Last day before the cleanse and I pulled out the supplement stash to look for the detox herbs. It's not a bad idea to add a detox tea or a few supplements if you like them. I'm iffy on supplements. In the brilliant book "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan, rule 40 states:
"Be the kind of person who takes supplements - then skip the supplements.
We know that people who take supplements are generally healthier than the rest of us, and we also know that in controlled studies most of the supplements they take don't appear to be effective. How can this be? Supplement takers are healthy for reasons that have nothing to do with the pills. They're typically more health conscious, better educated, and more affluent. They're also more likely to exercise and eat whole grains. So to the extent you can, be the kind of person who would take supplements, and then save your money."
Then he adds:
"(There are exceptions to this rule, for people who have a specific nutrient deficiency or are older than 50. As we age, our need for antioxidants increases while our body's ability to absorb them from the diet declines. And if you don't eat much fish, it couldn't hurt to take a fish oil supplement too..)"
This mirrors my experience. I've bought a lot of supplements, but I'm very unfaithful about taking them, because on a regular schedule, I don't really find they make much difference. Yet, when I'm feeling run down, or I'm teaching a lot, taking a handful of pills for a few days does seem to perk me up again, especially a plant based iron supplement like Floradix, plus the B vitamins, D, and the fish oil supplements. Although when I am pill popping, I generally add a mix of whatever is in the cupboard at the time. Right now I've got a collection of Chinese herbs to boost my cooling yin energy, several different things for balancing hormones in menopause, a few that are supposed to keep my skin looking younger, and a large collection of things to protect us from cedar fever that I bought during an episode of cedar-fever paranoia 2 seasons ago, includ a couple of detoxing / immune boosting herbs: burdock root and dandelion.
Because they are there, I'll take them through the weekend, starting today, and ending on Monday. 5 days oughta do it.
If you are interested in adding an additional boost to your weekend detox, maybe to target one part of the body that gives you a hard time, here are a few of the major players in the detox world:
MILK THISTLE (liver),
DANDELION (gall bladder and kidneys),
PSYLLIUM SEEDS (intestines),
BURDOCK ROOT (antiviral),
STEAMED NETTLES,
GARLIC (bacteria)
CASCARA SAGRADA (colon).
Party on.
"Be the kind of person who takes supplements - then skip the supplements.
We know that people who take supplements are generally healthier than the rest of us, and we also know that in controlled studies most of the supplements they take don't appear to be effective. How can this be? Supplement takers are healthy for reasons that have nothing to do with the pills. They're typically more health conscious, better educated, and more affluent. They're also more likely to exercise and eat whole grains. So to the extent you can, be the kind of person who would take supplements, and then save your money."
Then he adds:
"(There are exceptions to this rule, for people who have a specific nutrient deficiency or are older than 50. As we age, our need for antioxidants increases while our body's ability to absorb them from the diet declines. And if you don't eat much fish, it couldn't hurt to take a fish oil supplement too..)"
This mirrors my experience. I've bought a lot of supplements, but I'm very unfaithful about taking them, because on a regular schedule, I don't really find they make much difference. Yet, when I'm feeling run down, or I'm teaching a lot, taking a handful of pills for a few days does seem to perk me up again, especially a plant based iron supplement like Floradix, plus the B vitamins, D, and the fish oil supplements. Although when I am pill popping, I generally add a mix of whatever is in the cupboard at the time. Right now I've got a collection of Chinese herbs to boost my cooling yin energy, several different things for balancing hormones in menopause, a few that are supposed to keep my skin looking younger, and a large collection of things to protect us from cedar fever that I bought during an episode of cedar-fever paranoia 2 seasons ago, includ a couple of detoxing / immune boosting herbs: burdock root and dandelion.
Because they are there, I'll take them through the weekend, starting today, and ending on Monday. 5 days oughta do it.
If you are interested in adding an additional boost to your weekend detox, maybe to target one part of the body that gives you a hard time, here are a few of the major players in the detox world:
MILK THISTLE (liver),
DANDELION (gall bladder and kidneys),
PSYLLIUM SEEDS (intestines),
BURDOCK ROOT (antiviral),
STEAMED NETTLES,
GARLIC (bacteria)
CASCARA SAGRADA (colon).
Party on.
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