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Weight Loss Exercise

5 Detox Diet Options

5 Detox Diet OptionsThere are at least five detox diet options when it comes to trying to clean out your body. I am going to stay away at this point from the battle between the detoxers and the non-detoxers. There is of course a camp of people that believe that there is no good that comes out of detoxing your body and that it is just a waste of time. I have no view either way but thought i would just offer these fixe options out to you to either try or to give you something to think about in the future

In order of complication to do her are five detox diet options
1. Fasting
2. Monodiet
3. Cleansing diet
4. Colon cleansing programs
5. Systemic detoxification programs

Fasting Detox

Fasting is the first detox diet option and is a good way to rest the digestive system and to help “burn off” surface toxins. Fasts can be done with pure water or fresh juices, prefer¬ably vegetable juices such as carrot, beet, parsley or wheat grass. You can do short fasts up to three days safely, but extended fasts should be supervised by a qualified naturopathic doctor. I have seen several patients harmed by long-term fasting.

Monodiet Detox

Monodiets are a detox diet that involves eating only one food for a period of one to five days. These are usually done with fruit such as grapes, grapefruit or apples. My favourite is the papaya diet because the fruit contains high amounts of natural enzymes, fibre, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Cleansing detox diet

Cleansing diets are usually high in fruits and vegetables and mayor may not be accompanied by detoxifying herbal supplements. Examples of these diets are the alkaline diet, the mucusless diet, the natural hygiene diet, the Fit for Life diet and the macrobiotic diet.

Various companies offer a variety of cleansing kits, which can be combined with this type of diet to assist the elimination of toxins through the liver, kidneys and colon. The best herbs for liver cleansing are milk thistle, dandelion root, cheli-donium, boldo, curcumin, artichoke and black radish. Foods that help support liver detoxifica¬tion are cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables, flax, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils, garlic and onions, raw nuts and seeds and, of course, all fruits and vegetables.

Colon cleansing detox programs

Colon cleansing programs are a popular way to begin a detoxification program. These include colonies, colema boards, wheat grass or coffee enemas and a variety of psyllium and bentonite clay cleansing formulas. While it is im-portant to have a clean colon, it is also important to realize that other methods should be included such as saunas and dry skin brushing for the skin, and herbs for the liver and kidneys.

Systemic detox diets

Systemic detox diets are highly specialized detox procedures performed by a naturopathic physician or other health practitioner. Using a variety of laboratory diagnostic tools including biological terrain analysis, live blood analysis, hair analysis, comprehensive stool and digestive analysis and specialized blood and urine tests, it is possible to determine the body’s burden of toxins and the specific type of toxin affecting the body. Methods currently employed to perform systemic detoxification include homeopathic drainage remedies, nosodes, ozone therapy, EDTA and DMPS chelation therapy, high dose IV vitamin C and vitamin-mineral drips, peat baths, constitutional hydrotherapy, colonic hydrotherapy with chorophyll implants and hyperthermic infrared sauna therapy.

I have written before about detox diets and the options that you have if you would like to detox your body but I think that if you are serios about this it is best to look for more in depth info before you embark on anything more than a 1 or 3 day detox diet.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Flu season is arriving

Flu season is coming and around my town there are clinics setup everywhere for people to get vaccinated against the flu.

One of the stories that I hear every year is how the people that develop the flu vaccination did not correctly figure out what strain of flu will be coming this year and this year is no exception. News stories are all about sensationalizing the stories that they have and every year I hear this “should you both getting vaccinated” Well yes of course you should get vaccinated against the flu.

Another story to watch out for is the urban legend that the flu vaccine actually gives you a small dose of the flu and this will teach your body how to dight it. The idea being that your body should fight of this small flu and you will be protected. Well this just is not the case anymore. Actually the flu vaccine is just a synthetic, dead virus that will teach your body with no downside at all. No it will not give you the flu.

Finally one story that I heard this weekend from the public health nurse was that in the event of a flu pandemic, the bird flu that we have been talking about the last couple of years,  the number one  prevention will be hand washing. As we wash our hands we break the cycle of bacteria and washing your hands will be the best way to stop the chance of catching any viruses this winter.

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Weight Loss Products

Drug Treatment For Kidney Stones Hasn’t Changed Much In 30 Years – Until Now

Dr. Jeffrey Rimer
Dr. Jeffrey Rimer at work in the lab at the University of Houston.

In the last 30 years, not much has changed in terms of drug treatment for kidney stones. But that could be about to change.

University of Houston researcher Dr. Jeffrey Rimer and his colleagues have identified a substance that could potentially reduce kidney stone growth by 90 percent. And they’ve found some potential new molecules that could dissolve stones — or prevent them from forming altogether.

Jeffrey Rimer In The Lab
Dr. Jeffrey Rimer (left) works in the lab at the University of Houston.

Kidney stones form when the body has trouble clearing crystal-forming substances from the kidneys, such as calcium oxalate or uric acid. Or sometimes substances that prevent crystals from sticking together are absent from the urine. Either way, once crystals form and grow larger, they can become painful obstructions of urine flow.

Now, Rimer and his partners have found that the compound hydroxycitrate significantly impedes stones from growing. Hydroxycitrate is a natural component of the fruit garcinia cambogia (also known as the Malabar tamarind). If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s already being sold as a supplement that’s gotten a lot of press for possible weight loss benefits.

Such supplements are not studied and approved by the FDA, but, because garcinia cambogia is already on shelves, that means Rimer’s partners at NYU have already been able to start some clinical trials involving it. Once ingested, they wanted to find out whether hydroxycitrate would make it to the kidneys intact. So far, the studies have shown it does.

Jeffrey Rimer With a Student
Dr. Jeffrey Rimer (right) works in the lab at the University of Houston.

Dr. Rimer is quick to point out that it’s still far too early for anyone to run out and start taking garcinia cambogia to prevent kidney stone growth. More clinical studies are needed to determine what the best dosage would be, potential side effects, and other factors.

When it comes to developing a drug that could treat existing kidney stones — or prevent them from forming in the first place — Rimer and his associates have come across some molecules that could potentially dissolve stones or that might inhibit nucleation, which is the very first step of a crystal forming.

For his work, Rimer was recently awarded The Welch Foundation’s Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research.