Spring Cleaning

Daffodils and crocus flowers mean more than just the addition of color to our landscape.  They’re here to alert us that spring has arrived!  Despite the gray skies and chilly weather, our days have lengthened enough to give the plant life of our region the signal that all systems are GO!

Meanwhile, many of us are likely feeling the pull to be outdoors more and break free of our winter hibernation.  Getting out the lighter clothing even though it might be a little early still feels exciting.  Perhaps it’s the longer days as well that allow us to take notice of the grime across the countertops or the refrigerator.  Spring cleaning is one of our great American traditions and is something perhaps worth looking into this year.

Initially, with the house cleaning we may find long lost treasures that are actually useful and prevent us from purchasing new items.  Perhaps they may even inspire some creativity, rearranging items to make something new again.  Secondly, donations to the local Goodwill can help keep things out of landfills and allow others to purchase perfectly functional items at a reduced cost.  And always, eliminating the excess from our homes can provide a refreshing feeling of accomplishment and renewal.

Now, it’s time to look inside our bodies and consider what may be accumulating there.  Arsenic, bisphenol A, perchlorate, flouride, lead, flame retardants, mercury, phthalates, and many other dirty words can adequately describe what we carry around with us in our daily travels.  These substances are all found to cause severe health effects; reproductive disorders, thyroid disorders, mental health imbalances, immune dysfunction, cancers and many other problems.  Unfortunately, most of these substances bioaccumulate and are not easily eliminated by the body.  Additionally, their presence is vast, extending far into regions where the benefits of the industrialized world have not yet reached.  

So what are we to do, living amongst the worlds richest in resources as well as toxic plastic junk?  Perhaps looking to our ancestors can assist us in our present quandry.  For many northern latitude people, springtime was a lean time of year.  The food stock of the previous year has come to an end and the earth is not yet providing much nourishment.  Thus, an ideal time to fast or go without as the body engages in its own deep cleaning.  Springtime has been a time to fast for various religious purposes as well.  Refraining from consumption for the acknowledgement of what those before us had to endure in order to connect us to their sacrifices and provide a new appreciation for what we are fortunate to have.

In the modern world, our bodies are exposed to more synthetic chemical substances than ever before. The liver is the primary organ of detoxification and has an amazing ability to adapt to the increasing demand.  However, the liver is also the organ that can be the most detrimentally affected when we are under stress, storing toxins in fatty tissue and muscles to be tended to at a later date, or never at all.  Toxins stored in the body create a “body burden” that, depending upon our overall health can result in a wide array of health imbalances over time.  Additionally, they readily travel through breast milk, passing along a toxic heritage to our next generation. 

This spring, allow your body an opportunity to clean house and consider utilizing cleansing methods for your internal health.  Cleanse programs are highly variable but in general, should work to increase your elimination and reduce your consumption.  Any product based cleanse system may just be adding more substances for the body to have to deal with.  However, ceasing consumption all together, as in a water-only fast can be too extreme for many individuals.  Finding the right balance to support yourself through the daily life that will likely continue while increasing elimination is the goal for a beneficial spring cleaning program.  

For more information and guidance through an individually designed spring cleaning, I am here to help!  I have been guiding individual and group cleanse programs for many seasons and greatly enjoy this opportunity to help people discover how routine changes can make a big impact in their health.  See the “Appointments” page for contact information.  Also, please visit the Environmental Working Group website (http://www.ewg.org/) for more information on toxicity in our world, homes and bodies and to learn about simple changes you can make to improve the health of future generations.