides the best course of action to take for your survival. The brain carries out this action by sending messages through the nerves of the nervous system to the appropriate parts of the body.

For example, when the sympathetic nervous system is activated, it will help simultaneously change the behavior of the heart, lungs, eyes, brain, digestive system, adrenal glands, bladder, and skeletal muscles. All of this is done to achieve one goal – survival. On the other hand, the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system stimulates digestion, recovery, and rest throughout the organs of the body when we are not faced with a threat.

These two branches of the autonomic nervous system help us explain how our brain controls our body, but can our body control our brain?

You are the Sum of Your Neurobiology

In his book, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, Neuroscientist David Eagleman explains:

…who you are depends on the sum total of your neurobiology.”

Neurobiology is dictated by more than just the brain. Just like any government, even a dictatorship, the leader is influenced by other members of the governing body. Even though the brain can affect every organ in the body through the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system, the brain cannot veto the power of the gut.

Our Second Brain

The gut is sometimes known as our second brain. In fact, it has its own branch of the nervous system called the enteric nervous system that can function on its own, even if it is disconnected from the brain.

The enteric nervous system also resembles a brain because it:

• has glial cells to support the neurons in the gut
• contains 500 million neurons
• uses 40 (and possibly many more) neurotransmitters
• produces 50% of the body’s dopamine (important for motility)
• produces 95% of the body’s serotonin (important for the enteric nervous system’s growth & cell protection)
• has a barrier that resembles the blood brain barrier
• may even have its own memory

How the Gut Influences the Brain

The brain and gut are intimately connected by the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve connects with most of the organs and plays a prominent role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Around 90% of the signals passing along the vagus nerve come not from the brain, but from the enteric nervous system to the brain. This is because one of the brains most effective ways of learning about its environment is through the gut, and this relationship starts before we are even exposed to the outside environment.

The Development of the Brain & Gut Connection

When we were in the womb, we were constantly picking up signals about the outside environment.

Is there enough food?

Is it safe out there?

What adaptions will I need now to ensure survival?

All of these questions were answered by the chemical signals that we received from our mothers through the umbilical cord, and the development of our brain and gut depended heavily on these signals. For example, if there was a lack of nutrition in our mother’s diet, we may be predisposed to obesity due to altered metabolic function.

What we are feed in our youth also greatly impacts the development of our gut and its enteric nervous system. Breastmilk is essential because it promotes oxytocin and serotonin release, which promotes gut growth and the development of a healthy gut microbiome. When the gut is able to develop with a healthy gut microbiome, the risk of food allergies and gut issues later on in life is greatly reduced. A damaged gut, on the other hand, increases the risk of obesity, depression, anxiety, autism, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Other common diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may actually start in the gut. For example, in people that died from Parkinson’s disease, scientists found the same protein clumps that damage dopamine-producing neurons in the gut as they did in the brain. The same phenomenon exists in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Plaques and tangles that form in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s disease also form in their gut. This means that we may be able to use gut biopsies to diagnose and treat these conditions before they take hold of the brain.

Stress and the Gut

When we are stressed our sympathetic nervous system is activated to prepare our body for survival. At the same time, the hormone Ghrelin is released from our stomach. Ghrelin is known as our hunger hormone because it stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage. This explains why when we are stressed we may feel the compulsive need to eat.

Ghrelin also inhibits serotonin activity, which leads to digestive issues and increased anxiety and depression over time. Anxiety leads to more ghrelin production, and this starts a vicious cycle of stress that may have been triggered by a stressful fetal or neonatal environment.

Recommended Reading: How Candida Leads to Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, and Other Mental Disorders

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – When Gut & Brain Disharmony Becomes Chronic

Stress also increases the risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a digestive disorder that affects 10-15% of the world population. IBS  is what happens when the enteric nervous system, gut, gut microbiome, and brain are in disharmony.

It usually begins with a stressful childhood. Traumatic events, like maternal separation, can lead to a dysfunctional connection between the brain and gut. If these children are also feed the wrong food, their gut microbiome will not develop correctly. This establishes a dysfunctional gut microbiome that does not produce the substances needed for a healthy gut and a healthy enteric nervous system.

If the child continues to be deprived of nutrient dense food and human connection, their immune system will become hyperactive, leading to food allergies and a chronic state of stress. This vicious cycle of brain, gut, and gut microbiome disharmony continues into adulthood until it is defined as IBS.

Recommended Reading: Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

The Gut, Brain, and Behavioral Disorders

The enteric nervous system, gut, gut microbiome, and brain disharmony play an essential role in the development of neurological/behavioral disorders like autism, ADHD, and various mood disorders. Antibiotics, environmental, infectious agents like vaccines, and other forms of neonatal stress create gut dysbiosis (imbalance in gut bacteria) and vagus nerve dysfunction. These two factors set the stage for neurological/behavioral disorders by stimulating an already hyperactive immune system and sympathetic nervous system that causes children to be extremely impulsive and in a state of persistent hyper-arousal. If these children are then fed a highly refined diet that keeps their blood sugar levels high, their symptoms will continue to get worse.

You may have actually experienced a small taste of what it’s like to have ADHD or autism the last time you ate processed foods filled with toxins. When you eat highly refined, toxin laden foods, your body must fire up its immune system and sympathetic nervous system to protect you from the threat. This will cause blood flow to be directed away from your prefrontal cortex while your blood sugar rises. When your blood sugar is high, it creates plaque build up in the brain and impairs blood vessel function, which reduces  your cognitive abilities. Combine that with the lack of activity in your prefrontal cortex, and you will feel impulsive and anxious and make illogical decisions.

When you add stress and poor food choices together, it creates a cascade of negative effects in the gut microbiome, gut, enteric nervous system, and the brain that lead to poor decision-making, a greater incidence of pain, more allergies, and more disease.

But don’t worry, even if your environment was filled with stress and poor food options from the womb to adulthood, even if you were diagnosed with ADHD, IBS, autism, depression, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and/or Alzheimer’s disease, you can still restore the harmony between your gut, gut microbiome, enteric nervous system, and brain.

Synchronizing the Gut and Brain

One of the most effective ways to improve your health is by starting with what you put in your body. When you feed your body what it needs while eliminating the foods that cause issues, you will establish a healthy gut microbiome, heal your gut lining, and improve the function of your enteric nervous system. This will send the message to the brain that you are not under attack, the immune system will calm down, and your body will be able to rest and reverse disease.

Improving Brain Health with the Gut

Limit Your Consumption of FOD MAPs

FOD MAPs is an acronym that stands for:

• Fermentable – meaning they are only broken down through fermentation
• Oligosaccharides – made up of individual sugars joined together in a chain
• Disaccharides – a double sugar molecule
• Monosaccharides – a single sugar molecule
• And Polyols – sugar alcohols

These are short-chain carbohydrates that tend to be poorly digested by those with digestive issues like IBS. This is because when the FOD MAPs make their way through the digestive tract, they draw water into the large intestine from surrounding areas, which leads to bloating. Simultaneously, the bacteria in the large intestine starts digesting the FOD MAPs and producing gas which builds up along with the water. The intestines expand, the message is sent to the brain, and it responds with more pain, discomfort, and stress.

Eating a low FOD MAP diet has showed promising effects in treating people with IBS and may transfer to others with a comprised digestive system. It is commonly suggested to limit the consumption of  FOD MAPs for 3-8 weeks to help balance the gut microbiome, heal the gut, and reduce symptoms. After that time, it is best to slowly re-introduce high FOD MAP foods into your diet to see which ones are safe to eat and which ones cause the most issues for you.

Recommended Reading: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting - Recipes Included

Eliminate Foods that Cause Problems for You

Food sensitives and allergies are becoming more and more common and the link between stress, the immune system, and the gut is mostly to blame. When the body is in a stressed and inflamed state, your immune system and gut may react to previously harmless foods as if they are a threat to the body.

To reduce your food sensitives and allergic reactions, start by eliminating these common, allergy-causing foods from your diet:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Soy
• Grains with gluten in them (wheat, barley, rye, and oats)
• Fish
• Shellfish

When you eliminate some of these foods from your diet, you may notice that you have more energy and less stress. This is a sign that you may be sensitive or allergic to one or more of the foods that you eliminated. Keep in mind that almost any food can trigger an allergy. If a certain food item always makes you feel worse after eating it then it is safe to say that you should eliminate it from your diet.

Think of this approach as a temporary experiment designed to see what the ideal diet is for you. After a couple weeks of eliminating a specific food from your diet, try periodically reintroducing that food back in. You may find that you can eat eggs or almonds again, and they make you feel energized now!

Recommended Reading: Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, and Exercises for Your Brain

Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber cannot be broken down by the body, so bacteria in the intestines feast on it. As a result, the bacteria produce butyrate. This short chain fatty acid helps to improve the function of the digestive tract and protect and enhance brain function.

Supplement with Probiotics

Probiotics have been found to reduce anxiety and depression. In studies done on mice, the amount of lactobacillus in their gut effected the amount of a metabolite in the blood called kynurenine, which has been shown to drive depression. Probiotics also help produce serotonin in the gut, which has protective effects against irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

Recommended Reading: Probiotics, Bacteria, and Our Health

Make Sure You Consume Enough Folate and Vitamin B12

Folate and Vitamin B12 are essential for brain health, nervous system function, and overall health. They also help to prevent depression and heart disease. On its own Vitamin B12 decreases the loss of brain volume with age, while increasing cognitive function.

Although these vitamins are produced by the gut microbiome, we are not sure how much is actually made and absorbed by the body. It’s best to make sure you are consuming animal products like pasture raised eggs for Vitamin B12 and plenty of organic dark leafy green vegetables for folate.

Increase Your Intake of Omega 3s and Decrease Omega 6s

The omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, are effective at reducing the symptoms of depression, and positive effects may carry over to other neurological disorders as well. This is partly due to the decrease in inflammation that is associated with diets that are lower in omega 6s and higher in omega 3s.

To decrease the amount of omega 6s in your diet, replace vegetable, seed, and soybean oils with highly saturated fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee, and tallow. If you need a liquid oil for salad dressing use avocado oil or olive oil.

Omega 3s are best when consumed as minimally cooked and processed as possible. Wild caught salmon, sardines, mackerel, and oysters are great sources of DHA and EPA.

Before You Eat, Improve Your Gut with Your Mind

Before you take the first bite of food from your brain and gut revitalizing meal, take a deep diaphragmatic breath. This will stimulate your vagus nerve and prepare your body to digest your food. Chew each bite thoroughly, enjoy every flavor, and take at-least one deep breath after every couple of bites.

Use your brain to improve your gut and your gut to improve your brain. If you apply this advice to your life, you will replace the vicious cycle of disease with a nutritious cycle of vitality.

Related Articles:

• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• How to Improve Brain Health and Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, and Exercises for Your Brain

Recommended Supplements:

• Shillington’s Brain Tonic
• B Complex
• Shillington’s Cayenne Tincture
• Krill Oil
• Omega-3 w/CoQ10
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse
• Formula SF722
• Floramend-Prime by Thorne

Sources:

• Probiotic Found in Yogurt Can Reverse Depression Symptoms — Neuroscience News
• Brain-gut axis in health and disease — Gastroenterology
• The microbiota–gut–brain axis: neurobehavioral correlates, health and sociality — Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
• The Dutch Hunger Winter and the developmental origins of health and disease — PNAS
• Impact of stress and stress physiology during pregnancy on child metabolic function and obesity risk — NCBI
• Immune Responses to the Microbiota at the Intestinal Mucosal Surface — Cell
• Gut instincts: The secrets of your second brain — New Scientist
• An Integrative Review on Role and Mechanisms of Ghrelin in Stress, Anxiety and Depression. — NCBI
• Ghrelin inhibited serotonin release from hippocampal slices — Research Gate
• Maternal separation as a model of brain–gut axis dysfunction — Psychopharmacology
• Facts About IBS — About IBS
• Even More Evidence Has Linked Parkinson’s Disease to Our Gut Bacteria — Science Alert
• Sugar and the Brain — Harvard Medical School
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Is it Time to Reappraise the Role of Sugar Consumption? — NCBI
• Stress and Allergic Diseases — NCBI
• Butyrate, neuroepigenetics and the gut microbiome: Can a high fiber diet improve brain health? — Science Direct
• Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis and Its Effect on Neuropsychiatric Disorders With Suspected Immune Dysregulation — Clinical Therapeutics
• Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12. — NCBI
• Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly. — NCBI
• The Complete Beginner’s Guide to a Low FODMAP Diet — Diet Vs Disease
• Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in Gut — Caltech
• Omega-3 fatty acids in depression: a review of three studies. — NCBI
• David Eagleman’s Incognito: Not The Masters Of Our Destinies — Science 2.0

The number of people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity is on the rise. When they eliminate wheat and other gluten containing grains from their diet, they usually significantly increase their consumption of rice. Unfortunately, as it is growing, rice soaks up heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, and cadmium from the soil and water. According to a new study,  researchers found those who have been on a long-term, gluten-free diet have double the amount of arsenic in their systems and 70% more mercury than their gluten eating counterparts.

The Metal Sponge

Why does rice suck up arsenic and other heavy metals? Rice is flooded while it’s growing, in part to keep weeds in check and to discourage pests. Water enables the rice’s root system to draw in more nutrients from the soil. As it draws up nutrients, it also sucks up other things in the soil, like mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and tungsten.

Most of the rice in the U.S. is grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, and California on farmland that was formerly used to grow cotton. Arsenic-based pesticides were used on much of the land to combat boll weevils. Combine those specific pesticides with rice’s extraction abilities, and high levels of heavy metals are the result.

What to Look For in Rice

This does not mean a gluten-free diet dooms you to heavy metal poisoning. With some smart planning and healthy choices, a gluten-free diet can leave you feeling great.

Not all rice is created equal. Though organic rice still has arsenic in it, it’s the best choice to avoid excessive pesticides on top of the metals naturally found in the rice. Brown rice has higher levels of arsenic than white rice. The hull or bran of the rice that gives brown rice its’ higher levels of magnesium, fiber, zinc, and folate also stores arsenic. Of the places where rice is grown, Basmati rice that is grown in California, India, and Pakistan contains less inorganic arsenic.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Another answer to the rice problem? Eat less rice and a greater variety of gluten-free grains. Rotating rice with grains like quinoa or millet will both decrease arsenic exposure and increase your body’s exposure to another nutritional profile. The same rotation can be applied to alternate flours. If you chose processed or pre-made foods, look for ones with alternative flours like chickpea or coconut. Switching up the type of flour you use at home can also limit your arsenic intake.

Get Them Out!

There are also foods that pull heavy metals from the body. Garlic, onions, and cilantro all help detox heavy metals and add extra flavor to food. Other edibles like chlorella, spirulina, and activated charcoal are also great at attracting heavy metals and helping the body process them out. Learn about Diatomaceous Earth, Total Nutrition, and read Top 5 Foods that Detox Heavy Metals and Toxins – With Protocol.

A Healthy Diet is The Best Defense

Someone on a gluten-free diet is more likely to eat rice and foods made with rice flour. The trade-off for this is higher levels of arsenic and mercury. This doesn’t negate the benefits of a gluten-free diet. It can even be seen as a motivation to incorporate new foods and grains into your diet. And check out How To Reduce the Arsenic in Your Rice by 80%.

Related Reading:

• Is Wheat Poison? What’s Behind the Rise of Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance
• Mercury Fillings, Root Canals, Cavitations – What You Need to Know
• Dangerously High Arsenic Levels Found in Rice
• Still Have Candida? How Mercury Fillings Cause Candida Overgrowth

Sources:

• Think Your Gluten-free Diet is Healthy? You’re Exposed to Twice as Much Arsenic and Mercury, Study Finds – Daily Mail
• The Trouble With Rice – New York Times
• There’s Arsenic in Your Rice — and Here’s How it Got There – Grist.org
• How Much Arsenic Is In Your Rice? – Consumer Reports
• Top 5 Foods That Detox Heavy Metals and Toxins – With Protocol – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Plant-based Cooking Demos by Dr. Vanita Rahman – Lentils with Brown Rice (Image credit)

The human body is home to over five hundred different strains of bacteria that serve specific functions. Even bacteria of the same name may function in different ways. For example, if a specific strain of Lactobacillus (a commonly studied probiotic strain) helps prevent an illness, that doesn’t mean that another strain of Lactobacillus would have the same effect. We have yet to discover all the effects that probiotics have on the body, but we do know that the right strains, cultured and processed the right way, offer the following six proven health benefits:

1. Probiotics Provide Energy

According to Gastroenterologist Matthew Ciorba, up to 10% of our daily energy needs are provided through the process of fermentation by our gut flora. By breaking down the components of food that we are unable to digest (like fiber), bacteria in our gut allow us to assimilate fatty acids, sugars, and amino acids that we would not have access to otherwise.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut

2. Probiotics Are Antioxidants and Anti-inflammatory

An excess of oxygen radicals in the gastrointestinal tract is a potential cause of chronic diseases. As these oxygen radicals accumulate in the intestinal tract, they can damage the intestinal lining and create a state of chronic inflammation. Strains of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus have been found to limit the accumulation of free radicals in the intestinal tracts of rats by acting as antioxidants. The end-products that gut bacteria produce, like the short-chain fatty acid called butyrate, also have antioxidant properties that help to reduce inflammation and heal the intestinal wall.

3. Probiotics Resist Infection

The fermentation end-product butyrate also supports regulatory T-cell functions in the gut and contributes to the integrity of the intestinal wall. This allows the body to prevent infectious pathogens from getting in while we let our immune system eliminate them from the body. Probiotics also prevent pathogenic bacteria like E. coli from being able to colonize our intestinal tract by out-competing them for food, using acids to change the environment, and creating anti-microbial substances that prevent the bad bacteria from thriving.

Product Recommendation: Syntol AMD – Arthur Andrew Medical

4. Probiotics Prevent Digestive Issues

We need bacteria to digest food. Probiotics help prevent digestive issues in many ways. They keep our intestinal wall from being oxidized by free radicals by acting as antioxidants and triggering the production of protective mucous. Probiotics also produce substances that provide the intestinal wall with what it needs to heal itself. Butyrate, for example, provides the components that the intestinal wall needs to form new cells while providing energy for existing cells. Butyrate has also been found to increase intestinal motility, which helps prevent constipation.

Recommended: How To Reverse Fatty Liver Disease (Diet Plan Included)

5. Probiotics Produce Vitamin K and B Vitamins

In addition to producing butyrate, probiotics have the capacity to synthesize seven different vitamins:

• Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is required for proper red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis.
• Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 100 enzyme reactions that are mostly concerned with protein metabolism.
• Vitamin B5: Vitamin B5 is needed to produce red blood cells, manufacture sex and stress-related hormones, synthesize cholesterol, and maintain a healthy digestive tract.
• Vitamin B3: Vitamin B3 helps the body make various sex and stress-related hormones, improve circulation, and suppress inflammation.
• Biotin: Biotin metabolizes carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids and plays a role in preventing insulin resistance.
• Folate: Folate is essential for proper cell division.
• Vitamin K: Vitamin K is required for the synthesis of proteins involved in blood clotting and bone formation.

These vitamins are essential for processes that affect every cell in the body, but our needs for these vitamins are not met by our probiotics alone. We must consume adequate amounts of these vitamins to receive their benefits because it is unclear how much of these vitamins is produced by our probiotics.

6. Probiotics Help with Fat Loss

A few studies suggest that specific Lactobacillus strains have an impact on body fat, weight, and metabolic disorders. For example, the ingestion of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 for 12 weeks reduced fat mass gain, body weight, and waist to hip ratio in overweight subjects when compared to a placebo. This may be due to the link between leptin and probiotics. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells that lets the brain know when we are full. Probiotics indirectly affect our leptin response by promoting a state of low inflammation and allowing us to get more nutrition out of every calorie we eat. This creates the perfect environment for fat loss.

Attack of the Antibiotics

Antibiotics are designed to kill a broad range of bacteria in an effort to fight off infection. Unfortunately, antibiotics also destroy over one-third of the bacteria in our gut. This causes rapid shifts in our microbiome (intestinal bacteria) that leaves us vulnerable to harmful bacteria like Clostridium difficile and Salmonella typhimurium.

Even if the harmful bacteria do not infect our system, our intestinal tract will still be compromised. Without a proper balance of beneficial flora, our intestinal tract will become inflamed and leaky, letting pathogens through. We will also lack the Vitamin K and B vitamins that are normally produced by probiotics in the large intestine. This can lead to hormonal imbalance, a lack of energy, and an increased risk of disease.

With all of these negative effects, it becomes obvious as to why antibiotic use is associated with a large number of health problems and an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases. The health of our microbiome is essential for our health and well-being. Check out How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials for more on this.

Related: Signs You Have Too Much Candida

Don’t Worry, Change Is Simple

Even if you have taken antibiotics recently, you can begin to counteract their negative effects immediately. According to David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University, the bacteria in our gut adapt quickly to what we eat. In an article in the Frontiers in Microbiology, M.P. Francino explains that our microbiome is “…capable of returning to a composition similar to the original one.”

This means that food can be our medicine if we eat the “right” foods.

What Are the “Right” Foods?

The “right” foods are prebiotic. Probiotics provide your gut with the beneficial bacteria it needs to thrive. Prebiotics provide your beneficial bacteria with what they need to survive and to provide you with all of the benefits mentioned earlier in this article. Think raw produce, herbs, and spices.

Many experts agree that one of the best ways to get probiotics in your diet is by eating fermented vegetables. Kim chi, sauerkraut, and pickles are fermented vegetables that contain different kinds of probiotics. These probiotics are already working to digest your meal before you eat it, which makes nutrients within the food more bioavailable. This is especially beneficial for those with digestive issues.

To ensure that you are eating the best fermented vegetables, check the label on the container. Look for the words “raw”, “unpasteurized”, and “naturally fermented.”  When looking at labels, smaller, local businesses are worth a close look, and anything national will most certainly be pasteurized in some way. Most of the probiotics are killed when the product is heated or pasteurized. Also, make sure there are no preservatives like sodium benzoate or sodium sulfite. The best fermented vegetables are made using organic vegetables and unrefined salt. Herbs, spices, and seeds are added for more flavor and nutrition.

Fermented vegetables also provide you with plenty of prebiotic material. As our bacteria enjoy their meal, they produce many highly beneficial end-products like butyrate.

Non-starchy vegetables like broccoli and artichokes, greens like kale and collards, and salad greens like spinach and arugula come with plenty of fiber to feed your probiotics and plenty of nutrients to feed your body.

After Dr. Mercola had his homemade sauerkraut tested in a lab, he reported that “…a 4-6 ounce serving of the fermented vegetables had ten trillion bacteria.” This means that 2 ounces of sauerkraut had more probiotics than a full bottle of 100-count probiotic capsules.

Michael Edwards, OLM’s Editor-in-Chief has an unusual opinion of fermented foods.

I love sauerkraut and I hope everyone reading this learns to make it. Fermented vegetables have many benefits (for instance, see the vitamins up at #5), but the bacteria itself doesn’t make my list. Our stomach acid kills most of it. That’s what stomach acid is designed to do.  I know some who swear they make such a potent product that much more of the bacteria makes it into the gut. After trying some of these products, I agree.

But, for anyone who is sick, and especially anyone who has an abundance of Candida, fermented vegetables cannot provide enough, or cannot provide a strong enough strain of bacteria to counteract a sick gut’s biofilm. I recommend a high qaulity, trusted probiotic supplement along with a prebiotic diet.”

What about Yogurt?

Dairy products, like milk, are commonly known as an essential part of our diet, so probiotic-rich yogurt should be called a “superfood”, right?

Unfortunately, some of the widely accepted beliefs about the benefits of dairy products, like the belief that dairy builds strong bones, have been disproven. Dairy has also been linked to various cancers, especially prostate and breast cancer. Combine these findings with the fact that conventional yogurt lacks beneficial prebiotics and contains high amounts of sugar, and it becomes clear why it may be best to limit the consumption of dairy. Due to the state of the dairy industry and how yogurt is processed, even plain, unsweetened conventional yogurt is more likely to feed pathogens than to be a source of probiotics.

The Dirty Truth about Supplements

Scientific literature is riddled with uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of probiotic supplements. For example, a Canadian study in 2004 measured the viable organisms in 10 brands of probiotic preparations and none matched the amount on their labels. Eight brands had only 10% of the stated number of probiotics and two of the brands had no viable probiotics at all.

Even if these probiotic supplements contained all of the viable probiotics that they promised, there would still be no guarantee that the probiotics would survive the journey to the intestinal tract.

Most probiotic supplements are also ineffectual for a multitude of reasons. It’s not just the probiotic count that matters; strain quality varies widely and are more often ineffectual. Of the ones I’ve tried (about 45) Bio-K, Abzorb, and FloraMend are three I know of that work. Most probiotic supplements are a waste of money, and many actually feed Candida and other non-benefical microflora.” – Michael Edwards

The Treacherous Journey of Probiotics

First, probiotics must survive the environment they are exposed to when they are outside of the body. Once the probiotics are ingested, they must survive the extreme acidity of stomach acid and bile acids. One study states that, “…survival rates have been estimated at 20–40% for selected [probiotic] strains.” According to the American Nutrition Association, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus probiotic strains can survive the journey through the stomach. However, L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, as well as Leuconostoc and Lactococcus species, cannot survive.

Even when the probiotics make it to the intestinal tract, they still have to attach to and colonize the intestinal wall. This is another uncertain aspect in consuming probiotics that is difficult to measure. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that the probiotics in your sauerkraut, kim chi, or probiotic supplement will actually colonize your intestinal tract.

How to Make Probiotics Work for You

Even the best probiotic will do little to combat a poor diet. In fact, the best probiotic supplement is the “right” food. To improve your digestive health and receive all the benefits of probiotics, all you have to do is eat prebiotics and probiotics in the form of raw, unpasteurized fermented organic vegetables and organic non-starchy vegetables every day. With enough time on this kind of diet without processed and refined foods, almost anyone can improve their digestive system.

Recommended Reading:

• Fermenting Vegetables
• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• How to Kill Fungal Infections
• Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar & How to Make Your Own
• Your Guide to Root Vegetables – Health Benefits, Recipes, and More

Sources:

• Can probiotics modulate human disease by impacting intestinal barrier function? – Cambridge
• Probiotics: In Depth – NIH
• Dietary changes affect gut microbes within a day – Science News
• A Healthful Dose of Bacteria — Yogurt Is the Best Probiotic Source, but Clients Do Have Other Options – Today’s Dietitian
• Caveat emptor. “Probiotics” might not be what they seem. – NCBI
• A Gastroenterologist’s Guide to Probiotics – NCBI
• Potential beneficial effects of butyrate in intestinal and extraintestinal diseases – NCBI
• The weight of leptin in immunity. – NCBI
• Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in colorectal cancer – NCBI
• Probiotic Mechanisms of Action – Karger
• Probiotics: determinants of survival and growth in the gut – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
• Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Vitamin B6 – NIH
• Vitamin B12 – NIH
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Vitamin H (Biotin) – University of Maryland Medical Center
• Folate – NIH
• Vitamin K – NIH
• Antibiotics and the Human Gut Microbiome: Dysbioses and Accumulation of Resistances – NCBI
• The effects of antibiotics on the microbiome throughout development and alternative approaches for therapeutic modulation – NCBI
• Human nutrition, the gut microbiome, and immune system: envisioning the future – NCBI
• Health Concerns about Dairy Products – The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• Non-starchy Vegetables – Diabetes
• The Science of Probiotics – American Nutrition Association
• Fermenting Foods—One of the Easiest and Most Creative Aspects of Making Food from Scratch – Dr.Mercola

Few things conjure up bigger grimaces and more dread than migraines. For sufferers, the effects are debilitating, the prevention is expensive and ineffectual, and pinpointing causality is very challenging.

What Is a Migraine?

Migraines are still being studied and aren’t fully understood. Originally thought to be a vascular condition, neuroscientists are now learning that it’s not quite that simple. Migraines seem to be more nervous system related than they originally thought. What scientists do know is that during the onset of a migraine, there are some electrical changes that take place across brain tissue.

First, there is an initial wave of excitation, which basically means that there’s an electrical wave that passes over the brain before the vessels begin to contract and then subsequently become inflamed. The rapid change in pressure is what causes unbearable pain.

This rapid contraction and inflammation of the blood vessels has been observed primarily in migraine patients who present with an aura and is believed to be strongly linked to those effects.

Migraines can last anywhere from 2 to 72 hours and typically present as an intense, pulsating pain on one side of the head. Symptoms vary wildly between patients, with sufferers experiencing intense symptoms often associated with strokes and seizures.

Migraines typically occur in stages. Long before the pain starts, many sufferers experience neck pain, tension, mood swings, and a general lack of focus. Without intervention, the migraine may progress to the aura stage, and then on to the pain stage, which can last for days.

What is a Migraine with Aura?

Migraines can either be a simple combination of nausea and intense pain, or they can include a series of symptoms characterized as “aura”. Migraines with aura may include any combination of the following symptoms:

• Partial temporary loss of vision (blind spots, fuzziness)
• Visual anomalies, like zigzag lines, white spots, and in some cases, colorful lines and spots
• Numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Dizziness and disorientation
• Difficulty with speech and comprehension
• Intense nausea and vomiting
• Extreme sensitivity to light and sound

Migraines with aura present with a series of interesting neurological electrical patterns that scientists use to study them. Without an MRI, they can sometimes be confused with strokes or seizures. The symptoms are intense and often very alarming for the patient. Experiencing a migraine with aura can be terrifying.

The Difference Between a Migraine and a Headache

This is where things get a little grey. There is a simple distinction between migraines and headaches, and knowing the difference can help reduce their frequency.

Though tension and sinus headaches can concentrate in a certain part of the body, (like the neck, forehead, or sinuses), the pain of a migraine is almost always focused on one side of the head.

The Causes of Migraines

Common migraine triggers:

• MSG
• Carrageenan
• Gluten
• Energy drinks, caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants
• Artificial dyes, flavors, and sweeteners
• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Hormonal imbalances
• Alcohol
• Poor kidney function
• Hypertension
• Dehydration
• Sluggish endocrine system
• Leaky gut
• Chronic constipation
• Hypothyroidism

Conventional migraine treatment and prevention don’t consistently work. Prevention involves expensive daily medication, and the efficacy of these drugs vary wildly. The side effects of these drugs are often intense, and patients are faced with deciding whether the tradeoff is worth it.

Side effects can run the gamut from mild to pervasive and include everything from nausea to memory problems. Some report weight loss, weight gain, nausea, eyesight disturbances, and even numbness and a disturbing loss of motor function. In short, migraine prevention drugs are expensive, and generally not worth the side effects.

Magnesium – The Miracle Mineral

For many people, magnesium is the simple, cheap, and effective home remedy they’ve been looking for.

Magnesium is astounding in its importance in the human body. This mineral is used in more than 300 enzyme systems in the body that regulate everything from protein synthesis to blood pressure. Magnesium is required for bone development and structure and DNA and RNA synthesis. It even plays a crucial role in heart rhythm and muscle contraction.

Magnesium is arguably one of the most crucial minerals for our bodies’ health and well-being, and yet it’s estimated that 80% of Americans suffer from magnesium deficiency. The vast majority doesn’t even know it.

Magnesium deficiency is very common due to the increasingly processed diet so many people in the developed world consume. There’s plenty of magnesium found in nuts and greens but none found in potato chips and bread.

Why Magnesium Can Stop a Migraine in Its Tracks

So what makes magnesium one of the most effective ways to prevent and treat migraines? Though the evidence of users is still largely anecdotal, the consensus seems to be that it’s magnesium’s effect on the nervous system and the role it plays in muscle function that makes it such an effective migraine prevention and treatment.

Magnesium gets the body’s systems moving. It is frequently used as an anti-inflammatory treatment by athletes and is frequently recommended by physicians for conditions like restless leg syndrome.

Over the decades, only a few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of magnesium. Results have varied. Researchers have discovered that test subjects show low levels of magnesium during a migraine.

Salome Range, a certified holistic health coach says,

After looking into information about magnesium supplementation for my own health, I also read about how low magnesium levels can be linked to numerous ailments, including migraines and morning sickness. I happen to know many people affected by both and started offering a topical magnesium body butter which was received with high praise.”

Her custom butters take advantage of magnesium’s easy absorption into the skin.

The more and more people who come back to me and tell me it’s been a lifesaver convinces me of the efficiency and importance of magnesium. I have also experienced major relief from chronic pain with regular magnesium supplementation.”

Though more studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and effects of magnesium on sufferers of migraine attacks, regular use and application during a migraine headache have been reported to reduce and even completely stop migraines in their tracks. It’s definitely worth a try.

Using Magnesium for Migraine Prevention

Magnesium is available in several different mineral compositions and forms. As with most vitamins and minerals, the best way to get it into the body is through a healthy, balanced diet. Minerals in foods are usually accompanied by what the body needs to adequately absorb them. If not, other needed nutrients will be available through a wholesome, unprocessed diet.

Ditching the sweets and chips and reaching for salads and sprouted raw mixed nuts are good ways to increase magnesium intake. Greens, legumes, nuts, and seeds are good dietary sources of magnesium. A spinach salad with some garbanzo beans and walnuts makes a nutritious, magnesium-rich lunch. The benefit of getting magnesium from a variety of whole foods is that nutrients stay balanced. Foods contain all the cofactors and co-nutrients in the amounts for best digestion, assimilation, and optimal health. When you’re using supplements, you need to become a bit more savvy about how nutrients influence and synergistically affect each other.

Chlorophyll, which enables plants to capture solar energy and convert it into metabolic energy, has a magnesium atom at its center. Without magnesium, in fact, plants could not utilize the sun’s light energy. ” – The Need For Balance by Michael Spencer

Some Foods High in Magnesium: 

• Seaweed, agar, dried (770 mg)
• Coriander (dried) (694 mg)
• Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened (499 mg)
• Flaxseed (392 mg)
• Almonds (247mg)

Though choosing the “right” formulation of magnesium can certainly impact how well the body actually absorbs this mineral, studies have shown the greatest factor in mineral absorption varies with individual organ and body chemistry. Kidney function, for example, plays a tremendous role in how well the body stores and distributes magnesium. Since the body stores and redistributes magnesium as needed via the kidneys, so it makes sense for some to supplement when dietary intake cannot provide and maintain adequate levels.

In addition to oral supplementation, topical application of magnesium oil is a fast way to get magnesium into the body. Since magnesium is stored primarily in muscle tissue and bones, the best bet for immediate migraine relief is to rub magnesium directly into the closest available muscle tissue.

Using magnesium oil or magnesium butter on the neck is the most effective way to use magnesium to treat a migraine headache. It can also be rubbed into the scalp and forehead.

Magnesium injections are another alternative that some physicians offer. As regular readers know, OLM does not recommend this method.

Magnesium Supplementation

As a migraine sufferer, my M.O. with magnesium is to kick migraines in the teeth long before they become an issue. If you suffer from migraines and you know you’re not a salad munchin’, nut crunchin’ kinda person, start supplementing daily. I like this one. Before shopping, here’s what to know about picking the right kind:

If for whatever reason you decide you need a supplement, be aware that there are a wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market, which includes Magnesium glycinate, Magnesium carbonate, and Magnesium citrate. Courtesy of the fact that magnesium must be bound to another substance. There’s simply no such thing as a 100% magnesium supplement.  The substance used in any given supplement combination can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits – Dr. Mercola

The doc goes on to say that it’s important to maintain balance with magnesium, calcium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D.

For example,  Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity.”

I take it in conjunction with a whole-food multivitamin and an otherwise fairly balanced diet, and some vitamin D and calcium. If my diet is particularly crappy one week, I double up on my dose, but if I’m doing a good job of eating my vegetables, I may even be bold enough to skip a dose. To each their own.

When it comes to symptoms of an oncoming storm, immediate intervention is needed. I keep magnesium butter on hand that my good friend, Salome, concocted and massage it into the left side of my neck where the trouble usually starts. This always (knock on wood) stops migraines in their tracks.

Magnesium oil is a good way to get magnesium into the body fast. If you’re in a particularly tight spot and feel a migraine coming on, start working it into your scalp and even try for your forehead. Though these spots will be less effective, as long as you have adequate circulation, it should still help. Maximize the effect with a plunge into an icy shower to get your blood flow up. On that note, check out Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy.

A hot bath with bath salts detoxifies the body, and it’s a great way to destress. It’s also a great way to absorb lots of magnesium in your body. All natural bath salts contain magnesium and many other minerals, coupled with the benefit of your pores opening in the hot water which increases absorption into the blood stream. This is not the most bioavailable way to consume the mineral, but it is a good supplement to a broader supplementation routine and an enjoyable way to escape a migraine. It also makes sense to use oils and baths for those with impaired digestion, which is the case with most who suffer from migraines.

Related Reading:

• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• Natural Remedies For Migraines That Work Fast
• How to Cure Lyme Disease and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid

Related Products:

• Magnesium
• Bath Salts
• Shillington’s Nerve Sedative
• Cayenne Pepper Liquid Extract
• Shillington’s Pain & Headache Formula
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Peppermint Essential Oil
• Vitamin D
• Calcium

For a movie star, 1080 was bad enough; now there’s 4k resolution! Pores on the face can steal the show under high def scrutiny. The typical solution is  more makeup. Not just any makeup, high definition, movie star makeup, which is even worse for the skin than the conventional kind. It’s a vicious cycle in which many a movie or television star find themselves, while others have radiant, beautiful, blemish free skin.

Why do some stars look young and vibrant well past the age when most of us are blotchy and achy all over, even when they are caught off guard and makeup free by the paparazzi? It may seem like they know a Hollywood secret, but they don’t. There isn’t one. There’s no pill or insider trick. It’s health. Pure and simple. Health that is mainly due to diet. What you see is an actor who consistently makes the right choices, every single day.

Poor skin health is a symptom of an unhealthy microbiome. The health of the skin, eyes, and mouth are very good indicators for gut health. Anyone who wants healthy skin will have to eat a healthy diet.

Our microbiome breaks down and assimilates food, assimilates nutrients, and helps produce hormones, all while crowding out potential pathogens and keeping Candida numbers in check. The body’s gut flora primarily consists of bacteria and fungi. A healthy gut contains a ratio of about 1000 bacteria to 1 Candida yeast cell. In this ratio, Candida albicans is just a part of our beneficial gut flora. It’s no coincidence that the most beneficial gut bacteria survive and thrive on the most beneficial foods we can eat. Healthy gut flora live off of raw, organic vegetables and other healthy whole foods. Nasty, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and other microbes live in a gut full of fast food and prescription drugs. The more fresh, raw, organic produce we consume, the healthier the gut flora will be. Candida is very opportunistic, and it will proliferate in a host who consumes a poor diet or otherwise disrupts their gut flora.

An abundance of Candida will seriously damage the intestinal walls causing an overly permeable or “leaky” gut. Most people in modern societies like ours are living with this right now. When Candida is left unchecked, it opens the door for other pathogens. More accurately, it makes holes in the gut for pathogens to invade the bloodstream. When someone has poor skin health, it is a safe bet that Candida is proliferating.

Our modern lifestyle disrupts our microbiome system:

• Antibiotics in our food, water, drugs, soaps, and other bodycare products
• Refined foods that feed the pathogens (healthy food feeds the good guys)
• Vaccines, drugs (not just antibiotics, but anything toxic), heavy metals, and other toxins that kill beneficial flora
• Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins that kill our bacteria
• Other toxic “foods” that disrupt our gut flora (like foods that contain heavy metals, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, etc.)

Here’s the thing that the medical community is not getting: anything that is toxic to the body will disrupt the body’s natural flora. Then Candida proliferates, and the body falls apart shortly thereafter. For better health, fix the body’s ecosystem. It will take time. Fortunately, it takes less time to get well than it does to get sick.

Natural Skin Health Via Gut Healing Protocol

Still not convinced? Try the following protocol for two weeks. Before starting, take pictures for a before and after comparison. The difference will be notable. We’re not just talking skin health. Allergies and most other ailments will dissipate, too. Fix the gut and eventually, the whole body follows.

Drink Lots of Cranberry Lemonade

Drink between a half a gallon and a gallon of cranberry lemonade each day to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins and help rejuvenate the endocrine system, which will help keep the blood clean and reduce “die-off symptoms” commonly associated with killing Candida.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe

• Glass gallon jar
• Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
• 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
• 3 organic fresh lemons
• A citrus juicer
• Liquid stevia
• Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

If you don’t have access to a good source for spring water, use other clean drinking water that does not contain fluoride. If you don’t have access to organic lemons, use conventional. Fresh is almost always best. If there are no fresh lemons, use organic bottled lemon juice. If you can’t get cranberry juice that is not from concentrate, get the reconstituted kind (just don’t get any kind of cranberry juice that has any other ingredients like sweeteners or other juices). If you can’t stand cayenne, don’t use it. No glass jar? Use plastic.

Eat Right

Produce detoxifies. Fresh, whole, organic, raw vegetables, herbs, and fruits pull toxins from the body and repopulates healthy, beneficial gut bacteria as it give the body the nutrients it needs including enzymes and other phytonutrients that are almost non-existent in most modern diets.

Try to eat a huge salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more. Check out this salad recipe.

The Salad Base

• Spinach
• Arugula (I prefer baby arugula, mature arugula tastes funky)
• Collard greens (they’re very bitter; use sparingly)
• Lettuce (mix it up, try an organic spring mix)
• Kale
• Beet greens (the tops of beets)
• Red cabbage (thinly shred like a slaw or a little thicker, depending on the texture you prefer)
• Rainbow chard

Shredded, Grated, or Spiralized

• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Beetroot
• Daikon (or other radish)

Chopped or Diced

• Leeks
• Red onions
• Red and yellow bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Cilantro
• Asparagus (try cooking it in a balsamic vinegar first)

Extras

• Pomegranate seeds
• Olives
• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Sesame seeds
• Ground papaya seeds and/or ground pepper
• Avocado
• Eggs (try soft boiled)
• Beans (black, pinto, kidney, green, garbanzo, etc.)
• Garlic
• Turmeric
• Chia seeds

It’s not an exact recipe, and it doesn’t have to be. Mix it up. Try new things. My salads generally have about 15 ingredients. Make them big; make them diverse. Just imagine you’re in nature, not modern society, and all you have to eat is nothing but a wide variety of the best, whole, fresh, healthy vegetables and herbs. This is what a big salad a day can do for you. It’s life changing.

I throw in chickpeas or a three-bean salad combination. If you’re not vegan, try a sheep feta cheese with this salad and throw on some eggs. It’s good with meat, too, like chicken or steak.

Don’t ruin it with a crappy salad dressing! All this salad needs is a little balsamic vinegar (apple cider is better, but I don’t like the taste as much in my salads), or some fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much.

What Else to Eat and What Not to Eat

Eat whole foods; avoid refined foods. Brown rice is good; white rice is out. Avoid wheat; artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; trans fats; and MSG. Avoid carbonated beverages. Avoid GMOs. Limit fruits, and besides stevia, avoid or limit anything else that’s sweet.

Our modern diet almost always includes too much refined sugar. We don’t have access to agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fruit juices, and other sweeteners in nature. It’s just too much sugar. You may be thinking honey is a good alternative, but this is only true when the gut is healed, the body is relatively free of infection, and the immune system functions properly. Otherwise, even with its antimicrobial properties, honey can feed infection as it goes through the digestion process.

Supplements

Candida evolves to be resistant to much of what we do to try to kill it. This is much more of an issue with conventional treatments than it is with supplements, but it’s still a possibility. A multifaceted approach is the best way to eliminate Candida quickly. They won’t have time to adapt. Lots of protocols recommend multiple supplements that essentially have the same active ingredients, leading the buyer to believe they are taking a multifaceted approach when they are not. This is one of the many reasons typical Candida protocols are not very effective, though poor diet is the number one reason for any natural protocol not working effectively. For those on a tight budget or only wanting to add one or two supplements to their routine, I listed the following supplement links in order from the most to the least important in regards to killing Candida and balancing the gut.

• Formula SF722 is one of the most effective products (perhaps the best) for killing any kind of fungal infection. It’s been shown in labs that Candida cannot adapt to undecenoic acid (the active ingredient in SF722) like it can with almost every other way we try to kill it.
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will kill parasites, Candida, and other bad guys while it heals the gut, improves regularity, and removes nasty biofilm (little-known fact: there’s good biofilm, and there’s bad biofilm), all while setting up a hospitable environment for beneficial flora.
• Undecyn has many different active components formulated specially to kill pathogens in the gut, urinary tract, and vaginal area, but it kills bad guys everywhere.
• FloraMend is a probiotic that passes through the stomach acid and releases in the intestinal tract.
• Olive Leaf Extract supports the immune system and promotes a healthy intestinal environment and provides natural protection and a healthy environment for cells, without suppressing immune system function or harming beneficial microflora.
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox is important for anyone who may have heavy metals in their system, and this formula heals the whole digestive tract. It’s not as necessary for more people, but if you experience digestive upset or heavy metal toxicity the intestinal detox is perfect for these issues.
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations is effective against all common parasites. With the Intestinal Cleanse and the Undecyn, this is overkill for most people, but if you’re very concerned with parasites, it’s the formula designed for that.
• Allium Oil, made with organic olive oil, garlic, and vitamin E, encourages healthy, smooth sebum production and release and fights infection. (See this article for more on sebum.)

The SF722, Undecyn, the MicroDefense, and to a lesser extent the Intestinal Cleanse, will damage beneficial bacteria, so there are two options to get the most out of your supplements. One method is to take the FloraMend probiotic (and olive leaf) at bedtime and upon take the other microbe-killing supplements during the day with meals. Another option is to wait a week or two for symptoms to subside and then stop taking the SF722 and Undecyn and start taking the probiotic, but for those who are particularly ill, healing may take a little longer with this approach. Taking beneficial bacteria and the supplements that help support it at night makes for better B vitamin production, mineral uptake, and hormonal balance. Note that one of the great things about the olive leaf extract and the Intestinal Detox supplements is that while they do kill pathogens, neither formula will kill the good bacteria.

There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been proven to curb Candida growth, and of course, Candida depletes many of these nutrients. The right diet should suffice, but most people will do well with a nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex. This is especially true for anyone who does not have access to high quality, nutrient dense food on a regular basis. Biotin, otherwise known as B7, helps prohibit Candida from converting to its hyphal filamentous growth structure, which is the form where tentacles drill through the gut. But there are at least a dozen other minerals and vitamins that we know are just as significant to gut balance, hence the holistic approach.

Maintenance for Clear Skin

After the gut is healthy and the body is healthy, continue to eat well, avoid processed foods, take the aforementioned supplements (nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin complex), and continue to stay away from processed foods, wheat, alcohol, and vaccines. Or, stay away from them for a month and then go eat some bread and get your flu shot, watch the zits pop up. Your choice.

For those who are willing to spend considerable money to look younger than should be possible:

• Collagen (do not take with systemic enzymes)
• Systemic enzymes (more on systemic enzymes)
• If you have irritated skin, check out Epson salt baths. Take a soak as often as you can.
• Aloe vera juice
• Probiotic
• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider is lemons, turmeric root, ginger root, horseradish root, garlic, beets, white onion, habanero peppers, and serrano peppers in raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Take a few sips a day. Life changing…
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Fatty Acids
• CoQ10

You can take systemic enzymes with collagen, but don’t take them at the same time. Take systemic enzymes on an empty stomach. If you take them with food, enzymes will help digest the food, which is great, but also take them on an empty stomach.

Use essential oils in place of perfumes, and make your own deodorant and sunscreen. Avoid all skin care products with chemicals, which is to say, avoid all conventional skin care, and read the “natural” labels diligently. Or, don’t use that stuff and just make everything yourself.

Conclusion

Candida is a hot topic of debate within both the naturopathic community and conventional medicine, with views ranging from Candida being the root of everything that’s wrong with the body to it being a very rare issue that is completely overblown. The reality is that a Candida infection in the gut is a process that happens when one is not well, and when left unchecked (it doesn’t take long) Candida will allow other pathogens to infiltrate the body through the gut. Candida is the key to many other diseases due to how it burrows into the intestinal walls. Once someone is chronically ill, it may or may not be Candida causing their problems, but you can bet Candida has played a big role.

Illness is never due to just one type of pathogen. If you feel ill, whether it be from a chronic illness or just a cold, it’s a little-known fact that there’s often more than just one virus, bacteria, or other pathogen affecting you.

Recommended Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• 43 Celebrity No Makeup Selfies That Are Worth A Second Look — PHOTOS – Bustle

Sources:

• Conquer Candida Naturally – Dr. Jockers
• How to Treat Persistent Vaginal Yeast Infection Due to Species Other Than Candida Albicans -MedScape
• Signal transduction through homologs of the Ste20p and Ste7p protein kinases can trigger hyphal formation in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans – National Academy of Sciences

Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is a medical condition that affects an estimated 3% of the population. Night sweats, sweaty hands and feet, dripping sweat from the face or excessive underarm sweating may not sound like such a big deal if you have never experienced it, but drenched clothing is embarrassing as is sweat dripping off your nose and chin when the person next to you is totally comfortable.

Aside from the social ramifications and embarrassment, excessive sweating can be very disruptive. Night sweats can be so severe you wake up with a drenched pillow and sheets, your hair or pajamas soaked through. Hands can sweat so much that simple tasks are difficult. Imagine trying to do paperwork, type on a keyboard, shake hands, dress your child, or turn a doorknob.

According to conventional medicine, the cause may be an underlying medical condition or it may be caused by a mild dysfunction of the nervous system. If doctors cannot find an underlying medical condition such as diabetes, menopause, Parkinson’s disease, medications, certain cancers, hyperthyroidism, etc., they really don’t know the cause. As usual, not knowing the cause does not get in the way of the medical profession treating the symptoms.

Current conventional treatments include the following:

• Antiperspirants: Many use over the counter antiperspirants. Others use prescription grade aluminum chloride solution on the hands, feet, underarms, and hairline. It is believed that they work by absorption of the active ingredients and plugging up the sweat glands. The body recognizes the sweat glands are plugged and stops producing sweat. Despite many claims made over the past decades to the contrary, The National Cancer institute denies any link between aluminum and cancer (specifically breast cancer), and the Alzheimer’s Association denies any link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s.
• Iontophoresis: Used for the hands and feet, this is a process where hands or feet are immersed in a tub of water. A low dose of electricity is passed through the water. The patient feels a tingling sensation. Patients initially receive 2-3 treatments per week. Subsequent treatments are needed once a week to once a month. If this treatment works, patients may choose to purchase the device to treat themselves at home.
• Botox: Botulinum toxin injections are said to inhibit sweating. Shots are effective for  4-5 months.
• Pharmaceuticals: Oral medications must be taken with care as they inhibit sweating so well patients can overheat.
• Surgery: Surgical procedures include severing nerves to affected areas as well as removing sweat glands.

Obviously, we can’t recommend any of these treatments.

Causes of Hyperhidrosis

If no cause of excessive sweating can be identified, primary hyperhidrosis is diagnosed. The current belief for the cause of primary hyperhidrosis is that a particular type of sweat gland, the eccrine glands, are overstimulated by the nervous system. There does appear to be an inherited or genetic predisposition, therefore a mutated gene may be indicated.

Secondary hyperhidrosis is diagnosed when a cause or trigger for the excessive sweating is identified. Triggers or causes include:

• Candida Abundance
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Hyperthyroidism
• Menopause
• Anxiety
• Hypoglycemia
• Certain prescriptions like anti-depression medication
• Certain illegal drugs
• Withdrawals from drugs or alcohol
• Certain infections (like TB, HIV)
• Parkinson’s disease
• Blood or bone marrow disorders such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Smoking (marijuana, tababccoo, smoking anything)
• Gout
• Diabetes
• Tumor
• Mercury poisoning
• Lymphatic Infection
• Endocrine Infection

The truth is, there is always a cause. Doctors, especially Western conventional doctors, are just not good at finding causes for ailments. From a holistic perspective, there are a couple of direct causes of excessive chronic sweating. Oftentimes the body is running hot due poor liver and kidney health, which makes the blood sluggish causing poor circulation. There is a host of hormonal imbalances that can cause it. Like with every disease, sickness, or ailment, there are always many causes, but it all comes down to cellular malfunction due to toxicity and a lack of nutrition.

Picture a car engine that’s struggling to produce enough power, getting hotter and hotter as it tries. If one were to get the body to stop sweating without addressing the cause, like removing the car’s radiator, this could be dangerous. And excessive sweating can also be the body’s last-ditch effort to rid itself of enough toxins to keep functioning. Another reason for excessive sweating can be an endocrine system flaw, causing the body to sweat when it does not actually need to. On the other hand, this indicates a very toxic body, and arguably, is just another case of the body being overwhelmed and needing to detoxify through sweat glands.

In my experience, if the sweating is significant and common, it’s always an endocrine system issue. While this article goes into some tips and tricks to reduce accessive sweating and detoxify the body, Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones may be a better fit, especially if there are symptoms for other illness. But if you really want to get to the heart of the matter, first start with healing the gut. Everything else is secondary.

In other words, anyone who suffers from hyperhidrosis is dealing with a toxic, overwhelmed body that needs healing.

Alternative Treatments Begin with Diet and Detox

Seeking an herb or a natural supplement to “get rid of the problem” mimics the conventional path. To heal the body, it is important to treat the whole body through a combination of nutrition and detoxification and allow the body to heal itself. Hyperhidrosis indicates a body with much wrong. As Raymond Francis states, “One cell, one disease,” and this wisdom proves to be true.  In every case of disease, something is wrong at a cellular level.

We begin with nutrition. A plant-based, whole food, organic diet delivers the most bioavailable nutrition. The healthiest diet consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce, more vegetables than fruits, healthy fats, and plenty of clean water. If meat is eaten, it is important that it be organic.  This means preparing your own food. Do not trust businesses to do it!

Last, but not least, it is vital to stop polluting the body. Soap, deodorant, shampoo, hair colorings, lotions, powder, make-up – everything you place on your body is absorbed. If you put chemicals on your body, chemicals will seep into your body.

Whatever you inhale enters your body. Smoking, chemically scented perfumes and air fresheners (included scented candles), off-gassing from chemically treated furniture, carpets, paints, glues, etc. Do not pollute your environment. Purchase supplies, building materials, and furniture wisely with indoor pollution in mind. You should be sleeping 8 hours a night. Is your bed filled with chemicals? Or have you purchased an organic mattress?

Back to the food you put in your body. Avoid all fake food! Eliminate all artificial flavors, coloring, and preservatives. No MSG. GMOs, or trans fats. Limit or eliminate alcohol and caffeine.  If you have any kind chronic condition, there is a good chance your gut is sick and overrun with Candida.

If all of these dietary restrictions sounds like too much to consider, just simplify it. Eat real food! If it comes in a box, a can, or a bottle, trade it in for something that comes right off the vine or the tree. Real food heals the body.

More specifically, your diet should consist of huge, diverse salads with fresh herbs, cranberry lemonade, and fruits and nuts in moderation. Try some quinoa stir fry’s, rice and beans, and other whole food options for dinner. Check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included.

Skin

As mentioned, everything you place on your body is absorbed. Consider this when picking out clothes. Unnatural fabrics play havoc on our endocrine system and our lymphatic system. You can’t rid the body of toxins well with a layer of toxins on the skin. Natural, breathable fibers are a must.

This also includes bedding and mattresses. Breathable, all natural fibers with no toxic off-gassing may be just the trick to getting a dry nights sleep. There is a huge toxic load we contend with when we sleep on conventional mattresses, or with conventional bedding and clothes.

Fitness

Sweat may be just what an excessive sweater needs to quit excessively sweating. For anyone dealing with hyperhidrosis, a serious fitness regimen is in order. Squats, yoga, and running are awesome exercises to stimulate organ and system functionality to facilitate detoxification.

Supplemental Alternative Treatments for Hyperhidrosis

Once the need for proper nutrition and detoxification has been addressed, supplementation to speed the process can be considered.

Vitamins & Minerals

B vitamins should be considered first and foremost. Hyperhidrosis indicates severe hormonal imbalances. Anyone with hormonal imbalances has a problematic endocrine system and poor gut health, which makes B vitamin production and assimilation difficult.

Vitamin D is a potent modulator of the endocrine system. After diet and exercise, improving vitamin D and vitamin B levels often eliminates hyperhidrosis. But with a very toxic body, there is more work to be done.

Herbs for Hyperhidrosis

Witch hazel is a powerful astringent that can be applied in liquid form to the skin. Traditionally, witch hazel was used to for insect bites, irritated skin, and bruises. Some are reporting witch hazel can help eliminate excessive sweating as well.

Burdock helps to jump-start the endocrine system and the lymphatic system, and some claim that burdock actually helps the body to redirect sweating fluids through lymph nodes, kidneys, and bowels.

Astragalus, from northeast China, has many health benefits, and one of those benefits is balancing and reducing sweat response. Excessive sweating is often thought to be the result of an unhealthy spleen. Astragalus can help heal and detoxify the spleen.

Sage is typically considered one of the best herbs to treat hyperhidrosis. Sage is an adaptogen, which calms the nervous system and helps the body deal with emotional and physical stress. Sage contains lots of thiamine and magnesium. These minerals soothe the sweat glands and calm the nervous system. Sage also contains rosmarinic acid which is known to inhibit sweat.

Schisandra grows in China and in the United States. The tiny red berries from the tree have many beneficial medicinal properties. The berries are also an adaptogen, which helps the body to cope with stress and reduce excess sweating.

Though not really an herb, asparagus has been used traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat excessive sweating. Asparagus contains the chemical, asparagine, that decreases sweat production. We recommend eating them cooked and raw; try putting them in your salad.

Candida

If you suffer from hyperhidrosis, it’s a very safe bet that you have toxic got biology and suffer from an abundance of Candida and are dealing with a host of other symptoms and ailments. Your endocrine system is overwhelmed and your lymphatic system is toxified. You won’t get over any of this without fixing the gut, which means killing excess Candida and developing a healthy gut ecosystem.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for a very sick gut, or for impatient people with a bigger budget, I’d recommend all of these:

• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research
• Syntol AMD – Arthur Andrew Medical
• Berberine 500mg – Thorne Research
• MycoCeutics MycoPhyto Complex – EcoNugenics
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
• Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer (500mg) HCP Formulas

Conclusion

Chronic illness tells us the body is heavily burdened and radical changes need to take place to achieve homeostasis. When hyperhidrosis is present, it is a good indication that the body is in serious trouble. Health starts in the gut. If you suffer from regular excessive sweating, your body is way over-taxed and it’s time for an overhaul. While the aforementioned supplements can help alleviate discomfort without side effects, anything short of a holistic approach will result in new ailments. Be sure to ccheck outHow To Heal Your Gut.

Recommended Products:

• Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula
• Female Hormone Support – Gaia Herbs
• Schisandra – Herb Pharm
• Salvia Officinalis – sage – Wise Woman Herbals

Related Reading:

• How To Make Your Own Natural Deodorant at Home – Recipe
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections
• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Best Supplements To Kill Lyme and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Lyme Disease
• How to Detoxify and Heal the Lymphatic System

Sources:

• Excessive sweating – overview – Medline Plus
• Hyperhidrosis: Diagnosis and treatment – American Academy of Dermatology
• Hyperhidrosis – Mayo Clinic
• Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis) – Causes, Home Remedies – healthisright.com
• Aluminum chloride solution – Drugs.com
• Hyperhidrosis – Causes – NHS

We’ve all heard of the lymphatic system, but few understand how it works or why and how a properly working lymphatic system is vital to the body. The lymphatic system is a network of tissues and organs that transport lymph throughout the body. Its responsibilities include cleaning the cellular environment, returning proteins and excess tissue fluids to the blood, providing a pathway for the absorption of fats into the bloodstream, and the production and transportation of antibodies (white blood cells called lymphocytes) throughout the body to fight infection.

• Lymphatic Anatomy

• Gastrointestinal Lymphatic System

• Diseases and Disorders

• Symptoms of a Sluggish Lymphatic System

• How to Restore the Lymphatic System

• Be Careful What You Put On Your Skin

• Holistic Organ Health

• Lymphatic Detox

• Foods That Support the Lymphatic System

• Lymphatic Supplemental Support

• Other Ways to Stimulate the Lymphatic System

Our blood contains red blood cells that deliver oxygen around the body, white blood cells that fight infections, platelets that help you stop bleeding if you get a cut, and plasma.

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. It’s a yellowish liquid in blood that suspends the red blood cells and carries nutrients and oxygen throughout the body. Plasma contains water, salt, enzymes, immunoglobulins (antibodies), hormones, clotting factors, and plasma proteins.

Interstitial fluid, also known as tissue fluid, was plasma before it entered tissue. Interstitial fluid is a solution that bathes and surrounds the tissue cells.

Tissue fluid and blood are not the same, and not all of the contents of blood pass into tissue. Red blood cells, platelets, and some of the plasma proteins do not pass through capillaries. The resulting mixture that does get through is, in essence, blood plasma minus its clotting agents and some of its proteins.

Lymph was interstitial fluid before it became lymph.

Lymphatic Anatomy

The lymphatic system is made up of lymph capillaries, vessels, and nodes, the spleen, thymus, tonsils, Peyer’s Patches, and lymphocytes (white blood cells). Red bone marrow is also a part of the lymphatic system. We have hundreds of lymph nodes. Lymph nodes can be found all around the lungs and heart, in the gut, in the armpits and groin, and pretty much all over the body.

Blood pressure causes plasma liquid to leak into tissues, and this pressure causes excess fluid in those tissues to move into the lymph capillaries. As this fluid leaves the cells, it takes cellular waste products and used proteins with it. The lymphatic capillaries pick up approximately 20% of the fluid that was delivered to the interstitial space. The venous system picks up about 80% of the fluid in the interstitial space. The unique structure of the lymphatic capillaries permits interstitial fluid to flow into them but not out.

Blood pressure, temperature, activity of muscle and joints, diaphragmatic breathing, and pulsation of adjacent arteries all cause lymph to move up to the subclavian veins at the base of the neck. Valves and pressure keep lymph moving in the right direction. Along the way, the fluid is interrupted by lymph nodes that filter dust, cancer cells, pathogens, and other unwanted matter. Lymph nodes also produce lymphocytes (white blood cells). The spleen, tonsils, and red bone marrow help produce lymphocytes as well.

The spleen, which is about the size of our fist, is the largest lymphatic organ. It is similar in structure to a lymph node, but it filters blood, not lymph. The spleen contains two main types of tissue, white pulp and red pulp. White pulp is lymphatic tissue containing white blood cells – B and T cells. T cells attack pathogens (such as bacteria and viruses) while B cells make antibodies that fight infections.  Red pulp tissue removes old and damaged red blood cells and stores platelets. It also produces red blood cells in unborn babies and when certain diseases are present.

The thymus is both a lymphatic organ and an endocrine gland. The thymus plays a major role in immune system development, starting before birth. Unlike other organs, the thymus reaches its functional peak, and largest size, during childhood. After puberty the thymus reduces in size, replaced by fat.

Tonsils are a familiar lymphatic cluster. Their position, hanging from the mouth and pharynx, allows them to be the first line of defense against inhaled and swallowed foreign bodies and toxins.

The final goal of the lymphatic system is to recirculate lymph back into the plasma of the bloodstream. There are two specialized lymphatic structures at the end of the lymphatic system, called the lymph trunks and ducts. Lymph ducts empty lymph into one of the subclavian veins. There are two lymph ducts, the right lymphatic duct and the thoracic duct. The right drains lymph from the right upper limb, the right side of thorax, and the right halves of head and neck. The thoracic duct drains lymph into the circulatory system between the left subclavian and the left internal jugular veins.

Lymphatic trunks are large lymph vessels that made up of the convergence of many efferent lymph vessels. There are five sets of lymph trunks.

• Jugular lymph trunks located in the neck
• Subclavian lymph trunks located beneath the clavicle
• Bronchomediastinal lymph trunks located in the chest
• Lumbar lymph trunks drain lymph fluid from the legs, pelvic region, and kidneys
• Intestinal lymph trunk receives chyle (lymph mixed with fats) from the intestines, and receives lymph from the stomach, pancreas, spleen, and the liver.

Lymphatic trunks drain lymph fluid into the lymph ducts, the final part of the lymphatic system.

For more on lymphatic system anatomy and function:

The Gastrointestinal Lymphatic System

After filtration by the lymph nodes, efferent lymphatic vessels take lymph to the end of the lymphatic system to recirculate lymph back into the plasma of the bloodstream. The intestinal lymphatic system serves vital functions in the regulation of tissue fluid homeostasis (keeping tissue properly hydrated), immune surveillance, and transportation of fats and other nutrients into plasma.

When the gut’s not healthy, the body is not healthy. A sluggish and toxic gut will slow the lymph’s ability to provide clean, infection-free blood, and fats will not as easily be absorbed and assimilated, causing weight gain and poor cellular health that can lead to an array of problems from diabetes to cancer.

Diseases and Disorders of the Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system removes infections and other toxins from the blood. A sick body is a toxic and infected (or soon to be infected) body. Arguably, most every chronic disease and every infection is indicative of an overwhelmed lymphatic system. When the system is overwhelmed, the body is overwhelmed. With any chronic illness, getting well includes improving lymphatic function.

• Edema, or Oedema – Swelling that results when tissues cannot drain fluid into the lymphatic system quickly enough – see image above.
• Lymphedema – Caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system, part of the immune and circulatory systems. Lymphedema is most commonly caused by lymph node removal or damage due to cancer treatment.
• Elephantiasis – Medically known as lymphatic filariasis, a condition characterized by enlargement of an area of the body, typically the limbs. It looks like a severe case of edema, and it is.
• Glandular fever – A type of viral infection that mostly affects young adults. Symptoms include tender lymph nodes.
• Hodgkin’s disease – A type of cancer of the lymphatic system.
• Tonsillitis – Infection of the tonsils in the throat.
• Lymphadenopathy – Occurs when the lymph nodes swell due to infections. Viral infections like measles, rubella, glandular fever, and HIV may also cause lymphadenopathy of the lymph nodes.
• Lymphadenitis – Inflammation of the lymph nodes usually caused due to infections.
• Filariasis – An infection of the lymphatic channels by a worm or parasite.
• Splenomegaly – Swelling of the spleen due to a viral infection like infectious mononucleosis.

Symptoms of a Sluggish Lymphatic System

Humans have twice as much lymph fluid in the body as blood. Unlike the circulatory system, the lymphatic system does not have a pump. In order to move, lymph relies on blood pressure and the relaxation and the contraction of the muscles and joints. Your lymphatic system can easily become stagnant, especially when it becomes overwhelmed with toxic debris. The combination of a toxic lifestyle and lethargy is a recipe for chronic disease.

All things in nature have a natural progression. When this progression is inhibited, health deteriorates. Think of a river. A healthy river runs clean and clear compared to stagnant water. Imagine them clogged and the resulting backup. Picture an engine and car oil, and you can equate our lymphatic system to an oil filter. Imagine how sluggish and constrictive the engine would be if the oil wasn’t constantly filtered. Sluggish lymph fluid is a breeding ground for infection.

Stagnant lymph interferes with every system of the body. Because lymph cleanses nearly every cell in the body, symptoms of chronic lymph blockage are diverse. While most people prefer to identify one specific cause of a disease, there are rarely fewer than three and can often be hundreds. The point is, if the body is unhealthy, the lymph is unhealthy, too. If the body is sick, the lymph is sick, too.

Symptoms of lymphatic congestion include:

• Rings get tight on fingers
• Skin is puffy, showing edema
• Soreness, stiffness, achiness in the mornings
• Arthritis
• Lethargic, drained, sluggishness
• Bloating, water retention
• Itchy skin
• Bad skin (dryness, acne, premature aging, etc.)
• Breast swelling or soreness with hormonal cycles
• Brain fog
• Cold hands and feet
• Chronic headaches and/or migraines
• Cellulite
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Chronic inflammation

Every one of these health concerns can be linked to other diseases as well, but any disease leads to a taxed lymphatic system, and a healthy lymphatic system is necessary to eliminate any disease.

How to Restore the Lymphatic System to Optimum Health

Doctors in Europe and in the Far East recognize the importance of lymphatic function and how it supports detoxification and every other system in the body, including the immune, digestive, and nervous systems. Natural practitioners know that poor lymph health underlies most health conditions from poor skin to cancer. By contrast, conventional practitioners in America don’t even consider the lymphatic system until a lymph deficiency shows up such as a swollen lymph node, cancer developing in a lymph gland, or obvious signs of lymph blockage. And of course, when something does go seriously wrong with the lymphatic system, western conventional doctors typically say the ailment is incurable. This is not true.

Be Careful What You Put On Your Skin

When the lymphatic system becomes sluggish it will “off-gas” through the skin. When unnatural fibers (like nylon or polyester) are worn and when chemical creams and soaps are applied to the skin, toxin release through the skin is inhibited. Much of the toxic load that should have been eliminated is re-absorbed along with some of the new toxins from the chemically laden clothes and skin products. This creates a backlog of needed detoxification.

A tight fitting bra and underwire bras will impede normal lymphatic flow. Make sure bras fit properly, and avoid underwires. Go braless whenever possible.

Wear natural fibers, and don’t put toxic chemicals on your skin. Almost every skin care product in the skincare isles is toxic. Most “all natural” moisturizer creams, and soaps are also toxic. With few exceptions (like essential oils), when it comes to skin care products, if you can’t eat it, don’t put on your skin. This also includes sunblock, deodorant, and laundry detergents.

Speaking of deodorants, they need to be all natural. Conventional deodorants, especially antiperspirants, inhibit lymph detoxification. On a side note, it’s no wonder, understanding how the body works, that antiperspirants do in fact lead to breast cancer. We need to sweat, and that sweat leads to an ecosystem of flora on the skin that can promote good health or bad health. Check out How To Make Your Own Natural Deodorant at Home. 

The same needs be said about toothpaste and mouthwash. Lose the toxic stuff. Check out Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste Recipes Included.

Holistic Organ Health

Your body is a collection of organs that ideally work in harmony with one other. The lymphatic system keeps organs healthy, but an unhealthy organ, or many unhealthy organs, will overload the lymphatic system. Most people with a slow lymphatic system have a leaky gut. In fact, most people with any health problems have a gut that is overly permeable, allowing undigested particles, and toxins to enter the blood and lymph. See Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections for more on gut health.

The first step for almost anyone experiencing health problems should be to balance gut flora. If your body is toxic, your gut is toxic, and the microbes in there are not going to be your friends. As previously mentioned, the intestinal trunk receives the lymph from the stomach, intestine, pancreas, spleen, and liver. None of these organs will be well if the digestive system is in turmoil.

The diet for a healthy lymphatic system and a healthy human body includes far more fresh, raw vegetables than anything else. This how a healthy diet should look with the most often consumed foods listed first:

• Raw, fresh vegetables and herbs
• Raw fresh fruit
• Cooked vegetables
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes (all properly soaked, sprouted, etc.)
• Brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet, oats
• Meat

Obviously, meat is optional. Most of us do not get enough water. Clean water is imperative for lymphatic health, too.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

If you have a sluggish lymphatic system you’ve got Candida. In fact, that’s probably one of the main causes. The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:

• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research
• Syntol AMD – Arthur Andrew Medical
• Berberine 500mg – Thorne Research
• Candida Complex – Complementary Prescriptions
• MycoCeutics MycoPhyto Complex – EcoNugenics
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
• Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer (500mg) HCP Formulas

Lymphatic Detox

While there are supplements that help, a healthy body will not be achieved without the right diet. The right diet is the foundation of an effective detox. Check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included for a recipe for salads and for a cranberry lemonade that will radically improve the body’s elimination of toxins. Salads, when made right, provide a plethora of synergistic nutrition that rebuilds the body while pulling out toxins (for instance, many vegetables and herbs chelate heavy metals). The cranberry lemonade, made with unsweetened cranberry juice and stevia, will help flush and detoxify the liver and kidneys, allowing the lymph to move much more freely.

Avoid all refined, processed foods. Cook and prepare all food at home. Do not eat out until all symptoms are gone and health is restored. At home, eat salads, cranberry lemonade, and fresh fruit. Make stir-frys for dinner.

Avoid vaccines, at least until the lymphatic system is running smoothly. Regardless of your vaccine stance, vaccines are toxic and they slow lymph.

The same is true for GMOs. GMOs harm healthy gut flora, and they need to be avoided. For more on vaccines and GMOs, check out People Against…

Foods That Support the Lymphatic System

Water, while not a food, is vital to life. A lack of water inhibits lymph from flowing smoothly.

Cranberries emulsify fat, which helps break down excess fat so the lymphatic vessels can carry it away. Cranberry also helps the kidneys, which helps with overall hydration. Avoid cranberry juice that has any added ingredients, and try to get some fresh, whole cranberries to juice whenever possible.

Leafy greens are cleansing. Chlorophyll, the green nutrient that captures sunlight, has powerful cleansing properties and beneficial effects on the blood and thus on lymph fluid as well. Look for dark greens like kale, spinach, wheat grass, barley grass, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, broccoli, and mustard greens.

Garlic boosts immune function, chelates heavy metals and some other toxins, and kills harmful microbes. Anything that boosts immune function will take a load off of the lymphatic system.

Ginger reduces inflammation, and like garlic, ginger is also antimicrobial.

Turmeric is related to ginger. It also helps reduce inflammation, thins the blood, improves circulation, and is a well known and very effective cancer fighter.

Fresh produce has many different benefits for the lymphatic system and the whole body, but enzymes are critical to good health. More enzymes in the diet means more enzymes are available to the body to break down food and fibrin, which allows for easier flow of blood and lymph.

Lymphatic Supplemental Support

Systemic enzymes help to restore lymphatic transport capacity and break down undesired excess proteins that contribute to swelling and inflammation. Systemic enzymes also remove debris throughout the body that slow down circulation.

Oregano oil supports digestion and the immune system. Oregano oil is absorbed directly into the lymphatic system from the digestive tract. The powerful antioxidants and antimicrobial properties can help clear up the intestinal lymph capillaries. Oregano oil also contains terpenes that dissolve fatty sludge in the lymph system and in the gall bladder.

Burdock is a powerful multi-system detoxifier that supports the liver, kidneys, digestion, and the lymphatic and endocrine systems. According to the University of Michigan Health System, burdock a blood and lymph purifier.

Wild indigo stimulates the glandular and lymphatic systems. This herb is an antimicrobial immune system modulator and lymphagogue that helps regulate immune and inflammatory responses.

Licorice root is one of the most broad-spectrum natural detoxifying agents known to herbalists. It has been said to gently rid the body of over 1,000 known toxins.

Goldenseal and astragalus are excellent lymphatic system and blood cleansers that also boost the immune system.

Echinacea alleviates congestion and swelling in the body, and it boosts the immune system. Echinacea will ward off bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. Echinacea helps strengthen certain kinds of cells in the lymph nodes called macrophages, which are responsible for getting the toxins out of the lymph.

Aloe vera is a natural cleansing food that encourages, supports, and increases lymphatic circulation.

Prickly ash bark is a traditional Native American remedy that boosts lymphatic function, stimulates digestion, and promotes joint health.

Red clover, cleavers, manjistha, bupleurum, rehmannia, and stillingia root are popular herbs for lymph stimulation and detoxification.

Other Ways to Stimulate the Lymphatic System

Get upside down. Bounce and jostle. Just move!

Inversion Table

An inversion table is a padded table that allows one to invert upside down while strapped in by the feet. This decompresses joints and stimulates the lymphatic and circulatory system.

Lymphatic Massage

We all love a good massage, and a massage will help with the lymphatic system. But, a lymphatic massage specifically targets the flow of lymph in the body. With rhythmic circular movements at just the right pressure to stimulate the lymph, this kind of massage can encourage lymph movement. Lymphatic massage, when done correctly, has been proven to push up to 78% of stagnant lymph back into circulation, which mobilizes toxins for clearance, lessening the burden on the body.

Dry Brushing

Dry skin brushing is a technique commonly utilized in Ayurveda for assisting in lymphatic flow. The procedure uses a dry brush with coarse bristles to brush the skin gently towards the heart. This stimulates the sweat glands, opens up skin pores, and helps remove dead skin cells as it stimulates the movement of lymph and blood in underlying organs and tissues.

Exercise

Rebounding is the practice of jumping on a trampoline for ten to thirty minutes. This stimulates the circulation of blood and lymph throughout the body. Numerous studies have proven its efficacy, and some believe there are many other benefits as well.

Other bouncing exercises like jumping rope, jumping jacks, and dance stimulate like rebounding. A hard surface makes for a better bounce to the system, but a trampoline is better for those who need to start with exercises that are more gentle.

Squats massage and stimulate internal organs and bodily systems. Humans were meant to squat and run regularly. Our body works better when we do.

Yoga increases the flow of the lymph. Inverted positions, stretching and contracting the core, and other positions involving stretching are all very beneficial to the lymphatic system.

Running and jogging get the lymph moving. Sweating and breathing heavily also improve lymph condition. Be sure to breathe properly!

How To Eliminate Chronic Illness and Heal Lymph

Here are three articles I put together on diet. This is indicative of how my family eats every single day.

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Start Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet
• How to Make the Healthiest Smoothies – 4 Recipes

We start off with cranberry lemonade and a huge salad every morning. For lunch, we sometimes do a smoothie or we snack on some nuts and/or fruit or we just finish our massive 11-cup salads. For dinner, we always cook from scratch, which takes preperation and time, but it gets easier. Rice and beans, quinoa, lentils, millet, oatmeal, and amaranth are common staples for our cooked meals. We add lots of raw vegetables and herbs to our dinners as well, for instance, the rice and beans go great with chopped tomatoes and avocado, diced onions and garlic, and shredded turmeric and ginger. Eat raw herbs and cooked herbs together for maximum health benefits.

This is truly a lifestyle, not a diet, and it’s one we live every day. You may not need to go to this extreme to rid your body of disease, but I find that most who are dealing with chronic illness need to take it this far, at least for a few months.

The salads are the most important part of this protocol. More than supplements, more than anything save getting enough water, the salads are imperative. Eat lots of it. Make sure they are diverse with at least 15 different vegetables and herbs. If you could see what packing your gut with salad does to your ecosystem under a microscope, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about them. There is nothing more beneficially life-changing than developing a salad habit when the salads are big and diverse and homemade. They do more than any supplement or any other food to clean the intestinal walls of filth and develop a beneficial gut ecosystem.

The cranberry lemonade helps keep the kidneys and liver working optimally. These organs typically get sluggish quickly when lots of Candida are killed. If salads are #1, this cranberry lemonade is #2, and supplements are a distant #3.

For those with very serious gut issues, legumes and grains will be a no-no for the first few weeks at least, but when enough salad has been consumed, the gut should be able to reap many benefits from cooked foods like the dinner meals aforementioned.

Sweet fruit should be severely limited, and for the very ill, avoided until the gut is working better. Grapefruit, cranberry, avocado, lime, and lemon do not fall under this category.

Juicing with fruits is not much better than refined sugar, so don’t make the common mistake of thinking a fresh-juice fast is going to get you well.

Now that diet is covered, here’s the supplement part:

SF722 – 5 capsules three times a day, once on an empty stomach, the other two times with or without food. SF722 kills yeast, and if you have a slow lymphatic system you have Candida!

Abzorb – take two capsules with harder to digest meals, and also take two on an empty stomach twice a day, like early morning and late night. When taken on an empty stomach the Abzorb acts as a systemic enzyme and a probitoic. When taken with food it helps digest food. Both are great.

For anyone on a tight budget I recommend putting the money to food, and if affordable, add Abzorb and SF722. That’s enough with the right diet to eliminate fungal overgrowth in almost everyone. There are some who work or live in environments that constitute more environmental stressors on the body, and therefore need a lot more help. There are also many living in areas of the country where the healthy food selection at the local grocery store is sparse. I recommend more supplements and growing your own food in such a case. And I recommend growing your own food for a hundred other reasons as well.

If you’re someone who needs more supplementation or, like me, you just tend to prefer overkill, here’s a step-by-step protocol that includes all of the previously recommended supplements, and a bit more to address Candida die off and healthy defecation.

Each day has two supplement routines that are repeated. Each supplement routine has an objective.

Clean and Gut Populate with Good Guys:

If your lymphatic system is toxic so is your gut. In fact, that’s where the toxins are most likely coming from.

On an empty stomach

• 2 Abzorb
• 2 cups of cranberry lemonade
• Optional: Add a serving of the MycoPhyto Complex
• Optional: Additional probiotic with Abzorb, or separate probiotic and systemic enzymes instead of Abzorb

Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys:

Usually with food

• 5 of the SF722
• Optional: two dropperfuls of Blood Detox
• Optional: recommended dosage of Oil of Oregano
• Optional: one serving of MycoPhyto Complex
• Optional Intestinal Cleanse
• Optional: Other antimicrobials like the Undecyn, Gastro-cleanse, Candida Complex, Berberine, and the Micro-defense, you could take one or two of each

Also, take absorb with any food that is difficult to digest.

Protocol

6am – Clean and Populate With Good Guys

Start with Abzorb and a big glass of cranberry lemonade and the

9am – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Salad time! The MycoPhyto Complex company recommends to take on an empty stomach, but I like it with salads and smoothies too.

12pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Homemade Smoothie Time! If you’re extremely ill you may need to wait on the smoothies and just double up on the salads for the first week, but I’ve found that many people who were suffering from a plethora of ailments and having trouble recovering responded very well to pineapple smoothies. Pineapple smoothies (made with fresh pineapple), like the ones I have recipes for in the above link, pack a massive amount of enzymes and can help break down a lot of junk in the gut, while delivering large amounts of nutrition. But, smoothies have plenty of sugar, so it’s a good time to repeat the supplements from 9am.

Use pineapple, coconut water, water, cranberry juice, or if you can withstand some sugar try granny smith apple juice, but don’t use sweet fruit juices for smoothies.

3pm -Week 1 – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

3pm -Week 2 – Populate With Good Guys

6pm – Antimicrobials, Kill the Bad Guys

Dinner time! Everything from scratch, nothing pre-made in any way, all whole food ingredients.

9pm – Populate With Good Guys

Finish of the night with probiotic support and leave them alone for the night to do their thing.

Three More Supplements to Consider – Die-0ff, Heavy metal Detox, & Bowel Movements

If Candida die-off is a concern be sure to drink plenty of cranberry lemonade and I also recommend adding Total Nutrition Formula and the Intestinal Detox. Here’s a recipe to make your own Total Nutrition. This way you’ll get bentonite clay, charcoal, chlorella, spirulina, and more, which are all great for mitigating the die-off effects of a Candida detox, and they also chelate heavy metals.

You can take the Total Nutrition Formula with the smoothie or sprinkle it on the salad (or choke it down with water), and take the Intestinal Detox anytime throughout the day as directed.

If you’re not defecating easily and at least twice daily, I also highly recommend the Intestinal Cleanse. It kills parasites and moves the bowels better than anything else on the market that I know of, by far. I recommend taking it with the antimicrobials.

Conclusion

To help clear out a sluggish lymphatic system, get more exercise, get a good massage, eat more produce and drink lots of cranberry lemonade. For chronic illness, a holistic approach that involves fitness, diet, and supplementation is in order.

Sometimes people seem to be doing everything else right, but their bodies won’t get healthy until they start moving. For a clogged lymphatic system, exercise may be critical to get things moving freely. For most other health issues, exercise is more of an option, one with benefits but not totally necessary. If you find your lymph system to be sluggish, you need exercise. Squats, yoga, and running help detoxify the body and get lymph flowing better. Running is particularly good for the lymphatic system. We were built to run, and don’t let any doctor tell you differently. Check out Running Without Knee Pain. Both sprinting and jogging have a host of positive benefits to lymph.

The following recommended products, if used as instructed with a proper diet, will clear the lymphatic system, strengthen the immune system, and help alleviate almost all other health issues, given enough time. The supplements are listed in order of most likely to be most important. While the time varies from person to person, most feel a huge sense of rejuvenation within 3 to 10 days on this protocol.

Recommended Products:

• Lymphagogue Compound – Wise Woman Herbals
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Formula
• Shillington’s Blood Detox Tea
• Shillington’s Echinacea Plus
• Reishi Extract (Ganoderma Lucidum) – Host Defense
• Nettle Leaf Capsules – Gaia Herbs
• Mother Earth Organic Root Cider – Barrier Island Organics
• Elderberry Plus Syrup – Wise Woman Herbals
• More Supplemental  Lymphatic Support

Related Reading:

• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Candida, Gut Flora, Allergies, and Disease
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• How to Detoxify From Chemotherapy and Repair the Body
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Make Your Immune System Bulletproof with These Natural Remedies
• The Power of Our Hormones and How To Balance Them
• Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included

Sources:

• Lymphatic Capillaries: Function & Explanation – Study.com
• The Lymphatic System – Lymphnotes.com
• Lymphatic System: Facts, Functions and Diseases – Medical News Today
• Functions of the Lymphatic System – Boundless.com
• Lymphatic System – Live Science
• The Lymph System and Your Health – Women to Women