People spend a lot of time “cleaning”. Whether it be our bodies by taking a bath, washing dishes, vacuuming the carpets, washing the car, cleaning our clothes, etc. But do we spend enough time (if any) on cleaning the internal environment of our bodies?? We must keep the internal environment clean or many health problems could arise. Cleansing/Detoxing has been a part of life for many years. Unfortunately, in the United States, the medical establishment does not recommend cleansing.

Both Western and Eastern traditions have been using fasting and using other means of detoxing as a way to combine spiritual and physical cleansing. Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine recommends a periodic fast as a way to cleanse the body and allow the digestive system to rest. In India, their ancient traditions are based on freeing the body of toxins. Native Americans turned to sweat lodges for spiritual and bodily purification. Scandinavians used steamy saunas and many European physicians prescribe fasting as a way to give our body a rest and lighten our toxic load allowing our overstressed organs to repair. It is only the United States that our medical establishment (since modern industrial age) has been resistant to fasting and detoxing. Most of us have an imbalance between the toxins we ingest and the toxins we eliminate. Detoxification needs to become a lifestyle, a daily habit.

Detoxing Basics*

Cleansing is extremely important in today’s society because we are exposed to hundreds of chemicals that did not even exist 100 years ago. Environmental pollution continues to get worse every day. Toxins accumulate in the body from the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the products that come in contact with our skin, and the xenoestrogens we are exposed to.

“Everyday the body creates waste products as we consume foods and beverages and burn them for energy. The elimination of these by-products of metabolism is so important that the body has many different systems for breaking them down and expelling them. Were it not for the incredible efficiency of the lymphatic system, the liver, the kidneys, the sweat glands and oil ducts in the skin, the colon, and the mucus membranes of the sinuses and lungs, the body would suffocate in its own waste in a couple of days.”*

Cleansing the body is a way to remove metabolic waste and environmental toxins from the system. Listed below are ways we are exposed to toxins each day:

Air: pollution from cars, cigarette smoke, beauty & hygiene products put on our skin, cleaning products, plastics, synthetic fibers, etc.

Water: water absorbs all the chemicals that make their way into rivers and streams as well as pollutants that soak into groundwater. Our drinking water is often loaded with chlorine. 50-70% of adult exposure to waterborne pollutants comes in our bath or shower. Remember-the skin is our largest organ. Anything that we put on our skin will be absorbed into our blood stream!

Food: fertilizers and pesticides sprayed on our foods, processed foods, lead cans and aluminum containers. Fish is often polluted with mercury.

Xenoestogens: known as “estrogenic compounds”. Xenoestrogens are in our foods that come from hormone fed animals such as eggs, meat, and dairy products, pesticide residues on food, plastics and other sources. They contribute to a condition known as estrogen dominance.

Detoxifying requires that we provide the body with the nourishment it needs to let go of our chemical build up. There are many natural ways to support the body with the removal of toxins. We have seven main eliminative channels, they are: the bowels, the blood, the skin, the kidneys, the lymphatic system, the lungs and the liver.

Using cleansing herbs designed to support these systems. Examples include red clover, dandelion, turmeric and milk thistle. Convenient Pre-Packaged Herbal Cleanses include Tiao He Cleanse, CleanStart, Candida Clear, Dieter’s Cleanse, and the ParaCleanse. More information about these pre-packaged cleanses is available at our online store.

Using both Soluble & Insoluble Fiber. This is very important and will draw toxins from the intestines. Some great fiber supplements include Everybody’s Fiber, Psyllium Hulls Combo, Nature’s Three and LOCLO. Visit the online store for more info on these supplements. These should be started slowly into the diet. It is very important to follow a fiber supplement with an additional glass of water.

Lifestyle habits such as daily exercise and stress reduction offer support.

Daily intake of fresh filtered water. Caffeine drinks and alcohol should be eliminated while cleansing.

Use a pure, whole foods diet. This includes using mostly raw organic foods if possible. Avoid Trans fats and processed foods.

IonCleanse Detox Footbath: These sessions detoxify the body and start the process of elimination of the poisons that were floating around. Clients have experienced less pain and stiffness, feeling awesome, increased energy, increased strength, experience mental clarity and increased flexibility.

Far Infrared Sauna: The far infrared sauna wavelength penetrates 1 ½ inches into the body which enable chemicals and toxins to come directly our of fat storage sites into sweat.

It is recommended to follow a good cleanse with probiotics. This builds up the “friendly” bacteria in the small intestines.

2 Tbs. Aloe Vera, Noni and/or Thai Go

1 heaping teaspoon of Fiber Blend (either Everybody’s Fiber, Nature’s Three or LOCLO)

Blend with a glass of organic fruit juice (apple, pear, apricot, peach or pineapple) and take first thing in the morning before breakfast.

*Much of this great information about cleansing came from the book Coming Clean: Your Guide to Detoxifying the Body, by Steven H. Horne, 2005 Tree of Light Publishing.

Coming Clean: Your Guide to Detoxifying the Body by Steven H. Horne