It’s officially swimwear season, which translates to anxiety and panic.  While losing a few extra pounds is most likely on everyone’s wish list this summer, general body-consciousness is also at an all-time high.  Whether it’s quitting smoking, binge drinking, or merely cutting out trans fats and fried food, everyone’s feeling the pressure of turning their body into the temple they’ve always wished it to be.

So, in light of the fact that you probably consumed your fair share of BBQ and booze this past Memorial Day weekend, we figured it’s prime time to get a cleaner, healthier body, both inside and out.  Specifically, we’re focusing on the ever-important issue of toxin release.  Be your poisons illegal or FDA-approved, here are a handful of helpful ways to sanitize any inner-body sanctuary.

Rolfing
Technically, Rolfing is a method of structural integration – a massage technique that relies on the weight and body-to-body movement engaged by the masseuse, which is said to enhance vitality and wellbeing, especially for those who clock in long hours hunched over a computer screen.  Coined for its namesake, Dr. Ida Pauline Rolf, who developed the method back in the 1950s, the practice involves a massage significantly more intensive than anything you’ll find in your run-of-the-mill spa.  But, no pain, no gain, right?  In addition to having natural healing abilities, Rolf’s technique is said to improve posture to the point of elongating the spine and actually adding inches (or fractions thereof) to one’s height.
*psychoPEDIA recommends Rolfing - Integrative Therapies in NYC, 350 W 51st St, NY, (212) 307-5367 and The Rolf Shop in Palm Springs, rolfshop.com

Colonics
While we’re still not entirely comfortable with the idea (forgive us, we can still be a bit vanilla when it comes to discussing orifices), we must admit, this colon cleansing activity is endorsed by both Hollywood and fashion alum, as well as certified health fanatics.  Sometimes referred to as hydrotherapy, sometimes called irrigation, the procedure is not something we’d call pleasant (but neither is it painful).  Like an enema, which cleanses the lower part of the colon, colonics cleanse the entire length of the colon.  To boot, they can also result in weight loss, which may be why the likes of Ben Affleck, Gwen Stefani and Gisele Bundchen have reportedly done the deed at We Care Spa in Palm Springs, where they claim “clients can weigh seven pounds less afterward.” 
*psychoPEDIA recommends Rachel Bastow in NYC, (212) 946-6302, and Carolyn Ganji in Santa Monica, (310) 399-2106

The Master Cleanse (aka: the Lemon Cleanse)
Consider all the things you digest in a single day, and the result may be shocking.  We’re a society that moves quickly, and consumes even faster – especially in NYC.  Those who eat less live longer, and there’s nothing like starting fresh.  Fasting is actually a means of letting your organs rest, and regroup.  So, give the lemon cleanse, heralded by hoards of health fanatics, a chance.  Tried and tested for over 60 years, the diet involves cutting your intake down, food group by food group, until you’re only ingesting a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.  So, pick up a copy of Stanley Burroughs’ The Master Cleanser, or refer to the e-book online.

*Yogi DeTox Tea: if you don’t have much time, this detoxification practice can be done in a NYC minute; it merely involves a trip to your local (higher-end) bodega or Whole Foods, and some hot water.  Just look for the yellow box with the yogi on the front.