Oolong Tea Health Benefits

June 30th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Superfoods

Have you noticed that recently, Oolong Tea has taken some of the spotlight attention from green tea? Oolong is a very old Chinese tea that is rapidly gaining favor. It has been featured on several health and talk shows, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, because of its effectiveness in helping people to lose weight.

Oolong is a very refreshing tea with a variety of aromas that make it unique from green or traditional black tea. Flavors like Pouchong and Ti-uan Yin give it the interesting aromas that Oolong is so well known for. Also, each has their own distinctive taste. Some people say the first time they drank it, the pungent smell actually made them feel tingly.

Caffeine & Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is actually lower in caffeine than some teas. It has only half the amount found in black or green.

How Oolong Tea is Made

The leaves from the tea are picked by farmers who determine whether leaves are mature and ready to pick. The leaves are left to oxidize or wither. Usually during this process the leaves are left outdoors to dry in the sun. Farmers maintain that the sun is a key factor; however they also hope there is wind too. While the leaves oxidize, they become much darker. When they are finished drying they are taken back indoors and constantly rotated at a temperature of about 65F degrees.

The next step is to heat them up to a very hot temperature for about five minutes. Then, quickly, before they cool, the leaves are rolled into mills. Finally they are spread out on a drying machine and dried several times. The process is set up to oxidize the tea just partially which is different from black tea which is oxidized 100 percent. This is what brings Oolong to a golden color as it brews; and helps to release the wonderful fruity smell the tea is so well known for.

Catechins: the secret compound in tea leaves

Catching is a compound found in fresh tea leaves. When raw tea is processed, the number of catechism decreases. White tea is known to have the most catechins; where as green tea is second. Oxidation really doesn’t lead to the decrease of healthy components in tea. It merely trades one antioxidant for another. This is one reason why it is a good idea not to just drink one type of tea, but rather drink a variety of healthy teas to get a range of good antioxidants.

Where to buy Oolong Tea

If you live in a large city, perhaps there is a Chinese community or neighborhood nearby. Oolong tea is easily found in Chinese herb shops, but also in regular grocery stores.

Chinese restaurants usually offer it on their menu; just ask for it the next tine you visit a Chinese restaurant. Also, Oolong is available to everyone, everywhere simply by getting it on the internet. Since the tea is from Taiwan, look for a website that imports their tea right from there and you will be certain it is authentic.

Health Benefits of Oolong Tea

There have been many studies done and they show that Oolong tea can be effective for people suffering from many symptoms including the following:

  • Diabetes
  • Acne and Eczema
  • Allergies
  • Infections
  • Cavities
  • Weight Gain And Obesity
  • Reducing The Effects Of Smoking
  • Increasing Metabolism
  • Helping Digestion
  • Reduce Risk Of Heart Disease

Oolong Tea and Weight Loss

Following a study in 2003 researchers in Japan announced that drinking Oolong tea promoted weight loss. Popularity for the tea exploded. Drinking the tea along with regular exercise and eating a healthy diet will certainly help you shed some of your excess weight. Get started by drinking at least one cup of Oolong tea each day.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Liver Cleanse & Kidney Cleanse 101

June 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Detox

The two vital organs which work inside your body to cleanse and detoxify your system are the liver and kidneys. When these two aren’t functioning as they should be, it can result in a whole range of symptoms. Modern medicine can alleviate the symptoms, but without cleansing the liver and kidneys, the problems will return.

Because the liver and kidneys are the parts of your body that function as cleansers and detoxifiers, they won’t perform at their best if there is an overload of work for them to perform. In order to keep them functioning at their highest level, a liver cleanse and a kidney cleanse should be performed.

Kidneys that aren’t working correctly create a variety of symptoms. Two that are most noticeable are infection of the urinary tract and the presence of kidney stones.

The liver is an incredible organ that is responsible for hundreds of functions that keep your body in top condition. If your liver isn’t in good shape, every organ in your body will be affected. Malnutrition, allergies, a failing immune system and in some cases, hepatitis are serious conditions that can result. Cleansing the liver can alleviate the problems.

The first step to a good kidney and liver cleanse is to do a parasite cleanse. Parasites are found on food in or on another organism. They invade areas of the body that aren’t functioning properly. A good parasite cleanse should kill most of the parasites in your body. These can be purchased in a trusted store or pharmacy.

Following the parasite cleanse, do a kidney cleanse; next the liver cleanse.

Kidney Cleanse Suggested Herbs & Supplements:

  • Hydrangea root
  • Gravel root
  • Marshmallow root
  • Fresh parsley
  • Fresh ginger
  • Vitamin B6, 250 mg
  • Magnesium oxide, 300 mg (powder form)

Liver Cleanse Cocktail:

  • 2 grapefruits
  • 4 lemons
  • 2 cups filtered water
  • 2 tablespoons of cold-press olive oil or flax oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Fresh ginger & Cayenne pepper

Begin by juicing the citrus, and then blend the remaining ingredients in a blender. Drink quickly. It is best to do this in the evening when you will be home the following day because of the loose stools.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

What Is Colonic Irrigation Anyway?

June 29th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Colon Cleanse

Colonic irrigation is based on the same principle as an enema in that it flushes the bowel using water. The difference comes in the amount, temperature and pressure used in a colonic irrigation. Another term for the procedure is: Colonic Hydrotherapy.

The procedure involves the insertion of a tube through the rectum and used to introduce water, either alone or with other enzymes, coffee, progiotics or herbs. The procedure lasts for about an hour.

A high colonic consists of the water going in through a tube into the colon and removed, along with unwanted debris through a different tube which is called an obturator.

This process is an old one that has existed since ancient times and used in Egypt, India, Greece and China. In modern years, it has been used to improve general health along with other health conditions

Colonic irrigations are known to improve a person’s physical health, but what some people don’t know is that in the process, they also improve mental health, the immune system and any problem that is created by having toxins in the body.

This is accomplished because having toxins in the body affects the immune system as well as other parts of the body. By keeping the waste and bacteria products out of the body, it eliminates diseases that exist inside and outside the gastrointestinal tract.

Evidence from many different studies has indicated that the warm water that is used during a colonoscopy helped to reduce the occurrence of colonic spasms. Other studies are doing research using the irrigation of the lower part of the colon for people who have fecal incontinence and also to see the results of colonic irrigation for people who have had connections between surgeries between the intestines and the side of their body. Currently there are studies being performed to see if colonic irrigation also improves the symptoms of diverticular disease.

Although there are some limited scientific studies that show evidence about the safely or effectiveness of colonic irrigation, it is thought that the procedure can be effective in dealing with addictions, arthritis, back pain, asthma, bad breath, allergies, bowel cleansing, bloating, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, bowel cleansing, lupus, shingles, skin problems, blood pressure and influenza as well as many other conditions.

Health Concerns & Precautions

There are certain conditions for which performing colonic irrigation are not suggested. The procedure should be avoided by those suffering from ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, hemorrhoids of all types, or colon or rectal tumors. Also, if you have had recent bowel surgery, or suffer from heart or kidney disease, you should not use the procedure.

It is important to be certain the equipment used is sterile and the person performing the procedure is experienced. Also, keep in mind it is a procedure for therapeutic value not for serious diseases.

Keep in mind that colonic irrigation has been marked as helping lots of different conditions. There are many accounts that verify treating with colonic irrigation may be effective, however, the exact information about effectiveness and safety have not been thoroughly studied. Since there are some risks involved in this procedure, it may not be safe for some individuals and therefore they should seek a different method.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Colon Hydrotherapy: Questions And Answers

June 28th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Colon Cleanse

One of the most important things you can do for you body is to keep it free from wastes and toxins while maintaining the right environment for good bacteria. The most effective way of accomplishing this is to undergo colon hydrotherapy. The procedure not only cleanses your body, but also strengthens the productivity of the colon.

One of the reasons so many people avoid colon therapy is that they don’t understand how it works. It is a simple procedure wherein the patient lies on a table while warm filtered water is infused into the colon through the rectum. This cleansing water washes away all the toxins in your colon and refreshes your body’s ability to deal with toxins by releasing fecal matter more thoroughly and effectively.

Those who have undergone the therapy insist there is no pain and that by taking the right procedures before going in for the procedure, the cleansing will be painless and successful.

Tips for successful colon hydrotherapy sessions:

  • Refrain from liquids for at least one hour previous to your appointment
  • No food for two hours previous to appointment
  • No carbonated beverages for the two days preceding the therapy
  • Refrain from all fats, and avoid packed, processed and other junk foods
  • Always arrive for your appointment in an up mood with a positive outlook this helps any medical procedure to go smoothly

Is It Safe?

Absolutely. Yes. This seems to be the biggest concern of people who are considering a colon cleansing. However, professional experts who are trained in the administration of the procedure are well versed in how to do it. Also, they use the latest hydrotherapy equipment available. Also, they are very experienced in the procedure because they have done it many times.

Does It Hurt?

No, there is no pain. Perhaps the first session will feel a bit awkward because it is a new procedure for you, but following the procedure, patients come out feeling calm and relaxed.

WHAT ABOUT MY PHYSICIAN? DO I NEED TO CONTACT HIM FIRST?

Before any health treatment, it is always wise to contact your doctor first. Also, if you suffer from any of the following condition, colonic hydrotherapy is probably not the best treatment:

  • Diverticulitis
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Severe Hemorrhoids
  • Rectal or Intestinal Tumors

What About Infections Or Viruses?

Because all of the equipment is sanitized, it is perfectly safe. Just be sure you have a good therapist doing the procedure who has lots of experience.

Do I Need To Do Anything Afterward?

Yes. Because colon hydrotherapy washes all bacteria from your colon, it is important to replenish the beneficial bacteria that are necessary for good health. This can easily be accomplished by taking a probiotic supplement which will replace the good bacteria.

Is There Anything Additional That Will Insure The Hydrotherapy Is Successful?

Yes. Most Naturopaths maintain that whenever you have a colon cleanse, you should also use a colon cleanser. This will remove all the toxins and ensure they won’t circulate back into your system.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Pinworms: Detoxification Explained

June 28th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Cleansing Naturally

Pinworms are pesky little critters that can be tough to diagnose and even tougher to get rid of. They are also called thread worms because of their resemblance to a piece of thin white thread. Pinworms live in the rectum when they invade a human. When infected by a female, she slips out of the intestines and lays eggs on the surrounding skin of the anus. Usually this happens when the infected person is asleep.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Pinworm Infection?

Most people have only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all because symptoms are caused by the female laying her eggs. Here are some symptoms to watch for:

  • Itching around the anus
  • Disturbed sleep because of itching
  • Irritability
  • Loss of appetite
  • Restlessness
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Itching around the vagina
  • Pains in the abdomen
  • Discharge in the vaginal area

Who is at Risk for Pinworms?

Those at risk in the United States are school aged children, who are at highest risk for infection, followed by preschoolers. The pin worm is the most common worm found in United States worm infections. In fact some groups have an infection risk of as high as 50- percent.

Usually if one person in a family has pinworms, others are as well. Usually adults are less inclined to get pinworms; however, mothers of children in school and in preschool are also highly at risk. Childcare centers and elementary schools have the most reported cases of the infection.

How Do You Get Pinworms, Anyway?

Pinworms infections are spread by ingestion. An infected person who doesn’t wash their hands may touch a cabinet, table, toy, book or an eating utensil and an uninfected person unknowingly transfers the infection through their mouth.

How Do You Know if You Have Pinworms?

In the middle of the night, shine a flashlight on the child’s anal area to see if any are present. If pinworms aren’t detected at first, but symptoms indicate a good chance of infestation, try a pinworm paddle. Swipe a piece of cellophane tap across the anus. If pinworms are present they may become stuck to the tape.

Other indications can be via a microscopic look at fecal material, or material scraped from under the child’s fingernails. Unfortunately this is not always effective.

Pinworm Treatment

There are effective prescription and over the counter medications that are recommended to treat infestations of pinworm. Your physician or other health care provider can prescribe the right treatment and help with the diagnosis.

Most often the treatment is a medication that is taken in two doses. The second dose is held back for about two weeks after the first. Some physicians recommend not treating the infestation. They will prescribe ointments and other meds to soothe itching and irritation

What Can I Do If I Get Pinworms Again?

Although unlikely, if everyone who had the worms was treated, it can happen. The best way to prevent second infestation is to treat everyone who even has close contact with the infected person, even if they have no symptoms.

Also, it is important to find the source of the infestation so you can be sure everyone who has it was treated. Unfortunately, some people do have to have more than one treatment. Some cases have to be treated up to four or more times, at two week intervals.

HOW TO PREVENT PINWORM INFESTATION

  • Shower or bathe in the morning so egg contamination is reduced
  • Underwear should be changed and washed daily. It’s best not to wear the same pajamas every night
  • Make sure all bedding, underwear and pajamas are changed and laundered. Pinworms don’t like sunlight so it may help to keep shades open during the day
  • Always wash your hands after using the restroom, before eating or preparing foods and after changing diapers
  • Keep fingernails short
  • Avoid biting nails and scratching in the rectal area. These can cause re-infection
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gallbladder Cleanse Recipe

June 27th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Cleansing Naturally

We have a tiny pear shaped organ tucked under our liver that is vitally important to our health and well being. The gallbladder collects the bile that we use to digest fats that we have eaten. When we have gallbladder problems we can suffer from lots of different symptoms.

Common signs of an impaired gall bladder:

  • Difficulty digesting fats
  • Inflammation of the gallbladder and bile ducts
  • Obstruction to the free flow of bile
  • Muscular spasms and/or poor contraction of the gall bladder wall.
  • Stones forming in the gall bladder and bile ducts.

Whenever we have problems with our gallbladder, the first option most doctors suggest is to remove it; however it is not always necessary to do so. Sometimes the only thing necessary is to flush the gallbladder - and that’s all we need to rejuvenate it. Here are some instructions for a good gallbladder flush that will get you feeling vital again.

Schedule your flush several days in advance because for the two days previous to beginning the flush, you need to avoid eating any solid food. Drink plenty of organic apple juice, and some dandelion tea. Remember to simmer the dandelion tea ingredients for 20 minutes. Drink both the tea and the apple juice 2 hours apart so that you get in at least seven drinks of each, every day.

Here is a guide to help you prepare for the gallbladder flush.

Day 1

Upon awakening - Drink one half of warm organic apple juice

10:00 - 2 cups apple juice diluted with 2 cups water

12:00 - 1 cup ginger tea (no caffeine) and 1 cup apple juice

14:00 - 2 cups of apple juice with 2 cups of water

16:00 - 2 cups of apple juice. ½ cup water

18:00 - 1 cup of apple juice, 1 cup of ginger tea

20:00 - 1 cup of warm apple juice

Continue this for up to three days for optimum benefit.
Use the following ingredients to take an internal bath on the last day of your fast. Although this is optional, it is highly recommended to obtain the maximum benefit:
1) Drink a blended combo of 1/3 cup cold pressed olive oil, 1/3 cup hot apple juice and 1 Tbls. fresh lemon juice.

2) Go to bed lying on your right side.

3) The next morning, many people notice lumpy stools which is believe to be gall stones that have passed.

Following The Cleanse

Come off the fast slowly. Avoid fried foods, oils and fats. Instead, have some fresh fruits for breakfast. (Pineapple, oranges and berries are especially good to eat.) For lunch, enjoy a simply leafy salad, and at dinner have fresh salad, soup and steam some vegetables. Continue with this diet for several days following the juice fast.

Side Effects

It is not unusual to feel some mild discomfort and nausea. Don’t participate in any strenuous exercises until you have completed the fast. Walking and mild Yoga exercises are acceptable. You should not do this cleanse if you are pregnant, under 16 years of age, or over the age of 60 without getting a doctor’s consent.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Colon Cleansing Tips

June 27th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in Colon Cleanse

coloncleansingtips Top 10 Colon Cleansing TipsColon cancer is now the number two form of cancer, therefore one of the most important things for you to do for your health is to keep your colon clean and remove all the toxins that you possibly can. It has been shown that this type of toxin build up is responsible for conditions like depression, diminished libido, cancer, constipation, fatigue and others.

There are several options that people use for keeping their colon clear of undigested food that collects in the colon, including herbal supplements and colon irrigation, which is done by flushing the colon with water. This is a very important process and it’s the first step in detoxifying the body.

Top 10 Colon Cleansing Tips:

1) Get a Colonoscopy

If you are over 50, or you have a family medical history of colon cancer, you should be doing a cancer screen. This is done by a procedure called a colonoscopy. The procedure is a very good way for detecting colon cancer in its early stages; but it is also effective if cleansing your colon.

2) Shed some weight

Studies have shown that people who are overweight are more susceptible to getting colon cancer. You can cut the risk rate in half by simple exercise and eating a healthy diet.

3) Eat a diet low in fat

If you eat fatty foods, it increases the amount of bile acid increase and will then stop it from flowing into the body’s intestine. While bile is used for digesting fats, large amounts put the chance of getting colon cancer at a higher risk. To be sure you aren’t retaining enough fat to increase bile production, have no more than 30 percent of your diet include fat.

4) Quit Smoking

Most people think smoking only affects lungs, but it also affects the body’s digestive system. In fact one study has shown that smokers are 30-40% more susceptible to colon cancer than are nonsmokers.

5) Eat plenty of fiber

Fiber is an important necessity for helping you keep your digestive tract clean. Because fiber doesn’t break down during digestion, it moves along the digestive tract, absorbing water.

As you increase your fiber intake, you’ll find increased regularity which means waste will leave the body faster and causes less damage along the way. Beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables are by far the best source of fiber.
6) Drink lots of water

Next to a high fiber intake, drinking lots of water is absolutely necessary for washing out toxins from your body. It is, after all, known as the most effective solvent available. Water assists the body in its need to eliminate waste and toxins, dead cells, food additives, chemicals, pollutants, and dead cells.
7) Have regular check ups

Everyone should get regular cancer screenings, but if you have cancer in your family, you must be sure you get regular physicals. This is especially important for anyone who has a family with a history of colon cancer because people with family members who have had colon cancer are 25 percent more likely to get the cancer themselves.

8) Remember to Breathe Deep

Managing stress is crucial to good health - both physical and mental. Cancer, heart disease and other diseases have actually been linked to the disorder of stress. Unfortunately, when people are stressed they tend to eat comfort foods.

But this results in a toxin building up in the human body. People get caught up in a vicious cycle of eating to feel better, but then feeling worse, so eating more to feel better. By eliminating harmful toxins a person will feel much healthier and naturally feel happier and full of vitality.

9) Try fasting at least one time each year

There are many different ways to accomplish a fast detox. People have used fasting ass a way to cleanse the body for thousands of years. One simple fast that many people find effective and beneficial is a juice fast which lasts from one to three days. The method is very safe. Many people do this every spring as a way of cleaning out the body so that can have a fresh body for the rest of the year.

10) Use supplements

Unfortunately, we just can’t get all the nutrients we want from simply eating; especially with the types of foods we are accustomed to eating. A good vitamin and mineral supplement program will keep our body clean and our colon operating at its very best. This is especially true for older people, who really need the extra boost that vitamin supplements

Tags: , , , , , , ,