Today we conclude our "Disease Begins in the Colon" series which - as you know - is part of the Amazing Health Life Formula we have been discussing. While I was going to end our look at this AHLF for now, I managed to talk one of my colleagues - a skin, anti-aging expert - to write a report for next wek that I think you'll find very interesting.

By all means, skin care and anti-aging are also part of the Amazing Health formula and, since we are already talking about it, we might as well continue. So, with her help, I'll probably have at least two or three more ezines related to the AHLF.

As I have explained before, this formula is comprised of a series of holistic disciplines that, carried out regularly as a lifestyle, can have a profound effect on your health by providing weight loss, detoxification, anti-aging and overall physical, mental and spiritual balance. So you can look forward to that next week. :-)

Ok - Let's talk a little more about the importance of healthy intestines.

Healthy Intestines

Unfortunately, most people limit their understanding ofintestinal cleansing to its effect on fecal matter. And even though it is true that cleansing programs do draw old fecal matter out of the colon, limiting the discussion to fecal matter misses the big picture and obscures the differences between colonics and colon detox programs.

Understand, the intestinal tract is essentially a continuous tubefrom the mouth to the anus, and each part of the tube has aspecific function to perform. Among these are:

*Digestion - transferring the nutritional value of that foodinto the body.

*Processing the waste from that food and eliminating it fromthe body.

*Serving as a drainpipe for waste produced as a result ofmetabolic functions within the body itself.

*Serving as a drain for toxic substances absorbed through ourlungs and skin, etc.

*Functioning as a first line of defense in the body's immunesystem by serving as a home to beneficial bacteria that identifyand eliminate viruses and unhealthy bacteria ingested with our food.

What can go wrong if the system is backed-up?

Physically, the colon is simply not designed to store large amounts of old fecal matter. Stores of old fecal matter are not only breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and dangerous parasites, but the extra garbage causes the colon to distend and expand.

This causes the walls of the colon to thin out (like blowing up a balloon more and more). As the walls extend out, they press on and compress other organs in the abdominal cavity.

Consider that a sluggish bowel can retain pounds of old toxic and poisonous fecal matter (10-20 pounds is not unusual, and up to 65 pounds has actually been reported). The photo to the left gives you an idea of the pungent, rotten filth that some of us carry around in our bellies. How can that be conducive to any type of health?

It should be noted that doctors rarely see this accumulated matter during colonoscopies because patients are given purgatives to clean out their intestinal tracts before the procedure, thus removing the evidence -- but they do see the effects, the herniations of the colon aka duvertuculi.

In fact, a clean colon is essential in our detox pipeline. Theliver is the main detoxifying organ of the body; it works byfiltering out and/or neutralizing dangerous drug residues andpoisons from the blood and then passing them out of the bodythrough the colon via the bile duct.

But if the colon is plugged, it's like flushing a toilet clogged with toilet paper; everything backs up. The net result is sickness and disease. In fact, you can't even begin to cleanse and repair other body systems until you clean out the colon so that the toxic material will have a clean pathway out of the body.

Again, the net result of a backed-up system is sickness and disease including:

*Constipation and the attendant symptoms of self-toxification.

*Diverticular disease (herniations of the colon).

*Hemorroids.

*Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

*Ulcerative Colitis.

*Crohn's Disease.

*Colon/Rectal Cancer.

*Other Related Diseases including: diabetes, Gall Stones,Kidney Stones, Gout, Hypertension, Varicose Veins, RheumatoidArthritis, Psoriasis, and Obesity.

*Other cleansing treatments (i.e. liver cleanse) are not aseffective if the colon isn't clean.

How can I tell if the system is backed up enough to require a treatment?

A normal bowel movement is soft and unformed. It should break apart when it hits the water - or at least when flushed. This is not to be confused with diarrhea, which is characterized by water.

There has been a great misconception among the public and mostmedical professionals about how often a normal healthy personshould move their bowels. For years, doctors have thought thatanywhere between one bowel movement a day and one a week wasnormal.

What we have learned is that it is normal, and necessary,to have one bowel movement a day for each major meal (as opposed to a snack) you ate the day before. If you eat three major meals, you should have three bowel movements the next day. If you don't, you're not alone. In fact:

*In the United States, the average frequency of stool passageis just over 3 bowel movements per week.

*Individuals with colonic inertia (a condition of the colonwhen muscles do not work properly, causing constipation) often donot pass a stool for 7-10 days at a time.

The key issue, of course, (aside from organic disease) is lack offiber in your diet - the more fiber, the faster the transit timeof waste through the intestinal tract . Even with all the attention fiber gets in relation to healthy evacuation, it is still MIA in many daily meals.

So let's look what you're eating in terms of transit time:

*A beef patty, white flour roll, and french fries havevirtually zero fiber -- thus slow transit time.

*What's pizza made of? White flour and cheese. White flour andwater is used to make wallpaper paste. And cheese (casein), at one time, was the primary ingredient in Elmer's Glue.

So, when you eat pizza, you're eating wallpaper paste and Elmer's Glue - a real stick to your "ribs" kind of meal. None of this made me feel too good about myself since pizza was my passion and desire for so many years.

If your diet consists of a lot of slow transit time food, then you are essentially clogging your pipes. Once nutrients are absorbed from food, there is no reason to keep the waste in your body. In fact, the longer food stays in your intestines, the more it rots, causing long-term disruptions and toxicity.

In his book A Complete Program for Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management, Doctor Bernard Jensen, Ph.D., shared:

"One autopsy revealed a colon to be 9 inches in diameter witha passage through it no larger than a pencil. The rest was caked up layer upon layer of encrusted fecal material. This accumulation can have the consistency of truck tire rubber. It's that hard and black. Another autopsy revealed a stagnant colon to weigh in at an incredible 40 pounds."

Dr. Jensen describes the problem associated with mucoid plaque(thickened intestinal mucus) as: "The heavy mucus coating in the colon thickens and becomes a host of putrefaction. The bloodcapillaries to the colon begin to pick up the toxins, poisons andnoxious debris as it seeps through the bowel wall. All tissues and organs of the body are now taking on toxic substances. Here is the beginning of true auto intoxication on a physiological level."

Thankfully, the story does not end there. Modern awareness of theimpact intestinal health has on overall health has created a choice in treatment options. If you find this harsh and disturbing, then I am doing my job properly.

Not that I am writing any of this to shock or disgust anybody, but rather the fact that it is bringing this crucial issue to your attention. We simply cannot afford to keep waiting, getting more and more toxic.

Please, please - my friend - take stock of where you are in termsof your health, and make a determination to improve. These e-mails are meant to give you useful information related to fasting and cleansing. But, most of all, my aim is to MOTIVATE you to make whatever changes you need to make in your life to improve your health and well being.

There are countless cleansing programs out there so it can be confusing to pick the good from the not so good. The Colon Cleanse Yourself To Better Health and Fasting - Cure Disease, Detox & Lose Weight are two that I always recommend and I know will help you to accomplish total cleansing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. :-)