More so than in the previous month, from the first day of April you can feel spring in the air as nature wakes up all around us. The very sense of this energy burst and the season itself is associated with the wood element in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and so is the taste of sour, the movement of energy towards the surface, the wind and the emotion of anger that it can stir up. The organs of the wood element are liver and gall bladder, ready to enable leaving the dormant season of winter as well making plans, boosting our metabolism and adaptation in life (the former), as well as catalyse all decision making (the latter).

Ona day to day basis, spring entices us to cleanse. It is one of its major roles: it is in charge of biotransformation of anything toxic that we come into contact with (e.g. environmental toxins, pesticides, fumes, cosmetics and cleaning products), what we consume (food, meds and drink), and need to eliminate (hormonal metabolites and the rest of the previous). But cleansing is not a mean feat: when done incorrectly, i.e. when the body is weak or under stress, it can make some of the toxins to be released into the blood stream only to be deposited back into the tissues again. Thus a careful preparation is called for at all times.

1. Physical detox

Even though the warmer days are conducive to cleansing, we need to recognise when we really need it as it takes energy from the whole body to do so. Checking for signs & symptoms like the ones below means the body needs help in this area:

• Acne, boils, rashes, or breakouts
• A constant itch that never goes away, dry or burning or irritated skin
• Fuzzy or foggy vision; Headaches
• Gallbladder flare-ups or stones
• Pain under the right side of ribcage
• Tightness, soreness or stiffness of the right shoulder or scapula
• Itchy, irritated, red, or dry eyes
• Insomnia, restless or rough sleep
• Irritability, feeling wound up or ready to explode, frustration or lack of patience
• Foggy thinking, poor concentration or focus
• Nose, sinus, or chest congestion
• Overwhelming moods or emotions
• Hot flashes
• Vitamin, mineral, fatty acid and other nutrient deficiencies

Of course, eating processed foods, too many starchy carbohydrates, consuming drinks with artificial dyes, preservatives, or chemical additives, and regular use of alcohol can also cause the liver to “overheat”. Moreover, consuming denatured fats (i.e. those which have been heated or hardened as in many processed foods, chips or crisps) can make the whole biliary system work even harder to perform its normal tasks, thus affecting its ability to remove byproducts of normal hormone and neurotransmitter metabolism adding to the pressure. Such symptoms as nausea, intermittent or chronic constipation,

food intolerance, passing gas, dark coloured urine, light-coloured stools, elevated cholesterol, feeling tired especially after eating rich foods, or having swollen tummy can also indicate congestion of the liver and/or gallbladder and require more immediate medical attention.

How to detox your body in a safe, yet effective manner?

Firstly, start with the most important organ doing the cleansing of your body daily: the liver. Choose a 7-day period when you have somewhat more relaxed schedule and start as follows.

Days 1 & 2:

• Cut out all tea, coffee and alcohol.
• Drink plenty of filtered water throughout the day and supplement it by coconut water if you wish, plus herbal teas like camomile, lime, mint or thyme, dandelion root coffee too.
• Eat organic vegetables, nothing fried, and small amounts of lean, light proteins like free-range poultry (chicken or turkey breast) or organic or wild white fish. Avoid any red meat (pork, beef, lamb or even venison).
• Brown rice, millet or quinoa in small amounts – all meals are to leave you slightly underfed, almost marginally hungry.
• Lentils and other grains than the once listed above are not advised as can trigger reactions to some of their ingredients.
• Nothing fried, only steamed or boiled foods are allowed.
• Enjoy plenty of fresh vegetables, salads, stir-steam-fries, vegetable soups, etc. (most green veg are high in chlorophyl which will enhance detox). Plus some fresh fruit – ideally local and seasonal (berries, apples and pears, no tropical fruit but for papaya and kiwi). Avocado, celery, leafy greens, onions and garlic – in abundance please. Any pungent herbs are welcome to be used liberally (oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, etc).
• Refrain from anything dairy (of cow, goat or sheep origin), and anything non-organic or non-free-range. Try coconut milk yoghurt instead.
• Keep meals very simple to give your body a chance to eliminate toxins (ensure at least one daily bowel movement). Use Vitamin C to bowel tolerance if the emptying is sluggish – some people may need about 3 g/ day in divided doses. Then reduce the amount taken gradually.
• Refrain from eating or drinking ANYTHING but water for at least 14-16 hours overnight after dinner till breakfast the following day. This allows your brain to detox.

Days 3 to 7:

• Drink this mixture first thing in the morning (before eating or drinking anything else) to help the body get rid of toxins:

200 ml (8 fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice

200 ml (8 fl oz) spring or mineral water

1 clove of fresh garlic

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 cm (1/2 inch) fresh ginger root

If drinking all that lemon juice is too much, use organic apple juice instead with a

       squeeze of lemon. Blend to a smooth liquid and drink slowly.

       Drink little apple juice afterwards if there is an aftertaste. Follow it with a cup of

       hot peppermint tea afterwards.

CARE:

You may experience headaches or flu-like symptoms for the first couple of days – an indication that you are detoxifying. Remember to eat well to keep the blood sugar up – complementing your protein levels with 4-6 spirulina tablets with each meal if you’d rather skip animal produce altogether. If you prefer to eat no meat, you may have some eggs or tofu provided you are not allergic to them – the detox process needs some amino acids from protein.

Day 8:

Break the cleanse gently by introducing your remaining typically consumed foods gradually as not to overload the system. Enjoy the lighter you!

2. Emotional detox

Emotions are part and parcel of our lives: they help us deal with challenges coming our way and to react to the world around us. They are a result of internal or external events and are accompanied by swift, short-lived physiological reactions to stimuli indicating that something is being processed on a subconscious level. They are energy in motion and as such carry no positive or negative value – they are designed to help us navigate the web of life and adapt to it appropriately. When an emotion (such as anger, worry, sadness, joy, grief or fear – or any shade of those) is felt coming up in the right context (i.e. as a reaction to a situation taking place in a given moment), we are supposed to experience it and let it go.

Unfortunately, this rarely happens amidst the business of life today since we tend to interpret the sensations that arise, then ruminate on it and/or get attached to the story. This gives rise to feelings or subjective perceptions of emotions based on one’s beliefs or frames of reference and can be both conscious and subconscious. Feelings that we hold onto for too long change our vibration and frequency and as such can derail the function of an organ or system and even affect its structure. This is when a healthy dose of awareness or mindfulness is required.

Emotional detox involves spotting these states and giving yourself permission to release them. Emotions often get stuck in specific organs they have affinity to, like anger and resentment tend to go to the liver and gall bladder or fear to kidneys and bladder (from a TCM perspective), but this is not an absolute rule – they can settle in any tissue or cell, an organelle within a cell or even a blood or immune system component. You need to observe which thoughts and beliefs trigger the most troubling emotions and examine the beliefs that may no longer serve you but still underpin some of your long-term behaviour patterns. It is that reactivity you will want to release and replace it by a much more conscious response to any circumstances, old or new you may encounter. By bringing these to conscious awareness and setting an intention of let go of any frequencies that no longer serve you, you can gain additional benefit of an emotional clearing. This is a perfect adjunct to the physical detox you are going to engage in and bring in a much more of a relief in the end.

3. Energetic detox

Another form of detox worth encompassing this spring is purely energetic, even though emotional cleanse can also be counted as such. In this case we are talking of creating a bigger gap between your attachment to such things as screens, gadgets, games, shopping, substances of inhaled nature, electromagnetic frequencies of any kind that you are dependent on in your daily life. Any form of dependence can become addictive and realising that is the first step to success. If you cannot live without something, it is a clue that you need that energy in your life. But does it work for your highest purpose?

Parting company with your phone when you go for a walk, or deciding on the end of screen time for your larger equipment on a daily basis, when to switch off the social and mass media or choosing where, when and how often or long to indulge in electronic games or challenges of any kind would be the first step to allowing yourself to see if you use these to enhance your life or allow them to dictate your schedule and perhaps even control you to a degree. Anything that gives you a dopamine kick and becomes a conditioned behaviour may need to be honestly looked at and considered up for change. All these changes would be best replaced by spending more time in nature, grounding and doing more physical things like gardening, sport and exercise or yoga / Pilates. When we more our bodies, the physical release becomes easier too and this will benefit your original plan too. 

Enjoy your start to a lighter life this spring! And keep it up as a seasonal cleanse to go back to as regular detoxing is now more of a way of life rather than a one-off event…