How to Effectively Detox the Whole Body
The beginning of a new year always brings new hope and revitalization to motivation. The reset we all feel drawn towards this time of year can be good for the mind, body, and soul. Along with setting resolutions and goals, many of us consider doing a detox or cleanse to help ignite the process.
We don’t have to look far to find ads and promotions for detox plans and cleanses carrying big claims. Usually, they require extreme commitments of time and difficult-to-swallow food choices, products, and costs. An effective, sustainable detox will support the body’s natural ability to eliminate unwanted toxins. It may add to the experience and success of a healthy start to the year and doesn’t have to involve a great deal of unpleasantness.
Why detox is needed
Over the course of everyday life, we’re all exposed to toxins, including environmental pollutants, such as toxic chemicals in cleaning and personal care products, heavy metals in food and water, BPA in food storage containers, pesticides, and more.
Although our bodies are designed to be self-cleansing, many of these substances accumulate in the body, where they can harm your health in many ways.
Symptoms of toxicity:
Fatigue
Joint pain
Muscle aches
Headaches
Weight gain
Hormone imbalances
Indigestion
Constipation
Brain fog
Depression or anxiety
Conditions associated with toxicity:
Autoimmune conditions
Lyme
Fibromyalgia
Chronic kidney disease
Neurodegenerative diseases (i.e., Alzheimer’s)
Diabetes
Allergies
Detox vs cleanse vs drainage
All of these have a target to remove garbage from the body. The main difference is how elimination is supported. Each has its place in maintaining health. However, they are not interchangeable and not equal.
Detoxing is a broad term for a few different ways of resetting your body. Specifically, to detoxify refers to the biochemical processes in the body that repackage volatile chemicals (from without and within) for removal from the whole body. Supporting detoxification involves using nutrients from foods and supplements and lifestyle interventions such as home therapies (saunas, detox baths) and measures to reduce toxic exposure.
A cleanse is more about removing things from your diet and focusing on select foods (i.e., vegetable juices) to rest and flush the system. Cleanses work mostly on the gut and don’t remove toxins from the whole body. These work best as a short-term way to reset your body. Some issues with cleanses may include loss of energy, loss of muscle mass, concentration issues, short-term/short-lived weight loss, and insulin imbalances.
Drainage involves the natural filtration processes we should be doing every day. The major ways drainage occurs are through breathing, urinating, bowel movements, sweating, and menstrual cycles. Any compromise to one of these areas requires not only overcompensation through the other drainage pathways but also creates a systemic imbalance in all other systems. Drainage is best supported through the lifestyle factors each of us needs in place to either maintain or attain good health.
This includes:
Staying hydrated
Maintaining regularity
Sweating on a consistent basis
Intentionally breathing
Drainage must come before detoxes and cleanses. If the bathtub is filthy and needs a good scrubbing, but the drain has a clog in it, and the bathtub is full of dirty water, what do you think needs to be done first? The same priority goes for our bodies; we must open all clogged drains first.
Too often practitioners recommend detoxes and people plunge headlong into cleanses without considering drainage. This is one reason why people feel the very unpleasant symptoms associated with detox, or what’s known as a detox reaction.
Drainage and detox programs typically work best when partnering with a functionally minded practitioner. This way, it can be determined where drainage and detox need support and what each individual needs to remove the toxins that stand in the way of healing. Here are a few ways anyone can get the process started.
Ways to detox
1. Fasting
There are two approaches to fasting. Some people choose an extended fast without any food for a set period - often between 24 to 72 hours. Some of these extended fasts are “water only” fasts, while others allow liquids like lemon juice or beef broth.
Intermittent fasting, which means alternating periods of food intake with periods of fasting, has become more popular in recent years. Intermittent fasting has some flexibility. For example, you could eat normally for 12 hours, and fast for 12 hours, or have an eight-hour eating window.
Fasting has been traditionally used to improve health and many recent studies back its benefits, including:
Healthy blood glucose metabolism
Normal inflammatory responses
Healthy blood lipid metabolism
Body weight and composition management
Supporting the body’s normal cellular waste removal process
Fasting isn’t for everyone, however. People with low blood sugar or Type 1 diabetes should consult with a healthcare practitioner first. And fasting can also increase your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, so if you’re already stressed or busy, approach fasting with caution. Anyone with a history of disordered eating should also talk with a healthcare provider before beginning a fast.
2. Dietary cleanse
A dietary cleanse typically involves eliminating certain food groups, such as inflammatory or processed foods like sugar, white flour, and unhealthy fats.
The exact dietary changes will depend on your current health and goals and are often best determined in tandem with a healthcare provider. Some common cleansing strategies include food sensitivity detoxes, in which you eliminate foods that are known to cause sensitivities and reintroduce them keeping careful records of symptoms.
Some general tips for a successful dietary detox include:
Up your water intake. Water will help eliminate waste products from your body.
Focus on antioxidant-rich foods. Antioxidants prevent oxidative stress, which leads to cell damage. Foods rich in antioxidants include berries, leafy green vegetables, dark chocolate, and green tea.
Eat foods high in sulfur. Sulfur-rich foods like cruciferous vegetables, legumes, beef, and turkey can help transport heavy metals like cadmium from your body.
Cut down on salt. Table salt makes your cells retain water, which slows down urination, one of the processes through which your body eliminates toxins. However, Himalayan salt offers electrolytes than can help the fluid balance and flush toxins out.
3. Sweat it out
Although we tend to overestimate the ability of a good sweat to “flush out” the effects of unhealthy choices, some studies have found that sweat does contain waste products. Infrared saunas are one of the best ways to facilitate detox and avoid detox reactions.
Exercising has many benefits that can support your body during a detox as well, including its ability to help manage inflammation and support immune health. However, it’s important not to overly tax your body during this time, so consult with a healthcare practitioner for the right program for you.
4. Supplement for support
Help your body do its job by choosing supplements wisely. Particularly while you’re detoxing, it’s important to work with a practitioner to choose the best supplements for your specific needs. Supplementation can also depend on what kind of detox you are doing, since some supplements and multivitamins work best when taken with foods, for example. The aim of supplementation is to support your body’s natural detoxing abilities. Some commonly used supplements for detox support include:
Activated charcoal. Some toxins may bind to activated charcoal in the lower intestine so that they can be eliminated with a bowel movement.
Probiotics. By encouraging a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut, probiotics help ensure your digestive system performs its natural detoxification function.
Turmeric. This spice contains a compound called curcumin that helps support your body’s antioxidant pathways.
Green tea. One study found that chemicals in green tea called green tea catechins may help support detoxification.
Chlorella. This is a species of algae that may help support your body’s detoxification of specific compounds.
Start your year off or your healing process on the right foot with safe, sustainable detox support.
Contact Cornerstone Wellness today to partner with Dr. Cox on how to best eliminate both toxins and the guesswork when it comes to your health.