Health Archives - Page 14 of 15 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Power Food: Garlic

November 26, 2014June 4, 2014 by elisha

Garlic Cloves Garlic has been used for many centuries to prevent and treat diseases due to its health promoting properties. Historical documents have found that garlic was used to keep working class citizens strong and productive, as well as keep them free of abnormal growths or tumours, diarrhea, worms, and cardiovascular difficulties.

Currently, we know that Garlic has the following therapeutic actions, which makes it such a “Power Food”.

Antimicrobial – kill or inhibit growth of microorganisms
Antifungal – kills or inhibits growth of fungus
Diaphoretic – promotes sweating
Hypocholesteremic – lowers cholesterol
Cholagogue – promotes bile flow and digestion
Hypotensive – lowers blood pressure
Antispasmodic – relaxes smooth muscles

As a result of these therapeutic actions, garlic has the potential to prevent and treat infections of the respiratory system such as chronic bronchitis, recurrent colds and influenza, and can even be used as a broader approach to treating asthma. Garlic also works on the digestive system by killing bad bacteria and supporting good bacteria within it. It also affects the Gall Bladder by increasing the amount of bile secreted and therefore aiding in digestion and making it work more smoothly. This activation of the gall bladder also helps with the detoxification of the body.

Many studies have also shown the benefits of using garlic to treat hypertension, and overall, lower blood pressure. Along with aiding those with high blood pressure, garlic also reduces bad cholesterol (low density lipoproteins [LDLs]) and increases good cholesterol (high density lipoproteins [HDLs]), and protects against plaque build-up in the blood vessels.

So you might be asking, what health conditions can garlic prevent and what can it be used to treat in my daily life? To begin with, Garlic could aid in preventing Atherosclerosis, Hypertension (high blood pressure), Myocardial Infarction (heart attack), and stroke. In regards to using garlic in every day life, not only can garlic be added to meals, but also used as a treatment for your skin. Garlic can be applied to the skin to treat ring worm, warts, and athlete’s foot (just do not use the garlic in your cooking afterwards).

The next time you see garlic, do not merely think of it as a vampire deterring bulb, but rather a health promoting addition to your diet!

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

What to Eat When You Cannot Eat Anything

November 26, 2014May 27, 2014 by elisha

Eliminating foods from your diet is very challenging, yet it can have many benefits to your health. Regardless of the benefits, eliminating foods can cause some distress when it comes topreparing meals or just eating in general. It leaves many saying “I cannot eat anything”. Hopefully this blog will provide some ideas on how to approach the elimination diet, or just making healthier food choices in general.

1. Fruits and Vegetables are your Friend

Though some diets might limit some of the vegetables or fruits you are allowed to eat, fruits and vegetables can be a good way to “fill you up”. Having plenty of fruits and vegetables pre – cut for snacks is a good way to avoid going to the snack items that you might not be allowed to have.

2. Cook Meals for the Week on Weekends or In Advance

Cooking meals for the week is a great way to avoid resorting to fast food items. It also takes away from the prep time that might be required with having more of a “whole – foods” type of diet. With this in mind, planning meals is another good way to avoid returning to old eating habits that might be more “convenient”.

3. Drink Water

Water is important to help you stay full, as well as help prevent you from going to those food options that are less than ideal. Water is also beneficial to help your body to detoxify during this time. Often, when we restrict the foods that we often consume, it can cause out bodies to go through a type of “withdrawal”. Drinking water helps our bodies to go through this process a bit more smoothly.

4. Experiment

Use these restrictions on your diet as a way to embrace new ways of food preparation. You might be surprised as to what you actually like (and don’t like). Using recipes on-line or in cook books, as well as spices and new products (maybe Brown Rice Pasta as opposed to Wheat – based pasta) can help you come up with creative ideas for meal planning.

5. Get Your Household Involved

As mentioned above, eliminating foods can be a challenging task for anyone. What might not help is when your loved ones are eating those foods you have eliminated, and you are the only one in your household adopting these diet changes. Depending on your household arrangements and those living in your household, I would encourage all of the members of your household to adopt the diet changes. It will help give you support during this time, as well as give more bonding in regards to meal preparation and planning.

Spring: The Season of the Detox Part 3 – A Healthy Mind

November 26, 2014May 14, 2014 by elisha

After the long winter we had, as I mentioned in the last blog, our bodies might be in need of a good “spring cleaning”. This might be the same story for our minds. Our minds are very important and integral to our health. Simply thinking one way versus the other can have detrimental effects on one’s health. For example, have you ever known someone that was terribly afraid of getting cancer, and would think about it constantly, then one day unfortunately developed that diagnosis? According to Epigenetics, this could have been preventing simply by thinking health promoting thoughts (eg “I am healthy and whole”). You might be asking what is Epigenetics? Epigenetics refers to the theory that we can control our genomic expression. In other words, our thoughts can change our body on a physical level. Simply by thinking differently, you can turn off bad or unhealthy programs, and turn on good or healthy programs that your body is “coding” for, thus eliminating disease.

So I now put this out to you: what is your mind coding your body for? Health? Disease? Spring is a season for detoxification, not just of our bodies, but also our minds. Just like your spring cleaning, clear out the clutter of negative and disease – encouraging thoughts, and I challenge you to replace it with positive and health promoting thoughts. As I mentioned in the previous blog (Spring: The Season of Detox Part 1), a detox is not just for spring. These health promoting thoughts can be incorporated into everyday life and can be made into a lifestyle!

Spring: The Season of Detox Part 2 – Six Ways to Detox Everyday

November 26, 2014May 7, 2014 by elisha

Last week I presented what a detox was. I received quite a bit of interest in detox’s, so I decided to give my viewers some easy ways to encourage the detoxification process in your own home. I would advise my readers to use caution, as the detoxification process can cause headaches along with other symptoms, do to the elimination of toxins. As always, please consult with your Health Care Provider before trying any of the following:

1. Lemon in hot water

Start your day off by having a hot glass of water with lemon in it. Not only is this good for making you feel full but it also helps stimulate the liver (the detox center) to “clean up” your system.

2. Exercise

Among the many health benefits that exercise can provide, it can also provide a way to detoxify our bodies. Exercise does so by promoting sweat, which is one of the ways our body removes wastes and toxins from the body.

3. Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing is a method of stimulating the skin through an external stimulus such as a brush or cloth. By brushing away the dead skin, it allows the skin to “breathe” easier, thereby detoxifying it. For more information on how to perform dry skin brushing (as well as cautions to be aware of), refer to my Handout page at https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca.

4. Alternating Hot and Cold Shower

Alternating hot and cold showers are a simple addition to your morning or nightly routine. It simply involves alternating hot and cold water for therapeutic benefit (refer to my Handout page at https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca to find detailed instructions). By alternating hot with cold, it shocks your immune and circulatory system into working. By doing this, it causes toxins to be removed from the body. Along with this benefit, it can also stimulate brain function, help with digestion, and increase metabolism.

5. Eat more fruits and veggies

Fruits and vegetables have many nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to health. Along with their nutritional value, they can also improve digestion. By improving “transit time” (i.e. helping you go to the washroom/defecate), they help your body to detox as going #2 is another way our body detoxifies.

6. Castor Oil Packs to Abdomen

Finally, applying castor oil packs to the abdomen is a great way to encourage your body to detoxify. Though they can be messy, castor oil packs decrease inflammation and increase circulation, particularly in the liver is placed over it. This causes the liver to function properly and makes it better able to eliminate toxins. To learn more about how to perform a castor oil pack and the cautions associated with it, refer to my Handouts page at https://www.plattsvilledoctor.ca.