Have you ever wondered why detox and cleansing is so highly regarded? You will be surprised to learn that detox, cleansing and other purification rituals abound in every culture. These rituals may include a spiritual as well as a physical component. Man has throughout recorded history felt a certain need to cleanse or purify ourselves and to somehow make a new start. These rituals are a varied as the people who practice them but they have one thing in common. That is the desire to rid our body and mind of harmful things and to get a clean slate or a new beginning. Many of the rituals include an attempt to reconnect with the source, the earth and each other. Of course, our main topic is how this might enhance our health and vitality.

It is well established that there can be a buildup of waste in our bodies. Just how detrimental this waste can become is based on the individual, their lifestyle and eating habits. I believe it is imperative to remove intended waste from the body for two main reasons. The first is that this waste if left inside the body can be reabsorbed into the cells creating a type of poisoning and the second is that the waste is blocking the fresh nutrients as they are trying to enter our cells. I can only imagine putrid waste products being held in the body long past the time for it to be excreted.

Ideally, if one’s elimination is working properly on a daily basis there would be no need for detox. However, we know that is rarely the case. Mainly due to our diet of processed food, lack of water and other nutrients certain waste can collect in our system. This will stagnate in the lymphatic system and back up into the surrounding cells and tissues. The lymphatic system is the principle source of detoxification but unlike the blood circulatory system it does not have a pump such as the heart to insure that it keeps moving along. Our lymph depends on muscle contraction to push this fluid containing dead cells and other cellular debris out of the tissues. If we are active and mobile the chance of lymph draining correctly are greatly improved.

A major challenge is created when we are sedentary, dehydrated and lacking in high quality nutrients. Our hectic lifestyles may not allow for us to focus on this element of health but at some point, I suggest a minimum of every quarter, we should pay attention to do some type of cleansing a detox regimen. This may take the form of a simple dietary shift. It could be a juice fast or just eliminating meat and starches for a short period of time. I do not recommend the use of laxatives in place of a cleansing regimen. Laxative are basically irritants that will cause the colon to empty. The type of cleansing we need will pull unwanted build up from tissues though out the body, vital organs, gut as well as the colon. I will give you my specific recommendations for a total body cleanse in a future post.