Most of us have heard about detoxing, but what does it involve and who suffers or benefits? Will a 7 day rapid cleansing regimen do the job or is a long term healthy lifestyle approach in your best interests?

The fact is that your body is always working to reduce toxic chemicals found in the food you eat, the fluids you drink and the air you breathe. In addition, your body makes potentially dangerous chemicals as a by-product of metabolism. Stress also increases the demands placed on your body.

Sometimes there are exciting clues about causes of illness – to me anyway! An elderly lady saw me some years ago saying that she had been itchy all her life. She vividly remembered her years at school because the nuns regularly used to inspect her hair for lice, but none were found.

The only time the itch disappeared was when, as an adult, she went on a strict vegetable juice diet – an extreme diet that I do not encourage any of you to test out! Was there a food allergy? I helped her test out various foods and together we proved that the itch came back every time she had wheat and disappeared when wheat was avoided.

Holistic medical treatment involves assessing for possible allergies, optimising your nutrition, dealing with emotional issues, improving intestinal function and balancing hormones.

The way I see it, you benefit most by addressing the common causes of health problems, rather than searching for a quick fix or miracle pill. As one of the pioneers of complementary medicine asked : “Do you really think a headache is due to a lack of Aspirin?”. Far from it! In fact, common causes of recurrent headaches include dehydration, tightness of neck joints, food intolerances, hormone imbalance and mineral deficiencies. All these causes can be helped.

Sure, many people do have better energy and less bloating, headaches or aching joints from a 7 day “rapid detox”. But why not start with a few simple changes to your lifestyle and look forward to 100 years of health, happiness and fun?

P .S.

You are welcome to forward this Newsletter to friends or colleagues. Previous newsletters and simple health tips that will help you slow down the ageing process and boost your energy are available at http://www.liveto100.com.au/freestuff.html

P.P.S.

Thank you to John for recommending me as a guest speaker at The Melbourne Beer and Beef Lunch Club last week. It is always fun to get out of my office and share my sugar coated messages with social clubs, businesses and organisations.

Author: Dr Peter Holsman - Holistic Doctor

Dr Peter Holsman is an energetic, imaginative and resourceful medical practitioner and naturopath who has dedicated his career to finding the secrets that will boost people's energy levels and slow down their ageing process.