Function of the Colon

The colon is the last part of the digestive system that food must go before being passed as stool. The purpose of the colon is to absorb some of the last remaining nutrients from those foods, but more importantly, the colon is where water is absorbed. It is a smooth muscle, in other words it moves involuntarily, like the heart, to move the food through the digestive tract. That is the reason why many people with muscular wasting diseases, such as Multiple sclerosis, may suffer from chronic constipation. There are no exercises that can strengthen the muscles in the colon, but keeping your health good overall will help prevent future colon problems.

Lifestyle Contributors to Constipation

Exercise is important to remain healthy for your whole body, including your colon health. Regular exercise does not have to be strenuous, but should be regular and involve some rise in the heart rate. This will keep your external musculature strong and help keep your bowels regular. Walking or riding a bicycle several times a week is a great way to get enough exercise.

Try to stay on a routine. When your body feels that urge to have a stool, it is important to be able to allow it to happen. Do not hold it in any longer than you must for while the stool remains in the colon, more water is taken out and it becomes harder to move. If you suffer from constipation, try to respect your body’s routine and remain accessible to a bathroom.

Since the bowel’s function is to absorb water from your diet, it is important to drink plenty of water to keep your body satisfied. Dehydration can lead to constipation, as the body takes the water from the stool to nourish itself, leaving the stool hard and compacted. It is recommended to drink at least 6 glasses of water per day and even as much as 10 glasses of water a day. During warm weather, you may need to drink more to avoid dehydration. Refraining from caffeine and alcohol is important as well. Any drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine can actually cause dehydration. They will contribute to constipation problems.

Eating a healthy diet is probably the single most important factor in preventing constipation. The food you ingest should be of the right variety to provide the body all the necessary nutrients. Getting a good mix of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains all lead to regular bowel movements. Meats, white grains, fats, and dairy products can slow the bowel function, thereby causing constipation for many people. Natural dietary fiber is good for keeping the water in the gut and keeping the stool soft enough to pass effortlessly.  Fiber is found in nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. The other important note about diet is the addition of appropriate dietary supplements in case you are not able to eat enough foods rich in all the necessary nutrients. For optimal bowel health, make sure you are getting enough magnesium, potassium, and folic acid.

Natural or Herbal Constipation Remedies

Once constipation is an issue, it may take a bit of time to find a remedy and become comfortable again. Laxatives sold over the counter are not necessarily the best solution. They can become habit forming and make your bowel lazy. There are natural remedies that will work well, be safer, cost less, add to your nutrition, and bring you relief.

Fiber in natural form, whether that is in an apple, cabbage, or ground flax seed mixed into foods will ease constipation. Taking supplements such as probiotics, basil, cayenne, dandelion, milk thistle, or honey are known to work as well. Some of the natural remedies bringing more rapid relief are senna, cascara, aloe, rhubarb, and fennel seeds. Some recommend lemon juice and water, while some use milk and honey concoctions or mineral oil. All of these additional supplements either add fiber to your digestive system or gently work to increase the muscle activity of the colon.

Constipation is more common in men than in women and while not a serious condition, it is definitely uncomfortable. Getting relief is not difficult but may require some lifestyle and diet changes such as those listed above. If those changes are not quite enough, experiment with some of the constipation remedies outlined in the preceding paragraphs to get relief fast.

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I also started a search for the best cellulite treatment available, and before long found that there are all sorts of lotions you can use to eliminate the unsightly, dimpled skin. The collagen-based anti-cellulite creams and lotions are able to remove fat buildup, which in turn can plump up the skin and boost the blood circulation in the areas affected by cellulite. I looked for a lotion that had a number of praiseworthy consumer reviews, and when I found one that I liked, I ordered it and received it within just a couple of days. I was so eager to try it that I pulled it from the box and used some, then just waited to see what type of results I would get.

The smell of the lotion wasn’t bothersome and it had a good consistency. At first, it made my skin tingle slightly, but after wearing it for awhile the feeling disappeared. After I had used the cream, I decided to take a photo of the area where I applied it. Then I waited for a six week review of the affected area, and though I could see that there were indeed some results, I had hoped they would look just a bit better then they were.

There are some important tips to keep in mind when you’re using a cellulite cream or any other anti aging products; mainly, that it isn’t going to turn back the clock and let you look 16 again. However,, it is possible to reduce the look of cellulite if you use a treatment regularly, and over a longer period of time. It’ s true for many people that after you’ve established a routine for applying cellulite cream or lotion, you’ll be hooked. After all, if you stopped the treatments, your cellulite would re-emerge soon. Another important point to keep in mind is that once you decide that you want to treat your cellulite regularly with a cream, you will need be to be able to pay for the steady supply of cream that you’ll need.

This article was written by a guest for Cleanse Your Body Fast.

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We have all seen those commercials and advertisements about latest body cleansing diet or detox diets and asked, do I really need that? If you have asked yourself that question, the answer is probably yes. Doing a whole body cleanse or going on a body cleanse diet can have some pleasantly surprising side effects, including better skin without the use of anti aging products. The hardest part of detoxifying your body is staying committed to the process of cleansing your body.

If you find yourself relating to any of these symptoms it’s time to consider doing a cleanse.

• You find yourself feeling constantly tired, even after getting a good night’s rest.
• You find it hard to concentrate at work.
• You recently have had an acne break outs or skin irritation
• You are suffering from constant headaches or frequent migraines
• You are suffering from bad breathe, despite good dental hygiene
• You commonly have unpleasant or painful bowel movements

If two or more of the above symptoms describe you then it is time for you to consider a whole body cleanse or detox diet. I really want to point out something important to everyone reading, I can not emphasize this enough – Do NOT do a detox diet, cleansing fast or body cleanse strictly for weight loss. Yes, weight loss is a nice ‘side effect’ or changing your diet during a detox, however, almost all the weight comes back after you come off of your cleanse. Weight loss requires a life style change not just a diet change.

So we have decided we are suffering from a few of the symptoms listed above, and we have agreed we are not going to do a cleanse for weight loss, but to detoxify our body. The next step is probably the most important, even more important than deciding what type of cleanse to do, you must be ready to make a real commitment to seeing the cleanse through and stick to it every day. If you are ready to make that commitment then you are ready to choose the best cleanse for your body.

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If you are looking at cleansing the body on the cheap I would have to recommend the master cleanse, also known as the lemonade diet. The components required to do the master cleanse are easy to come by and be found at ALL grocery stores, you do not need to go to a health food store such as whole foods to get the required materials. You have an added benefit of not eating solid foods the duration of the cleanse! Though I do not recommend starving yourselves as a way to save money, you will be surprised how much money you spend on food on a daily basis.

The items you need to cleanse your body for 10 days (recommended duration of the master cleanse)

• 100% Pure Grade ‘B’ Maple Syrup (the grade B is VERY important, also recommend going organic for the cleanse)
• Lemons freshly squeezed or natural lemon juice (I know the master cleanse manual specifically says not to use lemon juice, but it was written a long time ago and you can a good quality natural and organic squeezed lemon juice in most grocery stores.
• Water (I recommend you get distilled water)
• Cayenne pepper
• Sea salt or tea with senna leaf (again I would recommend that latter, as drinking the tea is much more pleasant and relaxing than drinking a cup full of warm salt water)

The total cost to do the master cleanse for 10 days

• 100% Pure Grade ‘B’  Organic Maple Syrup 32oz  approx $26.00  (prices vary a bit depending on the selection in your area, more than enough for 10 days)
• 100% Pure Lemon Juice 16 oz approx $6.00 (might need two for 10 days)
• Organic Cayenne Pepper 3 oz approx $3.00 (more than enough for 10 days)
• Water Distilled 128 oz $0.99 (need six for 10 days)
• Senna Leaf tea 16 bags $3.99 (depends on how often you want to drink the tea, if drinking 2 – 3 times a day you will need two boxes)
• Decaffeinated Peppermint Tea 16 bags $3.99 (this is not part of the master cleanse but I needed to give myself a treat at night before bed! plus green tea is an antioxidant and and better than most anti aging products)

The total cost is $58.91, which comes to $5.89 a day, which I guarantee is way less than you spend on a food per day. Your cost will be a little higher if you want to squeeze your own lemon juice to account for the juice squeezer and fresh lemons and a little cheaper if you go with the salt water rinse instead of the tea.

If you think this is the cleanse for you, I recommend you get a book about the master cleanse they can usually be found online for about $10.00.

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