Do you:

• Run out to the pharmacy or doctor and get medications?
• Use natural medicines like herbs or homeopathy?
• Let your body take care of the bug naturally? 

I recently came down with a cold which reminded of all of the changes I have made throughout my life.  Let me explain, I grew up in a household where my mother was a nurse.  So anytime any one of us (myself or my siblings) would get sick there was always a pill to take.  This is what she knew, this was her training, she felt like she was doing something; there is nothing wrong with that.  And as a mother myself, when my kids get sick I feel that I need to do something, but is medication the answer? 

Until my twenties, medications is what I grew up with, it's what I knew.  When I became pregnant with my first, there was this whole list of medications and over the counter products that I could not take because it "may" hurt the baby.  This made me begin to do some research, why would something I have taken my entire life hurt the baby?  I did not like what I found and turned to homeopathy and herbal medicines not only are they safer options, but these were the original "medicines" used. 

I loved homeopathy, it was so nice not to worry about side effects when my son was teething, had a fever or cold, or got into the cabinet where they were kept.  Something was still nagging at me in the back of my mind..is this the BEST option?  Yes it is safe but do I really need to take anything in order to be doing something?  My gut was telling me no, so I listened. 

I have found the best way to recover from an illness (cold, fever, flu) is to support your body's healing efforts. 

What do I mean support my body's healing efforts?  How do I do this?

• When we get sick we need rest and a lot of it.

• But if you are stuffy and can't breathe, you can't rest, right?  So before I go to bed at night, I set up a humidifier in my room and run it all night.  This takes care of the stuffy nose.
  
• Throughout the day, I hydrate well and drink plenty of green juices. 
  
• I also reduce food consumption because it takes energy away from healing.  This often happens naturally, we don't feel like eating when we don't feel good.  You usually gravitate towards wanting brothy soups and teas.  Do what your body is asking for. 
  
• Eliminate sugar because it slows your immune systems fighter cells down for about an hour to an hour and a half.  That's huge when you are trying to fight a cold! 
• If you do have a fever, sweat it out.  Remember my last post?  Your skin is your biggest detox organ, well sweating will help release any built up toxins.  DO NOT take over the counter fever reducers, this inhibits your body's efforts to get rid of the invader.  Yes I know you feel crappy when you have a fever every time you move you feel it, but remember the first bullet?  Rest, this will help you get through feeling crappy.  
  

So through my life, I have run the gammit of how I weathered a cold but now my choice will always be to support my immune system because it really does know what it is doing!

In my last post I talked about dietary steps to detoxing, but you can take steps to enhance your detoxification pathways EVERY day!  This is great news if you are not ready to take on a detox diet.  

Remember, your detoxification organs are the skin, kidneys, liver, colon, lungs, lymph and blood.  So we want to enhance elimination. 

Reduce Toxin exposure - The skin is the biggest detox organ, everything that is put onto our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream.  We need to be mindful of what we put on it.  As we age, our bodily processes slow down so we need to become even more vigilant about reducing exposure so we take the strain off of our body. 

• Buy organic - this will ensure reduced exposure to pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMO's).  This goes for food and beauty care products. 
  
• Eliminate conventional fertilizers and chemicals on your lawns - there are a few natural options out there.  I personally believe the "weeds" are not all bad.  Did you know that the dandelions that are growing in your lawn can be eaten as long as no chemicals have been put on them? 
  
• Make your own cleaning supplies - Cleaning supplies have so many chemicals in them, yet we use them all the time.  Did you know vinegar, baking soda and lemon are great cleaners AND non toxic?  There are so many different recipes on the web and they are extremely easy to make.  Contact me if you would like the simple recipe that I use. 
  
• Use "natural" deodorants - even in the health food stores you need to be watchful as some still contain aluminum. 
  

Dry Brushing - This will help your skin, lymphatic system and liver.  Your Lymphatic system acts like a filter of your body fluids but has no pump moving it and its fluid flows against gravity, so it relies on movement from your muscles to move it.  Dry brushing helps to move the lymph fluid, it also removes dead skin cells helping to open up the pores in your skin for easier elimination.   To dry brush: buy a long handled brush, start at the soles of the feet with circular movements and go all the way up to the neck.   So by dry brushing you are helping three of your detoxification organs! 

Exercise - Exercising has so many great benefits. It stimulates blood circulation and the lymphatic fluid which helps the body to eliminate metabolic waste.  It raises your heart rate, helps you sweat, promotes the reduction of fat storage and toxin removal. There are so many forms of exercise too, walking, jumping rope, jumping on a trampoline or how about a pogo stick.  When was the last time you were on one of those? 

Water - I have already talked in another post about why water is so important for us to drink everyday.  You need to make sure that you are getting enough water, my rule is at the minimum 60 ounces per day.  But, the optimal is half your body weight in water per day.  (Caffeinated beverages do not count as a hydrating beverage).  For detox purposes, water with lemon squeezed in it is extremely alkalizing to the body and is great to do first thing in the morning. 

Soak in a detox bath - this one is great if you are a bath person, but may not be one for a "daily" detox; maybe weekly?  I have a great detox product from 100% Pure, Eucalyptus Sea Therapy Bath Salts.  The salts are made from kelp and peppermint is added, so it smells great and stimulates your circulation. 

There are so many more daily activities that you can do and I encourage you to try to incorporate at least some of these into your daily lives because we are bombarded daily with toxins ANYTHING that can be done help ease the stress on your detoxification organs the better you will feel!
 

Spring is the perfect time to detoxify your body. Why?  Because we live in a toxic world and are exposed to so many chemicals via our food, water, medications, pesticides etc.

Who needs to detox? 
Pretty much everyone, because our world is so toxic.  When you start feeling congested, stressed, fatigued and an overall feeling of toxicity, it's time for a detox.  You can also do a detox to jump start weight loss after a plateau.

What is detoxification? 
Detoxification is a key body function that is done automatically, it involves eliminating the waste products of cellular metabolism through our eliminatory organs which are the skin, kidney, liver, colon, lungs, lymph and blood. 

The object during a detox is to minimize toxins coming in and maximize your nutrients so your eliminatory organs can catch up. It is a process of cleaning, nourishing and resting your body.

How do I detox?
Before the detox, you need to plan.  Schedule the detox into your life, pick a date and how long you want to detox and stick with it, don't postpone it.  Then about a week before, you need to prepare yourself for the detox. You can start reducing your toxic intake.  Some suggestions are to buy organic foods, decrease your intake of processed foods and sugar and start to increase your water intake.  Make sure you plan for rest during this time as it is vital to healing. 

During the detox you will be eating simple meals that allow your digestive system to rest and take care of much needed housekeeping.  You will want to do simple exercises like walking to stimulate your lymphatic system. 

After finishing your 7-10 day detox, you gradually start eating the foods eliminated to see if you have any reactions to the foods.  This is an important step, so often missed when we try to detoxify our bodies ourselves.  You need to transition back or you will shock your body.  You may even decide to totally eliminate some foods that you were eating prior to your detox!

By detoxifying with a professional, you get guided care and support to help you through the process.  We go over everything you need to know before, during and after to have a successful detox.  

So, What are you waiting for?
Call today to schedule an appointment.