How to Heal from the Smoke

With the tragic wildfires in California and in our own backyard in Utah, breathing smoke and toxic air into our bodies for months has been unavoidable, not to mention interfering with so many cherished outdoor activities.

If you’ve been feeling sluggish and fatigued, or have headaches, nausea, emotional imbalance, or throat and respiratory discomfort – these are all common symptoms you could experience for weeks to come even after the smoke has cleared.  Here are a few recommendations to help detoxify your lungs and support your immunity before cold and flu season.

• Drink LOTS of water. Smoke inhalation causes microscopic particles to get trapped in your lungs and move into your bloodstream. Water helps flush these particles from your system so aim to increase your water intake to 10-12 8-oz glasses of pure, filtered water every day.

• Increase hot liquid intake. When there is a decrease in air quality, it can cause the cilium in your lung cells to stop moving effectively to flush out irritants. Hot liquids like tea and soups can encourage this movement and promote mucous and saliva, which often contain high levels of contaminants that need to come out of your system.

• Consume antioxidant-rich foods and beverages. To support increased detoxification and also protect from damage to organs, a clean, green diet is optimal right now. Increase your intake of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like arugula, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, collard greens, turnip greens, wasabi, and watercress. See the delicious Detox Soup Recipe below for some menu ideas. You may want to consider doing a 10-21 day Standard Process whole foods cleanses that include protein powder and special supplements that will help detox and clear your system and also encourage focused healthier eating habits.

• Increase glutathione with foods, herbs and supplements. Glutathione in the body supports the production of cellular energy and can help protect your DNA from oxidative damage (a common side effect of smoke exposure). Many whole foods have been shown to naturally increase glutathione levels, including raw milk and eggs, liver, chickpeas, seaweeds, avocados, beets and asparagus. Herbs and spices promoting glutathione production include milk thistle, burdock, holy basil, rooibos, turmeric, curcumin, cinnamon, cardamon.

• Ginger is also a fabulous, natural detoxifier. Not only does it contain chemical compounds that help the lungs function, ginger improves blood circulation. Resveratrol found in foods such as grapes, blueberries, and cranberries and quercetin, a flavonoid found in plant foods such as apples and onions will decrease inflammation and increase glutathione and antioxidant enzymes. Also now is the time to up your Vitamin C intake through food and supplements to support your body’s elimination of all the environmental irritants and boost your immunity. You can purchase many of these supplements at my discounted pricing and have them shipped directly to your home through Fullscript.

• Sweat and Circulate. Being stuck indoors on unhealthy air days left some with few exercise options, but I have been grateful for hot yoga classes to actively sweat out the toxins and improve my circulation. Increase the length of your aerobic workouts now that our air is clearing. Saunas, steam rooms, and epsom salt baths can also be beneficial to help you sweat and detoxify.

• Acupuncture. With a clean diet and exercise, I can also attribute my vitality during the fires to getting acupuncture treatments. Chinese medicine was designed to bring your body into equilibrium. Acupuncture can activate the lungs and help the liver and gallbladder to detoxify while supporting the organs of elimination to function more efficiently. With regular acupuncture you may also get deeper and more restful sleep, as this is the main way the body heals and detoxifies. Those of you who have come in for treatments over the past few weeks have received extra needles to help the liver and lungs discharge the smoke toxins. If you haven’t seen me in a while, now is the time for a detox treatment or herbal consult to determine what supplements can support you.

Grateful to have you in our healing community,

Amie

Green Detox Soup

A beautiful green blended soup that’s lovely with a sprinkle of cumin. This healthy soup is high in iron, calcium, potassium, vitamin K, folic acid, beta-carotene and other powerful phytonutrients.
I make it on a weekly basis!

yield 2 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
  
• 1 ½ cups spinach
  
• 1 avocado
  
• 1 stalk celery
  
• 1 clove garlic
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger root
  
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
  
• ½ cup dairy-free milk
  
• Dash cumin
  Instructions: Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend to a smooth and creamy texture.  Serve heated or room temp.