Spring Cleaning, Spring Cleansing
By Dr. Brenda Gill
It’s Cleansing Time!
Since the weather is shifting into spring and the bulbs are popping out of the earth, it is a great time to consider spring cleaning your body. Take some time to focus inside and clear the body of built-up toxins, metabolites, hormones and breakdown products. There are lots of fresh fruit and vegetables around now, so, consider going on a rejuvenating cleanse. This will clear the slate of accumulated toxins from the winter and when the weather warms up, your system will be detoxified and primed for superior performance!!!! .
External toxicitycan be acquired by breathing, eating or contacting chemicals. We are exposed daily to chemicals in the air, water and on our food, electromagnetic radiation, pharmaceutical drugs & other medications, eating refined/packaged/ processed foods, as well as using stimulants and sedatives. We also produce internal toxins called free radicals through normal everyday functions of our cells in biochemical and bodily functions. Microbes, such as intestinal bacteria produce wastes that must be eliminated and our thoughts and emotions also generate biochemical toxins. If our body is working well, with good immune and eliminative functions we can handle everyday exposure to toxins. Cleansing helps to prevent build-up of toxicity and degeneration.
We detoxify through the respiratory, gastro-intestinal, urinary, skin, lymph, thought and spiritual systems. Detoxification/cleansing can occur on many levels. Drinking an extra litre of water, eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat or dairy products is a form of cleansing, since it helps to clear toxins from our body. Be careful about over-elimination or over-detoxification. Some people go to extremes with fasting and herbal laxatives and diuretics and an imbalance can be created. You may become deficient in vitamins or minerals or the liver can become overloaded. This may make a person feel sick and fatigued. Cleansing programs can be also set up individually, with knowledge of a person’s history, diet, vitamin/mineral levels, health and lifestyle. The general guidelines are:
· Following a hypo-allergenic diet (whole grains, veggies, fruit, fish or beans/legumes if vegetarian
· Increasing fibre (oat/rice bran, veggies, fruit)
· Increasing purified water intake
· Using herbs such as garlic, red clover, cayenne, ginger, dandelion root, yellow dock, burdock, licorice and parsley
· Including saunas, sweats or alkaline baths
· Reducing fats (fried foods, red meats, cow dairy and peanuts)
· Increasing regular activity to induce sweating
· Facilitating efficient elimination with psyllium, herbal products, aloe, bentonite clay and acidophilus)
· Increasing bathing, skin brushing and lymph massage
· Incorporating resting, relaxation exercises, breathing exercises or yoga
· Choosing individualized specific supplements
The next level of a detox diet is one made up of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, especially brown rice or quinoa and other non-gluten grains, seeds & almonds and fish along with homeopathic detoxification drops. A raw foods detoxification diet is also an option for some. Other specialized detox diets treat specific problems, like the Candida diet. Then, there are liquid cleanses or fasts using juices, vegetable broths and teas. Miso or spirulina is often added.
I also have people detoxify by using “Dr. B’s cleanse”, which is like a meal replacement with detoxification nutrients added. This method requires coaching to give you support, suggestions for meals and maximize effectiveness, so you feel energized, can work and exercise as usual and don’t feel deprived or hungry.
So, whatever method works for you, try a detoxification cleanse to continue on the process of healing and rejuvination!
For those wishing to try a specific cleanse tailored to you, consider an appointment with Dr. Brenda Gill at: 250-362-5035
