Just a Pinch of Salt

I've done a lot of different cleanses in my short life, and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!!  While nothing I have tried has compared to the effectiveness of Isagenix's Cleanse for Life, there have been a few things that definitely have had benefits, and actually increase the effectiveness of the Isagenix systems.  One of those such things is Epsom salt baths. 

Did you have any idea that taking a bath could not only clean the outside of your body, but the inside as well?!  No, I'm not suggesting you drink soapy bath water.  That's just disgusting!  (Especially if you've already sat in the bath water *gagging*).What I am suggesting is adding a pinch-- or maybe a couple cups--of Epsom salt to your tub (with water of  course), then sit back and literally watch as toxins leave your body. Be prepared to be awed (or nauseated)!


So how exactly does Epsom salt detox the body, you ask? Well Epsom salt really isn't salt at all. It's actually magnesium sulfate. Most of us know about the importance of iron and calcium for our bodies, but what about magnesium? It is the second most abundant element in human cells and the fourth most important positively charged ion in the body. It helps the body regulate over 325 enzymes and plays an important role in organizing many bodily functions, like muscle control, nerve function, electrical impulses, energy production, the absorption of nutrients, and the elimination of harmful heavy metals and toxins.  It is also great at reducing inflammation (a problem many of us seem to have according to Dr. Colgan) which relieves pain and muscle cramps,  helps to prevent artery hardening and blood clots, and makes insulin more effective.  Oh, and did I mention it can help ease migraine headaches. =)

Sadly, even though magnesium is so vital to our level of wellness, our magnesium levels have dropped by half in the last century due to changes in agriculture and diet.  Industrial farming has depleted magnesium from soil and the typical American diet contains much less magnesium than that of our forefathers. And in fact, the modern American diet with its fat, sugar, salt and protein actually works to speed up the depletion of magnesium from our bodies.

What are we going to do!?!

Another factor in decreased magnesium levels has been our focus on getting enough calcium. It’s a delicate dance–calcium depletes magnesium yet calcium functions best when enough magnesium is present. Studies indicate that taking a calcium supplement without enough magnesium can increase the shortage of both nutrients. Researchers have found that many Americans have five times as much calcium as magnesium in their bodies, although the proper ratio for optimum absorption of both minerals is two to one.

I know what you're thinking.  You're wondering when Isagenix is going to come up with a solution to this widespread magnesium deficiency.  The answer is, they already have!  It's called IsaFlush (aka a magnesium supplement).  BUT!! studies show that magnesium is not easily absorbed through the digestive tract. The presence of specific foods or drugs, certain medical conditions, and the chemistry of a person’s stomach acid can render magnesium supplements ineffective.

*Dun-Dun-Dun!!!* Hence the Epsom salt bath! Studies have shown increased magnesium levels from soaking in a bath enriched with Epsom salt, because Magnesium and sulfate are both easily absorbed through the skin.  Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it.


Allow me to tell you a little story.  I started the Isabody Challenge on December 12, 2011.  At that time I had been heavily medicated for a mental illness and mental disorder for a year and a half.  One of the main reasons I started the challenge was to get off of the medications. I had tried multiple times prior to the challenge, but failed everytime.  My body and brain were hooked to them.  I would go a few weeks without any pills, and then would have to get back on them because of the withdrawals I experienced.  When I started the challenge, I quit taking the meds, cold turkey.  After cleansing multiple days, I took an Epsom salt bath.  I had taken these baths before, but never when I was cleansing, and never when I had been on medication.  I typically took the baths the help with muscle soreness, but the effects of this cleansing bath were SICK!  in both senses of the word--awesome and disgusting!  I had filled my jacuzzi tub with hot water and about 2 pounds of Epsom salt.  I climbed in ready to relax.  After about 1 minute of having the jets on, my relaxation  was abruptly disturbed.  All of a sudden there were large bubbles floating around the tub with an orangish-brown, clay looking substance coating them.  IT FREAKED ME OUT! I practically jumped right out of the tub.

Gross exhibit #1

 This had never happened before.  I wasn't sure whether to believe the gew was toxins or just dirt from the tub.  I decided to take another bath the next day.  This time, I had just finished Bikram yoga, so I had been sweating perfusely for 90 minutes, and I had showered, and I cleaned the tub ahead of time.  I was ruling out any possibility of the sludge being dirt residue.  Once again, after about one minute of the jets, **deep voice** the sludge was back!

Gross exhibit #2

Me being the quack that I am, I took a sample of the mystery sludge to our science teacher to run a few tests.  Sure enough, CSI-SLC confirmed the mystery substance was the left over meds leaving my body, along with some heavy metals. Mystery Solved!

I continued to take Epsom salt baths every time I cleansed during the challenge, and I still take them about every other week.  While there are many different brands of Epsom salt, they are all the same product chemically.  So get out there are and start cleaning your insides! =)

When Life Gives You Lemons...

When life gives you lemons, you have two options:

1) Squeeze them into peoples' eyes x(

2) Use them to cleanse your body naturally =D

Lemon juice (in its natural form, not that stuff you buy in the green bottle) has many natural detoxifying qualities.

• Its acidic qualities help break down food in your stomach for better digestion in two ways. Obviously it is acidic in and of itself, which breaks down food, but also, it stimulates the stomach to produce more digestive juices. The more efficiently your stomach breaks down food, the less work your liver has to do.
• Lemons aid in digestion by ensuring that all food gets digested; sometimes food particles find their way into the bloodstream and then to the liver. This puts a heavy strain on the liver causing the liver to need detoxing. The digestive aid of lemon juice prevents food from entering the bloodstream. 
• Your liver is part of your body’s built-in filtration system. Lemon juice is a natural antiseptic, so it helps control harmful bacteria. Not only does this help aid your liver function, but also promotes healthier skin, and even helps soothe minor throat and respiratory problems.
• Lemon juice cleans the liver by aiding in the removal of toxins that can build up in the liver.
• Lemons contain high amounts of vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant inside the body. The liver filters toxins from the blood; after the toxins are filtered out of the bloodstream, they turn into free radicals. Free radicals present a harmful effect on the liver; the vitamin C from a lemon and water mixture counteracts the effects from free radicals.
• Lemon mixed with water is a very alkaline substance, and restores the body's pH balance. Remember that when the body is acidic it can't absorb nutrients, and when we don't absorb nutrients our body tells us to keep eating, and then we get more calories than we need, and then we get plump.

You never knew them little lemons were so powerful now did ya?!  I bet if we had all posted this on our lemonade stands as kids we would have made a lot more money! ;)  

An Apple a Day...

You know that saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"?  Well I like the saying "apple cider vinegar each day keeps the debilitating mucus catarrh at bay."  Bet you haven't heard that one before! =D 
Yes I know, apple cider vinegar (or ACV for those of us that live in the American culture of abbreviating everything) is disgusting!  But, can you honestly tell me that mucus isn't disgusting too?  Mucus inhibits the absorption of nutrients, slows blood circulation and increases blood pressure, increases acidic pH levels, and creates an environment for parasites, fungus, and harmful bacteria to grow, resulting in digestive problems and disease, all of which stimulate weight gain.

Which substance would you rather have in your body? 
Pros and cons, folks...pros and cons.

Here's the skinny on apple cider vinegar:
ACV has long been used as an aid for weight loss and improving health. It is a very safe supplement, even for children.  This is why:

ACV supports detox-
ACV is rich in minerals, vitamins, and other nutritive substances. It contains vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin P, vitamin B1, B2, and B6, as well as the minerals manganese, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, sulpher, copper, phosphorus, silicon, chlorine, and fluorine. ACV also provides enzymes, amino acids, aldehydes, potash, alcoholic acids, propionic acid, and apple pectin. All of these support the bodies filtering systems to detox unwanted toxins and mucus.

ACV helps create an alkaline environment-
The pH level of our bodies is critical to our health. An alkaline body will more readily absorb nutrients. The more acidic we are, the more likely we are to store fat. Overly acidic bodies greatly diminishes the effectiveness of your immune system.The pH of ACV is very beneficial for the body. Even though ACV is an acid, it has an alkalizing effect on the body. When we alkalize our bodies, we absorb more nutrients, which causes us to need to eat less since we are getting the nutrients we need, and thus we lose weight.

ACV promotes fat depletion-
ACV is obtained from the fermentation of apples. Fermentation provides alcoholic apple cider that is combined with oxygen to produce acetic acid. Acetic acid helps prevent the buildup of body fat and certain liver fats, by assisting in breaking down fats so thatyour body can use them rather than store them.

ACV boosts your immune system-
ACV has malic acid in it. Malic acid contains the properties of being an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. 

ACV is an anti-inflammatory-
The acetic acid and active enzymes within the ACV also help the body metabolize protein and absorb the amino acids more effectively. This is a critical step for building healthy hormones and enzymes and repairing tissue. Through these mechanisms, ACV helps to recover from injury, excessive exercise, and states of chronic pain.

SOOOO...long story short, if you what to super charge your body's cleansing abilities, add apple cider vinegar to your daily regimen.  Got a weak stomach?  Quick gag reflex?  No worries!  You ever look at the back of the Isagenix Accelerator capsule?  The main ingredient is ACV!  So if you're not taking it,  get on it!  If you are already taking it, keep doing so.  I'm a double-dipper by nature myself.  So I take the accelerator capsule and ACV capsules every morning.  I notice all the difference in my recovery time between workouts, and the amount of soreness I get.