11 of 2007

 

What an awesome week we had in Johannesburg! A week of talks culminating with a workshop organized by Sue-Burnham King.

We had such fun, the food was spectacular (thanks to the Bryanston Country Club) and the day went so smoothly that we are planning others next year. Book with Sue on suebk@mary-anns.com  We will do our best to do the same in other countries and cities.

This month we look at the whole detox issue again as we go into the new season. So if you plan to avoid the seasonal flu that usually does the rounds this is your chance to avoid it!

DVD info

This month we interview a man who ran 51km a day for 10 days and then got up the 11^th morning and ran the Comrades Marathon which is another 90 odd kilometers… on the Natural Way and as a ‘recovered’ diabetic! Interesting indeed to say the least.

I share with you how to get ready for summer, and what you need to do to get back into shape to bare your body on the beach.

The missing mushroom stroganoff shows up with a salad to live for!

If you want to be inspired every month to stay healthy and find out how other people manage and how much fun and how easy it is, then make sure you order the monthly DVD.

Share the costs with family and friends and start your own support group as you meet together monthly.

Following the Natural Way, will give you so much more energy and dramatically improved health that you will save way more than the cost of the DVD

Order the DVD’s from Jason on dvd@mary-anns.com

Interesting info and success stories

Detox and cleansing Diets

As we enter into a change of seasons (Spring in the S. Hemisphere and Autumn/Fall in the Northern Hemisphere) it is a good time to take stock of your health and get back on track.

I find the best way to do this s to go on a detox program for 3 - 30 days. This will help prevent you ‘catching’ the latest seasonal flu’.

Detoxification is something your body performs every second of the day. If it did not, carbon dioxide and waste products like urine and faeces would accumulate to the point where you would die. When I talk about cleansing or ‘detox’ programmes, I just mean following a diet that is so clean and pure that your body has enough energy and nutrients available to do some seriously deep cleaning and repair work, and is able to deal effectively with past dietary indiscretions and the side effects of medication.

The best cleansing programmes are those that are 100% raw plant-based, but there are other variations that are also of benefit. A diet of raw fruit and vegetables over a period of a few weeks is recommended especially if your existing diet is highly processed and contains little fresh produce.

Here are a few options that you could follow for any period of time from three days to six weeks:

1. An all-raw fruit diet, eating as much fresh fruit as you like during the day.
2. An all juice diet, drinking freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices throughout the day, making sure that you have at least three glasses a day but no more than six glasses maximum. You can include barley juice (like BarleyLife) in this as well as in the other programmes listed below.
3. A raw fruit and vegetable diet, eating properly-combined fruit or vegetable meals throughout the day. (Refer to the Natural Way Eating Chart at the back of the book for guidance.) You can also include a ¼ to ½ a cup of raw nuts or seeds every day.
4. A fruit and nut breakfast, followed by a raw salad lunch and then a supper of salad and steamed vegetable. No concentrated starch foods (like potatoes or rice) should be eaten on this programme and all snacks should consist of fresh fruit.
5. As above, but for supper include a natural unrefined, unprocessed starch like potato, brown rice or corn on the cob.

 It is best to exclude strong herbs like garlic and onion while on these cleansing programmes as they tend to stimulate the appetite and can in fact slow down the metabolism (due to the high levels of mustard oil they contain which interferes with thyroid function). Also their natural antibiotic action can upset the benign bacteria in your intestine, contributing to poor digestion and a Candida Albicans overgrowth.

The juice programme should not be continued beyond six weeks. Your jaw and teeth are designed to chew and the digestive tract is designed to handle fibre, so not allowing your body to do what it was designed to do will result in muscles and bones atrophying. However, it is an excellent way to give the digestive tract a rest and to boost your health before following with a sensible maintenance diet. If you suffer from ulcers or arthritis, include a lot of carrot, sprouted barley (BarleyLife) and celery juices but avoid the juice from acid fruit like orange and pineapple, however you should be able to eat ripe acid fruit in small quantities.

The two totally raw diets (all fruit or fruit and vegetable with nuts) can become part of your lifestyle but strict monitoring of nutrient levels and energy intake needs to take place, and I have found that people battle from a social perspective.

The last two options in the list can be followed indefinitely without too much concern. In fact my family I have followed the last programme with great health rewards since 1986.

Remember that these cleansing programmes can be introduced for a few days just to kick-start your new lifestyle and need not be followed for longer than 24 hours in the beginning. Once you become more accustomed to a healthy diet, you can include more raw meals on a daily basis with greater ease.

When you follow one of these cleansing programmes you can expect to suffer from certain unpleasant side effects. Typical symptoms of detoxification can be anything from headaches (which could last for up to a week, especially if you have been drinking or eating foods that contain caffeine), irritability, nausea, violent vomiting, insomnia, extreme coldness, temperature or fever, copious expulsion of mucus from almost any bodily orifice (from the nose to the vagina – but don’t panic, it’s not an infection!), bad breath, coated tongue, weakness, tiredness, muscular aches and pains, dizziness and heart palpitations even when lying down (this is simply the body dealing with a stimulant that may have been lurking somewhere for years).

One of the interesting things about a period of detoxification is that the body retraces past problems, so you may find an old injury flaring up, or your mouth tasting of ‘vitamins’ or medication that you may have taken some time previously. One of the most fascinating detox stories I have ever encountered was about a man who tasted sulphur in his mouth forty years after having taken sulphur medication. His urine also smelt very strongly of sulphur for a while.

The reason for this is that the body often ‘wraps’ a harmful substance or waste product in fat and stores it until it has the time and energy to deal with it. Making a habit of eating poorly-combined, highly-processed meals and the regular use of medication, alcohol and cigarettes lead to levels of toxicity that the body cannot deal with effectively while you sleep (remember that most of the body’s repair work happens at this time). So, slowly, over the years, these poisons accumulate in the tissues and conditions like cancer may eventually arise, causing damage to surrounding cells and tissues. Fasting and cleansing diets are the best way to break down these toxin stores and to eliminate them from the body.

It is generally accepted by most fasting practitioners that, in order to rectify past mistakes, one day of fasting is needed for each year of your life. That does not mean all at once, though! So take it slowly. As I mentioned before, attempt one day at first, then try a two-day fast the next time, and only then go on regular fasts of three days every month or so, whatever you feel you can manage. Once you have managed to fast for the same number of days as years of your life (and this will take a good many years to achieve, by the way), fast whenever you experience a sudden loss of appetite. This is simply your body’s way of telling you that some cleansing and repair work needs to be done.

Remember that fasting is perfectly normal and natural. If you are experiencing problems with stubborn weight, make a serious effort to go on a fast. Fasting is an excellent tool to get you going on a healthier lifestyle and it is also the single-most effective way of eliminating years of toxic build-up. If you embark on a fast well informed and under good supervision you will be sure to reap the rewards, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Don’t forget to prepare for your fast by going on one of the cleansing programmes first. In fact, try to eat a diet of only raw fruit and vegetables for at least two weeks of each year. This is a wonderful health booster and will also help to get your eating habits back on track.

 Some Extra Help

If you feel the need for some extra help to get you cleaning out as efficiently as possible, then I can suggest 3 products that have worked for me and my family:

1. Para 90 which deals with Parasites and I mentioned a few months back
2. Herbal Fiberblend; which is a blend of natural herbs and plant extracts that helps regulate bowels. Softens stools when too hard (constipation ) and forms the when they are too soft (diarrhea) Ideal to help get rid of the 1-10kg (2-20pounds) of old fecal matter that hangs around the average person’s colon preventing full absorption of nutrients. Great for Irritable Bowel Syndrome too.
3. Herbal Release – my personal favourite, a combination of herbs that helps the body clean out the Lymphatic system

This product helps support the lymphatic system which is part of the Immune system

THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM

The lymphatic system consists of the lymphoid organs, which are spread throughout the body. These are the bone marrow, thymus, lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, and spleen, as well as the adenoids and tonsils. The lymphatic system and lymphoid organs get their name because they are involved with the growth, development, and deployment of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are key to the immune system.

The lymphatic system plays the central role in building immune response. It enables the body to rid itself of bacteria and viruses, filters foreign substances and cell debris from the blood, and produces lymphocytes. It removes toxins that originated in the environment and toxic waste products that our cells produce as part of their metabolism. It is vital in transporting fats to the cells but tends to get clogged with animal and heated fats. When this system is not clean you will have body odour, so Herbal release is a great help for problems in that area. If these toxins are not removed, they can build up in the blood and eventually poison us.

The lymphatic system consists of the bone marrow, thymus, lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, and spleen, as well as the adenoids, and tonsils. These organs are necessary for the removal of waste from the body and the function of the immune system.

The combination of 11 herbs in Herbal Release has a dramatic effect on this system and I have seen a marked improvement in immune function, bowel function and overall well-being after just 30 days of taking Herbal Release.

HOW TO USE AIM HERBAL RELEASE

·         Take 2 to 3 capsules per day. Take with other AIM products or with meals based on personal preference. You may take more or less depending on your needs.

·         I take 2 a day with breakfast as because it increases urination, I don’t want to be caught having to wake up in the middle of the night to empty my bladder when I take it too late in the day.

THE HERBS IN HERBAL RELEASE

As you can see from this list Herbal Release is beneficial also to the digestive tract, the liver, the blood, joints, bladder, pancreas and many other body functions and parts.

Barberry root bark
Affects: liver, spleen, digestive tract, blood
Barberry may help with an enlarged spleen. One constituent, berberine, may have antibiotic properties. According to Michael Castleman in The Healing Herbs, barberry may also stimulate the immune system and may activate macrophages. Other sources state that it helps bile flow.

Boldo leaves
Affects: liver, stomach
Boldo is an evergreen shrub that grows in the Andes Mountains. It is said to help with gallbladder problems. One constituent, ascaridole, is said to function as a vermifuge, which expels intestinal worms.

Buckthorn bark
Affects: liver, gallbladder, intestines, blood
Buckthorn is a depurative, which promotes the excretion and removal of waste material. It is also a mild laxative, due to its anthraquinone content, and is said to aid bile production.

Burdock root
Affects: blood, kidneys, liver
Burdock root has a long history as a detoxifier. In Herbal Medications, A.W. and L.R. Priest note that burdock can be used “… to remove accumulated waste products.” It is also known to help with lymphatic congestion.

Cascara sagrada
Affects: colon, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas
Cascara sagrada, like buckthorn root, contains anthraquinone and is thus a mild laxative. It is also a general tonic that promotes well-being in all body systems.

Chickweed
Affects: blood, liver, kidneys, bladder
Chickweed boasts many folk remedies, and is said to be good for the blood and joints.

Dandelion root
Affects: liver, kidneys, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, intestines, blood
Dandelion has a distinguished history as a detoxifier. Joseph Pizzorno and Michael Murray, in A Textbook of Natural Medicine, call it a fine remedy for a toxic liver. The Ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad and David Frawley, in The Yoga of Herbs, say dandelion is also good for the lymph glands, and Santillo, in Natural Healing with Herbs, classifies it as a lymphatic, which cleanses the lymphatic system.

Echinacea
Affects: blood, lymph, kidneys
Echinacea was used by Native Americans, and today, it is recognized as an aid to the immune system. Echinacea contains echinacoside, a natural antibiotic. Studies in Europe have shown that Echinacea increases production of T cells. Santillo classifies it as a lymphatic, which cleanses the lymphatic system.

Licorice root
Affects: lungs, stomach, intestines, spleen, liver
Licorice is well-known as a powerful herb. According to a report in Microbiology and Immunology, licorice may stimulate cell production of interferon. Asian studies and studies published in the Plant Medica (1984, 50) have shown it to be helpful for the liver.

Parsley
Affects: kidneys, bladder, stomach, liver, gallbladder
From the 1850s to 1926, parsley was recognized by the United States Pharmacopoeia as a laxative and a diuretic. Today, it is more commonly used as a breath freshener.

Sarsaparilla
Affects: blood, skin, circulation, intestines
Sarsaparilla, according to Pizzorno and Murray in A Textbook of Natural Medicine, has been used in Europe since the sixteenth century as a blood purifier. Sarsaparilla is also said to bind to endotoxins and escort them out of the body. If endotoxins remain in the body they can contribute to a number of health-related problems

You can collect all these herbs and blend them yourself if you are a herbalist and know the right balance, or you can go for convenience and safety and order directly from Aim. Ordering directly gives you access to the wholesale price and you get it delivered directly to you. Contact any of the Natural Health consultants on www.mary-anns.com or email Melissa at info@mary-anns.com

Thought for the week

 Proverbs 6: 6, 7&8

Go to the ant you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! It has no commander, overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food in harvest.