Cleansing & Detoxifying

If you're at all like me when someone mentions cleansing or detoxing. In that case, you immediately have images of sitting on the toilet with your pants around your ankles, sweating, feeling faint, and groaning in pain, all the while wondering how in the world you ever could have thought cleansing might have been a good idea and vowing never to do it again. It doesn't have to be this way. It can be much, much easier. Painless.

 

Cleansing has been practiced for hundreds of years by cultures worldwide. However, it's best that cleansing and detoxifying become part of a lifestyle, not just an every-so-often ritual. It's important to get plenty of rest and optimize your immunity for a certain amount of time to begin cleaning up your blood and your body's trillions of cells from impurities before attempting to remove toxins.

 

Rushing out and buying wheatgrass or an intestinal detox kit without nourishing your body first can cause unfavorable reactions, whether the methods are natural or not, especially if you're highly sensitive. or living with a condition, such as MS. Heavy detoxification methods can also make your herpes symptoms worse. If you're under 18, pregnant (or breastfeeding), or have a chronic degenerative disease,  a thyroid disorder, Diabetes, or Cancer you should talk to your doctor about cleansing and detoxifying.

 

Once you're living a clean lifestyle (for at least a year), you may be able to use stronger detox methods to help eliminate more stubborn toxins, such as biofilms and heavy metals, if necessary.

 

 

Symptoms of Toxicity 

 

Your lungs, kidneys, large intestine, lymph glands, and skin all help to eliminate toxins from your body. When your cells can't eliminate toxins properly, the following symptoms may arise.

 

 

 

The Benefits of Cleansing

 

  • Cleansing detoxifies every cell in your body by improving circulation.
  • It increases your body's natural ability to eliminate toxins and, when fasting, gives your major organs a rest.
  • It raises your energy level but in a calm, uplifting way.
  • It gets rid of bodily toxins and wastes.
  • Improves circulation
  • It helps you to sleep better.
  • It improves memory and focus.
  • It helps with weight loss.
  • It boosts your immune system.
  • It makes your skin look radiant.
  • It improves your breath.
  • It enables you to live longer by balancing your pH.
  • It makes your hair healthy and shiny.

 

 

Practicing a Healthy Cleansing & Detoxifying Lifestyle

 

Depending on your state of health, it can take up to a year or longer to build up to the point of being able to do any heavy detoxing. For the sake of simplicity and safety, focus on changing your diet, getting enough exercise, sleeping better, and spending just 2-3 days out of every month juicing (preferably over a weekend when you can relax, sleep, and just breathe). 

 

 

Step I. ~ Eliminate

 

First, eliminate alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, refined sugars, fake sweeteners, and trans fats. All of these are toxic. You will also want to review your personal care products at home and ensure they are 100% natural. Also, eliminate using household cleaning products that are not 100% natural.

 

Eggs, nuts, nightshades, beans, dairy, and foods containing gluten, dyes, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners are typical foods that cause food sensitivity and allergies. Avoid these foods for fourteen days. Then, add them back into your diet to see if symptoms return. 

 

 

Step II. ~ Eat Clean

 

Follow a "No Sugar" diet that allows no added sugars. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your added sugar intake to 100 calories daily for women and 150 per day for men. Added means any sugar not naturally found in whole fruit or vegetables, which means no granulated sugar, donuts, pastries, ice cream, dried fruit, cereal, or granola bars with added sugar. Some fruits are too high in sugar to be on the no-sugar diet (bananas, apples, lychees, and grapes). At the very least, limit your consumption of white bread, pasta, and rice.

 

The "No Sugar" diet usually takes about 21 days to get used to. It is normal to experience headaches, irritability, aches, and pains for the first 3-5 days while you detoxify from sugar. Cravings may also be off the wall because the overgrown bacteria in your gut will signal your brain for sugar, which will cause intense cravings. So, have some whole fruit or coconut flakes on hand, but only indulge a little. 

 

You can use stevia (a sweet plant leaf). It doesn't affect blood sugar levels like sugar and is safe for people with Diabetes. You can find stevia in most grocery stores. Green stevia (bulk leaf) is best. You may also use raw honey (1-3 teaspoons daily), even if you have Diabetes. Adding a bit of cinnamon to your food or beverage containing honey will reduce the sugar spike in your blood. Of course, be sure to talk to your doctor about following a "no sugar" diet and adding any new sweetener to your diet if you are being treated for Diabetes, which is also known as Sugar Disease. 

 

If you have Diabetes or lean toward hypoglycemia, please speak to your doctor before trying a fruit and vegetable fast. If your blood sugar issues are diet-controlled, you can add a healthy fat or protein to your juices and smoothies to keep your blood sugar level balanced. You can add real butter, walnuts or almonds (no peanuts) and seeds (ground flaxseed comes to mind), oils (virgin olive, ghee, or coconut oil), seaweed, and spirulina (algae) to your fruits and veggie concoctions to maintain blood sugar.

 

Once a month, it can be beneficial to eat just fruits and vegetables for 72 hours. Eating whole fruits and veggies can be an excellent way to detox naturally. It's best to do this over the weekend so you can relax and not have to worry about your energy reserves. 

 

Beets, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, celery, cranberries, cucumbers, kale, lemon, and pineapple are the best fruits and vegetables for cleansing and detox. Thin-skinned fruits and vegetables should be organic. Unless you have a blender that uses the entire fruit and vegetable, including the pulp and skin (or close to it), eat your veggies and fruits raw or cooked until tender (boiled, baked, or broiled).

 

While wheatgrass is often touted as good for humans, humans are not built to digest grass. You will undoubtedly hear differently from other sources, but I don't suggest it. If you insist on trying it, start with minimal amounts to see how your system responds.

 

 

Step III. ~ Exercise

 

Stress hormones are released whenever you become overwhelmed. These hormones may give you the edge you need to cope in the short term, but when stress is ongoing, you end up with too many of them floating around in your system. They create toxins in the liver and slow your body's natural detoxification process. One of the best ways of dealing with stress is to exercise but within limits. Too much exercise is stressful to the body. Tai Chi, Yoga, walking or swimming, and bouncing on a rebounder can help you detox more quickly. Isometric exercises help move acids out of your muscles and improve muscle tone.

 

 

Step IV. ~ Sleep

 

Without regular, deep sleep, your body won't be able to heal, and your cells won't have enough energy to detoxify. See Getting a Good Night's Sleep. If you have a sleep disorder, click here for holistic alternatives. 

 

 

Step V. ~ Peform a Mini-Detox Once a Month

 

Once a month, it can be helpful to eat just fruits and vegetables for 72 hours. Eating whole fruits and veggies can be an excellent way to detox naturally.

 

Unless you have a blender that uses the entire fruit and vegetable, including the pulp and skin (or close to it), eat your veggies and fruits raw or cooked until tender (boiled, baked, or broiled).

 

Beets, blueberries, cabbage, carrots, celery, cranberries, cucumbers, kale, lemon, and pineapple are the best fruits and vegetables for cleansing and detox. Thin-skinned fruits and vegetables should be organic.

 

While wheatgrass is often touted as good for humans, humans are not built to digest grass. You will undoubtedly hear differently from other sources, but I don't suggest it. If you insist on trying it, start with minimal amounts to see how your system responds.

 

If you have Diabetes or lean toward hypoglycemia, please speak to your doctor before trying a fruit and vegetable fast. If your blood sugar issues are diet-controlled, you can add a healthy fat or protein to your juices and smoothies to keep your blood sugar level balanced. You can add real butter, walnuts or almonds (no peanuts) and seeds (ground flaxseed comes to mind), oils (virgin olive, ghee, or coconut oil), seaweed, and spirulina (algae) to your fruits and veggie concoctions to maintain blood sugar.

 

Cleanse & Detox Tips

 

  • Fuel your body with healthy nutrients like fresh fruits, vegetables, and seaweed.

 

  • Eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods daily, such as brown rice, seaweed, raw cabbage, broccoli, and beets. Steam or lightly cook vegetables rather than eat them raw to avoid an upset stomach.

 

  • You might supplement your diet with dandelion root (digestion), milk thistle (liver cleansing), spirulina, chlorella, seaweed, or vitamin C (an antioxidant) supplements.

 

  • Eat fish 2-3 times per week or take fish oil supplements to give your body the healthy fats it needs.

 

  • Drink 3-4 cups of green tea daily (unless you find it irritates your bladder or are sensitive to oxalates). You will want to limit caffeine consumption, so choose decaf or green tea with less caffeine content, such as Sencha.

 

  • Drink plenty of fresh, pure water (at least four to eight 8-ounce glasses daily).

 

  • Do NOT use ordinary table salt. It's poison. Your body can't do anything with it but store it as a toxin. Use natural sea salt instead.

 

  • Sweat by sitting in a sauna or exercising. Breathe deeply to reduce stress as often as you can remember to do so.

 

  • Use a loofah to remove dead cells from your skin and boost circulation during your bath or shower. While in the shower, alternate warm water for 5 minutes and cold water for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times. Then, wrap up in a blanket for a half hour and read, sleep, or watch TV. Drinking 8 ounces of water after this hydrotherapy treatment can also help to move toxic wastes out of your system.

 

NOTE: Glutathione is the primary antioxidant in the body and detoxifies mercury (from old dental fillings and other sources) out of the body. You can take glutathione as a supplement, but ensure the form you take is bioavailable.

 

 

Have You Had Your Gallbladder Removed?

 

If you have no gallbladder, it's best NEVER to use drastic cleansing and detox measures. Instead, change your diet and use intermittent fasting (12 hours overnight, every night) to cleanse and detox. Your system works differently when your gallbladder has been removed, and detoxing too quickly with kits or supplements may pose problems.

 

Additionally, if you have no gallbladder, you may have difficulty digesting fats and absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. You may have to take more of these vitamins to get enough or take digestive enzyme supplements to encourage assimilation (or both).

 

For more about the role of your gallbladder, see Guarding Against Deficiencies & Toxicities.