My Daily Detox Habits

Happy New Year!! Well, the first few days of 2017 have been pretty beautiful here in Nova Scotia with the sun shining and good vibes flowing! I hope everyone had a wondering holiday and looking forward to the year to come.

As I am sure I am not alone, I did do a little indulging over the holidays. I can never turn down my Mom’s christmas cookies and champagne with my family. However, I did not have any food guilt about these choices as I made sure to do some daily detox rituals while on vacation, then amped them up after the holidays were over, especially on January 1st. These detox habits are part of my daily routine, are not time consuming and make me feel my best! I wanted to share the mains ones with you to start you off on the right foot for 2017! I will be doing a talk downtown on February 1st, at the Four Points Sheraton, on my daily detox habits so be sure to look for more information about that coming soon.  

My Daily Detox Habits:

1. Drink Lots of Water - Every morning I drink a full glass of water as soon as I wake up, followed by a mug of warm water with lemon before breakfast. Water is vital to every cell in our body. We are even made of 60% water. Without it we can feel dehydrated, dry, fatigued and possibly leave us with a headache or other aches and pains. Water helps to turn on our digestive juices in the morning, especially with added lemon or apple cider vinegar, cleanse us of stagnant toxins accumulated over the day and ultimately wake up our skin and body. I probably drink about 3 litres in a day, but don’t necessary keep track. There are apps now to help remind you to drink water, including growing a garden for yourself if you are drinking enough :)

2. Eat something green - It is now just habit to eat something green everyday. I usually have lots of fresh leafy greens in my fridge or already prepped to eat in a mixed salad or stew. On New Years Day I amped it up and had a tropical green smoothie as well as a delicious kale salad with beets and carrots. Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, arugula, swiss chard and cruciferous veggies, such as cabbage, brussel sprouts and broccoli, are full of detoxing enzymes and nutrients to support your liver and kidney. Broccoli sprouts are a super food when it comes to liver health and are so easy to grow yourself.

3. Exercise - I try to do some kind of exercise everyday to get my blood moving and me sweating. Both of these bodily functions are vital to detoxification. It could be a 20 minute walk, an at home workout, or a hot yoga class - my favourite! You can start small, but I promise you will feel the benefits very quickly. Try out apps such as Nike+ Training, MapMyRun or YogaStudio for at home workouts or programs with YogaWithAdriene, Evolve Fitness or Shanti Hot Yoga. 

4. Breathing - Breathing is another innate detoxification function of our lungs and something I am mindful of everyday. Meditating every morning with my Calm app gets me in the groove to continue to take deep breaths throughout the day. I recommend setting out at least 5 minutes 2x/day to focus on your breath and be thankful for this detoxification process of your lungs!

5. Dry skin brushing - Before I jump in the shower I use by handy dry skin brush to stimulate lymphatic flow, a system that helps rid the body of toxins and waste, and slough off dead skin. Brushing towards the heart in a circular motion is key as this is the direction of lymph flow. It takes me an extra two minutes while waiting for the shower to warm up. You can find dry skin brushes at most health stores or online. 

Bonus Habit!

• Sauna’s - I just recently heard of Sauna Nova Scotia, which is a mobile wood fired sauna set up on Windsor St at the moment for your detox pleasure. I will be trying it out on Wednesday and likely making it a new habit. I will keep you posted via Social Media. 

There you have it, my daily detox rituals, which are easy, make me feel my best and can do the same for you!

Looking for more tips on how to feel your best in 2017? I offer free 15 minute consults for new patients to discover how Naturopathic Medicine and I can best help you (check out your Naturopathic Visit to see all the conditions I address in my practice). Also be sure to check out my Detox Talk on February 1st downtown (more info to come).

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen 

ps. Some popular posts in the past that might peak your interest - 3 Natural Ways to Improve Digestion, Anxiety - 6 Ways to Conquer Your Mind

Food Friday: Immune Boosting Smoothie

Whenever I feel a little run down or my body is trying to fight something off, I get out my handy blender and whip up this concoction to boost my immune system. Last weekend, it did the trick (I actually made it 3 times!). This smoothie is packed full of vitamin C from the pineapple, orange and lemon. Pineapple also aids in digestion and by now we know that 70% of our immune system resides in our gut. Ginger helps to boost our immune system as well with its diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, the cayenne adds a little more punch and works as an anti-microbial and gets your blood moving. You could even throw some turmeric powder in there as well to combat inflammation. So try this out next time you are feeling a little run down and remember to take your vitamin D and your favourite cold busting formula as well. 

Pineapple Orange Immune Boosting Smoothie:

• 1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice (or frozen pineapple) 
• 1 small/medium orange, peeled
• 1 small nob ginger (to taste - I like mine spicy so I know it is working!)
• juice of 1/2 lemon 
• pinch of cayenne
• 2-3 ice cubes (if prefer cold) 

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender and enjoy! Feel the powers of food working to fight off any colds & flus. 

Need a little extra support for your immune system? I'd be happy to meet with you to discuss other options to help you feel your best. Check out Get In Touch to send me a message or learn about my free 15 minute complimentary consults. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen 

(This recipe was adapted from OhSheGlows.)

3 Natural Ways to Improve Digestion

Oh those dreaded days when you want to look your best, whether it be for a special occasion or a work presentation, but you just can't imagine putting on that tight dress or pants due to uncomfortable bloating...Too many of us have been there, myself included. 

Digestive issues, including bloating, gas, constipation or heartburn are such common complaints and so often something I see in my practice. No doubt you have heard the term IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, or even been diagnosed with it. The problem is, usually when given this diagnosis there is no clear direction on how to improve your symptoms. The reason being is that IBS is very much an umbrella term for a number of different things that could be going on. When it comes down to it, the most likely root cause for indigestion of any kind is that your body is using resources to support the "fight or flight" part of your nervous system, and therefore taking focus away from our "rest and digest" component of our nervous system. We need our nervous system to turn on those lovely digestive juices to properly digest and breakdown our food, absorb necessary nutrients and eliminate toxins and inflammation. When we are too busy being just that, too busy, causing stress, insomnia and avoiding that (necessary) breakdown we can ultimately wreck havoc on our digestive systems. Some people may end up with too little stomach acid, causing heartburn, or SIBO causing constipation, and others an overgrowth of Candida causing more bloating, as well as skin issues and mental fog. We are all individuals therefore our bodies respond differently. 

Luckily there are a few things you can do today to start improving your digestive symptoms:

1. Take a deep breath! I know it sounds simple, but a couple deep breaths can go a long way to decrease cortisol levels and shift your body back into “rest and digest.” This is especially important before eating any meal. If you tend to work through your lunch break or run out the door with your breakfast, you are not giving your body the much needed time and support to properly digest that meal. I love meals with loved ones as we tend to slow down and be present while we eat (with the exception of holidays where there seems to always be too much food! :)). So whether it is simply taking a few deep breaths before your next meal or a plan to eat with a friend at work, you are taking a step towards better digestion. 

2. Drink chai tea. Herbal medicine can work wonders to decrease bloating! Carminative herbs, such as fennel, ginger and cardamom work to calm the digestive track by decreasing muscle spasm, eliminating gas and soothing the gut lining. They are best used after eating. A carminative tea you can make at home that tastes great is this caffeine free chai tea. Boil 4 cups of water with 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp crushed cardamom pods (5-6 pods), 1 tsp black peppercorn and 2 tbsp sliced ginger for 10-15 minutes. Strain this and drink after a meal on its own or mixed with nut milk and a little honey. Yum!
3. Get your twist on. These days we are quite sedentary working at a desk or computer all day. Our digestive track is ultimately one big muscle that benefits from being massaged once and awhile with abdominal twists. It is like ringing out a towel to relieve any excess gunk we don’t want. Try a few twists at home such as the one shown above or find a yoga class near you that will most likely incorporate a few twists in a class. 

Additional testing, food elimination and more detective work may be helpful to uncover the root cause of your digestive concerns, in order to create a more individualized treatment plan. Looking for more support? I'd be happy to help. I offer free 15 minute consults to see if Naturopathic Medicine is the right fit for you!

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

(Photo credits: divalikes.com; corepoweryoga.com)

Magnesium: The Relaxation Mineral

Magnesium is one of my favourite minerals and one I use a lot of in my practice due to the plethora of conditions it can help treat. Mainly it is a relaxation mineral, relaxing your muscles, mind and mood. It is a very simple mineral but a common definitely we tend to have. 

Magnesium is crucial to our bodies as it is needed in over 300 reactions as a co-enzyme. Basically if we don’t have enough magnesium our body doesn’t work optimally leading to several issues, including high blood pressure, migraines, cramps and even acid-reflux, just to name a few. Unfortunately magnesium is hard to get in our diet due to soil depletion and heavy food processing. It is also depleted from an excess of coffee or pop. It is found in foods such as seaweeds and other leafy greens, as well as nuts and seeds but it is difficult to eat enough of these foods to get sufficient magnesium levels. Multivitamins also don’t typically have enough magnesium to top up what we do get from our diet. Those supplements tend to have 0-70mg/tablet, which is far lower than the recommended dose. 

Wondering if you could use magnesium? What does magnesium help with:

• Muscle pain - relaxes skeletal muscle, which we use during exercise and which get tight during times of stress 
• Cramps - either muscle cramps like charlie-horses or hormonal cramps during your period
• Constipation - relaxes smooth muscles in your gut (magnesium citrate is the best form for this)
• Migraines - a great addition for migraine treatment plan 
• Insomnia - helpful to take before bed
• Stress - the more relaxed we are the better we can handle stress
• Hypertension
• fibromyalgia
• Acid reflux
• PMS - balances mood
• Metabolic syndrome - eg. diabetes
• Hypothyroidism 
• Osteoporosis - helps to build bone
• and so on!

I usually use magnesium bis-glycinate in my practice as it is more highly absorbable and has less side effects, ie. loose stools. Magnesium citrate is only helpful with constipation. The dose varies depending on the person and symptoms, however a good starting dose would be 400mg at night. working up from there if needed. Talk to your ND about what dose is right for you. Epsom salt baths are a great addition to your bath routine as well as they are full of magnesium. Myers intravenous therapy, which I do in my practice, is another great way to get a helpful boost of magnesium. It is a safe supplement to take however be cautious and speak to your doctor if you have hypertension, kidney disease or are pregnant. 

Crave chocolate? You might just be deficient in magnesium! 

In health & happiness, 

Dr. Karen

(Photo credit: www.purabotanica.ca; articles.mercola.com)