Simple Strategies to Support Detoxification in Autumn!

Those of you that know me know that I always encourage harnessing of the energy of the season for detoxification. Autumn or “fall” is one of those seasons – as is spring. In the northern hemisphere, we are approaching the autumn equinox – it falls on September 22 this year. Autumn is “Lung/large intestine” time in Chinese medicine… (full disclosure – I am not trained in Chinese medicine; I just read a lot and have found it fascinating and helpful when I consider my own life and those of my clients).

The lungs and the large intestines are both organs of elimination and detoxification, though most do not think of the lungs in that way. The lungs are constantly – 24/7- “getting rid of” carbon dioxide for us, exchanging it for oxygen. They also rid us of toxins through mucous and sputum. I like to think of the role of the large intestines as “gleaning the last of what we need and letting go of everything else” in terms of what we eat. (We can also apply that to thoughts, emotions, and beliefs…)

Many people like to do strong “cleanses” during the autumn and spring. That is fine for some people. However, everyone can benefit from incorporating “little things” into their daily routine during this time. Here are some of my favorites.

Lemon juice in warm water, with a pinch of turmeric or cayenne pepper (or both). This is fondly called “liver wake-up”, as lemon juice is good for the liver (some say specifically for liver enzymes.) Be sure the lemon is organic, and the water is at least filtered – structured is better. (Learn more about structured water here.)

Detoxify from Raw Revelations. Detoxify is a combination product – it has activated charcoal, Brown Seaweed Extract, Zeolite, Shilajit Mineral Resin among other things – it is clean and I have used it myself. From the website: “A highly effective formula designed to promote the safe and natural removal of heavy metals, radiation, and other toxic environmental residues from the body while supplying cell-protective antioxidants and elimination-regulating botanicals”. Sounds good to me!  HINT: If you are going to use Detoxify or any other activated charcoal product for detoxification, take it on an empty stomach (usually defined as 20-25 minutes prior to eating, or 2-2.5 hours after eating) so that you do not “eliminate” nutrients from the food you are eating. As always, I encourage you to start with half of the suggested dose, and perhaps try it on once a day, every other day for a few weeks. Be sure to drink more than your usual amount of water every day while using it.

Shilajit every day. My favorite is Shilajit tablets from Dr. Tom Cowan. What is shilajit? Macro and micro minerals, amino acids, vitamins, fulvic and humic acid, and more. Shilajit is very effective at chelating toxic heavy metals, re-mineralizing our bodies, and detoxifying our tissues. I take shilajit every day. While it is available in liquid form, I prefer the tablets because they are easy to travel with and cannot make a mess. I dissolve one tablet under my tongue on an empty stomach (see above, under Detoxify).

 Zeolite, aka Clinoptilolite, can be a powerful detoxifier. I prefer Pure Body Extra – from Touchstone Essentials. Why? Because it can be sprayed under your tongue. Easy to do and does not require digestion. Pure Body Extra targets toxins at the cellular level, because of its nanometer sizing. Pure Body targets toxins in the digestive system and throughout the body. It traps positively charged toxins such as mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and more and carries them out of the body. Some people use both. As I mentioned previously, you may wish to start with just a little bit, and every other day (or even less often), and gradually increase to the suggested amount. To harness the detoxification potential of zeolite, I use it on an empty stomach.

Do you need to take all the things I mentioned? Nope! Choose one this season and see how it goes. The benefit of all of these is that you are supporting detoxification in the body without much effort. A tablet dissolved under your tongue once a day (shilajit), a ½ teaspoon of Detoxify in water before bed, a few pumps of Pure Body Extra under your tongue once or more throughout the day…and you may be having better bowel movements, thinking more clearly, and experience more “pep in your step” (energy). Seems like a good idea to me – low input, high impact.

If you would like to learn more about how to Be Well Through Autumn, including foods to eat, beverages to drink, spices, colors, and more, check out my on-demand class here: https://simply-being-well.thinkific.com/courses/being-well-through-autumn

Happy autumn to all of you!