By Dr. Elizabeth Boham, MD, MS, RD
Having a bad hair day? Our hair is incredibly important to how we
feel about ourselves. But did you know that it’s also a reflection of
our health? Common imbalances in our body can impact the health of our
hair and the amount of hair we have on the top of our head. As a
physician, women come to see me every day with the complaint of hair
loss. I am glad they do, because there are many medical imbalances and
nutritional deficiencies that can cause hair loss. There is a lot you
can do through your diet and lifestyle choices that can impact quality
and quantity of your hair.
The first three things I evaluate when a woman comes to see me with
hair loss are their thyroid, iron levels and blood sugar balance. Having
any of these areas significantly out of balance can have a tremendous
impact on hair growth.
One of the first signs of an underactive thyroid is hair loss. The
thyroid is the centerpiece of your metabolism, which impacts the
turnover of cells in your body. When someone has an underactive thyroid,
their metabolism slows down and hair loss speeds up. There are many
nutritional changes that a woman can make to support her thyroid and
improve her hair. Additionally, your physician may find that if your
thyroid is depressed significantly enough, you may also need thyroid
medication to support metabolism and hair growth.
The second area you may need to address is elevated blood glucose and
inflammation in the body. Elevated blood glucose is a sign that a
condition known as insulin resistance is present in the body. Insulin
resistance is a prediabetic condition that throws all of your hormones
in your body out of balance. As a result, people often feel more tired,
gain weight around their belly, and the hair on the top of their head
becomes thinner. In addition, this hormonal shift increases inflammation
in the body, further accelerating their hair loss.
This condition can be reversed with a lifestyle change. One of the
most powerful tools we have to help someone rebalance their hormones and
support hair growth is a low-glycemic and low-inflammatory diet.
First, tackle the inflammation in the body by removing inflammatory
foods such as simple carbohydrates, added sugar, alcohol and dairy. Then
address the glucose levels. The low-glycemic diet is high in fiber,
healthy fats and protein to help slow the digestion and absorption of
the food, resulting in a decrease in the rise of glucose and insulin
after a meal. At each meal, choose protein-rich foods like fish or
beans. Balance that with foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables, beans
and whole grains such as brown rice. Finally, make sure there are some
healthy fats in each meal. Some examples of healthy fats include fatty
fish, olive oil, nuts and nut butters. Balancing your protein, fat and
fiber within each meal will slow the rise in blood sugar, make you feel
full longer and stop the inflammation. Consequently, your hormones will
be in better balance and your hair will thrive.
Next we need to support hair with hair-growing nutrients. Iron is
critical for hair health, and iron deficiency is a very common cause of
hair loss in women. Make sure to ask your doctor to do a full iron panel
if hair loss is one of your concerns.
Biotin is known as the hair vitamin. It helps with the strength of
the hair so it is less likely to break or fall off. You can get enough
biotin to strengthen your hair with just two eggs a day. In addition,
eggs are a good source of protein to help balance hormones and blood
glucose.
Having a vitamin-D deficiency is linked to many health issues,
including hair loss. It is difficult to get enough vitamin D, also known
as the sunshine vitamin, over the winter months, so talk to your doctor
about whether or not you should be getting it in supplement form.
Many women can also use minoxidil, which is an over-the-counter
treatment that can be placed on the scalp in the thinning areas of the
hair twice a day. It works directly at the hair follicle, and it’s
proven to promote hair growth. This can start working immediately for
people as they work to uncover the underlying imbalances in their body.
It is generally recommended to give minoxidil four months to work. If
you do not see any change within those four months, you can stop it and
look for other therapies.
Remember that the health of your hair is impacted by the health of
your body. If your hair is thinning, talk with your doctor and get some
simple blood tests that may reveal the underlying cause of your hair
loss.
This plan was originally created for Dr. Oz's Truth Tube. See how Shawn reversed her hair loss and get past expert Truth Tube plans here.
15 Reasons You Should Be Drinking Lemon Water Every Morning
If you are looking for an easy trick to improve your life and overall
health, than look no further. Drinking lemon water first thing in the
morning is a pretty simple routine to get into and will have tremendous
effects on your overall health.
Since I started this simple and surprisingly healthy habit a few
years ago, I definitely noticed the difference. Not only does the
refreshing taste wake me up in the morning, it helps to kick start
digestion and finalizes my body’s natural detoxification processes… And
lemons are packed with vitamin C, B, calcium, iron, magnesium,
potassium, enzymes, antioxidants, and fibers.
According to the Ayurvedic philosophy, choices you make regarding
your daily routine either build up resistance to diseases or tear it
down.
So what are you waiting for to jump start your day with this
incredible easy morning routine. Its benefits are endless and I listed
the 15 most important ones for you in this article.
1. Improves Digestion
Lemon juice has a similar structure to your stomach’s juices and
helps to loosen and flush out toxins from the digestive tract. Lemon
juice can help ease indigestion, heartburn, and bloating. It also helps
to move your bowels in the morning, hydrates your colon, stimulate bile
production, and infuses water in your stool.
2. Boost Immune System.
Lemon juice is rich in vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immunes
system and fights cold and flu. But not only vitamin C is important for a
good working immune system, iron is another important nutrient, and
lemons improve the ability to absorb more iron from the food you eat.
3. Hydrates Your Body
It is important to stay hydrated. Especially during the summer
months. Plain water is best, but many people find this boring and are
not drinking enough of it. That’s where lemon comes into play to make
things more interesting. So feel free to not only start your day with
lemon water, but drink as many glasses as you wish during the day to
stay hydrated.
4. Boost Energy
Lemon water gives you an instant boost of energy and improves your mood right at the start of your day.
5. Promote Healthy And Rejuvenated Skin
Lemons are a rich sources of antioxidants that prevent free radical
damage. These free radicals are responsible for pre-mature aging of your
skin. Vitamin C helps to maintain your skin’s elasticity to prevent the
formation of wrinkles and decrease blemishes.
6. Reduce Inflammation
Lemons have the ability to remove uric acid from your joints. Uric acid built-ups are one of the major causes of inflammation.
7. Weight Loss Aid
Although lemon water on its own is no weight loss miracle, it can
definitely help you to achieve faster and long term results. Lemons
assist in fighting hunger cravings, boost metabolism, and give you a
stuffed feeling, making it less likely to snack in between meals.
8. Alkalize Your Body
Although lemons have a sour taste, they are one of the most
alkalizing food sources on Earth. Too much acids can cause inflammation,
obesity, and major diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Click here to learn more about the importance of alkalizing your body.
9. Cleansing Properties
Lemons help your entire body to flush out more toxins to prevent
built-ups and damage to your cells, tissues, and organs. It stimulates
your liver to produce more enzymes and work more efficiently. Lemon
juice works as a diuretic to keep your urinary tract toxin-free and can
also change the pH levels which discourage bacterial growth. This is
very helpful for people who often suffer from UTI (urinary tract
infection). And like mentioned before, lemons loosen and flush out waste
from your digestive tract and cleanse your colon.
10.Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties
Lemons have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They help fight
the flu, cold, and soothe a sore throat. Although people who drink their
daily lemon water every day are less likely to get these in the first
place.
11.Reduce Mucus And Phlegm
Lemon water helps to reduce mucus and phlegm formation. People who
drink cow’s milk are often more sensitive for mucus production. So
starting your day with lemon water can definitely help to lessen mucus
if you’re not ready to go dairy-free.
12.Freshen Breath
Lemons freshen your breath and fight mouth bacteria. Although lemons
are great for your overall oral health, avoid drinking or using it
undiluted. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so don’t brush your
teeth with it, but have a glass of lemon water instead.
13.Boost Brain Power
The high levels of potassium and magnesium show beneficial effects on
our brain and nerve health. Lemon water can give you the boost you need
to fight depression and stress. It creates mental clarity and more
focus, making it a great drink for students or people with busy and
stressful jobs.
14.Anti-cancer
Lemon’s antioxidants not only protect your skin from ageing, but also
reduce the risk of several types of cancer. They are great in
neutralizing acids as well. Cancer loves to grow in an acidic
environment. Alkalizing your body may stop cancer cells to grow and may
reduce the risk of getting cancer in the first place.
15.Get Of Caffeine
Many people are able to get off caffeine by replacing their morning
coffee by lukewarm lemon water. It gives a similar energy boost to wake
your body and boost energy as one cup of coffee would.
How To Make Lemon Water
Making lemon water is super simple. It takes less than 5 minutes of
your precious morning time. Just squeeze half a lemon in lukewarm water.
If you weigh more than 150 pounds, use a whole lemon.
Why use lukewarm (or room temperature) instead of cold or hot water
to make this healing morning drink? Well, hot or cold water takes more
energy to process, so your first glass in the morning should be lukewarm
or at room temperature to slowly wake your body and kick start
digestion.
If you love the taste feel free to add more lemon water to your diet
during the rest of the day, cold or hot. It adds up to your daily water
need, is less boring than plain water, and adds tons of benefits for
body and mind.
I healed my body naturally from chronic disease, and in the process
lost over 60 pounds, without drugs, deprivation or surgery. Along the
way, I discovered that some foods are healing and have the ability to
promote health within our bodies, while others can actually cause harm
and create weight gain.
Here are some of my personal favorite healing foods that can promote health and support natural weight loss.
1. Broth
When my body broke down, I was bedridden for weeks. As part of my
journey back to health, I felt very fortunate to discover the healing
power of broth.
Broth can be made easily by cooking chopped
organic vegetables in water, until they are super soft. (Bonus points if
your vegetables are also local!) Leave six hours or overnight. Then
drain the liquid, heat it up, and voila! Your soup broth is ready to
drink. Add sea salt and pepper for taste if you want.
You can
eat the cooked vegetables seasoned with fresh herbs. (You can also add
fish, meat or grains to your broth depending on your preferences.) This
can be very healing for your body, since it's easy to digest, and also
hydrating.
2. Extra virgin coconut oil
Many health experts agree that coconut oil
is as close to a superfood that you can get. High in lauric acid (found
naturally in breast milk), extra virgin coconut oil is anti-aging,
moisturizing, and healing. It's the only oil that you should ever cook with since it stays stable when heated to high temperatures.
3. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
is produced through the fermentation of fresh apple cider. It's a rich
source of minerals (particularly potassium), vitamins, enzymes and amino
acids. Apple cider vinegar is a potent and versatile healing substance
and can be applied topically or diluted and taken internally.
Always choose good quality apple cider vinegar made from organically
grown apples and aged in wooden barrels. It should be pungent and when
held up to the light, you should be able to see a cobweb like formation,
called the “mother” suspended in the liquid. It's evidence of the
vinegar’s naturalness.
4. Cinnamon
It may be hard to believe that something that tastes so delicious is also so good for your body. Eating cinnamon
has the ability to regulate your blood sugars, which is an important
part of the weight loss process. Generously sprinkle cinnamon on your
cereal or add it to your smoothies for a flavor injection.
5. Lemons
Lemons are naturally detoxifying and have an alkalizing effect on your
body. This makes them an ideal weight loss food. Each day upon waking,
drink a glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. For a delicious,
yet healthy taste, squeeze fresh lemon juice onto your food just before
serving.
6. Fresh juices
Drinking a
selection of fresh fruit and vegetable juices in your day, your body
will certainly feel the benefit. Fresh juices are a powerful way to
increase your intake of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and enzymes.
You can juice most fruits and vegetables. I try to choose the greenest,
water-rich and most alkalizing ones for my own juices, using some (or
all!) of the following: spinach or cucumber, celery, pears, apples,
ginger and lemon.
7. Fresh greens and vegetables
I encourage you to try a wide variety of fresh greens and vegetables to
find all the ones you like. Always eat your greens according to the
seasons. Some of my favorites are baby spinach, parsley, basil green
leaves, broccoli, celery, cucumber, and chard.
Healing foods are found everywhere in nature.
Always listen to your body and let it guide you. Your body knows best
how to heal itself naturally. Eating healing foods will help.
I
hope that this article inspires you to start eating more fresh, local
foods so that you can experience the incredible joy that comes from
feeling healthy and losing weight naturally, without diets, deprivation
or restrictions. If you'd like to learn more about healing your body,
mind and emotions, please click here to download a free chapter of my book, Losing Weight is a Healing Journey.
Superfoods are one of the healthiest, if the not the healthiest,
foods on the planet. As they are packed with incredibly high amounts of
disease-fighting vitamins and minerals, loading up on these amazingly
nutritious foods is a simple yet effective strategy that you can take
if you want to live a longer and happier life.
This special infographic features seven of Dr. Mercola’s favorite
superfoods, complete with their nutritional facts and many health
benefits. Spread the word by sharing this information with your friends
and family.
Discover the healthiest superfoods you can eat and learn why they're super good for you through the "7 Superb Superfoods to Power Up Your Life." infographic from Dr. Mercola. Use the embed code to share it on your website or visit our infographic page for the high-res version.
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 1 white onion chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
- 1 tbsp fresh sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 24 ounces of pureed tomatoes
- 1 quart of vegetable broth
- 1 can of Eden Farms cannelloni beans strained and rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 bunch of kale chopped
- Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pot
- Add onion and carrots and cook for about 4-5 mins
- Add garlic next and cook another 2 mins
- Add spices, broth, water, and tomatoes to pot and bring to a boil
- Once soup is at a boil, reduce to simmer and add beans
- Simmer soup for 25 mins
- Discard bay leaf and puree soup using a hand blender
- Add chopped kale to pureed soup and stir into pot
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and small dice (or 1 BPA free-can or container of pumpkin puree)
- 2 cups vegetable broth, more as needed
- 2 cups of coconut milk
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitos)
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- In a pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and pumpkin and cook 4-5 minutes.
- Add the stock, coconut milk, bay leaf, thyme and curry paste and cook for 15-20 minutes, adding more stock as needed.
- Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and puree with an immersion blender or regular blender.
- Place back on the stove and add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper as desired. Heat until warmed through.
- To serve, place the soup in a bowl and top with the pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Pineapple Juice Found To Be 500% More Effective Than Cough Syrup
With winter on our doorstep, many of us end up with a nasty cold or
cough. While most people run to the store for over-the-counter meds
packed with artificial dyes and chemicals, I prefer to go all-natural
and avoid the harmful side effects of commercially available cough
syrups.
You would be surprised of how many natural remedies are in your
pantry right now. Pineapple juice is one of these wonderful healing
ingredients to soothe a persistent cough or sore throat.
In 2010 Indian researchers tested the effectiveness of natural substances such as pineapple juice to treat tuberculosis (find the study here).
They found that a mixture of pineapple juice with raw honey, pepper and
salt work extremely well to dissolve mucus and soothe a persistent
cough. Patients recovered up to 5 times quicker with this all natural
pineapple remedy compared to OTC cough syrup.
Benefits Of Pineapple Juice
Pineapple thanks its many health benefits to a powerful enzyme called
bromelain which acts as an antioxidant to reduce inflammation and
swelling of the sinuses. It eliminates bacteria and fights infections.
Only 1 cup of pure pineapple juice contains 50% of your daily
recommendation of vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant to strengthen
your immune system and soothe a sore throat or cough.
Next to bromalain and vitamin C, pineapple is also a good source of
vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid,
magnesium, manganese and potassium, which are all essential nutrients to
keep your body healthy.
Powerful All-natural Cough Suppressant Recipe
If you have a juicer it is best to make your own juice, or opt for
unprocessed natural pineapple juice instead. Most commercially available
brands contain too much sugar and added flavors and are low in the
actual real fruit.
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 piece of ginger (about 3 inches)
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Blend or juice all ingredients. Take ¼ cup of this remedy up to 3
times a day and your cough or sore throat will be gone in no time.
