Skin as an Organ of Elimination for Waste and Toxins (by Khadija Hawkes,http://healthyyears.org, 6/5/11)

The skin is your body’s largest organ, with an estimated size of two square yards. Along with the liver, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system, colon, and blood, the skin works to remove built up toxins and waste from your system, maintaining optimal health.

In order for the process to work efficiently, proper care must be taken to ensure that the skin is healthy and uncongested. If the skin is not properly filling its role of eliminating harmful materials, there can be a buildup of uric acid and other harmful elements under the skin. These elements harm the body from the inside often causing gout, loss of skin elasticity, and an increase in blemishes and wrinkles.

Also, the inability of the skin to filter impurities means that other organs of elimination have to work extra hard to fill the void. Over a prolonged period of time, this may overtax those organs, leading to additional health problems. Conversely, if the other organs, such as the kidneys or lymphatic system are malfunctioning, this puts extra pressure on the skin to remove impurities. If you have poor skin health, your skin may not be up to the task. This can been seen in the form of puffy, swollen skin-especially in the face, acne or other skin blemishes, clogged pores, and poor skin color and tone.

The condition of your skin is largely related to your inner health and diet. Adopting a lifestyle and dietary changes that support internal health helps considerably in optimizing the skin’s function and allowing it to appear its best. Some ways to enhance the detoxification capacity of your skin are:

• Drinking pure water is one of the best ways to continuously flush your skin and keep the pathways of elimination open. Water cleanses, heals, and refreshes your skin from the inside out. Water is a key ingredient in skin’s beauty and health.
• Therapeutic sweating works to open the skin’s pores and freely allow the escape of toxins. Partaking in a steam bath or sauna is an excellent way to cleans and strengthen your skin.
• Skin problems are often traced to an issue in the colon. The retention of excess impacted fecal matter pollutes your system and the affects of this can be seen in the skin. Colonic Hydrotherapy, Enemas, or Herbal cleansing agents help to remove old waste you’re your body and considerably brighten dull, blemished, or clogged skin.
• If you have been diagnoses with a sluggish elimination system, natural therapies such as juice fasting and increasing the amount of raw foods you consume can help considerably.

By understanding the varied roles of the skin, it is possible to maximize its efficiency and promote a healthy, vital appearance for years to come.

References:

Dr. Ellen Jensen. The Skin:Our Largest Organ of Elimination. (2005) http://corerelease.com/TheSkin.pdf

Charles O’Palmerson. A 2 Z of Health Beauty and Fitness. Detoxification and Your Health: The Body’s 7 Channels of Elimination. (2010). http://health.learninginfo.org/detoxification2.htm



Coffee enemas, fruits and vegetables heal woman of cancer!

This is an incredible video relating the incredible healing capacity of colon and liver cleansing, chlorophyll, fruits, vegetables and herbs.  Take some time to really watch Ines give her testimony.  There is a wealth of information here, and you don't have to have cancer to adopt the cleansing/detoxification principals she talks about. 

Clinical Study ALERT-Anxiety may be in your GUT, not in your head! (retrieved from www.icontact-archive.com, 5/17/11)

Hamilton, ON (May 17, 2011) - For the first time, researchers at McMaster University have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behaviour.
The findings are important because several common types of gastrointestinal disease, including irritable bowel syndrome, are frequently associated with anxiety or depression. In addition there has been speculation that some psychiatric disorders, such as late onset autism, may be associated with an abnormal bacterial content in the gut.

Read this fascinating article here...



Colonics and The Raw Food Diet

I have to say a few words about colon cleansing and how critical it is to the raw/live food lifestyle.  Here is Austin, TX, the raw food movement has gained some serious momentum over the past few years.  At this point there are 4 official eateries (Beets Living Food Café, Borboleta, Daily Juice Café, and Whole Foods Living Foods Bar), and a plethora of raw/live chefs teaching classes around town.  I am amazed to see how rapidly the idea of “enzyme-rich,” “nutrient-dense” raw food is penetrating the mindset of health conscious people. Start a conversation with anyone here about healthy eating and inevitably the question will come up…. “so, what percentage raw are you?”

My first experiments with raw/live foods in the early 1990’s were precipitated by numerous trips to the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego, California. It was a pretty radical food lifestyle back then, and the food was certainly not of the gourmet variety that we are seeing today.  The flavor of the preparations today, and the inclusion of different kinds of foods/superfoods, has completely revolutionized the raw/live food lifestyle.  This is good news for newbies as it is much easier to “go raw” when you have a wider variety of flavorful choices than just sprouts, sunflower seed cheese and wheatgrass juice!

Now, here’s where colon cleansing comes in.  When you undertake a raw/live food diet, it automatically puts your body into detoxification mode.  The closer to completely raw/live you get, the more your body begins mobilizing the countless toxins stored throughout the body.  This is mainly due to increased fiber and live enzymes loosening up old impacted waste throughout the digestive tract, and high quality vitamins, minerals, and naturally occuring cleansing compounds providing the body what it needs to effectively remove toxins from the body.  This is why it is absolutely necessary to pay close attention to our main paths of elimination when beginning to introduce raw foods into the diet.

A critical component to the program taught at the Optimum Health Institute, and now adopted in most all other raw/live food health facilities is colon cleansing/colonics.  The experts in this field absolutely knew that the body would be overwhelmed with toxic debris if the wastes were not cleared out effectively.  Many people experience a myriad of detoxification symptoms in the beginning stages of a raw/live food eating plan because of this autointoxication.  Quite honestly, the body simply cannot keep up with the high levels of toxic materials being released into the colon and the body begins to reabsorb them.  They essentially make their way back into the bloodstream, and the liver must process them all over again. 

It is always interesting to have clients come to my office that have been on raw foods for a while.  Nine times out of ten, they will have some of the most momentous colon therapy sessions.  The amount of dark, sickly releases coming out of them is astounding, and usually quite shocking to the client.  Most report that they immediately feel a clearing throughout their entire body, and any lingering cooked food cravings are gone.  Each person is unique to this process, and certainly one colonic won’t clear out a lifetime of toxic wastes.  But clients that I’ve seen that adopt colon cleansing as a component to their raw food diet seem to have much more success staying raw, and feel much better as a result.  Consistanly I hear from raw foodists that colon cleansing was critical to the success of their lifestyle change.

How many colonics one may need is a very individual number, with many factors coming into play.  What most people choose, and what anecdotal evidence suggests works best, is undertaking an initial clearing series of 3-10 colonics, and periodic maintenance sessions.  My recommendation as a colon hydrotherapist of over 10 years is to search out a seasoned practitioner that has experience with the raw/living foods diet.  There are some factors that are unique to this eating lifestyle and how it relates to detoxification and colon cleansing that an understanding and experienced therapist will recognize.   And as always, make sure they are certified by the International Association of Colon Hydrotherapists (I-ACT).

Praises for Colonics - actor Ben Vereen and others.

Check out this quick little video where two people talk about their colon hydrotherapy experience.