Do you own a car? I’m sure most of you do. What about a heating and AC unit in your home? Well… Most of us change the filters in our cars and replace the old dirty oil with fresh new oil. We also change the filters in our AC units to help keep it running efficiently. What is the difference between our automobile, AC units or any machine that needs to clean out its filters, oil or gasoline? Nothing! Our body needs to be cleaned out too. Most of you reading this might be asking… What is cleansing and detoxing all about? This weeks blog post is to educate you about healthy living, detoxing and cleansing the body.
There is such an abundance of approaches that you can take these days to detox and cleanse. And there are plenty of blogs and websites available about detox cleansing that sometimes it’s very difficult to know which way to turn. There are toxins everywhere in the environment. They are in the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. And there is not much that we can really do about it except to move to a different, cleaner environment, or we could change our diet to eliminate as many toxins as we possibly can. Unless we are living in a bubble or on a private island living off the land… It’s just not possible to avoid all the toxins we are exposed to. So a detox cleanse once in a while is going to do all of us the power of good. You see… when you detox or cleanse your body you are actually helping your liver and kidneys to become more powerful in their own rights.
Your liver and kidneys can do a wonderful job. But sometimes they are overburdened with toxins. Maybe you have been overindulging lately either with food or drink…. and sometimes that is okay to do. Maybe you have been spending too much time in the city and you have been overexposed to vehicle pollution. A good detox cleanse is going to help you to supplement the work that your liver and kidneys are doing.
If you’re one of those people who are looking for alternative methods of healing yourself or if you’re feeling a bit down and you are trying to find something that will pick you up then a detox cleanse could be just what you are looking for. A healthy cleanse can help you in all the above cases. It is also a good method to regularly stimulate your body and makes sure that you are helping your liver with liver cleansing detox as much as you possibly can. This is exactly what my business partner Rick Wollman had to do after he found himself tired, sick and feeling like total crap after the holidays and overindulging at a Super Bowl party. Read about his story in his new ebook… Tale of Two Ricks.
What Is A Cleanse?
Cleansing is the detoxification of the digestive tract, blood, intestines, kidneys, liver, and lungs.
Why Is Cleansing So Important?
The evolution of our society has resulted in an overload of chemicals, toxins, air pollutants, and radiation. In addition, by eating certain foods, we expose ourselves to processed and de-mineralized materials, herbicides, pesticides, food colorings, and preservatives.
All of these toxins put stress on our bodies. When the body is clean and strong, it has no trouble eliminating the waste. However, when it becomes overloaded with more toxins than it can properly eliminate, the liver will eventually become sluggish and allow the waste to build up. When this happens, we cannot properly absorb vitamins, nutrients, and health supplements. Furthermore, the contamination and malnutrition that result makes the body more susceptible to disease. In fact, a continuous overload of toxins in the body could trigger serious ailments, and if a system becomes so contaminated that it cannot get rid of the excess toxins, chronic illness or even death could result.
Here are some signs:
- You have been working hard and are under a lot of stress.
- You eat sugar or white flour and/or drink a lot of caffeine or alcohol.
- You need better quality sleep.
- Your eyes are not clear and/or they are yellowish or red.
- You want greater mental clarity.
- You took a pH test and tested acidic.
- You want to improve fertility.
- You feel a cold or flu coming on.
- You feel congested from too much food or the wrong kinds of food.
- You want to slow aging and improve body flexibility.
- You feel lethargic.
- You want to assist in weight loss.
- You need to eliminate drug residues, or normalize after illness or hospital stay.
- You want to prevent disease and/or rest and rejuvenate the whole body.
- You need to remove toxins that are causing health problems.
- You need a jump start for a healing program.
- You are a human being that has a heartbeat.
How Does The Body Eliminate Waste And What Happens When Toxins Build Up?
Toxins first build up in the bowel as a result of stress and/or consuming too many acidic foods, such as, sugar, white flour, caffeine, and alcohol. When the bowel becomes unnaturally acidic, it attempts to protect itself by secreting a gly- coprotein substance that lines the entire intestinal wall. This is known as mucoid plaque (see picture below). This sub- stance is what makes it hard for the body to absorb vitamins and nutrients, which could result in chronic malnutrition.
When the bowel becomes toxic, it contaminates the blood, which, in turn, spreads the toxins to the heart, lungs, brain, muscles, etc. as it is delivering nutrients throughout the body. In the end, the liver is left to deal with the toxic blood, and after years of relentless toxicity, it will become sluggish until it will no longer function. At this point, the toxins will begin to collect in other parts of the body. Disease will manifest wherever the toxins settle. Overall, cleansing allows you to remove accumulated mucoid plaque in order to rebuild your bowel and your liver and protect yourself from disease.
How Often Should I Cleanse?
On a quarterly basis or at least once per year. (Some nutritional cleanses and fasts can be done weekly).
How Long Should I Cleanse?
Cleanses last anywhere from 24 hours to 10 days. A 24-hour cleanse is a good way to deter oncoming cold and/or flu symptoms. A general cleanse lasts 3-7 days. It removes excess amounts of mucous, old fecal matter, trapped cellular and non-food wastes, and inorganic mineral deposits that contribute to arthritis. It also purifies your liver, kidneys, and blood; enhances mental clarity; increases energy; relieves the body of dependency on habit-forming substances; and reduces your stomach to its normal size contributing to weight loss. Finally, a deep cleanse lasts for up to 10 days and can help to fight a chronic illness or disease.
Cleansing and Fasting
There are many types of cleansing that I believe are effective and will benefit you. I would not say that one is better than another, but it is whatever would work for you. Some that I I share and have my personal coaching clients complete are:
Water Fast: There is a Water Fast where your only intake water for a certain amount of time with no other food or nutritional supplement.
Master Cleanse: which is a cleanse that you will make a drink with a particular formula that will be taken six to twelve times a day.
Nutritional Cleanse: is a list of products that you would take on a consistent basis for a nine day or a thirty day period.
Juice or shake cleanse: is a cleanse where you are drinking only fruits and vegetable juices and or shakes.
Daniel cleanse: which consists of only eating raw fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and oils.
What If We Don’t Cleanse?
In America, there is an epidemic when it comes to child and adult obesity. We have become the first generation that if we do not change our habits that the parents will outlive the children. A lot of the issues we face are due to the fast paced and fast food society that we live in.
Whatever method of cleansing you choose, I urge you to take action to living a healthier life by making the commitment to rid the toxins from your body, gain more energy, and live healthier.
In my next post I will go more into detail about some of the cleanses I shared.
Tips from this article
- Start researching about cleansing
- Choose a cleanse that will work for you
- Complete at least one cleanse per year (recommended after the holidays)