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When you start the Paleo Diet
When you start the Paleo Diet it seems like a huge change, suddenly
the grains, beans, dairy and sugar that have been such a big part of
the American diet are left behind.
Then, as you realize how good you feel the diet gets easier. It is
not just the reduction of pain, the clear thinking and the improved energy
levels, although those would be reasons enough. The weight
loss and toning up of your muscles are also big sellers. But I think that the biggest benefit is the emotional sense of well being.
Many years ago a group of nutrition scientists introduced a concept called
Orthomolecular Nutrition. One of the most important concepts that
emerged from that was how blood sugar levels affect mood. So much
aberrant behavior, violence and outbursts are due to peaks and spikes
in these blood sugar levels.
Modern, hyper refined, carbohydrate rich 'foods' are to blame. When
these foods are removed in the Paleo Diet sanity and calmness can
return. That does not mean you will never get angry again, sometimes
you have good reasons to be angry. But it means you will be less
subject to unreasoned fear, anxiety or sadness, as well as
inappropriate angry outbursts.
The place where a Paleo Herbalist approach helps the most is in rebuilding the body systems that have been damaged by years of having to process the wrong kinds of food.
Where normally we use chromium to reduce sugar levels to take the strain off the pancreas, with the Paleo Diet the sugars are well balanced. Where the body could use some help is in rebuilding the pancreas. It is such a small organ and the modern American diet makes it work so hard that you can't expect it to spring right back.
A good herbal combination like Nature’s Sunshine Pro Pancreas provides the nutrition specific for the pancreas. If you continue to have sugar related problems like sudden bouts of tiredness, anxiety or yeast rashes then the Target P14 comes in handy because it contains Golden Seal which is a wonder for reducing sugar in the blood quite quickly.
One warning, for many years we have used an aggressive herbal program with large amounts of an herb daily; as many as one capsule for every 10 pounds of body weight. With glandular products like Pro Pancreas and P14 you would normally use much smaller amounts. However, when you are doing the Paleo Diet you will probably need even smaller amounts because your body isn’t pushing against the damage and inflammation caused by consuming the wrong foods. We often find one to two capsules daily is quite effective, but it is important to use it over an extended period of time since the damage was done in the same way. For instance you might use it as a daily supplement for 3 months, 6 months or a year.
There is a side benefit of the Pacreas herbal products because in the digestive process the pancreas does not work alone. Its main
partner is the liver who stores extra glucose as glycocen. Toxins can accumulate in the liver but on the Paleo Diet it becomes easier to remove
those toxins because they are not bound up with excess glucose. That’s because glucose is a sugar and we all know how hard it is to clean up wet sugar.
Also things like bacteria, parasites fungus and yeast thrive in excessive glucose environments and it is common for those pathogens to hide out in the liver and other internal organs when they are clogged up with sticky compounds.
The urinary system is another place where the Pro Pancreas and P14 have a beneficial effect. First of all sugar is an acid and when you can reduce the body’s acid load that makes the plumbing very happy. Secondly the herbs that make up these Pancreas formulas are many of the primary herbs that have a beneficial effect on the kidneys and the rest of the system. Key to any holistic approach to healing is that a problem is not solely in any one system and so therapeutic results are shared too!
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