Natural ways to cleanse the body for health and happiness

Cleansing and detoxing have become somewhat known as just another fad diet or a quick way to lose weight. Others think the liver does all the detoxing you need, and while this is one organ in the body that does detoxification, high chemical exposure in our food, water, air and products today mean we may need extra support to detox the buildup of toxic substances.

Detoxing and cleansing are beneficial ways to help the body stay healthy but we can also help the body detox and stay healthy through small changes to our diet and lifestyle that we can make today. So if you are not ready or can’t do a cleanse, simple, small changes to our diet and lifestyle can make a big difference.

First let's understand what happens in the body and how the body detoxes:

How acidity begins:

We are experiencing a high level of chemical interaction from;

• pesticides on the foods we eat which also pollute the air and water system,

• rain water and air pollution from industrial outputs,

• treated water chemicals and products we have in our home and put on our skin and in our bodies.

These toxic acid chemicals can accumulate in our tissues as the liver cannot process them quick enough, and stress and poor diets, sleep and negative emotions are also acid forming and reduce the body's efficiency. This all leads to acidity within the body in which enzymes cannot function properly reducing functioning and build up causes tissues to become irritated, inflamed and painful and eventually ulcerated causing disease. However, reducing stress, getting good sleep and exercise, eating well and being happy can all cause a more balanced body and lead to great health.

Our common diet based around acid-forming, animal or processed foods rather than plants also keeps us from growing in health. A lot of acidity can be caused by the food we eat, processed foods, animal foods and sugary drinks and alcohol all cause acidity within the body if consumed in high amounts, whereas plant foods are low acid or alkaline forming due to their high mineral and vitamin content which aid the body in health and prevent disease.

How our body’s detox:

Lungs: A certain amount of acids can be detoxed through the lungs as gases or water vapour, pushed onto the skin through sweat glands which can cause skin irritation, disorders or spots.

Kidneys: Strong acids mostly from animal sources can only be excreted through the kidneys and high amounts put pressure on the kidneys and start to get stored in body tissues.

Liver: The liver is the biggest organ and gland and receives mostly nutrient rich blood from the digestive system where it has to filter out toxins, pathogens, waste products and hormones. It also has roles in storing vitamins as well as glucose, producing bile and regulating emotional states. The liver stops the body from being exposed to harmful materials but overload from our modern environment can cause toxin exposure. There are also chemicals that the liver cannot metabolise and are stored in body fat.

The body needs a specific pH balance to function and deals with acidity by pulling alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium out of bone and tissues to neutralise the acids and rebalance the body which over time can lead to deficiency and disease. These minerals can also be depleted in our soils and so levels can be very low in the body on a standard diet, when these become depleted in our bodies fatigue and loss of enthusiasm and depression are the first symptoms.

Toxin accumulation in cells causes symptoms like headaches, nerve and joint pain and immune reactions causing infections and illness. Diets causing constipation can also mean toxins and pathogens in the bowel can re enter the bloodstream if left in the bowel for too long.

We can use symptoms as signals, like an alarm going bell, that changes need to be made and health needs to be addressed but unfortunately what usually happens in our fast paced world is we use medication to numb the symptoms and carry on. If we can start to listen to them and address them, we can return to health and maintain and sustain our energy and health and happiness better.

Of Course, however this can seem daunting, too time consuming and overwhelming as these symptoms may mean changes in lifestyle need to be made, but change focused on small steps toward what we intuitively need always lead to better lifestyles and happiness in the long term.

Simple changes

To avoid damage to our organs we need to start eliminating chemicals from our environment. This can be switching to eco cleaners and products, reducing junk and processed and animal foods and increasing plant and home made foods, focusing on stress reducing and movement focused activities and removing our dependence on medication. Drinking enough, clean water and working on emotional and genetic aspects are also important. Pick one at a time and make small steps slowly to alter your lifestyle to improve your health. You can join facebook groups or join with friends for support or use apps like Ailuna to make small changes with fun rewards in a supportive community.

Plant focused

Bowel and digestive issues, negative emotions and fatigue and illness can all be dramatically changed with diet, but the how and why has to be there to enable us to start and stay on track, basically a diet focused around plants is the way to go.

It can seem daunting but think of it as a new hobby, planning time to find recipes, write a list and plan your shop, go to markets, meet friends and incorporate it into your lifestyle as something fun and with a purpose of new health, energy and happiness.

• Double your intake of plant foods you like and half the amount of processed foods, fats and animal products you eat and you will start to move the scale from acid to alkaline, increasing energy and happiness. Weight loss is another by-product.

• Alter recipes you already like and find new recipes to try, 80/20 is a good ratio for healthy/unhealthy foods and slow and steady is best for the digestive system and the mind.

• Stress over doing things right or perfectly can negate all the positive benefits of a better diet so go with the flow and go slow, finding what balance works best for you.

• Go back to basics with age-old habits like drinking prune juice every morning for healthy bowel movements, forage for food, eat seasonal and local when you can, and enjoy the experience of a local market.

• Simple but powerful actions you can start right now which are often overlooked are adding herbs and spices to your food. Not only does it make it taste better, herbs and spices are strong, bitter or spicy for a reason. They contain high amounts of nutrients that in the plant are used to fight off pathogens and toxins and within us they do the same. Add spices to your food especially turmeric, cinnamon, fennel and herbs such as coriander, thyme, oregano and mint. Drink herbal teas with herbs such as milk thistle which is beneficial for liver health, drink more homemade fruit and vegetable juices and squeeze lemon in your water and on foods.

The mind

• Stress, negative emotions, loneliness, anger and anxiety all contribute to a negative/acidic environment. Not only does it deplete and inflame us it also feeds acid loving microbes in our gut which cause bacterial overgrowth and toxic products from them which in turn create more overload and inflammation.

• Exercise, reading, laughing, connection, freedom, singing, dancing, meditation or whatever your hobby and tool is for stress release is necessary to help us combat negative emotions and keep us healthy.

• Working through trauma and finding new ways and habits to deal with stress and negative emotions is also a necessary part of life and things like meditation, yoga, counselling or journaling also need to be an important regular habit for growth and happiness. Cleanses can also help us deal with trauma and negative emotions as organs like the liver are connected to and store anger and sadness.

• All of this is only possible if we simplify our lives, work on letting go of some habits and reducing our dependence on money, as we lift negative emotions with things like Vipassana meditation, counselling, journaling or self help books we lift the need to do behavior's that distract from them like shopping or drinking and with more peace we can enjoy the free things again like time in nature, with people we love and cooking or reading.

Cleanses and detoxes.

Specific cleanses can be done for different symptoms and targeted at different organs, they work to detox the body or organ of the accumulated toxins or acidity allowing it to start to heal and function efficiently, returning to health. Here are some examples of cleanses that can be done, when considering any cleanse please contact a naturopath to guide you and consult your doctor beforehand.

Purifying diet

This diet involves excluding processed, animal and sugary, caffeinated food and drinks as well as alcohol and other harmful substances in the diet, eating a lot of fresh, preferably organic raw and cooked fruits and vegetables and combining them in the right way to improve digestion and relieve digestive issues.

It involves combining your foods simply and each meal choosing to eat:

• Carbohydrates with vegetables,

• Proteins with vegetables,

• Vegetables with fats,

• Fruits alone,

• And drink water alone.

This gives the digestive system a chance to complete digestion easily without complication from other foods as each macronutrient has different digestion times and needs either an acidic environment (protein) or an alkaline environment (carbohydrates) and if someone has digestion issues the mixing of food can cause improper digestion, fermentation, bloating, discomfort, deficiency and illness. Fruit is also eaten alone as it digests very quickly and if stuck in the gut with other macronutrients can cause fermentation. Water dilutes the environment, decreasing the work of the digestive juices.

This diet also excludes salt, includes drinking lots of pure structured water and having a restful environment. It focuses on eating a large amount of natural plant foods gently steamed, simmered or oven cooked and can be seasoned with spices, herbs, some cold pressed organic oils or lemon and vinegar. Examples include soups, salads, steamed vegetables, porridge, stews and smoothies.

Liver cleanse

A liver cleanse is beneficial to do if suffering symptoms of toxin accumulation such as headaches, inflammation, skin disorder and immune system reactions and other chronic diseases like cancer. The liver cleanse should be used in conjunction with the purifying diet to aid healing.

This cleanse was created by Dr Randolph Stone and involves taking a morning juice followed by a herbal tea to cleanse the liver and give digestive support.

Liver cleanse drink recipe:

Daily breakfast: mix one tablespoon pure cold pressed, organic almond, olive or sesame seed oil with one clove garlic in a glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Add fresh grated Ginger to taste. Blend until smooth.

Herbal tea:

½ tsp each of fenugreek, fennel, liquorice and star anise.

Once detox symptom relief and once used to the taste you can increase the amount of oil and garlic up to five tbsp or cloves each. This recipe should be used for one month maximum at a time. There are also other beneficial cleanses and herbs and essential oils which can aid liver health such as milk thistle and turmeric.

Juice Detox

Adding daily fresh homemade juices into your diet or doing a juice fast can vastly increase the bodies detoxing abilities and flush through toxins, they also deliver high amounts of nutrients and are easier than doing a water fast. A juice fast involves juicing or blending and straining fresh fruits or vegetables, usually one per fast e.g. green apples or celery. Drinking 8 glasses per day with water and herbal teas in between. Apples cleanse the bowels and are antiviral flushing out parasites, celery detoxes the liver and builds hydrochloric acid levels in the stomach. Each plant has its own strengths and can be used depending on your needs. Fasts ramp up detox and need careful consideration, preparation and rest. If they are not an option daily or juices 3-4 times a week with a good diet will gently detox you and boost nutrients, vitality and overall health as they can fix any nutrient deficiencies.

Make sure when doing any cleanses that you are able to rest as detox can cause symptoms of headaches, fatigue, mood changes and sleepiness as toxins reenter the bloodstream to be excreted. The body also needs time to heal and rejuvenate.

What about enemas?

Enemas can also be a helpful way to remove toxins from the body. Calming ones include using chamomile or other gentle teas and organic coffee enemas increase toxin removal through stimulation of an antioxidant in the body and increased bile production which together wash out toxins.

The take away from this is to not ignore the body when it's telling us something that we don't understand or don't want to hear. These are the important ways we can understand what is happening and learn to help and heal the body accordingly. Take note of your daily moods, foods and fluctuations and find the patterns in your life which harm or heal you. Use small steps to make changes and get support and professional guidance and healing and happiness is possible.