The body naturally processes and eliminates toxins through the lower intestines, kidneys, and liver. However, many health experts believe that the body accumulates an overload of toxins due to environmental exposure, chemicals in food, and similar events that humans are likely to encounter in an industrialized world. Marketers and entrepreneurs have capitalized on people’s fear of toxins and offer hundreds of “detoxifying” treatments. While you can take your chance with these products, there are also natural, simple approaches. Below are some steps you can take to aid your body’s natural system of flushing our toxins:

• Drink plenty of water. Increasing your intake of water will aid your kidneys in the elimination process
• Eat plenty of high-fiber foods. The goal is to help waste exit the body and a little extra fiber can go a long way in ensuring the digestive system moves waste out of the body
• Use a Dry Skin Brush. A dry skin brush helps bring blood near the surface of the skin and opens your pores to release toxins.
• Take a Bath. After using a dry skin brush, take a hot bath with 2 cups of Epsom salts and ½ cup of baking soda. This will help toxins exit the body through the skin. Try to soak for at least 20 minutes.
• Lighten your Toxin Intake. To help your body remove toxins, try to decrease the amount of toxins you intake. You can accomplish this by eating less processed food (and trying to eat as much organic as possible) and using less chemically-based cleaners and beauty products.

Clear Passage Therapies recommends that any patient who completes treatment with us implement he above steps after treatment. Manual physical therapy is a highly intensive form of treatment. As our physical therapists use their hands to break-apart adhesions in the body, blood flow is restored to areas that were previously restricted. This process may cause an increase of toxins to be released into the body, which may lead you to feel like you have a cold or slight flu. By following the above steps, you help your body eliminate these toxins. For more ideas on ways you can help your body perform better see Reducing Inflammation Naturally.

If you suspect you have a small bowel obstruction, you should immediately see a doctor. A small bowel obstruction occurs when the small intestine becomes cinched, preventing solid food from passing through the intestine. Not only is your body unable to absorb the nutrients it needs, it is unable to eliminate toxic material. A blockage can also cause extreme pain and bloating as food and gas back up.

While you are waiting to see the doctor or trying to select the best treatment option, you can make changes in your diet to help you cope with the pain, bloating, lack of nutrients, and toxic build-up.*

Do not eat solid food. If your small bowel is blocked, there may only be a small passage for food. Solid food may be too large, so it is suggested you drink only liquids. While this may be difficult, remember, these dietary changes are only temporary until you receive treatment.

Blend and juice vitals nutrients. To ensure you are receiving the nutrients you need, blend nutritious food in a food processor or blender until the consistency is close to a liquid as possible. Do not try blending any type of meat – not only is it difficult to “blend” meat, it is significantly harder for the intestine to process meat. To get more nutrients, use a juicer. Use as many organic, fresh fruits and vegetables as you can. This is the time to throw in kale, spinach, and other nutritious foods that your body is lacking due to the blockage and the inability to process solid foods. To mask the taste, try mixing in carrots, sweet potatoes, and apples.

Do not eat or drink any unhealthy food. Because your body is unable to process or eliminate food, it is depleted of nutrients and considerably more toxic. You do not want to add to this by eating or drinking any beverages that will add more unnecessary chemicals or unhealthy additives to your body. This means no soda (which can also be problematic due to the carbonation), no processed food, no fatty foods, etc. You want to do everything you can to only provide nutrients for your body.

Drink Slowly. Drinking too quickly can cause you to swallow air. While the air is obviously harmless, it can add to the build-up of gasses and the subsequent pain from bloating.

Increase your fiber. Fiber helps waste move through the small intestines. Because you can only drink liquids, trying mixing in some flax seed, blended prunes, or other fiber-rich choices.

Avoid gassy foods. A small blockage can cause gas to build-up, creating significant pain. Avoiding food (even in liquid form) that contribute to gas will prevent further pain. Common foods that cause gas are cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, etc.), milk products, onions, artichokes, pears, and wheat.

Avoid foods that promote inflammation. Inflammation causes the tissues of the body to swell, meaning the passage for food to pass in your intestines could become smaller. Common foods that cause inflammation include sugar, refined carbohydrates, and gluten-containing foods (wheat, flour, etc.) To learn more about what you can do to reduce inflammation naturally, please read Anti-Inflammatories and Reducing Inflammation Naturally.

I must emphasize that this diet should only be used as a temporary measure while you are either waiting to speak with a doctor or be treated for a small bowel obstruction. To learn more about treatment for bowel obstruction, please visit our bowel obstruction page.

*These suggestions are not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor or nutritionist.

If you are currently considering an intensive week of treatment at CPT’s Florida location, you may wonder what you will be able to do in your free time.

The CPT therapists and staff encourage all patients to use their intensive week to restore their mind, body, and spirit. As CPT works to restore your body, you can use your free time to rejuvenate yourself and start a journey towards better mental, physical, and spiritual health. Gainesville provides many resources and opportunities to help you on your way. I highly suggest you take advantage of Gainesville’s many riches in this way:

Eat well. Nutrition greatly impacts your body. Use your week of treatment to make better eating choices. Gainesville offers many healthy places to eat. Try out the Booklover’s Vegan café. You can leisurely read while you eat delicious, local food at any time of the day. For a fantastic salad with a great atmosphere, head to Satchell’s. If you can’t tame your junk food craving, you can head to Leonardo’s Pizza and try a vegan pizza – along with vegan rolls! They also have great salads. If you want to curl up in your bed with some late-night snacks, you can head to Mother Earth for organic food of Fresh Market for great, healthy options.

University of Florida Chapel for Meditation and Reflection

Relax. Gainesville offers great, quiet places to sit and think in peace. For an incredible experience, I recommend you visit Lake Alice on the University of Florida’s campus. Not only are you likely to see alligators, but also huge Oak trees that drape across the lakeside trail – and don’t worry, no one has even been attacked by an alligator. If you continue on the path, you will find a nature trail in one direction and a chapel in the other. The chapel remains a relatively unknown jewel. It is a quiet sanctuary open to the public for meditation and self-reflection. As dusk approaches, head back along the path to the bat house. As the sky darkens, hundreds of bats swirl out in a breathtaking spiral.

Get in touch with nature. CPT therapists recommend all patients walk daily while undergoing treatment. One of the best places to do this is in nature. Gainesville is full of great parks that will quickly lead to a sense of awe and relaxation. If you are interested in a long walk, I highly recommend the Hawthorne State trail. I guarantee you will se an armadillo, deer, or alligator before your feet leave the path. I also suggest you slip into the Natural History Museum. The recreation of the Florida ecosystems is incredible. You walk inside, only to feel you stepped outside. The museum truly sucks you in to another world and will help you appreciate the Florida environment even more. You can also visit the museum’s butterfly rainforest.

Take a mini vacation. If you have time to schedule a mini-trip on the weekend, I highly suggest you take the opportunity to see some nearby areas in Florida. My top two recommendations:

• St Augustine: The oldest city in the U.S., St. Augustine is 1.5 hours to the east of Gainesville. It has an “old-city” charm with an artsy vibe, unique shopping, great food, beautiful beaches, and a castle!
• St. George Island. This is my personal favorite for someone who wants a quiet retreat to the most beautiful and quiet beach in Florida. It is a longer drive, perhaps four hours, but you won’t regret it. I suggest you stop half-way at Wakulla springs to go kayaking along the river and see manatees. Afterward, head to Apalachicola, a little sea-side town less than 15 minutes from St. George Island. Eat some great seafood and then slather on some sun screen to go check-out the island. Its crystal white beaches stretch for 25 miles alongside the emerald ocean. One third of the island is a state park: pristine, untouched, and open to the public. You can walk by yourself along the beaches without seeing a single tourist.

Gainesville and the surrounding area is a pretty incredible place. Don’t be afraid to ask CPT Florida therapists or staff for more information. This is our home and we’d love to share it with you.

We all know that trans fatty acids are unhealthy. Trans fatty acids result from the process of hydrogenation. Food manufacturers originally thought that using vegetable oils in their products would be healthier than saturated fats. However, vegetable oils can go bad quickly, so food makers began “hydrogenating” their processed food to prolong the shelf life. Unfortunately, the result of that process is trans fatty acids. Any processed foods that list partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils, hydrogenated vegetable oils or shortening contain trans fat. Trans fat negatively affect health by increasing bad cholesterol, decreasing good cholesterol, increasing risk of type 2 diabetes, and much more.

A new study released in 2008 by Fertility and Sterility suggests another item should be added to the list of negatives: miscarriage. Researches followed 104 women over 20-30 years. They found that women with the lowest levels of trans fat in their diets had a fetal loss rate of 30%. This number spiked to 52% for women with the highest intake of trans fat in their diets. Most importantly, the scientists found trans fat to be an independent cause – meaning they ruled out age, race, body mass index, physical activity, total calories, and many other variables.

If you are currently trying to get pregnant or undergoing infertility treatments, cutting out trans fat is a step in the right direction. Not only will it decrease your risk of miscarriage, it will improve your overall health. To learn more about how you can decrease your chances of a miscarriage, visit our female infertility page.

Why is this included in Demarco’s bill of rights? Because diet, stress, exercise, and relaxation are fundamental to good health and only you have the power to control these aspects of your life. A doctor can surgically repair any wound, but s/he cannot make you exercise every day or remove items from your dinner plate that are unhealthy. A doctor can only tell you what you should do; you are responsible for putting his or her advice into action.

All doctors acknowledge that diet, stress, exercise, and relaxation are four fundamental keys for good health. Regardless of whether you are in perfect physical condition or currently struggling with an illness, integrating these four keys into your life will have a huge impact on your health. Some of the many benefits include:

• Preventing future illness: A person who puts the four keys into action is more likely to fight-off illness. Numerous studies have shown that a diet high in fruits and vegetables not only fights current illnesses, but wards off future illnesses. A person who experiences high levels of stress is more likely to succumb to illness – so try to bring that stress down.
• Reducing inflammation: Inflammation can cause chronic pain and many other ailments. To learn about how the four keys can help reduce inflammation, please read our article, “Anti-inflammatories, and Reducing Inflammation Naturally.”
• Improving Mental Acuity: When your body is supplied with the right foods, exercised regularly, and allowed to relax without stress, you will find that your mind functions at a higher level. Many people find they can think faster, clearer, and harder.
• Healing Faster: If you have recently had an illness or injury, the four keys can help you heal faster. Exercise alone will help you heal eight times faster.
• Improving Stress, Diet, Exercise, and Relaxation: As you incorporate each key into your life, you will find that other keys are simultaneously improved. For example, if you eat a healthy diet, your body will be able to exercise better and burn energy faster. Conversely, when you exercise more, your body will crave healthier food and be able to relax more. Exercise is also a great way to burn-off stress. When you are not as stressed, emotional eating decreases.

By incorporating these four keys into your life, you will create a strong, healthy body that forms the basis for your future health. Start today by incorporating one of the keys into your life and then gradually work to incorporate the others.

But two weeks have passed now and some of us are left wondering, “Have I bitten off more than I can chew?” In the spirit of change, many of us get carried away and create long lists of things we would like to change or choose particularly hard resolutions. As the realities of daily life set-in, we realize we may not be able to accomplish everything we had hoped. Feelings of disappointment and guilt are sure to follow when we don’t live-up to our high expectations.

So where do we go from here? First, just because you may have “fudged” a few resolutions or not followed through on others, it doesn’t mean they should be thrown in the trash and forgotten. Every day is a new day and with it comes the opportunity to start fresh. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t changes to be made. Instead of heaping a load of changes onto our lives in one day, we can take a better approach. By gradually implementing new resolutions, we can make changes that last.

You can start by making a list of all of your goals. Then, try breaking your goals into smaller, attainable goals. For example, if one of your goals is to do everything you can to conceive this year, ask yourself, “What steps can I take to ensure that?” Jot down all the different ways you could improve your chances of conceptions. Some items on your list might include:

• Meet with my gynecologist
• Improve my nutrition
• Exercise regularly
• Complete a relaxing activity each week
• Research treatment options with which I am comfortable

Once you have your list, separate each goal into weeks. For example, we could divide our sample list this way:

• Week 1: Schedule appointment with gynecologist
• Week 2: Research treatment options with which I am comfortable, so I am prepared to speak with my doctor
• Week 3: Improve my nutrition by eliminating white sugar, white flour, and other processed foods
• Week 4: Begin exercising three times a week. Find a work-out buddy or sign-up for an exciting exercise class.
• Week 5: Start doing yoga, meditation, or a quiet walk in the park to remain calm
• Week 6: Research other changes I can incorporate into my life to help me conceive
• Week 7: Add beneficial foods to my life – eat more fruits and vegetables
• Week 8: Exercise 10 minutes longer every 3 days, or exercise 4 times a week.
• Week 9: Add a second relaxing activity to my week

Although these gradual changes are not as instantly satisfying as completing an entire set of goals in one day, you are more likely to stick to your resolutions when they gradually become apart of your daily life and routine. Then, when the ball drops and 2010 begins, you will be able to look back at 2009 and be surprised at all you have accomplished.

A pilot study published by Fertility and Sterility (July 2007) examined a natural treatment for insulin resistance in women with PCOS – cinnamon. The study examined 15 women with PCOS who were given daily doses of oral cinnamon or a placebo for eight weeks. After eight weeks, the women who took cinnamon had a significant reduction in insulin resistance while the women who had the placebo experienced no change.

The scientists who conducted the pilot study would like to create a larger study to measure other factors such as the affect of cinnamon on the menstrual cycle. Until then, if you have PCOS and have tested positive for insulin resistance, you may want to consider drinking cinnamon tea or adding some extra cinnamon to your recipes.

Endometriosis severely impacts the lives of thousands of women. Many women continue to be frustrated by treatment options – from laparoscopic surgery to medications that cause a menopausal state. If you happen to be one of these women, you can still do quite a bit to take your health into your own hands.

Research continues to show the link between what you eat and the severity of endometriosis symptoms. That’s right, pain relief may be waiting in your fridge – or more importantly, by avoiding some things in your fridge.

A recent study published in Fertility and Sterility found that dietary therapy is “more effective than surgery plus placebo to obtain relief of pain associated with endometriosis stage III-IV and improvement of quality life.” Furthermore, the study founds that dietary therapy is equally effective as hormonal suppression treatment.

So what exactly is dietary therapy? Dietary therapy is founded on the principle that endometriosis is extremely estrogen sensitive. Furthermore, cramps during your period are caused by prostaglandin synthesis. Dietary therapy focuses on reducing or increasing food that can impact the delicate balance of these hormones.

A great website, www.endo-resolved.com provides an explanation of the dietary therapy and what follows is a brief summary. Let’s start with foods to avoid:

• Wheat, refined and concentrated carbohydrates, refined sugars and honey, and dairy. WHY? Because they cause inflammation
• Red meats, caffeine, fried food, margarine, and hydrogenated fats. WHY? Because they stimulate negative prostaglandins
• Soy and soy products WHY? Because they have a negative influence on estrogen
• Tinned and frozen packaged food, additives, and preservatives. WHY? Because they increase the chemical load on the system

You might be thinking – well what exactly can I eat? There’s a host of healthy food that includes whole grains (excluding wheat and rye), beans, peas, brown rice, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, etc. Some especially good food and oils include evening primrose, walnut oil, flax seed oil, mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, and turnips.

Dietary therapy for endometriosis is no small change, and it can be overwhelming. So start small. You can start by designating one day a week for your diet. Then slowly, over time, add additional days.Want to read more about what you can do about your endometriosis? Visit our studies of interest page.

I grew up hearing the old adage, “Everything Happens for a Reason.” I’ve tried to apply the principle to different obstacles in my life, but in September, my mother was diagnosed with recurrent ovarian cancer. As my mother faces a life-threatening illness, it hardly seems fair to think such a painful thing is happening for a reason.

In my job, I speak with infertile women almost every day. I believe that they too must find it painful when people suggest that everything happens for a reason. Did they do something to deserve this struggle? Is there something they need to be taught through infertility? Asking these types of questions only adds unneeded stress and guilt. I believe the old adage still has value, but it is better used when examining life retrospectively.

So what do women do when they are still in the midst of their struggles? Instead of trying to find a reason, women may be better served to use the time to look introspectively. Women can seize the opportunity to examine their lives and see how much time they are devoting for their personal health and well-being. Examining areas like nutrition, exercise, relaxation, personal relationships, and personal happiness can open the doors for growth and change.

This is especially important for women who struggle with infertility. The constant cycle of treatments, charts, medication, and schedules can be very draining and stressful. By taking the time to focus on themselves, infertile women are not only creating something good from an unfortunate situation, they are improving their fertility.

If you would like to read how nutrition, exercise, and stress affect infertility check out our studies of interest at http://www.clearpassage.com/resources/studies.php