Spring Cleaning!

Here in Chicago it seems as if winter has been dragging on forever and spring is getting a slow start...but make no mistake about it...spring is here! Many people get motivated to clean their houses and gardens in the face of spring, I get motivated to clean my body! This is indeed the time to be thinking about a spring body detoxification.

Detoxification or cleansing does get a unfortunate reputation among many allopathic physicians. The conventional thought is that the liver (one of our detoxification organs) can handle any load we place on it. I have to respectfully disagree. Our world today is nothing like it was even a hundred years ago and our bodies no matter how awe-inspiring and miraculous, simply do not adapt that rapidly.

We live in a toxic world. Our foods have changed, from processing to how we grow them. Our enviroment is littered with chemicals and pollutants. Even when we have the best of intentions by eating and living clean and conciously, it is simply just not enough. Each day our bodies are bombarded with hundreds of toxins. Where do these toxins go? They reside in our cells until our liver can detoxify them and our bowels and skin can eliminate them from our bodies. When our liver becomes polluted, it begins to affect digestion (gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea), energy production (slow and lethargic), mood (feelings of anger or irritability), and sets the stage for many chronic diseases (eczema, arthritis, PMS…to name a few.)


So what are some simple things we can do to cleanse our bodies for the spring?

• Every morning before anything..even breakfast, drink the juice of 1/2 lemon squeezed into 8 oz. of warm water.
• End each hot shower with 30 seconds of cold. Shower hydrotherapy can get the lymphatics moving!
• Drink at least 1 L of distilled or spring water daily (2 L is better!) Herbal non-caffeinated tea counts.
• Eat your veggies! Especially beets, broccoli, spinach, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, broccoli raabe, cabbage…
• Eat organic. Eating locally grown is even better (reducing your carbon-footprint) Go to http://www.stonyfield.com/Organic/EWGShoppersGuide.pdf for a guide to foods grown with the most amount of pesticides and therefore those that are most important to eat organically.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine (green tea is beneficial), refined sugar, white flour/pasta/bread, and processed foods.
• Reduce animal products (meat, dairy, eggs.)
• Ensure regular bowel movements (at least one daily) to remove toxins.
• Get outside and move! At least 20 minutes of exercise to increase heart rate 3 times weekly. Walking at a brisk pace is a simple activity.
• More specifically, there are herbs, supplements, and protocols that can be individualized for for annual or bi-annual detoxification. These are often a little more thorough and intensive, and naturopathic supervision is recommended.