Keep smoke out of your body

“Whether you're a smoker or not, lately standing outside for any length of time is pretty much the

same as standing next to a smoker.” Thankfully, no summer has ever as smoky, or as devastating as Firestorm 2003. At least not that I can remember anyway. Any of you who lived in the Valley then would remember. It's impossible not to really. The air thick with smoke, ash falling everywhere, people lost their homes. Truly a difficult summer. And although nothing of that magnitude is happening now, from a health perspective, many of the dangers are the same.

Smoke. Once it gets into the Valley, it seems to hang around, meaning we're still breathing it in. The word, “Smokanagan” comes to mind. Honestly, right now whether you're a smoker or not, if you're outside for any length of time, you're breathing in smoke much the same as standing next to someone having a cigarette.

That smoke hovering about isn't just annoying and smelly, it's toxic and dangerous to our health. And although it can be worse for the frail and/or elderly, anyone with asthma or other lung conditions, as well as babies and young children, it affects everyone.

Don’t wait for the smoke to clear to start working on removing some of those toxins from your body. It’s a good idea to think about what you can do today to try and pull some of those toxins out and work on cleansing your lungs and your body. Particles floating around in the air, as well as those carcinogens that you can't see, are drawn into our bodies with every breath, affecting us in many different ways.

Coughing, sore throats, lack of energy, poor sleep, headaches and general malaise are some of the complaints I’ve heard.

Toxins, regardless whether we breathe them in, consume them in food, or absorb them through our skin, all create inflammation. And with inflammation being the root cause of all disease, eliminating as much of it as possible is a must.

It’s also important to note that just because you may not be experiencing any symptoms, does not mean your body is not being affected.

Everything we do to or for our bodies, and conversely even what we don't or won't do, either creates health or moves us towards disease. The negative things we do, along with the things we choose not to do that we know we should, create inflammation.

Imagine inside your body you have this bucket. Picture that bucket slowly filling up, continually. Pretty soon there's so many inflammatory bits inside it’s like that recycling bucket under the sink in your kitchen.

Eventually you can’t put one more little bit in because it starts overflowing. Think of that same thing happening inside our bodies. People who continually do healthful things to keep the bucket from overflowing likely don’t feel so bad in this smog because there’s still room in the bucket.

Their body is able to handle clearing the toxins. Maybe not all, but enough to keep you from feeling the ill effects. Others who continually live with their bucket brimming at the top will be feeling it the most.

It is important for everyone to “empty that bucket” regularly and work on keeping a good amount of room available.

So, what can we do to remove the toxins and create health? Drink water, eliminate stress, get enough sleep, eat whole, organic foods, eliminate anything packaged or processed and get up and moving your body at least 30 minutes everyday. Doing these things alone immediately reduces internal inflammation and flushes out toxins. As an added bonus, you’ll probably even lose a few pounds.

To help detox the smoke and all the chemicals that go with that we've been breathing in lately, there are a number of easy things you can do. First, when you are inside, practice deep breathing. Exercising our lungs with deep breathing helps to bring more oxygen into the blood stream and up to the brain.

This is especially important for people who sit long periods of time. As the hours go by, we tend to slouch, collapsing our bodies forward, bringing the ribs in close around the lungs, causing shallow breathing and restricting oxygen.

Sit tall or stand and breathe deeply, in for four counts, hold slightly at the top, out for six to eight counts, hold slightly at the bottom and repeat. Be sure to exhale. Diffusing or spraying good quality essential oils around the house will help to clear the lungs. Peppermint or eucalyptus are great.

Incorporating more cleansing type and high antioxidant foods helps the body to flush out and detoxify as well. Chewing on peppermint leaves is easy. Spices like ginger, turmeric and cinnamon are rich in antioxidants and work to reduce inflammation. I brew a pot of hot water with a half fresh lemon, squeezed, chunk of fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, 1/3 tsp turmeric and let it steep. Add a tablespoon of honey for the pot if you need it sweeter.

Add supplements such as activated carbon or charcoal as well as things that promote nitric oxide production. Nitric oxide is key to restoring and improving circulation. The added benefit is increased nutrient uptake, improved immune function and increased energy. I got my activated charcoal at Nature's Fare and order my Nitro Extreme Fx online.

When we remove toxins and inflammation, replace them with healthy alternatives and enhance with appropriate supplements, people live longer, stronger, better lives.