Just as many people spring clean their homes, spring is a natural time to detox your body.
Caveat: Over the years I have noticed that patients who are really run down and exhausted or have trouble with thyroid hormone production/uptake tend not to benefit as much (in general) as others. With these patients I usually focus on regulating thyroid hormones production/uptake or generally strengthening their system before we get to detox.
Am I a good candidate for detox right now?
To get the most out of detox it’s important that you are:
1) Eating a clean, detox friendly diet. Food and beverages such as sugar, caffeine, most dairy, alcohol, fatty meats, processed meats, fried foods and processed foods/junk will all work against your detox efforts. Lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies, legumes, whole grains and water are where’s it’s at food-wise when it comes to detox.
2) Are not currently experiencing a high level of anxiety or stress or tension. While detox can help patients feel less stressed and tense, the hormones your body pumps out in times of increased anxiety, stress and tension are viewed as toxins by your body and will usually interfere with your results.
3) Are not smoking. Cigarrette smoke is nothing if not toxic. With such a large quantity of toxins going into your system, detox will probably only make you nauseated or feel sick at best.
4) Are having daily bowel movements that are not too small. Detox can help with bowel function, but it’s also important to have some measure of a good bowel movement every day before you detox. As stool sits in your colon, toxins get reabsorbed. Some patients tell me that having bowel movements every 2-3 days is just the way their body is. Sorry, but no. As I tell them, “If you are eating every day, you need to be having bowel movements every day.”
Here are two former blog posts that explain everything else:
What is Detox??
TC