Cleansing

What is Cleansing?
Okay so a lot of people are a little nervous to do a cleanse, most have some awful picture of a day of diarrhea, and sitting on the toilet or massive stomach cramps... I have yet to have this experience while doing a cleanse. Our bodies actually will cleanse all on their own, but sometimes it is nice to give your body a little extra boost and do some things that will help your body cleanse a little easier. Two of the organs in our bodies are very dedicated to cleansing, the liver, and the kidneys. But many of the systems in our bodies assist in this among those are the lymphatic system, digestive system, the skin, and the lungs to name a few. Cleansing is the bodies way of getting rid of the build up of toxins we have accumulated. There are many ways that the body cleanses, sweating, urinating, defecating, and vomiting. I don't recommend vomiting voluntarily to cleanse, but when our bodies have been poisoned such as overdosing on a drug our bodies naturally vomit to try and cleanse.

Why should I cleanse?
There are many reasons for cleansing, the main one is that the world we live in today is full of toxins, from the food we eat, to the air we breath, to the water we drink. Our world is inundated with toxins that we really don't want setting up camp in our bodies. One thing to keep in mind is that our homes don't clean themselves (but imagine how nice that would be), and our bodies can't do the job on their own either. We maintain our homes on a day to day basis by doing the basic cleaning essentials such as dishes, vacuuming, making the beds, keeping up on laundry. And then a few times during the year we really clear out the clutter and do a good deep down cleaning. We need to do the same things for our bodies, there are some basic things we can do to help keep our bodies clean and healthy that we need to do on a regular basis, things such as drink plenty of water, eat nutritious foods, exercise regularly, and then take a few times each year to do a good deep cleaning. In addition to just helping your body eliminate toxins, cleansing has been said to help prevent disease, improve immune function, make the body stronger and can cause some emotional cleansing.

How long should I cleanse?
Depending on the cleanse you are doing, but a serious herbal or fasting cleanse should be done no longer than 30 days. The recommendation is that you cleanse for as many days as 2x your age or 30 days which ever is less.

Different Types of Cleanses:
There are many different types of cleanses, colon cleanses, parasite cleanses, kidney cleanses, metal cleanses, liver cleanses, and many many more. The best way to cleanse is to do a good colon cleanse first (again this is not the sit on the toilet all day long type of cleanse, or even like the icky stuff they give you before having a colonoscopy type cleanse) as this is one of the main routes of flushing toxins from the body, that and through our sweat and urine. After completing a good colon cleanse I would then proceede to cleansing other areas of the body. The experts say there are a few key times during the year to cleanse, the spring, as this is a naturally cleansing time. The foods the are on during the spring are ones that are naturally cleansing, such as strawberries and asparagus. Another time is in the fall, before we store up all that winter ick. And another great time to cleanse is with the new year.

How Do I Cleanse?
There are many ways to help the body cleanse, I think the very best are to do an herbal cleanse and exercise in addition to drinking plenty of water. Some tips to remember while cleansing, be sure to drink lots of water, have plenty of fiber in your diet, make sure you are getting probiotics and enzymes, and a good fish oil will enhance the cleansing process.

Herbs - Acacia gum, cinnamon, rhubarb root, marshmallow root, slippery elm, ginger root, fennel, cayenne, coriander, cumin, gentian, black pepper, peppermint, spearmint, and cellulase. A tradition of herbal cleansing is recorded in many ancient cultures some dating back as far as 5,000 years.

Saunas - Sweating will help to eliminate toxins, just make sure that you are consuming enough water as you do this. Saunas were developed in Finland hundreds of years ago and have been used since by people all of the world for their healing benefits. The skin is the largest major organ of elimination. The heat causes toxins to be released from cells into the lymphatic fluid and then released as sweat. Sweating helps to take the toxic load off of the kidneys and liver enabling them to function more efficiently.

Fasting - When we fast we are no longer taking in toxins through our mouths though we may still be breathing them, but this allows our body a day to just clean out. It is similar to when all the kids leave and you are home alone to just clean, you tend to get much more done. It puts the digestive organs on a little vacation since they consume greater output of energy than any other bodily process it allows the energy to be focused on healing the body. Fasting is another time honored cleansing tradition. Dating back thousands of years.

Colon Hydrotherapy - The most popular form being the enema which is and infusion of water into the anus. I am not as familiar with this form of cleansing as I have never done it myself. But there is oodles of research showing all of the many great and wonderful benefits from them.

Soaks - Bring the bath water to about 104 degrees Fahrenheit stay in the tub about 20 minutes (get out if you feel woozy) rinse off with fresh water. If you add any one of the following: baking soda, epsom salts, dead sea salts, apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, clay, oatstraw, or burdock root you will increase the effectiveness of the detox.

Essential oils - Oils such as fennel, hyssop, juniper, or melaleuca are all cleansing oils that will help to draw toxins out of the body. To use them apply them to the feet, back of the neck or any area that needs cleansing.

Skin Brushing - Body or skin brushing is another fantastic way to cleanse, this stimulates the lymphatic system. It is excellent to do prior to a bath or shower. Brush the skin before showering or bathing stroking toward the heart, gently but vigorously. Doing this helps to open the pores of the skin and increase the circulation and remove dead skin cells. It just helps it to do its job a little better.

Exercise - Exercise is a great way to continuously cleanse. When we sweat we are getting rid of toxins in our bodies. Also by moving around it helps our bodies to improve our circulation and our digestion, these both help improve the cleansing process. Exercise is the easiest(that is if you can find the motivation) and least expensive way to cleanse our bodies. Recommended exercises for cleansing include rebound exercise (this stimulates both the lymphatic system, circulatory system and digestive system), cardiovascular exercise, interval trainnig. But really the best form of exercise is the kind that you will do on a regular basis.

Healing Stones - Here is a list of healing gemstones that will help you to cleanse: Peridot, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, and Crystal Quartz.

Foot zoning and Body work - yes it helps your body cleanse to get a foot zone or a massage... how much easier does it get. By loosening toxins within the body as long as we get our water in afterward to flush them out we will get rid of toxins. This is a great way to maintain throughout the year with a monthly treatment.

Certain foods - Flax seed, Okra, Strawberries, Asparagus, green super-foods, liquid chlorophyll (can be purchased at a health food store or through me), beets, shiitake mushrooms, apples, papaya, and kifir.

How often do I have to do it?
Like I said earlier I would recommend atleast 2-3 times per year. I usually do a good herbal cleanse in the spring and fall, and then some smaller ones throughout the year and some of my tips such as body brushing, detox soaks, exercise, healing stones, and essential oils I do throughout the year. I would recommend doing the "Master Cleanse" for a couple of days prior to doing any cleanse just to help prepare the body.

What results should I expect?
I have found that each person gets a different result, which makes sense since we are all made a little differently. Some of the things I have found, weight loss, a boost in energy level, regulated digestion, better sleep, improved fertility, and cleared brain fog. While you are cleansing you may feel a little icky the first day or two in addition to a possible break out, although these seem like negative side effect they are essentially good. If you experience these symptoms, you know that you are cleansing out a lot at once.

How long before I see results?
Again this has been different for each individual that does them, some see immediate results while others finish the cleanse and have said they didn't feel much different.

Master Cleanse/lemonade diet recipe:
2 Tbs. Fresh lemon or lime juice
2 Tbs. Grade B maple syrup (this is the real stuff, not the sugary stuff we are used to)
1/10 tsp. cayanne pepper
10 oz distilled water

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. In the case of diabetes use black strap molasses in place of the maple syrup. Drink between 3 quarts to a gallon of this potion per day with no other food or drink. Do this for as long as you would like, as a cleanse or for a day or so just before you start a cleanse. There are many that swear by this cleanse and will do it for a number of days, I have never gone longer than 3 days without food. And since I am not a physician or nutritionist I cannot make any recommendations.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.