HEALTH___________________________________________________________________________________
The Natural Way To
A ‘Clean Slate '
By Faheema Sahib
I t's that time of the year when resolutions
are made after a well-deserved December
vacation. One resolution we're most likely to
have in common is to start 2019 on a 'clean
state'. We may be seeking financial,
emotional or mental improvements, but have
we considered our body's internal 'slate'?
Our bodies play a crucial role in enabling us
to complete daily tasks efficiently. Most days
it works tirelessly without a break, enduring
physical pain, pressure, harsh African
temperatures and trauma too, all of which
heal with time. However, the large amounts
of food we consume but don't regularly get
out of our bodies, expose us to a number of
toxins and ultimately clog our arteries and
cause weight gain. This is a major factor in
hindering that weight loss resolution you've
made.
So why not kick start 2019 on
an internally ' clean slate' with
big D?
Ah yes, the D word.
Detoxing has played an important role in
diets and healthy lifestyles for as long as we
can remember, and the benefits are
countless. Dating back centuries,
detoxification is probably, by far, the oldest
medical modality known to mankind. After
all, every healing process begins with
cleansing, purifying or detoxing. Over time,
people of various traditions and cultures
adapted their own ideology, belief and
method of detoxing, some of which are
interesting enough to include here.
4
India, Hindus introduced Ayurveda that
teaches about 'Panchakarma', pancha
meaning five and karma meaning
treatment; all of which largely refer to the
outline of the detoxification preparation
process.
Native Americans primarily relied on very
specific components for their
detoxification process, one being Sweat
Lodges. As the name suggests, intimate
buildings housing heated rocks were
visited in which people would sweat their
internal toxins out - similarly to a sauna or
steam room!
And with the Shamans of South America,
Limpias, a unique method of
detoxification was used. The process of
Limpias includes a bath using herbs and
flowers, each herb and flower possessing
their own healing powers, some for
emotional problems and others for
spiritual ones.
So, where to begin?
The process of detoxification begins in
the liver and other major organs of the
body. The removal of detox-interfering
foods is the initial and most integral part
of the process. For example, fructose that
is found in juices and sodas is the most
commonly consumed and also most
detrimental substance known for invoking
chronic inflammation and oxidative stress
- the leading factors of obesity.