Have you ever tried to lose weight with a low-carb or ketogenic diet, only to plateau or gain weight after? As frustrating as this is, it is quite common because the body is programmed to adapt to changes in calories and fuel sources. In all honesty, your body is trained to maintain weight, not to lose.
When switching to a low-carb diet, your metabolic flexibility to burn fat is low, initially you may experience symptoms of; low energy, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, increased hunger and carb cravings. After a few weeks, weight loss starts as the body starts to obtain fuel from stores of fat. However, over time, in a low- carb state the thyroid starts to gear down, putting the brakes on your metabolism, you gain weight while throwing your body into “hibernation mode”, ultimately leading to more weight gain and fatigue.
So how can we keep our metabolism primed and guessing?
The answer may be in something referred to as carbohydrate cycling or carb-cycling for short.
The idea is to have low-carb days, consisting of protein, vegetables and more fat, alternating with high-carb days which include protein, grains or starches, vegetables and less fat. The classic carb cycling schedule alternates between high- and low- carb days, six days a week leaving the seventh day as a flex day.
As you start to set goals about diet and exercise this new year we want you to consider carb-cycling as a manageable and unique solution.
Benefits of Carb-cycling
Low-carb periods
● increase insulin sensitivity
● increase fat burning
● improve cholesterol
● enhance metabolism
High-carb periods
● benefit thyroid hormones
● keep testosterone levels up and enhances exercise performance
● improve leptin response, which regulates hunger
● improves energy by replenishing
● glycogen stores
If you are looking to lose weight you may have 5 low- carb days, interspersed with 2 high- carb days.
Or alternatively, if you are looking for more maintenance, you may increase your carbs on the flex day as well.
However, for most people to see benefits, ensure that you do not have high- carb days back-to-back, this is important.
Be prepared to closely monitor your progress in the beginning and adjust your schedule to see what works best for you.
One of the reasons we like this style of eating so much is that it allows for you to plan for a high carb occasion, say you have dinner plans (hopefully one day soon!) and you would like to partake in all the goodies and even a glass of wine; with carb-cycling you can easily incorporate this type of meal and then continue right back on track the next day with a low-carb day and the metabolic effects are such that you don’t end up spending the next week trying to lose the 3lbs that somehow found their way onto your waist. This is a great gradual and maintainable eating style, have a look at the sample meal plans to see how exactly this could work for you.
Low-Carb Day sample meal plan
Breakfast (7am)
● 2 scrambled or hardboiled eggs
● 1/2 bell pepper
Morning snack (10am)
● protein shake
● berries
Lunch
● 3 to 4 oz. grilled salmon
● 1 cup steamed green beans
Afternoon snack (4 pm)
● apple
● 10 almonds or walnuts
Dinner
● 3 to 4 oz. steak
● 2 cups steamed broccoli or cauliflower with butter
High-Carb Day sample meal plan
Breakfast (7am)
● 1/2 cup oatmeal
● walnuts and berries
Morning snack (10am)
● apple
● 2 Tbsp nut butter (almond, sunflower)
Lunch
● 1/2 turkey sandwich, with lettuce on whole grain bread or sprouted bread.
Afternoon snack (4 pm)
● 1 cup bean salad with parsley
● 1 cup quinoa
Dinner
● 3 to 4 oz. grilled chicken breast
● 1 cup rice pasta
● 1 cup steamed spinach
Low- carb days
May include a variety of proteins such as chicken, turkey, fish, beef, eggs or tofu paired with non- starchy vegetables (mainly green vegetables), olive oil, butter with a snack of fruit and nut butters or vegetables with hummus. Be sure to eat enough at each meal so that you are not hungry. Reducing carbs on these days keeps your insulin low enough so that you can burn fat without losing muscle! You are also depleting your glycogen stores (the storage of glucose in your muscles and liver) and using the beta oxidation (fat burning) metabolic pathway.
High-carb days
On your high-carb days, consume your calories from complex carbohydrates, such as; oatmeal, quinoa, millet, spelt, rye, beans, legumes and fruits, while maintaining your protein and non-starchy vegetable intake, but be sure to reduce your fats. Eating healthy carbs on these days keeps your metabolism revved up by reminding it to burn glucose for fuel and to replete your glycogen stores, which is important for maintaining energy and keeping muscles fueled.
General guidelines
For both low-and high-carb days, keep your meals 3 to 4 hours apart, meal timing is important. Strategies such as intermittent fasting (see March 2020 newsletter) may still be applied, and if you’re following a specific diet like low-fodmap or you have food sensitivities, these can help guide your food choices when you set up your meal plans. Also, ensure that your food portions (see March 2020 newsletter) are right for your body, you may need to eat every 3 hours at first to not feel hungry, smaller more frequent meals are better than overeating in one meal.
Be sure to always stay hydrated and maintain movement in your day. Some people also find it helpful to do more exercise on a high-carb day and less on a low-carb day. For example, heavy weight lifting is better on a high carb day, whereas yoga or walking are a better fit for a low carb day.
Overall, the net effect is that you’re strategically restricting calories and then revving your metabolism allowing you to lose weight while being able to maintain it for a longer period of time without feeling deprived! If you feel like you would like more information on this type of eating, please reach out to us.
Sleep is one of those things that we take for granted when it’s good only to feel desperate for it when it’s gone. Did you know that your hormones can strongly affect your sleep cycle? We are living in a crazy world at the moment and sleep issues seem to be popping up all over the place, so we want to help shed some light on why and how you can best address your sleep concerns without resorting to nightly sleeping pills or over-the-counter sleep aids.
Cortisol is our stress response hormone, it’s a hormone that should naturally rise in the morning to help us get out of bed, peak around 9 am and then gradually drop off by bedtime to help us relax and fall asleep.
Right now, we are seeing a lot more people with higher cortisol levels, we need cortisol to help us feel energized, and respond to all the excitement in our day, but not at night time. If our levels are high at night it really makes it hard for you to fall asleep and feel rested the next morning.
How do you know that you have high cortisol at night (without testing)? Take a look at these symptoms and see if they sound like you.
Do you have:
● Feelings of anxiety or low mood
● Mind racing
● Night sweats
● Heart palpitations
● Hard time falling asleep or staying asleep
● Diabetes, blood sugar dysregulation
● Chronic inflammation in your body
● Constantly feel tired in the morning
If you can identify with any of these issues and they have become a regular part of your life, chances are you’re cortisol levels are high.
The good news is that there are steps that you can take to help break the cycle of high cortisol that we will share with you below!
Sleep is an important part of healing and regenerating our bodies. Overnight we rest our muscles allowing us to release the acid toxins in our tissue, we fast for 12 to 16 hours which allows for better elimination and we have mental rest to allow brain recovery.
Can your cortisol be high during the night?
The answer is yes. Perhaps you have some of the high cortisol signs, but you’re also waking in the night between 2-4 am and can’t get back to sleep for a 1-2 hours; this is a sign that your cortisol is spiking at the wrong time, i.e., in the middle of the night instead of in the morning.
It’s high cortisol that is not following the normal circadian rhythm. Luckily, we find that knowing how to properly support cortisol throughout the day will help to adjust the sleep cycle back to a more regular pattern.
Low Cortisol can also cause sleep problems!
As with all hormones, there are problems when your levels are too high and when they are too low. Low cortisol happens when you’ve been chronically stressed for a long period of time and your body is no longer able to produce hormones at the same level.
Sleep Induction Techniques
How do we control our cortisol levels naturally? We start with some basic sleep hygiene—have a bedtime routine and a set bedtime.
Our bodies love routine, so be consistent, many of you may have a sleep timer on your smart watch, this can be a helpful reminder to get yourself heading off to bed.
Have a notepad or journal by your bed to write down important thoughts that may keep you up.
Make sure your bedroom is dark—no bright light, alarm clock lights, street light or devices should be in the room. Did you know that to help regulate a women’s menstrual cycle, you should sleep in total darkness except for the day before, the day of and the day after the full moon? Women’s cycles are closely tied to the moon’s cycles.
Do some deep breathing—this will help calm the parasympathetic nervous system and get you ready to enter sleep mode.
If you live by a busy road or you know that you wake easily from noise, try a sound machine or gentle fan to help keep you asleep.
Incorporate some movement into your day—mild to moderate exercise will help to lower stress, intense exercise can actually increase cortisol levels.
Lastly, before bed be sure to avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and heavy meals.
Natural Sleep Support Supplements
If you’ve got all the sleep hygiene down and you’re still not sleeping well, here are some of our favourite ways to manage cortisol and induce a more restful sleep.
Magnesium glycinate can be helpful to regulate cortisol and promote relaxation in the brain and muscles.
We know that melatonin can affect our cortisol levels and our sleep patterns. Melatonin and cortisol have an inverse relationship, as cortisol drops our melatonin rises, and we also know that melatonin can decrease our cortisol levels.
If you feel out of rhythm with your sleep-wake cycle, a nice reset is taking a low dose melatonin at night and vitamin D in the morning. This gives your brain the signal that is time to go to sleep and time to wake up with the sun.
We have two forms of melatonin that we like at the clinic, one that helps with sleep onset and one that helps with staying asleep.
Other nutrients that can be helpful to regulate our cortisol levels are phosphatidyl serine, a phospholipid that helps our brains to function better; L-theanine, an amino acid from tea that helps with inducing more relaxation, beta-sistosterol, a fatty acid that can be found in products like Biotone EFA (for those of you that love this product) or can be found in other brain health supports and cholesterol support products.
If you need some help deciding what you need to work on, be sure to reach out to your Naturopathic Doctor for your specific recommendations. Sleeping well ensures that your day goes more smoothly and helps you to cope with what is happening in our world. Positive thoughts create positive actions. Let’s end the year on a high note and hope that 2021 is a better year for the planet.
It seems like so many of us have gained weight over the past 6 months, granted life has been pretty different and we have all faced new challenges. But, why does it seem so much harder to lose the weight when we want to?
Weight Loss Resistance is something that can happen to all of us and it can have a few different root causes, we’ll get into more of these in future newsletters, but for now we want to address a biggie, Insulin Resistance.
What does that even mean—well we all know a bit about insulin, it’s the hormone secreted by the pancreas that allows glucose (ie, sugar, carbs) to enter the cells and act as energy. Think of it as the gatekeeper or key to the cell.
Now, when everything is functioning normally, this little key fits into it’s space on the cell surface and glucose moves in to fuel it.
But, when things go awry, we can end up with way too much insulin and it floods the space on the cell surface, blocking glucose from getting into the cell.
This means that when you eat, the glucose in your body is now floating around with no place to go.
So what happens to this glucose? It goes back to the liver and the liver takes this excess sugar and converts it into the storage fuel—aka fat.
So how do we develop insulin resistance?
There are a few things that can cause insulin resistance and some of these reasons may be surprising to you.
The first way is fairly obvious, overeating of sugars and carbs. Flood the system with too much fuel and the body gets overwhelmed.
But, what if this scenario is not so obvious, say you just mildly overeat, or you just overeat carbs at one meal a day, will this still cause insulin resistance? You bet.
Meal Timing is important
The second way is with poor meal timing. That’s right, we can create insulin resistance by eating constantly throughout the day.
Most people cannot tolerate a sustained intake of food day in and day out. Eating 5-6 times a day or grazing will actually create insulin resistance.
Why is that? Insulin is released in response to eating, but just like a washing machine, our digestive tract and our breakdown of food has a cycle. We need to eat, process, and empty completely before we repeat. This cycle is about 4-6 hours so when we eat before the cycle is over, we essentially restarted the process before we actually got to empty—it’s like throwing dirty clothes in half way through the cycle, the whole load is now not going to come out clean.
We also need a good fasting period overnight to really help our bodies reset, this is generally 12 hours, but it can be as long 16 hours (also known as Intermittent Fasting, which we discussed in our March newsletter).
Toxins and Fatty Liver contributes
The third way insulin resistance can develop is through fatty liver changes. This is not necessarily due to drinking too much alcohol, it can also be from carb consumption, or even more commonly these days, it can be from environmental chemicals—now we’re not talking toxic smoke fog, we’re actually talking about chemicals like PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) or PFOS (perfluorooctanoic acid)—these are the chemicals that for a non-stick coating on your pots and pans, or weather protectors on your boots, or anti-wrinkle in your shirts.
These are ubiquitous chemicals that are not easy to remove from our bodies or our world and we have seen a huge correlation between these and hormone disruption. You can also add chemicals like BPA (bisphenol A) and BPS (bisphenol S) to this list, BPA was removed from a lot of plastic containers and water bottles, only to be replaced by BPS, something possibly more toxic than BPA.
We have seen a rise in type two diabetes that is similar to the rise in BPA over the same period of time. Right now, while everyone is cooking at home more than ever before, please make sure that your pots and pans are not coated in Teflon, this includes frying pans, baking sheets, and muffin tins.
Use stainless steel, ceramic or cast iron pans, line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
This even includes when you use healthier pans and just because you line your non-stick pans doesn’t mean they’re safe, they still off gas every time you use them.
Lastly….
Insulin Resistance is also a part of overall hormone balance. Women with PCOS and men with estrogen dominance tend to have higher levels of insulin resistance. So we find when estrogen is in balance, insulin resistance is better and vice versa. Cortisol, or stress hormones, also increase our level of insulin resistance, so when we stress more our body no longer uses carbohydrates in the same way. We still require carbs but we need to be mindful of when we are eating them and how much we are consuming.
How do you know if your weight loss resistance is due to insulin resistance? If you can identify with some of the issues mentioned earlier, then this is probably the case, but if you’re not sure and you would like to be tested, it is best to test fasted insulin levels and fasted blood glucose, then there is a calculation that we can use called a HOMA-IR and this will give us a good idea about your level of insulin resistance.
Treating insulin resistance is something that naturopathic medicine is really good at. There are many natural phytochemicals that can help sensitize the cells to insulin, such as berberine, and minerals like chromium and vanadium that are essential co-factors to proper blood sugar regulation. Also, knowing how to time meals, and how to compose your meals so that you are not aggravating insulin resistance will help to speed your metabolism back up to where it’s supposed to be.
We really feel it is best for you to know your numbers, so if you’re ready to tackle insulin resistance we want to help you get moving in the right direction! We’ve created an insulin testing package for you to be able to get your testing done, and then come in to see us to discuss your results and what your next steps should be.
Let’s face it, this has been an unprecedented year with many changes for all of us. For some people this has come with more stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep concerns. How can we get back to a place of going with the flow of life? And how do we thrive in our current new reality?
FEEL GOOD with SEROTONIN
Our mental health and sense of well-being is more important than ever. So, what does it mean to crave a cookie vs a piece of cheese?
If you consistently crave sweets, cookies, milk chocolate or high sugar carbohydrates especially in times of stress, you may be deficient in serotonin.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter secreted by the brain to regulate mood, appetite, sleep/wake cycles and energy levels. It is often thought of as our ‘happy hormone’ because its production increases when we are exposed to natural sunlight and when we focus on one thing rather than multi-task.
Supplements to help build serotonin include; 5-HTP, St. John’s wort, vitamin B6, rhodiola, inositol, vitamin D3 and fish oils.
FOCUS with DOPAMINE
What if you consistently choose cheese, salty snacks, dark chocolate or red wine especially in times of stress? It means that you may be deficient in dopamine.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter secreted by the brain that supports daily cognitive functioning, including; focus, alertness, learning, creativity, stamina, memory and attention. It also influences feelings of well-being, controls motor functions and is involved in the pleasure center of the brain.
Deficiency symptoms may include; low mood, attention disorders, memory loss, difficulties problem solving, low libido and restless leg syndrome.
Supplements to support dopamine include; l-tyrosine, d-or dl-phenylalanine, rhodiola, and chasteberry.
Chill out with GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a naturally calming inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in relaxation, healthy sleep, digestion an the easing of muscle tension, pain and anxiety.
GABA inhibits the more stimulatory neurotransmitters; serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin so that we can let go of the day and sleep. GABA helps with staying asleep for a more restorative, deeper recovery. We find that GABA is well tolerated, even at higher doses.
Supplements to help build or enhance GABA, include; passionflower, taurine, magnesium and L-glutamine and you can take GABA itself.
Most neurotransmitters have both a brain and gut connection. This is why it is important to look after your digestive health as much as your mental well-being, if you’re concerned about your mental health or feel like you need a bit of support to get your brain and body functioning optimally, be sure to book a consult with us so that we can help you make the best choice to suit your needs.
Strategies for enhancing mental health
Nutrition
May factors can contribute to inadequate diets including food insecurity, processed food consumption and micronutrient deficiency, and as a result can increase the prevalence of anxiety and depression. Micronutrients are extremely important for our mental health! Vitamins like B12, B6, and B5 all help to keep our brains firing properly and our mood up. These essential nutrients can be found in foods like; eggs, salmon, beef, leafy greens and legumes.
Water
Lack of adequate water intake or dehydration, can lead to cognitive impairment, mood changes or even delirium. Are you drinking enough water to keep your brain hydrated?
Most adults need to drink 2-3 liters of water a day. To make it really simple, have a 1L water bottle (glass or metal) and make sure to drink one bottle before lunch and then one more before dinner.
Exercise
Physical activity is linked with reducing symptoms of depression and stress as well as increasing self-esteem, resilience, concentration and memory. If you haven’t been regular with your exercise lately, think about scheduling it in and work the rest of your activities around it.
You’ll notice a change in your mood when you get your body moving!
Sleep
Not enough sleep has been linked with psychiatric disorders, including; depression, bipolar, anxiety, ADHD. Adequate sleep can help with mental resilience and emotional regulation. If you don’t have good sleep habits or have found yourself getting to bed much too late, you may be aggravating your mental health. Setting routines around proper sleep is extremely important, putting away devices, setting a bedtime, and sometimes using natural herbal or nutritional support to help set up better sleep patterns is also needed.
Limit Alcohol
Alcohol and drugs may be used to self-medicate to help cope with anxiety, depression or stress.
It can actually exacerbate other mental health concerns and increase your risk of other mental health disorders. Turning to substances to deal with stress seems to be fairly common this year.
But, if substance use has become a regular part of your life, you may want to re-evaluate how you’re really feeling. Are you using substances to cope with your emotions or escape uncomfortable feelings? Be sure to check-in with yourself and ask for help when you need it.
Dealing with illness or underlying health concerns
Anxiety and stress brought on by the experience of an illness can also lead to mental health disorders or exacerbate underlying symptoms related to anxiety, or depression. If you have been chronically unwell or you don’t know why you don’t feel well, it can really drain on your mental outlook. Taking care of yourself can become especially hard when you feel like you’ve tried everything. When you’re unwell, it’s important to build a network around yourself, a team of healthcare providers, a team of social support and a team to help you do the things you need to get done.
Social Well-Being
Poor social connection or overall social well-being is associated with poor emotional health and may even exacerbate mental health conditions such as depression. How connected are you?
Having real personal connections is extremely important for our mental health. It’s easy, in the age of social media, to forget to actually call your friends or meet up in person. But, perhaps we all need to make a goal of calling a friend more often and see what the payoff really is, do we feel happier, appreciated, excited, loved? Do you have someone you’ve been meaning to call?
Check up on them today, it could be great for both of you!
Even though this year has been unusual and things feel different, we all have aspects in our lives that we are grateful for. It can be a good practice to incorporate journaling, deep breathing, meditation or being grateful for what we feel is going well. These practices bring about more feelings of happiness and calm the nervous system.
Well, the announcement has been made to send children back to school, how does this impact you and how can we best support our children as they make this transition in the most uncertain environment that we’ve ever encountered?
When the weather shifts in the fall, we are more susceptible to the usual colds and the flu, and with increased interactions with other people, our risk of contracting other viruses also increases.
When it comes to acquiring infections, we need to remember that the state of our immune system and the environment within our bodies needs to be hospitable in order for a virus to take hold and spread.
How we feed our bodies, what our genetics are and how stressed and how much sleep we are getting will greatly impact our susceptibility.
So far, we know some general nutrition recommendations are very helpful to keep our bodies healthy. We want to maximize our antioxidants, these are found in all the brightly colored foods; beets, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, broccoli, squash, citrus, and berries. To make it simple, just think about eating the fruit and veggie rainbow!
Immune boosting supplements include vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C and zinc. As a baseline, ensure that you have adequate levels. We also encourage probiotics as part of good immune maintenance and reduction of inflammation. The environment in the GI tract determines your immune capacity.
There has also been recent evidence to show that melatonin and quercetin may act as potent antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory and anti-viral benefits.
Vitamin D is important
Nutrients have been linked to increased adverse effects to corona-type viruses, specifically, vitamin D. Researchers have looked at blood vitamin D levels in COVID positive and negative patients and have noticed that there is a significant increase in adverse outcomes in those with low serum vitamin D.
Vitamin D testing is no longer covered by Alberta Health, if this is something you would like to have tested we do offer this testing privately through the lab for $110.
Generally, if we’ve been outside in the summer, we will have good vitamin D levels, but once we have shorter days and there is less absorbance of UV rays, our vitamin D levels decline.
Supplementing throughout the winter is recommended, but if you really want to know if you’re taking enough vitamin D, testing part way through the winter would be recommended.
Stress is huge these days, it’s hard not to be when every news story is discussing the latest in COVID-19 numbers and the fallout from this around the world. Our children can also sense the changes in our stress levels as well as the lack of normalcy from their usual routines.
Remember to turn off the news sometimes, this will give you a break and your kids some time to stop wondering what is happening in the world. Some of them may also be experiencing anxiety around the return to school, what are they allowed to do and not do, will they be able to see their friends, who will be their teacher, and when will they eat lunch?
Keeping kids informed of the facts, practicing what the new procedures will be, wearing masks when out in public, using hand sanitizer or hand washing, following the lines in supermarkets and malls and standing on the 6 feet circles, will help to normalize all the new expectations when they get back to class. Making sure your kids are comfortable with these procedures will make the new routines less stressful and help them to feel successful.
Genetic Links to Virus Susceptibility
The gene component of COVID-19 susceptibility is an emerging area of research. From early on, there seems to be some level of gene involvement that determines the intensity of response that someone will have to the virus, although this has not been confirmed entirely, we find this interesting and perhaps something that will be an evolving part of treatment for this infection.
The ABO blood type gene doesn’t just influence our blood, it’s also active in a wider variety of tissues and organs, including our digestive and respiratory systems. Numerous early studies have identified blood type as one factor that can increase the chances of a more severe reaction.
Blood type A seems to be more susceptible to contract the virus and develop more severe symptoms. Whereas, blood type O, seems to be less likely to contract and has less severe symptoms. Knowing your blood type should not determine your level of concern, but knowing your blood type, and eating for your blood type could be helpful in protecting you.
If you don’t know your blood type and you would like to, we can do this test easily in the office with a simple finger prick blood test. Blood typing cost is $20.
Other genes, such as the one that influences blood pressure and blood vessel dilation have also been linked to the intensity of reaction to the COVID-19 virus. Currently, a few countries, including Canada, are conducting genetic research to determine if there are other gene connections to the virus.
If you’ve had a DNA test, such as 23andme or Ancestry, you can actually look at your genetics through other analyzers, such as PureGenomics, which we have here in the office, and you can learn how to balance your genetics through nutrition and nutritional supplements. (Your genes are not your destiny!)
It’s summer!! As we adjust to this new normal of being home all the time, it seems we’re also spending more time outdoors, biking, running, walking, and being active. I don’t know about you, but our families have found the mosquitoes to be especially vicious this year and with all the activity, we’ve had more bug bites, sore muscles/joints and bruises than we’ve ever had before.
If you’re saying me too! Stay tuned, because we thought this would be a great time to share with you all the nifty, natural first aid remedies that we keep at home to deal will some of these pesky issues.
Allergiplex
We love this complex homeopathic combination for prevention and treating symptoms of allergic rhinitis or hay fever.
If you tend toward seasonal allergies in the spring and summer, this is an excellent remedy for you.
It helps to prevent watery eyes, itchy nose and throat, sneezing, stuffy and runny nose and mild breathing concerns due to allergies.
Take one tablet every 2 weeks prior to allergy season, or if you are in active symptoms take one tablet weekly or as needed but not more than one tablet per day.
It is a super convenient chewable tablet without the side effects of drowsiness or drying out the mucous membranes.
Calendula Cream
Got a new cut, scrape or rash? Our ultimate favourite cream for quick skin healing is Calendula cream.
Calendula is like nature’s polysporin, it has antimicrobial properties and it has been shown to actually increase skin cell turnover, meaning that you re-grow skin faster!
Use it on your bug bites, abrasions, and sunburns and you will see how quickly you recover.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are a must-have for summer exercisers. When it’s hot and dry outside, you may not realize how much you’re actually perspiring. Often, it is recommended to only use electrolytes if you’re active for over 1 hour, but in the summer or with more intense activities we may not realize that we have lost a lot of fluid.
When you’re sweating you lose a lot more minerals than you may think, this leads to quicker dehydration and simply drinking water will not allow you to recover as quickly compared to also drinking electrolytes.
We love the Electrolyte Synergy from Designs for Health, as this product contains all the essential minerals, plus 1784 mg of Vitamin C per serving, and it’s sweetened with stevia and not sugar (like Gatorade). Taking electolytes on a hot day with water may reduce your risk of heat exhaustion.
Arnica montana
Are you looking for something that will help you heal quickly from all of your bruises, strains and muscle soreness? Look no further than Arnica 30CH. This homeopathic remedy has been shown to aid the healing response of the body and is the ultimate first aid remedy.
Take 5 pellets any time you want to heal faster from a bruise, strain, sprain, surgery, dental work, muscle soreness from a hard workout, a long hike or bike, gardening or landscaping, it works well. Repeat the dose multiple times a day at first, then once daily until symptoms persist.
Ledum
A homeopathic remedy to combat the swelling, itching or inflammation from common bug bites.
These include mosquitoes, spiders, ants and other insects.
If you are someone who reacts badly to bug bites or your kids do, this is a great remedy to reduce the pain and swelling and aid healing.
Take 3 to 5 pellets before going outside for extended periods of time to prevent the intensity of symptoms or for treating an existing bite.
