Internal Cleansing and detox of the whole body

Internal cleansing and detox is one of the most important things one can do for oneself. People often say that it is not natural. The question is what is natural anyway. We were not born with a toothbrush and still everybody is cleaning their teeth. We were not born with soap and creams and still everybody is using them. It is not a question about good or bad or right or wrong. It's about keeping our natural cellular defense up for optimum performance.

Internal cleansing and detox is a must for good health and vitality. In this de-naturalist world with de-naturalist foods and de-naturalist living to cleanse the body inside and out becomes natural. The best way to clean ourselves internally of course is by eating natural foods like fruits and vegetables. A person living on raw food and in a very clean environment (which doesn't exist anymore as we can't filter the air) from childhood on does not need to do any internal cleanses.
But even if you have done a lot of cleansing in the past and now live on raw food chances are that your system still needs more internal cleansing, depending on your environment. Internal cleansing is a live long process, similar to cleaning teeth and detoxing is a vital part in it. Yes you can get away with a few weeks of not cleaning your teeth, but sooner or later problems will show. On the outside these problems are easier to see.
But inside, nicely tucked away, our sewer system can rot for years and years before we get serious signs diminishing our natural cellular defence. If we would be a little more tuned in we would very quickly see the little signs with which our body is trying to tell us that it wants us to clean it out and detox, give it some rest and do some internal cleansing.

For most people 10 years of internal cleansing and detox will remove most of our mucoid plaque, worms, parasites, and other things that our body is trying to get rid of in an attempt to stay healthy.

Health is not a get rich quick scheme, it requires constant awareness in body, mind and spirit.
To cleanse is to treat this body as a 'temple'. Or treat this body 'temple' like the house of God by keeping it as clean as possible, look after it inside and out. Don't just sweep the floor and hope that nobody will look at the ceiling or inside the cupboards. The rewards will be beyond your wildest dreams as you live a very very long life without dis-ease and full of energy and joy. It is no fun to be older and have all the wisdom, but be too sick to enjoy it.

The physical conditions which can benefit from cleansing could fill a book and are far too numerous to list here. I would dare say that there are no conditions / illnesses that could not benefit from cleansing in one way or another. And for those who are obsessed with anti-aging, detoxing is the cheapest and most effective way to stay young!

So why does not everybody jump at the chance to do a detox?
Simply, because it is work and it is not always pleasant. Most people have heard of the 'healing crisis' and are afraid that their condition is getting worse instead of better. This is often because they do not understand what is happening during the cleansing process. I do recommend for this reason to do as much research until you feel comfortable doing the kind of cleanse you choose. The less fear and doubt you have the better the result will be.

A few thoughts on ways how to decide which cleanse is for you. Keep the following points in mind when selecting a cleansing technique to try:

• It is important to choose cleansing techniques that are not too extreme for your current condition. If you are very weak, you should start slowly and plan for a longer cleanse.
  Slower and gentler cleanses include: AIM Herbal Fiberblend, Isagenix
• It is important to choose cleansing techniques that are not to subtle, and therefore ineffective, for your current condition.
• Working closely with a holistic health practitioner who is familiar with detoxification techniques can be extremely important for the following reasons:
  • The practitioner can help you choose the type and strength of cleansing that meets your needs -- not too extreme, yet not to subtle.
  • The practitioner can advise you of any contraindications that may be important for your condition.
  • If any difficulties arise, an experienced practitioner can more easily adjust or stop the program if necessary.
  • A few of these cleanses take a lot of planning and effort. Off-loading some of the planning and effort onto the shoulders of the practitioner will allow you to concentrate more fully on healing, significantly increasing the effectiveness of the cleanse.

There are many areas of the body that one can concentrate their cleansing on. In each of these areas there are powerful techniques for detoxification. But there are also increasing gentle techniques that can be used depending upon a person's condition.
Some of the more common areas are:

• Gastrointestinal Tract (GI Tract)
• Skin
• Liver & Gallbladder
• Lymphatic System
• Blood
• Kidneys/Bladder

Keep in mind that cleansing is an ongoing process and never really finishes. There is no such thing as a clean colon for example as long as you put food into it, it will accumulate stuff. Of course you can determine how much stuff (mucoid plaque, worms etc) will accumulate by your lifestyle and the kinds of food you choose.

The healthier and cleaner you get the healthier and cleaner your choices will become. This is a really good thing!.

While internal cleanses can be extremely healing, it is important to balance the cleansing detox techniques with periods of rebuilding and strengthening using other techniques (e.g., healthy diet, supplements, yoga, support network, etc.). Cleansing without rebuilding and strengthening will eventually weaken your system, including your immune system. Therefore, after each cleanse, take a period of time to concentrate non-cleansing healing techniques.

Most people should perform no more than three (3) digestive system cleanses per year. Once you are on your road to healing, you can reduce the number of yearly digestive system cleanses to two or one. After a digestive system cleanse take at least three months to work on strengthening your digestion, assimilation, and elimination abilities.

After performing any other cleanse, take at least a few weeks to strengthen the area that was cleansed.

If you are very sensitive to some item or items that are suggested for the cleanse (i.e., strong allergic reaction), then you will obviously have to stay away from that item. Please keep in mind that many of these cleanses can be adjusted to suit your needs. A healthcare practitioner experienced with cleansing techniques can help you with this. We might be able to provide ideas or suggestions that can help you in this area as well.

Persons with immune system-related disorders should always begin taking new supplements in tiny amounts before the cleanse in order to determine if they are sensitive to the supplement.

Your environment during a cleanse is important. The more radical the cleanse the more space you will need for yourself. This is one of the major reasons why people go to health retreats. To be away from their day to day life and concentrate on their body and wellbeing. When you perform a cleanse, try to keep the body warm, comfortable, and feeling as nurtured as much as possible. Most cleanses, are therefore much easier to perform in warmer weather.

When the body is cleansing, whether through a cleanse technique or simply a positive change in lifestyle, you may experience what is called a "healing crises." The healing crises can last as long as a few days (sometimes longer in rare instances). Some of the symptoms you may experience are:

1. Fever
2. Headaches and other aches and pains
3. Fatigue
4. Skin eruptions
5. Emotional irritability
6. Gas
7. Temporary constipation or diarrhoea
8. Temporary stopping of menstruation
9. Yawning
10. Tight muscles

In almost all cases, it is important to not use drugs to suppress these cleansing symptoms, but instead, to encourage the release of toxins from the body (and the expression of emotions to release pent up emotions when necessary). If you are working closely with a holistic health practitioner, as you should be, the practitioner can help you monitor any cleansing symptoms you have to be certain that they are not more than you can handle in your condition.

In cases where the cleansing symptoms need to be reduced and/or toxins are being dumped into the intestines at a large rate (in persons who have had chemical poisoning, for example), it can be helpful to take an action to avoid having toxins reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

I will list some ideas below that may be helpful in very uncomfortable cleansing reactions. Please realize, however, that it is counterproductive to rely regularly on these techniques, except during a cleanse. Most of the time, acute symptoms should be handled with other natural remedies (e.g., peppermint tea for stomach upset, etc.)

You may or may not notice sudden, major health improvements immediately after the cleanse is finished. In some cases there have been total elimination of symptoms with just one cleanse. Just remember that internal healing can be taking place even if there is no apparent reduction in symptoms. The reduction in symptoms will come as you slowly build your health using holistic healing techniques.

Also keep in mind that cleansing is a long term process. Most people will take 10 years to get their system clean, because after every cleanse you slowly go back to old food habits etc which in turn add more rubbish back into your system.

Yearly cleansing is important and will give you great benefits in the long run. Looking and feeling younger naturally, when everybody else is going for plastic surgery and start complaining about old age symptoms, is a sign that you did something right.

If you have any doubts about the self-healing power of your body, consult your naturopath or health practitioner for advise!