Tag Archives: detox

Would you eat clay in a detox diet?

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The mineral clay, traditionally used to make pots and ornaments is becoming a new trend in detox diets.

The Clay Diet involves mixing edible clay, such as Bentonite, with water and drinking it along with your regular food.The clay is supposed to absorb and remove toxins, impurities and chemicals from the body.

Clay diet

The diet’s biggest fans, are as usual and allegedly celebrities such as Zoe Kravitz and Elle Macpherson

Although humans have, most probably accidentally been eating clay for hundreds of years, health experts do not necessarily think it is a good idea.

US gastroenterologist Dr Roshini Raj, a regular contributor on the Today Show said it was likely eaten because it was the only way to get certain minerals such as calcium or iron

The clay diet industry is now worth some £2billion and many women claim to have lost a dramatic amount of weight on the diet. But that is in sharp contrast to a health warning from the US’s Food Standard’s Agency which issued the following warning about consuming clay in 2012:

“Exposure to arsenic can be associated with an increased risk of lung, skin and bladder cancer. Exposure to lead presents a risk for infants and children in particular, as it can be detrimental to brain development and affect intellectual performance. For the same reason, pregnant women are also advised to avoid eating or drinking clay due to the potential risk to their unborn child.”

In the UK, the NHS and British Dietetic Association disagree with the whole concept of detoxing. They say there is no scientific evidence to show that our bodies need help to get rid of waste products – this is what our kidneys do And there is no scientific proof that detox diets work.

The British Dietetic Association has said that “the idea of ‘detox’ is a load of nonsense. There are no pills or specific drinks, patches or lotions that can do a magic job.”

What is your view? Do let us have your opinion in the comment box below this article.

The real detox

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Yogatastic Don’t spend loads of money on detox packs or string yourself out on a disgusting syrup, juice and pepper concoction – commit to something which actually works…

Every year we say we will stop eating when we feel full, or have one or two fewer glasses of wine but it never works.Well now the forced excess is all over and it’s time for punishing ourselves with the latest detox and weight loss fad. Or is it?

Losing that bloated sinking feeling and getting yourself back on track for 2011 could be much simpler than you realise.

We know the celebrities all endorse various detox/weight loss plans and we understand why. They are under a great amount of pressure to look good and above all, be the slimmest they can be, which prompts drastic measures in even the least neurotic and anxious of people. For those of us living our mundane (cough) everyday lives, such drastic action is not required: a few little tweaks can make all the difference.

Here are six quick tips to banish that ‘jabba the hutt’ feeling:

1. Make sure you get enough sleep. When you are tired your body wants the high energy, quick fix food which is very bad news for your blood sugar level and waistline. Tired people are also less likely to have the energy to exercise. Tired people always look older: perhaps the most effective inducement to get enough shut-eye. Need any more reasons?!

2. As above, high energy/sugar food is very bad news for you (unless you are a super-duper fit athlete who burns a gazillion calories a day). Eating high sugar foods sends you up into the stratosphere for about 20 minutes until you crash back down to earth and into the biscuit cupboard. We don’t need to give it up completely, just reduce portion size and be careful not to eat your treat after dinner as those calories will be going nowhere fast.

3. Raise your heart rate for at least 15 minutes a day. We all have some lonely exercise equipment or one of the many computer console exercise programs to hand for a quick endorphin boost, so requires no extra spenditure.  It gives you a little extra energy to go about your business and you don’t have to trek to the gym to spend time with other sweaty people. Yuck.

4. Alcohol. We’re sorry to have to say this but if you want to feel better within a week, any delicious alcohol-based beverage is out. Alcohol is full of sugar. Wine is quite probably the healthiest of all the marketed beverages but still, as above, we know it is hard to restrict ourselves to just the one glass. So we advocate cutting it out for just a little while. Your liver will give thanks and you will very soon notice you are much less sluggish with better skin.

5. Fruit and veg. You may have heard the news, you may not have done, but here it is; we do not have to eat 5 portions of fruit or veg a day. Of course it is advisable to eat as much as you can without stressing or obsessing if for no other reason that by eating something green, you are not eating a big cake or pork pie. Fruit is nice as well. You may have forgotten how nice it is with all those sugar laden treats out there but if you manage to cut back your sugar intake you will rediscover just how naturally beautiful many fruits are. Try to eat the actual fruits instead of getting juice – the fibre helps slow the flow of sugar into your bloodstream.

6. Supplements. The most important are fish oil/omega 3 capsules which come with a side helping of Vitamin D – perfect for sharpening the old brain functions and making us feel less depressed about being mid-winter. There is no Vitamin D RDA and although we probably get enough help from the sun during summer, we need to supplement like crazy in winter. If you are over 50 you should be taking a Vitamin D supplement all year round. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to all the old life threatening bad pennies of heart disease, diabetes and cancer and more research needs to be done to see exactly what deficient people are missing out on. As far as other vitamins are concerned: if you can manage a small daily dose of vitamin C, this will also help to reduce your chances of getting a bad cold.

See, not a massive change, but will help you start to feel loads better and you might be inspired to effect a bigger change in your lifestyle. It doesn’t take much to get your body back on track – our organs, especially our main detox organ – the marvellous liver – are very resilient and do their very best job with just a little help from us.

 

Kamalaya – Koi Samui

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Koh Samui, Thailand: Think palm trees swaying under a gentle breeze, bodies luxuriating on open-air day beds being rubbed head to foot with sweet-smelling oils, and a myriad of exotic fruit and vegetable juice combinations freshly squeezed and constantly on offer.

This is Kamalaya Asia’s award-winning and renowned Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa situated on Thailand’s ‘island of coconuts’ – Koh Samui, one hour’s flight from Bangkok.

From the moment you arrive here, it’s easy to see that this is no ordinary spa resort. Small, cosy, warm and friendly, it’s a resort where every staff member greets you with a smile and by name no matter whether you’re lazing by the pool, ordering delicious fare at the restaurant or being pampered with one of a multitude of incredible treatments at the wellness pavilion. It’s just one of many personal touches here that really work as each guest is made to feel so special and so welcome.

It’s Kamalaya’s ultimate goal to make every visitor feel great by providing life-enriching, long lasting experiences. Your visit begins with a series of diagnostic procedures, including bio-resonance evaluations and nutritional and biological age assessments to check where you’re currently at, and consultations and comparisons also conclude your stay.

Set on a steep hillside, among lush tropical vegetation that leads down to a private beach, the resort is built around a sacred cave where Buddhist monks have worshipped for centuries.

Founder John Stewart actually spent a year living in such a cave during the 16 years he served as a monk in a remote Himalayan community. A Princeton graduate, John met his wife Karina, also a graduate of Princeton and a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the two decided to combine their passions and vision.

The result was Kamalaya and the resort, which was born in 2006, has been swaddled in spirituality and serenity ever since a haven far away from the madness of the industrialised world just waiting to nurture and nourish every aspect of a visitor’s being.

My personal journey here certainly managed to tick every box. Having selected my preferred treatment package from a substantial wellness program menu some weeks prior to arrival, I was pleased to find the standard of practitioners even more sensational than I’d been led to expect. Kamalaya offers solutions for detox, yoga, stress and burnout, fitness and weight control. I chose the Asian Bliss package from the Stress and Burnout range but had I simply been looking for a relaxing and restorative holiday, I needn’t have committed to a program at all, and could have just soaked up the environment and complimentary inclusions like naturopathic consultations and holistic activities including yoga, meditation, tai-chi and pilates.

My chosen package cost me 61,000 baht (around 1,086 GBP’s) for 7 days but was the best decision I could have made. Disrobing constantly, drinking countless cups of delicious home-made mulberry tea before and after sessions, I was pampered and pummeled several times a day during 60 or 90 minute sessions which ranged from Vital Essential Oil, Thai and Marma Point (trigger point) massages to Reiki and ancient Ayervedic treatments like Shirodara ( a stream of warm, medicated oil is poured continuously on the forehead) and Chi Nei Tsang (Taoist abdominal massage).

One of my practitioners by the name of Saimy had the best hands I had ever encountered. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised given his background as an Indian masseur of some 30 years standing who’d learnt and perfected his craft from his grandfather who was the village healer, since the tender age of ten. As each treatment surpassed the one before, it didn’t take long before I began to slip into what for me was an extremely foreign state of relaxation akin to being semi comatose.

Usually highly active to the point of hyperactivity, I was hardly able to recognize myself as I dragged my weary body up and down countless steps between the pool, the restaurant, the wellness centre and the yoga pavilion for the next few days. Lethargic and bloated despite an over-indulgence in the healthiest food I’d ever eaten, I sought advice from resident naturopath Samantha who told me my state was perfectly normal as the mind begins to unwind and relax and the body adjusts to the pace and to the intake of so much raw food.

Indeed, it’s the food that attracts so many people to Kamalaya. While over sixty per cent of guests come on their own in order to undergo detox therapy, Kamalaya’s unique philosophy is that one should detox with abundance and not starvation. As a result, Chef Kai Mueller continually creates the most amazing menus which include mouth-watering delicacies like lotus root and herbed mangosteen salad with wheatgrass spirulina dressing and Thai herb cured wild salmon sashimi on buckwheat with rocket goat cheese. There’s even a chocolate soufflé!

Guests have the choice of selecting meals from a specific detox menu which features low inflammatory, low allergenic and low GI vegetarian dishes, or from the broader menu, which changes with the seasons and features fresh, local and where possible organic produce.

Here, food is the medicine of choice, and much of what’s on offer is healing in function and tantalising in form. By day four, my stomach had settled right down and I began to regain lost energy. The fresh juices, signature tonics and herbal teas had begun to work their magic and I realized that while each is bursting with nutrients, medicinal properties and taste-bud tempting goodness, it’s often the unique combinations here that keep visitors returning time and time again.

No matter what accommodation option you choose here, you’re bound to find life soothing and serene. We stayed in a magnificent villa perched in the tree tops overlooking both the ocean and the two infinity pools that have been hewn out of rock with a freshwater spring running into them. I particularly loved our open-air bathroom that resembled a mud brick cocoon, and found it truly liberating to take a shower without the confines of walls or screens.

As accommodation options are additional to the price of wellness programs, there are several to be considered. But no matter if you select a room for around 7900 baht (141GBP’s), a suite for 11,900 baht ( 212.50 GBP’s) or a rocktop, pool or beachside villa for 29,000baht (516.50 GBP’s), you’re bound to enjoy your experience. Kamalaya is an inclusive rather than an exclusive resort. It doesn’t boast ultimate luxury or super slickness, but it’s warm, caring, supportive – and very comfortable indeed.

It’s a tranquil healing hideaway with no boundaries, no pressures and no prerequisites, where the natural environment and the inspiring palate of sights, sounds, aromas and textures, empowers and amplifies the healing experience. What you will find, as I most certainly did, is that as the days go by, your mind clears, your eyes shine, your skin glows, your vitality increases and your heart opens to the spirit of possibility.

By the time I arrived home and people asked why I looked so good there was only one word to give in answer – Kamalaya. And that’s not a word or a place I will easily forget.

Contact information
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa:
102/9 Moo 3, Laem Set Rd, Na-Muang, Koh Samui, Suratthani 84140 Thailand Tel +66 (0)77 429 800
www.kamalaya.com

Review by Sandy Kaye, Australasia Correspondent

How colonic therapy promotes health

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For many people today, keeping in shape is a key concern but poor diet, stress, smoking and drinking can all take their toll – not least on a part of the body that is widely recognised as being vital to maintaining good health. That organ is the bowel.

For all too many of us, it’s a case of out of sight out of mind. Add to that the embarrassment many feel when discussing this particular body part and you begin to understand why it can go wrong. In fact, it ‘goes wrong’ for quite a lot of us. For most that probably means a little discomfort, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome. For approximately 35,000 people each year the effects can be rather more serious, in the form of bowel cancer.

So, what can we do to encourage bowel health? Good diet and plenty of fibre are generally regarded as important in ‘keeping things moving’. Avoiding the accumulation of waste matter in the bowel is helpful and this, in turn, can contribute to wellbeing – and, indeed, just feeling good.

An increasingly popular therapy is colonic hydrotherapy. This involves circulating purified warm water at very low pressure through the colon. The process stimulates the colon to expel faecal matter and tones the colon.

Whilst the therapy has helped many people, it should be stated at once that it is not a treatment for more serious bowel conditions, neither is there specific evidence to suggest it can directly prevent them.

However, colonic hydrotherapy is thought to encourage general bowel health. The main reasons why people choose colon hydrotherapy are to address problems such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, or to assist in detoxing the body. Others are looking for help with conditions, like skin problems, which can sometimes benefit from the cleansing effect of hydrotherapy.

Explains Roger Groos, Chairman of the Association and Register of Colon Hydrotherapists, which sets professional standards and accredits teaching colleges: “It is important to put the treatment in its proper context. It is best thought of as a complement to other actions which may be taken to encourage efficient bowel function. Indeed many of our members offer dietary advice alongside treatments. Hydrotherapy has been in use in the UK for well over 30 years. The best testimony to its effects is, perhaps, that each year thousands of people from many walks of life choose hydrotherapy and find they feel better as a result.”

Colonic hydrotherapy should always be carried out by appropriately trained specialists. Only previously qualified therapists, medical doctors and nurses who have good knowledge of the body and how it works are accepted as ARCH members. The organisation is, in turn, a member of the General Naturopathic Council and participates in the regulation of therapy under government guidelines. Details of members can be found on the organisation’s website at www.colonic-association.orgor by phoning the UK information line on 08702 416567.

Mexican detox smoothie giveaway from Crussh

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CRUSSH the UK’s oasis of healthy food and wellbeing has launched the UK’s first ever Cactus detox smoothie.

Cactus has been used for thousands of years by Mexican natives to enhance health and vitality. Celebrated for its wealth of health-promoting benefits including cleansing the liver and colon; the Cactus offers a great variety and high levels of antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and Bs, as well as providing a rich source of fibre and hydration due to its high water levels.

Research has also linked the use of Cactus in slowing down the ageing process, treating intestinal illnesses such as ulcers, reducing blood sugar levels in diabetes, burning fat and lowering cholesterol.

The Cactus smoothie contains a delicious blend of 98% fat free yoghurt, lime, pineapple and banana and is available at all Crussh stores from January until March.

To try the Cactus smoothie for yourself, Crussh has given Elixir five free smoothie vouchers for you to win. To grab your free smoothie, all you have to do is to email us your name and address at readeroffer@elixirnews.com with the word Smoothie in the header. The first five emailers who send in their details by 28 February 2009 will receive a voucher. Please note that no cash equivalent is being offered.

So get back to nature this New Year and cleanse your body with the time-old Mexican Cactus detox available at all Crussh stores now.

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Green tea compound help body rid itself of toxins

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An ingredient of green tea called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) helps increase the activity of detoxification enzymes, according to a new study.

In a clinical study, backed by the US body, the National Cancer Insitute, reearch was carried out to determine the effect of repeated green tea polyphenol administration on a major group of detoxification enzymes known as glutathione S-transferases (GST).

A total of 42 healthy volunteers underwent a 4-week “washout” by refraining from tea or tea-related products. At the end of the washout period, the study authors collected a fasting blood sample and measured levels of GST activity. Following this baseline evaluation, the study participants consumed green tea polyphenols on an empty stomach for four weeks. The amount consumed (800 mg EGCG once a day) was equivalent to consuming between eight and 16 cups of green tea. After four weeks of green tea supplementation, researchers again collected blood samples and assessed levels of GST.

After four weeks of consuming EGCG, activity of the detoxification enzyme GST in blood lymphocytes increased. Further analysis revealed that a statistically significant increase in GST activity (80 percent) occurred in individuals who had the lowest activity at the start of the study. On the other hand, a small but statistically significant decrease in GST activity was observed in individuals who had the highest levels of the detoxification enzyme at the study’s start. The scientists attributed this decrease to random variation.

According to the researchers, “This suggests that green tea polyphenol intervention may enhance the detoxification of carcinogens in individuals with low baseline detoxification capacity.”

Reference:

Chow HHS, Hakim IA, DR Vining, Crowe JA, Tome ME, Ranger-Moore J, Cordova CA, Mikhael DM, Briehl MM, Alberts DS. Modulation of Human Glutathione S-Transferases by Polyphenon E Intervention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 August 1;16(8):1662–1666.

Ayurvedic medicine

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Ayurveda means the science of life and subscribes to the belief that the body stays in good health through a balance of energies. The energies known as vata, pitta and kapha, are influenced by diet and emotion. The treatment involves detoxing, herbal medicines, medication, aromatherphy and yoga. It claims to be able to treat a range of conditions from stress, high blood pressure to skins conditions.

Available through the Ayurvedic Medical Association which has a number of physicians in the UK. Qualified actitioners
undergo six years full time training in a university and one year in a hospital in India or Sri Lanka

Informaion from:
Ayurvedic Medical Association UK
59 Dulverton Road
Selsdon
South Croydon
Surrey CR2 8PJ. UK.
Tel: +44(0)208 657 6147
Fax: +44(0)208 333 7904
also at the Hale Clinic,
7 Park Crescent, London W1N 3HE. UK
Tel: +44(0)207 631 0156

Udai vilas, Udaipur, Rajasthan

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T:+91 294 243 3300; www.oberoihotels.com

The resort has two large swimming pools which are heated in winter, a gymnasium, boutique and a library with a selection of music and DVDs. Private excursions and cruises on the lake can be organised by the hotel. The spa, managed by Banyan Tree, offers holistic treatments and therapies to pamper and revitalise mind and body using holistic therapies and massages combining the best of East and West. Massages, facials and body beautification methods use ancient Ayurveda and aromatherapy as well as Thai and western techniques designed to relieve stress as well as create a sense of wellbeing. The spa has a private pool and individual therapy suites with views of Lake Pichola, the Aravali mountains and City Palace. Each of the eight suites has its own steam sauna and Victorian style bathtub. The gym and hair salon are located around a central domed foyer with a marble fountain.

General Advice

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Warning: Certain supplements and hormones may pose health risks for some individuals. You should also be aware that many claims for health and anti-ageing products are not always substantiated by medical evidence and/or long-term studies. Always take the advice of a qualified medical practitioner/doctor, particularly if you have persistent systoms.

Care should be taken not to take high doses of some vitamins and supplements, particularly Vitamins A and D which are stored by the body and can be toxic in large amounts. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA ) or Reference Daily Intake (RDI) varies (although the US/UK recommendations are similar ) but does not take into account, gender, age, current state of health or environmental factors. For this reason Elixir News does not state these doses. It is therefore wise to consult a doctor or nutrionist rather than rely on RDA or manufacturers guidelines.

Taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day, for example, could cause diarrhoea, while high intakes of calcium (above 1,500 mg a day) and iron (above 17mg a day) may result in similar symptoms in some people. Vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid) may cause facial flushing if taken at high doses, while excess zinc can reduce copper absorption, leading to anaemia. While many women take doses of around 100mg of vitamin B6 to ease PMT symptoms, high levels could cause nerve damage. Such damage has only been noticed at 1,000mg, but the US’s FDA recommends people take no more than 10mg a day. Similarly with minerals care should be taken not to exceed recommended doeses. There are also concerns over the mineral chromium picolinate as it has been linked to cancer.

Where we know about concerns over a supplement or where it has been banned outright we will post these details on our banned/redlight section. You should also reassure youself that the supplements you buy are of the highest quality.

The advice of a specialist doctor should be sought for guidance on the right supplements for you. A doctor may advise various blood tests to determine these -see AntiAgeing Tests.