Sugar Detox (and other such drug addictions)

Have you ever heard Mark Hyman speak?  Besides being a genius, he is hilarious, and he's on the board of the EWG (my hero!), and a functional medicine MD.  He's right up there with my other favorites: Joel Salatin (farmer, author, activist for real farming, and hilarious person), Mike Adams ("The Health Ranger", scientist, activist, author, businessman, rancher, and hilarious person), Michael Moss (author of Salt, Sugar, Fat), Michael Pollan (author, activist, chef, also very amusing, has a bald head and a genuine smile), and Dr. David Brownstein (author, holistic MD, and the guru of the world in thyroid health, literally.).  

Mark Hyman, MD

I love the way that those guys write, research, and save the world with passion.   

After I heard Mark Hyman (he's an MD) speak on why we are fat, I decided to pick up his recently most famous book, The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet.  Hyman's motto is, "Save the world and have fun."  I am not sure why he had to steal mine, but it's okay.  We can be twinsies.

His book is very interesting (so far - I think I'm on chapter 2).  He references a study done in 2009 by Dr. Serge H. Ahmen (Is Sugar as Addictive as Cocaine?, published in the journal Food and Addiction) showing that sugar is more addictive than crack - in fact, sugar is eight times more addictive than IV cocaine.  Actually, and even more surprising, it is more addictive than heroin (and that is more addictive than cocaine).  

Here is his take on it:

"Despite wanting to change or stop, those with food addiction cannot resist - even in the face of significant emotional or physical harm to themselves and those they love.  They hide their addiction, they worry and obsess about cutting down, all against a backdrop of shame, embarrassment, and denial.  They eat a whole sheet cake in the middle of the night in the dark.  They say, 'It's like someone takes over my body and I can't stop eating.  I want to be locked up.  I can't keep living this way.'...When our brains are bombarded with sugar, a potent pleasure inducer, we become addicted to that pleasure.  Willpower and conscious choice are no match for these powerful, ancient drives for survival."

He says that you can eat sugar, but you have to treat it like any other recreational drug.  He's serious.  He's right.  You can have a glass of ice wine, but you probably shouldn't walk around all day with the bottle in your hand to make it through (mmm, iiiice wiiiine).  

You want to listen to him.  This link will take you to a totally worth it 22 minute sample where he talks about sugar and fat and what he eats for breakfast. The embedded video below it is something different.   Mark Hyman, the awesome rockstar

And this little 5 minute embedded video is his awesomeness on fat and how it doesn't make you fat.  It makes you cringe, right?  (Cathy?)  Get that full fat yogurt going on!


To get out of your addiction, you have to press reset.  You have to abstain from your drug and go for what brings health.  You have to let your brain and body heal.  You have to let your nucleus accumbens chill out.  (The nucleus accumbens "is known to be ground zero for conventional addictions such as gambling and drug abuse.  This is the pleasure center of the brain, which, when activated, makes us feel good and dries us to seek out more of that feeling.")


So take a deep breath.  You might need to take a few.  Hundred.  But move toward health.


Peace, love, and get healthy,
Ms. Daisy

Aluminum detox

Last week I wrote about the disturbing topic of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering and how we are unwilling participants in an ongoing science experiment.  I can't just drop off with this disturbing information without giving you an idea of how to possibly detox the crapola out of your beautiful system. 

So I went on a bit of a researching rampage of how to specifically detox aluminum from your body.  As you've seen, having excessive aluminum in your body can cause severe problems like Alzheimer's disease, is linked to autism and accumulates in tissues and in the brain.  This isn't anything anybody wants to mess with.  On the MSDS sheet, it lists a host of problems.  

Here they are:

"Chronic ingestion of aluminum may cause aluminum related bone disease or aluminum-induced osteomalacia with fracturing osteodystrophy, microcytic anemia, weakness, fatigue, visual and auditory hallucinations, memory loss, speech and language impairment (dysarthria, stuttering, stammering, anomia, hypofluency, aphasia, and, eventually, mutism), epileptic seizures (focal or grand mal), motor disturbances (tremors, myoclonic jerks, ataxia, convulsions, asterixis, motor apraxia, muscle fatigue), dementia (personality changes, altered mood, depression, diminished alertness, lethargy, ‘clouding of the sensorium’, intellectual deterioration, obtundation, coma), and altered EEG.  In simple terms, the most notable symptoms of aluminum poisoning are diminishing intellectual function, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate and, in extreme cases, full blown dementia and Alzheimer's. Aluminum toxicity also causes bone softening and bone mass loss, kidney and other soft tissue damage and, in large enough doses, can cause cardiac arrest."

Yeaaaaaah.  I'm thinking we might want to avoid that.  It is in things like deodorant, vaccinations, baking powder, makeup, aluminum cans (pop as well as canned veg and fruit or meats), antacids, aspirin, groundwater, the soil and as a result, pretty much everything.  Time to detox, homeboys (and girls).

I looked specifically to find something to remove it and here's what I've got for you.  Apparently high silica content mineral water is very efficient at grabbing the aluminum and purging it out of your system.  There are a couple companies that sell such things (one I saw is called Volvic).  I haven't tried that water, but if you want to, it's been tested to remove aluminum well.  

It totally looks like a horse's tail!

If you want to go the herbal route, horsetail herbs are good at detoxing aluminum.  As with any herbal medicine  and treatment, you need to know what you're doing and in what amount.  I saw that a common form for horsetail was to have it in a tincture (which can be purchased at your local health food store or online).  You could learn to make your own tinctures if you want to do it a bit more cheaply.  I did read that you ought not to take horsetail for extended periods of time, so keep that in mind.

Deeeeee-licious!

If you are more into the very bioavailable route through proper food, organic cucumbers are great for removing aluminum.  Tasty and healthy. 

If you are interested in detoxing all heavy metals, there is something else you can try that is called Liquid Zeolite.  I have personal experience with this product and I really like it.  Zeolite is from volcanic sedimentary rocks.  You take it by squirting a brownish and gross looking liquid into your good clean water and then drinking it.  It's kind of weird at first, but as it has no taste, after you've done it a few times, you pretty much feel like you are a boss because it looks so gross yet you are so tough that you are seemingly unaffected.  The crowd looks on in amazement at your impressive tricks. 

Er, well, something like that.  Or that's what I pretend is happening while I take it, anyway.

So don't despair!  You're not destined for ill health!  If your brain is a bit cloudy, perhaps you are a bit overloaded in toxins.  But you don't have to be.  Pick your aluminum detox and feel better!

Peace, love and clean it up!
Ms. Daisy