ASKDOCTORANCA» Spring

the Top 10 Foods to Eat Organic

Anca Martalog — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:57:04 +0000

You’ve heard me many times stressing the importance of keeping your
body as “clean”(de-toxified) as possible-it is of paramount importance
for cancer prevention, increased focusing and concentrating ability
and decreasing degeneration which results in speeding up aging and
disease. One sure way to do all this is by avoiding Pesticides in
Your Produce-at least as much as you can…
…so, here are the Top 10 Foods to Eat Organic:
Much of the food that we consume on a daily basis contains pesticide
residues. While the FDA has regulations over the safe amount of
pesticide content in any food, the levels are particularly worrisome
in certain produce. While the consumption of these foods has been
shown to have no adverse affects in the short term, it has been shown
that high levels of these toxins found in the body over time can cause
all sorts of illness and disease.
While striving to eat organic is always something important, it is
often difficult, inconvenient; and can become quite costly. Because
not everyone can afford to go the 100% organic route every time they
shop, there are certain foods that experts say are more important to
eat organic than others. This is because they have high levels of
pesticide residues even after being washed and readied for
consumption. In fact, their toxin content is so high that nutrition
experts recommend only eating these foods when and if they can be
purchased organic.
Below is a list of the top 10 offenders, some of the nasty toxins they
contain, and ideal alternatives when organic can’t be found.
Strawberries
Main Nutrient: Vitamin C
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: Strawberries have high levels
of fungicides, some of which are classified by the EPA as probable
human carcinogens. They are also frequently contaminated with
endosulfan, a chemical that interferes with normal hormone function by
imitating the hormone estrogen.
Healthy Alternatives: oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit, watermelon
Spinach
Main Nutrient: Iron, Vitamins A and C
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: Because spinach is often grown
in mediocre growing conditions, the crops are more susceptible to
insect damage and mildew. To prevent these problems from ruining their
harvests farmers use high amounts of pesticides and fungicides. As a
result spinach is exceptionally high in DDT, permethrin, chlorthalonil
and other cancer causing pesticides.
Healthy Alternatives: kale, swiss chard, broccoli, brussels sprouts,
asparagus
Peaches
Main Nutrient: Vitamins A and C
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: This fruit has a heavy dose of
the cancer causing fungicides captan and iprodione, and the neurotoxic
pesticide methyl parathion, which are used to combat insects.
Healthy Alternatives: nectarines, watermelon, tangerines, oranges,
grapefruit
Apples
Main Nutrient: Vitamin C
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: To keep apples so pretty and
shiny as we have come to see them in the grocery store, it takes a lot
of pesticides, fungicides and petroleum oil. Common pesticide residues
found on apples, are Chlorpyrifos, Diphenylamine, Captan, Carbendazim
and Thiabendazole.
Healthy Alternatives: watermelon, nectarines, bananas, tangerines
Pears
Main Nutrient: Vitamin A, Potassium
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: Similar to apples, in order to
have aesthetically pleasing pears great deals of insecticides need to
be used. Common pesticides found on your average pear include:
Carbendazim, Chlormequat, Dithiocarbamates, Tolylfluanid, Captan.
Healthy Alternatives: canned pears, canned peaches, oranges
Celery
Main Nutrient: Carotenoids
Pesticide Residues These Often Contain: As celery is primarily made up
of water, it is no wonder that it absorbs anything and everything
around it; this includes toxins and water found in the soil around it.
As a result it is a major source of exposure to neurotoxic pesticides
and the probable human carcinogen, chlorthalonil.
Healthy Alternatives: carrots, broccoli, radishes, romaine lettuce

Understanding changes of season…

Anca Martalog — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:41:33 +0000

With spring here, changing in temperature, schedule and
certain habits, our body has you, yet again, adapt to all
this; which means it all could be a little stressful for
some of us, as the body perceives stress as any change: in
the outer environment or inner world.
Over the centuries, our bodies have been adapted to respond
to acute stressors. If there is a situation of immediate,
imminent danger, the appropriate hormones cause a ’fight or
flight’ response to the stressor. This was absolutely
imperative in order for one to escape danger or to defend
him/herself. The physical presentation of a threat is able
to psychologically elicit a physiological response in the
body. Moreover, one is also able to cause this cycle through
a perceived, psychological stressor, without the presence of
a physical entity. The effect created by the mind results in
the same adaptive hormones being released, however, without
the appropriate ‘off’ signal a person can be in a state of
perpetual ‘fight or flight’ for a long period of time. This
constant release of neuroendocrine hormones from the adrenal
glands can play a role in many conditions such as
depression, common colds, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome,
inflammatory bowel disease etc.
Adrenal Glands and Stress
When the adrenal glands are provoked by ACTH, they produce
epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, which help the
body adapt and survive a presenting stressor. The immediate
reaction to an exogenous or endogenous stressor is to have
the body in a state of ‘fight or flight’. The body’s
response is to release adrenal hormones, which increase
heart rate and blood pres- sure and divert blood to the
vital organs needed (brain, heart, and skeletal muscles) and
diverted from the less essential areas such as the
gastrointestinal tract.
The adrenal glands also produce hydrocortisone,
testosterone, estrogen and dehydroepinandrosterone (DHEA),
pregnenalone, aldosterone, androstenedione, progesterone, as
well as other intermediary hormones. Aldosterone works with
the renal system to help regulate the balance of sodium and
potassium within the body. This is critical for the
maintenance of blood pressure. In situations of chronic
stress exposure, one can exhaust/fatigue the adrenal glands,
leading to a state of ‘adrenal fatigue’. Thus, in the case
of aldosterone, the alteration in the fluid- balance
mechanism may create symptoms of ‘puffy hands and feet’.
The response and eventual adaption to stress involves
glucocorticoids to a large extent. This has a profound
effect on energy metabolism and biological functioning with
the body. For example, it is able to raise blood-sugar
levels, increase muscle-protein breakdown and hepatic
gluconeogenesis, and mobilize fatty acids. Further along the
stress adaption response involves compensation. This is also
known as the adrenal hyperfunction stage, with a secondary
influence on the HPA axis. The pituitary glands respond to
the sympathetic nervous system activity by releasing ACTH,
which cause the adrenal glands to produce excess cortisol
and androgen hormones.
The HPA axis responds by eventually becoming less sensitive
to the influence of cortisol’s feedback inhibition. As serum
cortisol levels rise, glucose utilization declines, insulin
resistance increases, gluconeogenesis in the liver
increases, and blood glucose levels increase. The body
responds to increased cortisol by increasing the degradation
of protein stores to supply amino acids for gluconeogenesis,
thus decreasing muscle mass. Adrenal hyperfunction is marked
by insulin resistance, mild obesity, hypertension, and
elevated triglycerides and lipids.
The final stages of stress response involve the decrease in
cortisol output, resulting in adrenal fatigue. The body is
unable to create the necessary cortisol and other
glucocorticoid hormones, resulting in physical changes.
People experiencing adrenal fatigue feel fatigued, may
become depressed, have difficulty concentrating, and may
experience painful headaches, low blood pressure,
sensitivity to carbohydrates, and an inability to tolerate
alcohol. Furthermore, cortisol is an anti-inflammatory
molecule, thus a decline in its production allows for more
inflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines, leading to eventual
tissue damage.
Herbal aids for treatment
Glycyrrhiza glabra is known to have many functions, most
notably for its adrenocorticoid-like activity. Further, it
has anti-inflammatory, antiallergy, antitussive, antiviral,
antiulcer, and estrogen balancing properties. It reduces the
amount of hydrocortisone broken down by the liver, which
then decreases the workload of the adrenal glands.
Withania somnifera, is noted alongside Glycyrrhiza for its
ability to support adrenal function. They have both been
used traditionally for convalescence, nervous exhaustion,
fatigue, geriatric debility, physical and mental stress, and
insomnia. Withania combined with Eleuthrococcus senticosus
may influence the adrenal hormone activity by helping to
support normal HPA axis function.
Further, Dioscorea opposite, Rhemannia glutinosa, and
Cordyceps sinensis are used commonly in Traditional Chinese
Medicine as herbs that ‘tonify’. These herbs contain
constituents, such as steroidal saponins, that may act as
precursors to adrenal hormones.
In modern society, situations of chronic stress outweigh
acute stressors that were once apparent in early
civilization. As a result, individuals are depleting their
stores of compensatory hormones, ultimately developing into
states of ‘adrenal fatigue’. It is in this state that
individuals place them- selves at higher risks of other
conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, depression, etc.
To aid individuals in these circumstances, it is imperative
that one considers their lifestyle. An appropriate analysis
of their life circumstances should reveal areas that are
contributing to the condition. Thus, stress management and
added adrenal support are able to assist individuals through
the occurrences, as maladaptive stress responses will
ultimately lead to one’s demise.
These issues, and more, are things we talk about in my new
Tele-Course “STOP surviving and START thriving”; you too
can learn all this by either sampling ONE Class or joining
uour MasterMind groups here.

Why You need to ALKALIZE…

Anca Martalog — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:34:25 +0000

…decrease acidity and increase alkalinity…

An imbalanced diet high in acidic food (animal protein, sugar, colas, fried foods, caffeine, processed foods) causes far-reaching damage to one’s health. The body constantly attempts to rebalance itself, and return to its natural alkaline state. The alkaline minerals: sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium found in vital organs and the bones, are removed and used to return the body’s fluids to an alkaline state.

Over time, poor eating habits deplete the body of these valuable alkalizing minerals and acidic waste builds up in the cells and tissue. Consequently, it becomes more difficult for your body to naturally cleanse and detoxify itself. This is where daily detoxification comes into play.

THE LIVER LOVES LEMONS!

Starting each day with lemon juice in a glass of pure water has been referred to in medical text for hundreds of years, and known by our “grandmothers” as beneficial, health- giving habit.

The morning is the natural cleansing period for the body. The lemon, one of nature’s powerhouse foods, is known to stimulate digestion, increase saliva flow, and support the liver and the production of bile- releasing congestion & toxins.

You can drink fresh lemon juice or lemon slices mixed with water throughout the day for further detoxification. Water is the key component here and you should ideally drink at least 64 ounces per day. For the EXACT amount of water YOUR body needs, download and listen to my QUICK START ON YOUR NATURAL PATH mp3, which contains the formula…

To investigate how toxic You are 7 find solutions, take Dr.Anca’s TOXICITY SELF-TEST

SPRING IS THE BEST TIME TO DE-CLUTTER & REGENERATE

Anca Martalog — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:43:18 +0000

Do You need to de-clutter?

HOW THE BODY DETOXIFIES

Normally, the body has its own internal de-cluttering system, continually detoxifying, pollutants, cellular by- products, harmful chemicals and toxic waste. Here’s how.

LIVER

The liver is our most important detoxifier, as it neutralizes poisons. What it cannot render harmless, it stores – protecting the rest of the body from harm.

KIDNEYS

The kidneys eliminate fluid wastes, maintain electrolyte balance and purify the bloodstream by detoxifying medications, free radicals and toxins found in the blood.

COLON

The colon eliminates solid wastes and absorbs water from foods.

LUNGS

The lungs act as a site of blood filtration and eliminate toxic gases with each respiration.

SKIN

As the largest eliminative organ, every pore of the skin is an escape route for waste material.

GENERAL CLEANSING GUIDELINES

Why Spring “Cleaning”?

Anca Martalog — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 13:26:11 +0000

Our bodies are naturally equipped to eliminate toxins. However, as our environment becomes more polluted with an ever-increasing number of synthetic chemicals, our bodies are exposed to a growing number of toxins from food, water, air, household chemicals and even our workplaces. This leads to a gradual accumulation of toxins that can cause symptoms ranging from fatigue, headaches, mood changes, pains, coughs and gastrointestinal problems. Long-term toxic exposure can weaken our systems, increase our susceptibility to infection and eventually lead to chronic illness. To thrive in this environment, our bodies need extra support to detoxify themselves. In my upcoming Tele-session, you will learn specific dietary and lifestyle changes that will safely eliminate built-up toxins from your system and help you reduce your exposure, preventing future accumulation. Cleared of toxins and wastes, your body will be able to function optimally and you will experience an improvement in overall health.

To register for Dr.Anca’s Naturopathic Tele-Seminar coming up this Wednesday, April8, visit here:

http://telehealthsecrets.com/teleseminars/teleseminar1

The signs of toxic overload are not a necessary part of life.

Anca Martalog — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:56:21 +0000

They may have become common, but they are not normal. Wastes are deposited in cells and tissues, where they undermine the body’s ability to function effectively, leading to:

* Fatigue

* Headaches

* Gas and bloating

* Aches and pains

* Dry, itchy skin

* Blemishes

* Body odour

* Skin irritation/rashes

* Sleeplessness

* Indigestion

* Nausea

* Mood swings

* Constipation or bowel irregularity (less than once a day is cause for concern)

More common toxicity symptoms include headache, fatigue, mucus problems, aches and pains, digestive problems, “allergy” symptoms, and sensitivity to environmental agents such as chemicals, perfumes, and synthetics. People who experience these and others on the list may benefit from diet changes or avoidance of the drug or agent that may be influencing the symptom.

If you want to learn more, I invite you to register for my FREE Detoxification Tele-seminar coming up this Thursday.