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What You Should Be Doing to Optimize Your Health

Beth Eppstein Brayer is a Naturopath, Clinical Herbalist, a member of the Cosmic University’s appointed healers, and founder of Plants Heal​​​ a website dedicated to creating better health through a connection with foods, herbs, and personal empowerment.
Beth is devoted to promoting better health through changes in diet, the use of herbs, energy healing, and profound personal change. 

Today, probably more than ever before in human history, we have access to an enormous amount of information, which can at times be misleading and overwhelming.

Often when diagnosed with an illness, or when seeking to improve our health, it is hard to know where to begin. Over the years I have noticed some common principles that repeat themselves and are critical to implementing wellbeing.

Here are some things you can do, starting today, to help you jump-start the healing process.

 

1. Know Thyself

The first step in learning what the body needs to heal is to educate ourselves regarding which foods support us and which do not.

The decision to eat certain foods and cut back or avoid foods that are harmful starts a process that not only helps the body overcome disease and heal but also teaches us to practice self-nurturing and love.

It is equally important to listen to what our body tells us on an energetic level. It is not always easy to understand the spiritual lesson our body is seeking to teach us; however, some guidelines can help you decipher what it is you need to change to restore well-being and health.

 

Our body is composed of energetic centers called Chakras, and each center holds a different type of energy entrusted with different life lessons. When we are not well aligned within a particular area of our lives, the energetic center entrusted with the specific aspect that is seeking resolution has trouble functioning properly. By learning to understand the meaning of each and every center, we can learn to decipher what our body is trying to teach us, and what we need to do to create change.

 

There are many self-help books on the market today to help you decipher the subtle language of the body, and my favorite is the Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss.

This book explains in great detail the different energetic centers and the life lesson with which each center is entrusted. Caroline is a true master at understanding the subtleties of the body, while knowing how to clearly explain the changes we need to make in order to heal.

2. Make Sure You’re Getting Proper Hydration

A few years ago, when I first heard Anthony William’s podcast on Chronic Dehydration, I quickly figured out the true cause of the chronic headaches I had been suffering from.


Much to my surprise, I learned that the body is not always able to properly absorb the liquids we drink and that we can lose a substantial amount of water due to toxins, radiation, viruses, cooked foods and foods that are dehydrating.


When we’re dehydrated, our blood thickens and holds less oxygen. The thicker the blood, the harder the heart needs to work to draw up blood from the liver.

When we are dehydrated, it becomes increasingly difficult for the liver to detox, which creates an even more toxic environment within the body, placing a tremendous strain on the immune system

Proper hydration is easy to implement if you know what to eat and drink, and what to avoid.

Start by introducing lower protein into your diet, limit the intake of beverages such as alcohol, soda, tea, and coffee and incorporate lemon water, cucumber juice, fresh fruit juice, and coconut water on a daily basis.

To better understand additional causes of dehydration and learn how to hydrate properly, go to the article Chronic Dehydration at Plants-Heal.

3. Start Detoxing and Working on Liver Health

The more toxins we have in our bodies, the sicker we become.

Without our liver’s ability to store toxins and keep them from harming the body, we would not be able to survive in today’s world. However, there is a limit as to how much viral debris, fat, and toxins our liver can safely store. This is why it is so important to learn how to take care of our liver and safely detox on a regular basis.

 

Detoxification is an extremely delicate process and needs to be done slowly and gently. When we force the liver to excrete an excess of toxins, the body is not able to eliminate them properly, which negatively affects vital organs. When this happens, the liver will have to work even harder as it tries to keep us safe by reabsorbing the toxins. This can cause the liver to actually shut down the detox process, locking toxins within the liver.

 

Ways To Detox Safely:

 

  • Minimize your exposure to toxins and avoid foods that contain chemicals. Learn to read labels and recognize toxic ingredients. The general rule when reading labels are – if it isn’t a food, don’t eat it.  In addition to chemicals, stay clear of GMO’s, Canola oil, and margarine.
  • Look into your meds. Many people are not aware that pharmaceuticals and supplements can be toxic. At times, medication is necessary; however, many diseases can be healed through dietary changes, herbs, and good-quality supplements. If you are looking to lower the dosage or eliminate certain medications, this should be done gradually, together with an experienced practitioner.

    In regards to supplements, it is extremely important to use only those that do not contain harmful additives. For a list of what to look out for when choosing a supplement, see the article on How to Support your Immune System. 
  • Pay attention to your cookware. Another source of toxins that enter our body comes from foods stored, heated or cooked in plastic, tin cans, aluminum foil and aluminum, Teflon and copper cookware. For more on the pros and cons of different cookware, on Dr. Axe’s website
  • Cut the fat. The best way to help your liver heal and detox safely is to increase the number of fruits and vegetables in your diet  and cut back on foods that are high in fat such as all animal products, dairy, eggs, oils, nuts, soy, and tahini.
  • Commit to juicing. In addition to eating more fruits and vegetables, it’s essential to support the detox process by drinking 1-2 glasses of celery juice and/or cucumber juice daily. This is best done on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
  • Find a good detox practice. A good one is Medical Medium’s Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie which you can drink on a regular basis. This smoothie is so filling that it can be a meal all on its own.

 

  • Get specific with teas. If you feel you want to help the body with a more specific type of detox, you can drink one of the following detox herbal teas daily:

– Anti-Chlorine/Anti-Fluoride Tea – combine equal parts of blackberry leaf, raspberry leaf, hibiscus flower, and rose hips.

– Anti-Pesticide/Anti-Fungicide Tea – combine equal parts of burdock root, red clover, lemon verbena, and ginger.

– Anti-Plastics Tea – combine equal parts of fenugreek, mullein leaf, olive leaf, and lemon balm.

– Anti-Cleaning Solvents Tea – combine equal parts of calendula, chamomile, bladderwrack, and borage.

– Anti-Radiation Tea – Combine equal parts of Atlantic kelp, Atlantic dulse, dandelion leaf, and nettle leaf.

 

Add one tablespoon of any of the above combinations to a cup of hot water, cover and let cool for 15 minutes. You can find more information on these different teas in Anthony Williams first book, Medical Medium – Secrets behind chronic and mystery illness and how to finally heal.

 

4. Get Regular Physical Activity

Everyone has a different opinion about which type of physical activity is most beneficial. Some believe that cardiovascular or aerobic exercise that enhances the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the body is best, while others believe that walks in nature are more beneficial.

Some believe that is important to build up endurance, and others prefer an activity that incorporates gentle movements like in Tai Chi and Hatha Yoga.

We are each built differently, energetically and physically, so different people will have different needs, and whatever feels best is probably right for you, as long as it is something you can keep up on a regular basis.

 

Physical activity not only helps to keep the body fit, but it also enhances the detox process by improving lymphatic circulation, which in turn strengthens the immune system and makes it more effective.

If you’re looking to use physical activity to optimize the detox process, gently jumping up and down on a rebounder is your best option. To learn more about rebounding, the Wellness Mama has a great article on the subject.

 

The only types of physical activities that you don’t want to do on a regular basis are extreme sports that cause the body to release lots of adrenaline. Adrenaline increases blood circulation and prepares the muscles for exertion, however, adrenaline is also an extremely corrosive hormone, and when produced in excess, weighs heavily on vital organs, speeds up the aging process, and weakens the immune system.

For more practical tips, see 5 Things You Can Do to Fight Cancer Today. 

 

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