The YinOva Cleanse – An Introduction

By: Jill Blakeway, M.S. L. Ac. | Author's Archive | Bio

It’s that time of year!

In Chinese medicine spring is the season of the wood element which governs the liver and gallbladder, two organs that become particularly sluggish thanks to festive excesses. In the five element system this time of year is associated with cleansing and renewal. So as we ease into Spring, here at the YinOva Center we’re turning our minds to cleansing. Every year the staff and some of our patients cleanse together for one month and this year I will be joined by several patients, Lea and Sarah from our front desk and Michele who heads up our communications team. We have a google group so that we can support each other so let me know if you would like to join us and I’ll make sure you have the right herbs and access to our community through the support group.

At The YinOva Center we’re not big fans of the more draconian cleanses where people drink nothing but lemon and cayenne water. We prefer a more gentle detoxifying regimen using herbs to cleanse each organ in turn. The cleanse we recommend lasts one month and detoxifies specific organs in a logical order. All the herbs are available as a kit from our center. The kit contains over 90 different herbs in 13 separate formulas designed to support your body as it cleanses, reduce unwanted para-organisms and restore healthy flora in the intestines.

• Week One – The Colon Cleanse
• Week Two – The Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse
• Week Three – The Kidney Bladder and Lung Cleanse
• Week Four – The Blood, Skin and Lymph Cleanse

Food

As for food. We won’t be asking you to live on juice and veggie broth (at least not for any length of time) but we will be asking you to eliminate or at least restrict some foods that are hard for your body to digest. These include : -

• Meat
• Wheat/gluten
• Dairy products
• Fried foods
• Processed sugars
• Processed foods
• Coffee
• Alcohol

Try to eat predominantly organic fruits and veggies and whole foods and remember to drink plenty of water. If weight loss is a goal you should restrict but not eliminate carbohydrates. Otherwise choose organic whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa. Replace your coffee with the green tea blend you will find in your kit. We will talk about food in greater depth as we tackle the cleanse week by week and I will be making some suggestions and sharing some recipes as I go along.

Recommendations to Support your Cleanse

• Start each day with a cup of hot water with lemon in it.
• Eat three small meals and two snacks a day.
• Take some time each day to do deep breathing, meditation, gentle stretching or yoga
• Get at least 8 hours sleep each night
• In the shower brush your skin with a loofah, skin brush or Japanese skin cloth
• Drink one 8 oz glass of water or cup of herbal tea an hour. Explore a variety of herbal teas. Green tea is nice first thing in the morning and chamomile tea is relaxing before bed.
• Eat small portions and stop eating when you are satisfied.
• Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly
• Have a weekly acupuncture treatment to encourage detoxification and to deal with any symptoms that may arise
• Once a week place a castor oil pack over your liver. Rub castor oil over your liver on your right side of your upper abdomen from the mid-line out under your ribcage. Place an old towel over the caster oil and put a hot pack over the area and leave it there for 30 – 40 minutes whilst you relax.
• Reiki can be helpful especially if you find that your cleansing process involves processing negative emotions.
• Try to walk for at least 30 minutes a day

A Sample Day

7.00am – Drink a cup of hot water with lemon

7.15am – Stretching exercises and deep breathing

7.30am – Green Tea + Herbs from your kit

Drink water and the herbal tea from your kit throughout the day

8.00am – Oatmeal made with rice milk or a smoothy made with silken tofu, fruit and honey

10.00am – An apple

1.00pm – Miso soup with vegetables or a raw vegetable salad + Herbs from your kit

3.00pm – A handful of almonds

6.00pm – Steamed Salmon, leafy greens and baked squash + Herbs from your kit

7.30pm – Walk for 1/2 an hour

9.00pm – Chamomile Tea

10.00pm – Meditate/ Yoga/ Castor oil pack

10.30pm – Bed

I’m going to outline each week of this four week cleanse in more detail as we go along. So …..Good luck and let’s get started.

All herbs in our YinOva Cleanse are supplied by Blessed Herbs. We sell the kits at The YinOva Center or you can buy them directly from the manufacturer.

Please check with your doctor or health care provider to make sure that you are healthy enough to spend a month on a restricted diet. Do not take herbs, vitamins, recreational drugs or over the counter medication whilst you are cleansing. If you are taking prescribed medications please ask your prescribing physician for advice about combining them with this cleanse. The instruction book that accompanies your kit has information about the way in which the cleansing herbs can interact with certain prescribed medications.

Do NOT cleanse :-

• If you are pregnant (if you discover you are pregnant whilst cleansing, please discontinue with the cleanse)
• If you have an active, acute infection
• If you are weak or debilitated
• If you are about to undergo or are recovering from surgery
• If you are suffering from the following GI problems – diarrhea, vomiting, intestinal infection, bowel obstruction, inflammation of the GI tract, abnormal narrowing of the esophagus or intestines, difficulty swallowing.