What’s the difference between all of the above? Should you do a cleanse or do you not need to because your body does it for you? What kind of program is best for you?

A healthy body does a good job of detoxification on a daily basis when given the proper sleep, nutrition, nutrients, water, movement and is low stress. However our modern lives are often busy, stressful and rarely full of enough movement and good nutrition. Add to that the increasing levels of toxins, chemicals, EMFs, and more that our bodies are bombarded with on a daily basis, it may be hard to keep up with the necessary level of detoxification to achieve optimal health. This is where a cleanse or similar program may be useful.

I recently did a 3+ day fast, consuming mainly water, herbal teas, bone broth and kombucha instead of food for a period of 88 hours. My motivation for doing so was mainly spiritual. I had a lot on my mind and wanted a break to work through some stuff and bring renewed focus into my life. I was well prepared, I had a list full of tools to help me through it, a couple of supplements and I planned my fast around the moon cycle, my cycle and my days off. I ended my fast feeling amazing, rejuvenated and focused. This is the ideal outcome for any detoxification program.

Let’s delve into what each of these are about.

Cleanses

A cleanse is any method of supporting the body to increase detoxification. This can be through fasting, a detox program or a “cleanse.” The idea behind doing a cleanse is to boost the body’s detoxification process and focus on elimination and drainage. You can work at different levels of cleanses, with a beginners simplified cleanse up to a more intensive whole body cleanse. Common cleanses are Parasite cleanse , Liver cleanse , Kidney cleanse, Candida and a colon cleanse. Cleanses can be done with specific dietary recommendations, supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies and lifestyle supports. You can choose what works best for your lifestyle, timeline and budget. Lisa can help you decide what type and length of cleanse will work best for you and your health.

Spring is the ideal time to do a cleanse as we sync with nature’s cycle of renewal and cleansing. Our bodies are already amping up after resting all winter and energy and drainage naturally increase. The only time I don’t recommend doing a cleanse is during winter. In winter our bodies are in rest mode, drainage is naturally slower and any pressure to extra detoxification may not work as well, may not be eliminated efficiently.

Elimination is the way the body gets rid of toxins, and wastes, through, stool, urine, sweat and even respiration. It is vital that proper elimination is happening before you begin any cleanse or the toxins that you are trying to get rid of will be mobilized and circulating in your body rather than being flushed out.

Drainage is process of moving lymph, blood and other bodily substances circulating through the body to the proper channels to be eliminated. If drainage is poor you may experience swelling, feeling sluggish, poor circulation, swollen glands, frequent colds or congestion, and more. Improving your body’s drainage ability can be done in a variety of ways but regular movement is one of the easiest.

Fasting

Fasting is the process of not eating for a set period of time. You can choose the amount of time or days that you want to abstain from eating. This can be for health reason, spiritual reasons or for both. By abstaining from eating your give your digestive system a break and can allow extra healing time for problems like indigestion, IBS, ulcers, acid reflux, etc. If you are working to heal these issues you should include extra supports to speed up healing in those areas. Lisa can guide you through which homeopathic remedies, supplements or herbs will be best for you.

I rarely recommend a fast for a first line of detoxification, there are easier methods without the restriction of fasting. Fasting is not suitable for everyone. Fasting should be done with mindful consideration and not be undertaken by those with a history of eating disorders, bingeing, or frequent food restriction.

There a many different types of fasts. Fasting for religious or spiritual reasons has been done for centuries. Recently Intermittent Fasting (IF) has become quite popular, said to give you the benefits of fasting in a shorter time frame. With IF you can choose your window of eating, often lunch and dinner and just skip breakfast, giving you a 16-18 hour fast between your last meal on one day and the first meal on the following day. This can be a good option for those wanting to see how their body reacts to limited eating periods.

Juice fasting is popular in the spring. I did a review of one here. This involves eating no food, but substituting fruit and vegetable juices for meals and snacks. The down side to this is that juices can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes and can leave you feeling shaky and grouchy. The lack of fibre can make it difficult to maintain proper elimination as well.

Other fasts can include herbal teas, bone broth, juices, kombucha, basically any liquid (usually water based liquids) you like. Fasting can be done with just your liquid(s) of choice but additional fibre supports are recommended to keep elimination going. It is also important to be mindful of your electrolyte balance while fasting. Sometimes just a pinch of salt is all that is needed, but for others a multi mineral supplement may be a good idea. You can add additional supplements, herbs, and other supports if needed. You can set the rules or you can ask a professional to design a program for you.

Detoxification

Detoxification is the body’s natural process of eliminating all the toxins that our bodies come in contact with. When referring to a Detox program I usually mean a program designed to help support the body to target, bind and eliminate certain substances, like heavy metals, previous medications, ill effects after exposure to certain chemicals, toxins, disease/illness and more. This is a process that is best done with professional support, supplements, dietary recommendations and usually homeopathic medicines. Homeopathic remedies excel at eliminating toxins. If done without proper support trying to eliminate old toxins can make you ill. This is because old toxins should be carefully enveloped in fat cells to protect the body from them. When we detoxify them, we are freeing them and bringing them back into circulation. The body must be well equipped to quickly and efficiently bind and eliminate these toxins to prevent the person from getting sicker.

Detoxification programs are usually longer (a few months or more) with more supports and careful monitoring to safely eliminate toxins. Most detox programs will likely include dietary, supplements, herbals, lifestyle modifications and homeopathic medicines. Detoxification should always be approached with careful planning and consideration into your health, lifestyle, budget and allotted time. Easing your toxin burden doesn’t need to be complicated with the proper supports.

The bottom line is cleansing, fasting and detoxification can all be done safely and and relatively easily with extra support and guidance from a knowledgeable professional. Keep in mind that none of theses programs are done specifically for weight loss, even though weight loss can happen, the goal is to support the body’s detoxification process and achieve improved health.

For more information on a plan that will work best for your specific health needs, contact Lisa.

The information provided here is to educate, not to prescribe, diagnose or treat any disease. Nutritional consultation is to promote optimal health and correct possible nutritional imbalances. For the diagnosis or treatment of any disease, please consult a your trusted health care professional.