A Seasonal Cleanse to Improve Your Health

As the weather cools down and the days get noticeably shorter, our energy tends to trend toward a dormant winter state so we need to prepare for a winter slowdown of our body. A gentle fall cleanse or even a whole-body detoxification is an excellent way to jump-start this process.

Benefits of Seasonal Cleansing

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and other medical systems, the body is closely interconnected with nature and the seasons; traditional medicine draws heavily on these principles to create highly refined healing protocols, including seasonal detoxification. By making an effort to clear the unnecessary clutter and toxins from our bodies and our environments, we can maximize the transformative energy of the fall season to attain greater health, vitality, and well-being.

Beginning Your Cleanse

The best way to begin a fall cleanse, and to optimize results, is to incorporate cleansing and alkalizing foods, nutrients, botanicals, and mind-body healing practices, such as meditation, into a gentle program. Whether the cleanse lasts for three days, three weeks, or longer, these tips can help align us with the seasonal transitions and allow healing and transformation to move forth naturally.

Seasonal Transitions and Your Health

According to TCM philosophy, every season correlates to different elements or organ systems in the body. For example, winter correlates with the water element and the kidneys/bladder system. From a Western naturopathic perspective, cold weather can put stress on your adrenal and thyroid glands, which tends to make the blood more acidic and causes a buildup of lactic acid. This can lead to sluggishness, muscle and joint pain, and arthritis.

Shed Pounds and Remove Toxins

Both Eastern and Western naturopathic medical systems agree that during the transition from fall to winter we often gain extra weight, a gentle cleanse can prevent toxins from accumulating in the body. This excess buildup can be the result of numerous factors, but key culprits include unhealthy diet, poor digestion, lack of exercise, winter dehydration, normal metabolic processes, and environmental pollution.

A gentle cleanse effectively supports the liver’s vital detoxification processes, eliminates toxins stored in organs and tissues, helps shed excess weight, alkalizes the body, and gets your circulation and energy moving. Additional benefits include improved digestion, reduced inflammation, balanced blood sugar, and better immune function.

Detoxifying Your Diet

A cleansing diet is the most critical component of any detoxification program. Animal protein, particularly red meat, should be minimized during a cleanse. Emphasize lighter, organic plant-based proteins that are easier for the body to digest. Below are the critical components of a detox diet which can help improve digestion and enhance detoxification, resulting in greater energy and vitality.

Eat fresh, organic foods with an emphasis on green vegetables. Vegetables may be juiced, eaten raw, steamed, or saut’ed in liquid.

Emphasize alkalizing foods they counteract the tendency to become more acidic during cold weather and promote oxygenation and the release of stored wastes and toxins.

Consume plenty of pure water, herbal teas, and vegetable soups or broths.

Add fiber (flax or chia seeds, psyllium, rice bran, etc.) to your diet to ensure regular elimination that will carry toxins out of the system.

Eliminate foods that place oxidative stress on the body and cause inflammation, such as alcohol, sugars, processed foods, cooked oils, caffeinated beverages, and non-organic foods.

Key Detox Supplements

These supplements are not only great during a cleanse, but also throughout the year to enhance detoxification and combat oxidative stress caused by toxins and free radicals. All offer a wide range of diverse health benefits and can be used daily to support and maintain vitality, immunity, and overall wellness.

Medicinal mushroom formulas help to remove toxins and metabolic waste buildup throughout the body; they also support immunity, digestion, vital energy, and overall health. I recommend a blend of medicinal mushrooms and additional beta-glucans for immune support. These are ideal for daily health maintenance, and dosages can be increased during a cleanse for enhanced detoxification and vitality support.

Modified citrus pectin (MCP)/alginate formulas help to gently remove heavy metals and environmental toxins from the digestive tract and circulation. MCP also combats inflammation and improves cellular health and immunity. MCP has been clinically researched and proven to help eliminate lead, mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals from the body, without affecting essential minerals.

Phase II detox formulas contain sulfured amino acids and detoxifying herbs and nutrients, such as cilantro, dandelion, milk thistle, garlic, astragalus, Oregon grape root, and others. These supplements support in-depth removal of stored toxins, combat free radicals and inflammation, assist organs of elimination, and boost vital energy.

Comprehensive herbal digestive formulas offer complete, non-habit forming digestive support with herbs, nutrients, and enzymes. Raw ingredients may include cardamom, pomegranate, cinnamon, galangal, and medicinal mushrooms to improve detoxification, digestive function, and nutrient assimilation while working to relieve occasional digestive discomfort.

Probiotic formulas improve digestive and overall health by reintroducing healthy probiotic flora (beneficial bacteria) to the digestive tract. These bacteria boost immunity, improve nutrient assimilation, and support numerous areas of health. Cultured foods such as sauerkraut also provide good sources of friendly probiotics.

An Uplifting Experience

The benefits of a gentle spring cleanse can extend far beyond the physical elimination of toxins, resulting in improved mental clarity and emotional stability, balanced blood sugar, increased vital energy, and greater strength, flexibility, and stamina.

You can maximize the benefits of your cleanse by taking some time each day to meditate and reflect, stretch or do yoga poses, take a walk in nature, and rest. By caring for yourself in this way, you can experience positive transformation on multiple levels, the way that coldness and winter inactivity gradually give way to new growth, warmth, and energy in the spring. A seasonal spring cleanse should be a gentle, life-supporting experience, so relax, enjoy, and renew!