You’ve probably heard about detoxing before. Maybe a colleague did a detox at work and lost 10 kg. Maybe you read about a detox programme at your gym. However you heard about it, you’re curious to learn more, or you wouldn’t be reading this article.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about detoxing. Like, a lot. So in this blog post, it’s our aim to explain just what detoxing is (and what it isn’t), who it’s for, and what you can expect from it.
Detoxes come in many forms, but at Orion, we focus on the two that we’ve found, through years of experience and research, to be the most effective. They are fasting and colonic cleansing, and juice detoxing. Let’s look at both types.
Fasting & Colonic Cleansing
We all need some R&R from time to time, right? So, how about your digestive system? Yes, that important part of your body needs a vacation too, once in a while.
Most diseases start in our digestive tract and the organs that connect to it. So, doesn’t it therefore make sense that we ought to keep that particular part of our body as clean and healthy as possible?
The fact is that the toxins we consume, coming in the form of meat, dairy, alcohol, additives, refined sugars, and processed foods, lumber our digestive system, causing it to slow down because it has to work extra hard.
So, when we give it a break, in the form of fasting, we give it the time it needs to rest and recuperate, to repair damage caused by our dietary choices, to upgrade cell walls and get operations back to an optimal state.
Detoxification through fasting cleanses the bloodstream and the lymphatic fluid. Colonic cleansing aids the process by purging accumulated waste from the digestive tract.
Juice Detox
A juice detox combines the benefits of fasting and colonic cleansing with the power of freshly squeezed juice. While fasting and colonic cleansing help to eliminate toxins from the body, a juice detox adds an extra element of replenishing the body with important vitamins and minerals it needs to speed up the growth of new cells.
In addition to this, juice cleanses help balance your body’s pH levels, which is super important to a healthy body. Let’s look at why…
Alkaline Vs. Acidic
Did you know that your blood and urine have pH levels, just like your pool? And did you know that this pH level can have a massive effect on your health?
It’s true. These levels can range between 0 – 14 on the pH scale, with 0-6.9 being acidic, 7.0 being neutral, and 7.1 – 14.0 being alkaline.
For optimal health, our diets should be mainly alkaline. We should consume only 20% acid-forming foods. Alkaline foods consist of fruits, nuts, legumes, and vegetables. Therefore, it makes sense that drinking more fresh juices and eating more fresh salads (an excellent post-cleanse option) helps to rebalance the body’s pH level.
Activities that Help Your Detox Along
Giving your digestive system a few days’ — or weeks’ — break is a fantastic step towards a healthier you. And there are some excellent activities that we’ve made available at Orion, or that can be done on your own, that can help speed up the detoxification and cleansing process, giving you an even better outcome. Here are a few.
Yoga
Though you may not have a lot of energy while you’re detoxing, gentle yoga like Hatha or Detox yoga can be an excellent addition to your daily regime. Yoga massages the internal organs to help squeeze out any stuck toxins. The ancient practice also cleanses the mind and spirit, which can be helpful as detoxing can also bring stuck emotional blockages to the surface.
Meditation
Allowing your mind to rest while your internal organs are also resting, is an excellent thing to do during a detox. Meditation clears toxins from your mind and brings us back into the present moment, and thus will amplify the positive effects of your detox.
Herbal Steam Room
This ancient practice has been around for centuries in Thailand, and for good reason. Herbal steam rooms allow the body to rid toxins through its pores in the form of sweat. The herbs used in the steam are inhaled through the respiratory system, and help to heal the body from the inside-out.
Infrared Sauna
Like a microwave, infrared saunas heat the body from the inside. But unlike with a microwave, the health benefits of this type of sauna are numerous. The internal heating caused by the sauna allows you to experience an intense sweat at a low temperature, promoting pain relief, weight loss, and improved circulation.
Massages
Getting a massage really supercharges your detox. How? A massage increases your blood and lymphatic circulation and speeds the removal of metabolic waste from the body. Thai massages are particularly effective for helping to get any blockages unstuck.
Reiki
Like yoga and meditation, reiki is a way to detox the mind and spirit. Detoxes often loosen stuck emotions and reiki is an excellent tool to remove any spiritual blockages that have been caused by past traumas or abuse.
Who Should Do a Detox?
Just about anyone can and should do a detox at least once in their lifetime! That being said, detoxes should be avoided if you’re pregnant. Anyone with a weak immune system, compromised either by illness or age, should consult their physician before embarking on a detox.
What are the Benefits of Detoxing?
The benefits of detoxing are numerous. Among them are the purification of the bloodstream and the lymphatic fluid system. Detoxing also purges the digestive tract of accumulated waste, which toxins and waste materials from the body. The process improves fatigue, irritability, arthritis, gout, bad breath, skin problems, alleviates headaches, depression, allergies, abdominal discomfort, bloating, digestive problems, and joint and back pain, as well as emotional and spiritual blockages.
Detoxing at Orion
Here at Orion Healing Centre, we offer tried and tested detox programs that really work. Designed and guided by health and wellness professionals, our programs, from our 11 night vitality juice detox, to our 28 night renew and revitalise detox, incorporate a rainbow of add-ons that will supercharge your detox to make it ultra effective. In addition to your guided fasting program, you’ll get unlimited use of our steam room and infrared sauna, as well as our studio gym, daily yoga and meditation classes, a private health consultation, traditional Thai massages, probiotics and other supplements, and much more. Book your program and get your health back on track today.
