What does it mean to have vitality 24/7? What does that look like? What picture comes to mind?
Everything we do at ELSI is aimed at feeling fully alive and expressing your greatest potential in life. The question is: What does this look like? Well, it’s different for every person, but at the center of it is a natural flow—a connection with natural rhythms and an alignment of self (body, mind and spirit).
Being 100% vital doesn’t mean that you run a marathon every day without tiring, or that you’re dynamically engaged with your work or family all of the time. What it does mean is that you can visualize or dream your path, and have the energy and clarity needed to accomplish your goals. It also means finding harmony with those around you and letting go of what doesn’t serve you.
Being vital means being strong in body and mind. Our bodies have a remarkable intelligence. They are finely tuned organisms designed to function, repair and regenerate at a level that is astounding. But things can come in and block our body’s ability to rejuvenate.
Toxins in our food, air and water can create blocks to our energy. Poor dietary and exercise habits can lead to stagnation. Resentful thoughts can harm our ability to move forward in lively way. This is why we created our Detox Program. This program has helped many people turn their health around and feel renewed energy in their lives. From this place of energy, you can be creative, meet challenges and grow and live in a truly vital way.
To make detoxification easier and fun (yes, fun!), we offer a group program each year. The group program really jumpstarts detoxification to catapult you to a place of greater flow, better health, and a renewed ability to rejuvenate. The group program begins with our next Nutrition + Health program on April 11. We invite you to learn more and join!
But why should you bother?
Toxins can interfere with nutrient absorption, circulation, hormonal regulation and even the expression of information stored in our DNA.
We encounter toxins daily. They enter our bodies via:
- Air and water pollution
- Household cleaning products
- Cosmetics, other beauty products, soaps and shampoos
- Pesticides in our food
- Chemicals in the building products of our homes
Toxins are also created in our bodies through metabolic processes, and microorganisms can generate toxins to our systems, too.
Some common signs of toxic overload include:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Lethargy or fatigue
- Muscle aches and joint stiffness
- Yellowish tinge in the whites of the eyes
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Bad breath
- Acne and rashes
- Sinus congestion or infection
- Poor concentration and memory
- Tremors
- Moodiness
- Tendency toward negative thinking
- Constipation
What can we do? We can make smart choices about what we eat, and the products we buy. We can also periodically cleanse our systems of accumulated toxins in a careful and specific way.
In our Detox Program, we look at diet and exercise as well as emotions and thoughts. We integrate Traditional Chinese Medicine, functional medicine and shamanism for a uniquely broad and effective experience.
Our detoxification program is a comprehensive program that works in a natural way, giving your body the information and support it needs to release harmful toxins so that you can feel your best.
How does it work? Many of the toxic chemicals that enter our bodies are fat-soluble, meaning that they dissolve only in fatty solutions and not in water. This makes them difficult for the body to eliminate. These fat-soluble chemicals can accumulate in our fat tissues and cell membranes. In these fatty parts of the body, you may have toxins that have been stored for years.
The liver can convert fat-soluble chemicals into water-soluble chemicals so that they can be excreted from the body. It has two pathways for accomplishing this, known as Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification. The Detox program addresses both phases for an effective detoxification.
Certain foods, supplements and herbs, as well as physical and breathing exercises, can aid in liver detoxification. The idea:
- Remove harmful substances from your diet and environment
- Enjoy helpful foods and take supplements to support detoxification
- Take action with helpful exercises and routines to support cleansing
Effective liver detoxification happens in two phases, widely known as Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification. Here’s a snapshot of what each phase incorporates.
To promote Phase I detoxification:
- Favor organic foods
- Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
- Enjoy herbs like rosemary and basil
- Eliminate trans-fats and saturated fats from your diet
- Avoid high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners
- Avoid processed foods
To promote Phase II detoxification:
- Eat foods rich in B-complex vitamins (wild salmon, oats, eggs, avocado, kidney beans, almonds, spinach)
- Enjoy whole grains, nuts and legumes
- Try probiotics, milk thistle and alpha-lipoic acid
- Eat lots of turmeric at this stage (curcumin enhances Phase II detoxification, but inhibits Phase I detoxification)
- Choose fruits high in flavonoids, like organic red grapes and blueberries
- Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage, etc.)
- Drink green tea
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid Tylenol (an other drugs containing acetaminophen)
In addition to this, it’s important to address emotions and their role in toxic overload.
Traditional Chinese Medicine provides extensive knowledge with respect to emotions and their connection to different organs and organ systems in the body. Specific acupuncture and acupressure points can be used to provide greater balance. Shamanism also offers insights that we incorporate into our program.
Now as the season is changing and spring is in bloom, we can do a spring cleaning with our bodies, too, and make way for greater flow and vitality.
