Health & Wellbeing

Detox now for a healthy autumn

by Fiona Chapman

As we approach autumn and winter, we should be thinking of how to be as strong and healthy as possible to fight off all the lurgies which seem to surface once schools and colleges go back.

Giving your body the tools to fight off any infection starts with a good detox and September is the time to clear ourselves out, strengthening the immune system and nourishing the blood which feeds all the cells in our body.

Unfortunately doing a good detox does mean you have to give up coffee, alcohol, processed foods, dairy and sugar – but it is not for long and often, if you can do it, your body then does not need it and eating something sweet or processed becomes disgusting! Once all these have been eliminated from the diet, the detox can start.

First is a kidney flush, the juice of a lemon in warm water with cayenne tincture or powder – not much – first thing in the morning for a few days. (I actually do it most mornings as the lemon juice, once through the digestive process, is alkalising to the body).

Next comes a bowel cleanse. Both these are extremely important when detoxing. If you are not getting rid of the toxins and wastes in your body through the bowel or urine, it will be recycled and can become even more harmful, which leads to autotoxaemia, causing all sorts of problems.

The bowel cleanse consists of demulcent powders which protect your mucous membranes and bulk up the stool while stimulating the liver to produce bile and draw out the toxins.

This is run alongside a liver cleanse which is a delicious – I think – drink first thing in the morning which includes apple and lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, followed by a detox tea.

The tea is important as it helps clear the liver and kidneys by having a gentle laxative and diuretic effect but at the same time providing vitamins and minerals for the body.

The ‘tea’ is actually a decoction which contains lots of roots. The root is where the plant stores all its sugars and nutrients and they are only released through cooking, so it needs to boil for a couple of minutes and then simmer for at least 15, the end result being a very pleasant-tasting tea.

The whole process takes about a month, but it leaves the body clean and strong to face the next season. fiona@packapunchherbs.com

Before detoxing you need to give up coffee, alcohol, processed foods, dairy and sugar. PHOTO: Silvia/Pixabay

Meditations in nature: Sound of rain

by Susie Curtin

It’s mid to late August after the hottest summer I can recall. The landscape is yellow and parched, and there are places I barely recognise as the Dorset countryside. But this morning, I woke to the soft musical notes of rain, gently pitter-pattering on my garden below. It is 6.30am. I get up to see the fine straight rods of raindrops falling from the thundery greyness above. Apart from the rain, everywhere is still. The birds are singing elatedly, and the windless air is cool and welcoming. I gather my waterproof and step out to the sound of gentle popping noises on my hood, and the sweet smell of rain on the ground. I can almost hear the land sighing with relief. For some reason, I feel quite excited – perhaps it is the distant sound of thunder and the promise of a storm. Or maybe it is because it is a long time since I was last out in the rain.

This summer has been extraordinary under the cloudless skies and searing heat. I have always loved the sunshine. Whatever the season, a bright sunny day always calls me outside. But when such hot, fine weather continues unabated, it begins to feel wrong – this is not the British summer of yesteryear. We usually make our plans with our fingers crossed for good weather as predictability and English summers do not go hand in hand.

Rain is nearly always perceived as a negative component in art and literature. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Feste’s song reminds us that our festivities are only short-lived intervals – thereafter ‘it raineth every day’, a symbol of life’s hardship. But like most things, it all depends on your perspective. I look back rather ashamedly when I remember how I would sit at my mother’s kitchen table grumbling about yet another rainy day when my boys and I wanted to be on the beach. With infinite patience she would remind me that without the rain, we would not live in such a beautiful country, and that when she lived in Africa, people would pray for the rains to come. And when they did, all forms of life would flourish. She loved it.

If she were here today, I would, for once, agree with her sentiment. Even in those days, I had to admit to her how much I enjoyed flying home to Britain and seeing Blake’s ‘green and pleasant land’. For now, I am happy to be striding out as the raindrops get heavier, and I think of all the good they are doing and the life they will replenish. Dr Susie Curtin (email curtin.susanna@gmail.com)

Rain is nearly always perceived as a negative component in art and literature. PHOTO: Roman Grac/ Pixabay

Health & Wellbeing

Take stock: It’s time to review where you’re heading...

by Alice Johnsen

It’s mid-August as I write. The heatwave rages on and we’ve all stopped assuming it will rain soon. This summer has sharpened our focus on climate change and the lifestyles we will need to adapt to survive.

While it can be uncomfortable to make change, change is good. More than good – it’s essential for us to keep surviving successfully. At the start of this year, I set out my own goals for my business. Some of them are on track, others less so, having got lost in the distraction of everyday life or becoming less relevant. By the time you read this, the school holidays will be drawing to a close and I think the start of a new academic year is as good a time as any to consider how your plan is turning out – are you on track, is it all still working?

While goals are for the most part helpful, they are there to serve us, not the other way round. We should not become slaves to the goals or targets we set for ourselves. When that happens, the anxiety produced as a byproduct is distracting, draining and time-wasting. If a goal is causing those symptoms, it probably needs revising. Or the tools you are using to reach that goal need reviewing.

A goal in itself can be a good thing but it needs a story around it. Why are you aiming towards that particular goal? Why is this the right time in your life/business/relationship/ training? How will you know when you have achieved it and what will it lead you on to? Does it sit well with your life now or is it a standalone idea, potentially a standalone distraction?

One last thought about goals. A big goal will quickly seem unobtainable when times are tough. It becomes too easy to give up on what you are trying to achieve. To prevent this, keep your goals small or – with a big goal to aim for, such as qualifying for a regional level sports team – break it down. Create smaller steps you can work through to take you to that goal. Give thought as to how you can recognise when you have achieved each step so your mini-successes build to motivate you towards the big success. That way, you build a feeling of having a positive

Keep your goals small or, with a big goal to aim for, break it down. PHOTO: Alexa/Pixabay

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