Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Please remember that homeopathic remedies should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. For chronic, severe or long-standing complaints, seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing.

Christmas excess may well have left you carrying a little extra flab and a whole heap of guilt, and if so, you’re not alone: at this time of year, patients in the Phoenix clinic often ask me for detox tips. The two-step programme that I recommend can be summed up as follows: stop, then support and stimulate.

Stop

If overindulgence has left you feeling lethargic, tired, constipated, or given you spots, bad breath, a sluggish or unbalanced digestion, heartburn or a foggy brain, don’t panic. You’ll be glad to know that your body has a natural detox mechanism: the liver. This is great news, because it means that, for most people, if we’ve overloaded the system, all that’s needed is to cut back on the alcohol, fizzy drinks, sugary, processed and fatty foods, and step up the fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, good fats, lean proteins, water, exercise and fresh air. The first and most important part of any detox programme is to stop the ingestion of as many toxins as possible, and it’s often the only part of the two-step programme that’s needed, so give it a try!

Support and stimulate

However, if you are generally healthy, but do feel that your system is in need of a helping hand to recover from seasonal excess, you could try a course of milk thistle: this is an inexpensive herbal supplement that has been used since Greco-Roman times to treat liver ailments and contains a substance that has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Several studies (try Googling PubMed, then search for milk thistle) have shown that it may be have promise for liver protection and in the treatment of some types of cancers. Milk thistle is generally well-tolerated, but if you’re pregnant, have cancer or liver disease, or are on orthodox medications, you should only take it on professional advice. We use minimal amounts of fresh organic tinctures (closer to the living plant) in preference to more processed versions or capsules of the dried herb.

Homeopathic support

For patients who find that eating better and exercising more don’t help to shift constipation or get the digestion back to normal, a few doses of homeopathic Nux vomica 6c or 30c may help better than milk thistle, especially if there’s an ‘unfinished feeling’ after passing a stool. (This remedy is often used to help hangovers, too – a tip worth knowing!) Try sucking one pillule each evening, for four or five days, away from food, drink and teeth-cleaning.

If too much sugary food has left you with diarrhoea from too much alcohol and rich food, Sulphur 6c may help. Best taken in the morning for a few days only, this remedy can be combined with Nux vomica: take Sulphur in the morning and Nux vomica in the evening on the same days, for five days. Caution: if you have eczema or other itching skin problems, Sulphur is best used only under professional supervision.

Complex homeopathy (homotoxicology)

Not knowing about natural alternatives, I took frequent antibiotics, high doses of oral and intravenous steroids, painkillers and other prescribed drugs in my lawyer days, and have always felt that my liver energy and general health was compromised as a result. Twice a year, I use a six-week complex homotoxicology detox kit or a two-month anti-ageing woman’s detox protocol, both of which are aimed at supporting the organs of detoxification and drainage (only available on recommendation by a professional). I always feel perkier and more energetic afterwards, so I’ll be ordering my kit this week, but I’ll also be stocking up with veg and getting as much outdoor exercise as possible.

For more information about natural healthcare and homeopathy, visit www.phoenixhomeopathy.com/testimonials.php.