Detoxing

After a month of traveling (during which I totally strayed from my diet), I felt the need to get back to healthy eating.  I just feel better when I stick to my diet.  Detoxing can give you a kick-start in the right direction and rid your system of all the bad things you've ingested.  They say that if the digestive system is polluted, then it will pollute your bloodstream, and indirectly, your whole body.  Cleansing your digestive system if one of the best things you can do for your health.

     To this end, I have found the book The Gut Flush Plan by Ann Louis Gittleman very helpful.  (It's not quite what it sounds like.  This is the same author as The Fat Flush Plan.)  This book suggests many of the same things I'm already doing.  (giving up wheat and dairy, taking fish oil and probiotics, etc.)  It kind of validated everything in my mind.  She outlines a 3-week cleansing diet, which I have been following.  (more or less)  I'm in week two, but I did cheat and have cheese fries with a friend one day.  :-(  Oh well....more to cleanse, right?
Week 1 = fortifying - before the detox part, it helps your body if you fortify first.  This will make it less jarring to your system.  Dr. Gittleman suggests eating probiotic foods, healthy oils, drinking teas like honeybush and dandelion root, etc.
Week 2 = flush - clearing out all the bad things in your gut.
Week 3 = feed - feeding the good bacteria in your gut and starving all the bad bacteria will ensure good health in the future. 

If you suffer from the following, this book can help you:  bloating, gas, irregularity, recurring diarrhea, IBS, food allergies, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, depression, Hypoglycemia, constant headaches

I especially liked chapter 14 - "Gut Flush at Home" because she tells you how to cleanse your home so that it can support your health.  She tells you how to get rid of mold, bacteria, parasites, and other dangerous things that could be lurking in your home.  Good to know!

Detox Bath

One thing I do every night which makes me feel awesome is the "Ultrabath"  (as described by Dr. Hyman in his book, "The Ultramind Solution").

Directions:
Add the following to your bath at night:
- 4 handfuls of Epsom salts (about 2 cups)
- 2 handfuls of baking soda (about 1 cup)
- 10 drops of lavendar oil

Soak for at least 20 minutes in water as hot as you can stand (to encourage sweating). 

Benefits:
This ultrabath will pull toxins out of your body through your skin.  (It is the largest organ of your body, after all!)  Also, the magnesium content of the soda relaxes your muscles and helps you to sleep better.  The lavendar oil is optional, but I find it relaxing.  (I suppose you could use a different kind of essential oil if you like.)


Why I do it:
-My shoulders are always tight and I feel like they are "up in my ears" all the time.  Soaking in this solution relaxes my shoulders and brings them down to earth. 
-I'm one of these people that always feels cold and this bath helps me feel warm for several hours afterwards. 
-Dr. Cooper told me to take an ultrabath once a week, but I do it every night.  If I don't take an ultrabath at night, I feel it the next morning!  I guess the toxins build up and make me feel sluggish and tired and headachy.  It's enough of a difference that I have made this my nightly ritual.
-I fall asleep more easily and have more restful sleep after I have my ultrabath.

Try it!  You'll like it!