How to properly detoxify your body.

Safe and effective detoxification is a cornerstone for good health and recovery from illness.

Detoxification for Health!

Do you have a chronic disease?

Are you sensitive to chemical cleaners, perfumes and medications when others seem unaffected?

If so, then it is likely that you have impaired detoxification capacity and are suffering from toxicity.

Today’s environment is full of pesticides, plastics, heavy metals, household cleaners, chemicals and drugs.

Since we live in this environment, it would stand to reason that many of these chemicals end up in our system; contributing to, if not causing most chronic ailments. Toxins affect the body in many undesirable ways by interfering with normal nutrient utilization and hormone function while also damaging the capacity to detoxify substances that normally would be easy to eliminate.

How do we know if we are detoxifying effectively?

There are lab tests available that can tell you how well your liver is metabolizing toxins along with tests which identify if there are elevated levels of toxic metals such as lead, mercury and aluminum.

Assessment of free radical stress can also be very helpful to assess ongoing oxidation in the body, often associated with unbalanced metabolism, toxicity and antioxidant deficiencies.

There is also a survey in the "Tool Box"  on this site which a patient can fill out to see if they have symptoms of chronic toxicity.

Why are some of us more toxic than others?

Well, genetics and lifestyle contribute to this problem. Some people are born with variations in their detoxification systems that allow them to more rapidly eliminate toxins than others. When it comes to emotional involvement I find discussions by Dr Deitrich Klinghardt MD PhD quite interesting about emotional stress and its contribution to impaired detoxification (www.neuraltherapy.com).

What can we do about this?

Change our lifestyle to ensure we are getting the most of our genetic potential. Any nutrient deficiency will contribute to this so it is important to eat a well balanced diet with the appropriate supplements. We also should consider limiting our exposure to toxins whenever possible by using environmentally friendly cleaning agents, cosmetics and personal hygiene products. (See Sat Kharam Dhaurs books on Women’s Health for easy to use products)

My Recommendations

My recommendations for toxicity include basics for general health:

A good multivitamin (Life Extension Mix Caps is one of the best) and fish oils to ensure adequate intake of omega 3 oils.

Botanicals for liver and kidney function including but not limited to milk thistle, dandelion, celery seed, burdock and circumin.  Daily intake of green tea, cilantro, blueberries, garlic and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower) are a must.

I also recommend that protein intake be adequate for optimal liver function so I prefer to use rice protein based detox powders such as Detoxitech (natural factors), Selektaclear (Selekta) or Mediclear (Metagenics).

All of these dietary recommendations are a good  foundation on which to build a detoxification program but most importantly don’t forget to drink at least 2 litres of pure water per day.

What other recommendations besides supplements aid detox?

Well there are few things that can be done simply over long periods of time to dramatically improve overall detox.

Dry skin brushing is one of the easiest. Just take a luffa sponge and gently stroke your skin of your arms, legs and torso towards your heart for about 5 minutes in the shower every night.  This will aid lymphatic drainage.
 
Hydrotherapy can be done in the shower, the last 30 seconds of a shower should be cold, that’s right, this will shunt the blood flow to your digestive organs and your liver to aid detox. An often overlooked part of detox is exercise, cardiovascular work, especially rebounding, vastly improves lymphatic drainage and circulation.

Finally the last recommendation is regular use of Castor oil packs over the abdomen every night before bed for 30 minutes. An easy way to do this would be to take a scott towel, add 2 tbsp of castor oil and place on abdomen, over top place some saran wrap and on top of that place a hot water bottle. Try to relax for 30 minutes and listen to some relaxing music. Studies have shown this will improve immune function within 3 days while also improving detoxification.
 
Some of these procedures have contraindications so it is important to remember these recommendations are not to be followed unless okayed by a qualified health practitioner.

The next level of detox includes the use of “drainage remedies” to get at deep tissue stores of toxins.

These remedies are only to be used once the previous recommendations are followed to allow for proper elimination. Drainage remedies are prescribed based on case history and energetic testing to find the best “fit” for the patient at the time. This typically is a 3-5 year process to achieve best results at optimizing wellness. I also perform periodic NMT sessions to optimize nervous system regulation and recognition of any nefarious substances in the body.

Detoxification can also be aided through many therapies not traditionally thought of as detoxification therapies.

Acupuncture to promote meridian balance or Neural therapy, for soft tissue and nervous system dysfunction, also have side effects of promoting better elimination through better communication of the nervous system with various tissues of the body.

Chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy also work to improve overall detoxification through similar mechanisms as acupuncture and neural therapy.

Toxins are a fundamental cause of many chronic diseases of modern society.

Toxins from environmental pollutants, pesticides/herbicides, exhaust, industrial chemicals, plastics, infectious agent byproducts and products of human metabolism all contribute to furthering our toxic state.

Addressing these concerns every day of your life will play a great role in not only determining how long you will live but also how you will end up living.

 Remember that to take care of the environment is to take care of yourself, we are not separate from the earth around us.

 Illness today is related to mankind’s illusion that we are not part of the world we are poisoning.

Dr. Jamie Gallant ND