So when do we need to detox?
Apart from at the obvious times, like after Christmas and New Year, when many of us know we have overdone it with food and alcohol, most of us are not aware of when we need to detox. Part of this may be down to a lack of knowledge of what can cause our bodies to become congested, and also what the signs and symptoms of system overload are. So let's look at those two areas first.
What can cause toxic overload?
Each day we are exposed to many chemicals, possibly growing more by the year - as a colleague once wrote, mankind has created 80,000 new chemicals since the dawn of modern chemistry. Scary thought! Many professions make people more susceptible to becoming overloaded, as they work with lots of chemicals, such as printers, panel beaters, spray painters, or those who work in agriculture, gardening, boat building, hairdressing and so on. For the majority of us there are many things in and around our environment that can affect us, for example:
Inhaled toxins - car fumes, household sprays and cleaners, cigarette smoke, herbicides
Consumed chemicals - alcohol, preservatives and additives in processed foods and drinks, prescription medicines
Poor digestive health - many people that I see become congested due to poor digestive health. The digestive system can become weakened by many factors, such as stress, a diet high in processed foods and sugars, poor gut bacteria and food intolerances. These can lead to inflammation in the digestive system, which weakens the protective lining and allows things to pass into the blood stream that shouldn't be able to - this is called leaky gut and is quite common these days.
The result is that the liver has to clean the blood and work harder when there are many toxins. When it gets too much for the liver we may start to experience some of the signs of overload.
What are some of the signs that we are overloaded with toxins?
- Skin conditions - when the liver can't cope, extra toxins are pushed out into the lymphatic system and affect the skin, e.g. acne, eczema, psoriasis, rashes, dull skin
- Low energy - many people feel sluggish and tired all the time, but just put it down to old age
- Poor liver function - indigestion, increased intolerances to many kinds of food, poor tolerance to alcohol, bad hangovers, gas, bloating, constipation or loose bowels
- Hormonal issues - PMS (fluid retention, sore breasts, period pain, skin breakouts)
- Headaches
- Muscle and joint aches and pains
- Increased allergies and sensitivities
So how do you go about detoxing?
In the simplest terms, you cut out the bad things and increase the good.
What can go wrong? This is fine to bring down the toxic load in your body and is great for people who don't have too many health issues. However, for some people who are more toxic and have poor digestive health, these small changes can cause a healing crisis, such as headaches and feeling generally rotten, like you may be coming down with flu.
The trick is to get the digestive system and channels of elimination working properly first, before you try to move anything out of the body. For some people who may have had serious chemical exposure, or who are suffering from severe symptoms, it may be necessary to carry out tests to identify the toxins and how high the levels are - there are many laboratory tests naturopaths can use to test heavy metals, for instance, from analysis of urine or hair.
Steps for carrying out a full detox
Stage 1: Remove - the aim of the first stage is to remove or dramatically reduce the level of dysbiotic (unnatural) bacteria, fungi and parasitic organisms that may be present in the gut, and to remove waste and toxins being produced by these organisms. It is also important at this stage to look at food intolerances, as these can cause inflammation in the digestive system, which sometimes leads to bacterial overgrowth and leaky gut. They also tend to affect bowel movements, and having good channels of elimination is very important - you should have a bowel movement every day, and when this does not happen the toxins can circulate and cause you to feel terrible. In my experience gluten is the number one culprit when it comes to constipation.
Stage 2: Renew - once the load of dysbiotic organisms living in the digestive system has been reduced, the main aim is to re-populate the digestive system with beneficial (probiotic) bacteria and heal the lining of the digestive system.
Stage 3: Release - the final stage of detoxification is designed to enhance the capacity and function of the body's waste removal systems, predominantly the liver, gall bladder and kidneys. In this stage the focus is on increasing the release of toxins stored in the body, as well as increasing the release of bile to facilitate excretion of waste.
If you'd like more information, or feel you would benefit from a detox, please don't hesitate to call me on 021 819 064 or get in touch.
