Community Magazine April 2012

SPRINGTIME LIVER CLEANSE The liver is our largest metabolic organ, and has to process everything we put into the body, including drugs, medications, food additives, and pollution in the water and air. The liver also aids in digestion, assimilation, elimination and detoxification, and filters out unwelcome invaders that can create illness. When the body is overloaded, the liver is one of the primary places the body can store waste products and toxins until they can be processed. Many things can hamper the liver’s cleansing ability, including high fat diets, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol intake, large quantities of pharmaceutical drugs, and stress. Congestion of the liver can produce physical and emotional symptoms including high cholesterol, headaches, poor digestion, low blood sugar, eye problems, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, dizziness, chronic indigestion, skin conditions, depression, irritability, lack of motivation and restlessness, to name just a few. There are many ways to approach cleansing the liver. Some therapies take anywhere from three days to several weeks and include strict diets or juice fasting, drinking herbal teas or tinctures, special exercise, acupuncture, and aromatherapy. Simple ways to help support the liver daily are by eating a diet rich in fresh green vegetables. The best ones are cabbage, broccoli, leeks, spinach and other greens, leaf lettuce such as Romaine and red leaf lettuce, celery, green onions, carrots, green lentils, green split peas, artichokes, chicory root, beets, and carrots. Also eat plenty of fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices. The best choices are grapefruit, orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, apple, and light berries such as strawberries. Drinking a cup of lemon water first thing in the morning is a simple and helpful way to support good liver function. Foods to avoid in general, and especially if we want to aid our liver, are fatty foods, fast foods, junk foods, processed foods and alcohol. Many teas for liver cleansing are available pre-packaged at health food stores. Some of the best herbs to use in teas are Milk thistle, Stinging Nettle, Dandelion Leaves, Spearmint, Red clover and Burdock Root. According to Jewish wisdom, spring is a season of rejuvenation, and the liver is considered a rejuvenating organ because it is constantly cleaning the blood. That’s why this spring is an ideal time to help cleanse and rejuvenate your liver, so it may continue to serve your body for many years to come. Rabbi Moshe Rafael Sror is the founder and director of the Rambam Institute and College of Jewish Medicine in Safed, Israel, and a doctor of natural medicine. www.rambam.co.il • moshe@rambam.co.il 718-807-9643 • 011-972-4-6923450 Ancient Jewish Medicine Based on the teachings of Rambam By Rabbi Moshe Rafael Sror TEENS ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TOCONCUSSIONS Teenagers with sports-related head injuries had working memory problems for up to a year after accidents, according to researchers at the University of Montreal. The affected areas of mental functioning include those which are necessary for math, reading and learning. The study, which was published in the journal Brain Injury, follows similar studies on the long-term repercussions of concussions among professional athletes that have found links between injuries and dementia. Mildly traumatic brain injuries occur when the head speeds up or slows down rapidly, causing the brain to move in the skull. Symptoms include headaches, confusion and amnesia. Researchers advise parents and coaches to be aware of the danger of concussions, and work to make sports safer for teens. VITAMIND IMPORTANT IN PREGNANCY Previous studies have linked low vitamin D levels during pregnancy to weaker bones, asthma and poor growth in children, but new researcher found that although the risk of emotional or behavioral issues was the same regardless of vitamin D level, those with the least D were more likely to have a child with a language impairment. The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggest a link between the vitamin and brain development in the baby. However, the findings may also be linked to obesity, as pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with low levels of vitamin D, and obese mothers are more likely to have kids with cognitive delays. COLONCANCER SCREENINGS NOT HAPPENING A third of adults in the U.S. between ages 50 and 75 have not undergone the recommended screening for colorectal cancer according to findings by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Colorectal cancer usually comes from precancerous growths, which, if found early through colonoscopy exams, can be removed before they become cancerous. All adults should be screened at age 50, and then again every decade, while those with a family history or other risk factors should start screenings at age 40. NISAN 5772 APRIL 2012 91