Get Your Body Back On Track With These 5 Points of Wellness

Featured Essential Oil: Orange

Orange, as a pure essential oil, not only relaxes the mind with its sweet citrus scent, but it is also great for the immune system. It aids as an anti-inflammatory, relieving inflammation caused by infection, fever and toxins. For both ladies and gentlemen, orange can promote good hormones and enzymes along with keeping your metabolism running smoothly.

Orange essential oils offer a magnitude of health benefits and therapeutic properties, including:

• Anti-depressant. Well-known for its uplifting properties, orange essential oil is soothing to the mind and helps to relieve stress. It is refreshing and relaxing and commonly used for the treatment of anxiety.
• Anti-inflammatory. It provides relief from both internal and external inflammation caused by infections. It is helpful in treating swollen tissue by stimulating blood circulation.
• Anti-septic. It inhibits microbial growth and can help ease a sore throat if used in a gargle. It also helps to heal mouth ulcers when used in a mouth wash.
• Improves Digestion. It is known to promote digestion, ease constipation and increase the absorption of vitamin C. Use as a massage oil in the abdominal area.
• Anti-Cancer. D-limonene is a super-nutrient that occurs in Orange essential oil. It has been studied extensively for its ability to prevent cellular mutations and combat cancer tumor growth.
• Encourages Detoxification. Orange essential oil encourages detoxification by acting as a diuretic. It also stimulates the lymphatic system, the bladder and kidneys. Increased urination assists in the elimination of toxins like uric acid, bile and excess salts and helps relieve fluid retention. Detox and cleansing properties help breakdown and eliminate cellulite.
• Skin Treatment. Orange essential oil is shown to promote the production of collagen as well as increase the blood flow to the skin. It is helpful at soothing dry, irritated skin as well as acne-prone skin. It is excellent for rubbing on calluses on the feet.

 

---

Bethany Cox, LMT & Facial Reflexologist
A graduate of Cedar Creek School, Centenary College of LA (Health and Exercise Science) and Natural Health Institute in Nashville, TN (Massage Therapy), Bethany has many talents! Besides being a smartie (she has always made great grades) and a fabulous massage therapist, she is an accomplished pianist and golfer. She even played golf in college. Bethany enjoys setting goals for herself and achieving them. Her favorite moment? A hole-in-one! Her favorite way to decompress after a long day? Scrapbooking, exercising, and practicing deep breathing for relaxation.

Seasons Patient, Kathy Burns: “It is a whole new me!”

“My mother has osteoarthritis. When I began to hurt and swell, I just thought it had to be genetics – thanks, mom! I sought treatment for my pain so I went to a General Practitioner. As the pain progressed, I went to a Rheumatologist. The pain continued to grow and so did the amount of prescription pain medication I was taking. I was on my way to getting hooked on pain medicine, and I knew there had to be another way.”

“I asked my physical therapist about alternative ways to treat my pain. That’s when she told me that she was a patient of Dr. Nathan Goodyear at Seasons Wellness Clinic and referred me to him. I made an appointment with Dr. Goodyear and I’ll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Goodyear never herded me in and out like cattle. I would come in his office and we would talk, actually discuss things going on with my health. I could tell that he genuinely cared.”

“Dr. Goodyear designed a custom plan to get my health back on track. Throughout my visits we did blood work, testing, detoxification, and I had B vitamins through IV. Along with seeing Dr. Goodyear, I also saw Valerie Costanza, the Dietitian at Seasons. She taught me what and how to eat. And she taught me what would agree with my body. And as I began to follow what she was telling me, I saw almost immediate results. The swelling in my hands began to go down and my knees stopped aching. My shoulders and my lower back are almost pain-free. It is amazing what the right nutrition can do for you. And as an added plus, I lost weight!”

“I have been feeling better for 8 months now and it is just wonderful. It is a whole new me and a whole new way of life! I wanted to share my story because I know there are others out there that hurt just like I did. There are middle-aged women out there that think their pain is just a part of growing old. But you don’t have to put up with it. You don’t have to take pain medication to feel good. There is another way!” – Kathy Burns

 

---

Our goal is to restore our patients’ health by offering a more holistic approach along with cutting edge advancements in traditional medicine all in a comfortable environment. We are dedicated to providing individualized treatment and improving our patient’s quality of life by providing the best complementary and integrative medical treatment available. Our mission is to transform lives, one patient at a time. For more information about becoming a patient at Seasons Wellness Clinic, visit our New Patient Page or contact our Patient Relations Specialists at 318-255-3223.

Healthy Living Tips: A Recipe for All-Natural Bug Spray

Toxins are everywhere. I am always looking for ways to reduce my families exposure to toxic chemicals.  There is nothing more dangerous than home fumigation for bugs, filling every corner of your home with toxins.  These toxins are very dangerous, as they linger in the house and we are continually exposed to them.

I have found a recipe for an all-natural alternative to your everyday bug spray, a home bug spray using essential oils. Not just any essential oil will do here; they must be pure and unadulterated.  For this reason, I use YoungLiving Essential Oils.

Here’s the recipe for an all-natural bug-spray solution.

• 20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
• 10 drops of Cypress Essential Oil
• 1 cup water

Mix well. Be sure to shake the mixture well before spraying.

You’ll enjoy a bug-free AND toxin-free environment. This solution is great for ants and cockroaches.  I have found that it works with spiders as well. With this approach, you are one step closer to detoxing your home and your life! At Seasons, we carry many Young Living Essential Oils, including peppermint and cypress essential oils. For more information, contact Seasons at 318-255-3223.

Live Healthy. Live Well.

The Sauna Reinvented

The creation of the Infrared sauna has completely transformed the meaning of the word “sauna.”  An Infrared sauna offers 7 times the effectiveness of a traditional sauna because of its ability to penetrate human tissue.

An Infrared Sauna is different from a normal sauna in several ways. It uses large panels to create the most even, effective, and comfortable distribution of heat yet. The panels emit vital infrared rays at a low, constant temperature.

It also warms your body in the same manner as the sun. Sunlight heats whatever is in it’s path through infrared rays. For example, if you were to lay out in the sun for a long time, you may desire some shade. It’s still the same temperature outside but it feels cooler under the shade because you’re blocked from the sun’s infrared rays.

The sun gives beneficial energy but it can also be very harmful. Infrared heat provides all the good benefits from the sun without the negative effects of solar radiation. It heats the body rather than just warming the air and creates a detoxifying sweat to rid your body of toxins at the cellular level. In a regular sauna you can expect your sweat to contain 3% toxins versus an infrared sauna which produces a sweat of 20% toxins.

Several companies compete for the most detoxifying sauna but one brand consistently proves itself. Sunlighten has created several models of the infrared sauna that have made them leaders in the sauna industry. One of the secrets to their success is Solocarbon infrared heating technology. This technology is the only heater of its kind that is capable of raising the body’s core temperature nearly 3 degrees. This gives a sauna the ability to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It also encourages weight loss through a reduction in your waistline.

Weight loss isn’t the only advantage of a sauna. The perks are numerous! A sauna helps rejuvenate and heal the body as you simply relax. A sauna may benefit you in any of these ways:

• Detoxification
• Pain Relief
• Improved Circulation
• Lower Blood Pressure
• Wound Healing
• Skin Purification
• Immunity
• Cell Health
• Muscle Recovery
• Weight Loss

You can enjoy time in our infrared sauna at Seasons – The Spa. For an appointment, call our spa concierge at 318.255.1155. For more information on how a sauna may help you in these areas visit the Sunlighten website.

Related articles

• Infrared Saunas vs. Regular Saunas (fitsugar.com)

Sauna | eMPOWER

 

Seasons would like to give a warm welcome to it’s newest member of the team: The Sunlighten eMPOWER Infrared Sauna. This six-person infrared sauna is the ultimate escape. Whether looking for weight loss, blood pressure reduction, pain relief or simply relaxation, this is the perfect addition to help solve your health and wellness needs.

What is an Infrared Sauna?

Infrared Light
Infrared light is the natural radiant heat emitted by the sun. It is 100% safe and even used to warm premature babies. Picture yourself feeling the sun’s rays on a warm day. That is what it is like to be in a Sunlighten Sauna. This comforting heat warms you from the inside, for a deep and detoxifying sweat.

Sunlighten vs. Traditional Saunas
Sunlighten Saunas use infrared heat rays instead of steam, as is used in traditional saunas. Infrared gently heats the body from within instead of heating the air. It has the ability to penetrate the surface of the skin, which gives your body overall radiant warmth. Traditional heaters only heat the air, which can become extremely hot and uncomfortable in which to breathe.

Carbon vs. Ceramic Heaters
Sunlighten’s carbon-based heating technologies emit more infrared energy at a lower surface temperature. This leads to pain relief, better circulation and more effective detoxification, among several other benefits.

Carbon Surround, Solocarbon® and Solocarbon® Custom Spectrum
While Carbon Surround is the best infrared therapy in its class, Solocarbon® is the most advanced and beneficial technology available. In fact, Solocarbon has been clinically shown to raise core body temperature nearly 3o in a 30 min. session. This is important, because raising core body temperature is the catalyst for nearly all of the health benefits associated with infrared therapy. With the introduction of Solocarbon® Custom Spectrum, Sunlighten now offers a heating technology capable of delivering near, mid and far infrared to more precisely target a myriad of personalized health concerns.

What are the benefits of an Infrared Sauna?

 

 

 

Detoxification
Sweating is the body’s safe and natural way to heal, stay healthy and detoxify. In a Sunlighten Sauna, the average person sweats out 20% toxins and 80% water, while in a conventional sauna, the average person only sweats out 3% toxins and 97% water.

Weight Loss
Studies have shown a 30 minute infrared sauna session can burn upwards of 600 calories. As the body works to cool itself while using an infrared sauna, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate.

Relaxation
Sunlighten saunas deliver the ultimate experience in relaxation. With the most therapeutic infrared heat found in Solocarbon® heating technology, our saunas are guaranteed to help you relax in comfort with an invigorating sweat that will have you feeling stress-free with each session.

Pain Relief
Clinical research on pain has shown evidence of heat responsive pain or HRP, which encompasses several common pain conditions that can be specifically treated with the use of our infrared heat therapy.

Blood Pressure Reduction
Sunlighten’s Solocarbon® heaters were shown in a clinical study by the University of Missouri Kansas City in 2005 to lower blood pressure from a 30 minute infrared sauna session three times per week.

To learn more about the Sunlighten Infrared Saunas, visit their website: www.sunlighten.com or stop by our Ruston location in Northpointe Office Park. Pricing begins at $15 per session, or sign up for an unlimited month for $195. Call 255-1155 to schedule your sauna appointment today!

Toxic World

We live in a toxic world. There is no denying it. And concern over our exposure to toxins as a result of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf Coast are voiced to me on a daily basis.

Oil, however, is not the only toxin to which we can be exposed. Pesticides, insecticides, phthalates, and heavy metals are all toxins. Even prescription medicines are a source of toxins. Prescription drugs and their side effects are the third leading cause of death. They deplete us of vitamins and minerals and block metabolic pathways, the body’s internal communication highway. Vitamins, minerals, and even bioidentical hormones, if in excess, can be toxic to our bodies. The key is balance. When the body’s chemistry is balanced, then the body is able to work at its designed optimal level.

It’s obvious from the oil spill that toxins are a big issue. But what about reversing the damage done by toxins? Can it be done? Detoxification is a hot topic these days. The word toxin comes from the Greek word toxikon meaning arrow poison. This term was first introduced to medicine by Dr. Ludwig Briegger in 1888. Dr. Briegger determined that toxins equal poison to our body.

The idea of detoxification, however, goes back even further than the introduction of toxins to the medical vocabulary. It goes back to the creation of man. Every cell in our body performs detoxification. The most prominent detoxification organs are the liver, kidneys, and skin.

The idea of body cleansing (detoxification) goes back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. They understood that the body cannot continue to receive loads of toxins without eliminating them from the body. Remember, this was an Ancient Civilization, not yet exposed to the toxic world in which we currently live.

With the rise of modern civilization and Western medicine, physicians disregarded the idea of detoxification early in the 20^th century. However, the body of evidence supporting detoxification remains unchanged. Evidence supports the fact that we are exposed to many toxins and these toxins accumulate and overwhelm our God-given detoxification systems.

The oil spill impact. Let’s talk about the immediate and future affects of the oil spill. What can we expect as a result of this toxic exposure? We can expect a significant impact in three areas: water, food, and air.

Water. The impact on the waster is already evident in the large “dead zones” resulting from clouds of methane gas in the Gulf waters. Eventually, the impact will spread to the Gulf’s tributaries as well as our drinking water.

Food. The impact on our food is not yet determined. But we can already see the impact on the cost of Gulf seafood. Based on our current knowledge of mercury toxicity and the fish industry, it is also reasonable to extrapolate that their will be some kind of effects from the oil on seafood from the Gulf and its contributory waters.

Air. The impact on the air is not yet determined. But if we look at the increased risk of lung disease in the Exxon Valdez oil spill clean-up crews, we can assume there might be similar issues with clean-up crews of the BP Horizon oil spill. Suspicious evidence is already appearing in the crops of the lower Gulf Coast states.

The immediate impact on the Gulf region’s wildlife is evident to all. Look to the long-term impact on wildlife in Alaska for clues as to what the Gulf Coast region may face for years to come.

What if the cure is worse than the disease? Cleaning the oil spill with chemical dispersants may be worse than letting Mother Nature clean up the mess all on her own. Let’s look at the long-term results of cleanup for another oil spill.

The 1978 oil spill off the cost of Normandy was cleaned up two different ways due to the large size of the spill and the economic impact of the spill area. Some areas of the oil spill were treated with chemical dispersants, while others were left untreated. The untreated areas had recovered in five years. Yes, you read that correctly. The ecosystems of the untreated oil spill areas returned to normal in just five years. Now here’s the really interesting part. The areas treated with chemical dispersants are STILL recovering. What if that’s the case with the chemical dispersant-treated areas in the Gulf? Oil is a biological compound and will be consumed by bacteria — though the time frame may be long.

Now here’s the real kicker. The chemical dispersant used in the Gulf oil spill is the same used in the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and was banned in England. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s been banned. But BP (which stands for British Petroleum) used it to clean up the oil spill. Ironic, isn’t it. It was banned in England, but is it okay for us?

Here’s a frightening fact: no person directly associated with the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill is still alive today. In fact, the average age of death was 51. From that, I think it’s safe to say that the toxic exposure that Gulf Coast residents are receiving is not safe for the body.

In 20 years, we will look back and know the long-term effects of this toxic exposure. We will know what diseases developed and what the secondary effects were on our drinking water and our crops. If we are already toxic from everyday exposure to chemicals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc., then what will be the result of the added toxins from the Gulf oil spill?

The bottom line? We should not wait. We need to detoxify our bodies. Toxins, whether man-made or man-induced, were not intended to be inside our bodies. It doesn’t take a Ph.D., M.D., D.O. (just fill in your letters) to understand that. It is just common sense.

We need to support the God-created detoxification systems already present in our bodies with proper cleansing, targeted nutrition, conscientious reduction of our exposure to toxins, and, when needed, medically-supervised detoxification programs.

Dr. Goodyear is a board certified and fellowship-trained Metabolic Specialist.

From the Doctor’s Desk: How Do I Detoxify? Detoxification Part 3

First of all, take a few minutes to read through my two previous posts: Detoxification Part 1 and  Detoxification Part 2. Part 3 of our detoxification series begins with a little chemistry lesson. Are you ready? Here we go. Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of detoxification in the liver. By learning how the detoxification process works, we can learn the steps we need to take to detoxify.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are two basic parts to liver detoxification: Phase I and Phase II (this reminds me of Thing 1 and Thing II from the Dr. Seuss book I read to my kids).

Phase 1 Detoxification.

Phase 1 detoxification involves the cytochrome P450 system. Phase I detoxification involves oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis. Phase I detoxification is always active and is very redundant.  What do I mean by redundant? There are a handful of enzymes in the CYP450 family that are utilized by over 200,000 substrates for oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis. In other words, many different chemicals or substrates will use the same CYP450 enzyme. A great picture of the redundancy is seen by clicking here.

Of note is the the CYP1A2 enzyme. This particular enzyme is responsible for metabolism of 40-50% of the drugs that we take. Do you remember the statistic from my earlier post? A leading cause of death is drug-to-drug interactions. Approximately 100,000 Americans die each year from adverse reactions to medications. If we are taking too many medications, then there is not enough CYP1A2 enzyme to adequately metabolize the drugs in the system leading to drug-to-drug interactions.

Let me give you some perspective. Drug interactions cause twice as many deaths as car accidents. And furthermore, hospital costs due to drug interactions have been estimated at between $1 and $4 billion annually. One of the big topics in the healthcare debate is controlling health care costs. Reducing deaths due to drug interactions looks like a good place to start, doesn’t it?

It doesn’t stop there. Phase I detoxification requires many cofactors: niacin, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin C, vitamins B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, and flavonoids. As you can see, vitamins are extremely important in the detox process. Without them, our bodies don’t work well. One more tidbit on vitamins — many causes of vitamin deficiencies today are the prescription medications we take — a double whammy!

Phase II Detoxification.

Phase II detoxification leads to further modification of the products of Phase I detoxification.  Large water-soluble molecules are added to the toxins through several different processes: glutathione conjugation, amino acid conjugation, methylation, sulfation, acetylation, and glucoronidation. In layman’s terms, after phase II modification, the body is able to eliminate the inactivated toxins via the bowels and/or bladder.

In summary, Phase I and Phase II enzymes are the power houses that detoxify our bodies of our daily toxin load. They are very dependent on vitamins, minerals, and energy. The many prescriptions we take lead to major drug interactions and vitamin depletions which interfere with our body’s ability to detoxify. Thus, if we are malnourished (typical American diet of fast food) and lack key vitamins and nutrients, then our body cannot adequately detoxify.  If we cannot detoxify, then we become inflamed. If we become inflamed, we develop disease.

So what next?  A shoe isn’t one-size-fits-all. And neither is detoxification. Assessment of your individual detoxification system and the build-up of toxins within your body will allow us to develop a customized detoxification process to fit your individual needs. Not only will we live healthier, disease-free lives through detoxification, but we will also save money! It all starts with a call. Make an appointment at Seasons join us on the path to wellness. Renew yourself.

From The Doctor’s Desk: Who Needs To Detoxify? Detoxification Part 2

Dr. Nathan Goodyear

Ever wonder if you need to detoxify? My first recommendation is look at and listen to your body.  The body will tell you if it is in trouble or imbalanced.  How? Physical signs or symptoms are our bodies’ message that all is not right. Here’s how to know if you bodies’ signs and symptoms are saying that you might be suffering from toxic build up. Here are some symptoms of toxin buildup.

• Headaches
• Muscle aches and pains
• Fatigue
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Skin disorders
• Chronic infections
• Altered mood
• Altered cognition
• Weight gain
• Altered stress tolerance
• Altered libido
• Infertility

Where do toxins in our bodies come from? Remember the quote from last week’s post? “For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.  In the less than two decades of their use, the synthetic pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere.”  — Rachel Carson from her book Silent Spring, published 1962.

Toxins are everywhere. The sources can range from toxins like Dioxins to prescription medication.  Adverse reactions to prescription drugs have been ranked as the 4^th to 6^th leading cause of death in the US according to the Journal of American Medical Association. This amounts to over 100,000 deaths per year.  The cause of adverse drug reactions is an overloaded pathway in Phase I of detoxification (CYP3A4), the pathway that detoxifies over 50% of all drugs in your system. The costs associated with adverse drug reactions has been estimated at up to $4 billion. With the rising costs of health care, treating the cause of these adverse drug reactions in addition to decreasing prescription drugs are two excellent ways to prevent complications and lower costs.

The most dangerous sources of toxins are environmental. Organochlorine pesticides, industrial chemicals, and unintended chemical byproducts surround us everyday and expose us to unwanted toxins. Widespread production of  pesticides began less than 80 years ago. Recently, the EPA estimated that more than 4 billion pounds of chemicals were released into the grounds natural water sources in the year 2000. In addition to pesticides and chemicals, the average American eats, unknowingly I might add, 124 pounds of additives per year. Frightening to think of it, isn’t it? And over 2.5 billion pounds of pesticides are used on crop lands, forests, lawns, and fields. The unfortunate fact is this: we live in a toxic world.

How can you decrease your daily exposure to toxins? Here are some great ways.

1. Avoid processed foods
2. Avoid fats
3. Avoid tap water — use filtered water
4. Avoid excess caffeine
5. Avoid excess alcohol
6. NO tobacco
7. Limit chronic medicine, if possible
8. Daily exercise
9. Avoid exposure in your workplace
10. Avoid living near industrial plants
11. Avoid liver dysfunction
12. Avoid kidney problems
13. Avoid intestinal dysfunction

The first ten suggestions are steps you and I can take every day to decrease our toxin exposure. But the last three require a bigger step: detoxification. By detoxifying your body, the liver, kidney, and intestines can operate more efficiently and effectively.

So, the question is not who needs detoxification, but who does NOT need detoxification?  The answer? EVERYONE will benefit from a periodic detoxification program.