by Dr. Payson Flattery
With the holidays behind us and Super Bowl Sunday just around the corner, you may be starting to think about cleaning up your act. After a hearty season of food, fun and drink, the New Year offers a chance for a fresh start. With the pies, cocktails, beer and nachos behind us — both literally and figuratively — it may be time for a detox. A healthy, natural, medically supervised detoxification can help eliminate many of the toxins that have built up in your body over time.
While it’s easy to get down on ourselves for over-indulging, it’s important to understand that not all of the toxins that accumulate in our bodies are the result of food and drink. The truth is, we are exposed to toxins everyday in the world around us. Unfortunately we inhale, ingest and absorb chemicals from the environment on a daily basis. From household materials and cleaning products to pesticides, these toxins build up over time and can affect our health and in some cases, contribute to cancer.
When toxins disrupt your healthy body function, it can dramatically affect your quality of life. The symptoms can range from fatigue and digestive problems to cognitive, neurologic and immune system disorders. And then there’s weight gain. Often times, people who are more than 20 pounds overweight are dealing with more than just diet and exercise issues. Toxins, food allergies and vitamin deficiencies can also contribute to weight gain and overall poor health.
At the Center for Integrative Medicine (CIM), our medically supervised detoxification program includes a full medical assessment and blood testing so we can understand your health history and other factors that may affect how you’re feeling and functioning. Dr. Jocelyn Cooper, one of our naturopathic physicians, is highly trained in detoxification and food allergy testing and helps many of our patients enhance their quality of life with some basic lifestyle modifications.
Our detoxification programs offer several options to help safely rid your body of harmful chemicals and substances that cause you to feel bad, physically and emotionally. In spring and fall of each year, we provide a 28-day detox program that includes nutritional supplements, weekly classes and weight/measurement checks, nutritional counseling and online access to recipes and resources.
Other detoxification services available at CIM include colonic hydrotherapy, which involves introducing water into the colon to flush metabolic waste from the large intestine. It’s a safe, clean and drug-free way to remove some of the body’s toxins and can reduce a number of uncomfortable physical and emotional health issues from constipation to muscle/joint pain and skin problems.
Infrared sauna therapy is another option that uses safe infrared rays to force heavy metals and other toxins out through the body’s natural elimination process. This approach also slightly increases your body temperature, which triggers your immune system and increases your body’s ability to fight bacteria and viruses.
If you’re on a tight schedule and looking for dramatic results, you can explore our advanced ion therapy footbath. The Erchonia footbath is a 20-minute soak in ionized water, sending a small charged current of positively charged ions through the body to improve energy and restore balance. Other benefits of the Erchonia footbath include improved muscle strength and flexibility.
Take on 2015 with a clean start. Call the Center for Integrative Medicine to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Jocelyn Cooper and talk about what detox options might be best for you.
More about the Center for Integrative Medicine
The Center for Integrative Medicine offers a team of interdisciplinary board certified physicians and therapeutic care practitioners who work closely together to provide patients with exceptional and comprehensive healthcare services. Our progressive form of medical care, called Integrative Medicine, represents the future of healthcare. By integrating Conventional, Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine with Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Massage Therapy and Physical Therapy, the strengths of each discipline are utilized to develop a better understanding of an individual’s state of health. This allows us to deliver the most effective and personalized treatment for each patient.
