Day 2 - Flush, Facial & Feelings

Monday was Day 2, our first full day here.  No time was lost in getting started as there was a group walk scheduled for 5am (we opted out : ) and then a lecture at 6am about 'isotonic water' flushing for the bowel.

The idea is to clear out the bowel by taking up to 2 litres of hot salt water.  The salt concentration is set to be similar to the solute concentration of blood so that when it enters your bowel, it doesn't get absorbed through the intestine.  The hot salt water can then dissolve and carry through solids in your bowel to the outside world.  You can take up to 45 minutes to drink the 2 litres and then within an hour you can expect a borderline apocalyptic experience on the porcelain ; )

Tammy is scheduled for a 'colonic irrigation' tomorrow that will also help clear the ol' digestive tract.

Treat or treatment?  Both!

Later in the day Tammy did a facial therapy treatment which was relaxing and nice but not as much Tammy's 'bag' as it's been for some of the other ladies.  Later this week she'll be doing a full body 'clay wrap' which is intended also to help pull toxins through the skin and into the clay.  We'll see how that goes!

Tammy also had her first 'empowerment' session with the counsellor and 3 other ladies from the program.  They'll be discussing the mind-body connection and how to help address any emotional roots related to physical problems.  We might have thought this to be a bit more 'flaky' if I hadn't read a book called "When The Body Says No" by Dr. Gabor Mate earlier this year.  In the book, Dr. Mate makes a pretty compelling, scientifically and empirically supported case for specific, imbalanced perspectives and emotions that he proposes are characteristic of individuals with certain diseases.  The first condition that he addresses in the book is MS, but he also discusses ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, alzheimer's, breast cancer and several other diseases.

To finish off the day, the founder and director of LVS, Gary Martin, gave a lecture on the "8 Laws of Health" after our supper (chicken broth.  that's it.  cayenne to dress it up, if you want!).  Very interesting presentation as Gary has had so many unique experiences and has story after story to tell.

During his talk on "Rest", he told us of a simple remedy to help with sleep apnea: tape your mouth shut before bed!  Seriously.  He explained that our brains use CO2 levels to trigger when to take another breath.  Breathing through our nose alone (which we're supposed to do) balances the O2 and CO2 in our bodies, but breathing out through the mouth expels too much CO2 and so the brain isn't triggered to draw another breath!  Several guests took pieces of paper tape to their rooms : )

Other than that, we had a great day of rest and light exercise and getting to know our fellow guests.  With all of that packed into the day, and more, we were ready for our 8:30pm bed time!

Tammy sitting on the lawn in front of the main centre just before sunset...