What’s the deal with spring cleaning?
Ever wondered that? Why do we clean our houses in the spring? Why does the detox buzz increase in volume at this time of year?
Stay tuned, I’ll tell ya all about it.
Acknowledged or not, rhythms and cycles govern both our internal and external worlds. The sun rises and sets every day, the moon waxes and wanes every month, and the seasons rotate every year as the earth moves around the sun.
Since our bodies are part of nature, they are part of these cycles and respond to these changes.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), everything is a combination of two opposing but mutually supportive energies: yin(representing female, rest, night, cold, substance) and yang (representing male, activity, day, heat, energy).
Summer is the most yang time of the year and winter the most yin. At the spring equinox the two energies are balanced as the days and nights are equal in length. Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal, regeneration, and preparation for life. Animals come out of hibernation, trees form buds or even blossoms, and days become increasingly longer, and warmer.
According to TCM Five Element theory, spring is the season of the wood element, represented by the liver and gallbladder organ and energy systems. At this time of year, these organs are in their prime.
In TCM, the Liver is the planner, or the general contractor.
It’s job is to oversee the other organs to make sure they are functioning well. It is also the organ of rhythm and balance. It is about transition and initiation.
Going back to the nature example, think about how much planning, drive, and focus it would take for a shoot to burst out of the earth. I would expect a tremendous amount. Our bodies are the same.
An incredible amount of physiological coordination needs to happen to get our bodies functioning at their best.
Because of this, it is particularly important to love-up, nourish, and support your liver in the spring.
And… because toxins are often stored in fat tissue, helping the liver scoop out the goop allows your body to drop excess weight fairly easily. I saw a great quote the other day (somewhere on my internet travels – sorry I don’t have the reference) that said something like, “Hot summer bodies are made in the spring.” Love-up your liver and it will love-up you!
I’m definitely on the liver cleaning band wagon right now. Some girl friends and I are about a week into a vegan, gluten-free, sugar free cleanse. Not only are we eating cleanly, but we are doing other things to help the liver do it’s jobs both detoxing our bodies and overseeing its functions.
Below are 4 Ways to support the Liver during cleansing
In addition to eating clean, whole foods, these techniques are generally safe, effective, well-tolerated, and easy for you to try at home:
1. Castor Oil Pack: Apply an organic castor oil to a thick piece of flannel and place it over the liver which is located just under the right breast / pectoral muscle at the lower part of the ribcage. Cover it with plastic (to contain the possible mess) and sit with a heating pad for 40 minutes. Aim to do this 5 out of 7 days. The oil penetrates the skin and improves the blood and lymph circulation helping liver process toxins and carry them out of the body more efficiently.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar: Take one teaspoon of a raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar 10 minutes before a meal. This acts to stimulate or prime the digestive system including the liver to make digestion more efficient so that you get more nutrients out of your food.
3. Spring Eating: Shift your focus from cooked and heavy, fatty foods such as dairy, red meat, eggs, to foods full of potential (as I like to call them). These include: young plants, fresh greens, sprouted foods such as grains, nuts, and seeds, and power liver herbs such as basil, fennel, rosemary, and dill.
4. Meditation: Because the liver acts as the planner it likes to keep track of the bigger picture or your body’s or soul’s higher vision. Deep breathing and mindfulness meditation help the liver get really clear on internal cues to direct your organs to function with the body’s highest purpose in mind.
I recommend starting small like I did. I started this practice at just 1 minute per day (after dumping my brain by free-flow writing one page in my journal.) Now I’m up to 20 minutes. I am definitely more productive on the days I do this.
Please keep this in mind:
If you’re attempting a liver cleanse you HAVE to make sure you’re moving your bowels. If not, check out this article: How to Poo More if You’re not Pooing Enough. You also have to be careful if you’re on certain medications.
This all brings me to my last point about safety (because safety first, right?)
If you’re wanting a heavy duty cleanse, you need to be medically supervised. This way you can be sure your individual needs are met, and your specific, unique circumstances are considered. I work with my patients commonly to help their bodies cleanse and detoxify. I’d be happy to help you reach your goals. If you’re not local track down a naturopathic doctor in your area.
Here’s to your jivin’ Health & thrivin’ Life,
Dr. Tonia
In the comments below I’d love to hear what you’re doing this spring to get your body healthy.
