Tag Archives: gallbladder

Fungus and the Gallbladder…

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Happy Monday Everyone. We are continuing on for the rest of the month about infections!  If you missed earlier in the month, I talked about sinus infections, sinus headaches and puffy eyes, don’t worry, head on over to my website to catch it under the “blog” tab.

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Fungus AMONG us. Yeah.  You’ll probably hear mold infections, mold toxins, mycotoxins again and again.  That’s because fungal infections are pretty rampant. Why?  Well, we gotta start at the beginning to get that answer. 

In a perfect environment within the body, we are born with flora (good bacteria) in our digestive tract. The body lays seven layers of acidophilus and other good bacteria with the help of colostrum (found in breastmilk) to coat and protect the lining of the intestinal tracts from parasites, bad bacteria and funguses. This protective coating prevents fungus and parasites from leaking through the intestinal lining and infecting the bloodstream.

Unfortunately, we are bombarded with wide spectrum antibiotics, which destroys the good flora. I’m sure if you’ve been around here you’ve heard me talk about antibiotics extensively. This exposure can even happen before we are born!

Many women that take antibiotics during pregnancy will, in turn, give her unborn baby a dose of antibiotics as well through the amniotic wall. Also, in some cases, antibiotics are introduced into a newborn’s bloodstream through the mother’s breast milk, which is a common occurrence with babies born through cesareans.

Many young children suffer from frequent ear infections (which is a cranial and lymph problem!) and are given antibiotics for treatment.

Throughout life, we are given antibiotics as a way of dealing with sickness. Whenever antibiotics are used, it destroys all seven layers of acidophilus and the other good flora and creates leaky Gut Syndrome(other things cause leaky gut as well). This is when the fungus eats its way through the intestinal lining and enters the bloodstream.

This is one way Leaky Gut Occurs and Allergies:
On its way through, the fungus leaves little pinholes behind, which allows proteins, carbohydrates and fats that have not yet been fully digested to enter the bloodstream. The immune system reacts and builds antibodies and enzymes to destroy what the body considers to be foreign objects and pathogens.
Let’s use broccoli as an example. Broccoli is good for you. Your body needs the necessary amino acids that it produces. When your body breaks down the broccoli into an amino acid, it still carries a broccoli signature. Because you have been prone to antibiotics, have fungus and have leaky gut syndrome, when the broccoli amino acids enters the bloodstream, the body believes that it is a foreign invader and creates antibodies to destroy it. It is no longer getting the good amino acid it needs to run effectively. We call this an auto-immune problem or a food allergy.

Antibiotic use disrupts normal digestion. This causes an overgrowth in fungus in the digestive tract, which kills good digestive flora leaving the intestinal wall exposed. This allows fungus to eat its way through the intestinal lining and get into the bloodstream. This, in turn, disrupts the immune system and contributes to autoimmune problems. These problems manifest itself in forms of food allergies and a malabsorption of nutrients.

At this point, the fungi proliferate throughout the whole system creating a cascade of different reactions, first of which is a craving for carbohydrates. The brain is a carbohydrate fiend. It utilizes 50-80% of all the carbohydrates we ingest. Fungus also loves to feed off carbohydrates and trace minerals. The problem is that the fungus eats the carbohydrates in our bloodstream making the brain crave carbohydrates.

Food manufacturers love to take advantage of this carbohydrate craving by enticing you. Just think about it, if you go into a grocery store, all you see are cakes, chocolates, cookies and candies. I see you girl scout cookies!!!
When you eat these sugar loaded carbohydrates, your insulin spikes, “insulin is the number one cause of aging and the number two cause of brain damage.” Hence the saying, “the less you eat, the longer you live” because you do not spike insulin.
When your insulin spikes, you end up storing the carbohydrates along with the fats and proteins. Now, you have put yourself in the position of unwanted weight gain.

The fungus that has proliferated the body also effects the brain. The fungus gives off a bowel movement, which is an offshoot of ethanol. This overpowers the immune system, entering the brain and disrupts neurotransmission for short term memory, causing mutation and malfunctions in the brain. This is one of the symptoms of a fungal infection.

WOAH okay, sorry that was a lot but that’s just how we can first get exposed to mold!  Different types of mold can also be in homes and foundations, bathrooms, and many other areas.  When we constantly breathe it in, it’s also a problem and produces similar effects in the body. A big spot I find is in the turbinates of the sinuses, they LOVE to hide here and give sinus and allergy issues. CRANIAL TO THE RESCUE.

Additionally, there are what are called mycotoxins that are toxins from mold in food. More and more crops are being infected and it’s pretty common now to find. Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by fungi like mold, which can infest buildings, vehicles, and food.   A majority of mycotoxin exposures are through food ingestion or airborne exposure.  It causes a big histamine reaction in the body, and over time can cause a person to become very hypersensitive to so many foods and environmental agents. 

We’ve seen mold affect the gut AND the brain AND the immune system. 
But what about the gallbladder?

Let’s look deeper…..

Gallbladder removal is one of the most common operations in the United States.  Most are due to gall stones which are backed up bile. Some I have seen can be from a spasmed gallbladder from a shock or stress to the body. However, fungal infections are another cause:

The gallbladder’s main function is to store bile. Bile is a breakdown of red blood cells that have been crushed in the spleen. The spleen removes the necessary minerals and the red blood cells are processed and reutilized in the body. These minerals are processed back through the liver where they are bound to used cholesterol-forming bile acid.
This bile is supposed to be stored in the gallbladder for later use and excreted during heavy meals to help us digest fats. When the gallbladder is backed up, it doesn’t excrete the proper bile to digest fatty foods.

Because the fungus clogs up the gallbladder, it causes the bile acid to bleed into the pancreas. This causes the pancreas to create excrete insulin, which is a major cause of aging and also brain damage. Too much insulin in the blood causes hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia includes shakiness, pounding heart, crankiness and hunger headaches. Excessive insulin also makes your body store glucose, fats and proteins that you really don’t need. The pancreas is responsible for making enzymes that are crucial for digestion and for making chemicals necessary for proper body function.

“Because of the fungus, the bile acids damage the pancreas and destroys its ability to seek out cancerous cells and provide insulin, which slowly turns the body diabetic. When the gallbladder gets clogged up with fungus and the bile starts to back up into the liver through the liver ducts, eventually damaging the liver, which is the primary organ that produces chemicals in the body.” Because bile is no longer digesting fats, it cannot be turned into good cholesterol in the liver. This poses a major problem as all our hormones are made from cholesterol, so hormone issues will begin. Most individuals get the gallbladder removed at this point, which doesn’t fix the issue and eventually symptoms return or get worse.

The fact that fungal infections deprives our body of proper hormone balance causes a cascade effect which affects every aspect of our lives. Fungal infections cause multiple malfunctions throughout the body which results in sickness, cancer and an overall depressed sense of well being.  If your body isn’t happy and healthy, your relationships will not be either.

SO that’s it FOLKS.  Fungal infections are extremely common and hugely depend on the health of our gut, and oxygenation of our body.  Fungus hates oxygen.

Another cause of constant fungal infections is also heavy metal exposure.  If you’ve been battling chronic fungal infections, you probably also have a heavy metal issue that needs to get addressed.

Suspect you may have fungus issues?

Let’s talk.
Fungus can be tricky, but there are options. First you have to decrease your exposure.  We then look into building the body up a little through genetic based nutrition, especially the vitamin D and metabolic pathway.  Then we can start to attack the metals and fungus.  The attacking part looks different for different people, whether nutritional or other methods. Don’t just go trying to kill fungus without first having support!  You could feel REALLY bad .

Hope this was helpful.

Keep trekkin warriors!

Dr. Hamel

Connecting Detox and Weight Loss

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Connecting Detoxing and Weight Loss

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you’ve enjoyed the topics this month all around detoxing.  We’ve talked about the 4 pathways of elimination and detoxing your brain so far.  Today we will continue on with detoxing’s influence of healthy weight management.First I want to start off with a topic called “Endocrine Fallout”

This term basically means that your endocrine (hormone) system within your body is not working efficiently.  That might manifest for you as fatigue, weight gain, mood disruption, sleep disruption, irregular menses, hot flashes, ect.If you are like many people with endocrine fallout, it may seem like your body is hanging on to an additional 5, 10 or even 20 pounds for dear life.  No matter how little you eat and how much you move, those excess pounds refuse to budge!  Well, you may be relieved to learn that there’s a physiological reason for this.

The root of the problem lies in your liver…..

As we have talked about previously, the liver is responsible for removing toxins from your body.  The toxins from your home cleaners, beauty products, foods, plastics, ect.  It does so by turning fat soluble toxins into water solubles ones so they can be excreted through your large intestine, kidneys and skin.  When you already have a hormonal problem however, your liver’s function is compromised (clogged). This mean it doesn’t work as efficiently and unable to remove what we are constantly exposed to as rapidly as they build up.

How does your body handle this??

Well.. It basically sends those fat soluble toxins your fat tissue.  For the short term, this protects your liver because it minimizes it’s load.  The problem is, it becomes more difficult to shed weight. Your fat cells don’t want to let go of these toxins, because your body KNOWS that doing so would pollute your bloodstream and create a toxic environment for your organs, including your heart and your brain.

Let’s talk about what kind of hormones get stuck in the fat tissue…

1. Estrogens–  Usually from exogenous exposure.  This means non organic and GMO foods, non organic cleaners, beauty products, plastics, receipt paper, birth control ect..

2.  Stress hormones–  When there is a constant state of stress, cortisol gets stored in the fat cells as well.  I also see many individuals that burn out there adrenal glands not only on emotional stress but physical stress.  People can train way too hard and do too much excercise wise, that the body can’t keep up with.

3.  Insulin- Keeping your blood sugar stable with every meal, every day enables your pancreas to spit out only the amount of insulin required to move the glucose where it needs to go.  This prevents highs and lows.  A big part in this is actually not always high blood sugar but low blood sugar as well.
We are also more inclined to give into temptation when your blood sugar levels are all over the place.

Hypoglycemia happens with two causes:1. You may be on a ridiculous “diet” of luna bars and coffee and consider that a meal… If you don’t have adequate food intake, your levels will be low.

2.  Overindulging in carbs. This means more than 1/2 cup! Your pancreas pumps out a flood of insulin to bring your blood sugar back down, but it often miscalculates the amount which gobbles up too much glucose, and leaves you with low blood sugar, although you just stuffed your face.  This is where many people get frustrated and think you have no willpower, head to the pantry to refuel on peanut butter M&Ms even though you just ate less than an hour ago.

Fortunately, there is ways to get your body to release it’s grip on the fat tissue.  This is by upping your dietary and supplemental forms of certain nutrients.  Vitamin A, B, C, glutathione and other antioxidants and herbs.  These help your liver do its job.  I recommend a 21 day cleanse with a company I use using whole food nutrition to effectively clean your liver out entirely and gently.  I haven’t found anything else like it out there, and I myself do one every year, sometimes twice a year.  Its preventative and also mandatory I find.Meal wise:
– Fill your diet with plenty of veggies, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, beets
-Lemon and oranges (Essential oils are better).  Put a drop in your water every day
-Caraway and dill seeds

……For those women who are pre-menopausal or menopausal… You know what I’m talking about the dreaded “pooch”.  For this case, it works a little differently, but the same concept.

When you go through menopause, or are prepping for it, the ovaries begin tostop producing estrogen and progesterone.  However, we still need these hormones for many functions.  The natural version of these hormones….  So, our adrenal glands start taking over the job of producing the hormones in small amounts.

The problem is, most women go into menopause with already compromised adrenal glands ( which pump out different hormones, the most important being stress hormone cortisol) because of stress and toxins, so the adrenals can’t cope with the job.  Here comes hot flashes, weight gain, ect.  So, the body starts building fat cells to begin to make and store the hormones.  Because as I mentioned previously fat loves hormones!

That is why during this time it is almost impossible for menopausal women to lose this region.  It is their “source” of hormone production.  I’ve worked with several patients through this time, and you can significantly decrease the symptoms naturally, NOT USING SYNTHETIC or BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES I will say.. Those are a big no no in my book.  Sometimes we do get the weight down, other times because it is the source of production, some women will actually need natural forms of fat elimination like laser or light liposuction or fascia blasting to eliminate them.

Make sense??? The liver is HUGE for weight Loss/Gain.  And since we are bombarded with hormones all the time, and live stressful lives, it’s an ever increasing problem.  Fortunately we have safe and natural options.

Ensuring the Liver is functioning well through nutrition, Stress relief techniques I use in my office, and organ and nervous system relaxation I have great success efficiently detoxing the body and getting you toward your healthy weight.

Interested in the cleanse??  Ask me how you can start your healing journey!

What’s also very interesting and pertinent is that most all cases of women with their gallbladder’s removed will eventually get a hysterectomy.  Why?  The gallbladder has a huge connection with the hormone system.

Women comment that their body was thrown out of balance or that “things have just not been the same since” as well as “weight gain that I’ve never had an issue with before the surgery.”

The liver and gallbladder are so closely interconnected, so digestion and detoxing are huge for weight loss!

 

 

Oil of the WEEK.

On the spotlight this week is DoTerra’s Slim & Sassy.

Slim & Sassy, our proprietary metabolic blend, combines powerful essential oils known to promote a healthy metabolism when ingested.* The flavorful blend of Slim & Sassy helps manage hunger throughout the day while supporting healthy metabolism and promoting a positive mood.* Slim & Sassy contains Grapefruit, Lemon, Peppermint, Ginger, and Cinnamon. When taken with a healthy eating and exercise plan, Slim & Sassy Metabolic Blend can help you reach your weight management goals.*

Uses

  • Add to water or tea and drink before working out for a revitalizing energy boost.*
  • Consume before meals to help control appetite and overeating.*
  • Take internally as a part of a healthy weight management program.*
  • Add a few drops to Slim & Sassy TrimShake or V Shake.

Directions for Use

Diffusion: Use three to four drops in the diffuser of your choice.
Internal use: Dilute four drops in 4 fl. oz. of liquid.
Topical use: Apply one to two drops to desired area. Dilute with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil to minimize any skin sensitivity.

Cautions

Possible skin sensitivity. Keep out of reach of children. If you are pregnant, nursing, or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. Avoid contact with eyes, inner ears, and sensitive areas. Avoid sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after applying product.

 

 

 

Try these great recipes to help clear your liver daily!

Cucumber Lemon Water

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber
1 lemon
A few sprigs of mint
Water

Directions:

Wash and slice the cucumber and lemon, and rinse the mint. Place cucumber and lemon into a water jug.

Fill the jug with water, mix, and leave to steep overnight in the fridge. You can keep topping off the jug with more water for a few days until you need to change the fruits/herbs.

What does it do?

Nutritionist Meryl Pritchard of Kore Kitchen says that lemons help to kick-start digestion while flushing out toxins. The vitamin C will also brighten up your skin.

Recipe courtesy of Nichola Whitehead, RD.

Strawberry Basil Water

Ingredients:

10 fresh whole strawberries
2 lemon wedges
Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon
Handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Start with 1 gallon of purified water (room temperature is fine). Combine the other ingredients in a glass container, stir gently with a wooden spoon, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours to allow all ingredients to mingle. Serve and enjoy.

What does it do?

Strawberries are high in antioxidants, potassium, vitamin C and many other nutrients. Basil has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Recipe courtesy of Dr. Edward Group, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM.

Ginger Mint Water

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 inches fresh, peeled ginger root
2 lemon/lime wedges
10 to 12 fresh mint leaves
Pinch of Himalayan salt
A dash of peppermint essential oil

Directions:

Same as above.

What does it do?

Ginger can be used to ameliorate a variety of ailments like an upset stomach and a sore throat because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Recipe courtesy of Edward Group.

Mango, Lemon, and Pineapple Water

Ingredients:

Pineapple and mango, cubed (enough to fill 1/3 of a glass)
A few lemon slices
Water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and serve.

What does it do?

Pineapple is chock-full of bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme. Mangoes help improve digestion to help de-bloat flatten your tummy as well.

Recipe courtesy of Eat This, Not That.

 

 

 

That is all for now.

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy week!

 

 

 

Culprits of Digestion Dysfunction…

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Happy Monday Everyone!  Two weeks ago we went over the first thing to look at with digestion issues which is the gut/brain axis and cranial tension. Last week, we went over the second thing we have to address in digestion issues which is the stomach and gut acidity.  That is, of course with a well balanced organic grain and dairy free diet.  🙂

Another source of digestion disturbance is gallbladder dysfunction.  We have many different digestion organs within our body, and no one organ is not needed.  We have seen over the years gallbladders being take out like candy.  “You don’t need this organ”.  Well, ACTUALLY you need every organ!  All the gallbladder in particular has SO many digestion roles.

Gallstones can be safely handled WITHOUT SURGERY? There are over 700,000 cholecystectomies done in the U.S. each year, costing over $6.5 billion, making it the largest digestive problem. 

A huge job is fat emulsification and absorption which is so VITAL!.  We know we need good fats, and we need a lot of it.  Was most commonly happens is the bile which the gallbladder makes to emulsify the fats gets thick, or backs up and causes gall stones.
How does this happen?

Well, one reason I see in my office all the time is that the gallbladder is spasmed.  It’s usually a stress/gut type reaction.  When this spasm happens, the ducts back up, and stones can begin to form over time.  It’s like a sympathetic response. ( we will go over next week the particulars in stress and its role in digestion disorders).

When this reflex is relaxed, usually the organ can regain it’s function and normalize.  Other individuals have thick bile and need help supplementation wise to help liquify it and detoxify the body.  Thick bile usually happens because of toxins and improper nutritional intake of food nutrients.

You see, when you get the gallbladder out, that doesn’t solve the problems.  What I see in my office is it makes things WORSE.  Sure, you might feel better in the acute stage, because gallstones and gallbladder back up is painful.  But what happens is, the nerves that innervate the organ are all still there.  The nerve pathways and signaling are also still present.

So, the dysfunctional pattern doesn’t stop.  You also don’t have a way to properly digest your fats.  What does this mean?

Well, for mostly all of my patients who have had this removed they are chronically constipated.  Sometimes going 1 to 2 times a week!
As you’ve read previously last week, going to the bathroom at least 2 times a day is healthy and SO important.  If you aren’t, they you are sooo toxic.

Others have chronic diarrhea.

But, your MD’s wont tell you that you need supplementation for the rest of your life because this organ has been removed.  But the reality is, you do.  Since fat is so important, we absolutely need to be able to use it!

Other problems with gallbladder removal:
-sphincter of odi dysfunction: (small intestine valve) which can lead to pancreatitis
– IBS
-pancreatic cancer
-dyspepsia (stomach acid problems)
-common bile duct stones
-Postcholecystectomy Syndrome
-hormonal problems (menopausal women and cycling)
-Low back pain, hip pain.
**  I have seen numerous patients in my office that have had either hip or low back pain resolve once the gallbladder function is renewed and the colon is properly eliminated.

If you’ve had out your gallbladder, get help!  You need supplementation to get the nutrients you need.  If you have gallbladder symptoms and haven’t had it removed DON’T!  It will cause more problems than keeping it.  Work with a natural health care provider like myself and figure out why it is dysfunctional in the first place.  It’s not eating a low fat diet people.  Its all the bad carbs, sugars, processed foods, stress.

Other Culprits of Digestion Dysfunction:

Usually from poor diet, toxins, gut/brain axis dysfunction, antibiotics or low acidity levels, we then get little critters that LOVE to disrupt our digestion even more!

Let me say this.  ALL AUTOIMMUNE disorders start with gut dysfunction!  Let me say that again ALL AUTOIMMUNE disorders start with gut dysfunction!  Fix the digestion, heal the autoimmunity.  But, you have to know what is causing the dysfunction and that’s usually the hardest part nowadays with all I’ve mentioned above that can go wrong.

Probably the worst thing that’s happening with leaky gut is the effect on the brain and the autoimmune conditions it’s causing.

One big big problem we have now is yeast and fungal infections that are rampant.  A huge part because of all the antibiotics we and our parents have taken over the years.  Our good bacteria just aren’t affluent enough.  And of course our processed, carb laiden american diets don’t feed good bacteria by any means.

Not all yeast is bad, of course we need some yeast in our body.  But when things overgrow too much, then we have problems.

It can start even in infancy.  Heard of cradle cap?  This is a clear sign of biotin deficiency and a sign the baby has a yeast infection.

You see, the babies LOVE what their mother ate.  If mom ate like crap during pregnancy and had yeast problems baby will too.

Progesterone, estrogen and glucose go up in pregnancy as well, which feed yeast and makes infections grow.

Thursh is also really common in infants now which is an overgrowth of yeast.

OTC yeast prescriptions don’t work either to clear out yeast overgrowth.  You need to work with a natural health care provider because it can be a tricky thing.  Also, just cutting carbs forever won’t do the trick either.  But a HUGE leaky gut and digestion problem culprit is overgrowth of yeast.

** clinical note here.  Chronic yeast infections can also be protective if you have a lot of heavy metals, bacteria and toxins in your body.  Yeast will overgrow to help so the toxins don’t get into your blood.  Chronic yeast problems?? You need to clear out metals and toxins.

Other culprits.
Epstein Barr Virus is found in 95% of people.  In fact, individuals diagnosed with MS show a 98% positivity in EBV.

Crohns Disease is a chronic mycobacterium infection.

Protozoa is so common for many digestion problem dysfunctions, and also a lot of mood/attention disorders and brain dysfunction I find in many patients.

H. Pylori is so common in small intestine and stomach dysfunction.

I could go on, but pathogens are HUGE for digestion disruption.  But you can’t JUST kill bugs.  For some that is enough to normalize digestion.  Others, what I mentioned above has to take place first.  Also, if you aren’t going to the bathroom, then killing pathogens and clearing metals will be bad bad bad.  Have to get things going first so you can SAFELY eliminate them.

What about food allergies??

Yes, they happen and do exist.  But most “allergies” are not TRUE allergies.  It is because the body is inflamed.  Usually liver/gallbladder issues cause allergies to arise.  I see this all the time.  While working on digestion you will have to eliminate certain things, but if you are allergic to a lot of foods, you need to clean up the inflammation in the digestive organs.  Usually bugs, nervous system stress and toxins.

Blood allergy testing can be helpful for some to check if theres a major allergen to eliminate, but I don’t always recommend this unless needed.

Last but not least this week….

Huge digestion disruptors are also TOXINSSSS.  Heavy metals and toxins in our environment.  They are literally everywhere.  So we can’t be naive and not do daily things to help detoxify our body.  Almost everyone these days needs heavy metal clearing.  Between vaccines, beauty products, seafood contamination, water supply, fillings, and such it gets into us one way or another or through the womb.

You must address toxins if you want full digestion normalcy.

Next week we will go over stress and its role in digestion as well as how EMF’s cause digestion dysfunction.

Catch you then!

OIL OF THE WEEK

ON the spotlight this week is DoTerra’s  Grapefruit.  Grapefruit has many different uses from immune support, gallbladder support, decreasing mucus, increasing metabolism, antioxidant support and much more

DR Hamel will be at the GLOBAL DoTERRA convention this weekend!  Stay tuned on her facebook or instagram for updates!

Beets, Beets!  These are powerhouse veggies for gallbladder support!

Cholagogue-Rich Foods

“Cholagogue-rich foods support healthy gallbladder function and bile flow. The main cholagogues are:

  • Apples
  • Artichoke
  • BEETS
  • Bitter Greens
  • Celery
  • Cinnamon
  • Fennel
  • Fenugreek
  • Ginger
  • Tumeric

Beet SmoothiesA blend of beet, celery and apple juice with cinnamon with breakfast daily is a great way to boost bile flow and support healthy gallbladder function.

Raw or Cooked Beets

Yes, beets again. Beets are important foods for the liver and function of the gallbladder. They can be raw, cooked, or grated into a salad. Studies show beets are rich in antioxidants that protect the liver and boost the production of beneficial liver enzymes, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione.

Beets have also been shown to attach to the bile and escort it, with all the gobbled-up (Pac-Man’d) toxins in tow, to the toilet. ”