Health Blog - Best Tips for Healthy, Active Lifestyles

Are Colon Cleansing Pills Safe to Take?

Remember when the FDA didn’t care what companies put in pills… but then they started to care a whole lot, and every malicious company was either shut down or sued? And this is why we have trust issues. Are colon cleanse pills safe to take? Absolutely, as long as you trust the company selling them you to. In this post you are going to learn…

What colon cleanse pills do
Why they are safe to take
Why toxins have nothing to do with colon cleansing

Capiche? Sweet. But before we begin…

What do colon cleanse pills do?

Here it’s important to understand the main types of colon cleansing. For brevity’s sake, I will summarize them into 3 categories:

Water-based, which use water to flush out your colon.
Diet-based, by eating types of foods (I’m including juicing).
Ingredient-based (capsules packed with natural ingredients).

(Read the Best Colon Cleansing Methods to learn more.)

Colon cleanse pills fall into the 3rd category, ingredient-based, because that’s the only time you’ll be taking a pill. Generally, the ingredients within a colon cleanse pill are all-natural ingredients; while that’s true for our colon cleanse, it’s certainly not for all of them. When judging the safety of a colon cleanse pill, you always need to dive deeply into the ingredients in each capsule, hoping that the company selling them is transparent about their ingredients. When you ingest a capsule–usually a gelatin or vegetarian capsule–it gets broken down upon digestion, and the ingredients within the capsule are released and absorbed by your body.

Example of gelatin capsule.

Gelatin capsules, for example, dissolve within minutes upon entering the body, and are 100% safe to consume. Some capsules also feature secondary ingredients like Magnesium Stearate: all this does is help keep the ingredients from sticking to each other, and is also 100% safe to digest. As long as the colon cleanse pills are safe to use, you will be safe to consume them. Just follow the directions on the label to ensure you are following the daily recommended dosage (usually one per day).

But here’s the catch…

For some absurd reason, every time someone asks the internet about the safety of colon cleansing pills, an infamous word is brought up… Toxins. Oh, can’t this trend just die already? Back in ancient history, the Egyptians believed in a theory of “auto-intoxication“: the belief that the colon’s contents would, while decompose, intoxicate the body. This, we know now, is a farce.

(Read more about the history of colon cleansing in our colon cleanse guide.)

If our body poisoned itself every time we ate (or had to go poop), we’d all be dead yesterday. What’s more poisoning is the equating of colon cleansing and “toxin purging.” If you, for example, browse the reviews for our colon cleanse products, none of them mention toxins. I think it’s because they weren’t cleansing for that reason in the first place.

The verdict: natural pills are safe.

All that we ask is that you do your research. Don’t do something or add something to your body before seriously considering how safe it is for you. You have one body, so treat it like it’s a temple.

What’s the Most Gentle Colon Cleanse?

Nobody on this earth, in all sincerity, wants to do an enema. I repeat: nobody wants a shove water up his/her you-know-what. If you’re looking for a colon cleanse, I’ll bet on the house you fit in with this category. Luckily, colon cleanses come in all shapes a sizes, but most of them aren’t gentle. They’re usually pretty rough on your body.

Product mentioned in this post:

[single_product id=”2220″ image=”gallery”]

My Gentle Cleanse: Bowel relief with a gentle touch.

If you’re new to colon cleansing, WELCOME! You may need to catch up, so here are plenty of useful sources for colon cleansing: How Your Colon Works The Best Colon Cleansing Methods How Colon Cleansing Helps the Skin Great. You’re still here, so I assume you’re an expert at colon cleansing :). My Gentle Cleanse, the product in the image below, is the product I’m going to be talking about. In fact, it’s probably the most gentle cleanse available, and it’s 100% natural.

Normally, colon cleanses work by inducing your body to release its contents–to “flush” your colon out in hyperspeed, kind of like when you eat Indian food and you know you can’t handle the spice. But My Gentle Cleanse works a bit differently: it works alongside your body to help it function better. Technically, it helps your body’s peristaltic actions perform more smoothly by feeding your body helpful, natural herbs. (If you need a reminder, peristalsis is the wave-like movements your bowels perform to push items toward the colon–kind of like doing the worm.)

The Ingredients in the Cleanse

These herbs I’m talking about are, of course, 100% natural. They wouldn’t be called herbs otherwise! Cascara Sagrada, a powerful herb that targets the peristaltic action of the colon. Senna Leaf, a leaf that helps in the gentle alleviation of occasional constipation. Fennel Seed, a seed with antioxidant capacities, which can help reduce bloating and flatulence. Dandelion, a widespread plant that helps contribute to digestive health. Aloe Vera, a famous [and miraculous] plant that helps as a soothing aid in occasional constipation. Because–as I’m sure you know by now–that your body craves natural ingredients. What happens when you feed it meat, potatoes, and Twinkies non-stop? Diarrhea, loss of energy, fatigue, poor skin, etc. We, you and I, know damn well that to treat our colon gently, we also need to drink plenty of water.

Doing a colon cleanse without enough water is like descending a waterslide without water: it will be a raw ass-burn.

You know how to treat your body gently:

Eat fruits and vegetables.
Drink plenty of water.
Exercise moderately.

But for a true colon cleanse, sometimes you need some extra help. Why not treat yourself to a gentle colon cleanse? Treat that body.

How to Get Out of Bed [Tutorial]

We are all guilty, at some point in our lives, of thinking we’ve mastered the basics, like brushing our teeth, feeding ourselves, or getting out of bed. Surely we could do all of these blind-folded like an expert, right? No way. Maybe you can “get it done”–but are you waking up efficiently, like a person who trains others how to wake up?

Tutorial #65: How to Get Out of Bed

As with all tutorials, we have to start with a definition. Even if you think you know it, it doesn’t mean you have all the nuances down. We know what a bed is… but what about the phrase “get up”?

Definition

Get up:

[get uhp]

idiom

1. The transition of an object, usu. a body, from the prone to upright position.
Example: “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” -That one commercial.

2. The process of breaking up with your bed.
Example: “I hate having to get up. I hate being an adult.” -Based on true story.

(Want to read more tutorials like this? Get on the list.) Which definition resonated with you? It doesn’t matter: I chose the second one because it’s closest to the heart of all of us. If there’s anything you’ll take from this definition, remember this:

I hate having to get up. I hate being an adult.

We agree, so let’s get on with this informative tutorial.

Step 1. Upon waking, look at your phone immediately and browse social media.

This is the first, sine qua non step in getting up and out of bed, for it requires you to do the opposite: to stay in bed. In order to combat the frigid, frost-biting breeze that exists outside of the covers, you have to stay in the covers. Unfortunately, the experience for you is too common: you only have 1 notification on social media, and it’s Facebook telling you one of your high school friends (whom you never speak to) has a birthday. Just send them a 🎉 icon. K. Phone time’s over. Next step.

Step 2. Stretch slowly, exhale, and stair blankly at the ceiling in despair.

This step, while second, is actually very important. Scientists somewhere in some publication have agreed^? that the process of self-agonizing realization that occurs after waking up is just as much part of your sleep as… sleep is. In fact, just thinking about going back to sleep actually helps you get up, because you realize it’s not going to happen. Ever. You have to clock in at work. You may or may not have kids, and you can’t feed them Fruit Loops for two weeks in a row. Also, your spouse woke up early for a run and is now in better shape than you, which is ridiculous. Anyway, that’s enough despair. Next step.

Step 3. Produce a sound of behemoth-strength: either by yelling, yawning, or grunting.

Usually you’ll only make these sounds during Halloween, but you should be incorporating them into your morning routine. When you belch out such a loud and disturbing sound when getting up, not only will you wake the neighbors, but you’ll also wake yourself up. This logic is flawless. More importantly, it will help remind you that you should definitely go give American Idol a shot. Screaming is optional, but this next step isn’t.

Step 4. Throw the blankets off your bed almost angrily, like that one Olympic sport.

Update: Google’d it. Turns out it’s Shot Putting.

This has nothing to do with sleep deprivation. Nothing. It’s just a logical response to it. Scientists, or people with impressive vocabularies, call this catharsis. It’s pretty much the process of relieving your own stress, and each person has his or her unique method. You might wonder, “Can going back to sleep be my catharsis?” And I say, “You’re damn right it can.” Just kidding–but clearly, getting up is difficult, which is why you have this tutorial. After throwing the covers, you reach the final step.

Step 5. Go back to bed Take a shower (not a bath).

First, taking a bath is a slippery slope. You may fall into the trap of turning that tub of warm, friendly water into a delicate waterbed, and doze off for an extra hour of sleep and finger-wrinkling. But at this point you may sit up swiftly and wonder, “But what if I showered at night?” No, that’s nasty. Shower again. If you’ve followed this tutorial, you have already worked up a sweat.

You’ve had anxiety-induced sweats because you found out only 6 people liked your Instagram pic since you went to bed.
You’ve lain under the hot, sun-warmed sheets while staring at the ceiling.
You’ve done your morning workout Olympic-style by throwing the bed covers all over the room in angst.
You’ve screamed your heart out with your beautifully deep and hoarse morning voice.

It’s time to shower.

Know someone who would benefit from this health tutorial? Tell ’em about it.

7 Simple Ways to Sleep Better

Somedays, you feel like, look like, and act like a zombie; and sometimes you feel like you could run a marathon (well… you dream about doing it). But good sleep does not come to everyone. Maybe when you were a child you slept like a baby (hahah, get it?). Anyway… if you want good sleep every day of the week, make sure you’re not committing any of these sleepy sins.

1. Set your phone out of reach before bed.

The research is crystal clear on blue light, which is the type of light that your cellphone emits. There are several types of light wavelengths in the spectrum, but blue light wavelengths specifically help boost attention, reaction times, and mood, which is great… unless you want to sleep. Keeping that bright monitor a few inches from your face at night (with the lights turned off), only amplifies the blue light effect on your body. It messes up your circadian rhythm, or your “sleep algorithm.” If you’re normal like I am (well, we’re all a bit weird), you put your phone down, turn your head the other way on the pillow, wait 30 seconds, and grab your phone again to scroll through a feed. (But if you involuntary grab your phone that much, maybe you should try a digital detox.) Rinse and repeat.

2. Cool it on the pre-sleep margaritas.

Do you fancy gin at the onset of dusk? Do you enjoy watching the strains of ruby red wine drip down the crystal frame of your glass? Maybe you just drink whatever someone hands you. Maybe you’re straight edge. Regardless of your flavor, alcohol ruins your sleep. Most of the time. For some, alcohol can actually improve their sleeping schedule–but don’t covet them. That’s a small fringe. For those who have heavier dosages of alcohol at night, they might experience disturbances in their sleep in the second half of their nocturnal sleep period. You might find that after a night of “excessive” drinking–this depends on your genetics, and provided you’re of age–you reach groggily to your nightstand, praying for a large glass of water to quench your body that is currently experiencing an internal drought. That means you overdid it.

3. Don’t exercise right before bed.

Everyone and his/her mother has told us for years that exercise is healthy for us in innumerable ways. But did they tell us when we should exercise? Well, it depends on your Netflix schedule, am I right? Yes. Studies have shown that our exercise can directly help our sleep, and can even aid in instances of chronic insomnia. But it matters when we exercise, too. If you exercise too close to the time when you’re readying to doze off, your body may not cooperate best. If the exercises you did were anaerobic or rather vigorous, your body-heat may be too high to settle you down into a staunch slumber. This means… you can exercise earlier, watch Netflix after, and then go to sleep soundly. Sweet!

4. Dim your lights in the evening.

You can do this to be romantic, sure. If it’s just you and the mirror, though… don’t. That’s going to make us all sad for you. Your circadian rhythm responds to light–and this is probably the biggest factor in your body patterns. It’s simple:

If it’s light around you, your body says it’s time to be awake.
If it’s dark, it’s time to assume your oddly gymnastic position in your bed and sleep.

If you don’t have a light dimmer, try to turn off other lights in the house if they bleed into your room. Turn your computer off and, if you’re a hero, your phone. The longer your body has to adapt to a lower light level, the more easily you will transition into shut-eye time.

5. Stop sleeping in a sauna.

It dosen’t matter if you sleep naked or clad in 8 layers: if you’re hot in bed, your sleep will suck. If you’re sweating during sleep, or if you wake up looking like an ogre leaving a swamp, maybe it’s time to ditch some of the layers. Or, if it’s summer, be a minimalist when it comes to your nighttime accoutrement. Whatever you need to do to shed the heat, do so. However, I can’t prescribe nudity for you, so if you’re going nude and someone stumbles upon your bareness: it’s your fault and I’m innocent.

6. Watch the caffeine in the evening.

Most normal people have a caffeine vice: may it be coffee, soda-pop, energy pills, etc. But again, most normal people drink that stuff in the daytime, unless they have a night shift. Caffeine, or any type of similar stimulant, is great for energy (especially when it’s natural energy) but not so friendly toward your sleep when taken at night. A study a few years ago analyzed people consuming caffeine in different time intervals before going to bed. They found that having caffeine even 6 hours before sleep can be disruptive to your sleep schedule. So even if your relatives from London are visiting in the eve, refuse the tea and tell them you’re sick or something. You want sleep, and nothing is splitting up you and your bed.

7. You worry about tomorrow too much.

Can you believe that anxiety can actually affect our sleep? Anxiety affects everything and everyone. A wise one who lived and roamed long ago said something supremely wise about worry:

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Truly, even if something harrowing is happening to you tomorrow (and you’re sure of it…), don’t sweat it. Your sleep–your well-being–is more important than whatever tomorrow holds. So sleep soundly. But don’t let a leg hang off the bed… ’cause… you know. boogeyman.