Why does detoxing make me feel so crappy?

When someone begins a detoxification program, whether it is for the first time or the tenth, they are going to feel worse before they feel better.

Why? Seems counter-intuitive, right?

Let's go back to the basics of a detox and why we do it. Our liver has an incredible capacity to filter and remove many of these toxins through our kidneys and bowels. Over time, these organs get sluggish, overloaded and lose a great deal of their eliminatory energy.  Think of it as a complex plumbing system, which over time gets congested with sludge. The pipes become so congested that only small amounts can pass through, thus slowing everything else down.  Once one organ or gland becomes overburdened, it begins to shut down in order to preserve itself, so now another organ or gland has to step up and take on more of the load. This is when we develop chronic pains and inflammations like arthritis, as well as all kinds of assimilation and digestive problems like heartburn, colitis, and diabetes.

Hence, why our society is turning more and more to detoxing. However, no matter how simplistic the detox is, our body will respond and begin to release toxins. The more intense you go at this process, the more intense your symptoms will be. Why? Because in order to eliminate the deep held toxins, our body has to stir it up from the tissue it has been stored in and move it around to remove it. This stirring up is what you are feeling when you start, which causes you to develop headaches, nausea and various body aches.

The trick is to make sure that your body is first capable of eliminating clearly. Often we use things to stimulate our organs to dump toxins, but haven't prepared our organs of elimination properly, so toxins get backed up causing us to literally feel crappy! Or we have asked our body to dump too quickly and we cannot handle the onslaught of toxins being released, again making us feel as bad as the toxins we are releasing.

Natalie Dee is funny, but instead of GMO wheat products, I recommend you go for ground flax seed or whole organic cereals like HOLY CRAP. 

Start gently by doing all the simple steps I recommended on spring cleansing and detoxing. Ensure your elimination organs are prepared by using high multi-strain probiotics, getting good fiber like ground flax seeds and using a bentonite clay drink which will help your bowels. To prepare your kidneys, drink lots of warm lemon water daily, parsley, cilantro and chlorella.

Homeopathic remedies that help are: (Feel free to ask your local health food store clerk for help on the right remedies for you!)
                Liver  - Chelidonium, Nux-Vomica, Lycopodium.
                Kidney/Bladder -  Berberis, Benzoin Acid, Lachesis.
                Bowels - Aloe, Sulphur, Alumina.

Last but not least, simply know that you will feel yucky initially when starting a detox. Know that this simply indicates that your body is toxic and this is a good idea. Stick with it and give yourself lots of support and rest during the first week or two. Eventually, you will begin to feel a whole lot better. Your digestion will improve, you will loose weight and gain energy physically and mentally!

Happy detoxing.

~Andrea

Hopefully you'll feel like this litle guy after your detox! Photo from Westwrite.

Spring Cleansing & Weight Loss.

The human body loves cycles and rhythms, especially when it has to do with nutrients and rest. Every year when winter slowly gives way to spring, the natural cycles trigger an awakening in our bodies via the sun's forces. We wake up and expand, just like our surrounding world.

Think of your body as waking up and growing like a forest floor.

We begin to feel more energetic and active with the expansion of the days. If we have not been making great food choices over the winter months, our bodies will not be able to keep up with this expansion. If the physical body is not operating at it's optimum, it will begin to show this through many different symptoms. These can be: headaches, sleep disruption, gastric disturbances, and general aching in the joints and muscles.

If you have any one of these symptoms that has lasted for more than a few weeks, than your body is trying to tell you it needs some proper support. Whether you are an old hat at cleansing or are completely new to this concept, there are a few golden rules that every one can follow that will help your body to release old held toxins and give some new life to their over loaded organs.

Wholistic Healthcare Spring Cleaning Regiment

1. Eliminate all processed carbohydrates. In other words- if it comes pre-made in a box no matter whether it is regular pasta or organic brown rice pasta, eliminate it! Give yourself at least 4 - 6 weeks off of all processed foods and your body will be happier for the break from trying to process something this difficult and will begin to release held toxins.
2. Take a break from all sugar sources, even the natural sugars like cane sugar, maple syrup, honey etc. The body has to actually take energy away from itself in order to digest sugars.  If you are dealing with any kind of tumors, or hardening of the body type with chronic issues like cysts, be aware that sugar feeds these issues. Even fruit is a form of quick sugar so try to avoid all sweet, simple fruits like apples, pears, peaches, and bananas. Berries are a better source of fruit with less sugar and more nutrients, however also keep these to a minimum for the 4- 6 weeks of your cleanse.
3. Drink lots of fresh, clean water! By adding real lemon to your water you also increase the cleansing and ph balancing of your body.
4. Be sure to get a good night sleep. Try to get in to a habit of going to bed at the same time every night and do not eat or drink anything except water after 8 pm. Be sure that your bedroom is at a consistent temperature between 19 - 20 degrees Celsius (65-68 Fahrenheit) and it is as dark as you can make it.
5. Keep your diet clean of toxins by eating organic meats, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole form carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa, lentils, and berries. 

It doesn't matter what blood type, metabolic rate or glandular type is. If you follow these simple rules and you will gently detox the build up of unwanted toxins from your body, and begin to feel lighter emotionally and physically.

Be prepared that even doing a simple cleanse like this will at first make you feel off, due to the body dumping toxins, even without adding any other forms of detoxification like herbs.

Symptoms will vary from person to person (being tired, cranky and having headaches are all signs of toxins leaving the body) and will last any where from 1-2 days up to a week. Generally, I recommend you simply stick with it and know that you will begin to feel better. A simple technique is to cheat ever so slightly during this first week but only if you cannot stand the symptoms. By "cheating" I mean to simply have a tiny bit of natural sugar, which is usually what the body is struggling with not having, so drink some organic fruit juice like grape or apple. This will usually diminish the nasty symptoms, and remember not to over do it or the body will stop detoxing all together.

Also, please remember that you can always ask me for help or a personalized program to help target a specific problem, or help you achieve a specific health goal this spring.

In love and light,
Andrea