A Psoriatic Spring Cleanse: Reduce Inflammation

Editor's note: This article represents the individual experiences of this author; what works for one may not work for others. Only you and your healthcare provider can decide which treatments plan is right for you. Please consult with your healthcare provider first before making any changes.

A spring cleanse can reduce inflammation and rejuvenate your body. This time of year is a great time to do a detox diet. Spring and summer mean growth, renewal, rebirth, blooming and, as we’re part of nature, it's good to do a body cleanse this time of year, as a new start, to feel lighter and renewed.

Of course, listen to your body's needs. A cleanse and detox are not recommended for pregnant women or nursing women.

What are the benefits of a cleanse?

This time of year, we can look to nature and notice the many foods that help the body detox. They are abundant in the springtime. Nature's items like dandelion, arugula, basil, nettle, wild garlic, parsley, cilantro, dark leafy greens, asparagus, artichokes, lemon, and green tea.

We already know that an excess of inflammation in our bodies can trigger chronic symptoms. A body cleanse can help to reduce inflammation and rejuvenate your body internally and externally.

Understanding how the body works

The body has a natural way of detoxing itself, but how? To understand this, first, we should know what areas are involved in this natural body process. Without getting too technical, the three major organs that help the body detox are the liver, the kidneys, and the intestines.

• The liver processes all the food, medication, toxins, and alcohol. It’s the main filter of our body, the only organ that burns fat as fuel.
• The intestines serve the process of letting go of what doesn’t serve the body anymore. We need a good bowel function.
• The kidneys filter waste products from the blood before converting them into urine.

Why does your body need a cleanse?

According to Harvard Health, while choosing the right anti-inflammatory foods, you might be able to reduce your risk for illness.¹ On the other hand, if you consistently pick the wrong ones, you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process.

So you might ask if the body can fight inflammation by eating healthy food, why do we need to detox our body? The answer to that is that even if you eat healthy food, there are some pesticides, herbicides, pollution, and other chemicals that can get into our bodies.

Is a cleanse truly that impactful?

The body is very clever. There are products and companies that might try to trick you in order to sell more products and supplements. In my opinion, if you want to know it, try it for yourself. Doing the right research and only going for natural herbs and products is my suggestion.

If you don’t like doing the research, reach out to a professional that can guide you adequately. At the end of the day, we don’t want to play with our health, especially when we already have to care about our specific chronic health condition.

Be kind to yourself and your health

In my experience, as a psoriatic arthritis warrior, I find healthy eating and choosing anti-inflammatory foods, and avoiding inflammatory ones has been the best long-term solution. We have to be honest and also admit that good food is not always available, or we don’t always want to be so strict.

Be gentle with yourself. When you eat or drink something that you know is going to have a negative response in your body, take it as an exception. Enjoy the present moment, and come back to your good habits as soon as possible, without feeling guilty.