posted on Jun, 17 2009 @ 12:34 PM
Great topic -- good post.
People need to realize in general that there is a "better kind of normal" as others here have alluded to. We take for granted certain aches and
health problems, or that we don't run like track stars.
I also went on a fast about 12 years ago, and my wife (to be) and I convinced the rest of the family to join a detox.
The "fast" started with fresh squeezed lemons in pure water. Sweetened with Grade B Maple Syrup (Molasses or LOCAL Honey is a good alternative).
Some Cheyenne pepper (helps the stomach lining and hunger) is also added. Coupled with large doses of a special blend of herbs, flax seed and some
other fiber I can't remember.
I also used a horse-hair brush every night to scrub my skin (no water), in circular motions. I thought it was nonsense at first. But after day 3, my
skin was itching like crazy. The body gets rid of toxins through the bladder and skin -- so when you are really detoxing, you may get rashes and
annoying releases through the largest organ in your body.
We went to a lady who helped us by giving us Colonics. She was certified in the California and Sweden. The normal medical establishment tries to find
any incident where someone is harmed by alternative medicine -- so you shouldn't believe all the hype but you also should take criticism's of
alternatives with a grain of salt. I'm usually very skeptical of anything until I can prove it's useful. Well, the Colonics were useful, and gave us
a lot of "relief."
After the fast, we were on steamed vegetables for a few days. We then followed the "Body Ecology Diet." Which looks at getting more alkaline foods
in the body, and our health in general as an extension of having the right "zoology" in the gut. The modern diet is a true experiment on human life,
and nothing we eat today is familiar to the bacteria in our stomach. Some people have adapted and those of us who feel better when we "clean up"
obviously haven't. Different people have different systems -- so that can help explain the whole "results may vary."
As well as the fiber, we drank chlorophyll based on blue-green algae. We got to actually really like this drink as it just tasted like cleaner water
with a hint of fish. It really helped remove the detox headaches and clean the blood.
My dad who had been taking testosterone, was over 65, and had about 12 other drugs for his health, was able to stop taking them and help renovate our
garden for 12 hours a day.
Yeah, there were spectacular changes and my energy level went through the roof. I was doing a 2 hour aerobic workout at a hard core gym and added 10
lb weights to keep myself from shooting up too high in the air.
But it was really hard to find places to eat. The diet did not allow wheat, soy or corn, and we were to avoid artificial or processed foods, sugars
and salt (any kind of preservative either -- since it's all about speeding up digestion -- reducing the effort in the stomach). I think if I were to
change it, I'd be adding in eggs and nuts and beans -- the lack of protein and oils was an issue.
The other thing that might catch up with people on healthy diets is not enough fat. We are actually fat starved in this country. We need more fish
oil, coconut butter, walnuts or almonds, flax seed oil -- even Avocados for some people. More fat can help you cut cravings.
Any time I ate a hamburger or a cookie -- my system would throw a fit, and the stuff tasted like garbage. But it was like that with MOST food. The
problem was that it was so horrible, as my body yo-yo'd off of the perfect diet/fast to deal with the normal fast food we all eat. I was kind of sick
of paying so much attention to my eating and cleansing.
The problem wasn't really the diet, it was dealing with the real world and how toxic it was. Either I was going to eternally yo-yo because there was
really know way to find food on the go that was healthy, or I was going to just give up.
Now I need to lose 20, I'm tired a lot. I really miss the "me" that was a health nut. It's tough because for me -- it's always been all or
nothing. And as soon as I drink coffee, I want the carbs. I get the carbs and I want to be full at lunch. If I clean up -- it's a day of
headaches.
People look at health as the absence of sickness. If you've ever really pushed yourself -- like being in the boot camp at the military, or training
for a triathlon -- you understand how the body can feel when it is strong, and you wonder how people can go without feeling this way. The same is true
of having a "super" healthy fast and then a diet. The energy level of living with a lot less in your stomach is amazing -- regardless of which diet
you go on.
But it's the transition to getting strong and healthy, that isn't very fun, and its those days when life gets in your way and you can't jog or pump
weights that you feel the nose dive. You can feel an even keel and just shuffle along.
This isn't an magical CURE for everything. But most diseases we experience that fail to have "cures" are extensions of toxins and bad diet. The
mucus in the gut can protect some crap you ate as a kid for decades and it can be what is causing the food allergy. Or you might get diabetes or
eczema, or something else might fail. Not all diseases like cancer are CREATED by bad habits, but it certainly can lead to them if it isn't
genetic.
There is no drug on the planet that beats a healthy immune system. And your body is designed for a different diet, environment, and lifestyle than the
one you are currently living. Sure, the lack of clean food, and dry house killed off a lot of primitive people. If they could have had a good balance
of our plentiful food and shelter, with their diet... well, there is better states of living than "average."
>> And Yoga is really healthy. Also, the act of balancing will help your body "form" itself. You don't have to force yourself through harsh
exercise to get into peak fitness -- you have to get out of the way of letting your body do what it was meant to do. THAT seems to be the great secret
behind superior health.
>> Hopefully, this can inspire me to do what I know I need to be doing -- I'm going to go buy some Odwalla today.