What is a gut cleanse?
For thousands of years, (therapeutic) fasting has been a tried and tested method in many cultures to cleanse and strengthen the body on all levels – physically, mentally and spiritually – and to activate the body’s self-healing powers. In the truest sense of the word, fasting means detoxifying, i.e. ridding the body of all kinds of harmful substances.
Fasting is currently back in fashion – intermittent fasting, in particular, has given this traditional healing method a huge boost. Numerous studies are also looking at the health-promoting effects of fasting and they confirm the positive effects on intestinal health. The digestive tract is intensively relieved – and it is precisely then that a targeted gut cleanse is recommended in order to repair existing damage to the intestines and restore healthy intestinal function.
What harmful substances can be found in the body?
From highly processed foods with all kinds of additives and medicines to shower gel, toothpaste and the like: the range of chemical substances that we are exposed to nowadays is broad. They enter our bodies via the skin, lungs and intestines, and the more of these harmful particles we absorb, the more stress they cause within our bodies – especially the organs responsible for detoxification.
In the long term, harmful substances and toxins can disrupt the intestinal bacterial system. Many of our beneficial intestinal inhabitants perish over time under these stresses and strains, leading to an imbalanced colonisation of the intestine, a dysbiosis. Dr Michaela E. Detzel, chemist, naturopath and expert in intestinal cleansing, knows what the consequences of this can be: “If the balance between the intestinal bacteria is no longer maintained, this can lead to increased intestinal permeability. This means that the intestinal mucosa becomes leaky, resulting in a defective filter system: a so-called leaky gut syndrome. The ‘inlet control’ is then impaired and substances from the intestine enter the blood – and therefore the body’s system – that would not normally have access.”
And this can have far-reaching consequences: Initially mild inflammation (“silent inflammation”) can spread and lead to mental exhaustion, skin problems, weight gain or even chronic conditions such as Crohn’s disease or other autoimmune diseases.
Fasting and gut cleansing: a highly effective duo
How can we best support our body to eliminate harmful substances and toxins and ensure a centre of health? The combination of fasting and intestinal cleansing has proven to be a highly effective therapy for Dr Detzel, who offers so-called fasting-integrated intestinal cleansing in her practice vitalM.E.D. near Frankfurt am Main. She explains that “through (therapeutic) fasting, we can relieve the digestive tract in the most intensive way by avoiding the intake of solid food. We send our digestive and metabolic organs on holiday, so to speak.”
Targeted gut cleansing creates the ideal opportunity to rebalance the intestinal microbiome and regenerate the intestinal mucosa at the same time – and Detzel sees the great advantage in this interaction: “The digestive organs are relieved, detoxification is massively stimulated, the metabolism is regulated, inflammation is reduced and the immune system is significantly strengthened as a result.
