Thursday, March 24, 2011

Is that cleanse really a good idea?

Hi Ladies,

I thought I would don my blog nurse hat to present an issue that will probably be controversial to some. I am not intending to single any one out with this, so please don't feel that I am.

In several of the last challenges there always seems to be some of us who are doing some sort of cleanse or detox. There are many potential risks that can occur with doing this. God has made our bodies in a marvelous way that our bodies have their own "detox" centers in our liver, skin, kidneys and lungs. When we take substances to flush out our systems, we can end up spending lots of time in the bathroom, as well as causing unwanted things to happen, like a rapid fluid shift that can lead to an exectrolyte imbalance or ridding our intestines of bacteria - good and bad.

Here are a couple or articles that go more in depth than I have here.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18595886/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/12/03/detox-diet-dangers/

A better option to a complete cleanse would be taking a probiotic. These can be found in certain yogurt drinks, or as supplements. I used to take one in the US called Florajen3. There is also a European version that I purchase here in Russia called Linex. All this is is healthy bacteria that should be found in our digestive tract. When our bacterial flora is in balance, our bodies are better able to fight infection, and aid in digestive problems.

Of course, we need to make sure we are keeping ourselves well hydrated at all times. Dani Joy has been emphasizing this with our water bonus points. Some bodies need even more than 2 liters a day to function well.

Let me know your questions or comments.

Tami

3 comments:

Charlie said...

I am always very cautious with extreme detoxing. I do like fermented foods that keep the flora in our systems balanced. This usually comes in the form of yogurt, kombucha tea, and kimchi. Like with everything else moderation is the key.

Thanks for posting this. We all need to be reminded from time to time.

Sarah DeSalvo said...

Thank you for posting this. I have asked my dad (a doctor) about cleanses before, and even was interested at one point in something you take to clean out your colon. He set me straight, telling me that our bodies should already be doing a good job at cleaning themselves out! I do think that a simple juice fast for a day every once in a while isn't a bad idea (hey, fasting is in the Bible! :-)) and like you and Charlie said, making sure you get your probiotics so you are balanced in that way.

Unknown said...

This is good info. Thank you for posting it.

Dani Joy