Several patients have asked me lately if they should “do a cleanse or something.”
My answer is yes. And no.
From time to time we should give our bodies less stimulating circumstances, rest, and eat gentle foods, to allow our systems to repair. I typically suggest this twice per year.
And when I do suggest this specifically to patients, I see a fairly typical pattern.
I call it Pre-Tox, De-Tox, and Re-Tox.
After listening to my patients’ fascinating and unique stories, I teach them about the bucket analogy and discuss our treatment options, which usually involve some sort of food or lifestyle change.
We agree on a plan of action, and I send them on their way.
Sometimes they tell me directly (and if they don’t I assume) that their very next step is to engage in what I call, “Pre-Tox.”
In their calendar goes the start date of the new food program – commonly the following Monday so they have the weekend for their final hurrah. They binge on junk food and booze. Pre-Tox.
When we meet again they say,
“I went on the diet you told me to go on, and I felt awesome, better than I had in years. (De-Tox) You said to try it for 30 days, so after that I started eating my regular foods and now feel terrible again. I’m tired. I’m irritable, my stomach aches all the time, and I living under a blanket of fuhhhh… brain fog.”
“Good. Actually, great!” I usually respond, which might seem unexpected, unsympathetic, and rude.
But the truth is we just learned a great deal of information.
We learned that there is a strong food component to how you feel.
And now you get to be an adult and make empowered, adult choices.
You get to say, “I’m going to pass on the Subway combo meal with the cookies AND the chips, and get myself some greens, broccoli and chicken instead. Then I won’t fart, or be bloated, or have a terrible sleep.”
Good. Actually, Great.
Now you have the information you need to be well. Do you know how amazing that is? (Tweet it!)
Knowledge though is only half the battle. It’s entirely up to you if you use that information.
You see when we eat the same foods / food-like products that are toxic to our bodies every day, we can feel crappy – and feeling crappy begins to feel normal.
Here’s the analogy. You walk into a room, and you notice someone’s perfume. A few seconds later you’re not as aware of that smell anymore. It continues to fade until you don’t smell it at all. Has the smell gone away? No. Your nervous system has just stopped telling you about it.
There is so much information that the central nervous system is processing every millisecond that you can’t be conscious of all of it.
So when you De-Tox, and you start to feel great, heal and repair – you had forgotten what it was like to feel normal – you were so used to feeling icky.
But after awhile you forget what it was like to feel icky – you’re feeling so good!
While you’re healing, your body is also re-sensitizing itself to the stimuli of the toxin. Then when you reintroduce that food (what I call “Re-Tox“) your body says, “Oh no you don’t!” And you feel crappy again. Possibly even more crappy than before your cleanse. Then you remember, “Oh yeah! This is how I used to feel all the time!”
Only now you have the knowledge of what made you feel good, and what didn’t.
And now you have a choice.
Which is entirely up to you to make. But you have it.
So that’s why I say, “Good. Actually, great!”
I guarantee that Re-Tox is NEVER as fun as Pre-Tox.
Because I care about you, I’ll warn you though: Re-Tox is a slippery slope. Treats become weekly, then daily, then hourly events. If you’re planning on abiding by the 80/20 rule (that is 80% of the time you’re so on PLAN, and 20% of the time you veer) make sure you know what this actually looks like in terms of numbers. Straight up math, yo. Calculate it.
The bottom line is sadly we can’t just do a health promoting behavior for a week, or a month. Health isn’t something to do for a few days a couple times per year. It’s something you have to do and be every day. There comes a time when you need to decide that you’re going to live healthfully in perpetuity. There will never be perfect time to change your habits. Life will always come up. Celebrations, deaths, stress, vacations will continue on.
You have to decide for yourself: is it easier to be in pain or feeling like a zombie most days or is it easier to make a commitment to yourself and your well being? Your body will choose the path of perceived least resistance – what ever is less painful at the time.
And… if you decide you really are ready to make changes keep in mind the research shows it takes about 66 days to transform a practice into a habit.
So you can’t just cleanse for a week and expect to be well.
To your healthy, thriving, delightful life,
