A lot of people have heard of detox, but are not sure exactly what it involves. Detox, or detoxification, is intended to help remove toxins from the body.
Toxins are thought to cause disease, slow down our normal bodily processes, and even cause premature aging. If you’ve ever wondered why some people look a lot younger than their age, and others considerably older, it could have something to do with toxins and them not being eliminated from the body efficiently.
So, where do toxins come from?
Where Toxins Come From
Toxins are all around us, in the food we eat and the environment we live in.
We also generate them ourselves as waste products from various essential bodily processes. The most common one you might have heard of are free radicals. These have become of increasing interest to scientists looking to fight diseases like cancer, and to prevent premature aging.
A free radical is a molecule that is missing an electron in its outer ring. It will do anything to complete it. It can strip an electron from tissues, cells and even your DNA, causing damage and potentially causing malfunction in the item that has been stolen from, which can lead to illness.
Fortunately, there is a way to combat free radicals. That is to consume more antioxidants. The process of stripping electrons is known as oxidative stress. Antioxidants prevent it through their molecular makeup. They have one or two extra electrons in their outer ring, so the free radicals can easily steal them without causing any significant wear and tear on the body.
Good sources of antioxidants in the diet include green tea, blueberries and apples. Making a smoothie with these ingredients every day could help you detoxify by neutralizing free radicals and by flushing toxins out of the body via your urine. The fiber in the fruit can also help you excrete toxins through your solid waste.
How Detox Programs Can Help the Body’s Natural Cleansing Process
As we have said, a lot of toxins can come out in the urine. Many can also be eliminated through feces. If you tend to bloat or have constipation, a one- to three-day cleanse and detox might help you get back on track. Some people do colon cleanses, such as enemas, but in most cases, a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables should keep things moving along well and purge anything that is causing trouble in your digestive tract.
Whenever possible, aim for organic. If you can’t get organic, peel the produce to try to cut down on toxic pesticides in your diet, which can accumulate in the body and cause disease.
Is Detox Just a Quick Fix?
A lot of people enjoy detoxing because it breaks up their routine and they feel they are doing something great for their health. The trouble is that detoxing will usually last only a short amount of time. If you then go right back to your old bad habits, nothing will really have been accomplished. Detox can be a boost to a regular wellness routine, but it will never be a complete substitute for smart choices about your well-being, including:
- Your diet
- Alcohol consumption
- Cigarette smoking
- Drug taking, both legal and illegal
- Your fitness routine
Natural versus Focused Detox
Your body should naturally detoxify itself. In fact, it has four systems for doing so:
- The disposal of cellular waste products, especially lactic acid, through the bloodstream and the skin.
- The removal of larger waste products through your lymphatic system, which sends them to your liver.
- The removal of toxins through your liver, via the bile duct, digestive tract and kidneys. They are then eliminated as urine.
- The final clearance of solid waste products by your digestive tract, through the intestines and out the anus.
You might decide to do a whole-body detox, or target one particular area, such as your liver. Your liver can take a lot of abuse if you drink alcohol or eat a lot of sweets. Drinking plenty of fresh water and using herbal supplements like milk thistle can soon leave you feeling cleansed and energized. The liver metabolizes the calories from the food we eat, so if you feel fatigued all the time, consider paying more attention to your liver.
A low-carb diet is actually another good detox method. This is because it produces significant chemical changes in the body which can help release toxins and fat stores, so you can start to lose weight. If you try the Atkins induction program for two weeks, you will only be allowed 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. They will be mostly non-starchy vegetables such as salad greens and broccoli. You will also drink a lot of liquid to help you feel full, and focus on protein in your meals.
Note that the average American eats 300 grams of carbs per day. Excess calories not burned are stored as fat. Dropping from 300 to 20 grams is tough, but the upside is that you will notice some drastic changes quite quickly. You will begin to urinate a great deal more and will probably have more than one bowel movement per day. Some low-carb dieters report losing 10 to 20 pounds on induction as a result of this detox process.
Creating Healthy Habits Produces the Best Results
Detox can help you feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Some people do it at home, while others love to go to a spa to pamper themselves. But you can’t party like a rock star most of the time and think that detox has got you covered. Instead, you need to create healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
These can include:
- Clean eating
- Exercise
- Healthy habits
- Respecting your body
Clean Eating
Clean eating refers to focusing on cooking your own food from scratch using whole foods – that is, all-natural ingredients. It means steering clear of fast food, junk food and pre-packaged meals, baked goods and so on. Many of these are full of sugar, salt, white flour, trans fats, and refined carbohydrates. Aim for high-quality ingredients like salmon, quinoa, brown rice, and your own homemade desserts made with fruit like apples and berries.
Exercise
Moving around helps shift toxins in general. Yoga can help with particular spots, such as the lymph nodes (part of the immune system), strengthening them by stimulating the flow of lymph. Aerobics and other dance-type exercises are also good for detox for the same reason.
Walking every day can also keep you regular. It’s why we take dogs for a walk, after all.
Healthy Habits
Take a 360-degree look at your lifestyle to see where you can improve your health habits. Some people swear by a hot bath to relax and destress. Others love a cold shower because they believe it is a good method of detox.
Having a regular night-time routine can help keep you healthy and ensure you get a good night’s sleep, which is essential for your overall well-being. Be sure to remove all makeup and wash your face well. If you tend to suffer from allergies, take a shower and wash your hair so allergens are less likely to transfer to your pillow and cause irritation and inflammation. Change your pillowcases often.
Brush your teeth, get into comfortable clothes, and get ready for bed. Do not drag your laptop with you. Treat your bedroom as a haven of tranquility, not an extension of your office.
Respecting Your Body
In the East, they say the body is a temple. It needs to be respected and treated well if it is ever going to support you in all of your daily activities. The trouble is that when we are younger, we think we are indestructible. We take our health for granted — until something serious happens.
A lot of people also believe that just popping a pill can cure most ills. They take all sorts of over-the-counter remedies, some of which can interact with each other. Remember, aspirin is available without a prescription, but it can still kill someone who is allergic to it.
One of the most worrying recent trends amongst people of all ages is acetaminophen toxicity. Acetaminophen is the generic name for Tylenol. Even overdosing on as few as three pills at a time can cause severe liver damage or even liver failure. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to overdose because it has become an added ingredient in hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Avoiding known toxins is a great way to stay healthy.
Learn more about side effects before you start taking any medicine, even ones your doctor prescribes.
Be alert to the dangers of birth control too. There are many different kinds available now, but some can be potentially toxic to the liver or kidneys. Discuss all your options with your doctor, and with your partner. If you’ve already had as many children as you want, consider an intrauterine device (IUD).
If you are not in a committed relationship, practice safe sex. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are actually on the rise in the United States, and some can have long-term consequences in terms of overall health, and in relation to one’s fertility and chance of having a baby in the future.
Avoid all recreational drugs, including alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol has been linked with at least 9 different types of cancer, cigarette smoking with 14. A burning cigarette produces more than 400 chemicals, some of them know to be cancer causing. E-cigarettes (vaping) might seem a safer option, but harmful chemicals are still created in the process.
Now that we’ve looked at the importance of a healthy lifestyle, it’s time to start making small tweaks to your routine that can all add up to a healthier you. If you want to add cleansing and detox to your regular routine, let’s look at 30 ways to help cleanse and detox your body.
30 Ways to Help Cleanse and Detox Your Body
There are many ways to cleanse and detox the body. Here are 30 to try:
1. Quit the bad habits
2. Turn to probiotics
3. Drink more water
4. Fasting
5. Get regular massages
6. Use essential oils
7. Replace coffee with green tea
8. Brush your tongue
9. Replace a meal with a smoothie
10. Exercise
11. Meditate
12. Manage stress
13. Make sleep a priority
14. Eat more fiber
15. Avoid harmful environmental toxins
16. Drink lemon water every morning
17. Add more superfoods to your diet
18. Use coconut oil in moderation
19. Sweat it out in a sauna
20. Practice hydrotherapy
21. Massage pressure points
22. Cut out medications
23. Try yoga
24. Cut sugar and simple carbohydrate intake
25. Go vegetarian
26. Eat organic
27. Exfoliate regularly
28. Start cooking more at home
29. Use Epsom salts
30. Cleanse occasionally
Let’s look at each of these briefly.
1 – Quit the Bad Habits
As we have mentioned, stopping smoking, quitting alcohol, and giving up junk food can have a huge impact on the level of toxins in your body.
2 – Turn to Probiotics
A healthy body starts with healthy digestion. Probiotics are helpful bacteria in your stomach. Look for yogurt with active cultures. Add sauerkraut and kimchi (Korean pickled vegetables) to your diet. If you ever take a course of antibiotics, be sure to follow up with probiotics.
3 – Drink More Water
Fresh, pure water helps flush out toxins. Not fond of the taste? Add a bit of all-natural fruit juice.
4 – Fasting
Fasting means to not eat, or to eat only certain things. Fasting is usually done for religious reasons, to purify the body and make you less focused on food. It can also be a good way to curb certain eating habits that might be excessive. The Catholic church has fast days, for example, during which people are not allowed to eat meat, only fish. Skip a meal or try to stop eating for one day and see how cleansed you can feel.
5 – Get Regular Massages
Massages help strengthen the immune system and shift toxins out of your tissues. Can’t afford to go all the time? Massage yourself everywhere you can reach, such as arms, shoulders, legs and butt.
6 – Use Essential Oils
Essential oils are used in aromatherapy to aid in health and healing. They smell pleasant and can enhance your energy levels. They can also be added to massage by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to what is called a carrier oil, like sweet almond oil, to make the massage smooth and pleasant.
7 – Replace Coffee with Green Tea
Green tea will boost the metabolism and help detoxify.
8 – Brush Your Tongue
A lot of people brush their teeth faithfully twice a day, but ignore their tongue. It can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so gently brush it and your inner cheeks every day.
9 – Replace a Meal with a Smoothie
Try to eat lighter, and add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet. One way to do this is to replace a meal with a smoothie.
10 – Exercise
Exercise gets every part of you up and moving, including your lymph glands. This can help purge toxins.
11 – Meditate
To meditate means to think. There are many different forms of meditation, most of which therapeutic and designed to get rid of toxic thoughts and toxic stress.
12 – Manage Stress
Stress can interfere with every bodily system, causing them to run inefficiently and not get rid of toxins the way they should. Try stress management and stress relief techniques to stay in balance.
13 – Make Sleep a Priority
Sleep is essential for health and healing. It also has a direct impact on your weight, so do all you can to get eight hours per night.
14 – Eat More Fiber
Fiber help you feel full, which can help you lose weight. It also keeps bowel movements healthy and regular. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Constipated? Try a prune or two.
15 – Avoid Harmful Environmental Toxins
Steer clear of pesticides, abrasive cleaners, air fresheners and so on. Try to use homemade, natural personal care products.
16 – Drink Lemon Water Every Morning
This is a great diuretic that helps flush toxins out of the body via the urine.
17 – Add More Superfoods to Your Diet
Superfoods are so called not just because they are high in nutrition, but also because the foods are considered to have certain healing properties. Three good examples would be broccoli, kale and spinach.
18 – Use Coconut Oil in Moderation
Coconut oil in food is supposed to enhance digestion. However, it can upset your stomach until you get used to it. Start with small amounts and gradually increase to no more than a tablespoon a day in your cooking. It also works great as a fragrant massage oil.
19 – Sweat It Out in a Sauna
A sauna can help open up the pores and give your skin a good clean. Just be careful to avoid getting dehydrated.
20 – Practice Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy is health and healing through using water. Enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub, swimming, or spending time in a hot tub.
21 – Massage Pressure Points
Pressure points are designated in acupuncture and acupressure. They are small energy centers that can help release toxins and let energy flow around the body.
22 – Cut Out Medications
Discuss any medications you are currently taking with your doctor. See if they are essential. Ask if you can take a break, what is known as a drug holiday. Think twice before reaching for any over-the-counter remedy.
23 – Try Yoga
This helps you build long, lean muscle as it boosts your metabolism and helps detox your body.
24 – Cut Sugar and Simple Carbohydrate Intake
In some circles, sugar is referred to as “white death”. Avoid cake, candy, and other “white foods” – that is, refined carbs.
25 – Go Vegetarian
More plant-based protein will usually mean more fiber, great for getting rid of toxins in the body.
26 – Eat Organic
Eat organic if you can afford to, and where it makes sense, such as in foods you would eat entirely, including the skin. If you are going to peel them, there is no need. For non-organic foods, shop at local farmer’s markets and wash your produce well before using.
27 – Exfoliate Regularly
The skin is the largest organ in our body and reflects our inner health outwardly. Exfoliate your face to keep your skin looking radiant. Use a loofah to exfoliate the rest of your body, especially if you have any patches of cellulite.
28 – Start Cooking More at Home
Take the local pizza place off speed dial. Cook at home using fresh, wholesome ingredients.
29 – Use Epsom Salts
Epsom salts have been used for centuries to draw out toxins from the body. Add a small amount to your bath, or to a foot soak.
30 – Cleanse Occasionally
A cleanse is designed to get out all the toxins from the digestive tract. The easiest form is Kitchari, an ancient Indian method, in which you eat the same food for three days in order to eliminate as much waste as possible and restore balance.
Final Thoughts
We only have one body, so taking care of it can help you stay healthy, mobile and independent well into your senior years. If you’ve been making bad food choices and not working out, and tend to rely on medications to get you through the day, it’s time to take a step back and begin making smarter choices – starting with a detox program at home.
To your best self!
