When most people think of learning how to detox at home, they think about the fasting detox that requires you to give up food and drink glasses full of strange inredients. That is one way of detoxifying your body. But if you have never done a detox or it has been a long time since you have done it, you should be aware that going into it with full gusto can be shocking to your body. The best way to detox at home is to go healthy by cutting out foods and substances that are overworking your liver and add foods that have been shown to have beneficial effects.

Detox at Home - Foods You Need / Foods You Don't

Fruits and vegetables will be the mainstay of your detox plan. You can have up to three servings of fruit in a day and unlimited amounts of most vegetables. Do not eat bananas, potatoes or corn. If you eat peas, add them to your servings of legumes rather than counting them as vegetables. All of these are high in sugars and starch. You should get your starch from whole grains and legumes. Whenever possible, eat your food whole or put the fruit or vegetable in a juicer with skins intact. Remember to always wash your fruits and vegetables before eating them!

Twice daily, include whole grains in your diet. If you purchase bread, make sure the bread you buy is 100% whole grain. There should be no refined ingredients. Brown rice and steel-cut oatmeal are good choices for whole grains.

Learning how to detox at home is about learning how to eat a bit differnetly. Do not eat meat or any animal products such as eggs, cheese or milk while you are on your detox at home plan. There are other sources of protein you can use such as beans, raw almonds and unsalted seeds that provide protein and help to detoxify your liver.

There are only two acceptable fats and these are olive oil and canola oil. It is recommended that you have two servings of these a day. A good way to incorporate them is to add them to vinegar or lemon juice to make a dressing. Do not eat mayonnaise, margarine, bottle dressings, vegetable oil or butter.

Your detox at home plan should include a gallon of water or more a day. Water helps to flush out the toxins that are being released into your system. This is essential if you wish to get the detox done quickly and without all the nasty side effects involved.

If you are elderly, you should not detox at home. Do not put young children on this kind of plan. If you are fighting an addiction whether it is to alcohol or drugs do not detox without being under the care of professionals. If you are on prescriptions or have a health concern, talk to your doctor about whether or not a detox at home plan is right for you. Because of the nature of detox, your body will likely react with some harsh symptoms. It is always best to see your doctor before you go on a cleansing diet.

Learning how to detox at home involves an eating plan that is low in calories and as such, should not be maintained for longer than ten days. If you like the way you feel at the end of your detox, you can just add protein from salmon, tuna or chicken as well as low-fat plain yogurt with fruit you blend into it. It is inadvisable to eat more than two servings of fish a week. If you are concerned about anything during your detox at home, you should see a specialist or your family doctor.



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I understand how hard it is to accept that your loved one has hearing problems. But you ought to be happy that this happened in this era that there exists lots of hearing aids that can help. If this had happened many years ago, then you will be faced with a permanent problem. But with the advancement made today with the various hearing aids, that hearing problem surely isn't permanent.

Are you one of those that still marvel at the awesome nature of hearing aids? I do too and can't stop wondering how unique the technology is that makes it possible for the hearing aids to amplify sounds of speech and voice enough for the user to excellently hear and understand what is being said.


If you think your hearing problem can't be solved, I want to tell you that hearing aids have helped lots of people and can help you as well, if you put them to use. Of course not every case of hearing problem can be helped with hearing aids, but it's worth trying.

How often do you change the batteries of your hearing aids? If you don't change them very often, there's every likelihood that this can affect the performance of your hearing aids. So, always ensure to change the batteries as you use them. And always use the best of batteries for your hearing aids.

If you are one of those always wondering how the bone conduction hearing aids work, listen up. These type of hearing aids work by collecting sound from the outside world. Then they transmit the signal they have received to what is called an oscillator. This oscillator then vibrates against the skull. This then makes it possible for the inner ear to pick the vibrations up and interpret as sounds.

Yes, even if you are suffering from what has been termed as permanent hearing loss, hearing aids can help. For example, the implanted bone conduction hearing aids can come very handy for people suffering from permanent hearing loss. But of course, only use this as a last resort.

Don't listen to what society says about hearing aids. Many people with hearing problems don't want to use hearing aids because of what society says or how society looks at them. This is utter rubbish. What's important to you, if you have a hearing problem, is to be able to HEAR! What's your business if everyone thinks it's odd. Tell you the truth - they will laugh at you more if they talk to you and you don't hear. So, go ahead and use your hearing aid and be happy about it.

Always work with your audiologist to guide you in choosing and using the right hearing aid. Don't be like those people with hearing problems that think they know more than everyone else. Such people always end up with more problems than they had in the beginning. Your audiologist is an expert in such matters. They obviously know lots more than you and can help you more than you can help yourself.



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First, what a full body detox is not. It's not just taking pills, even natural ones.

Your body needs a cleanse and a rest from all the hard work it does. This is not a quick fix.

Thus, a whole body detox begins in the mind.

Your body has loved and supported you through all you've done over many years. You've focused on the things you want to do, often taking for granted that your body would be there for you.

In these modern times, people rush through meals and pay little attention to what the body's real needs are.

Are you ready to make a mind shift for the next few weeks and listen to your body?

Recognize the beliefs that hold you back, like the one that all thinking is from your brain.

Drop the false belief. Trillions of cells throughout your body have their own innate intelligence. Through them, the body functions as one unit.

Thank the wonderful body that keeps you going even though it has to deal with so many challenges it was not designed for: insufficient nutrients and minerals, toxins from "food", air toxins, and even electronic interference from cell phones and computers.

Help your body with a 3 week (the body's normal cleansing cycle) full body detox.

More than half the accumulated waste (from years of bad eating, insufficient exercise and otherwise stressful lives) is released during the first 3 weeks.

Life is a great gift, give back to your body. And really listen during this time.

Tired and stressed out?

Take a nap if you can, or rest. Leave off the caffeine.

Be aware of how you feel after meals. Do they leave you feeling groggy and drained?

Then you need to change what you are eating. While digestion itself takes a tremendous amount of energy, it is the types of enzyme-less and nutrient-less foods that leave you completely wiped out after a meal.

It's not normal to feel drained.

Try eating an organic salad of mixed greens and sprouts. Check it out for yourself and see how you feel.

You can learn about doing a full body detox. Begin with your mindset and listen to your body.



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Are you embarrassed by unsightly looking toenails? Don't despair! There is a natural and safe way for you to treat this without the need of a prescription.

The use of fake nails or nail polish does not treat the underlying problem, but will only make it worse. Your nail has a disease that has to be treated. Luckily for you there is a cure out there that someone close to me has tried and which really gives amazing results.

But let us look at how the fungus lives in your toes:

All fungi thrive in places where there is plentiful food, moisture and not too much light. Take mushrooms for example: they mostly, if not always, grow in the woods under shade. Nail fungi infections is not much different. Nail fungi infections can spread extremely easy on moist feet, but when kept dry during infection, the chances of spreading is greatly reduced.

So how do we go about treating nail fungi infections?

If you are looking at preventing nail fungi infections, a good place to start would be to keep those nails trimmed. By doing this, the nail fungi will have much less chance of surviving. Also note that you shouldn't cut them to short or go picking on them, as this might loosen the nail from the nail bed, making it a very comfortable place for the nail fungi infection to settle.

If you have a nail fungi infection and your nails become discolored, you can try to put vinegar on, but that is not always the most effective thing to do. Alternatively you can go see a doctor, but sometimes it can also be another waste of money.

For a very fast cure for discolored, fungal nails, ZetaClear is quite well known and popular because it has been proven to work by a huge amount of fans.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathalie_K

People in general are followers. An example of this, we can see very clearly is the Presidential Race this is going on now in America. You will see Obama' s camp have their group of followers and likewise too Senator McCain's camp too. This is also evident too when it comes to fad diet plans. Nowadays we can find many obese people in their quest to lose weight keep following the latest fad on diet plan.

One of the latest fad diet plan that is fast becoming popular is the Detox diet plan. How effective this plan is hard to say as those who lost weight initially seems to gain it all back. This is because our bodies are already filled with toxins that we pick up from the air we breathe, the water that we drink, the food that we eat and even from what we use everyday. As such any steps that we will seem to be ineffectual. Our bodies has already a natural system which deal with harmful toxins that occurs naturally but it cannot cope with those which comprises of synthetic chemicals introduced into our bodies from our environments. It is not that only adults' bodies are full of toxins; studies have pointed out that even a newborn child inherits loads of toxins from his mother's body. Scientists have also claimed that the detox diets simply do not work the way they should and hence, they are totally unnecessary! The toxins within our bodies cause us to eat more than we should. And at the same time, our body ability to burn the extra calories effectively has diminished. The end results will be that all the excess calories will end up as fats deposited in our bodies. Therefore it will be wise to avoid processed foods like butter, cream and even some cheese as they have toxins in them which are harmful to us.

The best detox diet plan which you can follow is to just avoid foods which had been processed but go for foods that re organically grown. Good examples of good foods are raw fruits, vegetables which can help a person lose weight quickly. Another good thing to do is to drink more water as water will assist our bodies to increase its metabolism rate. Do not take beer, Alcohol, soda & soft drinks. Abstain from foods like white flour & Sugar as well. These types of foods provides your body with nothing except "empty calories" which ultimately gets converted to fats in our bodies. Also look for foods which contain complex carbs like potatoes. These are good for your health. If you want to consume fat, you can eat fishes such as salmon, tuna, etc. as they contain unsaturated fats (as opposed to the saturated fats containing in butter and cream that make you fat). I sincerely hope my detox diet plan helps you with fast weight loss!


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Toenail fungi are basically microscopic organisms which doesn't need sunlight to survive like most living things do. Some fungi do have beneficial uses, while other causes illness and infection.

Toenail fungi infections are typically caused by a fungus that belongs to a group of fungi called dermatophytes. Yeast and molds can also be responsible for toenail fungi infections.

All of these microscopic organisms thrive in warm, moist environment like showers and even swimming pools. They can invade your skin through tiny, invisible cuts or through a small separation between your nail and nail bed. They will only start causing problems when your nails are continually exposed to warm, moist conditions, ideal for the growth and spread of toenail fungi.

Infections with toenail fungi occur more than those of the fingernails because the toenails are more likely to be confined by dark, moist, warm environment inside the shoe. Another contributing factor may be the reduced blood flow due to the shoe which makes it more difficult for your body to detect and eliminate an infection with toenail fungi.

Toenail fungi may begin as a yellow or white spot under the tip of the nail. As the the toenail fungi spreads deeper into the nail, it may cause the nail to discolor, thicken and develop crumbly edges - an unsightly and sometimes painful problem - both physically and emotionally.

One has to keep in mind that toenail fungi is not the same as athletes foot, which primarily affects the skin of the feet, but it is sometimes possible for the two to coexist and can be caused by the same fungus.


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Type in health and fitness into your web browser and you will be inundated with thousands of results, all pertaining to health and fitness in the Western world. Try keying in health and fitness in Africa; you get nothing, completely zilch. Does this mean health and fitness is exclusive to the West? Regina Jere-Malanda tries to find the answer.

It was a good discovery. After frustratlngly yielding nothing on how and why Africans stay fit, exercise or go to the gym - or lack thereof- there ii was. NTl'owerHouse - local gyms, fitness and bodybuilding African style. The key word was "bodybuilding" and pop:

"Hey folks, you have reached a special page on this wcbsite dedicated to all ot us in Africa who are working nut bard at our local hardcore gyms, in our backyards, with limited and improvised equipment, training without the advantages Americans or Europeans have." is how the website greets you. 1 lurrah, yes Africa does have gyms.

Special? Indeed it is. Garlanded with pictures ot super-fit African men, only a visit to this Accra-based wcbsite will help explain my amazement, or is it glee. "Bodybuilding [and fitness] in Africa is quite different from the Western type of bodybuilding," says NTPowerHouse. "Here no drugs, no steroids, no supplements or protein powders. Wc simply dont have the means to afford that! Anyway we are not complaining. The Western media often refers to Africa as a place of catastrophes, civil wars, famine and other forms of atrocities. It is our aim to uncover the treasures of Africa that have long been hidden by this negative perception."

I have recently joined a gym here in the UK at quite an extortionist monthly rate, and looking at these African men so fit and healthy without the use of all the sophisticated gym equipment and supplements, has made me ponder what most ot the flabby, binge-exercising men at my gym bmher paying for. 1 now feel the gym should actually start paying them to stay home. My men in Ghana shame them hands down.

However, this should not be seen as the overall picture of African health and fitness l was researching about or a yardstick that Africans should he striving tor. But it drove home the point that, we Africans always have our own way of doing things.

In a world were working out m a gym to stay fit and healthy is a phenomenon tlut is rapidly revolutionising, Africa may not be on the same pedestal or sophisticated equipment as it is in with the West, but. as the N 1 IVnverHouse's men in Ghana prove, we have our own ingenious ways ot staying fit .nul healthy par excellence.

It is always perpetuated by health professionals how the building block ot continued health and longevity is exercise. I would dare say that in Africa, despite its enforced problems, most of us are very physically active without the need of the gym. through tending farms, housework and family chores, or even traditional dancing practised in many villages as .away ot entertainment.

And of course there is walking. Africans love to walk - and according to Western fitness gurus, this is the near-perfea exercise. With the economic problems rhat l.iden many of us. walking is free, readily available and effective. Physicians preach hmv walking contributes to a healthy heart and helps guard against obesity, high cholesterol, stroke and other disorders.

Therefore despite the derogatory insinuations that abound in the West that associate walking with poverty, walking in tact has its pluses. Be it long distances to school, to work, to letch water or firewood - its good to walk, it keeps us Africans fit. Think how many calories our ancestors must have burnt. So, what then is fitness from an African point of view? Does everyone need to go to the gym to be fit? Do Africans need to know everything from ABS to Pilates in order to be fit and health? Yes perhaps, but there is no need for any fanaticism to engulf Africa at Western proportions where ABS (really tuned tummies), for example, are big business, and just about every'IOm, Dick and Harriet, will pay through the roof to get a rock solid "six-pack".

For my sins, I have opted for the Pilates at my gym. lured by the fact that this fitness programme, according to my fitness trainer, refreshes ones physical and mental wellbeing. The fact that Pilates is a series of controlled movements that unite the body and mind and creates a direct connection to the muscles and also helps condition ones body without punishing it, did it for me. And I went for it, But is it for every African? I am yet to tell. Give me three months and it the hole in my pocket does not get bigger, 1 will reveal the result.

It should be borne in mind though that in Western culture, the importance of exercise and fitness as a means to weight loss is taken almost with religious fervour. Three years ago, 1 was travelling from Austin to San Antonio in Texas, USA. What I saw still makes me laugh to this day-a huge billboard on the highway proclaimed: "Loose weight in your sleep: that's our promise." Today, many Westerners fall prey to such adverts in the quest to lose the bulge and stay fit. Hopefully such ploys and scams are not going to Africa as the fitness revolution catches on.

A Well-Balanced Approach to Education, Exercise and Nutrition is Key to Success Says Life Time Fitness; Company's Members Demonstrate that Resolutions Do, in Fact, Come True

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- With the coming of the New Year, people are once again pondering new fitness resolutions. But, don't we hear all too often about the failed New Year's resolution? Is it really worth trying given the less-than-encouraging statistics?

Life Time Fitness (NYSE:LTM) says, "YES." And, to help prevent falling off the fitness wagon in 2008 - causing frustration, regret and discouragement for many who want a healthier, more fit and active lifestyle - the national operator of sports, professional fitness, family recreation and resort & spa centers offers its basic tips for health and fitness resolution success, along with profiles of members who are achieving just that.

"There's nothing wrong with resolving to get fit, but so many resolutions fail because they are approached in the wrong way," said Jeff Zwiefel, Senior Vice President, Life Time Fitness. "Statistics show that 50 per cent of the people who start an exercise program discontinue it in six months. However, we want to help people design and implement a well-rounded, balanced program that allows them to start a new resolution on the right foot. By following a simple set of tips, anyone can begin anew on a reasonable, sound plan based on education, exercise, and nutrition, and most importantly, maintain it."

1. RELAX. Most of what Thoreau said about life holds true for fitness - "It is the journey, not the destination." Remember that fitness is a continuous pursuit. You have the rest of your life to improve it - not just this winter or before swimsuit season starts. The goal is to improve a little bit every day, not to go from couch potato to triathlete in three weeks. Don't put too much pressure on yourself or you'll set yourself up for frustration, physical injury and failure.

2. RESEARCH. Give some forethought to your fitness approach. Many fling themselves into running or working with equipment without thinking if they really like it or if it is right for their needs. Find something you like to do, because you're much more likely to stick with it if you do. And collect information about your body - things like body weight, heart rate, body fat content, and aerobic capacity - before you start. As well, knowing how the body responds to food and exercise is critical to your success. Also, it is always a good idea to contact your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program.

3. REACH SHORT-TERM GOALS. Know where you're at to begin with so you can decide where you want to go. List some achievable, measurable or specific targets by which to track your progress. A personal trainer is great for helping you determine what these goals should be. Remember that a complete fitness program should incorporate fitness, nutrition and education for optimum results. Your fitness program should also be a balance of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility conditioning, with a greater focus on the one that is most closely related to your individual goals.

4. REALITY CHECK. Many fitness resolutions are too aggressive or even impossible. Be realistic. If you've been sedentary for years, a walk around the block one day may equal success. Good fitness is gradual, measured improvement. No matter what the ads say, you're not going to have perfect abs or the body you had 20 years ago in ten minutes a day. If you think you will, you're bound to fail. Remember, individual results will vary.

5. REVIEW. Know that you'll have to make adjustments and course corrections along the way. Track your progress and listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, don't force it. If you start running and it bores you to tears, or if you experience undue discomfort, try something else - reduce your intensity, increase your duration, or mix activities to keep the interest level high and utilize different muscle groups.

"If there's a theme underlying the tips for success, it's that fitness is like most other goals worth pursuing," said Zwiefel. "Resolving to be fit is important, but it's also important to have a reasonable plan, to have good information about how to get started and succeed, to make sure that your goals are achievable and reasonable, and to stick with it over the long run. Also, don't be afraid to add some variety to your program or to work out with a group who has similar interests. With this type of approach, short-term setbacks won't cause long-term failure."

So does anyone really achieve success with their resolutions? Absolutely. Here's just a sampling of individuals who have tremendous accomplishments to share:

* Jerel and Suzanne Cantrell, Allen, TX -- As a couple, Jerel and Suzanne started working out together about 18 months ago. They were high school sweethearts who have been married for about 15 years. Through three pregnancies, together they gained considerable weight. Finally in June 2006, they decided enough was enough and they joined the new Life Time Fitness that was 10 minutes from their home. With the support of a personal training and group fitness classes Jerel has lost over 100 lbs while Suzanne has dropped four dress sizes and 60 lbs. Resolutions DO come true.

I enjoyed reading the "Annual Health & Fitness" section (July 2008) of the magazine. It was very motivating. It also encouraged my husband and me to work together as a team in efforts to keep our health, nutrition and exercise in check. I hope the health and fitness section of the magazine continues its tradition. There are a lot of health and fitness magazines on shelves, but there is nothing tailored to the African-American community.