5 Important Things You Must Know Before You Cleanse Your Colon

There are many reasons to cleanse your colon. And there are just as many ways to cleanse, depending on what your goal is. For example, some people are looking for more energy, some better health and some to lose weight. With all this in mind, it is a good idea to educate yourself about the many cleansing programs.

First of all, a laxative is not a good idea to use for a colon cleanse. Laxatives can cause dependency and dehydrate you. The induced intestinal spasms caused are not the same as true peristalsis that creates long-lasting strength.

Herbs that help your body and colon cleanse will strengthen your body in the long run. They will help your body by adding the nutrition that it needs and help to balance your body. These herbs may include cascara sagrada, burdock root and marshmallow root.

Other herbs to cleanse the colon can help strengthen your liver for the natural detoxification process. Some herbs may help kill pathogens while others help neutralize toxins. There are even supplements that can attract chemical toxins to help remove them from your body.

No matter which herbs you choose, your body cannot cleanse without the right foods. So first, you must eliminate junk and most processed foods. Junk foods will add toxins and can even block your body's ability to absorb nutrients. They are full of "the wrong things" that will add to the toxic load, such as preservatives, food additives, and white flour, which does not sweep the intestinal tract.

Add to this the fact that these types of foods do not provide the right nutrition that your body can absorb and use. Keep in mind that when you don't get enough nutrition, your body's organs will not fully do their jobs; this includes the job of detoxification.

The right foods will add nutrition and fiber while taking the burden off of your digestion. They are more easily digested, which will allow your body's energy to be diverted to the organs of detoxification and elimination. Also, when your enzymes are freed up, they will often digest built up waste so your body can remove it from your system. This is the natural way to cleanse your colon.

The right foods include plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, unprocessed grains such as quinoa and brown rice, and organic, unprocessed proteins which helps the liver do its job. All of these foods are important to provide the nutrition your body needs while allowing it to cleanse itself.

Another way to cleanse may involve fasting. This could be water or juice fasting. Both of these are more intense but can be very effective. It is best not to jump into a fast, but to prepare your body for this type of cleanse. You can do this by first educating yourself about the fast you will do, determine if it will help you reach your goals and if so, then how to safely go about it. Fasting without preparation can bring extreme fatigue, muscle loss and even hair loss.

Bodywork can be another way to cleanse your colon. The various forms of bodywork include massage therapy, colon therapy, body wraps, lymphatic drainage and possibly even acupuncture or chiropractic. Each of these can help remove blockages, mobilize toxins and free your lymphatic system to help it clear waste from your body.

The important thing to remember about bodywork is that they are not a full cleanse. Each of these, even colon therapy, will not work without the help of the cleansing herbs and the right eating program. And you would probably need to do more than one session, since it takes time for the body to respond to these therapies and time for the cleansing process to work. Which brings us to the last tip for cleansing the colon.

Cleansing your body takes time. Toxins do not build up overnight. It is a slow process where the body accumulates what it cannot process so stores it, like excess fat or extra weight. As time goes on and the toxins accumulate, the body becomes less efficient, therefore is able to process less toxins, and stores more. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Reversing this process will not take 10 or 20 years like it did to accumulate, but it could take time. A cleansing program using herbs, diet and bodywork is typically done from at least two up to four or five weeks. After this a rest is taken before another cleansing program can be safely done.

This type of cycle may go on for one or two years before the body is in its healthiest state. However, results are typically felt the first cleanse because the body will get rid of a lot the first cleanse. This is because your body wants to eliminate the waste. It just needs help in the form of nutrition, and it needs to take a break from incoming junk.

You will help your body help itself when you cleanse your colon. Read about the various programs available, determine your needs then find the right fit. Stay away from pharmaceutical laxatives that can harm you and stick to the herbs nature provides. When done right, a colon cleanse will help you to be your best for many years to come.