Human Nature

Your skin plays an important role in eliminating toxins. One third of the body’s wastes rely on the skin as an elimination route and the skin can release up to a pound of waste each day! The skin is the largest organ in the body and will often be the first organ to show any imbalances internally. To help keep your skin in balance, you can help it exfoliate, which is the removal of dead skin cells and debris. Dry skin brushing is a simple and quick way to exfoliate and help the body detox naturally. It helps support the waste that may clog pores and helps you achieve a vibrant complexion. It also feels great, like giving yourself a mini massage.

Besides its role in exfoliation, dry skin brushing boosts the immune system, increases circulation throughout the body, and supports a healthy nervous system. Dry skin brushing may assist in eliminating cellulite by stimulating circulation. It helps to stimulate the skin and begins to break up the toxic fatty deposits underneath the skin that pucker the overlying skin into cellulite. In order to see results for decreasing cellulite, daily brushing for several months is required.

Dry skin brushing also helps to stimulate thelymphatic system. The lymphatic system is important to the immune system and the body’s natural cleansing process. Dry brushing carries nutrients to cells and stimulates the flow of the lymph which will move the waste out. It will also helps relieve organ congestion.

Always use a brush with natural fibers. A brush made with Tampico fibers from the agave plant is very effective. Use a softer brush on your face, neck, breast and other sensitive areas. Body brush twice a day for 5 minutes to achieve optimal results.

How To Dry Skin Brush

1. Dry brush your skin before you shower or bathe.
2. Start at your feet and brush towards your heart using long, even strokes.
3. Brush all the way up your legs, then over the buttocks, back and abdomen. Concentrate on any areas that have cellulite.
4. Be sure to brush lightly on sensitive areas, like the breasts
5. When you reach your arms, begin at your fingers and brush up your arms toward your heart.
6. Brush your shoulders and chest down, always toward your heart.
7. Avoid brushing anywhere the skin is broken or where you have a rash, infection, cut or wound.
8. Finish with a shower alternating between hot and cold to continue to stimulate your lymphatic system and boost circulation. Finish with cold water.
9. Moisturize the skin with olive, sesame, or coconut oil to seal in the moisture.

Dry skin brushing is a great addition to any daily routine. This along with hydration, and good nutrition will ensure a lifetime of healthy, vibrant skin. Nutrients that are important include healthy fats, plenty of protein, whole grains, dark leafy greens and a variety of non-starchy vegetables. Finally, be sure to get your beauty rest. Sleep is essential for your cells and skin to repair.

The winter season can be a time of rest and reflection. But with this cold season comes holidays, poor diet, friends and family and stress, which can often lead to illness. Food and nutrition are the foundation for health and a good immune system. It is important to boost your system with foods high in bioflavonoids, Vitamin C, zinc and probiotics. Eating a wide variety of color in your diet is a simple way to make sure you are getting a broad range of nutrients. Also, eating simply with plenty of liquids will support you this season.

Make sure you are getting probiotics daily either through a supplement or cultured vegetables, such as raw kimchi and sauerkraut. A strong immune system relies on a well balanced gut. Your gut houses 90% of your immune system!

Your momma didn’t lie: Chicken soup is very healing when you are sick, especially when you make your broth from the bones. Chicken is also a great source of selenium and zinc. A deficiency of zinc can leave your body more susceptible to infections. Mushrooms and green vegetables are good additions to your soup. Mushrooms are rich in selenium, required for immune function. Shiitake mushrooms have been used for centuries by the Chinese and Japanese to treat colds and flu. They appear to stimulate the immune system, help fight infection and increase anti-tumor activity. Eat a variety of non-starchy vegetables, especially greens! Greens are full of phytonutients, protective elements that fight harmful toxins, bacteria and viruses. Dark leafy greens are a great source of chlorophyll, calcium and iron. If you are feeling unwell, make sure you are getting high amounts of Vitamin C from broccoli, cabbage, bell peppers, sprouts, parsley and citrus fruits.

Spices and herbs not only make food delicious, but also give your immune system a big boost. Just sprinkling a little cayenne or eating a half clove of garlic a day can make a big difference in the severity and duration of a cold or flu. Garlic and onions are versatile and a great remedy for the common cold. The compounds allicin and allium in garlic help to ward off germs. Oregano is also very effective in killing harmful pathogens. Cayenne and other hot peppers not only help clear out a stuffy nose but are also high in vitamin C.

Sipping on hot tea is a great way to clear out any congestion. It is also very soothing and comforting for a sore throat. Ginger, chamomile, peppermint, nettle or fresh lemon juice are all great choices. Sage, slippery elm and marshmallow root are especially helpful in relieving a painful throat.

Rest and movement are equally important in keeping you well this winter. Allow yourself more sleep and take naps if necessary. Sleep is an excellent healer.  Move your body through yoga or go for a brisk walk outside in the crisp air. Avoid all inflammatory and mucous producing foods if you find your self starting to get sick; this includes processed carbohydrates, dairy, red meat, soy, gluten and all forms of sugar. Overeating sugar weakens your immune system by decreasing your white blood cell activity. Try to aim for a diet that is rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes and moderate amounts of animal protein to keep you feeling healthy throughout the year.

Human Nature was interviewed for this article on first foods around the world. Check it out on the Yum Tum Site:

http://yumtumdelivers.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/164/

Yum Tum Delivers offers frozen organic baby foods.  They use organic whole foods and add even more nutrients with flaxseed, superfoods, nuts and seeds.

1. Fresh local fruit

2. Small toys (glow in the dark bats, etc.)

3. Raisin boxes or other small packages of dried goods (goji berries, cherries, nuts, seeds)

4. Fruit Leather

5. Herbal tea bags

6. Home-made goodies like trail mix, etc.

(depending on your audience)

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Many of our clients find us because they value our emphasis on food as a basis for healing.  However, visitors to our office see the supplement shelves and often ask us how we feel about supplements.  I think that supplements can be invaluable but they can also be harmful and it is good to evaluate each one carefully.  The flow system is one tool we use to help us verify what foods and supplements are helpful and what are not for each individual.  For example, Vitamin E may be invaluable for one person and excessive for another. We measure this in your antioxidant and fat levels from the urine in the flow system and advise you accordingly. Your levels and needs will change over time and that is why it is good to re-measure.

The problems with supplements:

1. Many supplement companies use Magnesium or Calcium stearate (vegetable oil) on their machinery and the oils become oxygenated and prone to create free radical damage by the time it makes it into the product for a consumer. Ingestion of a little of this oil is not a problem but a lot of it over many years may cause liver damage.

2. The other problem is that we don't have a lot of studies of long term effects of supplements. That is why I think it is good to minimize the list of supplements taken, take ones that are most natural such as in a tea or herbal form, and whenever possible, take your nutrition from food.

The good thing about supplements:

1. Supplements are designed to accelerate change in your body. In other words, we advise you on supplements to help you meet your goals. We are perfectly happy to only advise you on foods if that is your preference or what is most appropriate.
2. Many herbs and superfoods can be found in more natural forms like teas, tinctures, and powders. The enzyme and herbal supplements are different from synthetic vitamins in that they are food-based, but still, I think it is a good idea to only take things as they are needed.

Longterm supplements:

A good approach to supplements that you want to take for longer term is to take them every 6 out of 7 days or else for 3 weeks out of every month (taking 1 week off). This allows your body the opportunity to detoxify the residues from the supplements as it would from food.