You spring clean your house once a year. You change the oil in you car every few months. You take out the garbage every week. You take a shower everyday. You have followed a routine of regularly cleaning out the clutter in your life. Everything on the outside looks good.

But what about the inside? Do you have a regular routine of cleaning out your body and mind? Find out on the next page ...

Do You Need to Detox? Take this Quiz

Answer Yes or No

1. I have 1-3 regular bowel movements everyday
2. I regularly exercise or have saunas 3 or more times a week
3. I eat organic vegetables and meats
4. I drink 2 L of water everyday
5. I take high quality nutritional supplements (vitamins, minerals) everyday
6. I have ways of expressing my emotions or relieving stress
7. I have not been exposed to pollution, radiation, chemicals etc
8. I don't have any medical disease or conditions (such as diabetes, cancer, depression, PMS, acne, obesity etc)
9. I'm not currently taking any medications
10. I've had my liver function assessed

Add up the number of "No" answers.

1-3: A mild detox or fine tuning of you diet and lifestyle would benefit you.
4-6: A detox would improve your immediate health and help prevent developing future conditions
7-10: A detox is strongly encouraged to treat your current condition, help reverse or slow down the progression of your health problems.

What Goes In, Must Come Out

Everyday of our life we expose our body and minds to chemicals, toxins and negative energy.
Physiologically, the normal processes of metabolism create free radicals that can potentially alter healthy cells. Abnormal cell function creates abnormal organ function.
Physically we eat, drink and breathe in artificial substances and we are exposed to negative energy such as radiation, electromagnetic waves and behaviours of others at home, work and in public.
Mentally we house negative emotions, stress, false beliefs and potentially destructive ways of thinking and behaving.
Our bodies store toxins in our cells. Toxin overload disrupts proper organ function, depletes energy, affects our moods and decreases our health.

These kinds of toxins directly contribute to the most common conditions:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Skin conditions: acne, eczema, psoriasis
• Women's health issues: PMS, menopause, infertility, irregular periods
• Men's health issues: Erectile dysfunction, prostate health
• Children's health issues: Learning disorders, ADD and behavioural problems, low self-esteem
• Depression and anxiety

Every Health Condition Will Benefit From a Proper Detox

There are many different ways to perform a detox. And there are different detox programs for different health conditions. Some detox programs require medical supervision to ensure patient safety.

As your naturopathic doctor, I will prescribe a safe and effective detoxification program that is specific to you--your current health condition, lifestyle and health goals. A successful detox can give you more energy, positively change your appearance and improve your health.

Detoxing is Not About Depriving Yourself

A successful detoxification program encourages elimination, movement and building on a physiological, physical and mental level.

These are examples on how we can achieve these things:

Elimination: Treat constipation, get rid of processed food, sugar and meat from your diet, ensure that organs are functioning properly, protect yourself from environmental sources of toxins, take homeopathic remedies to stimulate the body, express negative emotions
Movement: Increase water intake, add herbs to improve circulation, receive acupuncture to regulate organ function and increase energy flow, start cardiovascular exercise, do deep breathing exercises, be mindful of negative thinking
Build: Take vitamin & mineral supplements, add herbal tonics to build the immune system, eat nutrient rich food, start weight training, create positive affirmations and goals for the future