If you have been on social media or online or read almost anything at all or spoken to almost anyone, you likely have heard skepticism regarding whether cleanses and detoxes work, or worse, have been derided and shamed for suggesting such things even exist. Don’t worry. You’re not alone.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
It’s hard to be someone who has been in the field of holistic therapy for the past fifteen years in numerous capacities and see such tornadoes of confusion and not want to swoop in with my cape on shouting “don’t worry, guys! I’m here! I’ll explain it all away!” Unfortunately, there are as many theories as to why cleanses do or do not work as there are cleanses that do and do not work.
So allow me to simplify the situation a bit for you without making anything too complicated. Because I have a sneaking suspicion you’re confused enough as it is.
A LOT OF CLEANSES ARE BULLOCKS.
It’s true what people are saying. Some are glorified laxatives with very little long term benefits, and even more require that you eat better and drink more water which is actually what does most of the “cleansing” for you, whether you took the detox or not. People want to be thin and energetic and healthy and every market will try to exploit that. The natural health industry is no different.
THE HERBS INVOLVED ARE NOT ALWAYS IN CONCENTRATIONS HIGH ENOUGH TO DO MUCH GOOD.
If you are thirsty and you drink a drop of water, yes water will quench thirst, but only if it is in an amount to satiate you. Many herbs in previous years have been touted as being cleansing and healing and so long as the name was on the label, people felt good about doing right by their body. The problem is, if these herbs are not in therapeutic dosages, they will not do you as much good as you believe they are. Or as much as you are paying them to.
VERY LITTLE CAN FORCE YOUR BODY TO CLEANSE TOXINS FASTER THAN IT IS CAPABLE OF.
Your body’s assimilation, detox, and elimination cycles are pretty set, and even if you are going to the washroom more frequently, it will likely be mostly fiber and the excess water you have been drinking. Having more satisfying and fibre rich bowel movements will help to rid your colon of collected waste, and urinating more will ensure that your kidneys are in better shape, but like your metabolism, your body’s waste management speed is not easy to manipulate.
So, this is why many of your facebook friend skeptics are correct in their disbelief of cleanses. But the reason is more because of how cleanses and detoxes have been perversely defined. They do not cleanse you; they help your body cleanse itself.
By assisting with the phytochemicals and enzymes necessary for metabolic reactions to take place and also to help you get out of your own way.
This includes enzymes in raw foods and sulphur compounds that synthesizes other proteins like Carnatine and Melatonine which dissolve fat cells and reduce fatty deposits in the liver. There are always micronutrients in foods and herbs that can assist in the body’s mechanisms, from cranberry extract for bladder infections, to white willow bark for pain relief. Give your body the amino acids and chemical compounds to function at peak capacity, and it will.
People have heard of so many things that can speed up your body’s metabolism (we’ll discuss what the metabolism really is in another post), and nothing does that better than not stressing it out in the first place. And that is what a good cleanse does; it shows you the least stressful way to live for a little while so your body can get back to doing what it does best- keeping you healthy. Throw in a few catalysts such as herbs, nourishing foods, fibre and water and your body will show pretty impressive improvement quite quickly.
It’s not magic. It’s not a miracle. It’s what your body was meant to do.
You’re just making elimination the priority for a while, instead of ingestion.
To common sense health,
Sheena
P.S. It is because of how befuddling this all can be that Prana began offering assisted and specialized cleanses. They are not only presented with a companion facebook group for group recipes and Q & A, but they also have live chat groups where members can ask whatever strange and interesting question they may have, and can have personalized feedback regarding their progress.