Detoxification
is something your body performs every second of the day. If it did not,
carbon dioxide and waste products like urine and faeces would accumulate
to the point where you would die. When I talk about cleansing or
‘detox’ programmes, I just mean following a diet that is so clean and
pure that your body has enough energy and nutrients available to do some
seriously deep cleaning and repair work, and is able to deal effectively
with past dietary indiscretions and the side effects of medication.
The
best cleansing programmes are those that are 100% raw plant-based, but
there are other variations that are also of benefit. A diet of raw fruit
and vegetables over a period of a few weeks is recommended especially if
your existing diet is highly processed and contains little fresh produce.
Here
are a few options that you could follow for any period of time from three
days to six weeks:
*
An
all-raw fruit diet, eating as much fresh fruit as you like during the
day.
*
An
all juice diet, drinking freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices
throughout the day, making sure that you have at least three glasses a
day but no more than six glasses maximum. You can include barley juice
(like BarleyLife) in this as well as in the other programmes
listed below.
*
A
raw fruit and vegetable diet, eating properly-combined fruit or
vegetable meals throughout the day. (Refer to the Natural Way Eating
Chart at the back of the book for guidance.) You can also include a ¼
to ½ a cup of raw nuts or seeds every day.
*
A
fruit and nut breakfast, followed by a raw salad lunch and then a
supper of salad and steamed vegetable. No concentrated starch foods
(like potatoes or rice) should be eaten on this programme and all
snacks should consist of fresh fruit.
*
As
above, but for supper include a natural unrefined, unprocessed starch
like potato, brown rice or corn on the cob.
It
is best to exclude strong herbs like garlic and onion while on these
cleansing programmes as they tend to stimulate the appetite and can in
fact slow down the metabolism (due to the high levels of mustard oil they
contain which interferes with thyroid function). Also their natural
antibiotic action can upset the benign bacteria in your intestine,
contributing to poor digestion and a Candida Albicans overgrowth.
The
juice programme should not be continued beyond six weeks. Your jaw and
teeth are designed to chew and the digestive tract is designed to handle
fibre, so not allowing your body to do what it was designed to do will
result in muscles and bones atrophying. However, it is an excellent way to
give the digestive tract a rest and to boost your health before following
with a sensible maintenance diet. If you suffer from ulcers or arthritis,
include a lot of carrot, sprouted barley (BarleyLife) and celery
juices but avoid the juice from acid fruit like orange and pineapple,
however you should be able to eat ripe acid fruit in small quantities.
The
two totally raw diets (all fruit or fruit and vegetable with nuts) can
become part of your lifestyle but strict monitoring of nutrient levels and
energy intake needs to take place, and I have found that people battle
from a social perspective.
The
last two options in the list can be followed indefinitely without too much
concern. In fact my family I have followed the last programme with great
health rewards since 1986.
Remember
that these cleansing programmes can be introduced for a few days just to
kick-start your new lifestyle and need not be followed for longer than 24
hours in the beginning. Once you become more accustomed to a healthy diet,
you can include more raw meals on a daily basis with greater ease.
When
you follow one of these cleansing programmes you can expect to suffer from
certain unpleasant side effects. Typical symptoms of detoxification can be
anything from headaches (which could last for up to a week, especially if
you have been drinking or eating foods that contain caffeine),
irritability, nausea, violent vomiting, insomnia, extreme coldness,
temperature or fever, copious expulsion of mucus from almost any bodily
orifice (from the nose to the vagina – but don’t panic, it’s not an
infection!), bad breath, coated tongue, weakness, tiredness, muscular
aches and pains, dizziness and heart palpitations even when lying down
(this is simply the body dealing with a stimulant that may have been
lurking somewhere for years).
One
of the interesting things about a period of detoxification is that the
body retraces past problems, so you may find an old injury flaring up, or
your mouth tasting of ‘vitamins’ or medication that you may have taken
some time previously. One of the most fascinating detox stories I have
ever encountered was about a man who tasted sulphur in his mouth forty
years after having taken sulphur medication. His urine also smelt very
strongly of sulphur for a while.
The
reason for this is that the body often ‘wraps’ a harmful substance or
waste product in fat and stores it until it has the time and energy to
deal with it. Making a habit of eating poorly-combined, highly-processed
meals and the regular use of medication, alcohol and cigarettes lead to
levels of toxicity that the body cannot deal with effectively while you
sleep (remember that most of the body’s repair work happens at this
time). So, slowly, over the years, these poisons accumulate in the tissues
and conditions like cancer may eventually arise, causing damage to
surrounding cells and tissues. Fasting and cleansing diets are the best
way to break down these toxin stores and to eliminate them from the body.
It
is generally accepted by most fasting practitioners that, in order to
rectify past mistakes, one day of fasting is needed for each year of your
life. That does not mean all at once, though! So take it slowly. As I
mentioned before, attempt one day at first, then try a two-day fast the
next time, and only then go on regular fasts of three days every month or
so, whatever you feel you can manage. Once you have managed to fast for
the same number of days as years of your life (and this will take a good
many years to achieve, by the way), fast whenever you experience a sudden
loss of appetite. This is simply your body’s way of telling you that
some cleansing and repair work needs to be done.
Remember
that fasting is perfectly normal and natural. If you are experiencing
problems with stubborn weight, make a serious effort to go on a fast.
Fasting is an excellent tool to get you going on a healthier lifestyle and
it is also the single-most effective way of eliminating years of toxic
build-up. If you embark on a fast well informed and under good supervision
you will be sure to reap the rewards, physically, mentally, emotionally
and spiritually. Don’t forget to prepare for your fast by going on one
of the cleansing programmes first. In fact, try to eat a diet of only raw
fruit and vegetables for at least two weeks of each year. This is a
wonderful health booster and will also help to get your eating habits back
on track.
Some
Extra Help
If
you feel the need for some extra help to get you cleaning out as
efficiently as possible, then I can suggest 3 products that have worked
for me and my family:
Para
90 which deals with Parasites.
Herbal
Fiberblend, which is a blend of natural herbs and plant extracts that
helps regulate bowels. Softens stools when too hard (constipation)
and forms the when they are too soft (diarrhea) Ideal to help get rid
of the 1-10 kg (2-20 pounds) of old fecal matter that hangs around the
average person’s colon preventing full absorption of nutrients.
Great for Irritable Bowel Syndrome too.
Herbal
Release, my personal favourite, a combination of herbs that helps
the body clean out the Lymphatic system. This
product helps support the lymphatic system which is part of the Immune
system
