Hot Health Tips | October 2004

Hot Health Tips

Are You Clean Inside?
By Dr. Jeff Bartlett

It amazing to think that we spend so much time and effort cleansing our external body, (ie - daily showers, brushing our teeth, washing off our makeup) but we do not spend enough time, if any, cleansing our precious internal body: our blood, intestines, kidneys, lungs, and liver. We are exposed to thousands of toxins and chemicals on a daily basis through the air we breathe, the food we ingest, the water supply, and through the use of pharmaceutical drugs. In addition, we are eating more sugar and processed foods than ever before in human history and regularly abuse our bodies with various stimulants and sedatives. These poisons can create excessive stress on our physiology, weakening our immune system, digestive system, and eliminative organs (liver and kidneys). These toxins and “dead” foods lead to poor digestion, constipation, toxic colon build-up, weight gain, and low energy. These common symptoms are more than just an inconvenience – they can lead to long-term health problems and serious disease.

A growing body of evidence implies that virtually every state of health is affected by the GI tract. If you take care of your gut, it will continue to function efficiently. But what happens if you do not take care of it? Our intestinal tract is like a plumbing system in a house, with the small intestine comparable to sewage pipes and the colon comparable to a septic tank. When waste products are poured down the drain every day, the pipes will become clogged. Septic tanks need to be pumped out occasionally. Otherwise, too much waste will accumulate and back up into the house. The same phenomenon will happen to your intestines. We tend to eat large amounts of food at one sitting; overloading our intestinal tract with greasy foods, excessive sugars, and other toxic substances. Inevitably, we end up with food residue build-up. Food residues, combined with mucous secreted by the colon, create layers of gluey feces or plaque, which build up in pockets along the entire length of the colon and part of the small intestine, year after year. People have been known to carry 40-50 pounds of old, dried-up fecal matter in their intestine. (Rumored to have had this problem was John Wayne and Elvis Presley.) If these waste products are not regularly eliminated, they begin to poison the body and blood. Unchecked, this autointoxication or “self-poisoning” from the bowel can ultimately lead to disease and, in severe cases, even death.

It concerns me that I hear from patients, “I’m lucky if I have two or three bowel movements in a week.” It is so important to eliminate waste daily rather than have it sit in the digestive tract, generating potentially harmful toxins. But, even if you have a daily bowel movement, you are still not eliminating everything. Dr. H. H. Boeker believed that over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by toxins generated from unhealthy foods that are NOT properly eliminated from the intestinal tract. Therefore, before any disease can be permanently overcome, the toxins and congestion must be removed, and nutritional reserves replenished.

So what should be done? One, we should simply limit the amount of processed food, sugar/starches that we consume, and focus on fresh, whole, pure foods. (see June’s article: “What Should We Be Eating?”) Two, in order to effectively remove the ‘sludge and plaque,’ and toxic congestion from the liver, it is recommended to take a natural cleansing mixture one to two times a year. Think of it as a “fall & spring cleaning”, or an “oil change” for your car. I recommend finding an internal cleansing mixture containing water soluble fiber, safe cleansing herbs, and specific vitamins. There are a number of great products out there in the market, but I personally recommend an “Ultimate Cleanse” by Nature’s Secret, or “Ultra Clear Plus” from Metagenics. On the other hand, I DO NOT recommend a fasting cleanse, as it can be detrimental to your body and your metabolism, ultimately slowing down your weight loss progress. If you need a recommendation for a healthy cleanse, please feel free to email us at info@curveshealthclub.com. Look for next month’s article: “Candidas Albicans Overgrowth”; an invasive fungal yeast that creates a myriad of health problems.