Santa Montefiore decided to kick start her detox with all the facts thanks to The Organic Pharmacy - with impressive results
After a long summer eating my way through Italy’s pasta and parmesan supplies, and knocking back glasses of white wine as if it were water, I felt heavy, sluggish and in dire need of getting back into shape. This September, I told myself, would be the month I set about losing the weight I had never quite lost since giving birth to my two children ten years ago. This time, I vowed, I’d really do it. (As opposed to the other countless times when I had nearly done it!)
I joined the Equinox gym in Kensington, which was a good start. But we all know it’s about 80% diet and 20% exercise. However, cutting out the usual ‘white things’ didn’t appeal. I wanted to know exactly which foods my body finds hard to break down and I wanted to be advised on supplements. I’m 43; I have to start taking care of myself.
I have always been a big fan of The Organic Pharmacy. I love their ethos and their products. Everything smells so good in there, I never come out empty handed. So, I booked an appointment for a detox with Vidhi, a qualified doctor and the most charming Indian lady who immediately made me feel that I was in the very best of hands.
Professional and friendly, she discussed my diet and lifestyle in great detail for about half an hour before strapping me gently on the wrists and ankles, connecting me to the Quantum QX machine, a genius device invented by a NASA scientist, which scans your body and all its organs, glands and lymphs in great detail. The results were fascinating. Not only did it reveal my vitamin, mineral, serotonin and hydration levels, but the foods my body is unable to process efficiently, which results in toxic waste piling onto my stomach and thighs as fat and cellulite.
Vidhi went through the results with me. I was very dehydrated, in spite of drinking masses of water. That was because of the low mineral levels, which meant I was not absorbing the water I drank. I was deficient in vitamin B, hence the weak, breaking nail and hair, and so toxic, she nearly jumped when she saw the result. No surprise then that wheat, dairy and white wine (my summer diet) came up as foods to avoid. My summer was literally sitting on my thighs and stomach!
I began a detox immediately, conscientiously, with no cheating. Three detox pills before bed and on waking, with plenty of water. Drops to support the kidneys as I expelled all the toxicity, and various other bottles of supplements. I avoided a small list of foods and all alcohol, and added kale and spinach smoothies with walnuts, almonds, Dr Udo’s Oil and protein powder to my porridge breakfast. I bought spelt pasta, vegan pesto, spelt and nut bread and discovered that it’s not so hard to avoid wheat and dairy after all. Fortunately, although I can’t process white wine, red is fine – I looked forward to that post detox.
The first week I got a sty, a cold sore, and the cold that was coming when I went for my appointment developed into a stinker. But the following week I felt fantastic. My skin glowed, the whites of my eyes were brighter, my energy levels were off the scale and I felt generally lighter. By week three I was down a jeans size and had to go to Trilogy to replenish my supply of denim (no hardship there!).
I have finished the detox pills but continue taking the supplements and avoiding the list of foods, although I am drinking red wine in moderation. It’s now week seven and I’ve dropped from 71 kilos to 65, which is what I was before I got pregnant and my ideal weight (I’m 5ft 11”). I went for a follow-up scan to find that my hydration levels are now 100%. My vitamin and mineral levels are strong and the detox has brought my toxicity down. It was really interesting to compare the results: the detox really worked.
I am so excited by the way I feel and that I have lost the weight I’ve spent the last ten years trying to shift, that I am persuading all my friends to go. It’s not just about the weight, though, it’s about being healthy and feeling full of energy and vitality, and looking your best. It works and it’s not hard to do. It costs £150 for the first consultation (supplements on top of that) and another £70 for the follow-up scan.
Hence I have decided to share this gem of an experience with GTG readers. Which, in my opinion, is the best way to review something – when you are so happy with a result you can’t keep it to yourself!
Find out more at www.theorganicpharmacy.com and book in with Vidhi on 0207 376 9200