Detoxification and Cleansing

I am so very thankful to the Lord that He is showing so many, including myself, how to take care of our bodies and how to assist in healing it. I am a firm believer in God's healing powers. But He also requires us to take responsibility and use common sense. Everyone knows that eating junk food is not healthy. Duh.

As I said in my previous post I wasn't really aware of how important good nutrition is prior to my marriage. I felt good, so why bother? I honestly believe that the enemy is attacking us in our health majorly, especially those strong faithful Christians out there. If He can't tempt them to 'sin in a big way' then he can just start afflicting them with ailments.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

So it's becoming necessary to one, realize that we are in the Lord's care and trust Him with our health, and two, find out how He wants us to care for ourselves and put it into practice. He made our bodies to regenerate and heal itself, so it's a good idea to eat the foods that will aid in the healing process.

When I began the Living Well Plan, several things took place. I detoxed-not terribly, but I could feel it. Lots of going to the bathroom (just #1 though), headaches, body aches, severe sugar cravings ;) After about 5 days things got much better and I began to enjoy the plan. I was so amazed that I had been able to stay on it for that long! Over time, little things began to heal in my body. For instance, my right big toenail had some sort of fungal problem or something, the nail was chipping away in the middle. I just covered it with nail polish, but I noticed one day it was clear and strong. My hair and nails were growing and strong, my complexion was clear, I always had lots of little red flat bumps on my upper arms and they were gone. (they're back now)

What exactly is detoxing? Well, as we begin to eat cleansing and easy to digest foods, our body is able to focus on 'house cleaning'. All of our cells begin releasing stored up toxins like trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) and extra fat/sugar stores. It's released into the blood stream which is why we feel bad, then into the colon to exit the body.

It's very important to understand that before you detox your body, you need to have a good functioning colon. Many, many people do not have a clue about the colon and the impact it has on your whole body's health. The King of colon health is Dr. Richard Schulze. I have heard of people doing intensive detoxes, but because their intestines weren't working well they got themselves very sick because all the poisons and toxins that had been released into their body with no way to be eliminated. (i.e. the people were very constipated) And I can honestly say from experience, if your gut is in trouble, it affects EVERYTHING else in your body. His intestinal cleanse was the beginning of healing the IBS I was dealing with. I was desperate before God; modern medicine had already failed me, and I pleaded with Him to show me what to do. I did a quick internet search and the first thing that popped up was Dr. Schulze. He has very high quality products and I felt fine the whole time- no rushing off to the bathroom or sitting on the toilet for three days :) I was pregnant too!

So who should do a detox? Well, probably everyone should at some point in their lives. And obviously those who are in poor health should too, but you have to be careful. When I detoxed, it was easier because I was still eating food, just changing the content of my food. My body was cleaning itself out at its own pace and I didn't have any problems with constipation beforehand. If you are pretty sick, I would take it very slow. Don't just abruptly change your diet because while you may feel better eventually, you most assuredly would feel bad at first and could possibly do harm. There are lots of places that sell detox programs and herbs which I'm sure are good, especially if you are wanting to target a specific problem, such as doing a liver or kidney cleanse.

But in my opinion, I think its really best to make dietary changes first. It's easy to do and readily available at the grocery store. You could start by increasing your consumption of raw vegetables and fruits and drinking more water. Then when you get comfortable with that you could make one meal a day all raw. Go at your own pace and what you feel comfortable with. Learn to listen to your body and do what it wants :) Sounds weird, but it will tell you.

It has been a long time since I've done a cleanse or detox. Last fall I did a mostly raw diet for about 4-5 days, which wasn't terribly hard, but still not easy. At this stage of my life, I can't just lay down and rest if I'm detoxing, so it's better to do it gradually. I really need to do it though, maybe after Easter...

That's all for now, feel free to ask questions and add your own input.