Detox
Why Detox?
Well, it’s not as if you aren’t already. In fact, you are detoxing every moment of every day.
You already “know” how to detox or your body does at least. Detoxing is one of the fundamental processes of sustaining life. Our body takes in toxins, pollution, allergens and chemicals every time we eat, every time we breathe and every time we touch.
Detoxification cleanses our bodies of pollutants that could potentially affect our health. Detoxing is so vital to life that the body has five separate systems charged with it:
- Gastrointestinal: The most obvious of the five, this includes the entirety of the GI tract (stomach, intestines), as well as the liver, gallbladder and colon.
- Urinary: The kidneys and bladder are vital to expelling waste from our systems.
- Respiratory: From the lungs to our sinuses, this system both repels and expels pollutants from our bodies.
- Lymphatic: This is the glandular system that processes toxins that enter the body.
- Our Skin: Not only does our skin protect us from harmful things that could potentially enter our bodies, the sweat glands are vital to excreting the toxins that do. Included in this system are a number of other subcutaneous glands and the ducts that produce tears.
In an era of plastic and Styrofoam food containers, microwaves, increased environmental pollution and under-regulated food production, our natural detox systems are on overload. We breathe, eat, drink and touch toxins and allergens all day. There is no time between exposures to let our systems properly work. Eventually, we reach a level of toxicity that our bodies cannot manage alone.
When toxicity happens, we experience some, if not all, of the following symptoms:
- Digestive problems
- Irritability, mood swings, depression
- Headaches
- Exhaustion
- An inability to lose weight
- Constipation
- Rashes
- Environmental sensitivities – such as severe allergies
- Arthritis-like symptoms
- Trouble concentrating
- A general sense of lethargy
What is a Detox Program?
Detoxification involves both dietary and lifestyle changes. It is meant to alleviate toxicity-related symptoms as well as their causes, fast-tracking you to a healthier lifestyle. A detox program is neither a starvation die nor is it an all-liquid diet. In fact, a true detox is not intended to be a weight loss program. The process focuses on eliminating toxins that are currently built up in our tissues and then creates a physiological environment in which our bodies can process future toxins more efficiently.
Unfortunately, fad detoxes require people to use extreme methods such as fasting or using laxatives, colonics and diuretics in the pursuit of a cleanse. When we push our bodies too far in one direction, we put ourselves at grave risk of depleting important mineral and vitamins resources in our bodies. It is essential that a health-care provider facilitates your detox program. Most detoxification products and programs focus on unlocking the toxins but fail to provide the critical nutrients needed to break those toxins down so they can be eliminated. This is important because the headaches, fatigue and flu like symptoms often associated with a typical detox are caused by the body’s inability to manage the unlocked toxins effectively.
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