My diet & detox journal

Having taken much time off from my blog to focus on my family, I’ve decided that an ideal way to reestablish myself with my followers here at Ask Cassy would be to publish some of my current written material. In other words, I’ll post for your enjoyment the stuff I’ve been working on for the company. Someday, when I have the time I’ll archive it all to my article pages and portfolio, but for now you’ll get the good stuff without the advertising fluff. If you’re sensitive, please forgive the product call outs. Those of you who know me well will have no fear writing to me to banter on formulas…bring it on…I invite it!

[You’ll also note that the choice of images is mine, not my employers. When needed I’ve credited images in the ‘alt’ code. Thanks!]

I recently wrote this article for my employer, Enzymedica. It ran in our July/August 2009 newsletter. Enjoy!

The Cleansing Effects of Digestion and Detoxification

It has been said that our intestinal tract is the root of good health. Unfortunately, impaired digestion, poor food choices, and improper elimination can leave our bowels at risk for countless health concerns including a bacterial and yeast imbalance. Combining healthy microflora, however, along with a sensible cleansing diet and supplemental enzymes to promote optimal digestion will help bring our intestinal health into balance.

The Roots of Faulty Digestion and Impaired Intestinal Health Revealed!
It has been said that our intestinal tract is the root of good health. This system houses the important processes of digestion, nutrient absorption, and elimination, so there is little doubt that if it ceases to function properly, poor health will follow.

What we often think of as a long hollow tube is actually full of the byproducts of our digestive processes, including fiber, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in various stages of digestion. These contents are activated by digestive fluid such as stomach acid, digestive enzymes from our pancreas and other organs, and bile acids from the liver. Broken down into smaller and smaller pieces, food is transformed into usable nutrients and waste is passed down the tube to the colon for elimination.

There’s a Fungus within Each of Us
These close quarters are also inhabited by countless microorganisms which feed on the contents of our intestines. Trillions of microorganisms, including yeasts and bacteria, make their home in our gastrointestinal tract. We offer these microflora a place to live and in return they provide a multitude of benefits; aiding digestion and elimination through fiber fermentation, producing vitamins such as B and K, and the manufacture of enzymes that will help us break down the foods we eat.

We take in healthy bacteria through our diet in foods such as yogurt, raw sauerkraut, and kefir. Other common sources of these organisms are dietary supplements such as capsules and powders. These beneficial microflora are commonly referred to as probiotics and their numbers are largely dependent on our own diet, the supplements we take, and our environmental burden. Unfortunately, many of these critters are easily damaged by chemicals such as chlorinated water from drinking and bathing, as well as the preservatives and antibiotics found in some foods and medications, making probiotic supplementation necessary.

Our internal ecosphere consists of both beneficial and pathogenic organisms. In proper numbers, the healthy probiotics we house will feed on the contents of our healthy diet and secrete byproducts that are antagonistic to pathogens, such as yeast and other pathogenic bacteria. This process helps keep our intestines healthy and our microbial balance in check.

However, if we consume large amounts of processed foods, such as sugar and refined carbohydrates, we provide fodder for fermentation by pathogenic organisms such as the yeast known as Candida Albicans. This pesky beast can be the cause of countless health challenges including food sensitivities, low energy, skin issues, indigestion, occasional gas and bloating, and can even compromise immunity.

While in balance, Candida is generally a harmless yeast organism. But when overgrown and imbalanced it can damage our intestinal lining. In fact, Candida can shift into a fungal form, growing long roots which can burrow into intestinal lining, affecting other organs and causing harm to our health.

Impaired digestion, irregularity and improper bowel elimination allow undigested food to sit in the intestines where it, too, becomes food for bacteria and yeast. The condition of such a colon inhibits proper assimilation of nutrients and encourages further overgrowth of pathogens. To maintain a healthy intestine and gain the full benefits of our diet we must avoid impaired digestion at all costs. Optimal digestion can best be achieved by the healthy production of digestive enzymes from our pancreas, stomach and intestine, and supported by the enzymes found in raw foods and dietary supplements.

Finding your Internal Balance
While few will argue that diet is a key component in maintaining a healthy intestinal tract, as we’ve seen, enzymes and probiotics can be important aids to help you avoid the chaos of intestinal imbalance. Enzymedica offers a novel approach for those concerned with intestinal imbalance and yeast overgrowth: the enzyme product Candidase and its companion supplement, Pro-Bio.

Combined with a healthy diet the cellulase enzymes in Candidase will help break down the tough outer shell of Candida, while protease (protein-digesting) enzymes digest the protein based nucleus of the organism. This will aid our body’s own immune system to remove the yeast and properly eliminate the fungus. Not only do protease and cellulase enzymes digest the Candida cell itself, but they also help clean up the intestine, aiding detoxification and elimination. This will help healthy probiotics flourish, aid nutrient absorption, and contribute to a healthy intestinal environment.

A probiotic supplement such as Enzymedica’s Pro-Bio will supply the colon with a flood of healthy organisms to impart healthy benefits. Probiotic organisms such as the lactobacillus acidophilus paracasei and other strains found in Pro-Bio have been shown in studies to balance and maintain levels of healthy intestinal microflora. This, in turn will help keep our yeast populations in check. Shelf stable and enteric coated to allow the organisms safe passage into the lower GI where they will flourish, Pro-Bio is a promising partner in digestive health.

What I am about to share is my history~
Perhaps it may surprise you, but I believe that we are all wounded healers…

As readers of my blog and friends and family know, for many years (in particular my late teens and early twenties) I was plagued with semi-hypochondria and misunderstanding of the normal functions of my own body. I’m clear that much of this may have been rooted in fear of the unknown, as I was more of a fan of social science, rather than biology and anatomy. It is also likely due to the fact that many of my grandparents suffered from chronic disease and were ill or passed away during those formative years. There was my father’s experience as described below, and add to that my sister’s ulcerative colitis, and my own process of dealing with what was eventually diagnosed as PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Putting it all together, you can imagine how difficult it was for me to feel comfortable with general wellness.

I think that the clearest connection I can make to when things started going ’strange’ in my mind was back in 1989, the winter when my father was diagnosed with cancer. He fought it, and won, and over the past 18 years since my father first won his battle with malignant cells in his colon, I’ve spent countless hours counting the blessings of having healthy family members, but fearing my own mortality.

In truth, there is nothing like the reality of life to remind you how precious each day really is. Back in the late 1980s, when I first learned of Dad’s issue, I was unprepared with how to deal with it, or the considerations it would bring up in terms of my own health and wellbeing. Not only did I become significantly obsessed with the prevention of illness, I managed to do the same for every member of my family, at times whether they wished me to do so, or not! However, my father’s subsequent conquering of his colon ills, and his journey to wellness was something that inspired me on my own journey to use natural health care as a means of finding a holistic and healthful way to find peace.

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Ok. I am putting together some thoughts for my upcoming eBook about PCOS, and I thought I would throw everyone a morsel to wet your appetite…Raw foods were a key part of my journey to balance my PCOS. In exchange for a healthy diet, rich in raw fresh foods, I received clear skin, for the first time since late puberty!

Here you go…

Yes, yes, yes. A favorite subject of teenagers, but a sorrowful situation for an adult, right? Blemishes not only make you want to hide your face under a paperbag, but they can even cause scaring and long term damage to your skin.

As a woman with PCOS, I am no stranger to breakouts. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is often characterized by imbalanced hormones. (Did you know that new statistics are showing that as many as 10% or more of young women are dealing with this disorder?)

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