Colon, G.I. Tract & Liver Cleansing - Laying the Foundation for Health
Phase I, II, & III (Cleansing, G.I. & Liver Detox and Daily Maintenance)
Worldwide, nearly 21 billion pounds of toxins are released annually onto land, and into our air and water, with 4.5 billion pounds recognized as carcinogens. In the editorial Lancet of 2006, findings suggests that “virtually all of the risk of diabetes conferred by obesity is attributable to persistent organic pollutants, and that obesity is only a vehicle for such chemicals.”
The truth is we can’t seem to avoid breathing in or consuming industrial pollutants. If we are not detoxing correctly, not only are we collecting toxins from within inside our body from poor dietary habits, we are also getting hit from the outside as well.
Our bodies detoxify every day as part of a naturally automated process. The body has several paths for detoxifying. However, with the amount of pollutants found in the air and in our foods, even the healthiest bodies have a difficult time keeping up. [1]
Detoxification, through special cleansing protocols, is the best way to assist your body’s natural self-cleaning system.
In Phase I, II and III, (all included in this article), we will address the pathways associated with the colon, G.I. tract and liver.
In this article:
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Starting with the Colon – An Overview
To maintain good health, your body must effectively eliminate bodily waste (toxins). This is in large part the job of the colon. With any cleansing protocol, the colon must be addressed first.
Why? Because the colon is the body’s main elimination channel. Toxins, from other organs will need an “open” pathway to get out of the body. Were you to begin, for instance, with a liver detox before the colon detox, the toxins you’re attempting to remove from the liver could back-up into your blood stream if the colon is in any way blocked.
As many of us know, the colon is part of the digestive system, which is a series of bodily organs that begin at the mouth and end at the anus. After food passes through the stomach and small intestine, the colon takes over.
The colon is responsible for the final stages of the digestion process. Waste left over from the digestive process, passes through the colon. Liquid is then absorbed from this waste, by the cells lining the inner wall of the colon, until it becomes a solid. At this point, the solid is ready to pass through the anus in a bowel movement. This process can take between three to ten hours to complete assuming that the colon is fully functional and non-toxic. This is how a healthy colon does its part to detoxify the body.
However, if undigested waste material passes through to the colon without assimilation, it leaves a coating of slime on the inner walls of the colon. With the passage of time, this coating will gradually increase in thickness and harden into a plaster-like substance, until there is only a narrow pathway for fecal material to pass.
Diarrhea, irregular or infrequent bowel movements are the first obvious signals that the colon is not functioning properly. When these symptoms appear, they are most often signs that toxic residues, from the by-products of undigested food, are remaining in the colon. [2] The term for this condition is constipation.
According to Norman Walker, Ph.D., author of Colon Health: The Key to a Vibrant Life, “The most prevalent ailment afflicting civilized people is constipation!”
Prolonged and regular constipation can be caused in large part by:
- A sedentary lifestyle (not enough exercise)
- A diet low in fiber and high in fat, and
- An inadequate intake of daily fluids
In order to avoid your body becoming a toxic waste dump, issues of constipation must be addressed. For this, we begin with Phase I.
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PHASE I - Facilitating Elimination (2 weeks)
When most of us think of detoxing any part of our bodies, we have visions of starvation and flushing the system with liquids for days on end. Not only do we at Oakway Health Center consider this to be unhealthy, but for those with compromised immune systems, it can be deadly.
The steps we list below will help to facilitate eliminations gently and safely. Dr. Gittins recommends a minimum of one bowel movement a day. Your stools should not be consistently hard or dry. They should be relatively easy to pass with a minimum of straining.
If your stools tend to be hard and dry, it means they are staying in your colon too long, and you will not want to skip Phase I. If your eliminations meet the criteria set by Dr. Gittins, feel free to skip Phase I.
The Phase I section requires fiber and magnesium:
- Fiber: 25-35 grams of fiber daily, in divided doses with plenty of water, or if supplementing with our recommendation below: two teaspoons twice daily mixed in liquid, with an additional eight ounces of water. (Fiber increases stool volume when taken with appropriate amounts of water, supporting larger and softer stools.)
For fiber-rich food sources, Click Here.
OR our supplement recommendation is:
Seroyal/Genestra: Herbal Bulk 454g
- Magnesium Citrate: A total of at least 480 mg of magnesium a day, or if supplementing with our recommendation below: one 120mg capsule/tablet of magnesium citrate with each meal, and an additional one at bedtime. (Magnesium will help to soften stools for easier passage.) For magnesium-rich food sources, Click Here.
OR our supplement recommendation is:
Pure Encapsulations: Magnesium (citrate) - 90 Vegetable Capsules
Pure Encapsulations: Magnesium (citrate) - 180 Vegetable Capsules
In addition to the above supplement protocol, the following is recommended:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day: One of the key risk factors for constipation is lack of exercise, especially for the elderly. Physical activity stimulates the intestines and will contribute to more regular bowel movements.
Rx: 30 minutes of walking, swimming or bicycling daily.
- Drink plenty of liquids:Though liquids won’t cure constipation, they do add fluids to help keep stools soft and easy to eliminate. Acceptable forms of liquids are water, clear soups and herbal teas. Fruit and vegetable juices in limited amounts are fine; however, you will want to stay away from ones with added sugar. AVOID caffeinated beverages, sodas and alcohol. These drinks are diuretics (i.e., they dehydrate, rather than hydrate). Rx: Roughly eight to nine 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day.
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PHASE II – G.I. Tract & Liver Cleansing (2 weeks – To commence after the completion of Phase I)
If you completed Phase I, the colon should now be eliminating softer, moister stools at least once per day. That doesn’t mean your work is done, and it doesn’t mean your colon is healthy – The next step towards a healthier colon also requires a properly cleansed G.I tract and liver. In Phase I we have simply cleared enough of a pathway through the colon in order that the toxins within the liver and digestive system can be properly eliminated in Phase II.
The G.I. Track
The G.I. tract refers to the digestive system. As mentioned earlier, this includes the area from the mouth to the anus.
The importance of the G.I. tract cannot be overestimated. In brief, between 60-80% of the human immune system activity focuses on the G.I. tract; therefore, problems involving the immune system must fundamentally be addressed at the level of the gut. This means that diseases and conditions as diverse as cancer, lupus, arthritis, allergies, depression, ADD/ADHD, HIV/AIDS, CFIDS (chronic fatigue immune-deficiency disease) or low resistance to infections all have a common root cause and pathway of healing. [3] This common, root cause and pathway of healing is the G.I. tract.
The G.I. tract is damaged, over time, by: environmental pollutants, poor diet, antibiotics, stress, lack of proper digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL). By following the protocols in this article, it is possible to begin healing that damage.
The Liver
The liver is tied to all bodily processes because it is responsible for filtration of all incoming foods and fluids. The body relies upon the liver to remove toxins so that nutrients supplied to the body are capable of providing nourishment. The liver is connected to, or at least aware of, every disease or dysfunction in the body. Taking time to keep it healthy makes sense.
A Note on Yeast Overgrowth
During Phase II, you will want to eliminate your intake of carbohydrates as much as possible. Yeast growth depends on carbohydrates to reproduce. For instance alcohol is one toxin that yeast makes for its survival. Yes, you read that right! If you have yeast overgrowth and eat fruit, you make wine in your intestines. This is called the “auto-brewery syndrome.” Rice makes you saki, grains make you whiskey and potatoes make you vodka.
Healthy flora compete with the yeast. Yeast makes other toxins besides alcohol to injure the “good” flora. These toxins can travel quite far within our bodies, with numerous systemic effects called the “yeast syndrome.” Some toxins paralyze the muscles in the intestines (i.e., constipation). Good flora wages war against yeast invaders in your gut in many ways. Acidophilus (literally “lovers of acid”) turns the alcohol into acetic acid and throws it back on the yeast. [3]
The Phase II section requires fiber, magnesium Liver G.I. Detox and a lactobacillus probiotic:
- Fiber: 25-35 grams of fiber daily, in divided doses with plenty of water, or if supplementing with our recommendation below: two teaspoons twice daily mixed in liquid, with an additional eight ounces of water. two teaspoons twice daily mixed in liquid, with an additional eight ounces of water. (Fiber increases stool volume when taken with appropriate amounts of water, supporting larger and softer stools.) For fiber-rich food sources, Click Here.
OR our supplement recommendation is:
Seroyal/Genestra: Herbal Bulk 454g
- Magnesium Citrate: A total of at least 480 mg of magnesium a day, or if supplementing with our recommendation below: one 120mg capsule/tablet of magnesium citrate with each meal, and an additional one at bedtime. (Magnesium will help to soften stools for easier passage.) For magnesium-rich food sources, Click Here.
OR our supplement recommendation is:
Pure Encapsulations: Magnesium (citrate) - 90 Vegetable Capsules
Pure Encapsulations: Magnesium (citrate) - 180 Vegetable Capsules
You will also need one bottle of each of the following:
- Pure Encapsulations: Liver G.I. Detox - 60 Vegetable Capsules (FIX PIC and DESCRIP) Take one capsule twice daily with meals for the first week. During the second week, take one capsule three times daily, with meals. (The ingredients in this formula are combined to stimulate both liver and gastrointestinal detoxification.)
- Pure Encapsulations: Lactobacillus Acidophilus (active LA-1 culture) - 60 Vegetable Capsules Take three daily, in divided doses with meals. (A naturally occurring, beneficial bacteria which supports the health of the intestinal tract. L. acidophilus maintains a healthy microflora environment by protecting the body against an overgrowth of harmful bacteria, including yeast overgrowth.)
In addition to the above supplement protocol, the following is recommended:
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day: One of the key risk factors for constipation is lack of exercise, especially for the elderly. Physical activity stimulates the intestines and will contribute to more regular bowel movements.
Rx: 30 minutes of walking, swimming or bicycling daily.
- Drink plenty of liquids:Though liquids won’t cure constipation, they do add fluids to help keep stools soft and easy to eliminate. Acceptable forms of liquids are water, clear soups and herbal teas. Fruit and vegetable juices in limited amounts are fine; however, you will want to stay away from ones with added sugar. AVOID caffeinated beverages, sodas and alcohol. These drinks are diuretics (i.e., they dehydrate, rather than hydrate). Rx: Roughly eight to nine 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day.
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PHASE III – Daily Maintenance (To be commenced during or after completion of Phase I & II)
Now that we have addressed the facilitation of elimination and the removal of excess toxins, it’s time to focus on what needs to be done on a daily basis to ensure that your digestive system is provided with the help it needs to continue the healing process.
- Digestive enzymes: These should be included with every meal. We have written extensively about this in a previous article and encourage you to take the time to read it if you haven’t already: The Link Between Digestive-Enzyme Deficiency and Poor Health
- Betaine HCL & Pepsin: Working in conjunction with digestive enzymes, betaine HCL & pepsin are gastric-juice components essential to the digestion of food and absorption of most nutrients. It’s unfortunate that most cases of acid reflux are treated with antacids, when in fact the problem is too little acid in the stomach. Betaine HCL & pepsin supplements for this deficiency.
- Probiotics: Taken daily, probiotics add “good” bacteria to the G.I. tract, and help to prevent the “bad” bacteria from taking over.
- Multivitamin: A good, high-quality multivitamin is a must! Find one free of preservatives, dyes, artificial flavors and preferably – magnesium stearate.
- Continue exercising 30 minutes a day
- Continue consuming plenty of fiber
- Continue drinking plenty of fluids
We live in a society that shuns the idea of delayed gratification. We pay a lot of money for instant results. We learn over time however, that there are certain things, such as reclaiming our health, that require a sustained and patient effort. After all, it took years for our health to deteriorate, it will take some patient focus to improve it.
The staff at Oakway Health Center knows you’re worth that effort. We encourage you to focus your attention on what we now know, through scientific research, works!
DISCLAIMER: If you are pregnant, lactating, or under the care of a doctor, you will need to speak with them first before embarking on even the most gentle of detoxing methods we outline above.
FDA REQUIRED STATEMENT: Statements on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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REFERENCES:
[1] Permacology Why Detox? Food Matters http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp/Why%20Detox
[2] Ashby, C. C.C.T. The Colon Therapists Network What is the function of your colon and what does it do to keep you healthy? Site: http://www.colonhealth.net/colon_hydrotherapy/ct_funct.htm
[3] Gant, C. M.D., Ph.D Healing the Gastro-Intestinal Tract: Using the Four “R’s” http://www.charlesgantmd.com/articles/Healing-GI-Tract.pdf
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