These feelings of being congested or ‘bogged down’ may indicate that you could benefit from a detox.
Why detox?
Modern life exposes us to a vast number of toxic compounds on a daily
basis – they’re not only in our food and drink and the air around us,
but can also be produced as natural by-products of our own bodily
processes.
Luckily, we also possess several sophisticated methods for
detoxifying harmful compounds so that they can be safely eliminated from
the body, chiefly via the urine and faeces.
However, those detoxification mechanisms can easily become
overloaded, preventing wastes from being metabolised and eliminated
effectively. This can result in them being stored in your body, where
they may contribute to a wide range of health issues, including mental
and physical fatigue, skin problems, fluid retention and digestive
issues.
If you’re generally healthy, undergoing a detox may help you to
eliminate wastes from your body and manage issues such as fluid
retention, mucous congestion, constipation, sluggish digestive function
and dysbiosis (imbalance of the intestinal bacteria).
It may also aid the management of mild infections, including boils,
fungal infections, tonsillitis and recurrent upper respiratory tract
infections such as colds, flu and sinusitis.
When should you detox?
Detoxification needs to be managed carefully under some
circumstances, and isn’t appropriate for babies, children, women who are
pregnant or breastfeeding, elderly people, or those taking certain
prescribed medicines.
In addition, if you’re suffering from a serious or chronic disease or
have a history of substance abuse or exposure to environmental toxins
(such as pesticides, lead-based paint or industrial chemicals), you
should only detox under the supervision and care of your healthcare
professional.
For everyone else, it’s best to start your detox at a time when you
can relax and take things easy, rather than when you’re under pressure
or needing to perform at your peak.
What does a detox involve?
A detox period of a few weeks in which you eat a squeaky clean diet
(and therefore minimise the number of toxins you consume) and stick to a
healthy lifestyle gives your body the chance to clear out the
accumulated backlog of unmetabolised toxins, often leaving you feeling
fresher, lighter and healthier.
For most healthy people, an optimal detox program should include
regular, light, healthy meals along with plenty of fluids, plus
abstinence from any substance that adds to the body’s metabolic burden.
(Any program that advocates fasting or the severe restriction of food
intake should be treated with caution, and attempted only under the
management of your healthcare professional).
In many natural therapy traditions, these dietary changes are
enhanced by the concurrent use of herbal medicines that support the
body’s detoxification pathways and the waste removal functions of the
liver, bowel, kidneys, and skin.
Detoxing with traditional Chinese medicine
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the
symptoms that prompt us to consider detoxing often indicate excessive
Dampness in the body, which tends to make us feel mentally and
physically congested, heavy, stagnant and slow, and/or stagnation of the
Liver Qi (life force energy), which tends to make us feel tired, tense
and frustrated.
These energetic imbalances are often the result of eating too much
(especially over-indulging in fatty or greasy foods) or not getting
enough exercise.
Dampness makes you feel slow and heavy
In a physical sense, excess Dampness can manifest as fluid retention,
weight gain, musculoskeletal stiffness, joint pain and discharging skin
conditions that are slow to heal. Dampness has a natural tendency to
sink downwards, so these symptoms often affect the legs, ankles and
feet, and may be accompanied by feelings of heaviness in the legs.
The digestive functions are also extremely susceptible to excess
Dampness, which can impede the flow of Qi around the body. In
particular, Damp can disrupt the efficient flow of Qi in the Spleen
organ-meridian system (which is regarded as playing a key role in
digestion), resulting in symptoms such as indigestion, nausea, loose
bowel movements and bloating.
From a mental and emotional perspective, when you’re affected by
Dampness, you may experience a general sense of apathy (i.e. that you
can’t be bothered making an effort to do things) and/or that your
thought processes aren’t as sharp as usual.
Stagnant Liver Qi makes you tired and tense
In TCM, the Liver organ-meridian is considered responsible not only
for purifying and detoxifying the Blood, but also for storing it and
releasing it to other parts of the body when it’s required.
Congestion or stagnation of the Liver Qi causes the Liver’s
detoxifying functions to be compromised, and the accumulated toxins in
the Blood may lead to skin problems or exacerbate existing issues such
as arthritis.
At the same time, stagnant Liver Qi may impede smooth flow of Blood
to other parts of the body, and may result in musculoskeletal aches and
stiffness, menstrual problems, digestive issues and fatigue. In
particular, if your Liver Qi is stagnant, you may experience tension in
your back and neck and find it difficult to find the energy to get going
in the morning.
In the same way, stagnant Liver Qi can also disrupt the smooth flow
of your emotions and thought processes, which may manifest as tension,
impatience, frustration, a bad temper and a negative outlook. You might
also find yourself having difficulty making good decisions.
Herbal medicines to support your detox
Chinese herbs to drain Dampness and cool the Liver
In TCM, detoxifying herbs that have traditionally been used to
address Damp conditions are also often viewed as having cooling effects
that help counteract the excessive Heat that can accumulate when Liver
Qi is stagnant. Examples include Chinese Dandelion, Barberry, Rhubarb
and Phellodendron.
Herbs to address stagnant Liver Qi and support detoxification
Chinese herbs traditionally used to disperse congested Liver Qi
include Bupleurum and Chen Pi. They are often taken with herbs that
promote detoxification and the elimination of wastes, such as Goji
Berries, Rehmannia and Baical Skullcap.
The Western herb Milk Thistle (St Mary’s Thistle) may provide
additional benefits by supporting the healthy structure and function of
the liver cells and exerting antioxidant effects on the liver.
Diet and lifestyle recommendations for detoxification
- If you’re generally healthy but feeling sluggish and congested,
detoxing your diet and lifestyle for a few weeks can be a great way to
put the spring back in your step and encourage yourself to adopt
healthier habits going forward
- During your detox, avoid caffeine, alcohol and soft drinks, and
instead drink abundant quantities of water, and fresh fruit and
vegetable juices. Green tea is a great option too as it’s traditionally
believed to help relieve Dampness by promoting urination (but make sure
to choose one that contains little or no caffeine)
- If you normally drink a lot of tea, coffee or other
caffeine-containing beverages (including cola, guarana and yerba maté),
minimise your caffeine withdrawal symptoms by cutting back gradually in
the lead-up to your detox
- Avoid anything that is packaged, deep-fried, fatty or greasy, and
steer clear of refined carbohydrates like bread, biscuits, cakes and
pasta
- Eat a light, wholefood diet, favouring fruit and vegetables
(preferably organic), lean sources of high quality protein in moderate
quantities, and small servings of nuts, seeds and their oils
- In TCM, foods that are regarded as having detoxifying properties and
helping to reduce Dampness include parsley, watercress, seaweed,
celery, asparagus, radishes, daikon and bitter varieties of lettuce,
such as radicchio
- Cooling foods such as cucumber and watermelon may also be beneficial
as they help to offset the Heat that can accumulate when excess
Dampness is present
- To stimulate the Liver, try to include small quantities of sour
flavoured foods in your detox diet – lemons, limes, grapefruit and
vinegar are ideal
- On the other hand, during your detox, try to avoid garlic (which is
regarded as having heating effects on the Liver) and peanuts, which are
believed to aggravate Dampness
- In Chinese medicine, repressed emotions are believed to contribute
to Liver Qi stagnation, so while you’re clearing out physical toxins and
wastes, find a healthy outlet for your emotional baggage too, working
with a counsellor if necessary
- Consider detoxing your home at the same time you detox your body and
mind by switching to naturally-based cleaning products – they’re better
for you and better for the environment too
