MasterColonCleanser.com

The colon is the body’s dumpster. Waste material sits in the colon until elimination, when the body literally removes the “trash” from your body into the toilet. Along with the waste products are bacteria - some of which are helpful and some that are harmful.

If you suffer from chronic constipation, the colon doesn’t eliminate regularly and fecal matter begins to stick to the walls of the colon like used gum placed under a chair. This sets up serious problems in the colon track, which might (in a worse case scenario) lead to colon cancer.

If you have a steady diet of caffeine, sugar, white flour, fats, processed foods and fried foods, you haven’t been kind to your colon. Periodically your colon needs a spring-cleaning to start fresh. Detox is the way to do that.

You can find detox kits at a health food store that are specifically designed for colon cleanse. Follow those directions precisely for best results. You will usually take capsules two or three times daily to promote elimination, so this isn’t a good time to take a long trip or be far from a bathroom until the elimination is complete.

During the colon cleanse, you want to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water. That’s water, not soda, coffee or milk. You can add a few drops of lemon or lime juice to the water to help the taste if you need to.

Increasing your daily water intake is important for colon health. Water is part of the process of flushing out toxins. Imagine how well your toilet would flush if there wasn’t water? Well, your colon needs water to flush out waste, too.

The herbs in the colon cleanse detox kit usually contain senna, aloe, ginger and cayenne pepper - which are all useful in stimulating bowel movements. These act as a laxative, but are more gentle than a typical over the counter laxative.

You may also notice that fennel and garlic are in the product and you’ll wonder what these seasonings have to do with detox. Both fennel and garlic are also purifying agents, which knock out harmful bacteria lingering in the colon. The detox kit may also contain some type of bitterroot plant that aids in the flow of bile for cleansing the liver.

Once you start the colon cleanse process, make sure that you complete it. And you need to schedule a colon cleanse at least twice a year - particularly if your food choices don’t improve.

After your colon is cleansed and ready to work efficiently again, think about what you want to put in your body. This is a chance to start eating healthy - didn’t you promise yourself that you wanted to improve your food choices someday? This is the perfect time to start anew.

With all of the pollutants in the environment, it’s no wonder that your body doesn’t perform at maximum efficiency. While you can control the environment inside your home, you spend many hours a day in places where you have no control over the environmental conditions.

That’s where much of the damage is done. And it’s often cellular damage - impairing the cells in your skin that are aging prematurely.  Because your whole body is exposed to toxins, you need a full body detox regularly to remove accumulated toxins from water, food and air pollution.

Even in our cities with sophisticated water systems, parasites defy detection and get passed along to unsuspecting hosts. Metal, chemical and smoke toxins linger in the body and damage your immune system. If you do nothing, you begin to feel the effects.

Detox is a natural way to renew your body that’s been used since ancient civilizations. It’s not something new. You can purchase a detox kit from a reputable health food store and follow the directions.

Or, you can set up your own detox process by eating only raw foods or drinking only fresh juices from raw vegetables for a week - then gradually adding back other fruits, vegetables, grains and rice.

The purpose of a detox is to cleanse your body by expelling all of the toxic build up. It takes two to three weeks to flush out the toxins from your kidneys, liver and other organs. You may need to arrange your schedule to complete the detox process.

During detox, you need adequate sleep and relaxation to support your body in the cleansing process. Stress is the enemy of a detox and will short circuit the process, making all of this effort ineffective.

If you’re new to detox, you may want to work with a qualified naturopath to help you monitor the process. The naturopath can design a detox plan that meets your individual needs.

This is the ideal time to seek help from the naturopath or a nutritionist to design a diet that will be more supportive of your body. Once you’ve cleansed away the donuts, double cheeseburgers and French fries, don’t go back to that way of eating again. Your body will be primed for change, so make the most of it with new healthier food choices.

After the detox, you can return to your regular vitamin and mineral supplements. If you’re taking any prescription medication, consult your physician before beginning the detox.

Whatever you do, don’t take it on yourself to stop taking the medication. Sudden change like that can create new complications.  Detox done right is a new beginning, setting your body on a course for good health and longevity.

You want to detox your body, but your work or travel schedule just doesn’t give you 7 or 10 uninterrupted days to follow the usual process. Well some effort at detox is better than nothing, so you can try a one-day detox plan. The overall effect of a one-day detox isn’t as great as that of longer detox programs, so you want to repeat the one-day detox at least every three months.

During the one-day detox, you’re basically on a juice only fast. You have to use fresh vegetables in the juicer to get the highest quality nutrients. If the juice comes in a can, don’t bother.

There’s not enough nutrient value left to matter. If you don’t have a juicer, go to a health food store or natural food restaurant and purchase fresh juice the evening before the juice detox.

Dedicate a weekend day when you can relax and reduce stress during the detox. Start the day with gentle stretches and a glass of juice. Take a relaxing bath or shower and dress in loose, comfortable clothes.

If you want to, spend the day in your pajamas. But if you decide to get dressed, you might also schedule a massage during the mid-day. You can drive directly to the massage therapist and directly home. Don’t make any stops, run errands or shop. This is your day to detox and relax. The to-do list can wait.

At home, surround yourself with calming music, not loud television shows. And don’t even log on the computer to check your email. Tell everyone who regularly calls on your cell that you’ll be unavailable on the detox day. Leave a phone message saying you won’t return calls until the next day. Make this your day - isn’t your health worth 24 hours?

Set out some candles or place an aromatic scent that you enjoy in the room near you. Chamomile or lavender are scents known to promote relaxation. But if you enjoy vanilla or rose or some other scent, then choose that one.

This all sounds great if you have a quiet home - but what if your house is filled with children, pets and neighbors all weekend? Here’s where additional planning is in order. You can take a day off of work and do the detox at home while the children are at school and your spouse is at work. You may have to send the pets to a willing neighbor for the day if they’re going to interrupt your plans.

Or check into a spa that offers detox treatments and call it your well deserved vacation day. If that’s too expensive for your budget, find a bargain priced but comfortable hotel in town and check in.

Bring all of your detox supplies, including juices and water. Make sure your hotel room has a mini refrigerator and you’re all set. You can even go for a swim in the hotel pool or sit outside on the lounge chairs.

The television commercials are right - you do feel “out of sorts” when you’re constipated. And when well meaning friends ask what’s wrong, it’s just not something you want to talk about.

Yet you might be surprised to know that you aren’t alone with this problem. About one-third of American adults have constipation frequently.  Constipation can be the result of insufficient fiber and water in your diet.

Lack of exercise also complicates this condition, as does some types of prescription medication.  Even if you don’t feel like it at the moment, getting up and taking a walk is useful. In fact, walking at least thirty minutes is as good for colon function as it is protective for your heart. That’s like getting a bonus for the same amount of effort.

Drink at 6-8 glasses of water a day. Don’t just say you do - measure! Set aside a small pitcher or water container with that exact amount and don’t stop drinking until the last drop is gone.

It may seem like a lot, but if you space it over the day, it really isn’t. And no, sugary sodas and caffeine beverages are not a substitute for the water that your body needs to process waste products and remove toxins from your body.

Change your diet to colon friendly foods. Back in the day when people ate more fresh produce and worked hard in the field or factory, constipation was less of a problem. We eat too much of the wrong kind of foods and get too little of the right kind of exercise.

Both of those things need to change if you want to get rid of constipation. Eat more root vegetables and fruits that are high in fiber. That’s a big change from fast foods that tend to be loaded with flour, fat and sugar. You’d probably get more fiber by eating the wrapper than what you get from the fast food itself!

Regardless of how the constipation came about - and until you get on the right track for foods and exercise - you need relief now. Herbal remedies may be the best solution. Herbal laxatives work in one of two ways: to either add bulk or stimulate the bowels to eliminate.

As with any laxative, don’t overuse or use for too many days at a time. You can become dependent - even on herbal laxatives. Excess laxative use is treating the symptom, not the problem and can cause dehydration, potassium depletion and irritation of the muscles in the colon.

Add dried plums or prunes to your diet for their natural ability to promote healthy bowel movement. Black cherry juice may also have the same effect for some people. Dandelion root tea can bring ease to constipation as can eating marshmallows. These have substances that are soothing and lubricating to the colon.

Prevention is the best approach for constipation. Use a combination of these suggestions to get your body in better shape and you can throw the over the counter laxatives out with the trash!

Unless you came from a family that practiced natural health remedies, you may find the idea of a detox totally strange. Isn’t detox what alcoholics do when they’re put in jail for public drunkenness?

Yes, but it’s not exactly the same kind of detox that you would use to promote wellness. So don’t be put off by the word and focus on the health value.  Just like the alcoholic’s body is thrown out of balance by alcohol, your consumption of sugar, fat and caffeine has thrown your body out of balance, too.

Even if you try to eat right, the nutrients in most of our foods is poor compared to the quality of food that our great grandparents ate. We may be more advanced in technology, but we seem to have lost something when it comes to food quality.

The water you drink, the air you breathe and the unseen toxins in the environment contribute to a buildup of free radicals in your body that cause permanent damage. Your overworked immune system just can’t keep up without some help.

To make it simple, you need to detox your body if you have any of these symptoms:

* Arthritis or joint pain
* Bad breath
* Chronic respiratory or sinus problems
* Food allergies
* Constipation, diarrhea or gas
* Insomnia and fatigue
* Frequent headaches
* Depression or anxiety
* Psoriasis
* Poor digestion or excess acid
* Sudden memory lapses
* Sensitivity to odors

These are symptoms that a messages from your body as it seeks relief from pollutants, maltreatment and poor nutrition. You can choose a detox plan that addresses certain symptoms or areas of the body.

Explain your symptoms to a consultant at the health food store or to a naturopath. If you have several types of symptoms, you may need to do two or three detox programs separately so that each body system is flushed of toxins and built up for maximum efficiency.

The detox program involving several body systems may take 4 to 8 weeks to complete. But when you consider that it took years to get your body in this poor condition, it’s certainly worth a month or two to get it right.