Posts Tagged ‘cleanse’

The Key Ideas of Successful Detoxification

Introduction:

Mike Perrine is a detoxification consultant, certified colon hydro therapist and the co-owner of Gravity East Village, a cleansing and detoxification consulting office in New York City. We asked him to write an article for the members of our nation that touched on an aspect of the raw food journey. Here is what he had to say:

Hello Raw Food Nation!

I’ve thought long and hard about the best way I can contribute to this amazing website. It’s challenging to touch on some of these subjects and not write an entire book. For the sake of space I’m going to keep these powerful (and I really mean it, you keep this up consistently and results will show) concepts as simple and no nonsense as possible. We’re trimming all of the fat today. You’ll notice that many of these concepts are very simple. It’s in the consistency where all the magic happens.

The Key Ideas of Successful Detoxification (aka raw food diet, aka vegan diet, aka cleansing program – they all work on the same principles):

1. Almost everyone starts out eating foods that challenge the body. It’s just a matter of degree. A bacon cheeseburger is a massive stress to the body. It costs enzymes, minerals and energy to deal with it essentially leaving you at a loss. Raw foods are amazing because they challenge the body far less. The moment we start consistently leaving out highly challenging foods our bodies will immediately begin to deep clean. (This key concept was taught to me by my good friend and mentor Dr. Fred Bisci) This is basic detox. “Bad food” leaves us at a loss. It’s something to deal with and recover from rather than something that elevates us physically and mentally. Raw food allows the body the energy it needs to go deep. And fasting is the ultimate elimination of challenges giving the body a full rest and ability to go deep in cleaning and rebuilding. When transitioning into a cleaner program and trying to decide what to eat, there are three things to consider. This is what qualifies a health food to be healthy:

1) What A food delivers: We all know this one. Almost every book on health covers this. We want good things from our food. Vitamins, enzymes, trace minerals… I think we get this one.

2) What a food removes: This is big! Very important. An apple a day keeps the doctor away because it’s loaded with raw fiber that sweeps the intestines clean. Health has more to do with elimination than input. (This point was was really emphasized by my great friend and teacher Gil Jacobs who works in NYC as a colonic therapist)

3) What a food doesn’t leave behind: The other side of the coin. If a food is leaving anything behind in your tissues or along your intestinal wall (see Dr. Shinya’s video at www.yourguidetodetox.com) it’s going to pollute your body. Plain and simple.

2. Raw food is not always easier on the body or more cleansing than cooked foods. This is really important because we see people shun a steamed vegetable, but they go to town on raw ice cream. Steamed asparagus is always going to be easier to digest and eliminate than heavy nut desserts like raw ice cream. What makes raw ice cream better than traditional ice cream is that it’s vegan, raw and less refined. (Now don’t take this the wrong way, I love raw ice cream!) I bring this up simply to put things in perspective.

“But what about the enzymes lost in the steaming process?!?!” – Yo chill… It’s minimal. We lose more enzymes stressing out about the enzymes. Steamed veggies are the easiest on the body, but for many people baked yams or squash and sometimes whole grains are extremely cleansing during their transition. Remember, there are 3 things that make a food healthy.

3. The rate at which your body releases toxins is determined by the rate that you leave challenging elements out of your lifestyle based on where you start from. When I first got into a vegan diet I remember eating an abundance of cooked foods and I still cleansed heavily and lost over 60 lbs. That’s how challenging my previous lifestyle was to my body. Eliminating stress alone allows some people to go into a state of cleansing.

There’s a big difference between the cleansing reactions of a 50 year old recovering drug addict and a 15 year old athlete. It has to do with the amount of exposure and accumulation over a lifetime and the strength of the person’s organs of elimination when they start the transition. This is important to understand: The success of any cleansing program is determined by 3 things (there’s that 3 again):

1) Consistency: Many people aren’t getting the results they want because they are inconsistent. “Oh I went on that trip and we had some BBQ, but when I got back I juiced a lot…” That’s great, it’s better than nothing, and there’s definitely no need to beat ourselves up about food, but to get dramatic results we need to be consistent.

2. Understanding Loosening vs. Releasing: The success of any cleansing program is determined by the strength of our detoxification organs. If we have liver problems or a sluggish bowel, the process may be more challenging. Here’s why, The great wisdom of the body gets a little foolish from time to time. The detox process is one of those areas. Every cell in our bodies begins to release the pressure of built up waste and gas when we consistently remove challenges. However, the cells don’t seem to “know” that the colon or other organs are not able to handle the request. So what happens? Lots of circulating toxins with nowhere to go. The end result can range from us feeling terrible (those notorious detox symptoms or “cleansing responses”) to very serious consequences. I don’t want to be negative about this process. I think it is the most amazing journey of transformation we can embark on. However, we have seen over the years people go too fast and get into serious trouble that could have been avoided by transition and bodywork.

3. Willingness:

Willingness to transition

Sometimes less than ideal foods are part of the program. I currently work with someone who fluctuates between 400 and even made it to 500 lbs. He has a massive drug history and binge eats daily. I put him on a diet of water, raw juice, raw salad, steamed vegetables, and BBQ chicken wings (and most of this food was not organic). It was the first time since going over 400 lbs. he went below 400. At the time he went from 465 to 395 in 5 weeks. That’s some deep cleansing! And we can see how quickly it happens. A completely raw diet has the potential to devastate him at this point.
The more quickly one transitions the more bodywork may be necessary to make it a smooth journey.

Willingness to assist the body

A few things to realize here
Many of the substances we find in our tissues today are stuck there for a reason. Our bodies never anticipated their arrival. I’m talking mostly industrial pollution/medical residues, over consumption of animal foods and processed foods and an overabundance of stress chemicals from modern living. This is the simple reason why we can’t always rely on our natural functions to take care of business. The colon is designed to pass a chemical free, plant based diet and in the process removing natural metabolic wastes. That’s it. So when the training is the same, but the job description changes we run into trouble. Plain and simple: Get a series of colonics. Get the sludge out (see Dr. Shinya’s video at www.yourguidetodetox.com) and decompress the gasses. The effect it has on your body is absolutely amazing. I could write a book on this alone. In addition to colonics, infra red saunas, uninterrupted rest and massage therapy make an excellent success formula.

The process of detoxification is our opportunity for transformation and self-discovery. It is a sacred and powerful journey. There is more than just physical transformation that occurs during this process.

I hope this serves you well.  I look forward to meeting all of you on the path!

Best,
Mike Perrine
www.yourguidetodetox.com
www.gravityeastvillage.com

So You Want To Do A Cleanse?

Let’s define the word “Cleanse”…

Well first, let’s talk about what cleansing is. Cleansing is the act or process of removing poison or the effects of poison from the body. The human body is naturally designed to detoxify itself, if given the appropriate tools to work with. Detoxing is sort of like the oil change you perform on your car every 3,000 miles, except it is for your body. Today’s world is so fast paced that often times we neglect to take care of ourselves or do all that we can to give our body what it needs to self cleanse.

Think of all of the harmful things our body comes into contact with: pollution, chemical household cleaning supplies, processed food, home/work related stress, electromagnetic fields, radiation, negative energy, airborne pathogens, and the list goes on. So it only makes sense to want to renew your mind, body, spirit and soul, by riding yourself of all the toxins that you come into contact with on a daily basis.

There are several ways to detox and cleanse, and we recommend that anyone who wants to do this should do their research. The only way to get the full benefit of a cleanse or detox regimen is to know what you are getting yourself into and prepare for the process. Everyone’s journey starts somewhere.  Here’s to your heath!

How do I do a cleanse that is right for me?

There are so many different paths to holistic wellness and multiple options for cleansing/detoxing. Your goal is to rid your body of toxic build up, to become one with the earth and the person you were meant to be, and to be a conductor of positive energy. Typing in “cleanse” and “detox” into a search engine will bring up multiple links. How do you know which cleanse is best for you? Well, everyone is different, but these pointers below should get you started.

• First figure out what you are looking for in a cleanse. Do you want to cleanse your entire body or just your colon, or your liver? Consulting with a holistic healer or nutritionist might help you to translate your symptoms into what may be “out of whack” in your body.
• After outlining your personal goals, you should also consider visiting your local library or book store and camping out in the health and wellness section with pen and notepad. There is literature on cleansing with raw foods that you need to dive into. It’s so important to write down what sticks out to you or what sounds like it would be a good fit for you. That is the universe giving you clues on how to get to the next step.
• When you are searching online, if something doesn’t seem right, whether it be a claim as to how much weight you will lose or the price of the cleanse, then trust your instinct and don’t get involved. The holistic industry is a fabulous place but there are a lot of people/companies selling false hope in a bottle to get your money.
• See if you can find others interested in cleansing and do it together. Some holistic practitioners offer group detox programs. Sometimes it can be therapeutic just to know that others close by you are going through what you are, and that you can share in each others experiences.
• Then, after narrowing down to the option that aligns with what you are trying to accomplish, go for it with all the positive energy and good vibes you have. Cleansing is a rewarding experience, but for it to be successful, you have to go fuel it with your motivation and determination. You can do it!

Before you cleanse, you should…

We strongly recommend doing your homework before starting any type of cleanse. So you are able to have a successful detox program, here are some things you should get into the habit of doing at least 1-2 weeks before you start (some of these tips are from a book called Super Cleanse: Detox Your Body For Long-Lasting Health and Beauty, by Adina Niemerow):