Spring Cleaning!

Healthy Living     by Dr. Scott Brunengraber

Spring is upon us!  Get out the brooms, swiffers, storage containers from the attic…it’s time for spring cleaning!  Sure, we all go through some sort of spring cleaning this time of year as we emerge from winter.  We are anticipating the warmer weather and need to make room for all the various necessities that accompany this time in our lives.

But what about ourselves?  Like your house, garage and work areas, our bodies and minds require a periodic rejuvenation too.  A mental, physical and emotional spring cleaning is exactly what the doctor ordered and will help you optimize your health and well-being.

Our bodies have a mechanism already built into us that facilitates cleaning.  Imagine a Roomba automatic vacuum that can shuttle away dirt and grit from any part of your house…as long as you get out of it’s way!  That’s the key to cleaning, or to use a popular term, detoxifying.  We must get out of our own way in order for our cleaning and detoxifying system to do it’s job. 

Now while there are a myriad of different cleansing and detox programs, there are a few key points that are pretty universal when it comes to taking stress of your system and giving it a better chance of healing.

• Drink MORE WATER!  The rule of thumb is ½ your body weight in ounces.  So, a 140 lb. individual would consume approximately 70 oz. per day of filtered, clean water. 
• Upon waking, drink 5-6oz of WARM water with half a lemon squeezed in.  This is to help your body’s digestiveb and ph balancing process prime themselves for the day.
• Add 4oz of PURE CRANBERRY juice to your water intake. Dilute it in 24-30oz of water (this is part of your overall water consumption for the day)   Do NOT use cranberry cocktail…that is mostly sugar.  Pure 100% cranberry is packed with essential vitamins, minerals and other attributes that contribute to a healthy system.  This does not have to be consumed all at once. You will start to urinate more but THAT IS PART OF THE PROCESS.  Proper elimination is key to detoxifying!
• Add more and more vegetables to your diet.  Green leafy veggies, crunchy cruciferous veggies and root vegetables are all healthy additions to your diet. (STAY AWAY FROM WHITE POTATOES)
• Moderate your fruit intake.  Fruit does contain natural sugar, but it’s still sugar.  Go easy on the fruit and up your veggies instead.
• Add nuts and seeds to your diet.  Unsalted and raw.  Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax…all are healthy choices.
• Fat is good for you!  Avocado, olive oil, coconut oil.  Use of these fat containing vegetables and oils are a healthy part of your diet.
• Eliminate your stimulants like coffee and energy drinks.  These tax your adrenal system and will not help.  Green tea is OK to drink.
• Eliminate grain-based carbohydrates.  Yes that means bread.  And pasta.  And yes, cereal.  These items are often a source of inflammation on a cellular level and remember, we want to REMOVE as much stress to our systems as possible.
• Utilize only clean proteins.  Anything named “farm raised” is generally junk.  Wild game, grass-fed beef/bison, wild-caught fish and fowl are your best bets for clean proteins.  Chicken can be consumed, but source the best pasture raised poultry you can.  Chickens are fed a lot of grain in their diet and what they eat, you eat.
• CATCH YOUR Zzzzzzz’s.  Aim for 8hours of uninterrupted sleep in a dark room.  No TV on…no night light…draw your shades/curtains closed.  The brain goes into healing mode when we are sleeping…don’t deprive yourself of this necessary function!

These are just some basic rules to follow when attempting your own spring cleaning.  The typical detox/cleansing period should be NO LESS than 21 days. It takes a few weeks for your inflammation to calm down from any toxicities in your diet and environment.  We are giving the body the TIME to detox and removing any unnecessary STRESS so that it can be as effective as possible.

As with any program, consult with your physician prior to starting to address any medical/health issues you may have.   Knowledge of your health, including any food allergies, is ESSENTIAL.   It goes without saying that professional guidance is needed, at the very least, to get you started with cleansing and detoxifying.  Obtaining a basic blood panel and filling out a stress questionnaire will help tailor your program to your goals.

You can reach Dr. Brunengraber directly by emailing  [email protected]