In Part 1 of Detox Your Body, we discussed my cleansing journey, how to know if you need to cleanse, and what you may expect to see when you cleanse your body. In this issue, we’ll discuss what some of the filters of the body are, different types of cleanses, ways to detox the body, and which cleanses I recommend first.
What are the filters of your body?
Here is a list of the most common filters of your body.
- Skin
- Colon & Intestines
- Kidneys
- Liver
- Spleen
- Blood
- Fat Cells (storage)
- Tongue
- …and others
Things to know about these filters…
Colon & Intestines
No matter what type of cleanse you do, it is important to ensure the major paths of elimination of these toxins are open. These are typically the colon, blood, and the skin. Having regular bowel movements with the right consistency is extremely important. Optimally, you should have a bowel movement after every major meal that is long, round, smooth with a texture similar to that of peanut butter. If not, check the amount of fiber you are eating per day (men – 38g and women - 25g), and the amount of water you are consuming (not juice, coffee, etc. but water). It is recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. So, for example, if you weigh 150 pounds, this equates to 75 oz of water. That’s more than 1 gallon of water per day. I know…I know… many of you are going ‘I can’t drink that much or I’ll have to go to the bathroom all the time.’ Initially, that will be true; however, your body typically adjusts, and your visits to the bathroom will decrease.
You are made up of 70-80% water and need to replenish what is dehydrated and help eliminate waste and toxins from your cells. Your blood is made up of plasma (55%) and blood cells (45% - erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes). Of the plasma, 90% of it is water and only 10% solutes. From basic biology, we know that our blood picks up oxygen from the lungs and transports it to the body where it is exchanged for wastes and toxins. If you’ve ever looked at your blood through a dark field microscope, you can tell if your body is dehydrated as the cells will be clumped together. These cells need to flow smoothly and can only do this if you are properly hydrated (barring no other disease/illness).
Let’s also consider why the colon and intestines need to be cleaned. Over time and depending on the type of foods you have been consuming (ie high carbohydrate, low fiber, etc), sludge can build up on the walls of your intestines. If you’ve ever worked on a sewer or drain pipe and cut it in half, you typically find sludge on the walls of the pipes. Also, consider what happens when you put a piece of bread in a bowl of water. It usually dissolves and adheres to the sides of the bowl and becomes glue-like. Similarly, this is what is happening in your intestines. This sludge buildup prevents nutrients from being absorbed by the body properly and can create intestinal disorders (ie irritable bowel, etc). Here is a link to the DrNatura web site showing some of the buildup people have seen leaving their body.
Colon & Intestines – Herbs/Supplements
To cleanse the colon and intestines, there are two methods I have used over the years. These are herb/supplements and colonics. The easiest in terms of time and money is the product Colonix (www.DrNatura.com). I have tried several over the counter and mail order colon cleanses, and this to me, is the best and easiest on the body. It also includes pills/herbs to kill parasites, and although most of us are in denial, we have some type of parasites in our bodies.
To give you an example, I have recommended this product to several friends who have used it without complaint. However, one time I was passing this information along to someone and another friend sitting there told me they had tried it and sent it back (they have a 60-day money-back guarantee). This surprised me as this was the first I had ever heard of anyone having a problem with it. They told me it caused their stomach to cramp and hurt. I asked if they had called to see if they needed to change the dosage, etc. and they said ‘No, they just returned it.’
Many months later, this friend developed skin cancer and thought they might have other forms of cancer. I immediately suggested they test the pH of their saliva and urine and gave them some test strips. They were very acidic. We discussed their diet, and although they ate fairly well, they started eating 80+% alkaline foods. After a few weeks, they retested their saliva and urine with very little change. Fortunately, they remembered a discussion we had had about parasites and how they can intercept many of our nutrients and throw off many of their own wastes making our bodies acidic. They went to the doctor and were tested for parasites. It came back positive and they gave them one pill. They were sick as a dog for a week, their pH went back into the normal range, and their cancer went away.
Going back to the Colonix product, the cramping they were feeling in their stomach was most likely due to the parasites dying off and this was a symptom of it working; however, if you ever have similar results, contact the company and/or your doctor for more advice.
Colon & Intestines – Colonics
Another alternative to herbs/supplements for a colon cleanse is a colonic. According to FreeDictionary.com, a colonic is a water enema given to flush out the colon. I have had these done twice with a very professional and knowledgeable clinician. I highly recommend ensuring the equipment they use is up to date, uses filtered and UV radiated water, and they are properly trained and licensed. Although I was a little embarrassed initially, my clinician put me at ease quickly and helped make the process very tolerable (some intestinal cramping can occur as the water flows in/out of the body). A few hours afterwards, I had a small fever and some flu-like symptoms as the body had to reabsorb toxins churned up that were not removed. Not everyone experiences these symptoms.
A good analogy is to think about submerging your hand in a river and pulling up a large handful of mud from the bottom. Even though you pulled a large amount of dirt out, when you look at the river, there is usually a cloud of silt that has been churned up and has to resettle to the bottom. This is similar to what happens during a colonic and can create these Herxheimer symptoms (flu-like symptoms, fatigue, etc). Later, we will talk more about these symptoms, and how to handle them. Multiple colonic sessions are usually needed and should be discussed with your hydro therapist. For more information on what a colonic is like, check out:
Skin
Next, the largest filter of the body is the skin. It is constantly protecting and filtering us from UV rays, toxins, infections, microorganisms, and helps prevent dehydration. Many people think that exercising and perspiring will cleanse the skin; however, it doesn’t create enough deep-core heating of the body, and muscular contraction creates a back-flushing of toxins. Sweat baths are an easy and cheap alternative to remove toxins from the body if you don’t have access to a sauna. Just fill a bathtub with water as hot as you can stand it and soak for 30 minutes. After 5-10 minutes, your forehead should start popping out with sweat. This is perfect. You are now sweating out toxins. You can add Epsom salts and other trace minerals, and follow this up with a cooler shower to close the pores and rinse off any remaining toxins from the bath. See the following link for more information.
If you have access to a Far Infrared Sauna, they are the best and easiest to me, but more expensive. They operate at lower temperatures than typical saunas and go deeper into the skin to heat it up and push more toxins out through the pores. Nowadays, you can purchase a 2-person home sauna for approximately $2000, it’s easy to put together and take apart if you move, and it runs on 110V. They usually have a CD or DVD player and glass doors/windows to ensure people do not get claustrophobic. There are also portable cloth versions, but I do not have much experience with these. For more information on how FIR saunas work and research supported benefits, check out:
Easy ways to start cleansing
Although there is much more to discuss about cleansing and the different filters of the body, three easy ways to get started removing toxins from the body are to drink more water (not juice, tea, etc), take sweat baths, and eat more fiber in your diet daily. Pretty easy and they don’t cost much. :-) As time and money permits, add the Colonix Parasite and Colon Cleanse for 30-90 days depending on your level of toxicity or work with a colon hydro therapist to determine how many colonics you may need and at what intervals.
In the next issues of Detox Your Body, I’ll discuss more about the filters of your body, which cleanses to do next, some of the different cleanses I’ve used, possible detox (Herxheimer) symptoms, and how to handle them. Until next time…Namaste!
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