A review of a Platinum Healing Retreat by Jayne Freer – Journalist from the WMN

After months of feeling sluggish and watching my waistline gain a life of its own, it was time to take action – and fast.

Despite daily dog walks and the occasional run, late-night TV dinners washed down with a glass of wine or two were beginning to take their toll.

A workaholic, my battery was running on low. I found it hard to prize myself from my laptop and even harder from under the duvet. Meanwhile my digestive system was crying out for a bit of tlc.

I decided it was time for a top-to-toe, inside-out, back-to-front detox to wipe the slate clean and start afresh, so I signed up for Platinum Healing’s ‘Juice Detox and Yoga Retreat’.

A week before my visit it was time to start the ball rolling. Armed with my preparation guidelines I headed to the local health store to stock up on organic mung beans, lentils, chia seeds and quinoa. As I staggered out with a lead-weight bag full of dried hippie food, I’d wondered how long they would sit in the kitchen cupboard slowly gathering dust. But determined not to fall at the first hurdle, a batch was soon soaking ready for mung bean curry the following night.

And so my journey began. Seven ‘prep’ days with no dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar or alcohol resulted in three days of headaches and a rather emotional Thursday as toxins began to surface. On the flip side I’d discovered some cracking vegetarian recipes and lost 5lbs to boot.

Arriving at the stunning converted barn retreat nestled in glorious West Sussex countryside, I was greeted with a glass of orange, carrot and ginger juice.

Reality quickly dawned as I realised that would be it for the next three days – just juice. No chocolate, no Earl Grey tea, not even a lettuce leaf unless it’s squished.

Flicking through the extensive ‘treatment menu’ in my room it was clear the Platinum team had every corner covered. From relaxing spa-style massages and manicures, to hypnotherapy, life coaching, inner child therapy, meditation and much more – the whole package for mind, body and soul.

A welcome talk by the Platinum Healing team – including a nutritional therapist, medical herbalist and life coach – introduced us to the detox ahead. While the body naturally cleanses itself, the process becomes laboured when overloaded with toxins from a poor diet, lifestyle choices and the environment.

Medical herbalist Sara Rooney said: “The more acid-forming foods we eat like meat, refined sugar and processed foods, the more we work against our body’s natural process, leaving us tired and our immune system vulnerable to disease. A more alkaline-based diet (80% alkaline 20% acid) balances our body’s pH helping to protect against illnesses and shed the pounds.

“Fasting is a great way to awaken the body from its catabolic state and help with the elimination of toxins, while taking in nutrients and antioxidants to start rebuilding healthy tissue.”

Everything was clearly explained from symptoms we could expect, to the different juices, supplements and optional extras such as body brushing, tongue scrapes and self-administered colonics! As a detox virgin I opted for the full ‘valet’.

Later as we devoured our ‘evening meal’ of an electrolyte mineral broth (essentially vegetables boiled to within an inch of their life and drained to provide a watery but highly nutritious drink), we settled to watch ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’ – one man’s journey on a 60-day juice diet that saw him lose 100lbs and reverse his poor health.

‘If he’d survived two months, surely I could manage three days’, I thought to myself as I headed back to my room armed with body brush, supplements and too much information about the pending colonics, but with excited determination in my step. That evening, nursing a slight headache, I read a magazine from cover to cover before falling sound asleep.

Awake at 6.50am with an unexpected bout of energy and hideous metallic taste in my mouth, I raced to the bathroom to perform my tongue scrape, swishing my first load of toxins down the plughole. An all-over body brush, cup of hot water and lemon and a swim in the indoor pool were followed by our first yoga session – all before 9am.

I’d had fleeting romances with yoga’s ‘downward dog’ in the past, but a session with an inept teacher ended in a torn neck muscle that put me off. Penny was different; engaging, supportive and fun, and before long I was embracing the ‘pigeon’ and ‘warrior’ daily. An additional ‘one-on-one’ session equipped me with several sheets of Penny’s matchstick figures to enable me to keep up the good work back home.

After working up an appetite it was time for ‘breakfast’. This comprised of an Aloe Vera shot, a delicious pear, parsnip and mint juice – with a teaspoon of herbal psyllium husks to help clean the colon – followed by an apple cider vinegar ‘cleansing drink’ with hot water, honey and lemon.

Each ‘meal’ came with a different shot; Aloe Vera, algae-green looking wheatgrass or crushed milk thistle. The juices were all delicious and based on the 80% vegetable and 20% fruit rule, and I was pleasantly surprised how they kept my appetite in tact.

An insightful, if toe-curling, post-breakfast talk about parasites, tapeworms and colon plaque (the toxic waste that lines the colon wall), sent us racing to our bathrooms to get cracking with our first self-administered colonic.
While not wishing to disclose the gory details, that 40-minute daily slot in my bathroom wasn’t as bad as I’d feared and… how shall I put it… gained in momentum and volume as each day passed. Frankly, it was waste I was glad to get shot of.

The next three days I immersed myself in juices, supplements, yoga, colonics and a host of treatments from meditation, Hopi ear candling, Indian head massage, hypnotherapy and aromatherapy massage, while taking time out to relax, reconnect and recuperate.

Inspired by the bounty of useful tips on leading a healthier lifestyle, I found myself making a list of changes I could easily make, from switching to natural cosmetics to swapping cow’s milk to almond – the list was endless.

When the time finally arrived to gradually reawaken my digestive system, I found it difficult to eat. I’d become very conscious of what I was putting into my body, not wanting to ruin the internal ‘spring clean’. The last evening was marked with a meal to break the fast, a selection of delicious, nutritious salads only for us to discover our stomachs had shrunk and none of us could clear our plate!

The final morning I noticed my belt was a notch smaller and the scales back home told me I’d lost another five pounds. But nothing could override the sense of clarity and replenished energy I’d gained, along with a positive attitude to change my diet and improve my health.

Four weeks on and I still have an alkalizing juice every morning and haven’t touched tea or coffee favouring herbal teas instead. Gone are the sweeteners and red meat hasn’t had a look in, while alcohol has been kept to a minimum. I feel more educated about organic, nutritious food, do yoga several times a week and clothes resigned to the ‘too tight’ pile have been brought back to life.

They may be a few simple changes, but they are changes for the better. And who knows, in the future, they really could turn out to be life changing.