Our body has 5 major organs of detoxification to remove any harmful chemicals and pollutants from our system these are the skin, lungs, kidneys, colon, and liver. In an ideal world, these organs would function optimally, however, too often these organs are becoming overburdened by poor lifestyle choices, environmental pollutants, medications or genetic weaknesses. The result is a weakened digestive and detox function which then leads to wastes finding their way into fat cells and brain tissue
Factors that may indicate the need for a detoxification program include:
- Pharmaceutical medications.
- Poor dietary choices (e.g., high sugar diets, junk food)
- Slow gut transit time and motility (low fibre, highly processed diets)
- Xenobiotics (insecticides, herbicides, drugs, solvents, and metals)
- Lifestyle choices (alcohol, smoking, recreational drugs)
- Mechanical problems (spinal alignment, nasal or intestinal obstruction)
- Psychosocial factors (stress and trauma)
The purpose of a detox is to ease the stress of the body’s organs and aid the removal of toxins, think of it as a holiday for your organs, a time to recharge and come back stronger and more energised.
Signs and symptoms of too much toxicity in the body:
- Brain fog
- Fatigue unrelieved by sleep
- Headaches
- Muscle aching and weakness
- Nerve pain or numbness
- Recurrent infections
- Poor short-term memory and concentration
- Sensitivity to environmental chemicals, odors and foods
- Bloating
- Fluid retention
- Anxiety and/or mood swings
- Increased belly fat or visceral fat
- Cravings and/or sugar issues
- Acne
- Insomnia – especially between 2 and 4 am
What you can do:
- Eat your veggies: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts contain sulfur, which helps reduce estrogen dominance and support both phases I and phase II of the liver detoxification process. You also need their fiber to move all the toxins along in your colon.
- Exercise: Daily exercise has numerous health benefits including lowering blood sugar levels, weight loss, bone health, balance hormones and has positive mood effects. Exercise also encourages oxygen to our cells and helps to remove toxins from our cells. It stimulates the lymphatic system to aid in the removal of wastes. By sweating toxins out through your skin, they also bypass the need to be detoxed by the liver and you reduce the workload of the liver.
- Sleep: Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for our general health and wellbeing. This is the time that our body can repair and heal. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night. Quality is also important. Ensure you practice good sleep hygiene practices such as sleeping in a dark room without any electronics in the room.
Following these simple tips will ease the toxic burden on your body’s natural detoxification organs. Take care of all of these and more in my online 4-week detoxification. To find out more and to sign up click here. However, once you’ve done the program you’ll be able to go back to it any time you need a tune-up!
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