“You put what up your bottom five times a day?” This is the number one question I have received for the past two years when I tell people that I am using coffee enemas as part of my cancer-healing regime. Out of all the supposedly “crazy” acts I undertake as part of my two year Gerson Therapy program (hourly juicing, sticking to a very basic plant-based diet etc.) coffee enemas are the part that has most people thinking I’m cuckoo. Or kinky. I assure you, I’m neither.

As Ralph Moss, Ph.D, said, “coffee enemas are serious business: their potential should be explored by good research – not mined for cheap shots at alternative medicine or derisively dismissed as yet another crackpot fad.”

Coffee enemas are not a new idea. Dr Max Gerson introduced them to his powerful cancer therapy way back in the 1930s and Gerson patients have been reaping the benefits of them ever since. But the phenomenon goes back even further than that. In pre-revolutionary France, a daily enema after dinner was de rigueur. It was not only considered indispensable for health, but practiced for good complexion as well. King Louis XIV is said to have taken over 2,000 in his lifetime.

Clearing up cancer and complexion – the crappacino doesn’t sound so crazy after all, does it?

Coffee enemas are designed to detoxify the poor over-worked liver. Our liver is like our body’s gatekeeper. Everything we eat, drink and breath is filtered through the liver where it is decided whether it is fit for absorption, or destined for elimination. However, in this toxic modern world we live in, our livers have their work cut out for them. This is where coffee enemas come into play. The coffee enemas increase liver filtering, greatly aiding the organ’s ability to remove serum toxins.

Why coffee?

Dr Gerson believed that caffeine could stimulate the liver and gall bladder to discharge bile. It’s the coffee that dilates the bile ducts, and kicks the detoxifying process into high gear.

It may be met with scorn and ridicule, but there has been some independent scientific work that gives credibility to this concept. In 1981, Dr. Lee Wattenberg and his colleagues were able to show that substances found in coffee – kahweol and cafestol palmitate – promote above normal activity of a key enzyme system called glutathione S-transferase. This is recognised as an important mechanism in the detoxification of carcinogens, as the enzyme group is responsible for neutralizing free radicals.

Why so many?

If you don’t have cancer, you probably aren’t going to be doing five coffee enemas a day. In fact, if you aren’t replacing your body’s electrolytes, this many enemas can cause an electrolyte imbalance. However, Gerson Therapy patients are drinking 13 fresh organic veggie juices each day. As the juices begin rebuilding the body and encouraging toxins to be released from the cells into the bloodstream, a great deal of stress is placed upon the liver. The liver alone, especially in cancer patients, cannot deal with a sudden influx of toxins into the bloodstream. This is why regular coffee enemas are so important.

How to do a coffee enema:

Here is a brief (and tasteful) how-to video …

For more information on how to do a coffee enema, check out The Wellness Warrior Starter Kit + 10-Day Cleanse.

References:

1. Moss, PhD, Ralph W., COFFEE: THE ROYAL FLUSH, The Cancer Chronicles #6 and #7, 1990, http://www.ralphmoss.com/coff.html

2. Dr Gabriel Cousens http://www.gabrielcousens.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=J87jhQVZx_0%3D&tabid=172&mid=6704&language=en-US

For most of us, the post- holiday sugar and alcohol funk puts “cleansing” on our radar, so this is a great time to incorporate twists into your yoga practice. When you twist, the organs become compressed, which then pushes out blood filled with toxins. Twisting also stimulates circulation and improves digestion, stretches and strengthens the spine, and helps maintain flexibility in the vertebral discs and ligaments.

Make sure before you move into any twisting posture that you extend the spine by lengthening through the crown of the head as much as you can- the effort is on the inhale to elongate, and on the exhale relax deeper into the pose without contracting your abdominal muscles; twisting first from the lower lumbar spine then making your way up to the cervical spine breath by breath.

I hope you enjoy this video I made for you with three poses from my Xen Strength Yoga program. I use weights here, but if you are new to my style, or new to yoga in general, then feel free to try them without the weights.You can find more videos like, and my new Xen Strength Yoga DVD on my website: www.xenstrength.com.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I often speak with people who know that their health needs a boost, and they want to embark on a cleanse. The only problem is that they can’t find the right time to start. They may have a wedding coming up, or a birthday, business trip or holiday.

My recommendation is that if there’s one event standing in the way, just go ahead and start your cleanse. There will always be some special occasion on the calendar, and part of the process of improving your eating habits is learning how to stay on track during these special occasions.

Here are some suggestions to prepare for your Cleanse: 

1. Set the date that you are going to start, and plan to go grocery shopping a day or two before you begin.

2. Look at your calendar during those 2 weeks, and get clear about when you’ll be socializing. If you have work dinners or birthday parties, just make a plan for what you will eat at those events.

3. Spend the week before cutting down on caffeine and sugar.  Here is a plan to transition off caffeine.

4.  Check out the Cleanse dietary guidelines and recipes on the website.  Plan some lunches and dinners that you will enjoy.

5. Most important! Spend 10-15 minutes journaling about why you want to do this program, what symptoms you want to clear up, what results you want to achieve, and how you’re hoping to feel when you’re done. Have fun with this and be specific!  This will give you the inspiration to jump in.

Good health starts now – don’t put it off!

I work as a Nutrition and Wellness Coach with Dr. Lipman and support people going through Cleanse, which is a 2-week detox program. I often speak to people who are curious about doing the Cleanse, but feel intimidated or hesitant.

Here are some things to consider when deciding if a cleanse is right for you:

First things first – what are your health concerns?

It’s helpful to take inventory and get clear about what’s going on in your body. Many people cleanse because they’re feeling uncomfortable in some way – they may have aches and pains, excess weight, skin problems, major cravings (especially for sugar), or digestive problems like bloating, gas or constipation. They may suspect they have food allergies and want to pinpoint which foods they are sensitive to.

And some people want to experience more vitality – wake up with more energy, feel younger, and kickstart a healthier lifestyle.

Take a minute to jot down your personal health concerns. What impact is this having on your life – at home, at work, in your relationships?

Second – are you ready for a change? 

Now that you’re clear about your personal health issues, you need to decide if you’re willing to do things differently.  If you keep eating the same way, you will most likely keep experiencing the same discomfort. Is it time to try something new?

If you’re drinking lots of coffee, eating milk, yogurt, cheese, bread, muffins, soda, artificial sweeteners and processed junk food – I have good news! You have a big opportunity to use nutrition as an entry point to feel much, much better.

Take a minute to jot down your goals for your ideal health – what does this look and feel like? And how does it impact your life – at home, work, in your relationships? 

Third – do you like to eat? 

People get nervous about cleansing and detoxing because let’s face it – no one wants to go hungry. Fortunately, you’ll be able to eat meals and snacks on your cleanse – including fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, organic meat, fish, brown rice and more. The focus is on whole, unprocessed foods that are close to nature.

Write down your favorite fruits, veggies and healthy snacks. You can eat plenty of these if you choose to do a cleanse. 

And finally – do you have a great attitude?  

This is not essential but it helps! The first few days of a cleanse can be challenging – you may have a headache or feel tired or a bit grumpy. The more you can relax, smile and stay focused on how good you’ll feel in just a few days, the better your experience will be.

If you have further questions please feel free to email me at Kerry@bewellbydrfranklipman.com, I’m happy to help.

And please note that we don’t recommend cleansing if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or have history of stomach ulcers. If you are very exhausted and depleted, you should check out the Revive program to boost your energy before cleansing.

When it comes to revealing our relationship with food — and with our own bodies — the contents of our ice boxes pretty much say it all.

Show me your refrigerator and I’ll tell you who you are — or at least, who you think you are.

Take my friend Jane’s fridge. It used to be full of diet foods: low-fat this, sugar-free that, carb- and calorie-reduced, imitation everything.

You’d be hard-pressed to find an actual, unadulterated food product on Jane’s kitchen shelves. If it didn’t scream “diet,” she didn’t want anything to do with it.

At that time, what I could have told you about Jane was that she was convinced that she needed to lose weight and that she didn’t trust her body to help her make wise food choices. She didn’t trust food, period.

She seemed to believe that the power to change her body for the better lay somewhere “out there” — with multinational food-processing companies and diet-shake producers that presumably knew a whole lot more about her health and fitness than she ever would.

Today, I’m delighted to report, Jane’s fridge says something entirely different about her. And that’s because Jane’s perspective on food has done a serious one-eighty — and her body has come along for the ride.

About a year ago, Jane and I had a heart to heart. She’d been reading our magazine’s advice about eating more whole foods, but she was convinced that if she traded in her fake-o diet fare, she’d start gaining weight. So I started in on a little impromptu pep talk.

I said, “Look Janey, you don’t need all this diet stuff. It’s not going to help you lose weight. In fact, it’s working against you, and it’s preventing you from making good progress with your fitness program.”

I explained that all these diet and low-cal products were full of chemicals that were bad for her, and that just looking at all that stuff in her fridge and cupboards every day was sending her body the wrong signals — that she was a weak-willed person who didn’t deserve and couldn’t be trusted with real food. And that simply wasn’t so.

I explained to Jane that because diet foods rarely taste very good and they don’t satisfy our appetites the way their more wholesome counterparts do, we tend to eat more of them (and more of everything else) to compensate.

When we eat this stuff, our bodies and brains never get the message that they’re being nourished — because they really aren’t — and so we keep craving more and more food.

Meanwhile, our metabolisms are being slowed down by the toxins and pro-inflammatory factors embedded in processed-food ingredients; our energy levels are suffering so we don’t feel like exercising; and our brains are getting confused by the fake flavors and sweeteners that just make us want more.

(If you want more details about this dynamic, you can learn more from these two articles: “Poor Substitutes” and “The Whole Thing.”)

http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/december-2007/healthy-eating/poor-substitutes.php

http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/march-2008/healthy-eating/the-whole-thing.php

But it gets worse. Because even if we exercise like crazy (indeed, Jane had just embarked on a serious training regimen), we may not see much in the way of fitness gains. Our bodies aren’t getting the nutrients they need to build lean tissue and to recover from strenuous workouts we’re throwing their way.

Plus, the puffiness and bloating that result from eating foods our bodies don’t agree with us can make us feel disinclined to move at all, much less hit the gym.

As a result of all this, the workouts we do manage to eek out feel harder than they should, and the fitness payoffs don’t come as quickly or easily as they might. Eventually we decide that exercise “just doesn’t work for us,” and we give up.

At first, Jane didn’t seem entirely convinced by my little tirade, but I’d struck enough of a chord that she was willing to give the whole-foods thing a try.

Little by little, the density of diet foods in Jane’s fridge diminished.

In their place, delicious-looking vegetables, fruits, proteins, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and even some full-fat condiments gained ground. She accumulated some herbs and spices, collected some recipes and began to cook.

And what do you know: Jane started dropping weight. Her skin took on a translucent, rosy glow. Her eyes took on a sparkle. She started kicking some serious butt in her workouts, and her body composition took a turn for the leaner and firmer. To me, she seemed happier, too.

Today, when I look in Jane’s fridge, I see the edible and very appetizing evidence of a healthy person who really cares about herself — someone who enjoys good food, who knows how to cook, who trusts her body and is committed to feeding it well.

Our refrigerators should all be so lucky.

So what does your fridge say about you? And what would you like it to be saying?

If you’re interested in moving your eating in healthier, more nourishing directions, start by saying no to gimmicky fake-food products, especially the calorie-obsessed ones that promise to help you burn fat while you chew.

Focus instead on saying yes to whole foods. Learn why they are such a boon to your body and brain — and about why they are your best bet for achieving and sustaining a healthy, feel-good weight (the articles above are a great place to start).

Pick up a couple of simple, healthy cookbooks, or pull some decent recipes off the Web.

Then, clear your fridge of diet gunk and low-vitality junk, and fill it up with the wholesome good stuff that you and your amazingly intelligent body deserve.

Henceforth, every time you open that door, you’ll see the tell tale signs of a person committed to nourishing his or her body — not just with good nutrition, but with respect, confidence and care.

***

Pilar Gerasimo is editor in chief of Experience Life magazine (www.experiencelife.com) and the founder of RevolutionaryAct.com. She also blogs regularly for the Huffington Post.

The majority of your diet should be plant based, so I always recommend that you eat your fruits and vegetables. Even though the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables far outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure, I think it is important to be aware of the amount of pesticides that you may consume with them. So I always recommend buying organic produce if feasible. Not only is it smart to reduce your exposure to pesticides, but buying organic sends a message that you support environmentally friendly farming practices that minimize soil erosion, safeguard workers and protect water quality and wildlife.

But sometimes organic produce may not be accessible or affordable. That’s why I love the EWG Shopper’s Guide Pesticide in Produce, because it helps consumers (like me) who are concerned about pesticides, make healthier choices, given their circumstances. It has 2 lists (the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen), and will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce. This essential Shopper’s Guide makes it easy to meet a goal of eating at least 7-9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day while reducing your exposure to pesticides.

Why should we be concerned about pesticides?

Pesticides are a public health problem and can be extremely toxic to human health and the environment. U.S. and international government agencies alike have linked pesticides to nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone system disruption and IQ deficits among children. “Pesticides are toxic,” said Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst at EWG. “They are designed to kill things and most are not good for you. The question is, how bad are they?”

Here are the 2 latest updated lists from the Shopper’s Guide

Dirty Dozen (Buy these organic)

1 Apples
2 Celery
3 Strawberries
4 Peaches
5 Spinach
6 Nectarines – imported
7 Grapes – imported
8 Sweet bell peppers
9 Potatoes
10 Blueberries – domestic
11 Lettuce
12 Kale/collard greens

Clean 15 (Lowest in Pesticide)

1 Onions
2 Sweet Corn
3 Pineapples
4 Avocado
5 Asparagus
6 Sweet peas
7 Mangoes
8 Eggplant
9 Cantaloupe – domestic
10 Kiwi
11 Cabbage
12 Watermelon
13 Sweet potatoes
14 Grapefruit
15 Mushrooms

Analysts at EWG synthesized data collected from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration from 2000 to 2009. Produce is ranked based on a composite score, equally weighing six factors that reflect how many pesticides was found in testing of on each type of the produce and at what levels. Most samples are washed and peeled prior to being tested, so the rankings reflect the amounts of the chemicals likely present on the food when is it eaten.

For a downloadable list of this Shopper’s Guide or an app, go to http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php.

Also check out a previous blog I wrote awhile ago on Pesticides on our food.

Safe to say, everyone wants to be healthy. In addition to the classics like diet and exercise, another way to enhance health is by decreasing your daily toxic load and minimizing exposure to the chemicals that can contribute to illness and disease. When you take steps to decrease your chemical burden, resilience increases, organs begin to improve their capacity to endure and respond to stress and overall health improves. Below is the Swift Fix 6, my favorite fast, effective and easy-to-implement ways to start reducing exposure today. So let’s start slashing:

AT HOME:

• No shoes in the house.
  Take a tip from the Japanese and those with delicate wood floors: go barefoot or wear slippers inside your home. Take it a step further and ask guests to do the same. The no-shoes-indoors rule will minimize the amount of dirt, lead, pesticides and yes, even fecal matter that all those shoes can track into your home. When I started doing this years ago, visitors used to think it was a bit eccentric, but now it’s second nature. Everyone just automatically takes their shoes off when they arrive and nobody bats an eye anymore.
• Let go of the heavy cleaning artillery.
  In other words, switch from conventional cleaning products to greener ones. Caustic cleaners that envelop you in a cloud of toxic fumes should have no place in your home – they’re simply too harmful to your body and the earth. Make the switch over to earth-friendly cleaning products or blend up you own. Try replacing bleach with vinegar, bathroom tile “scrubbing foams” with baking soda and use hydrogen peroxide to remove stains. Switch to vegetable-based liquid soaps for dishes and general cleaning.
• Downsize your carpeting.
  Luxurious as it may seem, wall-to-wall carpeting tends to “off gas” fumes and chemicals that can add to your body’s total toxic load, so consider getting rid of it. Replace the old school, wall-to-wall with natural fiber wool or cotton rugs, hardwood floors or ceramic tiles. Can’t imagine living without wall-to-wall? Then look for eco-friendly wall-to-wall carpets made without petroleum products or toxic chemical finishes and insist that your installer uses non-toxic glues, adhesives, stains and sealers.

AT THE OFFICE:

• Improve your air quality.
  Invest in a portable air cleaner/purifier to help reduce the toxins floating ‘round your office cube and enable you to breathe a bit cleaner. If you’re lucky enough to have a window, open it often to help circulate the fresh air. If possible, sit as far away from the copy machine as possible to reduce exposure to airborne particles. Can’t sit further from the source? Then ask the office manager to move it to a less densely populated part of the office.
• Use green plants as natural air detoxifiers.
  If you’re sitting all day long in an office full of off-gassing wall-to-wall carpeting, upholstery, drop-ceiling tiles, copy machines and computers, you might consider investing in a few office plants to help hoover up the toxins. Even one lone potted plant can help clean up roughly 100 square feet of space. Which plants clean best? See the NASA list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants), which includes classics like spider plants, English Ivy, rubber plants and Boston ferns.
• Side-step toxic co-workers.
  Emotional pollution is as harmful as environmental contamination. You can have a great corner office or job you love, but an office full of angry or hostile co-workers can drag you down and make for a toxic work environment. To combat the bad vibes, make an effort to cultivate relationships with upbeat co-workers, give the toxic ones a wide berth and take time for yourself with a head-clearing lunchtime walk, workout or meditation session.

The father of Functional Medicine, my mentor and one of the nicest guys around, the brilliant Dr Jeff Bland talking about Detoxification.

Have you done a detox lately? My friend Jason Wachob from MindBodyGreen and I talk about the best foods to eat post-detox and beyond.

Keeping your pores healthy and functioning properly is key to beautiful, youthful looking skin. Unfortunately your pores are constantly being bombarded with dirt, oils, chemicals and environmental pollutants that build up, clog, congest, and suffocate them. This not only causes blackheads, break out, dull lackluster skin, uneven oil production, both dry and oily skin, but it also accelerates aging.  Keeping your pores clean is key to keeping your skin healthy.
Try using chemical free skin care products, and do a skin detox and/or deep pore cleaning at least twice a year. Look for cleansers with charcoal and detoxifying herbs that attack residue in pores, moisturizers that are made from non-pore clogging oils (like Jojoba and Pistachio), and face masks with deep sea, activated charcoal, and other ingredients that go deep into your pores, break open old dirt and oils, adhere to them, and pull them out so that your skin can breath and function properly.

Pore work out:

Skin tea:
Simmer 2 tea bags in 4 cups of water  for 15 minutes, let cool and keep in refrigerator until using.

Use:

• Green, black, or white tea for anti aging
• Red or lavender tea for acne or oily
• Rose hip or orange peel for anti-oxidant
• Oat straw or nettles for dry skin

Skin ice cubes:
When tea is cooled fill 1/4 of an ice cube tray with the skin tea and freeze.

Reheat the skin tea and alternate applying the warm tea (by placing the warm skin tea on a wash cloth and placing on your face ), with the cold tea (by placing a skin ice cube in another wash cloth and gently applying to face).
Repeat several times, ending with the cool tea.

The hot and cold combination opens and closes your pores. This action not only tones, it also helps expel any old  “gunk” stuck in your pores.

Note: Water that is too hot is not beneficial for your skin. Keep it warm.