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Naturally during holiday and family celebrations we set aside some of our personal health practices, consume certain foods or food combinations we normally would not eat, and promise ourselves to make up for it later.
Time with family and friends rightfully take precedence over the perfect diet, knowing that love and the joy of closeness produces the greater healing power.
At the same time it's easy to cross the line between what a body can easily tolerate short term, to what pulls the health off course just enough to develop into a health crisis.
Mood swings, depression, digestive disturbance, tooth inflammation, lung & sinus congestion, increased snoring, loss of libido, added weight, and mental fog are just a few of the most common side effects of celebration foods and holiday stress.
Left unattended, more extreme effects may include a resurgence of old health problems, joint & muscle pain or swelling, skin rashes or breakouts, or more serious conditions like congestive heart condition, arterial blockages, heart failure, suicidal depression, or chronic fatigue, among many other possibilities.
Whatever the symptoms, understand they need not last long. There are a few things that can be done to speed your recovery from times of celebration.
First and Foremost – Fast, with Some Discretion
The most important thing you can do to reset the body when things get out of balance is to reduce the consumption of food. Fasting is the quickest way to ease the strain on your body after a period of overindulgence.
Even light fasting frees up energy normally required for the digestion of food to be repurposed for detoxing the liver from the celebration influences and repairing damage to the organs & glands from poor food combining practices (yes, sugar, alcohol, coffee, nuts, and the combination of fats and starches can cause harm to your organs and glands).
It is important to note, however, that the type of fast performed will vary from person-to-person based on three primary factors:
A. Prior levels of exposure to chemicals, mercury, other industrial metals, and medical treatments/medications.
B. Prior dietary practices and personal readiness for lighter foods, less food, and better food combining.
C. Commitment to health improvements with a willingness to go the distance, whatever is required.
Those with greater exposure to toxins and toxic medical therapies will need to choose the less stringent fasting approaches and for shorter periods of time, then cycle in and out of fasting periods over several weeks and months. Meanwhile the diet will need to lean toward the lighter foods (explained below), and clay baths or shower slurries will play a bigger role in detoxing the body during a fast.
Those whose dietary practices have been focused on lighter, naturally cleansing foods for several months or years prior will be able to tolerate the more stringent fasting protocols with fewer detoxification symptoms.
Those who are new to the idea of fasting are recommended to start with the lighter approaches for short periods, then cycle into and out of the more stringent fasting protocols, and for longer periods of time, until the body has fully recovered.
Consult with an experienced practitioner to guide you if you are facing more serious health complications or know you have had greater exposures to chemicals & toxins in the past.
Private Consultations are also available with us to build an ideal program around your cleansing, fasting protocols.
Those who are already used to intermittent fasting, or brief to extended water fasts, can simply increase the time duration, or select a more stringent fast for their next cleansing/healing event.
From light to intense, here are six fasting protocol variations:
1. Light Fast – with Simply Lighter Foods
Eliminate the heaviest, most constipating (difficult to digest) foods from the diet during the fasting period. Foods eliminated during the fast will include meat, fowl, fish, cheese, milk, butter, eggs, nuts & nut butters, bananas, granulated sugars (except coconut nectar), fried foods, and refined foods including bread & pasta.
Food choices will focus on salads, steamed to cooked veggies, soups, potatoes, rice, quinoa (and other gluten free grains), mushrooms, vegetable juices (but not fruit juices), and minimal fruits.
Add 1 tablespoonful of a superfood blend (Earth & Sea Greens, or Vital Cleanse & Nutrify, or 1 teaspoon of Sea Vegetable Blend) prior to, or with, one or more meals to fully nourish the body, alkalize, and reduce the appetite for food.
Take clay baths or shower slurries as often as is practical during the fast to reduce or eliminate detox reactions.
2. Mild Fast – Extend the Time Between Meals
The above protocol, but combined with intermittent fasting. This means you will abstain from solid foods from after supper to about noon (roughly 16 hours), during which liquids (without dairy) are permissible. Consume lighter than regular meals during the 8 hours designed for food consumption (the protein foods are optional for those who are new to fasting).
Take clay baths or shower slurries as often as is practical during the fast to reduce or eliminate detox reactions.
3. Moderate Fast – Veggie & Superfood Blends
Consume vegetable smoothie blends several times a day as desired, yet with very moderate, if any, fruit. Keep the vegetable fibers in the blends. Liquids can vary from coffee/teas (without dairy) to pure water throughout the day.
Add 1 tablespoonful of a superfood blend (either Earth & Sea Greens, or Vital Cleanse & Nutrify, or 1 teaspoon of Sea Vegetable Blend) prior to, or with, one or more of the daily vegetable smoothie blends to fully nourish the body, alkalize, and reduce the appetite for food.
To increase the intensity of this fasting protocol the superfood blend can become the primary nourishment during a portion, or the entirety, of the fast with excellent results.
Take clay baths or shower slurries each day of the fast to reduce or eliminate detox reactions.
My Personal Experience with a Superfood Blend Fast: The fast included a quart of mineralized water (with Mineral Manna) in the morning and several single or double tablespoons of Vital Cleanse & Nutrify in 4-8 ounces of water (I now suggest using Harmless Coconut Water, slightly diluted, in place of just water to add sweetness and electrolytes).
The superfood fast lasted 8 days followed by 4 more days of salads, then soups and salads, before returning to my typical diet. After the 4th day my energy levels were strong from 7 AM to midnight and mental clarity was exquisite throughout.
I did not go into the fast with an intent to go for a certain number of days, I just let my intuition tell me when and how to quit. The fast turned out to be an enjoyable boost to my overall health and sense of well being in a way that typical foods have never been able to accomplish.
4. Mildly Intense Fast – Fruit, Veggie, and Superfood Blends
The above protocol with more fruit. Should only be attempted by those who have eliminated meats and fats from the diet for several weeks or months prior. Not recommended for those who have been following a Keto or high fat diet recently.
For those who have recently followed a meat & fat diet, Herbal C (containing mostly bitter fruits) can be used to replace fresh fruits in the veggie blends (as this will assist in the repair of the digestive powers of the body so as to be able to include fruits & starches again in a daily, mostly vegetarian dietary program).
Take clay baths or shower slurries each day of the fast to reduce or eliminate detox reactions.
My Personal Experience with a Fruit Only Fast: A few years ago I attempted a fruit only fast, only to quit the fruits midway through the second day. Too much sugar, intense detoxification, and nothing good came from it. I switched to vegetable juices to finish the day then quit. It took a couple more days to bounce back from the experience.
At the time, liquid oils, eggs, and dairy played a much bigger role in my diet than they do today. I see those basic foods (being more fat inclusive) as the reason why the fruits did not work for me then.
Under these conditions the spleen is harmed the most by the quantity of fruit sugars the body is not able to process easily, partly due to the residual fats still floating in the bloodstream. When the spleen is out of balance lethargy, spaciness, and loss of motivation become more prevalent.
This experience (and that of others) are the reasons for the recommendation to gradually reduce the dense protein and fat based foods over time before launching into a fast or diet high in fruits (or sweets for that matter, which is why desserts and granulated/liquid sugars are causing so much trouble in both the carnivore and vegetarian diets). It is a food combining issue that results in insulin resistance.
5. Moderately Intense Fast – Water Only
A pure water fast for as long as is tolerable, or necessary, to reset the body's digestive powers and immune system.
A pure water fast is not recommended for those with greater exposure to toxins and toxic medical therapies until after you have followed a progression of the above fasting protocols over the course of one or more years to gradually clear the body of the surface layers of these toxins before allowing the deeper layers to be drawn to the surface.
Take clay baths or shower slurries each day of the fast to reduce or eliminate detox reactions.
My Personal Experience with Water Fasting: My first experience with a pure water fast was back in the 1970's. I went for 10 days in an unsupervised water fast while still working my day job. I had severe low blood sugar at the time and found it quite difficult. I also broke the fast with the first food I came across – beef jerky!
The belly ache that followed taught me that such an extreme fasting measure is not wise for the inexperienced or those with a poor diet to begin with (like mine was).
Be wise. Transition into the more intense fasting protocols gradually over the span of several months, even years, as the daily diet progresses through the spectrum from dense protein foods to the lighter vegetarian foods, yet coupled with superfoods to replace the dense protein foods.
6. Very Intense Fast – Dry Fast – Neither Liquids nor Foods
A dry fast is more intense than a water fast. It is also more powerful at detoxing and repairing the body.
It is said that 1 day of dry fasting is equivalent to 3 days of water fasting. So a one day dry fast can save time, yet achieve equal or better results than water fasting – providing one thing, that one or two clay baths or shower slurries are performed during, or just after, the dry fast to insure maximum removal of the toxins released during the fasting period.
This prevents toxin reabsorption and the more serious health problems that can result.
Short duration dry fasting has one other advantage over water fasting in that consuming water also triggers hunger, whereas, with dry fasting this hunger trigger is not activated, so the early stages of a dry fast are better tolerated.
Something else to consider when preparing for a dry fast that will make it easier to implement as well – time the beginning of the dry fast so the majority of the difficult phase (the last 8 hours) is experienced while sleeping.
The suggestion is to begin the dry fast early to mid morning just after consuming plenty of mineralized water, followed a half hour later by a light breakfast of veggies or fruit. Then begin the dry fast.
If you are already practiced with intermittent fasting, you will find a dry fast that begins in the morning and ends the next morning to be a rather gentle, yet effective fasting experience.
My Personal Experience with Dry Fasting: I have performed two 24 hour dry fasts, one 36 hour dry fast, and one 48 hour dry fast over the course of 2018 (before deciding I prefer the superfood fast over dry fasting and water fasting). I took clay baths once or twice a day with each.
The clay baths do hydrate the body somewhat, but do not eliminate the advantages from dry fasting. Instead the clay baths ease the strain on the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system experienced from intense detoxification activated by dry fasting.
Each dry fast made it easier to endure the next, even when the fast lasted longer.
The day after the fast was broken (beginning gradually with tiny sips of lemon water for the first half hour), was more fatiguing than during the fast itself. Yet the second day after the fast produced a wonderful sense of lightness, serenity, and joy that lasted for several weeks, and has remained to a limited degree ever since.
I understand from instructors in breatharian practice that dry fasting plays a role in eliminating the compulsion for food, thus freeing the person to eat or not eat food, as desired (as long as prana is able to become an effective food replacement).
There was one surprising disappointment I discovered from my dry fasting experiences though, and that was that I did not feel a boost to my immune response powers during the fasts similar to what I typically feel from taking large amounts of Immune Power. Others have reported improving a cold or flu with a dry fast, so I expected to see an immune boost, but there was no evidence of such in my case.
In that one area I missed the progress I typically feel from the intake of Immune Power in quantities of 20+ caps per day.
I also did not experience the mental acuity characteristic of my 8 days on mostly Vital Cleanse & Nutrify. Quite the opposite. The dehydration and detoxification was pronounced enough to limit mental advancements.
It is possible that had I continued for 4 or 5 days (quite practical for those advanced in fasting, but not recommended for the beginners apart from a gradual transition in the diet to lighter foods and qualified supervision), then both my immune response powers and my mental acuity would have improved. I will only know by going the distance on that one some day.
Complements to Fasting Protocols
What follows are a range of options that complement your fasting with which to accelerate a reset following holiday or family celebrations. What is outlined below is how a fast can be enhanced with herbal formulas that focus on specific system building.
Taking the following recommended herbal encapsulated or powdered System Building Formulas is recommended only when food or veggie blends are involved, but can cause nausea if attempted in any quantity with just fruit blends or on an empty stomach.
During the more restrictive water and dry fasts herbal formulas are designed to be taken before and after the fasts to support the body and leverage the formulas' organ & gland repair powers in conjunction with that of the fast itself.
1. Accelerate Detoxification with Hyssop Mint Tea
Any of the fasting protocols above (except for the dry fast protocol) can be enhanced with the daily consumption of Hyssop Mint Tea. Hyssop is known to produce a deep organ cleansing effect, purging heat and inflammation from the body in an accelerated fashion.
Even the pure water fast can be modified with Hyssop Mint Tea, partially or exclusively, with even more profound results than with just water alone.
Be sure to take clay baths or shower slurries as the detoxification will be intensified, including the likelihood of night sweats, as the body is warmed by the hyssop's cleansing effects, and sweat is the body's natural lymph cleansing mechanism. (The lymph channels are where many of the toxins pass through on their way out of the body).
2. Rebuild the Digestive Powers of the Body with Digestive Bitters and Herbal C
Celebration foods mess with the digestive tract and immune response powers more than any other area. Restoration of the digestive powers can be accomplished by separating your protein/fats/oils from your starches/sugars/fruits/grains. Separate them into two different meals two or more hours apart as needed in order to prevent digestive conflicts in the body.
Digestive Bitters assists in rebuilding the digestive processes of the body by providing a bitter stimulus that produces bile (your fat emulsifier) and a digestive spice stimulus for the pancreas to produce your digestive enzymes naturally.
Herbal C is an alternative digestive aid, milder in its effects, though helpful when added to Digestive Bitters at times when the digestion (or immune system for that matter) is severely compromised.
3. Build Strength Back into the Immune System with Immune Power
When excessive amounts of either sugars, fats, proteins, fruits, or complex carbs are consumed a natural response from pathogenic microbes is triggered. Viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, and yeast/fungus begin to multiply in response in an effort to reduce these excesses to safer levels for the body.
The result, however, is that their growth in numbers (from feeding on the excesses) leaves an excess of toxic excretions from the pathogens themselves. This in turn increases the burden on both the detoxification pathways (the liver, kidneys, bowels, skin, and lymph channels) and the immune system itself.
The herbs within Immune Power help to correct these problems in two ways.
First, by increasing the number of antibodies from the spleen, liver, thymus, lymph glands, and bowels capable of targeting the pathogens,
Second, by improving bile flow (which is one way the body encapsulates toxic waste and purges it from the body). This bile stimulus action is similar to the bitter effect of Digestive Bitters, just not as potent. (Many immune enhancement herbs are also bitter.)
4. Rebalance Blood Sugar Levels with Spleen Builder, BloodSugar Balance and Kidney & Adrenal Builder
Correcting a blood sugar imbalance involves rebuilding the powers of three organs in the body: the spleen, the pancreas, and the adrenal glands.
Sugar is regulated by hormones from the pancreas and the adrenals. Adrenal hormone production is generated, or empowered, by the spleen. The interdependent connection between these organs and glands, if not addressed properly, explains why sugar imbalances and chronic fatigue cannot be corrected until all dietary & nutritional issues affecting these organs and glands are also corrected.
Mother Nature has provided a complement of herbs for these very purposes.
Spleen Builder, BloodSugar Balance, and Kidney & Adrenal Builder address the nutritional needs of these organs & glands. As the organs & glands restore their natural powers the imbalances disappear.
5. Improve Hormonal Balance with Adaptogenic Herbs
Low energy, depression, lack of motivation, timidity, aggression, and manic-depressive mood swings are all based on hormonal imbalances.
There are numerous causes for hormonal insufficiency or over-production, yet Nature has provided us with answers that begin to address the imbalance by simply strengthening the hormone producing glands themselves so they can once again resume their youthful functions naturally.
Adaptogenic herbs are Nature's answer. Their role is to bring extreme highs and lows back to the middle point where ideal balance is found. An adaptogen modulates the extremes, adapting to the unique stresses of the individual to recreate balance.
Of the three formulas referenced above that support the spleen, pancreas, and adrenal glands, Kidney & Adrenal Builder holds an adaptogen base to its formulation.
Three other formulas are composed with a base of adaptogenic herbs for additional reasons: Adaptogen & Mushroom Blend (an all around adaptogenic and immune enhancement formula), Revitalize for Men / Women (focuses on physical stamina & virility), and Energy & Brain Power (provides that extra edge).
Summary
Given the stresses of modern living, the toxic loads, the processed foods, the confusions about diet, and the importance of celebrating with family, getting back on track is most easily accomplished by simply reducing food intake so the body can focus its energy on detoxification and repair.
Due to these very same factors, which fasting protocol is chosen will play a significant role in its effectiveness at doing just that – detoxification and repair. If a more intense fast is selected prior to your body being made ready for that, the results can turn out to cause more harm than good.
Be wise. Gauge your readiness for each fasting level chosen and take the time to progress through the different levels of intensity to allow your body to adjust gradually.
Dietary preferences will naturally change as the body gets cleaner with each progressive fast. So it's OK to take your time in making these changes as well, unless of course, the crisis is already upon you, and the diet needs to change radically now to avert a worsening.
Frequent, even daily clay baths or shower slurries can allow a faster movement through the lighter to more intense fasting protocols, as the risk of stirring up toxins, only to have them reabsorbed again. is diminished considerably with each clay bath or shower slurry.
There is no more effective way to get toxins out of the body than to get clay on the skin, preferably all over at once, to allow toxins from the lymphatic system, the blood, and the skin itself leave the body permanently, thus eliminating any chance of reabsorption.
Additional measures in the form of System Builder Formulas taken before, during, and/or after a fast can accelerate the benefits of a fast by strengthening the organs and glands that have been most heavily affected by lifestyle habits, toxins, and diet.
In truth, fasting is one of the most ancient remedies of all time, and deserves to be utilized gently and effectively now to address the unusual volume of stresses that face the human being on earth today. Fasting is one of the most primal of remedies for quickly restoring health, youthfulness, and vitality.
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