Detoxify but don’t deplete

Even though we may be distracted by the trappings of digital and mechanized society, our bodies are part of nature.  It’s officially Spring as of 4:19 PDT today, March 20^th, 2011.  That means you can experience buds on the trees, crocuses popping out of the ground, birds and squirrels more actively flitting and scurrying about, and ever increasingly long days.  But it’s not just Spring outside.

It’s Spring inside too, in our bodies.  Just as nature awakens and bursts forth new life, so do we.  Some of the effects of this, we call “spring fever.”  You may want to be more active, spend more time outside, wake up earlier and/or stay up later.  You may want to drift about freely, without aim, and shirk the duties you’ve been burying your nose in all winter.  Go ahead!  Be alive, and enjoy life.  That’s what is happening in nature too, and the more we are in tune with nature, the greater our capacity for health.

Something else that happens in the body during spring is a natural cleansing process.  The body wants to clear out the excesses of winter to make room for the more active seasons of spring and summer.  You can help this process along in many ways, ranging from more extreme fasts and cleanses to gentler detoxification processes.  If you are already feeling tired and depleted, if you are a generally sensitive type, or if you are completely new to detoxification methods, I recommend starting with a more gentle and nourishing approach.

Begin any detoxification regimen with a few simple life and dietary changes.  Even without fasting, your body can cleanse well, especially if you stop eating by 7pm at night, and eat only a light breakfast, such as a smoothie or fresh fruit and herbal tea.  Increase the amount of fresh and cooked fruit and vegetables you eat.  Decrease or ideally cut out refined sugars, white flour and hydrogenated oils.  Night is when your body does most of its cleaning out, so you can also help move things along by getting to bed by 11pm.  In this way, your body can do its cleaning without having to process any new stimulus of any kind, including television, conversation or reading

A few herbal teas that aid in the detoxification process:  For gentle but effective liver support try milk thistle seed, burdock root, dandelion root and blue violet.  For kidney cleansing try nettles and dandelion leaf.  For cleaning the blood try sarsaparilla, red clover and yellow dock.  For cleansing the lymph, try red root, blue violet, burdock and yellow dock.

Microgreens are an excellent addition to the diet at any time, due to their high vitamin, mineral and protein content, which are all completely bioavailable.  They are also excellent detoxifiers because of their high chlorophyll content.  For a more depleted constitution, try spirulina over any other microgreen as it is the most nutritive.  For a stronger constitution, try chlorella, the highest in cleansing chlorophyll.  For an energizing mineral blast and very strong detoxification for those with very robust constitutions, go for the blue-green algae.  Cereal grasses, such as wheat or barley grass and alfalfa leaf powder are also high in chlorophyll, and are very alkalizing.  There are also many blends of various

Always support the natural elimination processes through your skin and colon during a cleanse.  For gentle colon support, try aloe very gel.  Very a more intensive colon scrub, I recommend the “Intestinal Drawing Formula” by Health Force.  Skin is the main eliminative organ of the body.  “Dry brushing,” or scrubbing the entire surface of the body with a natural bristle brush before a shower is an ancient and effective technique for removing dead skin cells.  For best results and to improve your circulation, always brush towards the heart.  Another approach is a weekly sweat.  To do this at home, drink diaphoretic herbs such as peppermint, sage or elder flower, and then take a hot bath.  Scrub your self well, rinse off, and then continue to sweat by wrapping yourself in blankets.  Rinse off again once you’re done sweating.

Maintain your chosen regimen for a few weeks, or as you are able.  A more sustained, gentler detoxification is ultimately more effective than a quick one week fast.  Such methods tend to shock the body twice – when you begin it and when you end it.  Making more sustainable changes are ultimately better for your body, heart, mind & spirit.  And ultimately, isn’t that what you’re after?

Wishing you a happy, healthy & abundant springtime!