In the last installment of this blog series, we learned how to STOP the heavy flow of toxins from our food and the environment INTO our body. We’re also filling our bodies with nutrient-dense foods and doing all the right things to get our bodies on the right track again. We’re going to step it up a notch in the Supplemental stage by doing the following …

Detoxing - i.e., ELIMINATING toxins OUT of our bodies that are buried deep.  Foundational steps do have a gentle detoxifying effect. But a stronger detox is best done a few weeks after starting the Foundational tier to minimize the stress on your body. Purging too many toxins at 1 time can leave you feeling ill. Our detox will be accomplished in part through the supplements discussed later in this post, but our primary means of detoxing will be the FIR sauna. It’s 1 of the safest and most effective means for purging toxins from your body. It’s very similar to a normal sauna except it works on the infra red frequency for deeper penetration. When you first start, you might want to go with 140 degrees for 30 minutes. Now before you get worried … because of the way the technology works, it doesn’t feel like 140. My comfort level is 150 for 40 minutes. A couple times a week for 2 months should get you good results. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water in the process. I can almost guarantee you will feel great after trying this! For further detoxing, you might want to try a “castor pack detox” which focuses on your liver (some versions of this detox require minor fasting). I don’t deal well with fasting, so this is 1 I haven’t tried.

Naturopathic Medicine – another area we can build on from the Foundational phase is medical care. Naturopathic medicine is better about addressing the cause as opposed to the symptoms, particularly for chronic or long-term health issues. I recommend getting acquainted with a well-qualified naturopathic doctor (ND) to help you through this healing transformation. If you’re currently taking any sort of pharmaceutical or off-the-shelf drugs, work with them to ween yourself off and replace with good nutrition, supplements, and a healthy lifestyle. Conventional medicine (aka Western medicine) still has its use and should not be overlooked. It excels in emergency medical care. Use these form of treatments judiciously. The dental equivalent of the naturopathic doctor is the biological or holistic dentist. A number of dental procedures call for implants that are meant to stay in your body for many years. These dentists utilize many of the same principles and work with materials that are most compatible with the human body. I would highly recommend chiropractic care as well. It’s been scientifically proven that spinal alignment supports nervous system health, and therefore overall health.

Now that you have your new “network” of natural healthcare providers, start fixing those problems you felt like you can live with. One of the treatments I found very effective for allergies involves a machine called the BAX-3000. It has the ability to accurately detect your allergies and reprogram your body to have a normal reaction. So if you’re allergic to something like strawberries and have been avoiding them, there’s no longer any reason to.

Supplements – the final area we can improve upon is nutrition, and we’ll accomplish that by incorporating food-based supplements where needed. Food-based supplements are much better than the synthetic versions which are basically made in a lab. As with naturopathic medicine, supplement types and dosage need to be tailored to the individual. Keep in mind that many supplements include additional nutrients which may overlap with other supplements in your mix. Be sure to stay within the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s). This is the new set of guidelines that replaced the RDA’s. Also, be mindful of the effects of long-term use for all supplements you take. As a final piece of advice, review your plan with a doctor if you’re at all unsure about how new supplements might interact with your body and any medications. As an example, here’s a partial list of the high quality supplements I take which may apply to the majority.

Core Supplements (the supplements I take as part of my daily routine):

• Multi-vitamin – Vitamin Code Raw Whole Food Multi
• Calcium complex – New Chapter Bone Strength
• Omega-3 – Nordic Naturals
• Vitamin D/K2 – Thorne Research
• Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) – Quantum Nutrition Labs
• CoQ10 (ubiquinol form)
• Probiotic
• Vitamin C – Nature’s Way, Alive!
• B complex -  Vitamin Code Raw B Complex
• Fiber - a very important part of our diet (both soluble and insoluble)
• Iodine – if you don’t get enough through table salt or seaweed; critical for thyroid health

Periodic Cycling:  There are several other supplements worth taking. I try to cycle through some others on an intermittent basis to limit how many supplements I end up taking in a day.

• Green tea extract – a potent anti-oxidant and disease fighter
• Resveratrol – this nutrient is known to be a calorie restriction mimetic and can extend your lifespan by as much as 7 years
• Astaxanthin - in addition to being a great anti-oxidant, it provides mitochondrial protection from free radicals
• Reishi mushroom – renowned health benefits which include immune support and decreasing inflammation (and more recently found to increase longevity by influencing the foxO gene)
• The list of antioxidants on our anti-oxidants page would make excellent additions as well

More information on oral supplements can also be found in the Supplements section of the main website.

Part 3: Personalized >>