Adaptogenic Herbs to Magnify your Male "Mojo"

Intense prolonged stress whether emotional or physical can lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is essentially a collection of signs and symptoms, which result when the adrenal glands are functioning below the optimal level. Symptoms such as fatigue, salty and sweet cravings, low resistance to stress, mood changes, mental fogginess, weight changes, sleep disturbances and loss of your male mojo or low libido are all seen in adrenal fatigue.

The Stress Response

Historically the stress response known as the “fight-or-flight” response was critical for protection. When faced with a tiger or giant snake our pupils dilate to allow in more light, our heart rate and blood pressure increase and blood is shunted to our muscles to allow us to run away.  While the initial alarm reaction is beneficial short term, ideally these periods of stress should be short and infrequent.  When the stressful situation is very intense or more so continuous over a period of time the adrenals become exhausted and there is a breakdown of the recovery phase, which would normally follow the alarm reaction.

How Stress Causes Illness

There is a conclusive relationship between stress and illness. What factors in as important is the individual perception of the stress and ability to cope with it.  Stress contributes to disease by changing the physiological effects of hormones throughout our bodies, driving inflammation and leaving our bodies in states of lower resistance.

The Role Of Adaptogens

The goal of adaptogens in treating adrenal insufficiency or fatigue is in reinvigorate vitality, improve energy, support the immune system and develop coping strategies to manage stress. The way adaptogens work is they support the adrenal glands to be more resilient by reinforcing the innate wisdom or capacity of the body to withstand stress and guard against disease. While adaptogens may be an important aspect to your health plan it is also important to consider the hostile environment you are living in. No herb, supplement or therapy can mask the effects of a toxic environment. 

The Specifics:

Primary botanicals for treating adrenal fatigue need to be chosen based on the individual symptom picture. Every adaptogen is unique and the individual’s experience needs to be taken into consideration. Long term use of one adaptogen may reduce the effectiveness. Always consult your Naturopathic Doctor prior to starting any product.

Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) is very yang in nature meaning it warms the body, promote movement and physiological functioning. It increases energy and has an anabolic effect of improving muscle and reducing fat during exercise. During exercise it also spares glycogen stores allowing for a longer duration of exercise ability. This herb is very stimulating and thus should only be used in those with vitality. Caution with caffeine and long-term use may lead to hypertension.

Codonopsis sinensis is specific for immune system functioning. It is a great herb for treating those suffering with recurring or chronic infections. A human study showed 64% improvement in sexual hypofunctioning vs 33% with placebo.

Schisandra chinensis improves physical work capacity, sharpens the mind, assists in maintaining high mental performance under extreme stressful conditions, and decreases fatigue. It is also a sexual tonic to boost libido in both sexes.

Rhodiola rosea is more specifically a CNS adaptogen. It may be helpful for those with more of an emphasis on mental concentration and focusing issues. Depending on the dose this herb can be stimulating or a relaxant. New research has suggested Rhodiola may be beneficial as a weight loss agent.

Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) is a milder adaptogen traditionally used for healthy aging, greying of hair, chronic inflammatory disease, and nervous exhaustion. Historically, this herb is known as the “promoter of learning and memory retrieval” and has also been used for psoriasis, wasting, rheumatic pains and impotence due to devitalization.

Eleutherococcus (Siberian Ginseng) is not only an adaptogen but also has effects on the immune system like Codonopsis. It improves performance and stamina, as well as aids in recovery after excess sexual activity.

Glycyrrhiza (Licorice Root) is also a well know anti-inflammatory and antiviral herb. It assists in maintaining healthy cortisol levels,  may reduce salt cravings, improves mood, and aids in balancing water retention. This herb should be used with caution due to its potential to raise blood pressure and interact with other medications.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms above or live a stressful lifestyle, consider these herbs to enhance your male “mojo” and improve your sex life.  Adaptogens are a great way to improve fertility in men and naturally enhance your testosterone levels.

References:

1. Godfrey, Anthony. Principles & Practices Of Naturopathic Botanical Medicine. Toronto, Ont.: CCNM Press, 2010. Print.

2. Godfrey, Anthony and Paul Richard Saunders. Principles & Practices Of Naturopathic Botanical Medicine. Toronto: Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine Press, 2010. Print.

3. Hoffmann, David. Medical Herbalism. Rochester, Vt.: Healing Arts Press, 2003. Print.

4. Mitchell, William A. Naturopathic Applications Of The Botanical Remedies. Seattle, WA: Mitchell, 1982. Print.

Contributor: Breanne Kallonen

Wild and Crazy Blueberries

When I was a little girl, I remember vividly spending hours out in the sun with my grandparents picking wild blueberries in the forests up north. The day would be filled with picking, eating, laughing and horsing around (with my cousins), and end with hulling home a huge basket of beautiful, delicious blueberries. My mom would make us home-made blueberry pie, we would add blueberries to our morning oatmeal, and freeze blueberries for later. The beauty of WILD blueberries is that you don’t have to trek out to the bush in order to get them…most supermarkets carry frozen wild blueberries (win!).

It wasn’t until recently I discovered the powerful properties of wild blueberries and how adding them to your daily diet can reap massive benefits on your overall health.

So why WILD over FARMED blueberries?

Wild blueberries have something called “elevated biotics” on them. This is the most natural form of probiotics and supersede any probiotic on the market. Elevated biotics bypass the HCl and bile in your digestive tract and make their way all the way to the end of your intestines. They have amazing rejuvenating powers and will reside in your GUT for years doing their amazing work. In the ileum (at the end of your intestinal tract), the elevated biotics will help to produce vitamin B12 and if you are supplementing with B12, they will help to activate it and make it more effective (amazing!). Additional benefits to your digestive tract influde warding off Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Candida, acid reflux and so much more.

Wild Blueberries and Heavy Metals

The beauty of wild blueberries is they actually contain phytochemicals that literally pull heavy metals out of the brain and liver. This is enhanced even more when combined with the other 4 ingredients I suggest in my post on the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie! Check that one out!

Antioxidant power

Antioxidants in wild blueberries help stop harmful oxidation (the process of your cells breaking down and dying off from toxins, ageing, and pathogens that release neurotoxins (into the brain) and dermatoxins (into the skin)). Wild blueberries are SUPER high in these amazing antioxidants which help restore cell damage and remove these dying cells.

So? Drink a smoothie with wild blueberries in them daily, go blueberry picking with your grandmother, or buy a basket from the side of the road. GET. THEM. IN. and hey, its a bonus that they taste so yummy!

Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie - The safest Detox in Pregnancy

Are you ready? THIS is THE BEST smoothie EVER! We drink this smoothie if not daily, then at least 3 times per week, in our household. And guess what? My 15 month old has been drinking it since he was 6 months old! ALL HAIL this smoothie, that gently detoxifies the liver, thyroid and organs of heavy metals such as Mercury, Lead, Arsenic and Copper. It is also the ONLY detox that is safe in pregnancy, or that I at least feel comfortable prescribing to my patients.

Here’s why.

The combination of the “5 essential ingredients” in this smoothie are necessarily to BIND to the heavy metals in the liver, thyroid and other organs, hold onto them so that they don’t pass into your bloodstream (and therefore through the placenta) and don’t release them until they are eliminated through your bowels or urine. Pretty neat huh?

Toxic heavy metals are everywhere. They are present in the foods we eat, water we drink, skincare and cleaning products, even our cookware! Think about pesticides alone. This is why we want to be sure that ALL of the ingredients in this smoothie are 100% ORGANIC. I can’t stress that enough…ORGANIC! We don’t want to defeat the purpose right? As a result, most of us are carrying around heavy metals that have been with us for almost our whole lives and which have burrowed deep inside our tissues and passed down from our parents and our grandparents (yikes). But this also means that we are passing on our toxins and heavy metals to our own children in the womb. These toxins have been linked to ADD/ADHD, Autism, Diabetes and even Childhood Leukemia.

It is these “old” heavy metals buried deep in our tissues that are the most difficult to remove and pose the biggest threat to our health. They oxidize over time and this leads to inflammation and disease. Systems affected by these heavy metals include the brain, liver, hormonal system, digestive systems, and nervous system. This leaves us in an incredibly vulnerable state to viruses and bacteria (simply because our immune systems are affected but also because these metals feed these pathogens). Heavy metals can cause a variety of symptoms depending on the system they affect including memory loss, “brain fog”, fatigue, depression, infertility, acne, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), yeast overgrowth, nutrient deficiencies and even weight issues (just to name a few).

It's virtually impossible to avoid heavy metals completely in this modern world, so we have to do what we can to minimize our bodies threat. Adding the following “5 essential ingredients” to your daily ritual will go a long way toward ridding your body of heavy metals: 

The 5 Essential Ingredients

Hawaiin Spirulina: Spirulina is a blue-green algae superfood. It helps draw out heavy metals from the brain, central nervous system, and liver, and soaks up heavy metals extracted by barley grass juice extract powder.

Barley Grass Juice Extract: BGJE prepares the mercury for complete absorption by the spirulina. It specifically draws heavy metals out of your spleen, intestinal tract, pancreas, thyroid, and reproductive system. 

Cilantro: Cilantro is amazing for getting deep into the tissues and pulling out toxic heavy metals (such as Mercury) that could have been passed down to you from your mother and grandparents.

Wild blueberries: When heavy metals are removed from the brain, the oxidation of the metals can create gaps or holes. Medical Medium Anthony Williams says that Wild blueberries are excellent for drawing out heavy metals from the brain tissue, healing and repairing these gaps at the same time (reversing the oxidative damage created by heavy metal removal) —> ie. amazing for Alzheimers, Dementia and Autism. Note: only WILD blueberries can draw out heavy metals. Luckily, most frozen blueberries are wild.

Atlantic Dulse: Dulse is a seaweed that binds to Mercury, Lead, Aluminum, Copper, Cadmium and Nickel. Atlantic dulse goes into deep, hidden places of the digestive tract and gut, seeking out mercury, binding to it, and never releasing it until it leaves the body through the bowels or urinary tract. Note: Atlantic dulse is the type you want to buy here to get the effects.

Drink this smoothie daily for optimal benefits :)

Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie

Ingredients: 
2 bananas
1 cup wild blueberries 
1 small handful cilantro 
2 cups coconut water or dairy-free milk of choice
1 tsp barley grass juice extract (Brand recommended: Vimergy)
1 tsp spirulina (Brand recommended: Gandalf)
2 tbsp Atlantic dulse flakes (Brand recommended: Maine Coast)

Optional: Honey or maple syrup to taste

Directions: 
In a high speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Enjoy!

Clean Beauty TERMINOLOGY

For many months now I have made the commitment to find out the difference between “clean, green, toxic-free, cruelty-free and natural beauty” labels. These words are tossed around everywhere these days, and what do they really mean? It seems like everyone is looking for that natural form of skincare and beauty products to lessen their exposure to silicones, parabens, synthetic fragrances (with phthalates), synthetic dyes, formaldehyde, sulfates, etc.

These terms are often used incorrectly unfortunately (beauty brands are highly unregulated and can say anything they want about their products really, even if its isn’t true), and so let’s cut the BS and get down to what this all really means.

MY PROMISE TO YOU 

Not only have I been in the natural health field for 10+ years, I have experience in product development, sourcing safe non-toxic ingredients, and spend a great deal of time researching products and ingredients. Everything I write about here or on social media, or recommend to my patients is 100% research based and honest. I want you to be able to walk into a store, supermarket, beauty shop, or go online, and choose your own products because you KNOW what is in it, and that it’s healthy for you and your skin (or your baby’s skin for that matter).

GLOSSARY OF BEAUTY TERMS

Okay, so let’s talk about what these terms actually mean.

NATURAL BEAUTY

This term is used quite freely in the beauty and skincare industry. Legally, it really means nothing, but the companies are simply trying to state that they are using the most natural (botanical) or plant-derived ingredients available. This usually means that they are free from unwanted chemicals such as synthetics and preservatives and sourced from the earth (wherever possible) - but not always. A company could use this term to describe their product which is 90% naturally derived but contains synthetic phthalates (No thanks!). Note: Natural does not always = Vegan.

Also, know that “natural” isn’t always a good thing (e.g. ethanol is natural, but using a large quantity in skincare can have a strong drying effect on the skin).

VEGAN

Most are looking for vegan products and products that do not use animal testing. Recently, MAC makeup was found to pay for animal testing in China. The Chinese government required MAC — as they do with all importers of cosmetics — to pay for animal testing as part of the registration process (AHHH, feel my heart crush). When looking at labels, you may not see animal products evident in the ingredients. However, if you see the colorants like crimson lake, carmine lake, C.I. 75470 or natural red 4 this is NOT Vegan. It is made from boiling beetles! Poor beetles. Anything yogurt-based or containing beeswax is also NOT vegan. Natural, Yes, but not Vegan.

Vegetarian = Free of animal products, however animal by-products such as milk, honey or beeswax can still be used.

Vegan = No animal by-products whatsoever. 

CLEAN BEAUTY

Just like Natural Beauty, legally this term means nothing, and unfortunately there is no governing body controlling the use of the term. Simply put, companies use this term to state that they use products that are safe, free of hormone disruptors and other chemicals that may cause inflammation or irritation to the skin, or cause bodily harm (ie. cancers). These ingredients can be natural or synthetically derived. Remember that just because something is natural doesn’t mean it is safe, and something synthetic can be absolutely safe (e.g. hyaluronic acid which is lab-derived but perfectly safe).

When this term is used, you can hope that the products are free from sulfates, synthetic dyes, PEG compounds, phthalates, parabens, etc.

Download the Think Dirty app, which rates makeup and skincare products on a scale of 1-10, from safer to toxic.

TOXIN-FREE OR NON-TOXIC

This term is used in conjunction with Clean Beauty and simply means the same thing. Free from chemicals, and hormone disrupting compounds that can be unsafe for human use.

Check out the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to check into the brands you are curious about.

CHEMICAL FREE

Okay, so let’s be real. It is damn near impossible to have products that are “chemical free”. Water is made from hydrogen and oxygen (two chemicals). Alright alright, OBVIOUSLY we aren’t talking about water here, but you get my drift. This term is thrown around A LOT and instills fear in a lot of consumers. Usually used as a marketing ploy. However, these company’s products are free from harmful chemicals like phthalates, parabens, sulfates, BPA, etc.

GREEN BEAUTY

My FAVOURITE beauty term. This one is important to me. These products are good for the environment and the company may donate time or money or raise awareness for environmental initiatives. They usually use recycled materials in their packaging, less waste, refrain from using plastic containers or styrofoam for their products, compostable, sustainably sourced, and may use environmentally friendly industry practices such as using solar or wind powered alternatives. ALL HAIL! Check out Green Beauty Team, for green beauty product inspiration. 

ORGANIC BEAUTY

This term is actually highly regulated within the US and Canada, having a Certified Organic symbol. The ingredients used are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, inorganic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Remember that “organic” and “certified organic” are different. If the certified organic symbol is not present on their product, they have not been approved as Organic. Usually 95% of the ingredients have to be organic in order to be eligible for certification. Be weary of those products that use “organic” for marketing: “Contains 90% organic ingredients” —> ok great! But what the heck is the other 10%?

ECOCERT

Another thing I LOVE to see on products because it actually means something. ECOCERT standard is that 95% of the ingredients must be plant-based and 10% by weight must come from organic practices. These products must also be free of parabens, GMOs, phenoxyethanol, nanoparticles, silicones, PEG compounds, synthetic perfumes and dyes, and animal-derived ingredients (except milk and honey). The packaging must be recyclable.

CRUELTY-FREE

An honest statement (hopefully). You can be sure there has been no animal testing or harm to animals at any point in the creation process. PETA and Leaping Bunny are two organizations that offer cruelty-free certification. Cruelty-free products can be (but aren’t always) vegan. Cruelty-free generally speaks to the process by which a product is created, while vegan refers to product ingredients. Look for the Leaping Bunny logo, PETA’s cruelty-free or cruelty-free and vegan logo, or the Choose Cruelty-Free logo when shopping.

GLUTEN FREE

Surprised to see this on your label? Many beauty and skincare products use wheat-based ingredients as hydration or cleansing agents (e.g. hydrolyzed wheat protein or wheat germ oil). Don’t panic though, it’s kind of useless. Gluten molecules are too large to cross the skin barrier, which means you aren’t absorbing it anyway. Just be cautious if these ingredients are in any products that can enter your body through mouth, eyes or vaginal tissues (e.g. toothpaste, lipsticks, shampoo or conditioner running down your body in the shower, mascara, etc). If you are not Celiac or gluten sensitive you should be able to use gluten-containing products without harm.

SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS

Synthetic chemicals are made by humans using methods different than those nature uses, and these chemical structures may or may not be found in nature. A synthetic chemical can be made from a natural product (i.e. naturally derived). Though I don’t like synthetic ingredients, they do have their benefits (i.e. more humane and sustainable). Just because it is made in a lab doesn’t mean it’s bad (but of course there are harmful synthetics too). For example, a natural form hyaluronic acid is normally made from animal by-products (ie. farming industry $$), while a vegan synthetic form made from plants is produced in a lab causing NO HARM to these poor creatures.

HYPOALLERGENIC

The FDA claims there are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of this term. The term simply means whatever the company wants it to mean. Well that’s misleading. So be weary. Hypoallergenic does not necessarily mean that you cannot react to this product, it just simply does not contain the most common known allergens.

If you suspect that you have an allergy to a makeup ingredient or particular product, perform a patch test. Apply the product to a small area of forearm skin, and wait for 48 hours to notice signs of irritation (i.e. redness, itching, swelling, hives, eczema or stinging).

NON-COMEDOGENIC AND OIL-FREE

Comedogenic is a term used among beauty companies to describe an ingredient that may be pore clogging and cause comedomes (acne - white heads). A company cannot be truly sure that their products are non-comedogenic. Any ingredient can cause acne, and what may cause acne in one person does not cause it in another. Even oil-free products cause Acne, and oil does not necessarily cause acne either (misleading information). Castor and Hemp oils are two oils that are amazing for fighting acne and clogged pores.

NON-GMO

Products made with ingredients that have not been genetically modified. Keep in mind that any certified organic ingredients are by definition non-GMO.