When I first heard it phrased that way, everything shifted in my head, and all that was left was really two answers to one question.
The question: What do you have to lose? The answers: too much weight, and a lifetime of toxins I'd accumulated from the environment, and from the food and drink that I'd been consuming for so many years.
And so I started on a 30-day cleansing program. I'm down about 10 pounds, just a third of the way into it.
How far will something like this take you? I'm thinking probably as far as your commitment. The cleanse takes care of the rest.
The guy that hooked me up with this? He's down over 50 pounds, a ton of inches, and he just ran a half-marathon last weekend!
I hope this, and other stories to come are as inspirational to you as they have been to me. And really . . . what do you have to lose?
The 30-Day Cleanse
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Do Yourself A Favor
I promised last time that we'd get back on the subject of nutritional cleansing, so here we are.
I can't think of a better way to go forward with this than to point you to a short video on the subject that, as a result of watching it . . . has started to change my life, and it's been the point of departure that's already changed thousands of lives.
It's an approach to reclaiming your total health like no other I've ever seen. But enough lip service. I hope you enjoy watching this. It's the gateway to a whole new world . . .
Are You Toxic?
I can't think of a better way to go forward with this than to point you to a short video on the subject that, as a result of watching it . . . has started to change my life, and it's been the point of departure that's already changed thousands of lives.
It's an approach to reclaiming your total health like no other I've ever seen. But enough lip service. I hope you enjoy watching this. It's the gateway to a whole new world . . .
Are You Toxic?
The 10 Most Common Toxins
The following toxins are among the most prevalent in our air, water and/or food supply. This list is by no means all-inclusive, as thousands of other toxins are also circulating in our environment. Keep reading to find out tips to avoid these toxins and others as much as possible.
Kind of a mess. A big, seemingly unmanageable mess. But that does kind of bring us back to the notion of nutritional cleansing. Some great alternatives for you next time!
- PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls): This industrial chemical has been banned in the United States for decades, but guess what? It's still present in our environment.
Risks: Cancer, impaired fetal brain development
Major Source: Farm-raised salmon. Most farm-raised salmon (which btw, accounts for most of the supply in the United States) are fed meals of ground-up fish that have absorbed PCBs from the environment. Avoid them if you can.
Major Source: Farm-raised salmon. Most farm-raised salmon (which btw, accounts for most of the supply in the United States) are fed meals of ground-up fish that have absorbed PCBs from the environment. Avoid them if you can.
- Pesticides: According to the EPA, 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic. And pesticide residue has been detected in between 50% and 95% of our food here in the U.S.
Risks: Cancer, Parkinson's disease, miscarriage, nerve damage, birth defects, impaired absorption of food nutrients
Major Sources: Food (fruits, vegetables and commercially raised meats), bug sprays
Major Sources: Food (fruits, vegetables and commercially raised meats), bug sprays
- Mold and other Fungal Toxins: One in three people have had an allergic reaction to mold. Mycotoxins (fungal toxins) can cause a range of health problems with exposure to only a small amount.
Risks: Cancer, heart disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes
Major Sources: Contaminated buildings, food (peanuts, wheat, corn) and alcoholic beverages
Major Sources: Contaminated buildings, food (peanuts, wheat, corn) and alcoholic beverages
- Phthalates: These are chemicals are used to lengthen the life of fragrances and soften plastics.
Risks: Endocrine system damage
Major Sources: Plastic wrap, plastic bottles, plastic food storage containers. All of these can leach phthalates into our food. Look for higher-grade storage. It is available, and minimizes leaching.
Major Sources: Plastic wrap, plastic bottles, plastic food storage containers. All of these can leach phthalates into our food. Look for higher-grade storage. It is available, and minimizes leaching.
- VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds): VOC's are a major contributing factor to ozone, an air pollutant. According to the EPA, VOC's can be two to five times higher in indoor air than in outdoor air . . . most probably because they're present in so many household products.
Risks: Cancer, eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment
Major Sources: Drinking water, carpet, paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air fresheners.
Major Sources: Drinking water, carpet, paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air fresheners.
- Dioxins: Chemical compounds formed as by-products of combustion processes, such as commercial or municipal waste incineration, and from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil).
Risks: Cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, chloracne (a severe skin disease with acne-like lesions), skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage
Major Sources: Animal fats: Over 95% of exposure comes from eating commercial animal fats.
Major Sources: Animal fats: Over 95% of exposure comes from eating commercial animal fats.
- Asbestos: This insulating material was widely used from the 1950s to 1970s. When the material becomes old and crumbly, it releases fibers into the air.
Risks: Cancer, scarring of the lung tissue, mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer)
Major Sources: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes and healing ducts from the 1950s to 1970s.
Major Sources: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes and healing ducts from the 1950s to 1970s.
- Heavy Metals: Metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, aluminum and cadmium . . . which can accumulate in soft tissues of the body.
Risks: Cancer, neurological disorders, Alzheimer's disease, foggy head, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels
Major Sources: Drinking water, fish, vaccines, pesticides, preserved wood, antiperspirant, and building materials
Major Sources: Drinking water, fish, vaccines, pesticides, preserved wood, antiperspirant, and building materials
- Chloroform: A colorless liquid that has a pleasant, nonirritating odor and a slightly sweet taste . . . and which is used as a common ingredient when manufacturing chemical compounds.
Risks: Cancer, potential reproductive damage, birth defects, dizziness, fatigue, headache, liver and kidney damage.
Major Sources: Air, drinking water and food.
Major Sources: Air, drinking water and food.
- Chlorine: A highly toxic, yellow-green gas. One of the most heavily-used chemical agents around.
Risks: Sore throat, coughing, eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing, narrowing of the bronchi, wheezing, blue coloring of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, pain in the lung region, severe eye and skin burns, lung collapse.
Major Sources: Household cleaners, drinking water . . . even the air when living in close proximity to manufacturing facilities that use chlorine in in the processes.
Major Sources: Household cleaners, drinking water . . . even the air when living in close proximity to manufacturing facilities that use chlorine in in the processes.
Kind of a mess. A big, seemingly unmanageable mess. But that does kind of bring us back to the notion of nutritional cleansing. Some great alternatives for you next time!
What Are Toxins Doing To Us?
There's A Price For Everything
And the price we all pay for living in a highly-industrialized, hi-tech world of ever-increasing convenience is environmental toxins . . . chemicals and other materials resulting in large part from careless industrial practices. And they’ve saturated our water, our food and the air we breathe.
Most toxins aren’t easily detectable. For the most part, you can’t see them, smell them or feel them. So we don't really realize that we're being affected by until we become sick after years of subtle and often consistent exposure. Consider this:
Then What Happens?
A lot, and none of it good. Perhaps 75% of most cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, including exposure to chemicals (source: British Medical Journal). Other recent reports estimate that 95% of all cancers are caused by diet and environmental toxicity (source: Columbia University of Public Health).
Not so surprising when you consider that most Americans are estimated have between 400 - 800 chemicals stored in their bodies . . . typically in our fat cells. Some of the short- and long-term effects of these toxins include:
And the price we all pay for living in a highly-industrialized, hi-tech world of ever-increasing convenience is environmental toxins . . . chemicals and other materials resulting in large part from careless industrial practices. And they’ve saturated our water, our food and the air we breathe.
Most toxins aren’t easily detectable. For the most part, you can’t see them, smell them or feel them. So we don't really realize that we're being affected by until we become sick after years of subtle and often consistent exposure. Consider this:
- Almost 80,000 chemicals are produced in North America alone
- Over 3,000 chemicals are added to our food supply
- More than 10,000 chemical solvents, emulsifiers and preservatives are used in food processing
- And roughly 1,000 new chemicals are introduced each year
Then What Happens?
A lot, and none of it good. Perhaps 75% of most cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, including exposure to chemicals (source: British Medical Journal). Other recent reports estimate that 95% of all cancers are caused by diet and environmental toxicity (source: Columbia University of Public Health).
Not so surprising when you consider that most Americans are estimated have between 400 - 800 chemicals stored in their bodies . . . typically in our fat cells. Some of the short- and long-term effects of these toxins include:
- Neurological disorders (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression, ADD, schizophrenia)
- Cancer
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Hormonal imbalances
- Altered metabolism
- Reproductive disorders
- Enzyme dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Obesity
- Muscle/Vision disorder
- Immune system imbalances
- Allergies
- Chronic viral infections
- Decreased ability to tolerate stress
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Look Mom, I'm Toxic
We are literally bombarded every day, from every angle, by toxins. They can be airborne, but they can also be ingested when we eat foods that have been highly processed. What I want to start to talk about in the next few days is what these toxins we're consuming are, and what they do to you.
I think once we know what we're dealing with, then we can all begin to make some better-informed decisions about what we're taking into our bodies. We'll have better understanding of what the barriers are to each of us to our health, vitality, and weight - and we'll start to talk about how to get all of that back into our lives, through what we'll call nutritional cleansing.
We'll talk about what nutritional cleansing is, and how it can make huge changes in the way your body is working.
Traditional cleansing is an ancient wisdom of which includes fasting and drinking herbal remedies. It gives the body the chance to rest, regenerate and assist in its natural ability to remove toxins and impurities to promote long-term wellness. It works.
I think what we'll call nutritional cleansing improves upon this ancient practice with a system that cleanses, replenishes and revitalizes the body with essential nutrients. Traditional fasting helps to remove impurities from the body, but nutritional cleansing speeds up this process by infusing the body with healthy nutrients.
It's pretty much like changing the oil in your car. We regularly change the oil in our cars because it gets dirty and clogged by pollutants. We drain the dirty oil and replace it with clean oil, which helps our cars to run more efficiently. The same can be said for our bodies. We are regularly exposed to pollutants in our environment, impurities in our diets and stress that is often created by our hectic lifestyles. Nutritional Cleansing helps the body and organs to do what they are designed to do naturally and remove impurities.
Before we do that, we'll take a look at what toxins are doing to us, and what the most common culprits are.
Once we know what we're doing to ourselves, we can begin to make informed decisions about our health.
I think once we know what we're dealing with, then we can all begin to make some better-informed decisions about what we're taking into our bodies. We'll have better understanding of what the barriers are to each of us to our health, vitality, and weight - and we'll start to talk about how to get all of that back into our lives, through what we'll call nutritional cleansing.
We'll talk about what nutritional cleansing is, and how it can make huge changes in the way your body is working.
Traditional cleansing is an ancient wisdom of which includes fasting and drinking herbal remedies. It gives the body the chance to rest, regenerate and assist in its natural ability to remove toxins and impurities to promote long-term wellness. It works.
I think what we'll call nutritional cleansing improves upon this ancient practice with a system that cleanses, replenishes and revitalizes the body with essential nutrients. Traditional fasting helps to remove impurities from the body, but nutritional cleansing speeds up this process by infusing the body with healthy nutrients.
It's pretty much like changing the oil in your car. We regularly change the oil in our cars because it gets dirty and clogged by pollutants. We drain the dirty oil and replace it with clean oil, which helps our cars to run more efficiently. The same can be said for our bodies. We are regularly exposed to pollutants in our environment, impurities in our diets and stress that is often created by our hectic lifestyles. Nutritional Cleansing helps the body and organs to do what they are designed to do naturally and remove impurities.
Before we do that, we'll take a look at what toxins are doing to us, and what the most common culprits are.
Once we know what we're doing to ourselves, we can begin to make informed decisions about our health.
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