These symptoms
include headache, stomachache, cough, diarrhea, skin eruptions
(rash), clogged sinus, and fever, as well as feeling rundown
and irritable. The symptoms may be of short duration and
slight irritation, or they could last longer and cause you
considerable discomfort.
Because these
symptoms are the same as those that show up in certain
illnesses, changing your diet or lifestyle can result in
misunderstanding: If I am doing something that is supposed to
be good for me, why do I have these symptoms? Why do I feel
worse, and not better? Understanding this apparent
contradiction is perhaps the first, and most important, hurdle
you must get over when making a dietary or lifestyle change.
If you consider
this carefully, however, it is easy to understand. Think of
how you might have experienced this on a short-term basis. If
you do not get regular exercise, and then play some softball
with your kids, the next day you might feel bad-tired with
sore muscles. This is your body reacting to something that it
is not used to doing. You can see the same thing when you stop
a regular activity; if you are a soda drinker and have to stop
for a while, you may notice that you have less energy and may
even have a headache. When you change your diet or lifestyle,
the same thing happens; your body reacts to the change.
Why does this
happen?
As we live,
toxins accumulate in our body. Some of these are due to our
diet and others due to the environment around us. Of course,
our lifestyle also fits in-if you smoke or use alcohol you are
accumulating even more toxins.
When you make a
change in diet or lifestyle, through stopping a bad habit or
eating better, your cells begin eliminating the toxic
substances. Before finding the exit however, the toxins are
released into the blood stream and are carried through the
circulatory system.
This
transportation and elimination may result in headache,
diarrhea, or constipation, and often toxins are eliminated
through the skin, resulting in rashes or skin problems
(especially if you are prone to such problems). You may also
feel a lack of energy, especially if you are eliminating meats
from your diet (The protein found in meat is more stimulating
than that found in vegetables.) You may also find that, with
the absence of toxins, you absorb substances more easily.
Thus, the sugar and caffeine in a soda might really set you
off.
In a nutshell,
we could say that the body always goes for quality, and when
the food coming in is of higher quality (wheatgrass,
barleygrass, and living food) than the present tissue, the
body will discard the present tissue because it wants to make
room for tissue created by the higher quality food.
How severe
are the symptoms and how long do they last?
How long the
symptoms last and how severe they are depend on what your
lifestyle had been before making a change, and how quickly you
make a change. If you had a diet heavy in red meats, for
example, and become a vegetarian overnight, you might have
severe symptoms for a time. If your lifestyle changes are
gradual, the symptoms could be less severe.
The duration of
the symptoms might not be linear; there is a greater chance
that they will come in cycles. At first you may feel great and
then experience some detoxification symptoms. After the
initial toxins are flooded out, you will feel good again, if
not better. However, the body "goes deeper" and
finds more toxins to eliminate; the symptoms may reappear
again, and after more toxins are eliminated, you will fee]
better yet as things progress, you will find that the period
of symptoms is shorter and that the period of well-being is
greater.
Some Possible
Detoxification Symptoms
-
Clogged
sinus
-
Constipation
-
Cough
-
Diarrhea
-
Fatigue
-
Fever
-
Flu symptoms
-
Cold
symptoms
-
Gas
-
Headache
-
Irritability
-
Moodiness
-
Skin rash
-
Stomachache
What can I do
during this period?
The hardest
thing for many people to do is to accept that they are not
sick and realize that the body is cleansing itself. Once you
get beyond this psychological barrier, the rest is easy. The
most important thing to do can be summed up in one word: Rest
Rest, and let
the body do what it needs to. If you have the luxury of
staying home, do so! If not, cut back social engagements and
perhaps even cut back on any exercise you are getting. Give
your body as much energy as possible to do its job. Eat light
foods that are easy to digest, consume fruits and vegetables
and drink plenty of water.
Further
Reading
Swope, Mary
Ruth, Ph.D. 1990. Green Leaves of Barley. Phoenix, AZ:
Swope Enterprises, Inc. Pp. 199-202.
Matsen, Jonn
N.D. 1987. The Mysterious Causes of Illness. Canfield,
OH: Fischer Publishing Co. Pp. 134-157.
