After an uncommonly blustery winter, spring has finally returned to California. Snow in May? Oh-em-gee!
The transition times between the seasons are particularly good times to detox our homes, our bodies and our heart, spirit, and mind.
Spring is the great annual season of renewal After months of wintry hibernation, we can open our windows at last and welcome the fresh spring breezes.
A sense of renewal seizes us – we instinctively long to begin sorting and storing and tossing our winter clothing, as we organize our closets and deep clean carpets, curtains and cabinets. Outside, we sweep away dead leaves, branches and debris, and we weed in preparation for spring planting.
Our bodies benefit from spring cleaning as well! We no longer need the heavy foods that warmed us through winter. Our bodies now welcome the sweet, cleansing harvest of vitalizing fresh fruit and produce.
Venturing into the spring air, our lungs are cleansed as our bodies imbibe vitamin D from the sun. We drink in negative ions at the beach and forest, and long walks restore our intimate electromagnetic relationship with the earth.
Spring is equally a time for renewing our inner life, and for purging mental and emotional plugs and clearing paths for fresh beginnings.
Suggestion: Jot down a list of thoughts, feelings, and activities that are no longer furthering your highest aspirations, and that aren’t bringing you joy. Then, burn them in a ceremonial fire. Ceremonies have real power – they attract the healing magnetism of the universal higher Self that has our best interests always at heart, and that is ever ready to lend a hand.
Spring is a great time to begin a health-enhancing campaign by optimizing the function of the major channels through which our bodies eliminate accumulated toxins: liver, kidneys, lungs, colon, and skin.
At Pacific Naturopathic we offer very gentle and more intensive guided cleansing alternatives. Still, there are lots of practices and protocols you can conduct at home.
Many people have a healthy habit of undergoing a purposeful cleanse as the seasons change.
A popular practice is 21 days of nightly castor oil packs applied over the liver. Originating in timeless antiquity and popularized in the 20th century by the “Sleeping Prophet” Edgar Cayce, castor oil packs placed over the liver are very effective at firing-up the liver’s enzymatic processing functions and enhancing lymphatic circulation and blood flow.
Incidentally, beets, artichokes and watercress are among the most nourishing foods for the liver.
Roasted dandelion root tea can promote liver detoxification, and dandelion leaves promote kidney function.
Milk thistle rejuvenates the liver cells, and a herb with the colorful name “pellitory of the wall” can help perform a similar seasonal renewal for the kidneys.
Detoxing through the skin is easy and extremely beneficial, because the skin is the body’s largest organ of elimination.
Brushing away dead skin cells with a dry brush before showering helps increase circulation and lymphatic flow.
Toxins are released in abundance through the skin during deep sweating in a far-infrared sauna. (Follow the link for information about our convenient, affordable and very efficient portable saunas.) And ionic foot baths open inner channels of elimination.
For cleansing the colon, bile acids and enzyme formulas can optimize digestion, and fiber-rich foods and herbal blends accompanied by plenty of water will bulk-up the stool and promote thorough elimination. Charcoal or clay help bind toxins for elimination.
Any of these home detoxification protocols can be boosted with energy medicines, drainage remedies, and targeted botanicals.
If you’d like help for planning your personal spring detox, give us a call – we’ll be happy to assist you.
Find out more about Dr. Connie’s work HERE.