Time for some Spring Cleaning! It's that time of the year when everyone is transitioning from the winter into spring. Your neighbours are finally taking down their Christmas decorations and you may be planning your windowsill or backyard garden.

Springtime is about renewal, rejuvenation, and most of all de-cluttering. But have you ever considered spring-cleaning your body? The words detoxification and cleanse are often used but few people actually understand what they mean.

Detoxification means to cleanse the blood of toxins and impurities. In today's society, we are continually exposed to many chemicals and toxins in our food, air, water, and environment.

This exposure burdens our liver causing improper filtration of our blood, as the liver is the main organ responsible for removing toxins. This in turn affects the proper functioning of our bodies.

Although many factors contribute to disease, liver toxicity may be attributed to chronic fatigue, difficulty losing weight, and bloating after meals.

The details of each detoxification program are different, however, their basis often includes nutritional support through diet and lifestyle changes as well as supplementation.

The end goal of most programs is to balance the organs responsible for eliminating toxins including the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines, and skin.

It is important to spring-clean your body as you would your house. That being said, it is important to see a qualified health practitioner such as a Naturopathic Doctor before starting a detox or cleanse program, as this practice might not be right for you.

A simple but effective way to promote liver detoxification is to drink one large glass of lemon water each morning, 30 minutes before breakfast.

Lemon is high in citric acid, which can help balance the pH of your digestive system, promote cellular energy production, and enhance food breakdown in your stomach by increasing stomach acid levels.

As B.K.S. Iyengar once said: The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in. 

Happy Detoxing!