DETOX is a bit of a buzz-word at the moment, with numerous protocols on the market claiming to leave you “more energised”, “slimmer” and “toxin free”. But what exactly is a ‘detox’, and does it do us any good at all?...
To get the facts straight, every second of every day our body is detoxing. If it didn’t, we would very swiftly pass away.
This major task of detoxing is taken up by our liver, every substance that enters our body, or is broken down within our body e.g. hormones, must pass through the liver. And it is this organ that decides wether it sends these substances back into circulation of the body, or out of the body via urine or faeces. Sounds fairly straight forward right? Harmful or unnecessary substances leave the body, and helpful substances are re-circulated into the body? Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t run that smoothly and this is when a toxic build up can occur.
If we continuously overload our body with things like environmental toxins (often out of our control – pollution), poor food choices containing artificial ingredients, alcohol, excess medications, drugs and caffeine to name a few, or our liver is under functioning to begin with, it finds it very hard to keep up with demand and can end up doing a ‘sloppy job’ of detoxing. So instead of potential toxins leaving the body, they are recirculated and stored in our fat cells. And this is when they result in ill affects to the body’s normal functioning.
Some key signs of toxic build up include:
· Chronic headaches
· Poor energy
· Bad breathe
· Dark circles under the eyes
· Yellowing or discolouration of the skin
· Skin disorders such as rashes, eczema and acne
· Mucus build up
· Trouble shifting weight
· Seemingly random joint pain and inflammation
The particular protocol I would use to improve a clients detoxing capacity, would depend on the level of toxicity they are showing. But here are a few safe and practical methods you can use regularly to help keep your liver on top of things:
1. Remove or reduce harmful substances: alcohol, drugs, unnecessary medications and caffeine.
2. Assess environmental toxins: switch to natural cleaning, cosmetic or gardening products. And have regular breaks in fresh air when using chemical based products.
3. Eat clean: build your diet by shopping around the outside of the supermarket, eating foods as close to nature as possible and avoiding artificial ingredients and packaged foods.
4. Top detox foods: eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussell sprouts etc), coriander, parsley, beetroot, sea vegetables, onion and garlic. Try extra dietary boosters such as spirulina, chlorella and barley grass powders.
5. Get your sweat on: sweat is a major form of detoxification, so exercise regularly, if feeling lethargic power walking or yoga is equally as effective!
6. Regular bowel movements: you need to be going to the toilet at least once a day for efficient detoxification to be taking place. Try 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk (health store) in a tall glass of water each morning if this isn’t happening.
So in conclusion, paying more attention to the ways to stimulate proper detoxification is essential to maintain good health, but it shouldn’t have to be an extreme approach…especially if we take care of our body in the first place!
This major task of detoxing is taken up by our liver, every substance that enters our body, or is broken down within our body e.g. hormones, must pass through the liver. And it is this organ that decides wether it sends these substances back into circulation of the body, or out of the body via urine or faeces. Sounds fairly straight forward right? Harmful or unnecessary substances leave the body, and helpful substances are re-circulated into the body? Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t run that smoothly and this is when a toxic build up can occur.
If we continuously overload our body with things like environmental toxins (often out of our control – pollution), poor food choices containing artificial ingredients, alcohol, excess medications, drugs and caffeine to name a few, or our liver is under functioning to begin with, it finds it very hard to keep up with demand and can end up doing a ‘sloppy job’ of detoxing. So instead of potential toxins leaving the body, they are recirculated and stored in our fat cells. And this is when they result in ill affects to the body’s normal functioning.
Some key signs of toxic build up include:
· Chronic headaches
· Poor energy
· Bad breathe
· Dark circles under the eyes
· Yellowing or discolouration of the skin
· Skin disorders such as rashes, eczema and acne
· Mucus build up
· Trouble shifting weight
· Seemingly random joint pain and inflammation
The particular protocol I would use to improve a clients detoxing capacity, would depend on the level of toxicity they are showing. But here are a few safe and practical methods you can use regularly to help keep your liver on top of things:
1. Remove or reduce harmful substances: alcohol, drugs, unnecessary medications and caffeine.
2. Assess environmental toxins: switch to natural cleaning, cosmetic or gardening products. And have regular breaks in fresh air when using chemical based products.
3. Eat clean: build your diet by shopping around the outside of the supermarket, eating foods as close to nature as possible and avoiding artificial ingredients and packaged foods.
4. Top detox foods: eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussell sprouts etc), coriander, parsley, beetroot, sea vegetables, onion and garlic. Try extra dietary boosters such as spirulina, chlorella and barley grass powders.
5. Get your sweat on: sweat is a major form of detoxification, so exercise regularly, if feeling lethargic power walking or yoga is equally as effective!
6. Regular bowel movements: you need to be going to the toilet at least once a day for efficient detoxification to be taking place. Try 1 teaspoon of psyllium husk (health store) in a tall glass of water each morning if this isn’t happening.
So in conclusion, paying more attention to the ways to stimulate proper detoxification is essential to maintain good health, but it shouldn’t have to be an extreme approach…especially if we take care of our body in the first place!
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