THE BIG PICTURE ON DETOXING FOR HEALTH
WE CAN'T BE HALE, HEARTY & WHOLE WITHOUT IT!
I'm a big picture gal. If you've read any of my writing before, you'll know that without me saying it! But I'm warning you here! What I'm beginning to set out here is a big picture on detoxing as one of the central pillars (along with healthy and necessary nourishment (at all levels). Breathe in (nourish) breathe out (detox).These 2 pillars can be articulated as the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual directions of the wheel or spiral of each of our individual lives.
Not that long ago we only heard the word "detoxing" in relation to those wanting to get off of alcohol and drugs; some of us may have heard of the importance of a yearly intestinal detox (especially those lucky enough to be benefiting from all the knowledge, science and wisdom of naturopathic/alternative health practices), but that was about it. More recently the need to detox from all that enters our beings that does not support our health and wellness has grown exponentially (again, though, only among those who are taking responsibility for their well-being by supporting health, not just by addressing symptoms of lack of symptoms as is practiced in allopathic, or conventional medical orientations) especially physically.
For example, there are now evidence-based (ie: scientific) protocols to detox from pathogens in our bodies (parasites, viruses, bacteria, mold and yeast), the "long-haul" effects of Covid, the effects of the vaccines, and heavy metals in our bodies, among numbers of other detox options. This information can be life-saving for people suffering.
The development of these approaches is significant in the emerging zeitgeist of the sovereignty of the individual being...the freeing from the enslaving mindsets that program people to think they are powerless and insignificant "cogs" in the wheels of the powerful. Heather Ensworth nests this sovereignty within the greater whole, for it is not about being powerful in the world, or having power over, it is much more about the power within, or, about embodying our souls and discovering that we are so much more, individually and together, than we have been lead to believe. She describes this emerging view of human potential as, "the sovereignty of the self in the sanctity of community and in unity with cosmic consciousness." That really would take some time to unpack if you aren't so familiar with thinking in terms of the cosmos and our place within it...which would diverge us from the topic of detoxing, so I'll save it for later. Yet, I have included it here to nest the importance of this bigger view of detoxing within the more expansive view of humanity. The realization of the truth of our beings requires us to take responsibility for both healing and for growth at levels most of humanity has not yet grasped.
Back to detoxing. Here is my definition: the removal of pathogens, pollutants, and accumulated particulates, physical, emotional, cognitive, and energetic that block, distort, decrease, and dis-ease our inherent life force, limiting our awareness of our own sovereignty, power, and our capacity for manifesting positivity and abundance, feeling into our oneness, not just with the world of humanity, but with all life, with consciousness and the Universe itself...or God His/Herself. I told you...it's BIG!
As someone still healing from the destructiveness of Celiac disease, or more accurately...after spending 3+ years of healing from Celiac, about 10 years of healing my digestive & elimination organs into healthier functioning, and now trying to boost all the systems in my body weakened from 57 years of eating gluten, (not realizing that all the symptoms I had were something, rather than the numbing lack of awareness and excuse making) most of my life. I took it for granted that that was just the way my body was, much like people will say, "I'm getting old." It kept my parents and then me from delving. It took about 4 years to do the major healing from this. Another few years to discover I had 2 mutations for MTHFR, and that my whole digestive system had been more weakened than I knew from so many years of this condition going untreated. Now, realizing that my system is weakened (and yet, thankful every day for the health I do have), I am actively working to strengthen those systems...even now...even at my age. I want to be healthy, to have a high level of energy, a radiant heart, and a brain that works better than it used to. AND I want to feel my soul quicken within my day to day life. I do believe that the only way to remain centered amidst this dynamic and turbulent time is to open myself to that which never dies, that which remains regardless of the vagaries and wiles of this life...my own deep, divine Self.
The detoxing I am now engaging in is not from gluten and SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), but from everywhere and deeper in my body. From pollutants (and God knows these are omnipresent), to toxins, to biofilms, to elements of that which we ingest (foods, liquids, smoke, medicines, fake foods/junk foods) that we can not digest and assimilate, to stones, to old, dead cells (now identified as zombie cells), and more...our bodies have been carrying around much that is not good for it. The analogy of a refrigerator comes to mind. Compare one that's newly cleaned; it's replete with fresh, healthy, colorful foods. It smells good, it is appealing and our bodies resonate with the presence of nourishment. Then imagine a refrigerator with months' old food in the back of the shelves & dark brown liquid pooling at the bottom of the produce drawers, expired meats and condiments. If you've cleaned out a frig, you will have an immediate visceral reaction to this comparison. We do not want to keep our bodies functioning like refrigerators of old, expired, and moldy food!
The typical suggestions of eating well, exercising, creating healthy relationships, engaging in life in meaningful (to you) ways and getting good sleep...maybe even meditating or having a spiritual practice, won't get you to high-quality health. This is even more true the longer you are gifted with life on this planet. Even adding in an active practice of releasing negativity and upset, such as tapping, isn't sufficient. Having tapping and other tools matters greatly and will take you further both in distance and quality of life than if you weren't doing these things, by far, but those who are now on the frontiers of bio-hacking true health know that detoxing from the accumulation of that which blocks and inhibits health is essential to vibrant, kick-ass health and well-being.
Think of it this way: What's not clean is not in balance; it's not in harmony or resonating a coherent frequency. It resonates chaos, confusion, and upset. What's not clean is not healthy...whether it's our bodies, hearts, minds, or spirits. This makes sense, right?
Hence, the need to cleanse ourselves at every level (physical, emotional, mental, energetic, spiritual) of the toxins, pollutants, irritants, negativity, allergens, and more that are accumulating all the time, even when we are engaged in the healthy habits above.
The benefits of detoxing? More energy, increased cognitive intelligence and capacity, more positive mood, better sleep, improved digestion, more enthusiasm for life, clearer skin, longer life...and so much more.
Hopefully, I've persuaded, or at least given you pause to consider upgrading your physical health practices. Next I will to pen tempting reasons for concurrently upgrading your emotional health practices by detoxing from the past; thereby creating an environment far more aligned with making positive and effective, intentional change. It's one thing to focus on cleansing or detoxing our bodies, it's another level to think of detoxing the emotions accumulated from the pain of the past taking up energetic real estate inside, including the emotions & thoughts, the beliefs that drive us, the attitudes & patterns that are the effects of this combination of positive and challenging life experience, to which our beings became programmed to react. Emotional freedom can be ours, and is ours at increasingly powerful levels when we make emotional detoxing a central part of our self-care routines.
