Dr. Linda Page's Weblog

Revitalizing Liver Health

Your liver may be the last thing you’re thinking about right now, but the truth is your life depends on your liver. More than any other organ, the liver enables us to benefit from the food we eat.  The liver is really a wonderful chemical plant that converts everything we eat, breathe and absorb through the skin into life-sustaining substances.

Did you know that the health of your liver is related to your immune strength? The liver is responsible for more than 1500 functions that directly maintain your immune system. It produces interferon, the body’s natural germ killer, which activates white blood cells that destroy and eliminate disease-causing toxins. It’s also intricately involved with hormone balance because it’s the liver’s job to metabolize hormone excesses that lead to disease.

Since the Standard American Diet (SAD) is high in calories, fats, sugars, and alcohol, with unknown amounts of toxic substances from preservatives, pesticides and nitrates, almost everyone has some degree of liver stress.

Look for the following liver exhaustion signs and symptoms: unexplained fatigue, depression; a distended stomach even if the rest of the body is thin; frequent colds and flu; dark circles under the eyes; food and chemical sensitivities; PMS. Anemia, large bruise patches, and jaundiced skin can indicate severe liver exhaustion.

A gentle Liver Detox can revitalize liver health. Sluggish digestion and fatigue usually improve right away. You may notice fewer instances of swollen glands and infections during the cold and flu season. Weight and cellulite control difficulties are often reduced as built-up toxins are released. In many cases, the skin and eyes actually become more radiant!

To Life-long Health,

Linda Page

Weight Loss Success After the Holidays

During the holidays, most of us overindulge in sweets. Sugar cravings are the downfall of many well meaning dieters. I know from experience that once you start binging on sugary foods, it's hard to stop. Overeating sugar can lead to serious consequences such as hypoglycemia and diabetes. Further, sugar raises insulin levels too much, your body’s signal to make fat, bad news for weight loss.

Do you need to control sugar cravings?

• Do you binge on junk foods, especially fatty and sugary foods?
• Do you eat all of your calories at one meal?
• Do you have second and third helpings at a meal but still feel hungry?
• Do you experience a wired feeling that is only relieved by eating sweets?
• Are you easily frustrated, and moody with frequent crying spells?

If you answered yes to 3 of the 5 questions above, then a sugar craver's weight loss program may be right for you. First, add 2 apples to your diet every day for stabilizing fiber. Second, drink more water to get over diet plateaus. Dehydration slows resting metabolic rate (RMR) and can cause waste products like ketones to build up.

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For the best results, use sugar sparingly, on special occasions for longevity and better health.

To Lifelong health,

Linda Page

Thermogenesis is critical to weight loss after 40.

Thermogenesis is about fat burning. About 75% of the calories you eat work to keep you alive and support your resting metabolic rate. The rest are stored as white fat, or burned up by brown adipose tissue, (BAT), your fat-burning factory. Brown fat is the body’s chief regulator of thermogenesis, so the more active your brown fat is, the easier it is to maintain a desirable weight. Dieters who rely solely on restricting their calorie intake usually end up disappointed, because extreme calorie restriction lowers the rate of thermogenesis. Your body actually burns less fat than it did before you started dieting.  People who yo-yo on and off low calorie diets have even more problems. When a yo-yo dieter begins to increase calorie intake after dieting, their metabolic rate does not return to pre-diet levels, so they store more calories as fat than they did before they started!

Middle-aged spread means you’re not burning enough calories after you eat. Everybody increases metabolism after eating, but the amounts of heat (thermogenesis) vary widely. Lean people experience a 40% increase in heat production after a meal. Overweight people may have only an increase of 10%. Obesity occurs primarily when brown fat isn’t working properly, only a little thermogenesis takes place, and the body deals with the excess calories by storing them as fat. During mid-life years, starting in our early 40s, a genetic timer shuts down the thermogenic mechanism. Turning this timer back on is the secret to re-activating thermogenesis and a more youthful metabolism.

Here’s how brown fat works to stimulate thermogenesis: A protein, called uncoupling protein, breaks down, or uncouples, the train of biochemical events that the cells use to turn calories into energy. Brown fat cells continue to convert calories into heat as long as they are stimulated, and as long as there is white fat for them to work on. Brown fat activity is also self-perpetuating, because it energizes more uncoupling proteins, produces more brown fat cells, and results in substantially more excess calories being burned off as heat through thermogenesis.

Research into the genetics of obesity shows that some people are not born with enough brown fat. People who eat lightly but still can’t lose weight, gain more weight in middle age because the little brown fat they did have is reduced even further. Thermogenesis research demonstrates that it is possible to reverse this aberration. Thermogenic herbs have been successful at reactivating brown fat in middle age. They can increase calorie burning without additional diet changes or exercise, although these things offer added benefits.

1. Thermogenic herbs increase blood flow to lean muscle tissue, so it works faster and longer.

2. Thermogenic herbs suppress appetite. You eat less with less effort. 

3. The longer you take thermogenic herb formulas, the more effective they tend to become, because they help your body produce enough thermogenic activity to make a difference.

Thermo Thinner caps activate your calorie burning energy, burn fats and help curb your appetite. If you put on pounds from poor assimilation, add Dr. Enzyme with Protease & Bromelain.

To Life-long health,

Linda Page

 

Update on H1N1 (Swine flu)- Should You Vaccinate?

In the last few weeks, my inbox has been flooded with your questions on H1N1 and whether getting the H1N1 vaccine is a good idea. While the choice to vaccinate is clearly a personal one, here is some information to help arm you in making the right choice for you and your family.

The threat of a H1N1 outbreak is real. Experts predict that the H1N1 (swine flu) could infect 30-50% of the population. Still, it is important to remember that most cases in the U.S. so far have not been serious. Normal seasonal flu kills as many as 36,000 people a year, compared to 556 U.S. deaths currently linked to H1N1.

Yet, the CDC is recommending vaccination for all high risk groups like: health care workers; pregnant women; children and young adults 6 months to 24 years old; parents of babies under 6 months old; and adults with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, and lung disease. The first doses of the nasal spray vaccine will be available in early October 2009. While we still have much to learn about the swine flu vaccine, there are some concerns with its usage.

Known reactions to the H1N1 vaccine
Flu-like symptoms
Guillain Barre syndrome (a nerve disorder causing muscle weakness and paralysis)
Dangerous for those allergic to eggs
The H1N1 vaccine may contain toxic adjuvants like squalene, linked to inflammatory disorders.

A strong immune system is your really your best defense against any flu. You can use your diet and whole herbs to supercharge your defenses without great risks or side effects. Even if you do choose to vaccinate, a healthy lifestyle is still critical for seasonal flu defense.

To Life-long Health,
Linda Page

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Do you have a cold or flu? Take this self-test.

Colds and flu are distinct and separate upper respiratory infections, triggered by different viruses. The flu is more serious, because it can spread to the lungs, and cause severe bronchitis or pneumonia. In the beginning stages, the symptoms of colds and flu can be similar. Nose, eyes and mouth are usually the sites of invasion from cold viruses. The most likely target for the flu virus is the respiratory tract.

A Cold Profile looks like this:

• Slow onset. No prostration.

• Body aches—largely due to the release of interferon (an

immune stimulator).

• Rarely accompanied by fever and headache.

• Localized symptoms such as sore throat, sinus congestion,

listlessness, runny nose and sneezing.

• Mild to moderate chest discomfort.

• Sore or burning throat common.

A Flu Profile looks like this:

• Swift and severe onset.

• Early and prominent prostration with flushed, hot, moist skin.

• Usually accompanied by high (102° -104°) fever,

headache and sore eyes.

• General symptoms like chills, depression and body aches.

• Extreme fatigue, sometimes lasting 2-3 weeks.

• Acute chest discomfort, with severe hacking cough.

• Sore throat occasionally.

If you have a lingering cold that you can’t seem to get over. Try this tried and true method used for over 2 decades.

For 3 days:

Drink 3 cups of Cleansing and Purifying tea or dandelion root tea to release congestion. Take 6 capsules daily of Herbal Laxa caps to eliminate the excess mucous that keeps harboring the infection. This method removes the bacteria that keep seeping back into your body from your colon and bowel, and reinfecting you.

If you’re feeling under the weather, please make sure to get plenty of rest. Light exercise is better than intense exercise during a cold or flu.

To Life-long health,

Linda Page

 

 

The Natural Keys To Controlling PMS

PMS is by far the most common woman's health complaint. For some women, PMS is a minor inconvenience that lasts a few days. For others, it disrupts the whole month! A woman's body is delicately tuned, and can become unbalanced easily, causing pain, poor function, and a disconcerting feeling of not being "together," especially during the menstrual cycle.

Fortunately, women can take relieve PMS effectively with a simple 4 point program.

1. Use essential fatty acids to balance prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are vital hormone-type compounds that regulate body functions almost like an electrical current. Evening Primrose oil 500-1000 mg. daily shows excellent results for many women.

2. Love your liver. The liver is in charge of hormone metabolism, and helps to rebalance estrogen and progesterone levels. Try a cup of Liver Cleanse Flushing tea or dandelion tea each morning to relieve balance hormones, relieve organ congestion and detoxify the liver.

3. Enhance your thyroid to reduce PMS. Excess estrogen in the body is related to thyroid imbalance. If the thyroid does not have enough iodine, insufficient thyroid hormone is produced and too much estrogen builds up. Seaweeds are a good choice because they are rich in iodine. Two tablespoons daily in a soup or salad, or over rice are a therapeutic dose. Or, try seaweed in capsules, like Ocean Minerals caps.

4. Phytohormone-rich plants like soybeans, wild yam, licorice root and dong quai, help control PMS symptoms and have a safety record of centuries. An phytohormone-rich combination like Female Harmony works as a stabilizing resource to keep PMS symptoms at bay, naturally.

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A woman can expect a natural healing program for PMS relief to take at least two months, as the body works through both ovary cycles. The first month, there is a noticeable decrease in PMS symptoms; the second month often finds them dramatically reduced.

-Linda

What's happening to the male libido?

We tend to think of men’s libido as overcharged and always ready for action. This may be true for many men. Certainly a strong male libido can wear out even the healthiest woman. Still, with the advent of erection enhancing drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, there’s no question that a lot of men are looking for new ways to bring back their youthful sexuality.  Some sexual problems like occasional erectile dysfunction impotence or reduced libido can actually be a good wake up call that overall health needs a boost. For instance, impotence problems may signal later cardiovascular problems due to poor circulation.

A low libido in a man may be a sign of depression, reduced testosterone or , most often, a lackluster diet with little or no fresh fruits and vegetables. All of the factors can be easily improved with healthy diet changes, targeted herbal therapy and regular exercise. Further, sometimes, a man may only need to take a closer look at his prescription medication for the cause of his low libido or erectile dysfunction. Antidepressants, sedatives, high blood pressure medication, and diuretics top the list of drugs that can put a damper on male libido and the ability to achieve an erection.

Are your testosterone levels low?

Around four to five million American men do not produce enough testosterone. Even more worrisome, research shows that most men know very little about testosterone, or how low testosterone levels can affect their health.

Low testosterone signs to watch for:
Lack of energy and libido
Difficulty concentrating or depression
Low sperm count/ Infertility
Weakened erections
Loss of muscle mass or body hair
Increased breast size
Bone loss or osteoporosis

Testosterone replacement with bioidentical hormones or transdermal gels is becoming more and more popular for men with this problem, but any type of testosterone replacement should be closely monitored to avoid health risks like hormone-driven prostate or testicular cancer, and side effects like prostate enlargement, acne, head hair loss, fertility problems, and irritability.

I prefer herbal testosterone boosters like ginseng and sarsaparilla because their effects are more gentle but longer lasting, restoring the health of the male reproductive glands, natural hormone balance and libido. Here are few libido enhancing formulas I suggest:

Men's Healthy Libido: Increases sexual energy and desire for men, at any age. Supports healthy hormone production, sex drive and sperm count.

Male Performance: A potent blend of herbs that nourish the entire male system. Helps increase energy and blood supply to support and strengthen the male reproductive system.

To Life-long health,

Linda

What about a water fast? I don’t recommend it.

Leading nutritionists and detoxification experts agree that fresh vegetable and fruit juice cleansing is superior to water fasting. Indeed, juice cleansing is an evolution in detoxification methods. Fresh juices, broths and herb teas help deeply cleanse the body, rejuvenate the tissues and guide you to a faster recovery from health problems than water fasting.

A traditional water fast is harsh and demanding on your body, even in times before huge amounts of food and environmental toxins were part of the picture. Today, it can even be dangerous. Deeply buried pollutants and chemicals from our tissues are released into elimination channels too rapidly during a water fast. Your body is essentially “re-poisoned” as the chemicals move through the bloodstream all at once. Sometimes, the physical and emotional stress of a water fast even overrides the healing benefits.

Vegetable and fruit juices are alkalizing, so they neutralize uric acid and other inorganic acids, better than water, and increase the healing effects. Juices support better metabolic activity for fasting, too. Metabolic activity slows down during a water fast as the body attempts to conserve dwindling energy resources that further reduce productive cleansing. Juices are very easy on digestion, and easily assimilated into the bloodstream. They don’t disturb the detoxification process.

To Life-long health,
Linda

Healthy Diet for Dogs and Cats

Cats and dogs usually need better nutrition than they get from today’s animal foods. Commercial foods often contain low quality ingredients rejected for human consumption, even diseased animal meat laced with high levels of antibiotics. If these foods are the mainstay of your pet’s diet, they may destroy its health.

Most brands are saturated with the ingredients we fight to avoid for ourselves...... chemical additives, artificial colors, dyes, preservatives like BHT and BHA — ingredients with known toxicity that are banned for human consumption. Avoid pet foods with meat by products, fillers and potential allergens for your pet’s best health.

Further, cornmeal is a primary ingredient in commercial feed, but many animals, especially cats, cannot tolerate a high carbohydrate diet. Modern pet foods often contain imbalanced essential fatty acids (low Omega 3’s and high Omega 6’s), leading to skin problems, dull coat or dander. Further, almost all pet food is cooked, pasteurized, canned or microwaved, killing most of the enzymes critical to your pet’s healthy body processes.

It’s easy to see why so many pets are now victims of the same health problems people face: arthritis, heart disease; thyroid, kidney, adrenal and digestive disorders; chronic infections; diabetes and hypoglycemia; allergies, skin and eye disorders. Like us, animals need the live energy of fresh foods and quality, whole ingredients. Their bodies rely on enzymes even more than ours to protect them from degenerative diseases. It’s the reason some animals, even some breeds, tend to eat waste excrement — for the enzymes.

It takes a little more time and effort to feed fresh foods to your pet. Actually, adding a little bit of leftover salad to your pet’s meal makes a big difference to your pet’s health. Start them on some veggies young if you can. I remember the day our cat (who recently passed on after living to the ripe old age of 24) turned up her nose at her own cat food and jumped on the kitchen table to eat our dinner salad! 

Important note: Do not overfeed pets. An estimated 35-50% of pet dogs are overweight. Smaller dogs especially put on weight more easily, and table scraps and treats can really add up. Obesity in dogs and cats can lead to high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, and lung disease.

What is a traditional naturopath?

Naturopathy and naturopathic medicine, is the fastest growing of all the alternative healing disciplines.As more people have become disillusioned with conventional health care, it has certainly gained new respect as a credible healing modality. But naturopaths really fall into two very different groups. Traditionally trained naturopaths (N.D.’s) use the naturopathy degree to consult with clients, and as an accreditation to teach, to write and to access research. A core belief of naturopathy is education—passing on knowledge to empower the client.

A smaller number of naturopaths are trained medically (N.M.D.’s) with an education similar to that of a conventional M.D.. They have extensive hands-on coursework in anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and other conventional disciplines.

I work as a traditional naturopath, specializing in non-invasive, lifestyle consultation. A traditional naturopath avoids diagnosing disease or prescribing medication. The principles which guide traditional naturopathy lead to general improvement in health. Commonly, clients find that long standing health problems have improved or disappeared. In fact, the greatest success of naturopathy is in rebuilding health, which then naturally improves or eliminates chronic illness.

Traditional naturopathy is not recommended for acute trauma, such as a serious automobile accident, a childbirth emergency, or orthopedic problems that need corrective surgery. It can contribute to faster recovery in these cases. Still, these situations are best suited for conventional medicine or medical doctors who also have a background in natural medicine. Conventional medicine without a doubt, really excels in emergency health care.

Traditional naturopaths focus on the client as a whole. They look to the cause of a health concern rather than suppressing symptoms. The naturopath works to educate his or her clients in how to stimulate the body’s own vital healing forces. Although all naturopaths emphasize choices based on their own personal interests and experiences, they maintain a consistent philosophy.

A typical visit to a naturopath incorporates these beliefs:

1: Nature is a powerful healing force. The body has considerable power to heal itself. The role of the naturopath is to simply facilitate and enhance this process by educating the client in natural therapies, which stimulate his or her own internal healing force. Above all, the naturopath must do no harm.

2: The person is viewed as a whole. Understanding the client as a unique individual is essential. The naturopath will ask questions and strive to understand the complex interaction of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social factors affecting the client’s total health picture.

3: The goal is to identify and address the cause of the problem. Naturopathy does not attempt to suppress symptoms, since symptoms are seen as part of the body’s attempt to heal itself. A naturopath seeks to understand the underlying causes of a health concern, and helps to control or reduce symptoms through improved lifestyle choices.

4: The naturopath is a teacher. First and foremost, the naturopath educates, empowers and motivates the client to assume more responsibility for his own wellness through having a healthy attitude, lifestyle and diet. After determining the cause of a health concern, the naturopath discusses with the client the various natural options for creating a return to health.

5: Prevention is the best approach. Illness prevention is really best accomplished by lifestyle habits which support health.

I feel we need both types of medicine to stay well in today’s world. In our high stress lifestyle, there may be times when we need to rely on modern medicine for fast symptom relief or to stabilize from a serious health crisis or injury. Still, this type of emergency medicine is no substitute for a sound, nutritious diet regular exercise and the remarkable ability of whole herbs to boost the body’s own natural healing response.

I believe naturopathy is a premier healing choice to create a solid foundation on which to build lifelong health.

To Life-long Health,
Linda Page