Despite my healthy veggie diet and heroic efforts with the
jogging group, I was piling on the pounds, spilling out of my pants, feeling
lethargic and battling embarrassing skin problems.
I knew intuitively my malaise called for a radical
intervention. So one despondent Saturday morning I Google searched “detox
retreats” and up popped the Simply
Healing Detox Retreat at beautiful Alliblaster House in leafy West Sussex,
not far from our home in Kent.
Bingo! I knew this was “it” even though there were many
other excellent retreats to choose from. Simply Healing was voted Best Detox
Retreat in the UK by prestigious Vogue magazine and described as “a million
miles away from the stresses and strains of everyday life.”
My email was answered immediately and there was a place
available within two weeks. Effortlessly, smooth as silk, I was booked in and
all set for a five-day internal cleanse and delightful pampering in a serene
rural setting.
The centrepiece of the Detox is colonic hydrotherapy, which
involves cleaning out the colon (large intestine or bowel). The process is
gentle and hygienic and carried out by expert therapists with great respect and
professionalism.
The Detox requires consuming only fresh juices, soups and
broth and a mixture of apple juice, clay and psyllium with probiotics and
herbal supplements.
By stopping eating solid food, you give your overworked
digestive system a rest and chance to release toxins through the bowel, urinary
system, lymphatic system and skin. Your body is replenished with nutrients from
the juices and broth and most importantly, if you are overweight, you rapidly
shed the pounds and kick-start your sluggish metabolism into fat-burning mode.
As a bonus you receive lashings of nurturing and care from skilled therapists.
I was ready and rearing to go but quietly anxious because I
know what happens to me when I stop eating. I’m used to eating every two to
three hours to stabilise erratic blood sugar levels and if I skip a meal I
suffer headaches and nausea.
But stepping inside the massive charming country manor
house, brimming with comfy sofas and soft furnishings, was like being embraced
by a reassuring hug and instantly I felt safe and knew I was in a good, kind
place.
Owner Vivien, a renowned healer who has studied ancient,
natural healing arts around the world and leads tour groups in Peru and other
exotic destinations, welcomed me warmly.
Lovely Kate, a former nurse, showed me around the sumptuous lounge
rooms, vibrant with colour and artworks. My cosy upstairs room commanded
peaceful views across the lush fields.
There were eight women on my program who had travelled from
all over the UK, keen to shed excess weight and rest from stressful jobs and
recharge, revitalise and rejuvenate.
That first night we sat together around the formal dining
table, apprehensive about what we’d let ourselves in for, clutching our mugs of
Carrot and Coriander Soup, chatting and getting to know each other then retired
to our rooms early with our own thoughts and hopes.
Predictably swapping my usual big carb-loaded evening meal
for soup sent my system into shock and the headaches and nausea set in. At 5 am
I was throwing up and on the brink of a migraine.
I pushed through to face the first round of juice and clay
drink and felt sick all morning and
I had read that 24 to 48 hours into a fast your digestive
system stops expecting food and switches to drawing energy from the fat stored
in the cells. Now that’s what I wanted to happen! So I persevered and by
mid-afternoon I stopped craving food, the nausea eased and my whole system
settled into a contented state.
I was able to ride through that initial rough patch with
understanding chats with the other guests, an invigorating salt scrub with the
lovely young April, and a colon massage (on the stomach!) with Aor, a gentle Thai lady with
powerful, healing hands. I was off and away and from Day Two, the Cleanse was
blissful.
In the immaculate candle-lit therapy room, I stripped down
to a paper thong and April took my measurements and then slathered on a
detoxing mixture of algae and clay and wrapped me tightly in bandages like a
mummy. I eased myself into a thermal bag and lay there sweating while she gave
me a soothing head and face massage. When April measured me again I’d instantly
lost almost 14 inches! I could feel my waist again!
Florence, an elegant French naturopath gave me an exquisite
reflexology treatment hitting all the key points before my first colonic
hydrotherapy session with Helen, who has been dedicated to this health-giving
work for several years.
Like everyone else on the course, I marvelled at the amount
of old rubbish that came out of my body and was thrilled to be rid of it! Waste
accumulates over the years and toxins can leach through walls of the colon made
porous from Candida,
which some health practitioners say is the root cause of a host of unexplained
illnesses.
Vivien says the Detox is ideal for women and men over 50 to
lose flab, correct nagging health problems and rejuvenate. “People aged from 50
to 80 come here and clean their colons of a lifetime of rubbish.”
I had a second colonic treatment with Carolyn who also set
me straight on the mistakes I was making with my diet. She advised against the
ready-made vegetarian meals, made from soya protein, with the wisdom that
anything processed is not as pure as meals you make yourself. So I will now
take the time to whip up my own scrumptious lentil burgers, bean chilli and
chickpea curry.
Carolyn also suggested I break a lifelong habit of eating
huge evening meals. She offered the homespun motto; “Eat for what you are going
to do, not for what you’ve done!” It is far better to eat a hearty breakfast
and lunch when you need the energy during the day and have only a light,
carb-free evening meal. I know this will be a magic key to continuing weight
loss.
And two more tips from Carolyn: Eat natural foods every
colour of the rainbow and chew each mouthful 20 to 30 times to help your poor
digestive system and eat less!
Natalie gave me the best and deepest massage I’ve ever had.
It was painful (in a good way) as she released the tension I’ve been carrying
in my neck, shoulders and back from endless hours hunched over the computer.
On my last day Aor gave me another deep tissue neck massage
and I had an intriguing Hopi Candle treatment with Carolyn to clear the ears
and nasal passages. It really worked! I now feel much clearer in the head!
The all-female team of expert therapists are not only
skillful and knowledgeable but
Kate and Vivien made the delicious juices, which seemed to
be just perfect for our needs each day. My favourite combinations included
Strawberry, Plum and Apple and Lime, Apple and Sweet Potato and I loved the
savoury broth brewed from a variety of fresh veggies.
The course was ideally paced between treatments and free
time to laze on the sun lounges or rest in your room. Kate led us on brisk
early morning country walks and we relaxed around the open fire at night with
guided meditations.
The whole experience is so easy for the guests yet obviously
much hard work is going on behind the scenes to make the colourful, energising
juices appear on the table every few hours and ensure that everything runs like
clockwork.
Vivien and her family established Alliblaster House in 2000
so they have fine-tuned and perfected the Detox program over more than a decade
with countless exuberant guests (who have scrawled their glowing reviews
replete with superlatives and exclamation marks in the Visitors’ Book).
I went home feeling like a new woman, 10 pounds lighter,
with a fierce commitment to continuing healthy self-care. The Detox has
kick-started the fat burning process in my body and I’m determined to continue
losing weight with juices, soups and salads and a fresh new outlook. I would
love to return every year for a tune-up!
Who would think it possible to achieve so much healing and
transformation in just five days! I am grateful for to the wise, healing,
nurturing women of magical Alliblaster House for the gift of regaining my
health and energy!
