There are many reasons people may choose a juice fast diet over another type. Juice fasts can be used for losing weight, religious reasons, or to assist in weaning oneself from possible unhealthy habits. These could include overeating, caffeine addiction or smoking – to name a few. Then there are fasters who are a little more serious about their routines with juice fasting. They use it as an alternative healing technique to many conventional treatments. It may be used as a healing method for pain management, arthritis, infections resistant to antibiotics and other ailments as well.

There are certain people for whom juice diets aren’t recommended. This group of people includes pregnant or nursing women, children, diabetics, or people with anemia. Anyone with an impaired immune system, low blood pressure, terminal illness or epilepsy should also stay clear. People with any chronic illness or condition should steer clear of a juice fast unless they doing so under strict medical supervision. Never try a juice fast before or after surgery.

When considering how long your juice fast is going to last, there is an easy rule of thumb to follow. Continue with the juice fast until you have two days without any symptoms of detoxification. If you wish, you can also stick to a juice fast three or four days a week while eating a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables the other days. Along with sipping your juice during the day, it is recommended you also consume approximately six glasses of water at room temperature.

Some ingredients which can be used in juice fasts are:

Vegetables: celery, cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes.

Greens: parsley, beet greens, chard, kale, dandelion leaf and spinach.

Herbs: fennel, spearmint, yucca root, basil, ginger, peppermint, green onion, chili pepper.

Fruits: grapes, apples, citrus, Acai berry.

Extras: wheatgrass juice, spirulina, complete vitamin & mineral supplement, psyllium husks.

Just ensure you have lots of vegetable juices, not just fruits! You don’t want a sugar overload. Try to follow a 80/20 split between vegetables and fruit on a daily basis.

Some side effects of a juice fast need mentioning here. Some common but temporary side effects include headaches, hypoglycemia, acne, tiredness, bad breath and an increase in body odor. Others could include dizziness or fainting, low blood pressure, weight loss, hunger, heart palpitations, vomiting and kidney problems. If you experience any of these side effects or any situation worsens stop the juice fasting immediately and contact a medical professional if necessary.

During a juice fast the stomach shrinks to its original size, about the size of your fist. After only three days of simply ingesting raw organic and fresh juices and water, you will lose those cravings for solid foods.
Your mind might try to tell you differently; however, your body doesn’t need more at this time. While just drinking your food, your stomach is able to get some well-deserved rest, allowing your colon to shed old compacted material which could be waiting there to cause future disease.

This would be a great diet to follow when you start working on following the acid/alkaline balanced diet or even once a year or so just to cleanse the body.

The practice has been researched for decades and the general consensus is that colonics have few or none of the health benefits claimed. Whether it does actual harm depends, not surprisingly, on personal circumstances, including how the procedure is carried out.

In the usual setting, a person dons a loose fitting, hospital-style gown and lies on a table. A therapist then opens the anus with a disposable speculum and inserts a plastic tube. Fluid, sometimes purified water, other times water with salts or other compounds, is put gently up through the rectum and into the colon. The resulting mixture then drains out through the tube and is disposed of hygienically.

Even following best practices, though, there is little scientific evidence for the claims some advocates make. Colons very rarely become impacted with feces and normal digestive processes do a very good job of eliminating waste material. When that process breaks down it is the result of disease that is not caused by the impaction nor cured by a colon hydrotherapy.

The basic hypothesis on which the practice is based is equally faulty. Studies do not support the notion that ‘toxins’ are retained by or build up in the large intestine that can only be removed by colon hydrotherapy. The body has several natural mechanisms for preventing that, or curing it if it were to happen.

Of course, intestinal diseases do occur – ranging from Crohn’s disease to colorectal cancer. But the presence of these conditions disqualifies a person from being a candidate for irrigation anyway. No reputable therapist will knowingly give such a person a colonic.

Still, done properly, it is a very low risk procedure and many experience benefits. Those benefits may be chiefly psychological (a result of ‘feeling clean’) but they are no less real for all that. Extreme care is warranted, however. An improperly performed colonic can do harm even when it doesn’t actually rupture anything.

Clearly, the digestive system has evolved to work normally as a one-way process. Introducing water up through the anus can flush out some material, but it is material that would have come out anyway. It is also not a proper treatment for intestinal parasites, as some practitioners of alternative medicine claim.

Some individuals who undergo the procedure can experience abdominal discomfort, or even nausea, for several hours afterward. In rare cases, it’s possible to cause kidney damage if, for example, a laxative like sodium phosphate is used in the irrigating fluid.

Like any therapeutic procedure, it’s always advisable to check with your physician beforehand. Then, be guided by professional medical advice, not the claims of some Internet article… including this one.

There are both similarities and differences with Crohn’s disease, which it resembles. Crohn’s often exists in isolated spots within the intestine. Ulcerative colitis tends to occur in continuous sections. UC also affects the innermost lining of the large intestine. Crohn’s begins at another layer.

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis include rectal inflammation and sometimes bleeding (when it occurs in the last six inches of the large intestine). Pancolitis, by contrast, affects the entire length of the colon and produces bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps. It may also include excessive and unusual weight loss, fatigue, and night sweats.

Colitis, particularly the ulcerative variety, can be a serious condition leading to even more serious complications. Toxic megacolon, for example, produces a paralyzed colon that prevents eliminating gas or having bowel movements. Waste material that isn’t removed can cause the colon to rupture, introducing toxins into the bloodstream and causing peritonitis, just to name two possibilities.

Such an event requires emergency surgery, but even less severe though still serious secondary effects are not uncommon. A perforated colon, severe dehydration, liver disease, or inflammation of the skin or joints are only a few of the possibilities. While it doesn’t cause colon cancer directly, IBD increases the odds somewhat, with the risk rising the longer the condition persists. Even so, only about 10 percent of IBD sufferers go on to contract colon cancer.

Like its ‘cousin’, Crohn’s, the disease produces ulcers in the colon, which account for many of the symptoms listed. Also like that other condition, the cause(s) of the disease are not well understood. Some studies suggest that a bacterium or virus is the culprit and that the disease occurs when the immune system overreacts to fighting it.

Like Crohn’s, heredity plays a large role in who is likely to acquire the disease. The risk is much higher for those with a close relative affected by the condition. Also like Crohn’s, in contrast to many diseases, it tends more often to occur among younger individuals, generally in their 30s.

There are several diagnostic procedures for determining whether any IBD is present. Blood tests check for anemia or signs of infection. A colonoscopy – a procedure that uses a lighted tube inserted into the colon through the rectum – allows a direct inspection of the surface. It also may be used to capture tissue samples that can be analyzed later. Those samples can, for example, be checked for granulomas, which occur in Crohn’s but not ulcerative colitis. X-ray diagnosis is also used, with the patient typically consuming or being flushed with a barium compound to make diseased areas visible.

Treatments range from drug therapy to surgery to removing ulcerated tissue – sometimes in spots, other times in entire sections. Anti-inflammatory drugs like Sulfasalazine or Mesalamine are effective for treatment of symptoms, though they often have undesirable side effects. Corticosteroids may be prescribed for short periods.

The procedure actually begins several days or more before the actual exam. Because fecal matter and certain fluids can obscure the view inside the colon, physicians recommend several preparatory actions.

Limiting intake to a liquid diet – clear broth or juices, tea, coffee, water and more – for a few days is a must. In some cases laxatives and/or an enema are prescribed. Fasting is a common requirement for up to 24 hours prior to the actual colonoscopy. Diabetics and others with special medical conditions are given more particular instructions.

During the exam, which may be mildly uncomfortable but can be pain-free when done correctly, the physician inserts a tube about the size of a finger through the anus and into the rectum. As the tube is moved gently upward the tiny video camera allows for a real-time visual inspection. The images are transmitted to an external monitor where they can be viewed during the exam and recorded for more careful analysis later.

The examining doctor will be on the lookout for ulcers (lesions) that are a sign of Crohn’s or other inflammatory bowel disease. Common precursors to colorectal cancer, such as the distinctive mushroom-shaped polyps that form on the lining, are also sought.

The colonoscope also has tiny scissors at the end that permit taking a tissue sample (biopsy) or for clipping off polyps, if the physician deems it warranted. They are also sometimes outfitted with a tiny laser that allows cauterizing tissue.

The procedure generally takes 20 minutes to an hour, but there are lingering effects, chiefly due to the preparatory laxatives and the sedative given just beforehand. Patients commonly feel bloated or experience flatulence afterward. Rest and relaxation, sometimes with short walks to promote passing accumulated gas, are typically recommended.

Because there is a very small risk of rupture during the exam, in part because the tube may contact polyps, ulcers, or other unhealthy tissue, bleeding is possible. A tiny amount of blood in the stool during a bowel movement shortly after is not generally cause for concern. If fever occurs or if the bleeding persists or is ample it’s advisable to seek medical attention quickly.

A colonoscopy is a highly valuable diagnostic tool but it may, and often is, only one part of a suite of tests to investigate colon disorders. Your physician may recommend, in addition, a CT scan, a barium and X-ray regime, or other procedures. Discuss your options thoroughly beforehand.

Making up most of the five feet or so of the large intestine (along with the rectum, the final six inches), you can help keep yours in top shape with proper diet. That means, this is no myth, adequate fiber. Good sources include bananas, oats, and a wide variety of other foods. Supplements (like Metamucil) can help, when not overused.

Another unfounded health claim is that colon cleansing (also known as irrigation, colon hydrotherapy, or a colonic) is essential to keeping it free of toxins. Toxins can build up in the colon, but that occurs as a result of disease, which disqualifies a person from having a colonic anyway. Seek professional medical attention instead.

On the flip side, when health advocates claim that probiotics aid intestinal health, they are right. The popular yogurt variety Activia, manufactured by Dannon, does have clinically tested and real-world proven benefits. There are lots of others, too. Whether in the form of natural foods, food additives, or supplements probiotics either add or encourage the growth of the beneficial flora that live in the gut and perform a vital role in digestion.

There are, unfortunately, some organisms that can live in the colon that are not helpful. Intestinal parasites the world over account for millions of upset stomachs and worse annually. A variety of protozoans (one-celled animals) and helminths (parasitic intestinal worms) can have health effects that range from mild to fatal.

Some of those organisms are thought to play a role in the development of colon cancer. There are many other contributing factors, some of which are themselves produced by bacteria, such as ulcers, Crohn’s disease, and many more.

Less serious conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome, can still produce unpleasant symptoms, even when they don’t represent a serious ailment. Bloating and painful spasms are only two among many. To make matters a little more obscure, as is often the case in health issues, those same symptoms are present in more serious conditions like colitis, diverticulitis, and ulcers.

In order to distinguish one intestinal ailment from another, physicians will often perform a colonoscopy, frequently in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures. In a colonoscopy, a long tube is inserted into the intestine to allow for direct visual examination.

That exam and its results can be supplemented by X-rays taken after ingesting or flushing with a barium liquid (a mildly radioactive compound that provides a contrast dye for the images). To check things out from the other end, doctors may perform an endoscopy, including using a very clever pill (called a capsule endoscope) containing a tiny camera that takes photos on its way through the digestive tract.

Fortunately, you can do a great deal to judge (and promote) your own colon health. Proper diet, appropriate exercise, and maintaining a good attitude will go along way toward that, while promoting overall well being. And that’s no fairy tale.

The best way to protect yourself against scams, and yet still get the health information and goods you need for optimal well being, is to arm yourself by informing yourself. That is nowhere more true than in judging your colon health.

It’s often said that 90% of disease starts in the colon. Unfortunately for those who say it, scientific research doesn’t back up the claim. Yet, it remains true that your digestive system is central to your overall health. Having it work properly is one key to good health.

“No news is good news” is a valid rule of thumb to follow when it comes to judging colon health. Nearly everyone will suffer mild stomach upset, constipation, or diarrhea at some time, particularly as he or she grows older. But if you have no persistent bouts that is one good sign.

But, like any rule of thumb, it’s not a universal law, just a guideline. It helps to have regular checkups that may involve endoscopy, colonoscopy, X-rays, and other investigative techniques, especially if symptoms of digestive disorder last for more than a few days in the absence of a cold. Sometimes that time frame is shorter if you experience rectal bleeding or bloody stool. More than a day of that generally signals something that needs to be looked after. If the amount of blood is substantial, seek attention immediately.

There is a wide range of colon conditions that can lead to other common symptoms – abdominal cramps, diarrhea, excess gas, and others. Just listing colon illnesses could alone fill an article. You can minimize the odds of contracting one through proper care, which will also help you focus on how to judge the results of your efforts.

While the benefits are sometimes overstated (aren’t they usually in health issues, the flip side of scare tactics?), adequate fiber is good for digestive health. Intake of 20-35 grams per day of this material that is actually indigestible does promote intestinal health. People lack the enzyme to break down the polysaccharides in fiber, but gut flora do it pretty well. That may be ironic, but it’s well founded by hundreds of studies from reputable sources reported by the American Cancer Society, the Mayo Clinic, and others.

A proper diet extends well beyond that and contributes to colon health as much as it does to general well being. But, no matter what the latest diet fad may suggest, the amount consumed is still an important component of any plan. Portion control to keep total calories to a level appropriate for your body type and metabolism is vital. No matter the details, energy consumed minus energy used = energy left over that gets stored as fat.

There’s no magic to judging and maintaining good colon health. Eat right, exercise appropriately, and try to keep your stress level moderate or lower. Pay attention to the signs of trouble and seek professional guidance when they persist. Just like your grandmother always told you.

The majority of those divide into two groups: one-celled organisms (called protozoans) and parasitic worms. They generally enter the gut as a result of consuming inadequately cooked or poorly washed food, or contaminated water. Once there, they find the mucous lining on the intestine a conducive growth environment and they reproduce.

The result is frequently an infection that, left untreated, can lead to harmful health consequences. That can run the gamut from unpleasant abdominal cramps with constipation or diarrhea to nausea, colitis, or even blindness.

E. vermicularis, for example, (a common roundworm) can induce sleep disturbances and infects about 200 million people worldwide. The adult male worms are about 2-5 mm in size (about the length of a pencil lead) and the females 8-13 mm. Females can lay up to 15,000 eggs. Fortunately, most die within 3 days and infection is often cured spontaneously by the immune system within 4-6 weeks.

Giardia, or G. lamblia, can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This pear-shaped protozoan is extremely common, infesting more than 2.5 million individuals in the U.S. alone annually, according to the CDC. It can be spread by contact with feces or, because it’s water borne, by drinking contaminated water. It’s even resistant to the chlorine in normal tap water. Incubation generally takes 1-2 weeks, after which symptoms begin to appear.

Hookworms like A. duodenale can cause anemia. Along with its cousin, N. americanus, this parasite is less common today in developed countries than in the past, thanks to improved plumbing and better sanitation. Still, it is prevalent enough to be the second most common helminthic (parasitic worm) infection in the U.S.

One of the reasons is that, unlike many others, they can infect the host through the pores or hair follicles; they don’t require a break in the skin or ingestion. Within about six weeks, the parasite has attached itself to the intestine where it feeds. Symptoms may not appear for long periods, but the hookworm acts like an anticoagulant, leading ultimately to blood loss and hence anemia. In advanced stages it can produce mental retardation in children.

E. histolytica may cause intestinal ulcers, fever, or peritonitis. It’s unfortunately very widespread, producing up to 50 million cases per year worldwide, of which 100,000 or so are fatal. After malaria, it’s the most second leading cause of death from protozoan infection. It acts to disrupt the mucous lining in the intestine, resulting in colitis, ulcers, and possible bloody diarrhea.

Fortunately, all of these can be guarded against with proper health procedures and most are readily treated, once diagnosed. Once infected, many antibiotics are effective. Naturally, prevention is always the best option. Food should be thoroughly washed and/or well-cooked. Keeping the immune system healthy and practicing good colon health can minimize the odds of disease in the first place.

Like all cancers, the causes are known only incompletely. Many begin as benign clumps of cells called polyps, which resemble small mushrooms in the intestine. Some of them go on to develop into carcinomas. Healthy cells become misshapen and reproduce too rapidly until they form tumors.

In many affected individuals symptoms may be non-existent for quite some time. When they do develop, they’re frequently in the form of changes in bowel movements, such as constipation or diarrhea. That may be accompanied by abdominal pain, or the pain may occur by itself. Persistent gas or cramps are another sign.

Over time, symptoms may worsen to include rectal bleeding (often a side-effect of straining during periods of constipation, but may result from lesions) and bloody stool. Unexplained weight loss can occur, as well as excessive fatigue. Of course, since any of these symptoms can occur with dozens, even hundreds, of other diseases and conditions, only a professional diagnosis can determine whether they’re due to colorectal cancer.

Like most cancers, risk factors are diverse and numerous. Increasing age ups the odds of nearly every form. More than 90% of colon cancers are diagnosed in persons over 50. Certain diseases or conditions, like Crohn’s or colitis, increase the odds of secondary medical problems like colon cancer. Genetics plays a role, with some families more prone to cancer than others. Having diabetes increases the odds of developing colon cancer.

But there are also a great many controllable risk factors.

Diet can affect your chances of developing colon cancer. High fat, low fiber diets are strongly correlated with increased odds of cancer of many types, including colorectal. Whether eating red meat and processed meats increases the odds is still a very uncertain and controversial position and research is ongoing on the subject.

What is known is that individuals in Western Europe and the U.S. are more likely to develop them and the effect is strongly correlated with diet. Exactly what aspect of that diet is the culprit is still unknown, though.

Related to both diet and exercise, obesity ups the odds of colon cancer, as it does with a whole range of diseases. The odds of the cancer being fatal also rise with increasing levels of obesity. High alcohol consumption is both related to that statistic and an independent risk factor, as is heavy smoking.

Fortunately, there are many thorough and relatively low discomfort screening tests for colon cancer. A stool blood test is completely painless, since it’s non-invasive. A colonoscopy may be mildly uncomfortable to some individuals. A barium enema, followed by an X-ray regime can detect polyps or cancerous tumors over a certain size.

Like any cancer, early detection and treatment is both the least painful and offers the best prognosis. See your physician to examine your options.

The title is a little misleading. Diverticulosis is a condition in which a person has developed diverticula – small pouch-like structures – in the digestive system. Normally, they’re harmless and may persist for long periods, even a lifetime. It’s only when they become infected or inflamed that diverticulitis, the actual illness, occurs, generally to about 15% of those with diverticulosis.

The symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and a radical change in bowel habits. The pain is often severe and may come on suddenly, usually in the lower left side of the abdomen. Vomiting is possible and constipation and/or diarrhea are common.

Those symptoms result when those marble-sized pouches rupture or become infected. The causes of the change are not known but several factors that make it more or less likely have received careful study. Simple aging is one risk factor, since it tends to produce both a weakening in portions of the intestine as well as changes in elasticity of the bowel. However, there are several risk factors that are within our control.

Lack of exercise and the often associated obesity contribute to the chances of developing diverticula, and for them to change in a harmful way. But the major cause is thought to be diet, in particular too low an intake of fiber. Fiber helps lend bulk to stools while at the same time absorbing water to keep them soft.

When the condition is allowed to develop, there are several secondary complications that may result from diverticulitis. A blockage may occur, caused by scarring. Abscesses are possible when pus collects in the pouch. But the most common and most serious, at least when the condition progresses, is peritonitis.

If a diverticulum ruptures, the contents of the digestive system spill into the abdominal cavity, which is lined with tissue called a peritoneum. The resulting inflammation is called peritonitis. When this happens, immediate care is a must, usually surgery. The toxins can poison the body in a short period, marked by symptoms such as spike in the white cells and an associated high fever.

Fortunately, that is far from a foregone conclusion. Changes to the diet – the addition of fiber mentioned above – are the simplest method of prevention and ‘treatment’. A temporary liquid diet, typically only for a few days, is another effective alternative. Antibiotics may be recommended to prevent or treat infection.

In more severe or advanced cases, corrective surgery may be required. In some cases that involves what is known as a primary bowel resection, a procedure in which the affected area is removed and the bowel sewn back together, minus that part.

What is required can, of course, only be determined by a professional diagnosis. That is typically as painless (and harmless) as having a CT (computer tomography) scan. A radiologist directs a series of computer-controlled X-ray bursts at the abdomen and the results are recorded and analyzed. A CT scan may also be performed as part of treatment, in order to guide a physician to drain any abscess that has occurred.

To head all that off, be sure to exercise regularly in an age-appropriate way, eat plenty of fiber, and drink plenty of fluids. Fiber supplements (such as Metamucil or Citrucel), properly used, are also beneficial.