Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Summertime Blues Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND You may have heard of something called SAD or seasonal affective disorder. This is sometimes referred to as the “wintertime blues”. What you may not be aware of is that while SAD is typically associated with winter it can …
Extreme Heat and Joint Pain Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND While the warm, balmy weather of summer may help to reduce the joint pain of rheumatoid arthritis and even TMJ for some people for other people summer can leave them in MORE pain than the frigid …
Dehydration
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One topic that seems to come up frequently is dehydration. This topic is important, especially in the summer weather because a common cause of dehydration is simply sweating. As we all know, the hot, humid weather that is typical of summer can and does impact how much we sweat and therefore can increase fluid loss and the need to intake fluid. Now I bet I know what you are thinking, but Dr. Claire, I work in air conditioning! I do not sweat profusely! Does that mean I do not need to worry about dehydration? Well, I am sorry to tell you this but even with AC you should still think about dehydration! In fact, since AC’s suck the moisture out of the room (and the moisture inside YOU) being in AC can actually increase the need for fluids. (1) How do you know if you are dehydrated? What are the possible complications and just what can you do to help prevent becoming dehydrated? Let us get into it, shall we?
Dehydration is a fancy way of saying that your body is losing more fluid than you are drinking. In addition to excess sweating, dehydration is most commonly caused by vomiting and diarrhea. In this blog we will be focusing on sweating as a cause of dehydration. (2) How can you tell if you may be developing dehydration? The obvious answer, thirst may not be the most reliable way to determine hydration because in many people the thirst sensation may not be trigged until after dehydration has begun! It can also be difficult for some infants or even young children to articulate when they feel thirsty. In both infants and young children, you should look for certain changes in behavior. You may notice a lack of tears, dry mouth and even a decrease in urination. There may be rapid heartbeat as well as skin that does not flatten after being pinched. They may lack energy. Lastly, they may have shrunk eyes, cheeks, or soft spots. (3)
Dehydration can be mild or even severe. In this blog I will be focusing more on mild dehydration since severe dehydrations is considered a medical emergency. Please seek care if a child or older adult is dehydrated or there is severe diarrhea, bloody stool, diarrhea for 3 or more days, inability to keep fluid down or disorientation. (2) How can you compare the signs of mild dehydration vs more severe? Please see the chart below. (2)
| Mild dehydration | Severe dehydration – all listed mild dehydration symptoms plus : |
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Why is dehydration so concerning? Well, it can lead to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. It can also affect our electrolytes leading to muscle spasms and this can even make us faint or in some extreme cases trigger a seizure. One of the most serious complications is shock. Long lasting or frequent episodes can damage kidneys and our urinary tract. (3)
What can you do to prevent dehydration?
Watermelon is 92% water, and it is quite tasty too. (4) You can feel free to just munch away or even use it to make popsicles! In fact, for a summer treat try the following recipe! To start with, cut up approximately 3 cups of watermelon. Add the chunks to a blender. Add 2 scoops of Reds Hx and 1 scoop of Organic Greens. As you blend add just enough water so you can pour the mix into molds and freeze overnight.
Leafy greens are another great source of water! (4) feel free to use your favorite greens to make a delicious salad. For example, take your greens of choice with cooked beets, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado (reliable source of potassium!). To this delicious summer salad, you can add a dressing made with ¼ cup olive oil that is mixed with 2 scoops Greens Hx and the contents of 1 Aged garlic.
Citrus fruits are 88% water! (4) Feel free to add 3 or 4 clementine’s to a blender (do not forget to peel them first lol). Add 1 cup of carbonated or fizzy water and 2 scoops of Oranges Hx plus 1 scoop of Collagen Hx. Blend for a fancy summer drink!
Strawberries are a family favorite! They are full of water! (4) I like to make a spread that is like jam! To a saucepan add 2 cups of cut strawberries. Add ¼ cup water and cook till it gets to 220 degrees. Now I will be honest here, I usually just wing this step and simmer for about 10 min after the mix starts to boil. Like most people I am doing 10 things at a time. I have no time to sit and “baby the berries.” Lol – remember this should be fun not just a chore you hate. Anyhoo back to the spread! After it is done cooking add 2 scoops of Reds Hx and 2 scoops of Organic Greens! You can mix it with a fork or carefully use an emersion blender to blend everything together. Feel free to use on toast or a frozen dessert! You can even use it in yogurt!
Feel free to just make a smoothie mixing any of your favorite invite powders!
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LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~MOVEMENT AND EXERCISE by: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Movement and exercise, or physical activity, is a healthy lifestyle component that we all know about and are often not consistent with in our day-to-day life. We all hear about it, read …
PRIMARY FOOD, LIFESTYLE AND OUR HEALTH~CAREER by: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Most people do not think about their career and work environment when discussing their personal health and wellness. However, it can be a driving force in managing a healthy lifestyle. I even …
All About Detox Part 1
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Liver health is important for our overall health for so many reasons. One of the most well-known functions of the liver is to detox our bodies. Doing a detox, or cleanse is one of the topics that people tend to feel very enthusiastic about. Some people will insist a detox is necessary every few months. In contrast other people will insist that a detox is not at all necessary and that the liver can do all the detox you need on its own. With these 2 polarizing opinions it is easy to see why this topic can be difficult to understand. So, let us get into it, shall we?
What do we mean when we say do a liver cleanse or detox? Well, a detox helps the liver process toxins through both phase 1 and phase 2. (2) It is important to understand that not all products that say they promote detox are healthy and safe for our liver. In fact, some supplements can cause more harm than good and end up actually damaging our body! While a juice cleanse is often promoted as the best way to do a detox it can affect your blood sugar in a negative way if you are a diabetic or have prediabetes. (2) I know you’re thinking if that is all true it’s best to avoid the whole detox thing! And while yes, it is important to understand that not all detox supplements are the same it is also important to remember that all Invite Health products are made based on studies and undergo testing to ensure that they are both effective and safe.
The one question that I get asked all the time is how often should I do a detox? I tend to promote a happy medium between “every month and never.” Based on my clinical experience I find doing a detox is like doing the spring and fall cleaning. Just like you clean the house to keep everything neat, organized and working well it is a good idea to “clean” or detox the body. That’s why I recommend doing a detox in the spring and fall. Now a detox can be a part of a protocol to address different health goals. In those cases it’s always important to speak to an Invite nutritionist.
I do want to take a moment to talk about who should and should not do a detox. For example many herbs are not safe to use during pregnancy. (3) Additionally doing a detox during pregnancy would expose the growing baby to toxins which most people would agree is not a clever idea! In addition to pregnancy, it’s also not recommended to do a detox if you are on certain medications. For example, NAC has been found to help the liver process medications and get them out of the body. An example of this is Acetaminophen. (4) This means if you are on a medication that requires a certain blood concentration to work if you do a detox, it may detox these meds out of your body faster than expected and thus it will not be as effective. For example, seizure medications. One of the first things we are taught in Naturopathic school is never detox anyone on seizure medications because it can increase the risk of them having a seizure.
Based on my clinical experience I have found that doing a detox can help the liver and kidneys do their jobs better. As I said it’s like spring/fall cleaning. NAC is a great overall supplement. Among its many benefits it works to support detox and even helps promote liver and kidney health. (4) Milk thistle has also been found to help protect the liver and kidneys from toxins. (5) Alpha lipoic acid has also been found to help promote detox. It is interesting because it is extremely helpful at detoxing heavy metals. (6) Dandelion is interesting because it has been found to help get rid of bacteria that are associated with heavy metals. (7) Glutathione has often been called the master antioxidant. Studies have found that it is important for detox and “protecting against toxicity” and even certain diseases. (8)
As you can see the studies clearly show that certain nutrients do promote liver and kidney health and even detox! Thus, it is not all a bunch of rubbish as some might say. Now I’m sure your thinking but Dr. Claire what Invite supplements even have these nutrients? Invite has many supplements that contain these nutrients. Please look for the following products: Daily Detox powder, Detox Hx, Hepatox, NAC and Milk Thistle!
Our next blog will have more details on just what goes into doing a healthy detox.
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