"I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency" – Plato

What is detoxification?

• Our bodies naturally do it everyday.
• Detoxification is a normal body process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin.  In fact, internal detoxification is one of our body’s most basic automatic functions.  Just as our hearts beat non-stop and our lungs breathe continuously, so our metabolic processes continuously dispose of accumulated toxic matter.
• However, in our world today, body systems and organs that were once capable of cleaning out unwanted substances are now completely overloaded; thus, many unwanted substances stay in our tissues.  Our bodies try to protect us from dangerous material by setting it aside, surrounding it with mucous or fat so it will not cause imbalance or trigger an immune reaction.  (Your body stores foreign substances in its fatty deposits – a significant reason to keep your diet and body fat low.  Some people carry around up to 15 extra pounds of mucous that harbors this waste!)

Ideally, we should live in a pollution-free environment, eat untainted foods and drink pure water.  However, since humans are born with a “self-cleaning system,” we know this has probably never been possible.  Today, it isn’t even practical, so the next best thing is to keep pollutants to a minimum and to periodically get rid of them through a detoxification program.

Hydrotherapy—the therapeutic use of water, steam, and ice—has been used for centuries to effectively treat injuries and a wide range of illnesses.  Treatment techniques include baths (full body and specific body parts), compresses, showers, sitz baths, steam baths, and whirlpools.  Hospitals, clinics, and spas worldwide use forms of hydrotherapy as safe and effective methods for treating such conditions as AIDS, back pain, bronchitis and other respiratory problems, cancer, hypertension, muscle pain and inflammation, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis.  Hydrotherapy is also useful in treating the discomfort caused by spinal trauma.

There are three categories of external hydrotherapy: hot water, cold water, and alternating hot and cold water.  Hot water stimulates the immune system and increases circulation, helping to relieve the body of toxins.  By soothing nerves, hot water calms and relaxes the body.  Cold water, which constricts blood vessels, is effective in reducing inflammation.  Cold-water treatments are also used to reduce fever.  Alternating hot- and cold-water treatments have been found to alleviate upper respiratory congestion and stimulate organ function through improved circulation.

Benefits:
* Juice therapy offers a balanced away to supplement the diet.
* It stimulates the immune system
* Reduces blood pressure
* Aids in detoxification
* Protects the body from harmful environmental factors
* Ideal remedy for individuals suffering from nausea or digestive problems.

Nutritional Qualities:
* Concentrated energy
* Rich in vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates
* Allows for large quantities of vegetables to enter the digestive system.
(5 pounds of carrot make one quart of juice)

Juicing is an easy way to make delicious drinks that can boost your health and help you treat a number of disorders.  By following these guidelines, you will ensure that your juices are as pure, nutrient-rich, and appetizing as possible:

• Whenever possible, buy and use organically grown produce—produce that is grown without the use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.  This prevents chemical residues from ending up in your juice.
• If you unable to obtain organically grown fruits and vegetables, peel or thoroughly wash the produce, using a vegetable brush to remove chemical residues and waxes.  Most health food stores carry vegetable washes that will help remove any residues.  Always read labels and always buy natural products free from harmful chemicals and other contaminants that are toxic to the body.
• When purchasing potatoes for juicing, avoid those with a green tint, and be sure to remove any sprouts or eyes.  The chemical solanine, which gives the potato its green cast, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• When using organically grown produce, feel free to leave the skin on in most cases.  Do remove the skin, though before juicing apricots, grapefruits, kiwis, oranges, bananas, papayas, peaches, and pineapples.  The skins of oranges and grapefruits are quite bitter, and also contain a toxic substance that should not be consumed in large amounts.  Because kiwis and papayas are tropical fruits, their skins are likely to contain residues of the harmful sprays often used in foreign countries, where some chemicals outlawed in the United States may still be legal.  The skins of pineapples are too thick to be processed by most juicers.
• When using fruits, leave in small seeds, except when using apples.  Apple seeds actually contain cyanide, a toxic substance.  Because of their size and hardness, all pits must be removed.
• Juice most produce with stems and leaves intact.  However, remove carrot and rhubarb greens, as they contain toxic substances.
• When using soft fruits that contain very little water—avocados, bananas, and papayas, for instance—puree the fruits in a blender rather than using a juicer.  Then stir the puree into other juices.
• Remember to rotate vegetables and fruits so you get a variety of nutrients.

Exercise has significant influence on detoxification.

-- Exercise speeds up removal of toxins through perspiration. Sweating helps expel toxins through the skin, your body’s largest organ of elimination.  Exercising to the point of perspiration offers overheating therapy benefits, too.  Tests show that when athletes sweat, for example, they excrete potential cancer causing elements, like heavy metals and pesticide PCBs from their bodies through perspiration.

-- Exercise stimulates removal of toxins through deep breathing. Low impact aerobics help build a stronger diaphragm and elasticize your lungs.

-- Exercise stimulates metabolism, especially before you eat, to aid in weight loss. Exercise uses up stored body ft.  Calories are burned at a greater pace for several hours after you exercise.

Benefits of Sauna

When you take a sauna, the heat pumps up blood circulation near the skin and stimulate sweating. The Finnish, who are known for sauna therapy, say a proper sauna elicits about a quart of sweat per hour. I generally encourage sweating. It helps the body rid itself of unwanted materials and improves general circulation. In medieval times, healers relied on saunas to cure illnesses, and priests used their heat to chase away evil spirits.

The oldest know medical document, the Ayurveda, appeared in Sanskrit in 568 BC and considered sweating so important to health that it prescribed the sweat bath and thirteen other methods of inducing sweat. Throughout history, physicians have extolled the medicinal value of the sweat bath in its various forms such as the Finnish sauna, Russian banai, Islamic hammam, or the American Indian sweat lodge. Today, enthusiasts claim that beyond being relaxing the sauna gives relief from the common cold, arthritis, headaches, hangovers and "just about anything that ails you." Even if these claims are somewhat exaggerated, medical evidence shows that bathing in temperatures of 9O degrees C (192 degrees F) has a profoundly beneficial effect on a healthy body.