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As we begin a new year, many of our thoughts turn to renewal and what we would like to see happen over the next year. For many, we would simply like to be healthier and experience more energy and less pain. For many this goal is elusive. Often we feel trapped by our busy lifestyle and confusing food choices. The media and advertising is certainly no help.

We at Western Botanicals have long admonished our customers and patients that obtaining good health does not have to be complicated. You do not need a calculator at the dinner table. You do not have to have an intimate knowledge of biochemistry and be able to pronounce incomprehensible chemicals. Distilled to its most rudimentary level, health is obtained and maintained by putting good things into the body and getting the bad things out.

First, let's talk about putting the good in. This includes not only the foods we eat and drink, but also putting into our body's movement, such as exercise and stretching. We recommend walking for exercise and yoga for stretching. We also recommend a program of mental health that can be approached in the form of meditation, journal writing, scripture reading, etc. Anything that will nourish and rejuvenate your soul.

Then of course the critical issue is the food we eat. The concept is simple. We should be eating only whole natural foods. This means that any food that has been processed needs to be strictly monitored. We can look to the traditional diets of our ancestors or indigenous people for examples of truly healthy diets. In the 1930's a dentist named Weston A. Price traveled the world looking for truly healthy people. He found 14 groups or tribes who exhibited remarkable health, ranging from the American Eskimos to the Australian Aborigines. Remarkably he found profound similarities in their diets. Their focus was, of course, whole natural foods, but with an emphasis on fats. These groups were not vegetarian. These tribes ate fruits, vegetables and fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut. These people all lived long lives, were free from dental cavities and passed on to their children good bone structure and exceptional health.

Here is the interesting point. When members of their tribe began consuming the processed foods that were becoming available, there was a dramatic decline in health, not only for the individual but passed on to their offspring. Dr. Price was a remarkable researcher whose findings were well documented. As follows is a comparison of traditional vs. modern diets.

Traditional diets maximized nutrients while modern diets minimize nutrients

Next we must discuss getting the bad things out. Bad things can range from metabolic wastes (such as fecal matter in the bowels) to toxins and poisons taken into the body in the form of chemicals (such as residue from drugs, medications, and food additives). There are many channels the body uses to eliminate wastes. I will discuss each briefly.

The Bowels (Colon or Large Intestines) are designed to process and store the waste material left over from digestion. As the food we eat is broken down it is mixed with digestive fluids. This increases the flow and the body's ability to digest and absorb the nutrients. The colon is designed to take the material and store it long enough to extract much of the fluid or water from it. The body is a great recycler! If the transit time is normal, enough water is removed so that you have a normal easy bowel movement. Too little time and the feces remain too liquid (diarrhea). Too long in the bowel and the feces become hard and dry (constipation). Improper diet, particularly too many refined or processed foods, lead to colon problems. Most commonly, constipation. As the key to our detox/cleansing program, we recommend our Colon Cleanse Program.

Next we address the liver. The liver is the main processing plant for toxins and poisons. Everything we put into our body, which ends up in the blood stream, must pass through the liver. The liver is designed to process and neutralize anything that is toxic or unnatural as well as modify many naturally occurring chemicals. Often the liver is overworked. When this happens the liver can become swollen just like any muscle that gets larger the more it is worked. When the liver is stressed, it can become slugglish and allow more toxins and harmful chemicals through to the rest of the body. The best example of this is when someone drinks alcohol in greater quantities and volume than the liver can process. The result is intoxication or drunkenness. However, if small or minute amounts of alcohol are consumed (let's say in the form of a medicinal tincture), then the liver has no problem deactivating the alcohol and there can even be a slight benefit. After the Colon Cleanse Program is completed, we recommend doing the Liver-Gallbladder Flush. We generally recommend the Liver Cleanse AFTER the Colon Cleanse because it is important that the bowels are moving well and regular as the liver begins to flush out toxins. Remember, if the bowels are congested they will cause more fluid to be reabsorbed and we don't want to reabsorb the toxins being released from the liver during the Liver-Gallbladder Flush.

The kidneys are designed to filter the blood, removing toxins and impurities. When the kidneys fail to do this, a person may be put on dialysis. During medical dialysis, the patient's blood is removed from the body, filtered by a machine which acts like the kidneys and then the detoxified blood is put back into the patient's bloodstream. Our Kidney-Bladder Flush program is designed to cleanse and open up the kidneys, scrubbing the pipes if you will. Over time the pipes that bring water into our homes can become corrosive or build up plaque inside the tubes, particularly if there is an excessive amount of minerals in the water. Likewise, our kidneys can collect corrosive material that will need to be cleaned out every once in a while. If your diet is good and healthy, you will be cleaning as you go. Just like my wife, when she cooks. She cleans as she prepares the meal, so that by the time dinner is served there is very little mess. On the other hand, when I cook and get dinner on the table, you may glance into the kitchen and exclaim "What happened?!". Processed foods tend to leave plaque and residue in the kidney (the biggest culprit being soda pop). Kidney stones can be the painful result. Our Kidney-Bladder Flush is an easy and powerfully effective program that is used not only as a general cleanse but is used successfully for urinary tract infections.

The skin is another channel of elimination that should be considered. We recommend using a dry skin brush daily. You simply scrub your arms, legs and back with the skin brush BEFORE you take your daily bath or shower. You do not need to brush tender or sensitive areas. By doing this you exfoliate or scrub off the dead outer layers of skin allowing the skin to breath and circulate better. Secondly, it is important that you sweat. By sweating you release toxins out of the body through the skin. You can work up a good sweat with exercise or with a sauna.

The final channel of elimination is the lungs. Carbon dioxide is exhaled through the lungs as well as many other wastes. Deep breathing down to the very bottom of the lungs is important. Deep breathing can be done with exercise or done purposefully through specific deep breathing exercises. For those with lung problems, we highly recommend using our Lungs Plus several times daily as a general tonic.

As so there you have it. Begin by making some changes to your diet. Dietary changes are best made gradually. You may want to pick up the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, which is excellent both in recipes and in nutritional philosophy. We also recommend taking advantage of this month's specials and begin to cleanse your body. By following these recommendations, you will have more energy, think more clearly and enjoy your life so much more.

~ Dr. Kyle D. Christensen ~