Food Combining is a way of eating that pairs foods for optimal digestion. By combining our foods properly, we allow our bodies to make the most of the nutrients provided and ease our digestive processes so to avoid bloating, gas and belching.
Here are some fundamental guidelines to get you started:
Benefits of Food Combining:
In the quest for optimal health, the art of food combining stands out as a powerful ally in supporting digestive harmony. By being mindful in how we pair and time our meals we empower our bodies to efficiently process nutrients which leads to improved well-being and vitality.
Keep in mind however, you can have a diet that is great at combining foods but you may still have some digestive problems. And there are times that you can’t always combine your food like you would like. The following supplements are recommended to further assist your digestion for optimal health.
GastrAcid. This is a supplement that you take with each protein containing meals to help decrease gas formation when you are eating your protein with lots of starchy food or fruits. This supplement is available in both 90 capsules and 180 capsules bottles.
XymoZyme. These are pancreatic and other enzymes you take before a meal or in-between meals to help with digestion and inflammation. This supplement is available in both 60 capsules and 120 capsules bottles.
Let us savor, not just the taste, but also the digestive benefits of every bite we take to make each meal a celebration of health and balance. Enjoy!
Dr Leah McNeill
I hope these tips and supplements will help keep your skin young, supple and healthy well into your later years of life. I wish you well and have a great day!
]]>Autoimmune disease is an overactive immune system so working to balance and calm down the immune system will help decrease the damage to joint and other tissue.
Several supplements and lifestyle factors will help keep our joints healthy and supple into our later years.
Stretching our muscles will help to keep us more flexible which will help our joints more flexible as well. If you are an athlete and are running, throwing and constantly stressing your joints it’s important to ice your muscles and joints after you work out to decrease inflammation.
Epsom salts are great to use after a workout to help relax your muscles. Put 1-2 pounds in a warm bath and soak for 10-20 minutes. You can also do an Epsom salt soak for a specific joint like a hot foot bath with Epsom salts.
Natural hormone therapy in menopause and andropause can also be very helpful for immune system, bone and heart health and also good for brain and skin. Consult with your local Naturopathic doctor to see if you are eligible for bio-identical hormone therapy.
Hopefully these tips will help your joints age gracefully as you age. Have a great day!
]]>These past three years have brought on a lot of sleep issues with many people due to the stresses of the world. Anxiety and depression have been a big factor here. Did you know that some of the most popular over the counter products people buy at drug stores are sleep aids?
I have many patients that tell me how tired they are and aren’t sleeping well. There are many reasons for us being tired during the day but sleep issues are on the top of the list. Patients tell me all the time that they sleep “all night” for 8-10 hours but wake up and feel exhausted. They feel like they need more sleep and start drinking more coffee and having energy drinks throughout the day…which can actually make matters worse. Instead…think about how you are truly sleeping and consider making changes to better your deep sleep. I believe that we can feel rested with only 7 hours sleep if we are sleeping deeply.
What does ‘deep sleep’ actually mean? Deep sleep means that your heart rate slows down, your kidneys produce less urine, your temperature drops and you don’t dream a lot. We normally go in and out of deep sleep during our sleep cycle, but the more deep sleep you get, the less you will feel fatigue during the day.
So how do you get that deep sleep? The first thing I usually do with patients is test their thyroid, iron and cortisol levels. Cortisol plays a big role in our sleep/wake cycle. It is a hormone from our adrenal glands and it can go up at night when we are stressed or if our blood sugar is too low. When our blood sugar drops in the middle of the night, our body will raise cortisol levels to help compensate for the low blood sugar (glucose). While that may sound like a good plan it also wakes us up! If you are waking up between 2-4am and can’t get back to sleep then eat a small protein snack half an hour before bed, and consider also taking some Magnesium and L-Theanine.
Another factor that changes deep sleep is Menopause. Progesterone is the first hormone to drop in perimenopause and when that happens our deep sleep is negatively affected because progesterone has a natural tranquilizer effect. If you are going through Perimenopause consult with your Naturopath or Gynecology doctor to determine if Bio-identical Hormone replacement is right for you.
What are some good supplements to help with sleep better naturally? I have grouped several supplements available in a category called Sleep Supplements on this site. The ones I use the most are:
1) MusCalm which is a blend of herbs like Valerian, Passionflower, Hops and Sour Cherry…all which have a calming effect on the nervous system.
2) L-Theanine is a supplement that can increase GABA in your brain. GABA is the most calming neurotransmitter in your brain. L-Theanine also increases the alpha wave activity in your brain which is calming and can help with focus. L-Theanine is considered a natural anti-anxiety supplement which will help you relax and sleep better.
3) Magnesium is important for many different systems in our body. It helps to relax muscles, decreases heart palpitations and helps with blood pressure. Take Magnesium at night before bed.
Melatonin can be helpful to induce sleep but you don’t need a lot. Recent research has shown that 1-3 milligrams (mg) is more beneficial for sleep than higher doses. If you are taking high doses and are having very active dreams and waking up more often, then you likely need a lower dose or you might not even need Melatonin.
Some other basic remedies to sleep better at night include:
Hope this helps you to sleep better naturally.
Dr. Leah McNeill
Natural Medicine For Health
Here are my top 9 supplements for allergy support.
]]>Quercetin is a flavonoid from vegetables, fruits and berries and is a pigment that gives many of these foods their vibrant colors. There are many different types of flavonoids and Quercetin is special in its functions. It offers many different benefits such as immune support, supporting normal inflammatory response especially in the respiratory system. Its effect on allergies is through the process of decreasing histamine in the body. Quercetin helps to stabilize mast cells which make histamine and stops histamine from being released. By decreasing histamine release from this cell it helps decrease allergy symptoms and also decrease inflammation. Quercetin also supports a healthy aging process.
Rutin is another type of flavonoid that is similar to Quercetin but Rutin has more anti-oxidant affects in the body as well as helping to reduce cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and helps to maintain the strength of the capillaries which are the smallest blood vessels. Having a good anti-oxidant that is similar to Quercetin is very helpful in an allergy formula.
Bromelain is an enzyme from pineapple that has anti-inflammatory effects and can help with digestion. Both of these effects are helpful for decreasing allergies via the digestive tract.
Vitamin C has been known for its benefits on the immune system and can also help to decrease histamine especially in the respiratory tract. Vitamin C also helps with the absorption of iron, has been used in IV form for cancer prevention and many other illnesses. My Natural Medicine For Health supplement line has C-Complete which has 750mg of Vitamin C per capsule and also a product called C + Bioflavonoids which has 500mg of Vitamin C and 500 mg of a Bioflavonoid blend.
have recently been found to decrease histamine in a similar way to Quercetin by decreasing the release of histamine from mast cells. It also can help lower blood pressure by stimulating Nitric Oxide which dilates blood vessels. Nettle is also an anti-oxidant and can help balance blood sugar by enhancing the effects of insulin.
NAC (N-acetyl Cysteine) is an amino acid and is the main precursors to glutathione production in the liver along with zinc and selenium. Gluathione is a potent anti-oxidant for the body which is very helpful for our immune system and decreasing inflammation. One of the side effects of NAC is it can make your nose run and for anyone with a congested nose when they have allergies this can be very helpful. You can find NAC here.
NOTE: The supplements I just mentioned are all powerful on their own. But together they provide synergistic benefits. We have combined them all into our Natural Medicine For Health product called Aller-ease. I usually recommend patients to take 1-2 capsules twice daily during allergy season or all year round, if needed.
Vitamin D is a supplement that should be added to your daily regimen as it has so many benefits. It’s an anti-inflammatory, benefits the bones by increasing the calcium absorption in the bones. It’s also great for the immune system and because of that it will help with allergies. The supplement I recommend also has Vitamin K2 (MK-7 form) which also helps to put calcium in the bones and keep it out of your arteries. We have D3/K2 5000 and D3/K2 10,000….both available in 60 and 120 capsule bottles.
Zinc is an important mineral for the immune system, tissue healing, thyroid function, focus and many more. An old phrase used for zinc is: No Zinc, No think. So it’s helpful for our brain and focus especially in people with ADD. Zinc has also been very helpful for anxiety and depression. I usually recommend patients to take 20-30 milligrams of Zinc daily. You can find Zinc here.
A unique supplement for histamine is DAO (diamine oxidae). This is an enzyme that breaks down the histamine that is naturally found in some foods. There are many foods that have histamine and cheeses, alcohol, aged meats are just a few. You can look up histamine containing foods. When DAO is taken at the time of consuming these foods it will greatly decrease the amount of histamine that your body absorbs from these foods. When we absorb histamine from foods our body will think it’s having an allergic reaction and we can get a headache, upset stomach, turn bright red, get stuffed up and many other symptoms. While it seems like those are allergy symptoms, they are not true allergy symptoms. DAO can help decrease those symptoms and you can enjoy histamine containing foods again! You can find DAO here.
All of these supplements can help you reduce allergy reactions and enable you to have a better immune response as well. For convenience, we have combined the individual supplements into a MedPack….our Allergy Support Pack…containing all the individual supplements in convenient packages for morning and evening dosages.