January 2007
Latest at the Office

Peace In the Gut In the New Year!

I realized after my shower this morning that I experience PEACE in my gut. I want to wish everyone peace in their gut in the New Year. What does that mean, peace in my gut? All I can say is that it was like "warfare" in my gut for so many years not to mention my mind.

My first memories of the warfare were the extreme discomfort of chronic constipation later combined with eating disorders. Others signs were a full weighty feeling in my gut because nothing was moving out, gas, distention, having my gut finally calm down and then pigging out once again or eating an apple and feeling immediate gas pain. One day at the beginning of my dietary change in New York in the mid-seventies, I remember walking down the street and thinking for the first time, I do not have pain in my gut. That is the tip of the iceberg.

In 1995, I read Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall which describes the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). I was over the eating disorders and well along the path of healing constipation when I read it. It all made sense and it was suggested for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). However, it covered those pesky symptoms of gas, bloat, distention and pain. I realize that healing the eating disorders and practicing SCD is bringing about peace in my gut.

I developed some necessary discipline over the years of healing the eating disorders. It's calm down there now. I do not freak out at parties and over the holidays. That's a sense of peace. I can focus on people. I do not have secret binges on complex carbs or fast foods.

One factor that is of immense help is cleansing the gut with water, be it with enemas or colonics. A half-hour to hour session could relieve my gas and pain very quickly.

Another sign of my inner gut peace is that I do not feel cranky, irritable or crabby. That has lessened and I smile much more. My body is thinner around my gut. My gut is flatter. I do not have cravings. I do not run endless inner dialogues about how bad I feel after a binge or overeating episode. I have immense gratitude for the inner gut peace that has come about. I feel blessed to experience this hard-won victory of inner gut peace!

In another vein, as I observe new clients come in, I wonder the best way to educate them about the colon hydrotherapy process. At entry level, many people need 3-5 sessions close together to get the energy moving, to get the waste moving, to stimulate the nerves and muscles to release and to get the logjam broken. Some are disappointed on that first colonic that they do not see a major avalanche moving.

Then there is the deeper cleansing level. Now that you have received some colonics, the next level is informing you that herbal oral intestinal and liver flushes are used to accompany colon hydrotherapy. The herbs allow for a deeper cleanse of the particular organ or organ systems. For example, people can do 5, 6, 7 or 28-day programs depending on the company and cleanse.  You can go more deeply into cleansing doing this. You can remove deeper layers of waste built up on the stomach as well as the small and large intestinal walls. Then you can clear out the liver tubules and restore the liver restorative cells with herbs and diet accompanied by colon hydrotherapy.

So, we have two levels: entry and deeper cleansing. We work with http://www.ariseandshine.com for gut cleansing and http://www.herbdoc.com and http://www.ener-chi.com for liver cleanses. There are many more.

During the deeper cleansing, colonics can be taken daily, every other day, beginning, middle and end, and beginning and ending. Clients have taken colonics in all those ways.

What were some clients doing in December when many others were bogged down with overeating and other holiday indulgences? It's a tough time of year, health-wise. One client finished a 48-day juice fast. Another client embarked on and completed the Arise and Shine 28-day cleanse. One client. home from travels, straddled both holidays with an 8-day cleanse. Others who visited Tucson during the holidays took advantage of the time-off and came in for sessions. So, holidays may be used for cleansing programs to avoid the usual dietary "warfare". "I want it. It's not good for me. I'm already stuffed and I want more."

More clients are asking us how they can prepare for a colonic. One asked‐do you want me to stop eating? That question is asked days before the appointment. I thought, hmmm, maybe the client would like to stop eating altogether to recover from holiday dietary shock! However, whether for constipation or in general, the following steps are best preparation:
  1. Fluids-3-4 quarts daily, water, herb teas or raw juices
  2. Fruits and vegetable only
  3. Fasting only
  4. Rest, meditation, breathing techniques
  5. Exercise

School News

The year is off to a big start. I am involved once again in the state license renewal project for my Colon Hydrotherapy School. We have the great honor of being licensed as a vocational trade school by the AZ ST Board for Private Postsecondary Education.

We are very proud of our new school. Our focus is very much on what is happening with the colonic process and how to facilitate cleansing. It is a proactive approach to cleansing rather than passive, like watching the viewing tube as a spectator.

We are offering apprenticeships in 2007 for some students for up to three weeks of practice and documentation. The prerequisite is certification by a state licensed or I-ACT recognized school.

Classes form monthly and we are now receiving applications for March and April.

School is in session again from February 12-17, 2007. Costs of the colonic sessions are discounted for those who want to volunteer to have the students work on you. Some decide to do a series of 3-6 that week to accompany a cleanse or fast. Give us a call or an email to reserve your time or times.

Continuing Education
My brother, Michael Shea, of http://www.michaelsheateaching.com, is offering a 4-day workshop from April 12-15 in Tucson AZ on Abdominal Visceral Manipulation. The URL may also be found on my site at http://www.sheilashea.com/Visceral_manipulation_2006.pdf.

I attended a continuing education seminar on the Arvigo Mayan Abdominal Massage over January 5-7, 2007. It was outstanding and opened my eyes to a whole new world of working with the gut. I encourage all of you who need CEU's and/or who are contemplating a career in Colon Hydrotherapy to check out the website and follow up: http://www.arvigomassage.com.


Sheila's Blog (or Glog - Gut Log)

Constipation Club Notes  •  Eatin' while travelin', Poopin' while travelin'.

Clients comment frequently how difficult it is to maintain a good diet while traveling. Many years of eating disorders built up my discipline and the desire to feel good, not bad. I got tired of 'feeling bad' physically, emotionally and mentally from what I had eaten. Very often dietary infringements while traveling happen when people are still tempted by fast food or use traveling as an excuse to eat anything. Some people get off track on the trip and keep driving down that road.

Ideas:
  • Have food prepared and in a cooler in your vehicle or in a bag on a plane. Take it with you.
  • Choose the great salads, cut fruits, juices and nuts now in airports.
  • Use traveling as an opportunity to drink more water and/or tea.
  • Use vacation time as an opportunity to go to a healing retreat.
On that last note, I encourage people to take their vacations to retreats that offer raw food, fasting, colonics, yoga, hot springs and the like. Use your vacation to recover, heal, rest and behavior modify. For example, my friend Jill Schneider just sent me a link to her up-and-coming retreats. Go for it!

Circle of Life Juice Fasting   http://www.circle-of-life.net
If you go to this, write me and let me know how it goes so I can let others know.

Please send me any links you have to healing retreats and I will post them in my newsletters and on my links page.