Beauty Detoxes for a Better You

By Shelly Ballestero
Licensed Esthetician

CBN.com – With so many cleanses out there, how do you know which one is for you? I know it has got to be tough to figure out, especially if you have certain constraints ranging anywhere from a thyroid condition to a heart condition.

We talked a bit about cleanses in part one of this article. Now let’s touch a bit more on such an important subject…our health.

We already know how our skin ages by what we eat and the sun’s damaging rays. How about some remedies that aren’t expensive—like drinking purified water, sweating, detox baths, clean air, body brushing, rebounding, and seasonal cleansing, just to name a few?

Recently I spoke to Jordan Rubin, who is on a tour with his new book Perfect Weight America and spoke about cleansing. Rubin recommends a ten-day cleanse quarterly in January, April, July, and October. During that time, you will eat five times a day, every two to three hours. One of his delicious recipes of his 10-day detox is his “Cleansing Chicken Soup” inspired by his late grandma Rose:

*Cleansing Chicken Soup (from Perfect Weight America)*
1 whole chicken (free range, pastured, or organic chicken)	6 celery stalks
1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar	1 pound green beans
3-4 quarts filtered water	1 bunch parsley
4 medium-sized onions, coarsely chopped	5 garlic cloves
8 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped	2-4 tbsp. Celtic Sea Salt
2-4 zucchinis chopped	4 inches grated ginger
4 tbsp. extra-virgin coconut oil	1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

If you are using a whole chicken, remove fat glands and gizzards from the cavity. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot with water, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, extra-virgin coconut oil, and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand for 10 minutes before heating. Bring to a boil, removing the scum that rises to the top. Cover and cook for 8-12 hours. The more you cook the stock, the more cleansing it will be. About 15 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove from heat and take out the chicken. After it cools, remove chicken meat from the carcass, discarding the bones. Drop the meat back into the soup. You may puree for even easier digestion.

Water Intake

Besides the cleanses offered in Perfect Weight America, Rubin talks about purified water and how it can be overlooked as a weight-loss tool because it is ordinary. “What water does is…[it] revs up your metabolism and hydrates the cells so that you can process carbohydrates and fat more efficiently. When your body is well hydrated, you accelerate the liver’s ability to convert stored fat into usable energy and help your kidneys flush out toxins.”

“A good rule of thumb is a half-ounce of water for every pound of weight,” Rubin says. When Rubin is traveling, he uses his portable filtered water system by Aclare, available at Healthy Perceptions.

The owner of the company, Tim Kerr and his son John, are an extraordinary team. In 1987 Tim designed, patented, and manufactured the first-ever Shower Filtration system. It was a revolutionary design that many current shower filters are patterned after. I was really excited to learn after speaking with John that his dad designed my air purifier from Shaklee and a few others that happen to be of great quality.

Purified Air

If you don’t live by a highway, open the windows and let the air and sunshine in; the sun kills the mold and the stale air goes out the window as the fresh air comes in—and it’s free. If you can’t afford an air purifier or can’t open your windows often, capture fresh air with plants like a Boston fern or a weeping fig and let nature circulate and clean the air you breathe.

Jump to It!

Looking back at my childhood, I used to do so many beneficial exercises and never knew it, like jumping on a trampoline out in the fresh outdoors. Who knew that the benefits far exceed the fun? Today we call this trampoline exercise “rebounding.”

According to Dr. Morton Walker, “Rebounding aerobics operates on simple principles. With each gentle bounce, approximately sixty trillion body cells are pitted against the earth’s gravitational pull. This interaction strengthens every cell in the body while saving strain on its muscles and joints.”

Here are just a few benefits of rebounding:

Increases the capacity for respiration
Stimulates metabolism
Circulates more oxygen to the tissues
Helps normalize blood pressure
Delays incidences of cardiovascular disease
Aids lymphatic circulation, as well as blood flow in the veins of the circulatory system
Slows the aging process

That’s something to jump for joy about! Rebounding can range from $25 to more than $200. I found one by Stamina for $28.84 at Wal-Mart and it had good reviews. The more expensive brand is by Rebound Air www.reboundair.com. It’s a good investment if you can afford it.

No Sweat

Remember the commercial about a popular deodorant with the tag line “Never let them see you sweat”? Well, that remains true for our sedentary society… no sweating.

“As a result, toxins and metabolic waste become trapped in the body instead of being released through sweat,” says Dr. Gloria Gilbere.

This is where dry skin brushing comes in and helps to open the pores, allows your body to breathe, and enhances healthy organ function.

How to Dry Body Brush

Use a natural vegetable bristle brush. Synthetic should be avoided, as they can irritate the skin. The brush should be kept dry and not used for bathing. I found a brush at Vitamin Country for $5.62 from Earth Therapeutics.
Dry brush right before you shower. It should take five minutes.

Begin by brushing from your feet (bottom and over the top) toward the center of your body. Use one sweeping continuous stroke. Then from your hands toward your chest again use one sweep. A slight flushing of your skin is okay, but if it is red, you may be applying the brush too hard. (Illustration by Lines of Grace Illustration artist Dan Grasey.)

Another great reason to brush your skin is that it helps to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Detoxing helps fight the problem of the dreaded fatty flesh.

Add Seaweed

Former supermodel Kim Alexis shared a secret about detoxing baths with me. She furthers her detox by drawing a bath and putting a sheet of dry seaweed in. The one Kim uses is Kombu ($5.60).

Not only does Kim body brush, but she also does several cleanses throughout the year. The former model is not typical by any means. She is a caring wife, mother of five kids (some are adults), and athlete. Kim is all about her faith, family, and health. You can see her on Lifetime hosting some episodes of the show called “The Balancing Act” (March 31, 2008).

As I think about the show title “The Balancing Act,” I can’t help but think about the great scale of life. Most of the woman I talk to, including myself, struggle trying to balance our health, family, and career-- you name it. I’ve found that praying for wisdom from our Creator helps. But often we need to remove some “pieces” from the scale and simplify our lives when things get out of balance. One small change can make all the difference in the world -- for your body, mind, and spirit.

References:

Jumping for Health: A guide to Rebounding Exercise by Dr. Morton Walker (Avery, Publisher)
Perfect Weight America by Jordan Rubin with Bernard Bulwer, M.D.
I Was Poisoned by My Body by Gloria Gilbere, N.D, D.A. Hom., Ph.D.

Shelly Ballestero is a licensed esthetician, make-up artist, beauty editor of Lifestyle Magazine, and author. Shelly has studied under Emmy Award winner Eve Pearl, head make-up artist for ABC's The View. In addition, Shelly is one of the make-up experts for Jane Iredale cosmetics and participates in the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa conference. Shelly and her husband, Angelo, a worship pastor, live in Windermere, Florida, with their two children. (Photo of Shelly courtesy of Katie Meehan, www.phfocus.com.)