June 2000 Ageless herbal newsletter

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	on this page The herb celery Body mass index (BMI) Recipe for celery soup Weight loss and detoxifying Cellulite Previous newsletters

Seeing that most of our northern hemisphere clients in America and Europe are now moving into summer, we decided to spend some time on weight loss and body-beautiful.

During the winter months we seem to go into a state of hibernation - we exercise less, fill our bodies with a selection of unhealthy foods and generally live very sedentary lives, with resultant extra weight being added to our bodies contributing to a sluggish metabolism and less than optimum health.

The less than optimum metabolism not only results in excess weight, but also a build-up of toxic wastes in the body, that could manifest as cellulite forming and the skin having a generally unhealthy look about it.

For years, women thought that they were the only people to suffer from cellulite, but that has been proven as being an incorrect assumption, and although women suffer more from this problem, many men have the same problem - they mostly do not know that it is cellulite, and simply write it off as fat, and not the toxic build-up that it is.

Celery

The herb celery is normally used as a vegetable, but is also used medicinally. The apiol oil that is found in the plant gives it the characteristic strong smell, but celery also contains B-complex vitamins, iron, vitamin A and C - making it a useful antioxidant to have around to fight free radicals.

It is most often used to assist with problems associated with rheumatism, tumors, neuralgia, muscle spasms, arthritis, kidney problems, stomach gas, sciatica, high blood pressure, eyesight, liver ailments (incl. jaundice) and a reduced appetite - making it a wonderful ingredient to add to a sick or post-operative patient's diet.

The plant, as well as the seeds are used, and a tonic tea can be made by adding 2 tablespoons of finely chopped leaves/stems, or 1 teaspoon of celery seed, to 1½ cups of boiling water, let it stand. Drink ½ cup of the liquid 3 times a day ONLY. This tea is a mild diuretic and will also assist in helping to reduce water retention and it also has a mild sedative action.

Celery is a cell and blood restorer. It expels surplus fluid from the body (is a natural diuretic) restores lost muscle tone and drains away acid build-up caused by tension, stress and anxiety.

Being both a relaxant and a stimulant, celery is an important herb in our stress filled world and has the ability to relax those suffering from insomnia.

Celery seeds find their main use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis where there is an associated mental depression. Their diuretic action is obviously involved in rheumatic conditions, but they are also used as a urinary antiseptic.

Celery should not be used in large amounts during pregnancy.

Ground celery seeds can be used instead of table salt - a useful substitute if you are on a sodium-restricted diet.

more info...

Recipe of the month - Celery Health Soup

Finely chop 4 large celery heads (stalks and leaves), 3 large onions and one clove of garlic.

Cover with enough water and bring to the boil. Add ¼ cup of fresh parsley and cook for another 15 minutes. After the cooking time, allow to cool and liquidize the mixture.

You can either re-heat the soup immediately and serve, or chill in the refrigerator and serve as a chilled soup.

No extra table salt is required and this is a great soup to eat while on a weight loss diet.

Body Mass Index

This is an objective way of measuring your body weight.

The figure of 20 - 25 is a healthy weight status.

This is not indicative of any fashion standard of ideal weight, but employs your height and weight measurement to determine the optimum ratio.

We unfortunately work in metric terms, so please convert empiric measurements to metric ones.

• 1 inch = 2,54 cm
• 1 pound = 2.2 kg
  • If your height is 5 feet 3 inches (63 inches in total) convert as follows
  • 63 x 2.54 = 160.02 cm
  • = 1.60 m
• 150 pounds = 150 ÷ 2.2 = 68.18 kg

Take your height - lets say 1.75 m ( 175 cm) and multiply it by itself.

• 1.75 x 1.75 = 3.0625
• Your height result is then 3.0625

Next take your weight - lets say 80 kg ( about 176 pounds) and divide it by the result from your height calculation.

• 80 ÷ 3.0625 = 23.836
• Your BMI result is then 23.836

The result of 26.1224 falls above the "normal" range of 20 to 25, and you may need to lose some weight.

Remarks on BMI results

Weight loss and detoxifying

To lose weight successfully, you simply have to ingest fewer calories in your diet than what you use per day. Although this might sound extremely simple to achieve, it may be problematic for some people, since an under-active metabolism would prevent the ingested food from being "burned" properly and used as fuel to provide energy.

In order to get your body functioning properly again, you might need to look at detoxifying your entire body, flushing toxins from your system and affording your body the chance to get working into first gear again, and moving away from the "idling" that it might be in.

One very successful way in achieving this is to start with a detoxifying diet, and to stay on it, without cheating, for a couple of days.

I know that such detoxifying diets are not always easy to follow in our every day lives, but they are well worth the effort, if you can find the self-discipline to stay on them.

The best way to start such a diet, would be to go on a "water fast" for a day or two, where you simply only take in clear water. Personally, I find this extremely difficult to do, since it can cause havoc with your blood sugar levels.

To start your detoxifying diet, select one type of fruit, and only have this fruit the entire time. You do not need to limit the amount you eat of this fruit - eat as much as required to satisfy your hunger.

After the second or third day you may experience headaches, diminished concentration, irritability and gastrointestinal disturbances, but they are generally just signals from your body to keep you informed that detoxification is in process.

People normally stay on such a fruit diet for 4 - 7 days, depending on the state of their body and their level of self-discipline.

After the period on diet, you should slowly return to your normal diet, to allow your body to get used to your normal way of eating.

Cellulite

If you are not sure if you suffer from cellulite, press the tissue between your thumb and finger, or between the palms of your two hands - if it is "normal" fat, it will appear smooth, with no ripples or bumps - if you have any ripples or bumps - which look like "orange peel" - you have cellulite.

The cellulite tissue may also be sensitive. All muscles in the body are covered with a padding of fatty, connective tissue, which varies in thickness, and is surrounded by a liquid - supplying the connective tissue with nourishment and removing waste products.

This fatty tissue is held in place by a network of fibers, and when the system works well, ALL waste products are removed from the system - resulting in smooth body curves. When the waste removal system starts to fail, waste products start building up, and the connective tissue becomes saturated with liquid, which then thickens and hardens - forming hard pockets that puff up to produce the "orange peel" or "cottage cheese" effect.

Our bodies eliminate waste rather efficiently, but if a problem occurs, cellulite is formed. Our systems are loaded with toxins by excessive indulgence of the following: alcohol, coffee and tea; spices; smoking; crash diets; fat and cream; fried and oily food; medication such as diet, pep or sleeping pills, as well as diuretic pills.

How to fight cellulite

In order to fight cellulite EFFECTIVELY - a person must COMBINE the following in the fight:

• Diet
  • Following a purifying diet and avoiding toxic build-up foods - more information available on what food types to avoid, food preparation tips and diet principles are listed at www.ageless.co.za/cellulite.htm
• Breathing
  • Proper deep breathing facilitates oxygenation of the blood and purification of the body.
• Exercise
  • Exercise stimulates circulation and speeds up the metabolism, and improves muscle tone and firming of tissue.
• Proper elimination of waste
  • Kidneys can be aided by increasing fluid intake and thereby increasing volume of urine, while properly working intestines will prevent constipation.
  • The skin should also be encouraged to sweat in order to assist in the elimination of wastes.
• Relaxation
  • In order to get the entire body working correctly, stress must be reduced - body as well as mind must be in sync.
• Massage
  • With massage, the cellulite areas are targeted to stimulate circulation, especially for areas not very well worked with exercise, such as the inside of the knee and upper thigh.

It is a further boon if the massage is performed with a product such as our Herbal Cellulite Gel, which contains active ingredients to assist in getting rid of cellulite. Our gel does not need to be massaged in - you may simply apply it to the affected area.

Although the active ingredients will assist with the fight against cellulite, because of the exclusive mix of ingredients, it is mild enough, because of the herbal nature, not to cause any discomfort. To get the full picture on cellulite, please visit www.ageless.co.za/cellulite.htm

Our sister company, Dermaxime, has a website dedicated to cellulite, which you can visit at www.cellulite.co.za

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