Spring is near. The official day of spring is March 20. It is
time to take spring cleaning to that next level. Why do we need to
spring clean our bodies? First, there is the natural need to cast
off winter blues and feel renewed and second, according to Chinese
medicine, the liver is most active in detoxification process during
spring.
Toxins are everywhere in our environment today! Toxins are the
biggest causes of cancer, degenerative disease, birth defects, and
genetic changes. Every day in the media we read about toxins in our
food, drinking water, cleaning supplies, and the air we
breathe.
Typical symptoms and signs of toxic overload include:
Fatigue- Memory decline
- Difficulty focusing
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Allergies and frequent infections
- Irritability, anxiety and depression
- Difficulty losing or gaining weight
- Muscle and joint pain and weakness
- Skin rashes, eruptions and outbreaks
- Recurrent yeast and fungal infections
- Abdominal bloating, gas and indigestion
I always start the spring cleaning of my body around spring
(twice a year if possible) by detoxing and doing colon cleaning and
fasting.
The necessity to rid your body of toxins on a regular basis is
obvious. It is particularly useful for people trying to quit
smoking, wean off drugs and lose weight. Many people have reported
vast improvement in their symptoms and conditions after going
through a detoxification program. I found a good home detox program
on-line. Below, I outline it:
At-Home Detox Program
Start with a one-day program and increase to one week or
more.
- Detox Diet: Eat mostly beans, brown rice, oat bran, vegetables,
fruits, organic chicken or turkey.
- Vegetable Juice: 24 oz. juice made from cabbage, cucumber,
carrot/greens, celery, turnip, asparagus, beet/greens, parsley,
apple, aloe vera. Split up into 3 portions and drink.
- Vegetable Broth: 24 oz. broth made from as many of the
following items: collards, Swiss chard, kale, mustard green,
cabbage, dandelion, Brussels sprout, daikon radish, watercress,
seaweed, shitake mushroom, cilantro, garlic, leek, fennel, anise,
ginger, turmeric. Divide into 3 portions to consume.
- 1 lemon squeezed in 12 oz. hot water. Take upon waking first
thing in the morning.
- Supplement with 1 Tablespoon either flax seed oil or deep sea
fish oil.
- Herbal Soak: 20-minute bath daily during Intensive and weekly
during maintenance with infusions of eucalyptus, wintergreen,
peppermint, fennel, cinnamon and Epsom Salt to help draw out
toxins
I also recommend a couple of GNC and Vitamin Shoppe detox kits
you can purchase that I have used that are mild on the body. I also
want to add that when you are doing a detox you should be watching
what you eat and avoid fatty, greasy and heavy foods. The National
University Whole Health Clinic has great detox programs and diet
recommendations, especially naturopathy and AOM.
Word to the Wise: Please discuss your
detoxification needs with your practitioners. Spring may be the
best time to cleanse your body and environment but you don't have
to wait until spring to start because detoxification and cleansing
is for all seasons.
Thank you for continued support of the AOM Blog! Think spring
cleaning!