Is this how you feel starting the new year? Exhausted, bloated and carrying a few more kilos than you had before you sat down to Christmas lunch?
Ah… the great January Detox stampede is about to begin! Lots of people take stock of their life and especially their health around this time of year and decide that enough is enough – time to do a detox.There are lots of different versions of a Detox, here’s some examples:
The Blokes Detox
I’m starting to get a beer gut and I can’t get out of bed in the mornings. Right, that does it! No drinking for one whole month (except maybe a night off for that party, and then there’s Friday nights with the boys. Far out it’s all too hard – I’ll just not drink for the rest of the week)
The Extremists Detox
I could really do with losing a few extra Christmas kilos, I feel bloated and exhausted all the time, Right that does it! I’m starting a detox on Monday. I’ll pop down to the chemist and pick up one of those Detox packs, not eat anything for a week. I’ll drink lemon juice and cabbage soup and then I’ll feel fantastic! ….. Wrong!
One fabulous bloke who is doing it the right way is my colleague Guy Lawrence, who is a specialist personal trainer and guru of all things health and fitness. Despite this he needed some help recovering from the festive season – check out his blog, which will chronicle his experience from week one to week six of a healthy Detox.
http://180nps.wordpress.com/author/180nps
Great Detox Myths
There are many versions of a Detox, not all of them are healthy.Here are a few myths about Detoxing that you should know.
Protein Power
Did you know that your liver will be unable to detoxify if you don’t provide it with a full complement of amino acids…. That means protein people! So while going off red meat is important, avoiding healthy protein such a fish, organic poultry and combined vegetable proteins will basically slow down liver function, not speed it up.
Fasting
There are a few times in your life when fasting may be appropriate, during a detox is definitely not one of them! Starving yourself just puts the body under stress and ultimately leads to a loss of muscle mass. So if you meet someone who has just come back from a health retreat where they have fasted for several days and lost several kilos, rest assured what they have probably lost is muscle, which slows down the metabolism and may interfere with endocrine function.
You should expect to feel sick during a Detox
Wrong!! People who use over the counter Detox products without professional advice may feel sick. This is usually due to extremes in diet and taking herbs and nutrients that work only on the liver (for example). If you stimulate the liver without making sure that the bowel is clear of any overgrowth of bad bacteria and is in good shape to handle the toxins excreted by a stimulated liver then Yes, you may feel unwell. A professionally prescribed detox will ensure that this doesn’t happen.
The Healthy Detox
The healthy way to Detox involves three simple steps that ensure that your digestive system is in top working order and your intestinal bacteria is in good balance before starting work on the liver. Many people don’t realize that the liver not only detoxes external toxins, it is also responsible for processing hormones such as estrogen. Estrogen is presented to the liver for excretion after it has done its job in the body, there, it is packaged up and sent to the bowel. If you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria it will break apart this safe little package creating a molecule of free estrogen that can then be absorbed through the lining of the bowel, back out into the blood stream. This process can contribute to estrogen dominance and hormonal imbalance.So even if you have a good diet a yearly detox can help to ensure that your hormones and organs of elimination are working at their best.
The three steps to a healthy Detox
1. Assess and address any overgrowth of bad bacteria in the bowel. We assess the levels of bad bacteria with a simple urine test in the clinic. If positive we use antimicrobial herbs to eliminate bad bacteria and a colostrum formula to help the excretion of bacteria.
2. Nourish the gut mucosa, support kidney function and recolonize the bowel with healthy bacteria
3. Support liver detoxification with a protein formula, that contains all the amino acids and nutrients necessary for healthy liver function, this also contains a therapeutic dose of a herb renowned for its action on the liver. We also give antioxidant support to make sure that harmful toxins are dealt with effectively.
Generally this process only takes 6 weeks. The diet is full of fresh healthy food and is easy to follow. Often people enjoy the diet so much they incorporate it into their life, which brings lots of long term benefits.
Benefits of a Detox
- More energy
- Better digestion
- Less bloating
- Better absorption of nutrients
- Clearer skin
- Weight loss
- Less allergies
- Stronger immune system
- Clearer thinking
- Healthier hormonal balance
The list goes on…..
We can prescribe a healthy Detox that will be specifically tailored to you. So if you want to start the year feeling happy healthy and full of energy now’s the time to start your Detox.Contact the clinic for you appointment today!