You might be thinking “What is a cleanse?”.
It’s a good question because there are so many of them out there… Juice cleanses, “The Master Cleanse”, Liver cleanses. It’s hard to know why and how one would do a cleanse.
Generally speaking I consider a cleanse an opportunity to take a closer look at and uplevel the quality of the food that you eat and the products you exposure yourself to, for the purpose of upleveling your health and body physiology. The goals for doing this can vary:
- Reset your relationship with certain substances like sugar or alcohol
- Discern which foods may be the root of a health concern through an elimination process
- Detoxify inflammation from the body for skin, hormone balance, joint pain or auto-immune conditions (this goal usually involves including supplements)
AND It does so happen that spring is VERY supportive for a detoxification project.
Does Chinese Medicine prohibit cleanses?
Patients are often excited about the idea of a cleanse at the New Year. I usually advise delaying a more complex cleanse because the digestive fire is delicate and needs to be protected in the colder, water element season. Many popular cleanses, for example, the Standard Process cleanse that I offer in my practice, can actually be hard on a weaker digestive fire. But, for systems that are strong, there is more energy available to protect the digestive fire in the spring as the yang energy (warm and dynamic) of the year increases.
Will a liver cleanse help my hormone balance?
Absolutely. The spring (wood element) season is also powerful timing for a cleanse because the organ of the wood element is the liver. The liver has the job of processing pharmaceuticals, alcohol and stress as well as excess hormones, including those that come from cosmetics, fragrances, plastics, conventional meat and produce. The liver does a lot of hard work and giving it a break from exposures and supporting its strength is supportive for the spring and concerns that can be traced back to liver inefficiency, such as hormone regulation.
How do I know if I should do a cleanse?
Regardless of this being a great time to get started, these types of projects are not always emotionally or logistically easy. I often guide patients to sit down to think about when and whether when doing something like this fits into their life. If you’re planning a big vacation or your kid is about to get married, it may not be the best time for navigating the big emotions that can come from skipping dessert. And if you have a history of an eating disorder, restricting food may not be aligned or may require support in the form of a therapist.
How do I get started on a cleanse?
If you have been wondering if a cleanse would support your larger health goals, now is a great time to begin deciding what type of cleanse is best for you and strategizing the timing of your project. Would you like to discuss this at a future visit? If you’re an existing patient, you can schedule an extended session to strategize an upcoming cleanse opens in a new window::HERE::
In service to your unburdened liver, hormones, joints and skin.
