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Detox can actually be many things. Spending less time on your cell phone, getting rid of material clutter in your home, not consuming alcohol for a month or drinking cleansing tea in the evening. Detox means to detoxify. And that's where the problem begins as far as the body is concerned. Basically, there's nothing to detoxify - in healthy people, the liver, intestines and kidneys work reliably to ensure that hardly any harmful substances are left behind.

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We have long since moved away from the idea that there are slags in the gut. The human body is not a blast furnace in which harmful soot accumulates. However, recent studies have shown that temporarily abstaining from food can have a rejuvenating effect. Autophagy (from the Greek: eating oneself) is a recycling process in which the body breaks down pathological cell components. This phenomenon was first described in the 1960s: It's a mechanism for ensuring the survival of healthy cells and a suicide program for damaged cells. It's therefore also being researched for the treatment of tumors - but also to what extent this cleansing process helps to slow down aging. The human body triggers autophagy after 13 to 16 hours of fasting. Intermittent fasting is therefore a good way to initiate cell renewal. Fasting means relieving the body, giving it a break so that it can reach new heights later on.

Intermittent fasting is trending

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What used to be called dinner-canceling has been given a contemporary update. The idea is to regularly take longer breaks from eating. The most popular variant is the 16/8 method - you fast for 16 hours a day and eat your meals during the remaining hours. With the 5/2 method, you eat normally on five days of the week, while on two days you eat nothing or very little. Fasting is only suitable for losing weight to a limited extent if you fall back into old eating patterns afterwards. At the same time, regular detoxing can certainly help you to break old, unhealthy patterns and realize that you can do without caffeine and alcohol. However, fasting should not be seen as a sacrifice, but as an enrichment - it often increases energy levels and lowers blood sugar levels, which makes us healthier. 

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It makes sense for those new to fasting to be accompanied by a doctor. In many luxury hotels specializing in detox, the stay begins with a bioenergetic examination to determine the energy flows and blockages in the body. Medical diagnostic tests indicate the level of oxidative stress and the metabolic intoxication status of the body. Tailor-made treatments are then developed and monitored by medical professionals.

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However, fasting is not suitable for everyone. You need to be healthy to expose your body to a detox program. If you are fasting, you should also not do any extreme sports, as this overtaxes the body. Massages help to release blockages - in some Chenot houses, for example, Tuina is used, one of the oldest healing methods in Chinese medicine, which is said to strengthen the immune system and be effective for complaints such as insomnia, constipation, headaches, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual syndrome and emotional problems. But meditative walks also help - at Mayrlife in Altaussee, for example. Here you can hike at the foot of a picturesque mountain landscape. Hollywood star Rebel Wilson raves about this health cure in Austria - she is a regular guest in the Styrian Salzkammergut.

Reset and Recharge

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Relaxation and detoxification also go hand in hand at the RAKxa Retreat in Thailand. The minimalist oasis of calm, which uses traditional construction methods and high-quality wood, offers five to ten-day detox programs that focus on holistic experiences. The starting point is a medical DNA analysis, but the environment is also healing. The retreat is located on a protected peninsula, which is known as the green lung of Bangkok. The RAKxa even has a tea sommelier to make even better use of the calming or stimulating effects of herbs.

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Doing without is always a gain: Those who are less stressed can enjoy their lives more consciously. Detoxing, if there's such a thing, starts in the mind - by letting toxic thoughts pass like clouds.