Digestive wellness Archives - Living Arts Wellness

November 1, 2017August 3, 2019

How to Maintain a Healthy Colon

Category: Colon Hydrotherapy Fort Collins

The Importance of a Healthy Colon

It’s easy to forget that every time we consume a meal, our bodies go to work. Your esophagus passes food and liquids to the stomach, your stomach breaks everything down, and your large intestine (otherwise known as your colon) absorbs the water from these wastes, which then creates stool. Most of us don’t think about this process often (if ever), but it becomes unfortunately apparently when we don’t have a healthy and functioning colon.

One of the most important things to do in keeping our colon healthy is taking preventative measures. Just like with a car or going to the dentist, there’s so much to be said for getting checkups instead of waiting for catastrophe to strike. Living Arts Wellness in Fort Collins specializes in many natural remedies and treatments to benefit the mind and body. Learn about the importance of a healthy colon (and tips to make this happen), and book a visit with Living Arts Wellness to get colon hydrotherapy and so much more!

What does your colon do?

To expand on the brief description above, the large intestine is also called the colon, and it plays a critical role in digestion and removing waste from the body. Approximately 5-6 feet in length and 3 in. in diameter, the colon gets rid of “food left over after the nutrients are removed from it, bacteria and other waste” according to Live Science. This is a process called peristalsis, and as waste moves through the colon, liquid and salt are removed before moving towards the rectum.

Why do you need to keep your colon healthy?

Imagine never taking your garbage out. Anyone who has left their garbage inside a day longer than they should have knows (or should we say “nose”) what this can lead to. Having garbage buildup leads to a smelly situation at best, and at worst, attracts other creatures to reside in your home.

The same can be said for your colon—if something goes awry and your colon is unable to get rid of waste, the buildup can not only be unpleasant, but dangerous. Keeping your colon healthy is similar to taking out the trash, though perhaps even more important.

What can happen to an unhealthy colon?

As Colon Health Magazine states, “When an unhealthy colon is left unchecked, it can lead to interior structural damage, such as a breakdown of important mucus that lines the colon. An excessive amount of parasitic bacteria in the colon is known to be linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s Disease.” Additionally, the colon is at risk for developing polyps and colorectal cancer. Some of the diseases that can affect the colon can actually turn into cancer over time, or at the very least, increase the risk for developing colon cancer.

In some cases, people need to have a colectomy to treat the damage, which involves removing all or part of the colon. Those who experience a colectomy may have to wear a bag to collect waste and stool, which can either be temporary or permanent.

In short, an unhealthy colon can end up needing removal, and can even be replaced with a colostomy bag. If this doesn’t sound ideal, we would agree, and this is why we are dedicated to providing preventative measures that help take care of your colon.

What you can do:

Upkeeping a healthy colon might seem like a lot of work, but it’s easily achievable through a healthy lifestyle. Many experts agree that one of the best ways to protect your colon is through a healthy diet, which we will cover more thoroughly in a later blog topic. Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, is a vital component of a healthy diet that is especially important for the health of your colon. This is a nutrient that is largely underrepresented from people’s diets as a whole—as WebMD states, “The typical American consumes about 15 grams a day, but you need closer to 25 grams to 30 grams.” Given this, it’s unsurprising that $400 million is spent on laxatives in the United States each year, and one in six adults experience chronic constipation.

Another preventative step towards colon health that could show potential solution is through colon hydrotherapy. At Living Arts Wellness, we offer colon hydrotherapy and colon irrigation as health measures that could help the overall health of your large intestine. Some proponents of colon cleansing reference several potential benefits that could happen when trying this procedure, including:

Removal of toxins from the body
Losing weight
Improving the immune system as a whole

Colon hydrotherapy is a potential solution to helping your overall colon health improve. In addition to our colon irrigation services, Living Arts Wellness offers nutritional counseling to help maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Without question, however, is the fact that a healthier colon is key to a healthier body. We are committed to helping people in the Fort Collins area grow in their health in a holistic way—from massage therapy to colon hydrotherapy and everything in between, Living Arts Wellness is the resource you need. Contact us today and visit our clinic!

September 27, 2017August 3, 2019

Intestinal Disorders and Cannabidiol (CBD)

Cannabidiol may dramatically improve digestive dysfunction and disease.

There are many factors that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease including foods, stress, sleep, and toxins. No matter the cause, the major cause of dysfunction and disease in the digestive tract is inflammation. Cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, leaky gut, and diverticulosis are all examples of gut ailments that are a result of inflammatory bowel disease. It has been shown that cannabidiol can help to eliminate intestinal disorders and dis-ease.

How Does CBD Help Eliminate Intestinal Disorders?

Cannabidiol (CBD) helps to control the inflammation process throughout the body and is particularly effective in the gut. Often, bleeding, cramping, diarrhea, and bloating improve and even resolve with low doses of CBD treatment within a week. These are the effects of low dose CBD on the gut:

Modulates the immune system
Reduces inflammation
Relaxes the vasculature of the gut and increases blood flow
Reduces pain sensitivity
Relaxes smooth muscle and eliminates cramping
Restores the tight junctions in the gut eliminating leaky gut issues
Modulates of the micro biome, balancing gut flora

CBD oil sourced from industrial hemp is legal across the United States and in other countries when sold as a supplement. During my 2017 travels to Iceland and the Netherlands, the CBD in my baggage was never an issue at customs or security. However, carrying a product description from the manufacturer stating that the product does not contain THC could prove to be valuable information if questioned while traveling.

Hemp Oil Can Be Found In Everyday Products

Hemp oil is now available in foods, drinks, lotions, cleansing products, snacks, and even pet products. Elixinol products are organically grown, essentially free of THC (lower than .03% THC), petroleum free (hemp oil is CO2 extracted), checked by an independent third part lab, and contain whole plant extracts. We exclusively carry Elixinol CBD products at our center, insisting on only the best quality CBD for our clients! Please feel free to contact us with questions regarding CBD products we carry.

May 30, 2014December 11, 2015

Massage for Digestive Disorders

Massage is Effective for Treatment of Digestive Orders

~100 % of American adults, if they live long enough, will suffer from bowel irritation.
~The #1 cancer among both men and women is colon and rectal cancer.
~When the colon is healthy, it will produce 2 of more well-formed bowel movements per day.
~If your stools are not expelled effortless, then you are constipated!

In treating digestive disorders, massage therapists apply gentle pressure to the abdominal region, looking for areas of congestion including bloating and gas.This treatment may stimulate peristalsis, which is a rhythmic movement of the digestive tract. Abdominal massage may also help remove masses of fecal matter that have become trapped in diverticula (areas of the intestinal wall that have become weak creating pouches).

Massage is also used to relieve tension and anxiety that can exacerbate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). During an acute flare up of IBS, therapists limit massage to neck, shoulder, back, legs and arms to reduce tension and avoid aggravation of irritation.

Therapies that induce relaxation are also important in the treatment of Crohn’s disease which results in chronic pain. Although, abdominal massage should be avoided during acute phases.

abdominalmassage

April 30, 2014December 11, 2015

The Rejuvenating Effect of Juice Fasting

Fasting has been used throughout history for the purpose of healing disease and for rejuvenation and revitalization. Many fast regularly, not to cure any particular disease, but because it is an effective way to cleanse the body of accumulated wastes, boost the immune system, and rejuvenate all organs.

Fasting will not leave you depleted or weakened. The opposite is true for juice fasting. After a fast, you should feel stronger and energized; any health conditions you have should be noticeably improved and mental capacity increased. Many notice that they look and feel younger after a fast.

The proven benefits of intermittent fasting include:

1. Normalizing you insulin activity
2. Lowering triglyceride levels
3. Improving biomarkers of disease
4. Reducing inflammation and lowering free radical damage
5. Preserving and enhancing memory function and learning

Juice fasting can help you to harness the natural healing power in your body by eliminating toxins and cellular debris. It also retrains your taste buds and helps to eliminate cravings for processed foods.

Are you interested in cleansing, taking that first step toward a healthier lifestyle, or beginning to rid yourself of a psychological addiction to food? A juice cleanse is a great way to jumpstart a lifestyle change!

We offer a 3-day juice fast / cleanse at Living Arts Wellness in conjunction with Wunderjuice (www.wunderjuice.com):

Call 970.472.0995 to reserve your juice fast/cleanse package… limited to 15 participants and begins 5/13/14

Option 1: 6-12 oz Juices, Cleansing Water, and 2 Colonics= $315

#1: Colon- 8 oz Apple Juice
#2: Colon- PH balanced & Alkalized h2o infused with phytonutrients & minerals
#3: Liver- Dandelion, Cucumber, Lemon & Ginger
#4: Blood- Beet, Cucumber, Celery & Lemon
#5: Immune- Romaine, Mint, Lemon, Ginger, Cucumber
#6: (Anti) Inflame- Turmeric, Spinach, Watercress, Cucumber, Lemon

Option 2: 7-12 oz Juices & Cleansing Water, and 2 Colonics = $325

#1: Detox- Sweet Veg Juice (kale, cucumber, romaine, lemon, ginger, apple & pear)
#2: Colon- PH balanced & Alkalized h2o infused with phytonutrients & minerals
#3: Liver- Dandelion, Cucumber, Lemon & Ginger
#4: Blood- Beet, Cucumber, Celery & Lemon
#5: Immune- Romaine, Mint, Lemon, Ginger, Cucumber
#6: (Anti) Inflame- Turmeric, Spinach, Watercress, Cucumber, Lemon
#7: Dinner-Veggie Juice (kale, cucumber, romaine, lemon, ginger & carrot)

Delivery: We would love to deliver to your home or office for a $5 daily fee or you may pick up at Living Arts Wellness each day.

Cleanse Schedule:
3 days prior… colonic session at Living Arts Wellness, drink at least 64 ounces of water, and eliminate processed foods

During the cleanse… start your day with 16 ounces of lemon water, drink 6 juices per day at 2 hour intervals, and eat raw veggies if you must eat, and receive your second colonic session

After… we will provide a list of suggested foods for the 3 days post-cleanse

This may be your chance to:

1. Take control of your health
2. Begin to eliminate food addictions
3. Detoxify your mind and body
4. Eliminate disease

March 29, 2014December 11, 2015

Are You Sick and Tire of Feeling Sick and Tired?

Learn how the Living Foods Lifestyle can help you gain more energy, vitality and health!

It takes effort and energy for our systems to process raw materials into nutrients that the body can use for growth, repair, and regeneration. Part of this process is isolating the useful products from the useless, or even harmful ones found in food or produced by the digestive process. Most of us don’t even realize how much energy it takes to process and divest the food we eat. Ease of digestion becomes particularly important when there is illness or poor health. The body’s resources are being strained to their limits already in an attempt to restore or simply maintain health.

The extra burden of a difficult to digest meal can be very harmful in such situations, especially if the meal doesn’t even provide the full complement of nutrients needed by the body in its strained state, or even worse, introduces more toxins which the body must work to eliminate. And, even when the body is healthy, it only makes sense that if less effort is required for digesting, then there will be more energy available for other purposes.

The Living Foods Lifestyle was developed to provide foods that are most easily digested and to provide the most nourishment possible. Register for our upcoming Living Foods Lifestyle workshopswhere you will learn a lifestyle of vitality and health!

Young Greens… Buckwheat and sunflower greens top all other greens for nutritional content, ease of digestion and flavor.
Sprouted Nuts and Seeds… Sprouts are the most complete and nutritional of all foods tested including vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes. They also are regenerative to the body because of high concentrations of RNA, DNA and proteins.
Cultured and Fermented Preparations… Beneficial bacteria are desperately needed to maintain health. Antibiotics, chlorinated water and antibacterial soaps destroy our beneficial flora. These foods are also rich in enzymes and vitamins.
Wheatgrass Juice… A complete food because it contains every amino acid, vitamin, and mineral necessary for human nutrition.
Blended foods are broken down into a form ready for digestion, easing the work load of the stomach and small intestines. Learn to blend for maximal absorption!
Cleanse by eating loadsof greens at every meal and using enemas and colonics!

February 23, 2014December 11, 2015

Living Foods Workshops at Living Arts Wellness

Please Call to Register… Class size limited

When: March 19th through May 14th

Where: Living Arts Wellness, 500 South Whitcomb Street, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521

Time: 6:30 – 8:00pm

Cost: $300 (Includes all foods, instruction and written materials)

March 19 Introduction to Living Foods… This workshop will give you an overview of the nutritional system of Dr. Ann Wigmore. You will be given a manual, and we will discuss the digestive process and value of Living Foods. Come hungry because there will be delicious energy soup!

April 2 Growing Greens and Grasses… Young sunflower greens are mainly used for blending into energy soup. Baby shoots top all other greens for nutritional content and ease of digestion. Living Foods and wheatgrass go hand in hand. Wheatgrass is used to help the body heal itself in cases of disease, injury and toxicity. During this class, you will learn to grow both sunflower greens and wheatgrass… all materials provided.

April 16 Energy Soup!… The Living Foods lifestyle consists of more than just eating raw foods. The most important type of food preparation used in this lifestyle is blending. Blending breaks food down into a form ready for digestion, easing the load of the stomach and small intestines and allowing maximal absorption. And, greens and sprouts contain lots of fiber, and are often difficult to ingest in large quantities unless blended. This provides a concentrated source of nutrition than simple salads.

April 30 Fermented Foods… Learn to make rejuvelac and seed cheese. These fermented foods aid in digestion and serve as antioxidants when combined with other foods.

May 7 Sprouted Cereal… Cereals provide concentrated calories, protein, and high levels of B vitamins. Learn to soak, sprout, and dehydrate buckwheat and grains to make delicious, nutritious, and easily digested cereals!

May 14 Raw Luck!… We will gather for a raw potluck and will learn to make nut milks and a gourmet, raw dessert… Raspberry Pistachio Ice cream Pie! During this final meeting, we will talk about using living foods as a lifestyle and the benefits of using it as a cleanse.

December 12, 2013December 11, 2015

Juice Cleansing

Juice cleansing is an effective way to induce dynamic healing within the body. Over time the body fills with toxins and begins to work less efficiently. This is due to eating cooked and processed foods, bad food combining, high protein diets, eating late at night, stress, pollution and overeating. This leads to fermentation and harmful intercellular gases in the digestive tract. Juice cleansing is effective because the food is already broken down and essentially predigested. By cleansing the digestive system is able to rest and return to a homeostatic state because not as much energy is being consumed to break down foods.

A dirty digestive system is the root of degenerative and acute illness. By starting with the gut, we can start at the source. Juice cleansing allows a break from the exertion of digestion and thus increases vital force throughout the body. This vital force enables an immunological response by the body to cleanse and heal.

How It Works

Juice cleansing in particular can help boost immunity throughout the body because all of the foods that are in the juices are alkalizing. If done properly, all of the body’s needs are me through an ideal combination of protein, carbohydrates, fats, salts, vitamins, and minerals. The juice pulls endogenous acids (toxins) from body cells and restore them into the blood stream where they are expelled and processed through normal waste function.

Juicing is not for everyone. No two bodies are the same and it is important to honor your body and what it needs. Some individuals do better on a cleanse where they eat simple raw vegan whole foods. It is also important not to over cleanse or stay in the cleanse for too long. The body needs to be nourished in order to build and repair itself. By cleansing once a year and building strength through healing nutrition you can help your body thrive!

Written by Leanna Defere

December 3, 2013December 11, 2015

Support your endocrine glands with Dr. Bieler’s Broth

Support your endocrine glands with Dr. Bieler’s broth
green soup
Original Bieler Recipe

~1lb of string beans
~2lbs of zucchini
~a handful of curly parsley
~enough water to cover your veggies

–Into rapid boiling water add above and boil for 10-15 min until for goes through outside of zucchini
–puree using the cooking water (amount of liquid will very based on your desired consistency)

The soup is rich in vitamins and will aid the body’s restoration in essential elements including potassium and sodium.

November 20, 2013December 11, 2015

Healthy Holiday Eating Guidelines

By: Leanna DeFere

—Food Combining

-Aid digestion by being mindful not only in flavor combining but by avoiding fruit/ dairy, hot/cold, raw/cooked combinations. These can upset digestion.

—Eat with the Season

-When we eat seasonally we save money. This is because stores and markets have an abundance of these foods. Also we tend to eat more locally grown foods. Local foods support local farmers. They travel less distance and usually contain less pesticides—making them fresher.

—Eat in a designated space

-By having a space for our eating meals can become sacred times to nourish our body. Sit at a table with your utensils and foods laid out before you begin eating. This helps to alleviate anxiety around meal times. Make this space sacred. When present in the space avoid emotional conversations. Allowing the space to remain in a neutral energy.

—Limiting Liquids

When eating avoid taking in liquids, this will weaken digestion and absorption of nutrients. Ideally liquid can be consumed between meals. Waiting 20 minutes between liquid intake and meal time.

—Chew Well

Digestion begins in the mouth. It is so important to chew our food well. Carbohydrates become significantly sweeter the more they are chewed. Many individuals under chew their food. Most foods need to be chewed 15-20 times. This is also a technique for those trying to lose weight. By chewing our food we are better able to savor and enjoy each flavor and texture. Often taking the time to chew increases length of meal time. Be sure to take time for your meals. Don’t eat on the run or in a rush. Allow yourself time to sit and breathe before beginning.

—Limit distractions

Each time you feed your body you have an opportunity to really tune in and listen to yourself. This begins by turning off the TV, setting the cell phone aside and avoiding upsetting conversations. Eating in silence promotes digestion because excess air is not take in, however, if you choose to engage in conversation be mindful of who you are talking with and what you discuss.

—Avoid Overeating

Only eat until 75% full. This allows digestion to have room to process the foods.

—Rest

After eating allow yourself to sit for 10 minutes. Use this time to reflect on the meal and the nourishment you provided your body. If you must move, consider taking a slow, mindful walk. Walking can gently stimulate the digestive system. It is also helpful if you have overeaten.

November 19, 2013May 4, 2017

Living Foods Workshop: Fermented Foods

Fermented Foods:

Our guts serve as our second brain. A healthy gut means a healthy mood.Most physical and mental disease begins in our digestive system. Learning how to promote a gut with healthy intestinal flora you will help you to achieve and maintain wellness.

Learn to ferment your own foods. In this workshop we will cover fermented vegetables, cultured coconut water and rejuvelac. Materials included. This is the second workshop of a series of Living Foods Workshops.

The class will run January 8, 2014

Cost: $40.00

Schedule online or call 970.472.0995 to register. We will be taking 8 students.

Tag: Digestive wellness