How do Castor Oil Packs work?

How do Castor Oil Packs work?

Learn with Queen of the Thrones How Castor Oil Packs Work and how they help you to improve your health

How do Castor Oil Packs work?

Written by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.
Medically reviewed by: Melanie Swackhammer B.A.

Est. reading time: 9 minutes.

As a health care practitioner, you may have prescribed the traditional treatment method of castor oil packs for liver detox, lymphatic drainage or colon cleansing, right?

You did this by saturating an old cloth with castor oil and applying that gooey mess to various parts of the body because you know of the great health benefits that this treatment method offers. Can you relate?

And, if you’re like me, you stopped prescribing the old way of applying castor oil packs because that 12-step method was too messy, too complicated and your patients just didn’t comply to it. And I don’t blame them, do you?

Or maybe you had your patients do it the “lazy way” by simply just rubbing on the castor oil and then having them wear an old t-shirt. Sound familiar?

But, with the application of just the castor oil without the castor oil pack, we only get half of the benefits

Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil plus the pack help you you to obtain better health results

How do Castor Oil Packs work for lymphatic drainage and cleansing?

Firstly, it’s mechanical, with the compression of the pack placed over the liver (slightly covering the lower free ribs under your right rib cage), in combination with the movement of your breathing muscles, this serves to act like a pump to your lymphatic system encouraging lymphatic drainage1. Amazing, agreed?

Secondly, it’s neurological, when placed on specific dermatomes this activates the somatic visceral reflexes triggering the activity of internal detox and cleansing organs like the liver, kidney, gut, gallbladder2 and more.

Thirdly, it’s a combination of both mechanical and neurological because the Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack stimulates the body’s skin receptors which stimulate the natural oxytocin3 feedback loop activating the vagus nerve, shifting the body into a rest and digest state where liver detox is optimized.

Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs Help you to activate the Vagus Nerve feedback
It’s this direct effect of the castor oil pack compress that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system4-5-6. Amazing, right?

Plus, the penetration of the castor oil into the tissues stimulates lymphatic drainage and reduces inflammation via the Peyer’s patches7.

With no pack, castor oil will not penetrate as deeply and would act much more like a skin emollient, so the full range of benefits of the oil cannot be reaped.

Why is it important for castor oil to be in glass?

Lipotoxicity is why it is imperative to use castor oil that has only been contained in a glass bottle rather than in plastic8-9-10.

You see, castor oil is the master carrier oil, due to its structure and the molecular weight of ricinoleic acid11. And because of this amazing capability of transporting and transferring substances into the body, it is of the utmost importance to only use a high-quality oil that is organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed, hexane-free and in glass.

And I am sure we are both on the same page when it comes to ensuring our prescriptions and protocols – like the application of Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs coming from a plastic-free environment – are helpful for our patients and ourselves, and not a harmful endocrine disruptive burden. Would you agree?

Why you need to replace your Castor Oil Pack?

Pouring a fresh coat of castor oil onto the Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack with each application is an important part of the protocol, as is replacing your castor oil pack.

Why? Well simply because we are unsure where the castor oil and toxins it collects eliminate through the body, or back into the pack through the skin.

A study compared oral castor oil metabolites and the metabolites produced with the castor oil pack and no castor oil metabolites were produced with the castor oil pack12.

This suggests that either the castor oil wasn’t absorbed or that the metabolites came out another way, perhaps via the skin into the pack.

So, to prevent possible reabsorption of any toxins that are being pulled out by castor oil, use a fresh coat of oil on every application and replace the pack every 3 months.

Plus, when it comes to fertility, it is especially important to ensure that your liver pack is placed only on the liver, the pelvic pack only on the pelvis over top of the uterus and ovaries, and the thyroid pack only on the thyroid. This is to avoid any possible transfer of toxins from organ to organ. Makes sense, right?

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs – the game changer

With the application of this new and easy way of an old traditional method, with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs in your practice, your patients, in most cases, will come back to you in follow-ups feeling better – because they can easily comply – and can safely be used with any other prescriptions that you recommend.

Plus, with regular practice your patients will train their body to respond better to stress, as well as naturally liver detox, lymphatic drain and colon cleanse with the support from their Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs.

Then what happens is we begin to start…

Improve Parasympathetic Tone with Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs

You see, this is what makes Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs so unique and game-changing.

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!

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.

Click here for references

1. Moore JE Jr, Bertram CD. Lymphatic System Flows. Annu Rev Fluid Mech. 2018 Jan;50:459-482. doi: 10.1146/annurev-fluid-122316-045259. PMID: 29713107; PMCID: PMC5922450.

2. Sikandar S, Dickenson AH. Visceral pain: the ins and outs, the ups and downs. Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2012 Mar;6(1):17-26. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0b013e32834f6ec9. PMID: 22246042; PMCID: PMC3272481.

3. 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. PMID: 28162847.

4. 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. PMID: 12571120.

5. Francis S, Rolls ET, Bowtell R, McGlone F, O’Doherty J, Browning A, Clare S, Smith E. The representation of pleasant touch in the brain and its relationship with taste and olfactory areas. Neuroreport. 1999 Feb 25;10(3):453-9. PMID: 10208571.

6. Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12. PMID: 19363489.

7. Holmes GM, Browning KN, Babic T, Fortna SR, Coleman FH, Travagli RA. Vagal afferent fibres determine the oxytocin-induced modulation of gastric tone. J Physiol. 2013 Jun 15;591(12):3081-100. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.253732. Epub 2013 Apr 15. PMID: 23587885; PMCID: PMC3832121.

8. Kim H1, Oh S1, Gye MC1, Shin I1,2. Comparative toxicological evaluation of nonylphenol and nonylphenol polyethoxylates using human keratinocytes. Drug Chem Toxicol. 2018 Oct;41(4):486-491. doi: 10.1080/01480545.2017.1391829. Epub 2017 Nov 10.

9. Amar SK1, Goyal S2, Srivastav AK3, Chopra D3, Ray RS2. Combined effect of Benzophenone-2 and ultraviolet radiation promote photogenotoxicity and photocytotoxicity in human keratinocytes. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2018 Jun;95:298-306. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 4.

10. Hafezi SA1, Abdel-Rahman WM1. The Endocrine Disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) Exerts a Wide Range of Effects in Carcinogenesis and Response to Therapy. Curr Mol Pharmacol. 2019 Mar 6. doi: 10.2174/1874467212666190306164507.

11. PubChem [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004-. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 643684, Ricinoleic acid; [cited 2022 Mar. 31].

12. Alves SP, Araujo CM, Queiroga RC, Madruga MS, Parente MOM, Medeiros AN, Bessa RJB. New insights on the metabolism of ricinoleic acid in ruminants. J Dairy Sci. 2017 Oct;100(10):8018-8032. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13117. Epub 2017 Aug 10. PMID: 28803011.

How to Seed Cycle for Hormone Imbalance with Castor Oil Packs.

How to Seed Cycle for Hormone Imbalance with Castor Oil Packs.

Single Seed Cycling and Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs for a Better Hormonal Health.

How to Seed Cycle for Hormone Imbalance with Castor Oil Packs.

Written by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive) & Melanie Swackhammer B.A.
Medically reviewed by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 16 minutes.

So, you’ve heard of the seed cycling protocol as a way to support hormone imbalance, right?

You may have even researched what it’s all about, but thought that maybe it wasn’t for you, or it seemed too complicated, is this you?

While an interesting protocol, seed cycling for hormone imbalance requires the patient to ingest seeds like flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower on specific weeks of their cycle.

This may seem like a viable, natural option for balancing the body, right?

But, what if women with hormonal imbalances are unable to tolerate eating seeds or oils, leaving them doubled over in pain?

Balance your hormones with Queen of the Thrones Castor oil Packs instead of seeds

The seed cycling protocol can then become problematic, doing more harm than good.

Are you with me? Thankfully, there’s an even easier way, are you ready? Keep reading!

Could Castor Oil Packs topically be the answer?

Both ingesting oils and consuming excessive amounts of seeds can actually cause gut health issues, as they can irritate the gut lining. No thank you, right?

This is where Castor Oil Packs come in, working from the outside in, the topical alternative to ingesting seeds or tolerating the oral intake of oils.

So many treatments require the oral route. With this comes issues like proper absorption, and irritated gut responses like leaky gut syndrome. Already a common concern for those with Hormonal unbalance.

Because of this, eating the seeds or drinking the oils leads to a lot of time, energy and money being spent for little improvement in return.

What are the benefits of Castor Oil Packs?

A Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Pack helps the body better absorb and utilize what it is taking in.

What does that mean exactly? Basically, everything just works better as a result of this practice, likely due to its parasympathetic promoting aspects of the actual compress,1-2 ones that stimulates your natural oxytocin production.

Plus, the feeling of the oil supports natural dopamine production,1A-2A making this tool a wonderful way to support hormonal imbalance as well as a feel-good option.

Plus, the anti-inflammatory action, nitric oxide promoting Castor Oil, supports gut health, biofilm breakdown and microbiome balance,3-4-5 making it a true foundational treatment, not only for cleansing and constipation, as commonly used, but in a regular health practice too. Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Packs are known to help you feel better (in most cases). If our original goal is to make food our medicine and encourage a healthy diet, then Queen of the Thrones®️ Hormone Balance & Detox Kit are an essential part of your wellness toolbox. In some cases, immediate symptomatic relief 6-7 of digestive symptoms like constipation, gas and abdominal bloating and sleep problems8-9-10-11 flood the system due to the mechanistic actions of the compress itself. This, in turn, presents with an overall feeling of wellbeing and “feel good” sensations. Similar to how you feel better when you put a “bandaid” on it. Making sense so far? Great!

Castor Oil Packs are NOW easier to comply with

The seed cycling protocol asks a lot from patients. They must know and understand their cycle, making sure they are ingesting the correct seeds on the proper week. It can be a lot of time and effort to coordinate and a more challenging protocol to gain compliance, agreed?

Even though Castor Oil Packs, done the old way were horrible for compliance, Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Packs, on the other hand, are an excellent ally to enhance compliance of the once messy, now easy practice, not only in hormonal imbalance but also in immune, gut mucosal, microbiome, and liver metabolism balance.

Not to worry though, this new way to support your hormones and gut health is easy, comfortable and convenient! Allow me to introduce you to…

The ‘Single’ Seed Cycling Protocol with Castor Oil Packs

Enter the ‘seedless’ seed cycling protocol, a method developed to balance hormones in an easier, more supportive way. Sounds good, agreed?

This new protocol, used by health care practitioners, helps with supporting the processes of the body that aid in the creation of a successful foundation for hormonal, metabolic and immune regulation in practice.

So, how does it work exactly?

When it comes to using your Queen of the Thrones® Hormone Balance & Detox Kit there are two essential steps to follow:

Step One:

Follicular “Estrogen” Pro-inflammatory Cleansing Phase

Estrogen is your “necessary evil” 12 as both high and low levels of estrogen cause disease. It works in close coordination with inflammation, which is also a necessary evil, helping to break down tissues in the cleaning and rebuilding processes of the body.

Did you know that Inflammation and estrogen are highly connected? And for women, your follicular phase is a state dominated by estrogen that begins on the first day of your period.

Estrogen helps with balancing of your immune system

It’s true! In healthy levels, estrogen has protective mechanisms.13 During this time, the purpose of elevated estrogen is to balance inflammation while helping with preparation of the body’s “cleaning” phase, before the magical event of ovulation.

Ovulation is where the egg will drop from the ovaries and make its way, ideally fertilized, to the uterine lining, to implant for growth. This is your body’s time to let go and let flow.

During this phase, wearing a Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Pack for Liver, placed over the liver every night, for a minimum of one hour (or overnight for best results), supports the inflammation balancing role of the liver.

After all, the liver is the “major metabolic hub” of the female body.14

Supporting liver function, with the Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Liver Pack not only during the phase of the hormonal menstrual cycle, but also during the circadian rhythm throughout the night, according to both Chronobiological medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine, is recommended from 1- 3 am.

Why? Between those hours, the most highly active phase of the liver can be supported. Pretty neat, agreed?

Remember, the liver is always the first to process things like birth control pills, antibiotics and even hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Do you know the signs of an overloaded liver? During this key hormonal phase of clearance, these symptoms most often resemble that of leaky gut syndrome.

Loving what you’re learning? You won’t want to miss out on your FREE eGuide for hormone cycling!

Castor Oil Packs over the liver also support:

  • Support digestion, absorption and elimination 15-16
  • Reduce inflammation17
  • Support the body to shift into the parasympathetic state to encourage deep sleep18-19
  • Optimize nitric oxide production20-21
  • Break down biofilm22-23-24
  • Balance microbiome25

Additionally, the compress itself, when placed on the skin, naturally supports the balance of the shift from a stressed high cortisol state that drives higher estrogen, to the healthier oxytocin state at night during the periods of rest, to help with cleansing and detoxification.

This is via the low threshold afferent C tactile receptors on the skin that feed back to the cranial nerves, specifically the vagus nerve.

This shift into the parasympathetic state is like an escape button to begin the “rest, digest and detox” function.

Wear the Castor Oil Pack for Thyroid for 1 hour each day during entire cycle (not to be worn overnight).

Queen of the Thrones anti inflammatory action supports gut health

You can think of it like a weighted blanket, working in much the same mechanism to help you rest and reset.

Castor Oil supports nitric oxide, which promotes the breakdown of the biofilm,26-27-28 and improves the microbiome, as estrogen plays a key role in liver and detox.29 Speaking of detox, while cleansing may feel new to you, it’s important to remember that…

Cleansing and detoxification is a natural bodily function

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs help to prepare for ovulation

Detoxifications and cleansing happens best while we sleep, and while we are in a state of rest – which is the best time to have your patients wear their Castor Oil Packs for Liver.

These are major keys of working with Castor Oil Packs over the liver to set the foundation for hormonal cleansing and hormonal balancing during the follicular phase.

Step Two:

From the time of ovulation, the body now shifts to a higher progesterone state, where the focus moves from the liver to the pelvic region.

 

This shift often begins with “mittelschmerz”, a wonderful German word for the onset of ovulation, or the “dropping” of the egg.

As the egg travels down the fallopian tube, with the great hope of meeting sperm and creating life, progesterone can be easily robbed by the production of our stress hormone, cortisol.

This biochemical pathway is primed as the body intelligence isn’t one to want pregnancy under times of stress.

Some of the stressors you may not even be familiar with that affect this key fertility stage are:

  • Gut Inflammation
  • Poor diet
  • Emotional distress
  • Excess weight
  • Drugs, and so many other factors

When there is a problem with ovulation, and getting pregnant, elevated levels of cortisol (which rob the body of natural progesterone,30 do not allow for the important nourishment of the ovaries.

During this phase, have your patient wear their Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Fertility Kit on their pelvic area every night. Here, the purpose of the Castor Oil Pack for Fertility Kit is to support the oxytocin state, causing relaxation which improves the natural levels of progesterone in the body from simply wearing the Castor Oil Pack compress.

Pretty amazing, agreed?

When beginning the “Single” Seed Cycling protocol using Queen of the Thrones®️ Castor Oil Packs, it is important to note that if your patient has NEVER done Castor Oil Packs before, it’s best for them to start either

  1. Right after the end of their period with step one over the liver or…
  2. At ovulation.

Starting your patients on their bleeding days may potentially lead to them experiencing a quite strong “letting go” sensation.

Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs support reproductive health

Either starting AFTER the bleed or at ovulation will prepare them to have a better period.

Once your patient starts menstruating again, it’s time to switch back to the liver pack and so begins the simple 2 step protocol all over again.

Your patients will eventually begin to experience their symptoms less frequently over time as their body becomes regulated with their natural hormonal cycle.

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, contact us at: royalty@queenofthethrones.com

To deepen your knowledge, here are a few blogs you’ll want to read as well:

  1. Why does the moon make my hormones go crazy?
  2. Why is compliance so low for the traditional seed cycling protocol?
  3. Why beet juice is good for you & your patients’ gut health.
Click here for references

1. 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. PMID: 28162847.

1A. Francis S, Rolls ET, Bowtell R, McGlone F, O’Doherty J, Browning A, Clare S, Smith E. The representation of pleasant touch in the brain and its relationship with taste and olfactory areas. Neuroreport. 1999 Feb 25;10(3):453-9. PMID: 10208571

2. 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. PMID: 12571120.

2A. Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12. PMID: 19363489.

3. 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.

4. 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. PMID: 28678952.

5. Marcela Moreira Salles, Maurício Malheiros Badaró, Carolina Noronha Ferraz de Arruda, Vanessa Maria Fagundes Leite, Cláudia Helena Lovato da Silva, Evandro Watanabe, Viviane de Cássia Oliveira, Helena de Freitas Oliveira Paranhos, Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study. Randomized Controlled Trial J Appl Oral Sci Nov-Dec 2015;23(6):637-42. doi: 10.1590/1678-775720150204. PMID: 26814466.

6. 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. PMID: 21168117.

7. Sorin Tunaru,a Till F. Althoff,a Rolf M. Nüsing,b Martin Diener,c and Stefan Offermannsa,d,1 Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5; 109(23): 9179–9184. Published online 2012 May 21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109 PMID: 22615395.

8. 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. PMID: 28162847.

9. 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. PMID: 12571120

10. Francis S, Rolls ET, Bowtell R, McGlone F, O’Doherty J, Browning A, Clare S, Smith E. The representation of pleasant touch in the brain and its relationship with taste and olfactory areas. Neuroreport. 1999 Feb 25;10(3):453-9. PMID: 10208571

11. Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12. PMID: 19363489.

12. Patel S, Homaei A, Raju AB, Meher BR. Estrogen: The necessary evil for human health, and ways to tame it. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018 Jun;102:403-411. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.078. Epub 2018 Mar 22. PMID: 29573619.

13. Kovats S. Estrogen receptors regulate innate immune cells and signaling pathways. Cell Immunol. 2015 Apr;294(2):63-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2015.01.018. Epub 2015 Feb 7. PMID: 25682174; PMCID: PMC4380804.

14. Zwighaft Z, Reinke H, Asher G. The Liver in the Eyes of a Chronobiologist. J Biol Rhythms. 2016 Apr;31(2):115-24. doi: 10.1177/0748730416633552. Epub 2016 Feb 24. PMID: 26911716.

15. 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. PMID: 21168117.

16. Sorin Tunaru,a Till F. Althoff,a Rolf M. Nüsing,b Martin Diener,c and Stefan Offermannsa,d,1 Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5; 109(23): 9179–9184. Published online 2012 May 21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109 PMID: 22615395.

17. Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8 PMID: 11200362.

18. Francis S, Rolls ET, Bowtell R, McGlone F, O’Doherty J, Browning A, Clare S, Smith E. The representation of pleasant touch in the brain and its relationship with taste and olfactory areas. Neuroreport. 1999 Feb 25;10(3):453-9. PMID: 10208571

19. Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12. PMID: 19363489.

20. Mascolo N1, Izzo AA, Autore G, Barbato F, Capasso F.Nitric oxide and castor oil-induced diarrhea.J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1994 Jan;268(1):291-5. PMID: 8301570.

21. Izzo, Angelo. (1996). Castor oil: An update on mechanism of action. Phytotherapy Research. 10. S109-S111.

22. 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.

23. 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. PMID: 28678952.

24. Marcela Moreira Salles, Maurício Malheiros Badaró, Carolina Noronha Ferraz de Arruda, Vanessa Maria Fagundes Leite, Cláudia Helena Lovato da Silva, Evandro Watanabe, Viviane de Cássia Oliveira, Helena de Freitas Oliveira Paranhos, Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study. Randomized Controlled Trial J Appl Oral Sci Nov-Dec 2015;23(6):637-42. doi: 10.1590/1678-775720150204. PMID: 26814466.

25. Settanni CR, Ianiro G, Franceschi F, Gasbarrini G, Gasbarrini A. From Regular Catharsis with Castor Oil to Recognizing the Importance of the Intestinal Microbiota. Dig Dis. 2020 Jan 6:1-9. doi: 10.1159/000505395. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 31905350.

26. 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.

27. 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. PMID: 28678952.

28. Marcela Moreira Salles, Maurício Malheiros Badaró, Carolina Noronha Ferraz de Arruda, Vanessa Maria Fagundes Leite, Cláudia Helena Lovato da Silva, Evandro Watanabe, Viviane de Cássia Oliveira, Helena de Freitas Oliveira Paranhos, Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study. Randomized Controlled Trial J Appl Oral Sci Nov-Dec 2015;23(6):637-42. doi: 10.1590/1678-775720150204. PMID: 26814466.

29. Chen KL, Madak-Erdogan Z. Estrogens and female liver health. Steroids. 2018 May;133:38-43. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2017.10.015. Epub 2017 Nov 1. PMID: 29100781.

30. Ovulation Parallels with Inflammatory Processes Duffy, Diane M et al. “Ovulation: Parallels With Inflammatory Processes.” Endocrine reviews vol. 40,2 (2019): 369-416. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00075.

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.

Does the Moon make your Hormones go Crazy?

Does the Moon make your Hormones go Crazy?

Does the Moon make your Hormones go Crazy by Queen of the Thrones

Does the Moon make your Hormones go Crazy?

Written by: Melanie Swackhammer B.A.
Medically reviewed by: Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive) and Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 13 minutes.

Mother Nature’s Medicine: The Moon, Menstruation, Seed Cycling & Castor Oil Packs

Have you ever wondered if the full moon is controlling everything from your sleeping patterns to how irritable you feel when you’re stuck in traffic? Is the moon like a puppet master directing your every move? It’s possible, right?

In case you didn’t know, it’s no coincidence that your menstrual cycle is the same number of days, as the days on the calendar, as is the full rotation of the moon around the earth.

Everything is interconnected and the moon is controlling much more than you think. Makes sense, agreed? You’re in the right place because we’re going to discuss how the moon cycles impact your hormones and help you discover the pros and cons of seed cycling for hormone imbalance.

Beyond the days of your monthly menstrual cycle, it has an impact on every aspect of your physiology, not only your hormones.

It’s most notable in your moods and key symptoms of unbalanced hormones, your problems with your period and infertility, and even your low levels of the nightime hormone melatonin, affecting how well you sleep1.

Mother Nature’s Medicine: Seed Cycling and your period problems.

You see, mother nature carries many secrets up her sleeves on how to work with the moon cycle, for your menstrual problems.

Eating seeds is one way, in what is known as the practice of seed cycling, and is said to possibly support healthier periods cycles.

However, another easier, often better tolerated alternative for those who can’t eat seeds frequently and repetitively, as required in seed cycling, is ” Single” Seed Cycling done with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs.

The Difference between Seed Cycling and “Single” Seed Cycling

Seeds can cause digestive distress agravating hormonal problems according to Queen of the Thrones®

The traditional seed cycling protocol alternates what seeds to eat at different times of the month according to your hormones and the moon: flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds.

One downfall for many women with hormonal problems is that these seeds can cause digestive distress when repeatedly consumed, creating a leaky gut or aggravating a pre-existing condition.

Additionally, it can become a hassle preparing the seeds, coordinating when to eat each kind, and finding new recipes to keep things exciting. Many often start this protocol with the best of intentions but give up shortly after starting. Sound familiar?

“Single” Seed Cycling, on the other hand, soothes digestive distress and is simply less hassle, by using Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs for Liver , instead of eating seeds.

“Single” Seed Cycling is supportive of healing from the outside in.

Therefore, it’s a great alternative if you’re tired of taking so many supplements and would rather do a self-care practice as easy as wearing a Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver or using the Queen of the Thrones® Hormone Balance & Detox Kit, on a different part of the body, at different times of the month according to the moon cycles.

Plus, there’s an additional bonus with “Single” Seed Cycling with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs.

You see, because there are many more benefits with using Castor Oil Packs, which are a traditional therapy that have been used as a healing practice since the beginning of time, first with the Egyptians and even the father of medicine, Hippocrates.

The benefits of these Castor Oil Packs, beyond supporting hormone cycling include, but are not limited to supporting:

    • Improved bowel movements3 and better absorption4
    • Reduced core inflammation4
    • Liver detox6 and microbiome gut health7-8-9-10
    • Enhanced relaxation and better sleep11-12-13-14

Sounds good, am I right? It’s clearly a natural choice that’s so much easier to do, with so many benefits. Makes sense, agreed?

 

Single Seed Cycling and Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs help you balance your hormones

Mother Nature’s Medicine: Chronobiology for your menstrual cycle

It’s nice to have options and tools to support the optimization of your period and hormone balance, that work with the rhythms and cycles of nature, right? This is a branch of medicine known as chronobiology.15

So, since we are biological beings, these practices aren’t simple folklore, but show clinical practice evidence that we are affected by the moon. Plus, this is one of many ways our bodies keep time.

We may not be as intensely possessed by the moon as say a werewolf, but hey, we all have our hormonal moments now, don’t we? Some of us do become rabid beasts at that time of the month when the moon is shining bright, right?

Think of it like this: You’ve had a bad day, you look at the calendar and you see it’s a full moon. Is it a coincidence?

Maybe, maybe not.

Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs support hormone balance to avoid hormones balances to prevent hirsutism(1)

What’s the research about the moon, seed cycling & hormones?

Preliminary research is in the works, one study of interest done at old age homes couldn’t find a connection between weird mood changes and the full moon.16

However, it was done with an elderly population in an old age home, at a time in life when hormone levels are at their lowest. With moods and the moon being highly interconnected to your hormones17, not the best people to study to find the truth. Agreed?

So if one study that may have not had the best methodology says it’s not connected, it doesn’t mean it’s hocus pocus. It just means we need more research or clinical practice.

Clinical experience: The moon, hormones & seed cycling

Just ask any nurse who has worked an emergency shift on a full moon, they will give you their side of story, usually including how crazy and full of patients the hospital can get on those crazy full moon eve’s.

It’s enough to make sure you look at the calendar for where the moon cycle is at before booking an important procedure or going under the knife! Agreed?

You see, what I love about research is that it can come in the forms of clinical study, but also from a clinical practitioner’s perspective through patient observation.

The traditional seed cycling protocol, along with the easier reinvented “Single” Seed Cycling was developed along these lines, from functional integrative medicine practices and health and wellness coaches, much like yourself.

Double blind placebo by Queen of the Thrones

Even though these protocols have little scientific research, as in double blind placebo controlled studies, the gold standard in medicine. The lack of this research doesn’t make it wrong, it just hasn’t been studied that way yet, and may very well never be studied that way for various reasons, two of which I’ll discuss here.

Mother nature only likes to be tested in her natural environment

The most important one being that mother nature isn’t the type to be put into a box and given only 2 variables to work with.

Mother nature is a product of her environment, and as such, there are millions of variables at play in the environment, the temperature, the wind, the sunlight, the food and nourishment, the exercise, the practices, the social contact, and the list goes on and on.

So, this makes it hard to study scientifically, especially using a double blind placebo scientific method. There are simply too many variables to test in nature and natural environments. Makes sense, right?

Mother nature doesn’t have deep pockets to pay for studies

The lack of funding for studies such as these impacts the understanding of the true effect of this practice. Deep pockets like those in the pharmaceutical industry fund studies that go towards new drugs, not natural medicine protocols.

Moreover, what we do know helps illuminate our choices of care in integrative and functional medicine settings.

As a practitioner, when you’re prescribing protocols like seed cycling, it’s often a combination of an in depth understanding of physiology of how the body works from a “functional” perspective”, as well as the knowledge of the ingredients used, such as flax seed, well known for its effects in hormonal health.18

Combining these, along with clinical observation and experience of the practical use of mother nature’s tools, like the traditional seed cycling protocol or “Single” Seed Cycling, using Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs, are both ethical protocols because they’re not likely to cause harm and may even provide benefit beyond what is hypothesized.

Except in the case of traditional seed cycling. Although seed cycling is one of the most highly popularized natural food and lifestyle-based practices for hormone balance, it has the worst compliance.

Your Hormonal Health benefits from the Single Seed Cycling and Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs

But why?

Well, because of digestive disturbances from repetitively eating the seeds and the hassle of preparation, seed cycling has the worst compliance. Makes sense, agreed?

The “Single” Seed Cycling protocol with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs is an easier, often better tolerated alternative that overcomes these objections.

Seed cycling’s goal: Naturally balance your hormones with the moon.

So, if you want a clearer understanding of your physiology, simply start by tracking what you see in your monthly fluctuations.

I’m sure you’ve already noticed how some weeks of your monthly cycle you feel much different than others, am I right?

Some weeks you feel bloated and tired, while others have you experiencing hormonal fluctuations that leave you crying, craving, or wanting more of your partner or yourself, and then the next moment you’re completely withdrawn. Can you relate?

Find out with Queen of the Thrones how Castor Oil Packs and seed cycling help to balance your hormones

You see, hormonal balance is when you experience less ups and downs over your monthly moon guided period cycle. Makes sense, agreed?

It’s time to understand…

  1. Why your body does what it does.
  2. What role the moon plays in your monthly menstrual cycle and your hormone unbalance.
  3. An extra tool you should have in your self care tool box to support your hormonal balance.

Would you love that?

“Single” Seed Cycling protocol with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs is a simple way for you to support your hormones so you can align with the moon and mother nature, the easy way.

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. Kronfeld-Schor N, Dominoni D, de la Iglesia H, Levy O, Herzog ED, Dayan T, Helfrich-Forster C. Chronobiology by moonlight. Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Jul 3;280(1765):20123088. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3088. PMID: 23825199; PMCID: PMC3712431.

2. Strowig T, Henao-Mejia J, Elinav E, Flavell R. Inflammasomes in health and disease. Nature. 2012 Jan 18;481(7381):278-86. doi: 10.1038/nature10759. PMID: 22258606.

3. Holm T, Brøgger-Jensen MR, Johnson L, Kessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in opti-sol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013. PMID: 24260265

4. Boddu SH1, Alsaab H2, Umar S3, Bonam SP2, Gupta H2, Ahmed S3. Anti-inflammatory effects of a novel ricinoleic acid poloxamer gel system for transdermal delivery. Int J Pharm. 2015 Feb 1;479(1):207-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.12.051. Epub 2014 Dec 24.

5. Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8 PMID: 11200362.

6. Holm T, Brøgger-Jensen MR, Johnson L, Kessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in opti-sol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013. PMID: 24260265.

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. 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. PMID: 28678952.

9. 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. PMID: 26814466

10. Marcela Moreira Salles, Maurício Malheiros Badaró, Carolina Noronha Ferraz de Arruda, Vanessa Maria Fagundes Leite, Cláudia Helena Lovato da Silva, Evandro Watanabe, Viviane de Cássia Oliveira, Helena de Freitas Oliveira Paranhos, Antimicrobial activity of complete denture cleanser solutions based on sodium hypochlorite and Ricinus communis – a randomized clinical study. Randomized Controlled Trial J Appl Oral Sci Nov-Dec 2015;23(6):637-42. doi:10.1590/1678-775720150204. PMID: 26814466.

11. 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. PMID: 28162847.

12. 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. PMID: 12571120.

13. Francis S, Rolls ET, Bowtell R, McGlone F, O’Doherty J, Browning A, Clare S, Smith E. The representation of pleasant touch in the brain and its relationship with taste and olfactory areas. Neuroreport. 1999 Feb 25;10(3):453-9. PMID: 10208571.

14. Löken LS, Wessberg J, Morrison I, McGlone F, Olausson H. Coding of pleasant touch by unmyelinated afferents in humans. Nat Neurosci. 2009 May;12(5):547-8. Epub 2009 Apr 12. PMID: 19363489.

15. Kronfeld-Schor N, Dominoni D, de la Iglesia H, Levy O, Herzog ED, Dayan T, Helfrich-Forster C. Chronobiology by moonlight. Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Jul 3;280(1765):20123088. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.3088. PMID: 23825199; PMCID: PMC3712431.

16. Cohen-Mansfield J, Marx MS, Werner P. Full moon: does it influence agitated nursing home residents? J Clin Psychol. 1989 Jul;45(4):611-4. Doi: 10.1002/1097-4679(198907)45:4<611::aid-jclp2270450417>3.0.co;2-f. PMID: 2768501.

17. Albert K, Pruessner J, Newhouse P. Estradiol levels modulate brain activity and negative responses to psychosocial stress across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2015 Sep;59:14-24. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.022. Epub 2015 May 7. PMID: 26123902; PMCID: PMC4492530.

18. Phipps WR, Martini MC, Lampe JW, Slavin JL, Kurzer MS. Effect of flax seed ingestion on the menstrual cycle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993 Nov;77(5):1215-9. doi: 10.1210/jcem.77.5.8077314. PMID: 8077314.

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.

Does Food Sensitivity Cause My Gut Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Does Food Sensitivity Cause My Gut Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Does Food Sensitivity Cause My Gut Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome by Queen of the Thrones

Does Food Sensitivity Cause My Gut Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome?

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

Est. reading time: 12 minutes.

If you’ve been wondering, does my food sensitivity cause my gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome? the answer is yes – and well, no. Why? This is because gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome are metabolic hormonal patterns, ones that are complex and sometimes confusing.

Meaning, the answer to the million dollar question is that gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome are not ONLY caused by food sensitivity, food allergies or food intolerances. There is more going on than meets the eye.

Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome and Gut Inflammation

You see, you’re right to suspect that it isn’t just bloating, constipation or IBS symptoms occurring, or that food is the only factor at play here. You are simultaneously experiencing chronic metabolic problems like:

 

  • Thyroid imbalance
  • Weight gain
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain

These are symptoms that are all linked to gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome. Your focus on food as the culprit is natural, because you, like Hippocrates, the father of medicine, as well as other scientific researchers, strive to believe in the power food has, stating.

“Let thy food be thy medicine…when possible1.”

Food can be your medicine again, yes. But only with the right environment. When you have a healthy, balanced gut, your Leaky Gut symptoms will be reduced.

Leaky & Inflamed gut Hippocrates by Queen of the Thrones

So what else is at play, causing your gut inflammation besides food?

Many other internal and external factors are perpetrators as well.

  • Supplements
  • Probiotics
  • Prebiotics
  • The microbiome

And so many more factors all contribute to gut inflammation. Interesting, right?

There are many factors causing your gut inflammation and Leaky Gut symptoms, ones that are important to explore, yet food is a great place to start. It is with this starting point that you will discover the complexity of how your gut health truly is in your hands and how you can take steps to feel better. As Sherlock Holmes, the most famous detective would say,

“It’s Elementary, Dear Watson!”

Food Sensitivity and Your Environment for Gut Health

Queen of the Thrones Leaky Gut inflammation

So let’s dive in! As you uncover the pieces to the puzzle that make up your gut health, the first thing to note is your body’s first response to food, which is, by definition, a foreign substance complex that enters your gut, or inside world. Anything foreign has the possibility to cause an internal reaction, good or bad, depending on both the substance and the environment in which it is placed.

 

Whether or not you have a sensitivity to a specific food can be irrelevant, because when there is gut inflammation, even healthy food can become a sensitivity. This is one of the reasons why the validity of food sensitivity testing purchased online is questioned2. These kinds of tests can be misleading, to you, the consumer, and your present state of gut health.

Although these tests seem to be testing different foods, the interpretation from many integrative and functional medical doctors is that you must first determine how much inflammation is in the gut or how leaky the gut may be.

How to Examine your Gut Health Environment?

You simply cannot just look at food sensitivities without also examining the health of your gut environment.

Of course there are some foods like gluten and dairy that are associated sensitivities3, especially in women who have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This hormonal metabolic condition is highly linked to both gluten and dairy sensitivity and Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Whether it’s the food sensitivity or inflammation that came first, we do not know, but we do know they come hand-in-hand, and begins with generalized gut symptoms that indicate gut inflammation like:

  • Bloating
  • Constipation
  • IBS

So as the inflammation grows, Leaky Gut Syndrome develops4.

What role does leaky gut syndrome play in gut health?

Let’s take a closer look at what is occurring internally when it comes to Leaky Gut Syndrome and the related symptoms. These wide-ranged symptoms happen when inflammation irritates and disrupts the integrity of the gut wall.

Your gut health is very dependent on the gut mucosa cells that are connected via gap or tight junctions5, which act like the links of a chain that keep the healthy gut cells (epithelial cells) bound together, protecting our internal bodies from the outside world, from substances like food.

When the tight junctions become increasingly irritated and inflamed, most often by food and its components, such as sugars, fats or even fibers6, these tight gut health junctions cannot hold together. Therefore, the links in the strong chain break and the barrier that protects the body from the gut contents, becomes like a pasta strainer, instead of a brick wall, allowing everything you’ve ingested to flow out into the body.

Leaky & Inflamed gut illustration by Queen of the Thrones

Download our infographic to learn more about how the body is being bombarded by foods you may not suspect – including all those healthy supplements! Would you love to learn more about your gut health and the ways a Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver practice can help restore your body back to balance? Sign-up to receive our FREE eGuide!

Why isn’t Leaky Gut easily cured?

When your gut wall is disrupted, everything – all the food, supplements, probiotics, and prebiotics that entered via the oral route, pass out into your body. All the items that are meant to stay contained in your digestive system for proper digestion, processed through the cells without bypassing them, now seep through in undigested larger shapes, sizes that aren’t recognizable by the body’s defense systems, aka, the immune system.

This complex protective mechanism – your immune system, is used by the body to identify friend or foe, to achieve homeostasis or balance. Food that was once medicine now becomes a sensitivity to you, depending on how inflammed your gut is, and how leaky it has become.

How does leaky gut syndrome stress the whole body?

So your food and supplements that were once supposed to be medicine, now have the potential, depending on your unique system, to become poison to you, creating food sensitivity reactions that permeate through the entire body! No thank you, right?!

No matter how we look at it, Gut Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome cause unwanted stress on the body – big time. Supplements, food, bacteria – all the things you’ve ingested – begins to respond atypically, spreading throughout your body, triggering symptoms as random as:

 

  • Migraines
  • Itchy skin
  • Eczema
  • Anxiety
  • Fatigue
rgans affected by Leaky Gut according to Queen of the the Thrones

These don’t appear related to your gut health, making food sensitivities and your health so confusing! Agreed? But everything is very much interconnected!

It’s All About Creating an Environment for Gut Health

The reality is, our bodies are always aiming to achieve good gut health and if you only focus on the food sensitivities that cause bloating, you are going down the wrong rabbit hole, my friend! Your belief may be that identifying and removing your food sensitivities will solve your gut health problems. Although it is an important first piece of the puzzle, it won’t give you the complete relief you’re seeking from your bloating, anxiety, constipation etc. It won’t give you the whole picture.

To ultimately feel better, it is essential to create an environment for good gut health. It is essential to begin the healing of your stressed gut lining, repairing the gaps and tight junctions in your gut lining caused by gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Self-caring for the environment of good gut health is understanding that there is a complex interplay of more than just your sensitivity to food affecting whether you feel good or bad, have gut inflammation or are dealing with Leaky Gut Syndrome.

All disease begins in the Leaky Gut because the gut is like Grand Central Station, and where there are multiple players in the game, there is always a possibility for chaos to occur or a fight to break out8.

What Are The Many Factors at Play with Leaky Gut?

Everything you take in from the outside world, including:

  • Food
  • Supplements
  • Probiotics
  • Prebiotics
  • Emotional experiences
  • Gut microbes
  • Medications like birth control pills, antibiotics or stomach acid reducers

On top of that everything made in your body like:

  • Hormones (estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, oxytocin, cortisol etc.)
  • Neurotransmitters (melatonin, dopamine, gaba, serotonin, glycine, histamine etc.)
  • The balance of your microbiome, whether healthy, dysbiotic or overgrown with candida, or the presence of SIBO
  • The waste products you create (such as uric acid, carbon dioxide etc.)

All of this, including the cells and tissues of your body, can be attacked inappropriately when there is gut inflammation, which is why Leaky Gut is a danger signal for autoimmune disease9. This is, of course, a simplified explanation of a complex chronic metabolic gut inflammation condition. But know that both your level of gut inflammation and the state of your gut lining, are determinants of good gut health and how sensitive you may be to the food you consume.

It’s a tad overwhelming, right? Agreed. Since food is so foundational (you have to eat it, right?) – you can’t run away from it. So, therefore, it really is the best place to start your journey to gut health! This is why functional medical doctors, integrative medicine doctors, naturopathic doctors, nutritionists, holistic medicine doctors, and other natural health experts who work with gut health, will most often start here.

How can we revive & restore a leaky gut?

The focus must be on returning your gut health back to a relaxed state, to the ‘gated community’ it was meant to be. It takes time and consistency and intentional actions like:

  • A regular Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver practice
  • Healthy food choices
  • Properly washing your food to remove toxins
  • Awareness of the emotional stressors
  • Properly chewing your food
  • Intermittent fasting to allow your gut to relax
  • Stress-reducing techniques like calming breathwork practices
Best ways to avoid Leaky & Inflamed Gut Queen of the Thrones

What are the next Steps to Gut Health?

There are a number of ways to support your body moving forward, to begin the process of healing your gut inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome. Now that you have a better understanding of how food sensitivities cause inflammation in your body and the role Leaky Gut Syndrome has to play in your persistent symptoms, you are on track to returning your body to a relaxed and nourished state. You’ve got this, my friend!

Download our infographic to learn more about how the body is being bombarded by foods you may not suspect – including all those healthy supplements! Would you love to learn more about your gut health and the ways a Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver practice can help restore your body back to balance? Sign-up to receive our FREE eGuide!

And as always, if you have any concerns about your symptoms or overall health, please consult your integrative doctor or trained medical professional.

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. 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.

2. Wong AWY, White HEG, Plant A, Shipman AR, Shipman KE. Issues surrounding consumer-bought food-allergy testing. Clin Exp Dermatol. 2021 Oct 16. doi: 10.1111/ced.14978. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34655248.

3. Ihnatowicz P, Drywień M, Wątor P, Wojsiat J. The importance of nutritional factors and dietary management of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2020 Jun 19;27(2):184-193. doi: 10.26444/aaem/112331. Epub 2019 Oct 2. PMID: 32588591.

4. 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

5. 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.

6. Usuda H, Okamoto T, Wada K. Leaky Gut: Effect of Dietary Fiber and Fats on Microbiome and Intestinal Barrier. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jul 16;22(14):7613. doi: 10.3390/ijms22147613. PMID: 34299233; PMCID: PMC8305009.

7. Suárez LJ, Arboleda S, Angelov N, Arce RM. Oral Versus Gastrointestinal Mucosal Immune Niches in Homeostasis and Allostasis. Front Immunol. 2021 Jul 5;12:705206. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.705206. PMID: 34290715; PMCID: PMC8287884.

8. Fasano A. All disease begins in the (leaky) gut: role of zonulin-mediated gut permeability in the pathogenesis of some chronic inflammatory diseases. F1000Res. 2020 Jan 31;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-69. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.20510.1. PMID: 32051759; PMCID: PMC6996528.

9. 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.

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.

How to know if you have belly fat or belly bloat? A simple home remedy you can do to find out

How to know if you have belly fat or belly bloat? A simple home remedy you can do to find out

Gluten and dairy sensibilities by Queen of the Thrones

How to know if you have belly fat or belly bloat? A simple home remedy you can do to find out

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

Est. reading time: 12 minutes.

Have you ever asked yourself, ‘is my belly bloated or is it belly fat?’ You wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, turn to the side and you can see that your belly is expanding more and more each day. You know you’re not pregnant, all you know is you can’t do up your favorite jeans and it feels like your stomach is like a balloon slowly being inflated with air. Can you relate?

Maybe you feel like a broken record constantly complaining about your belly and you would love a new and easy way to…

  1. Understand the difference between belly fat and belly bloating?
  2. Do an at home screening so you can discover if it’s belly fat or belly bloat?
  3. Help reduce belly bloat naturally?

You’re in the right place, because there’s a belly bloat at-home screening test you can do at home by simply using the Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack. Sounds good, right? So, first thing’s first, you might be wondering…

Can belly fat feel like bloating?

Here’s the thing, it may not be fat, and in most cases it isn’t. Wait, what? Well, you see, that bloat could be caused by many reasons, but often it is simply water retention¹.

This is a contributing factor why when you go on a diet, at first you lose so much weight so fast! What you’re losing here is water that you’ve been retaining to quench the fire happening in your gut (gut inflammation).

You see, fat is weight gain and bloating is often caused by water retention to reduce the gut inflammation caused by food sensitivities, allergies, intolerances, an unhealthy microbiome, stress, chewing your food too fast, eating on the go and the list goes on².

Kind of like how a fireman quenches a fire with water, your body does the same thing in your belly to protect itself from the fire by retaining water, leaving your belly logged with water. Hence the bloat! Makes sense, right?

How to see if it’s belly bloat or belly fat

Well, taking anti inflammatory supplements and food can help but it can take a long time. Would you love to know a new and easy screening test you can do like your Naturopathic Doctor or Integrative and Functional Medicine doctor does?

It’s as simple as wearing your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack overnight so you can see if your belly bloat subsides in the morning or if it’s still there. Stay with me here.

How to relieve belly bloating using a castor oil liver pack

Are you wondering why wearing your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Liver Pack overnight matters? Well, because the period of time when you cleanse is in the evening. Plus, your body works on a time clock and when the moon is in the sky, according to the circadian rhythm, it’s your time to clean up. Amazing, agreed? So, your pack supports your liver so it can do its job and cleanse like it’s meant to while you sleep³. So awesome, agreed?

Plus, if you’re cleansing properly overnight and you wear a castor oil pack, because it happens to be a natural anti-inflammatory, it reduces the fire in your belly and some of that water⁴ will dissipate by the time you wake up in the morning. Sounds amazing, right? Oh, you might also notice that you have to pee a lot more when you wake up.

Now you might be asking, “How will I know if the castor oil pack test worked?” Good question! When you wake up in the morning and take off your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack, if you notice that your bloating has disappeared or you see that your love handles are smaller and when you turn to the side in your mirror, your belly looks flatter than before, then you know you were bloated. Easy test, agreed?

But, if it doesn’t go away, then you know it’s simply just fat. But no harm no foul because overtime, wearing your castor oil pack still helps. But how? Well, because fat cells are inflammatory cells⁵, wearing your castor oil pack helps reduce your gut inflammation  making a fire in your belly. So overtime, it can have an effect on the fat cells in your belly, too.

So now that you know how to test, you might be wondering, “how are gut inflammation and fat cells connected” and also…

Can inflammation cause weight gain?

Because inflammation can make you bloat initially, the longer you have inflammation, say because you are eating a diet high in sugar, the more your body will try to protect itself by padding your body with fat cells, making you gain weight over time⁷.

But it’s a vicious cycle because fat cells create more inflammation⁸ – so as your inflammation fire grows, more padding (fat cells) gets added to combat the fire. Makes sense, right?

But, wearing your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack every night gives your body the opportunity to naturally stop the evil cycle. You see, it gives your body a break from needing to defend itself by adding more and more fat cells to stop the fire. So instead of your body’s go-to defense of adding fuel to the fire, your castor oil pack is kind of like a gentle sprinkler for your gut⁹. Sounds soothing, agreed?

Plus, since inflammation is the cause of all disease and affects all aspects of our health¹⁰, like how irritated we feel¹¹, to how we absorb our food and supplements¹², you can help your body naturally reduce inflammation with your castor oil pack¹³. Amazing, right?

Speaking of how we absorb our food and supplements, do you ever feel like you’re pretty much just flushing them right down the toilet because you’re not absorbing them? Or maybe it feels like you’re that much more bloated because you’re not absorbing the nutrients from your food and supplements, can you relate?

You’re still in the right place because there’s a special FREE eGuide for you so you can know how your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Liver Pack can support better absorption.

Would you love that?

Click here for references

1. Mari A, Abu Backer F, Mahamid M, Amara H, Carter D, Boltin D, Dickman R. Bloating and Abdominal Distension: Clinical Approach and Management. Adv Ther. 2019 May;36(5):1075-1084. doi: 10.1007/s12325-019-00924-7. Epub 2019 Mar 16. PMID: 30879252; PMCID: PMC6824367.

2. Lacy BE, Cangemi D, Vazquez-Roque M. Management of Chronic Abdominal Distension and Bloating. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 Feb;19(2):219-231.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2020.03.056. Epub 2020 Apr 1. PMID: 32246999.

3. Holm T, Brøgger-Jensen MR, Johnson L, Kessel 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. PMID: 24260265; PMCID: PMC3834120.

4. Suganami T, Tanaka M, Ogawa Y. Adipose tissue inflammation and ectopic lipid accumulation. Endocr J. 2012;59(10):849-57. doi: 10.1507/endocrj.ej12-0271. Epub 2012 Aug 9. PMID: 22878669.

5. Kawai T, Autieri MV, Scalia R. Adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in obesity. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2021 Mar 1;320(3):C375-C391. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00379.2020. Epub 2020 Dec 23. PMID: 33356944; PMCID: PMC8294624.

6. 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.

7. DiNicolantonio JJ, Mehta V, Onkaramurthy N, O’Keefe JH. Fructose-induced inflammation and increased cortisol: A new mechanism for how sugar induces visceral adiposity. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018 May-Jun;61(1):3-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2017.12.001. Epub 2017 Dec 8. PMID: 29225114.

8. Maurizi G, Della Guardia L, Maurizi A, Poloni A. Adipocytes properties and crosstalk with immune system in obesity-related inflammation. J Cell Physiol. 2018 Jan;233(1):88-97. doi: 10.1002/jcp.25855. Epub 2017 May 3. PMID: 28181253.

9. 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.

10. Strowig T, Henao-Mejia J, Elinav E, Flavell R. Inflammasomes in health and disease. Nature. 2012 Jan 18;481(7381):278-86. doi: 10.1038/nature10759. PMID: 22258606.

11. Dantzer R, O’Connor JC, Freund GG, Johnson RW, Kelley KW. From inflammation to sickness and depression: when the immune system subjugates the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2008 Jan;9(1):46-56. doi: 10.1038/nrn2297. PMID: 18073775; PMCID: PMC2919277.

12. Farré R, Fiorani M, Abdu Rahiman S, Matteoli G. Intestinal Permeability, Inflammation and the Role of Nutrients. Nutrients. 2020 Apr 23;12(4):1185. doi: 10.3390/nu12041185. PMID: 32340206; PMCID: PMC7231157.

13. 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.

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.