Tuesday, April 24, 2007

4 Tips For Your First Colon Cleansing

Colon cleansing is the process of removing toxins from yourbody. More specifically it is the act of flushing out thetoxins with water. It may seem like a painful and uncomfortableexperience, but the health benefits far outweigh any temporarydiscomfort. I've put together this list of 4 tips to help youwith your first Colon Cleansing. 1) You want to research about colon cleansing online. Learn allyou can about it, because although you may think it's for you itjust might not be. There are licensed facilities that will dothe colon cleansing for you or you may opt to do it yourselfwith herbs. Either way you should be prepared by doing theproper research. 2) If doing a colon cleansing in a licensed facility pleasefollow their rules. They will probably not have you eat for12-24 hours before the procedure and will most likely ask youto drink lots of water instead. Water helps with the cleansingprocess and pure water will be used during the actualcleansing. Be prepared to immediately use the restroom whenyour cleansing is complete. It is just a part of thedetoxification process. There is no need to feel embarassed asthis is completely normal. 3) If doing a home colon cleansing follow the instructionscarefully. Usually a home herbal cleanse takes place over 30days by taking herbal pills. What will happen is the first fewdays will probably be pretty uncomfortable for you. You'll beusing the restroom up to 5 times per day. If this doesn't slowdown then you should take less of the herbal pills so as not todehydrate your body. To help with hydration drink, at minimum,your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 120pounds, drink 120 ounces of water per day. That may bedifficult, but water is healthy and it will help with thecleansing process. 4) While going through the discomfort just remember that you'redoing something great for your body and will feel much betteronce the process is complete. No pain no gain certainly holdstrue for colon cleansing. Althoug there should be no actualpain, just some discomfort. If you follow these 4 tips your first colon cleansingexperience should be a much easier undertaking. Please lookout for my next article with even more colon cleansing tips.About The Author: Cindy Williams is a health writer forhttp://www.detoxandcoloncleansing.com - The Web's evergrowingresource for homemade colon cleansing recipes, detoxificationinformation, cleanse kit reviews, and more.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Gastric Bypass Surgery - What You Need to Know

By: Craig Thompson Gastric bypass surgery is considered a convenient and effective long-term weight loss solution for people diagnosed as morbidly obese. But because gastric bypass surgery is an elective procedure, it is imperative that you weigh both the risks and the benefits before signing on for this life-changing procedure. This article will explain gastric bypass surgery step-by-step to help you understand exactly what is involved and make an informed decision.Whether you have the open procedure, where they make a long incision through the outer wall of the abdomen, or the laparoscopic procedure, where they make several small incisions for the instruments and special cameras used by the surgeon to see what he is doing, the steps are still the same. First the surgeon will use a surgical stapler or hand stitches to divide the upper stomach into two parts, one large and one small. The small pouch is about the size of a golf ball and can hold approximately 20 cc of food (although it will later stretch some). This new pouch will still continue to produce the stomach acid needed to soften and break down your food; however, the small size dramatically limits the amount of food you can consume after weight loss surgery. In addition, creating a small pouch minimizes the risk of developing an ulcer from too much acid entering the small intestine. (The surgeon could just remove the lower part of the stomach during gastric bypass surgery, but they don't, for a very good reason. It still can produce the acid needed to digest food, so the operation can be revised, if necessary.)Next, the surgeon will divide the small intestine so it can be directly connected to the new stomach pouch. This part of the small intestine is called the "Roux Limb" after the Swiss surgeon who invented the technique. This piece of the small intestine is connected to the new stomach pouch either using a surgical stapler or by hand stitching. Even if the surgeon uses a stapler, he will reinforce the staples at strategic points with hand-sewn stitches.After gastric bypass surgery, the food you eat will travel down the esophagus into the new stomach pouch, where it will briefly begin to digest. Then, it quickly travels down the new connection to the small intestine, where it will be joined by other digestive juices from the lower stomach, liver and pancreas to complete the digestion process as they travel together down the length of the small intestine.In rare cases, the surgeon will insert a tube between the upper stomach and the intestine to allow stomach juices to flow into the small intestine. This is only done if the surgeon believes there is a high probability of a specific complication that prevents the digestive juices from draining properly. In most cases, this tube is removed a few weeks after surgery.Patients generally will stay in the hospital anywhere from two to six days and will have to eat a pureed diet for many weeks. Most patients begin losing excess weight immediately and will lose anywhere from 60% to 80% of their excess weight within a two year period. Most will keep at least half of their excess weight off permanently.Some of the benefits of this type of surgery are that other illnesses cause by excessive weight-such as sleep apnea, weight related heart problems, diabetes, and lower back and knee problems-will greatly improve and may completely disappear. But, like any surgery, there are risks, some of which can be fatal. Before considering any type of elective surgery, consult with your doctor and explore all of the available treatments.Article Source: http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/articlesCraig Thompson, better known as "Big T," a former sumo wrestler who used to tip the scales at 400 pounds has since reinvented himself as a singer and bandleader. As one of the earliest to have Gastric Bypass Surgery, in 1997.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Healthy Diets - Ten Steps to Easy Weight Control

By: Stephen Todd Healthy diets promoted by many companies and gurus are anything but healthy diets - in fact, they can be harmful to your long-term health.So if you are looking for healthy diets then you should consider if they take into account the 10 points below, which are universal in scope and are actually not that difficult to follow.1. Balance Fat and ProteinFat should supply around 30% of your total daily calories. Limit your intake of fat by having more vegetables in your diet.Eat lean meats, light-meat poultry without the skin, fish, and low-fat dairy products. In addition, make sure you limit vegetable oils and butter in your diet.Protein should be around 15% of your calorie intake. Don't fall for the myth of so-called healthy diets that recommend eating protein at the expense of fat, it's not natural and can cause health problems.2. Limit Your Intake of Saturated FatThis is the kind of fat, found mostly in animal products, that increases blood cholesterol levels and has other negative health effects. It should supply less than one-third of the calories derived from fat.Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day.3. Eat Foods Rich in Complex CarbohydratesCarbohydrates should contribute around 55% of your total daily calories. Don't fall for the hype that carbohydrates are bad for you they are not, just make sure you eat complex carbohydrates.To help get the right sources, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and six or more servings of whole grains. This will help you obtain the 25 grams of fiber you need each day.4. Avoid too Much SugarMany foods that are high in sugar are also high in fat. Look at the labels to see how much sugar is in a product - many products say they are low in fat, but they are high in sugar, and this turns to fat.5. Eat Green, Orange, and Yellow Fruits and VegetablesExamples would be broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods are increasingly important in helping protect against a variety of diseases.6. VarietyEat a variety of foods - this really is the key to a balanced diet. Don't try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods every day - it won't work.7. Limit Sodium IntakeYour sodium intake should be a maximum of 2,400 milligrams per day. This is equivalent to about a teaspoon of salt. Therefore, Avoid salty foods and be careful to check food labels carefully for sodium content.8. Vitamins and Minerals from FoodSupplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the "synergy" that many nutrients require so that they can be effective, and be broken down in the body and utilized correctly.9. Maintain a Desirable WeightDon't ignore exercise, it only needs to be moderate, you don't have to kill yourself in the gym! The two biggest causes of obesity are processed unnatural foods and our modern lazy life style.10. Enjoy your FoodIf you drink alcohol, eat chocolate, crisps etc you can - but don't overdo it. Why shouldn't you eat what you really enjoy? There is no reason why you can't.Healthy Diets are Balanced DietsThere are many healthy diets to choose from, and they're all different, but the basis of any healthy diet should take into account the 10 points outlined here.Article Source: http://www.nulife-weightloss.com/articlesMore dieting and general health information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: www.net-planet.org