Before I get to your specific questions, let's clarify a few things.
--Dr. Schulze developed the IF#1 & IF#2 and used it to heal THOUSANDS of people safely and successfully, and many MANY of those people were more severely compromised, symptomatic and close to death than most people on CZ will EVER be. This combination has stood the test of time VERY successfully!
--If you'd like, start searching each ingredient in IF#2 on the internet (something I do before I ever put ANY herb or substance in my mouth, no matter WHO recommends it) - you will find (as long as you're viewing legitimate sources of information, not junk from allopathic sites & fear-mongers) that other than an allergic reaction, the ONLY potential for harm we're dealing with here is a bit of constipation...and that can easily be relieved by taking more IF#1, drinking a few cups of prune juice, or worst case scenario, doing a few enemas. Remember, this formula was safely used on thousands of people that were "past dying" (they'd already lived with a terminal illness longer than the doctors told them they had to live). That's why Dr. Schulze called them 'the walking dead'...because they were still walking long after the time when they were 'supposed' to die (according to their doctors)...and he had some of them taking a heaping TABLESPOON of IF#2 6x a day (something that I have done with no problem).
--If you mix IF#2 with water/juice and leave it out on the countertop for 24-48 hours, it DOES look like "black caulking foam", but your wet, soft, fluid, soft intestines are a LONG way from being a solid glass with no added fluid or digestive juices/enzymes, exposed to open/drying/hardening air! IF#2 does NOT get hard in your colon, it simply "swells & gels" a bit more than when you swallowed it - that's what it is SUPPOSED to do....and remember, what is sitting in a glass on the counter top is NOT mixed with an additional 8-16 ounces of water (that should be taken after each dose).
--The action of IF#2 is this: the finely powdered psyllium seeds & husks and apple pectin swell when wet (and continue to swell as they move along your intestinal tract with the additional water you drank after each dose) - they are also mucilaginous (slippery slimey), as are the slippery elm & marshmallow root. Slippery Elm & marshmallow are extreme soothers and healers (slippery elm will regrow skin, and it does it so effectively that it will regrow skin on open/oozing/infected bedsores). The swelling of the psyllium/pectin (these are mucilaginous, too!) very gently "push" the herbs into the lining of rubbery, hard, toxin/poison/acid/parasite filled putrefying mucoid plaque that lines your lower colon through which virtually every drop of fluid you drink must "ooze through" before being taken directly to your liver - yes, the presence of decades worth of mucoid plaque assures that you will be "autointoxifying" your bloodstream 24 hours a day (you know, right? poisoning yourself and your liver) - not to mention causing a lack of assimilation of vital nutrients. As the psyllium swells, the benonite clay/charcoal are also gently pushed into the colon/mucoid plaque, and the bentonite not only adsorbs toxins, but actually PULLS physically to itself (Dr. Schulze once used thick bentonite clay packs to draw out a piece of glass embedded in someone's head).
So, only this wonderfully healing, swelling slimey concoction has coated the mucoid plaque (and pockets of diverticuli), the bentonite actually pulls 'the yuck' to itself...and all the while this is happening the bentonite AND the charcoal are also pulling poisons/toxins out of your bloodstream and colon to themselves, to be safely pooped away. The peppermint? It's slightly antisceptic AND it helps prevent gas.
What we have here is a very soft/natural "slimey scrubbing bubbles" that abrades a tiny bit of mucoid plaque away with every gentle application, and the bentonite also "pulls" at the big hunks of mucoid plaque and pulls putrefying fecal matter away from the colon out of the pockets of diverticuli. Once you've seen & smelled mucoid plaque (and tried to cut through it with the edge of a spoon), you'll KNOW what you're up against and how toxic it really is...and you'll aslo understand why using Nature's gentle healing herbs to attack this pure filth in your intestines is definitely "underkill" (lol) - I'd give anything if there was some kind of "herbal Draino" that I could take, feel like total crap for a week, and just dissolve it all safely (but there's not) - the only thing more effective than IF#2 that I know of is a long series of colonics (but that doesn't strengthen the musculature, it just cleans away mucoid plaque, and it very expensive besides).
So, let's turn that 'black caulking foam' thing, into Nature's gentle, healing "slimey scrubbing bubbles", okay? OK! And let's add, that while this is happening and all the toxins/poisons are being disturbed and released, that the vast majority are being safely contained in your colon to be 'pooped away' because of the bentonite & activated charcoal. Onward
I just started IF#1 and #2 yesterday... I didn't start the #1 ahead of time because I normally have 3-5 bm's a day.. (although, mostly very loose.. pencil thin, and some diahrea)so, since I am already at the recommended frequency uny recommends, I just started right in with the #2.. (and took one if#1 last night)... I will continue to monitor, and up the IF#1 as needed.. so far, though.. my bm's have been right where they should be as far ad frequency..All good! Thin, watery stools generally indicate major amounts of colon compromise and lots of mucoid plaque narrowing the lower intestines. There was no need to start with the IF#1, but it's possible the IF#2 will be constipating in your case, so I'm glad you're prepared to take the IF#1 'as needed, if needed'
I did 5 shakes, total, yesterday.. got all of my water in..Just to confirm, a "shake" equals 1 heaping teaspoon of IF#2 mixed with 4-6 ounces of juice/water, followed by 8-16 ounces of water, right? took one of the IF#1 last night... and I'm on my second day today, and I really feel awful... I have a horrible headach.. sick to my stomache.. I'm tired, and achey... yuck.. I don't want to lay down, as my head hurts more when laying down.. yet I don't have any energy to do anything else... :(
why do I feel so bad? What else, if anything, did you do that day? Did you start your juice fast? Take any other herbs? Did you drink ample water other than what is required for the IF#2? (If you weigh 150, divide that by two = 75 - that's the amount of ounces of water a 150 pound person needs daily ---at the minimum--- One should drink at least 8 ounces of water after every dose of IF#2...not counting the usual 75 ounces, or whatever is right for them). Did you stop drinking caffeine? What did you eat? or juice? It is NOT likely to get a 'horrible headache' from taking IF#2 for a day, nor feel sick to your stomach - but it is possible. Let's examine 'all of the above' plus anything else you can think of. Are you taking any type of otc or pharmaceutical (because the bentonite/charcoal can lower the blood level of those)
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thanks for the advise... I'm trying to drink more water.. but I am peeing like a racehorse! seriously... I took my husband to see a movie today for father's day.. and I had to leave 6 times... and just went and went and went... even though I'm drinking alot.. I'm peeing WAY more than what I am drinking...This IS typical when taking IF#2 :) :) :) And it will go away. 1) You're likely dehydrated (most people are) and that means the bladder has shruken and is non-elastic. 2) 90%+ of all water in the intestinal tract is absorbed in the lower colon - so you've been having 3-5 water bowel movement every day, and a lot of the water has NOT been absorbing into your bloodstream (that's why I'm pretty sure you're dehydrated and your bladder is a bit shrunken/non elastic) BUT when you take the IF#2, it firms up your bowel movements and slows everything down, so MUCH more water will absorb into your bloodstream...so that means you pee like a race horse. Been there done that - it'll start getting better in a few days as your bladder becomes more elastic :) AND, it's possible, that all that adequate hydration and 'flow' is cutting lose all KINDS of junk - so I highly recommend adding a teaspoon of activated charcoal to each dose of IF#2.
And I didn't want to take anything for the headache.. but I am seriously in a full blown migraine today... just looking at the computer screen hurts.. :( Ouch, that's awful...but it really isn't 'typical' and I'm SURE we can find the reason. Start with the extra activated charcoal asap and we can take it from there. If you have anywhere local to find organic white willow bark, you can make a strong tea; that is fabulous for a headache (but please don't order any from Mountain Rose; for some reason there's has been consistently 'not right' over the last few years). It takes a few hours for white willow bark to 'kick in', but when it does you'll wonder why you EVER took ibuprofen or aspirin.
I don't like the description of that the stuff looked like black cauking foam.. are we realy sure this stuff is ok to put in our bodies? I'm so afraid it is going to create some sort of blockage in my system... I understand your fear/worry, but I assure you...it's totally unfounded. You'll be feeling MUCH better, real soon :)
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"Once I had some IF#2 with some juice, didn't drink it all, and left the glass out to sit overnight. The IF#2 expanded overnight to over twice its size, and became the consistency of a soft sponge. I was like, "Oh, really?" and I let it sit a second night just to see. The next day it formed a dome over the top of the glass and looked like black caulking foam. So through that experiment I learned that you have to keep IF#2 moving through your body with IF#1 or it can expand in your colon and cause bloating. At the same time, it really does "sponge" up the old fecal material and adsorbs toxins from the lining of the colon and bloodstream as the blood passes through the colon."
Well that sounds kind of gross and scary Yes, it sounded kinda scary to me, too! (lol), but there's no need to worry - 'wings just didn't think how awful that description sounded, I'm sure :) I just have one question for ya. Once we get 3 movements a day with however many #1's it takes and then we continue with that amount everyday can we be assured that things will keep moving once we add the #2? Just checking don't want any caulking floating around inside me YUCK LOL. Once you have 3 bms with the IF#1, most people have to add an additional capsule of IF#1 when they start the IF#2 - some don't, but most do. That information is found here: http://curezone.com/schulze/handbook/intestinal.asp#1 and here: http://curezone.com/schulze/herbal_colon_cleanse_1_2.asp and here: Dr Schulze 2001 Bowel Newsletter I do my best to make sure that everybody has those links in my initial posts to them - if I missed it for either of you, I sincerely apologize. If you haven't already read them, please choose one of the first two, and the newsletter...and read through them completely - you'll be glad you did, and they will answer MANY of your questions and concerns!
Thanks for explaining what the #2 does I was just thinking it broke down the hard fecal matter, but absorbing toxins from the colon and bloodstream sounds really good to me. It's fantastic for this! I'm going to start taking it by Tuesday I'm sure. Cool deal! I hope it doesn't make me sick but if it does I'll get through it. - it's very unlikely to make you feel anything but better. We (me n' Rocky) always feel much better when we're taking it than when we're not. Of course, it's always possible to get off to a rough start, but that's the exception rather than the rule!
Good luck willowwisp, I hope you're feeling better soon. Its a wonderful thing knowing that by just feeling bad for a few days we are doing such a great thing for our body isn't it? Exactly and ditto! :)
Yes, it sounded kinda scary to me, too! (lol), but there's no need to worry - 'wings just didn't think how awful that description sounded, I'm sure :) I just have one question for ya. Once we get 3 movements a day with however many #1's it takes and then we continue with that amount everyday can we be assured that things will keep moving once we add the #2? Just checking don't want any caulking floating around inside me YUCK LOL. Once you have 3 bms with the IF#1, most people have to add an additional capsule of IF#1 when they start the IF#2 - some don't, but most do. That information is found here: http://curezone.com/schulze/handbook/intestinal.asp#1 and here: http://curezone.com/schulze/herbal_colon_cleanse_1_2.asp and here: Dr Schulze 2001 Bowel Newsletter I do my best to make sure that everybody has those links in my initial posts to them - if I missed it for either of you, I sincerely apologize. If you haven't already read them, please choose one of the first two, and the newsletter...and read through them completely - you'll be glad you did, and they will answer MANY of your questions and concerns!