Toxins: Effects and How to Remove

Just like water can't flow properly through a drain that is blocked, our blood circulation and hence the nutrient absorption won't be efficient if there are toxins in our blood.
Examples of some effects of the presence of toxins in the body:

• Skin problems like acne, skin allergies, rashes
• Kidney stones
• Chronic fatigue and low energy levels
• Swelling
• Stomach irritations
• Altered metabolism (which can lead to obesity)
  
• Weakened immunity due to low absorption of nutrients
• Even cancer in serious cases
  

Toxins are absorbed from the environment or because some chemicals are produced in the body due to negative emotions. Toxins accumulate because our body is unable to excrete those in some way. Some most common reasons for toxin accumulation:

• Improper breathing
• Lack of exercise
• Low fluid intake
• Negative thoughts and beliefs, stress
• Improper diet
• Incomplete excretion of waste products
  

 Ways to purify blood (rakta shodhan in Sanskrit) and the body by removing the toxins:

• Proper breathing: 80% of the toxins are removed from the body via the breath. For more details on breathing, check out my post.
• Yoga and yoga breathing routines like Pranayama: This calms the mind and removes stress which can be a major cause in the toxin build-up.
  
• Sweating: Sweat is another way the body releases toxins. The ideal way to sweat would be to exercise but one could also use sauna once in a while or other ways to sweat.
• Regular exercise: Exercise improves blood circulation and aids in the proper functioning of body organs and produces sweat.
  
• Drink lot of fluids: Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water (more if you sweat a lot). You can also have juices or add something to water like lemon juice, electrolytes, glucose etc to replenish the loss of essential electrolytes from the body. In fact, warm water with the juice of 1 lemon taken in the morning on an empty stomach is a great liver detoxifier, and has been shown to aid in weight loss.
  
• Ayurvedic blood cleansing: You could try some commercially available ayurvedic compositions used for cleansing the blood and the body. You could also use some herbs that aid in cleansing the blood like Neem, Triphala, Turmeric, Manjishta.
  
• Diet improvements: Include food in your diet that naturally helps cleanse the body - fiber rich foods like whole grains, green vegetables, fruits etc. And avoid processed food, food containing preservatives or any kind of chemicals in it.
  
• Fasting: Various forms of fasting could be regularly undertaken to let the digestive system remove toxins. You could go on a fruit fast for a day where only fruits and water are had during the whole day (you could have an early dinner to make it easier). You could also go for a complete fast where only water is had during the day. The first few times fasting would seem difficult but after that you would notice a feeling of being active, light and your thoughts would improve. Fasting is supposed to make the mind calm and is suitable for meditation. Make sure you start fasting with one day at a time - maybe once in a week or ten days. Ensure that you don't indulge in too much eating the next day. Fasting will be effective if we have a regular balanced diet during the non-fasting days.
  
• Go caffeine free: Or at least reduce the intake of caffeine.
• Sleep well: Have a regular sleep schedule so that the body has enough rest and the biological cycle is well maintained.
  
• Ayurvedic Massage: Massage improves blood circulation. Upon absorption through the skin, the medicated oils help to remove toxins from the system.

Please share your experiences or any more suggestions for toxin removal. Also, it would be great to hear from you after you use these techniques.
More later!

Health and Breathing

Before reading further, take a deep breath in and as you exhale, consciously feel your body and mind "RELAXING".
What could be more natural than breathing? But most of us don't realize that breathing — an act that we do some 20,000 times each day — is more than just our method of surviving, it deeply influences our health and happiness. I was unaware too until I started practicing yoga. Yoga incorporates breathing exercises (pranayama) in order to find the balance between mind and body; improving health and happiness. The heavy emphasis on breathing within yoga got me interested in researching more about this simple daily activity and I wanted to share what I found.
Chemically, breathing is a process of combustion of fuel using oxygen that releases energy and the bi-products of carbon dioxide, water and other waste products – here food is the fuel and energy released is what we use to walk, eat, run etc.
Just like for a car to be efficient, its engine has to be efficient during combustion, similarly, for a body to be efficient in absorbing nutrients and removing waste/toxins, its “combustion process” - breathing - has to be correct.
Consider the following facts:

• Science has proven that cancer is anaerobic - it does not survive in high levels of oxygen.
• Shortness of breath and heart disease are directly linked.
• Studies have shown that there is a high correlation between high blood pressure and poor breathing.
• Most emotional issues, including depression, result from the nervous system being out of balance. And breathing drives the nervous system.
• Research has suggested that fast, shallow breathing can cause: Fatigue, sleep disorders, anxiety, stomach upset, heartburn, gas, muscle cramps, dizziness, visual problems, chest pain and heart palpitations.
• Optimal Breathing helps to promote weight loss as oxygen burns fat and calories.
• Breathing well is the key to sleeping well and waking up feeling rested.
• Breathing provides 99% of our energy.
• Virtually every health condition and human activity is improved with Optimal Breathing.

Here's what happens when we breathe: Breathing oxygenates every cell and organ of our bodies. Oxygen purifies our blood by removing poisonous waste products. Irregular breathing will reduce oxygen supply, hamper this purification process and cause waste products to remain in circulation. Digestion will then become irregular, leaving tissues and organs undernourished. This will ultimately lead to fatigue and heightened anxiety states.
Have you noticed that when you are in stress your shoulders rise up and you breathe quickly and shallow? I want you to try breathing like that right now – do you realize that it produces more stress and breathlessness? Now, if you breathe slowly and up to the stomach, can you see the stress go away immediately? This is the most basic way to deal with stress. Even most of the self-help books suggest breathing deeply to relax before going for an interview or before delivering a speech.
Most people these days are "shallow breathers" — they use only the narrow top portion of the lungs. Now, the question would be "How does our breath become fast and shallow?" The major reasons are:

• We are in a hurry most of the time. And our movements and breathing follow this pattern.
• The increasing stress of modern living makes us breathe more quickly and less deeply.
• Modern technology and automation reduce our need for physical activity and there is less need to breathe deeply.
• There is increased exposure to pollution. As a result, the body instinctively inhales less air to protect itself.

Performing incorrect breathing habits over time can lead to permanent problems such as fatigue, weakened immune system, insomnia etc.
Breathing is the only bodily function that we do both voluntarily and involuntarily. So, the good news is that these habits are reversible. With regular practice we can breathe correctly most of the time, even while asleep.
The first rule for correct breathing is that we should breathe through the nose. This may seem obvious, but many people breathe mostly through the mouth. The nose has various defense mechanisms to prevent impurities and particles and excessively cold air from entering the body that may injure the lungs if you breathe through the mouth.
Now, the second step in proper breathing is to breathe through the abdomen. To practice that, lie down on the floor with your legs straight, arms at your sides, your palms up, and your eyes closed. Take time to relax your body and breathe freely. Keep your left hand on your chest and right hand on your stomach. Breathe through your nose and as you breathe, if only the left hand seems to rise and fall, your breathing is shallow and you are not properly using the lower part of your lungs. The chest and abdomen should rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale. This inhale and exhale process should continue comfortably and smoothly. This correct breathing is effortless and comes naturally to us. If you practice this correct breathing daily, it will eventually become involuntary and won’t require any conscious effort.
Using and learning proper breathing techniques is one of the most basic steps that can be taken to improve our physical and emotional health.

Healing is Natural to Body

Health and happiness is our natural state. Whenever there is any disturbance - emotional/dietary/environmental - only then is that natural state disturbed.
But the great news is that everyone of us can get back to a great health, to our natural state of being - all it needs is an "UNDO" - to unlearn the way of life that created that disease in the first place.

Watch this amazing talk below by Dr. Dean Ornish at a TED conference.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dean_ornish_on_healing.html

Headaches

Almost every one of us has experienced a headache in our lives. Some have it throbbing, some have it on the forehead, some have it on one side of the head. Whatever the kind of headache, it's annoying especially for people who have frequent headaches or have some kind of chronic headaches or migraines.
I've myself had migraines for many years since childhood. But I've had an enormous relief during the past one year.
During my quest to cure myself of the headaches, I've learned a lot about the reason for these aches and have reduced the frequency of my headaches and can most of the times even get relief from a headache without medication.
Some of the possible reasons for headaches:

• Stress
• Self Criticism
• Negative belief about certain conditions inducing headaches (e.g., sun, strong smells, certain foods etc.)
• Feeling of being out of flow in life

How to Cure:

• Get comfortable with the reasons for your headaches - For example, most of my headaches were induced by going out in the bright sun. I came across a technique called "Sunning" (by William Bates) to make myself and my eyes comfortable in sun. You can benefit from the sun by simply letting the sun shine on your closed eyelids for about a minute or two. Close you eyelids and face the sun. Then, move your head slowly such that the sun rays warm even the corners of your eyes and the temples. Breathe deeply while sunning and enjoy the sun energizing your eyes and forehead. Do NOT open your eyes while doing this and facing the sun. To avoid any harmful effects due to ultraviolet radiations and for best results, perform this in the morning or evening. This technique is part of the Bates method for improving vision. Sunning is an ancient tradition in India. Sun is the source of life and sunlight energizes the entire visual system. 
• Relax - There could be many techniques like a head or a body massage, sleeping, enjoying with friends, dancing or whatever you like. I have devised a simple exercise that could make you feel relaxed anywhere and anytime and helps while you are having a headache. While taking a deep and slow breath in, feel yourself getting relaxed, imagine the oxygen you breathe relaxing your nerves in the head, your pain melting away, your eyebrows and the skin around your forehead relaxing, glow coming back to your skin and you enjoying this simple yet exhilarating breath. Then breathe out all the stress and feel the pain getting released and the headache going away. The headache may go away in a few breaths or a few minutes. 
• Tea - Sometimes a simple cup of tea can help during a headache. 
• Aromatherapy - Some herbs like lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus can help a headache. There are balms or aromatherapy gels/lotions that can be used to massage the head. 
• Practice yoga and meditation - Practicing regularly will eliminate your stress and headaches and will also help you maintain an overall great health. This will also improve your breathing. So, this is a great catch - while curing your headaches, also get a great mind and body and reduce weight :) 
• Get your vision tested - Sometimes headaches may be due to eyesight fluctuations. So, make sure that's not one of the reasons. 
• Love yourself and forgive yourself  - This is most important and is vital if you want to lead a healthy and happy life. So, whenever you catch yourself criticising yourself or someone else or a situation, use some wisdom from Shakespeare - realize that life is just a stage and we are all actors here :) 
• Life is perfect - Just be sure that all is well in life and nothing happening around you deserves stress. The happiness is in enjoying the moment NOW.

I hope this helps you the next time you have a headache.
I'd be happy to hear your stories about relieving headaches, please leave your comments..