Detox for Health

Embarking on a detox is usually our attempt to make up for the times when we have abused our bodies with fast foods, alcohol, too many chocolates or simply not enough health promoting foods. And so we detox for health!!

Although this is very commendable, many people fall into the trap of believing that their detox for health will automatically result in them feeling fit and healthy and ready to take on the world once again. This is always the case. It is important to be aware that as the body is working hard to detox you may be feeling decidedly unwell and unhealthy. Remember that toxins are being transferred to your various organs of elimination and the presence of them can make you feel very ill indeed.

The type of unpleasant symptoms that you may experience during your detox for health, are:-

• Frequent headaches – often due to dehydration
• Hunger
• Low blood sugar
• Withdrawal symptoms from caffeine or alcohol
• Constipation due to a lack of fluids and fibre

Dehydration is a common occurrence during a detox and care must be taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen as it can lead to very unpleasant symptoms caused by a disturbance of your electrolyte balance.

People who Should not Detox for Health

It is not a foregone conclusion that a detox for health is in everyone’s best interest and certainly there are many categories of people who either shouldn’t embark on a detox or who should only attempt it with the backing and support of their medical practitioner

So who would not be advised to detox?

• Anybody who has any form of acute illness
• Immediately prior to or post surgery
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, as detoxification will potentially result in the toxins passing through the unborn or newly born child.
• Anybody with an eating disorder – such as anorexia.

People who should seek medical advice before detoxing are those with:-

• Diabetes
• Other chronic illnesses
• On prescription medication

An unsupervised detox for health is essentially for people who are already relatively fit and healthy, but even so, it should not be undertaken lightly. Remember that regular meals are essential to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Suitable snacks such as fruit, raw vegetables, nuts and seeds are ideal to maintain balance and in order to avoid the unpleasant effects of dehydration at least 1.5 to 2 litres of filtered water should be drunk each day

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews