Lauren's Corner

Cleansing Your Internal House

Fact: Your colon is the single most important organ for maintaining good health.

Fact: The average 45 year old is carrying around about 15 pounds of extra waste in their colon.

In this article, I would like to enlighten you all to the wonderful benefits that a cleansing and detoxification program will have on your body. In many instances, when we begin to cleanse from within, a wide range of everyday symptoms that we all have experienced at one time or another seem to disappear. Symptoms like fatigue, constipation, Bad Breath, Headaches, Joint Pain and even anxiety.

Most programs have one thing in common, and that's the elimination of all processed and junk food.

There are many approaches out there when it comes to purifying your colon, liver and blood stream. The amount of time that you decide to dedicate to your Total Body Cleanse, will depend on the program you choose. Some Cleansing Diets offer a quick 2-day weekend clean out, while others are gradual and can last for weeks to even months.

I would recommend taking a good inventory of your lifestyle and eating habits over the past year before choosing the degree of cleanse along with exploring the type of cleansing alternatives available to you. In the next few paragraphs I will list the most popular cleansing cures and a brief description to help you with your decision.
Because you are embarking upon a powerful internal House cleaning, there are a few things that you should expect along the way!

Often when you cleanse you may actually feel worse then you did before you began. The release of toxins from your system may make you feel tired, achy and even flu like. For most people who cleanse the proper way, eating only the purest of fruits and vegetables, including natural high fiber breads, beans and grains in your diet. Also remember to drink herbal teas and plenty of pure water. These symptoms may last 5-7 days. As you get deeper into your cleanse, you will begin to feel like a 'Million Bucks.' Your increase in energy, weight loss and improved health will be your reward!

It is important to know that toxins leave your body in 3 different ways:

- Urine
- Sweat
- Stool

Purified water (not tap water) is the chief ingredient to eliminating toxins as quickly as possible. The more you urinate, sweat and empty your bowels, the sooner you are going to feel fantastic and healthy. A good rule of thumb for proper fluid intake is "half your body weight in ounces of water per day."

Now lets go over the most popular types of cleansing and detox programs...

Natural Herbal Cleanse

These types of cleanses are usually derived from natural herbs in a pill or powder form. They have a laxative or diuretic effect and are usually short term in use than other fresh fruit and veggie cleanses. *Please use caution when using any herbs as they are not regulated by the FDA, and some can have adverse reactions if you have any other health problems like high blood pressure or are under and medications by your physician. These Herbal Cleanses can prove very effective but, I do recommend speaking with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any of these regimes.

Recommended Herbal Cleanses:

* Super Colon Cleanse - from 'Nature's Secret'

* Dual Action Cleanse

* Juice Fasting (Better known as Juicing)

Although this seems at first to be quite extreme, when done correctly, with the correct fruits, veggies, added "Whey Protein" powder, added natural supplements (i.e. Bee Pollen, Flaxseed, Wheat Germ Oil) a juicing cleanse process can be very effective for natural weight loss and the raising of your basal metabolic rate. In turn, you will not only be riding your colon of unwanted toxins and decayed fecal matter that has long been stuck to the walls of your colon, you will also enjoy the quick process of effective fat burning and a high metabolism. When you juice, it is possible to keep your caloric intake between 1,000 and 2,000 calories per day and also keeping that important fiber requirement of at least 20 - 30 grams by making sure to include a wide variety of healthy fruits and veggies in each serving. Depending upon your hunger level, most people are satisfied with 1-6 8oz. servings throughout your day. It is also important to include your proper water intake daily and perhaps a few cups of natural (non caffeinated) herbal tea. Some teas that I recommend are
Chamomile, Honey Dew White and Rose Hips tea. They all have a wonderful calming effect and are a great way to unwind at the end of your busy day.

Pro Biotic Cleanse(Ingesting Bacteria that are good for you)

This type of cleanse is especially effective when doing a parasite cleanse. The Probiotics are beneficial or good bacteria that will inhabit your large or small intestines. This means they promote good digestion and boost your immune functions and will increase your resistance to infection. Research on Probiotics also proves to be quite effective on respiratory and allergy response. As well as counter negative effects of antibiotics use. The following conditions are known to directly benefit from taking Probiotic Supplements:

- Yeast Infections
- Vaginitis
- Eczema
- Food Allergies
- Canker Sores
- Crones Disease
- Immune Function
- Ulcerative Colitis

A very good source of active Probiotics is found in the product Renew Life's FloraSmart.

So after reading all this helpful information, where do you begin?
It is generally recommended to do a "whole body" type of cleanse at least twice a year. This "whole body" cleansing system is designed to remove the waste (toxins) from your bowels in a much kinder and gentler way. The fact that most people suffer from constipation, having a few extra bowel movements a day isn't such a bad thing! Not only will this flush out your colon, but it will work on cleaning other systems in your body as well, such as; digestive, lymphatic, cardiovascular, urinary and more.

HydroTherapy (also known as Colonic Irrigation)

If you ask most people they might think of this as a nightmarish experience. The truth is that it is far from that! It is in fact a very quick and efficient way to loosen impacted feces and free old toxins. Here is what to expect: A sterile tube is gently inserted into your rectum. Filtered warm water washes your colon. An evacuation tube removes the water taking with it years of accumulated debris and mucus. I have personally experienced this process of Colonic Cleansing more than once in my lifetime. I will advise any one to do some reading on this subject before deciding to have this done. It can become quite costly, because just one session will not be enough to have an impact on your body. These sessions with a licensed person to do this procedure usually takes upwards of 4-6 scheduled visits, depending on your reading of what was eliminated from your first visit. You will be asked to fill out an extensive form letting the practitioner know of your lifestyle and eating habits. They will most likely counsel you on what not to include in your diet to make sure that after your Colonic Cleansing you are on the road to a healthy and happy colon! I will caution you that this is a very controversial therapy and there have been many articles and reports written on the pro's and con's of this procedure. I personally had a pleasant experience with Colonic Irrigation. It was just another way to clean my internal house along with all the other methods that I have written about in this article to you.

The important thing to remember from this article is that you make a pact with yourself to begin to cleanse your internal house. Whatever method you may choose, it will be a stop in the right direction to renew your health. You will experience a total new feeling of energy and zest for life. Weight loss, vibrant skin, healthy shiny hair, Allergy relief, loss of Caffeine and Alcohol addiction are just some of the wonderful benefits you may experience when you detoxify your body.

This is one of my longer articles. The subject of Cleansing is vast and there are so many good points of interest that I could write pages on this important subject. It is also one of the things that I am quite passionate about. We all know how great we feel when things are fresh and clean. Why should this not start with our own bodies...

Please contact me with any questions you may have about cleansing. I will be happy to get back in touch with you. Remember...I search the web so you don't have to!

Have a Healthy Day!!