Importance of Detoxification

Introduction to Toxicity

Toxicity cannot be ignored as a primary instigating factor in health decline. Everyone has previous and ongoing toxin exposure. Chemical elements are in our food, water, furniture, carpet, paint, cleaning supplies, fragrances, the air and even our clothes. Complete avoidance cannot be done. That being said, it is imperative that our bodies be properly supported so that we can deal with, safely process and remove as much of these compounds as possible. This process requires properly functioning lymphatic, liver, kidney and digestive systems, something not commonly found in most people.

Why?

Imagine, if you have been exposed to a multitude of chemicals every day of your life and then, in addition, you don’t always eat the right foods, sometimes you sleep too little, sometimes too much, you don’t always exercise, your life has excessive and ever-expanding stress and more often than not, you always have more to do than you have time for. The above things describe stress, both chemical, and environmental and stress causes the body to malfunction because it alters organ and endocrine function such that primary processes like liver detoxification cannot be completed. As the stress grows, the body’s ability to respond becomes more and more limited and the result is growing inflammation and ultimately disease. A major factor in this ever-increasing stress is toxin accumulation. Therefore, a major part of long term health and or healing must be toxin removal.

Detoxification

Detoxification is a big topic in the natural health world. If you go to any health food store, you will find detox kits, pills, teas, herb mixtures and powders. All of them promise complete detoxification of waste, heavy metals, yeasts and inflammation. Yet, few if any will deliver any real change and in some cases, they might make you sick. Detoxification must be gentle, targeted, done with support for individual organ systems, and done slowly as part of a global lifestyle and food change. If attempts are made to speed up the process or to purge toxins in large amounts, it will overwhelm the body’s ability to respond because a body loaded with toxins is a body without adequate drainage and therefore one that cannot respond and remove waste from the cell. In my view, detoxification should be done over an extended period of time, in some cases up to 2-3 years in which the systems of drainage are continually restored while specific remedies are used to remove residues from the body in a slow and precise manner. During this time, techniques such as sweating, massage, lymphatic drainage, acupuncture, colonics, organic food, stress reduction, exercise and lifestyle management must all be used to enhance and regulate the process successfully. Then once the body has been restored, long term adherence to a mixture of avoidance and continual support of toxin removal and organ health must be used or the process will be reversed.

Where do I start?

In order to know how to detoxify, we must know what to detoxify. As I said before, everyone has exposure, but what we have been exposed to and what has accumulated can vary widely. Therefore, assessment is vital because if your burden is primarily heavy metals versus a mostly pesticide-based load the proper treatment can vary. In addition, as I have said above, food will matter in long term detoxification success. Therefore, eliminating foods that cause your body stress and focusing on foods that promote balance and diminished inflammation is essential. To begin, a complete health assessment and intake is necessary so that all the factors involved can be properly identified and from there, detoxification support that your body recognizes and is able to use will be implemented. Then periodic follow-up and assessments are done to monitor progress and make necessary adjustments as the body heals. In this way, the detoxification is permanent and successful.