Superfood to Help Remove Mercury From Your Tissues in Weeks

 (Photo credit: Zellaby)

By Dr. Mercola

Have you noticed that practically every day a new story comes out in the media about the toxic side effects of living in the modern world?

Chemical and heavy metal dangers seem to be lurking everywhere you turn in the 21st century!

Pesticides coat much of our fresh food supply, chemical by-products from manufacturing are routinely dumped into our air and water, and mercury amalgam fillings in your teeth may be releasing mercury into your body with every bite of food you take!

The seafood in our oceans are laden with heavy metals and mercury and pass these poisons up the food chain until potentially massive doses of both wind up on your dinner plate disguised as a healthy meal.

Underground water supplies have been tainted by chemical and pesticide run off from farms, factories and high technology industries.

In fact, acceptable levels of many poisons are allowed to come into your home through your drinking and bathing water, including fluoride, chlorine and low levels of many heavy metals.

It doesn't take much imagination to see that your body too is under attack from environmental pollution every single day.

You can seek to protect yourself and combat this hazard by eating foods that are free of pesticides and chemicals, but you simply cannot entirely remove all sources of toxins from your environment. The damage to our world is just too widespread and pervasive. You have to take it upon yourself to take measures to protect yourself and your family from this toxic world, and one of the best natural sources for moving these toxic materials out of your body is a whole-food based, green algae called chlorella.

How Can You Fight Systemic Pollution?

To address the harmful and unwanted chemicals your body picks up through the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the water you drink, it is wise to develop a proactive plan. One of the most powerful parts of this plan is detoxification of the toxins you may have already built up inside your body.

Your body is naturally able to remove many of the harmful pathogens, chemicals and poisons you may come into contact with in the environment. That's how we are all designed.

But in the 21st century, we're seeing an explosion of accumulated toxin-related diseases like cancer, auto-immune dysfunction, brain disorders like autism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, nerve disorders and more common ailments like depression, learning disabilities and fatigue. It can become relatively easy to overwhelm your body's ability to remove many of these toxins. Symptoms of toxic build-up due to chronic metal exposure include:

• Fatigue
• Digestive distress, and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats
• Aching joints
• Depression
• Impaired blood sugar regulation
• Female reproductive problems

Mercury is also a potent toxin in its own right that can damage your brain, central nervous system and kidneys, and is especially dangerous for children, fetuses, pregnant and nursing women and people who have high levels of mercury bioburden. So it clearly pays dividends to detoxify your body of the accumulated toxins built up, to get yourself to a healthier state where your body can more effectively remove the toxins you're exposed to every day.

Infrared Sauna

There are ten to 100 times more toxins in your fat than in your blood, so one of the best ways to remove toxins is to decrease your body fat. That really is your first defense. Choosing the right foods and exercise are key here. After that, one of the most effective detoxification strategies I know of is the use of an infrared sauna. This can be done for about one hour daily for a month. Remember, it's important to hydrate well before and during the sauna treatment to avoid dehydration.

Additionally, you can exercise for 30-60 minutes immediately prior to help liberate some of the toxins from your fat.

Some clinicians have also found the use of NON timed release niacin useful, as it helps liberate toxins from the fat. However, relatively high doses of 5,000 mg are needed. These high doses need to be slowly worked up to as niacin will cause flushing. However, about one fourth of people are simply unable to tolerate the niacin flush. Please avoid timed release niacin as it can potentially lead to chemical hepatitis.

Chlorella as a Powerful Detoxification Tool

One of the most exciting nutritional resources available today to help your body naturally fight environmental pollution is a whole-food based supplement called chlorella. Chlorella is actually one of the most widely used supplements in Japan, where over 10 million people use it regularly. The Japanese use of chlorella is more widespread than the North American use of vitamin C, our most popular supplement.

Do the Japanese know something we don't?

One of the reasons the Japanese value chlorella so highly is its natural detoxification abilities. Chlorella is a "green food," a single-celled, micro-algae that is about two to ten microns in size. It's very small. It is this small size combined with its unique properties that make it such a useful detoxification tool. Its molecular structure, allows it to bond to metals, chemicals and some pesticides.

When chlorella is taken into your body, its natural action will bind it to lingering heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides found in your digestive tract, which is your body's pathway to your bloodstream where these harmful toxins are delivered and deposited into your body's cells.

So chlorella first and foremost will help your body eliminate unwanted metals and toxins. But it does more than that.

Chlorella is uniquely designed to not bind to the minerals your body naturally needs to function optimally. It does not bind to beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, or zinc. It's almost as if chlorella knows which metals belong in your body and which chemicals need to be removed. Supplementing with chlorella is like unleashing a tiny army inside your body to fight the battle of removing toxins from your tissues and ushering them back outside your body where they belong.

The History of Chlorella

Chlorella is one of the most widely studied food supplements in the world. Aside from being the subject of medical research in the USA, USSR, Germany, Japan, France, England and Israel, chlorella has been extensively studied as a food source since it is made up of a whopping 50 percent protein and is considered a complete amino acid-based food.

Even NASA has studied using chlorella as the one of first whole foods in space on the international space station!

Studies in Japan have shown chlorella may help reduce body fat percentage and may be useful in fighting obesity and weight related diabetes. It may also help reduce both cholesterol and hypertension. Chlorella's cleansing action on your bowel and other elimination channels, as well as its protection of your liver, also helps promote clean blood. And clean blood helps assure metabolic waste get efficiently carried away from your tissues.

Chlorella is such a powerful detoxifier because it is rich in chlorophyll, which is known to:

• Aid you in processing more oxygen
• Cleanse key elimination systems like your bowel, liver, and blood
• Help purify your blood and clean away toxins
• Aid you in promoting optimal blood pressure
• Support elimination of molds in your body
• Help neutralize bad air you might breathe in
• Promote growth and repair of your tissues

Chlorella is actually very useful even beyond detoxification, and its range of health benefits includes:

• Boosting your immune system
• Improving your digestion, especially if constipation is a problem
• Providing B vitamins from an animal source
• Enhancing your ability to focus and concentrate
• Increasing your energy levels
• Balancing your body's pH
• Normalizing your blood sugar and blood pressure
• Reducing your cancer risk
• Freshening your breath

A three-year double-blind metal detoxification study with over 350 people participating was undertaken at a Russian metal foundry, where more than 20 natural compounds were used in trials to remove heavy metals from people who had been exposed at very high levels to four main metals -- antimony, lead, cadmium and arsenic.

What were the results of testing chlorella as a heavy metal detoxification agent? The Russian trial using Broken Cell Wall chlorella combined with cilantro eliminated ALL heavy metals, including mercury! With no reported side-effects! In fact, the heavy metal binding power of chlorella was first discovered in the mining industry. Mixed with water, they pumped chlorella into mine shafts to collect the residual metals after bulk mining was completed.

Not All Chlorella is Created Equal

Unlike many food supplements, chlorella has one unique feature that makes the manufacturing process one of the primary concerns when considering a source of supplementation. Chlorella is completely indigestible by humans. We simply do not have the enzymes to break down its cell wall.

Unlike other green foods, chewing and digesting chlorella will not release the powerful health benefits contained within this green algae. This is because chlorella's tough outer cell wall, which is also chemically responsible for binding with the toxins inside your body, cannot be broken down by your biology,

Therefore, it is imperative that the manufacturing process break down the tough outer cell wall for you, as this is the only way to make the chlorella biologically available to remove toxins from your body.

This is why I only recommend supplementing with Broken Cell Wall chlorella, because this is the only form that allows your body to use this powerful detoxification agent. Another concern when choosing your chlorella is to be sure that the source waters where it is grown and harvested are free of any contamination. Since chlorella is a natural green food, it will be affected by polluted water and will retain environmental toxins if it's grown in contaminated waters. So be certain any chlorella you supplement with comes from a naturally clean water source.

One other aspect of chlorella you need to be aware of is some people tolerate it better than others.

You should always start any detox with chlorella gradually, taking just a small amount at first to see how your body tolerates this powerful detoxification tool. Some people also report benefits from beginning a detoxification by first eating small amounts of cilantro for a few days. Cilantro also promotes a detoxification response in your body, but at a less intense level -- which may help your body ease into a smoother detoxification response from chlorella.

The best results of using broken cell wall chlorella for detoxification have also been documented as coming from mixing chlorella with the green plant cilantro, so this might be another consideration for you when undertaking your detoxification program. I recommend finding an organic source of cilantro, to insure you are not putting more unwanted chemicals into your body as you try to detoxify your body's already existing heavy metal burden.

Too Much Iron?

One other thing to be aware of when using chlorella is that this green algae does contain large concentrations of iron. Iron levels in women should not be a problem due to the loss of iron related to the menstrual cycle, but for men, or postmenopausal women, excessive iron can become a problem.

So for men using chlorella, you want to have your blood iron levels checked regularly to ensure the iron in your blood is staying within healthy levels. The simple best screen is ferritin. Ideally it should be between 20 and 80 ng/ml. Levels over 150 or higher become problematic and should be treated by blood donations or therapeutic phlebotomies.

Chlorella for Vegetarians and Vegans

Chlorella is also a great source of complete amino acid protein, and is made up of 50 percent protein. So vegans and vegetarians can benefit not only from the detoxification properties of chlorella, but can also enhance their B vitamin and protein intake as well through chlorella supplementation.

Many claim that it can also be a useful source of vitamin B12. While chlorella does contain this vitamin, most people develop deficiencies because they lose the ability to absorb it. So swallowing it will not provide the same benefit as injecting it or using it in a sublingual drop or spray.

To the best of my knowledge, chlorella is not an effective alternative to animal sources of vitamin B12 which can be an issue for vegans.

Final Thoughts on Chlorella

Sometimes living in the modern world can feel like you're at war with the environment around you, and sources of pollution are often silent and unavoidable. You can do your best to avoid pollution and toxins, eat only the healthiest organic foods, drink only filtered water, avoid exposure to harsh man-made chemicals, and yet still find yourself exposed daily to massive amounts of harmful pollutants that are totally outside of your control.

Maintaining optimum wellness includes creating defensive mechanisms to fight back against these pervasive and unavoidable environmental assaults on your good health.

By implementing a detoxification program now you can help your body naturally remove the unwanted and harmful heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides you may unknowingly taken into your body. And lessening your toxic burden has been shown to improve many common health ailments, from lack of energy and insomnia, to sluggish digestion, lack of immune response and mental fatigue.

In fact, almost everything inside your body, including all of your organs, function better with reduced loads of systemic toxins.

And by removing the toxins now and not letting them accumulate to dangerous levels, you may be helping your body ward of such killers as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, along with all of the now too common neurological disorders that may not manifest for decades to come.

Just remember to start slowly, perhaps using cilantro first, and gradually increase your intake of chlorella at a pace your body can tolerate.

It took a long time for your body to accumulate these toxins and it will probably take you many weeks and even months to effectively remove them from your system. So if you experience any indigestion or discomfort from chlorella supplements, you're probably taking too much too fast.

It will be crucial to lower your body fat as low as possible as this will remove large amounts of toxins from your body that are stored there. You can also use the infrared sauna in conjunction with exercise and niacin as described above.

Be patient, stick with chlorella supplementation, and in a few weeks you'll most likely begin to notice an overall improvement in your health as you naturally start to remove these heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides from your body.

 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/01/is-this-one-of-natures-most-powerful-detoxification-tools.aspx
From the Mercola website.

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Daily Walking Benefits Those with Lung Disease and Cuts Stroke Risk

English: Cover of the book Take Control of Your Health by dr. Mercola. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

By Dr. Mercola

I've recently started writing more about the health benefits of proper posture. Its benefits go FAR beyond looks; your posture has a tremendous impact on chronic pain, and in all likelihood contributes a great deal to the biological harm associated with prolonged sitting.

Posture and proper body mechanics is equally important when you're moving about. Simply walking has been found to have significant health benefits, including the reduction of severe attacks associated with lung disease, and a reduced risk of stroke—both of which I'll discuss in a moment.

Walking correctly can only add to such benefits. In the video above, Esther Gokhale teaches several components of her Gokhale Method "glidewalking" technique. She emphasizes the following features:

1. Pelvic anteversion (allowing the pelvis to naturally tip forward, with the belt line slanting down towards the front). This is necessary to put the glutes in a position of mechanical advantage, and to allow the back leg to straighten and propel you forward.

2. Glute contraction. The glutes are supposed to be the biggest muscles in the body and are designed to power your stride. Most people in industrialized cultures have glute amnesia.

3. Soft landing. By sustaining your glute contractions a little longer than most of us tend to, your footfall becomes light. This helps protect your weight-bearing joints.

How to Cultivate Good Gait

1. Pelvic anteversion (tipping the pelvic bowl forward). The Gokhale Method advocates doing a mini-squat and letting gravity help the pelvis tip forward. Esther cautions against "sticking the bottom back" as this creates tension in the low back. Pelvic anteversion, when you are not used to it, can feel very awkward at first. Here is a video clip of me reporting on how I felt the first time I was positioned to "tallstand" with pelvic anteversion by Esther Gokhale. Since then, this pelvic position has come to not only feel comfortable, but also normal. These transitions back to healthy posture are nuanced and often awkward at first. I recommend seeking out instruction from a qualified Gokhale Method teacher to make this practical. The six-lesson Gokhale Method Foundations course was very helpful to me.
2. Glute contraction. In her presentation "Walk This Way", Esther suggests several ways to "wake up" your glutes so they can get the exercise they need while empowering your gait. This extract from her DVD Back Pain: The Primal Posture Solutionshows her working with a student who learned to contract her glutes in walking:
The student reports developing glute tone after decades of having a "flat butt." She also got rid of longstanding migraine headaches by improving her overall posture using the Gokhale Method.
3. Soft landing. The muscle that can assist you in landing softly with every step is the gluteus medius muscle. It is located in the upper outer quadrant of the glute pack. In her presentation "Walk This Way," Esther demonstrates how to locate the muscle by doing the following pose:

Once you have found gluteus medius, you can strengthen it by doing repetitions of the pose, or more organically by using it in walking with a light tread. She suggests learning to samba dance as an additional, fun way to work this muscle. Toning your gluteus medius muscles gives you additional health benefits like improved knee alignment and better balance. As a bonus benefit, it's the muscle that keeps your glutes from sagging as you age.

How's Your Walk?

By reorganizing your pelvis and recruiting your glutes, you will be improving your posture all the way from your ankle to your hip, and upwards through your body. From a functional standpoint, it helps you get the correct alignment between your foot, your knee, and your hip. Proper tracking or alignment helps protect your joints during movement. This includes your knees, hips, and lower back. By stimulating the correct muscle recruitment during your walk you also give your glutes and leg muscles a better workout while simultaneously lengthening those muscles. This will help reshape your body in a pleasing way.

I would recommend practicing this while barefoot, to get a real feel for your foot and toes. Walking barefoot on either sand or grass also has a number of additional health benefits associated with the fact that this will allow your body to soak up electrons from the Earth. For pointers on barefoot walking and the benefits of Earthing or grounding, please see my previous article, "Grounding: The Potent Antioxidant That Few Know About".

Learning from Healthy Examples

In the video above, Esther Gokhale walks in line with some ladies from Burkina Faso, Africa, to mimic their gait. Notice that their "behinds" are behind them, that their glutes engage alongside straightening the rear leg, and that they are able to carry weights on their heads and babies on their backs without any apparent stress or strain.  

In this video taken in Manaus, Brazil, the man carries a large basket on his head. Notice the steadiness of his pelvis, the strong action of his glutes in propelling him forward, and the relaxation of the leg in the "swing phase." In the Gokhale Method, relaxation in the swing leg is taught after students have gained some mastery of the active propulsion phase of walking.  

Walking Posture Connects with Your Overall Posture

How you sit, bend, lift, stand, and even lie influences how you walk and vice versa. For example, by walking well you will develop your glutes and have a more comfortable built-in "cushion" to sit on. Conversely, by sitting well with your behind out behind you, you will be cultivating pelvic anteversion and be well poised to have a more powerful, effective stride.

By using your "anti-twist muscles" (the abdominal obliques and rotatores) to stabilize your torso as you walk, you will strengthen critical components of your "inner corset." A stronger inner corset will allow you to carry weights more effectively and safely. Conversely, by cultivating your deep abdominal and back muscles as you carry objects, you will have a more stable torso to help you walk rapidly.

Free Online Workshop

Esther Gokhale is offering a special online workshop on glidewalking for Mercola.com readers. This is a marvelous opportunity to learn more about how to walk properly from a real expert. The event is free, and will be offered during three time slots as follows:

Wednesday, April 2, 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Pacific Time 
Sunday, April 6, 9:00am - 10:00am, Pacific Time 
Tuesday, April 15, 8:00am - 9:00am, Pacific Time

Exercise Reduces Chances of COPD-Related Hospitalization

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The disease is progressive, and falls into two main categories or forms: chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which destroys your lungs over time. Those with COPD may suffer a combination of both of these forms. The US fatality rate from COPD is estimated to be around 134,000 each year.

Previous research has highlighted the benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables to protect lung function and decrease your risk of COPD. More recent research also notes the benefits of gentle exercise on the condition. According to a two-year long study published in the journal Respirology,1 walking for two miles a day or more can reduce your chances of hospitalization from a severe episode of COPD. As reported by WebMD:2

"Scientists found that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients without regular walking regimens had about twice the rate of hospitalizations triggered by the condition compared to those who maintained the highest levels of physical activity. This was defined as walking between roughly two and four miles each day.

'Of course, daily walking acts to improve the exercise capacity of these patients,' said study author Dr. Cristobal Esteban, a staff member in the respiratory service at Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo, in Spain. 'Physical activity is a 'medicine' that will improve your general condition as well as COPD.'"

While the study used a mild two-mile walk, this is a very low level aerobic exercise and will not provide as much benefit as Peak Fitness exercises. The study never examined higher intensity exercises, but they should provide far more benefit than low level cardio as long as one limits oneself to operate within the parameters of reduced oxygen capacity from the COPD. Additionally, the Peak Fitness exercises can be done in less than half the time of a two-mile walk.

A commonly held idea used to be that if you have COPD, you should avoid physical activity so as not to stress your lungs. As with many other health conditions, this turns out to be seriously flawed advice. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that exercise is beneficial for virtually every condition under the sun. This includes people with cancer and heart disease, pregnant women,asthmatics, those with osteoarthritis, and the elderly.

One of the key health benefits of exercise is that it helps normalize your glucose, insulin, and leptin levels by optimizing insulin/leptin receptor sensitivity. This is perhaps the most important factor for optimizing your overall health and preventing chronic disease, including all the ones listed above.

Walking Also Cuts Stroke Risk in Elderly Men

Another study published in the November 2013 issue of the journal Stroke3 found that daily walking reduced the risk of stroke in men over the age of 60. A stroke involves either a rupture of an artery that feeds your brain (hemorrhagic stroke), or an obstruction of blood flow (ischemic stroke), with the ischemic type representing 75 percent of all strokes. Your risk of stroke increases with age, with most occurring after age 55. Nearly 3,500 men between the ages of 60 and 80 participated in the study. They were divided into five groups, depending on how long they walked each week:

1. Those who walked 0-3 hours/week
2. 4-7 hours/week
3. 8-14 hours/week
4. 15-21 hours/week
5. More than 22 hours/week

The findings suggest that walking for at least an hour or two could cut a man's stroke risk by as much as one-third, and it doesn't seem to matter how brisk the pace is. Taking a three-hour long walk each day could slash the risk by a healthy two-thirds. Same issue here though; Peak Fitness exercises would provide far more benefit in a fraction of the time. According to lead author Barbara Jefferis, a senior research associate in the department of primary care and population health at University College London:4

"Stroke is a major cause of death and disability and it is important to find ways to prevent stroke, especially in older people who are at high risk. Getting into the habit of walking every day for at least an hour could protect against stroke. Walking could be for transport, such as doing errands and going to the shops, walking around indoors as well as walking for leisure, such as walking in a park."

Both Women and the Elderly May Do Better with Low to Moderate Intensity Exercise

Previous research supports the notion that exercise is a key stroke prevention tool. One study published last year5 found that if you're inactive, you have a 20 percent higher risk for having a stroke or mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack) than people who exercise enough to break a sweat at least four times a week. It's worth noting that there appear to be some gender and possibly age-related variations that make the intensity of the exercise either better or worse in terms of reducing stroke risk.

Research appears to support the idea that adult men need more vigorous exercise to reap maximum benefits whereas women tend to do better with moderate intensity. The elderly may also only need low intensity, provided they walk for a longer period of time. As an example, research presented at the 2014 American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference found that moderate exercise (such as taking a brisk walk) reduced women's stroke risk by 20 percent. According to Medical News Today:6

"The researchers, led by Prof. Sophia Wang of the Beckman Research Institute in California, say this decreased risk from moderate exercise is just as strong as that of strenuous exercise... Prof. Wang says she was surprised that the link to reduced stroke risk was strongest with moderate physical activity. 'More strenuous activity such as running didn't further reduce women's stroke risk,' she adds. 'Moderate activity, such as brisk walking appeared to be ideal in this scenario.'"

Another 2013 study7 also concluded that walking at least three hours per week reduces stroke risk in women better than high intensity cardio. One possible explanation is that women may be more susceptible to the excessive physical stress "conventional cardio" exerts on the heart. Men, on the other hand, appear to fare better with higher intensity exercise. For example, one 2009 study published in Neurology8 found that vigorous exercise reduces stroke risk in men, and helps them recover from a stroke better and faster as well. (Moderate to heavy exercise was, again, not found to have a protective effect for women.) I would expect the right type of cardio to lower stroke risk in both men and women.

Walking—It Does a Body Good

Few activities are as underrated as walking. But research and experience both confirm that walking is powerful medicine. Younger people would do well to pick up the pace and intensity, while the elderly may simply focus on staying in motion for as long as possible each day. Reducing COPD-related hospitalization rates and stroke risk is just the beginning.

Add to this proper posture, and walking can suddenly take you even further, improving your workout, your cardiovascular benefits, and your muscle tone, while decreasing pain and stresses on your joints.

Just remember that, ideally, to optimize your benefits from exercise, you'll want to push your body hard enough for a challenge while allowing adequate time for recovery and repair to take place. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with high intensity interval training (HIIT), which consists of short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by longer periods of recovery, as opposed to extended episodes of continuous vigorous exertion.

This is a core part of my Peak Fitness program, which has helped many return to and maintain good health. Unfortunately, the concept of high intensity exercise training, or Peak Fitness, is relatively recent and it will be many more years before studies are conducted that show its superiority to the low level cardio used in the studies above.

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