by Drs. Pina LoGiudice and Peter Bongiorno, www.InnerSourceHealth.com

​Did you know there is a strong association between the plastics in our lives and the risk diabetes? 
 
And, did you know that this isn’t even new information? In fact, the Journal of the American Medical Association, which is one of the top journals in conventional medical care, conducted a study in 2008. In this study, they looked at the urine of about 1400 people, where they looked for a breakdown product of bisphenol A (Bpa), a known chemical from plastic containers.
 
The study found that people who had one standard deviation of Bpa above the normal, which isn’t really a lot, risked 39% more coronary artery disease, 40% more heart attacks, and a 39% increased risk of diabetes too. Interestingly, it was also noted that certain liver function markers went up too – suggesting that the plastics give your liver, which is your main organ of detox, a hard time.
 
It was concluded by the authors that, we,  the general U.S. population, is likely getting too much plastic in our lives and livers. And the greatest sources? Diet primarily, but also, air, and transdermal (through the skin).
 
So What Is a Human To Do?
 
While none of us can 100% avoid the plastics roaming free in our environment, we can make a significant dent on the impact on our health.  The two ways are to avoid the incoming plastics as much as possible, and to clean the body out as best we can. Here are three easy steps:
 
1 – avoid plastic containers for cooking and drinking – use glass and ceramic
 
2 – avoid all non-organic creams and lotions that have pthlates, plastics, fragrances, etc…
 
3 – eat plenty of beets, garlic, onions, leafy greens, artichokes, parsnips, and dandelion. These foods are all very liver supportive, and will help you to naturally minimize the toxic burden.
 
3 – do a healthy detoxification cleanse, like the real food cleanse, every 6 months to clean out your liver. Best to do this cleanse with the Source Cleanse and detox factors we suggest in order to fully support your liver’s own natural detoxification abilities
 
reference: Lang IA, et al. Association of urinary bisphenol a concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in adults. JAMA 2008; DOI:10.1001/jama.300.11.1303.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=182571

by Drs. Pina LoGiudice and Peter Bongiorno, www.InnerSourceHealth.com

To fully detox your body, supporting yourself with the right foods is critical. One of those foods is cilantro.

Cilantro is the leafy part of a common herb found in many kitchens. Cilantro has blood sugar lowering properties, is anti-inflammatory , is an anti-oxidant, prevents the oxidative breakdown of fats, and is anti-bacterial. Cilantro is closely related to coriander: the seed of cilantro is called  coriander. Coriander is also which is a very familiar culinary spice in its own right.

Cilantro for Detox

Cilantro contains an active component called mercaptan -  which is great for helping to clean out the body.  Mercaptan is able to bind to toxic heavy metals like mercury. Mercaptan is also able to get into the brain and nervous system by crossing the blood brain barrier. This is a special feature of this molecule, for most molecules (including supplements and many drugs) don't’ have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Cilantro’s mercaptan also acts as a reducing agent, which means it can change the electric charge on the mercury inside your cells to a neutral state. This will allow mercury to diffuse out of the body much more easily than if it carried a charge.

Once the mercaptan binds the heavy metal,  it can then release it into the general circulation, where the liver and kidneys can help move it out of the body.

If you are increasing your cilantro to help detoxify, it is vitally important to also increase your levels of water, fiber and green vegetables. While the cilantro helps the metals clear out of tissues, the fiber and the greens will help usher these out of your body. So it is important to drink plenty of good clean water and eat vegetables to allow for regular healthy bowel movements. Sometimes, we have patients also take in some spirulina too. This is a greens that can help bind the heavy metals to allow amore efficient exit from your body.

Happy detoxing!

References:
Gray et al. Br J Nutr 1999 Mar;81(3):203-9. Chithra Vet al.  Indian J Biochem Biophys 1999 Feb;36(1):59-61.
Delaquis et al. Int J Food Microbiol. 2002 Mar 25;74(1-2):101-9.