It has been said that all disease begins in the colon, the place where our bodies flush out and hold onto daily toxins.
The health of your body begins in the colon.
Think of your colon as the waste management station of your body. All of the cells and tissues in your body – and your major organ of detoxification, the liver – rely upon a well-functioning colon so they can cleanse your body of toxins.
Waste products that are left over from digestion of the food you eat is sent to your colon to be safely excreted from your body, but also important nutrients and hormones are still being absorbed or manufactured there, as well.
When everything is working in an efficient manner, your colon not only handles the waste, it also absorbs leftover nutrients (like water, electrolytes, and vitamins) from digested foods and sends them back for your body to use.
Your colon is deciding what to get rid of and what important nutrients to redistribute.
Now, if you think it’s rare for people to have issues with their colon, think again!
Here are 3 important reasons everyone can benefit from colon cleansing:
- The average person has between 7 – 10 pounds of old fecal matter in their colon, even with a bowel movement each day. YIKES!
- The accumulation of waste on the walls of your colon creates the perfect breeding ground for parasites, yeast, bad bacteria and viruses.
- In fact, 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. WOW!
Blocked detoxification pathways can result in autointoxication, which according to Dr. Bernard Jensen in his book Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management, “produces undesirable consequences in the body and is the root cause of many of today’s diseases and illnesses.”[1]
Symptoms of blocked detoxification pathways or autointoxication are:
- Not feeling well overall
- Fatigue
- Hormonal imbalance
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Acne
- Achy muscles and joints
- Insomnia
- Mucus discharge
- Fuzzy thinking
- Difficulty breathing
- Congestion
- Flu-like symptoms
- Cough
- Vision issues
- Fevers
- Vomiting
- Candida (yeast infection)
- Weight gain
Autointoxication can occur for four main reasons:
1. Your colon gets backed up. If your colon gets backed up, waste can back up into the rest of your digestive tract and eventually, into your kidneys and liver.
2. Your body lacks the energy to make your colon function properly. In this case, the problem is not really your colon…it is a lack of energy to move contents through it in an efficient amount of time. Basically you lack the energy that allows your colon to do its job. In particular, energy comes from your adrenals and their partner, your thyroid. Adrenal fatigue or low thyroid are two common causes of constipation or a sluggish colon. Stress and a lack of sleep weaken these energy-producing organs.
3. Your stomach lacks adequate amount of hydrochloric acid. Consistently taking digestive enzymes that contain this vital stomach acid (HCL) is often the key to eliminating constipation. Hard to believe? It is true. HCL is the enzyme that triggers all the other digestive enzymes to work effectively. It is also essential for absorbing minerals. Both contribute to having more efficient peristaltic movement…the muscle contractions that push food through and out of your colon.
4. Your liver is congested. A liver that is sluggish and clogged-up from toxins creates a vicious cycle where a toxic colon poisons the liver and the congested liver slows down peristaltic movement. Stop poisoning your liver with drugs, alcohol, chemicals and angry negative thoughts and clean your colon.
So how do you go about cleansing your colon for a healthy body?
There are several different ways you can detoxify through colon cleansing….here are just a few to consider.
Colon cleansing with powder or liquid supplements. You take some supplements used for colon cleansing by mouth. Others you take through the rectum. Either way, the idea is to help the colon to expel its contents. You can find these products on the Internet or in health food stores, supermarkets, or pharmacies. They include:
- Enemas
- Laxatives-both stimulant and non stimulant types
- Herbal teas
- Enzymes
- Magnesium
Colon Hydrotherapy – Colon hydrotherapy is done with a qualified colon hydrotherapist to guide you through the process of colon cleansing. A colon hydrotherapy bathes your entire colon with 10 gallons of pure water.
Home Enema – A home enema allows you to cleanse your colon from the privacy of your own home in between colon hydrotherapy sessions or if you are experiencing symptoms of bacteria die-off. It’s important to discuss this with your doctor first and get the proper instructions before attempting by yourself.
Proper Diet – Eating fermented foods and following a clean, whole foods diet is important in keeping your body healthy and running smoothly. Even though you may be living a healthy lifestyle and eating properly, daily toxins from personal care products, environmental factors and hidden toxins can still take a toll on your body. Diet alone will not help to rid these toxins which is why a colon cleanse could be a good idea.
Add more fiber (of course). No matter how healthy your gut is, if it doesn’t have something to push against, you’re headed for bowel irregularity. Don’t bother counting fiber grams… just add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, and replace any “white” foods (bread, pasta, etc.) with whole-grain versions.
Heal your gut with glutamine. The amino acid glutamine is a basic food for the cells that line your gut wall. Glutamine is found in most high-protein foods such as meat and beans, but for focused gut healing take an additional 5 grams a day.
Take a daily probiotic. Benefits of probiotic supplementation come from normalizing the bacterial balance in your gut. Healthy gut flora promotes a healthy gut wall, which means that you’re not reabsorbing all the environmental toxins that have just been cleaned by the liver.
One way to ensure your colon is running smoothly is to drink Oolong tea. Although oolong tea is not a laxative, it does have alkalizing properties that help support a healthy digestive system.
Oolong tea fights free radicals that cause diseases in the body. Getting rid of these free radicals will lead to a healthier body from the inside out!
Of course, it’s always a good idea to eat a balanced diet and drink oolong tea, but knowing that it will help your body to work efficiently is a great motivator. Nobody wants to be sluggish, bloated, congested, unable to sleep, and always sick.
While colon cleansing can be a controversial topic, it makes perfect sense why we should occasionally cleanse out such an important part of our digestive system!
Think about it, if your sink drain is backed up you clean it out right? You want to make sure everything runs smoothly and drains properly so it can function at 100%.
Same goes for your body.
As with anything new, be sure to consult your doctor first to see if adding in a colon cleanse once in a while will be safe for you and your circumstances.
Have you tried a colon cleanse lately? If so, how did it make you feel? Let me know in the comments below!
Yours in HEALTH & Happiness,
Chrissy
P.S. Our oolong tea is such a powerful and essential item in your daily diet! With SO many benefits, why aren’t you drinking more? Did you know that you can drink more than 2 cups of oolong or take more than 2 capsules each day? While we recommend drinking just 2 cups of tea daily for weight loss, there is no harm in adding in an extra cup (or two) for an added boost of antioxidants and energy all day! Keep in mind, if you do have sensitivity to caffeine, you may want to slowly work your way up to drinking more to see how you react.
To ensure you don’t run out of tea this summer, stock up now and keep your cabinet full!
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References:
Jensen, Bernard, D.C., Nutritionist. Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management (Escondido: 1981), pp. 20.
http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/natural-colon-cleansing-is-it-necessary