How2GetHealthy

Before you cleanse it is important to take these steps to improve bowel functioning and promote greater success with your cleanse:

• Get plenty of exercise. Exercising promotes peristalsis (muscle contractions that occur throughout the digestive tract) and lymphatic flow.

• Ensure you are well hydrated – One of the major causes of constipation is dehydration. For two to three wekks before you cleanse drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces to make sure you are well hydrated.

• If possible avoid medication

• Eat plenty of dietary fiber: Fresh fruit and vegetable including raw foods , legumes and whole grains.

• Olive oil and coconut oil provide lubrication and stimulate the flow of bile which promotes peristalsis.

• Correct your PH. An acidic body is more prone to constipation which in turns increases acidity. Alkalinize your body with sufficient minerals including trace minerals and add fresh juices to your diet – especially the green ones. Minerals are involved in every process in the body including muscle contraction and relaxation both of which are part of normal peristalsis.

• ENCOURAGE THE URGE. Constipation is also caused by habitually ignoring nature’s call…over time the urge is no longer recognized. Allow time to move your bowels and retrain yourself to recognize the body’s signals that you need to use the bathroom.

• DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE EFFECTS OF STRESS. Stress may very well have the greatest impact on digestive functioning….a person can do everything right and still suffer with digestive problems as a result of stress. Take steps to reduce and manage stress…meditation, deep breathing, exercises like yoga or taiji…whatever works for you.

• MAKE CHANGES IN YOUR DIET. Reducing or eliminating processed and refined foods is beneficial for everyone…but it may not be enough! A healthy food for one person may not be so healthy for another…you have to listen to your own body, monitor how you respond to particular foods and watch for patterns. (*I recently had a client with a long-standing problem with constipation. Her diet appeared quite healthy and she had taken numerous steps to address her problem…with limited success. She switched to a low-carb diet and her constipation has vanished….after only 5 days! Clearly, her previous ‘healthy’ diet wasn’t healthy for her.)

• USE SAFE, HEALTH-PROMOTING MEASURES TO GET THINGS MOVING. Colonics, enemas, castor oil packs, abdominal massage, reflexology, spinal adjustments, acupuncture, herbs, etc. may all provide benefit for constipation and other digestive dysfunctions. While herbal laxatives and salt flushes may provide some immediate relief from constipation…they come with a price! Laxatives can become habit-forming and lead to weakened bowel tone and impaired peristalsis in as little as a week of regular use…and salt flushes can result in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance when used frequently. In both cases the ‘cure’ further exacerbates the problem and a vicious cycle begins. Many people find that the simple step of drinking a couple of glasses of warm water first thing every morning is all it takes to get going regularly again!