Disclaimer, I'm not keen on cleansing as an acute process. So, I'm not that informed on how TO do it, I'm more informed about how NOT to do it. Safety is my concern.
I'd be sure to get a lot of vit C, to bowel tolerance. Helps to excrete toxins safely.
Also selenium to help bind any circulating mercury, especially if you have/had any mercury (silver) fillings in your teeth. Consider clay or kelp (heavy metal tested, organic) to help sop up heavy metals. And I wouldn't do a lot of exercising while doing a cleanse. Also, perhaps do a salt flush, which basically is a big teaspoon of salt in a glass of water, followed by 16 oz of water, first thing in the morning.
I'd include some bone broth for the minerals, or high mineral water. And be sure to include carrots in your juice for potassium.
And do Epsom salt baths daily. 2 cups in a warm tub. Sulfate helps to open essential detox pathways.
I assume you are not pregnant or nursing.
I'd be hesitant to do it before the holidays, as it could make you more susceptible to illness during the cleanse. Also, consider coconut water for electrolytes. And water kefir for immune benefits, rather than Kombucha. Kombucha kills off candida, but that releases mercury into circulation. I don't think you want to stress your detox pathways while pulling toxins from storage, concurrently.
Not sure about adding herbs. Although, I recommend against ALA or cilantro with mercury fillings present. Some herbal infusions such as Nettles or Chickweed for B-vits and minerals is beneficial.
Eliminating gluten and dairy will help most, imo, regardless of the cleanse.
Basically, when you release toxins into circulation (from where they are stored in your body) you have to excrete them or they just make you feel bad for a while; and then they redeposit in different organs, and you
think you feel better again.
When you have a heavier toxin load, your immune system is stressed and with the flu and holiday germ-fests, you have an increased load on the immune system. I believe what you MOST want is to be healthy for the holidays. So, nutrient promotion would be my focus. Improved nutrient bio-availability will optimize and support detox naturally. And enhance the immune system.
This is my "Cliffs Notes" version for health guts.
Lemon in water. Bone broth.
Epsom salt baths. Then Green juices or broccoli or liver. Then..
Most cost effective alternatives are whole food nutrients.
homemade
bone broth every. single. day. 1 cup (MANY nutrients needed for detox, plus minerals)
homemade
kefir every. single. day. 1 cup (gradually work up, start with an ounce, increase by 1 ounce a week.) (B vits, enzymes, most probiotics in proper ph)
homemade
kombucha every. single. day. (start with an ounce, increase by 1 ounce a month, if no mercury fillings.) (displaces and replaces candida albicans in the gut)
green smoothie every. single. day. day 2 cups (any juice plus any dark leafy greens, rotate produce)
liver one ounce, only three times a week. (B-vits essential for detox)
coconut oil 1 Tbls every. single. day. (medium chain fatty acids, kills candida in the large intestine- caution with mercury fillings)
fermented CLO, every. single day. (most expensive item) (vit A, D, K, EFAs)
Bubbies sauerkraut 1 Tbls. every. single. day. (or other raw, fermented food) (probiotics)
Brazil nuts 2 ONLY, every. single. day. (selenium) (I'd wait until closer to age 2 for nuts, but that is me)
Epsom salts a pinch in water, all day long. (magnesium sulfate)
Himalayan
Sea Salt a pinch in every glass of water, broth. (microminerals)
Lentils 1 cup, every day for the folate and molybdenum
Lemon juice, fresh squeezed, 1 tsp. in every glass of water or smoothie. (alkalizing to body ph, paradoxically)
Raw local honey, 1 Tbls at bedtime. (helps bifidum bacteria to grow in the gut)
Egg yolk, 1 per day. (if not IgE) (nutrients help to detox)
Vit C, 1000mg, two times a day. (helps to detox)
Kelp, 1-2 teaspoons (must be heavy metal tested and organic)
Consider some magnesium, zinc for helping stomach acid and detox.
Get to bed by 10pm EVERY night!
Total cost about $4 per day.
Hope that helps to get you started. Also, read this thread about healing leaky gut with food.
Where to start? Help 101
Regarding clay. Here is a thread with more information:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...highlight=clay
Brazil nuts have naturally occurring selenium. I'm just not a synthetic supplement gal. 200mg is the RDA. 400mg is the maximum upper limit.
For kelp, the issue is heavy metal tested, organic sourcing as sea vegetables absorb heavy metals from the sea (and from our gut). If you start out with too much kelp (which has a moderate and consistent amount of iodine as opposed to many other sea vegetables), you release halides from the thyroid (in simple terms). The salt flushes help to excrete the halides. (well, the chloride in salt binds with the halides; potassium chloride is more effective at binding the halides, but more dangerous/narrow safety range).
I'm ok with 1-3 teaspoons of kelp a day to start. Easier to down mixed in tomato juice. Many people on the iodine thread are taking 3-6 times that amount a day. I don't feel there is benefit to do a hard cleanse, however.
There is "Artisan" mineral water, it generally comes from Europe's mineral springs. Pierre is one. Any glass bottled water which says "mineral water" or "high mineral water". Available at most groceries. (natural, not additive minerals)
Some moms are taking upwards of 15, 30, 45 GMS of vit C ("bowel tolerance") when chelating or doing big cleanses. I don't really know the protocol. It is something like 1 gram an hour until diarrhea? Vit C will help, but the whole immune system is taxed when detoxing large amounts of toxins. On top of the heavy exposure of 'out of town germs' at Thanksgiving, I'd personally just add whole food nutrients to improve your detox pathways and avoid dairy and wheat. There are MANY alternatives for dairy and wheat.
Large amounts of coconut water can cause diarrhea itself, depending upon individual tolerance. Coconut kefir is divine and ideal.
That is my more than $0.02 worth. lol
Or check out
Juice Feasting.
P.S. some Milk Thistle for liver support too.
Pat