Vitamin Information Center

The simplest detoxification therapy is to modify your daily diet. Although changing your diet is easier said than done, there are people who want to improve their health at any length and do not mind undergoing strict dietary changes. But there are also many others who do not want to change their lifestyle. They prefer to continue having their soft drinks, cigarettes, alcohols or coffee even though they may have started drinking more water and may give up completely on very short notice. It is never easy to change our ways of eating over night.

Hence, modifying our diets to facilitate detoxification is good but may not be sufficient to stimulate the eliminating organs such as the liver, lungs, kidney and bowels.

The following are potential signs and symptoms when detoxification is needed:

- Unexplained weight gain

- Headaches, dizziness or nausea.

- Lower back pains or stiff necks.

- Depression, anxiety or nervousness.

- Lack of energy or fatigue.

- Insomnia.

- Agina pectoris.

- Circulatory deficits and memory failure.

- High blood fats.

- Brittle nails and hair.

- Joint pain or arthritis.

- Unpleasant body odor, coated tongue or bad breath.

- Frequent colds, cough, wheezing, sinus congestion or fever.

- Skin rashes.

- Hives.

- Indigestion.

- Chronic constipation

- Immune weakness

- Frequent allergies.

- Dark circles under the eyes.

Herbal detoxification is a gentle, mild and sometimes refreshing way to accelerate effective detoxification for specific organs. Besides, herbs are also foods rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes that are an excellent source of nutrition. It does not cure any illness or disease that you already have but helps to improve your health, quality of life and make you feel better about yourself. One source of effective herbal detoxification is herbal combination.

Herbal combination contain the proper amounts of vitamins, minerals and enzymes that nourish your bowels, liver and kidney. At same time it also helps to improve your skin, blood circulation and vitality and reduces fats. Having the right herbal combination for detoxification allows you to go about your normal daily diet without having to worry about your health and still feel healthy.

Most traditional detoxification products contain herbs. Detoxification products that contain superior herbal extracts are able to restore your health to an optimal level by enhancing the effectiveness of your eliminating organs in removing toxins, revitalizes your vigor, nourishes your body, boost your immune system, improve digestion, aids in weight loss and makes you look younger.

Listed below are the types and key function of eight superior herbs that are able to help improve the effectiveness of your eliminating organs in detoxification.

- Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae. (regulates bowel movement, spleen and improves vitality).

- Poria Cocos (eliminates toxins and improves skin condition)

- Radix Cynanchum (eliminates toxins and reduces fats)

- Radix Rubia Yunnanensis (improve blood circulation)

- Folium Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn (nourish the body)

- Radix Panax Quinguefolium (improve vitality)

- Gravel Root (help to dissolve kidney stones and cleanse the kidneys)

- Folium Aloe Vera (an ingredient with laxative effects, promotes better bowel regulation, prevents constipation and destroy bacteria, viruses, yeast and parasites in your system)

For easier swallowing, most herbal extracts in detoxification products are encapsulated and is best taken with meals for better digestion and absorption.

Detoxification is not for everyone. It is not recommended for people with diabetes, liver problem, gut ulcer, cancer and those on warfarin therapy. In fact, people on medical treatment for any conditions should consult their doctor before embarking on a special diet. Pregnant ladies, nursing mothers and children should not go on a detoxification diet or program. Do not start on a detoxification program straight away if you have fatigue, indigestion, cough, muscle pain and poor sleep or any other symptoms. The symptoms can be signs of serious illness. It is important to see your doctor for a thorough assessment to ensure that any of these symptoms are not caused by a medical condition that requires immediate treatment.

You should not forget that dietary herbal supplements are not the only means of effective detoxification for your body. You will also need to exercise, rest, clean water and a healthy diet. Remember that frequent detoxification improves your vitality, makes you feel better and helps to slow down your aging process.

It is a well known fact that ‘we are what we eat’. Food not only affects us physically, but psychologically as well. However, researchers are now looking into the effects of food on chronic ailments like osteoarthritis, only to find that food plays a vital role in dealing with this ailment. Here’s more on this newly developing field of study.

Osteoarthritis or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is the wear and tear of our joints caused by the breakdown of cartilage in them. Cartilage, which is a hard but slippery tissue between joints, is more of a cushion for the bones which form the joints. It not only avoids direct friction between the bones but, also helps to absorb shock, allowing them to move smoothly over each other, as it is composed of 65-80% water, collagen, proteoglycans and chondrocytes.

This is what happens when you suffer from osteoarthritis –
• Cartilage loss is there.
• Joints begin to deteriorate due to constant rubbing of bones with each other.
• Fluid accumulates in the joints.
• Structural changes and bony overgrowths can be seen around the joint.
• Patient suffers chronic pain.
• Problem can affect the joints of fingers, hips, knees, feet and spine too.
• Severe symptoms might lead to loss of mobility in the patient or disability.

With over 21 million Americans living with the disease, commonly seen in elderly people above the age of 65 years, researchers are now delving into different ways of tackling the problem to gain more control over it, the most recent one being dietary changes for osteoarthritis.

There are various factors which pave way for a person to develop osteoarthritis, like – obesity, vitamin C deficiency, low bone mineral density and vitamin D deficiency. Thus keeping these in mind dieticians suggest some additions and subtractions in your diet to avoid and also keep under control this ailment.

Some dietary changes to keep osteoarthritis at bay -

Foods to avoid -

• Reduce the consumption of fatty foods in your daily intake as the more weight your body has to carry, greater is the burden on the joints and greater the risk.
• Identify the inflammatory elements of your diet by eliminating all short listed ones from the food you consume. Reintroduce them one by one, noting your body’s reactions to them. This would help you identify the culprit food items, which you need to remove at the earliest.
• Common inflammatory foods are – wheat, potato, pepper, egg plant, tobacco, tomatoes etc. you need to stay away from them for about a month and then start reintroducing.
• Elimination of dairy products and animal food has proven to help many. Thus staying on a vegetarian diet would be best for high risk patients.
• Research has shown that periodic fasting has helped show improvement for arthritis patients. It helps to cleanse and restore the digestive system and kidneys, relaxes the mind and nervous system and is good for the well being of the body as whole.
• Lifestyle changes involving elimination of alcohol, smoking, tobacco, coffee, fats, sugar and excessive salt, are now known as ways to overcome the problem at best.

Foods to add -
• Vitamin C is known to develop cartilage, thus foods rich in the vitamin should be deliberately had on a regular basis, in addition to tablets. Some foods are citrus fruits etc.
• Vitamin D helps to decrease the narrowing of joint spacing, thus a daily supplement of the Vit-D tablet is a must for osteoarthritis patients.
• Osteoarthritis symptoms are said to show a slowdown with foods rich in glucosamine and chondroitin.
• In general eating green leafy vegetables, carrots, avocado, sea weeds, fish, soy products, sprouts, oats, barley, rice, millet, and fish like salmons, tuna, sardines etc, help patients suffering from the disease and also help to overcome the above mentioned deficiencies.
• Regular intake of calcium supplements is a must.
• Lifestyle changes like weight reduction, exercising and diet control, not only help reduce weight, they also help people with low bone mineral density.

So eat healthy and live healthy!

Migraine headaches are commonly preceded by warning symptoms (prodrome), that may include depression, irritability, restlessness, loss of appetite, and a characteristic “aura” - usually a visual disturbance such as flashing lights or a localized area of blindness that follows the appearance of brilliantly colored shimmering lights. Migraine headaches may also involve nausea, vomiting, and changes in vision. Continue Reading…