ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 TAG: 9701210068
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Health Notes
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Recent weather hasn't been good for much of anything except freezing water pipes and keeping us inside looking for things to do. That's how I found "The Detox Diet." It was among the "I'll get to them sometime" stack and turned out to be just the thing for this season.
Published last year, the book tells how to establish a program to cleanse the body of toxins like sugar, caffeine, nicotine or other foreign substances. It's about washing the gastrointestinal tract.
And what luck! This is one of the recommended detox seasons - right before the holidays or right after the holidays.
"The Detox Diet" was written by Dr. Elson M. Haas, director of Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif., and author of "Staying Healthy with the Seasons," "Staying Healthy with Nutrition," and "A Diet for All Seasons."
According to Haas, problems with the body and mind can come from deficiency and/or congestion (excessive intake). If you have a lack of nutrients in your body, you get problems such as fatigue, coldness, hair loss or dry skin. However, we Western world dwellers are more likely to have congestion, which means clogged tissues, suffocated cells and loss of energy that contributes to colds, flus, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and allergies.
The solution: Detox.
If you need persuading about this, consider these GI Tract Facts from Haas:
* There are more bacteria in a gram of stool than there are stars in the known universe.
* Total weight of the bacteria in the colon of an average human equals the weight of our liver, about five pounds.
* Digestive organs manufacture nearly a gallon of juices per day to help digest and utilize the food we eat.
The GI tract is made up of the mouth and teeth, the esophagus and stomach, the small intestine and large intestine. Proper function begins with adequate chewing and ends with regular elimination, the doctor says.
Most of us know how to be good to the GI tract - eat properly, drink water, chew thoroughly, moderate use of alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, exercise and maintain regular elimination. If you decide, though, that you'd like to further perk up the system, try this Winter Detox:
One week of brown rice, cooked vegetables such as broccoli, butternut squash, cabbage and kale, miso broth and seaweed. Ginger and cayenne pepper can be used to flavor soups made from the allowed list.
In addition to the diet diversion, get a sauna or steam bath or a massage, and "Hang on until spring!" Haas suggests.
Anyone who's trying to beat the nicotine habit might consider Haas Stop Smoking Brew. It's made of three parts lemon grass and dandelion root, two parts raspberry leaf, red clover leaf, alfalfa, peppermint and mullein leaf and one part valerian root and catnip. Simmer dandelion and valerian in water for 10 minutes, then pour into a pot containing other herbs and steep for 15 minutes. Use about 1 teaspoon of root and 1 tablespoon of leaves and flowers per cup of water. Drink one cup several times daily or as needed for cravings.
Dance exercise
A former principal soloist with Dance Theatre of Harlem will hold a master class in Afrocentric Movement Feb. 8 at The Center at Walnut Grove in Shawsville.
Carol Crawford Smith, a performer and instructor for 17 years, will teach from noon to 1:30 p.m. The formal dance-exercise class costs $10 and is designed for new and seasoned dancers. It will have live drumming as accompaniment.
Afrocentric Movement incorporates dances and movements traditional to various African, Caribbean and African-American cultures.
Persons interested in the class should contact Karen Waldron or Kathy Harris at The Center, 540268-1100.
Course rescheduled
"Perfect Fit, a Practical Approach to Sustainable Weight Management" was supposed to be offered as a credit course at Virginia Western Community College, but not enough students registered for it. Instructor Nancy Maurelli decided not to give up, however. She has scheduled a shortened non-credit version of the course to begin Thursday evening at her office on King George Avenue in Old Southwest Roanoke.
The course will be tailored as much as possible to individuals' needs, she said, but will include help for improving eating behavior, cultivating motivation for exercise, setting realistic goals and enhancing body image and self-confidence.
The course is designed for all types of weight management, including gaining weight, she said. For example, one enrollee is underweight and wants to gain so that she will have a health pregnancy, Maurelli said.
Maurelli works with her mother, Mary Ann Maurelli in a weight management consulting business.
The class will meet for six weeks from 6-8:30 p.m. and costs $72. Anyone interested needs to call her at 345-3405 to register.
Carbon monoxide
In the past few days, two planes have crashed killing the occupants after the pilots were overcome by carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisoning affects about 10,000 people every year and kills about 800 of them. It is a hazard that can be associated with heating systems because it is caused by incomplete combustion of fuel.
Carbon monoxide has no color, taste or odor, but it does cause symptoms including headache, fever, skin rashes, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, chest pain and trouble thinking. Eventually you lose consciousness.
Possible sources of the poisoning, according to Mayo Clinic Health Letter, are gas and oil furnaces, wood stoves, gas appliances, pool heaters, engine exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke and paint removers containing methylene chloride. Blocked chimneys or flues, cracked heat exchangers on furnaces or blocked appliance vents can be hazards as can tight home construction.
Carbon monoxide detectors come in plug-in and battery models and cost between $34 and $80.
If you have symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, leave the area and get help. If you suspect a carbon monoxide leak, open doors and windows, turn off the fuel-burning appliance and call a technician to inspect your home.
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