In an effort to upgrade our lifestyles, it must be admitted they need upgrading. Just view all the fast foods on almost every corner of America and you’ll begin to understand the importance of a healthy body detox. Add the thousands of herbicides, pesticides and hormones to our food supply and it’s a foregone conclusion that internal cleansing may save our lives.

People are starting to be more aware of their food intake, starting a new hype over the need for detoxification. Detoxification is the process of removing toxic substances from the body. Primarily referred to as a treatment for alcohol and drug dependence, body detox can also refer to the use of diets, herbs and other methods to remove toxins from the body for general health.

So, are you thinking of cleansing your body? Here are a few tips for healthy and wise and effective detoxification.

Go for a non-toxic lifestyle. This means going for natural food, drinking lots of fluids, especially water, exercising regularly and avoiding toxic food like junkfood, canned good, and other processed food. At the same time, you can try out a Detox Diet that will cleanse your body and give relief to body aches, allergies, digestive problems and other related concerns.

If you’re on a detox program, take as much fresh fruits and vegetables as possible, nuts, beans, rice and grains. On the other hand, take note not to indulge in sugar, caffeine, yeast, alcohol, chocolates and other food rich in additives and preservatives.

Plan your detox program. You can do a weekend fast. It is good to start on a Friday, with the weekend giving you the transition in and out of your detox program. Likewise, make sure that your detox plan is something that you can follow. Detoxifying does not mean starving yourself.

Appreciate nature. Exercise outdoors. The fresh air can do wonders for your lungs and circulation. If you live near the beach, it’s always good to take a walk or sprint early morning by the seashore. Have a balanced schedule of activity that will give you time for work and fun at the same time. Try yoga or pilates. Skip rope or walk in your neighborhood. Do anything to keep that body of yours up and running and always on the go.

Go for the spa. Take a shower and do skin brushing to help you detoxify. Rubbing your skin improves circulation and helps you shed off those dead skin layer.

Make sure that you have a regular bowel movement. Eat food rich in fiber. There’s also tea and other herbs which can help aid bowel movement. When you’re detoxifying, bowel movement is important as it lessens the possibility of toxins being absorbed into the body.  Or use a popular oxygen colon cleanser such as Oxy-Powder.

Be positive. A healthy mind means a healthy body. Rid yourself of all negative thoughts. They’re added toxins to the body. Smile and have the will and the commitment to your detox plan.

It’s never too late to start cleansing yourself, especially your body. With our hurried lifestyle in this up and busy and polluted world, we’re all entitled to some personal pleasures as simple as taking care of our health. Body detox may be as simple as ridding yourself of your negative thoughts by taking a walk in the park and letting the fresh air wash over your thoughts. Or it can be as complicated as following a strict detox diet to eliminate toxins in our deigestive system. Whatever it is, the important thing is, you find a way to cleanse yourself.

Though diverticulosis may sound serious, it seldom is. This disorder of the large bowel occurs when small pouches, usually about the size of a pea, form in the intestinal wall. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in ten people over 40 and half those over 60 have diverticulitis symptoms. The condition occurs most frequently in industrialized societies, where fiber intake tends to be low.

But though the condition is common, most people who have it experience no symptoms and thus never know. Diverticulosis is associated, however, with irritable bowel syndrome, which may cause such symptoms as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. And if your diverticulosis turns into diverticulitis, you will definitely have symptoms. This happens when one or more of the pouches become infected from bacteria in the digestive tract, usually because a particle of undigested food gets trapped in the pouch.

A mild infection can produce bloating, gas, and nausea-symptoms for which most people don’t immediately see a doctor, especially if they improve. (Pain is usually on the left side of the abdomen, unlike appendicitis, which affects the right side.) But sometimes symptoms–abdominal pain and/or rectal bleeding–are severe and shouldn’t be ignored. They can be signs of complications. An abscess may develop and the intestinal wall may become perforated, causing surrounding tissues in the abdominal cavity to become infected. These cases, fortunately rare, can be life-threatening and call for immediate hospitalization and, possibly, surgery.

Perhaps because fiber is sometimes called “roughage,” the idea used to be common that a high-fiber diet–fruits, grains, and vegetables–was somehow rough on the bowels and that a person with symptoms of diverticulitis should immediately go on a low-fiber or even liquid diverticulosis foods. It’s now thought that this is about the worst thing you can do. Indeed such a diet can even cause the large intestine to go into spasm.

Fiber, on the other hand, provides bulk in the intestine, which enables food and waste to pass more easily and efficiently. Waste moves rapidly along–an advantage for the internal economy. Of course, if you have an acute case of diverticulitis requiring hospitalization, you may have to follow a liquid diet and take antibiotics until your colon has begun to heal. Soon after, though, you will be advised to increase your fiber intake for the standard stay at home diverticulitis treatment.

Eat a lot of fruits, whole grains, and vegetables to boost your fiber intake. (If you aren’t used to a high-fiber diet, start gradually.) Choose whole-wheat bread over white, brown rice over white. Add a little bran to baked goods. Eat whole-grain cereals for breakfast. Eat fruits and vegetables unpeeled when you can. Raw produce is good, but cooking does not destroy fiber. Drink plenty of fluids–at least eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids daily, including juices and soups.

Fruits and vegetables also contain a high percentage of water, which is another plus. Get regular exercise. There’s some evidence that active people are less prone to diverticulitis and that exercise may help prevent constipation. If you’re occasionally constipated, try eating a few prunes. These can really help. They not only are a good source of fiber, but also contain a natural laxative. Don’t rely on stimulant laxatives.