The colon is an essential part of the digestive track. Aside from aiding in the digestion of food, it also eliminates waste products. However, with several tempting foods in the market, it’s so easy to go out of the healthy diet. Poor diet results in constipation and other gastrointestinal problems. When the colon is clogged up with accumulated feces, it fails to do its job properly.

In fact, an unhealthy colon could poison all other organs. If feces is not removed in the body within twenty four hours, it gets deposited in the colon walls. This would release harmful toxins and poisonous gases. The blood would then get polluted, which would eventually infect the organs it runs through.

An ancient practice for cleaning the colon of these toxic wastes is colon hydrotherapy. Some may call it colonic irrigation or simply colon therapy. Basically, it is the process of injecting safely determined amounts of water at defined intervals. The whole treatment may take awhile depending on the severity of colon problems.

Colon hydrotherapy is similar to enema. Enema is also a treatment for cleansing the colon. Their only difference is that colon hydrotherapy is much more extensive. Whereas enema only cleanses the lower portion, colon hydrotherapy aims to clean the entire colon, which is roughly five feet in length.

Enema has been around for several centuries already. However, complete cleansing of the colon has gained prominence only in the late 19th century. This started with the popularity of the idea of autointoxication. It has been suggested that the body could poison itself by the release of toxins from accumulated fecal matter in the colon into the blood stream.

During colon hydrotherapy, a patient is asked to lie on his side or back. The therapist will then insert a soft plastic tube into the patient’s rectum. A measured amount of filtered water is then pumped into the colon. Depending on the practitioner, the water may also contain “purifying” substances such as herbs and natural enzymes.

The colon hydro therapist may start gently massaging the patient’s abdomen to aid in releasing fecal deposits in the intestinal walls. When done, the water would then be vacuumed back using the same tube and out into a closed waste container. The whole process is done gently and there are no mess or any foul odor during and after the treatment.

With several repetitions of this process, the whole treatment may take up to an hour. The total water used in these numerous treatments is approximately 20 gallons. Almost all of the water pumped in is removed by the end so there’s no need to run to the toilet afterward.

Should you decide to give yourself an extensive colon cleaning, you would have to choose your practitioner carefully. The treatment is sensitive, and thus you would have to ensure that the facility and equipment to be used are clean. Usually, all equipments used are disposable and well-sterilized to avoid any infections.

It is to be noted that colon hydrotherapy is considered to be an alternative medical treatment. Some colon hydro therapists voluntarily go through a certification process. There are also several organizations of colon hydro therapists. One example is the International Association of Colon Hydrotherapy or I-ACT in the United States.

For general health checks, getting a colon hydrotherapy once a year should be enough. However, pregnant women in their third trimester should not undergo this treatment. Colon hydrotherapy is also not recommended for those with severe hemorrhoids, abdominal hernia, heart disease, amoebic dysentery, and diverticulitis among other health problems. You would have to discuss your present medical condition first with your colon therapist to make sure there would be no complications.

Currently this alternative medical practice is regulated in some states. Several orthodox medical establishments insist that colon hydrotherapy is just an expensive laxative. It typically costs around $65 to $80 in the United States.

There are no scientifically proven therapeutic claims for colon hydrotherapy, however. In fact, several patients have reported of a much energized and lighter feeling after the treatment. There are also evidences suggesting that colon hydrotherapy helps in treating numerous ailments such as indigestion, headaches, allergies, skin problems and even joint problems.

Complementary treatments to clean the colon include aerobic exercises and a low fat, high fiber, vegetarian diet. Even licensed medical doctors agree that red meat and fatty foods are the major contributors to colon health problems.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.colon-articles.com where you can learn more about keeping your colon healthy as well as natural colon cleansing.

Tags: fecal matter, poor diet, abdominal hernia, filtered water, severe hemorrhoids

Green tea is good for your skin thanks to the many anti-aging antioxidants it contains. You may have learned about the role of antioxidants in what they can do to improve your overall well being. But, green tea is also beneficial in a lot of ways.

In fact, not only will it enable you to lose weight, but it can help you to put off or avoid the onset of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Cultures that have known the benefits of green tea have lesser occurrences of certain cancers and seem to age later on in life.

Because green tea offers so many essential antioxidants to your overall diet and well being, you are sure to see excellent results from it right from the beginning of using it. Antioxidants are small elements that are in many of the foods you eat such as deep colored vegetables.

These antioxidants, when inside your body, it fights off what is called a free radical. Free radicals are toxins that are the reason for a number of problems including clogging the arteries and filling up cells. They often cause a number of health concerns for your health and well being when they build up.

But, antioxidants battle them and eliminate them from your system. By doing this, they help to restore health to your cells, allowing blood to flow easily throughout the system and even helps to make you feel better. Antioxidants also can be helpful in removing extra weight that you may be holding on to as well.

There is more than green tea can offer to you in the way of health. For example, green tea is a superb tool to use against fighting heart disease. It contains antioxidants which help to remove free radicals such as toxins from your arteries. It helps to lower cholesterol. It helps you to lose extra weight which actually can bring on heart failure and diabetes. You can see just from this one instance how green tea can extend your life.

Green tea also contains an element called polyphenols. Polyphenols are the secret anti-aging ingredient, as they have been tested to eliminate free radicals. This is a skincare breakthrough that some have likened to the fountain of youth.

The polyphenols in green tea do much more than just fight free radical damage, they have recently been shown to actually prolong the life of cells which helps to reduce the process of premature aging. When science combines with natural products the result is skincare products that can reduce the signs of aging.

For all of these reasons, the inclusion of green tea extract into your diet will allow you to improve your overall well being. Not only will you find that you are losing weight, but you are also improving your heart, your risk of cancer and just improving the health of your skin.

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Tags: Tea AntioxidantsChoosing, green tea, Medicinal plants, Berry Detox, Hospitality Recreation

The food that we ingest in our everyday lives is laden with hormones that are injected into poultry and cattle to speed up their growth. Other then this, our fruits and vegetables are also polluted with chemical fertilizers and pesticides used by farmers.

Acesulfame K
This is a common sugar substitute that is found in pudding, chewing gum, non-dairy creamers, instant coffee mixes, tea mixes and gelatin desserts. It is know that these may increase cancer in people.

Benzoic Acid
when you inhale this stuff it mostly affects your nervous system and it is also relatively toxic. It is also a severe eye and skin irritant. This is used as a food preservative and is found in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as well as canned goods.

BHA ? BHT
This substance is actually banned in other countries, because these two preservatives are considered carcinogenic but they still remain in U.S. manufactured foods that contain oil as they retard rancidity. You find this in canned foods and body products.

Diacetyl
this is an additive that tastes like butter but it causes a serious lung condition called bronchiolitis obliterans. This is mostly found in foods, like microwave popcorn.

GMO/Genetically Modified Organism
These are plants, animals or foods that have been genetically modified, genetically created or changed in some way. You have to eat foods like corn, soy, and tomatoes etc. GMO food is not labeled this way in the U.S. Almost all other countries have banned the use of GMO in food and body products due to insufficient testing.

High Fructose Corn Syrup/HFCS
High consumption of fructose has be viewed as a leading factor in heart disease. It raises blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. It makes blood cells more prone to clotting, and it may also speed up the aging process.

Hydrogenated/Partially Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenated oils contain very high levels of trans fats. Trans fats are poisonous like arsenic. Partially hydrogenated oils will kill you in the long term by producing diseases like multiple sclerosis and many of the allergies that lead to arthritis.

Monosodium Glutamate/MSG
MSG is an excitotoxin, which causes nerve damage and allergic reactions and is foiund in many foods.

Neotame
Neotame is actually a reformulated from of aspartame. Neotame also contains aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and a methyl esther. It can cause brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders. People who are sensitive to processed free glutamic acid (MSG) often have the same problems with aspartame, and people who are sensitive to aspartame experience similar reactions to MSG. this substance is found in soft drinks, Prescription drugs, and basically all processed foods.

Nitrate ? Nitrite
While nitrate on its own is harmless; it can easily be changed to nitrite. When nitrite combines with secondary amines, it forms nitrosamines: which are extremely powerful cancer-causing chemicals. The chemical reaction occurs most readily at the high temperatures of frying. Nitrite has long been suspected as being a cause of stomach cancer.

Olestra
While this is actually fat-free, this additive has a fatal side effect to it: in that it attaches to valuable nutrients and flushes them out of the body. Olestra is what replaces fats in ?efat-free?f foods.

Sodium Nitrite
This is what causes meat to look red rather than gray, and gives meat an overly long shelf life of months. It is clinically proven to cause leukemia, brain tumors and other forms of cancer.

Soy
this popular substitute for dairy contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. Soy foods block calcium and can cause vitamin D deficiencies. Almost all soy foods contain MSG in them, which cause neurological problems. Soy products inhibit thyroid function, which may lead to fatigue and mental issues. Infants who are on soy formula are vulnerable to developing autoimmune thyroid disease when they are exposed to high amounts of isoflavones over time. These Isoflavones have been found to have serious side effects for people, including infertility, thyroid disease or liver disease.

Sulfites
Can cause reactions if you are an asthmatic, and lead to death. Sulphites are now banned on all foods except raw potatoes, wine and dried fruit.

Table Of Contents

Detox Diet
Information and guide on body detoxification and detox diets.

Household Toxins

Food Toxins

Lifestyle Toxins

Environmental Toxins

View the original article here

Tags: neuroendocrine disorders, canned foods, dairy creamers, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis

Once you have gone through a detox program of any type, it is necessary to try to bring your body back to its healthiest state. In order to do this, you need to maintain proper nutrition as well as follow a balanced dietary program that includes whole foods which should be in regards to the food guide pyramid plan as proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A long time ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a powerful change to the nutritional values we used to live by. Do you recall the four food groups guide? Well it has been upgraded to the Food Guide Pyramid. This simple picture was used to show you what the USDA said were the elements of a healthy diet.

This pyramid was proven to be too generalized to be of any real use. It was certainly not right for every person to follow as some people are on strict diets, such as diabetics. Personally, I miss the simple pictures that showed you the four food groups because they were so much easier. The picture below shows the food guide pyramid.

This is the old food Guide Pyramid, provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture

The old food guide pyramid has fortunately been replaced with the “My Pyramid” plan, which is almost exactly like the food guide pyramid but it is meant to help each individual to base the foods they eat on their own body’s needs and not so generalized as the one shown above. Even if it is flawed it still gives you the basics of healthy and nutritional eating to get all of your vitamins from whole foods. That is what you and your body will need if you are to get to you best health levels after a detox plan has been implemented.

Experts agree that the key to healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance, variety and moderation. Basically what this means is that eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient is best for you to maintain the best possible health and weight. Here are 10 tips that can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the foods you eat.

1. Eat a variety of foods that are high in nutrients for the best results. You need more than 40 different nutrients for balanced and good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food choices should include a selection of natural bread and other whole-grain products; such as fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your own specific calorie needs. Use the “My pyramid” for guidance as well as the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

2. You need to eat plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Recent studies and surveys show that most Americans don’t eat enough of these foods sue to fad diets and rapid detoxes. You should eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, and cereal and pasta group, which will help you get your whole grains.

3. Maintain a healthy weight with regular exercise and daily activity. The weight that’s right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and genetics so don’t let magazines set your own standards. Excess body fat will increase your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. Realize that being too thin can give you osteoporosis, menstrual problems and other health problems. If you’re constantly fluctuating your weight you will need to get the help of a dietician. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.

4. Eat moderately sized portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it’s easier to eat the foods you want to eat and still stay perfectly healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, which is a lot like a half of a sandwich? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings.

5. Eat your meals regularly. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control binging. When you’re very hungry, it’s also tempting to forget about good nutrition and run off and eat whatever is closest to you. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don’t eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

6. There are some foods that you should slow down on but you do not need to get rid of. Most people eat for fun as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key to keeping them in your diet is to moderate how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them. You will need to learn how to identify where they are coming from and make the necessary changes. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat and should chill out a bit. It is wise for you to opt for skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round which can reduce fat intake significantly if you prone to eat these types of foods regularly. If you love fried foods, however, you don’t have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When you are dining out, share it with a friend, and be sure to ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.

7. Balance your food choices over a certain time period. Not everything that you eat has to be a perfect choice. When you are eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next day. Your food choices over many days should fit together into a healthy pattern.

8. Know what your diet pitfalls are. If you want to improve your eating habits, you will first have to know what’s wrong with them in the first place. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of the tips that are listed here.

9. Make changes to your diet gradually and don’t rush yourself. Just as there are no easy answers to a healthy diet, don’t expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight because that just isn’t realistic. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of your success. Begin to remedy your problem habits with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits.

10. Remember, foods are not good or bad. You need to take the time to select the foods you choose to eat based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is good or not good. You should never feel guilty if you love foods like cake, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

The USDA pyramid should show the nutrition advice put together in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the USDA, the guidelines are there to provide advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.

Table Of Contents

Detox Diet
Information and guide on body detoxification and detox diets.

Easy Body Detox
Learn How To Detox Your Body The Easy Way. Find out how easy and natural it can be …

Healthy Eating on a Budget
Junk food costs less at the grocery store than healthier choices. Find out how to eat healthily…

Foot Detox
Easiest detox program

Orovo Detox
The Super Supplement that will make you loose weight, detox your body, reduce wrinkles and acne!

Ways to Detoxify Your Body
A couple simple ways to help you detox your body…

Juicing for Health
There is a regrettable notion held by some that raw foods are for vegetarians and vegans only. What isn’t as well known is that we stand to gain a lot more from a raw veggie than from one that has been cooked….

5 Ways to Cut Sugar
5 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Heavy Metal Detox
Heavy metals, how it can destroy your body and how to get rid of it with a heavy metal detox…

View the original article here

Tags: Health Medical Pharma, strict diets, proper nutrition, food labels, Dairy products

This document was released in early January, 2005 the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 and it still reflects the tense union of science and the food industry. These are the recommendations of how you should maintain your nutrition, and here is what you will find in it:

 - The new guidelines strongly underline the importance of controlling your weight, and they continue to stress the importance of physical activity.
- They highlight that the intake of Trans fats should be as low as can be and that saturated fat should be limited. There is not an artificially low cap on fat intake.
- Instead of emphasizing the new guidelines, it urge Americans to control sugar intake and stress the benefits of whole grains.
- It is fine to consume half of our grains as refined starch. This is not so good because they add empty calories, have undesirable metabolic effects, and amplify the risks of diabetes and heart disease.
- In terms of protein, the guidelines continue to group together red meat, poultry, fish, and beans (including soy products). But tell you to opt for options that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free.
- Drink three glasses of low-fat milk add more than 300 calories a day.

Explaining the Food Guide Pyramid

The food guide pyramid is a real assistance when it comes to helping you to incorporate whole foods into your diet. You can get information about it just about anywhere these days. What is really interesting is how very in depth the food guide pyramid attempts to be.

In truth, the food guide pyramid is a much generalized guide that will be good to no one who intends to follow it like a mindless drone, no matter which they are; however there really is a good reason why the food guide pyramid has changed into the My Pyramid instead.

My pyramid attempts to be less broad and lets you take into account your own specific needs and still lets you have a clearer understanding of how to get your daily vitamins and minerals. The old pyramid is still worth having a look at in regards to your health. They are simple eating guidelines that will get you ready for life every day. Just for your reference, the new pyramid has a staircase running up one of the dimensional sides.

The recommendations are generalized but they are still useful. Here is what the food guide pyramid recommends:

Whole Grain Foods (to be eaten at most meals).
The body needs carbohydrates which are eaten mainly for energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice. Since the body can’t digest whole grains as quickly as it can highly processed carbohydrates such as those that you will find in white flour. This prevents blood sugar and insulin levels from rising, as well as falling, too fast. It helps you to better control of blood sugar and insulin can keep hunger at bay and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Plant Oils.
Although most people believe that this recommendation goes against everything we have been taught, it’s exactly in line with the evidence and with general eating habits. A typical American gets one third or more of their daily calories from fats. Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils, as well as fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels but it can also protect the heart from unexpected and deadly problems.

Vegetables and Fruits.
A diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce the chances of having a heart attack or stroke; guard you against a variety of cancers; lower your blood pressure; help you avoid the painful intestinal problems; guard against cataract, the major cause of vision loss among people over age 65; and don’t forget that they taste great.

Fish, Poultry, and Eggs.
These are essential sources of protein in your diet. Most research indicates that consuming fish can decrease the risk of getting heart disease. Chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and can be low in saturated fat. Eggs, is a much healthier breakfast than what we usually eat.

Nuts and Legumes.
Nuts and legumes are superb sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Legumes include black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and other beans that are usually sold dried. Loads of nuts contain healthy fats in them.

Dairy or Calcium Supplement.
Building bone and keeping it strong requires calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and a lot of other stuff. Dairy products have conventionally been Americans’ main source of calcium. But there are other healthy ways to get calcium than from milk and cheese, which can contain a lot of saturated fat and be expensive to those who are intolerant to dairy. If you don’t like dairy products, calcium supplements provide an easy and cheaper way for you to get your daily calcium.

Red Meat and real Butter:
These sit at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid because they contain lots of saturated fat. If you eat red meat every day, switching to fish or chicken several times a week can improve cholesterol levels. And so can switching from butter to olive oil.

White Rice, Bread, Potatoes, Pasta, and Sweets:
these foods can quickly cause fast and massive increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders. Switch to whole grain breads. It still hurts, but it happens slower.

Multiple Vitamin:
A daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a kind of nutritional support if you can’t meet them with foods. While it can’t in any way replace healthy eating, or make up for unhealthy eating, it can fill in the nutrient holes that may sometimes affect even the most careful eaters.

Alcohol:
believe it or not there are many studies that suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day reduces the risk of heart disease. Moderation is clearly the key here, since alcohol has risks as well as benefits. For men, a good balance point is 1 to 2 drinks a day. For women, have about one drink a day.  

Table Of Contents

Detox Diet
Information and guide on body detoxification and detox diets.

Easy Body Detox
Learn How To Detox Your Body The Easy Way. Find out how easy and natural it can be …

Healthy Eating on a Budget
Junk food costs less at the grocery store than healthier choices. Find out how to eat healthily…

Foot Detox
Easiest detox program

Orovo Detox
The Super Supplement that will make you loose weight, detox your body, reduce wrinkles and acne!

Ways to Detoxify Your Body
A couple simple ways to help you detox your body…

Juicing for Health
There is a regrettable notion held by some that raw foods are for vegetarians and vegans only. What isn’t as well known is that we stand to gain a lot more from a raw veggie than from one that has been cooked….

5 Ways to Cut Sugar
5 Easy Ways To Reduce Your Sugar Intake

Heavy Metal Detox
Heavy metals, how it can destroy your body and how to get rid of it with a heavy metal detox…

View the original article here

Tags: Trans fat, dietary guidelines for americans 2005, daily vitamins and minerals, food guide pyramid, saturated fat

I have been researching alternative medicine and nutrition for several years. Sometimes I forget that most people are not aware that there is an entire school of healing that believes that regardless of your health, there is always something that can be done about it and naturally! For example, Stanley Burroughs taught that health could be regained through the use of the Master Cleanse; VitaFlex, which shares similar principles with reflexology; and a vegetarian diet.

He has certainly not been alone in this belief. Henry Bieler, MD, practiced medicine for more than 50 years and summarized his approach in his book, Food is Your Best Medicine. Two of his most famous patients were Gloria Swanson and Great Garbo, the Paris Hilton and Madonna of his time.

Norman Walker, D.Sc. (an advanced science degree like Ph.D.) was the man who invented the therapeutic juicer to achieve his results and was internationally famous for using nutrition and cleanses. (He required colonics for his patients.) He wrote several books, including Become Younger, Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices: What’s Missing in Your Body?, and The Vegetarian Guide to Diet and Salad. His juicer, by the way, is one of only two that were approved by Max Gerson, MD, who treated cancer, tuberculosis, and other degenerative diseases by including juicing in his regimen as early as 1948!

Herbert M. Shelton, Ph.D., founder of the School of Natural Hygiene, cured tens of thousands of people using fasting and other natural means to restore health. His writings can be seen on the Internet.

Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live, Fasting-And Eating-For Health, and Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right, promotes a regimen of mostly raw food, vegetarian diet and occasionally fasting to cure patients of diabetes, heart disease and other degenerative diseases.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., reveals the importance of diet in increasing or decreasing the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The key concept here is that something can be done about your health naturally. Once you know that, it is just a matter of searching until you find a way that accomplishes that healing, but the idea that something can be done about it is what opens the door.

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Tags: Stanley Burroughs, Hospitality Recreation, Diabetes mellitus, heart disease, fruit juices