Positive Health Online

Summer is a wonderful time of the year when nature flourishes and life seems brighter, more colourful, and full of vitality. A newness evolves and we naturally focus on our surroundings; cobwebs are dusted away, houses are redecorated, gardens are landscaped and plants are grown to enhance natural beauty.

Summer, however, is also an excellent time to focus on ourselves, and to think of regenerating and revitalising our own beings.

The most effective starting point would be to cleanse the body of toxicity, which, unfortunately, none of us can avoid. Toxicity is the biggest stumbling block to feeling and looking good. It can be caused by alcohol, smoking, pesticides, antibiotics, vehicle fumes, passive smoking, tap water, radiation and industrial chemicals. Refined and processed foods can also cause a build up of toxic mucus on the walls of the intestines, preventing essential nutrients accessing the cells. The resulting symptoms include spots, acne, cellulite, skin rashes, muscular aches and pains, headaches, fatigue, metallic taste in the mouth, digestive and eliminative problems, recurrent colds, coughs, eye problems and mood changes.

Toxicity can be reduced by avoiding the typical western acidic diet with its predominance of wheat, meat, dairy produce, processed and fast foods. A high alkaline forming diet should be followed in the ratio of 80% alkali and 20% acid. Alkaline forming foods are fruits, vegetables and sprouted beans, peas and lentils. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, food enzymes and fibre, and are best eaten raw.

Certain foods need to be avoided altogether and these include all foods containing sugar, yeast, mould and antibiotics. Foods containing dairy and gluten should also be reduced as these are high on the list of foods that cause allergic or sensitive reactions. They are also very mucus forming, causing the digestive system to be sluggish.

Lots of bottled and filtered water should be drunk to help to flush the system, and to keep the body fluids moving. Before breakfast each morning two glasses of warm water, one with lemon juice added, can be a beneficial way of eliminating excess ammonia and cleansing the liver. Herb teas and vegetable juices; celery, beetroot and carrot, should replace tea and coffee. For those who do not wish to give up their morning cup of tea, rooibosch tea can be taken as it is very similar in taste to china tea, but does not contain tannin.

Three to five small meals should be eaten daily. Breakfast should be based on fruit, and the other meals should include fresh vegetables, preferably raw, otherwise steamed or made into soups. The most effective detoxifying vegetables are beetroot, celery, fennel and white radish, which contain natural diuretics. Small amounts of protein must be eaten and can be obtained from millet, rice, quinoa, chick peas, beans, lentils, fish, lean white meat, oily and white fish, and eggs. Organic brown rice and jacket potatoes are good sources of the carbohydrate foods which provide us with energy.

All saturated fats should be avoided, but the essential fats, that the body is unable to make itself, should be included. These are vitally important as they help to regulate mood states, cholesterol levels, insulin release and the immune system to fight infections. These fats can be obtained from cold pressed sunflower and safflower oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish and flax seeds. Seaweed can be added to soups and salads as it is rich in minerals, particularly iodine, which promotes healthy hair and skin, and increases metabolism.

Garlic and ginger are also useful in assisting the immune system.

A number of specific supplements can help to remove toxicity. Amongst these are traditional cleansing herbs such as dandelion and burdock root, sassafras, sarsaparilla and yellow dock. Bentonite clay and seeds from the Plantago Orata plant help to keep the bowel regular and Vitamins B and C aid the circulation, nervous and immune function, and act as mild diuretics. Aloe Vera has a general cleansing effect throughout the digestive system and bio-acidophilus helps to repopulate the intestines with the health promoting bacteria.

Exercise is important when cleansing the body as it encourages lymphatic drainage to speed up the removal of toxins, improves the circulatory system, and promotes general fitness and well being. However, a cleanse is not the time to significantly increase the quantity or intensity of exercise as the body needs extra energy to promote the internal cleansing. Steady aerobic exercise such as rebounding, swimming, walking or jogging, for twenty minutes, three to four times each week, would be ideal.

Skin brushing, massage and aromatherapy oils can help in the detoxifying process. Skin brushing with a dry bristle brush helps to remove the dead skin cells, improves the circulation of blood and lymph and tones the skin. The skin should be kept free of chemical cosmetics, soaps and shampoos as they slow down the detoxification process. Massaging has an uplifting effect and encourages the lymphatic system to rid the body of toxins. Specifically, massaging the colon area, in a clockwise direction, with olive oil cream, can loosen compacted intestinal matter. Geranium, fennel, celery, lemon, cypress, oregano, juniper and grapefruit aromatherapy oils are useful for their cleansing properties.

There are some possible mild, side effects at the beginning of such a cleansing program, which would include headaches, diarrhoea, furred tongue and spots. These are either due to a withdrawal from a food allergy or the release of toxins from the tissues into the blood stream. These soon diminish to make way for the marvellous benefits of increased health and vitality. Your eyes will sparkle, your skin will clear, and you will feel lighter and more energised.

A detoxification program may seem an overwhelming proposition. However, adopting a positive attitude and pampering yourself regularly with non food treats, and knowing that it is only for three to four weeks helps. With focus, motivation, perseverance and endurance you can make it a reality. And in Richard Bach's words:

"You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.

You may have to work for it, however."