Spring Newsletter
This is the first edition of newsletters at youngnaturopath.com. Spring seems the perfect time to be beginning and opening ourselves up to new adventures. To find inspiration and a renewed sense of self in the budding of spring and the cleansing of our selves and the environment around us. Our city is awakening to cherry blossoms, warmer weather, sunshine and a barage of birds. A good stretch and a deep breathe are just so much easier when the sun is shining.
Do you need to Detoxify?
- Do you have headaches, back pain, joint pain or arthritis?
- Is your memory failing?
- Are you depressed or lack energy?
- Do you have brittle nails and hair, Psoriasis, eczema or allergies?
- Do you have abnormal body odor, coated tongue or bad breath?
- Have you had weight gain, or food cravings?
- Do you have a history of alcohol or drug use including pharmaceutical drugs?
- Do you have a history of natural or synthetic steroid hormone use?
- Do you have exposure to cleaning solvents, pesticides?
Our bodies are good housekeepers, clearly designed to be self-cleansing and self-healing. The internal detoxification process is an automatic daily procedure performed by neutralizing and eliminating toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph system and skin.
Many of us try to live in clean environments and eat pure foods still it seems impossible not to overload our body systems. Unfortunately over the past century the regular use of chemicals in our environment, in our food and by prescription have become a permanent reality. We cannot escape the fact that our environment is becoming increasingly toxic, exposing us to heavy metals and other pollutants. Absorption, through the lungs, skin or GI tract, causes these toxins to become part of us, making it necessary to adopt detoxification protocols. After years of exposure to these substances the body’s effectiveness at eliminating them can slow down. Toxins remain in the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Even after discontinued use, toxins can persist and accumulate in the food chain. Our position high on this chain results in unintentional consumption of concentrated amounts. |
Benefits of Detoxification
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Even if your diet is “good”, a cleanse can restore body vitality against environmental toxins that pave the way for disease. The process of enhancing the release and ultimate elimination of stored toxins should be undertaken with care. I t is important to work with a Naturopath to ensure the detoxification technique is right for your state of health. Please give Dr. Young a call so she can teach you how to go about a detox safely and effectively.
Vitamin D is important for strong bones and teeth, proper calcium absorption, proper cell growth, a healthy heart, proper brain communication, normal blood clotting, and immune function. There is also a strong association between increased blood levels of vitamin D and decreased risk of many forms of cancer. It is often useful for treating neurological disorders such as SAD, depression and insomnia as well as stress, arthritis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne to list just a few. Many medications also deplete vitamin D(Table 2).
Table 2: Medications that deplete vitamin D
Antacids (Gaviscon, Maalox, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia) Antibiotics (Ansamycin, Mycobutin, Rifadin) Anticonvulsants (Tegretol, Mazepine, Zarantine, celontin) Antilipemics (Welchol, PMS-Cholestyroamine, Colestid) Corticosteroids (Betnesol, Occlucort, Prednisone) Barbituates (Luminal, Barbilixi) H2 Antagonists (Pepcid, Tagamet, Zantac, Trilec) Lipase Inhibitors (Xenical)
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As a Naturopath I conduct laboratory tests to determine your vitamin D status. Ideally, the best place to get vitamin D is from your skin being exposed to the UV-B that is in normal sunlight. Unfortunately, the amount of sun reaching Canada is rarely sufficient to generate an adequate vitamin D response and is only possible for about three months of the year. Even during those 3 months the amount of UV-B rays may not be adequate. The actual dosing of your sun exposure is quite complex, since it involves knowing the amount of UV-B (affected by Latitude, Pollution and Time of Year among others) and also skin condition (affected by Age, Medications and Diet among others). |
This is not a more is better situation either as longer exposure does not increase vitamin D production. It does however increase the danger of skin damage and possible skin cancer. It is important to stress that you should never get burned and should implement sun exposure gradually. Regular sun exposure, without burning reduces the risk of skin cancer. For the fair skinned population, equilibrium occurs within 20 minutes of UV-B exposure, and further increases are not possible since the UV light will then start to degrade the vitamin D. It can take 3-6 times longer for pigmented skin to reach the equilibrium Elderly individuals will have difficulty getting enough vitamin D from sun exposure because the enzyme in the skin needed to convert the provitamin D3 into vitamin D3, decreases with aging.
With this understanding, it leaves oral supplementation of vitamin D as the only practical option to receive optimal levels. High quality cod liver oil is a good choice for some of your daily vitamin D intake. It supplies vitamin A which helps limit vitamin D toxicity and also has beneficial omega-3 oils . Having a higher ratio of omega-3 oils to omega-6 oils in your diet promotes healthy cells and this can reduce the risk of damage from the sun that could lead to skin cancer. For vegans, Flaxseed oil and Salba seed oil are the highest sources of Omega 3's but do not have vitamin D. Choosing a food state supplement, and not a synthetic version, is optimal. They contain the essential components necessary for best absorption and use, and are less likely to cause toxic build-up.
It isn't just what goes in our body that we need to be aware of. Many chemicals in creams, cosmetics, sunscreen, toothpaste, and hair care products accumulate and add to our toxic burden.
The Hidden Dangers of Sun Protection
For decades, we have been bombarded with reports on the dangers of the sun, the need for chemical sunscreens applied before sun exposure, to protect ourselves from skin cancer. Recently however, many researchers have come to virtually the opposite conclusion; use of sunscreen chemicals may be increasing the incidence of cancer and that sunlight exposure may actually decrease human cancer rates and improve health.
Sunscreen chemicals generate free radicals in your body. The free radicals then react with other molecules and produce damage to the fats, proteins, and DNA of the cells - the types of damage that produce skin aging and the development of cancer. Many sunscreen chemicals also have estrogen like-effects. Estrogenic chemicals (xenoestrogens) can mimic hormonal estrogen, the key female sex hormone. Could this be why the greatest increases in human cancers over the last 30 years have been those of the breast, ovaries, testes, and prostate, all tissues that are sensitive to sex hormones? Reasearchers have also found estrogenic sunscreens in the breast milk of mothers. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide create physical barriers and are non- estrogenic, they have been proven safe for use even in pregnant women and children 6 months and over. They are effective immediately after application, so you can get your sun exposure and then apply. They provide broad spectrum UV protection (UVA, B, and C). There are safe products out there, just make sure you read your labels. |
C ommon Toxic Chemicals in Sunscreen Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone) PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl-dimethyl PABA) Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate) Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate) Digalloyl trioleate Triethanolamine Menthyl anthranilate Avobenzone [butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane; Parsol 1789] - This is the only chemical sunscreen currently allowed by the European Community. However, its safety is still questionable since it easily penetrates the skin and is a strong free radical generator. PEG (Polyethylen glycols) Parabens
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Try the following tips to prevent over exposure:
- Gradually increase exposure over a period of weeks
- Stay out of the sun when it is the most intense. (between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.)
- Use shade, hats, and clothing to protect yourself when you are out in the sun for long periods of time (more than 20 minutes).
- Eat more fresh vegetables and berries to increase your antioxidant level which helps protect your skin naturally.
- Increase your intake of Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids.
Get outside and enjoy the sun. Protect your family naturally and sensibly.
