Detox Home Spa - For Long Term Health

Detoxification can be used by everyone, as a means of refreshing and supercharging the system. Look at a detox as an opportunity to give your body a complete overhaul, clearing the debris, cleansing the system and supplying high-grade nutrients, with the long-term view of enabling your system to run more efficiently. Spring is a good time to detox. Eating lighter seems to go along with warm weather and Mother Earth provides us, for free, with some excellent greens for salad that are chock full of minerals and vitamins. It's no accident that fresh, young herbal greens arrive just when we need them the most - dandelions, chickweed, nettles, sorrel, and violet leaves (potent source of vitamins A and C). Mix these "weeds" in with your store bought salads for a powerhouse of nutrition.

What are the benefits?

Increased energy levels, improved health, stabilized body weight, a reduction in cravings and at a more profound level a clarity of mind that has been likened to a spiritual experience. If any of these, sound attractive, then you should consider improving your body's ability to detoxify. Taking place mainly at night and in the early morning, the elimination of toxins and the balance of the internal chemistry is something that is constant, and occurs naturally.

Symptoms of poor detoxification include:

* Low energy levels (tired all the time)
* Cravings
* Weight gain or an inabilty to lose weight
* Allergies
* Low immune function
* Inability to wake in the morning
* Dark patches under the eyes
* Constipation or IBS
* Eczema, asthma, psoriosis, age spots
* Some disease states are also associated with poor detoxification, including certain cancers, MS and Parkinson's

The symptoms listed above are not uncommon, which would suggests that many of us would benefit from regular detoxification.

Toxic overload

When we eat an inappropriate diet, or are depleted in the nutrients required for detoxification, the system begins to slow and over time becomes congested. Also as part of normal protein metabolism the body produces it's own by-products or wastes, that also need to be broken down and removed from the body. Unfortunately if the body is out of balance, these toxin levels build, which go on to impair performance of the cells.

It is not only inappropriate foods and nutrient deficiencies that slow detoxification. Chemicals incorporated into the food chain are also problematic; as are chemicals absorbed through the skin or lungs, which include skin care products, airborne pollutants and household products. Heavy metals can also disrupt the fine balance within the body, as they weaken the body's enzyme efficiency.

During the process of detoxification, it is the livers job to convert fat-soluble compounds (most man made chemicals are fat soluble) into water soluble ones, so that they can easily be eliminated, by route of the kidneys or the bowels. The problem is fat soluble toxins have more of an affinity for storage in the cells and organs. These are therefore potentially much more problematic to our health and vitality than water-soluble toxins. Over time these can present a real challenge to our system and potentially reduce or impair the function of our cells.

The Whole Body Detox

Detoxification occurs constantly, so it does seem logical, to assist the process rather than encumber it. Consider the enormous health benefits that you could acquire from a 'cleaner' body. Longterm, you should create a plan to minimize the factors in your life that can create toxicity and aim instead, to create balance, vitality and health.

By following the guidelines below you can ensure that you are helping your body to balance itself, aid detoxification and to realise your potential for real health. Personally I am never in favour of short-term measures, as the body functions much more efficiently when we can give it routine. However a short-term detox, can provide a welcome break from the everyday strain of food and drink, or an opportunity to take stock of diet and lifestyle. To reap maximum benefitsd, use these 'pamper weekends' as the starting point to health, rather than the end product.

Please note, you should not undertake a detox if you are pregnant or intending to become pregnant in the near future. Or if you are on medication or have any medical condition please consult your medical practioner.

DETOX STAGE 1 - Shorterm

1. Kick start your detox programme
It is beneficial to approach a detox with a precise programme or plan. That is why The Amanda Hamilton Nutri Gold Detox pack, 7 or 14 day, is very useful, because it structures the detox and provides your body with the nutrients and compounds it requires for detoxification.

2. Follow a 7 or 14 day detox diet - Repeat Week 1 for Week 2

This plan involves neither fasting nor calorie restrictions. Eating three full meals a day plus hunger-dictated snacks, you trade less-healthy choices for whole foods that satisfy in a more sustaining way.

Detox Don'ts (and Dos)

What's the core idea behind the Body+Soul detox plan? Making a shift away from allergenic, inflammatory, or just plain unhealthy foods. We've targeted those that contain artificial additives, hormones, saturated fats, or allergy-promoting substances and put organic, nonallergenic, whole foods in their place. Use this list to stay on track.

Avoid: Meat
(beef, pork, and lamb) and all types of poultry
Why? It can contain added hormones and antibiotics
Choose: Ocean game fish such as halibut and salmon, which contain high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids

Avoid: Potentially Allergenic Protein Sources
(dairy products, eggs, soy products)
Why? Aside from causing allergies in some people, dairy and eggs often contain antibiotics; dairy can cause mild-to-severe digestive distress
Choose: Raw, unsalted nuts and nut butters (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, and walnuts); raw, unsalted seeds (flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower); beans and peas (adzuki, chickpea, kidney, lentil, navy, and pinto); and sprouts (lentil, mung, and pea)

Avoid: Partially Hydrogenated Oils and Saturated Fats
Why? They pose health risks
Choose: Healthy oils such as organic olive and sesame oils

Avoid: Carbonated Water
(in the form of seltzer or in soda)
Why? It can cause bloating, unnecessarily stressing the body during cleansing
Choose: Fresh, filtered water, which helps the body flush out toxins

Avoid: Common Allergenic Grains
(corn, wheat, and white flour and derived products such as breads, cereals, and crackers)
Why? They're overprocessed; potential allergenic reactions include headache, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome
Choose: Unrefined, fiber-rich, nonallergenic grains (amaranth, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, brown and wild rice) in whole form rather than in breads and pastas

Avoid: Citrus Fruits
(grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, and lime)
Why? They can be allergenic
Choose: All other fruits in natural, whole, organic form (rather than juiced or dried)

Avoid: Nightshade Vegetables
(eggplants, peppers, white/yellow potatoes, tomatoes)
Why? They're potentially allergenic for some people
Choose: Antioxidant-rich leafy greens (bok choy, collard greens, dandelion, kale, mustard greens, romaine, and spinach) and other colorful vegetables (carrot, pumpkin, yam, and yellow squash)

Avoid: Condiments
(bouillon, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce, and tamari)
Why? They're highly processed; many contain refined sugars and additives
Choose: Flavorful herbs that enhance digestion, such as basil, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and sage

Avoid: Refined and Artificial Sugar and Corn Syrup
(found in sodas, alcohol, desserts, and sugar-free gum and diet drinks)
Why? Both refined and artificial sugars pose health risks when used in excess
Choose: Unrefined sugars (honey, maple syrup, and rice syrup) in modest quantities

A detox regine would be similiar to:

On Waking: Hot water and lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice with warm water is excellent to start the day as it activates the liver.

Breakfast: Vegetable and fruit juice mix - Cabbage, beet, carrot, celery, grape, and apple juice. Any green drinks you make from juicing leafy green vegetables are also fine. These are excellent detoxifiers. Do not drink tomato or orange juice. Do not store cabbage juice; it loses its vitamin C content.

Here are ingredients for an excellent broth or juice to drink when you are fasting. (from http://www.superbherbs.net/sec16.htm) If you choose the broth, cook all the vegetables together and strain the broth. Your pets might enjoy the pulp. Use a juicer if you prefer the raw juice.

3 carrots
1 turnip
½ head of cabbage
¼ onion
2 stalks of celery
2 beets
¼ bunch parsley
½ clove garlic

Mid morning: A large fruit salad

Lunch: Jacket potato, rice or jacket sweet potato with a salad and houmous, tahini or oil dressing.

Mid Afternoon: Mixed nuts and a piece of fruit

Evening: Vegetable soup. Steamed fish, vegetables and a side salad

Drink herbal teas any time during the day.

Liver Cleanse Infusion

Consider the following liver cleanse infusion. You can add cinnamon, ginger, or orange peel for taste. Liver herbs are usually bitter. You may have to develop a taste for this tea.

1 part yellow dock root
1 part Oregon grape root - for purifying blood and cleansing the liver
2 parts wild yam
2 parts burdock root - for breaking up fatty deposits, to detoxify the liver and blood and to benefit the skin
1 part dandelion root - for cleansing the liver, to improve blood and skin
1 part chaste berry

Add 4 to 6 TBS of herb mix to a quart of cold water. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Keep the pot tightly covered, and gently simmer for twenty minutes. Remove from heat, and infuse for at least 20 minutes more-overnight if possible. Drink 3 to 4 cups daily.

Great books for detox recipes include Michael van Straten's 'Super Detox' or Cherie Calbom's 'Wrinkle Cleanse'

Alternative Seven-Day Detox Plan:

Day 1: Clean Up

On Day 1, you'll begin swapping nutritionally problematic foods for healthier ones. See "Detox Don'ts (and Dos)," above, for an overview. Don't be surprised if you feel moody or headachy as a result, especially if you normally drink caffeine. This response will likely lessen in the coming days.

-Start drinking eight glasses of filtered water and walking for at least 20 minutes daily.
-Eliminate caffeine.
-Eliminate alcoholic drinks.
-Eliminate soda and all other carbonated beverages.
-Get protein from wild salmon, halibut, nuts (raw and unsalted), beans, and peas, as well as sprouts like lentil and mung.
-Eliminate meat and poultry.
-Replace refined sugars and artificial sweeteners with sparing doses of honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup.
-Eliminate all processed foods made with white flour.
-Start a food journal. Track mealtimes, the foods you consume, and how you feel.

Day 2: Boost Nutrients

Now that you've eliminated the main nutritional offenders, it's time to fine-tune your diet. Today you'll choose those vegetables that lend extra nutrient support as you detox. You may be experiencing general malaise. Drink more water and add small servings of nuts to keep your energy up.

-Go 100 percent organic.
-Vary your vegetables. Eat plenty of colorful veggies, including dark leafy greens.
-Eliminate nightshade vegetables: eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers.
-Enjoy fruit, but avoid all types of citrus and dried fruit.
-Eat fresh foods; eliminate canned and packaged foods.
-Avoid condiments. Season your meals with flavorful herbs and spices instead.

Day 3: Ditch Dairy

Today's task can prove surprisingly difficult (unless you're a vegan). But because dairy products -- and soy-can cause allergies, eliminating them will give your body a break.

-Remove all dairy.
-Eliminate eggs.
-Eliminate soy. Replace soy milk with almond or rice milk.
-Practice healthy snacking, which will benefit you nutritionally and emotionally, as you make your way through the plan. Try apple slices with a dollop of almond nut butter; cabbage leaves filled with raw vegetables; or carrot sticks and frozen grapes.
-Add seeds (such as sunflower or pumpkin) to your diet. As with nuts, opt for raw and unsalted.

Day 4: Good Grains

You're now ready to make the final dietary shift, eliminating potentially allergenic grains. With your nutritional changes complete, focus on visualizing the cleansing process that's under way.

-Eliminate any potentially allergenic grain, including all wheat-derived products, such as bread and crackers. Try amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, oats, and wild rice instead.
-Cut out corn and its derivatives (such as tortilla chips and corn breads). Instead of corn oil, cook with olive oil and use sesame and flax oils for flavor.

Day 5: Slow Down

The next two days emphasize good self-care. When you detox, your energy levels may wane as your body uses energy to eliminate toxins. You may also be feeling cranky or antsy, so take this day to focus inward.

-Counter any symptoms of comfort-food withdrawal with creative snacks. Try "baklava oatmeal," made with rolled oats, honey, and pistachios, and other invented treats.
-Practice non-food ways to satisfy yourself, such as yoga or tai chi, but avoid fast-paced aerobic activity.

Day 6: Pamper Yourself

Indulge yourself today. Enjoy your favorite home-spa treatments, or try one of these ideas.

-Take a warm shower and apply your favorite salt or sugar scrub to your entire body in circular motions.
-Get a massage.
-Give yourself a steam facial. Cover your head with a towel and lean over a bowl of boiled, herb-infused water (try chamomile or eucalyptus).

Day 7: Take Stock

Now that you've reached the final day, how do you feel? Eager to make the transition back to your regular diet? Ready for more cleansing? Either way, note the mind/body boost you feel and consider making detox part of your regular program for health.

-If you're ready to resume your normal diet, start with the foods you suspect may negatively affect your system (such as dairy or refined carbs). Eat one group at a time for a few days to see how it affects you. Then permanently remove any problem foods from your diet.

3. Skin Brushing

Stimulates cleansing by rousing the lymphatic system and encouraging toxins to be released through the skin. Brushing also removes dead cells from the skins surface, which increases microcirculation to further aid detoxification. For this you will need a long handled natural bristle brush. Only use a light pressure and brush in small clockwise circles, where possible. You are moving the brush from the extremities to the heart. Avoid the face, breasts and other delicate areas.

* Start at the soles of the feet, use small stroke from the heel to the toes
* Move the tops of the feet, from the toe upwards
* Now work the feet to the knees, always working up
* Next you are working from the knees to hips
* Then perform clockwise circles on the torso, front and back
* Now work on the palms of the hands and move down the arms. All sides.
* Again move to the torso
* Start the process again from the soles of the feet

Continue for 5 minutes and then have a contrast shower.

4. Contrast Showers

Encourage microcirculation and strengthen the immune system, by increasing the number of white cells. See Stage 2 detox (immunity/allergy). Start with 3 minutes of hot water and one minute of cold. Repeat and finish with the cold blast and then wrap yourself in a warm towel.

DETOX STAGE 2 - Longterm

Aid Your Whole Body Detox

The body has a system of organs that enable us to detoxify. These require specific assistance to function correctly. Below are guidelines to help you facilitate these health changes.

* Strengthen your immunity, identify your allergies and intolerances When the immune system sees a food as non-self it will mount an immune attack. Inability to lose weight is a prime example of a body that is finding it difficult to detoxify. To detoxify longterm it is always wise to identify your allergens. The easiest and quickest way to do this is through allergy/intolerance testing.

* Only use certified organic skin care products

Your skin absorbs 60% of what is applied to it - If you wouldn't eat it...don't apply it to your skin. Remember many 'natural' products may not be as natural as they profess.

* Exercise

Choose something that you enjoy and can maintain longterm. If you need some extra ideas see our fitness section.

* Skin brushing & contrast showers

* Foods to avoid

Unfortunately much of the western diet is implicated as potentially congesting to the body's cells. This includes red, smoked and cured meats and offal. Refined foods such as white flour and sugar. Salt, saturated and hydrogenated fats, coffee, alcohol and nicotine.

HELP YOUR...

Liver

Reduce or eliminate contact with pesticides, additives, chemicals applied the skin or inhaled, smoking, alcohol, drugs. All of which can stress the system and drain nutrients Remember the liver is the body's main sorting house. Liver detoxification is a two-stage process (Phase I and Phase II) that requires specific nutrients to activate the cytochrome P450 enzymes that are involved.

Foods to increase

* The brassica family of vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts.

* Oranges and tangerines

* Herbs - Curcumin, Caraway, Dill, Dandelion, Cinnamon, Licorice

* Food rich in B Vitamins

* Vitamin C rich foods

* Sulphur rich foods - eggs, onions and garlic

* Water soluble fibre - found in oat bran, apples, legumes. These support the detoxification enzymes in the liver. Also artichoke is beneficial as it contains a compound known as caffeoylquinic acid, which aids the gall bladder, increasing bile flow and assisting the digestion of fat. Beets, contains betaine which aids fat digestion and also regeneration of the liver.

Lungs

Detoxification through the lungs can be assisted by exercise. Also aid lung health through the intake of essential fatty acids, to strengthen cell walls and a daily intake of beta carotene/ vitamin A in the diet. See recommended foods.

Kidneys

The kidneys assist elimination of toxins through urine. Keeping the body hydrated by drinking pure water and keep protein intake at a reasonable level (avoiding 'Atkins' type diets).

Digestive Tract

Digestive or GI health is crucial to our overall health. It is here we break down foods and absorb the nutrients contained within them. The bacterial balance within the gut, can be easily disrupted. This can be though allergy, low fibre intake or low levels of beneficial bacteria. The bowels should move between 1-3 times per day. If you are experiencing poor digestion, or elimination, not eliminating toxins effectively aim to improve your gut health. Increase fibre, identify allergens and take a probiotic daily.

Skin

Our skin is our largest organ of detoxification. To assist it, you need to reduce the number of toxins that you place on the skin, as 60% of all substances on the skin will be absorbed. Wherever possible use organic products, that will not challenge the body. Skin brushing is also beneficial as are essential fatty acids.

Lymphatic System

A system that requires mobilisation by movement. This can be achieved through body brushing, exercise or lymphatic stimulation. This will also help the immune system.

MIND

For a real detox it is important to consider the mental aspects of your life that may cause stress and anxiety. A whole body detox should cleanse the mind and body

Help yourself, with the nutrients required for detoxification

A variety of nutrients are required by our bodies to promote effective detoxification, these include: The amino acids: glycine, glutamine, taurine, methionine, cysteine and glutathione. Choline and methionine, lipotropic factors that enhance the bile flow and regulate fat metabolism. We also need Vitamins A, C and E, Vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid, copper, magnesium and zinc.