Many of our health problems begin in the digestive system. The intestines designed to digest and evacuate everything that comes to them. However, inappropriate combination of foods, junk food, consumption of the refined white sugars, candy, white flour, allopathic drugs (especially aspirin, "pain killers" and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and hormones) and other environmental factors debilitate intestines, make them unable to work properly.

Pieces of undigested food that stick to the mucous membranes of intestines, begin to decay and poison everything around them. These toxins affect intestines themselves, produce gas, bloating, irritation, inflammation, can cause chain of different intestinal diseases with cancer at the end. Also, these toxins are absorbed by intestinal walls, go into the blood and affect other parts of the body.

What therapeutic techniques can be used to recover intestines, assist them in working properly? The simplest technique is cleansing with an enema. However, enemas can cleanse only a small part of the intestines. Dr. B. Jensen designed a technique called colonics in which water delivered by a long tube can reach most parts of the large intestine (colon).

Both enema and colonics have the same drawbacks. These techniques can only cleanse part of large intestine. They can not totally cleanse the mucous membranes even after many sessions. Enemas and colonics produce mechanical irritation of the mucous membranes. Because of using unnatural amount of water, they expand the intestines, making them weaker.

Experiments show that using cleansing powders or herbal formulas may not be very effective.

Few cleansing techniques offered by yoga. Most are difficult to perform for average person not experienced in yoga. Only one technique - Shunk Prakshalon (or Varisana) can be used by most of us. This technique is very simple and very effective. During this procedure of cleansing, water consumed by mouth comes to the stomach, and then, with assistance of very simple exercises, passes through all intestines before elimination.

This procedure does not expend the intestines because water naturally moves through the intestines without abnormal accumulations. It does not produce mechanical irritation of mucous membranes because no tube needs to be used. It does completely clean stomach, small and large intestines. Osmotic pressure makes absorption of salty water attracts part of the liquid from blood back to the intestines. This back flow cleanses mucous membranes to the layer of the glycocalyx. This technique also promotes cleansing of liver, gallbladder and biliary ducts. Studies show that there can be a positive effect on pancreatic function, especially in diabetes.

Contraindications: peptic ulcer, acute gastritis, acute colitis, dysentery, acute appendicitis, tuberculosis of the colon, cancer of the colon. This kind of problems should be healed first. This technique cannot be used by persons unable to do exercises (colonics or cleansing powders can be recommended).

Alternate drinking of one glass of salty water with four special exercises (described below). First bowel movement should occur after 4 - 5 glasses of water and it usually is regular, hard stool. After that it gets softer and watery, and then you evacuate water only. After the first few cleansing sessions water will more likely remain yellow. That happens from bile, accumulated on the liver, gallbladder and biliary ducts (another positive effect - stimulation evacuation of bile excess and impurities).

For persons with severe bloating, gas or constipation, the first time cleansing can be unsuccessful: no bowel movement at all. If you have no bowel movement after 6 glasses, do not drink more water, continue to do exercises. If it still does not work, an enema can help to get rid of blockage. After first bowel movement drink water and exercises can be continued. Bowels shouldn't be evacuated by force, because it causes hemorrhoids. Usually you do not have to do exercises after your stool became watery, only continue to drink water. However, if after all efforts there is still no bowel movement, you should stop cleansing and try it again in a week. It is absolutely safe to have even more then 6 glasses of water in intestines. You will urinate this water in a few hours.

In case of successful cleansing, some additional reactions, such as mucous discharge from nose or throat may take place. White-coated tongue is another common reaction. All this will disappear in 20 - 30 minutes and is a part of normal detoxification process.

Breath even and deep, concentrate on abdomen area (all four exercises involve twisting of the abdomen, which opens sphincters of our digestive system and allow water to pass through).

Each of these exercises takes approximately 10 - 15 seconds. If after four glasses of water you begin filling nauseous (indication that water did not leave the stomach), repeat the first exercise a few more times without drinking more water. Light palm pressure on your stomach area also can help in this case. After nausea is gone, continue drinking and exercising.

One hour after cleansing you can drink and eat. However, in case of great thirst, immediately after cleansing water is allowed. First meal should consist of plain white rice or noodles (tomato sauce is optional). Cooked vegetables can be used for a second meal. Eating animal food within a day of cleansing is not advisable. Water or herbal teas can accompany meals. Use row vegetable or fruit juices before second or third meal. I recommend drinking Irish Moss tea before first meal after cleansing. It relaxes mucous membranes of the intestines and protects them from irritation. If the bowels are clean you will feel no hunger after cleansing, but you should still eat something in an hour. This is important after the initial cleansing. You can return to your regular diet the following day.

A short, 3 - 5 days fast one or more times a year is advisable for everybody. Only after 3 days of fasting does our organism start to cleanse blood and lymphatic systems.

About 20 years ago somebody brought me one of H. Shelton's books about fasting. That book really impressed me. I did not have any health problems, but decided to fast to preserve my health. That was my first two and a half-day classical water fast. The result was amazing: I felt great, had a lot of energy, my brain was very clear and productive. However, that was after I broke the fast. During the fast I was very hungry, did not feel good, and experienced what one could call real suffering. Surely, the fear of being hungry has prevented many people from fasting.

Later, after two years of experimenting with the Shunk Prakshalon cleansing technique, I decide to use it during the fast. In Medical School I learned that the feeling of hunger originates in our intestines. Peristalsis, a wavelike movement in hollow tubes of the digestive system, reflexively stimulates the center of hunger in hypothalamus. Peristalsis is induced by digesting food, which distends the walls of the tubes. I thought that if the intestines are clean, there should not be any peristalsis and feeling hungry.

Absence of hunger also occurs during some acute health problems, for example in a case of pneumonia. There, absence of appetite is a reaction of your body's defense mechanism and indicates that food should not be taken. One to two days of fast could be enough for an organism with pneumonia to heal itself. It would take three or more weeks to suppress pneumonia with antibiotics or other allopathic drugs.

In the description of the Shunk Prakshalon cleansing technique, it was recommended to start eating no later than two hours after the cleansing. However, there was no explanation why we should do that. I could not find any reason not to wait longer, it seemed safe.

I tried not to eat four hours after the cleansing, did not feel any problem and was not hungry! That worked! Then I decided to fast after the cleansing, which was very easy (that was four and half days fast), and successful. Since that time this new technique of fasting has been used successfully by my family members and my clients.

The fast can be done at any time of the year, but during the warm weather your body will use less energy to heat itself. On the second day of the fast and later, many people feel an excess of energy, ability to work more than usually, and need less time for sleeping. However, you should not do any working out (except exercises necessary for cleansing) and hard physical or mental work. It will take your energy away and slow down the process of detoxification and rejuvenation.

There is no special preparation to the fast. However, before your first fast I recommend to cleanse the digestive system few times. Absence of hunger after cleansing the digestive system is an indication that you are ready to fast. You have to start the fast in the morning with the Shunk Prakshalon cleansing. Do not eat very late the night before, and do not use heavy proteins in your last meal -- the food has to be digested before the cleansing.

After the cleansing drink water only when you feel thirsty or dehydrated. Water should be plain: distilled, spring or mineral. As always, never drink tap water from the sink. During the fast you should cleanse every day because your intestines reabsorb wastes and toxins from other parts of the body and you have no bowel movements to evacuate them. Cleansing can be done at any time of the day. However, the last cleansing is better to do at night before the day you break the fast.

On the second and sometimes third day of the fast you will have a lot of white-yellow coating in the mouth (especially on the tongue). Use a spoon or toothbrush to remove it. It is advisable to brush your teeth two-three times a day during the fast.

Do not take your nutritional supplements during the fast. However, constitutional homeopathic remedies (if you use one) are allowed to be taken. Consult your physician if you regularly take allopathic medication.

Experience shows that four days of my fast are equivalent to approximately ten days of classical water fast. There are a few indications that detoxification was completed: the color of urine getting light (it is usually dark in the beginning of the fast); disappearing of white-yellow coating in the mouth; disappearing of all aches and pains; feeling of lightness in the body. Fasting longer than ten days should be done under professional supervision only. The indication to break a long fast is the return of the hunger.

It is better to break the fast better in the morning, so you will have the whole day to activate your digestive system. In books about fasting you can find different ways of how to break the fast. I experimented with many of them and found it is best to start with glass of cold water, followed by fruit juice (8oz. or 200ml.) with the pulp. I make my own juice from banana, apple, kiwi fruit and strawberries with a "Champion" (pressure kind) juicer. Half of an apple or banana can be eaten two hours after the juice. You can have the following meals every two-three hours, and the amount of food can be gradually increased. The first half of the day, it is better to eat fruits (any kind you like). Vegetables will be good to eat on the second half of the day. On the second day you can return to your regular (healthy) diet. However, if your fast exceeded five days, you should use the raw diet longer (approximately one day of raw diet per five days of fast). Never mix raw vegetables and fruits in one meal (the same rule for juices), that combination is hard to digest.

Liver Flash

Liver flash can also be improved by conjunction with the Shunk Prakshalon cleansing technique. Liver flash is a valuable technique to detoxify the liver. It also removes stagnated bile and small gallstones from the liver, gall bladder and bile ducts.

Contraindications: big, painful gallstones (they should be dissolved first); cancer of liver. The approach of classical homeopathy can be used in both cases.

Liver flash is also more effective after a few times of cleansing the digestive system.

Swallow one mouthful of oil and the same amount of lemon juice. Wait 10 - 15 minutes and, if you feel no nausea, take another portion of oil and lemon juice. If you feel nausea, wait longer and/or make the oil warmer. Repeat this until both glasses are empty. After that you can lay down, watch TV, read etc., but keep the heat on the liver region another hour. Than go to sleep. At 11 P.M. or later (more often in the morning) you will have liquid stool with all of your accumulations.

The next day, you should not eat meat or other heavy proteins. One glass of carrot juice, 30 minutes before the first meal, is a good addition to this procedure.

The techniques described above are directed to restore the totality of the person's health. They do not suppress symptoms of disease and therefore, can be adjunctive to the approach of Natural Medicine. They can also just be used by themselves to eliminate acute health problems, such as upper respiratory problems.