The beauty, shine, thickness, and overall health of our hair is greatly affected by a variety of factors. Most of us know that excellent nutrition is the foundation for healthy hair. But there are many other issues that can cause thinning, dry, or brittle hair. For example Exposure to black mold, Candida, Parasites, Vitamin Deficiency, Mineral Imbalance, Female issues such as PCOS, Thyroid issues, Excess Stress, Low Iron, etc.

It has been said by many health researchers that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important things we can do for health in the 21st century. Our gut is home to approximately 100 trillion microorganisms — a number our human mind can hardly comprehend. Our gut flora serves so many vital functions including: promoting normal digestive function, providing protection from infection, regulating our metabolism and comprising more than 75% of our immune system!

Did you know that approximately 50% of people who are overweight have impaired iron metabolism, detectable on blood tests? For many of these people, they are getting plenty of iron in their diet. Researchers have found that inflammation associated with excess body weight elevates a hormone in your liver called hepcidin, which has the effect of reducing iron absorption into your body from your digestive tract. The result is a metabolic storm of weight gain, fatigue, and poor thyroid function.

Sometimes it’s not all about the fruit. At certain times and for a variety of reasons you may want a fruit-free juice or smoothie. I have many clients who are on my Candida Recovery Program, and for them fruit is temporarily off limits. It can be hard at first, especially for people who have an addiction to sugar. I’ve had clients who have sailed through 60 day or longer juice cleanses without a hitch, yet the first three or four days of drinking juices without fruit becomes a true challenge. This is often a key sign that there is an overgrowth of candida fungus.

“Death begins in the colon” ~ Bacteriologist Ilya Mechnikov. Probiotics are the good bacteria that serve the function of ensuring that our colon stays healthy, and are one of the most powerful additions to your diet for superior health. Bacteria are the first line of defense of the immune system. A proper balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract is vital for maintaining good health. In a healthy colon there are between 100 billion and 100 trillion beneficial bacteria per milliliter and these consume the harmful bacteria.

So many people experience stress on a regular basis. Chronic Stress affects our state of mind, our ability to properly function, our sleep, and our moods. For many people, chronic stress leads to anxiety which unfortunately takes a heavy toll on the adrenal system. The best remedy overall is to eat a healthy diet with organic foods high in B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and the omega-3 fatty acids which all can help you ward off the more serious effects of stress.

Stress and anxiety can seem to be a normal everyday occurrence for many people. So many of us just become accustomed to a high stress level, until it is soon perceived as acceptable. But over time this chronic stress and the resulting constant stream of cortisol creates long term damage including premature aging, weight gain, high blood pressure, and contributes to many other diseases.

In the past few years I have seen a definite increase in leaky gut in my clients. Also known as hyperpermeability, leaky gut is a syndrome where food travels through the intestinal wall into the abdominal cavity, causing hyperstimulation of the immune system. Leaky gut happens when there is inflammation in the body due to chronic stress, allergies to wheat or dairy, or other causes outlined below. The inflammation causes the spaces between the cells of the gut wall to become larger than usual.