Have you heard of Activated Charcoal?

Activated charcoal is great for your health. It has a wide range of uses including being excellent for detoxification. You will find activated charcoal in things like facial masks and teeth whiteners, as well as digestive remedies.

The benefits of activated charcoal are well known when it comes to traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is even used in emergency rooms as an antidote for cases of toxicity and poisoning in developed nations around the world.

Activated charcoal is generally considered to be safe to use but it should be handled with care. It is extremely versatile.

Benefits of activated charcoal

Detoxification is one of the great benefits. Due to its porous surface activated charcoal has a negative electrical charge. This means it attracts positively charged molecules such as toxins and gases removing them from the gastrointestinal tract. It reduces gas and bloating also. This means it can be used successfully for cleansing your digestion and to promote overall digestive health. Since it is a natural gut cleanser it reduces the toxicity in your body. This can also reduce allergic reactions and oxidative damage in your body as well as strengthen your immune system. Research has been done to prove that activated charcoal can help you regulate your cholesterol also. This is because it can attach to and flush the cholesterol from your body. It can also help to reduce the effects of radiation and detox you from many substances. If you want to know more about this, give us a call.

Activated charcoal is a great anti-ageing product because if there are less toxins in your body, your body experiences less oxidative damage that drives the ageing process. It may also help to prevent cellular damage to your natural detox organs.

Side effects of activated charcoal

While this product comes with many health benefits, it is also important to remember that activated charcoal can have some not so good side effects sometimes. The product not only adsorbs toxins and unwanted chemicals in your body, but it can also get rid of the some of the good things as well. This can include nutrients from your food, supplements and prescription medicines. Be careful as this could make the medication less effective. It is best to take activated charcoal on an empty stomach between meals so that it does not affect the absorption of nutrients. Also, you should take activated charcoal between 90 minutes and two hours before taking any supplements or prescription medications.

Another side effect is that it may turn your stool black, but this is only temporary and harmless. When taking it you should drink plenty of water to prevent constipation. Activated charcoal is generally considered safe for use during pregnancy. However, it is important to consult your health care practitioner and take it under supervision. Studies supports its use for cholestasis, a condition with reduced bile flow, during pregnancy. It can be used when pregnant to help alleviate symptoms of nausea and vomiting caused by morning sickness, as well as diarrhoea. Once again only under the supervision of your natural practitioner. In some people, activated charcoal can cause side effects of vomiting and diarrhoea, the same symptoms you may be taking it to relieve. If you want to try this as a detox, call us and book a session so we can get you started with the right products and dosage for your detox from any toxins and other substances you would rather not have in your body.

Lowering cholesterol

Whilst we need cholesterol to build healthy cells high cholesterol is not good for your health. High cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits in the blood vessels which grow and make it difficult for enough blood to flow through the arteries causing health issues. Everything from Alzheimer’s, cancer, dementia to heart disease. Thankfully dietary changes help reduce your cholesterol and risk of these health problems.

Foods to help lower cholesterol

These include plant-based foods and proteins such as beans, lentils, fruits such as oranges, apples, berries, oats, and foods that contain sterols such as nuts. The nuts need to be raw and unsalted and the best are hazelnuts, macadamia, pine, walnuts, brazil nuts and cashews.

Plant based protein

Protein foods are not just meat as there are many plant foods that contain protein. These plant-based proteins are great for lowering cholesterol. They include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Other great sources come from coconuts, avocados, quinoa, tofu, miso, tempe and even dairy alternatives of coconut milk, hemp seed milk and almond milk.

Plant sterols

These are substances found in nuts, beans, grains, fruit and vegetables that are like cholesterol. By eating more plant sterols you can reduce health problems. Plant sterols are found in pistachio nuts, macadamia nuts, almond butter, olive oil, wheat germ oil, sesame seeds, sage, thyme, paprika and oregano.

Fibre

There are two types of fibre soluble and insoluble. Insoluble goes through the digestive system undigested and helps keep it moving. Soluble fibre in the stomach forms a gel when it mixes with liquids and this helps to reduce cholesterol levels. Some sources of soluble fibre are nuts, legumes, seeds, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. The best sources though are brussel sprouts, oats, broccoli, pears, carrots, avocado, sweet potato and black beans.

If you find your cholesterol levels are creeping up try changing your diet to include some of these foods and you may find that the cholesterol levels start to reduce in turn reducing your health risks.

Sugar onslaught – It’s just so bad for your health

Sugar is bad for us and we know it adds to obesity, being more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can cause a whole variety of health issues. Sugar is highly addictive because it causes the release of opioids and dopamine, which increase feelings of pleasure in the body, but unfortunately your body gets used to the level of these quite quickly and craves even greater quantities of sugar. The maximum recommended daily intake of sugar is 6 teaspoons in a day which as a natural therapist I find pretty high. Given that there is a lot of added sugar in many foods we eat we probably have that level already in our daily intake without adding sugar to anything.

Fructose

Fructose, a simple component found in added sugars we use can affect the Leptin hormones, which tells your brain when you are full, thus running the risk of continuously over eating. Adding sugar to hot drinks to make them sweeter also adds to us eating too much sugar. This then causes excessive weight gain. By reducing the amount of sugary foods you eat and remembering to give your body time to adjust, usually about a couple of weeks, the addiction to sugar will get less. Take a walk to reduce cravings or eat some protein rich foods such as eggs.

Fructose can affect your organs in a negative way. Fructose can cause your liver to start to store fat even around itself and other organs. This excess sugar in turn raises our insulin levels which then can lead to insulin resistance, high blood pressure and other health problems like heart disease. Research from the USA has even found a link between insulin resistance, high fat diets and Alzheimer’s disease. The research also showed that the brain can be affected by the way it uses glucose. Rats that were tested showed that sweet and fatty foods are associated in triggering Alzheimer’s. Added sugar in your diet can also create an excess in unhealthy cholesterol in the body and too much sugar can lead to depression.

What to do 

These are just a few of the reasons it’s important to eliminate sugar from your diet so start reading labels of the foods you eat and no matter how healthy it says a product is remember, if it contains sugar, it takes away from any other healthy ingredients in it. Get rid of the packaged food and just eat two fruits a day, vegetables and a minimum of one serve of protein be it meat, fish, beans or lentils. Drink lots of pure, filtered water and exercise at least three times a week and very soon you will find many of your health issues will start to disappear.