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By Blair Braitenbach
Staff reporterr
Just as the timing is right in spring to clear the eavestroughs and fix up the yard, it can also a good time to flush out the wastes built up in the body.
Michelle Power, a personal fitness trainer at Country Fitness, has completed many detoxes (or cleanses) over the years – such as full-body, vitamin- and supplement-based and shake-based cleanses – which are arguably most effective in the spring. Detoxes come in many varieties and timelines, all with the goal of cleaning out the system of harmful chemicals, wastes and toxins. Although the type of detox determines how one feels throughout the process, Power said typically she feels like a new woman once it is completed.
“I take different medications and a lot of the time it’s a good way for me to eliminate any built-up toxins in my body and, overall, it’s a renewal of energy,” Power said.
Although detoxes can be done at any time of the year, David Custer, a massage therapist who works out of South Trail Chiropractic in Calgary, said he has learned from his interactions with other health practitioners that spring and fall is often considered the best time to make the cleansing commitment.
“There are certain parasites and bacteria in your intestines that will lay dormant for most of the month, and during certain times of the month and year, such as when there’s a full moon, they will become active,” Custer explained.
Custer said after bacteria in the intestines have had their fill, they are tired and easier to kill off. By cutting off their food supply and adding herbs to break them down, people can then rid themselves of the harmful toxins and wastes.
Performing a cleanse often requires quite a bit of will power as people are usually required to completely change their diet. A yeast, or candida cleanse, for example, is considered one of the most difficult cleanses to do, requiring one to remove any product that contains, or is conducive to, yeast.
That means no bread or anything with flour, beer or alcohol, soya sauce, cheese and other fermented foods, most dairy products, vinegar, dried or tropical fruits, most nuts and sugar.
However, a candida cleanse is only one of the many varieties available and Custer encourages people to do their homework to find themselves the most suitable cleanse. Custer said the first cleanse he did was the pill-based Wild Rose D-Tox program, which he said was a good place to start.
Custer noted that those who are considering doing a cleanse who have existing health conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, should first visit a health practitioner such as a medical or naturopathic doctor.
Custer also said people should be aware the herbs usually taken during a cleanse can have some negative side effects and can be just as powerful as regular drugs if used improperly. Both Custer and Power encourage people who plan to do a cleanse to prepare, follow all the instructions of the cleanse and through to the end, try to recruit a partner to help ease the stress sometimes associated with a cleanse and, most of all, don’t cheat.
“Don’t stop part way through or you won’t find the results you’re looking for,” Power said.
Custer, who does cleanses on a regular basis, stressed their importance to personal health.
“For myself, one of the biggest things is it makes me realize what I’m putting into my system and how I can clean out my diet on a regular everyday basis to keep my body functioning better,” Custer said. “This allows my body a break from the poor food choices that we as North Americans make on a regular basis.”
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