Spring Cleansing
Did you ever wonder how you would feel if you took a short vacation from the foods might be draining your energy? Speaking personally, until I did my first ten-day juice fast in 1975, I couldn’t make any kind of comparison. Sure, I had days when I felt pretty good, but the rest of time, I tended to walk around in a sluggish, semi-productive allergic state – and I didn’t even realize how low my energy was until I began experiencing a more energized and vital way of being as a result of my first detox.
Fasting and juice cleansing can be a terrific source of vitality and a great healing tool. A good cleanse can remove congestion and toxins, and help you feel more youthful. If you work in a high-pressure, fast-paced job, you may find this cleansing process can improve your performance. If your energy is good, but you want to be even healthier, this is a worthwhile approach to a higher level of health. For those of you who are in mid-life and find yourself slowing down more than you want, this can actually remove some of the signs of aging. I have many positive personal and patient anecdotes.
Every year since that first rejuvenating experience, I have fasted for ten days at this time of year. Each Spring, I also have personally guided a ten-day Rejuvenation Program in a small relaxed, informal group online.
Back in 1975 when I did my first detox it was a ten-day liquid fast (length of time can vary) using The Master Cleanse Formula, initially developed by Stanley Burroughs, whom I met and worked with back then. Here’s the recipe:
- 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon (or lime) juice
- 1 Tablespoon* pure maple syrup
- 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 ounces of spring water
*Note–Some people can use more maple for calories if they do not need to lose much weight. Actually, the original formula included equal amounts of maple to lemon, two tablespoons each, but I think that is more sugar than most people need.
Ideas to include during MC or any Cleansing:
- It is important to drink adequate amounts of liquid. Use the MC formula daily, drinking at least 8-10 glasses, and drink other water or herb teas, especially peppermint or chamomile.
- Keep the digestive tract clean and clear. Its important to keep the bowels actively moving and cleansing with laxative teas, enemas, colon irrigation, or an internal saltwater bath. Some form of cleansing bowel movement should happen at least every other day after initial clearing.
Some specific and important tips for using the Master Cleanse program:
- Don’t carry your Master Cleanser formula or juice in plastic containers, because the plastic will leach into your drink.
- Also, the lemonade can leach calcium from your teeth (ascorbic and citric acids bind with calcium to make calcium citrate and calcium ascorbate). This can weaken your enamel if there is frequent contact from regular sipping of the lemonade. I suggest drinking one to two glasses at a time and then immediately rinsing your mouth with water so the lemon and maple syrup do not stay on your teeth.
- Exercise! It is important for healthy cleansing to include regular exercise and sweating.
- Spiritual and emotional cleansing. During the transformative process of cleansing our body, the effects spread throughout many areas of our life. There is often improved clarity of mind that develops. We may even want to reorganize our whole life. I often suggest fasting, or juice cleansing, for people who appear in a life transition zone or who wish to begin a whole new diet approach.
- Other Healing therapies during a fast. Massage is very beneficial. Counseling therapy, either psychological or career, may help clarify with new directions; and nutritional guidance is very important. Often though, this healing, counseling and guidance come from within!
- Enhance your control over your own health. The experience of fasting is a truly inspiring educational experience. Most people need to be guided and supported through a cleanse only once. Then, in the future, they find they are able to do it on their own, as the process is self-teaching.
Overall, after 50 years of medical practice, I have to say that the fasting /cleansing/ detoxification process is one of the greatest and most effective general and easy to use healing tools I have found. It is an important component for the prevention of degenerative diseases and a key to transformational and evolutionary medicine and healing.