SPRING CLEANSING?! Hype or Useful?

Depends on the person and depends on the cleanse.

If you are a individual who feasts on sugars, nuts, fast snacks, little sleep, coffee, type A, cheese, breads and processed prepared foods - then - yes - you need to cleanse.

If you are a vegan who sleeps well, relaxed, eats whole grains, fresh foods, exercises regularly and has regular bowel movements, then - no - you likely do not need the traditional cleanse kit. You need to make sure you are eating all the necessary nutrients - a cleanse could put you down for the count.

The products I do not recommend: laxatives, colonics daily, enemas daily, not eating and still working and exercising, eating only one food for a week, weird herbs which make your stools look like ...you've seen the ads. Don't. Don't Listen to the Hype.

I also don't recommend taking parasite cleanses, heavy metal cleanses or water fasting without talking to a naturopathic physician first. These cleanses are very involved and if done improperly - which is easy to do - one can get very ill quickly.

The standard products and tools that I recommend my patients to take for a cleanse are the following:

• BioCleanse Medical Food Powder is a detox support food for those in need of a full detox protocol.
• I highly recommend getting the BioCleanse Powder and the BioCleanse Capsules.
  
• If you only get the powder, you are lacking the necessary nutrients to get the freed toxins OUT of your body.
  
• This means that the BioCleanse powder mobilizes the toxins from your fat and puts them into circulation again.
  
• The BioCleanse capsules then provide the necessary nutrients to grab those toxins and make them water soluble and push them out via sweat and urine.
  
• Without the capsules, you will feel lousy.
  
• Here is the data sheet on the BioCleanse products. Download it.

Do these work??
Oh yes.

Start the dose small - don't think that faster is better here.

• Start with 1/2 scoop a day of the BioCleanse powder and the recommended dose on the BioCleanse capsules.
  
• Then after a week, take 1/2 scoop of the BioCleanse powder for a week.
  
• Then work your way up to 2 scoops two times a day.
  
• If you get 'weird' feeling, tired and groggy, you are detoxing too fast. Slow down. Don't take more BioCleanse powder when you are feeling this lousy feeling but do keep taking the BioCleanse capsules. The lousy feeling is due to you taking too much cleansing liver phase 1 nutrients and not getting them out of your body by your liver's phase 2 process.

Other must do's to properly cleanse:

• Add SAUNA to your protocol. This is a must. Sweat daily and take your electrolytes with you.
• Add filtered water: this means in your shower, bath and drinking water. I'm serious here. I'm not just pitchin products for you to buy. Chlorine is a major toxicant and one shower = 8 cups of chlorinated water in your system. Why spend money on a detox protocol if you simply climb into a shower and get blasted again??
• Breathe deeply and in a fresh area. Every breath in and out is a detoxification process. You'll feel deeply refreshed if you truely breathe deeply and consciously. Please do this in a forest, beach or somewhere pure otherwise you're defeating the purpose.
• Don't watch or read the NEWS. Avoid it. It's all negative for the most part. Don't need to get that energy in you.
  
• Laugh instead - watch comedy!

Can you detox while pregnant?
NO

Can you detox before getting pregnant?
A Fabulous idea. Meet with a naturopathic physician who is also a midwife to get the optimal care. Visit www.medfinds.com or www.naturopathic.org to find a ND and LM

Can you detox while breastfeeding?
I wouldn't recommend any cleanse while breastfeeding - just eat well and detox later -

You are already detoxing a ton while breastfeeding - not what you want to hear but it is true.

Many toxins are stored in fat and breast milk burns a ton of calories and is fat based so baby is getting a fair amount of your toxic load already - but - mind you - the benefits of breastfeeding FAR OUTWEIGH the toxins that are leaving through your breast milk.

While baby was in utero, baby was getting toxins through your bloodstream - so there is no way to avoid it anymore really - we live in a polluted environment which makes our internal environment polluted.

The only way to truly have a limited amount of toxins enter baby is to do a full detox before pregnancy and then wait a bit to get pregnant. Discuss this with a licensed ND and LM.

When your kids get older, simply have them detox a bit.

You may already do sauna and so can they. Discuss this with your naturopathic physician and midwife.

To me personally, sauna and breastfeeding is still ok for some breastfeeding women. My wife did it. You will stir up toxins but you stir up toxins when you exercise also.

How often you nurse is a factor. If there is a long span between feedings, you can breastfeed then sauna immediately after.

Sauna is great because it is getting rid of massive amounts of toxins through the skin.

I wouldn't recommend supplements during breastfeeding though - just plenty of fresh water, some teas and sauna with electrolytes.

Make sure you are getting your vitamin d3

Talk with your doc about ordering a serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D3 test.
Baby and you really need your D3 - so does your entire family. Yes milk has vitamin d in it but it is in the incorrect form - it is vitamin D2 which is bunk.

Let me know how your cleansing is going - post a comment.

It is always great to hear cleansing stories - bad breath, acne flare up all occur in the beginning and in the end - you feel outstanding...and it was all worth it!

In health,
Dr Ben