7 Days to Wellness

In your journey to healthy living, you may go through many rituals and programs to find a path that suits your lifestyle and energy. Maintaining good health can be easier if you are able to incorporate preventative techniques into your daily activities. The wide selection of commercial food products, environmental impacts, emotional stress, and other forces, all impact the way substances are ingested and eliminated from your body. When you begin to view your body as the physical representation of your mental and spiritual being, the integration and assimilation of all the elements that are taken becomes more important. A simple solution? Take the time to allow the body to cleanse, replenish and heal. This 7 Days to Wellness program provides a structured approach to a seven-day “time-out” to cleanse and detoxify the mind, body, and spirit. A series of steps are provided to assist you in a three-phased approach to cleansing. The phases include: - Two days of pre-cleansing activities - One to three days of cleansing and detoxifying activities - Two days of post-cleansing activities As part of the process, fasting is incorporated, which aids in cleansing, replenishing, and healing. For many cultures, fasting is a time-honored way of maintaining good health and detoxifying the body. During this process, the body is in a more relaxed and focused state and is better prepared to release stored-up toxins through all of its eliminating organs (the skin, liver, kidney, colon, and lungs). The health benefits of this process can be rewarding, along with the opportunity for the body to recover from overindulgent and harmful eating patterns. Being an allergy and asthma sufferer, I have experienced the benefits of a strengthened immune using fasting as a component of the detoxification process. Although cleansing and detoxifying with a fasting component is typically recognized for its benefits to physical health, it can also be used as part of a spiritual discipline. When you take time to focus on the spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of yourself, the mind can become clearer, the vital force of the body recharged, and the integration of the mind, body, and spirit enhanced. This program encompasses many of the “best practices” that are in use for implementing a structured approach to cleansing and detoxifying while providing the guidance for initiating the `time-out' that you deserve. Why Cleanse and Detoxify? Periodic cleansing and detoxifying have the potential ability to enhance the immune system, assist in slowing down the aging process, provide for a lifelong of healthful living, and reduce the chances of succumbing to degenerative diseases. Lifestyle choices influence the primary root causes of many of the degenerative diseases and ailments that affect the body. Poor nutrition leading to deficiencies and the excess of toxins in the system may contribute to the inefficient functioning of the body and organs which could eventually lead to chronic and irreversible ailments such as: - Cancer - Diabetes - Hypertension - Arthritis - Osteoporosis What is Toxicity? As a by-product of daily living, the body produces wastes that are eliminated through various organs. The kidneys, lungs, liver, skin, and colon have an important role in expelling the wastes from the body. When we receive too much of something that the body cannot rid itself of, the wastes may become harmful and the higher concentration of these substances become toxic and act as a poison to our system. Toxicity is a state of having a high concentration of potentially harmful substances in our system. These substances may include the wastes from the normal process of living or from the conversion or introduction of harmful substances. The eliminating organs work together to remove these toxins on a regular basis. However, based on the type and reason for some of the Using a Fast to Eliminate Toxins Toxins result from the accumulation of wastes and may be derived from internal and external sources. Internal sources may include the combination of foods we eat and emotional impacts, while external sources may include environmental pollutants, medicines, and other chemicals. As the body generates new cells to keep itself in good health, it also attempts to cleanse itself by the elimination of toxins through the cleansing organs. If one organ becomes congested, the others must work harder to keep the system balanced. During a focused cleansing process that includes fasting, the goal is to rid the body of the toxic build-up that has accumulated and not been properly released. If the body can be kept free of toxic build-up, then it can be capable of properly replenishing itself. Some of the symptoms caused by toxic build-up include: · Stiff knee and joint pain · Feeling tired and listless, or moody · Dizziness · Headaches · Nasal congestion and mucus · Gas, bloating, flatulence · Skin rashes, acne, or pale and dry skin · Mucus in the colon · Dark circles under eyes and blotches on the face · Constipation or diarrhea · Chronic or periodic yeast infections · Mood swings or depression · Low sex drive In an attempt to treat these symptoms, you may not always get to the root cause of the ailment to reduce or eliminate its occurrence. The quick solution for the symptom relief is to reduce or eliminate the discomfort, which is often temporary, only to later experience a re-occurrence and potentially further complicate and/or poison the system. The ultimate response should be to treat the root cause of the ailment for the long-term. Fasting is a natural method to provide an opportunity for the body to rid itself of the toxins, and allow its flow in one direction; out. Fasting, incorporated with various cleansing techniques of the major organs, provides an improved chance to create a stronger baseline and healthy foundation for the long-term.