By Deborahann Smith

Feeling sluggish or out of sync? Having skin problems, aches and pains or digestive issues? If the hectic holiday season and brutal winter weather have knocked your health habits out of whack, it could be time for a New Year’s detox.

Practiced for centuries by many cultures around the world — including ayurvedic and Chinese medicine systems — the process of detoxification rests, cleans and nourishes the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients, detoxifying can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.

“The body has its own natural healing system,” says Peter Bennett, N.D., medical director of Helios Clinic in Victoria, B.C., and co-author with Stephen Barrie, N.D. and Sara Faye, of 7-Day Detox Miracle (Prima Health). “Detoxification enhances this system.”

A detox program can help the body’s natural cleaning process by resting the organs through fasting; stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body; promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin; improving circulation of the blood and refueling the body with healthy nutrients.

“Detoxification works because it addresses the needs of individual cells, the smallest units of human life,” says Bennett, who believes one should detox at least once a year. A short detoxifying program is generally safe, however, Bennett cautions against detoxifying for nursing mothers, children and patients with chronic degenerative diseases, cancer or tuberculosis. (Consult your health care practitioner if you have questions about whether detoxing is right for you.)

Today, with more toxins in the environment than ever, “it’s critical to detox,” says Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D., the author of Detoxification (Healthy Healing Publications). Page recommends detoxing for symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, sluggish elimination, irritated skin, allergies or low-grade infections; bags under the eyes; a distended stomach even if the rest of your body is thin; menstrual difficulties; or mental confusion.

Detoxing 101 — Prime Your Body and Pick Your Program

First, lighten up your toxin load. Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars and saturated fats, all of which act as toxins in the body and are obstacles to your healing process. Also, minimize use of chemical-based household cleaners and personal health care products (cleansers, shampoos, deodorants and toothpastes), substituting natural alternatives.

Another deterrent to good health is stress, which triggers your body to release stress hormones into your system. While these hormones can provide the adrenaline rush to win a race or meet a deadline, in large amounts they create toxins and slow down detoxification enzymes in the liver. So it’s a good idea to detox stressful life situations along with detoxifying your body. Yoga and meditation are simple and effective ways to relieve stress by resetting your physical and mental reactions to the inevitable stress life will bring.

There are many detoxification programs, depending on your individual needs. Many programs follow a seven-day schedule because, as Bennett explains, “it takes the body some time to clean the blood.” His program involves fasting on liquids for two days, followed by a carefully planned five-day diet to allow the digestive system to rest. He also advises supplements, herbs, exercise and practices such as dry skin-brushing and hydrotherapy to enhance circulation.

Page recommends a three- to seven-day juice fast (drinking only fresh, organic fruit and vegetable juices and water) as an effective way to release toxins.

Other popular detoxing programs include cleansing supplement packages, which generally contain fiber, vitamins, herbs and minerals (there are several safe products on the market, with easy-to-follow instructions) or a routine of drinking only water one day each week (an ancient practice of many cultures).

After a detoxification program, you can cleanse your body daily through diet, supplements and these ten lifestyle practices:

1. Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella and seaweed are excellent detoxifying foods.

2. Cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and by drinking green tea.

3. Take vitamin C, which helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins.

4. Drink at least two quarts of water daily.

5. Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system.

6. Transform stress by emphasizing positive emotions.

7. Practice hydrotherapy by taking a very hot shower for five minutes, allowing the water to run on your back. Follow with cold water for 30 seconds. Do this three times, and then get into bed for 30 minutes.

8. Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.

9. Dry-brush your skin to remove toxins through your pores. Special brushes are available at natural products stores.

10. What is the most important way to detoxify? “Exercise,” says Bennett. “Yoga or jump-roping are good. One hour every day.” Also try qigong, a martial arts based exercise system that includes exercises specifically for detoxifying or cleansing, as well as many other exercises with specific health benefits.

Reprinted courtesy of GaiamLife.com.