In our day to day lives, we are exposed to numerous toxins, including alcohol, food additives, preservatives, and caffeine. While our body’s systems work together to process, transport, and get rid of these toxins, excesses can overwhelm the body’s natural detox system, leading to a need for a little extra TLC. Keep reading to learn more about how detoxification happens in the body, why it’s crucial for our overall health and wellness, and how we can support our body’s natural pathways with our self care regimen, including supplements.
Magnesium, often called “The Magic Mineral” plays a crucial role in over 300 enzymatic reactions within the body. These reactions impact everything, including sleep, muscle and nerve function (like restless leg syndrome), heart health, stress management, supporting the immune system, and more.
Diet plays a large role in our overall health; we should aim to eat whole, nutritionally dense foods to optimize digestion, balance mood, and decrease inflammation. We can also use herbs to help with inflammation! Specific herbs, like ginger root, dandelion, and slippery elm have been shown to have many positive health effects.
As temperatures drop, snowfall comes regularly, and the days get shorter and shorter, it’s not unusual for people to develop “SAD”: seasonally affective depression. It’s estimated that 10-20% of Americans get mild SAD with the changing seasons, especially those living in colder, more Northern places. With so many of us working from home and spending time indoors, the idea of getting in 10,000 steps seems dreary when the windchill is at -10º. Sound familiar? We feel it, too.
With the current pandemic, along with flu season and colder, winter temperatures, it’s no surprise that many of us are feeling a bit ‘under the weather’. Now more than ever, it’s important to nourish our bodies and strengthen our immune system. Before you go running to grab some EmergenC, make a stop at your local grocery store. There are various fruits and veggies, many of which you probably already eat, that can help us ward off the common cold, or make us feel better when we do get sick.