Red Wine, Resveratrol & the Gut

Red Wine, Resveratrol & the Gut

Red Wine and the gut by Queen of the Thrones

Red Wine, Resveratrol & the Gut

Written by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive)
Medically reviewed by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 10 minutes.

What is Resveratol?

Did you know that the pinot noir grape is so weak that it actually has to produce a fungus on its skin in order to survive? So, the problem with drinking red wine isn’t necessarily alcohol, but the fungus that grows on the skin of the grape itself. It is a product of fermentation that gets into the body and upsets the microbiome.

Who doesn’t love to have a nice relaxing glass of red wine after a long day? And sure, it’s alcohol, but it’s okay because red wine is good for you, right? Well, my friends, this may be true (in small doses!) because even though NO amount of alcohol is good for you, red wine pleads a case because it contains the powerful antioxidant, resveratrol.

Resveratrol does many wonderful things for the body, specifically in the gut, which makes it an excellent nutrient for people with digestive conditions.

Resveratrol in Red wine by Queen of the Thrones

I wanted to talk about resveratrol because, well hey, everyone loves a good glass of red wine, right? One of the first questions you probably have before starting a cleanse is, “Really?? Do I have to give up red wine??” And the answer is yes, ideally

Although, I’ve recently discovered a way to prepare it that makes it okay to enjoy on a cleanse, albeit in very minute dosages, for a therapeutic effect. I’ll spill the beans on how exactly to do this later on in this post.

Resveratrol is a plant compound that acts as a powerful antioxidant in our bodies. It’s not only found in grapes and red wine, but also in smaller amounts in blueberries, tomatoes, peanuts, dark chocolate, and apples.

Resveratrol Concentration in Grapes

The grape is an interesting fruit with the pinot noir grape being the ‘weakest’ grape that grows well in Oregon, Italy, and France (legendary here!), yet it has the highest antioxidant content, specifically resveratrol1. Pinot noir is thought to be the healthiest of red wines.

Pinot Noir

Believe it or not, the weaker the grape, the stronger the antioxidant. In red wine, it’s pinot noir grapes. In terms of juice, it would be the Concord grape. They actually have one of the highest nutritional profiles but they are incredibly sweet too (which means high in sugar).

The way grapes mix their sugar and antioxidants makes our food choices a bit tricky. They’re super healthy, which is great. But it also means we need to be careful about how much we eat to find the right balance. So, when you’re grabbing that glass of red wine or a serving of grape juice, just keep in mind this mix of good stuff and things to be cautious about. It can help you make smarter and more balanced decisions for your diet.

Queen of the Thrones pinot noir infographic

Concord Grape Diet

Have you ever heard of the old grape diet? Where you basically eat nothing but grapes for three days…

Stay with me, as there actually might be something to this. When reading Genesis (the first chapter of the Bible), and in the biblical days to cleanse, they would basically not consume anything for the first 3 days. So you could do a grape juice fast for the first 3 days, along with water and green tea to help clean up your system (and also take in a ton of powerful antioxidants).

What Does Resveratrol Do?

What does resveratrol do by Queen of the Thrones

Resveratrol may help women lose weight and maintain healthy estrogen levels2 3. Estrogen dominance is a problem that can lead to gain weight, which can cause your body to produce more estrogen.

It basically becomes a  a vicious cycle of gaining weight and having high estrogen, which causes symptoms like breast tenderness, moodiness, depression, and anxiety. Causing you to feel like you’re all over the map… Can you relate? It is not a fun condition to be stuck in and resveratrol may be helpful with these symptoms.

Resveratrol in the Gut

So, what does it do for the gut?

Flavonoids are very important in keeping the gut mucosal membrane lining healthy4.

If the gut lining isn’t strong and healthy, it weakens the barrier, making it hard for the gut to protect the body from outside food. It’s crucial for the gut barrier to stay strong for optimal functioning.

Maintaining a Healthy Gut Lining

So, we need to work on strategies to help keep this barrier closed and strong, agreed? What closes the barrier most profoundly? Relaxation! That’s right, NO STRESS! When you are stressed, your body is in the sympathetic state, and cortisol is pumping. In this state, your gut mucosal membrane lining is weakened, or “leaky” as it is often called.

Leaky Gut was a huge term in the 80s and 90s and people still use it – also known as leaky gut syndrome. Now, a leaky gut is, in a sense, a stressed out person who has holes in their intestines, meaning their barrier is no longer working. .

They’ve lost the integrity of the barrier, and things that are not supposed to get through, do, causing things to leak through that are not in the size they should be. When this happens, the body can’t recognize them which causes irritation and allergies.

Maintain a Healthy Gut Lining with Queen of the Thrones

Stool Transit Time

Did you know that stool transit time can actually dictate the number of allergies you have? The less that you go, the more allergies you may have5. Interesting agreed?

The duration it takes for stool to move from the mouth to the anus (or anal transit time), is influenced by stool transit time. Understanding your transit time provides various insights into your body’s functions and conditions.

You Are What You Absorb

Now, resveratrol helps with keeping the gut lining integral. It’s actually imperative to it. In supplement formulas, I add in resveratrol all the time and I make sure people are getting it from their diet as well.

Benefits of resveratrol for your organism by Queen of the Thrones

What’s even more important is that people are absorbing and digesting things well. We need to optimize the absorption capacity in our guts in order to really reap the health benefits of resveratrol in our food, drink, and supplements.

Food Hygiene 

Resveratrol is awesome to get from red wine, although the bacteria and fermentation products make it not-so-great on a cleanse. So how do we get around this?

Alternatively, we can use grapes, but we need to wash them well. I’m going to teach you how to wash them to reduce the bacterial load.

Now, I don’t want to get into the hygiene hypothesis… The thing is, this isn’t something you need to do long term, just until you establish a healthier barrier and a healthy microbiome. When the microbiome is functioning well it can tolerate more bacterial load. Makes sense, right?

So, we need to give our microbiome a chance to reset itself within the body, which could take 3-6 months, a year, or even 2 years… It depends how weakened it is and it depends on how compliant you are.

Resveratrol in other dietary sources by Queen of the Thrones

To Reset Your Gut, You Have 2 Options

  1. You can reset it by a little wee bit at a time which takes a long time, OR…
  2. You go all in! Change your practice step by step for the fast win.

    The second option makes more sense! Agreed?

    So, in order to reset the environment, we need to clear what is coming in, allowing the body to rebalance in its own natural way. When we allow it the space to do what it needs to do – that is digest, absorb and eliminate, we support this process that much more. 

    My favorite tool to do this with is Castor Oil Packs.

How Do Castor Oil Packs Help You Reset Your Gut?

1. Relaxation

Parasympathetic tone, practicing the pause. How do we get more of the relaxed state as opposed to the stressed state?

Castor Oil Packs are like the escape button for your nervous system, which is more related to the pack rather than the actual oil. That’s because when the pack sits on the skin, it stimulates receptors in the skin of the nervous system.

Did you know that tactile soft-touch actually helps to support that area7. This soft, pleasurable touch also stimulates hormones, like oxytocin – the love and connection hormone, as well as dopamine8 – the pleasure hormone of the brain. 

2. Inflammation & Alkalinity

Wherever there is inflammation there is acidity, so reducing inflammation increases alkalinity. The enzymes of our bodies cannot work without alkalinity. Our enzymes need proper pH to function well, and Castor Oil Packs may help support this environment and balance inflammation.

Moreover, Castor Oil has been shown to be as effective as capsaicin for pain relief (without the irritating effect)9.

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs help to reduce Inflammation and Alkalinity

3. Maintain Glutathione Levels & Support Detox Pathways

There are not many ways to get glutathione, our super important detoxifying compound. You can take glutathione supplements, but they haven’t been shown to be super effective. You can also get it from whey protein, but this is an issue for a lot of people with allergies and sensitivities. A third way to get it is from rooibos tea, green tea, or red raspberry leaf tea to improve glutathione in the gut.

Supplementation with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and magnesium can help with glutathione levels, however, most of us are already very deficient in magnesium so the body will first use the magnesium for what it needs, before converting it to glutathione. Sometimes it can be dose-limiting too, because of the potential laxative effect of magnesium.

IV and injection is another way of getting glutathione, but this requires going to a clinic every time, which isn’t very convenient, agreed?

A Castor Oil Pack worn on the liver may help with the recycling of glutathione. There was a study done on rat lenses where they put the lenses in a dish of glutathione solution, and one in a dish of Castor Oil. The glutathione levels were actually maintained BETTER in the Castor Oil solution10.

How do castor oil packs help gut health by Queen of the Thrones

4. Support the regulation of bowels

Transit time is very important. Without a normal transit time, you may experience problems with your microbiome, allergies, and toxins recirculating in the body. Normal transit time for men is around 1.7 days, and for women it is higher at 2.3 days11.

Why is it higher for women? Women have more hormones that play a role in their transit time. If progesterone levels are low, it can contribute to a slower transit time.  Castor Oil Packs are thought to help support regular movement of your bowels, which, in turn, may help your digestion transit times.

5. Break down Biofilm

Biofilm is basically a sticky coating of glycoproteins and hyaluronic acid, a matrix created by bacteria from their waste products. It’s no different than what surrounds all of the cells of our body. It’s like an extracellular matrix made for bacteria to keep them safe from evil enemies on the outside.

The only problem is that these bacteria are actually the evil enemies to us, because they are inoculating a gut that should be healthy. They’re straight up con artists, which is why I call them “conbiotics”. You see, bacteria is really good for us, and “commensal” bacteria is actually awesome!

Commensal bacteria create vitamins for us, like the ever important B vitamins, as well as L-butyrate and short-chain fatty acids which help to heal the gut lining. It’s amazing what they do for us! But unfortunately, the bad guys can create gas that basically slows our transit time down, like hydrogen disulfide and methane gas12.

 

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver helps to break down biofilm

For this reason, it’s super important to address our biofilm. There aren’t many natural substances that have the ability to break it down. Castor Oil is one of these natural substances, also helping to stimulate nitric oxide passageways!

And because nitric oxide is a gasotransmitter, which is basically a gaseous messenger molecule involved in signaling to open up blood vessels, it is believed to help balance inflammation. They’re calling it one of the newest anti-aging molecules. Red wine, grapes, and beets are all food sources of nitric oxide.

Did you know that you tend to go to the bathroom more often when you have higher levels of progesterone? Ladies, right before your period do you find that you are going to the bathroom more frequently? This is because your progesterone levels spike just before menstruation, causing your transit time to speed up.

Castor Oil Packs are such a simple practice that work on these 5 foundational functions…

1. Relaxation

2. Inflammation

3. Antioxidant status

4. The bowels

5. The microbiome

This supports everything, from absorbing, digesting, working well, and eliminating where it needs to. 

Get your own super easy, 2-step Queen of the Thrones® Liver Castor Oil Pack.

Gut Lining and Hormones

Resveratrol basically acts like an antioxidant that helps support the gut lining, and at the same time balances out hormones. Our gut lining is very dependent on our hormones, and resveratrol helps in the detoxification of estrogen.

When you have better-balanced levels of estrogen, you will have sufficient levels of progesterone that help you go to the bathroom well and maintain a regular transit time.

Dietary Intake of Resveratrol

1. Royal Red

If you’re on any kind of cleansing diet you want to do it the smart way and pasteurize it. Pasteurization, according to Louis Pasteur, was done via a flash-fry method. So basically you boil water, add it to red wine then cool it down immediately. Plus, it’s a great way to get rid of the majority of bacteria and fermentation products that may be in red wine, causing problems for the body.

Try to avoid South America and Californian wines, because they’ve been shown to have high levels of toxicity in them. Organic wines from the European Union-Spain, Italy, France, and Pinot Noir are best. Wines from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Oregon are also good options.

Queen of the Thrones recommends a dietary intake of resveratrol for better gut health

How to Flash Pasteurize Red Wine:

Looking to enjoy your red wine in a healthier way? Here’s your Red Wine Recipe below! 

    1. 1. 1 oz red wine
    2. 4 oz boiling water
    3. Throw in 5 ice cubes
    4. Sip and enjoy!

      And there you have it,  a nice cider that I like to call it the Royal Red! Another option is to add carbonated water and ice for a spritzer type drink

Queen of the Thrones Royal red recipe

Grape juice is another option for dietary intake of resveratrol. As mentioned before, Concord grapes have the highest antioxidant content. With grape juice though, water it down because it’s very sweet, therefore very high in sugar!

2. Grapes

Good ‘ole grapes are also a great way to get resveratrol into your system. But, remember what we talked about in regards to the fungus that they produce to protect themselves? We need to wash it off with a handy dandy acid-cleansing wash.

How to make an Acid-Cleansing Wash

You will need:

  • 1 part white vinegar
  • 1/4 part hydrogen peroxide
  • 5 parts water
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Step 1: Put grapes into a bowl.

Step 2: Add the mixture of liquids and drop in the baking soda. (You can also do this with any dried goods like rice, grains, and legumes.) This step takes off the bacterial load and grapes are super important to do this for.

So the next time you reach for your glass of red wine, I hope you will see it in a whole new light. 

Make sure to practice your Castor Oil Pack for Liver so you can help your body absorb the awesome benefits of resveratrol, and use these food hygiene tricks to limit the amount of bacterial load coming into your beautiful temple.

Are you a practitioner, health coach or wellness influencer? If you’re interested in recommending our easy-to-use tools and practically applying them in your health and wellness professional practice, in clinic, or online with the people you serve, you can join now!

Click here for references

1. Lukas Snopek 1 ID , Jiri Mlcek 1,*, Lenka Sochorova 2 , Mojmir Baron 2 , Irena Hlavacova 1 , Tunde Jurikova 3 ID , Rene Kizek 4 , Eva Sedlackova 1 and Jiri Sochor 2. Contribution of Red Wine Consumption to Human Health Protection. Molecules. Received: 15 May 2018; Accepted: 9 July 2018; Published: 11 July 2018 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/399f/b972ac0e63c75459c5fb11bf303f4e2677a2.pdf

2. Bagchi D1, Das DKTosaki ABagchi MKothari SC. Benefits of resveratrol in women’s health. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 2001;27(5-6):233-48.

3. Rupali Sharma,1 Neel Kamal Sharma,2 and M. Thungapathra1 Resveratrol regulates body weight in healthy and ovariectomized rats Nutr Metab (Lond). 2017; 14: 30. Published online 2017 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12986-017-0183-5 PMID: 28413432

3. Rupali Sharma,1 Neel Kamal Sharma,2 and M. Thungapathra1 Resveratrol regulates body weight in healthy and ovariectomized rats Nutr Metab (Lond). 2017; 14: 30. Published online 2017 Apr 14. doi: 10.1186/s12986-017-0183-5 PMID: 28413432

5. Johan Bohlin,1,* Erik Dahlin,1,* Julia Dreja,2 Bodil Roth,1 Olle Ekberg,2 and Bodil Ohlsson1 Longer colonic transit time is associated with laxative and drug use, lifestyle factors, and symptoms of constipation Acta Radiol Open. 2018 Oct; 7(10): 2058460118807232. Published online 2018 Oct 22. doi: 10.1177/2058460118807232 PMID: 30364803

6. Lewis SJ1, Heaton KW. Stool form scale as a useful guide to intestinal transit time. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1997 Sep;32(9):920-4.

7. Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

8. Rolls ET et all. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17. ( Dopamine release, Limbic System of brain- Fatty Meal Satisfaction)

9. Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8.

10. Holm TBrøgger-Jensen MRJohnson LKessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in optisol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013.

11. Johan Bohlin,1,* Erik Dahlin,1,* Julia Dreja,2 Bodil Roth,1 Olle Ekberg,2 and Bodil Ohlsson1 Longer colonic transit time is associated with laxative and drug use, lifestyle factors, and symptoms of constipation Acta Radiol Open. 2018 Oct; 7(10): 2058460118807232. Published online 2018 Oct 22. doi: 10.1177/2058460118807232 PMID: 30364803

12. Suri J1, Kataria R2,1, Malik Z2,1, Parkman HP2,1, Schey R2,1. Elevated methane levels in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth suggests delayed small bowel and colonic transit. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 May;97(21):e10554. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000010554.

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Disclaimer: Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors. Neither Queen of the Thrones® nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. This communication does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Information provided does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you happen to purchase anything we promote, in this or any of our communications, it’s likely Queen of the Thrones® will receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, we only promote content and products that we truly believe in and share with our friends, family and patients. If you ever have a concern with anything we share, please let us know at care@queenofthethrones.com. We want to make sure we are always serving Our Queendom at the highest level.

Natural Solutions for Holistic Breast Wellness

Natural Solutions for Holistic Breast Wellness

Learn about breast health with Queen of the Thrones®

Natural Solutions for Holistic Breast Wellness

Written by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive).
Medically reviewed by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 6 minutes.

I used to look at my breasts in the mirror, pulling one up and comparing it to the other. I would wish so hard to have perky, stand-up-here breasts instead of pendulous, way down-there-puppies with sparkling, multicolored stretch marks.
  Weight changes and overnutrition in my youth never gave me the opportunity to have perky, perfect breasts. Instead, I went from flat to fat and then stretched out to swinging and saggy. Breasts define our femininity in many ways, we feel sexy because of them and un-sexy in spite of them. I recall getting intimate with my husband and being so ashamed to get naked in front of him. I apologetically told him I needed to be honest with him and tell him that my breasts sagged, instead of being heralds of fertility and proud of them with pomp and circumstance. I felt deflated because of them just like they were deflated. Turns out he didn’t care. He actually knew, and had been staring down my top for a while and loved what he was seeing – without me knowing!

Why are breasts such a big deal?

Breasts are bold, they stick out from our bodies. They are the first thing that enters the room, the first thing in many cases that get noticed.

Men obsess about them, maybe because they have mother and latching issues, or maybe because they just adore the difference between male and female bodies.

Whether you think your breasts are too large or too small, they are a source of shame for many. It’s time to take this inappropriate thought pattern and shove it where the sun don’t shine.

It’s our time to be proud of all of our shapes and sizes and stretch marks. Be proud of the pleasure they bring us, from foreplay to feeding our babies.

Breast judgments

My first encounter with the dangers of judgments made on breasts wasn’t my own, but actually my mother’s. When she was a dashing young lady, she had gone to the doctor’s office to have her yearly check-up and breast exam.

Upon taking off her shirt to be examined, the doctor gasped at how large her breasts were (super inappropriate FYI, in this day and age but this was back in the 60s). My mother, being incredibly shy about her sexuality, was immediately embarrassed, turned red as a lobster and searched to get dressed immediately.

 So shocked was she by this judgment that she never had another breast exam again, until it was too late.

Breast cancer awareness month by Queen of the Thrones

Judgments can damage our psyche, we don’t know how our words will fall on the ears receiving them. Judgments serve no purpose either, except pain. After all, no one asks the doctor to comment on how large they are, but rather how healthy they are.

Follow Queen of the Thrones advices to prevent Breast Cancer

My mother’s breast cancer

Forty years later, my mother waited until blood came out of her nipple and a mass so large it was hard to avoid, came cauli-flowering out of her breast. With two doctors as daughters, we couldn’t believe that she had let the shame of an event that happened so long ago, impact her life now.

 

The diagnosis – stage 4 breast cancer. Devastating, with little to no time to act.

Because of this experience, I got over my breast bullsh*t and got into owning one of the most beautiful, female, flourishing features of my health.

Importance of breast exams

For this reason alone, every single woman in my naturopathic practice would get a yearly breast exam, done by our skilled naturopath assessment hands.

But some of us don’t have access to a doctor who is experienced or willing to do a breast exam, especially since now the recommendation is to avoid breast exams.

 

In countries where breast cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages, it is valuable to have patients understand breast self-examination as well as to be examined1.

So this is extremely valuable. My mother was fortunate, even though she was at the extreme case, she survived with a combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy as well as naturopathic medicine. Her cancer was so far advanced that it was an impossibility to only do the natural route.

Self-examination is invaluable

The comment  I used to get in my clinical practice time again is that most women don’t know what normal feels like. They feel that their breasts are lumpy and bumpy (a sign of estrogen dominance, or low iodine).

But let me tell you, the first time I did a breast exam I thought exactly the same thing! How was I going to identify anything going wrong if I can’t notice anything different?

Do you know what changed it? Practice, my friends, practice is the mother of all skills.

And what if you find lots of lumps and bumps? Make your way to your doctor and get checked out. It never hurts to be extra cautious.

There are many things you can do at home now to support cystic & lumpy breasts

Most of these strategies deal with reducing the amount of estrogen in your body:

1.Reduce your alcohol intake3

2. Reduce your theophylline intake, in coffee, tea and chocolate

3. Wear an eye compress to bed to naturally support melatonin which is a powerful anti-cancer hormone in the body4

4. Of course, do a Castor Oil Pack daily, because it may help with cleansing and detox5, microbiome balance6 7 8, inflammation9, and stress reduction10 11, which all impact your hormonal balance.

Support cystic & lumpy breasts with Castor Oil Packs by Queen of the Thrones

So get to know your boobies! I know I’ve got saggy breasts, and sometimes they really do look like sacks! But I love them because they are me 100% and I get to know them regularly so I can keep them a part of me for the long haul. They are my twins after all, and I can’t get another pair just like these (no judgment if you’ve had yours changed, just love!).

Do you know the difference between then and now? Now I love my breasts, I treat them better every single day because I have learned that they are an important part of who I am. They share my story.

I also want to share a quick recipe with Castor Oil for boob and lymphatic wellness. Castor Oil has a long history of use for breast cancer. In fact, Hippocrates, known as the father of modern medicine was advocating it as a treatment in 460 BCE, as was another medicine man of the time, Galen in 200 BCE12.

Would you love to learn how to support your breasts in a soulful, energetic way? Download this free step-by-step guide and learn how to refocus your energies for happier breasts and a more centered you:

How to use Castor Oil to support breast & lymphatic wellness.

https://queenofthethrones.com/wp-content/uploads/202How to Use Castor Oil to Support Breast and Lymphatic Wellness
  1. Mix organic Castor Oil from a GLASS bottle with baking soda until it becomes a paste.

  2. Add 2-3 drops of organic rosemary essential oil.

  3. Rub into your armpits and over your breasts.

  4. Leave on for an hour or more then rinse off.

Are you a practitioner, health coach or wellness influencer? If you’re interested in recommending our easy-to-use tools and practically applying them in your health and wellness professional practice, in clinic, or online with the people you serve, you can join now!

Click here for references

.1. rev Med. 2011 Sep;53(3):118-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.05.001. Epub 2011 May 8. The role of clinical breast examination and breast self-examination. Miller AB1, Baines CJ.

2. Kendra J. Royston, B.S.1 and Trygve O. Tollefsbol, D.O. Ph.D. The Epigenetic Impact of Cruciferous Vegetables on Cancer Prevention. Curr Pharmacol Rep. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 Feb 1. Published in final edited form as: Curr Pharmacol Rep. 2015 Feb 1; 1(1): 46–51. Published online 2015 Jan 25. doi: 10.1007/s40495-014-0003-9

3. Terryl J. Hartman,1 Julia S. Sisti,2,3 Susan E. Hankinson,2,3,4 Xia Xu,5 A. Heather Eliassen,2,3 and Regina Ziegler6 Alcohol Consumption and Urinary Estrogens and Estrogen Metabolites in Premenopausal Women. Horm Cancer. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 Feb 1. Published in final edited form as: Horm Cancer. 2016 Feb; 7(1): 65–74. Published online 2016 Jan 4. doi: 10.1007/s12672-015-0249-7

4. Giuseppe Di Bella,1,* Fabrizio Mascia,1 Luciano Gualano,2 and Luigi Di Bella Melatonin Anticancer Effects: Review Int J Mol Sci. 2013 Feb; 14(2): 2410–2430. Published online 2013 Jan 24. doi: 10.3390/ijms14022410

5. Holm TBrøgger-Jensen MRJohnson LKessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in optisol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013.

6. Andrade IM1, Andrade KM2, Pisani MX1, Silva-Lovato CH1, de Souza RF1, Paranhos Hde F1.Trial of an experimental castor oil solution for cleaning dentures. Braz Dent J. 2014 Jan-Feb;25(1):43-7.

7. Badaró MM, Salles MM, Leite VMF, Arruda CNF, Oliveira VC, Nascimento CD, Souza RF, Paranhos HFO, Silva-Lovato CH. Clinical trial for evaluation of Ricinus communis and sodium hypochlorite as denture cleanser.J Appl Oral Sci. 2017 May-Jun; 25(3):324-334.

8. Salles MM, Badaró MM, Arruda CN, Leite VM, Silva CH, Watanabe E, Oliveira Vde C, Paranhos Hde F. Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study.J Appl Oral Sci. 2015 Nov-Dec; 23(6):637-42.

9. Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8

10. Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

11. Rolls ET et all. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17.

12. Lukong KE1. Understanding breast cancer – The long and winding road. BBA Clin. 2017 Jan 27;7:64-77. doi: 10.1016/j.bbacli.2017.01.001. eCollection 2017 Jun.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors. Neither Queen of the Thrones® nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. This communication does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Information provided does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you happen to purchase anything we promote, in this or any of our communications, it’s likely Queen of the Thrones® will receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, we only promote content and products that we truly believe in and share with our friends, family and patients. If you ever have a concern with anything we share, please let us know at care@queenofthethrones.com. We want to make sure we are always serving Our Queendom at the highest level.

Constipation: I Keep Trying to Fix It, But It’s Not Working!

Constipation: I Keep Trying to Fix It, But It’s Not Working!

Constipation I Keep Trying to Fix It But It’s Not Working by Queen of the the Thrones

Constipation: I Keep Trying to Fix It, But It’s Not Working!

Written by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive).
Medically reviewed by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 16 minutes.

Have you ever wondered WHY your bowel movements aren’t what they should be? Maybe you’re feeling frustrated by persistent constipation? You try eating different foods, taking laxatives, and still you struggle with irregularity. Is this you?

Bowel health questions by Queen of the Thrones

Well, you’re not alone! In this blog, we’ll explore what causes constipation and what you can do about it.

1. Why is constipation called a functional digestive problem?

Constipation has reached epidemic levels, and it affects so many of the world’s population, but the effects of constipation are varied1. But one common component of constipation is that it is functional, meaning you can’t find obvious reasons for it. One example of an obvious cause would be having an intestinal mass that blocks the pathway of elimination. Fortunately, this is not a common cause, but you can see why it’s important to get checked out by your doctor. Usually your doctor will try different treatments or do a colonoscopy to get a better understanding of your intestines, depending on your age. Other times they might recommend lifestyle changes and treatments.

2. What are the symptoms of constipation?

The most common symptoms of constipation include discomfort in your abdomen, bloating, and gas. You may produce dry pebbles, hard stools, or have a bowel movement less than once per day. According to the Mayo Clinic2, constipation is classified as having fewer than 3 bowel movements per week.

3. How does it feel to be constipated?

Constipation has a very distinct feeling. You push and push and may go a little, but you feel like you haven’t voided completely despite the hard work. It also takes you longer than most to go to the bathroom. The official term used is incomplete evacuation and straining.

4. Why am I gassy and bloated when I’m constipated?

Gas and bloating is part of constipation and functional digestive disorders4. Even though gas is uncomfortable, it’s one of the natural ways that the body signals the intestines to move. In fact, hydrogen gas is known to have beneficial effects for the colonic mucosa, including functioning as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant: both of which would help move poo5 out of your body.

And while we might be very familiar with bad gas, there is such a thing as good gas (I know, I know, how can it be good?). Good gas is produced by good bacteria, like probiotics. It stimulates the natural action of the intestines to move stools down through your colon.

If the bacteria in your intestines is unhealthy like the archaea species of bacteria that produce methane, then it can actually slow down bowel transit time. This is linked to constipation6.

 


5. How often should I have a bowel movement ?

A normal bowel movement should happen every day. Generally speaking, men seem to go more than women. In fact, statistics show that on average, men go every 1.7 days while women have a bowel movement every 2.5 days7. . That’s a long time, agreed?

In my practice, our ideal goal is for all patients to go daily, for this simple fact: You eat daily, so what goes in, should come out… daily. Otherwise you get backup and subsequently, constipation.

If you want more information about what your poo says about you, get your free download here 

6. Why do men go to the bathroom more than women?

Men have a higher average for bowel movements because, let’s face it, women are more complicated. Yes, I am admitting that, but science shows this too. But the difference in pooping averages has to do with the fact that women have a broader hormone mix than men. Estrogen can be very problematic for women and can have an adverse affect on your bowel movements.

Three tips to improve constipation symptoms by Queen of the Thrones

7. How does my thyroid affect my bowel movements?

If you have an underactive thyroid (A.K.A. hypothyroid) or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, then you’re probably familiar with the common symptom of constipation. Think of an underactive thyroid as contributing to an overall slowing down of your metabolism. If your body is slow, then your bowel movements will be much slower too, leading to constipation. 

8. Why do my estrogen levels affect my bowel movements?

If you are carrying extra weight, taking birth control pills or other estrogen-replacement drugs, or are exposed to fake estrogens (A.K.A. xenoestrogens – which every human being on the planet these days is) then you probably have a higher level of estrogen than most.

Progesterone balances estrogen in the female body, and progesterone is necessary for healthy bowel movements. Basically, when your estrogen levels are too high, you lose the proper balance between estrogen and progesterone so your bowel movements reflect this imbalance resulting in constipation.

9. Why can’t I poo?

We’ve talked about a few, but there are so many reasons why you can’t poo8.
It has to do with:

Pathology of constipation by Queen of the Thrones

– Your nervous system
– Your hormonal system
– Your immune system
– Your digestive system
– Inflammation that you have in your body
– The amount of weight that you are carrying in your abdomen (central obesity)
– The types of bacteria you have in your gut
– The types of foods you are eating
– The foods you may be eating that you are allergic, sensitive or intolerant to
– How much fluid you are drinking
– How many caffeinated beverages you are consuming daily
– How much sleep you are getting
– How stressed you are
– How depressed you are
– How deficient you are in certain vitamins and minerals that support good bowel movements
– Your genetics

And the list goes on and on.

Estrogen Levels may affect your bowel movements according to Queen of the Thrones

10. Why is the digestive system called the center of our body universe?

Your gut and digestive tract are the center of the universe when it comes to your body. And if you have good bowel movements, you will have better health. Think of your digestive tract as the sun, and all the planets as your internal systems. In short, everything revolves around your gut.

So, if you’ve had problems figuring out why you can’t go, it’s probably because you haven’t found the exact culprit or you have a combination of different factors working against you, causing you to be constipated. And believe me, I understand how sorting out the root cause is like the most complex puzzle you’ve ever imagined. But bottom line, you want to look at your stools for the clues.

As you can see this is a HUGE topic!

11. How often should I poop?

Again, what goes in, must come out. If you eat every second day, then you should poo every second day. But because you eat daily, you really should be having a bowel movement daily. Otherwise, you are constipated.

Your body is an environment that requires flow. Intake of good stuff, outflow of bad stuff. Think of it like a fish tank. When your fish poops, the tank must be cleaned or the fish begins to swim in his own filth. 

The same is basically true for you. Waste that stays clogged in your intestinal tract for extended periods of time creates a toxic environment for your system. You don’t want your internal organs to swim in filth. That’s clearly unhealthy.

12. How come most of my friends don’t poo daily?

The reality is that constipation is reaching epidemic levels. 14% of the world population9, suffers from constipation. That’s approximately 1 billion people. The worst part is that this is a life threatening epidemic, because all natural environments, including your body, need to eliminate waste. If you can’t eliminate waste, then the waste backs up and creates a wide range of additional problems.

Common patient complaints by Queen of the Thrones

13. How much should you poop each day?

Did you know that your lower descending colon is the length of your wrist to your elbow. Well, that is the amount of food, fiber, and fluids that you ate the day before and should be what you eliminate daily. Remember, what goes in, must come out.

Have you ever thought, “Wow, here I am eating all this food and where is it going? If it’s not coming out of me, where is it?” It’s just sitting there causing problems. Let’s figure out what we can do to make it better!

Improve your bowel movements with Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs

14. What is the first step to have better bowel movements?

To know what to do, it is important to know what the problem is. Peeking after you poo every time you go is key. Start to keep a log about it (pun completely intended!) Our Queendom is loving The Log Book | A 7-Day Logging Exercise. It is not only great for tracking your stools, but also your gratitude practices, your health practices, your food and water intake, your sleep and so much MORE!

15. What is the best supplement-free tool to help with constipation? 

If you want to reduce the number of supplements you take, then Castor Oil Packs are one of the best tools to help support proper elimination. And they have a long history. Castor Oil Packs have been a wellness tool since Egyptian times, and they’re used in all forms of medicine including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda, Mediterranean, Egyptian, and Caribbean cultures.  

Castor Oil Packs may help support:

– Digestion
– Absorption
– Elimination10

Castor Oil Packs have been shown in animal studies to support pain and inflammation balance11,12. So, with regular use of Castor Oil Packs, reducing inflammation in your gut may lead to less bloating, less food sensitivities and better digestion. 

I can’t tell you how many times I have thrown on a pack when I’ve been bloated or really suffering in my guts whether it be from butterflies rocking my belly, or from serious gas.

If nutrient absorption is an issue, chances are you’re low in some of your vital nutrients. Castor Oil Packs may help support nutrient deficiencies naturally, by helping you better absorb your food. To be able to digest food properly, you need amino acids from protein to produce digestive enzymes. So, if you can’t absorb your food properly, then how can you expect to make digestive enzymes? Improving this one function alone may support your body and allow it to work better.

Not only do Castor Oil Packs help support  movement in your digestive tract, but they may also help support the elimination process as well. In one research study, Castor Oil Packs were compared to stimulant laxatives and were shown to produce improved satisfaction and sensation of complete evacuation, reduced straining, and patients had an overall better bowel movement experience13.

On top of that, regular use of Castor Oil Packs may also help support antioxidant levels and other factors that help your body with cleansing, like glutathione14,15.

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs make this ancient practice easy and less-mess.

Remember, there are so many possible ROOT CAUSES for your CONSTIPATION that  troubleshooting can be very difficult. Beginning a Castor Oil Pack routine is an easy way to set a solid  foundation while you remove the most common factors that contribute to constipation. 

Then, as you look at and analyze your poo, you can become your own best digestive detective by determining the underlying problem, and then fixing it

 

Are you a practitioner, health coach or wellness influencer? If you’re interested in recommending our easy-to-use tools and practically applying them in your health and wellness professional practice, in clinic, or online with the people you serve, you can join now!

Click here for references

1 Sharma A1, Rao S2. Constipation: Pathophysiology and Current Therapeutic Approaches. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2017;239:59-74. doi: 10.1007/164_2016_111.

2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/constipation/symptoms-causes/syc-20354253

3 Mearin F1, Ciriza C2, Mínguez M3, Rey E4, Mascort JJ5, Peña E6, Cañones P7, Júdez J8; en nombre de la SEPD, la semFYC, la SEMERGEN y la SEMG.[Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and functional constipation in adults: Treatment (Part 2 of 2)]. Aten Primaria. 2017 Mar;49(3):177-194. doi: 10.1016/j.aprim.2017.01.003. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

4 Wilkinson JM1, Cozine EW1, Loftus CG1. Gas, Bloating, and Belching: Approach to Evaluation and Management. Am Fam Physician. 2019 Mar 1;99(5):301-309.

5 Carbonero F1, Benefiel AC, Gaskins HR. Contributions of the microbial hydrogen economy to colonic homeostasis. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Sep;9(9):504-18. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2012.85. Epub 2012 May 15.

6 Sahakian AB1, Jee SR, Pimentel M. Methane and the gastrointestinal tract. Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Aug;55(8):2135-43. doi: 10.1007/s10620-009-1012-0. Epub 2009 Oct 15.

7 Bohlin J1, Dahlin E1, Dreja J2, Roth B1, Ekberg O2, Ohlsson B1. Longer colonic transit time is associated with laxative and drug use, lifestyle factors, and symptoms of constipation. Acta Radiol Open. 2018 Oct 22;7(10):2058460118807232. doi: 10.1177/2058460118807232. eCollection 2018 Sep.

8 Sinagra E1, Morreale GC2, Mohammadian G3, Fusco G4, Guarnotta V5, Tomasello G6, Cappello F6, Rossi F1, Amvrosiadis G2, Raimondo D1. New therapeutic perspectives in irritable bowel syndrome: Targeting low-grade inflammation, immuno-neuroendocrine axis, motility, secretion and beyond. World J Gastroenterol. 2017 Sep 28;23(36):6593-6627. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i36.6593.

9 Larry E Miller,1 Alvin Ibarra,2 and Arthur C Ouwehand2 Normative Values for Colonic Transit Time and Patient Assessment of Constipation in Adults With Functional Constipation: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Clin Med Insights Gastroenterol. 2017; 11: 1179552217729343.Published online 2017 Aug 31. doi: 10.1177/1179552217729343PMCID: PMC5582663PMID: 28894394

10 Arslan GG, Eşer I. An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.04.004. Epub 2010 May 18.

11 Grady H. Immunomodulation through castor oil packs. The Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. Volume 7 Jan 1 1998; 7(1): 84-9

12 Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8.

13 Arslan GG, Eşer I. An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.04.004. Epub 2010 May 18.

14 Badaró MM1, Salles MM1, Leite VMF1, Arruda CNF1, Oliveira VC1, Nascimento CD1, Souza RF1, Paranhos HFO1, Silva-Lovato CH1. Clinical trial for evaluation of Ricinus communis and sodium hypochlorite as denture cleanser. J Appl Oral Sci. 2017 May-Jun;25(3):324-334. doi: 10.1590/1678-7757-2016-0222.

15 Andrade IM1, Andrade KM2, Pisani MX1, Silva-Lovato CH1, de Souza RF1, Paranhos Hde F1. Trial of an experimental castor oil solution for cleaning dentures. Braz Dent J. 2014 Jan-Feb;25(1):43-7.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors. Neither Queen of the Thrones® nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. This communication does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Information provided does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you happen to purchase anything we promote, in this or any of our communications, it’s likely Queen of the Thrones® will receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, we only promote content and products that we truly believe in and share with our friends, family and patients. If you ever have a concern with anything we share, please let us know at care@queenofthethrones.com. We want to make sure we are always serving Our Queendom at the highest level.

Is Liver Detox the Missing Piece to Your Autoimmune Flares?

Is Liver Detox the Missing Piece to Your Autoimmune Flares?

Gluten and dairy sensibilities by Queen of the Thrones

Is Liver Detox the Missing Piece to Your Autoimmune Flares?

Written by: Amanda Runnels, NTP, RWP, AIP Certified Coach.
Medically reviewed by: Melanie Swackhammer, BA

Est. reading time: 9 minutes.

 

Have you wondered where those mystery autoimmune flares come from?

If you struggle with autoimmune disease, you know how debilitating a flare can be, right?

You may even find yourself in the same boat that I’ve been in a time or two – weeks of feeling amazing and totally able to take on the world, just to find that one morning, out of nowhere, you wake up and feel like a truck has run you over. Can you relate?

When it comes to autoimmunity, there are multiple triggers that can send us into a flare and often with little warning. It can feel like a bit of a puzzle figuring out what’s triggering yours!

What comes to mind when you hear “autoimmune trigger”?

Well, when managing an autoimmune disease, it’s important to learn what your triggers might be.

If you’ve been at this for awhile, you probably already have a few that pop into your mind when you hear “trigger”. Maybe it’s:

  • Stress
  • Gluten
  • Sugar
  • Sleep
  • Nightshades
  • Environmental toxins
  • Inflammation
  • Leaky Gut

Do any of those ring true for you? They do for me, too!

I want to share with you, though, that there is something even deeper that could be setting you up for a flare – if not stalling your progress altogether.

Is your inflammation of the liver sabotaging you?

The liver is one of the hardest-working organs in the body. It carries out more than 500 vital functions – at the same time, all day, every day! So, it’s extremely important that we give our liver as much T.L.C. as possible. Makes sense, agreed?

Some of its most critical functions in the arena of autoimmunity are bile production, hormone clearance, and detoxification.

Let’s break each part down just a bit:

Bile production:

Bile is a necessary ingredient when it comes to an important topic…poop.

 

You see, without proper bile production, dietary fats will not get broken down appropriately, and eventually, this leads to the bottleneck of constipation.

If you aren’t pooping…you aren’t eliminating waste, and this helps to create the setup needed for some of those classic triggers…leaky gut, and inflammation.

Hormone Clearance:

Estrogen is one of the main hormones that the liver clears from the body.

You see, if estrogen isn’t being effectively removed from circulation by the liver, it becomes elevated. When estrogen is elevated, it is thought to increase inflammation which then causes the immune system to move into overdrive.

For someone with autoimmunity, we want the opposite…the immune system needs to calm down, not ramp up.

Liver Detoxification:

The liver is the body’s primary filtration system. Amazing, right?

With help from the kidneys, intestines, and lymphatic system, it cleans toxins from the bloodstream and turns them into waste which we then eliminate…it all goes back to that topic of poop!

But when the liver is under stress, its ability to filter toxins out is compromised. So, those toxins remain in circulation and not only create cell damage, but also increase inflammation.

Importantly, it is also believed that toxins may impair the thymus, a vital player in the immune system that provides protection against the development of autoimmune disease.1,2

So, keeping the liver happy is a huge puzzle piece in supporting overall health AND diminishing autoimmune flares!

Would you love to know how you can use Castor Oil Packs to support liver detox?

Wanna know how you can show your liver some love with liver detox?

Of course you do! You’re a smart cookie…otherwise, you wouldn’t be researching ways to take charge of your health!

There are lots of ways to support your liver and help it perform its job of detoxing. One of the most powerful, yet simple ways that I’ve found is the Castor Oil Pack for Liver, and Queen of the Thrones® makes it easy (and clean!) to use.

Absorbed through the skin, castor oil helps to accelerate the removal of toxins through better bowel movements, stimulate bile flow, move the lymphatic system and decrease inflammation.3, 4, 5

So, this is why I use and recommend Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Packs for Liver to my clients; to date, it’s the easiest, cleanest delivery method I’ve found for using Castor Oil Packs!

Plus, I know the quality of Castor Oil I’m getting is superior – all organic and no junk diluting it! Sounds wonderful, agreed?

I also recommend a few other easy-to-incorporate supports:

1. Eat your (bitter) greens!

Veggies like dandelion roots and greens, arugula, radicchio, mustard greens and burdock are great supports for the liver.

2. Add in liver-loving foods and consider an anti-inflammatory diet.

Bone broth, beets, artichoke and garlic are a few go-to foods for supporting the liver. If you have a diagnosed autoimmune condition, you might consider a therapeutic diet such as the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol (AIP). This has been instrumental in my own healing journey.

3. Reduce toxic exposure.

Removing plastics from your kitchen is a great place to start eliminating toxins. Cleaning up your personal care and home care items is important, too; the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a fantastic source for rating the toxicity of your personal and home care items.

4. Incorporate “adjunct” liver detox strategies.

I’m a huge fan of infrared sauna sessions for stimulating liver detox. I use these in conjunction with my Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Liver Pack and dry brushing (not all at the same time).

Other great strategies to include are movement, Epsom salt baths and lymphatic massage.

Putting together your autoimmune “puzzle”

With autoimmunity, some days can feel like “optimal health” is a giant jigsaw puzzle that’s been dumped out onto the floor. Does this sound like you?

But, as you begin to pick those pieces up and put them together, you might find that one is missing and that the picture just isn’t coming together… and it could very well be that your liver needs attention. It’s ok, you’re still in the right place.

So, I say start supporting liver detox simply with a method that’s been proven to be effective. Strap on a Queen of the Thrones® Liver Castor Oil Pack and get to detoxing! Your liver will thank you!

Author Bio:

Amanda believes that the rest of your life can be the best of your life! She is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Restorative Wellness Practitioner and AIP Certified Coach who focuses on women’s health and issues related to autoimmune disease. Diagnosed in 2014 with multiple Autoimmune disorders, she knew she had to make the decision to be proactive about her health and learn new ways of doing things.

Amanda quickly implemented dietary and lifestyle changes including using the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol, enhanced liver support and stress reduction; within months, she began seeing and feeling improvement in her health. Inspired by her own experience, she’s made it her mission to tell others that it’s possible to live your best life, even with an autoimmune disease! You can find her autoimmune adventures as well as her catalog of anti-inflammatory recipes at www.unrefinedjunkie.com or connect with her socially at @unrefinedjunkie

Learn more about how Castor Oil Packs work and why you need the compress with the oil to truly start waking up like new.

Are you a practitioner, health coach or wellness influencer? If you’re interested in…

  • Recommending our easy-to-use tools to the people you serve.
  • Practically applying them in your health and wellness professional practice in clinic or online.
  • Or becoming a Wholesale Partner

Contact us at: royalty@queenofthethrones.com

Click here for references

1. Schuurman HJ, Van Loveren H, Rozing J, Vos JG. Chemicals trophic for the thymus: risk for immunodeficiency and autoimmunity. Int J Immunopharmacol. 1992 Apr;14(3):369-75. doi: 10.1016/0192-0561(92)90166-i. PMID: 1618591.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1618591/

2. Marx A, Yamada Y, Simon-Keller K, Schalke B, Willcox N, Ströbel P, Weis CA. Thymus and autoimmunity. Semin Immunopathol. 2021 Feb;43(1):45-64. doi: 10.1007/s00281-021-00842-3. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PMID: 33537838; PMCID: PMC7925479.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7925479/

3. Vieira C, Evangelista S, Cirillo R, Lippi A, Maggi CA, Manzini S. Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8. doi: 10.1080/09629350020025737. PMID: 11200362; PMCID: PMC1781.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781768/

4. Vieira C, Evangelista S, Cirillo R, Lippi A, Maggi CA, Manzini S. Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8. doi: 10.1080/09629350020025737. PMID: 11200362; PMCID: PMC1781768. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11200362

5. Grady, Harvey. “IMMUNOMODULATION THROUGH CASTOR OIL PACKS.”.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, are those of the respective authors or distributors. Neither Queen of the Thrones® nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content. This communication does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Information provided does not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you happen to purchase anything we promote, in this or any of our communications, it’s likely Queen of the Thrones® will receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, we only promote content and products that we truly believe in and share with our friends, family and patients. If you ever have a concern with anything we share, please let us know at care@queenofthethrones.com. We want to make sure we are always serving Our Queendom at the highest level.

Why Beet Juice is Good for You and Your Gut Health.

Why Beet Juice is Good for You and Your Gut Health.

Why Beet Juice is Good for You and Your Gut Health by Queen of the Thrones

Why Beet Juice is Good for You and Your Gut Health.

Written by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive) & Christy Howitt B.A.
Medically reviewed by: Melanie Swackhammer B.A.

Est. reading time: 10 minutes.

Beet Juice is the Perfect Castor Oil Pack Companion

So you love your beets, do you? Perhaps it’s because of their soluble fiber that helps you stay quite regular1? Or maybe it’s because your integrative/functional medicine practitioner or health coach suggested that beets help clean your blood and support liver health and metabolism due to their color2?

How exactly do they do this? If you’ve ever wondered..

  • Why drink beet juice instead of eating beets on their own?
  • How is beet juice good for my gut health and my microbiome?
  • Why beet juice is the perfect companion to your Castor Oil Pack practice?
  • A special easy beet juice recipe for liver cleansing and gut health with simple ingredients to maximize all the benefits of beets so you can start balancing your liver detox and your microbiome

The best part? You probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard, and you don’t need a fancy juicer or blender.

Easy Right?

So, you might be wondering…

Why drink beet juice instead of eating beets on their own?

First off, all on its own, this hearty, nourishing, dark red root vegetable is an excellent source of essential nutrients like vitamin C among many others. It has been suggested eclectically, according to the doctrine of signatures3, to clean the blood because of its red color. And beet juice has a prebiotic-like effect4 which helps to feed your good gut bacteria, supporting better digestion, absorption and elimination.

Plus, beet juice is also known for nitric oxide, which enhances blood circulation5 and increases oxygen levels in the body. BUT, the best thing about nitric oxide is that it can help break down biofilm6 in your gut.

Good and Bad Bacteria in the stomach by Queen of the Thrones

Why does this matter? Well, think of biofilm like how your mouth and teeth feel before you get a good cleaning at the dentist. You see, biofilm is one of the hardest things to take care of when it comes to your microbiome and gut healing. Especially in chronic diseases like Lyme or autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Biofilm is the barrier that bad bacteria creates in a sick environment to protect itself, and doesn’t allow any of our nutrients or any of our prebiotics and probiotics to help regulate and balance the microbiome. You see, at this moment in time, there are very few effective natural biofilm reducers.

The nitric oxide in beet juice is a natural biofilm reducer, similar to Castor Oil7. So, beet juice combined with your daily Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Pack for Liver practice is your new and easy way to support your microbiome and promote a healthy gut environment.

Alongside nitric oxide, another healthy component in your new beet juice recipe is glycine, an amino acid that supports liver detox as well as reduces anxiety.8

 

So yes, beets are great on their own, but your new beet juice recipe for liver cleansing and gut health includes a powerful mix of ingredients that supercharge all the benefits you get from this superfood (beets!).

So, now you might be asking…

Gluten is a protein commonly found in barley, wheat, and rye.

If you have tried gluten-free cookies, you know they are typically drier and crumble easily.

This is because gluten protein provides the elasticity associated with pasta and baked products.

And these gluten-free products are becoming increasingly popular, as the media has made many believe that this protein is bad for your health. Sound familiar?

But before getting on the gluten-free bandwagon, let’s understand whether it’s really all bad.

How is beet juice good for gut & microbiome health?

Dysbiosis symptoms by Queen of the Thrones

This recipe takes the most well-known and sought-after benefits of beet juice…

  • Betaine for support of good stomach acid production9
  • Glycine for liver detox and calming the nervous system so it can heal
  • Nitric oxide which augments oxygenation, circulation and biofilm breakdown

And synergizes them with the exact right ingredients that not only help with liver detox and gut health but also support mucosal immunity and microbiome balance.

Now that’s beautiful.

 

Why is this essential? Because, where there is gut inflammation or microbiome imbalance (known as dysbiosis), this can cause hormones to become imbalanced in your whole body.

And when hormones are imbalanced, it can cause/disrupt conditions like Leaky Gut Syndrome10 (the result of an irritated and compromised gut lining), and the progression of disease; not health. Makes sense, right?

So, how do we allow food to be our medicine once more and not a constant irritant to an inflamed gut lining11? Because as Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.”

We choose to regularly consume food items like your easy new beet juice recipe, while also supporting this habit with gut health practices like the Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver. Yes, it can be that easy, with practice!

You see, both work together so your food can once again nourish your body, instead of insulting it and causing food sensitivities, as it can with an inflamed gut. Sounds amazing, agreed?

Hippocrates Recommends Queen of the Thrones Beet Root Juice

An easy beet juice recipe for gut & microbiome health

Yes, there is! This unique combination of ingredients act synergistically so your body can fully utilize the liver detox and gut health components of beets and work to calm and balance your gut and microbiome.

Your new recipe includes 3 key ingredients, in addition to beets…

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar – a well known probiotic ingredient that supports a healthy microbiome12. Used to support acid-base balance for gut health and liver detox13.
  2. Cayenne Pepper – a stimulating spice that increases butyrate producing probiotics14. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that is a potent gut health regulator and reducer of chronic gut inflammation, improving conditions like leaky gut and dysbiosis15.
  3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the omegas and polyphenol components in this oil are a key aspect of the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet16. It also modulates the microbiome to support the production of short chain fatty acids, key in gut health and mechanisms to revive a Leaky Gut17.
Queen of the Thrones Beet Juice Recipe supports circulation and reduce inflammation

The best part? Plus, when you combine beet juice intake with a daily Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Pack practice, the result is a powerful anti-inflammatory duo18, one that was developed by a Naturopathic Doctor and is used by many Functional and Integrative Medical Practitioners to support liver detox and gut health.

But how? Well, because the gut health and liver detox beet juice recipe is similar to a gut health supplement and supports your gut by nourishing a leaky gut from the inside out. All of this takes place while the Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver balances from the outside in, like yin and yang energy, restoring the body. So amazing, agreed?

Together, both practices promote gut health and relief from the symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome so you can feel more energized, balanced and wake up like new each day because you did something for you!

Click here for references

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2. Mirmiran P, Houshialsadat Z, Gaeini Z, Bahadoran Z, Azizi F. Functional properties of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) in management of cardio-metabolic diseases. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020 Jan 7;17:3. doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0421-0. PMID: 31921325; PMCID: PMC6947971.

3. The Doctrine of Signatures Hospital (Lond 1886). 1909 Apr 24; 46(1184): 108. PMID: 29815714

4. Susanne M Henning 1, Jieping Yang 2, Paul Shao 2, Ru-Po Lee 2, Jianjun Huang 2, Austin Ly 2, Mark Hsu 2, Qing-Yi Lu 2, Gail Thames 2, David Heber 2, Zhaoping Li 2Health benefit of vegetable/fruit juice-based diet: Role of microbiome Sci Rep 2017 May 19;7(1):2167. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-02200-6 PMID: 28526852

5. Zamani H, de Joode MEJR, Hossein IJ, Henckens NFT, Guggeis MA, Berends JE, de Kok TMCM, van Breda SGJ. The benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption: a systematic review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2021;61(5):788-804. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2020.1746629. Epub 2020 Apr 15. PMID: 32292042.

6. Nicolas Barraud, Michael J Kelso, Scott A Rice, Staffan Kjelleberg 1 Nitric oxide: a key mediator of biofilm dispersal with applications in infectious diseases Review Curr Pharm Des 2015;21(1):31-42 PMID: 27771922.

7. Andrade IM1, Andrade KM2, Pisani MX1, Silva-Lovato CH1, de Souza RF1, Paranhos Hde F1.Trial of an experimental castor oil solution for cleaning dentures. Braz Dent J. 2014 Jan-Feb;25(1):43-7.PMID: 24789291.

8. Pérez-Torres I, Zuniga-Munoz AM, Guarner-Lans V. Beneficial Effects of the Amino Acid Glycine. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2017;17(1):15-32. doi: 10.2174/1389557516666160609081602. PMID: 27292783.

9. Vuyisa Sigwela 1, Maryna De Wit 1, Alba du Toit 1, Gernot Osthoff 2, Arno Hugo 3 Bioactive Betalain Extracts from Cactus Pear Fruit Pulp, Beetroot Tubers, and Amaranth Leaves Molecules 2021 Aug 18;26(16):5012. doi: 10.3390/molecules26165012. PMID: 34443599.

10. Binienda A, Twardowska A, Makaro A, Salaga M. Dietary Carbohydrates and Lipids in the Pathogenesis of Leaky Gut Syndrome: An Overview. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Nov 8;21(21):8368. doi: 10.3390/ijms21218368. PMID: 33171587; PMCID: PMC7664638.

11. Witkamp RF, van Norren K. Let thy food be thy medicine….when possible. Eur J Pharmacol. 2018 Oct 5;836:102-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2018.06.026. Epub 2018 Jun 21. PMID: 29936236.

12. Neiworth-Petshow EM, Baldwin-Sayre C. Naturopathic Treatment of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in the Setting of Parkinson’s Disease. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018 Aug;17(4):44-50. PMID: 31043910; PMCID: PMC6469461.

13. Quade BN, Parker MD, Occhipinti R. The therapeutic importance of acid-base balance. Biochem Pharmacol. 2021 Jan;183:114278. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114278. Epub 2020 Oct 9. PMID: 33039418; PMCID: PMC7544731.

14. Karunaratne TB, Okereke C, Seamon M, Purohit S, Wakade C, Sharma A. Niacin and Butyrate: Nutraceuticals Targeting Dysbiosis and Intestinal Permeability in Parkinson’s Disease. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 23;13(1):28. doi: 10.3390/nu13010028. PMID: 33374784; PMCID: PMC7824468.

15. Mu Q, Kirby J, Reilly CM, Luo XM. Leaky Gut As a Danger Signal for Autoimmune Diseases. Front Immunol. 2017 May 23;8:598. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00598. PMID: 28588585; PMCID: PMC5440529.

16. Merra G, Noce A, Marrone G, Cintoni M, Tarsitano MG, Capacci A, De Lorenzo A. Influence of Mediterranean Diet on Human Gut Microbiota. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 22;13(1):7. doi: 10.3390/nu13010007. PMID: 33375042; PMCID: PMC7822000.

17. Baranauskas MN, Coggan AR, Gruber AH, Altherr CA, Raglin JS, Carter SJ. Dietary Nitrate Supplementation and Exercise-Related Performance. Nutr Today. 2020 Sep-Oct;55(5):211-217. doi: 10.1097/nt.0000000000000431. PMID: 34658444; PMCID: PMC8516348.

18. Mascolo N, Izzo AA, Gaginella TS, Capasso F. Relationship between nitric oxide and platelet-activating factor in castor-oil induced mucosal injury in the rat duodenum. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1996 May;353(6):680-4. doi: 10.1007/BF00167187. PMID: 8738301.

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