10 Negative Thinking Queries and Solutions
The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. - Dalai Lama
Life could be so much better for many people, if they would just spot their negative thinking habits and replace them with positive ones.
Negative thinking, in all its many-splendored forms, has a way of creeping into conversations and our thinking without our noticing them. The key to success, in my humble opinion, is learning to spot these thoughts and squash them like little bugs. Then replace them with positive ones. You'll notice a huge difference in everything you do.Let's take a look at 10 common ways that negative thinking emerges get good at spotting these patterns, and practice replacing them with positive thinking patterns. It has made all the difference in the world for me.
10 Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking
1. I will be happy once I have _____ (or once I earn X).
Problem: If you think you can't be happy until you reach a certain point, or until you reach a certain income, or have a certain type of house or car or computer setup, you'll never be happy. That elusive goal is always just out of reach. Once we reach those goals, we are not satisfied we want more.
Solution: Learn to be happy with what you have, where you are, and who you are, right at this moment. Happiness doesn't have to be some state that we want to get to eventually it can be found right now. Learn to count your blessings, and see the positive in your situation. This might sound simplistic, but it works.
2. I wish I were as ____ as (a celebrity, friend, co-worker).
Problem: We'll never be as pretty, as talented, as rich, as sculpted, as cool, as everyone else. There will always be someone better, if you look hard enough. Therefore, if we compare ourselves to others like this, we will always pale, and will always fail, and will always feel bad about ourselves. This is no way to be happy.
Solution: Stop comparing yourself to others, and look instead at yourself what are your strengths, your accomplishments, your successes, however small? What do you love about yourself? Learn to love who you are, right now, not who you want to become. There is good in each of us, love in each of us, and a wonderful human spirit in every one of us.
3. Seeing others becoming successful makes me jealous and resentful.
Problem: First, this assumes that only a small number of people can be successful. In truth, many, many people can be successful in different ways.
Solution: Learn to admire the success of others, and learn from it, and be happy for them, by empathizing with them and understanding what it must be like to be them. And then turn away from them, and look at yourself you can be successful too, in whatever you choose to do. And even more, you already are successful. Look not at those above you in the social ladder, but those below you there are always millions of people worse off than you, people who couldn't even read this article or afford a computer. In that light, you are a huge success.
4. I am a miserable failure I can't seem to do anything right.
Problem: Everyone is a failure, if you look at it in certain ways. Everyone has failed, many times, at different things. I have certainly failed so many times I cannot count them and I continue to fail, daily. However, looking at your failures as failures only makes you feel bad about yourself. By thinking in this way, we will have a negative self-image and never move on from here.
Solution: See your successes and ignore your failures. Look back on your life, in the last month, or year, or 5 years. And try to remember your successes. If you have trouble with this, start documenting them keep a success journal, either in a notebook or online. Document your success each day, or each week. When you look back at what you've accomplished, over a year, you will be amazed. It's an incredibly positive feeling.
5. I'm going to beat so-and-so no matter what I'm better than him. And there's no way I'll help him succeed he might beat me.
Problem: Competitiveness assumes that there is a small amount of gold to be had, and I need to get it before he does. It makes us into greedy, back-stabbing, hurtful people. We try to claw our way over people to get to success, because of our competitive feelings. For example, if a blogger wants to have more subscribers than another blogger, he may never link to or mention that other blogger. However, who is to say that my subscribers can't also be yours? People can read and subscribe to more than one blog.
Solution: Learn to see success as something that can be shared, and learn that if we help each other out, we can each have a better chance to be successful. Two people working towards a common goal are better than two people trying to beat each other up to get to that goal. There is more than enough success to go around. Learn to think in terms of abundance rather than scarcity.
6. Dammit! Why do these bad things always happen to me?
Problem: Bad things happen to everybody. If we dwell on them, they will frustrate us and bring us down.
Solution: See bad things as a part of the ebb and flow of life. Suffering is a part of the human condition but it passes. All pain goes away, eventually. Meanwhile, don't let it hold you back. Don't dwell on bad things, but look forward towards something good in your future. And learn to take the bad things in stride, and learn from them. Bad things are actually opportunities to grow and learn and get stronger, in disguise.
7. You can't do anything right! Why can't you be like ____ ?
Problem: This can be said to your child or your subordinate or your sibling. The problem? Comparing two people, first of all, is always a fallacy. People are different, with different ways of doing things, different strengths and weaknesses, different human characteristics. If we were all the same, we'd be robots. Second, saying negative things like this to another person never helps the situation. It might make you feel better, and more powerful, but in truth, it hurts your relationship, it will actually make you feel negative, and it will certainly make the other person feel negative and more likely to continue negative behavior. Everyone loses.
Solution: Take the mistakes or bad behavior of others as an opportunity to teach. Show them how to do something. Second, praise them for their positive behavior, and encourage their success. Last, and most important, love them for who they are, and celebrate their differences.
8. Your work sucks. It's super lame. You are a moron and I hope you never reproduce.
Problem: I've actually gotten this comment before. It feels wonderful. However, let's look at it not from the perspective of the person receiving this kind of comment but from the perspective of the person giving it. How does saying something negative like this help you? I guess it might feel good to vent if you feel like your time has been wasted. But really, how much of your time has been wasted? A few minutes? And whose fault is that? The bloggers or yours? In truth, making negative comments just keeps you in a negative mindset. It's also not a good way to make friends.
Solution: Learn to offer constructive solutions, first of all. Instead of telling someone their blog sucks, or that a post is lame, offer some specific suggestions for improvement. Help them get better. If you are going to take the time to make a comment, make it worth your time. Second, learn to interact with people in a more positive way it makes others feel good and it makes you feel better about yourself. And you can make some great friends this way. That's a good thing.
9. Insulting People Back
Problem: If someone insults you or angers you in some way, insulting them back and continuing your anger only transfers their problem to you. This person was probably having a bad day (or a bad year) and took it out on you for some reason. If you reciprocate, you are now having a bad day too. His problem has become yours. Not only that, but the cycle of insults can get worse and worse until it results in violence or other negative consequences for both of you.
Solution: Let the insults or negative comments of others slide off you like Teflon. Don't let their problem become yours. In fact, try to understand their problem more why would someone say something like that? What problems are they going through? Having a little empathy for someone not only makes you understand that their comment is not about you, but it can make you feel and act in a positive manner towards them and make you feel better about yourself in the process.
10. I don't think I can do this I don't have enough discipline. Maybe some other time.
Problem: If you don't think you can do something, you probably won't. Especially for the big stuff. Discipline has nothing to do with it motivation and focus has everything to do with it. And if you put stuff off for “some other time”, you'll never get it done. Negative thinking like this inhibits us from accomplishing anything.
Solution: Turn your thinking around: you can do this! You don't need discipline. Find ways to make yourself a success at your goal. If you fail, learn from your mistakes, and try again. Instead of putting a goal off for later, start now. And focus on one goal at a time, putting all of your energy into it, and getting as much help from others as you can. You can really move mountains if you start with positive thinking.
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Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Local Home Remedies -
HOME REMEDIES
1) Asthma: Take 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder and mix them well before consuming. For people who are in their early stages of asthma, a perfect home remedy is to boil 8-10 cloves of garlic in 1/2 cup of milk and consume it during night time. Take very hot water and add a tsp of honey in it. Consume it just before sleeping and take small sips
2) for Body Odour:
Use antibacterial soap or deodorant soap while bathing. To combat the unpleasant armpit odour apply cider vinegar. It serves as the best body odour home remedy treatment. In the bathing water, add a few cups of tomato juice and soak yourself in water for about 15 minutes.
3) Backache:
Lime juice serves as an excellent home remedy for backache. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and add common salt in it. Drink it two times in a day. It will act as a great back pain reliever.
As a part of back pain home remedy treatment, raw potato in the form of poultice is to be applied on the pain affected area.
Usually Vitamin C that is mainly found in citrus fruits is considered valuable for getting rid of backaches. Consume about 2000 mg of this vitamin everyday.
Applying garlic oil on the back gives immense relief from back pain. Take about 10 small garlic pieces and fry them in oil on a low flame. You can either use sesame oil, coconut oil or mustard oil. Fry till the garlic cloves turn light brown. Let the oil prepared from garlic cool completely.
Thereafter apply it on the back and keep it for about three hours. In a couple of days, you'll feel its magical effects
4) Cough:
Grapes help a great deal in treating cold in a few days. Consume 1 cup grape juice and also add 1-teaspoon honey to it.
Almonds are excellent for dry coughs. Soak about seven almonds in water and keep them overnight. Next morning peel off the brown skin.
Now grind them to form a powder and add twenty grams each of butter and sugar and form a paste. Consume it twice a day , once in the morning and the second time in the evening.
5) or Common Cold:
Lemon can be used effectively to treat common cold, as it increases the body resistance. Take one glass of warm water and pour some lime juice and a tsp of honey in it and consume it once or twice on a daily basis.
Take 1 tbsp of Pepper powder and boil it in a cup of milk. Also add on a pinch of turmeric to it. Put some sugar for taste. Drink it once in a day for about three days.
Take 3-4 tsp Onion juice and 3-4 tsp Honey and mix well before consuming.
6) Common Fever:
The juice of grapefruit is valuable in all fevers. Helpful in quenching thirst, it also removes the burning sensation produced by the fever. Half a glass of grapefruit juice should be taken with half a glass of water.
Another ideal food in all types of fever is orange. It provides energy, increases urinary output, and promotes body resistance against infections. It is especially effective when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered.
7) Defective Vision:
Consume foods rich in vitamin A (like raw spinach, turnip tops, milk cream, cheese, butter, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, Soya beans, green peas, fresh milk), as vitamin A helps in improving the eyesight.
8) for Diabetes:
Take 15 fresh mango leaves and boil them in 1 glass of water. Keep them overnight. Filter and drink the next morning.
As a part of diabetes home remedy treatment, grapefruit is considered most beneficial. Eat three grape fruits three times in a day.
Indian gooseberry (Amla), a rich source of vitamin C serves as the best home remedy for diabetes. Take 1 tbsp of gooseberry juice and mix it with a cup of bitter gourd (Karela) juice. Consume the mixture daily for about 2 months.
9) Dry Chapped Lips:
Drink plenty of water every day. Cut fine slices of cucumber and rub on lips. Take a saline bath. Apply neem leaves extract on your lips.
10) for Diarrhoea:
Take a ripe banana and mash it properly. Add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp and a pinch of salt to it. Consume this mixture two times in a day.
A simple effective home remedy for diarrhea is to drink a cup of strong tea or coffee.
A popular diarrhea home remedy treatment is to consume a paste made of 15-20 fresh curry leaves mixed with 1 tsp honey.
Take a ripe banana, add 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder to it and eat it on a daily basis.
Take a tsp of date paste and mix with 1 tsp honey. This mixture is to be consumed 4-5 times a day.
11) for Ear Ache:
Boil 3-4 cloves of Garlic in some water. Mash them and add a pinch of salt. Wrap this 0poultice in a flannel or woolen cloth and place on the aching ear.
Pour some garlic juice in the paining ear. Its antibiotic qualities help to relieve the pain.
Take Vitamin C to boost=2 0your immune system. It is a natural antibiotic and antihistamine that helps to reduce inflammation and fever. Include zinc in your diet because it reduces ear infection. Certain foods, more commonly dairy products like milk, butter, cheese etc tend to aggravate ear infections, so it is better to avoid them during an ear infection
12) Genital Warts:
Extract juice from onion slices and add salt to it. Apply this juice on the wart-affected area and see the magical effects.
Another great idea is to apply the milky juice of figs on the warts 2-3 times in a day, till the warts disappear.
Put few drops of apple cider vinegar on the warts using cotton ball.
Consume foods rich in folic acid and beta-carotene. Eat plenty of green leafy veggies
13) for Gingivitis:
Take some clove oil and rub it on your gums. Or else, keep a clove in your mouth and chew slowly.
Brush your teeth with toothpaste that contains sage oil, peppermint oil etc..
In 1 glass of lukewarm water, add a pinch of salt and prepare a homemade saline solution. Using this solution, gargle two times in a day. It will help a great deal in reducing the swelling in your mouth.
To heal the gum swelling, use an anti bacterial mouth wash.
Patients suffering from Gingivitis should consume foods containing low saturated fats.
14) Home Remedies for Hair Loss:
One of the best home remedies for treating hair loss is to massage your scalp with fingers gently. It will also aid in increasing blood circulation and lend glow to your hair.
Amla oil serves as an excellent tonic for hair conditioning. Apply this oil on the scalp and see the wonderful results.. OR for nourishing your hair, apply coconut milk all over your scalp and massage it into the hair roots.
15) Home Remedies for Hangover:
Drink plenty of water before going to bed as well as when you wake up in the morning.
Eating some foodstuff while and after you are drinking will slow down the rate at which alcohol enters the blood, thereby reducing the hangover.
Consume vitamin C tablets, as they lead to the breakdown of alcohol content in the body.
16) or Headache:
Eat an apple with a little salt on an empty stomach everyday and see its wonderful effects.
When headache is caused by cold winds, cinnamon works best in curing headache. Make a paste of cinnamon by mixing in water and apply it all over your forehead
17) Home Remedies for Heartburn:
Ginger serves as an effective home remedy for heartburn. Grind fresh ginger and prepare ginger tea.. You can even add ginger to foods.
Increase your fiber intake, as it aids in the absorption of excess acid and gas. It helps in flushing out the toxins from your body.
Dr ink plenty of water at least 8 glasses everyday.
Green tea is also effective in treating heartburn.
Prepare herbal tea containing equal small amounts of peppermint, chamomile, ginger, licorice root and catnip. Preferably, it should be taken after dinner
18) Home Remedies for Herpes:
Take a few ice cubes and rub them on the cold sore affected area for a few minutes.
Take a warm tea bag and apply it on the fever blisters for about half an hour.
Lemon balm extract is considered valuable in healing Herpes infection.
Consume foods rich in vitamins. Zinc and iron are also vital. Eat plenty of fruits and green veggies
19) High Blood Cholesterol:
In 1 glass of water, add 2 tbsps of coriander seeds and bring to a boil. Let the decoction cool for some time and then strain. Drink this mixture two times in a day.
Sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial, as they contain linoleic acid that helps in reducing the cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries. You just need to modify your cooking style a bit and substitute sunflower seeds for solid fats such as butter and cream.
Incorporate loads of fiber in your meals, as fiber helps a great=2 0deal in lowering the cholesterol pressure in blood.
20) for High Blood Pressure:
A real effective home remedy for high blood pressure is to take 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp cumin powder and mix them well. Have this mixture at least two times in a day. As a part of high bp home remedy treatment, it's good to try out the idea of consuming coriander or fenu greek leaves mixed in 1 cup of water.
Take about 25-30 curry leaves and make a juice, using 1-cup water. You can even add on lime juice to it for making it tastier. Strain and drink it in the morning.
21) Home Remedies for Menopausal Disorder:
When a woman experiences menopause, she should take a daily supplement consisting of 500 mg magnesium and 2 gm of calcium.
Carrot seeds are of great value in case of menopause. In 1 glass of cow's milk, put a tsp of carrot seeds and boil for about 10 minutes or so. Consume it everyday as a medicine.
Liquorice serves as an effective remedy for menopause, as it contains the natural female hormone, estrogen. Thus, it helps in making up for the lost hormones.
22) for Obesity:
On an empty stomach in the morning, drink 1 glass of warm water mixed with juice of half a lime and 1 tsp honey.
In 1 cup of water, add 3 tsp of lime juice, 1/2 tsp pepper powder and some honey. Drink this everyday for=2 0about 3-4 months.
As a substitute of breakfast, consume 2 ripe tomatoes in the morning. This remedy will aid in reducing your weight at a faster rate.
24) Home Remedies for Prostate Disorders:
Pumpkin seeds are extremely useful in treating prostate disorders. The seeds of pumpkin act as a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids that are vital to the health of the prostate.. Men suffering from prostate trouble must take about 60-90 gm of pumpkin seeds daily. Pumpkin can be consumed in the form of powder spread over the cooked food. You can also mix them with white flour for making chapattis.
Zinc has been found beneficial in the treatment of prostate disorders. Take about 30 milligrams of this mineral everyday.
Vitamin E is beneficial for prostate health. The patient should be given foods rich in vitamin E like wholegrain products, green leafy vegetables, milk and sprouted seeds.
In 200 ml spinach juice, add 300 ml of carrot juice. You can even have carrot juice separately. Vegetable juices are excellent in curing prostate disorders.
25) for Ringworm:
Take a raw fresh papaya and cut out slices. Rub the slice on the ringworm patch. It serves as an excellent home remedy for ring worms.
Take a few mustard seeds and powder them. Thereafter, make a paste using water.. Apply the paste on the ringworm-affected area and see its wonderful effects.
26) Home=2 0Remedies for Sexual Impotence:
Garlic is considered valuable in treating the problem of sexual impotence. It acts like a tonic for loss of sexual power Chew 2-3 cloves of raw garlic daily.
Another aphrodisiac food next to garlic is onion. It aids in strengthening the reproductive organs. Prefer going in for white onions.
Carrots have proved beneficial in creating the desire for sex. Take about 150 gm of finely chopped carrots and eat them with a half boiled egg, dipped in 1 tbsp of honey. Consume it once a day for about a month or two.
27) Home Remedies for Sinusitis:
Mango serves as an effective home remedy for preventing the frequent attacks of sinus, as it is packed with loads of vitamin A. OR Another beneficial remedy consists of consuming pungent foods like onion and garlic, as a part of your daily meals.
Fenugreek leaves are considered valuable in curing sinusitis. In 250 ml water, boil 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds and reduce it to half. This will help you to perspire, dispel toxicity and reduce the fever period.
Tie a tsp of black cumin seeds in a thin cotton cloth and inhale..
28) Home Remedies for Sore Throat:
Take 1-2 cloves of garlic and 2-3 cloves and make a paste. Mix with 1 cup of honey. Drink 1 tsp about 3 times in a day. In 1 cup of warm milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder.. Drink the milk before going to bed.
Take 1 whole onion and boil it with some water. Thereafter, mash it and add some butter, salt and pepper to it. Now eat this mixture.
29) Home Remedies for Stomach Ache:
Drink plenty of water , as it helps in ensuring smooth bowel movements.
Drink lemon tea with some honey added in it for taste. It will keep away stomach ache.
Mix 1 tsp each of mint juice and lime juice. Add some ginger juice and black salt in it. Drink this mixture.
30) for Tonsillitis :
Take a fresh lemon and squeeze it in a glass of water. Add 4 tsp of honey and ¼ tsp of common salt in it. Drink it slowly sip by sip.
Milk has proved beneficial in treating tonsillitis. In 1 glass of pure boiled milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper powder. Drink it every night for about 3 days.
31) Home Remedies for Toothache:
Dip 1 clove of garlic in rock salt and place it on the affected tooth.
Keep a piece of raw onion inside the mouth on the affected tooth.
Clove serves as an excellent home remedy for toothache. Keep a clove in your mouth and suck it. You can even apply clove oil on the affected tooth.
Lime is considered valuable in maintaining the health of teeth.
Consume the juice of wheat grass, as it acts as a fabulous mouthwash in case of tooth decay.
32) Home Remedies for Wrinkles:
Application of20 leftover egg whites at the bottom of the shell to the problematic area serves as an effective home remedy for wrinkles.
For the sagging skin under the eyes or on the throat, apply some odorless Castor oil.
Take some coconut oil and massage on the wrinkled skin.
Eat 1 tsp of shredded ginger along with a few drops of honey every morning.
Rub the core of a pineapple all over your face for sometime and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.
33) Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection:
In 8 oz of water, put 1/2 tsp of baking soda and drink it.
Drink plenty of water, as it aids in flushing out the waste products from the body.
Drink Cranberry juice. You can also add some apple juice for taste.
34) Home Remedies for Warts:
Apply Castor oil daily over the problematic area. Continue for several months.
Apply milky juice of fresh and barely-ripe figs a number of times a day. Continue for two weeks.
Rub cut raw potatoes on the affected area several times daily. Continue for at least two weeks.
Rub cut onions on the warts to stimulate the circulation of blood.
Apply powder of herb Indian squall daily over the warts.
Apply milk from the cut end of dandelion over the warts 2-3 times a day.
Apply oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut over the warts.
Apply Papaya juice
Apply Pineapple juice
35) Home Remedies for Vomiting:
Take 2 cardamoms and roast them on a dry pan (tava). Powder the cardamoms and thereafter add a tsp of honey in it.. Consume it frequently. It serves as a fabulous home remedy for vomiting.
In the mixture of 1 tsp of mint juice and 1 tsp lime juice, add 1/2 tsp of ginger juice and 1 tsp honey. Drink this mixture to prevent vomiting.
Lime juice is an effective remedy for vomiting. Take a glass of chilled lime juice and sip slowly. To prevent vomiting, drink ginger tea.
In 1 glass water, add some honey and drink sip by sip.
1) Asthma: Take 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder and mix them well before consuming. For people who are in their early stages of asthma, a perfect home remedy is to boil 8-10 cloves of garlic in 1/2 cup of milk and consume it during night time. Take very hot water and add a tsp of honey in it. Consume it just before sleeping and take small sips
2) for Body Odour:
Use antibacterial soap or deodorant soap while bathing. To combat the unpleasant armpit odour apply cider vinegar. It serves as the best body odour home remedy treatment. In the bathing water, add a few cups of tomato juice and soak yourself in water for about 15 minutes.
3) Backache:
Lime juice serves as an excellent home remedy for backache. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and add common salt in it. Drink it two times in a day. It will act as a great back pain reliever.
As a part of back pain home remedy treatment, raw potato in the form of poultice is to be applied on the pain affected area.
Usually Vitamin C that is mainly found in citrus fruits is considered valuable for getting rid of backaches. Consume about 2000 mg of this vitamin everyday.
Applying garlic oil on the back gives immense relief from back pain. Take about 10 small garlic pieces and fry them in oil on a low flame. You can either use sesame oil, coconut oil or mustard oil. Fry till the garlic cloves turn light brown. Let the oil prepared from garlic cool completely.
Thereafter apply it on the back and keep it for about three hours. In a couple of days, you'll feel its magical effects
4) Cough:
Grapes help a great deal in treating cold in a few days. Consume 1 cup grape juice and also add 1-teaspoon honey to it.
Almonds are excellent for dry coughs. Soak about seven almonds in water and keep them overnight. Next morning peel off the brown skin.
Now grind them to form a powder and add twenty grams each of butter and sugar and form a paste. Consume it twice a day , once in the morning and the second time in the evening.
5) or Common Cold:
Lemon can be used effectively to treat common cold, as it increases the body resistance. Take one glass of warm water and pour some lime juice and a tsp of honey in it and consume it once or twice on a daily basis.
Take 1 tbsp of Pepper powder and boil it in a cup of milk. Also add on a pinch of turmeric to it. Put some sugar for taste. Drink it once in a day for about three days.
Take 3-4 tsp Onion juice and 3-4 tsp Honey and mix well before consuming.
6) Common Fever:
The juice of grapefruit is valuable in all fevers. Helpful in quenching thirst, it also removes the burning sensation produced by the fever. Half a glass of grapefruit juice should be taken with half a glass of water.
Another ideal food in all types of fever is orange. It provides energy, increases urinary output, and promotes body resistance against infections. It is especially effective when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered.
7) Defective Vision:
Consume foods rich in vitamin A (like raw spinach, turnip tops, milk cream, cheese, butter, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, Soya beans, green peas, fresh milk), as vitamin A helps in improving the eyesight.
8) for Diabetes:
Take 15 fresh mango leaves and boil them in 1 glass of water. Keep them overnight. Filter and drink the next morning.
As a part of diabetes home remedy treatment, grapefruit is considered most beneficial. Eat three grape fruits three times in a day.
Indian gooseberry (Amla), a rich source of vitamin C serves as the best home remedy for diabetes. Take 1 tbsp of gooseberry juice and mix it with a cup of bitter gourd (Karela) juice. Consume the mixture daily for about 2 months.
9) Dry Chapped Lips:
Drink plenty of water every day. Cut fine slices of cucumber and rub on lips. Take a saline bath. Apply neem leaves extract on your lips.
10) for Diarrhoea:
Take a ripe banana and mash it properly. Add 1 tsp of tamarind pulp and a pinch of salt to it. Consume this mixture two times in a day.
A simple effective home remedy for diarrhea is to drink a cup of strong tea or coffee.
A popular diarrhea home remedy treatment is to consume a paste made of 15-20 fresh curry leaves mixed with 1 tsp honey.
Take a ripe banana, add 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder to it and eat it on a daily basis.
Take a tsp of date paste and mix with 1 tsp honey. This mixture is to be consumed 4-5 times a day.
11) for Ear Ache:
Boil 3-4 cloves of Garlic in some water. Mash them and add a pinch of salt. Wrap this 0poultice in a flannel or woolen cloth and place on the aching ear.
Pour some garlic juice in the paining ear. Its antibiotic qualities help to relieve the pain.
Take Vitamin C to boost=2 0your immune system. It is a natural antibiotic and antihistamine that helps to reduce inflammation and fever. Include zinc in your diet because it reduces ear infection. Certain foods, more commonly dairy products like milk, butter, cheese etc tend to aggravate ear infections, so it is better to avoid them during an ear infection
12) Genital Warts:
Extract juice from onion slices and add salt to it. Apply this juice on the wart-affected area and see the magical effects.
Another great idea is to apply the milky juice of figs on the warts 2-3 times in a day, till the warts disappear.
Put few drops of apple cider vinegar on the warts using cotton ball.
Consume foods rich in folic acid and beta-carotene. Eat plenty of green leafy veggies
13) for Gingivitis:
Take some clove oil and rub it on your gums. Or else, keep a clove in your mouth and chew slowly.
Brush your teeth with toothpaste that contains sage oil, peppermint oil etc..
In 1 glass of lukewarm water, add a pinch of salt and prepare a homemade saline solution. Using this solution, gargle two times in a day. It will help a great deal in reducing the swelling in your mouth.
To heal the gum swelling, use an anti bacterial mouth wash.
Patients suffering from Gingivitis should consume foods containing low saturated fats.
14) Home Remedies for Hair Loss:
One of the best home remedies for treating hair loss is to massage your scalp with fingers gently. It will also aid in increasing blood circulation and lend glow to your hair.
Amla oil serves as an excellent tonic for hair conditioning. Apply this oil on the scalp and see the wonderful results.. OR for nourishing your hair, apply coconut milk all over your scalp and massage it into the hair roots.
15) Home Remedies for Hangover:
Drink plenty of water before going to bed as well as when you wake up in the morning.
Eating some foodstuff while and after you are drinking will slow down the rate at which alcohol enters the blood, thereby reducing the hangover.
Consume vitamin C tablets, as they lead to the breakdown of alcohol content in the body.
16) or Headache:
Eat an apple with a little salt on an empty stomach everyday and see its wonderful effects.
When headache is caused by cold winds, cinnamon works best in curing headache. Make a paste of cinnamon by mixing in water and apply it all over your forehead
17) Home Remedies for Heartburn:
Ginger serves as an effective home remedy for heartburn. Grind fresh ginger and prepare ginger tea.. You can even add ginger to foods.
Increase your fiber intake, as it aids in the absorption of excess acid and gas. It helps in flushing out the toxins from your body.
Dr ink plenty of water at least 8 glasses everyday.
Green tea is also effective in treating heartburn.
Prepare herbal tea containing equal small amounts of peppermint, chamomile, ginger, licorice root and catnip. Preferably, it should be taken after dinner
18) Home Remedies for Herpes:
Take a few ice cubes and rub them on the cold sore affected area for a few minutes.
Take a warm tea bag and apply it on the fever blisters for about half an hour.
Lemon balm extract is considered valuable in healing Herpes infection.
Consume foods rich in vitamins. Zinc and iron are also vital. Eat plenty of fruits and green veggies
19) High Blood Cholesterol:
In 1 glass of water, add 2 tbsps of coriander seeds and bring to a boil. Let the decoction cool for some time and then strain. Drink this mixture two times in a day.
Sunflower seeds are extremely beneficial, as they contain linoleic acid that helps in reducing the cholesterol deposits on the walls of arteries. You just need to modify your cooking style a bit and substitute sunflower seeds for solid fats such as butter and cream.
Incorporate loads of fiber in your meals, as fiber helps a great=2 0deal in lowering the cholesterol pressure in blood.
20) for High Blood Pressure:
A real effective home remedy for high blood pressure is to take 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp ginger juice and 1 tsp cumin powder and mix them well. Have this mixture at least two times in a day. As a part of high bp home remedy treatment, it's good to try out the idea of consuming coriander or fenu greek leaves mixed in 1 cup of water.
Take about 25-30 curry leaves and make a juice, using 1-cup water. You can even add on lime juice to it for making it tastier. Strain and drink it in the morning.
21) Home Remedies for Menopausal Disorder:
When a woman experiences menopause, she should take a daily supplement consisting of 500 mg magnesium and 2 gm of calcium.
Carrot seeds are of great value in case of menopause. In 1 glass of cow's milk, put a tsp of carrot seeds and boil for about 10 minutes or so. Consume it everyday as a medicine.
Liquorice serves as an effective remedy for menopause, as it contains the natural female hormone, estrogen. Thus, it helps in making up for the lost hormones.
22) for Obesity:
On an empty stomach in the morning, drink 1 glass of warm water mixed with juice of half a lime and 1 tsp honey.
In 1 cup of water, add 3 tsp of lime juice, 1/2 tsp pepper powder and some honey. Drink this everyday for=2 0about 3-4 months.
As a substitute of breakfast, consume 2 ripe tomatoes in the morning. This remedy will aid in reducing your weight at a faster rate.
24) Home Remedies for Prostate Disorders:
Pumpkin seeds are extremely useful in treating prostate disorders. The seeds of pumpkin act as a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids that are vital to the health of the prostate.. Men suffering from prostate trouble must take about 60-90 gm of pumpkin seeds daily. Pumpkin can be consumed in the form of powder spread over the cooked food. You can also mix them with white flour for making chapattis.
Zinc has been found beneficial in the treatment of prostate disorders. Take about 30 milligrams of this mineral everyday.
Vitamin E is beneficial for prostate health. The patient should be given foods rich in vitamin E like wholegrain products, green leafy vegetables, milk and sprouted seeds.
In 200 ml spinach juice, add 300 ml of carrot juice. You can even have carrot juice separately. Vegetable juices are excellent in curing prostate disorders.
25) for Ringworm:
Take a raw fresh papaya and cut out slices. Rub the slice on the ringworm patch. It serves as an excellent home remedy for ring worms.
Take a few mustard seeds and powder them. Thereafter, make a paste using water.. Apply the paste on the ringworm-affected area and see its wonderful effects.
26) Home=2 0Remedies for Sexual Impotence:
Garlic is considered valuable in treating the problem of sexual impotence. It acts like a tonic for loss of sexual power Chew 2-3 cloves of raw garlic daily.
Another aphrodisiac food next to garlic is onion. It aids in strengthening the reproductive organs. Prefer going in for white onions.
Carrots have proved beneficial in creating the desire for sex. Take about 150 gm of finely chopped carrots and eat them with a half boiled egg, dipped in 1 tbsp of honey. Consume it once a day for about a month or two.
27) Home Remedies for Sinusitis:
Mango serves as an effective home remedy for preventing the frequent attacks of sinus, as it is packed with loads of vitamin A. OR Another beneficial remedy consists of consuming pungent foods like onion and garlic, as a part of your daily meals.
Fenugreek leaves are considered valuable in curing sinusitis. In 250 ml water, boil 1 tsp of Fenugreek seeds and reduce it to half. This will help you to perspire, dispel toxicity and reduce the fever period.
Tie a tsp of black cumin seeds in a thin cotton cloth and inhale..
28) Home Remedies for Sore Throat:
Take 1-2 cloves of garlic and 2-3 cloves and make a paste. Mix with 1 cup of honey. Drink 1 tsp about 3 times in a day. In 1 cup of warm milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder.. Drink the milk before going to bed.
Take 1 whole onion and boil it with some water. Thereafter, mash it and add some butter, salt and pepper to it. Now eat this mixture.
29) Home Remedies for Stomach Ache:
Drink plenty of water , as it helps in ensuring smooth bowel movements.
Drink lemon tea with some honey added in it for taste. It will keep away stomach ache.
Mix 1 tsp each of mint juice and lime juice. Add some ginger juice and black salt in it. Drink this mixture.
30) for Tonsillitis :
Take a fresh lemon and squeeze it in a glass of water. Add 4 tsp of honey and ¼ tsp of common salt in it. Drink it slowly sip by sip.
Milk has proved beneficial in treating tonsillitis. In 1 glass of pure boiled milk, add a pinch of turmeric powder and pepper powder. Drink it every night for about 3 days.
31) Home Remedies for Toothache:
Dip 1 clove of garlic in rock salt and place it on the affected tooth.
Keep a piece of raw onion inside the mouth on the affected tooth.
Clove serves as an excellent home remedy for toothache. Keep a clove in your mouth and suck it. You can even apply clove oil on the affected tooth.
Lime is considered valuable in maintaining the health of teeth.
Consume the juice of wheat grass, as it acts as a fabulous mouthwash in case of tooth decay.
32) Home Remedies for Wrinkles:
Application of20 leftover egg whites at the bottom of the shell to the problematic area serves as an effective home remedy for wrinkles.
For the sagging skin under the eyes or on the throat, apply some odorless Castor oil.
Take some coconut oil and massage on the wrinkled skin.
Eat 1 tsp of shredded ginger along with a few drops of honey every morning.
Rub the core of a pineapple all over your face for sometime and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes.
33) Home Remedies for Urinary Tract Infection:
In 8 oz of water, put 1/2 tsp of baking soda and drink it.
Drink plenty of water, as it aids in flushing out the waste products from the body.
Drink Cranberry juice. You can also add some apple juice for taste.
34) Home Remedies for Warts:
Apply Castor oil daily over the problematic area. Continue for several months.
Apply milky juice of fresh and barely-ripe figs a number of times a day. Continue for two weeks.
Rub cut raw potatoes on the affected area several times daily. Continue for at least two weeks.
Rub cut onions on the warts to stimulate the circulation of blood.
Apply powder of herb Indian squall daily over the warts.
Apply milk from the cut end of dandelion over the warts 2-3 times a day.
Apply oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut over the warts.
Apply Papaya juice
Apply Pineapple juice
35) Home Remedies for Vomiting:
Take 2 cardamoms and roast them on a dry pan (tava). Powder the cardamoms and thereafter add a tsp of honey in it.. Consume it frequently. It serves as a fabulous home remedy for vomiting.
In the mixture of 1 tsp of mint juice and 1 tsp lime juice, add 1/2 tsp of ginger juice and 1 tsp honey. Drink this mixture to prevent vomiting.
Lime juice is an effective remedy for vomiting. Take a glass of chilled lime juice and sip slowly. To prevent vomiting, drink ginger tea.
In 1 glass water, add some honey and drink sip by sip.
Labels:
Local Home Remedies -
Full Body Cleanse: FAQ
What follows are a series of questions and answers regarding the Full Body Cleanse Program.
If, after reading through this section, you have additional questions about cleansing and detoxification, please feel free to use our Contact Form to send us your question(s).
How important is it to stay away from coffee during the full body cleanse program?
Beyond stirring up and eliminating toxins, one of the goals of the full body cleanse is to restore optimal tone to your autonomic nervous system and all of the organs that your autonomic system governs.
One of the keys to restoring optimal tone to your autonomic nervous system is to avoid stimulants. The most common stimulants used in everyday life are alcohol, nicotine, and drinks that contain concentrated doses of caffeine, like coffee, most conventional teas, some types of soda, and energy drinks.
So the answer to this question is that it's quite important to try to avoid the use of coffee while on the full body cleanse program. While you can still experience significant health benefits if you drink coffee during your cleanse, you won't experience optimal improvement in the health of your autonomic nervous system.
What do you think about drinking just water, lemon juice, maple syrup/honey, and cayenne pepper for several days or a few weeks at a time?
Going on any calorie-restricted cleanse like the one described in this question may lead you to experience some symptoms of detoxification. It may also lead to some improvement in your health, especially if your everyday diet includes significant quantities of foods that aren't good for you.
But over the long term, cleansing programs that are severely limited in calories may contribute to a number of health challenges, the most common ones being binge eating and muscle loss.
Maintaining muscle mass is critical to promoting optimal health over the long term for a number of reasons, the most important one being that your muscles act as a reservoir for glucose, which is stored as glycogen. Maintaining a healthy amount of muscle mass for your structure can help keep your blood sugar level within a healthy range. Since people tend to lose muscle mass as they age, it's important to preserve as much muscle mass as possible through physical activity and a healthy diet.
How does the full body cleanse compare to water fasting?
Water fasting leads to rapid detoxification - no other type of cleansing program can match the pace at which toxins are stirred up and eliminated from the body during a properly conducted water fast.
The full body cleanse program can lead to significant detoxification and restoration of tone to your autonomic nervous system, but the changes that take place during the full body cleanse program take longer than they do during a water fast. The good news is that the changes that take place during the full body cleanse tend to be lasting changes, as the program promotes healthy dietary habits for the long term and preserves much of your muscle mass.
Can I take the greens and acerola cherry powder during the full body cleanse?
Yes, it's fine to take any whole food supplements that contain only fruits and vegetables during the full body cleanse program. It's best to ensure that the supplements that you take during your intense cleanse are free of grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and protein isolates. For more guidance on choosing quality whole food supplements, view:
Guide to Vitamins and Minerals
Are we able to use other oils during the full body cleanse, such as flaxseed, pumpkin, hemp seed, or organic coconut? Why is olive oil allowed?
Oils are extremely low in protein, and are typically easier to digest than foods that are considered protein-dense (grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and animal foods).
Still, oils are highly concentrated foods, and they require more work of your digestive system than vegetables and fruits do. So it's best to avoid oils during the cleanse. A small amount of extra-virgin olive oil is recommended only if you find it difficult to eat raw and steamed vegetables on their own.
Other oils may be suitable substitutes for olive oil. I recommend extra-virgin olive oil only because it's the one that I have long used with the full body cleanse program, and I know that the program can be highly effective with small amounts of extra-virgin olive oil.
I am allergic to avocados. Also, I am a very active athlete, and I exercise vigorously a minimum of 7 hours per week. Is there something that I can substitute for the avocados during the full body cleanse?
As mentioned in Full Body Cleanse: Lifestyle, it's important to give your body as much physical rest as possible during the full body cleanse. The full body cleanse diet and physical rest are both essential requirements for experiencing significant detoxification and improvement in your overall health.
If you must exercise vigorously as a part of an athletic training program, it is likely in your best interest to include some protein-dense foods - like legumes, organic eggs, and fish - in your diet. Nuts and seeds are fine choices for most people as well, but my experience has been that legumes, organic eggs, and wild fish are better choices than nuts and seeds.
I have read that you should avoid cleansing within two years of planning to get pregnant. Do you believe this is true? Do you recommend any cleanses for women who are trying to get pregnant?
Regarding cleansing while pregnant, nursing or preparing to get pregnant: Unless a person has been exposed to extremely high levels of toxins in the past, I don't think that elimination of toxins presents a danger to a baby.
The main danger in experiencing an intense cleanse during these times is that if an extremely light, vegan diet - like the one described in this series - is followed for an extended period of time, it's possible to become undernourished in nutrients that are essential to a baby's development. For more information on potential problems with a strict vegan diet, please view:
More Thoughts on Earthlings Documentary, Including Potential Problems with a Strict Vegan Diet
While pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant, I believe that it's best to focus on getting as many nutrient-rich foods into your system as possible, including foods that are rich in healthy fat, protein, complex carbs, and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and enzymes).
I have read that it is not good to eat fruit and vegetables together as one hinders the digestion of the other. Also not to eat fruit at the end of a meal. Your thoughts on these thoughts?
If one's digestive tract is extremely sensitive or inflamed, it may be helpful to eat fewer types of foods per meal. In fact, "mono-meals" can be useful in some cases, where a person eats just one food at a time.
But for most people, I have found that most combinations of fruits and vegetables can be eaten together without any struggles. There's really no getting around observing how your body reacts to different foods and combinations of foods, and tailoring your choices accordingly.
Are dried fruits like figs and dates allowed during the full body cleanse?
Dried fruits are allowed, but they are not optimal choices, as they are highly concentrated in natural sugars. When eaten in large amounts and on a regular basis, dried fruits can contribute to problems with your blood sugar and insulin levels. Dried fruits can also contribute to the development of cavities.
If you soak dried fruits in water for an hour or two before eating, they become much healthier choices, as re-hydrating dried fruits effectively decreases the concentration of natural sugars within.
In your everyday life, it's fine to eat a handful of dried fruits daily, but only if you eat lots of mineral-rich greens - like romaine lettuce - and you brush your teeth after each serving and you don't experience signs and symptoms of tooth decay, like tooth pain and sensitivity after eating.
Can I have my 3-year old do the full body cleanse?
I feel that it is best to have growing children eat a variety of foods, including foods that are naturally rich in healthy fat and protein.
Even when a young child has been exposed to antibiotics, other prescription meds, and a variety of environmental toxins, his or her self healing and detoxifying mechanisms are likely to be sharp enough to preserve good overall health while on a well balanced diet.
In short, I recommend the full body cleanse diet plus foods like legumes, organic eggs, grains, and small amounts of nuts and seeds for growing children and pregnant and nursing women.
If, after reading through this section, you have additional questions about cleansing and detoxification, please feel free to use our Contact Form to send us your question(s).
How important is it to stay away from coffee during the full body cleanse program?
Beyond stirring up and eliminating toxins, one of the goals of the full body cleanse is to restore optimal tone to your autonomic nervous system and all of the organs that your autonomic system governs.
One of the keys to restoring optimal tone to your autonomic nervous system is to avoid stimulants. The most common stimulants used in everyday life are alcohol, nicotine, and drinks that contain concentrated doses of caffeine, like coffee, most conventional teas, some types of soda, and energy drinks.
So the answer to this question is that it's quite important to try to avoid the use of coffee while on the full body cleanse program. While you can still experience significant health benefits if you drink coffee during your cleanse, you won't experience optimal improvement in the health of your autonomic nervous system.
What do you think about drinking just water, lemon juice, maple syrup/honey, and cayenne pepper for several days or a few weeks at a time?
Going on any calorie-restricted cleanse like the one described in this question may lead you to experience some symptoms of detoxification. It may also lead to some improvement in your health, especially if your everyday diet includes significant quantities of foods that aren't good for you.
But over the long term, cleansing programs that are severely limited in calories may contribute to a number of health challenges, the most common ones being binge eating and muscle loss.
Maintaining muscle mass is critical to promoting optimal health over the long term for a number of reasons, the most important one being that your muscles act as a reservoir for glucose, which is stored as glycogen. Maintaining a healthy amount of muscle mass for your structure can help keep your blood sugar level within a healthy range. Since people tend to lose muscle mass as they age, it's important to preserve as much muscle mass as possible through physical activity and a healthy diet.
How does the full body cleanse compare to water fasting?
Water fasting leads to rapid detoxification - no other type of cleansing program can match the pace at which toxins are stirred up and eliminated from the body during a properly conducted water fast.
The full body cleanse program can lead to significant detoxification and restoration of tone to your autonomic nervous system, but the changes that take place during the full body cleanse program take longer than they do during a water fast. The good news is that the changes that take place during the full body cleanse tend to be lasting changes, as the program promotes healthy dietary habits for the long term and preserves much of your muscle mass.
Can I take the greens and acerola cherry powder during the full body cleanse?
Yes, it's fine to take any whole food supplements that contain only fruits and vegetables during the full body cleanse program. It's best to ensure that the supplements that you take during your intense cleanse are free of grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and protein isolates. For more guidance on choosing quality whole food supplements, view:
Guide to Vitamins and Minerals
Are we able to use other oils during the full body cleanse, such as flaxseed, pumpkin, hemp seed, or organic coconut? Why is olive oil allowed?
Oils are extremely low in protein, and are typically easier to digest than foods that are considered protein-dense (grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and animal foods).
Still, oils are highly concentrated foods, and they require more work of your digestive system than vegetables and fruits do. So it's best to avoid oils during the cleanse. A small amount of extra-virgin olive oil is recommended only if you find it difficult to eat raw and steamed vegetables on their own.
Other oils may be suitable substitutes for olive oil. I recommend extra-virgin olive oil only because it's the one that I have long used with the full body cleanse program, and I know that the program can be highly effective with small amounts of extra-virgin olive oil.
I am allergic to avocados. Also, I am a very active athlete, and I exercise vigorously a minimum of 7 hours per week. Is there something that I can substitute for the avocados during the full body cleanse?
As mentioned in Full Body Cleanse: Lifestyle, it's important to give your body as much physical rest as possible during the full body cleanse. The full body cleanse diet and physical rest are both essential requirements for experiencing significant detoxification and improvement in your overall health.
If you must exercise vigorously as a part of an athletic training program, it is likely in your best interest to include some protein-dense foods - like legumes, organic eggs, and fish - in your diet. Nuts and seeds are fine choices for most people as well, but my experience has been that legumes, organic eggs, and wild fish are better choices than nuts and seeds.
I have read that you should avoid cleansing within two years of planning to get pregnant. Do you believe this is true? Do you recommend any cleanses for women who are trying to get pregnant?
Regarding cleansing while pregnant, nursing or preparing to get pregnant: Unless a person has been exposed to extremely high levels of toxins in the past, I don't think that elimination of toxins presents a danger to a baby.
The main danger in experiencing an intense cleanse during these times is that if an extremely light, vegan diet - like the one described in this series - is followed for an extended period of time, it's possible to become undernourished in nutrients that are essential to a baby's development. For more information on potential problems with a strict vegan diet, please view:
More Thoughts on Earthlings Documentary, Including Potential Problems with a Strict Vegan Diet
While pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant, I believe that it's best to focus on getting as many nutrient-rich foods into your system as possible, including foods that are rich in healthy fat, protein, complex carbs, and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and enzymes).
I have read that it is not good to eat fruit and vegetables together as one hinders the digestion of the other. Also not to eat fruit at the end of a meal. Your thoughts on these thoughts?
If one's digestive tract is extremely sensitive or inflamed, it may be helpful to eat fewer types of foods per meal. In fact, "mono-meals" can be useful in some cases, where a person eats just one food at a time.
But for most people, I have found that most combinations of fruits and vegetables can be eaten together without any struggles. There's really no getting around observing how your body reacts to different foods and combinations of foods, and tailoring your choices accordingly.
Are dried fruits like figs and dates allowed during the full body cleanse?
Dried fruits are allowed, but they are not optimal choices, as they are highly concentrated in natural sugars. When eaten in large amounts and on a regular basis, dried fruits can contribute to problems with your blood sugar and insulin levels. Dried fruits can also contribute to the development of cavities.
If you soak dried fruits in water for an hour or two before eating, they become much healthier choices, as re-hydrating dried fruits effectively decreases the concentration of natural sugars within.
In your everyday life, it's fine to eat a handful of dried fruits daily, but only if you eat lots of mineral-rich greens - like romaine lettuce - and you brush your teeth after each serving and you don't experience signs and symptoms of tooth decay, like tooth pain and sensitivity after eating.
Can I have my 3-year old do the full body cleanse?
I feel that it is best to have growing children eat a variety of foods, including foods that are naturally rich in healthy fat and protein.
Even when a young child has been exposed to antibiotics, other prescription meds, and a variety of environmental toxins, his or her self healing and detoxifying mechanisms are likely to be sharp enough to preserve good overall health while on a well balanced diet.
In short, I recommend the full body cleanse diet plus foods like legumes, organic eggs, grains, and small amounts of nuts and seeds for growing children and pregnant and nursing women.
Labels:
Full Body Cleanse: FAQ
Full Body Cleanse: Lifestyle
During and after an intense, full body cleanse, you can expect to feel refreshed, like your body has become younger and lighter. To experience the greatest possible benefits during your intense cleanse, it's important that you minimize your exposure to endogenous and exogenous toxins.
Minimizing your exposure to endogenous toxins is relatively simple - you just need to follow the full body cleanse diet, chew your foods well, and do your best not to overeat. This combination of actions will minimize production of toxins in your digestive tract and within your cells.
What follows is a list of suggestions on how to minimize your exposure to exogenous toxins:
Minimize use of cosmetics - it's best to use none at all during an intense cleansing period. It's most important to avoid use of cosmetics around your mouth to prevent accidental ingestion of chemicals found in many cosmetic products.
Minimize use of moisturizer and chapstick / lip balm. If you must use something on your skin and lips, consider using a small amount of coconut oil.
Try not to use deodorants, antiperspirants, or perfumes/colognes.
Use the smallest amount of shampoo possible, and if your life circumstances permit, use a brand made with natural ingredients - there are plenty of such brands at most department stores these days.
Here are some additional suggestions on how to conserve energy and allow your body to devote the bulk of its resources to cleansing and detoxification:
Minimize use of soap - warm or hot water is sufficient for cleaning.
In looking to get as much physical rest as possible, don't neglect resting your eyes. Even while awake, you can enhance physical rest by closing your eyes for a minute or more at a time.
As your circumstances permit, take a break from activities that tend to promote emotional distress. For example, taking a week-long break from watching the evening news, or even taking a two-day break from surfing the internet and checking your e-mail may give your nervous system much needed rest.
Get plenty of fresh air. Your lungs are constantly expelling carbon dioxide into the air around you, and your cleansing mechanisms are best served by a steady stream of fresh, oxygen-rich air. If you live in a relatively unpolluted environment, sleep with your window cracked open.
Get sunlight exposure on your skin without getting burned, but be careful not to get so much sun that you become exhausted - about 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure each day while at rest is optimal for many people; this doesn't include exposure while going about your daily activities.
Engage in light stretching, walking, and even mild sports activities, but don't participate in strenuous exercise during your intense cleanse. The goal is to keep your body moving and your blood circulation strong, but to conserve as much energy as possible for your cleansing mechanisms.
Clearly, the suggestions provided above can be beneficial to your health after you complete an intense period of cleansing. As you experience the intense, full body cleanse described in this series of articles, perhaps you can make it a goal to adopt some or many of these dietary and lifestyle suggestions into your everyday routine for the long term.
If you're serious about using an intense period of detoxification to greatly improve your health, I encourage you to try this program with a close friend or family member. Having a partner to experience this with can make a huge difference in your commitment level, and in the results that you obtain.
Please notice that this program doesn't call for fancy and expensive foods or equipment. It mainly calls for fresh vegetables and fruits, water, and adherence to some basic principles that promote good digestion and physical and emotional rest - it really is that simple.
Minimizing your exposure to endogenous toxins is relatively simple - you just need to follow the full body cleanse diet, chew your foods well, and do your best not to overeat. This combination of actions will minimize production of toxins in your digestive tract and within your cells.
What follows is a list of suggestions on how to minimize your exposure to exogenous toxins:
Minimize use of cosmetics - it's best to use none at all during an intense cleansing period. It's most important to avoid use of cosmetics around your mouth to prevent accidental ingestion of chemicals found in many cosmetic products.
Minimize use of moisturizer and chapstick / lip balm. If you must use something on your skin and lips, consider using a small amount of coconut oil.
Try not to use deodorants, antiperspirants, or perfumes/colognes.
Use the smallest amount of shampoo possible, and if your life circumstances permit, use a brand made with natural ingredients - there are plenty of such brands at most department stores these days.
Here are some additional suggestions on how to conserve energy and allow your body to devote the bulk of its resources to cleansing and detoxification:
Minimize use of soap - warm or hot water is sufficient for cleaning.
In looking to get as much physical rest as possible, don't neglect resting your eyes. Even while awake, you can enhance physical rest by closing your eyes for a minute or more at a time.
As your circumstances permit, take a break from activities that tend to promote emotional distress. For example, taking a week-long break from watching the evening news, or even taking a two-day break from surfing the internet and checking your e-mail may give your nervous system much needed rest.
Get plenty of fresh air. Your lungs are constantly expelling carbon dioxide into the air around you, and your cleansing mechanisms are best served by a steady stream of fresh, oxygen-rich air. If you live in a relatively unpolluted environment, sleep with your window cracked open.
Get sunlight exposure on your skin without getting burned, but be careful not to get so much sun that you become exhausted - about 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure each day while at rest is optimal for many people; this doesn't include exposure while going about your daily activities.
Engage in light stretching, walking, and even mild sports activities, but don't participate in strenuous exercise during your intense cleanse. The goal is to keep your body moving and your blood circulation strong, but to conserve as much energy as possible for your cleansing mechanisms.
Clearly, the suggestions provided above can be beneficial to your health after you complete an intense period of cleansing. As you experience the intense, full body cleanse described in this series of articles, perhaps you can make it a goal to adopt some or many of these dietary and lifestyle suggestions into your everyday routine for the long term.
If you're serious about using an intense period of detoxification to greatly improve your health, I encourage you to try this program with a close friend or family member. Having a partner to experience this with can make a huge difference in your commitment level, and in the results that you obtain.
Please notice that this program doesn't call for fancy and expensive foods or equipment. It mainly calls for fresh vegetables and fruits, water, and adherence to some basic principles that promote good digestion and physical and emotional rest - it really is that simple.
Labels:
Full Body Cleanse: Lifestyle
Full Body Cleanse: Diet
During an intense, full body cleanse, the goal with your diet is simple: it's to minimize the workload on your digestive organs while supplying your body with enough energy to carry out its everyday activities. Cleansing is performed primarily by your body's self-regulated cleansing mechanisms, not by the nutrients in the foods that you eat.
Vegetables, fruits, and their juices are excellent food choices for an intense, full body cleanse for the following reasons:
For most people, vegetables and fruits are extremely easy to digest.
Vegetables and fruits are naturally rich in water; staying hydrated is an essential requirement for an intense, full body cleanse.
For the vast majority of people, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and all cooked animal foods are harder to digest than vegetables and fruits. So for an intense period of cleansing, it's best to avoid everything but vegetables, fruits, their juices, and water.
How to Prepare for an Intense, Full Body Cleanse
Before beginning, it's ideal to take a week or at least a few days to taper your intake of the following:
Coffee
Alcohol
Salt
Sugar and other sweeteners
All animal foods, including dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork, and all other flesh meats
These foods put significant strain on your digestive organs, and avoiding them "cold turkey" can sometimes create withdrawal symptoms that are too powerful for some people to tolerate.
It's fine to eat grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds right up until the day before you begin your intense period of detox - these foods are rich in fiber, and their remains should move through your digestive tract without too much difficulty during your intense cleanse.
If you don't wish to spend up to a week to taper your intake of the foods listed above, it's fine to begin right away; just be aware that you may experience highly uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal, like strong headaches, lightheadedness, and nausea.
Other than tapering the foods-to-avoid during your cleanse, all that remains during the preparatory phase is to make sure that your kitchen is well stocked with vegetables and fruits that you enjoy.
Here is a list of vegetables and fruits that can be used for a highly effective cleanse:
Dark green, leafy lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf)
Avocados
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Celery
Carrots
Red beets (one or two will last a week)
Zucchini
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Asparagus
Onions
Corn
Yukon gold or new potatoes
Sweet potatoes or yams
Acorn or butternut squash
Watermelon
Honeydew
Cantaloupe
Pears
Apples
Bananas
Mangoes
Papaya
Peaches
Plums
Nectarines
Grapes
Coconut
Oranges and grapefruit
Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, goji berries, and any other berries that you enjoy
Any other fruits or vegetables that you enjoy raw or juiced
Clearly, it's best to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season. Organic varieties are best, but my experience has been that non-organic produce can also be used to experience an intense period of detox.
Regarding liquids: Have on hand plenty of water that you feel comfortable drinking. When weighed against all of the moment-to-moment dietary and lifestyle factors that affect your health, so long as your water isn't intentionally poisoned, even municipal tap water can be used to experience a highly effective cleanse.
It's fine to drink warm or hot water.
It's also fine to use sparkling mineral water as you desire, although you should mainly drink "still" water during your cleanse.
Regarding medications: Please do not taper or stop taking prescription medications without your physician's consent.
Regarding nutritional supplements: Avoid any supplements that contain synthetic nutrients, protein isolates, grains, nuts, seeds, or lecithin. It's fine to take whole food supplements that contain nothing but vegetables and/or fruits. It's also fine to take a probiotic as long as it doesn't have added protein, grains, nuts, seeds, or lecithin.
Regarding equipment: If you can chew your foods well, you don't need much by way of equipment. If you have access to a strong blender and a juicer, you can make smoothies and juices during your intense cleanse, but these aren't absolutely necessary.
The Full Body Cleanse Diet
Morning
Eat any raw, ripe fruits that you desire, along with any combination of lettuce, celery, and avocado, if desired.
If you have trouble staying full on just raw fruits and vegetables, be sure to have avocado with your fruit, as the healthy fatty acids found in avocado should help you stay satisfied until your next meal.
If you'd like, you can blend up your morning meal into a smoothie.
You can also have water, sparkling water, or a hot drink made with boiling water and peppermint or chamomile tea.
Afternoon
Eat a large vegetable salad with as many different vegetables as possible. If you would like a salad dressing, use extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice or any combination of extra-virgin olive oil and citrus juice. Try to avoid vinegar, honey, salt, and spices.
If you have trouble feeling full, again, try to include an avocado with your salad.
If you don't think you can make it to dinner on a raw vegetable salad with avocado, have a steamed Yukon gold potato, new potato, or sweet potato after your salad.
Feel free to have water, sparkling water, or peppermint or chamomile tea after your lunch meal. Also feel free to have any fresh, ripe fruits that you desire after your vegetable salad.
Evening
Eat any combination of raw vegetables and fruits that you desire, but aim to have at least as many vegetables as fruits.
If you're still hungry after eating raw vegetables and fruits, have any steamed vegetables that you enjoy, such as steamed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, and asparagus.
If you're still hungry after eating steamed vegetables, feel free to have steamed root vegetables, such as steamed potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.
Have as much water, sparkling water, or peppermint or chamomile tea that you desire.
Snacks
Any raw fruits, vegetables, their juices, and smoothies made with raw fruits and vegetables are fine snack choices. For a dip to eat with raw vegetables, have guacamole made with avocado, red onion, and lemon or lime juice.
Full Body Cleanse Sample Menu
Morning
Big bowl of watermelon with a large handful of romaine lettuce leaves and 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado.
Afternoon
A large vegetable salad made with leafy lettuce, cucumber slices, tomato slices, shredded carrots, shredded red beets, sliced red onions, shredded zucchini, 1/2 to 1 whole avocado, 1/2 a sweet bell pepper, and raw corn kernels.
Optional: Dressing made by mixing one part extra-virgin olive oil and one part orange juice.
Evening
Small bowl of romaine lettuce, celery sticks, mango, and blueberries.
Steamed cabbage, broccoli, and 1/2 to 1 whole raw avocado.
Snack
Smoothie made with banana, blueberries, mango, and water.
Full Body Cleanse Schedule
A nice feature of this full body cleanse is that you can follow it for however many days you desire and/or your schedule allows.
Initially, you may want to try it over the weekend, beginning on Friday evening, and ending on Monday afternoon.
Many people find that seven full days is quite manageable, and produces noticeable changes in energy level and sense of well-being. The first while can be tough for some people who experience severe symptoms of withdrawal, but for the majority of people who experience such symptoms, things start to look up after a few days.
If you like how this program of eating makes you feel, it's fine to continue with it for as long as you feel strong and healthy.
When you're ready to add other foods back into your diet, it's best to proceed slowly. On the first day of "breaking" your cleanse, you should follow the same diet, but add one additional food to your afternoon or evening meal, like hummus made with chickpeas.
On day 2, you can have two servings of protein-dense foods, say a serving of eggs with lunch and a serving of fish for dinner.
As you break into a long-term pattern of eating, the goal should be to keep the full body cleanse diet as the foundation of your diet, and to add small servings of healthy, protein-dense foods (grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and animal foods) to your meals as your appetite dictates.
How to Use Fresh Juices During Your Full Body Cleanse
After a day or two of getting right into the full body cleanse diet, it's fine to try a day or two of having nothing but fresh juices.
Because juices are mostly devoid of fiber, they put even less burden on your digestive organs than the whole foods that they come from. Less digestive burden translates to more energy being available for your self-regulated cleansing mechanisms.
Here are some guidelines for juicing days:
Have as many freshly pressed juices as you desire.
Stick mainly with green juices that are made with a foundation of dark green, leafy lettuce and celery. Use only small amounts of sweet root vegetables like carrots and red beets.
If you want to have some freshly pressed fruit juice, mix it 50/50 with a non-sweet vegetable juice.
Here's an example of what a juicing day might look like:
Juice #1
6 leaves romaine lettuce
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
Juice #2
6 leaves green leafy lettuce
2 oranges
Juice #3
6 leaves romaine lettuce juice
2 leaves green cabbage
2 carrots
Juice #4
Big handful of kale or Swiss chard
2 ribs celery
2 apples
Juice #5
2 tomatoes
2 carrots
3 ribs celery
Squeeze of lemon juice
After your juicing day(s), go back to the full body cleanse diet described above for at least a day before adding protein-dense foods to your diet.
An alternative to doing full juicing days is to substitute one of your regular meals with a freshly pressed vegetable juice
Vegetables, fruits, and their juices are excellent food choices for an intense, full body cleanse for the following reasons:
For most people, vegetables and fruits are extremely easy to digest.
Vegetables and fruits are naturally rich in water; staying hydrated is an essential requirement for an intense, full body cleanse.
For the vast majority of people, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and all cooked animal foods are harder to digest than vegetables and fruits. So for an intense period of cleansing, it's best to avoid everything but vegetables, fruits, their juices, and water.
How to Prepare for an Intense, Full Body Cleanse
Before beginning, it's ideal to take a week or at least a few days to taper your intake of the following:
Coffee
Alcohol
Salt
Sugar and other sweeteners
All animal foods, including dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork, and all other flesh meats
These foods put significant strain on your digestive organs, and avoiding them "cold turkey" can sometimes create withdrawal symptoms that are too powerful for some people to tolerate.
It's fine to eat grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds right up until the day before you begin your intense period of detox - these foods are rich in fiber, and their remains should move through your digestive tract without too much difficulty during your intense cleanse.
If you don't wish to spend up to a week to taper your intake of the foods listed above, it's fine to begin right away; just be aware that you may experience highly uncomfortable symptoms of withdrawal, like strong headaches, lightheadedness, and nausea.
Other than tapering the foods-to-avoid during your cleanse, all that remains during the preparatory phase is to make sure that your kitchen is well stocked with vegetables and fruits that you enjoy.
Here is a list of vegetables and fruits that can be used for a highly effective cleanse:
Dark green, leafy lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf)
Avocados
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Celery
Carrots
Red beets (one or two will last a week)
Zucchini
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Asparagus
Onions
Corn
Yukon gold or new potatoes
Sweet potatoes or yams
Acorn or butternut squash
Watermelon
Honeydew
Cantaloupe
Pears
Apples
Bananas
Mangoes
Papaya
Peaches
Plums
Nectarines
Grapes
Coconut
Oranges and grapefruit
Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, goji berries, and any other berries that you enjoy
Any other fruits or vegetables that you enjoy raw or juiced
Clearly, it's best to choose fruits and vegetables that are in season. Organic varieties are best, but my experience has been that non-organic produce can also be used to experience an intense period of detox.
Regarding liquids: Have on hand plenty of water that you feel comfortable drinking. When weighed against all of the moment-to-moment dietary and lifestyle factors that affect your health, so long as your water isn't intentionally poisoned, even municipal tap water can be used to experience a highly effective cleanse.
It's fine to drink warm or hot water.
It's also fine to use sparkling mineral water as you desire, although you should mainly drink "still" water during your cleanse.
Regarding medications: Please do not taper or stop taking prescription medications without your physician's consent.
Regarding nutritional supplements: Avoid any supplements that contain synthetic nutrients, protein isolates, grains, nuts, seeds, or lecithin. It's fine to take whole food supplements that contain nothing but vegetables and/or fruits. It's also fine to take a probiotic as long as it doesn't have added protein, grains, nuts, seeds, or lecithin.
Regarding equipment: If you can chew your foods well, you don't need much by way of equipment. If you have access to a strong blender and a juicer, you can make smoothies and juices during your intense cleanse, but these aren't absolutely necessary.
The Full Body Cleanse Diet
Morning
Eat any raw, ripe fruits that you desire, along with any combination of lettuce, celery, and avocado, if desired.
If you have trouble staying full on just raw fruits and vegetables, be sure to have avocado with your fruit, as the healthy fatty acids found in avocado should help you stay satisfied until your next meal.
If you'd like, you can blend up your morning meal into a smoothie.
You can also have water, sparkling water, or a hot drink made with boiling water and peppermint or chamomile tea.
Afternoon
Eat a large vegetable salad with as many different vegetables as possible. If you would like a salad dressing, use extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, fresh lime juice or any combination of extra-virgin olive oil and citrus juice. Try to avoid vinegar, honey, salt, and spices.
If you have trouble feeling full, again, try to include an avocado with your salad.
If you don't think you can make it to dinner on a raw vegetable salad with avocado, have a steamed Yukon gold potato, new potato, or sweet potato after your salad.
Feel free to have water, sparkling water, or peppermint or chamomile tea after your lunch meal. Also feel free to have any fresh, ripe fruits that you desire after your vegetable salad.
Evening
Eat any combination of raw vegetables and fruits that you desire, but aim to have at least as many vegetables as fruits.
If you're still hungry after eating raw vegetables and fruits, have any steamed vegetables that you enjoy, such as steamed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, corn, and asparagus.
If you're still hungry after eating steamed vegetables, feel free to have steamed root vegetables, such as steamed potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots.
Have as much water, sparkling water, or peppermint or chamomile tea that you desire.
Snacks
Any raw fruits, vegetables, their juices, and smoothies made with raw fruits and vegetables are fine snack choices. For a dip to eat with raw vegetables, have guacamole made with avocado, red onion, and lemon or lime juice.
Full Body Cleanse Sample Menu
Morning
Big bowl of watermelon with a large handful of romaine lettuce leaves and 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado.
Afternoon
A large vegetable salad made with leafy lettuce, cucumber slices, tomato slices, shredded carrots, shredded red beets, sliced red onions, shredded zucchini, 1/2 to 1 whole avocado, 1/2 a sweet bell pepper, and raw corn kernels.
Optional: Dressing made by mixing one part extra-virgin olive oil and one part orange juice.
Evening
Small bowl of romaine lettuce, celery sticks, mango, and blueberries.
Steamed cabbage, broccoli, and 1/2 to 1 whole raw avocado.
Snack
Smoothie made with banana, blueberries, mango, and water.
Full Body Cleanse Schedule
A nice feature of this full body cleanse is that you can follow it for however many days you desire and/or your schedule allows.
Initially, you may want to try it over the weekend, beginning on Friday evening, and ending on Monday afternoon.
Many people find that seven full days is quite manageable, and produces noticeable changes in energy level and sense of well-being. The first while can be tough for some people who experience severe symptoms of withdrawal, but for the majority of people who experience such symptoms, things start to look up after a few days.
If you like how this program of eating makes you feel, it's fine to continue with it for as long as you feel strong and healthy.
When you're ready to add other foods back into your diet, it's best to proceed slowly. On the first day of "breaking" your cleanse, you should follow the same diet, but add one additional food to your afternoon or evening meal, like hummus made with chickpeas.
On day 2, you can have two servings of protein-dense foods, say a serving of eggs with lunch and a serving of fish for dinner.
As you break into a long-term pattern of eating, the goal should be to keep the full body cleanse diet as the foundation of your diet, and to add small servings of healthy, protein-dense foods (grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and animal foods) to your meals as your appetite dictates.
How to Use Fresh Juices During Your Full Body Cleanse
After a day or two of getting right into the full body cleanse diet, it's fine to try a day or two of having nothing but fresh juices.
Because juices are mostly devoid of fiber, they put even less burden on your digestive organs than the whole foods that they come from. Less digestive burden translates to more energy being available for your self-regulated cleansing mechanisms.
Here are some guidelines for juicing days:
Have as many freshly pressed juices as you desire.
Stick mainly with green juices that are made with a foundation of dark green, leafy lettuce and celery. Use only small amounts of sweet root vegetables like carrots and red beets.
If you want to have some freshly pressed fruit juice, mix it 50/50 with a non-sweet vegetable juice.
Here's an example of what a juicing day might look like:
Juice #1
6 leaves romaine lettuce
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
Juice #2
6 leaves green leafy lettuce
2 oranges
Juice #3
6 leaves romaine lettuce juice
2 leaves green cabbage
2 carrots
Juice #4
Big handful of kale or Swiss chard
2 ribs celery
2 apples
Juice #5
2 tomatoes
2 carrots
3 ribs celery
Squeeze of lemon juice
After your juicing day(s), go back to the full body cleanse diet described above for at least a day before adding protein-dense foods to your diet.
An alternative to doing full juicing days is to substitute one of your regular meals with a freshly pressed vegetable juice
Labels:
Full Body Cleanse: Diet
Full Body Cleanse Series:Natural Health Solutions
Full Body Cleanse: The Basics
If you do a Google search for full body cleanse, your web browser will bring up more than 2 million Web sites that offer information on how to experience a full body cleanse. If cleansing and detoxifying for health purposes wasn't a mainstream topic before, it certainly is now with the recent launch of Oprah's 21-Day Cleanse.
Here are some of the most common questions that I receive on a weekly basis from people seeking guidance on how to cleanse and detoxify their bodies:
What's the best way to detoxify my body?
How do I prepare for a cleanse?
How do I return to my everyday routine after a cleanse?
Is it okay to detox while I take my meds?
How do I cleanse my liver?
If you're not quite sure what to make of the whole cleansing and detoxing craze, I hope that this three-part series on cleansing gives you a solid understanding of this important health topic.
What Exactly is Detoxification?
Detoxification refers to the process of eliminating toxins from your body.
There are two major types of toxins that your body accumulates over time:
Environmental Toxins: Sometimes called exogenous (made outside your body) toxins, environmental toxins include all the chemicals and pollutants that you're exposed to through air, water, and food.
Common environmental toxins include pesticides, herbicides, prescription and over-the-counter medications, carbon monoxide, triclosan, bisphenol A, phthalates, and volatile organic compounds.
Metabolic Toxins: Sometimes called endogenous (made inside your body) toxins, metabolic toxins are produced by each of your cells as they go about their everyday metabolic processes. Metabolic toxins can also be produced by microorganisms that act on incompletely digested food in your digestive tract.
It's normal for your cells to contain some toxins at all times. After all, your cells need to manufacture energy on an ongoing basis, and the manufacturing process results in waste (toxin) production.
Toxins only present a challenge to your health when they accumulate to a point where they interfere with cellular function - we call this state toxicosis.
The first effect of toxicosis is disruption of cellular function. If a group of cells experience significant toxicosis, specific health challenges develop, examples being thyroiditis, hepatitis, prostatitis, unexplained chronic fatigue, and problems with vision. If toxicosis persists, it's possible for the DNA in your cells to become damaged, which may lead to abnormal cellular growth of the affected cells.
While the majority of chronic health challenges are caused by more than one factor, I hope that it's clear that allowing your body to accumulate toxins over the long haul can result in you developing any one of the chronic diseases that are plaguing people in industrialized countries. To be clear, toxicosis can contribute to coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, respiratory illness, kidney disease, liver dysfunction, autoimmune illness, hormonal imbalances, skin conditions, and most types of cancer.
Your Body is Constantly Detoxifying and Cleansing
The good news is that your body is designed to constantly gather up and remove toxins from your cells. Most of the toxins that are stirred up from your cells are broken down in your liver, and then eliminated from your body via your kidneys, colon, skin, lungs, and mucus linings in your nose and ears.
Put another way, every time that you urinate, defecate, exhale, cough, sneeze, and experience an inside-out reaction with your skin, your body eliminates toxins from your system.
If your exposure to toxins rises, your body increases its output through the eliminative channels mentioned above. If your eliminative mechanisms cannot keep up with the number of toxins that are coming in and being generated in your cells, in an effort to preserve your health, your body attempts to store some of the toxins in your fat tissues. Even if you are lean for your body type, your body can store toxins in fat tissues that can be found interspersed between your muscle fibers and surrounding your organs.
The bottom line is this: Your body is committed to eliminating harmful toxins from your system at all times. Toxins can become problematic to your health if you accumulate enough of them to experience cellular dysfunction.
Full Body Cleanse
I hope that it's clear that your body is experiencing a full body cleanse at all times. Put another way, your body is constantly at work to keep every cell in your body as healthy as possible.
Any effective full body cleanse or any other type of cleansing program that you go through should be designed to accelerate the detoxifying process that your body is already engaged in.
There's not a lot that you have to do to encourage your body to rid itself of toxins.
You can accelerate cleansing and detox by reducing the number of exogenous and endogenous toxins that you are exposed to, and by giving your body the rest that it needs to devote its resources to its cleansing and detoxifying mechanisms.
Put another way, to experience a truly effective period of intense cleansing, you don't need to give your body much by way of nutrients. Actually, all you need to give your body are physical and emotional rest, fresh air, water, and enough fuel to sustain your most basic metabolic processes. And as people who understand water fasting know, the fuel that you need for intense cleansing can actually come from reserves found in your liver, muscles, and fat.
But this isn't an article about water fasting. This is an article about how to experience accelerated full body cleansing while going about most of your everyday routine.
Before we get into a specific protocol for intense cleansing, let's address one final point: your body cleanses and detoxifies itself evenly. What I mean by this is that there's no way for your body to cleanse your kidneys first, and then your liver, and then your eyes, and so on and so forth. Your body detoxifies all of its cells at about the same pace.
This doesn't mean that every part of your body will feel healthier at the same pace, as each of your body parts has its own history and genetic predisposition. Let's say, for example, that you have a long history of acne. If you begin a period of intense cleansing, it may be days or weeks or months after your internal organs have become significantly cleaner and healthier when you observe improvement in the health of your skin. And if other factors are contributing to your acne (such as an imbalance in your endocrine system), you may need years of healthful living to experience lasting improvement in skin health and tone.
Please don't forget this fact: many chronic health challenges take years to develop, so it's unrealistic to expect such challenges to fully heal within months, even if you fully support your cleansing mechanisms.
This last point is one that you probably won't find on most of the more than 2 million Web sites that discuss how to experience a full body cleanse.
Although it may be disheartening to know, the truth is that lasting improvement in your health may take many months or years to manifest itself. You may feel better within days, but I hope that what you're really shooting for is to build a foundation of health that will serve you for decades.
Also, please remember that the positive effects of an intense period of cleansing will last only as long as your dietary and lifestyle choices support your health after your cleanse. Your body is working its tail off to detoxify itself as you are reading these words, and it will continue to do so during an intense cleanse, and after an intense cleanse. Full body cleansing never stops - it is always happening at the pace that your daily choices allow. If you want to experience your best health, your job is to support your body's self-cleansing mechanisms every day.
How to Experience an Intense, Full Body Cleanse
As mentioned earlier, here are the most basic requirements for an intense, fully body cleanse:
Expose yourself to as much fresh air as possible.
Get as much physical and emotional rest as possible.
Stay hydrated with water-rich foods and liquids.
Minimize your exposure to exogenous and endogenous toxins
If you do a Google search for full body cleanse, your web browser will bring up more than 2 million Web sites that offer information on how to experience a full body cleanse. If cleansing and detoxifying for health purposes wasn't a mainstream topic before, it certainly is now with the recent launch of Oprah's 21-Day Cleanse.
Here are some of the most common questions that I receive on a weekly basis from people seeking guidance on how to cleanse and detoxify their bodies:
What's the best way to detoxify my body?
How do I prepare for a cleanse?
How do I return to my everyday routine after a cleanse?
Is it okay to detox while I take my meds?
How do I cleanse my liver?
If you're not quite sure what to make of the whole cleansing and detoxing craze, I hope that this three-part series on cleansing gives you a solid understanding of this important health topic.
What Exactly is Detoxification?
Detoxification refers to the process of eliminating toxins from your body.
There are two major types of toxins that your body accumulates over time:
Environmental Toxins: Sometimes called exogenous (made outside your body) toxins, environmental toxins include all the chemicals and pollutants that you're exposed to through air, water, and food.
Common environmental toxins include pesticides, herbicides, prescription and over-the-counter medications, carbon monoxide, triclosan, bisphenol A, phthalates, and volatile organic compounds.
Metabolic Toxins: Sometimes called endogenous (made inside your body) toxins, metabolic toxins are produced by each of your cells as they go about their everyday metabolic processes. Metabolic toxins can also be produced by microorganisms that act on incompletely digested food in your digestive tract.
It's normal for your cells to contain some toxins at all times. After all, your cells need to manufacture energy on an ongoing basis, and the manufacturing process results in waste (toxin) production.
Toxins only present a challenge to your health when they accumulate to a point where they interfere with cellular function - we call this state toxicosis.
The first effect of toxicosis is disruption of cellular function. If a group of cells experience significant toxicosis, specific health challenges develop, examples being thyroiditis, hepatitis, prostatitis, unexplained chronic fatigue, and problems with vision. If toxicosis persists, it's possible for the DNA in your cells to become damaged, which may lead to abnormal cellular growth of the affected cells.
While the majority of chronic health challenges are caused by more than one factor, I hope that it's clear that allowing your body to accumulate toxins over the long haul can result in you developing any one of the chronic diseases that are plaguing people in industrialized countries. To be clear, toxicosis can contribute to coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, respiratory illness, kidney disease, liver dysfunction, autoimmune illness, hormonal imbalances, skin conditions, and most types of cancer.
Your Body is Constantly Detoxifying and Cleansing
The good news is that your body is designed to constantly gather up and remove toxins from your cells. Most of the toxins that are stirred up from your cells are broken down in your liver, and then eliminated from your body via your kidneys, colon, skin, lungs, and mucus linings in your nose and ears.
Put another way, every time that you urinate, defecate, exhale, cough, sneeze, and experience an inside-out reaction with your skin, your body eliminates toxins from your system.
If your exposure to toxins rises, your body increases its output through the eliminative channels mentioned above. If your eliminative mechanisms cannot keep up with the number of toxins that are coming in and being generated in your cells, in an effort to preserve your health, your body attempts to store some of the toxins in your fat tissues. Even if you are lean for your body type, your body can store toxins in fat tissues that can be found interspersed between your muscle fibers and surrounding your organs.
The bottom line is this: Your body is committed to eliminating harmful toxins from your system at all times. Toxins can become problematic to your health if you accumulate enough of them to experience cellular dysfunction.
Full Body Cleanse
I hope that it's clear that your body is experiencing a full body cleanse at all times. Put another way, your body is constantly at work to keep every cell in your body as healthy as possible.
Any effective full body cleanse or any other type of cleansing program that you go through should be designed to accelerate the detoxifying process that your body is already engaged in.
There's not a lot that you have to do to encourage your body to rid itself of toxins.
You can accelerate cleansing and detox by reducing the number of exogenous and endogenous toxins that you are exposed to, and by giving your body the rest that it needs to devote its resources to its cleansing and detoxifying mechanisms.
Put another way, to experience a truly effective period of intense cleansing, you don't need to give your body much by way of nutrients. Actually, all you need to give your body are physical and emotional rest, fresh air, water, and enough fuel to sustain your most basic metabolic processes. And as people who understand water fasting know, the fuel that you need for intense cleansing can actually come from reserves found in your liver, muscles, and fat.
But this isn't an article about water fasting. This is an article about how to experience accelerated full body cleansing while going about most of your everyday routine.
Before we get into a specific protocol for intense cleansing, let's address one final point: your body cleanses and detoxifies itself evenly. What I mean by this is that there's no way for your body to cleanse your kidneys first, and then your liver, and then your eyes, and so on and so forth. Your body detoxifies all of its cells at about the same pace.
This doesn't mean that every part of your body will feel healthier at the same pace, as each of your body parts has its own history and genetic predisposition. Let's say, for example, that you have a long history of acne. If you begin a period of intense cleansing, it may be days or weeks or months after your internal organs have become significantly cleaner and healthier when you observe improvement in the health of your skin. And if other factors are contributing to your acne (such as an imbalance in your endocrine system), you may need years of healthful living to experience lasting improvement in skin health and tone.
Please don't forget this fact: many chronic health challenges take years to develop, so it's unrealistic to expect such challenges to fully heal within months, even if you fully support your cleansing mechanisms.
This last point is one that you probably won't find on most of the more than 2 million Web sites that discuss how to experience a full body cleanse.
Although it may be disheartening to know, the truth is that lasting improvement in your health may take many months or years to manifest itself. You may feel better within days, but I hope that what you're really shooting for is to build a foundation of health that will serve you for decades.
Also, please remember that the positive effects of an intense period of cleansing will last only as long as your dietary and lifestyle choices support your health after your cleanse. Your body is working its tail off to detoxify itself as you are reading these words, and it will continue to do so during an intense cleanse, and after an intense cleanse. Full body cleansing never stops - it is always happening at the pace that your daily choices allow. If you want to experience your best health, your job is to support your body's self-cleansing mechanisms every day.
How to Experience an Intense, Full Body Cleanse
As mentioned earlier, here are the most basic requirements for an intense, fully body cleanse:
Expose yourself to as much fresh air as possible.
Get as much physical and emotional rest as possible.
Stay hydrated with water-rich foods and liquids.
Minimize your exposure to exogenous and endogenous toxins
Labels:
Full Body Cleanse: The Basics
What to Eat - How to Get the Most Out of What You Eat
As mentioned in part one of this series, a key principle to healthy eating is to eat nutrient-rich foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and eggs are good examples of health-promoting, nutrient-rich foods.
Unfortunately, simply wolfing down nutrient-rich foods doesn't guarantee optimal nourishment of your cells. Your digestive system has to be able to extract nutrients out of the foods that you eat - this is why chewing thoroughly is vital to your health.
This is also why most people thrive when they eat a variety of foods in different forms.
Consider a large serving of salad greens. Fresh and uncooked leafy greens are exceptionally rich in nutrients - they're naturally abundant in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water, fiber, and countless phytonutrients.
Unfortunately, the tough fiber content and small overall surface area of leafy greens make them difficult to chew thoroughly to allow optimal extraction of nutrients. This isn't to say that you shouldn't bother eating leafy green vegetables - they're excellent for promoting good overall health, and they're well tolerated by the masses. I generally recommend that most people aim to eat the equivalent of a head of romaine lettuce a day.
The point is to consider eating leafy greens in a variety of forms to ensure that your body is optimally nourished.
For example, juicing a head of romaine lettuce unlocks virtually all of the health-promoting nutrients in lettuce, ensuring that your bloodstream has easy access to these nutrients.
Taking a high quality green food powder that has been micropulverized is another way of squeezing the goodness out of leafy greens.
Cooking softens the fiber in vegetables, which makes it easier for your body to extract nutrients from within - this is especially true of firm vegetables like carrots and cabbage. Some heat-sensitive nutrients in plant foods may be lost with some forms of cooking, but the overall net gain is typically more than enough to justify eating a diet that includes both uncooked and cooked vegetables.
Steaming and boiling are cooking methods that effectively soften fiber in plant foods while preserving the integrity of most of the nutrients found in vegetables.
When you boil vegetables, consider using the water as a base for soups, as some of the micronutrients in vegetables make their way into the water. This is why homemade vegetable and chicken broths are so nourishing - if made with a variety of vegetables and with care, they're rich in a variety of nutrients that are extremely easy to absorb.
In our home, we like to keep batches of vegetable and chicken broth in our refrigerator to use as bases for all of our soups.
Homemade broth is nourishing for people of all ages, but they're especially good for the young and the elderly because they're power-packed with easily absorbed nutrients - mainly minerals - that are essential to developing and maintaining healthy bones, teeth, nerve function, and muscle function.
As we age, our bodies tend to produce less stomach acid, which is needed in generous quantities to properly break down protein. This is one of the ways in which digestive capacity is weakened as we get older. This is also a chief reason to consider making homemade broths a regular part of your diet, as broths are pretty close to being devoid of protein - they provide many of the micronutrients found in plant and animal foods, but without a need for large quantities of stomach acid to become accessible to your bloodstream.
When looking to introduce nutrient-rich foods to babies who are ready for solids, I generally recommend serving some type of stew that is made with vegetable or chicken broth - this is a reliable way of effectively providing growing babies and growing children with many of the minerals that they need to develop their organ systems.
Homemade broths don't pose the same risks to health that pasteurized and homogenized dairy products do; the risk of developing any of the health challenges associated with regular dairy intake - intermittent ear infections, sinus infections, nasal congestion, diarrhea, bloody stools, stomach cramping, skin rashes like eczema, and diabetes type 1, to name a just a few - can be dramatically reduced and even eliminated by feeding our children homemade broths instead of dairy.
To make vegetable broth, combine onions, carrots, celery, and any other vegetables that you have on hand in a large pot, fill with cold water until vegetables are fully covered, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover while left to simmer for one hour. Strain well, season with sea salt, and voila, you have a pot of gold to nourish your loved ones with.
To make chicken broth, simply add a whole chicken, or part of one (with bones) to the vegetables and follow the same directions. If you can make use of chicken meat, keep boiling time down to about 20 to 30 minutes, as this will impart nutrient-goodness to the broth and keep the meat tender and sweet. If you can't make use of chicken meat, ask someone at your local grocery store for some chicken backs. The key is to include some bones in the broth for their micronutrient content.
One final note on making broths: When you're finished making broth and it's been strained, be sure to let it cool for a while in the pot before transferring to a glass jar - you never know how thick a glass jar is and how easily it might break. Vegetable and chicken broth keep for several days when stored in air-tight glass jars in the refrigerator.
Next up in this series on what to eat is a look at another food preparation technique that is guaranteed to allow you to get more out of what you eat.
Unfortunately, simply wolfing down nutrient-rich foods doesn't guarantee optimal nourishment of your cells. Your digestive system has to be able to extract nutrients out of the foods that you eat - this is why chewing thoroughly is vital to your health.
This is also why most people thrive when they eat a variety of foods in different forms.
Consider a large serving of salad greens. Fresh and uncooked leafy greens are exceptionally rich in nutrients - they're naturally abundant in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water, fiber, and countless phytonutrients.
Unfortunately, the tough fiber content and small overall surface area of leafy greens make them difficult to chew thoroughly to allow optimal extraction of nutrients. This isn't to say that you shouldn't bother eating leafy green vegetables - they're excellent for promoting good overall health, and they're well tolerated by the masses. I generally recommend that most people aim to eat the equivalent of a head of romaine lettuce a day.
The point is to consider eating leafy greens in a variety of forms to ensure that your body is optimally nourished.
For example, juicing a head of romaine lettuce unlocks virtually all of the health-promoting nutrients in lettuce, ensuring that your bloodstream has easy access to these nutrients.
Taking a high quality green food powder that has been micropulverized is another way of squeezing the goodness out of leafy greens.
Cooking softens the fiber in vegetables, which makes it easier for your body to extract nutrients from within - this is especially true of firm vegetables like carrots and cabbage. Some heat-sensitive nutrients in plant foods may be lost with some forms of cooking, but the overall net gain is typically more than enough to justify eating a diet that includes both uncooked and cooked vegetables.
Steaming and boiling are cooking methods that effectively soften fiber in plant foods while preserving the integrity of most of the nutrients found in vegetables.
When you boil vegetables, consider using the water as a base for soups, as some of the micronutrients in vegetables make their way into the water. This is why homemade vegetable and chicken broths are so nourishing - if made with a variety of vegetables and with care, they're rich in a variety of nutrients that are extremely easy to absorb.
In our home, we like to keep batches of vegetable and chicken broth in our refrigerator to use as bases for all of our soups.
Homemade broth is nourishing for people of all ages, but they're especially good for the young and the elderly because they're power-packed with easily absorbed nutrients - mainly minerals - that are essential to developing and maintaining healthy bones, teeth, nerve function, and muscle function.
As we age, our bodies tend to produce less stomach acid, which is needed in generous quantities to properly break down protein. This is one of the ways in which digestive capacity is weakened as we get older. This is also a chief reason to consider making homemade broths a regular part of your diet, as broths are pretty close to being devoid of protein - they provide many of the micronutrients found in plant and animal foods, but without a need for large quantities of stomach acid to become accessible to your bloodstream.
When looking to introduce nutrient-rich foods to babies who are ready for solids, I generally recommend serving some type of stew that is made with vegetable or chicken broth - this is a reliable way of effectively providing growing babies and growing children with many of the minerals that they need to develop their organ systems.
Homemade broths don't pose the same risks to health that pasteurized and homogenized dairy products do; the risk of developing any of the health challenges associated with regular dairy intake - intermittent ear infections, sinus infections, nasal congestion, diarrhea, bloody stools, stomach cramping, skin rashes like eczema, and diabetes type 1, to name a just a few - can be dramatically reduced and even eliminated by feeding our children homemade broths instead of dairy.
To make vegetable broth, combine onions, carrots, celery, and any other vegetables that you have on hand in a large pot, fill with cold water until vegetables are fully covered, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover while left to simmer for one hour. Strain well, season with sea salt, and voila, you have a pot of gold to nourish your loved ones with.
To make chicken broth, simply add a whole chicken, or part of one (with bones) to the vegetables and follow the same directions. If you can make use of chicken meat, keep boiling time down to about 20 to 30 minutes, as this will impart nutrient-goodness to the broth and keep the meat tender and sweet. If you can't make use of chicken meat, ask someone at your local grocery store for some chicken backs. The key is to include some bones in the broth for their micronutrient content.
One final note on making broths: When you're finished making broth and it's been strained, be sure to let it cool for a while in the pot before transferring to a glass jar - you never know how thick a glass jar is and how easily it might break. Vegetable and chicken broth keep for several days when stored in air-tight glass jars in the refrigerator.
Next up in this series on what to eat is a look at another food preparation technique that is guaranteed to allow you to get more out of what you eat.
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