March 12, 2019
You hear it all the time, the words cleansing or detoxing but you’ve never really understood it. Maybe considered it was for the extremist. Daily cleansing and detoxing, as well as eliminating exposure to toxins can overall be beneficial to your health, for everyone’s health, and it doesn’t have to be extreme.
First lets learn what are toxins and what happens when they enter the body and how. We acquire them by either inhaling, ingesting, or through skin contact. Toxins not only are acquired, but can also be produced inside our bodies. Once in our bodies, naturally we cleanse or detoxify them through many of our bodily systems such as our blood, kidneys, liver, and lymphatic system. The problem occurs when we get overloaded by invaders and irritants and don’t do anything to support our natural detox processes they then slow down and a build-up begins.
Our bodies reaction to an irritant is to increase heat, inflammation, and mucus production. When we are in a toxic state due to build up, our whole body becomes inflamed and congested. Ever heard of brain fog? Its a real thing! When we collect too much mucus and inflammation develops thus our nerves cannot generate signals. We become sluggish, tired, and become more prone to having negative reactions to more foods and environmental exposures since our body is already in a state of awareness that something wrong is happening. Your body may start attacking things that may not actually be harmful to it. All of this and more leads to an endless list of symptoms and eventually the development of disease and illnesses.
For example, this acidic and inflamed atmosphere within the body is where harsh microbes of all kinds such as harmful bacteria and fungi thrive, weakening our natural immune system and therefore causing us to be more prone to illness. Don’t forget, mental stress can manifest into physical symptoms and have a negative biochemical reaction within the body!
All these reactions in the body can lead to a variety of symptoms that you may not necessarily think were connected until you understand the big picture that with chronic toxicity all body systems are systemically affected.
Symptoms may include but are not limited to the following.
| Minor Symptoms | Major Symptoms |
| Headaches | Cancer |
| Fatigue | Cardiovascular Disease |
| Chronic aches and pains | Arthritis |
| Gastrointestinal problems (Leaky Gut) | Gallstones |
| Noticeably weakened immune system | Obesity |
| Skin irritations and increase sensitivity to environmental agents | Anorexia |
| Anxiety, | High Cholesterol/High Blood Pressure |
| Allergies | Kidney Stones |
| Menstrual and PMS irregularities/problems | Pancreatitis |
Now you’ve realized this may be the time to figure out what you can do to return your body to a state of homeostasis – a state of steady and balanced internal conditions. At this point, your body needs your assistance in getting the gears moving in the right direction, and small daily changes can make a big difference in not overwhelming the body – or your routine. Thus also avoiding severe detoxing symptoms and overwhelming our systems and keeping us on track as severe symptoms might turn us off our healthy path. Small daily changes all add up and make the process less stressing on the body and mind!
Incorporating into your routine these 6 habits for supporting your natural detox systems will help return your body to that state of homeostasis!
6 Ways to Daily Detox
Drink Water
This is the most important of all healthy lifestyles as toxins need a way to exit your body and do this in the way of excretion of fluids (urine and sweat). Make sure the water you’re choosing is clean and filtered. My best advice is to use filtered water regardless, carbon filters are a good start! The rule of thumb is the drink half your weight in water (oz) a day!
Eat Clean
The stomach is one of the main areas for absorption of nutrients that are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, toxins are absorbed the same way. When the stomach gets irritated from too many toxic chemicals it gets inflamed and can cause an increase in food sensitives, headaches, lethargy, and IBS, also known as leaky gut syndrome. We can do this several ways by following an elimination diet or seasonal diet, eliminate obvious food irritants and follow a whole food, plant-based diet eliminating processed foods, dairy, and processed meats, which are full of toxins. Stick to organic, non-GMO Foods.
On another note eating a whole-food plant based diet will also help increase your bodies natural detox systems by increasing your intake of more healthy nutrients, fibre, and antioxidant foods filled with Vitamin’s C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc. So many benefits!
Cleanse Negative Thoughts
Remember, stress kills. There is a chemical feedback loop to negativity and stress on the body which can result in expression through physical symptoms. The more we are stressed, worry, and fester in negative thought, we create more and more mental and physical toxins. Our adrenals release an abundance of hormones that cause chronic inflammation and irritation. It’s important to remember to slow down, take deep breathes, clear the negativity, and think lighter and more positive thoughts, and to picture your body healing and removing the toxins.
Cut Out Obvious Toxins
The obvious ones are smoking, drugs, and alcohol, but other sometimes forgotten about substances like sugar, caffeine, stress, as well as a poor sleep routine. Make sure we are putting in more nutrients and fewer toxins. Eliminate contact with chemicals and wear the appropriate protective equipment. Switch to natural soaps, feminine and cosmetic products, cleaning products. If you work in an area with high levels of fumes, by-product burn offs etc.. look into supplementation of vitamins and minerals that support detoxification, protect you from, or increase your intake of antioxidant-rich foods. Make clean living choices for you and your environment.
Exercise
Get this, toxins are stored in your fat cells. Less fat cells and more muscle reduces the places to hold toxins. Ever notice when you start to lose some weight it might start with headaches and other signs of a minor detox? That is because as your body breaks down the fat cells, it is also breaking down and releasing the toxins that are being held within them. Keep moving and get sweaty. Sweat is one way we eliminate toxins as well.
Sleep
Our bodies have natural detox systems and our bodies go through that system at least once a day, and that is mostly when we are sleeping. When we sleep, our body is constantly working to still obtain homeostasis (balance) within, breaking down, processing, and eliminating those toxins that throughout the day you were exposed to. Get plenty of rest and make sure it is quality rest. Decrease your food intake at night, cut out the technology in the bedroom and shortly before sleep, create a calming bedtime routine and make it non-negotiable.
Now that we understand toxins a little more and how they drastically affect our bodies, I hope you all start to be more mindful of what we expose our bodies to physically and mentally through our daily routines. It is important to limit the toxins, keep the detoxification processes going and to rest and relax. We always seem to forget that one.
