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 relieve constipation and stress with Castor Oil Packs

How to relieve constipation and stress with Castor Oil Packs

How to relieve constipation and stress with Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs

How to relieve constipation and stress with Castor Oil Packs

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

Est. reading time: 7 minutes.

Constipation is stressful, would you agree? Or what about:

  •  Bloating
  •  Gas
  •  Diarrhea
  •  Anxiety
  •  Can’t sleep

Do any of these sound like you?

I’ve been there! I suffered with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for years. Being stressed and constipated was normal for me, until I found relief with the ancient health practice of castor oil packs and the WHY behind it all.

Did you know that if you sleep better, have better digestion, and reduce stress, your health would be drastically different? I didn’t know this then, but now it all makes sense.

The more anxious I was, the less likely I’d be to have a bowel movement. At that time I thought my constipation was a stand alone issue. All I wanted was to feel relaxed and ‘normal’, but it seemed impossible. Have you ever felt this way? It’s not your fault, because bodies often have a mind of their own.

What finally relieved my constipation and stress?

When I actually understood how closely connected my stress and digestion was, I figured out how to give my body the reset it needed so that I could have:

  •  Better stools
  •  Better sleep
  •  Less stress

After years of suffering, castor oil packs opened my eyes to how gut health goes beyond just the gut and that sometimes our bodies need a total reset and that’s ok! Health begins in the gut, which is why castor oil packs are one of the gems for a balanced digestive health.

How did I know I should try a castor oil pack?

For years, I thought I was doing everything ‘right’. Taking the right supplements, seeing a naturopathic doctor, exercising, eating healthy, but still struggling with going to the bathroom. Can you relate? I was so used to being constipated that it became ‘normal’ for me, know what I mean? Be gentle with yourself if you relate.

I hit my lowest point and became so sick that I couldn’t even get out of bed for a week, so I took the leap and made my own castor oil pack after ignoring this suggestion for years.

How does the castor oil pack relieve stress and constipation?

As soon as I put on that Castor Oil Pack I felt what relaxed was supposed to feel like and then I was finally able to have that long awaited bowel movement. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?

You see, once my body was in a naturally relaxed state, I was able to naturally eliminate the build up of stools, it felt like a ton of bricks finally being freed from my stomach.

The 2 main ways the castor oil pack restored my gut

My gut was SO tense and contracted. The actual castor oil pack being placed on my abdomen worked with my stress and anxiety instead of fighting against it.

Yes, castor oil packs were 100% transformative for me, but I also needed to understand the 3 keys to gut health (better stools, better sleep and less stress) and how the castor oil pack worked with the 3 keys.

To my amazement, research showed that it supported the 5 fundamental pillars of health that just happen to spell out F-A-I-T-H.

Out of all these wonderful benefits, the ‘F’ and the ’T’ are the most important.

F: Function of the Digestive Tract.
Studies have shown that castor oil packs help to relieve constipation1 and improve the smooth muscle function of the digestive tract, in turn supporting better absorption and elimination.

T: Tension and Stress Reduction.
The soft compression of the pack on the skin stimulates sensory receptors that help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, our ‘rest and digest’ state. The compress promotes production of our feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine2, as well as our love and connection hormone, oxytocin3.

FAITH on Queen of the Thornes Castor Oil products

My castor oil pack gave me back the FAITH that my body could heal and find relief from chronic constipation and a way to naturally relax.

It was kind of like getting a back massage for the first time, my stomach was relaxing and shedding all the food waste that needed to come out. And even better, I was less stressed and I was even sleeping better!

Can’t you just drink castor oil to relieve constipation?

When you actually drink castor oil it’ll make you go to the bathroom, but in a really rough and fast way. With this in mind, it’s an excellent stimulant laxative when taken by mouth but it doesn’t stay in you long enough to put your stomach in a relaxed state and that is one of the most important keys.

My key to freedom from constipation and stress: castor oil packs

You see, tension and stress inhibit our bodies’ natural ability to cleanse, have a bowel movement and relax. Trust me, I’ve been there without my castor oil pack and let me tell you, that’s a story worth reading.

It’s not that I needed my stress to disappear, I needed to have a system to naturally relax and release all the garbage (yes, stools!). 

This is why I want to share this new opportunity with you, an opportunity to get your body into that relaxed state, the way it’s meant to be!

I’m definitely not perfect and still have stress in my life, but I now have a system that pulls me out of the evil cycle all thanks to the castor oil pack.

Reach the freedom of relaxation with Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Packs

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. 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

2. 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

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 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

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 Optimize Cleansing & Detoxification with Castor Oil Packs

How to Optimize Cleansing & Detoxification with Castor Oil Packs

How to Optimize Cleansing and Detoxification with Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs

How to Optimize Cleansing & Detoxification with Castor Oil Packs

Written by: Dr. Marisol Teijeiro, N.D. (inactive) Marisol Teijeiro Queen of the Thrones Dr. Marisol Teijeiro (inactive) N.D.
Dr. Marisol Teijeiro N.D. (inactive) is an award-winning author and founder of Queen of the Thrones® line of products including the original less-mess Castor Oil Pack. She helps people all over the world stress less and take dominion of their lives. She’s been featured on various TV programs including nationally syndicated shows Bloom & Daytime, as well as The Marilyn Denis Show in Canada. Her life’s mission is to help people connect their body, mind, and soul for infinite health.
Full bio

Medically reviewed by: Victoria Williams R.H.N.

Est. reading time: 16 minutes.

When I first heard about cleansing I was under the impression that it was just a fad. A trend that would soon disappear. Something that Gwyneth Paltrow or the latest Hollywood starlet was promoting. When I began my journey and dove deep into the science and learning of what natural medicine truly is, I fell in love with the ways that natural-focused caregivers activate the healing powers of the body, known as the “vis” in naturopathic medicine.

I soon realized that cleansing and detoxification practices are not a new-age Hollywood hippie thing. In fact, their roots date back to before biblical times. Basically to the beginning of the conscious human!

There is evidence in historical texts, in the literature of practices since the time of Hippocrates, the father of medicine. It is no wonder that this specialization in functional medicine is taking on a whole new science-based appreciation.

More and more practitioners are realizing the benefit of incorporating this wellness routine into their practice.

They help with rebalancing the system, whether you are suffering from a hormonal problem, a digestive issue, or any of the other hundreds of labels given to problems in the body.

What is the Difference Between Body Cleansing and Detoxification?

 

To begin, I think it is really important to understand and define the terminology.  I am often confused, as I know you are too, by the manner in which people use the terms cleansing and detoxification. Are they interchangeable?  Do they mean the same thing?  Which one should I be doing?

Let’s start by clarifying these uber important terms and then delving into the 5 most important keys to re-engaging these vital life-promoting, disease-destroying functions of our glorious bodies.  Then I’ll share my favorite tool that jumpstarts these functions in our bodies.

Cleansing is the ability for our bodies to eliminate waste created in our systems by the foods we eat, our natural metabolic processes and what we accumulate just by living on planet earth. 

What are the Cleansing Pathways of the Body??

DIscover with Queen of the Thrones what are the cleansing pathways of your body

Our most important cleansing pathways include:

1. Stools – Your poo is the primary vehicle for the elimination of leftovers/roughage from your food.  The majority of stools consists of bacteria, as well as fat soluble substances such as cholesterol, toxins of all types including heavy metals like mercury and lead, and excess hormones like estrogen.

2. Urine – A primary vehicle that eliminates what the stools cannot, often excesses of heavy metals and other substances such as uric acid.

3. Sweat –  A secondary elimination pathway.  This pathway should be encouraged if stools and urine are functioning optimally.  People will often note worsening body odour if they are having problems with constipation.  This is because the genius of our bodies will always search for a way to get the things out that are no good for us.

4. Breath – Breath is well known for the elimination of carbon dioxide.

5. Periods – For women, our periods are a vehicle for elimination of toxicity.  It is researched that women in menopause, after losing their periods, are more toxic and will experience hot flashes as an adaptation to continue elimination.

What are the Detoxification Sites of the Body?

Detoxification on the other hand, is the metabolic transformation of a substance, usually from one thing into another.  It occurs mainly in the following places in the body: 

Find out with Queen of the Thrones what are the Detox sites of your body
1. Liver – Phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification help to package and transform substances that are not easy to eliminate via the cleansing pathways.

2. Kidneys – Part of phase 3 of detoxification, where further filtration occurs.

3. Mucous Membranes – Part of phase 3 of detoxification, this is most predominate in the gut. Phase 3 is the final stage of detoxification before cleansing.

4. Various cells in the body – All aid in the detoxification process.

Both cleansing and detoxification are deeply connected.  They are both extremely inhibited by 5 occurrences that can happen in our bodies.

What Causes my Reduced Ability to Cleanse & Detoxify?

1. Stress  – This is the #1 problem for the body, and unfortunately, because we live in today’s industrialization era we are bombarded. The body doesn’t differentiate stressors as chemical, emotional or physical. It puts all stress into the same mixing pot.

So you could be having an altercation with your mother-in-law, be exposed to high levels of pollutants, or injure your leg. All of these instances would cause stress and significantly inhibit your ability to transform (detox) and eliminate (cleanse).

Stress is now being touted as the #1 cause of disease in the modern world.  Something very interesting to note for women with hormonal problems, specifically those with estrogen dominance; is that with increasing stress, our adrenals produce increased cortisol.

Increased cortisol depletes your progesterone levels, which can leave you with a relative progesterone deficiency.  This can severely aggravate estrogen dominance related issues such as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

2. Inflammation – Has also been pointed out as a villain, A.K.A. the ‘silent killer’ in modern medicine and it’s no surprise. When we have high inflammation we also experience elevated levels of acidity in our bodies. Ironically, inflammation is a purposeful mechanism that helps us heal.

Hippocrates stated, “Give me the power to create inflammation and I will heal every disease.” However, too much of a good thing can damage us. Inflammation is purposefully destructive, to actually help rebuild our tissues.

But when the fire of inflammation gets out of control because there is too much junk to burn, that’s when we start having problems. The body often responds with trying to control the fire by adding water.

The result is we get bloated, we may also experience weight gain, often in the central core of our bodies. For others this may translate to excessive aches and pains in the joints. And for others, mood can be greatly affected because the inflammation impacts their neurological system. It all depends on your unique biology and weak areas.

3. Lack of Antioxidants – Antioxidants protect our cells against damage from toxic substances, and they help to clear them out of the body. Glutathione is known as the master detoxification agent. We are constantly exposed to thousands of toxins – in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the products we put onto our bodies. Glutathione helps to move most (if not all) of these harmful substances OUT.

4. Inability to Eliminate – When you can’t eliminate properly, recirculation of toxins happens. Constipation is a huge issue in our society. We should be going each and every day, the length of our elbow to our wrist bone. If we aren’t eliminating this much, our stools are sitting in the body holding waste materials that are reabsorbed and a source of repollution to our system.

What Causes my Reduced Ability to Cleanse & Detoxify?

The 4 problems listed above – stress, inflammation, lack of antioxidants and problems with elimination – are underlying issues in so many conditions. If you have a hormonal, immune or nervous system problem, it is possible that these issues exist somewhere in your body, dependant on your individual physiology and your weak zones.

As a result, Castor Oil Packs  are often recommended by natural wellness practitioners to support body cleansing and detox.

What are the Main Modes of Action of Castor Oil Packs for Body Cleansing and Detox?

Discover the benefits of Castor Oil Packs for detox with Queen of the Thrones

1. Castor Oil Packs help you to get into a pause state

Stress, as mentioned above, is touted as being the #1 cause of dis-ease in the body. The ‘pause’, A.K.A. parasympathetic state, is difficult in this day and age because we are bombarded with daily to-do’s that can feel out of our control.

Like an Olympian athlete, to perform well we must practice. As a whole, we are out of practice on the relaxed state. It can be difficult to find things that are quick and easy to help us reset, or that don’t involve another person. A hug, massage, acupuncture treatment, reiki, all require the presence of another person. It’s difficult to schedule all these appointments.

Queen of the Thrones® Castor Oil Packs are an easy, at-home wellness practice that feel like a warm hug on the body. If done daily, the gentle compression may help retrain the body into the pause state1,2. The pause is the only place that we heal. It is the panacea, the Eden on earth. All of the body’s cleansing functions are NATURALLY turned ON in the relaxed, pause state. All you need to do is make sure that you have sufficient vitamins and minerals to drive these metabolic processes and you’re good to go!
 
Castor Oil Packs, if done daily, may additionally help you to better absorb all the nutrients from your food and the supplements you take because they may help support your digestion and absorption.3,4,5 
So instead of absorbing 10% of your supplements in a stressed state, you would get 70-80% in the pause state (this is an estimation). Practicing the pause is extremely important and required for a healthy, happy life. Gratitude is another easy way to engage the pause.

Empower yourself with Queen of the Thornes Gratitude bracelet

(Royal Tip: Use the Queen of the Thrones® Tiger’s Eye Gratitude Bracelet before meals help support your parasympathetic state, which may help you to digest better. Simply recite 3 things you are grateful for while staring into the tiger’s eye stones of the bracelet. Tigers eye stone helps balance the 3rd, Solar Plexus chakra, while the black obsidian Dung Beetle stone balances the 1st, Root chakra. The dung beetle is also a symbol of transformation and rebirth – it has the dirty job of rolling dung day in and day out. But planted in the dung is the seed of the lotus flower. The daily grind of rolling dung creates the most beautiful symbols of eternity, and flourishing life. The bracelet is a simple reminder to stay on your grind and your life will flourish!)

2. Castor Oil Packs may help with inflammation

When we are inflamed, our bodies are acidic. The enzymes in our bodies, which are the keys to the lock that turn on metabolism, don’t function properly in an acidic environment. They require an alkaline environment. One study demonstrated that Castor Oil has anti-inflammatory propertiessimilar to capsaicin from cayenne pepper6, but without a rubefacient (reddening) effect.

Castor Oil is almost identical in chemical structure to the body’s natural anti-inflammatory prostaglandin Ep3. Coincidence? Unlikely. Like I mentioned earlier, inflammation is like fire, and what does a firefighter do to put out a fire? They put water on it. Central abdominal bloating and weight gain are often caused because our body sends water to the site of inflammation to ‘put out the fire’.

3. Castor Oil Packs may help preserve glutathione status

Glutathione is the master detoxification agent of the body. Unfortunately, it is quickly depleted and its depletion is in part the cause of many chronic diseases including autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Glutathione is difficult to replete because there are not many food sources. One source is whey protein, but I do not typically favor it because it’s dairy. Rooibos tea is another source, which you may love adding to your tea cabinet. Glutathione can be supplemented via IV, and NAC and magnesium supplementation can help (although the effectiveness is debatable). Bottom line is it is not easy to get.

Castor Oil was compared to a solution of glutathione in ocular lenses in rats, and was found to be more effective at preserving the glutathione levels than the actual glutathione solution7. The researchers hypothesized the opposite. Huge win for Castor Oil! Glutathione is an antioxidant that packages toxins and pulls them out of the body, and that’s why we get depleted so easily. It is vital to keep us healthy and young, our gut mucous membrane strong, our thyroid functioning optimally and many other essential functions. Castor Oil Packs may help with this very basic protection of your body, and the elimination of toxic substances.

4. Castor Oil Packs may help move the bowels

Our #1 process of the body, (not the #2!) are our bowel movements. If you can’t eliminate your waste products, you die. Bottom line. You self-intoxicate, a very unhappy death. Remember those anti-inflammatory prostaglandins that Castor Oil mimicks? Well these are the same ones that attach onto the receptors of smooth muscle in the body, namely the gut and uterus. 

This physical smooth muscle function moves things out of the body and Castor Oil Packs may help move the bowels to stimulate it8,9. They also help via reduction of the stress response.

5. Castor Oil Packs may help to balance the microbiome

The microbiome is now being referred to as its own organ. This bacterial, extracorporeal organ helps to keep a tight balance on our wellbeing. When it’s off we are.

Biofilm is a big bad barrier that bad bacteria can produce in the microbiome. It keeps the conbiotics™ (bad bugs) in, and the probiotics (good bugs) out. This causes serious stress on the body, therefore inhibiting cleansing and detoxification.

The microbiome is discussed frequently as being the center of what creates our health. But what really creates our health is the ability to keep a balanced body ecology (environment) that prevents buildups like biofilm from existing. This is possible over time with good food, good practices like your Castor Oil Pack, and more.

Probiotic supplementation is also a must to balance out conbiotics™. Biofilm prevents this, but Castor Oil may help break down biofilm10,11 supporting the microbiome in a very simple way, requiring less probiotics. In combination with a good diet, adequate fluid intake (water/tea), flow (urine, poop) mindset and movement, Castor Oil Packs are one of the cornerstones to living a legendary life.

What Goes In, Must Come Out

In summary, what goes in must come out.  Otherwise, game over!  We are healthy if we can digest, absorb and eliminate.  The key is to move into the parasympathetic state, the pause, as often as possible and to practice until it is toned.  It is then that the microbiome can be maintained, the response to food is adequate and our body temples are nourished.  Poop is perfect. 

It is possible to achieve a state of no brain fog, feeling good in your skin, happy in your head and empowered in your lifestyle.  It’s your time to know your poo and own your throne.  Join the movement, so we all have improvement.

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. 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.

2. Rolls ET, O’Doherty J, Kringelbach ML, Francis S, Bowtell R, McGlone F. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17.

3. Snoek SA, Verstege MI, Boeckxstaens GE, van den Wijngaard RM, de Jonge WJ The enteric nervous system as a regulator of intestinal epithelial barrier function in health and disease. Expert RevGastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Oct;4(5):637-51.

4. Keita AV, Söderholm JD. The intestinal barrier and its regulation by neuroimmune factors.Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2010 Jul;22(7):718-33. Epub 2010 Apr 9.

5. Kraneveld AD, Rijnierse A, Nijkamp FP, Garssen J.Neuro-immune interactions in inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome: future therapeutic targets. Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 May 13;585(2-3):361-74. Epub 2008 Mar 18.

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

7. Holm T1, 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.

8. Tunaru S1, Althoff TF, Nüsing RM, Diener M, Offermanns S. 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):9179-84. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1201627109. Epub 2012 May 21.

9. 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.

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

11. 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.

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