So I’ve heard of people going to extremes to detoxify, which can be great with a doctor’s supervision. Yet, there’s something that I absolutely love that I use daily to improve my detoxification. Its call body brushing and I wanted to talk about it because I’m not sure who else out there is engaging in this easy and wonderful, health promoting activity. So if you don’t do it, you might want to consider including it in your routine.
What Is Body Brushing?
Well, as you might imagine, it is something done with a big brush to brush the skin while it is dry. The skin is one of the largest organs in our body and it needs to be taken care of like the rest of the body. Eating well and exercising helps the skin, but sometimes your skin craves for some care of its own. On a very basic level, body brushing helps remove dead skin cells and exfoliate the skin. I’ve also heard that it can help better distribute the fat deposits under the skin. That’s pretty good, but the benefits go deeper than that. It also helps get things moving under the skin, getting both the blood and lymph (part of the immune system) moving. Now, your blood can depend on your heart to pump it through your arteries. Your lymph system doesn’t have a pump and its main job is to detoxify your body and kill germs. If the lymph doesn’t move, the body stays congested and immunity is compromised. This is why the movement gained from body brushing is so valuable.
How does it feel? Put yourself in your dog’s shoes for a second. My poodle gets constant knots which turn into something like dreadlocks if I don’t work them out. She hates getting her knots pulled, but she puts up with it for one reason; it feels good on the rest of her body to be brushed. One of the best times to brush is in the morning before showering. Doing so stimulates the body and an added plus is that it will leave you feeling invigorated going into your day. For that reason, it makes sense not to do this right before bed as it could contribute to insomnia. A shower afterwards helps wash away dead skin cells and toxins.[pullquote]Go for a brush with a handle so you can reach the back and other tough to reach spots.[/pullquote]The brushing technique is quite important. The brush should go in small circles and should always be going in the direction of your heart. That means that if you are brushing your legs, you should be brushing upwards. If you are brushing your lower back, you should still be brushing upwards. If you brush your upper back, you should be brushing downwards because your upper back is above your heart.
This only takes a minute or two, so it is not a bad investment. While you probably won’t see a dramatic, immediate result with body brushing, the long term benefits are worth it. In a world where we are exposed to more toxins than people ever were before in history, it is worth taking a couple of minutes to strengthen our immunity. This is also a great opportunity to do something on the outside that will make the inside stronger. It is way cheaper than a cold pressed juice, vitamins or organic produce. It will help make you healthier. Not a bad investment of a couple minutes of your time.
