Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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 …
Gallbladder: What is it? And what does it do? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In this current series we have mostly focused on liver and kidney health. In this blog we will be taking a left turn and focusing on the gallbladder since the overall health …
Colon Hx
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Our product highlight will be something that will surprise you. It is Colon Hx! Now I bet I know what you are thinking, but Dr. Claire isn’t Colon Hx just a fiber for helping with constipation? What does it have to do with the liver or detox? Well, the answer is it is much more than “just a fiber for constipation.” Colon Hx’s blend of nutrients make it a terrific addition to any detox protocol! Let us get into it, shall we?
One of the main jobs of the liver is to detoxify any toxins in the body through phase 1 and phase 2. Once a toxin has gone through phase 1 and then phase 2, the toxins travel to the colon to exit the body via a bowel movement. If you experience constipation (have less than 1 bowel movement a day), these toxins just sit in the colon. The toxins can then absorb into the body, which is not ideal. These “recycling toxins” can increase the overall toxic burden on the body. (1) Colon Hx has four grams of fiber, shown in studies to increase stool frequency. (2) In my clinical experience it is important to drink enough water when adding fiber to your diet.
One of the first nutrients in Colon Hx is Psyllium seed husk. What is even psyllium seed husk? It is exactly what it sounds like. It comes from the seeds of a plant called Plantago Ovata. It is a soluble fiber that works as a bulk forming laxative. Studies have found that psyllium seed husk helps relieve constipation, mild diarrhea, hemorrhoids and may even help to regulate blood sugar levels. Other benefits of psyllium seed husk include helping with high cholesterol, both IBD and IBS and even helping with weight loss. (2) Psyllium seed husk can also help with detoxing since the fiber absorbs toxins and helps with their removal from the body. (3)
The next nutrient is triphala. This is a combination of three plants. Studies have found that triphala can help relieve constipation. Shown to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Studies have also found that using triphala can help with IBS symptoms. Studies have even found that it can help to heal stomach ulcers. Other additional benefits include reducing stress, being anti-inflammatory and even helping with blood sugar. (4) Studies have also found that triphala is hepatoprotective and that it protects our liver. (5)
One of the last nutrients is bentonite powder. This is where Colon Hx really shines in its ability to help with a detox protocol. One study found bentonite could bind aflatoxins and thus aid in their detox or removal from the body. (6) Other studies have found that bentonite has applications for “numerous health conditions as a detoxifying agent” in the body. (7) Bentonite clay has also been found to help treat C.Difficile infections when added to a therapeutic protocol. (8) Bentonite may even help keep the rotavirus from replicating. (9) One study found that bentonite can help to detoxify heavy metals. (10) In fact, a recent study found it helped detox both lead and cadmium. (11) Now I am sure you noticed that Colon Hx contains Iron. This is because bentonite is a natural source of iron. (12)
Finally, is Calcium D-Glucarate. According to Memorial Sloan Kettering this can help metabolize estrogens and help with their detoxification. This process is important in certain cancers. (13)
While I do not often write about quality control, it was important to do so in this blog. All Invite health products are third party evaluated to ensure they are free of any contaminants such as heavy metals. This is important because it is possible for bentonite to have heavy metals. (13) This is just one reason quality does matter. Do you remember that old saying, you get what you pay for? With vitamins this is true!
Next up we will explore the Gallbladder! What does it even do? Well, you will have to see!
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Hepatitis Part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog on this topic, we began with some background information such as just what is hepatitis? What causes hepatitis? And what are the symptoms you might experience with hepatitis? If you haven’t read the first …
Hepatitis Part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND When I first began to even just think about a series on our liver and kidney health, I knew it was important to to write about hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is a huge problem worldwide. In fact, according to …
Hepatox Hx
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Invite Health has quite a selection of nutrients that are good for both our liver and kidneys. One such item is called Hepatox. It has a funny name I know but this particular supplement is a combination of things that have been found in studies to help our liver and kidney health. These nutrients include Phyllanthus amarus, Dandelion root and Milk Thistle. Let’s review these nutrients one at time, shall we?
Phyllanthus amarus sounds like a funny name for a supplement however it’s got a ton of benefits for our health. So what do studies have to say about it? Well studies have found that is a powerful antioxidant. Those same studies have found that it is hepatoprotective. (1) Studies have also found that it can help with diabetes and kidney stones. These same studies have also found that it can help with chronic inflammation. (2) Other studies have found that it is also antiviral and this is important because it also helps fight against hepatitis B. It has also been found to be hepatoprotective, good for overall inflammation and cytotoxic. (3) So just what does all this actually mean? Basically it means that studies find that it helps with our liver and kidneys in several different ways.
The next item in Hepatox is our old friend Dandelion root! Dandelion root, as I said in my blog on Daily Detox powder has quite a few benefits for our overall health. Now I’m not going to over this in too much detail because as I said I wrote a large detailed explanation of just what dandelion does in my blog on Daily Detox powder. So let’s just do a quick review on just what dandelion does for us. Dandelion has been found to help those with gallstones. This is important because gallstones can affect our liver health and even our ability to fully digest fats and any fat soluble vitamins. (4) As you know fat soluble vitamins include Omega 3’s and even Vitamin D among other things that are important for our overall health. Dandelion is also one of the nutrients that studies have found to help with our kidney health. (5) Studies have also found that dandelion is a strong natural diuretic that can help with bloating and fluid buildup in the body. (6) Other studies have found that when combined with certain antimicrobials it may help with our urinary health. (7)
Milk Thistle is the last item in Hepatox. Once again I’ll just be doing a quick summary since I wrote about this powerful nutrient in my blog on Daily Detox powder. As I talked about in both my blog on NAFLD and my latter blog on cirrhosis having NAFLD is a huge risk factor for damaging our liver. Studies have found that milk thistle has many benefits for NAFLD including reducing markers normally elevated in NAFLD such as triglycerides and GGT levels. (8) Milk thistle has also been found to be helpful in reducing kidney disease especially in diabetics. (9)
As you can see Hepatox sure has plenty of benefits for our liver and kidneys. Many people like to do a yearly detox as the seasons change and in my clinical experience Hepatox can be a great addition to these protocols. It can also be used every day for those who would like to support their kidneys and liver. As always feel free to reach out to one of Invite’s qualified nutritionists to determine if Hepatox is the right supplement to help reach your goals.
Our next topic will be Hepatitis.
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