If you have that overwhelming tired and run down feeling maybe it’s time you took your health into your own hands by detoxifying your body. The alternative is a visit to the doctor and maybe getting a prescription for a drug that’s really not all that effective. Or you could just do nothing and moan to yourself about feeling bad.

We all have hectic lives and we usually put our general health on the back burner while we take care of business and family needs. Missing meals, eating junk food, going home and collapsing into bed instead of getting some exercise and fulfilling recreation, and finally drifting off into a fitful sleep is a well-known scenario.

There are ways to make yourself feel better without taking drastic measures. A natural detox will get your body back into a balanced state and your mind into a more positive attitude.

First, pay attention to the amount of water you are drinking. It probably isn’t enough. There’s plenty to go round and not only does it help your body in its natural detoxification processes but it always feels good. Try it and see. Make a point of drinking a glass of water after each meal and one between meals.

Water gathers the toxic substances in your body as it passes through. The more you drink, the quicker you get rid of any poisonous stuff. If you drink a reasonable quantity of water your body will be engaging in detoxing more often. There’s something else about water that you might not know. If you have a glass ten minutes before eating you will get that full feeling quicker and the need to eat will be satisfied. A cheap and effective way to lose weight.

Water helps the body to look after itself but there are substances that get into your system and stop it from functioning well. If you can cut down, even eliminate substances like alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, you will be giving your lungs, kidneys, skin and lymphatic systems so much less work to do. You might feel that giving up your vices will take away your enjoyment of life, but take it from me, these substances are addictive and once you are free from them, you won’t miss them.

So, how do you begin to change long-standing habits and a devotion to addictive substances? Simple. You get out of your normal routine for a day or two. If you are seriously trying to break a nicotine or caffeine addiction a week away from temptation would be better. You don’t have to live on the top of a mountain, just staying with a friend who leads a clean life would do. Or just get in a supply of healthy food and some mind-numbing videos and don’t answer the phone for a day or three. If you are determined to feel better, it’s not that difficult.

Fad diets or belief in the detoxing properties of certain foods or herbs is not necessary to lead a cleaner life, but the structure of a detox regime might help you to get through the effort of changing your lifestyle. You could go on a two-day juice or water fast to kick off your freedom from bad habits and to get yourself into a healthy frame of mind.

There are many methods available that claim to help us detox the body. The most direct way is to identify the toxins that you are putting into your body and stop putting them there. Nicotine, alcohol and caffeine are the most widespread toxins but there are other substances that we actively or passively introduce into our bodies.

The stopping of smoking, coffee drinking or imbibing alcohol can be done all at once but to most people that is too ambitious. The addictive elements contained in these substances will leave the body within a day or two of our stopping the smoking
or drinking but force of habit and reminders in our social lives will make it almost impossible to give up our vices all at once.

Part of giving up taking toxic substances into our bodies entails examining the food we eat. If we cut out junk food we can work out a balanced diet containing only fruit and vegetables or sensible amounts of meat and dairy products. You can make the change simply by changing what is on your shopping list or by undergoing a detox diet for a few days.

You could choose to eat raw foods exclusively. During your detox diet you will be buying or making your own sugar-free juices from carrots, spinach, celery, broccoli and other fresh ingredients. Water is also an important part of a detox diet. About a gallon a day seems to be a common recommendation but I can’t find how this quantity came to be advised.

One group of products that should be included in a natural detox routine are anti oxidants. There are teas you can buy in health food stores that are supposed to encourage detoxification. There’s no science behind this idea, just folk wisdom, but the taste and the ritual appeal to some people. If cleansing teas appeal to you green tea is highly recommended for its antioxidants as are alfalfa, cascara, horsetail, irish moss, slippery elm, witch hazel and yucca root.

A word of warning about antioxidants. There is some scientific evidence that overly enthusiastic use of antioxidant supplements could lessen the benefits of exercise.

One of the more pleasant and relaxing methods of detoxing your body naturally is through sweating. If you sweat you lose some toxins through the skin. That’s the theory anyway, even though science has never found any evidence that a large amount of toxic substance is released through sweat. But sitting in a steam bath sure feels good.

Another way of inducing sweat is exercise. This has the added advantage of keeping you occupied so that your thoughts don’t turn towards idle pursuits involving junk food, nicotine, coffee or booze. Exercise also carries other benefits for your health so it would be useful to spend some time and attention of maintaining and exercise regime.