By Heidi Iratcabal, ND, PhD

Weight loss can be frustrating at times. Sometimes, even with a healthy diet and regular exercise, fat can seem to stick stubbornly to your body. If you are frustrated with your inability to lose weight, it may be because your body is holding onto fat and using it to collect toxins. In this case, a healthy diet and regular exercise may not be enough to get you over the weight loss hurdle. Cleansing your body of the toxins can help rid your body of stubborn, hard to lose fat.

Toxins enter our bodies through certain foods, especially processed foods, the environment and even household cleaning supplies. Our bodies are designed to wrap fat around dangerous toxins, which means you could have a difficult time actually losing excess fat.

Toxicity comes in many forms, so even if you’re eating healthy and exercising, your body may still be collecting toxins and therefore hanging onto stored fat. A natural, detoxifying cleanse will alter your diet enough to help your body eliminate those toxins.

Are you ready to lose those last few pounds? Beginning Thursday, March 1, 2012, Center of Health will offer a natural detox program to teach you the healthy way to detox, and we will walk alongside you while you go through your cleanse.

Our detox program involves altering the diet by removing processed foods and other foods that aid in toxicity and replacing them with therapeutic grade, organic foods, supplements and therapeutic grade nutritional powders that enhance the detox process and assist the body in healing. As part of this program, you will receive a one-on-one consult with Dr. Iratcabal, and Center of Health will offer monthly meetings, encouraging the “buddy system” for increased success.

Whether you choose a 14-day plan for $224 or our 21-day plan costs $325, the cost to you includes a one-on-one consult with Dr. Iratcabal. Pricing may very depending on each person’s individual needs.

Weight loss may be your primary goal, but a natural cleanse will also reduce or eliminate other symptoms related to arthritis, heart disease, hormone imbalance, kidney disease, liver disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer, depression, headaches, fatigue, increased PMS symptoms, insomnia and acne.

Get rid if stubborn fat by cleansing your body of toxins through a natural detox program.

Heidi Iratcabal, ND, PhD is a naturopathic practitioner. She is board certified by the American Alternative Medical Association and a member of both the American Holistic Health Association and the National Association of Laser Therapy. A former athlete and teacher, she opened the Center of Health in 1994. She focuses on the treatment of chronic disease and pain, functional endocrinology, hormone balancing and athletic performance, and the slow breakdown of the body systems. Learn more at www.centerofhealthdallas.com.

By Heidi Iratcabal, ND, PhD

Did you make a resolution to lost weight or eat healthier in 2012? If so, what you may not know is that eating less will benefit more than just your weight.

Overeating and obesity can lead to early aging in the brain and make you more susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Eating a strict diet with fewer calories can actually help keep your brain young!

When the theory was tested on animals, animals that were put on a strict diet lived longer, had greater cognitive abilities and were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Testing this on humans however is more difficult, as it would take an entire lifespan to determine if humans actually live longer when they eat less.

Italian researchers made a breakthrough when they discovered a molecule in the human brain that responds positively to caloric restriction. The molecule, CREB1, regulates memory, learning, anxiety control and other brain functions. It also activates genes that are linked to longevity and efficient functioning of the brain. This molecule is essentially turned on by a restricted diet.

So far, researchers have found that it requires an extremely restricted diet to see the benefits at work in the brain. It may be difficult for many people to reduce daily caloric intake to the extreme. But what is important to note about this news is that our bodies are designed to respond well to healthy, natural diets. Our ancestors may have lived longer because they didn’t have access to so much high-calorie, processed foods.

When you find yourself struggling to maintain your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight this year, remember you could actually be extending not only your life but also the overall health of your brain. A healthy lifestyle could help prevent not only heart disease but diseases of the brain as well. Find motivation in these new, additional benefits!

Heidi Iratcabal, ND, PhD is a naturopathic practitioner. She is board certified by the American Alternative Medical Association and a member of both the American Holistic Health Association and the National Association of Laser Therapy. A former athlete and teacher, she opened the Center of Health in 1994. She focuses on the treatment of chronic disease and pain, functional endocrinology, hormone balancing and athletic performance, and the slow breakdown of the body systems. Learn more at www.centerofhealthdallas.com.