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

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

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

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

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

Est. reading time: 10 minutes.

Beet Juice is the Perfect Castor Oil Pack Companion

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

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

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

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

Easy Right?

So, you might be wondering…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

So, now you might be asking…

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

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

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

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

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

How is beet juice good for gut & microbiome health?

Dysbiosis symptoms by Queen of the Thrones

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

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

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

Now that’s beautiful.

 

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

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

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

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

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

Hippocrates Recommends Queen of the Thrones Beet Root Juice

An easy beet juice recipe for gut & microbiome health

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for references

1. Luman W, Ardill JE, Armstrong E, Smith GD, Brett L, Lessells AM, Haynes WG, Gray GA, Mickley EJ, Webb DJ, Palmer KR. Nitric oxide and gall-bladder motor function. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1998 May;12(5):425-32. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.1998.00322.x. PMID: 9663721.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Best Lab Tests to Help Support Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Best Lab Tests to Help Support Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs best alternative in the market

Best Lab Tests to Help Support Your Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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

Est. reading time: 11 minutes.

So you’ve been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Now what??

Why is IBS a Functional Bowel Movement Disorder?

Irritable bowel syndrome is classified as a chronic functional bowel movement disorder because it is diagnosed by the symptoms that you are experiencing. These are typically abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and changes in bowel movements, often diarrhea or constipation1. Other digestive diseases that can be seen by colonoscopy or confirmed by lab tests are often excluded before IBS is diagnosed.

Why Can’t Labs Tell Me That I Have IBS?

The labs that most conventional doctors use at this moment in time don’t give a definitive diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. This is because it is a complex interplay of all the processes in our body. It is most often a reaction to stress in the body, whether emotional or physical, that creates an imbalance in the immune, nervous and hormonal systems.

This compounds and affects the natural digestive processes of the gut, causing inflammation, irritation, dysbiosis and lack of digestive factors that all contribute to and aggravate our symptoms2.

The big point here is that it is NOT just one thing causing IBS, and to support it you need to have a MULTIFACTORIAL approach or it just won’t work.

Why should I test for IBS?

Since irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic, long term disease, being proactive in this way helps to stay on top of things and avoid the frustration and suffering of living with uncomfortable symptoms.

It is important to do tests to rule out other conditions; when the diagnosis is clear, it is easier to direct and guide treatment and to track improvements.

Are There Functional Tests for IBS?

Yes, there are things that can be tested, but again, it is a whole-body approach.

Stress Hormone Testing Cortisol and ACTH

Research demonstrates that people with irritable bowel syndrome, mainly women, with onset at a younger age3, will have it for the greater part of their lives.

They typically also have an imbalance in their nervous system and stress response.

Stress markers of cortisol in the blood can be tested and show a difference between men and women as well as between healthy and unhealthy subjects4.

However, this is a costly test and is not common protocol for irritable bowel syndrome.

Salivary or urine cortisol markers can also be used to measure this. Research demonstrates that there is a significant difference in cortisol (stress hormone) markers in the morning and evening, and in general there was a higher spike in the a.m. and lower in the evening. The pattern of circadian rhythm night and day curve was still maintained5. These tests  are offered on YourLabWork.com. Sleep is often something that is a complaint for women with IBS and there seems to be a difference between the type, whether it be IBS-D (diarrhea predominant) or IBS-C (constipation predominant)6. Sleep is something that normally balances our regulatory systems as it helps to reset the immune, nervous and hormonal systems. Wearing an eye compress to bed at night may help support natural melatonin production, without having to take a supplement7. Would you love to have your own sleep compress so you can sleep better naturally? The Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Eye Compress Kit uses Castor Oil applied around the eyes, eyelashes and eyebrows, covered by a sleep mask. This may help relax your system so you can get a good night’s sleep.

Inflammation Testing in IBS

Inflammation is a key component in IBS. Inflammation may be sourced from food sensitivities, allergies and intolerances, or choices of food, such as fermented foods that have high levels of histamine and act as an irritant to the gut. Inflammation is a root cause of all diseases and when there is imbalance in any system there is always inflammation.

Ferritin, the storage molecule for iron can also be a key indicator of acute inflammation. It is important to test in combination with a complete blood count (CBC) as well as an iron panel to make sure you rule out any other reasons for an elevated level of ferritin.

There are certain key markers that are indicative of inflammation. Firstly, high sensitivity C reactive protein (HS-CRP). This marker is not often tested, however, levels have been noted to be higher in those with irritable bowel syndrome as compared to the healthy population8.

Cholesterol is also one of the markers of inflammation.

A complete blood count (CBC) is always important to do as well, because it demonstrates a variety of markers. With regards to inflammation, eosinophils are a marker of allergy and when they are elevated it’s an indicator that there is elevated histamines in the body10.

It’s most commonly correlated to parasite infection, which is something to be considered in irritable bowel syndrome, since the onset of IBS can be due to a gastrointestinal infection11.

Food sensitivity testing is in a class of its own. It can demonstrate inflammatory processes in the gut as well as immune reactivity. When aiming to fix an irritable bowel, it’s important to understand that there are so many things that can be irritating it.

Food is the biggest irritator and since we eat food every day, it’s very important to address this to reduce inflammation.

There are different tests for IBS, the food sensitivity testing in this lab in the US is popular to help measure your IgG reactivity levels.

Can You Test for Dysbiosis and The Microbiome?

You absolutely can, and uric acid (a key indicator of gout) is an excellent marker to use for dysbiosis or an unhealthy microbiome12. Uric acid is a good indicator of microbiome health because it shows improper metabolism of protein, typically due to unhealthy gut bugs. Another test is the Organic Acids Test (OAT), which tracks overgrowth of yeasts as well as possible clostridium infections which aids in the support of people with IBS. There are also recent novel tests that will actually classify the types of healthy v.s. pathogenic microbes in your microbiome. This research is in its infancy.

What Should You Test?

Here is a “dream” test list, so you can rule out other sources of pain in the intestine:

  • BC
  • Serum Electrolytes
  • Liver Enzymes, ALT, AST, ALP GGT
  • Urobilinogen, direct and indirect
  • Blood Lipids/Cholesterol
  • Albumin
  • eGFR and Creatinine
  • HS-CRP
  • Uric acid and urea
  • Iron panel including Ferritin
  • TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Antibodies for Thyroid
  • Dutch Hormone Test
  • Food Sensitivity Testing
  • OAT Test

What to Do While You’re Waiting to Get Your Tests Done?

Start working on a solution!

Start a new self-care routine so you can begin to work on the stress component by balancing your body’s stress hormones with Castor Oil Packs. They may help with inflammation, helping the body to cleanse, get the bowels moving and support pain in the gut. The Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver Kit is made with top quality organic cotton and an easy less-mess outer layer.

 

In addition, you can add the simple step to your sleep ritual by wearing an eye compress to bed. As mentioned before, this may help support the body’s natural melatonin production, improving quality of sleep. Get your Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Eye Compress Kit today.

You see, adding these two simple steps to your self-care routine may help you support your stress, address the inflammation, cleanse, poop and sleep then you will be able to get a clearer picture of what is going on.

Peek After You Poo

Another simple step you can do is start peeking at your poo. It’s important for you to see what’s going on in your toilet bowl and the best part? You’ll have a better idea of what to tell your doctor.

Because let’s face it, lab tests start to get quite expensive. For the full panel above you could be looking at anywhere between $1500-$2500 per shot, so why not learn what your poo is saying about you? It is an easy daily at-home test, totally free!

Plus, use Queen of the Thrones® Eau de Throne® Organic Essential Oil Spray the ‘After You Poo Parfum to get into the habit of peeking after you poo and allow the blend of organic essential oils to ensure that you will never be embarrassed again for the smell you leave behind!

Start today! Don’t wait for tomorrow to do what you can do today. This is your health, your life, your body and it’s time for you to know and understand what is going on.

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. Bandar Mohammed Bardisi, Abdulaziz Kamal H. Halawani, Hassan Kamal H. Halawani, Aseel Hassan Alharbi, Nesma Saleh Turkostany, Taraji Saeed Alrehaili, Aisha Ahmad Radin, and Nasser Moqbil Alkhuzea. Efficiency of diet change in irritable bowel syndrome. J Family Med Prim Care. 2018 Sep-Oct; 7(5): 946–951.PMID: 30598938

2. Emanuele Sinagra, Gaetano Cristian Morreale, Ghazaleh Mohammadian, Giorgio Fusco, Valentina Guarnotta, Giovanni Tomasello, Francesco Cappello, Francesca Rossi, Georgios Amvrosiadis, and Dario Raimondo New therapeutic perspectives in irritable bowel syndrome: Targeting low-grade inflammation, immuno-neuroendocrine axis, motility, secretion and beyond. World J Gastroenterol. 2017 Sep 28; 23(36): 6593–6627.PMID: 29085207

3. Ju Yup Lee and Kyung Sik Park. Gender Difference in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Korean J Gastroenterol. 2018 Oct 25;72(4):163-169. doi: 10.4166/kjg.2018.72.4.163.

4. Elizabeth J. Videlock,a Wendy Shih,b Mopelola Adeyemo,a Swapna Mahurkar-Joshi,a Angela P. Presson,c Christos Polytarchou,a Melissa Alberto,a Dimitrios Iliopoulos,a Emeran A. Mayer,a and Lin Changa,* The effect of sex and irritable bowel syndrome on HPA axis response and peripheral glucocorticoid receptor expression.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2016 Jul; 69: 67–76.PMID: 27038676

5. Patacchioli FR1, Angelucci L, Dellerba G, Monnazzi P, Leri O. Actual stress, psychopathology and salivary cortisol levels in the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). J Endocrinol Invest. 2001 Mar;24(3):173-7.

6. Robert L. Burr, MSEE, PhD, Research Professor,a Monica E. Jarrett, PhD, Professor,a Kevin C. Cain, PhD, Research Scientist,b Sang-Eun Jun, MS, Doctoral Candidate,a and Margaret M. Heitkemper, PhD, Professora. Catecholamine and Cortisol Levels during Sleep in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2009 Nov; 21(11): 1148–1e97.PMID: 19573081

7. Rong-fang Hu, Xiao-ying Jiang, Yi-ming Zeng, Xiao-yang Chen, and You-hua Zhang. Effects of earplugs and eye masks on nocturnal sleep, melatonin and cortisol in a simulated intensive care unit environment. Crit Care. 2010; 14(2): R66.PMID: 20398302

8. Keren Hod, MSc,1,2 Tamar Ringel-Kulka, MD MPH,3 Christopher F. Martin, MSPH,2 Nitsan Maharshak, MD,4 and Yehuda Ringel, MD*,2 High Sensitive C – Reactive Protein as a Marker for Inflammation in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.J Clin Gastroenterol. 2016 Mar; 50(3): 227–232.PMID: 25930973

9. Tall AR, Yvan-Charvet L. Cholesterol, inflammation and innate immunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2015 Feb;15(2):104-16. doi: 10.1038/nri3793.

10. Church MK1. Allergy, Histamine and Antihistamines. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2017;241:321-331. doi: 10.1007/164_2016_85.

11. Wouters MM, Van Wanrooy S, Nguyen A, Dooley J, Aguilera-Lizarraga J, Van Brabant W, Garcia-Perez JE, Van Oudenhove L, Van Ranst M, Verhaegen J, Liston A, Boeckxstaens G Psychological comorbidity increases the risk for postinfectious IBS partly by enhanced susceptibility to develop infectious gastroenteritis. Gut. 2016 Aug;65(8):1279-88. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2015-309460. Epub 2015 Jun 12.

12 Zhuang Guo, Jiachao Zhang,  Zhanli Wang, Kay Ying Ang, Shi Huang, Qiangchuan Hou, Xiaoquan Su, Jianmin Qiao, Yi Zheng, Lifeng Wang, Eileen Koh, Ho Danliang, Jian Xu, Yuan Kun Lee, and Heping Zhang, Intestinal Microbiota Distinguish Gout Patients from Healthy Humans Sci Rep. 2016; 6: 20602.PMID: 26852926 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4757479/

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 Get You Regular with Castor Oil Packs for Constipation

How to Get You Regular with Castor Oil Packs for Constipation

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs best alternative in the market

How to Get You Regular with Castor Oil Packs for Constipation

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

Est. reading time: 9 minutes

I remember my mother always being constipated. She would hyper focus on food and what she should be eating. Sometimes it would help, most of the time it wouldn’t. This is the situation that most people find themselves in. You are trying to get all your fiber and fluids in, yet you’re still not going to the bathroom. You aren’t having those amazing bowel movements as you should. What gives?

Your poo is much more complicated than just the food that you eat. That is just the start of getting things going. The gut is also highly regulated via hormonal and nervous system pathways. In fact, if you didn’t know it, the gut is known as the second brain1. It not only relies on the brain to tell it what to do, but it is the only organ that can work independently.

Meaning you can take it out of the body and it can function completely on its own. This system is called the enteric nervous system and it dictates what goes on in the gut. How interesting is that! There are only a few ways to engage its action. The easiest is the infamous Castor Oil Pack for Liver, and this will be our focus in this article.

 

The Issue of Compliance with Castor Oil Packs

If you’ve been prescribed Castor Oil Packs, you are probably cringing right now. You know all too well the expectation that your practitioner had for you to do them, but they are just too much of a hassle and too messy to do. I know exactly what you’re feeling because I’ve been there too.

That’s what stopped me for years from doing the Castor Oil Pack for Liver. It was something that I was told to do for years by not one, but many people… doctors, health food store owners, people who had years and years of natural health expertise. I wouldn’t listen. Only because I was lazy and didn’t have the time. I know you are feeling that way too, and that’s ok! It’s human nature, after all, to do that which is of the least effort.

Pooping Problems

I was seriously suffering hardcore with gut issues. I’d go from diarrhea to constipation, to major bloating and gas. Like many of you, I was in a constant state of crap in my guts.

I would be told that I had microbiome issues, small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), food allergies, anxiety, depression, hormonal dysregulation, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and fatty liver. You name it, I was told that I had it, and above all, I had MAJOR pooping problems.

 

When You’re Doing Everything ‘Right’ But Still Feel Like Crap

I was addressing all of these things with my naturopath but it didn’t make sense because here I was, doing all the ‘right’ things but still feeling like crap. I was taking good quality supplements, probiotics, digestive enzymes, magnesium, I would even go as far as laxatives from time to time because my constipation would get so bad. I was eating the right foods and exercising, but for some reason, it wasn’t fitting the bill.

I remember vividly, the worst 10 days where I didn’t go poo once. I was literally beside myself, I felt soooo horrible in my own skin. I remember searching out for a way to manually extract my poo!

 

My First Castor Oil Pack

After weeks of constipation, I became super sick and decided that I was finally going to try this  self-care practice that EVERYONE had told me to do. I made myself my own Castor Oil Pack and tried it.

Wow, was my response. It changed my world from the first moment that I put it on my body. I was already feeling better, more relaxed and well in my body. I felt. For a long time, it was like I just wasn’t feeling anything, I didn’t feel present in my system. I know it sounds weird but I was dealing with so much discomfort, that I felt completely disconnected from my body.

You see, it’s easier to look for an escape. It’s no surprise that when you’re dealing with an irritable bowel, anxiety, and depression are usually a result. Some say it is the cause, my belief is it goes deeper than that.

 

Historical Use of Castor Oil Packs

Castor Oil Packs ended up being my saving grace. I’m not surprised, as I began my research and found that this practice dates back to biblical times. It is mentioned in the ancient Chinese and Indian medical texts as well as practiced by the ancient Mediterranean and Egyptian cultures.

Castor Oil Packs are not the new kids on the block, rather, they are the most important tool that fundamentally supports all other wellness practices. No other self-care tool is quite like the Castor Oil Pack and the beauty of it is that now it’s easy, and it can be done in the comfort of your home.

 

Innovative Castor Oil Pack Design

Necessity is the instigator of the invention. I know myself and I’m pretty sure you know yourself too. When something is difficult, time-consuming, or a plain old hassle, it takes a superhuman effort to get it done. When I was told to do the Castor Oil Pack, I would look at the process and snark, “There is no way that I’m going to do that, forget it! I’m busy, I’ve got too much on the go.”

It took me hitting rock bottom, feeling like I was “never gonna get better”. It took years of naturopathic school, to finally believe that it was good for every condition. It took me grabbing the bull by its horns and creating a pack that made the process simple, easy and less messy, otherwise, I was never going to keep it up.

The Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Pack for Liver was born. Simply apply oil to the cotton compress side and tie it onto the body over the liver. Get your very own Castor Oil Pack Kit here!

 

How Castor Oil Packs Help Alleviate Constipation?

1. Castor Oil Packs may help move the smooth muscle of our body


Smooth muscle is only in select parts of the body, notably the digestive system/gut, including the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. It is in the uterus as well.

The other muscles of our body that you’re familiar with, like the biceps and triceps are made of what is called striated muscle. Smooth muscle works via signals of PG3— what is known as an eicosanoid.

You are likely familiar with it because when you take fish oils to get your omega 3s, those are also eicosanoids. In a nut shell, they are messengers in the body (like carrier pigeons) that tell certain body parts to do something. When you take fish oils, you tell your body to reduce inflammation.

When you do a Castor Oil Pack, you absorb Castor Oil through the skin that may tell the smooth muscle of the intestine to move. Movement in the intestine is known as peristalsis. This is a rhythmic movement, like a dance that propels the contents of the intestine down so it can be eliminated. In the stomach it mixes things, in the intestine, it moves things around to absorb and then to eliminate what we don’t need. The nice thing with the Castor Oil Pack is that it helps regulate this dance.

They may make you go to the bathroom and have an excellent bowel movement. One study in an old age home showed that Castor Oil Packs worked just as well as laxatives without the uncomfortable gas, bloating, and harsh urgency and patients felt more satisfied and fully evacuated3. This one thing that Castor Oil Packs do is incredibly important.

**Please note that Castor Oil Packs are not recommended if you are pregnant or may be pregnant because of the uterus also being smooth muscle4,5,6

2. Castor Oil Packs may help break down biofilm

Biofilm is a protective barrier created by bacteria on mucous membranes. You probably know of these gut bugs as probiotics, which is what we call them when they are beneficial for the body. When they are not good for our health, I have coined them “conbiotics”. Probiotics help us because they create nutrients for our body like B vitamins.

The conbiotics on the other hand, use up our bodies’ resources, they don’t make our vitamins, they create byproducts and gases that actually slow down peristalsis, making us constipated.

The more virulent conbiotics are the worst because of protective biofilm that they can create to stop us from killing them. In Lyme disease, as an example, the bacteria Borrelia is transmitted via ticks. It is known for creating a destructive biofilm that is very difficult to break down. People who are dealing with Lyme disease may find Castor Oil Packs beneficial, as they are one of the tools that may help them to reset their microbiome.

The research shows that Castor Oil, compared to other chemical agents that break down biofilm, outperforms in vivo (in the human body)7,8,9. We need to have a healthy microbiome to have good bowel movements!

Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Pack are the most recommended remedy for constipation

3. Castor Oil Packs may help with good bowel movements

Stress does not allow you to have healthy bowel movements because it tenses up the parts of the body that need to be relaxed to work.

The intestines and bowels are regulated and working well in a relaxed state. You can take all the fluids, fiber, probiotics and digestive enzymes you want but if your body doesn’t know how to switch into the relaxed state for peristalsis and relaxation of the lower sphincter, you are a duck out of luck. For me, stress was severely impacting my bowels and regularity.

Castor Oil Packs may work via the nervous system by stimulating the nerves in the skin10,11. But this only works when you wear the pack. This is probably the most important action. Improving the microbiome and getting the smooth muscle to function won’t matter if your lower sphincter can’t relax enough to let go! The topical application of a Castor Oil Pack is exactly for that, to “LET GO”.

4. Castor Oil Packs may help recycle/preserve glutathione

We all know that cleansing is important, and there is one molecule known as glutathione that stands out among all of the antioxidants. It cleans and protects the body, and helps to detox heavy metals.12

It is well known that heavy metals impact our bodies in a variety of ways, inhibiting the immune system, therefore aiding and abetting to an unhealthy microbiome. They impact our hormonal system and detrimentally affect the nervous system. Glutathione is well known to be an antioxidant that in this day and age is in lower concentrations in our bodies because of the physiological demand due to industrialized pollution.

There are very few ways to get glutathione. It is found in whey protein (which I don’t prefer since it is dairy based and for those that have an irritable bowel it is just plain torture), rooibos tea (well known for its antioxidant effects), or oral supplementation (the jury is out on whether or not glutathione is absorbed well via supplements).

Supplementing with magnesium and NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) may help as they are precursors to glutathione. The other way is via IV therapy, known as a glutathione push. Recent research demonstrated that Castor Oil may improve the recycling of glutathione in the lenses of rats, greater than even a solution of glutathione13. This is very impressive; Castor Oil Packs may also support antioxidant status14.

5. Castor Oil may help balance inflammation

When you are inflamed in your intestines, it becomes very difficult to go to the bathroom. Castor Oil Packs may help balance inflammation15,16, allowing for smooth passage of stools out of the body.

It’s amazing that this wellness practice can be such aid for those that suffer from constipation. Constipation contributes to more serious conditions and diseases and if something is not done, your body can be severely damaged in the long term. A system that can’t eliminate waste backs up, and the back up is the cause of many problems.

No different than when your garbage removal goes on strike or the sewer back ups, that is always bad news. Now you have the tools at your disposal to make it all better!

Time to act.

xoxoxo

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Click here for references

1. Gershon, Michael D. The Second Brain. HarperCollins World, 1999.

2. 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 receptorsProc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 5; 109(23): 9179–9184. Published online 2012 May 21. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109PMID: 22615395

3. 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.

4. Gao J1, Sun N, Wang F.[Effects of castor oil-diet on the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 in pregnant rats].[Article in Chinese] Zhonghua Fu Chan Ke Za Zhi. 1999 Mar;34(3):147-9.

5. Gao J1, Sun N, Wang F, Hao N.[Effect of castor oil-diet on the initiation of labor of pregnant rat].[Article in Chinese] Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao. 1998 Oct;20(5):367-70.

6. Kelly AJ1, Kavanagh J, Thomas J. Castor oil, bath and/or enema for cervical priming and induction of labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jul 24;(7):CD003099. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003099.pub2.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

12. Jan AT, Azam M, Siddiqui K, Ali A, Choi I, Haq QM. Heavy Metals and Human Health: Mechanistic Insight into Toxicity and Counter Defense System of Antioxidants. Int J Mol Sci. 2015;16(12):29592-630. Published 2015 Dec 10. doi:10.3390/ijms161226183

13.  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. eCollection 2013.

14. Kennedy D and Keaton D. Evidence for the Topical Application of Castor Oil: A Systematic Review. CCNM. Presentation 2010 AANP

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

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

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