Fortunately for all of us, the Spring season brings with it a lot of fresh produce that encourages that new energy we feel—and protects us from disease. Many foods naturally available in spring help the body repair and renew itself, and several actually encourage body cleansing and detoxification. If you’re on the lookout for light, nutritious and delicious new options for the season, here are five great suggestions.

Most importantly—shop local. Local foods are typically higher in nutrition content, as they are harvested closer to ripeness and are not exposed to long storage and travel times. Check out your farmer’s markets where you may find some of these superfoods.

1. Alfalfa sprouts. Nutrients include calcium, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, and many more. They’re full of protecting antioxidants, inhibit inflammation, and some studies have shown them to be beneficial against cardiovascular disease. Use them on salads, or in blended juices for a cleansing effect.

2. Asparagus. Not only does this spring vegetable have potential cancer-fighting properties, it’s full of vitamin K, folate, and vitamin C, and is a known anti-inflammatory. It’s got all sorts of antioxidants, and helps support the digestive system. Look for firm, thin stems with deep green or purplish closed tips, and sauté for the best flavor and health benefits.

3. Carrots. Think they’re boring? Think again. Carrots are powerhouses of beta-carotene and antioxidants, and have shown in studies to help reduce the risk of heart attacks. Just one cup provides over 600% of your daily recommended dose of vitamin A. Intake of foods rich in carotenoids like carrots have shown potential to keep blood sugar levels steady. Carrots also contain “falcarinol,” a phytonutrient that may protect against colon cancer. Choose those that are firm, smooth, and bright, and for fewer pesticides, go for organic varieties.

4. Endive. If you haven’t tried this leafy vegetable yet, you should! It looks like lettuce, except that its curly (also known as ascarole or chicory). Related to the dandelion (which is also great this time of year, by the way), it’s a super source of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and potassium. Low in calories, it’s perfect in weight-loss diets, and it’s natural fiber content helps relieve constipation. Choose organic, wash thoroughly, and use in salads, sandwiches, or with your favorite dip.

5. Kale. This is another powerful superfood full of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. It’s a great source of vitamins K, A, and C, as well as manganese, and also has many antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients like beta-carotene and lutein. If you’re trying to up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, kale is a great choice, as it takes only 100 calories of it to give you 25-35% of your daily fatty acid intake. Look for firm, deeply colored leaves and moist, hardy stems. Store in a cool environment, and steam for maximum nutrition and flavor.

Do you have some favorite spring powerhouse foods? Let us know!

Photo courtesy the jen_m_stewart via Flickr.com.

You can still slough off dead skin cells, banish the effects of the weather, and emerge with a fresh face using a few easy at-home detox steps over the weekend. Try it and see!

Start from the inside. For your weekend skin renewal, refresh from the inside out with cleansing foods like apples, grapes, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and spinach. These goodies help repair damage and protect your skin from future environmental assaults. Juicing with green veggies is also a great option. In the meantime, avoid refined, processed, and fast foods. Go all natural—you can do it for two days!

Give your skin a break. We all think that a new moisturizing cream, cleanser, or treatment will give us that youthful glow we’re looking for, but during a detox period, piling on products (especially if they are full of carcinogens and synthetic chemicals) can have the opposite effect. Your skin may react by breaking out, or receding into dullness. Instead, give it a break from all the products (and toxins) you normally use.

Drink, then drink more. During your weekend detox, drink lots of water. Water helps to remove toxins from your body. In addition, add in a few cups of tea whenever possible. Choose blends that include ginger, dandelion, nettle, burdock, or sarsaparilla root—these calm inflammation and can help reduce puffiness. Green tea is also a good option, or my favorite, Yogi Tea Detox.

Indulge in a feel-good massage. Massage helps encourage circulation, which assists your body in getting rid of toxins. You can enlist the help of a massage therapist or a willing partner, or do it yourself. Concentrate on areas like the neck, armpits, stomach, and behind the knees—where the lymph areas reside.

Make your own facial. Before you go to bed, make some time for a simple homemade facial. Heat up 1-2 cups of water, pour it in a bowl, add a few drops of citrus essential oil, and you’ve made the perfect formula for opening up pores. Soak a hand towel in the water, wring it out and drape it over your face for about ten minutes. Follow with a detoxifying mask made with clay that will absorb oil and pull toxins and impurities out. (Try “Yes to Carrots” soothing mud mask.)

Scrub! During your morning shower, scrub your skin. Exfoliating products with coffee remove dead, dulling cells. (Try BodyCoffee Scrub Body Polish.) Use a soft brush or scrubbie to heighten the effect. (If you’re going through chemotherapy, skip this step as your skin is too fragile.)

Get moving. Exercise is one of the best detox activities you can do, and it increases circulation to your face to help stimulate repair and encourage toxin release. Try jogging, a brisk walk, swimming, yoga—anything that will get your blood pumping. Step into the steam or sauna after your workout for further detoxing!

Moisturize. As you come to the end of your two-day detox, you’ll want to be kind to your skin and replenish moisture and nutrients. Try some raw honey on your face, topped with cucumber slices and a damp washcloth, which will help seal in moisture and reduce irritation. Or, you can substitute an organic moisturizing mask, such as Queen Helene Vitamin C & Honey Peel-Off Masque.

After your weekend is over, perhaps you can adopt some of these techniques and habits into your regular schedule?  It’s best in the long term if you make healthy choices every day, as opposed to just doing short periods of detox and indulging the rest of the time. Try it. Your body will thank you!

Did you try this 2-day detox? Tell us how you felt.

Photo courtesy Phlora via Flickr.com.

The skin, like many of our body organs, regularly breathes through the pores. Products, perspiration and dead cells can clog those pores, reducing skin’s ability to eliminate toxins and renew itself. For optimal health, we need to regularly excrete as many toxins as possible, so in addition to drinking water and consuming enough fiber to help our system get rid of waste, we need to keep the skin healthy so it, too, can do its part in cleansing our bodies.

Have you heard of dry skin brushing? Used for centuries by many cultures, it’s another approach to exfoliating dead-skin cells to speed up cell turnover and open up the pathways of toxin release. According to Bella Online, Turkish bath rituals used a rough cloth mitt, and in ancient Greece and Rome a “strigiles,” which was shaped like a curved spoon, was used to scrape the skin prior to bathing.

According to author Loree Taylor Jordan, CCH, in her book Detox for Life, “One of the greatest gifts of health that you can give yourself is the gift of skin brushing. Dry skin brushing is one of the finest of all baths. No soap can wash the skin as clean as the new skin you have under the old.”

Most experts recommend you brush your skin prior to showering or bathing, so you can wash away the loosened dead skin cells afterward. There is a definite method to it. You start with a soft, dry brush, and use circular motions from your toes up, always moving the strokes toward the heart, to help encourage healthy blood flow and circulation. You can think of it this way: from your toes to your lower back brush up, and from the neck brush down. When brushing over your stomach, go from the left to the right to follow the natural digestive path. Apply only as much pressure as is comfortable—hard enough so that your skin turns lightly red, but not hard enough to cause pain or irritation. Brushing your whole body will typically take 3-5 minutes. (Be sure your skin is dry for the process.)

As far as products to use, you have a lot of choices. There are several dry-skin brushes out there. Most use natural, not synthetic bristles. Relaxus offers a spa dry brush with a handle to extend your reach. Tampico has as version with an even longer handle (removable) and natural bristles, available on Amazon. And Bernard Jensen carries one for under $7 with a long, beechwood handle and natural fibers. If you’re looking for more information on the technique, Dr. Berkowsky’s Vital Chi Quick-Start Brushing System delivers a book and VHS video, with a full explanation of the process, information how it benefits the skin and body, and precise directions for the appropriate strokes to maximize the detox effect.

“I began daily skin brushing and saw healthier looking skin in about 2 weeks,” says Nicole of Complete Natural Skin Care. “After another week, I noticed that the cellulite was actually less visible! This was possibly the best result yet!”

Have you tried dry skin brushing? Let us know your thoughts.

Photo courtesy Explore.Appreciate.Love.Inspire via Flickr.com.

If you’ve been going through chemotherapy or radiation treatments, however, most likely you’re system is overloaded with waste products. Excess toxins are known to cause fatigue, stomach bloat, headaches, muscle aches, poor memory, a suppressed immune system, even bad breath. Chemotherapy drugs are quite powerful and fill the body with toxins; radiation can damage healthy cells and create toxic buildup; even cancer cells themselves become toxins as they wither up and die.

“In addition to eliminating chemical toxins and heavy metals from the body,” says the New Hope Medical Center in Arizona, “cancer patients need further detoxification support in order to remove the toxic load that comes from the death of cancer cells.”

Of course there are products out there you can buy, and you can try colonics (read our post about those here). But for those of you who want to detox in the comfort of your own homes, we’ve gathered a few suggestions. Try them out, and see if they help you feel better.

Detox Baths: Your grandma may have told you about the benefits of an Epsom Salts bath. Hot water opens the pores, allowing perspiration to take toxins away, as well as increasing absorption of nutrients such as magnesium and sulfate (in the salts), which help generate enzymes that clean up the body. According to Jordann Rawls, writing in the Yoga Examiner, adding ginger to your Epsom salt bath will open pores of the skin and further aid in eliminating pain. Baking soda helps neutralize the effects of radiation, sesame is great for de-stressing, and vinegar helps soothe joints and tendonitis. (Find recipes here.)

Water: It’s the most natural way to flush toxins out of your body. Drink at least 7-8 glasses a day, preferably purified.

Live Juices: According to detoxification.ws, live juices can rejuvenate, heal, and help flush away toxins. “Fruit and vegetable juices are the cleansers, energizers, builders, and regenerators of the human system,” they say. Try a combination of kale, spinach, carrot, cucumber and a bit or ginger and parsley.

Exercise: It gets the heart pumping, which circulates blood, moving toxins out of the body. It also encourages perspiration, which decreases toxins, and makes you thirsty, so you’ll drink more water.

Fiber:It “sweeps” the digestive tract clean, and speeds up elimination, which means waste products are in your body for a shorter amount of time. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains.

Dandelion: Many herbs are known to stimulate detoxification in the body. Dandelion is one, used in traditional Chinese medicine as a powerful liver tonic. Try a daily cup of dandelion tea, some dandelion greens (full of nutrients), or this smoothie recipe. You’ll find other liver-cleansing recipes here. Other foods that support healthy liver function include lemons, apples, beets, and carrots.

Contrast Therapy Shower: Dr. Nancy Steely, a licensed Naturopathic Physician, recommends this shower to increase circulation and detoxify the body: Take a hot shower for 1-2 minutes, then turn the hot water down (or off) and stand under the cold water for 10-20 seconds. Follow this with 1-2 minutes of hot water, then another 10-20 seconds of cold water. Repeat once more, ending with cold water, and step out and dry vigorously. (Be sure to wait until treatment is finished for this detox therapy, when your skin is stronger.)

Remember to always check with your primary physician before you start any detox regime.

Do you have a favorite way to detox? Please share with us.

Photo courtesy of zedlafor via Flickr.com.

Have you ever wanted to get a colonic, but were too scared to try? Although colon therapy may seem like a quick way to lose weight or feel “lighter” for vanity, it can actually play an integral role in the health of many cancer patients. Colonic specialist and Cinco Vidas Expert, Cyndie Suarez spoke exclusively to Cinco Vidas to explain: “[A colonic is] important because it is one of the only ways to truly help the body detox on a cellular level.” In fact, “Colon Hydrotherapy For Cancer” states that colonic hydrotherapy (or colonic irrigation) can “improve circulatory functions, stimulate the immune system, remove toxic waste, stimulate appetite, eliminate headaches, and boost energy.”

Due to the prevalence of unhealthy diets (containing artificial preservatives and processed ingredients) and our daily exposure to toxins through products, colonics can also be crucial in flushing carcinogenic chemicals out of our bodies, therefore boosting the immune systems and health of cancer patients.

“Most people think that if they eliminate at least once a day that they do not have build up in the colon,” Suarez says, “but this is not true. It behooves us to realize that what goes on in the colon affects the entire system: skin, organs, blood, mental clarity and more. The state of the colon has a great impact on our entire body.” According to the Medical Journalist Report, seriously ill patients are more at risk for constipation and digestive issues, which can lead to additional problems like toxemia. Dr. Leonard Smith, an expert in gastrointestinal surgery, adds, “My recommendation for cancer patients is that they should undergo frequent colon hydrotherapy procedures to make sure the colon’s toxic burden is being kept at a minimum while their bodies are trying to heal.”

How can you benefit from colon hydrotherapy when dealing with (or healing from) cancer? “In my observation, clients who have a true detox see a reduction in symptoms, and sometimes they will actually reverse and heal,” Suarez explains, adding that establishing an alkaline diet is a crucial part of this process. She recommends adding more alkaline (or high fiber) foods to the diet right away, whether it be a fresh vegetable juice in the mornings, or more colorful produce and salads with meals. “These steps begin to loosen waste and gas pressure so that the colonic can be as beneficial as possible.” Although experts agree that eliminating comfort foods from the diet can be difficult at first, creating a natural nutrition plan and talking with your healthcare physician about colonic therapy are beneficial steps in treatment and recovery.

To learn more about colonics and cancer-related therapy, please read, “What You Should Know About Getting a Colonic,” or read the candid experience of a woman recovering from colon cancer at Life Is Good blog. To learn more about Cyndie Suarez and her practice in New York City, please visit www.lytnyc.com.

* Would you ever have a colonic, and do you believe it can help with cancer treatment? Please share your thoughts!

Image courtesy of Snap Village

When was the last time your regular doctor asked about your diet, for instance, or your stress and energy levels? And if he did ask, did he give you recommendations for foods you could eat, or supplements you could take, to help your body heal itself?

Most likely, he didn’t. He’s probably concentrating on the tumor, the cancer, and the chemotherapy. That’s why you may want to consider adding a naturopathic doctor (ND) to your healthcare team. “Our philosophy is to address the full body,” Wilson says. “We use the least invasive therapies, like nutrition, vitamins, and homeopathy, to tackle underlying issues and stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself.”

Dr. Wilson has helped many cancer patients, both during treatment and after remission. Her main focus: balancing blood-sugar levels. “When we’re under elevated stress from cancer, we’re constantly stimulating the adrenal glands. They produce cortisol and adrenaline in response to stress, and they also have to moderate blood-sugar levels. So when we eat foods high in carbohydrates and sugars, we’re requiring them to do more—namely, to release insulin to process the sugar and bring blood-sugar levels back to normal.” Results are often reduced energy, a depleted immune system, mood swings, fatigue, sleep disturbances, weight gain, and slow release of toxins.

Everyone’s situation is different, so it’s best to see a naturopath in your area. (Find one here.) However, you can start feeling better by implementing some simple dietary changes. “Eat every 3-4 hours,” Wilson says, “and every time you eat, have a protein.” Proteins naturally slow the body’s breakdown of sugars, which eases the load on the adrenal glands and helps naturally balance blood-sugar levels. Try a few nuts with lunch, a boiled egg, some lean meats like chicken and turkey, or vegetarian proteins. Decrease your consumption of carbohydrates, and add in some healthy fats like olive oil, flaxseed oil, and omega 3s from fish and nuts.

Of course, at Cinco Vidas, we’re especially concerned with the skin. Since cancer treatment is so hard on it, would a naturopath have any advice? “When you’re going through treatment for cancer, many of your body’s nutrients are depleted, which immediately affects the skin, so you need to replace those with a quality multi-vitamin. Avoid tablets, as they’re not as easy to digest, and go for capsules. Fish oil is also great for skin, as it moisturizes and helps prevent infections. Drink plenty of water, and if you’re having trouble eating, try healthy soups (for water and protein content), low-sugar protein shakes, and high-quality electrolyte drinks. Avoid the artificial sweeteners, and look for natural formulas.”

How can diet be so important to skin? “The skin reflects what’s going on in the digestive tract,” Wilson says. “If someone comes to me with a skin problem, unless it was caused by direct contact with something (as in radiation burns), I would be thinking, ‘How’s your digestion?’ Depending on the circumstance, I might recommend the person supplement with enzymes, to help pull nutrients from food, and with acidophilus, to balance intestinal health.” When the body is supported in digesting food and absorbing nutrients, it regains the ability to heal itself—which shows up on the skin.

Finally, Dr. Wilson recommends antioxidants—for everyone, for lots of reasons! These powerhouses are helpful for so many things, including boosting the immune system, processing toxins, supporting energy levels, and helping scars to heal. Go for dark, leafy vegetables and fruits—especially berries—and supplement with vitamin C. Other supplements, like beta carotene, vitamin E, zinc, and selenium may also be helpful, but check with your doctor first.

Have you received help from a naturopath? Please share your experiences.

Note: To learn more about Dr. Wilson and her work, go to www.doctordoni.com.

Picture courtesy of Snap Village.