Okay Spring is practically sprung, and it's certainly time for a spring clean hey? There’s a lot of detox info circulating at the moment and look out for the onslaught in the coming few weeks.

There’s a few safety issues I want you to consider before jumping on board any old detox program;

1. Detox is not just about the (lack of) food you eat

I love the concept of a detox. The idea that you can release and let go of all the crap you’ve been carrying around. This time of year a detox is just what you need to shed a couple of kilos, clear your skin and exude radiance.

There’s certainly something to be said about the clarity of mind that comes along when you’ve been free of inflammatory substances, such as sugar, coffee, alcohol, cigerettes and gluten.

Everyones different. People deal with detox differently. The gene for phase 1 detox has been found to have over 80 different variations – so far. This explains why some can spend their whole lives drinking, drugging and smoking while others feel messed up after one coffee. Some people will be more in need of a detox then others.

The intention of a detox is to enhance detoxification pathways while reducing toxic load.

While I’m quite partial to the idea of a short fast for spiritual clarity and lightness, a 3 day juice cleanse is unlikely make any significant physiological change. Some stored toxins such as heavy metals and chemical toxins may have just started to move by day three, and you haven’t done anything to enhance your detoxification pathways to actually get rid of the toxins you’ve moved.

A detox program that goes for a much longer period of time (4 – 6 weeks), with plenty of fresh vegetables, high quality protein, greens, fresh air, exercise and conscious living along with nutritional and herbal support will do wonders however.

2. The Healing Crisis Myth

Okay so you have terrible headaches, you’re digestion is all over the place and you just want to stay in bed. It must be a healing crisis.

A healing crisis is completely unnecessary.

What’s really happening in a healing crisis: your body is releasing toxins and your organs of elimination can’t cope. 'Enough already!' They scream. your liver can’t detoxify this crap without the amino acids (from eating protein) required to make up the detoxification enzymes. Your body will start breaking down muscle tissue to get at the protein instead.

Conversely detoxification over a period of several weeks with proper nutritional support and sensible, light, healthy meals will avoid a healing crisis altogether. You won't even have to skip work.

3. Your gut health and detoxification.

We’ve all heard about the microbiome, our community of happy little bacterial gut helpers that keep our digestion in check. When the wrong kinds of bacteria grow or when the right bacteria gets into the wrong places they ferment away and release endotoxins which can then travel through the gut wall. Once they hit your liver it's all on: immune system against toxin and systemic inflammation is born. And this is just the start of it. The wrong kinds of foods and gut environment help bad bacteria to thrive.

Proper digestive function is crucial for healthy gut bacteria. So if you have digestion problems, you definitely need to detox, but you need to to it with professional support, preferably with a naturopath or nutritionist.

4. Unsupervised Detox/ short fasting diets are definitely NOT for you if

You’re unhappy with your digestive function
You’ve been eating, drinking and/or smoking up a storm for years
You’re pregnant
You have an auto-immune condition
You’re depressed or prone to mood swings
You’re Diabetic
You have Cardiovascular Disease
You are highly sensitive to toxins or react easily
You’ve been exposed to large amounts of heavy metals/chemical toxins (eg you’re a hairdresser, dry cleaner, miner)
You have any kind of inflammatory disorder

5. Go ahead and do an unsupervised detox / short fast / juice cleanse if

You’re young, fit and healthy
You generally eat and live clean
You have great digestive function
You’re doing it out of self-love and spiritual fulfillment.

I’m available to help you with a naturopathic detox. A typical program will last 6 weeks and includes 3 appointments with email and phone support in between. Contact me for more info libby@libbywilliams.com.au

I’m giving a Detox seminar on October 7 @ NatMed 89 George St East Fremantle. They'll be tons of info and a recipe book for all. Inbox me if you’d like to come along.

Go forth into spring my lovelies!