Should we do a detoxification program?

Detoxification is a parasympathetic nervous system process… our “rest and digest” system. We are surrounded by toxins in our environment and our foods we eat. Our cells and organs get “clogged” down from toxic overload and decreases our efficiency. The body heals and repairs itself via the detoxification process. Detoxing is our natural and continious internal cleansing process. BUT we never want to start a detox program until we have addressed the foundations:

Digestion
Blood Sugar Regulation
Essential Fatty Acids
Mineral Balance
Hydration

Why it is vital to address proper digestion and elimination before initiating a detoxification protocol?

We must make sure all of our elimination pathways are open and functioning correctly before we start a detox program.

Let’s start with looking at why we are toxic and could benefit from a detox program.

How toxic are you?

A toxin is basically any substance that creates irritating and/or harmful effects in the body • Toxins come from external sources (like air pollution) and internal sources (like cellular wastes) ─ Toxicity can occur from the side effects of drugs or from patterns of physiology that are different from our usual functioning • Most drugs, food additives, and allergens can create toxic elements in the body • Any substance if in excess can create toxic elements in the body: water, sodium, and almost all nutrients in certain

Our natural detoxification systems include:

Cardiovascular
Lymph
Skin
Digestion
Urinary
Respiratory

So if our body will naturally be able to process and eliminate toxins- they why do we need a detox? OVERLOAD- anything excises will cause toxin overload and the body’s is not able to keep up with the demand. The liver gets overloaded and becomes toxic. The other organs included in eliminating toxic chemicals in the body also include the kidneys, colon, skin and the lungs. We eliminate toxins out of our body via sweating, urine, feces and breathing! A toxin can be from air pollution, side effects from prescription drugs or a food additive.

Toxins are everywhere- the chemicals pumped into our environment, the products we put on our skin, the food we eat and the water we drink plus more sources. Pesticides, fungicides, allergens and many other toxins can lead to overloading the system if we come into contact too frequently. Add stress on top of these toxins- then we are really overloading the body’s ability to fight toxins. Stress and our response to stress – our internal reaction can lead to overload of most body systems (read more in my book LIFE IS NOT A RACE on Amazon). Toxins can be internal and external. As I shared in my book LIFE IS NOT A RACE…more is not better- too much of anything can be toxic and too little can cause deficiencies.

To prepare for a detox we need to start working on improving the food/diet we are eating each day- by consuming whole nutrient foods that are properly prepared. Processed foods are seen as an enemy to the body- they are toxic. Also if we over eat we also wastes energy and our body needs energy to “clean house” – which is our natural detoxification system. Another main digestion area to improve before we do any detoxification program is to not only eat real nutrient dense foods but the right amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein for our metabolic type so we have the right amount of nutrients for our body to be able to detoxify naturally.

A major factor to clogging our detoxification pathways is our digestion. If we don’t have the right amount amount of stomach acid (Ph 1.5 – 3) then we have the proper environment to break down the proteins into amino acids that play a role in our detoxification pathways in the liver. Also poor fat digestion (lack of liver and gallbladder function to produce bile to emulisfy fats) can clog the lymph system and the liver.

The list goes on… we need to repair our digestion system, get our blood sugar regulated, make sure we are eating and absorbing our fats, balancing our minerals and hydrated sufficiently so all of our innate functions are effective so we may have our natural detoxifcation pathways open. As I always write about in my book and manual…the body is all connected so when one part is over worked or out of balance then another area is impacted. Just like a bike wheel- if one spoke is broken then the wheel is out of alignment and we are going to start seeing dysfunction- or as my positive client always says “areas of opportunities”.

Examples:

Too much blood sugar and adrenal gland hormone -cortisol imbalances the liver
Too high or too low blood sugar will deplete our B vitamins that we need for liver enzyme functions, neurotransmitter synthesis and phase 1 detox enzymes.
Too little essential fatty acid balance limits the available fat for creating permeable cell membranes that allow wastes to be removed from inside the cells when needed (toxic removal from the cells)
Too little bile from improper digestion and breakdown of fats decreases the bile to assist the removal of toxins in the bloodstream in the gut.
Too little minerals as magnesium causes deficiencies in enzymes needed for Phase 1 Liver Detoxification.
Too little water limits our ability to naturally flush out toxins- keeping movement in the bowels and urinating frequently.

So now we should have more information to understand the importance of having proper digestion and elimination pathways before initiating a detoxification protocol. Instead of starting that 5-day juice cleanse or special detox shake make sure you have of your elimination pathways open and functioning correctly before you start any detox program.

Other resources on toxins and detoxification:

Let me know if you have any questions!

The WHOLESTIC Method Coach,

Debbie Potts