ADDITIONAL DETOX TOOLS
ENEMAS
So, enemas are a bit of a taboo topic - I was very skeptical, and extremely hesitant when I first heard about them… but once I began, I realised how powerful a tool they are.
They are one of the best ways to help you avoid detox symptoms, and will contribute tremendously to your process of detoxification.
Our colon is a reflexive organ, which means each part of the colon directly corresponds to, and is connected with, a particular part of the body.
If certain parts of the colon are dehydrated or obstructed, over time that has a knock on effect in the areas of the body that are reflexively connected to those parts of the colon.
Many people's colons are dehydrated, and contain old faecal matter, and even parasites. The best way to clean this last section of the intestines is with enemas (or colonics, which is a possibility if anyone wants to go for a colonic irrigation session).
Our colon is one of our eliminative organs, and if waste starts to accumulate in the colon, we tend to feel unwell.
Our colon is also the first place the body looks for water when it needs hydration. If the material, stool, or waste inside the colon has become too toxic, the water that the body absorbs through the colon walls may mean we re-absorb this toxicity.
This is called auto-intoxication.
Keeping the colon clean through the introduction of water is game-changing for one's detox process.
The first enema anyone should try is a plain water enema - next week we’ll talk about some different types of enema, but this week, just use water.
Most enema kits have between 1-2L capacity, I don’t suggest anymore than 2L - and it’s likely you may not be able to get 2L into your colon the first attempts of an enema, so take it slow, and introduce only as much water as feels comfortable, don’t force it.
Over time, work up to holding your enema between 10-15 minutes. Although if you can do so to begin with, great.
You can also gradually increase the quantity of water over time if you find it difficult to hold larger amounts to begin.
You can fill your enema bag full, but only allow as much water to drain into your colon as feels possible for you.
HOW TO DO ENEMAS
DIRECTIONS
Place a towel to lie down on your bathroom floor, or you can lie in your bathtub (this is how I started doing enemas, it’s safest!), bring a cushion for your head/shoulders to rest on if that feels good.
Fill your enema bag full of body temperature water (not tap water), and hang it on something above you, so that the water can drain properly with gravity.
How high you place your enema bag above your body will dictate how fast the water flows out of the bag. To begin with, try to hang your enema bag lower, so that the water drains more slowly, you can pause or halt the flow of water at any moment if it becomes uncomfortable.
Lie on your back with your knees bent, or on your right side with your knees bent - you can experiment with both positions, usually one of these postures feels better, depending on the individual.
Use a little coconut oil (or any oil you prefer) to lubricate the tip of the pipe, then insert it into your rectum. It doesn’t need to go in far, just enough so that the water doesn’t leak.
Open the tap of your enema bag, and allow the water to slowly drain into your colon, you can pause the flow as often as you need, take it slow.
Try to retain the water in your colon for as long as you can, anywhere up to 10-15 minutes.
It’s possible that you’ll feel an overwhelming urge to release the water into the toilet, work with that urge, but if it is too much, release the water. If you only manage to hold it for a few minutes, try doing another round.
If there is stool in the colon when you do your enema, you may need to fill and release with 1-2 rinses of water before you can fill the colon more fully, this is not a problem.
Once you’ve managed to hold the water for a little time (it gets easier with each attempt and session), then release it into the toilet.
There may be strange smells (of old foods), strange colours, shapes and textures, all of this is normal.
When you’re ready, organise your bathroom, rinse out your enema bag, clean the tip, and hang it to dry.
After your enema, drink a glass of water with 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal added.
You may feel strange sensations, or even nausea during your enema, both are normal, do your best to work through it the best you can.
For a little time after your enema, stay somewhere that you are close to a bathroom, you may feel the need to suddenly go. It’s not the case for everyone, but it can happen.
WHEN TO DO AN ENEMA
The best time to do an enema is some time in the morning or early afternoon after drinking your juice, but before taking solid food - it’s ideal if you’ve already had a bowel movement that morning. If you’re doing a juice day, you can do it anytime on that day, and I suggest you do give it a try if you are doing 1 day on juice.
Enemas are great to combine with any of the 4 approaches to food we’re looking at this week.
Although even if you decide you don’t want to explore any of those, you may still explore the enema.
I have to mention again, that although they are weird, they are THE most helpful supportive practice alongside what you're doing with food and diet, they help with the detoxification process immensely.
Here’s the music playlist that sometimes I (Mila) hear while doing enemas to relax a little bit more :)
coffee enemas
Take 2-3 tablespoons of green or lightly roasted coffee in 1.25L of water (use 2 tbsp for your first time and slowly increase to 3 over the next few coffee enemas), bring to a boil, and turn down the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes with a lid on. Strain, and let it cool to body temperature before administering.
2 tbsp of coffee is roughly 10.5g of ground coffee.
3 tbsp of coffee is roughly 16g of ground coffee.
Ideally use an actual tbsp measure, or weigh the coffee, if you use too much coffee, you may feel the effect too strong.
Do the process the same way as you would your water enema, although if possible, lie on your right side, as the coffee can get to the liver better this way, see below for more info about why that’s important.
Retain the coffee for up to 10 minutes before releasing.
NO COFFEE ENEMAS LATER THAN 3PM, as they can affect sleep if done later.
You will likely notice some different feelings during a coffee enema as compared to a water enema, they stimulate the liver and initiate a different process than a water enema. Sometimes this can also release flukes (a type of parasite), or old drug deposits from the liver, you may feel a little jittery or weird if this happens, it’s normal.
You may feel hungry after doing an enema (water or coffee) - you can eat 20-30 minutes after finishing.
SCIENCE BEHIND THE COFFEE ENEMA
Coffee enemas stimulate the production of the enzyme GST (Glutathione-S-Transferase) by 600-700%.
GST is a liver enzyme that’s responsible for the conversion and neutralisation of a large number of bodily toxins.
The palmitates, caffeine, and theobromine inside the coffee is absorbed in the colon through the portal and hepatic veins into the liver, where it circulates locally and increases the production of GST.
As the blood filters through the liver (all the blood in your circulatory system passes through your liver every 5 minutes) the coffee enema stimulates a sort of blood dialysis, because of the elevated levels of GST, where the liver is now cleansing the blood much more effectively than usual with the increase in this enzyme.
Coffee enemas are very powerful, and may even induce nausea the first few times as they encourage the release of deep seated toxicity.
PSYLLIUM INTESTINAL BROOM
Psyllium husk / bentonite clay / diatomaceous earth / activated charcoal (or whichever you have).
On your juice days / juice and fruit days / juice until dinner days, you may take a special mixture of psyllium husk that will help cleanse the intestinal walls.
You may take this up to 4 times per week if you’re doing the approaches mentioned above for that number of days (minimum quantity of juice on the days you take this mixture should be 3L).
Here is the recipe:
2tbsp psyllium husk
1tbsp bentonite clay or diatomaceous earth
1tsp activated charcoal
Mix well / shake with 400-500ml water or juice.
Again, it’s good if you can use actual tbsp and tsp measures here - they’re international units, used all over the world :)
Drink anytime during the day before taking solid food (on the days mentioned above).
You might see this mixture come out in your bowel movements or enemas, it may look like a strange ropey solid or semi solid mass in the shape of your intestines.
sauna
The skin is our largest eliminative organ, and a lot of our lymphatic waste can exit through the pores - and using a dry sauna (best) or steam room is a fantastic way to support the process of detoxification whilst fasting, because it gets us sweating and releasing toxins.
You also take some work off your kidneys by sweating out some of the liquid you’ve been drinking.
The astringency and hydration of the juices you’re drinking will be dissolving thick, stagnant lymphatic waste throughout the body, and what is close to the skin can be pushed out through the pores.
By clearing the lymphatic system closer to the skin, you’re also creating a viable pathway for your body to eliminate toxicity or waste that may be further away from other eliminative organs, or unable to get to those organs due to blockages in lymph nodes.
I suggest you go to the sauna or steam room when well hydrated, and take some fluids with you (coconut water, green juice, juices, lemon water with a pinch of salt) to make sure you stay well hydrated throughout the session.
Try to stay inside until you are sweating well, although don’t push yourself too far, especially if using a sauna is unfamiliar.
I also suggest doing multiple rounds in the sauna each time, stay in for as long as is manageable, come out, take a shower (can be cold, it feels amazing), then sit and wait for 5-15 minutes until you feel yourself cool down, then go for 1-3 more rounds.
Always stand up SLOWLY inside the sauna, blood pressure can drop due to the heat, particularly if you are someone who has weak kidneys or adrenal glands, so make sure you stand up slowly, and support yourself against something if necessary.
For anyone with skin issues, using a sauna is very likely to help you with your skin issues A LOT. You can go as regularly as you like, anywhere from 1-5 times per week.
neti pot
Cleaning and rehydrating our sinuses this way is so valuable for anyone who’s had issues with their sinuses or tonsils, or have experienced regular blocked nose, throat infections, headaches/head pressure over the years, for me it’s been life changing.
It’s also very helpful if you've been a smoker, or have taken recreational drugs (through your nose).
It’s also a useful practice for those who live in the city, or live in a dusty place.
Neti Procedure
Fill your neti pot with warm (clean – filtered, spring or distilled) saline water (use ½ - 1 tsp of fine salt for every 500ml of water).
Insert the spout into one nostril, tilt your head, and start to pour the water (or squeeze the bottle) into your nose.
Breath through your mouth.
For some people it isn’t a comfortable experience at all, for others it is very pleasant. For those who have really dry, damaged, or dehydrated sinuses, or a lot of toxic residue in there (particularly from smoking and drugs) – it may be a bit painful or sore.
As your sinus cavity fills, the water will start to flow out of your other nostril, allow the water to flow through your sinus cavity until the pot is empty.
You can remove the pot from your nose, and let out the water.
Repeat this process 1-5 times through each nostril, depending on how much attention your sinuses require.
This can be done regularly - daily, weekly, or whenever you feel you need it.