Late last year I was diagnosed with the early symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis … for anyone this is a major blow. For me it felt greater. My whole belief system and work orientation is the mind / body connection and how mental and emotional responses affect the physical state and therefore disease. Rheumatoid is considered an ‘autoimmune’ condition – medically, your own immune system attacks your own body … self-rejection came to mind and this I could not or would not accept.

So I asked the heavens … actually I screamed “If this is real and I am attacking my own body then fine, I’ve got some issues to deal with. BUT, if it’s not real and there’s a different theory TELL ME … SHOW ME so I can go and figure it out!!”

The next day I was shopping for a book for a friend’s birthday. I walked out of the shop without her birthday pressie and instead with a book called the ‘Medical Medium’. I’d walked in, picked it up and bought it within a minute … usually I’m a slow motion book browser!

Reading this book showed me that the context of the condition wasn’t necessarily as I’d thought or how the Medical establishment currently assume it to be – rightly or wrongly. I won’t go into the details of the book because basically if you have a chronic condition then you really should read it. This book is however beginning to change many people’s lives. There’s some revelationary info on the underlying causes of some of the most common diseases and a reinforced message on how to completely overhaul your immune system. It gave me hope that there wasn’t a line written underneath this condition which labelled a life of pain, limitation and frustration.

My Mum has suffered with a variation of this disease since she was in her early 40’s – my age. It took a long time to diagnose and I’ve seen that her once, very active life shrink around her with pain, suffering and fear. Her life became a series of medicinal concoctions with adverse side effects and a slowly fading belief that she could overcome it – she believed she would be THE medical marvel that defied this disease. She has made significant progress due to diet and lifestyle changes but sadly this disease has defined her for many years. So if she wasn’t going to be a medical marvel then I’ve decided I will!

So with the threat of a life living in granny shoes and trainers,  I have now planned that from Monday I’m embarking on a super immune boosting detox. Mixed reactions from y’all maybe in that some off you are thinking ‘ooh scary, I couldn’t do it’; others, ‘what a load of crock’ and then some of you perhaps are thinking ‘I really need to do that!’ …

Whatever your thought processes are regarding the sense or science in the ‘detox’, for me they work and they work in many different ways. I’ve done a few over the past 8 years or so, usually the same one but it’s been a little too long coming for this one and it needs to be a little more hardcore. Sometimes I’ve done a month, sometimes a couple of weeks or even a few days. Either way they’re a positive solution to many negative physical and emotional responses to modern life and a great way to get you back on track.

This time I’m combining Jason Vales Juice Plan with those suggestionns of the Medical Medium for healing & immune boosting . This is because I need specific supplements and I know I’ll miss chewing! I’d also like to sit at the table and eat from a plate with my family occasionally!

Around the time I bought THE book, Jason Vales juice plan kept springing up – good marketing maybe or another nudge in a certain direction. I was aware of him and his plans but I wasn’t new to juicing and regularly had smoothies for brekky; I didn’t think I needed to read his book. When I eventually went back to buy said friends birthday pressie I came out with his book – go figure!

 I read it, felt it and knew it and then a couple of weeks later a lovely client of mind came in for a session telling me she was prepping for his juice plan starting the following week. I wasn’t going to be let off the hook.
So why am I only getting to the detox now? Because of busyness and headspace and knowing I needed to get my mental strength focused. You can’t successfully detox and significantly adjust your diet without psychological preparation can you …? Thought I’d add that it’s now Friday, I start Monday and I’m writing this with a milky coffee by my side! Realistically I should’ve been off the dairy and caffeine a week ago … ;-/

There is also an energetic resonance that I must feel when it’s time to detox. This means that my internal energies must be able to be supported by the external seasonal energies of the earth. My spirit needs to feel this cleansing as much if not more than my body and my mind.

An article in this months Kindred Spirit magazine by Naturopath Kirsten Hartvig sums it up very well … “Towards the end of Winter, light returns and life begins to focus on cleansing and renewal. The days grow longer and the urge to clean and clear out the darkness internal and external, becomes stronger … Spring is a natural time for cleansing and rejuvenation, spiritual as well as physical.”

She also goes on to say “Nature serves up a wealth of detoxifying greens filled with vitamins, min

erals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients to recharge our batteries … If we restrict our calorie intake at this time, the body has a chance to use up some of its fat reserves …Digest
ing, absorbing and metabolizing food uses a considerable amount of energy, restricting food intake allows resources to be channelled into a process of healing …the body decomposes and burns diseased, damaged, old and dead cells and tissues first.”

This process also supports emotional healing and cleansing allowing the stored energy of buried pain, hurt or trauma to begin to be released and therefore healed.

Someone recently spoke to myself as part of a group with the opinion that if you have too much salt, sugar, alcohol, dairy, wheat etc then just cut down or cut it out, why do the detox thing? I can only speak for myself but by going through this cleansing process I am offering my mind, body AND soul incredible opportunities to rest, heal, rebalance and release.

I eat very well, too well and that ‘well’ includes loads of fresh organic foods – meat, fruit, vegetables, dairy, grains, nuts … deliciously baked things and the nicest wines! ALL the best stuff – but at times it’s too much good stuff and my body becomes easily congested. It’s also been a problem for me in that my feet have been the significant factor in my prognosis. This has prevented me from running, hill walking and being as active as I used to and doing the things I love. My energy has also become compromised as a result of this and more than a few pounds have hit the trunk!!

I’m a very mentally active person and I need to keep myself grounded especially with my energy work and healing. The right foods and exercise keep me balanced and leave less of a stressful imprint. On a cellular level I feel I need a breather, everything feels like it needs to take a deep breath and a big sigh. My cells need to completely flush, hydrate and then chill for a while.

Life has been a little full on over the last couple of years and I know that I’m still carrying some of that stress. Reducing the stressful impact of what I consume will contribute significantly to the process of letting it go. If the body is already under stress from external factors it doesn’t take much to increase the load. If you can imagine a bridge carrying a full capacity loading and the pressure begins to create some cracks it could be the bike that breaks the bridge … the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak!

I’m not going to tell you how to detox or even that you should and neither am I going to preach on the benefits. However, what I will say is that in my experience I feel energized and revitalized when I do. My mind becomes clearer and more focused. My energy feels purer and I am more connected to all that flows through me and not from me. I lose the excess pounds, I sleep better and I am more patient, calm and centred. My skin glows (after the initial shock of withdrawal ) and I remember what it’s like to radiate light … just saying!

So why am I telling you all of this? Categorically to remind ME of why I’m doing this. There will be many times during the next few weeks when I will return to this and read it and remind myself of the importance, the relevance, the necessity and the hope that is driven by it. Detoxing / Cleansing or whatever else you may wish to call it, can, at times be very difficult and psychologically challenging. This is MY reminder of WHY I’m doing it … and perhaps just why YOU should do it too!

Here’s to vitality and my nettle smoothie 

Love y’all in all your radiant light!

Steph xx

www.stephanie-powell.co.uk