Detox

It is not only what we do during cleansing that results in a healthier, happier state of the body, but what we do after cleansing that determines the longevity or transience of any changes we undergo. Properly coming off a cleanse is a vital stage for achieving cleansing success. In all stages of a cleanse, patience is key to honoring the time that it takes for the body to metabolize the toxins lodged in our deep tissues, so the ama can return to the central digestive tract to be excreted.

Maintaining the health of your body on a cellular level takes an orchestration of several lifestyle factors – with diet being one of the most impactful. Why? Because every morsel of food you put into your body becomes a part of the framework of your biology.

For the Ask Dr. Sheila column, Dr. Sheila Patel, Chopra’s Chief Medical Officer, answers questions from our community. If you have a general question for Sheila around health and wellness, please send an email to askdrsheila@chopra.com, and your question may be the one she answers next.

Hopefully you enjoyed the holidays with friends and family, celebrated the season, and ate some of your favorite foods.

More people are aware than ever before of how many meanings the word “toxic” has. The subject of detoxification was completely ignored when I was in medical school, but the most recent research connects blood toxins and chronic inflammation, suddenly opening up new avenues for preventing lifestyle disorders like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and perhaps even many cancers years before symptoms appear.

During transitions between any season, it is an ideal time to sit back and reflect on what may be out of balance in our lives, then take steps to restore our equilibrium.

Every month, Dr. Suhas will answer questions from our followers about men’s health and wellness. If you have general questions for him, please send us an email to askdrsuhas@chopra.com, and your question may be the one he answers next month.

Most people think of a detox as a superficial process. You change your diet, take supplements, or abstain from harmful substances, and the body does the rest. I am an advocate of all of these things. Unfortunately, many of my patients have health concerns that go beyond a poor diet. They need a multifaceted approach to rid their bodies of excess toxins so that they can function optimally.

With so much COVID-19 information coming at you from every direction, it may be difficult to find peace within. Now is the perfect time to do a mental detox of anything that isn’t serving you.