The other day we were asked a question in regards to detoxing and it went something like this “What are your thoughts on performing a detox and aren’t our bodies set up to detoxify naturally?” This is a great question and I would like to address it today in my blog. To begin I would like to say that yes, absolutely our bodies are totally built for detoxification and we have numerous pathways of elimination that include our digestive tracts, lungs, kidneys and our skin. When we run into problems is when one or more of these pathways of elimination become overwhelmed and then we begin to see signs of toxicity. Common examples are skin disorders such as acne or eczema. Oftentimes there is a problem with elimination and by cleaning up the gut and detoxifying the body, better results can be found than by using topical treatments alone.
The body is a great healer but even when fed clean organic food and quality water it can use a little help. Our current world is a different place than it was when our hunter-gatherer ancestors ran around chasing food and collecting fruits and veggies. Nowadays we breath toxic fumes, use hair products, skin products, household cleaning agents and numerous other things in our day to day life that greatly add toxic load to our pathways of elimination. Furthermore, when our ancestors ran around they often went through times of famine (especially winters) and this allowed the body a break from the work of digestion and gave it time to work on ridding itself of things that were not meant to stay. Today not many of us ever suffer famine as we live in the world of monster grocery stores and ice-cream and strawberries are available at 2:30am in December…..you get the point.
So what are a few things to consider when performing a detox? Most people require or at least benefit from supplements because they don’t want to change their lives for too long and their systems have been out of balance for too long. We also want phase 1 and phase 2 of liver detoxification to be equal or at least for phase 2 to be faster than phase 1 so we don’t increase reactive molecules and reabsorb what we are attempting to rid ourselves of. Personally, I believe the best methods for cleansing include consuming less food overall with a focus on fresh, organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables. One should consider decreasing meats and excess fats and completely avoiding processed foods, dairy, sugars and grains especially wheat and consume lots of quality mineral rich water. Herbs to support the liver, kidneys and lymph system are also very valuable to assist what nature already gave us. There are many other useful techniques that can be used in conjunction with diet therapy and they may include dry brushing, contrast showers, exercise or steam/sauna, to name a few.
This is a quick overview of why we can always benefit from a little detox program and spring is the best time to begin a cleanse, so consider doing a little house cleaning soon!
The body is a great healer but even when fed clean organic food and quality water it can use a little help. Our current world is a different place than it was when our hunter-gatherer ancestors ran around chasing food and collecting fruits and veggies. Nowadays we breath toxic fumes, use hair products, skin products, household cleaning agents and numerous other things in our day to day life that greatly add toxic load to our pathways of elimination. Furthermore, when our ancestors ran around they often went through times of famine (especially winters) and this allowed the body a break from the work of digestion and gave it time to work on ridding itself of things that were not meant to stay. Today not many of us ever suffer famine as we live in the world of monster grocery stores and ice-cream and strawberries are available at 2:30am in December…..you get the point.
So what are a few things to consider when performing a detox? Most people require or at least benefit from supplements because they don’t want to change their lives for too long and their systems have been out of balance for too long. We also want phase 1 and phase 2 of liver detoxification to be equal or at least for phase 2 to be faster than phase 1 so we don’t increase reactive molecules and reabsorb what we are attempting to rid ourselves of. Personally, I believe the best methods for cleansing include consuming less food overall with a focus on fresh, organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables. One should consider decreasing meats and excess fats and completely avoiding processed foods, dairy, sugars and grains especially wheat and consume lots of quality mineral rich water. Herbs to support the liver, kidneys and lymph system are also very valuable to assist what nature already gave us. There are many other useful techniques that can be used in conjunction with diet therapy and they may include dry brushing, contrast showers, exercise or steam/sauna, to name a few.
This is a quick overview of why we can always benefit from a little detox program and spring is the best time to begin a cleanse, so consider doing a little house cleaning soon!
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