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Gluten-free and worried about arsenic in rice? What to know
Gluten-free folks accustomed to eating rice-based gluten-free breads, pastas, cereals, and other substitutes may be consuming dangerously high levels of arsenic. In fact, a 2017 study showed people on a gluten-free diet consuming rice-based products on a regular basis showed almost twice as much arsenic in their urine compared to those who did not (and 70 percent more mercury, another troublesome finding.) Why arsenic is harmfulArsenic is a naturally occurring heavy metal. It is the inorganic arsenic (not bound to carbon) that is toxic to humans if levels ingested are too high. Although inorganic arsenic occurs naturally, it also accumulates in soil and water due to pesticides and fertilizers. Because rice grows in water, it is the grain highest in arsenic. Consistent exposure to small amounts of arsenic increases the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and neurological disorders. Consuming arsenic during pregnancy may affect the baby’s immune system. Consumer Reports found one serving of rice pasta, rice cereal, and rice milk exceeded a safe amount of arsenic for one week while one serving of rice cakes came close. The FDA recently proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion of arsenic in infant rice cereal. However, it’s impossible to know how much arsenic is safe to consume as risk is dose dependent; the more you consume the higher the risk. How to minimize arsenic exposure from riceThese troubling truths about arsenic exposure through rice don’t have to spell doom for gluten-free folks who depend on rice-based substitutes. For starters, look for products made from other grains besides rice. Thankfully, there are many more on the market these days. Look at where your rice comes from. In 2014 Consumer Reports found that rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas had the highest concentrations of inorganic arsenic while California rice has almost 40 percent less arsenic. Brown basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan has a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices. Unfortunately, because the arsenic comes from the water, organic rice may not be lower in arsenic. Eat white rice (sorry!). Since arsenic tends to accumulate in the outer layers that are removed to turn brown rice into white, white rice contains less of the toxin than the whole grain. Rinse your rice thoroughly and cook in excess water. Wash your rice thoroughly before cooking and then cook your rice in a ratio of about six cups of water to one cup of rice and drain the excess water after. This cuts down arsenic levels by about one third compared to letting rice absorb all the water during cooking. Consider a grain-free diet. Many people feel and function significantly better on a grain-free diet. If you don’t eat rice-based products, excessive arsenic exposure is one less thing to worry about in a world where we are constantly at battle with toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Ask my office for more ways to protect yourself from toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
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Since hosting the Detox Workshop last Thursday, I have had a lot of people reach out to me in regards to their interest in doing the detox, but wanted more information.
If this is you, I have provided some information below to help answer some questions. There is only one detoxification protocol that I recommend. The reason is simple, you need specific nutrients to drive the body's natural detoxification process. Most other detox programs do not provide these nutrients that support your body’s ability to properly detox. If you want to jump ahead and go right to purchasing this detoxification program - please follow the link to order or call our office at 916-864-3016. Why should you do a detox in the first place? There are 2 ways we are exposed to toxins. Endogenous - produced from a result in improper digestion of nutrients which can result from pancreatic enzyme deficiency, hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid). Examples of Endogenous toxins are over growth of fungi, high cholesterol, high inflammation. Anything that is a result of improper digestion and poor diet. Most of these things are shown on lab values that we can test for in our office or can be discovered through symptoms. Exogenous / environmental - you can come into contact with these toxins from your environment. These toxins are poor air quality from pollution, pesticides, heavy metals (ie. mercury), medication, parasites, viruses, bacteria, stimulants (coffee, tobacco, alcohol), household cleaning products. Your detoxification system is responsible for excreting these toxins out of your body. With the involvement of the liver, kidney, bile, colon, lungs and lymph system. Unfortunately, if these toxins are not eliminated from our bodies - they will accumulate in our tissues. Toxins cling onto fat cells, connective tissue, and organs like our brain! Leading to a toxic body and brain. The buildup of toxins can cause many symptoms including poor ability to shed excess weight, brain fog, acne, muscle tension, joint pain, and decreased organ function (like infertility) to name a few. There is actually a plethora of symptoms. To find out your toxicity load - fill out this questionnaire. Here are some other common symptoms related to toxicity load.
Highest sources of molybdenum are lentils and beans. If you have an inability to digest lentils or beans, you must first fix the digestive system. AKA find out which part of your digestion isn’t working and why. Then offer the proper therapy. This is crucial part of deciphering whether or not someone is a good candidate for a detox. Just because your friend is doing a detox, doesn’t mean you should jump on board too. Detoxing can be mainstream fad that is often done incorrectly -- without the right guidance, and without considering patient history, and of course, using the wrong products. Which makes me scream inside. 2. Have you ever been to a dinner party where asparagus is served and someone makes a joke about asparagus making their pee smell? And everyone laughs and agrees. Well I am screaming in my head because they all have faulty detox pathways. An inability to digest asparagus is a huge alarm going off in my head. As asparagus is the number one food to gain glutathione from. A VERY IMPORTANT ANTIOXIDANT in the body. Which is vital for the removal of toxins, especially xenobiotics and heavy metals. Ahhhh! Are you screaming with me now. 3. Wait there is more screaming to be had. It is the morning, you are sitting around sipping coffee with friends, one friend is drinking tea because he can’t handle coffee. Even just a little sip of coffee in the morning will keep him up at night. This is a symptom of a sluggish phase 1 detox pathway. When he drinks coffee it is taking his body FOREVER to get through the first phase of liver detoxification. Reasons for a sluggish phase 1: vitamin deficiency (all Bs and C), insufficient protein intake leading to amino acid deficiency like cysteine, mineral deficiency like iron and magnesium, and of course glutathione deficiency. All these nutrients are needed in phase 1 detoxification. So as you can see, proper nutrition is key. You not only have to provide the body nutrients it needs for every day bodily functions - like energy metabolism. You need to have plenty of nutrient reserves to support the lifestyle that depletes the nutrients in the first place. It is a vicious cycle - our diet doesn’t provide the nutrients it needs to assimilate the nutrients from it in the first place. This leads to organ depletion and toxic accumulation. Let me scream it - YOUR DIET ISN’T SUPPORTING YOUR DETOX PATHWAYS. YOUR BODY IS DEPLETED OF NUTRIENTS!!!!!!!! You not only need replenish your organ reserves, you also need to support your detox pathways. This is KEY! This results in more energy, normal lipid profile (cholesterol), healthy bowel movements, being able to fit into your jeans, less cavities, better skin, shiny hair, awesome sleep, better sex. Yes, better sex. Your hormones are made in the liver. Thyroid hormones, sex hormones, steroid hormones. If your on the wrong detox program, you will first lose weight. And you will say “yay, I lost 5 lbs.” But, wait, here comes the headaches, and a bunch of crappy symptoms. Because guess what?! Fat soluble toxins bind to your fat cells! So when you are on an improper weight loss program or detox and you are losing adipose tissue and releasing toxins into your bloodstream and you don’t have the proper nutrients to support the elimination of those toxins. Boy oh boy are you in trouble. One of 2 things will happen, either the fat goes back on, or you will be skinny feeling like toxic shit everyday of your life. Sign me up! ……..Most likely with poor skin, aches and pains, and throw in an irregular cycle or if you are male, decrease in morning erections. Sounds fun! Ok, so what detox program do I recommend? It’s simple, a whole food, nutrient dense one that supports the ENTIRE DETOXIFICATION SYSTEM. Are you in? What’s next?
*** CONTRAINDICATED FOR PREGNANCY OR LACTATION ***  Babies First Adjustment! Such a magical time, when your baby is pushed through a tiny canal in your body. It is SO NATURAL.
Yet, for many of us, can cause a lot of pain and trauma. Even if you have a beautiful, perfect birth and an even more perfect baby - with no complaints or issues - it is still really important to get his or her nervous system checked. Why? There are a lot of areas of the developing baby that a Chiropractor will check for, that you might not even be aware of. And who could blame you - you are too busy gazing into your baby's eyes in awe at this new miracle. At your babies first wellness appointment - we will ask you a series of birth related questions and also any perceived issues you might be experiencing with your little one. Issues like- colic, latching, sleeping, torticollis (neck tension) etc. These "issues" have been shown to be alleviated with Chiropractic intervention. After a series of questions or concerns - we will begin our infant exam. Checking their reflexes and alignment. Making sure their nervous system is functioning at its most optimal level. Below are the best times to get your baby checked. 1. If you have a perceived issue - like colic, latching issues, tongue tie, torticollis, irritability. 2. Since significant spinal trauma can occur at birth, many parents have their newborns checked right away. This will help so much!! 3. As the infant grows, learning to hold up the head, sit, crawl and walk are all activities that affect spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a Doctor of Chiropractic. 4. when they start running and playing - it is good to get them on a regular schedule to get them checked. Ask your Chiropractor what they suggest for your child. A little note about getting your baby adjusted. Chiropractors use the smallest bit of pressure when correcting any spinal or cranial mal-alignment in your babes. The pressure is the amount you would use when you would touch your eyeball. It is very very minimal. My personal story.. I gave birth to Leo in the most natural way possible - in the water. Even though I used little to no medical intervention (I had to tell them when I pushed my baby out!) there was still tension that was placed on little Leo's cranium. He had a bruise on his head because he hit my pubic bone on the way out. Very common thing. With head trauma of any sort, the jaw and neck can be involved. With Leo, he was having trouble latching. I did a cranial adjustment on him as well as took him to my very own Chiropractor and within 5 days (once the nervous system intergrated it) he was latching like a champ. If you are a Mother - you know that is the BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD - when your baby first latches. Things were great until about 3-4 months when he refused tummy time and wouldn't roll over. It was then when I intervened again and we noticed that he had tension in his low back and hips. We released the tension and he rolled over. It is amazing, once you release the interference on the nervous system- how things change. There was very little intervention that had to take place in order for Leo's nervous system to work properly. It is a HUGE life savor to get your baby checked after he or she is born, then at each milestone. Once they are running and playing - it is good to keep them on a regular adjustment schedule - as any small trauma or injury that occurs can get permanetly placed on the nervous system. Your brain will start to create new movement patterns that will become deep seated later in life. My very best patients are the ones who have been adjusted through childhood. Their nervous systems are quick to fix and don't need a lot of care. Luckily, as a child it doesn't take much to remove the interference. So it is great to start now while they are still young and healthy. To make an appointment for your child, please contact our office. HEALTH is the BEST WEALTH, Dr. T |
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