The Importance of Colonic Function in Weight Management

We tend to hear little about the colon (although sometimes we hear a lot from it, if you know what I mean), but it is one of the most important organs in the body, and it has a much more vital role than many people ascribe it. True, it is less important than our brains or our hearts, and we can, with the help of a colostomy bag, live without it, it is, nonetheless, a very important part of the digestive system and overall body function.

Together with the small and large intestines, the colon is responsible for removing toxins from the body and for absorbing nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. A well-functioning colon helps us to maintain energy levels, which in turn helps to maintain good mood, helps us to deal with stress, and promotes a general sense of well-being. A healthy colon is therefore paramount to a happy life.

The Colon and Weight Management
However, many people fail to consider the link between colonic health and obesity, but there is one, and it is easy to see why.

If the colon is responsible for absorbing minerals and nutrients, and it is not working, the body will not receive adequate amounts of these nutrients. This will then lead to the condition where the body craves food in order to satisfy its needs, the less efficient the colon, the hungrier the body, the hungrier the body, the more we eat, and, as you know, the more we eat the more we put on weight.

Now, couple this with the fact that an unhealthy colon leads to lethargy and that lethargy is the antithesis to exercise, you can see how a person with an unhealthy colon can easily eat too much food and do too little exercise.

Healthy Weight
Therefore, one of the key things in weight management is to ensure that you have a healthy colon.
There are a few things that you can do here:

1. Make sure that you have enough non-soluble fibre in your diet. This means eating plenty of fruit and vegetable (apparently watermelon is one of the best sources of non-soluble fibre) and plenty of whole grains.
2. Reduce, or stop completely, the amount of processed food that you eat. Processed food is a double edge sword because it slows down the digestive system through a lack of the right kind of fibre, and then it introduces more toxins. This puts way too much pressure on the colon, and it doesn’t know how to deal with these manmade, unnatural, substances properly.
3. Use a colon cleanser. There are many options available. You could take a colon cleansing supplement, which is usually administered orally and so has no embarrassing attributes – with administration anyway. Or, you could choose a colon cleanser, such as irrigation, although many people avoid this because it can be a bit embarrassing.

You can find further information on the colon and how to keep it healthy at http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/

Get Your Body Fighting Fit the Easy Way: Clean Your Colon!

Ok, the title is a little odd, but the message that we are trying to convey is that the colon plays a massive role in overall health. If you’ve been feeling slow and sluggish lately, if you’ve had a low mood, migraine, bloating or flatulence, then the problem may be as simple as an inefficient colon. The good thing is that you can do something about it, and you can do this easily.

Firstly, you should get have a regular colon cleanse. There are many different types of cleanser available on the market. For instance, you can have colonic irrigation, or if this seems too intrusive, then a colon cleanse supplement may provide a decent alternative.

It is important to keep your colon clean because:

1. The colon absorbs nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. It absorbs those that the small and large intestines miss.
2. Clearly, vitamins, minerals and nutrients, are directly responsible in maintaining a healthy body. Without them, or without the correct levels, the body will soon become unhealthy, leading to a plethora of problems, and of course, if the body does not absorb any mineral/vitamins/nutrients, then this is fatal. When the colon, and the small and large intestine, work well, you feel well.
3. You will find it easier to maintain a decent weight. This is because the body craves food when it does not have the necessary minerals/nutrients/vitamins, if your body is absorbing these well, it will not crave food, you will not be as hungry, and you will eat less.
4. Your colon removes toxins from the body. This is essential, because toxins damage body tissues at every level, including molecular. If you do not eliminate toxins you will quickly become ill – this can express itself in many different ways, from bad skin to poor concentration, and everything in between.

A healthy colon will therefore lead to a healthy you, and nothing feels better than that. The good news is that it is really easy to maintain good colonic health. All you have to do is this:

• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables
• Eat whole grains (e.g. brown rice, brown bread, brown pasta)
• Take a little exercise (this will help to improve blood flow and get things moving)
• Stay hydrated (drink between 1.5 and 2.5 litres of liquid a day

That’s all there is too it, but you can help your colon a little more by using a regular colon cleanse.

There are several different types of colon cleanser available on the market at present. You have the Oxy powders, which are really good and many people like these products. You have the colonic irrigation, which, again, are very good, but not everyone is comfortable with the procedure. Then you have a variety of other supplements, such as Threelac and Fivelac, which add friendly bacteria to the guts, intestines and colon.

If you would like further information about, or are interested in buying, a colon cleanser then please visit http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/

Keeping Your Colon in Top-Tip Condition

Colon health is fundamental to overall health. There are two reasons why it is one of the most important organs in the body:

1. The colon is responsible for eradicating toxins: if the body fails to eradicate toxins, these toxins attack body tissues and change the functioning of certain cells; they may even play a role in the DNA changes seen in some cancers. It is vital, therefore, that toxins are eliminated from the body.

2. The colon helps to remove nutrients from food: it is less important here, because the small and large intestine also have the same role. Nonetheless, it does improve nutrient levels in the body, and, as everybody knows, every little helps.

   

You need, then, to keep your colon working at optimum capacity. But, how do you do this? Well, there are several different things that you can do to help your colon do its job well. Here are a few of the most important factors for good colonic health:

• You need to makes sure that you eat foods that are very high in dietary fibre (- which is also called soluble fibre). Such foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, brown rice, and whole grains, such as wheat and oats. Some fruit and veg are better than others in providing fibre. Bananas are very good, but they are calorific too, if you want to reduce your calorie intake too, then try watermelon instead, it contains a lot of fibre (don’t eat too much, though, because it can cause diarrhoea if your body is not used to it).

• You need to drink lots of water. Water helps to ‘move things along’, keeps your stools soft (and therefore easier to move through the system), and helps keep the colon hydrated, which as with any organ in the body, is essential. Professionals recommend that you drink at least two litres of water, which is roughly the equivalent of eight glasses.

• Avoid nicotine and, to a lesser degree, caffeine. These are each stimulants and they will speed up your metabolism. Food will move more quickly through the system, which when not to natural speed, will mean that nutrients are missed and that toxins are not eliminated enough. If it moves too quickly the system goes on overload and stops working efficiently.

• Undertake a colon cleanse once or twice a month, or use a colon cleanse supplement every day for a month or two. You have several options here. Firstly, you can opt for a colonic irrigation. This is great, but you will need at least three courses before it removes everything. We recommend starting with a colonic irrigation, and then maintaining your colon health by using a supplement once or twice a month, and then have colonic irrigation once a year, just to keep it all going smoothly. If you cannot face the idea of an irrigation, then a regular oxy powder will be just as effective, but will take a little longer – again, keep up colon cleansing once or twice a month, and then once a year, do a full cleanse once more.

  If you would like to purchase a good colon cleanse, or would like to find out more, then please http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/

 

Detox Diet: Why do People Do Them?

Modern life can wreak havoc on the body and sometime we need to do something about it. This can involve as little as doing a detox diet, lasting a few days to a week, and nothing much more. It is quite easy, and here, we will show you what to do and how to do it.

Following your detox diet, you should find that you have plenty more energy, that your mood is better and that your general sense of well-being is much improved.

A detox works by helping the colon to eliminate toxins better. Toxins can cause problems in the body because they attack body cells and prevent various cells from working properly. The colon is usually responsible for removing toxins, but sometimes, it needs a little help; particularly in the modern world where the body is constantly attacked by things it isn’t used to, such as processed foods.

There are a variety of different detox diets that you can choose; some promote the use of detoxification products and supplements, others by sticking to a single type of food. We personally recommend a combination of both. A colon cleanse supplement will really help to boost the eradication of toxins, but combine this with a diet of fresh, organic, fruit and vegetables for at least three days to really help eradicate all that nastiness of modern life. Make sure that you eat vegetables such as lentils and chickpeas, to ensure that you get enough protein. Stick to drinking water, too, because it contains no or very few if you opt for tap water, chemicals (aside from Hydrogen and Oxygen, of course!).

People go on detox diets to counteract some of the chemicals introduced to our bodies by modern life. You may be surprised about the sort of chemicals added to everyday food. For instance, did you know that many meats contain antibiotics? Farmers, particularly those that produce to mass markets, give their cattle antibiotics as a matter of course. These pass through the food chain and we end up eating them. There are also all of those pesticides on vegetables and fruit, which is why it is important to stick to the organic version of the detox diet, because they are free of all manmade chemicals. Then there is all of the pollution in the atmosphere – obviously there is nothing that you can do immediately to get rid of pollutants, but you can help your body to get rid of those that have encroached. A detox diet will help to eliminate all of these unwanted nasty things.

There are many benefits of detox diets, those that are most often reported are:

• Increased energy

• Improvements in complexion

• Less bloating and flatulence

• Increased metabolism (and weight loss)

• Improved mood

• Lower stress levels

• Fewer symptoms of PMS

Combine the detox diet with a decent colon cleanse to help your body as much as possible. If you would like further information on colon cleansers, then please visit us at http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/

The Many Symptoms of, and Ways to Help Improve Digestion

A poor digestive system can be responsible for a whole host of problems, many of which may come as a surprise to you. Amongst the commonest problems associated with poor digestive health are:

• Bloating

• Gas

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Constipation

• Nervousness

• Diarrhoea

• Lethargy

• Irritability

• Cramps

• PMS

• Migraine

Many people are unaware just how problematic it is to have a slow or inefficient digestive system. Fortunately, there are things that you can do to improve digestive health, and they are not too radical. The effects of making a few changes, though, can be life changing; good digestive health will help you to be more energetic, happier, and comfortable. And it is easy to make changes, one step at a time and slowly, you will get there.

Change Eating Habits

1. You need to slow down your eating. Most people eat too fast, which means that they over eat. In turn, this slows down the overall system as it goes into overload. It is also harder for the body to digest food because there is less time to make the necessary amounts of saliva which contain an essential enzyme responsible for the breakdown of some proteins and nutrients, which help absorption further down the system.

1. So, slow down. Some people do this by eating with chop sticks; others count a certain number of chews before they swallow. Whatever you need to do, slow down!

2. You need to make sure that you are getting enough dietary fibre. This fibre helps to clean your lower digestive tract by, literally, sweeping waste matter along the system, which prevents faeces from sticking to the wall of the colon and lower intestines, thus helping to improve the absorption of nutrients.

1. Get fibre from fruit and vegetables, and whole grains.

2. Avoid processed food.

3. You need to increase the number of good bacteria in your digestive tract. In the past, people balked at the idea of introducing bacteria to the gut, but now, most of us know that we need certain types of bacteria to enable us to digest food. We have a symbiotic relationship with a number of friendly bacteria.

1. Take a supplement such as Fivelac to improve the number of good bacteria in the system.

2. Eat foods that are high in friendly bacteria, such as yoghurts and cheese.

3. Avoid things that eliminate good bacteria, so try to cut back on nicotine and alcohol (- this will also help to reduce stress, which helps your digestion, too).

Make Some Life Changes

Try to reduce stress as much as possible. This means that you need to create a good work/home/leisure balance.

Hobbies are great for reducing stress because they are what psychologists call active pastimes. They take your mind away from yourself and prevent you from dwelling on stressful situations. This helps to reduce stress, and it releases happy hormones. If you can combine your hobby with something physical, then even better.

For more information about Fivelac, or general digestion questions, please visit http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/

Keeping Your Digestive System Healthy in the 21st Century

Digestive problems are common in the 21^st century. Several theories have been forwarded as to why this is the case, but there are four general causes:

1. Poor diet

2. Stress

3. Lack of exercise

4. Lack of sleep

Of course, each of these problems often occurs side by side, so it is unlikely that poor digestion has a singular cause. Fortunately, though, there are several things that you can do to help to improve digestion and avoid some of the commonest symptoms of a sluggish digestive tract (e.g. bloating, wind, constipation and diarrhoea).

Eating

The way you eat, as well as what you eat (- more on this in a minute), can affect your digestion. To help improve it, you should try to implement a few good habits.

• For example, it is very important that you eat slowly; this gives your body the time it needs to digest the food well. You will also feel full after eating less (which will help you to lose weight, so a bonus) because your body takes around 20 minutes to register being full. Overeaters usually overeat because they have developed the habit of eating too fast.

• Try chewing twenty or thirty times before chewing as this will help to slow things down, it will also produce saliva which contains and enzyme that breaks food down faster.

• Rest your fork between mouthfuls.

Once you have slowed your eating down, by implementing these habits, eating slowly will come as second nature, and you will be able to forget about actually resting your fork/chewing 30 times, so you will stop looking silly and go back to dinner parties (you will look silly to start with, until you get used to the new model).

Clearly, what you eat is important too. Fruit and veg are essential, so eat plenty of these. Try to avoid too many citrus fruits though, as they will initially sped up metabolism, and then slow it down. You need to cut out processed foods, such as white breads and pastas, and microwave meals, etc., because your body does not like them and finds them hard to digest – they’re not what nature intended, and so, as always, they’re not good for us; they taste yummy, but they’re a no-no.

Relax

You need to cut our stress as much as possible and one of the best ways to do this is exercise. This is because when you exercise you use up adrenalin, which is released when stressed – you basically make use of all the bad hormones released under stress. Stress relates to our ‘fight or flight’ response, which is intended to deal with physical stress. Much of the 21^st century stress is mentally derived, but requires a physical response, clearly you can’t fight your boss, or run away from your family, so you need to get it out, and exercise is best.

Healthy System

A supplement, such as Threelac, will help to maintain good digestive health. Threelac introduces friendly bacteria to the digestive system, which boosts overall health from the stomach to the colon.

Find out more about digestive health and helpful supplements at http://www.thefinchleyclinic.com/