Autumn detox

Exuberant summer was replaced by peaceful autumn and we should prepare for the season of the calm serenity, for winter. In readiness for it, we should tidy both our households and our bodies and minds. Let the useless things go -that’s the motto of autumn. It is not a coincidence then, that the organs connected with autumn are lungs, large gut and skin. We bring you some inspiration of how to boost them up so that you don´t get stuck and your life flows smoothly.

All the fruits that nature brought us have been harvested and everything is wilting slowly. The dampness that is not soaked into soil amasses on the surface as mud, fog or hoarfrost. Our bodies, too, can be wilting or on the other hand it can be endangered by pathological dampness that can enter in the body due to its weakened immune system. In many cultures, cleansing procedures are performed which keeps the excretory organs strong and efficient. These organs are actually involved in strengthening our immunity. Lets see how.

Large intestine – enema, fasting or herbs?

Lets stars with large intestine, whose cleansing rings the bell to most people. Maybe it´s partly because the doctor from popular Czech books about a soldier Švejk, that prescribed enema as a cure of everything. Statistical data show though, that Czechs didn´t take this practice seriously – we are first in frequency of large gut cancer. In any case, if we want to start with detox, this is the right place to start.

In large intestine, the useless substances accumulate and are excreted out of body afterwards. If it doesn´t happen, residue in our intestines start to rot and stick to microvilli on intestinal walls. It uses up oxygen in our body, harmful bacteria and parasites can reproduce excessively and we are literally poisoned, which logically has an impact on our state of mind as well. Not speaking of stinky gases that pollute the air, we breathe. As there is a new day after a night, we should care about the steady function of our digestive system; we need to let go the old to make place for the new and to enable the efficient digestion.

The clister or enema as mentioned above is a traditional way how to cleanse the large gut in European countries. From the far-eastern philosophy point of view, this method is too invasive and it weakens the qi energy of the intestine, because also beneficial bacteria are washed away and the intestinal mucous membrane is getting dry. Currently very popular colon hydrotherapy, in particular, is very invasive. Similarly to the process after taking antibiotics, it is necessary to replenish microflora by taking high-quality probiotics after this method, because intestines are said to be our second brain as well as a protective shield. So we might talk about ”brainwashing“, which doesn´t have to be off-topic if a rough restart is what we wish to do. Ayurvedic technique basti uses smaller amount of oil or herb infusion (100-600ml) to washout the anus, therefore it is more gentle and it doesn´t harm the gut microbiota.

Very convenient one-day fasting connected with full moon or new moon, when the cleansing effect increases, has become popular. During these fasts, you drink only water, infusions, vegetable juices (for hot-blooded) or vegetable broth (for cold-blooded). However, fasting is quite stressful for the body and we should consider if we have enough energy and appropriate conditions to do it. Fasting divided into two days is beneficial for body as well – first day, we skip dinner and the next day we start with lunch.

The easiest way to cleanse the intestine is via food. Haven´t you tried omnipresent chia seeds yet? It is the right time now. They are an amazing source of fibre and sufficient amount of fibre every day ensures constant cleaning of intestines. When you change bakeries for real wholegrain cereals or flakes, you´ll do a great favour to your intestine. It contains phytic acid, which prevents zinc and other minerals from getting absorbed and therefore it is necessary to soak it and to cook it in the same water with plums, apples or carrot or just as it is as a side dish to legumes, vegetables or into soup. If you want to boost the cleansing, try chlorella, aloe arborescens or zeolite clay, that provide you with vitamins, minerals and ensure proper cleaning of the whole body including doing away with heavy metals.

Lungs – manager of our energy

We can survive a couple of days without water and food, without air we won´t live longer than a couple of minutes. First and foremost, we should care about getting enough fresh air and about breathing deeply. Not many people would conclude that lungs relate to immune system, but it´s true. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it holds the function of general of qi energy, which means it decides where the energy made from air and food will be used up. It boosts the immune system like that; therefore there is always a connection between weakened immunity and weakened energy of lungs.

Lungs are getting stronger from white food such as rice, barley groats, oat, fresh goat milk, butter, ghí, cauliflower, chives, leek, radishes, cabbage, fennel, horse radish, fresh ginger, onion, garlic, pears, grapes, mulberry, honey, but also differently coloured foods such as carrot, broccoli, wild rocket, watercress, hemp seed and various kinds of herbs such as mint, sage, thyme, rosemary, dill, lovage, anise, curry, cloves and cardamom.

Our tip: Astragalus – there´s Chinese saying that using astraglus is like wearing second sweater.

The emotion connected with lungs is sadness. Manifestation of sadness is important and healthy but when lasting too long, it weakens the body. The state of everlasting sadness comes when we feel separated from the world, when we don´t see we´re useful, when we lose confidence in ourselves and when we can´t deal with a loss and we live in memories. We feel down, in Czech we would say we don´t feel like singing, although singing could be a useful therapy to get rid of such stagnation.  

Skin – our third lung and our borderline

Skin is often said to be the third lung and it indicates the state of lungs. It is easy to deduce then, why smokers suffer from dry skin. Skin is a sensitive sensor of polluted interior of the body. When the transport of well separated waste through our digestive system does not work well it has an immediate impact on our skin – acne, weeping eczema etc. Skin is also part of our immune system, because it defines our boundaries and it protects us against the effects from outside. A person with weakened immunity and cracks in skin can´t protect the boundaries and is not resistant to emotional pressure.

Traditional ways to get rid of toxins via skin are sweat lodges, being in sauna and alkaloid baths in Epsom, Himalaya or Dead Sea salt. The temperature of water shouldn´t be too hot and you shouldn´t take the bath more than 20 minutes. Salt cleanses our energetic field as well and therefore is convenient also in cases when somebody gets under your skin. Dry brushing is beneficial as well – it promotes blood circulation in skin and it boosts the lymphatic system. 

Summary of what you can do for yourself in the autumn:

• Increase the percentage of fibre in your diet by adding more wholemeal cereals and vegetables.
• Try one-day fasting.
• Have a cleansing treatment eating chlorella, aloe, clay or herbs.
• Ventilate a lot and spend a lot of time outside.
• Breathe deeply and sing sometimes.
• Relax in a warm alkaloid bath.
• Go to bed earlier.
• Sort out things you don´t need anymore and pass them to other person or put them in the trash.
• Leave old models of behaviour that introduce problems into your life.

Regardless what cleansing method you choose, get enough information about it. Not everything is convenient for everyone. If you wish to get more profound information, you can arrange an appointment with us and we´ll draw up your dietary plan.

Have a nice and calm autumn.