You hear a lot in health circles about doing a detox…aka diets, supplements, fasts, herbs, etc. Is it a fad thing? Or do we really need to detox our body of accumulated toxins? Well, over the past 60+ years more than 60,000 new chemicals have entered our environments and over 300 of those have been found to be residing in our bodies. Our body has a natural detox process that happens each and every day. Our cells, skin, liver, colon, and kidneys all help us detox some of these chemical nasties that we are exposed to.
But considering how many toxins we are exposed to in daily life I think a structured detox can be really beneficial to our health and wellness. There is a sticky area here though. Detoxification can be rough on us physically and mentally and we need to take care that we are not overwhelming our body with released toxins. When we detox and release toxins at a cellular level our blood is then flooded with them and it is up to our detox systems to deal with this crisis. This flood of toxins is why so many people feel sick. You often feel like you have been hit by a truck or that you have gotten the flu. You are tired, achy, dizzy, get diarrhea, feel nauseous, break out in a rash, or have a bad acne outbreak.
Why? All those toxins you released in a detox enter your liver via the bloodstream. The liver then filters them out and dumps them in your gut along with bile. This reintroduces the toxins into your digestive system, where they can be reabsorbed through the gut and cause acute toxicity. You are actually being “re-poisoned” with the toxins your liver just filtered out of your blood. Your detox symptoms are a result of that “poisoning”.
This is at the forefront of my mind right now as I had a VERY bad week, last week. I used one of my fasciablasters on my tummy and within 2-3 days I felt horrible. I was dizzy, sick to my stomach, exhausted, grumpy as all get out, and my face broke out in really bad cystic acne. I had flooded my body with toxins released during a blasting session and had not been taking care of my detox pathways or even drinking much water. I payed for it BIG time! But the silver lining is that my stomach area looks like I lost 5 pounds. I keep looking in the mirror in amazement. I do not plan to stop fascia blasting so I have to take better care of myself afterwards.
It is imperative that we give our natural detoxification systems extra support. A good way to support your detox organs is to use select herbs and supplements that are effective for this purpose.
Lymphatic Support – Our body’s ability to detox begins in the the lymphatic vessels which move lymph fluid from tissues to the bloodstream. This system helps clear the blood of toxins and move toxins downstream for removal. To support this process try dry brushing your skin and if you have the means…an Infrared sauna session, which opens up skin detox pathways, taking stress off the lymph.
Kidney Support – The kidneys aid us in detox by extracting waste from our blood and excreting it via urine. To aid in this process and make sure our kidneys can function at their optimal level we should consume lots of water and potassium rich foods like citrus fruits and grass-fed yogurts. Eat less protein if you are detoxing to lighten the load.
Liver Support – The liver is our most effective detox organ. It works extremely hard to remove toxins from the body. We can support this organ with coffee enemas, eating watercress and other leafy greens, and herbs such as milk thistle, dandelion root, burdock root, and slippery elm. Often times the best way to get these herbs is in a tea. You get the benefits of the herbs and the extra water. You can also add them to your morning coffee.
Gut Support – To support your gut when not in detox you might try intermittent fasting…aka drinking only water, bone broth, or whey water to give the gut a break from the riggers of digestion and allow it to heal and seal any leaks. If you are in detox then make sure you are getting enough food fiber to capture any toxins, trap them, and transport them out of your body through bowel movements so that they do not get reabsorbed.
Skin Support – As mentioned earlier, Infrared sauna sessions and steam room sessions can help eliminate toxins through the skin. A green tea bath can also help you with skin detox. A facial and a charcoal face mask are also helpful to keep your skin clear.
So in short, if you are going to do a structured detox program or cause a detox (like I did with my Fasciablaster) make sure that you are armed with some key herbal supplements and the tools you will need to support the extra stress you are going to be putting on your body’s natural detox systems and organs. You will save yourself from that “hit by a truck” feeling and the yucky symptoms (acne) while you are helping your body to heal and release unwelcome toxins. To your health!
