Let's talk fast to detoxify, cleanse and refresh

Detoxification is an essential and normal ongoing body process. Each day our body handles the detoxification of chemicals, heavy metals, medications and normal products of cellular metabolism. The liver is a true friend in this process, handling primary detoxification as well as more than 400 other functions in our body such as the production of cholesterol and bile, the filtering of our blood, and the breakdown of excess estrogen and progesterone.

Add to this the sheer volume of toxins being currently released into the environment and we begin to delay these normal detoxification pathways. Think of it in terms of a barrel. Each of us has one inside of us that fills with toxins we are exposed to every day — chemicals and chemical products in plastics, cosmetics, our food, as well as car exhaust, pesticides, water pollution, and soil contamination. Add to this “toxic relationships,” stress at work and with family and suddenly we begin to experience what I call “full barrel syndrome,” where the barrel begins to spill over and we feel exhausted, sluggish, irritable and bloated. We may react or (react even more strongly) to perfumes, chemicals, cigarette smoke, paint, solvents such that we may not even be able to walk the detergent aisle of the supermarket without a headache.
Because the amount of toxic exposure has increased steadily with the advent of our industrialized society, it is even more important that we address this toxic accumulation that is happening in our bodies by keeping the barrel from filling as much as possible, and draining it periodically by utilizing some classic detoxification techniques to refresh and renew the body.

According to Dr. Evart Loomis, fasting is the world’s most ancient and natural healing mechanism. Fasting triggers a truly wondrous cleansing process that reaches right down to each and every cell and tissue in the body. Within 24 hours of curtailing food intake, enzymes stop entering the stomach and travel instead into the intestines and into the bloodstream, where they circulate and gobble up all sorts of waste matter, including dead and damaged cells, unwelcome microbes, metabolic wastes, and pollutants. All organs and glands get a much-needed and well-deserved rest, during which their tissues are purified and rejuvenated and their functions balanced and regulated.” This translates into increased energy, normalization of our bowels, a clearer mind, improved sleep, a greater sense of well-being and sometimes even the safe loss of more than 10 pounds over a three-week process.

Spring is a wonderful time to begin a cleanse. Plants that have been hibernating in their roots all winter, use the warming temperatures to send energy into the buds and flowers, opening and renewing their activity just as we come out of these colder, darker times with a sense of renewal and a desire for “spring cleaning.”

As the foundation of a cleanse, there are many ways to use foods for detoxification. The strongest form of cleansing is a full-blown fast, with water, tea or perhaps broth intake for up to several weeks (or more, in some rare cases). Only people with past experience cleansing and with excellent vitality should attempt this without medical supervision. In my practice, I do brief supervised fasts or include them as part of a three-week cleanse because of the dramatic ability to remove “obstacles to cure” in a relatively short amount of time. A milder but powerful and yummy technique is a juice fast, which might include freshly juiced beets, carrots, apples, celery, wheat grass, etc., combined with plenty of fresh water.

For first-time cleanses or a general maintenance cleanse done twice yearly (such as I do), we go to a health-promoting diet of perhaps 50 percent raw diet of organic fruits and vegetables, lean organic and free-range meats, beans, soups, salads and other fresh foods. We remove the usual suspects from our diet — sugar, caffeine, alcohol, dairy and wheat, including other reactive foods determined on an individual basis, like nightshades, gluten, corn or eggs. We also eat to about 80 percent satiety, a trick for longevity practiced by the longest-lived populations on earth like the Okinawa people of Japan.

Beyond the diet, we can tailor our cleanses based on specific needs. For additional colon cleansing, we can add an enema where warm water or even coffee (a classic detoxifier when used rectally) is introduced into the lowest part of the colon. For deeper colon cleansing, we include colon hydrotherapy, a gentle internal massage and bath using warm, purified water that can help to eliminate stored fecal matter, gas, mucus and toxic substances from the colon. The history of colon hydrotherapy reaches far into the past. Reports about enemas were found on ancient Egyptian papers dating to 1500 B.C. Today’s sophisticated technology promotes both the safety and sanitation of this popular cleansing practice.

The skin, sometimes called the third kidney, is the body’s largest eliminative organ after the liver. When it functions efficiently, it eliminates two pounds of waste acids daily, so its ability to excrete toxins is of paramount importance; when the skin ceases to function properly, an increased burden is placed on the lymphatic system and other excretory organs.

One of the most beneficial discoveries for promoting detoxification and health is the far infrared sauna. For example, this heat therapy from a far-IR sauna is seven to 10 times greater than a conventional sauna because it operates more effectively at temperatures 60 to 80 degrees lower than conventional saunas. In a conventional sauna the average person sweats out 3 percent toxins and 97 percent water. In a far-IR sauna, the average person sweats out 20 percent toxins and 80 percent water.
Usually we will also add some cleansing and rejuvenating herbs like milk thistle, dandelion, globe artichoke and turmeric, or perhaps a nice vitamin and mineral cleansing formula to support optimal liver, kidney, skin and lung detoxification. We may also introduce gentle, tonifying herbs like ginseng, licorice or ashwaganda, which are used to strengthen and improve specific systems and the body as a whole, while preventing any decline in organ function.

The Herxheimer reaction occurs when the body is detoxifying too rapidly and toxins are being released faster than the body can eliminate them. When this occurs, one will suffer from headaches, nausea, vomiting and malaise. Even though this is but a short period of the health program, it can be severe and deter one from reaching their intended goals. Also, the person may not know what they are experiencing and think that they are regressing. One of my favorite herbs is green tea (with or without caffeine), which so effectively reduces any detoxification reactions that I suggest people drink it freely throughout a cleanse.

To minimize the Herxheimer reaction:

• Drink plenty of pure, fresh water — filtered, spring, distilled or alkaline. At least half
your body weight in ounces per day.

• Lots of sunshine.

• Take detoxification slowly ... one step at a time

• Increase your supplements slowly.

• Keep the organs of elimination (bowels, lungs, skin, kidneys) open.

• Take detox baths.

• Sweat by using exercise, saunas and baths.

• Avoid chemicals and refined processed foods.

If the Herxheimer reaction occurs, cut back on your health detoxification program. Reduce your supplement dosages, take additional vitamin C or fiber, take a hot bath or shower, and allow the body to recover. Remember that almost everyone goes through this “hump” initially, and if you stick to it you can emerge from your cleanse refreshed, renewed and thankful for one of the greatest gifts that we can give ourselves.

Here’s a nice recipe to include in your spring cleanse:

Liven Up Your Liver Juice (a.k.a. Digestive Jubilation Brew)

Juice 1 handful of fresh dandelion leaves, several sprigs each of parsley, fennel and cilantro, one 1/2-inch section of fresh ginger root, two to three carrots, one or two stalks of celery, and one small beet. Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, stir well and enjoy immediately. Drink only four to six ounces at a time, sip slowly, and dilute with water if you find the taste or effect too strong. If you don’t own a juicer, try dicing all the fresh vegetables and herbs. Place them in a blender; add two cups water and blend on high speed for two minutes. Strain out the pulp, refrigerate the juice. If you wish, add small amounts of any of the following fresh ingredients: burdock root, whole chickweed plant, mugwort or yarrow tips, nettle tips, thistle greens, young plantain leaves.