5 Surprising Signs You Might Need a Detox This Fall

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Photo by Morrison Health

By Molly Gallagher for Well+Good

Sneezing everywhere, sugar cravings, and can’t get a good night’s sleep?

This fun little set of issues might mean a detox is in the cards for you this fall, says Jeffrey Morrison, MD, an integrative physician in New York City and author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind, who can spot someone who needs a detox from a mile away.

How to know if you’re one of them?

Read on for five signs you may need a detox this month—and short-term remedies for each, plus Dr. Morrison’s food cleanse prescription. It’s his favorite kind of reset for post-summer stress, whether you’re experiencing just one of these symptoms (fingers crossed) or the whole gamut (so sorry!).

1. Allergies

If it feels like every year your seasonal allergies are getting worse, especially going into fall, it’s not just because the pollen is getting worse, says Dr. Morrison. It’s possible you’re run down. “We find when people do a detox, their allergy symptoms get much better.”

Short-term remedy: Dr. Morrison suggests local bee pollen to help alleviate allergies. “People who have what appear to be severe seasonal allergies should start with a small amount—one to two granules of bee pollen—in the morning before breakfast and slowly work up to about half a teaspoon, two times a day,” he says. “The oral ingestion of bee pollen is a natural way of desensitizing to local flowers from the inside out.”

Related: Chlorophyll: The great detoxer

2. Difficulty staying asleep

Pop awake almost every night? It’s a sign that your liver is under stress, says Dr. Morrison.

“The liver is the main organ in the body for detoxifying chemicals, prescription medications, and alcohol, and all of these can cause you to wake up at night. Even if you’re not drinking and still waking up, it could be because the liver is working harder than it should,” he explains.

Short-term remedy: A supplement called glycine helps the body make extra GABA (a calming neurotransmitter). Take one, in water, at bedtime, he says.

Related: 7 things you can do for faster, better sleep

3. Sugar cravings

A detox is not just about eliminating toxins, it’s also about eliminating unhealthy behaviors, Dr. Morrison says, and sugar can be addicting and habit forming. The best way to get rid of the cravings is to ditch sugar flat out. And according to Dr. Morrison, a juice cleanse won’t help you do that.

Short-term remedy: Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water. “It completely eliminates the craving,” he finds.

Related: Are you addicted to sugar without knowing it?

4. Rashes

“The skin is a reflection of what’s going on in the body, especially itchy hives. The skin is basically telling you that the body is inflamed. Often the cause is the food you’re eating,” Dr. Morrison says. Eliminating some of those inflammatory foods may be just what you need.

Short-term remedy: Dr. Morrison likes a new natural (but not vegan) antihistamine called HistDao.“It’s an enzyme that breaks down histamine. Take it two times a day,” he says.

5. PMS

Getting PMS every month like clockwork is not necessarily normal, Dr. Morrison says. There are small changes you can make to so you don’t feel like a bloated, cranky mess every 28 days. “If a person does the detox diet, fifty percent of the time we see significantly fewer PMS symptoms,” Dr. Morrison says.

Short-term remedy: Take evening primrose oil, he says. “It’s a seed oil with a long track record for its anti-inflammatory properties. Take one, two times a day,” he says.

More Reading:

How to do a 10-day food detox

Recipe: Berry Detox Smoothie