Latest at the Office

The summer is in full swing. Tucson and the desert southwest heat up and then at the beginning of July the monsoons come. It is sprinkling lightly as I write this note to you! We are so thankful for rain in the Sonoran Desert.

I spent a week in Las Vegas at the annual meeting of the International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy. I actually was able to drive this year as Las Vegas in about 7.5 hours from Tucson. The temperatures coming and going reached at least 110-115� F. The road heads through Wickenburg, a small cowboy town almost halfway between Tucson and Las Vegas. A dear friend of mine runs an ice cream parlor and juice bar there. What a combo!

I stopped each way and got a big fruit smoothie and the big ahaa! I had the choice of adding bee pollen. I forgot all about bee pollen. It is a great source of protein, a very simple and easily digestible food. I had the berry special, with apple, banana, lemon and bee pollen plus 3 different types of berries. I recall eating bee pollen years ago as part of my breakfast before I climbed to the highest point of the Rockies and Colorado - Mt. Elbert - one of the fourteeners, which peaks at over 14.000 feet!

What could be better in summer but smoothies and raw juices? It is a great time to lighten up, lean down, consume more liquids and get healthy. So, after I returned home, I found some great local bee pollen at the health food store and stocked up. I decided I wanted to start juicing raw vegetables again, so I stocked up on carrots, celery, beets, cucumbers, zucchini, chard, broccoli, basil; the list goes on. I see that my pattern is to juice about a quart or more every other day. It is a great way to recover from the week away from home, the road trip, and it's a great way to get the extraordinary alkalizing minerals that our bodies so desperately need. The smoothies are also a great way for me to begin my morning and sometimes, to have in place of dinner.

What is the purpose of many of the cleanses that I offer, especially the Arise and Shine 7-day Cleanse? The purpose is to alkalize our bodies. We consume so many acidic foods. Almost all foods are acid forming. The alkalizers are the fruits and vegetables and very little else. That is why fruits and vegetables need to be the base of the diet. Disease forms in an acid environment.

I want to encourage you over the summer to consider alkalizing, cleansing and taking time for yourself. I feel like I am in that mode now, as I gear up for the smoothies and vegetable juicing. I plan to do the 7-day cleanse again - hopefully next week - and let go of the next level of waste, be it physical, emotional or mental. I am so ready.

The colonics are the perfect accompaniment to the cleanses. On the 7-day cleanse, people take a colonic at the beginning, middle and end. For the liver flushes at least two are recommended - one at the beginning and end. Here are some good liver flush links you can investigate if you choose to go that route.

	www.ener-chi.com Andreas Moritz has written extensively on the liver and diet, a firm believer in the vegan way. One client did his cleanse 12 times and looks 12 years younger, lost her symptoms and did it while being a mom to 3 teenage kids.
	www.herbdoc.com Dr. Schulze in California. This is my favorite. I had a big breakthrough where I could feel acid leaving my liver, a big dump right into my gut! The liver dumps its bile into the small intestines.
	theherbfinder.com This was my first liver cleanse. They use the orthophosphoric acid in apple juice to break down the build up in the liver tubules plus other ingredients.
	www.drclark.com and www.drclark.net Dr. Hulda Clark is a biochemical genius and it widely known for her cleanses. My most often repeated cleanse of hers is for parasites, which is 17 days long.

So get with yourself, get a plan, calm yourself down, slow down, do some self-healing over the summer and combine your cleansing with the colonics. Give a call any time to set up an appointment or ask for guidance. .

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Office Space Available for Holistic Practitioner

I have a beautifully appointed office and private room available for someone in the holistic field. If you are a body worker, acupuncturist, therapist and so forth and need a great space, give me a call at (520) 325-9686 or send an email.

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Continuing Education

I spent 5 days at the IACT (International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy) annual meeting in Las Vegas, NV from June 17-21. I drove up Monday in time for the meetings on Tuesday of the Instructors, (I am one), the Schools and the Education committee meeting. IACT is revising their educational syllabi and I wanted to be updated on the latest thinking.

Also, 103 individuals were testing out to be instructors of colon hydrotherapy and we had to have very organized Instructor Evaluators for this big crowd. On Wednesday, all 103 practitioners gave a talk with power point or overheads on GI Anatomy and Physiology. It is amazing how many ways one can teach the anatomy and physiology of the GI system. Clearly, the emphasis is on the education of colon therapists and the anatomy and physiology of our big gastrointestinal tracts is very important. Not just for us, but for you, too.

The conference officially began Thursday morning and ended Saturday evening. Topics included Cleansing the Emotional Body Through Radical Forgiveness, Tools to Nurture Yourself While Educating Your Clients to Digestive Wellness, Legislation Options and Getting Started, Survey Results, Scientific and Case History Review, Round Table Discussion with the Board, Anatomy & Physiology - Developing an Intake Form and The Tooth and Gut Connection.

Some big changes are taking place in the education of a colon hydrotherapist. The main changes include a prerequisite of a minimum 30-hour Anatomy and Physiology course for entering a Foundations Program, and a 100-hour residential program instead of a 50-hour residential program. This doubles the time the student will be taking classes. This is an excellent move in the right direction. New syllabi were distributed for the Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor level Programs.

Another big move, and very important to the field, is that more colon hydrotherapists around the country are seeking state licensing for colon hydrotherapy in their respective states. I met wonderful teams from Washington, California and North Carolina that are taking the process of licensure to their legislature for approval. IACT has created a legal document as a template from which to start. It is a daunting task, however, in Arizona as we just completed state licensure for massage therapy - which has been a blessing for all.

Donna Gates is the speaker that addressed nurturing ourselves while educating clients to digestive wellness. I guess that means I have to be multi-tasking! What I got out of that talk was her thoughts on the adrenals. Two years ago I was diagnosed with adrenal deterioration and fatigue. I need to retest and I took her words to heart. She said the adrenals need nutrients hourly. She suggested we be quiet and still after a colonic so the adrenals are not activated. In addition, we need to alkalize our blood to cleanse our cells. I mentioned alkalizing earlier in this note.

Donna Gates' 4 Steps to Healing

1. Correct digestion
2. Conquer infections
3. Cleanse toxins
4. Create energy

That is where I got the idea to begin raw vegetable juicing again. She encouraged the daily use of green drinks using celery, romaine, zucchini and so forth. I do add a little carrot and beet to my drinks but I do want a majority of greens. They are the best alkalizers! In addition, they are such a tonic for the adrenals.

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Sheila's Blog (or Glog - Gut Log)

A Kayak Adventure

This is for the exercise buffs that live near Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hope Sound, FL or wish to travel a bit to meet us. Camping is available in the park, too. Hope Sound is just north of Palm Beach county FL.

I am heading home a day early for a family reunion in Juno Beach on August 13, Wednesday. The next morning, August 14, Thursday, I am leading a little kayaking trip on the Loxahatchee River in the park. It will take from 3-4 hours. We arrive at the rental concession in the park at 8:45 AM, get our boats and gear, haul them down to the water and enjoy a peaceful paddle down the river a few hours to Trapper Nelson�s and then back up. No rapids, currents.

They have 9 double kayaks and 15 singles. The doubles go for $33.93 per boat and the singles go for $28.61 per boat for the 4 hours. Safety jackets and paddles are included. Get into your fluid body on the fluid river! Let me know if you want to join me. Email [email protected] or call (520)325-9686.

A Colonic Adventure

I am finishing this note with some more notes from the recent IACT meeting. I listened to a talk from a Dr. Yong from Singapore who is doing some very good research on colonics, defining it as a field, etc. Here are some of my notes. We are beginning to define our field more clearly. His thoughts:

What are we assessing during colon hydrotherapy?
We are assessing levels of hydration, stagnation (volume of waste) and contraction (resistance or peristalsis).

Why do people receive colonics?
One, cleansing for health maintenance
A. Support the function of elimination
B. Support detox programs of bowels, liver, fasting, parasite, kidneys, other
Basically, to improve health and well-being

Two, cleansing for health problems
Constipation, indigestion, functional bowel disorders, other health problems underlying bowel problems, adjuvant therapy for cancers and other chronic health problems.

Three, prep for colonoscopy, endoscopy, radiologic studies, pre and post surgery.

What is the primary role of the colon hydrotherapist?
Our primary role is to support evacuation of waste from the colon and secondarily to assess bowel function i.e. levels of stagnation, hydration, and contraction and to assure safety.

That's a wrap. I hope you have a wonderful summer. I notice that when I drink the raw juices, my brain feels clearer and I am more optimistic. That's a good sign.

Be in touch.

Sheila Shea