Golden seal for blood sugar balance, Recipe and hints for fall cleansing

• Personal Note: 
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• Featured Article:
  Green Smoothie Cleansing for Seasonal Fatigue and Fibromyalgia
• Practitioner Corner:
  Golden Seal – It's not just for Infections Anymore
• Recipe Corner:
  Wild and Sour Green Smoothie
  

Green Smoothie Cleansing for Autumn Seasonal Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Once a month, you can join us LIVE in Austin, Texas for a local raw food potluck where you can:

• Meet like-minded people and make new friends.
• Learn new and exciting recipes.
• Gather valuable health and nutrition information.
• Feel supported on your health quest.

Upcoming Dates 2013
(the last Saturday of every month unless noted otherwise):

September 28th, 6:30 p.m. CDT

October 26th, 6:30 p.m. CDT

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Ritamarie's Living Foods Meetup!

Find out all the details on what to bring and what to expect.

Green Smoothie Cleansing for Autumn Seasonal Fatigue and Fibromyalgia

Autumn can be a beautiful time of the year. Depending on where you live, you can see the leaves change into gorgeous brilliant colors. The air becomes crisper. You can break out your favorite sweaters and boots. You start to wind down from the summer and shift into fall schedules like school and sports and so forth.

Only, the autumn also has a dark side for many people. Allergies can come on strong and sudden, and last for weeks. People become concerned with “cold and flu season.”

With less activity than in the summer, many people start gaining weight around the middle, which seems to increase on into winter and the holidays. And the colder air can affect those with fibromyalgia, fatigue, and pain the hardest.

But none of these things has to be the same story every year. You can change your entire season by helping your body to offset all of these things, so you can enjoy all the delights that autumn brings, without missing a beat.

…and it only takes seven days!
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1. fighting against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viruses, helminthes, Chlamydia, cholera and E coli 
2. decreasing inflammation
3. stimulating bile secretion and bilirubin discharge
4. inhibiting intestinal ion secretion and smooth muscle contraction

More recently berberine has been found to be useful for:

1. metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes
2. inflammation
3. various forms of cancer

It's been found that berberine delivers anti-inflammatory properties by COX-2 inhibition via a constituent called Kaempferol. Berberine inhibits inflammatory COX-2 activity without inhibiting the beneficial  COX-1 enzyme. Berberines has an impact on  the production of cyclooxygenase, a highly inflammatory prostaglandin, which is thought to be why it can be so effective at halting the growth of a variety of cancers.

Berberine has been shown to lower elevated blood glucose as effectively as metformin, a drug commonly prescribed to type 2 diabetic patients.

The mechanisms of action include inhibition of aldose reductase, inducing glycolysis, preventing insulin resistance through increasing insulin receptor expression,  increasing glucose uptake in insulin-resistant cells  and activating an enzyme called  AMPK ( adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) in a manner similar to how exercise stimulates increased strength and weight loss.

The body secretes AMPK to ensure our survival in times of crisis. This is the same enzyme that gets triggered with severe calorie restriction (which has been shown to prolong life in animals, but is practically sustainable by very few).

AMPK is triggered when we are producing less ATP (energy) in our cells. It stimulates cells to take in more blood sugar and decreases the liver's production of glucose, thus improving insulin sensitivity. Low energy on both a cellular and whole body level switches metabolism from ATP-consuming to ATP-producing pathways. Metabolic syndrome is thought to occur when  AMPK-regulated pathways are turned off.  The hormones leptin and adiponectin activate AMPK.

High glucose and glycogen levels inhibit AMPK.  That makes sense since there is “apparently”  an abundance of energy around. Exercise and caloric restriction activate AMPK, which explains why they are so helpful in insulin resistance.

Berberine increases glucose uptake by muscle fibers independent of insulin levels. It also activates AMPK, which increases glycolysis and decreases gluconeogenesis, thus leading to decreased insulin resistance.  

In January 2012, the European Journal of Endocrinology published results of a clinical trial that found berberine compared favorably with metformin for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

An added benefit for those with metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance coupled with blood lipid changes and cardiovascular complications) is that berberine imporves lipid profiles and helps offset the negative consequences of metabolic syndrome.

Effective dosages for berberine in cases of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes vary from client to client.  400-500mg at once, twice or three times a day appear to be effective.  Start with once a day and work your way up.

We cover many more herbs and foods important for balancing blood sugar in IRSPT.

Wild and Sour Green Smoothie

This delicious and simple green smoothie is low glycemic and can be eaten as a snack or meal replacement.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups grapefruit juice, fresh
• 3 cups collard greens
• 1 1/2 cup dandelion greens
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 cup Napa cabbage
• 1 handful of chickweed (or sprouts if not available)
• 1 cup parsley
• 2 scallions
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• blueberries (optional, if it is too sour for your taste)

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Add water or juice to desired consistency.

This recipe is from Dr. Ritamarie's upcoming new program, B4 Be Gone. For similar recipes like this watch your inbox for the announcement on the Gut Revitalizing Easy Energizing Natural Cleanse(G.R.E.E.N.) starting in September.