YOUR LIVER THINKS YOUR DETOX CLEANSE IS CUTE

Dear friends,

Your liver thinks your well-meaning "spring fasting is cute". 
Before you dust off that juicer or take the first tentative steps towards a colonic irrigation clinic, there’s something you should know: detoxing – the idea that you can flush your system of impurities and leave your organs squeaky clean and raring to go – is a pseudo-medical concept designed to sell you things. The healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying. Constantly.


it's about a lifestyle change right?

Ever heard of Gout? This particularly painful form of arthritis (think red, throbbing big toe) has made a comeback in recent years. It used to be associate with "good living" and is caused by a diet high in fatty food, alcohol, chocolate and excess meat consumption. Well-meaning diet fads like keto and paleo have people replacing carbohydrates with foods high in fats and protein. Thinner but sicker.

can I do anything to assist a "spring clean"?

Spring is a time, according to TCM, when the Liver energy is high in your body. It's doing its own spring cleaning, and that's why we get the message to spring clean our homes. Not only that, your liver is tasked with filtering your emotions.  An ongoing battle.

When the liver is in detox mode, doing some serious badass multi-tasking, you may feel more tired. If you don't heed the signals of the body and rest, you can alter the metabolism of the liver, making it harder to process insulin and produce glucose. So something really super basic, like getting enough sleep, can create an environment suitable to sustain high liver activity. Here's a short list of how you can assist your liver this spring:

• Sleep well and enough
• Drink warm lemon water
• Exercise - the kind where you sweat
• Do some breathing techniques
• Spend time in the forest
• Eat green
• Reduce caffeine, sugar and alcohol intake

with so much love, Gillian