If you have been struggling to feel well and refreshed these past few months at home, a detoxification program is the perfect way to reset your body.  My goal is to share with you simple, practical and actionable steps to help you jumpstart your body on the path to health and wellness. A simple detox will improve your energy, your mental health, and your immune system.

Recap from Last Week: https://yourbriohealth.ca/supporting-mental-health/
Part 2: Supporting Mental Health – Applying the Wisdom of Chinese Medicine

  1. Schisandra Herb (Five Flavour Berry)
  2. Body Expressions & Emotions
  3. Surround yourself with something that brings you joy daily:
  4. Set Boundaries

Disclaimer:  I am very careful when I prescribe a detox for my patients.  Please don’t simply purchase a “kit” online or health food store.  You need to make sure your body is ready and capable of releasing the toxins, or it may get re-circulated and cause more damage.  Please consult a Naturopathic Doctor before considering a more intensive detox.

Toxic Load Health Assessment

  1. Do you use makeup, cosmetics, body lotions or laundry detergents that are not All-Natural?
  2. Do you have recurrent yeast or fungal infections?
  3. Do you suffer from skin rashes or hives?
  4. Are you experiencing fatigue or sleepiness for no apparent reason?
  5. Do you have indigestion, nausea, bloating, constipation or diarrhea?
  6. Do you have difficulty with weight gain or weight loss?
  7. Do you regularly take prescription medications or recreational drugs?
  8. Are your hands and feet often cold?
  9. Do you eat out often? Eat processed foods? Eat fast foods?
  10. Have you noticed unexplained mood changes, such as irritability, anxiety or depression?

How did you score?

  1. If you answered YES to 3 of these questions, then your risk is MILD
  2. If you answered YES to 4 to 7 of these questions, then your risk is MODERATE
  3. If you answered YES to 8 or more of the questions, then your risk is SEVERE

What is your reaction to this Health Assessment?

What area would you like to improve on this upcoming week?

What is Detoxification?

Our bodies are equipped with an incredible self-cleaning process. We have organs that eliminate waste products and we have our immune system that hunts down dangerous foreign substances.

What are toxins?

  1. Exogenous (from the outside)
    1. Pesticides in produce,
    2. formaldehyde in carpets and cosmetics
    3. Phthalates from plastic containers
    4. Dioxins from bleached paper products
  2. Endogenous:  (from within our body)
    1. Byproduct of Metabolism (ex. Lactic Acid builds up after a workout – causing sore muscles)
    2. Breathing (Co2)

WHY do we need to Detoxify?

As mentioned above, our bodies have this amazing ability to self-clean, however, our modern day lifestyle with too much sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and stress, combined with too little exercise can slow the body’s natural detoxification so it becomes sluggish.

This overflowing of toxins is unable to be eliminated fast enough from our bodies, and we end up storing these toxin in our liver, lungs, kidneys, fat cells, intestines, bloodstream and skin.

When our body is severely poisoned, like in lead poisoning and mercury poisoning, we will show symptoms very quickly.  Unfortunately, the exogenous and endogenous toxins build up slowly in our bodies. This slow accumulation of toxins lead to many problems down the road.

How do you know if you need to Detoxify?

You may need to detoxify if you are experiencing:

–   Fatigue, MEMORY decline, difficulty focusing
–   Allergies & infections
–   Irritability, anxiety, depression
–   Problems with your weight
–   Muscle & Joint Pain
–   Constipation or Diarrhea, Abdominal Bloating or Indigestion

Chinese Medicine takes a WHOLE Body approach

Here are some practical tips that I do regularly to help me gently detoxify:

  1. Detoxify with Herbal Tea
    1. A big part of the lifestyle in China is consuming herbal teas
    2. Tea is full of PhytoNutrients.  Those Plant Nutrients, are the Keys to help your organs convert from Phase 1 to Phase 2 to Phase 3.
    3. Supports your Liver, Lymphatic system, Gut.
    4. Ginger, Dandelion, Chrysanthemum Flower, Milk Thistle, Hawthorn Berry
  2. Move The Lymphatic System
    1. What is Lymphatic System:
      1. Hidden Sewage System of the Body.
      2. All the waste products from cells go into the lymphatic system
    2. Flush Toxins with Water
      1. Stay hydrated
      2. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day.
      3. Ie:  I weight 160 lbs.  I should drink 80 oz of water a day.  About 8 to 10 cups a day
    3. Cleansing Walk Daily
      1. In China, people that live to over 100 years old all have a pattern of walking between 30 to 60 minutes daily.
      2. Start small by walking 20 minutes a day
  3. Natural Air Purification At Home
    1. Now that we are at HOME more often, wouldn’t it make sense to keep our Air as Clean as possible?
    2. Building Materials, Furniture, and Electronic Devices emit Volatile Organic Compounds Toxic substances list: volatile organic compounds – Canada.ca
    3. Plants produce Oxygen and Eliminate VOC’s
    4. Book:  How to Grow Fresh Air (  Dr. B.C. Wolverton)
      1. Scientist for Air Force and Nasa
      2. He writes, “ How Pure is the Air you Breathe?  Plants are the lungs of the earth: they produce oxygen that makes life possible, add precious moisture, and filter toxins.  Houseplants can perform these essential functions in your home or office with the same efficiency as a rainforest in our biosphere.
    5. Indoor Palms (Areca Palms, Bamboo Palm) , English Ivy, Ficus Alii, Boston Fern, Peace Lily

I hope these TIPS are helpful.   Please pick 1 health tip to focus on per week, and let’s transform our health together over the next 6 weeks

Please Join me WEEKLY as I am launching this 6 part series on APPLYING the WISDOM of Chinese Medicine to enhance your Health

In health,
Dr. Jeffrey Lee
Naturopathic Physician & Registered Acupuncturist

Check out my Stress Youtube Series here.

Dr. Jeffrey Lee, BSc ND RAc

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