As the cobwebs of winter dissipate with spring\u2019s rainfall, the human body has its own way of adjusting to longer hours of daylight and increases in the outside temperature. By getting rid of the dirt that has accrued over the colder months, the tradition of spring cleaning promotes clean homes across the continents. Similarly, many realize spring as the ideal season to rid their body of the toxins accumulated over winter. Known specifically for their internal cleansing properties, certain bodywork techniques have the ability to support this ritualistic detoxification.<\/p>\n
Chinese medical theory teaches its students that the energy in the liver organ system is most active in the spring. As the first line of defense against accumulated poisons, the liver\u2019s role in cleansing the blood makes it one of the most important targets for detoxification. According to Denver naturopath and yoga instructor Brenna Hatami, \u201cSpring represents the best time of year for cleansing the body for many reasons.\u201d Hatami cites the availability of lighter foods, milder weather enticing more people outdoors and the enhanced regenerative properties of the liver as contributing to spring\u2019s history as the season where people return to health.<\/p>\n
Today, with more toxins in the environment than ever, \u201cit’s critical to detox,\u201d says Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D., the author of Detoxification (Healthy Healing Publications). Page recommends detoxifying for symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, sluggish elimination, irritated skin, allergies or low-grade infections, bags under the eyes, a distended stomach even if the rest of your body is thin, menstrual difficulties or mental confusion.<\/p>\n
Among advocates of detoxification, there is dissension about what constitutes the ideal detoxification regimen. However, any program that augments the removal of toxins will improve health. Depending on who is consulted, a plan for detoxification may involve many factors, including:<\/p>\n
While no one method is sufficient for a complete system overhaul, combining several detoxification approaches always enhances toxin removal quantity.<\/p>\n
There are a number of different massage therapy techniques that encourage detoxification. While a case for impurity elimination can be constructed for many of these approaches, three kinds of bodywork are known to be especially supportive of detoxification:<\/p>\n
Massage therapists working with clients undergoing an intense detoxification program must be aware of the potential for a Herxheimer reaction. The Herxheimer reaction occurs when the body is detoxifying too rapidly, causing toxins to be released faster than the body can eliminate them. When this occurs, symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting and malaise typically ensue. Although a Herxheimer reaction is short-lived, it can be severe enough for a client to stop detoxification.<\/p>\n
To minimize this problem, advise clients undergoing detoxification to:<\/p>\n
Encourage established or potential clients to take advantage of spring\u2019s momentum by cleansing themselves of the toxins residing within. As long as bodyworkers are careful to circumvent a Herxheimer reaction, shiatsu for the liver, lymphatic drainage massage and Swedish massage are the perfect accompaniments to someone\u2019s internal spring cleaning.<\/p>\n
Shiatsu Anma Therapy<\/a><\/span> http:\/\/chetday.com , Detoxification Details, Ted H. Spence, DDS, ND, PhD\/DSc, MPH, chetday.com, 2008.<\/p>\n http:\/\/life.gaiam.com, 10 Ways to Detoxify Your Body, Deborahann Smith, Gaiam Inc., 2008.<\/p>\n Marty, Diane M., Detox Days, Body Sense<\/em>, Spring\/Summer 2004.<\/p>\n www.healthydetoxtips.com, Detox – Why You Need To Start Now, How to Detox, 2008.<\/p>\n www.integrativehealthcare.com\/mt, Emotional Spring Cleaning, Nicole Cutler, L.Ac., Natural Wellness, 2008.<\/p>\n www.massagemag.com, Massage Eases Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, Massage Magazine<\/em>, March\/April 2005.<\/p>\n www.talkmince.com, Detox Massage for Body Cleansing, Sandra Kim Leong, 2008.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spring has finally rolled around, and the first thing that may come to mind is cleaning your home from top to bottom. Spring also happens to be the best time of year to get rid of the toxins in your body – learn which three massage techniques are especially suited for this task.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4540,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions\/4540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.integrativehealthcare.org\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLymphatic Drainage Massage<\/a><\/span>
\nSwedish Massage<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nReferences:<\/h3>\n