SPRING CLEANSE

Dr Rosy Daniel, Weleda's Integrative Health Consultant, explains how a gentle springtime detox can improve wellbeing.

The body has five major cleansing systems: the kidneys, the liver, the bowels, the skin and the lungs. Our spirits reside in the most exquisite piece of engineering! Our bodies work tirelessly to process, absorb and eliminate what is coming in through our skin, lungs and digestive system to maintain a state of balance, whilst fuelling, regenerating and healing themselves. Blood levels of fat, sugar, acidity, salts and minerals are kept at optimum levels to protect our brains and the other delicate tissues through which our blood flows.

Physical toxicity occurs when we absorb toxic chemicals through our skin, lungs or digestive system. We also become toxic through excess and imbalance if eating or drinking too much of one kind or food or drink, or by consuming too much altogether.

When toxicity builds up in the body this can be experienced as excess weight, achy muscles, low energy, fatigue, brain fog and spotty or itchy skin. Psychologically we feel weighed down and demotivated. When toxicity becomes extreme, our organs can no longer achieve homoeostasis and they start to fail, producing conditions like type 2 diabetes when the pancreas can no longer metabolise away excess sugar, or liver failure when the liver becomes poisoned and fibrous as it can no longer detox the toxic chemicals in the blood stream, or constipation and inflammatory bowel disorders when the gut is not flowing properly and the gut wall is reacting, or inflammatory conditions of the lungs and skin as well. This is more pronounced in people who have allergies or food intolerances.

So, when we are thinking about a spring cleanse, it is really about developing a far kinder, gentler and more conscious relationship with our beautiful bodies. Here are 10 steps to spring cleanse that you can take right now:

Step 1

Ensure that you are adequately hydrated with 2.5l of water every day (still water is better than sparkling in this respect, as ideally drinking water should have a neutral pH of about 7). This will help wash toxins from your entire system and keep your detox organs functioning optimally.

Step 2 

Avoid taking in chemical toxins through skincare products, food additives, preservatives or colourings, household and garden products. Our lungs, skin and digestive systems are highly absorbent and any chemicals around you will find their way into your bloodstream, tissues and cells. This means eating organic as much as possible, growing your own food, and wearing a mask if working around chemicals.

Step 3 

Avoid excess with food and drink. Think about your portion sizes and seek emotional support if you know that you are comfort eating or drinking to excess. For the first time ever young people in their 30s are being diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to ‘pre-lash’ drinking of shots. Pay attention to acidity levels; you can do this by measuring your salivary pH in the morning before any food, drink or toothbrushing. You are aiming for 7 to 7.5. For most of us this means cutting back on acidic drinks like wine, beer, lager, cider, fruit juices, tonic water and fizzy drinks, all of which have an acidic pH, and acid fruits like lemons, grapefruit, sour berries and tomatoes. This is not for ever! Just until we have regained our balance.

Step 4 

Try a gentle fast eating purely fruit, vegetables, salads and grains, juices and smoothies. Have a rest from heavier foods such as meat, fats, sugar, dairy food, refined carbohydrates, processed foods and alcohol. It is not advisable to fast heavily during the winter, or if you have a demanding job or parenting role, or if your health is challenged. For weight management, try an intermittent fasting approach, eating all your food within an eight-hour period. This means that your body has 16 hours for homoeostasis. It has been proven as an effective method to reduce weight, even if eating the same amount as you might previously have done over 12 hours. A good time interval is eating between 11 am and 7 pm, starting your mornings with cleansing herb teas.

Step 5

Take an hour of aerobic exercise every single day, ideally outdoors in the fresh air, to get the blood pumping around your body, bringing oxygen to your tissues and removing waste products. Getting hot and vasodilated allows us to sweat and eliminate toxins through our skin. Breathing more deeply and rapidly allows us to excrete toxins through our lungs. It is wise to use a deodorant rather than an antiperspirant in order to sweat naturally.

Step 6 

Deepen the cleansing of your tissues with yoga postures which are designed to stretch and tone every single organ and tissue of the body. Qigong is also designed to smooth and balance the flow of energy or chi throughout all energy channels. In Oriental medicine all illness is seen as stagnation of chi. Establishing a daily practice will detox your energy system too.

Step 7

Give special support to your detox organs. Support your bowel with plenty of fibre from muesli, fruit such as prunes and figs and fibrous vegetables, or taking some gentle laxative such as senna or psyllium husks, or a natural digestive remedy to get things moving. Support your liver by taking a break from alcohol, coffee and black tea and fatty foods. Support your kidneys with good hydration and low salt intake. Support your skin with skin brushing with a loofah and pumice stone in the bath, an exfoliating skin rub, or dry skin brushing. Support your lungs with yogic breathing exercises, especially the bellows breath and the crow.

Step 8 

Take cleansing herbs and tisanes to cleanse the body. Peppermint tea will stimulate the bowel whilst milk thistle will give detox support to your liver. Weleda’s Birch Juice, which is made from the fresh silver birch leaf tips from the new spring growth, will help shake off winter lethargy and literally put a spring in your step.

Step 9

Support your physical detox with meditation and retreat into quiet nurturing time for yourself, being sure to set aside this time for yourself. Create some helpful goals for your year ahead and shed any negative thoughts or anxieties with the help of emotional freedom technique.

Step 10 

Aim to establish what you have put in place as a way of life rather than a short-term blitz. Every single aspect of life will be better if we can maintain this loving conscious relationship with ourselves.