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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

organized

I've been thinking lately about my detoxing habits and how the ones I do really do help.  But in the beginning I had no idea when or how to do these things so I thought it would be helpful to just give a bit of info on how I've been told to detox.

1. DE-CAFFEINATED Green Tea.  I do NOT care for green tea at ALL.  But my doctor keeps telling me that it's a great detoxifier, so I do it.  I drink about 2 mugs a day.  I heat it up, let it steep, then let it sit until it's room temp and then I just guzzle it.  That's the only way I can handle it. It contains lots of antioxidants that boost the production of detoxing agents in the body.

2. Epsom Salt Baths. This was one that I just really did NOT understand in the beginning.  I didn't know how much salt to put in, and I was told to add baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to the water.  I tried all different combinations and now I think I've got it down.
                     -Run water as warm as you can stand (but if you can't, then lukewarm is fine).
                     -Add about 1 1/2 cups of Epsom salt, 1/2 cup of baking soda, and 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide to the running water.  I usually just eye-ball it.
                    -Once bath is filled, sit in it with as much of your body covered by the water.
                    -Stay in as long as you can stand it, but NO LONGER THAN 20 MINUTES.
                   -If you are dizzy or really weak, make sure you have someone there to help you out of the tub.  In the early days my husband always had to help me because I literally would faint if I stood up.

                    So my recommendation is to do this only every OTHER day, never two consecutive nights in a row.  Also, it truly zaps me and makes me feel pretty awful right afterward, so I save this for right before bed.  That way I can rest and sleep it off.  The warm bath also makes you kind of sleepy so it helps to do right before bed in that regard.  I wake up and feel better after these baths.

3. Lymphatic Drainage Massage.  I've gone through a few different masseuses who do this type of massage.  You really have to find one you're comfortable with and seeing as some do different types (the type they were trained in), you might find that some work better for your body than others.  I only every get this done at the END of a treatment week.  It really gets your lymph system flowing, helping to detox all those nasty toxins that are released when the little buggers are being killed.
               So for example, I do meds M-F.  So I get the massage done on Saturday morning.  I can't tell you how much this helps me.  Of all the detoxing things I do, this helps me the most.  I notice a difference right away - more energy and less pain.  Make sure to drink lots of water before and all day after.  I also take it real easy the day of the massage just so I don't overdo it.  I can seem to feel so good that I want to do tons of stuff but I find that if I do, then I crash.  If I ease into being active after these massages, I feel a lot better.

4. Broccoli and Chicken.  Broccoli is a WONDERFUL detoxing food.  We eat a lot of it here and thankfully my kids like it too!  Also, if you aren't vegetarian and you can avoid red meat, choose chicken. Both of these foods (and some others) contain selenium which produces an enzyme that "guides" the body to detox.

5. Drink LOTS of water.  What comes in, must come out and with it comes toxins. If you drink caffeine, make sure you drink a glass of water to match it because it has been said that caffeine can stimulate urination.

6. Exercising.  This one is hard for us Lymies.  Especially those of us who have zero energy.  Just do what you can.  Sometimes this means a quick 30 second bounce on my mini-trampoline.  We also bought recumbent bike pedals....I sit on the couch (or slouch some days) and just pedal at my own speed as long as I can without wearing myself out.  Working out your legs helps  strengthen your heart.  So it's good all around.  When I have even more energy (not as often), I take the kids out for a spin around the block.  Pushing one or both of them in the stroller helps raise my heart rate.
Also, sweating is a wonderful way to detox. So exercising can be a path to that.

Now in addition to all of this, I take some supplements that also help - CoQ10, Magnesium Malate, Acetyl-L-Carnatine, and Ultimate Omega.

Being "aggressive" in detoxing can make a huge difference in the kind of week I have when I'm on meds.

What are your favorite detoxing methods?

1 comment:

  1. Have you heard of skin brushing? That's pretty easy and good for detox. Also, brazil nuts contain a lot of selenium, just one or two a day is enough (any more and you'll risk consuming too much). i hope you're having a decent week - I'll be praying for you today!

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