The fact is; after a hectic physical and emotional rollercoaster like Christmas; a person will naturally feel tired and run down. Add eating poorly, sleeping too little and the added stress of figuring what to buy and how to pay for it and you have an opportune situation for illness. This can manifest itself in the form of a good old fashioned cold or the flu bug or it might become a more exotic illness such as liver or pancreas issues. These are little more than the body trying desperately to purge itself of unwanted toxins built up over the last few weeks.
For many; this time of the year is a let down emotionally as well. The missing friends and family that have passed on or poor relationship issues of a person not getting along with a family member or one that may be in a nursing home and it becomes not the season of joy but the season of depression.
These factors are very common during the holidays with many dreading this time of year instead of enjoying it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. A better way to remember this time of year is to think of it as a time to “clean house”. In ancient times; Christmas was considered a time to clean the house and the body of unwanted things….to rid itself of dust and debris from the whole year. For many religions the season of Advent was not only a cleaning time but a time of fast before the feast at the end of the year with the Celebration of Christ’s birth. It was traditional in ancient times to not only clean house but to rid the body of unwanted things by fasting for many days before December 25th; and while I do not advise people to do a fast through the whole Advent season; a fast of eating less; eating better and drinking lots of good clean water is a great way to get the body and mind back on track.
As we near the end of this year it’s important to realize that build ups of the toxins in our life weigh us down; not just figuratively but physically as well. Those unwanted pounds and inches are not a great reminder of what we didn’t accomplish this year and the sluggishness of the toxins can add to the emotional stress we feel.
I personally like to get the blood sugar issues under control first; after all the sugar cookies and pie I had didn’t really help me a bit in that department. This can be accomplished by simply eating more veggies and protein and staying away from that last piece of chocolate in the candy dish. I also utilize the great product of Licorice Root to help my body assimilate sugar better during my “binge” of unneeded sugar products. Then it’s on to the colon with a cleanse. I personally love the Tiao He Cleanse by NSP but you can use any cleanse that you feel comfortable with. Just remember that a cleanse should not hurt! It should make you feel less tired, more energized and make you more regular in the bathroom.
If you still feel really run down it may well be the liver. If we celebrate the holidays as most do; we feel the need to imbibe in alcoholic beverages and brightly colored drinks with many having a wealth of toxins and chemicals that do the body no good. It may seem really great to drink Aunt Ida’s spiced cider or brother Bob’s eggnog but the fact remains that those drinks have little to actually offer the body but a build up of junk in the system from food colorings, milk and even the poison of alcohol. And it’s really important to note that although the liver has the most amazing ability to heal itself; even it has it’s limits and will let you know in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable behavior if we take it to the limit.
A great product for the liver and the pancreas is Dandelion Root. This is actually a blood cleanse; and while it may seem that this is not going to help the liver; it actually accelerates the body’s capability to rid itself of toxins; therefore aiding the liver in it’s job of doing just that.
Dandelion Root has properties of being a mild diuretic are also a great benefit for the person who’s eaten junk food by helping rid the body of excess water. For that reason it is a great help to the kidneys as well. A note to those taking prescription meds for water retention; please consult your doctor before taking this herb.
Another help for the person who’s just too run down to get back on track is the benefit of the B vitamins. I particularly like Pantothenic Acid or B 5. This is an essential supplement that the body needs to help the adrenals do their job better. I am very fond of any herb that will help the adrenals as they are hormone regulators; working with the thyroid gland to keep me in balance with the proper energy.
As we go through the end of the year rituals of cleaning up our Christmas decorations and get the house ready for a new year remember that we don’t need to change everything in our life to feel better; we just need to treasure our body’s the way God intends by caring for it as we would our children and enjoy better health!
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