I just completed my annual Spring Cleanse (my 36th year) with a group at my clinic, Preventive Medical Center of Marin. This year's group was quite successful (and fun; well, challenging too) with people having very positive results. My body feels lighter and more open, flexible and energetic, and the cleanse has motivated me for some better habit development of generally eating lighter and less at night, and for now, limiting my grain intake, which for me, causes me to overeat when I include rice and any bread. As a result of this recent cleanse, my body composition has improved dramatically with 4% less body fat and improved body cell mass and cell membrane health. Ernie, our resident vitality tester, was duly impressed. He stated, "Your body composition has never been better." This confirmed to me that my juice cleanse with added blue-green algae powders did not lower my muscle mass. I was also taking Mila (chia seed) and liquid trace minerals, which supported my energy.
 
Of course, you can also do a good, well-designed detox program on your own or with friends and family. Some of you may be ready for 7-10 days of juice cleansing, as with the Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet and/or other fresh juices, yet many more of you can benefit by "taking a break" from your overused foods and substances. April, May and June are great times for Spring Cleansing, with the weather warming in your locale. And drink lots of water to support your cleansing.
 
For most of you, I suggest at least taking a few-week break from your favorite, yet potentially problematic foods, which often include wheat and baked goods, dairy products, and any foods with added sugar. And look at your habitual SNACCs:

One of the basic programs suggested for my detox groups involves the removal of five key (and overused) items from your diet for this purification period. The Big Five are: Sugar, Caffeine, Alcohol, Wheat and Dairy Products. (Yes, similar to the SNACCs yet with added wheat and dairy to avoid. We would also take out meats and fried foods to lighten our diet even more.) I look at this healthy process of habit "clean-up" and detoxification as a very affordable preventive medicine approach. This is the kind of program, a 3-week detox, for my January New Year program, which is often a popular one to help people start the year off right. Well my friends, the beginning of Spring is also a New Year in Nature and warrants your attention and good health.
 
You can extract more motivation and guidance by reviewing the Spring section of my book, Staying Healthy with the Seasons, and/or The New Detox Diet book. My website, www.elsonhaas.com, has several tips and articles on Spring Cleansing and The Purification Process.