Detox: Taking Charge of Your Holistic Health

We’d like to Introduce Deb van Latenstein and provide information about her roles working with acupuncture, allergies, food and nutrition patterns in this month’s practitioner blog on detoxing. She is part of our team of licensed acupuncturists and has many unique ways to support you on your journey to feeling good.

Getting to Know Deb

Hello – I’m Deb van Latenstein and I’m so grateful to be able to share information and experiences that can help transform your life.  As a diplomate in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, I have been practicing for over 12 years, utilizing many modalities of treatments. These include Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine and nutrition principles, Advanced Allergy Therapeutics, functional lab testing, Genezen and High Performance Direct Neurofeedback (HPN).  

Since every person really is unique and can respond to treatment differently,  I make it a goal of mine to meet each person where they are. Some people do extremely well with acupuncture, allergy treatments or HPN alone, while others respond better to a combination of modalities. 

Detoxing your body and your life

When we think about detox, what often comes to mind is enduring a long fast while drinking lemon water and giving up our favorite foods for a short time, only to return to our previous habits when it’s all over. I personally have committed to many detox programs over the years and have done well during some and rather poorly in others. Ultimately what I walked away with was a distaste for traditional detox programs, and have looked for a better way to embrace healthier long-term habits. So now when I think about detoxing, I think about a person’s entire life and the opportunity to shift not only food choices but also overall behaviors and mindsets as a way to improve health.   

When should you detox?

According to Chinese principles of health, it is recommended to ‘detox’ both in the spring and the fall.  The accumulation from winter foods (usually in the form of weight gain) need to be shed in the spring so we can prepare our bodies for more physical movement and activities in the summer.  Then again in the fall, it is an equally important time to prepare our bodies as we shift toward the upcoming cold and darker winter months. In taking the time to break down accumulated waste and toxins, we allow our bodies to adjust to the changes in the seasons, so they may function at their optimal levels at all times.  

A unique perspective

Historically detoxing has been around for thousands of years and has been utilized by many cultures for equally many reasons. People often cited having more mental clarity, stronger and healthier bodies, as well as feeling they attained higher spiritual insights. Many people today apply these principles precisely to achieve these mental, physical and spiritual outcomes. 

Perhaps those people throughout history also understood that these practices assisted in healing a person’s body from their habitual food choices. By occasionally breaking eating patterns, this allows a person to witness the effects that different types of food have on their physical, mental and emotional state.  

Opportunities for different outcomes

Ultimately taking the time to detox your food habits gives you the opportunity to step outside of your normal routine and examine your choices in all areas of life.  It’s an opportunity to choose again and watch for new outcomes. It’s a new chance to break habits with the way we eat, the way we think, the way we behave, the way we learn and experience our lives.  What a gift we can give ourselves to make a shift and allow our mind and bodies to respond in kind. 

It’s springtime – now’s your chance to get on board and make some shifts in your life!  Contact us if you are ready to get started on your own detox. We’ll be here to help you elevate your state.