This Ancient Japanese Technique Kills Stress In 5 Minutes!

Researchers have found a strong correlation between chronic stress and many emotional and physical disorders, such as anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, nausea, vomiting, weak immune system, and so on. That's not all, it can also result in the development of many other serious diseases.

In fact, almost everyone experiences stress due to today's lifestyle. But, if you are constantly experiencing stress, you are at a higher risk of developing various health problems. Specifically, in case you do not take certain measure to reduce your stress levels, it can lead to the above mentioned health issues.

In addition, there are actually a number of methods that can help you lower your stress. For instance, some of them include regular massage, exercise, mediation, yoga, etc.

But, we are going to present you an old Japanese self-relaxation technique, which has been proven to be very effective.

You can practice it anywhere in less than 5 minutes.

Before discussing the details of this ancient self-relaxation technique, we have to mention that every finger does represent a different type of feeling or emotion:

• The Little finger can help you reduce stress and improve your self-esteem and optimism.
• The Ring finger can help you eliminate depression and melancholy.
• The Middle finger can help you regulate your emotions and feelings of bitterness and rage.
• The Index finger can help you get rid of your fears.
• The Thumb can help you fight off worry and anxiety.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

The main purpose of this Japanese technique is to create balance of all the opposing energy forces present in your body. Namely, you should take one finger at a time, and grasp it by using the other hand. Next, each finger should be wrapped around it.

Then, it is advisable to hold every finger for one to two fingers until you feel the pulse.

You can also bring yourself into a deeper state of relaxation by putting slight pressure to your palm's center by using the thumb of the other hand. You should hold it for about 60 seconds.

Practicing this self-relaxation technique daily can greatly reduce your stress and balance your spirit.

Watch the video below to find out how to practice the technique properly:

Source: www.davidwolfe.com

References:

• Chun, Jing. "DIY: Reflexology – Learn The Simple Techniques Of Self Massage in order to relieve stress, reduce pain and feel better today"
• Atkinson, Mary. "A Practical Guide to Self-Massage: Over 50 Simple Exercises and Relaxation Techniques to Improve Your Health and Well-Being"

Bare Natural Truth

Most Brands of Chewing Gum Are Extremely Toxic To Your Health

For whatever reason you choose to chew it, the plastic, potentially toxic mish-mash of ingredients in chewing gum are bad for the environment and bad for us.

Football managers chew it to keep their nerves and emotions under control. Lovers chew it to keep their teeth white and their breath kissing fresh. Kids chew it to look cool and – if they're young enough – practice blowing bubbles. Some people even chew for medicinal purposes – for instance as a substitute for smoking or to get a caffeine 'energy' hit.

Humans have chewed gum for millennia but it's only recently that it has become the hi-tech plastic, minty 'treat' choc full of preservatives that it is today.

The ancient Greeks chewed mastiche – a gum made from the resin of the mastic tree; the Mayans chewed chicle which is the sap from the sapodilla tree; North American Indians chewed the sap from spruce trees and passed the habit along to the settlers.

After World War II, chemists learned to make synthetic rubber, which eventually replaced most natural rubber as a chewing gum base. Today the ubiquitous ingredient 'gum base' is label shorthand for an alphabet soup of potentially toxic ingredients.

Because of the vagaries of chewing gum ingredient labels most of us continue to chew in ignorance – and in vast numbers. Americans consume 40 percent of the world's gum. Across Britain, France, Germany, and Spain for instance almost 50 per cent of adults aged 15 and above use chewing gum.

Toxic Chewing

When a market is this profitable, regulators tend to look the other way and questions about long-term safety can get pushed to the bottom of the agenda.

In 2008, however, Canadian regulators did stick their heads over the parapet by publishing a draft list of 17 substances that they felt were toxic and therefore should not be allowed in products like chewing gum. Vinyl acetate, which is used to manufacture the polyvinyl acetate in gum base, was one of these. Canadian concern was raised because of research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's cancer research arm, which produced some evidence suggesting that vinyl acetate caused tumors in rats.

Vincent Cogliano, head of the IARC program at that time identified environmental factors that can raise the risk of human cancer, says trace amounts of vinyl acetate could make it into polyvinyl acetate, the chewing-gum ingredient.

"Polyvinyl acetate is made from vinyl acetate. Not necessarily one-hundred-point-zero-zero per cent is bound into the polymer, but there may be some," he said.

The Wrigley Company, makers of Doublemint, Big Red, Extra, Hubba Bubba and Juicy Fruit, likewise said its products do not contain vinyl acetate.

The IARC believed that trace amounts of vinyl acetate could make it into the gum base material and the Canadian regulators suggested that a 'precautionary approach' could be justified.

The proposal caused a furore amongst gum manufacturers who argued that even if they did make their gum from vinyl acetate none – or only minute amounts – would remain in the finished product. In 2009 the Canadian regulators backed down.

But vinyl acetate is not only toxic chemical in most chewing gums. Most also have hydrogentated soybean oil, aspartame, soy lecithin. These toxic ingredients are especially evident in brands from Trident, Dentyne and Wrigleys. Ironically, all of these claim that their chewing gum products fight cavities. Unfortunately, any benefit derived from fighting cavities through these types of chewing gum is very quickly negated by the extreme levels of toxicity in their ingredients which are far more detrimental to our health. Of course, they won't tell you that.

Aspartame in chewing gum is absorbed directly though the buccal mucosa of the tongue, mouth, and gums, making it a far worse poisoning than even if it were given intravenously. The nerves serving this area and their vascular supply derive directly from the brain, so the Aspartame absorbed through them goes directly into the brain, by passing the spinal cord and blood brain barrier.

The intact Aspartame molecule and its diketopiperazine form are vastly worse poisonings than any of the other poisonings which arise from it during digestion, and liver processing of the digestive blood, which is delivered directly to the liver via the portal vein. The other poisonings, as mentioned, are indeed horrendous but Aspartame from gum is far worse, making even the smaller amounts contained in chewing gum strikingly dangerous and damaging. This is doubtless why Wrigley placed it in all their products!

Aspartame, via ingestion into the digestive tract, is made into some ten other poisonings by the digestive processes, and then excepting that which is delivered directly to the pancreas, they are transported straight to the liver via the portal vein, where they then are very partially dealt with, and partially reprocessed. Afterwards, they are sent in somewhat lesser concentration to the entire body, lessening the amount which eventually goes to the brain. The amount getting to the brain from either source is devastating to it in many ways. Aspartame is most certainly devastatingly toxic when ingested, but a like amount is immensely worse when obtained from chewing gum.

Overall, unless you find a natural chewing gum (as far away from the conventional brands as possible), it's in your best interest to staying away from chewing gum.

Soures:
wnho.net
theecologist.org
about.com

Original source: Prevent Disease

Image Credits: Flickr

Dental Implants: Not a One-size-fits All Job

Once upon a time, dental implants may have been a fairly standard procedure. In other words, there was just one type available – and we needed to know little else. Suffice to say, the industry has changed. There are now umpteen types of dental implants available, with some sources estimating that there might even be…

How to Cook Perfectly Healthy White Rice – A Simple Trick You Didn’t Know

The health benefits of rice are numerous –it regulates and improves bowel movements, stabilizes blood sugar levels, provides fast and instant energy, and slows down the aging process, while also providing an essential source of vitamin B1 to the human body. Due to its numerous favorable properties, rice is a fundamental food in many cultural cuisines around the world, and it is a common ingredient in our everyday meals.

Its preparation is simple and easy, but it also has its own disadvantages. Namely, just like other cereals, rice leads to weight gain and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

White rice is especially harmful, and a cup of it comprises 200 calories, mostly pure starch without many other nutrients. Nevertheless, the majority of us really like white rice, so this article will reveal you a simple trick that reduces its caloric value, but adds nutrients to it at the same time. Indeed, the trick consists of one and only ingredient: coconut oil.

Dr. Sudhair James, who conducted a study on the nutritional value of rice, explained "We cooked rice as usual, the only difference being that before we put the rice in the boiling water, we added some coconut oil, about 3% of the amount of rice. After it was cooked, we left it in the fridge for about 12 hours. "

The explanation behind this simple trick is the following: frying or other ways of cooking rice don't change the starch and thus, it is hard to digest.

On the other hand, the procedure of cooking white rice in boiling water makes its starch extremely easy digestible, which allows our body to easily convert it into sugar then glycogen, and finally store it as fat.

The co- author of the study, Dr. Pusparajah Thavarajah, reveals that "the addition of lipids (in this case coconut oil or some other cooking fat) drastically reduces the proportion of easily digestible starch.

" This means that the oil reacts with starch and consequently, it changes its structure. He also adds that "cooling the rice helps reinforce the starch in its 'harder' form, thus rice remains less calorific even after being re-heated."

(Source)

How to Unlock Your Body’s True Fat-Breathing Powers

The vast majority of doctors, dietitians, and personal trainers believe that when you burn fat during exercise, that fat is being used up as fuel for energy or heat. Some believe it's excreted through urine or feces, while others think the fat is turned into muscle.

All of these ideas are to some degree incorrect, according to Ruben Meerman, a physicist, and Andrew Brown, a biochemist specializing in lipids, who say there's "surprising ignorance and confusion about the metabolic process of weight loss."

When You Lose Weight, Where Does the Fat Go?

Their calculations, showing where the fat really goes when you lose weight, was recently published in the journalBMJ.^1,2 As explained by Medical News Today:³

"Excess dietary carbohydrates and protein are converted to a type of fat called triglyceride. When people attempt to lose weight, they are attempting to metabolize these triglycerides while keeping their fat-free mass intact…

Triglycerides are comprised of three types of atoms: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Triglyceride molecules can be broken down only by unlocking these atoms, through a process known as oxidation.

The researchers chose to follow the path of these atoms when leaving the body. They found that when 10 kg of fat were oxidized, 8.4 kg were converted and excreted as carbon dioxide (CO₂) via the lungs, and 1.6 kg became water (H₂0).

In order for 10 kg of human fat to be oxidized, the researchers calculated that 29 kg of oxygen must be inhaled. Oxidation then produces a total of 28 kg of CO₂ and 11 kg of H₂0."

The researchers note that this is not new to science—rather the process has simply been misunderstood. The equation does involve release of energy; it's just that the process isn't as direct as one might think. According to the law of conservation of mass, it's actually quite difficult to convert matter into energy.

As noted by The Atlantic:⁴"If you were able to convert your fat stores [directly] into energy, you would explode in a glorious, catastrophic spectacle…" According to their calculations, you basically exhale 84 percent of your lost fat. The remaining 16 percent is metabolized into water, which is excreted through sweat and urine.

The authors estimate that by substituting one hour of sedentary lounging with one hour of moderate exercise—to increase your respiratory rate—your metabolic rate is increased sevenfold. However, they note that you can easily hamper any potential weight loss by eating too much food—and I would stress, by eating the wrong kinds of foods.

Your Food Choices Make a Huge Difference

It's important to recognize that most people who struggle with excess weight have some degree of insulin and leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that helps you regulate your appetite. When your leptin levels rise, it signals your body that you're full, so you'll stop eating.

As you become resistant to the effects of leptin, you end up overeating, as your body gradually loses its ability to "hear" the signals leptin sends out. Dr. Richard Johnson's research clearly shows that refined sugar (in particular processed fructose) is exceptionally effective at causing leptin resistance. Fructose also effectively blocks the burning of fat.

Basically, if you are insulin or leptin resistant, as long as you keep eating fructose and grains, you're programmingyour body to create and store fat. This is one of the key reasons why, if you are overweight, you'd be wise to restrict your fructose consumption to about 15 to 25 grams of fructose per day from all sources.

This means switching out most processed foods for whole, unprocessed foods, and avoiding any and all sweetened beverages. Clean pure water is really the only type of fluid your body needs. For further dietary guidance, please see my comprehensive nutrition plan.

If you're insulin/leptin resistant and/or are overweight, you can also greatly boost your body's fat-burning potential by incorporating intermittent fasting, as it helps reset your body to use fat instead of sugar as its primary fuel. It is by far the most effective way I know of to shed unwanted fat and eliminate your sugar cravings.

Exercising in a fasted state (such as first thing in the morning) will bring it up yet another notch. A simple way to get started with intermittent fasting is to simply omit breakfast, making lunch the first meal of your day.

Maintain this daily eating schedule until your insulin/leptin resistance improves (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol ratios, or diabetes normalizes). After that, just do it as often as you need to maintain your healthy state.

White versus Brown Fat

While we're on the topic of fat, it's worth noting that there are different kinds of fat cells in your body, and from a metabolic standpoint, they respond differently. They even appear to have different biological functions. None of this was discussed in the featured research, but it likely also plays a role in the big scheme of things. For a number of years, scientists have been studying so-called "brown fat"—a type of fat that generates heat that burns energy instead of storing it. So-called "white fat" is the kind that is primarily stored, and because it's also difficult to burn off, it tends to cause obesity. Research has shown that certain groups of people tend to have more brown fat than others, and there appears to be direct correlations between the activation of brown fat and metabolic measures of good health. For example:

• Slender people have more brown fat than obese people do
• Younger people have more brown fat than elderly people
• People with normal blood sugar levels have more brown fat than those with high blood sugar

How to Transform White Fat into Healthier Brown Fat

Newborns have a supply of brown fat to keep warm, but most of these stores are lost by the time adulthood is reached. However, although you have far less of it as an adult, scientists have found that you can activate the brown fat still present in your body by exposing yourself to cold temperatures. This has the effect of causing your body to burn more calories to keep warm, and there's evidence suggesting ice therapy can be helpful for boosting weight loss. Animal research has also shown that animals convert white fat into brown fat simply by exercising.

The study,⁵ published in the journal Disease Models and Mechanism, found that during exercise the animals' muscles released an enzyme called irisin, which triggered the conversion of white fat cells to brown. Preliminary studies presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association revealed that this holds true in humans as well. Among men, the benefits were found after 12 weeks of training on an exercise bike. One of the researchers, a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center, said:⁶

"Our results showed that exercise doesn't just have beneficial effects on muscle, it also affects fat… It's clear that when fat gets trained, it becomes browner and more metabolically active. We think there are factors being released into the bloodstream from the healthier fat that are working on other tissues."

As you can see, the human metabolism is extremely complex. On the one hand, exercise helps convert unhealthy white fat into healthier, heat-producing and more metabolically active brown fat. Exercise also increases the oxidation of fat, which then leaves your body via your lungs, in the form of carbon dioxide, and your bodily fluids, in the form of water. What's not so complex however, is how to optimize your metabolism—even if you don't understand the exact mechanisms involved. Following simple basics described below will catalyze your body's ability to achieve your ideal weight and leanness.

Your Weight Reflects Your Lifestyle Choices

Simply eating fewer calories and exercising more usually doesn't work very well, and the reason for that is because not all calories are the same. As mentioned, processed fructose in particular causes leptin resistance far more effectively than other sugars, with refined sugar coming in close second. Glucose is not nearly as harmful in comparison. Fructose also blocks the burning of fat. So, instead of focusing on calories, you need to address thequality of the foods you eat, and avoid chemical exposures. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as BPA and phthalates, for example, can cause or exacerbate weight gain. Following is a short list of proactive, easy-to-remember guidelines that can go a long way toward improving your health, nutrition, and body weight.

• Exercise regularly, and stay active all day long: Engage in high-intensity Peak Fitness exercise to burn fat and increase muscle mass (a natural fat burner). Also, strive to sit less (much less—ideally no more than three hours a day) and walk 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day in addition to your regular exercise program.
• Consider intermittent fasting: If you're insulin/leptin resistant and/or are overweight, boost your body's fat-burning potential by incorporating intermittent fasting. This is one of the most powerful approaches to reverse insulin resistance. It is only necessary to do until your insulin resistance resolves.
• Buy real food, preferably whole organic and locally grown, and cook from scratch. Ditching processed foods will automatically reduce your sugar consumption, which is the root cause of insulin resistance and weight gain. If you buy organic produce, you'll also cut your exposure to pesticides and genetically engineered ingredients, and in ditching processed foods, you'll automatically avoid artificial sweeteners and harmful processed fats like trans fats and vegetable oils (such as peanut, corn, and soy oil), the latter of which actually degrades into oxidation products when heated that may be more harmful than trans fat.

That said, most people do need upwards of 50-85 percent healthy fats in their diet for optimal health. Sources of healthy fats to add to your diet include avocados, butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk, raw organic dairy, coconuts and coconut oil, unheated organic nut oils, raw nuts and seeds, organic pastured egg yolks, and grass-fed meats. For more detailed dietary advice, please see my free Optimized Nutrition Plan.

• Opt for organic grass-fed meats to avoid genetically engineered ingredients, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and other growth promoting drugs.
• Opt for glass packaging and storage containers to avoid endocrine disrupting chemicals.

This article was republished from Mercola.com. 

Image Credits

Keep Pressing This Point For 2 Minutes! Then See What Will Happen To Your Body!

The Chinese culture and medicine believe that our feet are full of different important locations, points, which are linked to various parts and organs of our body. The stimulation and massage of these points may bring relief and improvement of health conditions.

One of these essential points is Tai Chong (LV3), which is located on your foot, between the big toe and the second toe, about two finger widths above the place where the skin of your big toe and the next toe joint.

It is suggested that the stimulation of this point can help in treating headaches, reduce stress, manage anger, lower back pain, high blood pressure, relieve menstrual cramps, limb pain, insomnia and anxiety and also you will help in the regulation and refreshment of the liver.

Moreover, according to Chinese texts, it can be extremely beneficial in the case of digestive issues, genital pain, headaches, canker sores, irritability and eye problems.

Furthermore, scientists prove that a randomized trial has yielded a positive result with acupuncture stimulation on Tai Chong (LV3) and other points, to manage post-stroke depression. On the other hand, animal studies discovered that this point can reduce blood pressure and plasma endothelin-1 levels in hypertension subjects.

In order to use all its benefits, you need to stimulate this point in the following manner: slide your finger along the space between the first and second toe to the tip of the joint. Tai Chong (LV3) is located in the depression before your finger touches the bone (metatarsal joint).

When you find it, apply pressure and massage for 2-3 seconds and make a break for 5 seconds.Do this massage for 2 minutes. Remember, you need to move your finger in a counterclockwise direction over this point.

Also, you need to note that you should not use it when you feel weak or low on energy.

(Source)

15 Warning Signals Your Body is Full of Toxins that Need to Be Cleansed Immediately

Toxins is certainly a buzzword, but is it purely an invention of marketers to coax us into spending money on dubious products?

Well, probably not.

Why else do we get food cravings, difficult-to-budge fat, joint pain, sleeping difficulties, fatigue, headaches, dark circles, heartburn, bad breath, farting, anxiety, sinus congestion, water retention, eczema and cold sores?

Its logical that these and other charming bodily offerings are warning signals. And that our bodies accumulate toxins, and we need to routinely 'take the trash out' to avoid being a walking, talking heap of junk.

So reader, it seems we're both full of crap. But how to get rid of it?

The answer is detoxification.

Detoxing in the spotlight

Doctors and health experts are slowly beginning to recognize the value of some of the elements of detoxing. Fasting, specifically intermittent fasting is getting recognition as a fat loss tool and longevity booster.

Juicing as a health tool is also enjoying a high profile, with people like Joe Cross and Kris Carrsharing powerful stories of turning their health around using juicing.

Another element (see below) of detoxing, colon therapy, has yet to gain much traction as a thing, but I predict it won't be long, especially if sexy health goddesses like Donna Gates continue to promote its benefits.

Overall though, science has remained unconvinced that detoxification and cleansing programs deliver any real benefit – and in some cases, might even cause harm.

Always one to embrace anything potentially health boosting, I first tried a detox program – based around Dr Jenson's approach to detoxification – three years ago. The process was hugely beneficial, giving me access to whole new layer of health (see more below). Since then I have been doing yearly detoxes at a number of retreats around the world offering similar programs.

What's involved?

For seven days, solid foods are replaced by high fiber detox drinks containing a mix of psyllium husk,clay and if you're lucky, mixed with watermelon or pineapple juice, if not, then plain water.

The mixture is designed to absorb toxins from your colon, as well as fill you up so you don't get hungry. You also take juices and supplements containing intestinal cleansers and herbal nutrition throughout the day. This is the 'fasting' element.

The second part of the equation involves daily colonics (usually administered yourself using aColoma board) to remove the toxins that the drinks have helped to loosen from your intestines. You are also provided with 'gut flora grow' tablets to help manage levels of microbes in the gut, which are disturbed by the colonics.

There are usually other things on offer that assist with the process of detoxification, including herbal steaming, abdominal massage, meditation and yoga.

Why I keep detoxing

Here are some of the reasons I go on a detox each year. Afterwards:
• I have a few hours extra energy a day
• I have this feeling of being a 'clean running engine' – so I am like a Ferrari, compared to a gas guzzling Chevy Vega
• I lose fat and it stays off
• I lose food cravings
• My blood sugar levels stabilize
• The quality and tone of my skin improves
• I need less sleep
• When I do sleep, it is restful
• I don't feel like I need coffee or any other kind of pick-me-up
• I drink more water
• I naturally choose foods with a higher nutrient density most of the time
• I eat with greater mindfulness of the digestion process – I chew more slowly
• My taste buds are more sensitive (food tastes better)
• I have a beautiful clean feeling in my mouth
• My bowel movements are more complete (my poos are better)
• I wake up refreshed and clear headed
• I have more mental energy and clarity
• I am more aware of life areas that I want to change and develop
• I feel calmer and less stressed
• I eat out of genuine hunger rather than boredom/other reasons
• I get a good physical rest
• My feelings of resilience and self sufficiency are improved
• I am more creative and easily able to 'think outside the box'
• I feel a sense of accomplishment and achievement

I feel the full effect of those benefits for at least three months after a detox. After that time, they start to reduce.

But do we need to detoxify?

The short answer is – probably, but not conclusively. Long term fasting and detoxification processes like the one I described above haven't been tested by research yet. (When they are, they might actually be taken seriously as a cure for diabetes and other health maladies).

Many doctors and physicians have spoken out about our ability to accumulate toxins. The simple reason is that our bodies, as awesome as they are, cannot break down some of the unnatural and manufactured rubbish we feed them.

Experts say that the presence of these toxins is having some sort of an effect, ranging fromunwanted fat to neurological disorders.

Doctor and author, Joel Fuhrman MD,  says: "You see a buildup of waste products in the cells – AGE, advanced glycation end products – that build up in cellular tissues and lead to atherosclerosis, aging, diabetes, nerve damage, and the deterioration of organs. This is basic science and physiology every doctor learns in medical school."

Health expert, Donna Gates, identifies three reasons why everyone can benefit from colon cleansing:

• The average person has between 7 – 10 pounds of old fecal matter in their colon, even with daily poo
• The build-up of waste on the walls of your colon creates the perfect breeding ground for parasites, yeast, bad bacteria and viruses
• For too many people today, detoxification pathways are essentially blocked. Over time, toxins build up. It is estimated that the average person is exposed to over 123 toxic chemicals each day from food, water, air, stress and personal care products

Dr Bernard Jensen says that blocked detoxification pathways can result in autointoxication, which "produces undesirable consequences in the body and is the root cause of many of today's diseases and illnesses".

Where do toxins come from?

We absorb toxins from all over the place – and we generate them too. Most common toxins are caused by emotional or psychological factors (stress and anger), our environment (pollution),parabens in plastic, beauty products, food, water (parabens or the other nasties in tap water), drugs,heavy metals and mercury.

Aren't our natural detox channels good enough?

Our bodies naturally detoxify us through the processes of breathing, sweating, pooping and urinating.

These require the effective functioning of our respiratory systems, digestive systems, kidneys and livers, and lymphatic systems. We know that, for some of us, the health of these systems becomes compromised over time.

This probably happens because we are subject to more a more toxins than ever in our daily lives, and also because of the way we eat now.

Isn't detoxing bad for you?

We have probably all seen media reports bashing fasting, colon cleansing and detoxing in general.

A closer look at the studies on which the reports have been based show that they have been narrow in scope, looking at a particular aspect of a fasting/colon cleansing. No high quality studies have been carried out on the effects of a long term fast/detoxification.

Naysayers say fasting is damaging for muscles and immunity and won't help weight loss.Controversy around colon cleansing has mostly related to where it has been administered by the unskilled and poorly trained.

As this is an area in which science is ignorant, you have to take your own view on things – which is an excellent habit to be in anyway when it comes to preventative health. If you are afflicted with a certain health condition, then even more care needs to be taken and you should take on board the advice of a trusted doctor.

Is detoxing for you?

If the process of detoxification seems too unpalatable or if you have a particular health condition – then don't do it.

If you are otherwise healthy and interested in giving your body a boost by removing potentially harmful toxins from your body that are keeping you tired, fat and/or sick, then doing it is a no brainer.

For me and for thousands of others, detoxifying has a real edge over other types of health holiday. My experience is that fasting has the capacity to be more transformative, because the effects are holistic – offering something for mind and body/spirit.

Also, tell you a secret – detoxing isn't that hard. If you do your cleanse somewhere decent, you will be provided with juices and other fluids and supplements that help to fill your belly and sustain you, and you'll enjoy the feelings of lightness and of doing something profoundly beneficial for yourself.

The colonics aren't a picnic, but you do learn a new way to take care of your body, which is never a bad thing. Some people even enjoy the process of watching the waste and other potentially harmful toxins leave their systems.

One thing you get very present to whilst fasting is how attached to food we all are. In this way, fasting has the potential to be very healing for those with discipline issues around food. I have found it to have a powerful effect in general on self-esteem and resilience levels too.

Can you do it at home?

You don't need to pay for your detox. I do because I enjoy the opportunity to travel and meet interesting people, and also the luxury of having someone prepare my juices and drinks, so I can completely relax and blob about.

Once you have read up on the process, it should be relatively straightforward to source online the ingredients that make up the detox drink and also the supplements. You can also purchase homeenema kits.

How to help yourself detoxify naturally

It's what you do day-to-day that is going to make the biggest difference to your overall level of toxicity.

Here are some guidelines for living in a way that minimizes your toxic load:

• Drink lots of good clean water
• Reduce the toxins in your environment
• Purchase house plants that help to clean the air
• Switch your personal care items over to natural based ones
• Mange your stress and anger levels
• Include chia seeds and broccoli in your diet – they contain the kind of fiber that keeps your colon healthy
• Eat organic food, especially those on the dirty dozen list
• Bounce around on a rebounder
• Get your mercury fillings removed
• Reduce alcohol
• Don't smoke
• Avoid synthetic supplements
• Move to a less polluted city
• Sweat – exercise and use the saunas and steam rooms at your gym
• Breathe properly
• Use a tongue scraper
• Oil Pull every day
• Practice yoga, especially these three poses
• Take a daily probiotic and eat fermented foods
• For quick detoxification (for e.g. if you have food poisoning), make use of activated charcoal
• Take colloidal silver

Original Article: TheHeartySoul