Kick start a healthy 2011 with a ten-day detox!

Everyone is familiar with the cleanse, tone and moisturise routine for the skin to get rid of dirt and grime, even if we're all guilty of taking short cuts from time to time, ahem, not pointing the finger at anyone in particular. But what about a cleanse routine for your body? After a sluggish and not so perky start to 2011, maybe it was time to find out. “Cleaning out the old gunk from the body is really important for people,†Susan Reynolds of Au Naturel, Payne's Lane, Athlone, told me as she showed me the wide range of products available to do just that, before recommending a mid-priced 10-day detox called Flor-Essence. “It's good to give the body a cleanse, maybe twice a year depending on your lifestyle,†she pointed out, adding that it's a great way to get rid of pollutants, chemicals and bad stuff we're all exposed to on a daily basis. “A lot of people can feel sluggish and tired at this time of the year and this is a way to get rid of that feeling. It can also be a kickstart for losing weight or a more healthy regime,†Susan, who has run the popular Athlone healthfood shop for close to seven years, advised. “If you cleanse beforehand it'll work a lot better because all of the toxins are gone. It cleans up liver, cleanses and purifies the kidneys and it should give you more energy.†So what's in Flor-Essence that manages to do all these things? Well, it's origins go back to the Native Americans and in particular, the Ojibway tribe, who developed and used the herbal tea blend for generations before it was passed on to a Canadian nurse Rene Caisse in the 1920s. The powerful cleansing formula is made of eight different herbs, including some new names that I hadn't heard of before, things like burdock root, which is known as a blood purifier, sheep sorrel, slippery elm to aid the digestive system, Turkish rhubarb, which is said to have anti-inflammatory effects, while red clover and blessed thistle are known for their detoxifying effects on the liver. Kelp, a dried form of seaweed is rich in iodine and is often beneficial to the glandular functions in the body, with watercress boosting Vitamin A and C levels. So armed with my potion bottle and plenty of advice, I left the shop determined to give the 10-day detox a try, no bad thing given that my energy levels could certainly do with a boost after a rough January. It's quite easy to do, you drink the Flor-Essence diluted in boiling water, much like a regular herbal tea, and having tasted many of them, it was certainly better than most and quite nice to taste. Susan explained that it's best taken first thing in the morning or last thing at night on an empty stomach, and for it to work abstaining from alcohol for the duration is a must. Of course, naturally enough cutting down on coffee and teas, drinking more water and eating a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables in conjunction with Flor-Essence will maximise the benefits and lessen any potential side effects. Being a night owl, I took my tea before bed and I didn't notice any major effects for a few days except for a few extra visits to the loo. I did get slight headaches a little later in the process, a common side effect of the detox process, and a few spots but nothing major, thankfully. As a person known to be a little too enthusiastic about food, thereby wolfing it down and suffering the consequences, I certainly noticed how gentle the formula was on the digestion, suffering no upset tummys or indigestion at all while taking Flor-Essence. Its stomach soothing properties were confirmed by Susan Reynolds, who explained it can be fantastic for people with digestion issues like ulcers, colitis and a whole host of other conditions, while also boosting antioxidants in the body. Some experts argue that there is no need for detox products or diets as the body is designed to expel toxins and gunk anyway, but Susan is not of that view. “If you live in a pollution free environment, eat no processed foods and live like, say the Amish you may not need a detox,†but for everyone else a cleanse once or twice year is highly recommended. “There are few people out there who don't need a detox,†she smiled. However, she is not a fan of the quick fix on the detox or cleansing front. “There are many one or three day detox products out there but in my opinion, they put the body under too much pressure and are not good for the body. Ten days is a very good length of time for an effective detox and the feedback for Flor-Essence is very good. It's really a perfect mix, it's soothing on the digestion and tastes like a herbal tea,†she enthused. There were plenty of early mornings and late nights during my trial timeframe, possibly not the most conducive to a healthy outcome but certainly a test of the essence and its bona fides. It just happened to be a particularly busy period on the work and homefront, and while I was tired from it all, I wasn't drained or moany, noticing more energy and a trouble free stomach for the duration. Like many people usually times of stress manifest themselves in tummy issues but not so this time, perhaps there is something to this idea of a spring clean for the body after all!