February and March have been jammed packed with things to do in Adelaide; Womadelaide, The Fringe and the Clipsal Race for a “quiet little town”, as the other states call us, we have been very busy.  If you are one of those who have overdone it during this period, this newsletter is just for you.

I attended a seminar recently which focused on detoxification and keeping yourself healthy on the inside.  Those of you who are regular clients are aware of how important it is to keep your mental and emotional state in a balanced and calm state.  Depression or living on an emotional roller coaster is not fun by any standard.  However, this newsletter is going to primarily focus on physical therapies because prevention is better than cure!

Now is a great time to start a detox programme before we retreat into the Winter Months

Importance of oxygen

Part of yogic principles is perfect breath equals perfect health.   From a mechanical point of view exercise and good posture and fresh air are essential to ensure sufficient oxygen flowing throughout our bodies.   The air we breathe is roughly 78% (by volume) nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.96% argon and 0.04% carbon dioxide, helium, water, and other gases.  If we had access to pure oxygen we would experience states of over activity or euphoria.  So clearly getting sufficient amounts of fresh air containing oxygen is good for our mental and emotional state.

Nitric Oxide which the body produces from Nitrogen is a vital messenger molecule in the body for relaxing our muscles and for making the nucleic acids that are part of our DNA and RNA – Another good reason to breath properly!

Within our bodies we have chemical reactions that require oxygen and those that happen in the absence of oxygen.  Many disease states such as cancer or viruses are anaerobic (can exist and proliferate because there is insufficient oxygen)  Think about what happens to stagnant water!  This is not to say that insufficient oxygen is the only cause of these states, but there is sufficient evidence that low oxygen states are a major contributor.

We take in oxygen through our lungs and via water and so for a healthy body we need plentiful quantities of clean fresh water and air.  Just increasing your intake of both of these will create a natural and gentle detoxification.

You can also increase the amount of oxygen available to your body by taking a Diatomic Oxygen Supplement which you either take under the tongue or add to your water.  If you are interested in this supplement please let me know.  I also currently have a Finger Pulse Oximeter which measures percentage of oxygen in your blood if you want to know your status.

Just as a footnote:  the consumption of alcohol requires oxidation (the usage of the body’s oxygen supply) also  the end by-product Acetaldehyde causes many health challenges in your body.  The message here is to drink in moderation.

 Detoxification and Beauty Sleep

At night we experience several different sleep states from light sleep to very deep dreamless sleep.   One of the most important sleep stages is REM or rapid eye movement.  It is during this stage that we dream.  Sleep deprivation can be used as a form of torture (as any mother with young children knows).  Unfortunately, with the availability of night lighting and all night shopping, entertainment etc many are willing and perhaps unknowingly subjecting themselves to a form of torture.  It is known that REM is a very effective antidote to depression.  REM sleep or dreaming time is for processing and clearing mental, emotional or spiritual material.  Some people including myself can go into REM when they are awake during a healing process.  During REM sleep we process information from both left and right hemispheres, it is a whole brain process.   As well as psychological detoxification sleep is important for cellular detoxification.  The body has a night-time cycle of cellular detox and this cannot take place if you are still awake and its action is impaired when we do not relax enough for our noradrenalin to be turned down low.  A symptom of impaired night-time detox can be morning headaches.    Lastly, research has shown that even sleep deprivation of only 2-3 hours in healthy young adults is enough to put the body into a pre-diabetic state.  Lack of sleep also impairs your immune function.  Getting enough sleep facilitates mental, emotional and physical detoxification.

Detoxification through our Major Organs of Elimination

Skin

Exfoliation and skin brushing helps to keep your skin healthy via increasing blood circulation and cellular turnover.   Skin brushing is best done with a soft natural bristle brush on dry skin before getting into the shower.  If you find this difficult, use a good quality natural scrub to exfoliate your body at least once per week.  You can also use a shower mit to give yourself a good wet scrub.

Lymphatic System

Our lymph system is like our venous system (blood vessels), in that it is a series of tubes and nodes throughout the body.  The Lymph transports various nutrients to your cells, removes wastes and contains white blood cells.  The best way to get your lymphatic system moving is through breathing and exercise.  When the Lymphatic System is congested you often will see white spots in your iris.

I personally find homoeopathics are the best way to detox your lymphatic system.  Some people are more susceptible to lymphatic congestion, namely blue eyed individuals.

Kidneys

Our kidneys are complex organs that maintain water and nutrient balance.  Too much sugar and salt make your kidneys have to work harder.  Your body’s last ditch effort to get too much salt or sugar out of your system is through your kidneys.  Drinking plenty of water, ensuring that you do not get dehydrated is one of the best things you can do for your Kidneys.  There are herbs and homoepathics which can help detox and rejuvenate your kidneys.  According to Chinese Medicine theory our kidneys store our essence and our vitality.  Therefore our chi field 

If your urine is a clear pale straw colour that is odourless then is a pretty good indication that your kidneys are working well and you are not dehydrated.  

Liver

Unless you have been living under a rock you will have heard about detoxing your liver.  And yes it is very important. Everything that you put in your mouth must go through the gateway of your liver.  The liver has two processes, Phase I and Phase II, if either of these phases are not working properly or in harmony with each other you are likely to experience a variety of physical symptoms.  Chemical sensitivity, lethargy, gallstones, bowel and digestive problems are a few examples.  A very simple thing that you can do to help your liver is to, reduce the load of chemicals you give it to process and secondly have a drink of warm water and lemon juice first thing in the morning.  Your liver can also benefit from plenty of green vegetables and a homoepathic or herbal detox.

Large Intestine (Bowel)

Your bowel is responsible for taking wastes from your body and delivering them to the outside.  You can tell a lot about your stools. Have you ever noticed that animals always check their bowel movements?  They are not being gross, they are checking the status of their health.  Your stools should be soft, easy to pass, light to dark brown in colour.  If they are pale or clay colour it suggests your liver is not producing enough bile or the bile is being blocked.  Bright or dark red can indicate the presence of blood.  Both of these situation require attention, red colour, requires urgent attention. 

Constipation, sticky or dry stools all indicate dis-regulation in your digestive system somewhere and need to be addressed.  Long standing constipation can lead to a build up of intestinal plaque that lines the walls of your bowel.  This situation increases the likelihood of you re-absorbing toxins from your bowel.  Our bowel can also provide a home for parasites, this is something that we often think about when we have children, but maturity does not give you immunity to these little critters.  There are herbals and homeopathics that help your body eliminate parasites as does Diatomaceous Earth.

Clearing away the built up intestinal plaque is a little more challenging and requires more commitment.  Colonic Irrigation is one such way, homecare enemas are another.  If you are not up for this I can take you through a cleanse process which also has fabulous results.

If you would like to embark on a complete detoxification programme which takes into account all of the major elimination pathways, then call to make an appointment and I can work out an individual programme especially for you!

Detoxification does not necessarily mean that you have to go through unpleasant side effects, or that you have to radically change your life, so don’t be afraid to embark on a detoxification process.  Just make sure you work with one that suits you personal health needs.