Growing evidence of childhood fatty liver disease

I am seeing a number of studies and proof to support something I have known since 2008. Our kids are in serious trouble for their futures if they live on processed foods, soda pop and sauces coating anything natural. Finding those kids out there is a challenge. We have about 6 children in my fatty liver disease support group on Facebook ranging from age 2 – 18.  This is 2 girls and 4  boys which is not by any means a predictor.

Doctors DO NOT look for liver disease as a rule. They are NOT taught to look for the disease. They will blame the pancreas, gallbladder, IBS, Celiac Disease, Diabetes before they would even pay attention to elevated liver enzymes.  As a Parent you need to pay attention to your child’s symptoms and NOT be too quick to blindly trust the doctor.  Demand a blood test for your child. review the levels for AST and ALT and ask your doctor what the safe levels are for enzymes. As for an Ultrasound of the stomach.  If the liver has fatty deposits they will be shown in this test.  Ask for genetic testing they are now proving there are genetic links to fatty liver disease. I am not saying every child has a problem with their livers but I would bet my life at this point far more do then are being diagnosed. Studies say between 3 – 13% of kids have fatty liver disease. I suspect its closer to the 25-30% that is happening in adults.

These kids generally have homes where both parents are working. There are few home cooked meals because parents are stressed out and running between all the soccer, dance, skating, hockey, baseball games that kids are involved with. Or because they can’t get their kids away from the video games and their kids are picky eaters who will ONLY eat hamburgers, chicken nuggets , macaroni or other standard processed or junk foods.

The very sad reality is that these products are created by companies who know and love the fact that people get addicted to their products. If your kid eats it once and it has high fructose corn syrup in it there is no message to the brain to tell them that they are full. and there is no balancing of the sugars. This creates a fatty cell in the liver and your child becomes addicted to those products.

So when they are eventually diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease or Diabetes or other metabolic disorders you will find you have a child who is trying to sneak foods, or find ways to drive you nuts until you give in. The problem is that they are actually ADDICTED to these products its like they are coming out of alcoholism or drug addiction. Everything in their body is telling them they NEED those foods.  You essentially need to accept that your child is in withdrawl

You have to be strong and fight for your child. This disease can and does lead to liver failure. Doctors and researchers have no understanding about this disease right now. They are all fighting to find the answers but we are dealing with it TODAY and don’t have time to wait for them. I am aware of 2 men in their 30′s who died of liver failure due to fatty liver disease. Neither of them were alcoholics or drug addicts. They were only in  their 30′s. I suspect you want your child to experience life longer than that!

This generation of children are the first generation which will live shorter lives. This is directly related to processed foods and additives and genetically modified foods. Our body’s DO not know how to process these chemicals. Our poor children do not stand a chance in this world of Monsanto versus humans.

If your child is dealing with chronic illness that doesn’t get better. Try getting rid of sugar! Getting rid of junk food, do they start to feel better? You will find after 3- 6 weeks of not eating those things or drinking sugary beverages they will feel healthier!

Parents please pay attention and do not go blindly into dealings with doctors. Get the right tests, keep all test results…you need to take this into your control for your kids sake!

Austin’s Story – 14 year old with Fatty Liver Disease – Guest Post Cat Case

My Sons Journey to Diagnosis of Liver Disease

By C. Case©

At age 14 my son was diagnosed with Liver Disease. From the time he was born up until this diagnoses, I just knew something was very wrong with my son. He was born weighing 7 lbs 1. oz  after 8 weeks old his weight tripled and he was constantly hungry, and either had constipation or diarrhea. By age 3 he weighed 70 lbs. By age 6 he lost the weight as he also was diagnosed with ADHD and was on medication.

As an infant and toddler he ate fast and so much he threw up everything that just went in him, and I mean projectile vomiting. He also had digestive problems we went through so many different diagnosis it was spinning my head.  We went from formula allergies to wheat and lactose intolerance. My son had severe gastric reflux and he does have burn scars on his throat from it. My son started to get severe diarrhea, where I took him to the emergency room and they kept telling me it was just the stomach flu. I was like okay and went with the doctors order, but it just continued on.

My son started gaining back that weight even being on the medication for ADHD at age 8  He has had a gastroenterologist that he has been seeing since an infant on and off. It has been about 3 years since he has been back to see him as he ruled my sons problem to a wheat sensitivity, lactose intolerance and severe IBS. He has had a colonoscopy and endoscope and age 9. I was getting concerned as my son has put on a great amount of weight by age 11, he is now 14 and is 5’8 and weighs over 200 lbs. At first I though maybe diabetes since that runs in both sides of our family, but his sugar lever was elevated but not that much, then I am thinking he has an eating disorder, that was not it either, then I am thinking heart issue possibly? His heart is fine as well.

My son in the past three years has missed so much school from either vomiting uncontrollably to a severe case of diarrhea or constipation and cramps. He put on over 80 lbs since this time last year. He also has migraines associated with the above mentioned . He still has episodes of vomiting and having diarrhea or severe constipation and this year he was complaining about cramps and pains under his rib cage on his right side. If he ran in P.E. He could not go far as the pain and cramps became unbearable.  His disposition was always irritable, and just plain mean when he was having flare ups.

I took my son to the doctor last month for a check up as he was having bad migraines, and diarrhea, the doctor run a blood panel on him and his liver enzymes came back elevated, we waited to 2 weeks to go back and have it redone and it came back elevated ever more. She sent him for an ultrasound just last week and within 45 minutes, my doctors office calls and tells me the news that he has Liver Disease as in a NAFL and to lower his calorie intake and certain carbohydrates and for him to get out an exercise if possible and to stay away from certain foods. His Cholesterol is also high its at 245. Apparently his liver is not breaking down any of the fats in his system for some reason and is just sitting there,. I am surprised that his PCP did recommend him to see his gastroenterolgist or a hepatologist. So I will contact his Gastrenetologist for further assessments on the issue.

So for now my son is on a low fat, low carbohydrate diet, he is drinking a lot of water and is off soft drinks and he is making good choices in school for lunches.

 

Join our group on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/fattyliversupport/

Follow us on Twitter @fattyliverhelp

And join our website with patients helping patients at http://www.reversefattyliverdisease.com/

Marina’s Story – 14 Year old NAFLD patient

I met and started talking to Darlene who is Marina’s grandmother after she found my blogs about my daughter Megan. I have asked her to share the story of her grand daughter Marina.

It was Nov 1. 2012. Marina woke up for school and said her stomach hurt her. She generally never gets up at 5 am and for her to wake me up that early, I knew it must hurt her very badly because she is not a complainer.
She showed me where it hurt and it was like the top right side of her abdomen. She started getting ready for school and she was still in a lot of pain..so much so that I took her to the urgent care clinic instead of waiting to call her family doctor’s office. At the clinic ,they took Marina right back and drew blood, after examining her and with her being in so much pain, they reviewed the blood work wnich showed her (* white blood count was way off) they actually called an ambulance to transport her to Children’s Hospital.

When we got to the hospital…they hooked up an IV…started drawing blood and she was in so much pain she was crying. They did a CT scan and a Sonogram and took her right to the ICU. Her blood pressure sky rocketed..her blood count was way off…and she couldn’t stop crying about the pain. I was trying to act calm on the outside to keep Marina calm, but I was so worried …thinking…let this be her appendix so it will be solved quickly!

That would have been to good to be true. They call in the Gastroentologist and we were told the scan results were in and she had pancreaticitis. Marina just had to stay for a few days in the hospital …keeping a good eye on her in the ICU. No food to give her pancreas a rest with just an IV and lots of pain medication. So, I could breath again… she stopped crying cause the pain medications were working.They brought a portable toilet for her to pee in because she was hooked up to monitors.She was dealing with nausea but didn’t throw up…her blood pressure was high but they said it was due to the pain. To me, she looked so uncomfortable from the pain the whole thing,then she goes pee and what the heck her urine was brown like coffee. I almost passed out but I am still acting calm on the outside..she was groggy and I calmly asked the nurse why is her urine that color? Oh that’s ok, its just that her pancreas is inflamed and it needs to rest. Ok they are the medical experts… so for the next 24 hrs..she continued to feel nausea she was still getting the iv so she could let her pancreas rest, still urinating brown ,blood pressure high but a little lower with drugs,she did not sleep much and I didn’t sleep at all.

So 24 hrs go by and the doctors came in to make their rounds. I asked all kinds of questions…like what caused this what can be done why is her blood pressure so high…why is her urine so brown…they answered all my questions and said her pancreas got infected…they don’t know how…these things happen… no med for it just no food to rest it and the pee is brown because the pancreas and liver work together and the red blood cells are coming out in her urine because the liver is not working correctly because of the pancreas being swollen…its fine.

So two more days went by and she still was on pain medications but it was hurting less everyday…her blood pressure was returning to normal and her pee was a light brown….so they moved her to a regular room and had her start in liquids… they gave her soda POP…with sugar in it…coke, pepsi,ginger ale, they gave her pudding, ice cream, jello and these are medically trained doctors?. So I not knowing they were poisoning her liver, I was so happy Marina was holding it down. So after a day of sugar galore, her face started turning red,then purplish. Again I was calm on the outside falling apart on the inside. I Go and tell the nurse and they see her blood pressure rocket, her pain was coming back. They rush her back to the ICU. What’ going on?? I go to an empty room to call my daughter long distance to tell her help!. I was so weak inside my daughter (marinas aunt) and my son in law and my daughters best friend get on their computers they are searching reading, looking, talking, trying to save Marina.

I am sitting in marinas ICU room when a nurse…now this is extremely important to remember..THIS NURSE who was taking care of marina that shift…commented to me…who by the way NOT ONE DR. OR SPECIALIST SAID A WORD ABOUT to me…her liver enzymes are so high. So I freak out inside what? her liver enzymes are so high I am thinking no doctor or specialist said that to me!!! As far as they were concerned it was all only about her pancreas So now back home they start thinking maybe its not her pancreas maybe her liver is causing her pancreas to be sick!

Now keep that comment from my daughter’s friend in your mind along with what the nurse said about marinas enzymes
So I see my precious grand daughter is getting so sick again after she started getting better!

I go to the room where marina can’t hear the desperation in my voice and tell my daughter listen to this a nurse just said to me wow her liver enzymes are so high. I said why would she be concerned about that,all along the doctors and other nurses were saying to me…no its her pancreas, the other organs are just helping with her pancreas. So my daughter says mom let me talk to her doctor. And I took my phone and went and found Marina’s doctor and told her to please explain to my daughter about marinas health… 20 min the doctor hands me back the phone and my daughter says to me MOM..WHY ARE YOU TELLING US COMMENTS MADE BY A NURSE…GETTING EVERYONE WORRIED THAT MARINAS SO SICK..HER DOCTOR SAID HER LIVER IS FINE she just needs to rest her pancreas everything is fine!

so I am numb am half happy, half thinking no she is back in the ICU, I am in a mind set of total confusion. I’m thinking about what the nurse said and I have marinas mom stay with her and I went to a computer, typed in liver and Fructose in Google searched fructose, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, every thing I typed in about liver..dark urine pain. I start seeing all this about children…fructose ,liver, dark urine and I’m like what??. So I send all these links to to my family. My son-in-law said get Marina out of that hospital something is not right!

marina was so sick when she came here they didn’t put anything in her body meaning no sugar because they wanted her pancreas to rest and it was working her blood pressure went down her blood count was getting better her urine was lightening with every pee. Then since she was getting better they took her out of ICU and gave her all liquids and soft food high fructose pudding high sugar jello, sugar in chocolate milk The comment stood out in my mind….maybe its her liver that’s making her pancreas sick I said I am taking her home…The doctors said you can’t, no said marinas mom! I said OH YES I CAN I AM HER LEGAL GUARDIAN I took her home and put her on a strict no sugar diet and my family and I read everything about fructose sugar liver and by the next week when they did blood work…wow….was her body getting better not much pain at all pee turning yellow not brown no nausea, sleeping good Since then we have been very on top of marina walking for exercise..every day she has to walk… he set her up with drinking watered down cider vinegar every other day….and on the other days she drinks a spice with water… turmeric. Every label is now read for hidden ways of saying sugar!

Marina is an honor role student and is doing very well since we took her health into our own hands! Doctors are not taught enough about this disease and they don’t look for it and assume its other things. We blindly trust doctors with our lives and sometimes you just need to listen to common sense. If the sugar brought all symptoms back then there is something to consider getting rid of for your body!

This disease is hitting kids as young as 2.

Do not ignore it, if 1 in 3 north Americans has liver disease someone you love is dealing with it before it starts showing nasty symptoms like this.

Join our group on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/fattyliversupport/

Follow us on Twitter @fattyliverhelp

And join our website with patients helping patients at http://www.reversefattyliverdisease.com/

A balanced approach to reversing fatty liver disease

My daughter Megan was diagnosed with Fatty Liver Disease in 2008. In the Ontario medical system we have seen the worst of what is offered. She has had doctors tell her to her face that her symptoms were all in her head. When doctors do not easily identify an illness you get to see the worst of who they are professionally. They get flustered, frustrated, impatient and can easily take it out on the patient. The number of times a doctor has talked to Megan in a condescending voice implying she is causing her illnesses is disturbing. Very rarely do you find a doctor who will treat her with respect and be on her side.

The focus of that 5 year journey based on what doctors said was always food related. They never gave concrete advice about what to eat, they would just say low fat. This was not easy to accept. How could all the low fat, diet foods that the companies I trusted be making my daughter so sick? But over that time I did find that processed foods do hurt her. I did learn not to trust the companies selling the food.

I didn’t focus on the alternate options in the health care sector, That was a sector i didn;t understand, I had never been exposed to anything other than massage and chiropractors.

I blindly trusted doctors who put Megan on birth control pills which likely created the 10 month of extreme vertigo. Why would doctors prescribe drugs that are going to cause other health issues? and why would they do that to a child?

I reached my breaking point after Megan spent a week at the Hospital for Sick Children, I was so thankful that Megan was FINALLY being seen by the best kids doctors! I love that hospital it was all I ever wanted for Megan. But that hospital did nothing for Megan. They were the ones who put her on anti depressants, they were ones that were pushing that she had psychological issues creating her illnesses. They broke my heart. They were not supposed to give up on kids and here they were..writing her off as a mental case. She was 13 years old. How dare you?!!

Now I do also keenly know that mental stress can create medical symptoms in the body. This completely depends on your bodies coping mechanisms and if this is what is causing your illnesses then please by all means talk to a professional and find your answers. This was not the answer for Megan.

After that experience I did not know where to turn. I was approached by a friend who was selling supplements and she was certain that the supplements would fix Megan. At this point I had nothing to lose so I took the chance on the supplements. The supplements did nothing for Megan , no changes in any symptoms. This was disappointing and hurt financially too.

I felt so defeated, I could not turn to doctors, I could not trust the corporations making our foods, I could not trust the drug companies. How would I help my child?

I tripped over an ad for a personal coach who was offering free advice and looking for someone to build marketing around. I decided to contact Brandon Krieger and take the step.

I did not know how important Brandon would become to Megan and I. I did not know he would help me research and find solid answers for Megan but thats what happened.

Brandon is a Holistic Coach, focussing on the whole person not just medical symptoms. The focus quickly moved away from my health and it was clear my biggest challenge was trying to help my daughter. He reached out to resources all around the world to get advice from health advocates and leaders in nutrition to create a specific diet for Megan which would be kind to her liver. All foods were from the ground, the animals and the water and nothing was processed. Megan hated this but she started to feel better.

Brandon introduced us to an Osteopath who determined that Megan’s uterus was twisted which explained her uncontrollable menstrual cycle. He found that she had blockages in her brain stem and others that would impact her hormones. He found her liver was not processing clearly.

Brandon and others researched the birth control pill Megan was on and we determined it could certainly cause the extreme vertigo. Megan was moved to another pill and we waited.

We changed her diet, we added exercise, we added Osteopathy. Megan started to feel better, She was able to get past the extreme vertigo. The answers were in the natural world for Megan not the medical community.

So that is the reason I am passionate about igniting a passion in you to take your health into your own hands, Listen to your body signals, do not blindly trust doctors, corporations or supplements. It is Never a 1 solution problem to fix. You need balance, Food , Exercise, Spiritual, Mental. You need to consider alternate therapies , you need to share your stories to find others who have travelled a similar path. You may have found an answer that someone else hasn’t considered.

I don’t expect everyone to walk away from here and change their life overnight. I don’t expect anyone to take every piece of information shared and use it. I want you to make 1 change to improve your health , just 1. Remove pop, Start taking walks, see a chiropractor, talk to a professional about your anxieties, learn to meditate, take a yoga class.

Find what works for you and make small changes that you can live with. If you listen to your body you will start noticing clues and you can determine if the changes are positive.

Those changes can easily make you feel worse initially. But give it 6 weeks. If after 6 weeks you are still feeling worse. STOP doing what you are doing! Find another option. Do not give up on yourself!

This is my story and why I am passionate…I hope I can help you find some natural solutions to symptoms.

If you have Fatty Liver Disease come check out our new support website http://www.reversefattyliverdisease.com/
Michelle Clermont

Erin Krenzler’s story of HELLP and how she has overcome it

Guest blog Erin Krenzler

Yesterday the most amazing thing happened to me… I wish that I could not only tell you all about it… but I wish that you all could feel the feeling that I feel right now!

For the past 8 years I have battled numerous random major metabolic related health issues that have made the quality of my life poor at times and prevented me from doing many things that I wanted to do. I had to quit my job as a medical laboratory assistant in 2010 and I had to stop attending college after putting almost 3 years into working on my nursing degree… all due to my health.

One week after our baby Ryleigh was born just a year and a half ago… after months and months of terrible sickness and pain they discovered that my liver and spleen were enlarged. I was shortly thereafter diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (an advanced form of fatty liver disease). I was 24 years old. Liver disease was the tip of my ice burg… I feared the fact that if I didn’t figure out what was wrong and if I did not fix it… I would not be around as long as I would like. My family has been ridden with metabolic disease, diabetes, heart disease, and death at an early age.

I sat there… holding my brand new baby… knowing that there are two little girls in this world that depend on me… one of them depends on me completely. If something were to happen to me god only knows what would happen to miss Brave Mykayla… but I sure knew I didn’t want to find this out. I can’t even describe how sad it felt to me to know that I had a condition that could potentially cause me liver failure and/or death… and in the period of 5-10 years in some cases! On top of the kidney issues I have had since the age of 17. I slipped into a state of mind where I was worried, sad, fearful, but determined to find another option besides failure. That was not an option. My mind constantly pondered thoughts… and I spent hours and hours researching and reading each and everything I could.

I refused to go back to a physician after I was diagnosed… because I had felt so ignored and abandoned for so long that honestly I felt as if I could do a better job myself with the test results I had on hand… the knowledge I have from my medical assisting degree… and the years I spent researching and working in the medical field…. Like I said… I slipped into a state of mind. I learned everything I could find to learn about genetics, metabolic syndrome, mitochondrial function, metabolic diseases, cannabis, the truth about food, livers, immune systems, insulin resistance, diabetes, fat build up on body organs, etc. The amount I have learned continues to blow my mind when I think about how all of these things function together to make our bodies work… I took the information that I was learning about and implemented it to my life. I began healing my bodies deficiency’s… supplementing with a combination of antioxidants, herbs, roots, supplements and amino acids based on my symptoms and long term problems. I made sure to develop a combination that focused on increasing mitochondrial function and repairing and cleansing the liver. I also made huge diet changes. Most people think that they could not eat the way I do… but I have to… my life depends on it. I plan on sharing more on my diet in this blog… just haven’t had a whole lot of time lately.

I wasn’t going to physician’s for check ups… but I began to slowly drop pounds without even trying! I did not even have to exercise any more than I did before. I knew my choices were working <3 I was healing myself! I slowly began feeling better… and the pain went from excruciating to an annoying constant tenderness.

In January of this year I decided it was time to go back to the doctors (after 14 months)… to ensure the changes I was making were helping me as much as I thought they were… also I wanted to make sure that the constant tenderness (that I thought was my liver) was nothing majorly wrong. She ran a bunch of blood work and referred me to an actual Hepatologist *liver doctor*… yesterday I had my appointment with the liver doctor… and I got the most amazing news ever!

I HAVE HEALED MY LIVER DISEASE 100 PERCENT!!!

The pain I have been feeling is scar tissue build up on a nerve that they accidentally hit when doing my liver biopsy… its not even my liver at all… actually it is a nerve that runs by my last rib! I feel that this pain will be tolerable knowing its nothing major at all… and not a major body organ hurting!

I never understood why I developed this condition when the first doctor diagnosed me with it. I did not fit the classic description of the diagnosis….and the liver disease itself came on rapidly during my pregnancy. Through the research I did I suspected it to be related to my families genetic metabolic problems and not knowing the correct way to care for myself. The liver specialist confirmed this. I am genetically predisposed to insulin resistance and diabetes. During my pregnancy with Ryleigh I developed HELLP syndrome that the doctors failed to diagnose… this initiated the problems in my liver and caused the massive swelling and inflammation that generally occur over a long period of time in an average adult.

I have lost a total of 46 pounds since the day they discovered my liver enlargement! The day I was diagnosed I didn't even consider myself that large… I never in a million years thought I could lose 46 pounds… and to top that off… I surely never thought that losing that much weight would be so easy and not require much of anything except learning the truth about what foods you should eat and what foods you should not!

I knew in my heart the entire time I was learning… and the entire time I have been learning to live a new life style… that one day I would hear that I was all better… I honestly did not expect it to be this soon! I cannot even begin to put into words how this feels!

I feel like yesterday I was given the gift of LIFE <3

I feel like I have a fighting chance to see my babies grow old… to hold my own grand babies… To help my children through their teenage lives and adulthood. I now have a new found assurance that things like this will be a part of my future.

I thank god that he put me on this mission years and years ago… It has been a journey of ups and downs… frustration… sadness… fear… anger… helplessness… braveness… strength… courage… love… and so much more. This mission taught me the key to living a long life… If I would have been in my 40's or 50's when I discovered my insulin resistance and fatty liver the doctor said it would be so much harder to lose the weight along with reversing the damage that had been done to my liver. I feel blessed that I had the unfortunate happening occur so early.

I am 25 years old… I am very young… I have a very long life ahead of me that will be filled with good health, family, love, success, and lots and lots of good times!!!

This is the first time since I was 17 years old that I can officially say "I am free of chronic disease"!!! As you can tell if I could stand on top of the world right now and scream out how happy I am… I totally would!!!

NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP HOPE <3

Thank you cannabis… for helping control my metabolic syndrome… thank you for getting me through my pregnancy when all the physicians lacked compassion….thank you for allowing me to control all my pain without any need for medication… thank you for making me hungry enough to eat the food that I once thought tasted like poo (because I used to be addicted to high fructose corn syrup like most of the people in our country… food without it doesn't taste as good until you have gone without it a while)… Thank you for being an essential antioxidant to my body… thank you for helping me create a homeostasis in my body in order to reverse my disease… THANK YOU CANNABIS!

Until next time my friends…

Fatty Liver Disease tips for newly diagnosed patients!

You were just diagnosed with NAFLD or NASH and now you are being told to eat healthy and exercise with no direction and a pat on the head. You search the internet and you find so much mixed information but your doctor told you not to worry about it too much.

There is something bothering you, you sense that there might be more to this since you are struggling with exhaustion and stomach aches.

Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in your body. I want you to think of it as a powerful sponge that is absorbing all the food you eat, all the beverages you drink, all the air you breathe,all the drugs or supplements you use, all the products you put on your skin, and everything you touch.

Your liver is an investigator. It will break down everything that it absorbs. It will take the vitamins and minerals that are in your liver and send them to other organs to make them work better. It will take all the toxins and chemicals and send them to the dump to be rejected from your body.

If you are are not overwhelming your liver with too many toxins your liver can do its job and your body will be happy!
Sadly our environment, drug, supplement, skin care, cosmetic manfacturers are generally about making profits and your health is a secondary concern if it is even on their radar.

There is very good news for your liver though. Your liver is the only organ in the body that has its own regeneration factory. Your liver is constantly trying to fix itself. Its like a busy body that can’t take a break no matter how much you warn it that its a workaholic
When its not trying to break down toxins it is replanting a cell, watering it, giving it nutrients and care. The cell needs to be nurtered in order to grow. This is the livers part time job and its a careful balance. Its priority is to break down toxins and nutrients that are being absorbed.

Your fulltime job as someone with liver disease is to support that balance and be kind to your liver.

My job is to share what I have learned that will help you help your liver!

1. Review the drugs and supplements you are taking. Determine which have warnings that they should not be used if you have liver disease and talk to your doctor about coming off them.
2. Do not buy over the counter medications, Tylenol, Advil, Motrin, Cough Medicines, Stomach medicines. They all have to be broken down by the liver and most are proven to have a negative impact on liver.
3. Read supplement labels and make sure ingredients are from nature. They should be top quality and tested scientifically.
4. Use natural cosmetics, natural skin care products.
5. Use natural products to clean house and clothes.
6. Exercise daily – start with walking and build up to include aerobic exercise that you enjoy.
7. Avoid all added sugars and high fructose corn syrup!
8. Do not lose weight quickly this can further damage your liver! No more than 2lbs per week!
9. Avoid Genetically modified products. They are not natural and our bodies consider them a foreign toxin for liver to deal with.

Supplements:

You can consider using the following basic supplements daily to improve your immunity and help your liver.

Millk Thistle
Vitamin B complex
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Quality Pro Biotic
Vitamin D3 1000 mg
Essential Fatty Acids – Omega 3

If you are on Statins you need to supplement with CoQ10

Once a week to boost immunity:
L-Carnitine
Chromium

Food and Beverages:

1. Fresh organic vegetables and a few organic fruits. Fruit has lots of natural sugars and if your liver is compromised your intake of fruit should be limited. Lots of Lemon and dark green leafy vegetables.
2. Processed foods should be avoided as a rule. Read labels and look for products that have ingredient lists that you understand.
3. Nuts – Almonds, Walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts all have nutrients and fats that are healthy for live.r peanut butter should be organic try almond butter!. Use Raw organic unsalted nuts!
4. Grains limited – spelt, rye, sprouted grain, Brown rice, brown rice pasta, steel cut oats, air popped popcorn
5. Dairy- Organic greek yogurt, skim milk, organic cheese.
6. Seeds – pumpkin,sunflower.
7. Legumes – chickpeas, beans -not sweetened! Soy not genetically modified!
8. Protein- Lean Chicken,Turkey, Beef, Pork. Nothing with nitrites! Fish – avoid high mercury in Shark, Marlin,Orange Roughy, swordfish, tilefish, Ahi Tuna. Be careful and limit intake of canned albacore or yellowfin tuna, sea bass, grouper and bluefish.

Juicing is a great way to get the raw nutrients that your liver craves.
Low Glycemic Index foods are important to keep balance in your body.
Organic and Gluten free products tend to be natural always read labels.

Try to keep your insulin levels balanced and help your liver as well!

Avoid the following ingredients:
Aspartame
acesulfame-k
Artifical colour or flavour
Brominated Vegetable oil (BVO)
Corn Syrup
Dextrose
Fructose
Heptyl Paraben
invert sugar
corn sugar
fructose-glucose
lactitol
maltitol
mannitol
olestra
partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
Monosodium Glutumate
mycoprotein
lactose
hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
gums for thickening
guarana
casein, sodium caseinate
caffeine
benzoic acid
polydextrose
potassium bromate
propyl gallate
qunine
rebiana
salatrim
Sodium Chloride
sodium bezoate
sodium nitrite
sorbitol
stevia
sucrose
tagatose
trans fat
xylitol

Ignite Health Ontario I – Reviews!

Ignite Health Ontario ran successfully on Wednesday night in London Ontario. I am still processing how wonderful this night really was but let me share some comments that others have made. We had about 40 attendees and I am over the moon happy!: Enjoy the comments while I continue to process! Blaire Rymer – Hi Michelle, Thanks again for putting together Ignite Health Ontario, It was such an amazing event! I can’t wait for the next one! Nina Jogia – I loved the presentations and the variety of presenters. bravo to those who were able to share such personal stories. Nothing Changes if no one has the courage to speak out. Wanda Davis – Great Job last night, Great Energy! Erika Faust – Had an awesome time at ignite health ontario last night. Met some great people and learned a lot Thanks to Michelle Clermont and all speakers. Great Job! Karma Yoga Studio – Had fun connecting with other Londoners interested in Holistic health last night at Ignite Health. Fabulous people, Fabulous presentations!! Christian D’Andrea – Great Ignite Health ontario event. Congrats to Michelle Clermont for organizing a wonderful program. Next up Food Revolution 2013! Pam Clark – Thanks to Lisa Merriam for presenting her story on diminishing the stigma of mental illness. Thank you for your amazing courage . You are an inspiration. Pam Clark on Emory Ediger – His poem made me cry. Very moving images too. Pam Clark – Congratulations on your first event Michelle, and Congratulations to Megan for so many reasons! Lisa Merriam- Today was the day! My Mental Health and stigma speech for ignitehealth ontario. It was Anxiety busting, thought provoking and amazing! High Hill Reiki – Had an amazing time at ignite health ontario tonight. So proud to be a presenter and sponsor. Was wonderful to meet all the guests and speakers.! Tammy Lee Marche – Thanks to Michelle Clermont for organizing ignite Health ontario I enjoyed many of the presentations with Denise Testa! Tanya Parker – Just heard a very moving speech from a Long Term Care patient about lonliness in a LTC facility. Tim Felsky – Just did my first Yoga Stretches as part of Ignite Health Ontario Cheryl Takaoka – Enjoyed an educational night that included yoga ( I am not as flexible as I used to be) Enlightenment and some great questions to ask myself. What is my Why?( I will have to get back to you on that) What makes me Smile every day? (Happily I can answer that most days) and How can I help make change ( not the monetary kind) Thanks Ignite Health Ontario! Koreen Melnick – Awesome event Michelle Tanya Park – Megan did a fabulous job. She had the audience engaged and inspired. That young lady is going places!

The Problem with Paleo – Guest Blogger Tommy Caldwell

If you have any interest, participation, or aspirations in the world of health, you have no doubt heard about the Paleo Diet. In fact, if you even subscribe to any social networking avenue you have surely been exposed to the current trend. The Paleo Diet is a hit. In fact, it is a booming hit that hasn’t been seen in the wellness world since the South Beach Diet or the Original Weight Watcher’s program. But as with most ever-popular trends, the Paleo Diet has spread faster than the general public’s ability to comprehend what is good and bad about it. In this article I will highlight the great aspects of a typical Paleo routine, but I will also touch on the aspects that you may need to put a little more logical thought into before you blindly subscribe to the diet as a ‘whole’. The Paleo Concept For those who perhaps don’t know exactly what the Paleo Diet is, here is a brief description. The Paleo diet is a theoretical and research based diet that follows the consumption of foods that were most likely consumed by our longest living genetically indentical relatives. Basically- the foods that the human race has been exposed (and therefore adapted to) for the longest period of time over human history are the foods that our bodies are most likely to ‘handle’ in a favorable manner. Adversely, the foods that the human race has been exposed (and there for adapted to) for the shortest period of time over human history are the foods that are bodies are most likely to ‘handle’ in an unfavorable manner. An example of this would be vegetables and wheat. Vegetables have been available for human consumption since the beginning of man- therefore man has had apt time to regulate the digestion of the food. On the other hand products like wheat have only been manufactured for human consumption for the last 10,000 or so years- making them fairly new to the human diet- therefore man hasn’t necessarily had apt time to regulate their consumption… get it? It is a very logical and theoretically sound basis for what you put in your body- but that doesn’t make it a flawless system. The Good I view the Paleo trend the same way as I view the Crossfit trend: Considering that it is indeed considered a trend (or ‘fad’ or what have you) it is far superior and a ‘breath of fresh air’ when compared to what else you will find in the same category (think Jenny Craig, WeightWatchers, Slimfast, and all the other terrible diets that are far from health based). But, that doesn’t mean it is ideal for any one person or that it is an optimal way of viewing your health approach. With that in mind, there are far more positive aspects than there are negative- and that is why I feel it is important to highlight them first. Real Food First- The Paleo diet focuses on real food that grows from the ground and roams the earth. It doesn’t promote eating things from a box, magic potions or snake oils. It is just a system of real food consumption. It’s Based on Logic- Even though much of the logic is theoretical; it still has a very ‘human’ and plausible basis. It isn’t a total ‘blind faith’ approach like what you would get in a 90’s weight loss shake craze. It is built upon a foundation you can wrap your brain around. It Promotes Overall Lifestyle- Paleo dieting discusses food first, but it also discusses all aspects of self improvement as well. It covers how you move (exercise) as well as how you live day to day (lifestyle) which is a very important approach to health success. It isn’t really selling a ‘product’- Paleo isn’t a service. It isn’t a product or a subscription. It is merely information that you can either choose to implement into your life or not- for free It will give you weight loss/body composition results- Any time you cut grains, sugars, and junk from your diet it will give you a positive result. If you are an average person who sticks to the Paleo Diet, you will gain positive results from it. The Bad I’m hesitant to call this section ‘the bad’, because all things considered it is hard to put the Paleo Diet into the ‘bad’ category. Especially when you see what it is up against in the health world- you can’t argue its dominance in effectiveness, health basis, and plausibility. That said there are still some components that need to be investigated and challenged a little more openly. We Are Not Our Ancestors- The Paleo diet is affectionately known as the ‘caveman diet’, and this stems from the diet being generally identical to what we assume our cave people ancestors would eat like. The issue with that is we are not cave people. Human beings have survived as long as we have and become the dominant species on the planet (from an evolutionary perspective) because of our ability to change, adapt, and grow. If we did everything now like our caveman ancestors did in their time we would still be cave people. Why This Matters When It Comes to Food- If the human race has flourished on change and adaption, we can’t start eliminating foods outright because they may not have been eaten by cavemen. It’s really quite stupid when you think about it. This isn’t to say that the foods that are available now are as good, better, or even worth eating when compared to what composed our original long-standing diet- but you’ll have to come up with better logic than “if cave people didn’t eat it, we shouldn’t”. If that’s how you feel life should be lived than go back in your cave and unlearn the English language- see what that does for your future. Meat Meat and More Meat!!!!- Along with the Paleo diet comes a huge love for meat. Most Paleo ‘Guru’s’ will even tell you that meat should be eaten with every meal or ‘in abundance’ or ‘with abandon’. What these people fail to recognize is that meat was the most difficult and dangerous form of consumption for our distant relatives. Killing an animal for food meant the need for tools (labor), the need for a hunt (spent energy), and an inevitable fight (danger). I wasn’t around back then, but I can guarantee that our ancestors weren’t eating various sources of meat 3-5 times per day with every meal… in fact; I doubt they even ate meat on a daily basis. Considering that plants have always been the most abundant source of nutrients on this earth for all herbivores and omnivores, it is safe to say that our ancestors likely at plants in abundance, and meat when they could. If Paleo people promote eating as close to your ancestral code as possible- how do they get to the conclusion that people should be consuming steaks 5 times per day without thinking twice? Why This Matters When It Comes to Food- Our modern cravings are based directly upon what was rare for us to come across in the wild. This is what kept us driven to hunt and gather (much like how sex drive ensures human procreation)- therefore tastes like sweet (high up and far between fruit plants) and salt/fat (animal meat) weren’t sources we came across or consumed regularly- if they were abundant to us back then, we wouldn’t require a crave mechanism to locate them. This is also why humans don’t crave vegetables- they were so abundant to us and easily accessed in the wild that we didn’t require extra motivation or drive to find them. They were always available and always our main source of nutrients. Don’t get me wrong- I love meat, and I think it is an essential part of our diets- but if you subscribe to the thinking that you should be eating in line with an ancestral code, eating meat with every meal does not add up. Contradictions in Adaption- One of the biggest rules in Paleo eating is to not eat grains (which for the most part I am 100% on board with). The reasoning behind this is that the agricultural age came so late in our history that our bodies are not properly adapted to consume grains. I understand and agree with most of this logic, but I also don’t consider myself a pure Paleo eater- so I can disagree without conflict. What Paleo advocates fail to mention is that human beings were most likely originally vegetarians whom learned to cook and consume meat (as well as cook all foods)- thus leading to a huge jump in evolutionary progress, particularly in brain size/function. Now, if the one piece of food that Paleo’s hold in such high regard (meat) was once a new introduction to the human diet (un-adapted) that allowed us to better ourselves as a species- where do they get off saying that people shouldn’t eat grains because they aren’t yet adapted to it? It is quite contradictory and a bit senseless. Don’t take this as me being an advocate for grains, because I am not. For the most part I loathe grains and feel as though a very small percentage of the population should consume them- but- my reasoning has nothing to do with adaption and more to do with grains not being the most optimal food that can be put in the body. They can be easily replaced by more nutrient dense and less problematic foods that will give you more bang for your buck. It’s like the old race car analogy- your body could run off grains and get from point A to point B, but you wouldn’t be breaking any records getting there. Bottom Line- you can’t outright condemn a food source (Grains) because we haven’t been exposed to it for a million years, yet turn around and push another food (meat) when at one point it was brand new to the human race and was partially responsible for the brain power we have today. Why This Matters When It Comes to Food- Some foods are good for everyone, some foods are bad for everyone, and then there are some foods that are good and bad on an individual basis. If you follow some preconceived notion that you shouldn’t consume something solely because it wasn’t available to you 100,000 years ago you may be missing the boat on human progression and adaption. Especially when the people telling you this information are being slightly hypocritical (remember the meat history). Take supplements for example- they aren’t the majority basis of a healthy diet, but even a Paleo eater will take Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamins and Whey Protein. I’m aware that all of the bases of these products come from ‘Paleolithic’ sources- but they are definitely processed and digested in ways that our bodies haven’t been adapted to for the majority of human existence. I guess my question is how much do you bend until you break and contradict your own principles? Our Lifestyles/Demands/Activities are not Paleolithic- The modern day human being (particularly the athlete) does not participate in the lifestyle that our ancestors would have. Our ancestors (like all animals) would conserve energy whenever they could and use it only when necessary. Modern day athletes on the other hand search to put vigorous demands on their bodies multiple times per day in order to create resistance and adaption that makes them stronger, faster and fitter. Rice, potatoes, and other starches are a great way for an athlete to up their recovery time and energy reserves. This as well as higher doses of fruit for glycogen replacement (the energy source that our muscles need to recover and perform). These foods may not have served a great purpose in Paleolithic times as they do now for modern day athletes, but that doesn’t mean that an athlete should avoid certain foods because cavemen didn’t eat them or consume them in that volume/frequency. I wouldn’t recommend rice, potatoes, heavy starches or lots of fruit to an average person, and definitely not to an overweight individual- but to those with extremely high energy demands and the need to perform at high levels day in and day out- I would absolutely recommend adding grains (but not gluten) to your diet on a fairly regular basis. Why This Matters When It Comes to Food- Lots of us have much different energy demands and lifestyles than our ancestors did. The very act of searching out repetitive strenuous activity day in and day out that doesn’t result in direct food consumption or protection goes against our very human nature. Therefore when you can make certain foods work for you and serve a direct purpose that others may not need to worry about- you should do it. White Jasmine Rice is blasphemy in the Paleo world, but in the world of a high caliber athlete it can be the difference between 1st and 2nd The key here is understanding history, contradictive statements, and most importantly-yourself. None of us come from the same place, live the same lives, or have the same goals- so what makes us think that we should all be subscribing to the exact same food habits? The key to a good diet is understanding what is good for YOU and eating those things purposefully. If you can justify each piece of food you put in your mouth by having a realistic and effective purpose for how it will serve to better your particular life- you are on the right path. And don’t get me wrong- the Paleo diet is a great start towards a healthy life, especially if you are an average person who is new to life change. But it isn’t the optimal solution for food supremacy and it never will be unless you understand exactly why it is perfect for your lifestyle and fulfilling those specific demands. As far as general diets go- Paleo is the best out there, but, it still has a lot of obvious cracks, contradictions, and missing information. So like most things in this world you should be ‘combing’ through the info and throwing away what personally doesn’t make sense to you- otherwise you are generalizing what should always be a specific approach to health.

Kiki Maple Sweet Water – Amazing new natural sweet beverage!

Come on out to Ignite Health Ontario I on October 24th to sample this amazing new sweet beverage from nature!!!

 

KiKi Maple Sweet Water,

 

A traditional rural spring beverage has been released to the whole/health food market for year round enjoyment!

 

KiKi Maple Sweet Water, which is produced by Troll Bridge Creek Inc., Arthur, Ontario, is a one ingredient drink and that ingredient is pure maple sap drawn directly from the tree.  For those of you who don’t know about the maple sap, it is the clear sweet liquid that is harvested from the maple tree each spring of the year.  This liquid is then boiled until it becomes maple syrup.  To make 1 litre of syrup approximately 40 litres of sap is used.

 

Tree sap has been used in traditional folk medicine  in North America, Korea and Northern Europe for 1000′s of years.  Troll Bridge Creek Inc. has been able to bottle this beneficial liquid so that it can be enjoyed year round. 

 

Not only is this a refreshing drink, to be enjoyed on those hot summer days, KiKi Maple Sweet Water has many nutritional benefits. Maple sap, with over 80 nutrients, is a natural way to replenish the body’s electrolytes after the morning jog, bike marathon or hot yoga session. There are many essential minerals in maple sap including calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. 

 

Some other Nutritional information:

• 64 Anti-oxidants, Anti -radical, Anti-inflammatories, Anti-mutagens, Anti-carcinogens
• Therapeutic levels of Abscisic Acid, which will improves the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

 

Senior Citizens understand all about maple sap and when they take that first sip their smiles and the look in their eyes make all this effort worthwhile.  Another interesting reaction is from the youth, who have embraced KiKi Maple Sweet Water like no other generation.  Memories of their school’s field trips to the sugar bush are triggered by the subtle maple taste.  Sweet memories…

 

Unfortunately many of the family sugar bushes are falling into disuse.  The ageing farm population can no longer keep up to the physical and economical demands of the boiling process (sugaring off).  The maple sap is very unstable and must be boiled down almost immediately to syrup, this means that the process goes on non-stop for 24 hours a day for days.  The typical season is a six week of harvest.  Bottling the maple sap bypasses this expensive, labour intensive work.  It is hoped that more sugar bushes will be brought back on line to meet the demand for this refreshing drink. Once again providing the first harvest income of the season.  Although maple syrup is also very good for you, 75% of the Anti-oxidants are denatured by the boiling process.

 

Currently there are 6  maple sap based beverages available, the original KiKi Maple Sweet Water, KiKi Lemon Ginger, KiKi Lemon Mint, KiKi Blueberry, KiKi Cranberry, KiKi Strawberry and New yet to be released KiKi Lemon!

 

Smoothies, herbal teas and rice all made with KiKi beverages retain the goodness that has been provided by nature.

 

Visit the Troll Bridge Creek Inc. Website www.trollbridgecreek.ca to learn more about this product and the nearest location where you can purchase these amazing beverages.

Check out our YouTube Videos as well

 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vOG-NYsUhU&feature=autofb

 

 

 

Keith and Lorraine Harris,

Owners of Troll Bridge Creek Inc.

 

Ignite Health October 24,2012 Covent Market London, Ontario!

I am very excited to announce that we have been able to secure the date of October 24,2012 for the inaugaral event for Ignite Health. This is TRULY the ideal location. They hosted the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution event last May and because there are lots of local food vendors at this market I want to bring people to them and this is a Win/Win relationship! I  will make sure everyone is wearing a name tag so that we have a chance to connect names with faces of those we might not have met in the community before!

The event will run from 6 pm – 9pm We will have some healthy snacks and beverages available for participants.

We will accept up to 200 attendees and the event will be set up on EventBrite where you will need to book your tickets quickly!

We will start the evening off with a physical or spiritual challenge for teams to enjoy and then settle in for some amazing speakers.

You will enjoy 2 presenters in each of the following categories:

Food – I will share details of the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Ambassador program.  We will have a nutritionist sharing a few great ideas for healthy eating!

Exercise – Have you considered the Hula Hoop for a great workout? We will have an exciting presentation and challenge for attendees. I will also make sure we have a great personal trainer provide some getting started tips for those new to exercise!

Mental Health – We are looking to secure a puppet presentation for Anxiety, and a great speaker to raise awareness on mental illness in our community.

Spiritual – Are you aware of Shamanism for dealing with illness from a spiritual perspective, Deep Breathing and Yoga will be the other focus I am looking to have presented.

Patient Stories- A positive approach to Cancer from an inspirational lady and another strong woman to share her battle with Depression!

Practitioners – We will introduce you to Reiki with a demonstration with 2 amazing ladies. We are looking for another practioner to share their skills and I am considering a number of ideas!

After 6 presentations I will break this event up for 20 minutes for you to enjoy a snack , take a break and an opportunity to speak with the first 6 presenters.

We will come back for the second half presenters and you will have a chance afterward to go into the Labatt Room to get more information from all the speakers and a chance to talk to them.

Get Registered at http://ignitehealth.eventbrite.ca/

Follow our Companion Blog at http://ignitehealthblog.wordpress.com