Detox – healthy answer or myth?

There was an interesting article recently in one of the national papers suggesting that detox is a myth, as there is no scientific evidence of the toxins within the body or that the organs are damaged by them. The article was, in particular, questioning the benefits of detox products which are growing in number and perhaps especially in the New Year.

According to the article, while we all love the idea of being squeaky clean, there is (at present?) no scientific proof that this can actually physically happen.

On the other side of course are the many thousands of personal stories from people who have cleaned up their diet and lifestyle and changed their health often including cleanses and detox programmes and products.

Natural answers
At Harvest we think this is a beautiful example of how natural health gets confusing.

Is a detox really about some exotic ingredient recipe that with a magic wand can undo the last six days/weeks/months/years/decades of fast living with a wave of its wand and five days later there is a new you?

We can look at detox as another word for bringing balance (homeostasis) back to our body. This may mean after the holiday period we stop or take a break from foods and drinks that leave us out of balance i.e. hangovers, skin eruptions, weight gain, not sleeping and low energy. This might include reducing common holiday indulgences of binge alcohol drinking to eating half a box of chocolates in a day! Simply stopping them could be termed a detox and after five days we could feel much better.

Food for thought
Of course what we put in our body is as important as what we leave out. Very few people think of food in terms of fuel and how it makes our body function; it tends to be more about what we enjoy to eat in the moment. Our advice is to combine the two!

Science tends to look at each of us as the same working machine blueprint and looking at the averages for evidence. But actually those small but crucial differences, making each of us unique, are worth finding out when it comes to natural health. Armed with this knowledge you can then choose the correct foods (fuel) for your body. The internet is now home to thousands of food bloggers who freely or through inspiring books share their own recipes for making foods (fuel) taste good at every meal. Harvest magazine is delighted to share some of these inspirational recipes and resources with you; in issue two we have delicious winter soup recipes and some tasty uses for current superfood king – kale.

Detox is also about improving the elimination channels of the body. Again scientific evidence may not show that actual material toxins build up but speak to anyone who is constipated and they are not feeling great inside. Dehydration (lack of fluids) is often the oh so simple answer to many common health symptoms and is part of the elimination process of the kidneys. The body has several important in-built elimination channels for a reason and it makes logical sense to ensure these are working well. There are many natural products that encourage elimination often under the general term of 'detox'.

Lastly natural healing looks at the whole person. How you move, think, feel and what makes your heart sing. A detox should include reducing stress, resting, moving and working in balance and creating more joy in your heart and life.

New year, new you
So, as we start another new year perhaps consider what improvements we want to make to our physical and mental wellbeing. Here at Harvest we refer to these as ‘upgrades’ rather than a detox. Our approach is to upgrade the support and nourishment we give to ourselves on every level. You may include and explore detox products always looking for signs of change and improvement. Or you may wish to simply create new lifestyle changes that you explore such as including a new food.

Just like the changing seasons we find that our health is constantly changing in response to life and so with our upgrades we don’t follow any hard and fast rules; we simply assess where we are right now and what we can improve.

So what do you think – do you use and benefit from detox products? Or do you agree with the scientists and suspect it is all hype?

Issue one of Harvest has landed!

We're delighted and very proud to announce that the first issue of Harvest magazine has arrived! It's packed full of seasonal in-depth articles to help you lead a simpler, more natural lifestyle. We will encourage you to be inspired, stretch your mind, improve your life.

In the Autumn 2014 issue there are articles on the herbal powers of sage, how to fight off your next cold, the goodness in garlic and how to find happiness by identifying your personal values. 

The team paused briefly to raise a toast to health and happiness and indulged in a little bubbly and cake, before settling back down to work on the next issue, out mid-December. 

"We're so excited!"

Afterwards, Harvest's Editor Joanne Oliver and designer Claire Barrett were overcome with a mix of relief and excitement and took a few moments under the tree on the green outside Harvest HQ in Tackley, Oxfordshire to enjoy a longer look through the magazine in its full, printed glory.

About Harvest

Harvest is about the whole person, not just your physical wellbeing. We've got a range of inspiring and informative articles to make you feel happier and healthier inside and out.

Get your copy

Harvest is only available by subscription. Join today and you'll get four issues delivered direct to your door, plus an extra issue free in your first year. And, to celebrate our launch, you can save a little bit too with code BUBBLY10.

Having a plan

I wish I’d realised how important a flexible plan or strategy is to success. I would have saved myself from feeling as though I was trying everything, but still not getting any results. It is so easy to get caught up in following the crowd, or falling for a great sales pitch, especially when it comes to health and wellbeing. However, the truth is a well thought-out plan that suits you as an individual and is the only way to find what works for you.

A plan or strategy brings us focus and, with enough focus, we can move mountains. The secret is to keep it fluid and flexible and adapt it to our own unique needs and circumstances.

When a plan can help
Many people who come to see me are taking a large assortment of over-the-counter supplements and alternative remedies, never quite sure if any of them are working. Others hop from one suggestion to another every few days, not giving any of them a chance to work. Kitchen cupboards are stocked with each of the latest health fad foods, all barely used and already forgotten. Others read up on everything to do with natural health, but never get around to actually putting their research into action. 

This is when a plan can help - even a very simple one.

It can make a huge difference if you can see an experienced natural health practitioner. They will teach you about your own body and provide you with an individual plan and method. The real bonus with this is that you are not so tempted to buy or follow the latest product – unless it supports what you personally need.

Meal planning
If you decide you want to take control of your own health, start with a plan.

Perhaps you decide to try cutting out a certain food. Taking 30 minutes to come up with a few meal ideas will make it much easier to follow this through. You can keep it very simple by rotating just a few meal options – and it will feel less stressful. Over time you can explore new ideas.

You can do the same meal planning when including a new food. For instance some people do not have enough protein and so it becomes easier for them if they plan their meals around the protein portion of each meal.

Adding a new action into our day can be helped with a simple plan. Increasing water consumption can be a difficult habit to get into. A simple plan can help: perhaps using an app reminder/tracker on your phone, making a plan to fill a container each morning to be consumed by a certain time, or finding a fun way of rewarding your water drinking. When you follow a basic plan the whole process becomes much easier on a daily basis.

Plans can change
Sometimes a plan on paper is not so easy or enjoyable to actually do on a practical level. This is when being flexible and adaptable will help. Maybe you need to tweak your plan so that it works for you.

For instance starting the day with lemon water is very popular, but my body just does not enjoy this drink first thing in the morning. Instead I really enjoy my lemon water in the evening. While some of the benefits may be lost, if I plan to drink it at a time that suits my body I'm more likely to stick to this plan and so gain more benefits in the long run.

After all, receiving long-term benefits is the ultimate goal.

The natural route to good health

Many people are sceptical but hopeful that they can improve their health and happiness with natural methods. Deep down there is something that feels so right about simply using easy natural ways to look after and improve our health.

Yet why do some people seem to get amazing results using a natural alternative method and others none at all? Is it all just in the mind? These were the questions I asked myself both on a personal level and in my own clinic.

These days natural solutions are advertised on a large scale and the general public is much more open-minded and willing to ‘give it a go’. But results are often mixed. For every really great story of how natural or alternative methods worked there are other stories with less positive outcomes.

However, modern medicine has the exact same challenge. Some people respond well, others have side effects, others no improvements.

What does this mean? Why does one person respond well while another person has little or no result?

Finding the answers
I’m certainly not claiming to have all the answers - in fact after 20 years of practical research there is still so much more to learn and understand. Right now inspiring people are developing more and more potential answers to help us live healthier and happier lives. The knowledge, methods and products to do this are already available and constantly being improved.

What I found to be missing is how you can access the right information – without studying and exploring for nearly 20 years like I have! What also seems to be needed is a set of guidelines - a map and compass if you like - that anyone can follow and benefit from. All of my work, clinic, teaching and publishing are based around providing this information in a way that can help everyone.

Results with Harvest magazine
With Harvest magazine, we set out to fill that void and bring you answers, providing you with a thoughtful and experienced resource. Harvest magazine will deliver to your home the knowledge and views of a range of experts four times a year. We want you to get the most out of the information in order to achieve the results you want.

Over the next 9 weeks I will share with you my best tips, discovered through working with clients, to help you get results. They are the missing pieces that we either never hear about or disregard because they seem too simple. I promise you that if you follow and understand these you can transform your own health and happiness.

If you cultivate an open, curious mind and remind yourself of the points I will share here each week, your journey to create better health and energy will have a great head start. As you will see, the answers I found are not specific actions or products. Instead they represent a different approach and outlook to our whole body and way of life.

Over the years these simple guidelines have never changed. But I have now developed them in many ways and discovered many more. I hope you will join us at Harvest, so together we can continue down the exciting path of creating our own happiness and health.