Spring into Health By Dr. Tomah Phillips
pring is a time of renewal. As the sun warms the earth the seeds begin sprouting and the flowers budding. After conserving our energy during the cold winter months, we are ready to become active again and regain our vitality. This is the time that many of us look to cleanse our bodies—one needs only to walk into their local health food store to see how popular cleanses have become! All of the options can be overwhelming, and if not done properly, a rejuvenating ‘detox’ can actually do more harm than good. So before you buy that kit and begin your spring cleanse, it is important to prepare your body by following these steps.
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1. Minimize Toxic Exposure
Most commercial cleaning supplies are filled with chemicals that are harmful to our bodies. Try to choose natural cleaning supplies without harsh chemicals, or better yet, get creative and make your own household cleaners by combining water, vinegar and lemon in a spray bottle! Personal care products: One oft-overlooked source of toxin exposure is the personal care products that we use every day. Although our skin is thought of as a barrier to the external environment, the things that we put on our skin are readily absorbed into our bloodstream. The ‘Skin Deep’ website and app allows you to search from a database of over 72,000 products and provides you with a hazard score and information on the chemicals found in each product. Visit www.ewg.com/skindeep Without for more information. preparation, Cleaning Supplies and Personal Care Products:
The first step in reducing your toxic burden is by decreasing your exposure to environmental toxins. you may end up This includes the foods we eat, the water we drink, feeling worse the type of cleaners we use, and the personal care 2. Optimize Bowel Health than when you products that are absorbed through our skin. This is an essential step before beginning any cleanse or started! Food: The best way to reduce toxin exposure from food detox program. A detox can stir up lots of toxins in your is to opt for organic fruits and veggies whenever possible. body, and unless you can efficiently eliminate them through These contain fewer pesticides and often contain more nutriyour stools, a cleanse can end up doing more harm than good! ents. A helpful guide is the ‘clean fifteen & dirty dozen’, put together Strategies to improve bowel health include eating more fiber by the Environmental Working Group, which lists the foods you (think fruits & veggies, and ground flax seeds), which will bind to should always try to buy organic (those that contain the most pesti- the toxins and allow them to be excreted from your body. When cides) and the foods that are not as harmful to buy non-organic. increasing fiber it is important to also increase your water intake. A Water: It is recommended to filter your tap water or buy fresh spring healthy gut flora (bacteria) is also essential for bowel function, so water. Avoid plastic bottles, which can leach harmful chemicals into consider adding fermented foods such as sauerkraut to your diet or your water, and instead opt for stainless steel or glass water bottles. supplementing with multi-strain probiotics. 16 bcparent.ca • spring 2014