Easy cleanses for every body

By Jeanette Wayne

Spring is a great time to undergo a cleanse and in many traditional cultures and medicines, there are ceremonies and practices that reflect this. For example, within Traditional Chinese Medicine, certain herbal formulas are used only during changes of seasons.

Welcoming cleanses and healing practices into my life was the best thing I ever did for myself. I have to give my mother the credit – she was the one who put me on my first cleanse! You see, childhood was not a good period for my health. I frequently wet the bed. So, my mother started giving me apple cider vinegar as a tea. She would put a spoonful of apple cider vinegar and honey into boiled water and stir. I vividly remember how just sitting with my nose over the steamy mug helped clear my sinuses and mind. After drinking this tea nightly, the bed wetting stopped and I was waking up feeling cozy (and dry) again.

Twenty-three years into my life after consistent efforts toward my health, I experienced substantial improvements. I changed my diet and adopted a vegan organic diet that proved to be cleansing physically and spiritually. One day, after a phone conversation with my mom about her health problems and how they were related to stress in her life, I made a conscious choice. The choice was to finally prioritize health practices that consistently purified and fed me with physical, emotional and spiritual sustenance. As far as an all-encompassing health practice is concerned; I found that doing a cleanse was a great way to start.

The following suggestions for cleanses are based on what I’ve seen to be the most beneficial in 16 years of practice.

Vitamin C Liver Cleanse (my fave):

Vitamin C is used by the body for liver detoxification and cellular repair. I first started out with a base dose, then increasing it to find my toxicity level. Vitamin C generally is used up/flushed out every three to four hours; a symptom of too much is diarrhea. My body can easily handle 2000 mg every four hours. Most people can start at 1000-1500 mg per dose. Bioflavonoids, found in certain brands, helps the body to assimilate the vitamin C. It is also more gentle on the mucous membranes and tooth enamel because they have a process called buffering; where they encapsulate the vitamin C in calcium. One to two weeks is a good length of time for this cleanse, and it can be repeated often. I found it helped me to have more energy, less allergy symptoms and less inflammation after exercise.

Vegan Organic Cleanse:

If done correctly, eating a vegan, organic diet can help to increase the amount of vitamins and minerals you consume. To do this, start with smart shopping. Purchase only organic, vegan foods. This can include foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, lentils, rice, quinoa, millet, kale, collards, seeds, nuts, seaweed, herbs and spices, sprouts and fermented food. Most people feel and look healthier eating this way. Animal fats, pesticides and chemicals eliminated from our diets have many health-improving benefits. Your body may go through many changes as it eliminates old, accumulated residues. You could pick one day, one week, or one month to use this as a cleanse.

The Master Cleanse:

This is an intense cleanse, but good. Definitely something I would choose to do after eating better for a few months, not before. It can be found online and involves water, maple syrup, lemon and cayenne. For cleanse directions, visit www.themastercleanse.org

Simple Food Fast:

Simple food fasts are a great way to start trying fasts. Pick a simple, one ingredient, single food and consume only that, and water for a day or two. Ripe apples are my favorite, as their sugars break down slowly. Carrots are also a good choice. Other easy-to-incorporate cleanse ideas are: drinking a few glasses of water first thing in the morning, having a cup of miso soup every day, taking daily sea salt baths or foot soaks, positive thinking, or walking one to two hours a day. Try one or all of these and see how they impact your overall wellbeing.

I need to mention that cleansing can have many uncomfortable side effects. The best-case scenario is to work with your health care provider to determine which cleanse is best for you and to help monitor your side effects.

Jeanette Wayne is a Natural Medicine Practitioner who has worked with individuals to improve their health for over 16 years, owning and operating The Joy Clinic in Toronto.