Decongestion is the key for the initial phase of spring cleaning your body. These tried and true methods thin out the winter coat you may be wearing from the season of heavy foods and indulgent festivities. Spring is coming and opening the channels of elimination is the most important part of preparing for a healthy, active season.
1. Dry Skin Brush – This simple method of lymph stimulation is highly effective at increasing the circulation of congested lymph and creating a rosy glow in your skin. Congested lymph leads to less effective immune response time and inflammation, which can slow us down in numerous ways. Done on dry skin before showering or baths, dry skin brushing takes about 5 minutes and gives a notable energy boost.
2. Castor oil application – Castor oil is an old nature cure that deeply stirs lymph. Think of the dry skin brush as the surface cleanser and castor oil as the deep scrub. The powerful lymph stimulation comes from the ricinoleic acid in the castor bean, which penetrates the lymphatic fluid resulting in a significant circulatory effect. Castor oil can be sticky and messy but modern roll on’s make it easier to use. Just apply the oil to your abdomen, cover with a hand towel, apply heat and relax for 20 minutes while the oil penetrates to the organ level. Use 4 times a week for stubborn congestion in the bowels, liver and reproductive organs.
3. Enemas – Oh yes, all hail the mighty enema! In times past, enema were one of the most common nature cure used on a regular basis. And no surprise, as cleansing the large intestine provides a real boost to the body. Stagnant waste in the large intestine gets reabsorbed through the portal vein system, bogging down the liver and your energy. Making some room in the colon also allows for the whole body to decongest more effectively, sending systemic waste to the solid waste management center for processing. New Stainless steel buckets and silicon bags make doing enemas easier than ever before. Add coffee and get an extra liver detox boost!
4. Rebounding and walking – Move your body to open channels of elimination. A rebounder is a mini trampoline and jumping lightly on it stimulates lymphatic movement throughout the body. Brisk walking can do the same thing. It’s super important to move your body to augment circulation in all the systems of the body increasing oxygen intake and opening the breath. Lymph has to move via breath and muscles so bounce a little and walk a lot.
5. Hydrate – Fluid quality matters when it comes to comes to easy clean up. Hydrating with purified, alkaline water sources can support detoxification processes in the body. Diseases can’t thrive when the blood is alkaline, so flooding the system with clean, alkaline water is a great strategy for disease prevention and thinning out congestion in the body tissues. Plan to drink at least 1/2 your body weight in oz daily for optimal decongestion. Track your urine for progress, ideally achieving clear to light urine over a few days.
For more detailed information on some of these practices, check out educational videos on our Youtube channel.
Or print these pdf instructions to use at home:
Enema Kit (and coffee enema) Instructions
Happy Spring Cleaning!
Kristi Zimmer,
Co-Owner of the Tummy Temple