The Golgi Clinic Cleanse 2012 begins - be your own keeper

March 23rd

Hello Golgi Fans and curious onlookers - Nathan (my husband) and I have officially begun the 3-week Golgi Clinic cleanse. We had our first visit with Dr. Martinez today as snow drifted past the window.  By the time we'll be complete, daffodils may be blooming in Missoula. Meanwhile, we'll be learning from the spring growth about how to get back to the nourishing basics.

Nathan said to me the other night "be your own keeper" while I drooled (and wheezed with a late-winter cold) over a piece of freshly-baked pizza. I held back because of the mucous factory that had set up shop in my nasal cavities.

"Be your own keeper" encapsulates my first visit with Dr. Martinez today. After an overview of the cleanse, I now have a cleanse manual full of great ideas -- which is exactly what they are until I start doing them. During the cleanse, we'll be eating veggies, wild game, fish, and some fruits. This all sounds good until I look at my usual habits that are on the "don't do" list -- including strenuous exercise. After being sick I was excited about getting back to more challenging exercise, but looks like a 20-minute walk and stretching are a lot more supportive to the body's regenerative abilities. I'm curious how I'll handle eliminating dairy, gluten, and the occasional social ale from my diet.

Here is a picture of my first dinner on the cleanse -- asparagus, salmon, carrots, spices, olive oil, and white rice.  Tasty!

And. . here's my carb-bomb daydream that I'll probably have on the next sunny Missoula day: 

The Golgi Clinic Cleanse: Ann Prepares for Take-Off

Greetings! I'm Ann, The Golgi Clinic's office manager. After working with Dr. Friess and Dr. Martinez for the past several months, it's time for my first ever official cleanse. I'm excited and nervous, but mostly curious about the process. During the next month and a half, I will be sharing my cleanse experience through blog posts and pictures.

The more the merrier

My husband is joining me in the adventure, which will make grocery shopping easier. You're invited to do the cleanse, too. We can share our experiences on this Blog and The Golgi Clinic Facebook page.

Why do a cleanse?

To me, a cleanse is like pushing a giant reset button. By giving extra attention to what goes in -- and out -- of my body, I hope to learn which foods are best for me. It's kind of like a personal chemistry experiment.

The Golgi Cleanse is a three-week, individualized program. It costs $350. This includes supplements, three office consultations and 20% off additional CranioSacral treatments during the cleanse, which I highly recommend. Most importantly, it is designed to be a gentle detox process, as well as encouraging good habits for the future.

I've done my own cleanses before. This involved eating only raw vegetables and drinking a hot beverage of cayenne, lemon, and honey. Definitely a 'street cleanse', where my consultants were friends and the internet. I remember enjoying a floating, ethereal sensation but no long-lasting changes. Most likely, my liver was getting squeezed like a dish rag during the process. Poor thing. Other than that, I'm new to the whole process and which approach is best for my body type.

So, that brings me to The Golgi Cleanse, where A) real, live, caring Doctors will be my very own consultants and B) the cleanse is customized for MY body type.

My biggest concern about the cleanse? 

 

As mentioned before, my biggest concern is eliminating caffeine. Dr. Friess's reply was "You'd be surprised how you'll adjust. There are many other options are out there". Hmmm. What could possibly replace my daily cup of rich creamy, honey-dosed coffee? I'm in love with the stuff ("addicted" is too harsh a word) and not sure I even want to give it up. But. Am curious what'll happen if I remove it from my diet for a mere 3 weeks.

Preparation

Another question I asked was "What can I do to prepare?" Being about 2 weeks out from my official start date, I want to ease my way into this. "Nothing" was both Dr. Friess and Dr. Martinez's reply. Nothing? Not exactly reassuring, since I like to prepare in advance for new endeavors. . hopefully the minimal preparation foreshadows the gentle nature of the cleanse.

We will see!

Stay tuned.