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10 Ways to Detoxify Your Body
Body cleanse and detox diet tips for beginners
Three naturopathic physicians share insight on why and when to detox, what type of detox program is right for you, and 10 ways to start.
Feeling sluggish or out of sync? Having skin problems, aches and pains, or digestive problems? Straying from your healthier habits lately? Having trouble kicking off your weight loss? It might be time for a body detox.
Practiced for centuries by many cultures around the world — including ayurvedic and Chinese medicine systems — detoxification is about resting, cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside out. By removing and eliminating toxins, then feeding your body with healthy nutrients, detoxifying can help protect you from disease and renew your ability to maintain optimum health.
"The body has its own natural healing system," says Peter Bennett, N.D., medical director of Helios Clinic in Victoria, B.C., and co-author with Stephen Barrie, N.D. and Sara Faye, of 7-Day Detox Miracle (Prima Health). "Detoxification enhances this system," he explains.
How does detoxification work?
Basically, detoxification means cleaning the blood. It does this mainly by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination. The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin. However, when this system is compromised, impurities aren't properly filtered and every cell in the body is adversely affected.
A detox program can help the body's natural cleaning process by:
A detox program can help the body's natural cleaning process by:
1) Resting the organs through fasting;
2) Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body;
3) Promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin;
4) Improving circulation of the blood; and
5) Refueling the body with healthy nutrients.
"Detoxification works because it addresses the needs of individual cells, the smallest units of human life," says Bennett.
How do you know if you need to detoxify?
Bennett suggests that everyone should detox at least once a year. A short detoxifying program or whole body cleanse is generally safe; in fact, scientific studies show that a detox is beneficial for health. However, Bennett cautions against detoxifying for nursing mothers, children, and patients with chronic degenerative diseases, cancer or tuberculosis. Consult your health care practitioner if you have questions about whether detoxing is right for you.
Today, with more toxins in the environment than ever, "it's critical to detox," says Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D., the author of Detoxification (Healthy Healing Publications). Page recommends detoxing for symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, sluggish elimination, irritated skin, allergies or low-grade infections; bags under the eyes; a distended stomach even if the rest of your body is thin; menstrual difficulties; or mental confusion.
Where do you begin?
First, lighten up your toxin load. Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars and saturated fats, all of which act as toxins in the body and are obstacles to your healing process. Also, minimize use of chemical-based household cleaners and personal health care products (cleansers, shampoos, deodorants and toothpastes), and substitute natural alternatives.
Another deterrent to good health is stress, which triggers your body to release stress hormones into your system. While these hormones can provide the "adrenaline rush" to win a race or meet a deadline, in large amounts they create toxins and slow down detoxification enzymes in the liver. So it's a good idea to detox stressful life situations along with detoxifying your body. Yoga, Qigong and meditation are simple and effective ways to relieve stress by resetting your physical and mental reactions to the inevitable stress life will bring.
Which detox program is best for you?
There are many detoxification programs and detox recipes, depending on your individual needs. Many programs follow a 7-day schedule because, as Bennett explains, "it takes the body some time to clean the blood." His program involves fasting on liquids for two days, followed by a carefully-planned five-day detox diet to allow the digestive system to rest. He also advises supplements, herbs, exercise, and practices such as dry-skin brushing and hydrotherapy to enhance circulation.
Page recommends a 3-7 day juice fast (drinking only fresh fruit and vegetable juices and water) as an effective way to release toxins.
Other popular detoxing programs and natural body cleanses include:
- Cleansing supplement packages, which generally contain fiber, vitamins, herbs and minerals. There are several safe products on the market, with easy-to-follow instructions.
- A routine of drinking only water one day each week — an ancient practice of many cultures.
10 ways to help your body detoxify
After a detoxification program, you can cleanse your body daily through diet, supplements and lifestyle practices.
1. Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella, and seaweed are excellent detoxifying foods.
2. Cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and drinking green tea.
3. Take vitamin C, which helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins.
4. Drink at least two quarts of water daily.
5. Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system.
6. Transform stress by emphasizing positive emotions.
7. Practice hydrotherapy by taking a very hot shower for five minutes, allowing the water to run on your back. Follow with cold water for 30 seconds. Do this three times, and then get into bed for 30 minutes.
8. Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.
9. Dry-brush your skin or try detox foot spas/foot baths to remove toxins through your pores. Special brushes are available at natural products stores.
10. What is the most important way to detoxify? "Exercise," says Bennett. "Yoga or jump-roping are good. One hour every day." Also try Qigong, a martial-arts based exercise system that includes exercises specifically for detoxifying or cleansing, as well as many other exercises with specific health benefits.
1. Eat plenty of fiber, including brown rice and organically-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Beets, radishes, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, spirulina, chlorella, and seaweed are excellent detoxifying foods.
2. Cleanse and protect the liver by taking herbs such as dandelion root, burdock and milk thistle, and drinking green tea.
3. Take vitamin C, which helps the body produce glutathione, a liver compound that drives away toxins.
4. Drink at least two quarts of water daily.
5. Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to circulate more completely through your system.
6. Transform stress by emphasizing positive emotions.
7. Practice hydrotherapy by taking a very hot shower for five minutes, allowing the water to run on your back. Follow with cold water for 30 seconds. Do this three times, and then get into bed for 30 minutes.
8. Sweat in a sauna so your body can eliminate wastes through perspiration.
9. Dry-brush your skin or try detox foot spas/foot baths to remove toxins through your pores. Special brushes are available at natural products stores.
10. What is the most important way to detoxify? "Exercise," says Bennett. "Yoga or jump-roping are good. One hour every day." Also try Qigong, a martial-arts based exercise system that includes exercises specifically for detoxifying or cleansing, as well as many other exercises with specific health benefits.
Want more information on detoxing? Check out:
Consult your doctor before using any health treatment — including herbal supplements and natural remedies — and tell your doctor if you have a serious medical condition or are taking any medications. The information presented here is for educational purposes only and is in no way intented as substitute for medical counseling.
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Comments
Submitted by Stephanie422 on Fri, 01/16/2009 - 10:14.
There are some side effects. As you detox you might feel mild flu-like symptoms for a few days as your body discharges the toxins. Also it's important to remember that not everyone is a candidate for fasting or juicing. People with hypoglycemia, for instance, would do really poorly on a juice or water cleanse. So if you're fasting and feeling really horrible, lightheaded, sweaty, nauseous, dizzy, faint, etc., you need to eat something! Be sure to consult a nutritionist before embarking on one of the more rigorous programs.
Submitted by mbb4502 on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 09:08.
I understand the importance of ridding my body of toxins and that we live in a world over-ridden with them. As a cancer survivor, I have become proactive in detoxification and have practiced yoga, eaten more healthy and used some successful methods and supplements to aid my journey.
Marianne
Submitted by iheartgabby on Wed, 11/10/2010 - 09:31.
I have a question. I am really wanting to do a detox - but I have a great suspicion that I fall into the category of folks who can't do it. I have Bipolar Disorder. Not only am I on 10-12 different medicines every day, it has been drilled into me how important eating habits are to someone with Bipolar Disorder. But with so many meds, so many mood changes, do much stress, can't you see why I might WANT to detox ?! Is there anything I can do to do a partial detox that would still keep me eating full meals, but I might get something out of it? Or anything you may suggest?
Submitted by jonny818 on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 20:01.
I would not suggest this. Stick to eating health, without any fastfood, artificial sugars, and non-carbonated drinks. You may also want to be careful with certain fruits as certain vitamins can cause intoxication as well.
Submitted by woodlandsmare on Thu, 02/10/2011 - 10:11.
I have been doing chelation to help remove mercury after removal of amalgam fillings. I have been consulting with my doctor re: this and am on supplements to facilitate. She is monitoring my treatment. With all this, when I do YOGA, it seems to really speed up my detoxing to a point where I feel I have to stop the YOGA. My question is why, what's actually happening, and has anyone else experienced this?
Submitted by LAHealthyGirl13 on Tue, 03/22/2011 - 13:23.
Have you heard of Kaeng Raeng? It sounds very similar to a lot of the detox programs you were discussing here. It sort of falls into a mix between the meal supplement category and a fruit/veggie juice cleanse.
I heard about it on a few blogs and I have to say it's my favorite!
I was always curious about cleanses, but this one was so filling and it sounded so safe that I took the plunge. I wasn't really hungry during it because of all the protein, fruit, and fiber in it. I maybe got hungry once and was free to have as much fruit and raw veggies as I wanted.
It's pretty cool. I'm too afraid to do any of the fasts you were talking about, though. I'd rather eat clean. I don't want to mess up my metabolism.
Submitted by kedwa30 on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 16:59.
To all who are taking a lot of medicines and especially those with bi-polar disorder, talk to your doctor about reducing the number of medicines. Many medicines are prescribed to counter side effects of poorly prescribed medicines. Rather than take so many different medicines, it is better to sort out with your doctor which are truly necessary and which are there simply because you complained of a side effect.
Further, many anti-depressants are based on fluoride, which works by causing excitotoxicity which causes cell death and memory loss. Taken over long periods of time, these kind of anti-depressants are essentially a chemical lobotomy.
If your prescriber does not want to take the time to sort through the medicines to help you eliminate some, then find a different prescriber.
Your prescriber should also be the best person to discuss whether or not you would be able to do a cleanse. A cleanse does not have to be without your necessary medication. The idea is to reduce the load on your organs which process chemicals, so that they can recover and will work better.
I personally have a jaded opinion of "modern" Western medicine which relies too much on surgery and drugs while neglecting the natural remedies available. One natural remedy to many things is simple meditation to rest the mind. Watching TV tires the mind as does sleep, since the process of dreaming is actually more activity for the mind than while awake, so unless you have learned how to rest your mind on your own somehow, you probably will suffer the symptoms of an over-tired mind. Yet I would be surprised if a PHD in the U.S. ever recommended meditation for a patient to rest the mind. Instead they might prescribe an addictive medication such as a sleeping pill or worse.
Submitted by weber1 on Wed, 05/04/2011 - 08:28.
just joined site.
Need help for my 76 year old mom. To my suprise on friday, (after a trip the ER confirmed she was NOT having a heart attack), her doctor has had her on xanax since 2001 due to a heart attack after the loss of my father.... YES 10 YEARS on xanax!!!!
mom didnt realize she was taking a narc. and cut her pill back to 1/2 about 3 months ago, and has felt lowsy ever since. Friday, she went into "dysphoric reaction"... due to the cutting back of this horrible pill.
she is still taking the 1/2 until we get cleared on her EKG and stress test.. the doctor who put her on this is STILL her doctor and so far of NO help, getting her off. I have told her of your top 10. at the moment she is miserable but managing. when she stops taking the 1/2 pill in a couple of days, i imagine this will get worse.
What can i do to help her?? we really need help.
thank you so much!
Submitted by angiesolomon85 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 16:28.
I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your father and the fact that your mom had to be on medication for ten years. There's a documentary that I recently watched called Food Matters and there are several doctors and nutrionalists in it that speak about alternative ways to treat illnesses/conditions. I highly recommend you and everyone you know to watch it, especially your mom. For immediate solution, check out Orthomolecular.org for what your mom can do.
Hope that helps, let me know how it went.
Submitted by yamini on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 04:55.
Fruits are an ideal way to detoxify your body and you can do so easily even if you have raw fruits at hand. Read this article on how to ripen raw fruits and get going on the detoxification campaign: http://www.ifood.tv/blog/how-to-ripen-raw-fruits
Submitted by Robo-dad on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 10:10.
This has really got to be the craziest thing you have ever heard of but here goes. There is new research that states that all it takes for a person to detox is to reach a bio-psychodynamic equilibrium. I tried what it suggests and viola! I got what I thought was a urinary tract infection as it said I would, I then went to see my doctor and had three urine samples taken and they all came back negative, again the same as it said would happen.
What makes this even crazier is that it is a treatment for and anxiety that does not include medication or therapy, it is unreal!
It says that we are just like nature and when we heal emotionally we naturally heal physically or biologically as in nature. This is phenomonal and it must be experienced to be believed. I am not depressed anymore and I do not have anxiety as I had in the past.
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are there any known side effects to de-toxing?