Recently, a fellow Naturopath reminded me of a quote from Dr. Benedict Lust, one of the founding fathers of Naturopathy in the US. I’m paraphrasing, but basically, Dr. Lust said that his primary responsibility as a Naturopath was to educate his patients sufficiently, so as to eliminate their need for his services.

I have supported this philosophy for the past 12 years, educating my patients by providing a sound foundation in health and healing, using every natural technique I have available in my practice. It’s not my intention to see patients month after month or year after year, but, to teach them how to do it for themselves. And, in a way that supports their lifestyle as well as their means.

One of the fundamental aspects of this approach includes understanding an individual as a whole, rather than just a series of symptoms or illnesses. Considering that, rarely do I see a patient who doesn’t manifest symptoms directly related to toxicity in the body. Unless you live in a cold climate, it’s beneficial to consider a cleanse. This assists the body to eliminate toxins while creating a sense of well-being and health.

There are some general steps to be taken BEFORE embarking on any type of cleanse or detoxification program.

First: Evaluate your condition and discuss it with your health care practitioner, specifically in relation to purifying your body in relation to any medications you may be ingesting.

Second: Begin slowly by keeping a written journal of the foods you eat every day, including the in between snacks. The process will take about a month from beginning to end, so prepare for some changes in lifestyle and diet. Notice, that diet relates to a lifetime change, not just a caloric dietary change.

Third: If you are not taking vitamins or minerals, ask yourself why not. These supplements are often needed in a society relegated to processed foods, fast foods, hormone injected meats, chickens, eggs and milk, along with fats, hydrogenated oils and margarines. The need for a cleanse is often specifically related to the ingestion of these types of food.

Fourth: Before actually beginning a program of detoxification, it’s important to strengthen the system by adding antioxidants to your daily regime. These include: Beta Carotene: 25,000-50,000IU Vitamin C: 1-2 grams: Vitamin E: 400-800 IU Selenium: 200mcg: MSM: 500 mg 3 times a day Green tea: 1-2 cups per day; Grape seed extract 100mg Alpha Lipoic Acid 100mg 2 times per day; L Glutathione: 500 mg 2 times per day The purpose is to create an environment in the body that prepares the system for release of toxins. If you neglect this aspect, released toxins may find their way to the liver and create a greater toxicity, along with fatigue, headaches, aches, anxiety and other toxic symptoms. It’s probably a good idea to experiment with an increased amount of the antioxidants for a 10 day period. Keep in mind that if anything unusual begins to happen, such as fatigue or headaches, you are detoxifying, so slow down the intake, as this is a time to strengthen, not cleanse.

Fifth: After the ten day period of antioxidants, lighten your food intake to fruits and vegetables, with small amounts of grains, eggs, nuts, beans and yogurt (organic is best). Continue for 3 days, eating the largest meals at lunch and the lightest during breakfast and dinner. You will also be continuing your antioxidants during this 3 day light food period.

Sixth: Now you are physically ready to cleanse. There are several approaches, including juicing, commercial type cleanses or a water cleanse. I do not often recommend a distilled water fast for most individuals, as this may be too intense or debilitating. The easiest are the commercial cleanses, such as Gaia Herbs Supreme Cleanse or Total Cleanse by Solar ray. Both allow you to maintain a regular dietary intake for their duration. Again, I recommend maintaining a light diet during the commercial cleanses, but one is for 2 weeks and the other for 10 days. So...

Perhaps the quickest (isn’t it amazing how we just want to do everything as quickly as possible and get it over with??) would be the juice fast for 2-3 days. This comes after having done light meals for 3 days. Juices should be fresh, starting with fruit in the morning, and vegetables the remainder of the day. Drink as much as you want and stop after the time allotted. If you do a juice fast/cleanse, consider adding an egg to the juice a few times a day, or in the alternative, some whey protein powder.