Detox Cleanse – Out With The Old and In With The New
by author Terry Willard CH, PhD
Our ancestors felt it was important to cleanse at least twice each year. Spring and fall are the same times nature goes through a similar organic change process. A “detox” is a good way to start a new, healthy routine. Many of my patients cleanse at the beginning of a weight loss program or during the festive season so they don’t feel as guilty for their over-consumption. A detox doesn’t have to be a time of deprivation; it can be a time of good nourishing food and inner focus.
Starting with a detox program results in the better compliance and effectiveness of a long-term health program. We suggest the use of herbs more often than a fast. If you cleanse too hard, as can happen during a fast, you often end up with a “healing crisis.” This is a term from the early days of botanical medicine, referring to an acute condition associated with therapeutic treatment. Symptoms range from headaches and nausea to fever and rashes. Healing crises are similar to shifting gears without a clutch. The gears grind! If a treatment plan involves herbal cleansing along with a healthy meal plan, the gears don’t grind and we can usually avoid the crisis.
Remember, this is a time to enjoy yourself. Turn the cleansing process into a gourmet feast, not a fast.
Terry Willard is a writer, practitioner, teacher and director of the Wild Rose College of Natural Healing in Calgary, Alberta.