Time for a Spring Clean?

Photo by Vitalii Pavlyshynets on Unsplash

Now the clocks have changed, and the sun is shining it feels like spring is in full swing. This can be a great time to shed the winter blues and sluggishness and begin to feel energised for the spring and summer ahead. This article will help you identify where you may be accumulating a toxic burden and give some suggestions about safe, easy and effective ways to start to cleanse your system.

Signs that you may benefit from a detox include feeling tired/sluggish, dark circles under your eyes, headaches, bowel disturbance (particularly constipation), skin rashes or breakouts and low mood.  We are all exposed to toxins in our day to day lives – through our dietary choices, alcohol/caffeine, pollution, skin care regimens, cleaning products, the list goes on! It is impossible to completely avoid these exposures but with a few simple tips you can reduce your toxic burden and support your body’s detoxification pathways.

If you want to delve deeply into where your own personal toxic burden is coming from then I recommend you complete the accompanying toxic burden questionnaire (taken from the Institute for Functional Medicine).

While some people may advocate a rather extreme approach to detoxing these do not suit everyone, and you can find many benefits from gentle and safe approaches detailed below.

Firstly, I recommend you identify sources of your toxic burden using the linked questionnaire or simply take a few minutes to think where you are exposed to toxins in the following areas:

Food - pesticides, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, excess sugar, processed foods, plastics

Pollution – traffic fumes, log burners

Household chemicals – cleaning products, paints, dyes

Skincare – washes, perfume, moisturisers, make up.

Alcohol, caffeine, smoking, recreational drug

You can then work out simple steps to reduce your exposure e.g. switching to organic food and skincare products or choosing to walk quieter routes to avoid traffic fumes.

Once you have reduced the toxins going in you also need to support your body to clear those you have previously accumulated. Our bodies detoxify through the following routes (and I’ve included suggestions on how to support these processes)

GI tract- ensure you are drinking plenty of water and supporting good elimination e.g. with adequate fibre intake, use of foods to support bowel function (e.g. kiwi fruit, prunes) and if needed take a gentle laxative such as psyllium husk.

Liver – this is the key organ of detoxification, and the one we sometimes impair e.g. through alcohol or dietary excesses. Key foods to support liver detox include cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, Brussel sprouts), asparagus, artichoke, beetroot, lemons and grapefruit. Again, you can use herbal teas to support your liver e.g., those containing milk thistle, dandelion root or turmeric.

Urinary system – again adequate hydration is key and herbal teas can be helpful to support kidney function such as those containing dandelion leaf, nettle and celery seed.

Skin – the skin is often overlooked as a way to help detoxify – consider body brushing, a salt bath or a sauna session to help release toxins.

Lymphatic system – consider a lymphatic draining massage particularly if you suffer with swelling or puffiness in your tissues.

You may notice as your body starts to clear toxins that you feel a little worse before you feel better (e.g. bloating, fatigue, headaches, etc). This is a normal part of the process. Support your body by continuing to drink plenty of filtered water and herbal teas and you will soon begin to notice the benefits.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful but if you are still struggling with ongoing symptoms of a high toxic burden, it may be helpful to get more personalised advice and consider functional testing to assess for toxic exposures and sensitivities. You can book for an Integrated Medicine appointment via the link above to discuss your symptoms in detail and we can work together to create a plan to improve your health and wellbeing.