Detox At Home
Detox Recipes | Detox Maintenance Diet
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Detoxing is the first essential step in establishing a pattern of wellbeing and vitality, a pattern that should become a way of life. Generally, we understand detoxification to indicate that there are toxins or poisonous substances in our systems that need to be got rid of. The process of detoxification is often referred to as cleansing the body or purifying the bloodstream. A detox program may last one or two days, or maybe three or even six weeks. |
A toxin is a substance that is harmful to the body. Toxins can cause minor problems such as a skin rash or more severe diseases such as cancer. Toxins exist everywhere in our daily living, from the pollution in the air we breathe to the chemicals that are formed in our bodies from the breakdown of food. Toxins also exist in substances that we purposely put in our bodies such as cigarette smoke, drugs, excessive alcohol, sugar, animal fats and highly processed food. Thousands of toxins are formed in the bacterial breeding ground of our large intestine, where they multiply at a rapid rate if fed a poor diet.
Toxins can breed on our food before we even consume it; bacteria will breed on food that has been kept too long in the fridge; and food can ferment in heat and incorrect packaging. On the other hand, preservatives used to prevent food deteriorating can also be harmful to us when present in large doses. Toxins are sprayed on our food in the fields to keep the bugs away. These toxins are absorbed to a greater or lesser extent into our vegetables and fruits. Toxins are formed through stress, both emotional and physical. Toxins are formed simply through being human and having a system that ages from birth to death. We can not avoid them, remove them, minimise or neutralise them- but we need to be aware of their presence at all times.
In the following list if you have three or more of the following symptoms then a three-day detox will improve your health and wellbeing.
| Fatigue |
Vagueness |
Sluggish Bowel |
Itchy Skin |
| Lethargy |
Poor Memory |
Blocked Nose |
Persistent Skin Problems |
| Moodiness |
Poor Concentration |
Excessive Mucus |
Pimples |
| Irritability |
Stomach Aches |
Sore Muscles |
Bad Breath |
| Sleeplessness |
Bloated Stomach |
Aching Joints |
Furry Tongue |
| Anxiety |
Indigestion |
Blotchy Skin |
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Now consider this next list. Are any of the following featuring prominently in your lifestyle.
| - Pollutants from cars, factories and city living |
- Stress |
| - Radiation from mobile phones |
- Depression |
| - Pollens and grasses |
- Insomnia |
| - Cleaning agents and washing detergents |
- A sedentary job |
| - Dust mites |
- Shift work |
| - Poisonous baits |
- Late nights |
| - Preservatives and additives in your diet |
- Global travel |
| - Colourings in your food |
- Illness related to age |
| - Refined sugar in your diet: fizzy drinks, lollies and sweets |
- Cholesterol |
| - High coffee intake |
- Excess weight |
| - Restaurants |
- Yeast infections |
| - High-fat diet |
- Smelly teeth, hands, feet |
| - Alcohol |
- Sexual problems |
| - Cigarettes |
- Headaches |
| - Recreational drugs: codeine, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, sleeping pills, laxatives, anti-depressants |
- Repeated viruses: glandular fever, herpes, shingles, influenza |
| - Surgery or hospitalisation |
- Red, sore and swollen eyes |
If the answer is yes, you should look at detoxing and following a maintenance program.
When NOT To Detox
| - During pregnancy |
| - If you suffer from major heart disease |
| - If you are over seventy-five or under twelve |
| - When you are on prescribed medication (check with your doctor) |
| - If you are under extreme pressure emotionally or physically (training for sports competition, or if you are recovering from the loss of a loved one |
| - If you are significantly underweight |
It is necessary to consult your local doctor or physician if you plan to embark on the detox journey to ensure you recieve relevant advice and suggestions that are specific to your needs.
FOCUS...
Specific Detox For The Skin |
Detox can improve the overall appearance of your skin, as well as treating specific skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, itchiness, a sallow grey tone and fine broken cappillaries that can be seen on the cheeks and nose.
Herbalists refer to toxic or poisonous blood whenever problems show externally. Where there are problems with the skin, the liver is invariably involved. This is the organ that acts as the filtering system for all the toxins that accumulate in our bodies for all sorts of reasons. Skin condition is a sure sign of the workings of our internal organs and filtering systems. If skin condition is poor, then it invariably means that the toxin filter systems in our body are sluggish. Perhaps we are not eating in a healthy way, or we are overloaded with an external pollutant; such as pesticide sprays, air-born springtime allergies, or exposure to chemicals of some kind. Constipation can also be a culprit, especially if it happens before menstruation, when hormones can cause an imbalance in our skin and natural detox systems.
We will focus on the skin detox for an overload of the wrong type of food. This food does not feed the skin and cell tissue, but rather destroys it. The wrong foods can overload the immune system. This overload manifests on the skin as pustules and cysts that contain bacteria.
It is also not uncommon to see someone recently out of hospital beak out in mild acne. This is usually due to an overload of prescription drugs. This is an ideal time to detoxify and it can be done safely even with the prescription drugs being taken simultaneously. The liver is critically involved in a skin detox, but repair of skin tissue is most important if you are to maintain a vibrant and healthy glow.
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STAGE 1:
 Drink fresh orange juice mixed with pineapple juice and lemon juice hourly from breakfast to lunchtime. These juices clear out the fatty residues in the liver and stimulate the liver to work more efficiently in its detoxing role. We suggest 40 per cent orange juice, 40 per cent pineapple juice and 20 per cent lemon juice. One tablespoon of ginger juice is also excellent to stimulate the liver. Pineapple contains a substance called bromelian which works as a natural anti-inflammatory, especially for the skin and joints.
At lunchtime, prepare a large plate of raw vegetables and drink a carrot and beetroot juice. The fibre in the raw vegetables clears the bowel and stimulates sluggish digestive juices. They are also filled with anti-oxidants (these nutrients are especially high in carrots, beetroot, onions and garlic.) Other vegetables to include in this salad are raw broccoli, radishes, lettuce and rocket. Tomatoes sould be avoided at this stage as they sometimes aggravate skin problems due to their oxalic acid content.
Water and herbal teas should be drunk frequently on this regime. The best herbal teas are: dandelion tea, red clover or Petal tea and Triple E tea. Triple E contains liquorice and aniseed which work as bowel cleansers.
Watermelon juice in summer is ideal, but don't mix this juice with other juices as it does not digest well with other fruits and can cause flatulence.
During the afternoon, drink carrot and beetroot juice, alternating with orange juice and herbal tea. Drink one of these per hour. If you are hungry, then chew on raw food such as celery and carrot sticks with some capsicum for variety (capsicum contains high amounts of vitamin C.) Note that cucumbers can cause bloating.
Dinner should be a large plate of steamed vegetables, including carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, potatoes ( only one or two of medium size) and spinach or peas.
Green magna juice or green barley powder are wonderful for detoxing the skin. Add a half to one teaspoon to water three times a day or mix it with your vegetable juice. Some people find the taste of the juice or powder too strong, but if you can tolerate it, it's very good for your skin. It is a great alkaliser for the blood and assists in carrying iron to the cell tissue, an essential element of skin repair.
Days two and three should be exactly the same as day one. If you are constipated at all, then include vitamin C powder: a teaspoon three times a day in a glass of water or your juice. If you feel bloated, then take a capsule of acidophilus powder before each meal and at bedtime.
The vegetables on days two and three can have a teaspoon of olive oil on them and a little vegetable salt to taste. Natural herbs from the garden such as parsley, mint, corriander and basil can be used freely.
What side effects can you expect?
Your skin may have cleared by up to 50 per cent after three days, but you may also become worse before you improve. Often in the detox stage, the liver throws out its poisons at quite an amazing rate and the skin also throws out excess wastes initially. Do not give up. If this is the case, then we suggest taking supplements on the second and third days to speed up the detox stage. You could take the green barley powder or green magna juice, vitamin C and two anti-oxidant tablets after each meal. If you can tolerate garlic, take one or two garlic tablets after each meal, as it is a wonderful anti-bacterial herb for the skin.
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STAGE 2: Wellbeing
Follow the maintenance diet- see below
Continue to eat a raw salad each day but add protein for lunch and dinner. Try to stay away from cheese and heavy dairy products as these clog up the eliminating systems, especially the lymphatic system where white cells are made to fight infection.
STAGE 3: Supplementation
The following supplementation should be included in your regime when you begin the wellbeing stage (stage 2)
Include an orange and pineapple juice daily, and a carrot juice daily for at least two to three months.
Take two anti-oxidant tablets after each meal for six weeks, and then cut back to two to four a day for the next three months. Women may need four tablets per day before a period is due.
Drink eight to ten glasses of herbal tea or fresh filtered water daily.
Echinacea is excellent for acne and cyst problems. We suggest two tablets per day, taken for a period of three to five months.
One garlic tablet after each meal.
Green barley or green magna juice twice a day for three months.
Evening primrose oil is very helpful for dry skin conditions such as dermatitis and psoriasis. Take one or two tablets after each meal (3000 mg per day).
If you are looking for more information on Detox, then visit Detox Australia, a site specifically devoted to all things detox.
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