Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Introduction to Dental Health Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Dental health may not seem like a topic that would come up in an Invite health blog series but here we are talking about dental health! Dental health, or in other words oral health, does not just …
All About Detox Part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I wrote about how it can be beneficial to do a detox twice a year. I described it as being a spring and fall cleanse. Just like you would do in your …
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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Kidney Health Part 4 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Dialysis I wanted to talk about dialysis because in my experience it is one of the topics that people have the most questions about. If you can recall in part 1 of kidney health, I talked …
Kidney Health Part 3 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In this blog on kidney health, I will be reviewing polycystic kidney disease (PKD), chronic kidney disease (CKD) and even kidney failure. The reason I have for putting these 3 disorders in one blog is that …
Kidneys Part 2
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
In the first part of our discussion on kidney health we reviewed basic information such as what the kidneys do for us and tests that can measure our kidney health. (1) In this blog we will review the things that can go wrong with our kidney health. So, without further ado let’s get into it, shall we?
What are the most common complications that can occur when it comes to our kidney health? Well one of the most well-known complications is the development of kidney stones. Kidney stones are exactly what they sound like, solid masses or rocks that form in the kidneys. These stones are much more common than you might expect. In fact, approximately 1 in 10 people will have a kidney stone sometime in their lifetime. But just what are these stones made of? There are 4 types of stones, and the type is determined by what they are made up of. Calcium-oxalate and calcium phosphate form from a high oxalate or low calcium diet especially when you are not drinking enough water. These are the most common forms of stones. Uric acid stones can form from animal proteins which can increase uric acid. Struvite stones are associated with bacterial infections. Lastly cysteine stones form when you have an inherited condition that makes you form them. One of the most common reasons that kidney stones form in general is NOT drinking enough water. Having a family history of kidney stones also can increase your risk. Diet-wise eating a diet high in meat/ protein, salt and sugar can increase your risk. Taking high dose vitamin C and even certain medications can be a risk factor for stones. Having certain medical conditions or having any stomach/intestinal surgery can also increase the risk for stones. Lastly, having a blockage in your kidney can lead to the development of stones.
When you have kidney stones you may experience nausea/vomiting and fever/ chills. You may feel an urge to urinate but be unable to or if you do urinate there may be pain. Your urine may be bloody, cloudy, or foul smelling. Smaller stones will have fewer symptoms. (2)
Another common complication is the occurrence of kidney infections. Approximately 1 in 2000 people get a kidney infection every year in the US. Risk factors for kidney infections include anything that keeps the urine in the urinary tract and allows bacteria to grow and back up into the kidneys. For example, pressure on the bladder during pregnancy, uterine prolapse, enlarged prostate and even kidney stones. If you have vesicoureteral reflux, it increases the risk of an infection. Certain conditions such as diabetes can increase your risk. The symptoms are the same as listed for kidney stones. (3)
You can also develop kidney cancer. Each year more than 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with kidney cancer. Kidney cancer is approximately 3.7% of all cancers in the US. Risk factors include a family history, radiation therapy, gene mutations and even long-term dialysis. Obesity and high blood pressure are also risk factors. Smoking is another risk factor. Certain genetic disorders can also increase the risk of cancer. In addition to the symptoms of kidney stones you may have a lump in your kidney area. You may also feel fatigue, an overall feeling of not feeling well, flank or bone pain and even have a loss of appetite and weight loss. You may develop high blood pressure. Lastly you may become anemic. (4)
Another condition you may have heard of is the development of kidney cysts. These are small, fluid filled or solid pouches that form on the kidneys. (5) I will talk more about these when I review polycystic kidney disease in my next blog.
Other conditions that can affect the kidney include diabetes related nephropathy or hypertensive nephropathy. There is also proteinuria and uremia. (1) While there are other conditions that can affect the kidney I wanted to focus on these since they are the most frequently asked about.
Our next blog will be talking about Polycystic kidney disease, chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. For some supplements that are helpful for both the liver and kidneys look at my blog Liver and Kidney intermission. It talks about such supplements as NAC, L Carnosine, Milk Thistle and even Resveratrol!
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