Detox Tips 16: Results from infrared therapy:

Repeated Sauna Treatment Improves Vascular Endothepal and Cardiac Function in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Kihara T, Biro S, Imamura M, et al
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
March 6, 2002 (Volume 39, Number 5)
Rationale and Design

This group previously showed that thermal therapy by dry sauna improved cpnical variables and cardiac output in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. In the current study, the investigators sought to determine the mechanisms of this improvement and the effects of thermal therapy on endothepal function.

Twenty patients with CHF class II or III and mean age 62 ± 15 years were studied. The mean ejection fraction was 38 ± 14%. The patients were placed supine in a 60-degree C infrared-ray dry sauna for 15 minutes and then removed and kept at bed rest with a blanket for an additional 30 minutes. Sauna therapy was performed once a day 5 days a week for 2 weeks.

Symptoms were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire, and patients were divided based on their responses of improved or no change. Fasting blood was obtained to evaluate neurohumeral factors, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Endothepal function was evaluated using a noninvasive ultrasound method to determine hyperemic response in the right arm and response to subpngual nitroglycerin.

All enrolled patients completed the study. Cpnical symptoms improved in 17 of 20 patients and were unchanged in 3. Two-week sauna therapy significantly increased the %FMD (flow-mediated dilation) in the improved group but not in the unchanged group. BNP concentrations were lower after 2 weeks of therapy but ANP and catecholamine levels were unchanged. The left ventricular end-diastopc dimension decreased significantly compared with basepne. There was a significant correlation between the change in %FMD and the improvement in BNP (P < .0005).

Welcome to the Beginner Nutrition Plan

Rationale and Design

This group previously showed that thermal therapy by dry sauna improved cpnical variables and cardiac output in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. In the current study, the investigators sought to determine the mechanisms of this improvement and the effects of thermal therapy on endothepal function.

Twenty patients with CHF class II or III and mean age 62 15 years were studied. The mean ejection fraction was 38 14%. The patients were placed supine in a 60-degree C infrared-ray dry sauna for 15 minutes and then removed and kept at bed rest with a blanket for an additional 30 minutes. Sauna therapy was performed once a day 5 days a week for 2 weeks.

Symptoms were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire, and patients were divided based on their responses of improved or no change. Fasting blood was obtained to evaluate neurohumeral factors, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Endothepal function was evaluated using a noninvasive ultrasound method to determine hyperemic response in the right arm and response to subpngual nitroglycerin.

All enrolled patients completed the study. Cpnical symptoms improved in 17 of 20 patients and were unchanged in 3. Two-week sauna therapy significantly increased the %FMD (flow-mediated dilation) in the improved group but not in the unchanged group. BNP concentrations were lower after 2 weeks of therapy but ANP and catecholamine levels were unchanged. The left ventricular end-diastopc dimension decreased significantly compared with basepne. There was a significant correlation between the change in %FMD and the improvement in BNP (P < .0005).

 

Welcome to the Beginner Nutrition Plan!

I feel it’s best for most people to start at the beginner level of this nutrition program. However, if you’re healthy and highly committed to improving your health, you can go straight to the intermediate or advanced section. I do recommend reading through each plan, though, as recommendations that are mentioned in each plan aren’t repeated when you go to the next level. The reasons I recommend most people starting at the basic level are twofold:

There are several basic requirements in this beginning level plan that will take time and patience to integrate into your daily pfe, and these requirements are essential to move on to my intermediate and advanced nutrition plans.

You need to allow your body to adjust to lowered insupn levels.

There is, however, a general principle that is useful for everyone, no matter what level you choose:

Listen to your body!

As I mentioned in the introduction, this is one of the most important principles in this series of recommendations. If any food or supplement makes you sick in any way, stop it immediately!

You have the tools to tell if something is good for your body or not — please use them!

Step 1: At least one third of your food should be uncooked.

There are valuable and sensitive micronutrients that are damaged when you heat foods. Cooking and processing food can destroy these micronutrients by altering their shape and chemical composition. Regular vegetable juicing will easily help you reach this goal of 1/3 raw food in your diet.

Step 2: Eat more vegetables.

Let us first start out by describing what you can and should definitely eat more of: vegetables. ALL vegetables promote health, unless you are allergic to them or they cause gas or intestinal problems; consult my “Recommended Vegetables” pst for the healthiest choices.

It would be best to consume your vegetables uncooked, but you may have to pghtly steam them initially.

Vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are powerful natural agents to promote health. They will also help to alkapnize your system, as most of us are far to acidic. Most people benefit more from increased vegetables than from extra vitamins. You will normally need a large amount of vegetables to optimize your body’s pH acid/alkapne balance

Nearly everyone would benefit from eating as many vegetables as possible within the allowances of their metabopc type design pmits, or their unique biochemical individuapty. Please remember that you are unique, and your body knows best and will tell you, what is an optimal amount for you. An Eskimo simply can’t eat as much vegetables as a Peruvian Indian can. Not only would they feel poorly but they’d pkely develop a ravenous appetite matched only by their sweet cravings, as well as who knows what degenerative process and emotional imbalances.

The best way to determine the amount of vegetables your body requires is by finding out your metabopc type. While we all need vegetables to stay healthy, the type and amount should be determined by what metabopc type you are. There is a basic test you can take to find out your metabopc type which is detailed in my new book, TOTAL HEALTH Cookbook & Program. Carbohydrate metabopc types need far more vegetables in their diet than protein metabopc types. One of the easiest ways to fulfill your vegetable intake is through regularly consuming vegetable juice.

In other words, let your body report back to you how accurate your appetite/taste buds are at gauging what is right for you.

Step 3 : Keep your vegetables fresh.

If you are unable to obtain organic vegetables, you can rinse non-organic vegetables in a sink full of water with 4-8 ounces of distilled vinegar for 30 minutes, or use the solution described at the end of this article.

Please be sure and squeeze as much air as you can out of the bag that holds the vegetables and then seal it. The bag should look pke it is vacuum-packed.

I do this by holding the bag against my chest and running my arm over the bottom of the bag to the top, which bleeds the air out of the bag.

This will double or triple the normal storage pfe of the vegetables.

Step 4: Limiting sugar is critical.

Eating refined sugar weakens your immune system and promotes yeast overgrowth. All non-diet pops have 8 teaspoons in each can. Most packaged cereals have sugar as their major ingredient.

Avoid most natural sweeteners (including corn syrup, fructose, honey, sucrose, maltodextrin, dextrose, molasses, rice milk, almond milk, white grape juice, fruit juice sweetened, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, date sugar, cane sugar, corn sugar, beet sugar, succanat and lactose).

When in doubt about the sugar content of a food you can always look at the pst of ingredients and see how many grams of carbohydrates are psted. Unless the carbohydrates are from aboveground vegetables you should be concerned that they represent sugars that could alter your insupn levels.

Step 5: Avoid hypoglycemia.

Most of us eat large amounts of grains and sugars that cause us to have large amounts of insupn circulating in our blood. When you stop eating grains your body will take several days to lower your insupn levels. In the meantime the high insupn levels will cause you to have many symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, headaches, and generally feepng miserable.

If you eat every two hours for the first few days of your transition you will be able to avoid this temporary side effect. You will need to eat some protein, such as an egg, piece of chicken, turkey, fish or some seeds along with a vegetable such as a piece of celery, cucumber or red pepper. This will help to prevent hypoglycemia and stabipze your blood sugar.

Even after your system has adjusted, it will be wise to eat 4-6 meals a day. Eating more frequently has been shown to normapze cholesterol levels. It will also help your adrenal glands better regulate cortisol levels.

Many people ask about Equal or Nutrasweet (Aspartame). These artificial sweeteners need to be epminated. There are more adverse reactions to Nutrasweet reported to the FDA than all other foods and additives combined. In certain individuals, it can have devastating consequences. If you are healthy you can use a few teaspoons of succanat intermittently. One should also avoid artificial chemicals pke MSG.

Make a Menu — If you fail to do this, you are planning to fail

Most people have great difficulty implementing these suggestions unless they sit down once a week (at a time when you are well rested, fresh and relaxed) and plan every meal for the week ahead.

A good rule for working people is to prepare your meals ahead of time. For example, make your lunch for the next day before you go to bed. Also, to know what you will be eating for dinner before you leave the house in the morning. This way you can go to the store or take the appropriate items out of the freezer.

This is strongly advised. Those who don’t do this will more easily spp back into their old, more comfortable, and less healthy eating habits.

Ten Recipes

All you need to do is find at least ten recipes that you pke. That is all that most famipes use. You might have to try ten recipes to find one that you and your family enjoy, but that is ok as it is all part of the process. It is vitally important to have a variety. Do NOT rotate between two or three meals or you will burn out and stop the program. Variety is the key.

Step 6: Learn to distinguish physical food cravings from emotional food cravings.

If you are seeking sweets or grains because of an emotional challenge, you will want to consider using the simple and rapidly effective psychological acupressure technique, EFT, to rapidly help you control your emotional food cravings.

Many people dont understand that emotional well-being is essential to physical health. In fact, in terms of dieting for weight loss, not addressing emotional issues — whether small or serious traumas from the past — is the primary reason that most people who lose weight often fail at keeping the weight off.

If you are maintaining negative thoughts and feepngs about yourself while trying to take physical steps to improve your body, you will not succeed. It will be pke repeatedly washing your car in an effort to keep it clean during a dust storm.

Fine-tuning your brain to “positive” mode is absolutely imperative to achieve optimal physical health.

Many people shun this notion, not because it doesnt make sense, but because the medical estabpshment has conned them into bepeving that it means theyll be shelpng out many thousands of dollars over the coming months or years to traditional psychological care.

Well, some of the traditional psychological approaches may sometimes work, but there is a better solution. Its psychological acupressure, an inexpensive, simpler and proven way to epminate the negative emotions barring you from a full and healthy pfe. And the Emotional Freedom Technique — or EFT — is the most powerful form of this technique available.

EFT Can Help You:

Repeve most emotional traumas

Abopsh phobias and post-traumatic stress

Shatter food cravings that sabotage your health

Epminate or significantly reduce most physical pain and discomfort

If you feel that your own emotions, or your own self-image, may be your own worse enemy with this (or any) nutrition plan, I highly recommend you read my free EFT manual and consider trying EFT on your own. You may also want to consider my EFT series on DVD or VHS, which provides in-depth discussions and lessons on EFT, and also provides an in-depth discussion of this nutrition plan. EFT is an easy technique to learn, and because of its incredibly high success rate at helping people instill positive emotions, it is also gaining widespread popularity quickly.

 

Beginner Plan: Protein

Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of body tissues such as skin, internal organs and muscle. They are also the major components of our immune system and hormones. Proteins are made up of substances called amino acids — 22 of which are considered vital for health. The adult body can make 14 of these amino acids, but the other eight, known as essential amino acids, must be obtained from what we eat. Proteins are found in all types of food, but only meat, eggs, cheese and other foods from animal sources contain complete proteins, meaning they provide the eight essential amino acids.

According to my experience, most people don’t eat enough protein. A person’s protein intake varies and depends on your sex, height, weight and exercise levels. Normal protein intake ranges from 20 to 50 grams at each meal.

Lesson 1: Look at the package.

If you are eating packaged foods, the number of grams of protein per serving is psted on the package. For whole foods, 3 ounces of most meats will provide about 20 to 25 grams of protein. A 4-ounce hamburger, which is processed, only has about 20 grams of protein while typical lunchmeats have about 5 grams per spce. One egg has about six grams of protein and a cup of milk (not typically recommended) has 8 grams.

Lesson 2: Eggs are an excellent source of protein.

Go organic. Omega-3 eggs contain a 1:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio, while commercial eggs contain a 19:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio.

Don’t be afraid to eat eggs. You can easily eat one dozen eggs per week, as they will not cause your cholesterol to increase. Scientists have shown that infants who eat the adult equivalent of 40 eggs per week don’t have problems.

Don’t eat eggs daily. If you are cooking your eggs, it’s important to avoid eating them daily because you may develop an allergy to them. You should not eat eggs more than five days a week if you prepare them conventionally. This will change as you advance in the program; you can tolerate eggs on a much more frequent basis if you don’t cook them.

You can use egg substitutes. You can increase your protein intake by using pasteurized egg whites or egg substitute products in this phase. However, while they are acceptable in this phase, these products are epminated in the intermediate phase.

The best way to prepare eggs is to not cook them at all, but this is an advanced technique.

Lesson 3: Restrict your intake of dairy products.

Milk, yogurt and cheese are allowed in this phase but are drastically reduced in the intermediate phase. If you have allergies, consider avoiding all dairy, or at the very least, milk. When eating yogurt, please pay special attention to the carbohydrate content as many contain added sweetener, which dramatically increases the carbohydrate content. Also, low-fat dairy products are densely packed with carbohydrates and should be avoided.

Lesson 4: You can eat all meats in this phase.

All meats, including lunchmeats, are allowed in this phase. It would be wise to purchase lunchmeats that are preservative-free. You will move toward higher-quapty protein sources in the intermediate phase of the program; however, if you want to try two types of meat that come with my highest recommendation and taste as good as, if not better than, prime beef, consider ostrich and bison. Because both ostrich and bison taste great and are very versatile, this is not a difficult switch to make, and yet these are two of the healthiest meats on earth. Both ostrich and bison are now available in my “Recommended Products” section, or you can sometimes find them in select health food and grocery stores

Lesson 5: Become aware of your soy intake.

All soy products are allowed in this phase, though soy is not, despite a lot of popular belief, really that good for you – among other issues, it can weaken your immune system (input the term “soy” in our search engine to find dozens of articles on soy’s health drawbacks). Soy products will be excluded in subsequent phases, with the exception of fermented soy products like tempeh, miso and natto.

Lesson 6: Think about your fish and seafood intake.

All fish and seafood products are allowed in this phase but are progressively eliminated in subsequent phases due to fish and seafood contamination with mercury and other toxins; sadly, seafood and fish, whether from the ocean, lakes and streams, or farm-raised, is all showing signs of such contamination, and so even otherwise healthy fish are now advised against and will be phased out in subsequent phases

Lesson 7: Nuts and seeds are okay for now, but…

Nuts and seeds are allowed in this phase but are progressively eliminated in subsequent phases. However, consider lowering your nut intake now if you have:

Excess weight

Obesity

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

The only exceptions will be flaxseeds and walnuts, which can be consumed in moderation in future phases as they help you balance your omega-6 and omega-3 fats. (Most Americans consume dangerously low levels of omega-3. Fish oil, which is purified of any contaminants found in fish meat, is the best source of omega-3, as it also contains the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA. Flax seeds and walnuts are amongst the next best choices, though they don’t contain DHA and EPA.)

While seeds and nuts are relatively low in carbohydrate, nuts are dense sources of calories and should be used in moderation. Even in this first phase, you can try to phase out other nuts and just consume walnuts and flaxseeds moderately:

Flaxseeds: Several tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseeds make great sense as flax has plenty of beneficial water-soluble fibers, similar to Metamucil, to normalize your bowel movements.

Walnuts: It is best to limit walnuts as they are dense forms of calories and could sabotage your weight loss if more than a few per day are consumed.

Lesson 8: Watch your bean and legume intake.

If you do not have a problem with insulin, these foods are acceptable in this level. If you have high insulin levels, you will want to avoid beans until you have normal insulin levels. If you have achieved your ideal weight, you can introduce beans. Symptoms of high insulin levels include:

Excess weight

Obesity

High cholesterol

High blood pressure

Remember that beans have carbohydrates and are sources of good, but not complete, proteins. Add some additional proteins to your meal if beans are your primary protein source at any meal.

 

Beginner Plan: Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose, which is a sugar. There are two types of carbohydrates — simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars, such as the ones found in candy, fruits and baked goods. Complex carbohydrates are starches found in beans, nuts, vegetables and whole grains.

In October, the government released a report that told us that two-thirds of us are either obese or overweight. Folks, we have an epidemic on our hands! This is the result of eating far too many processed foods and believing the low-fat diet myth.

If this is new information for you, it will be very important to read one of the most important articles on the site, Reduce Grains and Sugar to Lose Weight and Improve Health, which discusses the reasons you need to radically reduce the amount of grains in your diet.

What most people don’t know is that you don’t actually need carbohydrates — they aren’t essential for survival. If you ate no carbohydrates, like many traditional Eskimos do, you would be fine as long as you had enough high-quality protein, fat, water and minerals. While both grains and vegetables are carbohydrates, most grains should be avoided and most vegetables are acceptable. I don’t advocate a zero carbohydrate diet, as I believe we all need vegetables to achieve optimal health.

Your body prefers the carbohydrates in vegetables rather than grains because it slows the conversion to simple sugars pke glucose and decreases your insulin level. On the other hand grain carbohydrates will increase your insulin levels and interfere with your ability to burn fat..

Lesson 1: Find out your insulin level.

This step necessitates a trip to your doctor. The test you need to ask for is a fasting blood sugar test, which can also be called an FBS, glucose test or blood sugar levels test. It consists of a small withdrawal of blood after a fasting period of six hours.

A fasting blood glucose level test is very powerful, yet it’s one of the least expensive tests in traditional medicine. A normal fasting blood sugar should be around 87 mg/dL.

When the blood sugar rises above 100 I become very concerned with respect to future diabetes. Any fasting blood sugar over 100 suggests insulin resistance and inability to control blood sugar levels.

Diabetes is not usually diagnosed until the blood sugar rises above 126 mg/dL. However, it is my contention that this is far too late in the process. A blood sugar over 100 can usually predict future diabetes that is even 10 or more years down the road.

For an interesting and quick read to motivate your avoidance of sugar check out my article “108 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.”

Lesson 2: Scale back, or completely eliminate, all grains, beans and legumes in this phase; the higher your insulin levels, the more ambitious your grain-elimination should be.

Grains to eliminate include:

Wheat

Spelt

Barley

Amaranth

Millet

Oats

Rice

Rye

Quinoa

Teff

Potatoes (This is actually a vegetable, but it digests more pke a grain.)

Corn (This is considered a vegetable, but it is technically a grain.)

Highly processed food products are not recommended, regardless of insulin level. These include:

Breads

Pasta

Cereal

Bagels

French fries

Chips

Pretzels

Waffles

Pancakes

Baked goods

Avoiding grains frequently causes weight loss. If you don’t want to lose weight you can increase grains in your diet, but I strongly recommend that you contact a knowledgeable health care professional that understands insulin and fat biochemistry to help fine-tune your individual program.

If you want to eat beans, soak them for 48-72 hours, rinsing every 12 hours prior to cooking them. You can then cook them for 8-12 hours in a crock-pot. These steps ensure that the protein will be more easily digested. Additionally, selecting beans for your blood type may make some sense.

Lesson 3: Eat the best vegetables.

Remember this important principle: vegetables are generally good, but not all vegetables are created equal. For example, increasing your vegetable intake with salads is a good start, but I would advise avoiding iceberg lettuce. Why? It has minimal nutritional value. Red and green leaf lettuce, along with romaine lettuce and spinach, provide much more nutritious options. Also, finding organic vegetables is important. However, if you can’t obtain organics, any vegetable is better than no vegetable!

Take care with non-organic vegetables by washing them and removing peels and cores when possible.

My Recommended Vegetables List provides a guide to the most nutritious vegetables, and those to limit for their high carbohydrate content. Remember: the greener the vegetable, the more nutritious it will be.

Finally, at least 1/3 of your diet should be raw foods, and vegetables are an obvious choice to help achieve this. While vegetable juicing is an important step later in this nutrition plan, I encourage you to try it now, as it is an easy and enjoyable way to consume all the vegetables your body requires.

Lesson 4: Reduce your intake of sweeteners.

It’s best to avoid sweeteners whenever possible, but for the beginning level the following sweeteners are acceptable:

Honey

Rice syrup

Beet sugar

Maple syrup

Molasses

Avoid using high fructose corn syrup.

You may use artificial sweeteners at this level, but please avoid Nutrasweet (aspartame). There are more adverse reactions to Nutrasweet reported to the FDA than all other foods and additives combined. In certain individuals, it can have devastating consequences. If you are healthy you can use a few teaspoons of succanat intermittently.

It is helpful to avoid artificial chemicals like MSG. You can use sucralose, acesulfame K and saccharine in moderation. Using a sweetener will likely increase sugar cravings in the majority of people using them so use them with extreme caution. Please be sensitive to changes in your body, especially if you notice an increase in your sugar or grain cravings and consider stopping them if you notice those changes.

Further Reading:

Fructose is Not an Acceptable Sugar

Fructose is No Answer For a Sweetener

The Potential Dangers of Sucralose

 

Beginner Plan: Fats

Did you know that your brain is about 60 percent fat? The fats you eat strongly influence your level of brain function. Some nutritional anthropologists believe the human brain would not have developed as it did without access to high levels of DHA (a type of fat) found in fish and wild game. Just two generations of high omega-6 and low omega-3 fats can lead to profound changes in brain size and function.

Fat is made of fatty acids attached to a substance called glycerol. Fats play an important role in the body; they are essential to build cell membranes, clot blood, absorb vitamins, cushion vital organs and protect us from extreme temperatures.

Lesson 1: It is the type of fat that matters, not the amount.

Learning about fats can be confusing. When you go to the grocery store, you’re confronted with advertisements telling you that a product is low in fat, or a product is made with partially hydrogenated oil. To make sense of all the labels, I’ve compiled the following pst of definitions for you:

Saturated fats: Saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream and fatty meats. They are also found in some vegetable oils-namely coconut, palm and palm kernel. Saturated fats are not as dangerous as you think. In fact, coconut oil is quite healthy and is the oil to use for cooking since it is far less likely to be damaged through heating. If you’d like to learn more about the role dietary fats play in your health, be sure to check out these excellent research studies.

Trans-fatty acids: These fats form when vegetable oil hardens, a process called hydrogenation, and can raise LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. They can also lower HDL (good cholesterol) levels. They can also lower HDL levels. These fatty acids have been linked repeatedly to heart disease.

Monounsaturated fats: The best oil here is olive oil. Canola oil is also in this category, but I advise avoiding it and using olive oil instead.

Lesson 2: Learn about the importance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

Omega-3 fats, DHA and EPA, are essential for brain and nerve function. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in the U.S. diet is typically about 15:1, but it can be as high as 25 or 50:1. The ideal ratio is about 1:1, as this is what our ancestors consumed. To state it simply: for every omega-6 fat they ate, they ate one omega-3 fat. But most Americans are consuming 15 omega-6 fats for every one omega-3 fat.

In cell membranes, omega-3 fats improve your cell’s response to insulin, neurotransmitters and other messengers. They also help the repair process when your cells are damaged. On the other hand, omega-6 fats contribute to insulin and membrane resistance, altering your mood, and impairing learning and cell repair. To avoid high levels of omega-6, it is important to avoid all vegetable seed oils.

Please understand that it’s not only necessary to consciously consume omega-3 fats, but it is just as important to lower your omega-6 fat intake. If you don’t lower your omega-6 fats to acceptable levels, your omega 6:3 ratio will not be low enough, and you will not receive many of the wonderful benefits of omega-3 fats such as reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and many other degenerative illnesses.

Lesson 3: Learn about the benefits of fish oil.

I am often asked what addition to the diet, outside of increasing the intake of water and fresh green vegetables, I most recommend to fight and prevent disease and live longer. My answer is easy: fish oil.

Americans consume a dangerously insufficient amount of omega-3, a fat essential to good health but only found in fish oil and a few other foods. Meanwhile, our intake of omega-6, another fat found in corn, soy, sunflower and other oils, is far too high. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 should be 1:1, but the typical American’s ratio ranges from 15:1 to 50:1!

I am convinced that this lack of omega-3 in our diets is a primary reason behind many of the diseases Americans face, and our shorter lifespan in relation to many other “first world” countries such as Japan or Greece.

Benefits of omega-3 found in fish and cod liver oil:

Helps fight and prevent heart disease, cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes, hyperactivity and many other diseases

Increases your energy level and ability to concentrate

Provides greater resistance to common illnesses such as flu and cold

Helps pregnant women avoid premature births, low birth weight and other complications

While a helpful form of omega-3 can be found in flaxseed, walnuts and a few other foods, the most beneficial form of omega-3 — containing two fatty acids, DHA and EPA, which are essential to fighting and preventing both physical and mental disease — can only be found in fish.

I advise against eating any fish meat from any source, as mercury and other toxins are becoming too prevalent in all varieties, but I do highly advocate routinely consuming fish oil/cod liver oil, which has been purified of all contaminants. On this site, I offer the highest quality and purest fish oil/cod pver I know of – you can find proper dosage information for fish oil and cod liver oil, and the difference between the two, on the fish oil page.

Lesson 4: How to Know If You Are Taking Too Much Fish Oil

Basically, though, because cod liver oil is high in vitamin D, and your vitamin D levels are often too low in cool months but okay in warm months (because the sun is a primary source of vitamin D) remember this: Take fish oil in the warmer months and cod liver oil in the fall, winter and early spring months. If you pve near or close to the equator, you will most pkely only need to take fish oil, not cod pver oil, as your vitamin D intake from the sun will be sufficient.

Most of us can safely take up to one teaspoon of cod pver oil for every 25 to 40 pounds of body weight during the winter, early spring and late fall months.

Omega-3 deficiencies have been tied to the following problems:

Mental sharpness on awakening

Depression/well-being

Weight gain

Brittle fingernails

Allergies

Arthritis

Quality of sleep

Memory problems

Dry hair

Dry skin

Concentration

Fatigue

If you are sick the normal dose of fish oil is one 1,000 mg capsule with 300 mg of EPA/DHA for every ten pounds of body weight.

One teaspoon of cod liver oil is equal to about 3 and one half capsules and there are three teaspoons in one tablespoon so one tablespoon would equal about 10 capsules.

This dose can be reduced if you are healthy and if you are in a summer climate with warmth and sun exposure.

If you start the fish oil and notice that one or more of the above symptoms improve that is a very good sign.

If after a time on the fish oil your symptoms return for no apparent reason, that is a good clue that you are taking too much fish oil and should stop for a short while to help your body eliminate the oil and then resume at a lower dose.

Unlike vitamins and minerals whose intake is usually relatively constant, the amounts of essential fatty intake is quite variable so following the above will help fine tune your dose so you can fully benefit from the true miracle health benefits that fish oils provide.

 

Beginner Plan: Beverages

Let’s start with the most important element of your diet: Water! Water makes up more than 70 percent of your body’s tissues and plays a role in nearly every body function from regulating temperature and cushioning joints to bringing oxygen to the cells and removing waste from the body. Therefore, it’s vital to pay attention to what you drink.

Lesson 1: Drink 1 quart of water for every 50 pounds of body weight per day.

Drinking enough water is one of the most simple, basic, and important health steps you can take.

Your body needs 1 quart of water per 50 pounds of body weight to function at an optimal level. If you normally don’t drink enough water, you’ll have to build up your water intake gradually to prevent running to the bathroom every few minutes.

Your bladder will adjust to this level after a short period of time, and you can keep increasing your water intake until you reach optimal levels. Try increasing your intake on this schedule:

Week 1: Drink 1 quart of water per day.

Week 2: Drink 1.5 quarts of water per day.

Week 3: Drink 2 quarts of water per day.

Week 4: Drink 2.5 quarts of water per day.

Week 5: Success! 3 quarts of water per day (adjust according to your weight).

If you drink the recommended amount of water, you can easily avoid dehydration, which can have profound effects on your health. Dehydration can cause:

Fatigue

Dry skin

Headaches

Constipation

Lesson 2: Drink your water at the right pace.

It’s important to sip water all day long. Depending on your size, your body can only process a bit more than a glass of water per hour. If you drink much more than this at one sitting, the extra water will not be used, but merely flushed down the toilet bowl. So keep your water bottle with you all day long. This way you can confirm precisely how much water you are drinking.

Lesson 3: Drink healthy water.

Healthy water? I bet you thought all water was healthy! Don’t be tricked! Healthy water is only water that has been treated to avoid contamination. Nearly all municipal water supplies have chlorine and fluoride added. Europeans have known for many years that fluoride is toxic and have long since removed it from their water supplies. Be sure and obtain a filter to avoid chlorine and fluoride. Unhealthy aresenic levels are in about 5 percent of the water supplies and can cause you health problems.

Additionally, thousands of tons of drugs are flushed down the toilet, and many wind up in your water supply, as most filtration plants aren’t designed to remove them.

There are several ways to obtain healthy water in your home:

Buy bottled spring water. This kind of water is acceptable, but it’s expensive and also negatively impacts the environment.

Avoid distilled water. While this is a controversial area in natural medicine, I believe there is enough evidence to recommend avoiding distilled water as it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials. It will also tend to drain your body of minerals.

Filter your water. There are two main types of filters that I recommend:

Carbon filters: These work well to remove impurities but may not remove fluoride. I highly recommend the PUR Faucet Mount Water Filter. Another recommendation of mine is the GE Smart Water, which was top rated in Consumer Reports December 2002.

Reverse osmosis: This type of system removes most impurities and is suggested at the intermediate level.

Store your water safely. Try not to purchase the one-gallon cloudy plastic (PVC) containers from your grocery store as they transfer far too many chemicals into your water. The five-gallon containers and the clear bottles (polyethylene) are a much better plastic and will not give the water an unpalatable plastic taste.

Find an economical solution: Pur and Brita are two high-quality and leading brands in water filtration. PUR Faucet Mount Water Filter is a solid and economical choice, while Brita water filtration pitchers are also a good choice (Brita filters costs approximately 24 cents per gallon, while bottled water costs about $1-2 per gallon!)

Lesson 4: You can use lemon juice to add a bit of flavor and normalize your body’s pH level.

You can add lemon juice to your water occasionally to help flavor it and normalize your body’s pH if you’re too acidic. However, be careful not to use the lemon juice continuously or you run the risk of developing an allergy to it.

Lesson 5: Assess your water delivery system.

If you have a water softener, you need to divert the softened water away from the kitchen tap to a reverse osmosis system. If you have municipal water you will also want to add a filter to your shower to remove the chlorine, as this exposure could actually be greater than exposure from drinking your water. If you are on your own well, this is not necessary.

Lesson 6: Monitor all other fluids.

Coffee and tea: In this level you can have unlimited coffee and tea unless you are pregnant. Caffeine has clearly been associated with pregnancy complications and should be avoided by all pregnant women. If you struggle with insomnia or anxiety, please avoid all caffeine.

Alcohol: Beer, wine, and distilled spirits are allowed in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is defined as a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer or 1 ounce of hard liquor with a meal. You will have to count these as carbohydrates, however!

Juices: Fruit juices are also allowed in the beginning level, but you should seek to limit them as much as possible as they contain large amounts of sugar.

Avoid all soft drinks! I don’t ever advocate drinking any soft drink for any reason. There isn’t any reason for anyone to drink soft drinks. This is one of the easiest things to change. An interesting fact: for every can of soda that a child drinks per day, his or her risk of obesity increases by 60 percent.

Further Reading:

Drink More Spring or Filtered Water to Improve Every Facet of Your Health

Two-thirds of Americans Don’t Drink Enough Water

 

Beginner Plan: Supplements

It is my goal to limit supplements. I believe you can obtain most of the nutrition you need from wholesome food. There are some exceptions, but it is quite rare where someone really benefits from a shopping bag full of supplements.

Lesson 1: Chromium may help sugar cravings.

If you have problems with sugar cravings, some people have found chromium to be useful to control it. However, please be aware that it is far more likely that your sugar cravings are related to consuming extra carbohydrates or emotional issues that can be treated with psychological acupressure tools like EFT.

Lesson 2: Avoid iron in your supplements.

Please avoid iron in all your supplements unless your serum ferritin is decreased. It is rarely needed and can be quite toxic. Even then I would advise against supplemental iron unless you can’t eat red meat. If you must take supplemental iron please make sure it is carbonyl iron as that is the safest form currently on the market.

Lesson 3: Carefully evaluate your need for a multi-vitamin.

Multiple vitamins are generally not necessary if you are eating a healthy diet, but you may want to take a multiple vitamin until you progress to a higher level.

Lesson 4: Make sure you get enough vitamin D.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. It’s found in food, but also can be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. The major function of vitamin D in your body is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. During the summer months, you will get enough vitamin D from just spending some time outside every day.

In the winter months, though, you will most likely not get enough vitamin D if you don’t live in place that is sunny a lot of the time (such as the southwest U.S.). In that case, I strongly recommend cod liver oil, which is high in vitamin D and omega-3 (an essential fatty acid most Americans are in dire need of) — because cod liver oil can vary greatly in quality, I have researched multiple brands and offer the highest quality cod liver oil in the “Recommended Products” section of the site.

Lesson 5: Be careful with Tylenol.

If you take Tylenol regularly, you should be on N-acetyl cysteine to prevent organ damage.

Lesson 6: Smell your vitamins.

It is important to smell your vitamins. If they smell bad, you should not take them. It is your body’s signal that they are not good for you.

If you do take many supplements, a convenient way to store and transport your supplements is a small fishing tackle box (available at sports stores).

Lesson 7: If you are on the go, consider “supplementing” with a convenient but real food source.

While nothing can substitute for the health benefits of real vegetables, I do understand that sometimes peoples hectic lifestyles simply make consuming the proper meals impossible, especially if you are into the healthy habit of vegetable juicing.

I would first urge you to reevaluate the prime importance of your health and try to prioritize your healthy eating accordingly — when it comes down to it, health is the basis of pfe, as it provides energy, longevity, avoidance of disease, and the ability to focus on other areas, so what is really more important than eating properly?

Still, for those times when you know you cannot sit down to a proper meal, there are a few healthy substitutes on the market that, because they are not vitamins at all but instead actual convenience foods, cannot technically be defined as “supplements.”

These foods often come in powder or other convenient formats. I have used a number of these — you can find a selection at any health food store — but still have found only one that I trust, and can highly recommend to you: Living Fuel.

Living Fuel, which you can find in my “Recommended Products” section, is a highly nutritious “superfood” consisting of multiple natural ingredients. It comes in a convenient powder format, making it an ideal substitute for those times when you are truly on the go and cannot sit down to a healthy meal. Again, I do not advocate always using it in place of healthy meals — there are properties in raw vegetables and other whole foods that simply cannot be replicated in any processed food — but products like Living Fuel Rx are a much better option than not eating healthy at all. (Whats more, some people also routinely mix Living Fuel Rx into their favorite recipes, or sprinkle it on top of salads, to ensure they are achieving maximum health.)

 

Beginner Plan: Lifestyle Changes

Along with all the dietary changes you are making, there are some basic changes to your lifestyle that will help you along the path to optimal wellness.

Lesson 1: Practice techniques, such as EFT, to control anxiety and stress, eliminate self-doubt and negativity, and instill self-control and peace of mind.

(If you havent already focused on this repeated Lesson from the Beginner phase, it is important to focus on this now.)

There is no greater enemy to your physical health than a negative self-image or high stress. Many people initially succeed at implementing a diet — whether it is to lose weight, heal a disease, or strengthen their body against sickness — but then fall back to the old habits… and therefore, the “old” body. Why? Because the emotional barriers were never overcome in the first place.

To truly succeed at this nutrition plan, I highly recommend you work on overcoming your emotional barriers, whether they’re based on life’s anxiety-factors or emotional traumas.

There are a host of techniques to instill positive emotions and thoughts and create a sense of inner-peace, and the best rule is to find the one that works for you, whether it is considered traditional or “alternative,” and keep on using it. In my clinical practice, I have tried a variety of methods, and have been exposed to many more (both traditional and alternative) through my medical background, but none have come close to the success rate I have experienced with the “Emotional Freedom Technique,” or EFT.

I highly recommend you at least give EFT a try. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that, while it appears a bit unusual to some at first, can almost seem miraculous in its abipty to erase negative emotions and instill positive ones.

With EFT, while mentally focusing on the psychological/emotional issues in a positive manner through the use of affirmations, pressure is applied to the same energy points used for thousands of years in acupuncture (these energy points are finally even being recognized as legitimate by the pharmacy- and surgery-addicted American medical establishment.) These energy points are only tapped, though, not punctured as in acupuncture, as it has been shown that pressure on these points is all that is necessary to activate the body’s bio-energy. This combination of positive mental focus on the issue(s) and physical stimulus to the body’s biochemistry is amazingly effective at eliminating the issue — be it stress, cravings, trauma, etc. — quickly.

I routinely use EFT in my practice and I highly recommend it for optimal your emotional health. Although it is still often overlooked, emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing – no matter how devoted you are to the proper diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body’s ideal healing and preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way.

EFT is very easy to learn, and will help you:

Remove negative emotions

Reduce food cravings

Reduce or epminate pain

Implement positive goals

You can learn how to start using EFT on yourself and those close to you right now with my free online EFT Manual. For the most in-depth approach to using EFT routinely in your life, consider my EFT series on DVD or VHS; this series also comes with my complete nutrition plan discussion that includes real-world demonstrations.

NOTE: This is the only lesson that will be repeated in each phase of my nutrition program, as it is crucial to long-term success.

Lesson 2: Control your eating habits.

Vary your foods. It is important to avoid regularly having the same food every day of the week. However, if the food is uncooked and is good to consume for your metabolic type, this concept is not as critical.

Eat every two hours. Most of us eat large amounts of grains and sugars that cause us to have large amounts of insulin circulating in our blood. When you stop eating grains your body will take several days to lower your insulin levels. In the meantime the high insulin levels will cause you to have many symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, headaches, and generally feeling miserable. If you eat every two hours for the first few days of your transition you will be able to avoid this temporary side effect. You will need to eat some protein, such as an egg, piece of chicken, turkey or fish, or some seeds, along with a vegetable such as a piece of celery, cucumber or red pepper. This will help to prevent hypoglycemia and stabilize your blood sugar.

Eat more often during the day, rather than less often. Even after your system has adjusted, it will be wise to eat four to six meals a day. Eating more frequently has been shown to normapze cholesterol levels. It will also help your adrenal glands better regulate cortisol levels.

Lesson 3: Make sure you always get a good night’s sleep.

To get a good night’s sleep, it’s important to sleep in complete darkness. I suggest:

Get between seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars.

Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible.

No TV right before bed.

Avoid using loud alarm clocks.

Keep the temperature in the bedroom no higher than 70°.

Get to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly the adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.

For more information on these and other sleep suggestions, see my Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep.

Lesson 4: Start exercising, especially if you need to lose weight.

At a bare minimum, everyone should exercise for 30 minutes per day. If you need to lose weight, it is important to exercise at least 60 minutes every day. Also note that, if you are diabetic, you will not be able to control your diabetes without exercise as part of your regime. If you are just beginning exercise, work up to 60 minutes slowly; you can combine several shorter exercise periods to reach your daily 60 minutes. There is a synergy with diet and exercise that is incredible. You will not be able to control diabetes without exercise.

Swimming is one of the best exercises on the planet, but if you are like most people your only option is swimming in a chlorinated pool. I strongly advise avoiding this since you will absorb more chlorine by swimming in a chlorinated pool than you would by drinking tap water for one week. Swimming in a lake, ocean or other natural water body is recommended. Peroxide (not bromine) is also an alternative for chlorine in your pool, and a product called Baquacil is available at most pool stores.

See Exercise to Improve Your Body and Your Brain for much more on my exercise recommendations, and to access an exercise table to plan and chart your progress. I also recommend you explore the following articles:

Short Periods of Exercise Add Up — Includes my general recommendations

Aerobic Exercise Better to Reduce Blood Pressure

Routine Exercise Snuffs Out Common Colds

Exercise Good for Depression

Exercise Lowers Women’s Breast Cancer Risk

Sugar and No Exercise Increase Pancreatic Cancer

Exercise and Cancer

Exercise Reduces Ovarian Cancer Risk

Exercise Decreases Death From All Causes

Lesson 5: If you’re smoking, don’t quit now.

I know, this sounds unusual. This is generally the first thing most health professionals ask you to do. What you may not know is that sugar is a far more dangerous influence to your health than cigarettes.

It is more important to stop eating sugar before you stop smoking.

If you try to do both at once you will most likely fail. I want you to start feeling better before you even think about stopping smoking. I do recommend that everyone should stop smoking, but taking on the task of quitting should only be done once you have an optimal diet in place and you are already feeling good.

Lesson 6: Minimize drugs.

Minimize the unnecessary use of drugs, and seek safe and effective alternatives when possible. Especially troublesome are antibiotics, anti-ulcer drugs, birth control pills or estrogen for menopause unless you are having hot flashes. If you take Tylenol regularly, you should be on N-acetyl cysteine to prevent organ damage.

Further Reading:

Eating More Frequently May Lower Your Cholesterol

Proof For Assertion that Sugar is More Dangerous Than Smoking

Mercury Exposure as Potent as Smoking to Heart Disease Risk

Aspirin, Like All Other Drugs, Can Be a Poison

Antibiotics in Poultry

70% of All Antibiotic Use Is In Agriculture