The human body operates as a well-oiled machine; most of the time. Unfortunately, now and again, things don’t always run quite as they ought to and our bodies could do with some help – whether that’s a bit of a tune-up or a resetting. Or both.

A part of the body that’s crucially important – and quite remarkable – is the gastrointestinal tract, often loosely referred to as ‘the gut’. It encompasses the organs that digest and detoxify all the food and drink we consume and, from that, excretes the waste we don’t need (whose presence in the body would otherwise make us ill and harm us, in the short- and long-term). This ensures nutrients in our food and drink that do us good can be used around the body to build and keep healthy muscle, bone, the brain and other critical body tissues.

And, of course, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the gut’s also where the basis of the body’s immune system’s to be found. Indeed, the six-feet-long colon, a u-shaped section of the intestines, is where much of the gut’s bacteria resides – not just toxins and ‘bad bacteria’, but also so-called ‘good bacteria’/ probiotics, the presence of which is critical for keeping the body’s immune system working effectively.

Do you need a gut cleanse?

Sometimes, though, and often for a combination of different reasons, the gut can become overwhelmed with toxins absorbed from our food and drink – and the gut’s ‘good bacteria’ becomes outnumbered. When this occurs, obviously help is needed. An excellent answer is a gut cleanse; or, if you rather, a colon cleanse, as it’s also called. In fact, experts suggest that cleansing the gut should be a regular activity, as opposed to relied on as a quick-fix every now and then. This is because the gut can benefit greatly from decent care and maintenance.

Doing it for the first time, though, a gut cleanse boasts an extra incentive over and above a much-needed clear-out of gunk – it presents an excellent opportunity to begin new, healthier dietary and lifestyle habits. All of which should aid the long-term aim that is maintaining levels of beneficial probiotic bacteria and smoother digestion – and all-round fitter and healthier living.

The three stages of a cleanse

So, what does a colon cleanse entail? Well, the first step is, for several days, eradicating all toxin-filled foods from your diet, the likes of dairy, gluten-rich foodstuffs and meat. Instead, replace them with foods that are much more agreeable to your gastro-intestinal system – fruits are ideal.

The next step is the cleanse itself, which involves flushing your system clean of all unnecessary waste, toxins and, then, this is followed by the final step, topping up or, indeed, building back up your gut’s natural need for beneficial organisms – ‘good bacteria’/ probiotics.

Signs you might need to cleanse your gut

Is something in your gut off-balance? If so, your body more than likely will send you a signal via a symptom of some kind – this is, after all, how the body tries to naturally communicate with us when something’s amiss. In which case then, you might want to consider a gut cleanse if you find yourself experiencing one – or definitely more than one – of the following symptoms:

• Bad sleep hygiene
• Body aches
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Low energy
• Mental fog
• Poor appetite

Colon cleanse benefits

So, in more detail then, here’s a rundown of what can a colon cleanse can do for you:

• Aid emotional balance – gut inflammation tends to increase any anxiety and stress you may be feeling and, of course, the former naturally can happen due to bad diet; a colon cleanse can ease and help cease gut swelling, aiding emotional balance
• Steer your immune system in the right direction – detoxing your gut of harmful toxins helps it heal itself and so can play a critical role in improving your immune system, while topping up your ‘good bacteria’ count via consuming probiotics is the icing on the cake
• Keep constipation at bay – Doing away with processed foods in your diet, such as certain meats and sugar, will reduce the compacted waste in your gut and, in turn, reduce the constipation you feel, from time to time; a colon cleanse doesn’t just ensure you do this, but sees you focus instead on consuming water and fibre-rich foods, further aiding the flushing out of your system
• Help fight obesity – research proves that gut flora (‘good bacteria’/ probiotics) can help lower obesity rates, so giving your gut flora a helping hand via a colon cleanse can only be good news if you want to fight the flab
• Boost brain health – research has found that a number of probiotics can positively influence brain activity, so in the final stage of your colon cleanse activity when you refuel – or, if you prefer, re-tool – your gut microbiota, be sure to seek out brain-health-friendly probiotics, if you can
• Increase absorption of nutrients – insufficient absorption of the all-important nutrients from your food into your gut due to ill-health can leave you at risk of developing gut-related illnesses and conditions; the likes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), malabsorption syndrome, leaky gut and Crohn’s disease. Granted, this is something of a worst-case scenario, but regular colon cleansing can help your body steer clear of poor gut health, for sure.

Colon cleansing supplementation

Now, if you’ve read this far, you’ll have learned all about the ins and outs of colon cleansing, as well as read advice on the three stages you might want to follow, but you may remain a little daunted by pulling together all that’s necessary to start your first cleanse and, subsequently, daunted at the prospect of launching yourself into it. That’s understandable. Yet, we’ve more to share with you here because, at The Finchley Clinic, we can offer you an all-ready gathered-together kit of products, to get you off and underway with your cleanse.

The Global Health Center (GHC) Colon Cleanse kit, then, comprises the extremely powerful and well-reviewed supplements Oxy-Powder (an oxygen-based colon cleanser) and Latero Flora (a hugely beneficial strain of ‘good bacteria’), to cleanse your small intestine, large intestine and the colon of any toxins residing in them, as well as impacted faecal matter.

And the combination of these supplements is specifically designed to flush out and neutralise toxins in your gastro-intestinal tract and help restore its all-important probiotic levels, in order to lead to healthy digestion, improved well-being and boosted immunity. Good luck – and happy cleansing!