Good Health Plan: Specific Health Problems Solutions
Detox solutions for specific health problems
For some people, health problems aren't things that just come and go, and they don't necessarily involve bugs and germs. If you suffer from problems such as migraines, premenstrual syndrome, nasal allergies, arthritis or the digestive disorder irritable bowel syndrome, health problems can be a part of daily (or at least monthly) life. However, increasingly, research shows that detoxing can help these conditions. In such cases, you're not necessarily reducing your intake of traditional toxins or avoiding things like air pollution (although this will make a difference). Instead, you should be tackling specific toxins that worsen your problem; these can be something as traditionally healthy as citrus fruits or tomatoes. By cutting these out of your diet, you could therefore reduce symptoms of your problem: this is called an elimination diet.
Migraines
Common triggers: Red wine, cheese, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruit, wheat, tea, coffee, corn, peas and bananas. What may help: Eat at regular times and increase your levels of magnesium, calcium and fibre (found in leafy green vegetables) -high levels of these may help. Feverfew also helps - research at Nottingham University, UK, found migraines reduced by 24 per cent in people taking a daily dose of 250mg.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Common triggers: Dairy products, citrus fruit, corn, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, nuts and coffee. What may help: Both red and white wine help fight the inflammation that causes rheumatoid arthritis; the recommended dose according to researchers at the University of Pisa, Italy is two glasses a day. Evening primrose or starflower oils also help. Aim for enough supplements to provide you daily with 1.4g of gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which is the active ingredient in the oils (check packets for the dosage).
Irritable bowel syndrome
Common triggers: Fatty foods, corn, tea, coffee, wheat, dairy products and citrus fruit. What may help: Peppermint oil is one of the commonest, safest treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In trials at Hope Hospital in Manchester, UK 80 per cent of patients taking peppermint oil found their IBS symptoms improved. The recommended dose is 0.2-0.4ml, given in capsule form only, three times daily.
Pre-menstrual syndrome
Common triggers: Coffee, tea, sugar, alcohol, salt and chocolate.
What may help: Eating high-carbohydrate foods little and often. This balances blood-sugar levels and helps reduce the mood swings and food cravings that can be linked to pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). High levels of magnesium and calcium (in leafy green vegetables) can also help. The herb agnus castus has also been shown to have benefits with PMS, because it helps balance hormones. German researchers giving their patients 40 drops of liquid agnus castus daily for five months found that 90 per cent of their patients stopped getting PMS.
Hayfever and rhinitis
Common triggers: Melon, plums, apples, tomatoes, celery and carrots.
What may help: Onions, citrus fruit, tea and garlic. These contain the antioxidant quercetin, which Japanese research has shown causes cells to release less histamine. Other dietary factors that have been shown to help reduce allergy symptoms are oily fish (try for two to three portions a week) and increasing dietary levels of magnesium.