Should I Cleanse?

By Richard Anderson, Creator of the Arise and Shine Product Line

“The colon is a sewage system, but by neglect and abuse it becomes a cesspool. When it is clean and normal, we are well and happy; let it stagnate, and it will distill the poisons of decay, fermentation and putrefaction into the blood, poisoning the brain and nervous system so that we become mentally depressed and irritable; it will poison the heart so that we are weak and listless; poisons the lungs so that the breath is foul; poisons the digestive organs so that we are distressed and bloated; and poisons the blood so that the skin is sallow and unhealthy. In short, every organ of the body is poisoned, and we age prematurely, look and feel old, the joints are stiff and painful, neuritis, dull eyes and a sluggish brain overtake us; the pleasure of living is gone.”- Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D., from his Doctor-Patient Handbook

Harmful diet and lifestyle cultural norms in the Western World have resulted in a health disorder, which affects countless individuals today in varying degrees. Oftentimes, this disorder is an over-acid condition in the digestive system which leads to a host of other ailments related to incomplete and ineffective digestion. Dr. Richard Anderson estimates that 94% of all meat eaters and 70% of all vegetarians in the United States are over-acid. Problems generally associated with over-acidity include the following: immune disorders, arthritis, bowel disease, indigestion, gallstones, obesity, nervousness, yeast infections, bacterial infections, mood swings, poor eyesight, dermatitis, parasites, heart disease, liver disease, lung disease, fatigue, and bronchitis.

See Your Digestive System at Work>>>

Over-acidity may be determined by a simple pH test of the saliva.* According to Dr. Anderson, “If you are vegetarian and your normal diet is mostly vegetables, fruits and only small amounts of grains, then you would be in good shape. Everybody else had better take the tests!” One of the main causes of over-acidity is chronic over-consumption of protein and other acid-forming foods and substances. Americans have been deeply brainwashed to believe that we must have large amounts of protein to be healthy. Proteins are acid forming, and too much protein depletes the body’s organic mineral supply. This results in an inability of the body to fully process the overload due to a lack of nutrients (electrolyte minerals) required to do so. The problem worsens over time with continued over-consumption, because without adequate nutrients, the bowel loses its ability to defend itself from acids, toxicants1, microorganisms and chemicals that damage the bowel wall. Other factors that may also contribute to over-acidity are exercise, stressful emotions, drugs and radiation

Dr. Anderson developed an outstanding formula specifically to combat extreme overacidity, and a whole cleansing program to support the re-establishment of a healthy digestive system, which is self-sustaining. So far the program, with its numerous interrelated nutritional formulas, has proved to be one of the most beneficial ever developed.

*See instructions for the pH test in the book Cleanse & Purify Thyself, Book 1.

In addition to the self-created toxins resulting from over-indulgence of acid-forming foods and substances, there are also a host of environmental factors that contribute to the weakening of our digestive systems and practically every other organ, gland and cell of our bodies. Never before in the history of man has our environment been so full of unnatural chemical poisons. There is not one place on earth that toxic chemicals haven?t reached. 100% of the air on earth is polluted to some degree or another. Even in the purest mountains, the water may be contaminated enough to need purification for human use. 100% of the wells in some states have been contaminated. Most of the food we eat has been sprayed or fertilized with toxic chemicals, and the animals people eat are full of antibiotics and hormones, which have caused unbelievable and unexpected reactions. Then there are the cigarettes, soda pop, chocolates, coffee, drugs, etc.

A breakdown of immune function through exposure to these toxins, both dietary and environmental, is seen in a weakened bowel. When the bowel is healthy, IgAs2 are capable of destroying virtually every known pathogenic microorganism (bacteria, yeast, fungus, parasites, etc.) When we have lost the necessary nutrients or have acquired an over-acid bowel, the IgA activity can no longer function effectively, and the bowel, as well as the entire physical body, becomes vulnerable to attack. Consistent attacks from the pathogenic microorganisms, unnatural chemicals and acids eventually weaken the structure of the bowel. Microorganisms can then enter the bloodstream, as can larger particles of undigested food, chemicals and other toxic particles.

The liver then takes on the overload of toxins. Relentless flow of toxicity from the bowel eventually weakens the liver. When the liver can no longer function effectively, then other organs, glands and tissues become vulnerable to mucus, congestions and relentless attacks from microorganisms. As this condition continues, the person experiences increasing sluggishness and inefficiency. This is how insufficient bowel function results in a variety of chronic and degenerative diseases. This all contributes to an increasingly widespread inability to handle stress of any kind without getting sick. This is why we cleanse our bodies now, in the hope that we can correct some of these difficulties.

When the bowel functions optimally, then - and only then - can the liver and every other organ have the ability to function optimally. It should be noted that a perfectly functioning body is virtually invulnerable to any microorganism.

Why People – Especially Kids – Are Not Getting Enough Minerals (and What to Do About It)

by Donna Gates for BodyEcology.com

You care about your kids and give them fruits and vegetables, but did you know many of today’s foods are mineral deficient? Here’s how to boost your health and that of future generations with foods rich in precious vitamins and minerals.

Once upon a time, people grew and harvested fruits and vegetables that they used to make healthy, whole food meals. Those fruits and vegetables were full of vital nutrients from the land and nourished the bodies of those who ate them, helping them to grow healthy and strong.

Today we’re told to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet, but even if you are eating them, something is most likely missing.

Our produce no longer has all the nutrients we need.

In fact, the USDA has reported that there is a 25-80% decline in the mineral content of the foods we eat.¹

Whether a result of over-farming, pesticides, genetically altered seeds, decreased soil quality, or fertilizers, one thing is for certain: Americans young and old are mineral deficient because our food supply no longer gives us the nutrients we need.

Dangerous Mineral Deficiency

Taking in significant amounts of minerals is an overlooked and underemphasized reason why so many of us are not really healthy today. It greatly contributes to early and needless aging. Active in every single function of your (and your child’s) body, minerals are absolutely essential to good health.

Consider the Japanese, who many years ago consumed a diet very rich in minerals. Their diets consisted of sea vegetables at every meal. They enjoyed good health exemplified by their dark, shiny hair, few wrinkles, calm and focused demeanors, and long lives.

Gradually, though, the influence of the West has taken over.

Many modern Japanese have abandoned their traditional ways of eating in favor of processed foods, caffeine and sugar. These mineral-depleting foods cause gray hair, wrinkles and other signs of premature aging. The Japanese are now just as concerned as we are about their children’s health. We are all seeing a generation of young children and teens who are intellectually very bright, but are unable to sit still and focus. Read on and I’ll explain why.

Tying the dots of research together will show you that mineral deficiencies play a major role in these changes and this has long been a factor in the declining health of adults and children the world over.

The major reasons we are now lacking minerals are:

• Decreased amount of minerals in our food supply
• Consumption of mineral depleting processed foods
• Eating too much sugar
• Relying on caffeine for energy
• High stress lifestyles
• Lack of quality sleep

The Many Health Benefits of Minerals

It is so important that it must be stated again: minerals are active in every single function of your body.

Here are just a few of the almost endless examples of the health benefits of minerals:

• Magnesium helps convert blood sugar to energy, and is the ‘anti-stress’ mineral.
• Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body; it initiates DNA synthesis, maintains bone health and strong teeth.
• Potassium maintains acid/alkaline balance in your blood.
• Zinc promotes proper nerve, immune and digestive health and boosts immunity.
• Phosphorous helps maintain heart regularity, provides energy and aids in metabolism of fats and starches.

When you are mineral deficient, your whole body suffers.

But nowhere in your body suffers more from mineral deficiency than your adrenals.

Your adrenals are walnut sized glands that sit on top of your kidneys. The workhorses of your body, healthy adrenals ensure that you have lots of energy, help you sleep soundly, and regulate your brain, heart, liver, digestive, endocrine, and nervous systems. We age because our hormone levels decline each decade, and minerals are a vital nutrient for the organs in our body that produce our hormones.

Your adrenals are also an integral part of your body’s response to stress. To be healthy our adrenals need feeding. And what they like to eat are minerals, B Vitamins and plenty of Vitamin C.

Unfortunately, one of the major ways we “stress out” our adrenals is by not feeding them with the minerals they need to function. When our adrenals are mineral deficient, we may suffer from insomnia, have an acidic, achy stomach and have trouble digesting food. Our hormones will be out of balance, we feel sluggish and tired, gain weight, feel depressed and have difficulty concentrating.

So feeding your adrenals with minerals is important for everyone, especially children and teens who are not only growing but who will become the future parents of the world. Create healthy children and teens, help them create a healthy new generation of babies someday and we can turn around the health crisis on the planet.

Minerals are so important that it’s critical to nourish your own adrenals even before you have children AND extra amounts of minerals should be taken by a mother-to-be when she is creating a new life inside her womb!

Research has shown that when a pregnant woman experiences stress during her pregnancy her fetus experiences stress too. Stress has a negative effect on the mother’s adrenals, but it also affects her baby’s newly-forming adrenal cells.

One research study shows that when babies experience stress in the womb the cells of their adrenals are expanded and become weak. The study showed that these children were highly intelligent but could not handle stressful situations.  They had trouble focusing and sitting calmly in school. They had trouble going to sleep at night.  (Sound familiar?) This certainly helps explain behavioral and learning problems after birth. Research also indicates that children whose mothers experienced stress during pregnancy may be at greater risk for mental illness later in life.² (This may explain the climbing rate of teen depression today and depression among those of African American decent.)

Clearly our current epidemics of mental health problems and developmental disorders like autism and ADD can be traced back to poor nutrition, environmental toxins and stressful lifestyles. Fortunately, Body Ecology has a number of wonderful solutions to offer the world at this time.

From conception, our children are not receiving the valuable minerals they need to grow healthy and strong. For those of us who are well past childhood, the fatigue, stress, chronic diseases, and deterioration of our bodies indicate that mineral deficiency is taking its toll.

But if we can’t depend on our food supply to nourish us with the minerals we need, what are we to do?

Simple Antidote to Mineral Deficiency

I created the Body Ecology system of health and healing as a mineral-rich antidote to our modern world.

By following the Body Ecology diet, you can replenish your body with the minerals it needs, not only to function properly, but also to attain vibrant health! Whether you are a parent yet or not, a diet rich in minerals will prepare you to pass on a legacy of health to our most precious resources: the next generation of children.

Here are 6 easy tips for you to reclaim your health and get missing minerals for you and your kids:

1. Choose organic foods. When you dine on organic foods, you are eating foods that more flavorful but are free of toxic pesticides AND have more vitamins and minerals. Organic farmers have strict rules for keeping the soil mineral rich, like the soil that kept our ancestors healthy and safe from mineral deficiency.
2. Have a mineral-rich green drink every day. VITALITY SUPER GREEN should be your morning MUST!!!  It’s made from whole-food green powder that has fermented grasses, algae, green vegetables, enzymes and probiotics that pack a powerful mineral punch. Read about one mom who sends her kids to school with their very own mineral-rich green drink!
3. Include fermented foods and drinks. In fact, you won’t be able to really correct a mineral deficiency long term without the use of fermented foods, like cultured vegetables and fermented drinks, like Young Coconut Kefir or ready-made Coco-Biotic.
   

   Need more minerals? Then try this energy-boosting whole food. Vitality SuperGreen is a delicious way to boost your mineral intake while you get powerful probiotics and healthy fiber to restore the health of your digestive system at the same time. Try Vitality SuperGreen for a boost of energy in your day!

   Yes,  they are an excellent source of much needed vitamins and minerals. But perhaps even more importantly, the microflora in these probiotic foods,enhance digestion of all foods you eat. Remember it is not just WHAT you eat but HOW IT IS DIGESTED that is important. Yes, you will need to consume, drink and devour mineral-rich foods but you want to digest them as well.

   When it comes to minerals, probiotic-rich foods pack a powerful nutritional punch!

4. Eat your sea vegetables. Sea vegetables, or seaweed, are some of nature’s most nutritious foods. Introduced to the American health food stores by the macrobiotic movement, sea vegetables have been a staple in Asian cultures for thousands of years. Sea veggies improve thyroid function, naturally detoxify your body, and are important foods to help you overcome mineral deficiencies. We suggest you find a way to eat them at least once a day. The traditional Japanese diet includes them in every meal. (Japanese women are the longest lived group in the world.)
   
5. Eliminate processed sugars from your diet and use natural sugar substitutes instead. Every time you eat sugar, it causes your blood to become too acid. To make your blood more alkaline again, minerals are pulled from your bones and teeth where they are stored until needed.

   Sugar interferes with your body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium and may cause chromium and copper deficiencies. But if you still need the sweet taste that sugar provides, try Body Ecology’s all natural sugar substitute, Lakanto, for baking delicious recipes without the dangers of sugar.

6. Stress less and sleep more. This goes for parents and kids alike. Stressed parents and kids have weaker immune systems and have trouble sleeping.³

   Institute early bed times and stick with it. Find fun ways to handle stress. You’ll pass these positive habits on to your children and nourish your adrenals at the same time. Read Sleeping Trouble? Discover Why Winter is the Ideal Time to Learn How to Sleep Right to learn more about the minerals and sleep connection.

Essential Minerals

As our modern world puts more stress on our bodies, our minds and our environment, it becomes even more important to take charge of our health and the health of our kids.

Minerals are essential to your well-being, but the Standard American Diet does not provide you with all the nutrients you and your children need. By following the Body Ecology system of health and healing you can replenish your body’s storehouse of minerals and improve your health, as well as the health of generations to come.

Sources:

1 Jack, Alex, “Fruit Basket Upset: The Disappearing Nutrients in America’s Orchards,” CommunicationAgents.com.
http://www.communicationagents.com/emma_holister/2004/12/12/the_disappearing_nutrients_in_americas.htm

2 Dingfelder, Sadie, “Programmed for psychopathology?” APA.org.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb04/programmed.html

3 Caffeine, Nutrition.com.sg.
http://www.nutrition.com.sg/atd/atdcaffeine.asp

4 Children Under Stress Develop More Fevers, MedicalNewsToday.com, 9 Mar 2007. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/64586.php

By Dr Stanley Bass,
N.D. D.C. Ph.D.

If I were asked which is the greatest misunderstanding and confusion in the field of nutrition, I would respond, “to properly understand and interpret the symptoms and changes that follow the beginnings of a better nutritional program.
(A “healing crisis”)

Now, what happens when a person follows the rules and makes a decided improvement in the quality of food consumed?
Remarkable things begin to happen to the body as well as the mind. The amazing intelligence present in every cell of the body and the wisdom of the body in its operation immediately becomes manifest.
The rule may be stated thus: When the quality of food coming into the body is of higher quality than the tissue that the body is made of, the body begins to discard the lower grade materials and tissues and makes room for the superior materials that make new and healthier tissue.

What are the symptoms or signs that become evident when we first begin to omit the lower grade food and instead introduce superior foods-those that are more alive, more natural than those we are accustomed to?
When the use of toxic stimulants such as coffee, tea, chocolate or cocoa is suddenly stopped, headaches are common, and a letdown (healing crisis) occurs. This is due to the discard by the body, of toxins called caffeine and theobromine, which are removed from the tissues and transported through the blood stream during its many bodily rounds. Before the toxins agents reach their final destination for elimination, these irritants register in our consciousness as pain-in other words, headache.

The letdown is due to the slower action of the heart- the resting phase that follows the stimulation of more rapid heart action forced on the body by certain poisons called stimulants. The more rapid heartbeat (or pulse) produces a feeling of exhilaration, and the slower action produces a depressed state of mind.

Usually, within three days, the symptoms vanish and we feel stronger due to the recuperation that follows.

To a lesser extent, the same process occurs when we abandon lower quality foods and replace them with better foods. Lower quality foods have undergone more preparation.

Spices, salt and other ingredients have been added, and they tend to be more stimulating than less prepared and more natural foods. Animal food, such as meat, fowl, fish etc, is more stimulating than cheeses, nuts and vegetable proteins. Consequently the withdrawal of stimulation, which follows the abandonment of animal food produces a slower heart action, a resting phase that registers to the mind as relaxation or a decrease in energy.

This initial letdown (healing crisis) lasts about ten days or slightly longer, and is followed by an increase of strength, a feeling of diminishing stress and great well-being.
Now, let us return to the symptoms that occur in the process of regeneration.

The person who starts a better diet, stays on it for three days to a week and then quits, will say, &##34;Oh, I felt better on the old diet - the new one makes me feel weak”. He failed because he did not give his body a chance to adjust and complete its first phase of action, recuperation. If he had waited a while longer, he would have begun to feel better than before he started.

During this initial phase (lasting about ten days on the average, to several weeks in others), the vital energies that are usually in the periphery or external parts of the body, such as the muscles and skin, begin to move to the vital internal organs and start reconstruction. This shunting of much of the power to the internal region produces a feeling of less energy in the muscles, which the mind interprets as some weakness.

Actually power is increased, but most of it is being used for rebuilding the more important organs, and less of it is available for muscular work.
Any weakness that is felt here is not a true weakness, but merely a redeployment of forces to the more important internal parts. Here it is important for the person to stop wasting energy, and rest and sleep more. This is a crucial phase, and if the person resorts to stimulants of any kind, he will abort and defeat the regeneration intent of the body.
It is important that he have patience and just wait it out and after awhile he will get an increasing strength that will exceed what he felt before he began the new program. Success in recovery or improvement of health hinges upon the correct understanding of this point . realizing that the body is using its main energies in more important internal work and not wasting it in external work involving muscle movements.
Be wise - take it easy and relax. Just coast in your work and social obligations until you are out of the woods.

As one continues on the improved diet and gradually raises the food quality, interesting symptoms begin to appear. The body begins a process called “retracing”.
The cellular intelligence reasons something like this “Oh! Look at all those fine materials coming in. How wonderful-now we have a chance to get rid of this old garbage and build a beautiful new house.
Let us get started immediately. Let us get this excess bile out of the liver and gall bladder and send it to the intestines for elimination. Let us get this sludge moving out of the arteries, veins and capillaries. These smelly, gassy, brain-stupefying masses have been here too long- out with them! These arthritic deposits on the joints need cleaning up. Let us get these irritating food preservatives such as aspirins, sleeping pills and drugs out of the way, along with these other masses of fat that have made life so burdensome for us for so long.”

During the first phase of the healing crisis (called catabolism), the accent is on elimination or breaking down of tissue. The body begins to clean house - in short, to remove the garbage deposited in all the tissues. Wastes are discarded more rapidly and new tissue is made from the new food. This becomes evident as weight loss. This persists for a while then is followed by the second phase-stabilization.

Here the weight remains more or less stable. During this phase, the amount of waste material being discarded daily is equal to the amount of tissue that is being formed and replaced by the newer, more vital food. This occurs after the excess of obstructing material in the tissues has been removed. This stage persists for a while and is then followed by a third phase - a build up period (called anabolism), wherein weight starts to go even though the diet is lower in calories than it was before. At this point, much or more of the interfering wastes have been discarded.

Returning to the symptoms that occur on a superior nutritional program - people who have had tendencies in the past to recurring skin rashes or eruptions will frequently tend to eliminate poisons and harmful drugs through the skin with new rashes and eruptions. If they go to a doctor now who is not familiar with this aspect of nutrition, he will diagnose it as an allergy.

They ask, “How come I am eating better than I ever did before and instead I’m getting worse?” They don’t understand that the body is “retracing” The skin is getting more alive and active. It is throwing out more poisons more rapidly.

Headaches may occur at the beginning, fever and/or colds may also appear, the skin may break out, there may be a short interval of bowel sluggishness, diarrhea, feeling of tiredness and weakness, disinclination to exercise, nervousness, irritability, negativity, mental depression, frequent urination, etc.
However the great majority of people find their reactions tolerable and are encouraged to bear with them. With some, colds that have not appeared for a long time may occur, or even fevers.

Understand that these actions are constructive, even though unpleasant at the moment. Do not try to stop these symptoms by the use of certain drugs. These symptoms are part of a curing process; so don’t try to cure a cure. These are NOT deficiency problems or allergic manifestations.

The symptoms will vary according to the material being discarded, the condition of the organs involved in the elimination, and the amount of energy you have available. The more you rest and sleep when the symptoms are present, the milder they are and the more quickly they are terminated. Be happy you are having symptoms. Realized deeply that your body is becoming younger and healthier every day. You are throwing off more and more wastes that would eventually have brought pain, disease, and following through to their successful termination, avoiding some of the worst diseases that would eventually have developed had you continued your careless eating habits.

Do not expect to go on an ascending scale of quality. Do not expect that improving your diet will make you feel better and better each day until you reach perfection. The body is cyclical in nature. And health returns in a series of gradually diminishing cycles. For example, you may start a better diet and for a while you feel much better. After some time, a symptom occurs - you may feel nauseous for a day and have diarrhea with a foul smelling stool. After a day, you feel better that ever before, and all goes fine for a while. Then you suddenly develop a cold, feel chills, and lose your appetite. After about two or three days (assuming you do not take drugs or do anything else about it), you suddenly develop an itch or rash. You still do not take anything special for it. This rash flares up, gets worse, and continues for ten days, and immediately subsides. Immediately after this, you find your hepatitis is gone and your energy has increased more than ever before. The rash became an outlet for the poisons in the liver, which produced the hepatitis. This is how recovery occurs.

You recover and go even higher. And so it goes - each reaction milder than the last as the body becomes purer, each becoming shorter in duration and being followed by a longer and longer period of feeling better than ever before, until you reach a level plateau of vibrant health. Let us give ourselves, through our “healing crisis” a chance to experience what it means to be really healthy and fully alive.

Did you know…electrolytes are minerals in your blood and other body fluids that carry a tiny electric charge. They help maintain the balance of fluids throughout your body and guide the flow of nutrients into cells and the movement of waste out of cells. They also help regulate hormones, enzymes, amino acids and the immune system.

Electrolytes can be lost through sweat, extended periods of strenuous exercise, restrictive diets, dehydration, by using certain drugs and heart, liver and kidney disorders.

Diets high in acid-forming foods, such as bread, sugar, butter, eggs, meat and more, create electrolyte deficiencies. This causes bile to become too acidic, so foods aren’t digested efficiently and mucoid plaque develops. Toxicity can also develop and your body can lose its ability to heal itself.*

ElectroLife includes essential electrolytes that are chelated to a protein molecule. This encourages superior absorption. ElectroLife (unlike other mineral supplements) contains organic sodium. Organic sodium, in sharp contrast to sodium chloride (table salt), helps the body achieve and maintain electrolyte balance. ElectroLife is recommended for those wanting to boost their electrolytes.*

Ingredients: Calcium Citrate, Calcium Succinate, Celery Juice Dehydrate, Di Potassium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Goat Whey, Kelp Leaf, L-Glutamine, L-Histidine, L-Cysteine, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Succinate, Manganese Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Malate, Potassium Alpha Ketoglutarate, Potassium Glutamate, Potassium Aspartate, Red Beet Root Juice Power, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B6, Zinc L-Monomethionine

Other Ingredients: Methyl cellulose (capsule), silicone dioxide and magnesium stearate (vegetarian) as flow agents.

Sizes Available: 120 Vegetable Capsules

• Number of Servings: 60
• Serving Size: 2 Capsules
• Form: Vegetable Capsule
• Active Ingredients per Capsule: 695 mg

Suggested Intake: 2 capsules with meals or as directed by your health care professional.

Special Comments: ElectroLife, the electrolyte supplement made with organic sodium, is especially recommended for those who have sugar and/or yeast sensitivities.

May also be used as a salt substitute while Cleansing. Severely depleted individuals may increase the suggested intake for a time as needed. Can be used on a regular basis as needed. For example, when lifestyle becomes stressful and diet is less than optimal.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure ore prevent any disease.

Candida Questionnaire and Score Sheet*