Spring Clean Your Body Posted on March 24, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

We are exposed to toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. In the U.S. alone there are 1700 new chemicals released every year. Only 45% of these chemicals have been tested for toxicity. Recent research evaluating the blood of newborn babies found industrial chemicals in their blood. These babies had not yet been exposed to the toxins in the air or water outside the womb. Testing showed their blood already contained toxins that they had absorbed from their mother. We do indeed live in a toxic world.

Without food most humans will die within a month, as long as they have water. Without water, the human body will survive only ten days. Water makes up 70% of the body, 90% of the blood, and 85% of the brain. The rule for water consumption is to drink one-half your body weight in ounces. Failure to drink sufficient water causes signs of dehydration that most people have learned to ignore.

Americans do not worry about dehydration. They think that dehydration is something that happens to travelers in the desert when they run out of water. Chronic dehydration is widespread today and does not have immediate symptoms. It affects everyone who is not drinking enough liquid.

Chronic dehydration has been masked by food or with drugs. Some symptoms and their common remedies are: Peptic Ulcer - Antacids; Craving Sweets – Sugar; Depression - Anti-depressant drugs; Allergies – Antihistamines. Dry mouth is a late sign of thirst for water on a cellular level. Saliva is produced even in chronic dehydration with a dry mouth, because it is a digestive enzyme.

If you have any of these symptoms: fatigue, constipation, digestive disorders, high or low blood pressure, gastritis or stomach trouble, respiratory trouble, acid-alkaline imbalance, excess weight and obesity, eczema, cholesterol issues, urinary infections, rheumatism, and premature aging, you may need to drink more water.

Drinking clean water is essential to good health. But which drinking water is the cleanest? You might guess bottled water, but it's not that simple. Bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap water. In fact, FDA purity requirements for city water systems are far more stringent than for bottled water companies. The plastic from the bottles can leach into the drinking water. Bottled water creates more pollution by filling our landfills with gazillions of wasted plastic bottles. Bottled water is often tap water that has been filtered once and then sold to the consumer.

Drinking more water is the first action that can be taken to cleanse the body of toxins. Detoxification is a natural process occurring on a continual basis in the body, and more water is the easiest way to help detoxify. Studies show that detoxification improves all the organs of elimination and results in increased health benefits. The best health insurance you can have is to do everything possible to cleanse your body to prevent sickness and disease. Besides increasing water consumption, there are detoxification diets and programs to help cleanse the body of accumulated toxins.

There are many different types of detoxification programs. Besides detoxification diets, there are detoxification programs that focus on specific organ systems: the skin, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, blood and lymphatic system. Even dietary changes (eating organic) and nutritional modification (decreasing intake of processed sugars) can be a mild form of detoxification.

If you are trying a detoxification program for the first time, it is best to start with a gentle cleanse. Detoxification diets can target different organ systems involved. In general, it is usually recommended that you begin with the intestines. If your bowels are not moving adequately enough to expel the toxins, there will be little benefit from detoxification.  Failure to have proper bowel elimination is a sign of dehydration. By focusing on the hydrating the bowels first to increase elimination, you will enhance detoxification.

Spring is the best time to cleanse your body. All native cultures around the world have spring rituals involving body cleansing to eliminate toxins that have been stored during the winter. The easiest cleanse to begin with is to increase your consumption of good healthy clean, hydrating water. There are many detoxification and cleansing programs available at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia to help your body become cleaner on the inside.  Call (734) 664 - 0339 for a no charge consultation with Dr. Linda Solomon, DC, CCWFN to learn what detox program would work best for you. Happy Spring Cleaning!

Disclaimer: The recommendations in this article are not to be taken as medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care practitioner to obtain your own stress and/or hormone evaluation, and for specific recommendations on your personal health issues.

Running on Empty posted on 8 March 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

                                                Running on Empty                               

This phrase conjures up images of your car running out of fuel while you are driving, with no available gas station to fill up your tank. Running on empty also refers to a condition where you keep pushing your body to go, and it has no more available fuel to use. This is not a reference to making sure that you have eaten a sufficient quantity of food.  Running on empty refers to the reduced function of the hormonal system.

The job of the hormonal system is to activate your entire body and keep it going all day. A normally functioning hormonal system would enable you to easily jump out of bed in the morning. How many of you have to drag your body out of bed and get something like a cup of coffee in order to function? If you are tired in the morning and/or need caffeine to get going, your hormones are not doing what they should.

If you experience fatigue after lunch or midday, or reach for something sweet to eat to get some energy, again your hormones are not functioning well. Your hormonal system should be providing your body with energy to function throughout the day, and allowing you to relax and sleep at night. If you are having any difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking up frequently during the night, your hormonal system is out of balance.

In addition to fatigue, the other indicators of a hormonal system that needs help include, sugar and/or salt cravings, weight gain, pain, hair thinning or loss, cold hands and feet and feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Stress is one of the major reasons that the hormonal system fails to do its job.

Too much stress can play havoc with the hormonal system. Ongoing or chronic long term stress adversely affects the ability of your body to continue to make the hormones needed for daily function. The stress response of the body burns out over time causing fatigue, insomnia, altered mood, lack of motivation, poor digestion, decreased sex drive, irritability, depression, sugar cravings, chronic pain, inability to stay asleep, osteoporosis, weight gain, and more symptoms.

There is a natural solution to help repair hormonal imbalance regardless of the stage of hormonal function your body is in. Various alternative approaches to repairing hormonal imbalances range from dietary and lifestyle changes to natural hormone replacement therapy. 

Dr. Linda Solomon at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia is one of the few holistic wellness physicians who understands how to evaluate your hormones, and can help you rejuvenate your them. Remember, it is better to check your fuel levels now, so that your body doesn’t have to be running on empty in the near future. Call TLC Holistic Wellness at (734) 664 -0339 now to schedule a no charge consultation to see if your hormones need help. 

The Secret to Simple Weight Loss posted on February 28, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC, ND

A healthy body is composed of 25% fat. Your body uses this fat in all cell membranes, and in nerve and brain cells. Good fat is not the body fat that you find around your abdomen or thighs. That extra body weight occurs from the consumption of wrong fats and excess sugars. 

The body protects itself from toxins by surrounding them with fat and storing them. When there are no good fats, the body uses the bad fats to make cell membranes. The bat fat cell membranes prevent the toxins stored inside the cells from being released, adding to weight gain everywhere. In addition to weight gain, bad fats increase bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, and decrease good cholesterol (HDL) levels. 

Man-made (bad) fats add to the toxic burden and increase body weight and inches. This includes the fat found in processed foods and margarine. These bad fats are non-digestible. To lose weight, consume good fats that are digestible, and are solid at room temperature, like coconut oil and butter. Avoid using Canola oil and imitation butters. Canola oil is highly processed Canadian oil made from the poisonous and deadly rape seed plant. Olive oil is the best oil to use on salads, and is better for cooking than corn or vegetable oil.

If you find that you cannot lose weight easily by changing your food intake, it could be because your body has stored too many toxins. Everywhere you look we are bombarded with chemicals. There are over 14,000 man-made chemicals in our food supply alone, not to mention the chemicals that we put on our skin in the form of soaps, lotions and cosmetics. The average American consumes 14 pounds of chemical additives, 180 pounds of table sugar, and 54 gallons of pop, in addition to bad fats. This contributes to weight gain and must change. 

Everyone bathes daily in clean water, but do you drink water to clean the inside of your body? Your body is 70% water. Water is used to dilute and neutralize toxic chemicals. Without sufficient water these chemicals are stored in the body in the fatty tissues, adding to weight gain. So bathe your body on the inside each and every day to keep it healthy and to help it lose unwanted pounds.

The amount of water that your body needs daily is one-half your body weight in ounces. If you weighed 150 pounds you should drink 75 ounces of water daily. As you increase your water consumption toward half your body weight in ounces, you will find that food cravings will decrease, you will sleep better, you will have more energy, and you will lose weight. 

If you are unable to drink half your body weight in ounces, you are drinking the wrong type of water. Not all waters are created equal. Some waters taste better than others, and are easier to drink. Clean healthy alkalized, antioxidant rich water is easy to drink and super hydrating. Many people who drink this type of water experience increased energy and easier weight loss. Contact TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, MI today for more information and to sample this delicious water. Call (734) 664 - 0339.

What Are Antioxidants?

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC

As you listen to your favorite Detroit radio station, you will hear advertisements praising the virtues of a newly discovered foreign fruit that is rich in antioxidants. You also see similar ads on the side of big Bloomfield HIlls busses. Why all the hype about antioxidants?

For Detroit folks that are unfamiliar with antioxidants: these chemicals break down or neutralize free radicals. A free radical is an unstable atom or molecule that affects cell membranes. Free radicals are produced by normal biological processes. Dr. Denham Harmon proposed in 1956 that free radicals underlie the aging process.

Not only are free radicals contributing to my wrinkles but they may make me fat!

According to Zane Andrews, PhD, a neuro-endocrinologist at Monash University. Andrews believes these molecules damage the cells that tell us we are full. As time passes these satiation sensors become weaker and our appetites become stronger.

One of the best ways to combat free radicals in Michigan is to eat a healthy diet rich in antioxidants. The Mayo Clinic suggests these antioxidant-rich foods readily available in Bloomfield HIlls grocery stores and Detroit farmer’s markets:

• Carrots, apricots and other yellow and orange fruits and vegetables
• Blueberries
• Spinach and other green leafy vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Beans, peas and lentils
• Fish, especially salmon
• Nuts

There are also many powerful antioxidant herbs and nutritional supplements that are available in our office. Call (734) 664 -0339 today to schedule a no charge consultation with Dr. Solomon at TLC Holistic Wellness to determine if you can benefit from more antioxidants in your diet. 

Another excellent way Detroit folks can fight free radicals is by drinking alkaline, antioxidant rich water created by a Japanese water processor. This 40 year old company has been making these water filtration systems that have helped people slow down the aging process. One glass of this water has the same amount of antioxidants as 2 and 1/2 pounds of blueberries!

If you live in Livonia, Bloomfield HIlls, Farmington Hills, Novi or the Detroit area and would like to sample this water contact Dr. Fischer by phone (248) 382-8668 or email drfischer@tlcholisticwellness.com.

Sweets for Your Sweetie

By Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, D.C., N.D.

Valentines Day is the one day that we give something sweet to someone we care about. Show your affection by giving the gift of sweets with real ingredients. There are many different types of sweeteners available today, from natural to man-made synthetics.

Man-made sugars are causing health issues and creating hidden food allergies. The three most common food allergens are wheat/gluten, dairy and corn. Many digestive issues, migraines and headaches, brain fog, aches and pains, chronic sinus congestion and asthma/allergies are related to hidden food allergies.

Most processed foods now contain some form of sweetener. Of the three food allergens, corn is the only food that is used to make sweeteners. For those with corn sensitivities, eating sweets made from corn can be the cause of many unwanted health issues.

Corn is used to make sweeteners because it is cheaper and twice as sweet as table sugar. It is absorbed only 40% as quickly as glucose and causes only a modest rise in blood sugar. Corn has been altered to make high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sorbitol, xylitol, fructose, sweet & low, sucrose, maltodextrin, poly dextrose, inosital, and saccharin. The average person today consumes 60 pounds of HFCS, which is approximately 19% of the average person's diet.

This man-made HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages, candy and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, luncheon meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. In 2009 The Wall Street Journal reported that half of the tested samples of HFCS also contained mercury. Mercury is the most toxic substance known to man, and it is now combined with HFCS.

HFCS with mercury were found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand name food and beverage products. HFCS is now the first or second highest labeled ingredient. HFCS alters body chemistry by causing the growth of fat cells around vital organs, setting the stage for heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. HFCS interacts with oral contraceptives and elevates insulin levels in women on "the pill,” setting them up for diabetes. It also raises serum triglycerides significantly and LDL cholesterol levels. HFCS has no enzymes, vitamins, or minerals and robs the body of its micronutrients in order to metabolize it.

Sucralose or Splenda is another man-made sugar substitute that is high in chlorine. Splenda is made by binding three chlorine atoms to a molecule of sugar. When the body attempts to metabolize this chemical sugar it makes dioxin, a cancer causing chemical that can trigger fatigue, headaches, dizziness, brain fog, nausea, depression, digestive issues and joint pain.

Seventy percent of American women consume Sucralose daily. Sucralose is found in nearly 4,000 food, beverage and health-care products, including diet drinks, ice cream, protein bars, salad dressings, over the counter drugs, chewing gum, vitamins and toothpaste

Another man-made sweetener is Aspartame, commonly known as Nutra-sweet or Equal. Aspartame is now present in 6,000 products and used in over 90 countries. It is even registered with MSG, an aspirin derivative and Mercury Thiomerosal by the FDA for use in vaccines. 

Nutra-sweet is manufactured in North America in Aiken, South Carolina in a genetic engineered GMO bacterial factory. The parent company is Monsanto, maker of the popular weed killer, Round-UpÒ. Aspartame consumption through diet pop has recently been linked to MS, Systemic Lupus and Fibromyalgia.

When aspartame is consumed it breaks down into these neurotoxic substances: Methanol (wood alcohol), Formaldehyde (embalming fluid, also found in commercial cosmetics), Formic Acid, (ant sting venom) and DKP (a known brain tumor agent). All of the man-made sugars HFCS, Nutra-sweet and Splenda, along with mercury can accumulate in the body and cause toxicity reactions.

Show your sweetie how much you really care by giving real sweets this Valentines Day. Look for Valentine sweets that are not made from corn with high fructose corn syrup or vanillin flavoring (artificial vanilla), or artificial sweeteners. Good sweets have real flavorings, real sugar and real ingredients. Most of the better Valentine sweets are available in local health food stores and specialty shops.

Disclaimer: The recommendations in this article are not to be taken as medical advice. If your diet or health is not what it should be, consult a qualified wellness consultant to evaluate toxicity levels, determine the cause of your health issues, and for specific recommendations. In Livonia, MI, TLC Holistic Wellness has doctors that are trained to evaluate your sugar handling ability and your toxicity levels from man-made sugars. Call (734) 664 - 0339 to schedule a no-charge consultation today. 

For the Love of Chocolate posted 28 Jan 2015 by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS, DC, ND

                                   For the Love of Chocolate

Now that Valentines Day is just around the corner, let’s focus on what sweets you can get for your sweetie. If you are one of the millions of people who love chocolate, rejoice! There is a health benefit from consuming this delectable and delicious treat.

Chocolate contains many different components that make people fall in love with it. Most people think that it is the sugar that they crave, or the caffeine kick. Be aware that caffeine is a stimulant and can cause a hormone imbalance. While that may be true for some people, there are some goodies in chocolate.

Chocolate actually contains the relaxing mineral, magnesium. Most people associate magnesium with calcium. The body needs more calcium than magnesium at a ratio of 32:1. Calcium and magnesium are only two minerals of the many minerals and trace minerals that make up the human body.

One of the many benefits of magnesium is that “feel good” feeling. Magnesium actually calms the nerves and relaxes muscles. This is why millions of women crave chocolate at certain times of the month. When chocolate is eaten, the magnesium causes the consumer to feel less irritable and more relaxed.

There are good chocolates and bad chocolates. A bad chocolate is defined as one that has very little chocolate and a lot of additives. These chocolates should be avoided if you are looking for the “happy and satisfied” feeling that good chocolate can create.

Many of the cheaper brands of chocolate contain fillers and additives, including high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup recently made headlines for its secondary component. It seems that over 50% of the high fructose corn syrup contains mercury.

Good chocolate has only a few key ingredients without fillers and artificial flavors. There are even terrific tasting chocolate bars without a lot of sugar. Imagine, eating a delicious chocolate, without raising your blood sugar.

Sugar goes by many names. In fact there are 42 separate names for sugar so that it can be used in commercial foods. By naming sugar something other than sugar, most people do not realize that they are in fact consuming sugar.

The average American consumes 120 pounds of sugar a year, a low estimate. Before there was packaged food, the average sugar consumption was 30 pounds a year. Sugar has been implicated in many degenerative health conditions from Diabetes to Heart Disease. There are at least 146 reasons to not make your diet high in sugar.

A dietary analysis can easily spot if you are consuming too much sugar. Most people are not aware of the amount of sugar they consume every day. The key is the total amount of sugar that you consume in ratio to the fats and proteins that you eat.

If you love to eat breads and pasta, or rice and potatoes, you are feeding your body sugar. If you skip meals, you are altering your blood sugar, and will have a stronger desire to eat sugar. If you drink fruit juice, wine or pop, you are consuming liquid sugar.

The body has to use additional stored vitamins in order to efficiently metabolize sugar. This depletes key vitamin and mineral reserves, like magnesium and the whole Vitamin B complex. When you eat more sugar than is needed by your body, weight gain is inevitable. Excess consumed sugars are stored as unwanted body fat.

It is the desire for magnesium that can drive the urge to eat chocolate. This desire indicates a mineral deficiency of magnesium, and its partner, calcium. Magnesium helps the body metabolize fats, proteins and sugars, as well as minerals and vitamins, like Vitamin D. Where there is a magnesium deficiency, there are other missing nutrients too.

Sugar issues and weight issues also indicate a hormone imbalance. When hormones are in balance the body does not have unwanted weight or different food cravings. The correct nutritional supply of needed vitamins and minerals need to be present in order for the body to have balanced hormones.

Simple non-invasive tests are available to determine nutritional deficiencies. Dietary analysis and a review of lifestyle habits can also reveal if you have sugar handling issues or a hormone imbalance. You do not have to live with an overload of sugar, or guilt over eating chocolate. It is possible to have your chocolate and enjoy it too, especially if your body has all the vitamins, minerals and trace minerals that it needs. Call TLC Holistic Wellness at (734) 664 -0339 to schedule a no-charge consultation to see what how your body is dealing with sugar.