The New Year is often a time when people are most determined to change their lives, make resolutions, and detoxify and cleanse after an indulgent holiday season. Although these intentions set you on the right track, really the concept of “doing a cleanse” as a situational, perhaps even just annual event to make up for daily negligence of the body misses the point. It is gentler, healthier, and easier on your body to do a little cleansing everyday, rather than going through the often uncomfortable process of a radical “detox” which can cause headaches and fatigue before you feel better. Making daily cleansing into a ritual and an art is one of the keys to longevity!
Start with the Bowels
If your bowels do not move every single day without fail, this is the first area to address! The longer waste sits in the body, the more likely it is to be reabsorbed and reprocessed by the liver, which is already taxed by all the toxins in our environment as well as the food you eat. Triphala is an Ayurvedic cleansing formula of three Indian fruits which helps promote healthy bowel movements. This formula is also in Nature’s Sunshine’s Gentle Move with the addition of magnesium and other soothing demulcent and digestive herbs to produce a more laxative effect than triphala alone.
Help your Liver
There are many powerful herbs that can help keep your liver running smoothly! Many people know about Milk Thistle but only think to take it for its hepatoprotective properties after they start to have liver issues. An old proverb states that taking medicine when you’re already sick is like digging a well when you’re already dying of thirst! It is far easier to do a little for your body everyday than to repair and renew after you’ve been compromised. Daily doses of herbs like Dandelion (which in roasted tea form makes a delicious coffee substitute), Licorice, and Burdock root can make a world of difference over waiting for issues to arise before doing an intensive detox. Mushrooms like Reishi, Cordyceps, and Chaga have well-rounded healthful benefits to the liver as well as the immune system.
Don’t Eat Toxic Stuff!
The whole premise of detoxification connotes an initial toxification, implying that one might eat as much junk as they like as long as they go through intensive periods of detoxification. This makes no sense! If one were to eat nothing but nutritious foods (a tall order in our society) there would be little need to detoxify. Dark leafy greens have their own detoxifying constituents, as do most vegetables, which should ideally be the bulk of our diet, in addition to healthy fats, fruits, and protein.
In the end, we always recommend a prophylactic approach to health, by maintaining the body’s integrity with proper nutrition and medicinal herbs. This is the approach that leads to true longevity – treating the body like a temple by making all you feed it into gracious offerings.
We at Remedy bid you Good Health! Drink lots of clean water!