In both Western and Eastern medicine the gut is the centre of health. To achieve good health one must have a happy and healthy gut. A gut detox is a great method of achieving this.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine your gut consists of your stomach, spleen, liver, gall bladder, and the small and large intestines.

Your gut is where you absorb nutrients, create energy and remove waste, making it the most important system for your health. It is where 70% of your immune system resides. Problems with your gut will result in your body having less nutrients, reduced energy and higher vulnerability to illness and disease.

If you experience:

Then your gut is telling you it needs help. This help can come in the form of a gut detox.

The gut is a powerhouse of activity but it can get overwhelmed. The most common reason for this is a build-up of toxins in the body. In Chinese medicine toxins fall under the category of phlegm.

Toxins surround us every day: they are in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the products we use. The amount of ingested by us on a daily basis is so high that it exceeds what our body can handle.

Toxins overwhelm our gut and slow down our digestion, allowing for bad bacteria to ferment. Our systems then absorb these bacteria which causes an immune reaction. This can include inflammation, flu or infection-like symptoms and indigestion. As the conditions get more chronic so do the symptoms you experience.

To help the gut return to full health we recommend a detox. This is a way of bringing the body back into balance so that it can naturally heal itself. In Chinese medicine a detox will rid the body of phlegm, freeing the gut so that it may begin filtering at a normal rate. This will result in more energy within the body, equipping it to fight and protect itself.

At AcuNatural Health we provide a gut detox through our Traditional Chinese Medicine specialist Jane Ma. Our detox program lasts for 6 weeks and consists of 3 phases. We tailor our supplements to you and adjust each phase according to your health and symptoms.

Our detox targets the gut but you may find benefits include: improved hormonal health and thus fertility, clearer and healthier skin, better moods, higher energy levels, better sleep quality etc.

Your gut is a complex and vital system to you and your health. A guided detox with supplements is an effective way of returning your gut to optimal health. There is even a time of year that makes detoxes more powerful which you can read about in our spring detox article. If you feel your gut health is in need of some help then it is worth talking to your health practitioner about a gut detox.

There are lifestyle changes you can make at home that will also maintain your good gut health. Here are 3 simple steps from Chinese medicine to improve your digestion.

This means eating regular meals each day. Do not eat too much (bingeing) or too little (skipping meals). It also means eating enough of each macronutrient, especially complex carbohydrates (vegetables and legumes) and proteins. This prevents your gut from getting sluggish.

Chew your food slowly and focus on eating your food without distractions. Try to avoid eating while watching television, using your phone or even reading a book. By doing this and eating slower you will make digestion easier.

Avoid eating too many foods raw and limiting the amounts of dairy you have. Also do not drink cold drinks while eating as this disrupts the digestion process.