Want to know the basic rule of effective detoxification?

What goes in, must come out!

It is no use moving toxins out of our cells just to have them floating around our body because they can’t get out (it’s like moving all that junk that was piled into your bedroom cupboard, onto the bedroom floor…it’s a step forwards in terms of your Spring cleaning, but the junk is still there – you need to move it out to make space for nice new stuff to be at home in there).
To be truly effective, any form of detoxification needs to ensure that elimination happens. For a short 1-7 day detoxification you might not need to use any naturopathic techniques if your bowels are working efficiently (that is, eliminating regularly at least once a day, preferably 3 times a day). For a longer detoxification of 7 days or more* naturopathic techniques are essential to help eliminate toxins.

Here are just 3 of the most popular naturopathic techniques used in detox programs:

• daily dry skin brushing.
• regular sauna sessions: help to release toxins through the skin and sweat (remember to drink more water when you go to the sauna to prevent dehydration and increase the kidneys ability to eliminate through urine).
• colon cleansing: a professional colonic irrigation cleanses the entire length of the colon or you buy an enema kit from a pharmacy or health food shop and do this at home, cleansing out the lower part of the colon only. Both of these are a form of hydrotherapy where water is flushed into the colon through the rectum to flush out accumulated waste. You may squirm at the thought, but I can assure you that you would stop wrinkling up that pretty little nose of yours if you realised just how important the direct relationship between colon health and our overall health is (it’s paramount).

It is common to experience a healing crisis of anything from 1 to 10 days or so when detoxing. This is another reason why ensuring effective elimination is so important as it reduces toxic build up in the body and therefore the extent of any manifested healing crisis. These reactions show that your body is responding to the detox by releasing toxins (it goes without saying that the more toxic the body, the greater the detox reactions – better out than in and a good sign that you need to detox!).

Typical reactions or healing crises include: skin rash/spots; nausea; unpleasant taste in the mouth; foul smelling stools; diarrhea; constipation; gassiness; frequent urination; headaches; tiredness; lethargy.
It is also common to experience emotional reactions such as old emotions coming to the surface, the release of grief, anger etc. The thought may seem somewhat daunting, but once these old, useless emotions are out, you will be able to move forward in life with increased joy and clarity – which is why some people talk of varying levels of spiritual growth following a detox.

I haven’t mentioned exercise, breathing techniques, epsom salt baths, cleansing teas or…wait for it…coffee enemas. If you’re serious about detoxing you will hear all about these along your journey. It’s all good, clean, fun!

Tune in next Friday for an explanation of different types of detox.

* If you are new to detoxing, I would highly recommend that you follow a professional detoxification program for a detox of 3 days or more to guide you and ensure that you are doing it properly. Joining my 3 Day Virtual Detox Program from wherever you are in the world is a great way to start and you’ll learn all the ins and outs of both short term detox and how to continue living a ‘detox lifestyle’.