UTOPIA DETOX & LIFESTYLE PROGRAMS

MASSAGE

Hot Stone Massage, is an excellent method to improve lymph movement and blood flow. That, in turn, aids in getting cellular waste products and accumulated toxins out of tissues, into the bloodstream, and to the kidneys where they are eliminated in urine.  The warm stones penetrate deeply and create the perfect environment for healing, and excreting toxins easily out of the body.

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A favourite massage by all is the salt massage or salt glow.  This method is used to stimulate the large lymph glands and exfoliate the skin, as the skin is the largest organ of elimination. We use a blend of salt, oil, and an assortment of herbs and sugars during the massage, then it gets rub  off with hot towels, or washed away in a refreshing shower.

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Swedish massage, which is a more vigorous rubbing technique that really stimulates the lymph and circulatory systems, might be better for someone else, while the lymphatic drainage technique might suit another individual.

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Our famous Body Posture Alignment massage is a must to experience the proper aligning of your spine and hip joints.

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Aromatic essential oils such as lemongrass, Ylang Ylang and grapefruit enhance the detoxification process, as does regularity of treatments.

Massage should be enjoyed on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis to ensure the treatments reach the body’s deepest layers where unwanted sub-stances build up over time.

 

HEAT TREATMENT

Hyperthermia techniques, which elevate body temperature slightly to remove toxins, have been used throughout history, such as by ancient Greek physicians, in the ornate bath complexes of the Romans, in sweat lodges of the Native Americans, and in the steam baths of the Scandinavians. These techniques are still very popular today. Steam baths, hot tubs, and saunas in particular, are favourite ways to get your heart beating and your blood circulating, which improves toxin transfer from tissues to the bloodstream, then to the liver, which chemically alters many harmful substances into harmless ones.

Hot steam rooms help clear the sinuses and relieve respiratory congestion. Steam also raises the body temperature and causes sweating.  A cold shower following a steam bath washes off toxins released in sweat and brings body temperature down to normal.

Be sure to drink adequate amounts of water before, during, and after heat treatments. The powerful detoxification process takes place when the body reaches 38.33°C to 39.4°C. Note that one’s pulse rate should not exceed 130 or 140 bpm. Check with your physician to see if this technique is right for you.

 

SKIN BRUSHING

Dry skin brushing is another European technique that has been used for centuries. Not only does it remove toxins accumulated in dead skin cells, but it enhances circulation. Dr Bernard Jensen (author of Dr Jensen’s Guide To Better Bowel Care) recommends in his book, ‘Your daily regime should begin with skin brushing for a period of three to five minutes. I believe skin brushing is one of the finest of all “baths”. No soap can wash the skin as clean as the new skin that you have under the old. You make a new top layer of skin every twenty-four hours. Skin brushing removes the old layer and lets this clean new layer come to the surface.’ He recommends, ‘the whole body (except the face) should be brushed one-half hour after rising and prior to the morning bath or shower. You may wish to skin brush again before retiring for the night.’

 

Use an all-natural vegetable fibre brush with a long handle to reach out-of-the-way places. Brush from the outermost points — the feet and hands — toward the centre of your body; brush bottoms of the feet, as nerve endings here affect the entire body. Brush across your upper back and down the front and back of your torso. Use lighter strokes over breasts and do not brush the nipples. Wash your brush every few weeks in water and let it dry. Feel the sensation of newly invigorated skin!

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FOODS AND BEVERAGES

Certain foods and beverages aid in inactivating toxins or in removing them. These include fruits and fruit juices, fresh vegetable juices, chlorophyll-rich foods, herbal teas, and sea plants. For optimal results, these foods should be organically grown and consumed fresh.

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Blend or juice your favourite fruits in the morning for a detoxifying breakfast. Fruit juices speed up metabolism to release waste quickly and have an alkalising effect (acid- neutralising) on the blood; citrus fruits and their juices in particular are rich in alkaline salts, mainly potassium. High-fibre fruits – such as figs, apricots, dates, avocados, coconuts, peaches and papaya – aid digestive regularity and stabilise insulin levels. Together, these properties of fruits reduce fat storage, speed metabolism, and minimise sugar cravings. Fruits should be eaten by themselves, without protein or complex carbohydrates, and before noon for best energy conversion and cleansing benefits.

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Fresh vegetable juices provide the body with necessary vitamins, minerals and enzymes to power the natural detoxifying activities of cells.

Leafy green vegetables have chlorophyll, a detoxifying agent that helps clear the skin, cleanse the kidneys, and cleanse the blood. Eating any chlorophyll-rich food will help to boost immunity, treat illness, and rid the body of unwanted substances. Spirulina (blue-green algae) and chlorella (green algae) have become popular supplements due to their extremely high chlorophyll content. Powdered concentrates of these green ‘superfoods’ may be purchased at your local health food store and added to fruit and vegetable juices.

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Sea plants (‘sea vegetables’) aid in detoxification by transforming toxic metals into salts that the body can eliminate. They also are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, and proteins. Seaweed, dulse, kelp, nori, and wakame are examples. Two tablespoons of dry, minced, sea vegetables added daily to a bowl of miso soup is a wonderfully therapeutic dose.

 

Milk thistle, one of the best liver cleansing tonics, used with honey by the Romans, is also rich in nutrients and antioxidants to prevent free radical damage. Burdock, known as the plant of longevity, is one of the best blood purifiers of the herbal world and its use dates back to ancient Greece. The leaves make a delightful medicinal addition to soups and salads, or chop it into vinegar to drizzle over green salads.

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When taking these herbs in tea form, drink over an extended period as opposed to all at once. This allows the tissues to absorb as much of the medicinal value as possible. Drink two to three cups daily for optimal medicinal effects.

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Detox recipe

• 3 carrots

• 3 celery stalks

• ½ bunch parsley

• ½ bunch of spinach

Juice all the ingredients together. This juice is high in potassium and most effective for cleansing blood and tissues, neutralizing acids and rebuilding cells.

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EXERCISE

One of the most important detoxification methods is regular exercise. Exercise accelerates the removal of toxins through our largest organ of elimination, the skin, when we sweat. It also stimulates lymph flow, which depends solely on muscular movement (or massage). Lymph function is critical to our body’s ability to cleanse itself. Exercise also enhances metabolism and circulation. Almost any kind of exercise, from riding a bicycle to planting flowers in the garden, increases the circulatory system’s transportation of oxygen and nutrients to our cells, while carrying away toxins and wastes from tissues to the organs of elimination. Furthermore, exercise counteracts the greater risk for some diseases, such as heart disease, which correlates with a sedentary lifestyle.

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BREATHING

Certain breathing techniques enhance your body’s ability to eliminate toxins because detoxification is directly related to the delivery of oxygen to cells and removal of carbon dioxide.

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Method: Start by lying down and relaxing: on your back with arms relaxed to the side and palms up, feet naturally splayed open, and eyes closed. (If you need to modify this pose due to pain in the lower back, simply bend the knees, leaning them against one another, or if the legs are extended, place a towel underneath the head and/ or knees.) Now exhale without force while observing the navel fall. Breathe in and out deeply for 5 minutes.

In summary, may the detoxifying health techniques mentioned above enrich your own life, foster prevention, and inspire a future of less stress, less disease, and longer days!