Humans have been using detoxification and cleansing since the beginning of time to improve their health. In today’s toxic environment, protecting yourself by removing these poisons has become more important than ever. Periodic deep cleaning is a wonderful and necessary thing. We do it to our cars, our homes, even our pets. Yet most of us don‘t even think about cleansing our body and internal organs.
1. Do I really need to cleanse?
Cleansing and detoxifying are crucial for improved digestion, lower risk of disease, increased energy and better overall health. Toxins from food and the environment are stored in the liver and fatty tissues of the body. When these toxins are present in large amounts, the body gets sluggish and doesn’t work as efficiently resulting in a range of health problems from simple digestive upsets, to weight-loss resistance, minor aches and pains to full blown chronic inflammation and disease.
2. When is the best time to do a cleanse and how often should I do it?
How often you cleanse is really personal. Generally cleansing is done with the change of the seasons, particularly the spring and fall. However, the best time to cleanse is when your body is giving you signs that it is not functioning efficiently. These could be simple digestive sluggishness, fatigue, bloating, unexplained weight gain or inability to lose weight, skin eruptions, headaches, insomnia, etc. Or it could be after a period of overindulgence. I find many of my clients enjoy doing a cleanse in the new year after indulging over the holidays.
3. Will I feel yucky while doing a cleanse?
It is when you detox too quickly that you may feel uncomfortable while doing a cleanse. You may get a detox reaction or healing crisis. This is simply when the body is pushing out toxins into the system faster than they are being eliminated. That is why I developed my gentle version of a cleanse. In my Gentle Guided Group Cleanse we slowly eliminate the toxins from our food and environment so you will feel great throughout and when you finish. In fact most people feel so good, that they choose to continue eating the way they do on the cleanse.
4.What type of cleansing is the best?
Over the years, many forms of cleansing have been used. Water and juice fasting are among the most common although rigorous methods, and a variety of potions and powders have been developed to cleanse the colon and the liver. Many cultures and religions include fasting one or more times per year also. Many of these cleansing methods work well. While none works perfectly for everyone, all have advantages and disadvantages. Genetic makeup, body type, activity level, work and family demands, and stress level are some of the factors that play into how successful any given cleansing method will be for an individual at any given time. However, when cleansing for the first time, it is important that it be gentle so that you are able to handle the elimination of toxins without discomfort.
5.What are some simple steps I can take today to start cleansing my body?
There are some really simple things that you can do right away that will make a huge difference in your life.
i)First of all you want to eliminate as many of the toxic things in your environment as you can ~ household chemicals, beauty products, pesticides, people, relationships, etc.
ii) Start your day with 2 glasses of water. This can be warm lemon water or just plain water. Drink half of your bodyweight in ounces over the course of the day. eg. if you weigh 130 lbs., then drink 65oz. daily minimum.
iii) Scrape your tongue daily. What comes off of your tongue is full of bacteria and once you start doing this, you will not be able to stop. It is great for clean oral health and your overall health as well.
iv) Eat more green vegetables. Green vegetables are rich in chlorophyll which is a potent blood purifier.
v) Go to bed earlier. 10pm is optimal.