Posts Tagged ‘Health’

Things You Need To Know About Swimming

Swimming is a wholesome physical activity that provides both physical exercise and relaxation. Nevertheless, as with most other sports, this specific activity features its own set of risks and contraindications. Here we offer swimmers with certain axioms to apply as precautions and minimize risks, while simultaneously maximizing the benefits.

If you’re a swimmer make continual efforts to keep up distance from situations of burnout. It is a frequent appearance to see many swimmers exerting themselves too hard. It’s for this reason they end up swimming for long ‘n that also in one go. This is a absolute no-no situation for swimmers. Indulging in swimming activity for a long period can augment the risk of muscles strain. Besides it may also prove dangerous for the texture of the skin.

It has been boticed that majority of swimmers have a tendency to over exert themselves ahead of any competition ‘n the like. Nevertheless, it does a lot more damage than good. This could drain you of all your energy paving way to exhaustion and fatigue. It is in you interest to give adequate rest of minimum three days to your body. Formulate a methodical training plan and make initiatives to follow it diligently.

Swimming as we all know is a great physical activity. Nevertheless, to genuinely reap the many benefits that this sport has to provide, you’re needed to have a particular target in brain. Without a goal, you might lose your attention in it. So, try and concentrate on a particular target like enhancing top lap times, losing weight, race conditioning etc. With a solid aim in head, you will be less certain to get bored with the swimming.

Your swimming program is an additional thing that you should watch out for. Never make the error of getting stuck in a particular schedule. Repeating the identical regime week after week will only trigger you to lose interest. So, make sure that you keep on including a few or the other variations in your swimming regime. You can try ‘n try out with the drills, stroke, speed or the distance. A varying program will not just keep you glued to swimming however as well makes your body much more versatile.

It’s a usual trend that many swimmers overlook the agony ‘n pain that is accompanied with swimming practice. This is however, an incorrect practice to adhere to. Neglecting pain that you may encounter during your swimming session can be dangerous in the long run. It can bring down the overall health of the body leaving your body strained beyond repairs. Being diligent for the practice is understandable. However this shouldn’t be done at the stake of your own fitness. Comply with the rhythm of the body and try not to go overboard.

Simply keep these ideas in head and you’ll be able to practice swimming without worrying about any associated fitness risks.

By Leona Field

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Tips To Prevent Prostate Cancer

Many people keep asking whether sex can really help to prevent prostate cancer. This article looks into it and examines how and why sex can help in the prevention of prostate cancer or not. But of course – before you take any advice in this article, ensure that you consult with your doctor.

Other risk factors include such things as race with African Americans, for example, at higher risk than Hispanic men who, in turn, are at higher risk than Caucasian men. People living in Western society are also at greater risk because of the nature of the diet followed by many in the West.

Conventional treatments include surgery to remove the prostate gland or radiotherapy. These are aggressive options and complications including impotence and urinary incontinence can result from surgery, and the risk of secondary cancers is a concern since science already knows radiation exposure causes cancer.

Instead, you should eat lots of fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are sourced from some kinds of fish. These substances help to reduce the appearance of cancer cells in the body. In the US journal of clinical cancer Research, a publication was made which revealed that eating oily fish could reverse inherited prostate cancer genes.

Contrary to what you may have heard the sun isn`t all bad. In the US research carried out on men living within the sunniest states found a 32% lower risk rate of prostate cancer. This is believed to be as a result of Vitamin D, which we can get from the sun. However, if you are worried about damage to skin from the sun, you can get your Vitamin D requirements from Cod Liver Oil instead.

Again, the presence of these symptoms either singularly or together do not in themselves indicate that you have cancer of the prostate. This is because these same symptoms are can indicate the presence of another ailment or condition and only a physician can determine that.

Lots of people get so busy that they don’t even have any time to exercise. This is very counterproductive and can lead not general ill-health. Make it a habit of engaging in some form of exercise at least thrice or more times each week. This can also help in preventing not only prostate cancer but other illnesses as well.

Think about asking a family member or good friend to stay with you for support the day of the surgery. It is going to be a long day, and having company may make the time go by faster. Also, if there are any problems or complications, you will have someone to lean on.

As you have seen from the above words, it’s indeed possible to prevent prostate cancer by having good and “right” sex. Remember, there are wrong ways of having sex and there are right ways of having sex, just like everything else in life. Ensure that you do things right, when it comes to cancer of the prostate and you will be sure to prevent it.

Even if you don’t eat the right types of food, eating the WRONG types of food will do you a lot of harm and yes, can cause or trigger certain illnesses, including prostate cancer. So, what harm does it do to you to get rid of foods that don’t really add anything of value to your body?

Finally, you will be surprised that just staying away from unhealthy habits and unhealthy foods and instead engaging in healthy habits and eating healthy foods can help you prevent prostate cancer and other forms of cancer.

By Bryan Len

Must read about female libido, menopause natural remedies and Premenstrual Syndrome

4 Myths About Depression

Depressions is a serious medical problem that many people are dealing with everyday. Unfortunately, there are many myths about depression that make understand the condition much harder and at times can actually be unproductive for those with this condition. Learn the truth to these common myths.

Myth 1: Depression is all in your head.

Most people at one point in time will feel “blue” or down. Much of the time when you are feeling a bit down after a few days you will feel better. This is different than depression. Depression has measurable chemical imbalances that are real. It takes a bit more than just thinking about feeling better to deal with this problem.

Myth 2: If your parents have depression, you will also get it.

While it does seem that this type of medical issue is genetic, it doesn’t mean that you will actually get depression just because those in your family do. There is no reason to worry about it because it won’t help anything to have the extra anxiety of thinking you might get it one day.

Myth 3: Depression is only something you get for short periods of time.

There are a wide variety of types of depression. Some experience it for short periods of time while others have it almost every day for many years. If you have had knowledge of one type, it doesn’t mean you understand the other types of depression that exist.

Myth 4: Drugs are the only option for depression.

While there are drugs that are designed to help with depression issues and help limit the symptoms, there is quite a bit that you can do on your own. It’s important to change your diet eating healthier and more natural foods. Exercise is also extremely important. These can help limit the symptoms of depression. There are many who have been able to cope with just diet and exercise to treat depression issues.

By Wendy Alsop

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Smoking effect on Sexual Health

According to most recent research information, 13 percent of infertility is credited to Smoking. Smoking has severe dangerous effects on the men who have sperm count on the lower side. Smoking not only affects reproductive ability of parents but as well causes cancer in their children by causing alterations in genes and chromosomes. While compare to non smokers, smokers need two times the number of In Vitro fertilization efforts.

In a statement, the BMA expected 120,000 British men aged 30- 50 had turn into impotent because of smoking. Up to 5,000 miscarriages every year were associated to smoking and passive smoking and tobacco was concerned in 1,200 cases of malignant cervical cancer each year.

Effects of Smoking on the sexual health of Males

1. Smoking reduces sperm density, entirety sperm count, totality number of motile sperm and citrate attentiveness in sperm.

2. It alters sperm morphology, sperm strength and ejaculated quantity of semen.

Effects of Smoking on the sexual health of Females:

1. Smoking speeds up the loss of reproductive function in females.

2. It precedes the Menopause by 1to 4 years.

3. It raises the threat of unprompted abortion and ectopic pregnancy.

4. Smoking causes alterations in ovum and effects reproductive ability.

5. High occurrence of childhood cancer in the babies of smoking parents.

Smoking leads to infertility

Smoking can cause infertility by changing the series of DNA in sperm cells. These alters could be hereditary to their offspring and make them infertile. So smokers not only injure themselves but also their children.

According to a investigate study published in the American cancer association journal, smoking causes mutations in the DNA which were hereditary by their children and undergo from infertility in the middle age.

Potential harm is straight proportional to the duration of contact. Most scary thing is these mutations are permanent.

Smoking mother damage their foetuses while smoking father cause infertility.

It is still not recognized whether these alters are inherited to their grand children.

Smoking accounts for 10 percent of medical deaths worldwide. Lung cancer is the main disease due to smoking. Smoking people are in moribund in urbanized countries due to health tutoring. Asian countries are experiencing unexpected rise in smoking habits due to little knowledge regarding its harmful effects.

What You Can Expect From Health Tips

You have a right to define your expectations on whatever aspect of life you are researching on. So, it is the case when you are trying to get the best way you can deal with the pressures of health in your general life. There are several resources that promise you better health and you will be able to have this kind of health.

The various tips that are available on health would help you in almost all aspects of health that you would think of. You can be sure that you would find them very real and up to date.

Health tips for beauty

If you are not sick and all you are interested in is to enhance your looks or beauty, you would have to find the best tips that would help you have the ideal beauty that you want. The tips are still available for free. They will help you in terms of shape and even facial and skin and hair beauty.

Health tips for weight loss

When you need to lose weight, the kind of tips that you would get would also be termed as health tips. When you have the ideal weight, you would be healthy and that is why, you need to consider the tips keenly. If possible, it is best that you make use of all of them.

Health tips for disease prevention

Diseases can really weigh you down and make you lose hope in life. Even when some of them have treatment that works, the pain is not worth it. the tips can help you forget about the pain and prevent diseases from getting into you completely.

Health tips for fitness

Some of the tips that you would come across are those of regular body exercise. Sometimes you would even see how you can burn the fat and build muscles. This would contribute to fitness which is best for you. So, it is true that the tips can help you get fit and on shape.

Health tips for nutrition

Nutrition is a very crucial aspect of our health. You can be sure that when you take the tips seriously, you would never miss out on the best nutrition that you actually should be keen on.

Health tips during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a very delicate period both for the mother and the unborn child. There are tips that would help this mother know what she needs to do so that they are both healthy and go through the period without any stress. She will be able to find this very important for her health and her baby’s.

Health tips on drugs

Drugs are good because they cure disease and keep us well. They can be poisonous when they are taken for granted. There are tips that would help you know what you need to do especially when you are on drugs or on any kind of treatment.

So, the many health tips that you can see are important for various aspects of our lives. You can be sure that when you take the weight loss tips as part of your general health awareness routine, you would be happy in life.

Health Tips for New College Students

Health Tips for New College Students

Staying healthy on campus may be one of the more overlooked items of importance when it comes to college living…especially when there are more important things such as deadlines and midterms to be concerned with. But what many college students tend to forget is that on campus, illnesses run rampant especially in the winter. The risks are too great to avoid a daily dose of healthy reminders in order to stay healthy and not have to miss too much class for reasons that could have been avoided. Here are some tips to help college students stay healthy and going strong at the university.

First, before heading off to college, it would be a good thing to get your vaccinations in order. There is a big mix of completely different people from all around the world in close quarters with one another and disease and illness can be easily spread, especially when using shared resources like those of colleges and universities.

Put together a healthy eating plan. With the hectic schedule college demands, it is very easy to simply grab whatever is easy to eat such as a double cheeseburger and onion rings…every day. The dorms make it very easy to not only consume deep fried foods regularly, but in quite an amazing abundance. Try to focus on a healthy diet, sticking with fruits and vegetables and try to make those things, such as french fries, you know shouldn’t be going into your body more like rewards than an everyday necessity in your diet.

Get enough sleep. Sleep is so important in order to keep yourself healthy. Many college students believe sleep is overrated, yes, I confess…but now I correct that mistake. Lack of sleep will only make things worse in the lines of illnesses and even academics. Yes, you may do just fine without sleep, but just think about how much more you will enjoy your college experience while potentially even doing better than you are WITHOUT sleep. No sleep = heightened risk of illness due to lower immune system defense and more.

Try to keep a regular exercise schedule. Sitting around and studying may exercise your brain cells but not necessarily the rest of your body. You can use the college gym or just take a run, but it is a good thing to get the blood circulating through your body and brain. This oxygenation will help improve your studies and will make many things a lot easier for you in the long run, not to mention boost your immune system.

Drink plenty of water. Many students tend to forget this and simply grab a soda. Let’s see…you need a quick drink as you are on the go, ah yes soda machine! You stick your hand in your pocket to find only a little change left. “Oh man I forgot I had those other three sodas earlier. Darn, I am so thirsty and I need something for class!”

Keep a water bottle in your bag and keep it filled. It does wonders and not to mention helps keep your body healthy.

In regards to the “communal living” aspect of college, make sure you are cautious of all the different people who use the restroom at your dorm. This is not home where mom may clean up after you. The college restrooms are, indeed, cleaned once a day or so, but they can get dirty really quick. Wear flip flops in the shower and make sure you try to avoid placing things on the counter tops such as razors that you may be shaving and such with. Be sure to wash your hands regularly in college as well.

Even though it may be rather difficult to remember to do all these things, this is not all. In fact there are many other tips at our website and more. But all I am trying to say in this article is to simply be a little more cautious about staying healthy in college in order to help you stay healthy as well as others. Good luck with all of your future college endeavors and stay well!

8 Health Tips to Get in Shape for the New Year!

With the new year approaching, the first resolution most people think about going for is a gym membership. Year after year the same thing happens. They really want to get into shape, and they know for sure that this year will be different. They sign up for a year membership and start their new goal with clear focus and determination.

Most people never make it past the first week. Why? Mostly because they quit when they realize how much work goes into getting back into the shape they once had. The fact of the matter is that it really is not as difficult as they think. They are just focusing on one aspect of overall wellness and burning themselves out on it.

In order to lose weight and keep it off for good, a person must develop the mindset necessary for living a healthy lifestyle. There is much more to being healthy than showing up to the gym every day. In fact, exercise is only one-eighth of the total equation. If you really want to achieve personal wellness in 2009, forget the gym and focus instead on improving the following 8 categories of health.

Health Tips #1: Diet & Nutrition
You already know the main reason you gained weight. Too many trips through the McDonalds drive-thru, late night snacking on junk food and poor dinner choices. You do not have to eat a diet of bland salads and yogurt, but you do need to limit the amount of trigger foods that you caused your weight gain. Replace your current American diet of high sugar, high-fat processed foods with those found in the produce and lean meat department as often as you can.

Health Tips #2: Nutritional Supplements
Now that our soils are more depleted of minerals than ever, and our farm animals are not fed properly, living a healthy lifestyle requires nutritional supplementation. I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and kept it off for over 15 years simply by drinking a soy-based protein shake for breakfast every morning and taking a few targeted vitamins. Why does this work? Because greasy bacon and runny eggs do not provide proper nutrition.

Health Tips #3: Fun & Recreation
What makes you happy? Going to the movies? Ice Skating? Playing the guitar? Whatever it is, you must find time for it on a weekly basis (if not daily) in order to maintain good mental stability. Your activities and hobbies should not include junk food or alcohol. Going to the movies is watching the movie, not eating a tub of fatty buttered popcorn. Be happy with what you are doing without the unnecessary evils.

Health Tips #4: Hydration
Drinking enough water throughout the day is the part of the equation that gets overlooked. People do not consider drinking as important as eating and it is! You should not be drinking soda or processed juices every day. Why? Because they deplete your body of vitamins and minerals while loading you up on sugar. Alcohol is even worse. Do yourself a favor and keep a water bottle with you at all times. Drink, drink, drink. I cannot stress this enough.

Health Tips #5: Stress
And speaking of stress, this is what happens when you do not allow yourself to have any fun in your life. This is just as important to living a healthy lifestyle as eating and drinking properly. Too much stress can cause major problems for your body. You only live once, so do not allow other people and events to get you so bothered and worried that you cannot live the lifestyle you deserve for yourself.

Health Tips #6: Unhealthy Habits
Not eating the wrong foods is just as important as eating the right foods. But unhealthy habits are not just about food, are they? Smoking and the use of other drugs, prescription or not, is probably the worst thing a person can do to their body. This is the only one you have! Take care of it. Alcohol is OK on occasion but not recommended on a daily basis to anyone interested in living a healthy lifestyle.

Health Tips #7: Weight Management
Have you ever noticed that weight loss really is not the issue that people struggle with? Most everyone has lost weight at one point in their life. Keeping that weight off is the obstacle that most people can not overcome. Think about it logically. If you gained weight by eating twinkies, then lost weight when you stopped eating twinkies, do not go back to eating twinkies. The person who eats twinkies on occasion (not every day) does not struggle with weight fluctuation.

Health Tips #8: Exercise
You knew this one was coming! It is totally possible to lose weight without exercising. I am living proof because my severe asthma prohibited me from doing it. The reason I can exercise now is because I got my body healthy through focusing on the other 7 categories. Once I began exercising, it only accelerated my weight loss and now helps to keep me lean. The key to exercise is not quantity but quality. A little bit every day will give you the best health benefits overall.

So there you have it! The 8 health tips to kick off the new year for a new you. Focus on improving each of these simultaneously as your one and only New Years Resolution and you will be on a successful path to overall wellness. Weight loss and poor health can be things of the past if you are just willing to make small changes on a daily basis.

28 Ways to Cut Calories Effortlessly

An extra 40 calories per day may not seem like much, but consider this: If you were to cut a mere 40 calories a day from your diet, you would lose at least a pound in three months, or four pounds in a year!

Making small changes to your diet every day to help reduce your calorie intake will help offset weight gain over the year, and possibly even help you to lose weight! Try some of the ideas below to help you reduce your calorie intake. The more tips you implement, the more calories you cut from your diet!

1. Choose fruit instead of juice: A medium orange has 60 calories, while a cup of orange juice contains 110 calories. Go for the fruit instead! (Calories saved: 50)
2. Downsize your bagel: A mini bagel has only 80 calories, while a regular medium-sized bagel contains 240 calories – and an average Einstein Brothers bagel is a whopping 350 calories! (Calories saved: 160 – 270)
3. Wrap it up: Use a 110-calorie 10-inch tortilla instead of a 240-calorie medium bagel as the base for your breakfast or lunch. (Calories saved: 130)
4. Wrap scale down: Use an 8-inch tortilla instead of a 10-inch one. (Calories saved: 50)
5. Choose light cream cheese: One ounce (2 tablespoons) of light cream cheese contains 60 calories, while regular has 100 calories. (Calories saved: 40)
6. Go Canadian: Have Canadian bacon at 90 calories for two slices instead of regular bacon at 250 calories for two slices. (Calories saved: 160)
7. Add the real thing to your yogurt: One cup of fruit flavored low fat yogurt contains 230 calories. Instead, consider having one cup of low fat plain yogurt with 1/2 cup of fresh fruit for only 180 calories plus extra fiber! (Calories saved: 50)
8. Make the mayo light: Lightening up your mayonnaise saves you 50 calories per tablespoon. (Calories saved: 50)
9. Spray it: Spraying your non-stick pan with a cooking spray costs 6 calories while using a tablespoon of butter or margarine cuts into your daily calorie budget by 100 calories. (Calories saved: 94)
10. Lighten up on butter and margarine: Regular butter or margarine contains 100 calories per tablespoon, but light butter or margarine has only 50. (Calories saved: 50)
11. Season up: Using herbs to season your vegetables instead of butter or margarine will save you 100 calories per tablespoon. (Calories saved: 100)
12. Creamy options: Trading the Ben & Jerry’s or Haagen-Dazs super-rich (20% fat) ice cream for a Breyer’s or Hood light reduced fat (6% fat) version saves 130 calories per 1/2 cup. (Calories saved: 130)
13. Cone down: Choosing a small waffle cone rather than a large will save you 40 calories. Eliminating the cone altogether will save you 60 calories for a small one, 100 calories for a large. (Calories saved: 40 – 100)
14. Choose fish in water: A 6oz can of chunk light tuna stored in oil has 275 calories. Packed in water, it has only 150 calories. (Calories saved: 125)
15. Lower the fat in your cottage cheese: Use 1% cottage cheese rather than 4%. (Calories saved: 40 per half cup)
16. Starching down: Try cutting back on your portion of rice, pasta or noodles by just 1/4 cup. (Calories saved: 45 – 60)
17. Lightening your coffee: Use 2 tablespoons of whole milk rather than 2 Tbsp half and half cream. (Calories saved: 20)
18. Make baking healthier: Replace half of the fat in a recipe with applesauce. Per 1/2 cup, applesauce contains 90 calories, but butter or margarine contains a whopping 810 calories! (Calories saved: 720 calories per 1/2 cup!)
19. Soda shocker: By drinking an 8 oz mini can of regular soda rather than the usual 12 oz size, you save 50 calories. Better yet, drink water or diet soda to save 150 calories for a 12 oz can. (Calories saved: 50 – 150)
20. The chips are down: Try a bag of baked chips instead of regular chips. (Calories saved: 70 per 2 oz bag)
21. Go fresh: Choose a 60-calorie 1/2 cup of fresh fruit instead of a 250-calorie 1/2 cup of dried fruits like raisins. (Calories saved: 190)
22. Vary your chocolate options: Instead of a 1.5 oz chocolate bar at 225 calories, consider having a cup of chocolate milk (160 calories) or a fat free chocolate pudding (85 calories). (Calories saved: 65 – 140)
23. Ah nuts: Measure out your nuts – they add up quickly! One ounce of nuts (about 23 almonds, 18 medium cashews, 18-22 mixed nuts, 15-20 walnut or pecan halves) are worth 100 – 200 calories. It is easy to eat more than this if you are not paying attention and measuring… (Calories saved: Lots!)
24. Cheers: Drink light beer rather than regular. (Calories saved: 30 per 12 oz can)
25. Wine Not?: Drink 4 oz of wine instead of 12 oz of beer. (Calories saved: 50)
26. Go lite on syrup: Two tablespoons of regular syrup contains 110 calories, but lite syrup contains only 50 calories. (Calories saved: 60)
27. Cut the juice: Have 1/2 cup of orange juice instead of a full cup. (Calories saved: 55)
28. Leaving behind: Why not leave 3-4 bites on your plate? You don’t have to finish it all if you are full. (Calories saved: Varies)

Top Four Reasons Diets Fail

What are your plans for January? Perhaps you will spend the month putting away holiday decorations and easing back into a regular schedule. And, if you’re like millions of people, your plans may include embarking on a new diet.

Not surprisingly, a 2005 study conducted by a popular weight loss franchise announced that just under half of US women admit that losing weight is a likely New Year’s resolution. With the holiday cakes and pies already devoured and out of sight, many people find the fresh start of a new year the perfect time to embark on a weight loss plan.

Unfortunately, unrealistic diet expectations can sabotage the very best intentions, leading to frustration when diets fail. If your January plans include a change in eating habits, check out our top takes on why diets fail, then use the suggested tips to choose a diet that will lead you to success.

Top 4 Reasons Diets Fail

1. Something’s Missing
   Diets eliminating an entire food group (such as carbohydrates) and not using the full spectrum of My Pyramid are difficult to follow, and will likely lead to a slip. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “Can I eat like this forever?” A successful diet should allow choices from all food groups in moderation, and be something that you can follow for the long term.
2. Going Low
   If you eat too few calories and are constantly hungry, you risk an eventual willpower blowout, leading to a major diet setback. Successful diets are adequate enough in calories so you don’t experience prolonged deep hunger, but low enough to allow for a moderate weight loss of 0.5-1 lb per week. Looking beyond weight loss, it’s also important to understand that consuming less than 1,200 calories per day for an extended period of time is never a good idea because it isn’t enough to give your body the nutrients it needs to function best.
3. Diet. Period.
   If you’ve embarked on a weight loss regime, but have no plans to incorporate exercise, your weight loss will most likely hit a frustrating plateau. Adding exercise can keep you motivated to stick to your diet, even on the weeks when the scale won’t budge, since exercise can help you whittle off the inches. Regular exercise also increases the rate at which your body burns calories, helping you to see results faster than diet alone. Multiple research studies have concluded that the most successful diets include a combination of diet and exercise.
4. Friend or Foe?
   A 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that those who surround themselves with overweight or obese family and friends are more likely to be overweight or obese themselves. The study found that a possible explanation for the conclusions may be that your sense of “normal” weight and eating behavior can be influenced by those around you. For example, if everyone close to you is overweight or obese, your opinion may be that being overweight or obese is normal, thus you may not be motivated to lose weight. For the best success, surround yourself with family and friends sensitive to your goal, and make a personal commitment to follow through on your plans. If you have overweight family or friends, why not make a group resolution to work together for better health?

Spring Detox – Friend or Foe?

Spring is coming, and it’s time for spring cleaning your house. For some, spring cleaning may also mean a spring detox diet. But before rushing out to purchase a detox kit or trying out a detox diet made famous by celebrity endorsement, read on.

Detox Diets – What are they?

Detox diets claim to help you get rid of toxins in your body and therefore help you lose weight, feel better, and have more energy. A detox diet usually encompasses an array of activities – fasting for 3 to 10 days with the support of juice; taking multi-vitamins or herbal supplements; or avoiding sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and junk food. For some, detoxing also includes saunas, colon-cleansing, or chelation therapy. For instance, the Master Cleanse used by Beyonce instructs followers to drink cups of water with lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper added. Model Kate Moss followed another detox diet, outlined by author Nish Joshi, who promotes a strict 21-day diet of soy, poultry, fish, brown rice, steamed vegetables, lentils, beans, and green tea.

Are You Intoxicated?

There’s no doubt that our living environment is increasingly polluted. But what’s considered toxic? Different people will give you different answers. It may be heavy metals, industrial materials, pesticides, and radioactive materials. Some may say drugs, alcohol, and artificial additives. When we are diagnosed with high cholesterol, we know that our blood total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides may be too high. So what about toxic? How do we measure toxicity? How do you know if you’re intoxicated?

The Science of Detox

There are almost no studies looking at the validity of these detox diets. Australian Complementary Medicine Professor Marc Cohen published a scientific review of detox diets in Australian Family Physician in December 2007. He found that there were plenty of randomized controlled trials (RCT) on drug and alcohol detox, but none on environmental or junk food toxins. Of the clinical detox studies that exist, the majority are observational studies on a detox program promoted by the Church of Scientology. Some studies suggested that it reduced PCB, PBB, and dioxin levels. This program is also the basis of the drug rehab program used to treat World Trade Center rescue workers, with high dose niacin (Vitamin B3) and polyunsaturated oils along with exercise and extensive sauna sweating.