Why do we Need to Detoxify?

We live in a polluted society, where exposure to toxins is inevitable. Our food is sprayed with toxic chemicals and we breathe in toxic fumes as we walk or drive along our busy roads. This is just an example of two of the many ways in which our bodies are dealing with pollution on a daily basis. In addition to this we have mercury fillings, pharmaceutical drugs, tobacco smoke, alcohol and numerous chemicals in our water supplies.

Over the years our bodies have made some adjustments to deal with these pollutants but at a cost to our overall health. We now accept ill health in old age as an inevitability, despite the fact that we know more about health and wellness than ever before.

Every so often it is advisable to give our bodies a helping hand and provide an opportunity for us to get rid of the toxins that are actually making us ill.

The main organs of elimination of toxic substances are the liver, the kidneys, the gut, the skin, the lymphatic system and the lungs

The Liver

It is important to ensure that the liver is well supported as this is the main processing organ. It is the job of the liver to detoxify all potentially harmful substances. Once disarmed, these substances can then be eliminated via the kidneys, lungs and the bowel. This work is carried out by thousands of enzymes that require certain nutrients to help them to do their job.

Foods that can help the liver to detoxify are cruciferous vegetables ( broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower); brightly colored fruit and vegetables (tomatoes, apricots, peppers, berries); sulphur containing foods (onions, garlic) and lemons

The Kidneys

The job of the kidneys is to filter the blood, removing excess water and water soluble toxins that are then passed out in the urine. The kidneys require plenty of water to dilute the toxins and to help them to carry out their job more efficiently.

Foods that help the kidneys to detoxify are water; all fruit and vegetables; parsley leaf; herbal teas

The Gut

Harmful ingredients from the stomach are filtered out here and sent to the liver to be processed. Fibre helps to mop up some of the toxins, stopping them getting absorbed into your body and carrying them to the bowel. The main function of the bowel is to excrete processed toxins in the faeces. If the bowels function is sluggish the faeces linger there and the toxins can actually be reabsorbed into the blood stream

Foods that help the gut to detoxify are all fibre rich foods; fruit (especially apples, prunes, berries, dried fruit); vegetables (especially carrots, broccoli, cabbage) flaxseeds(linseed); beans; lentils; oats; and barley

Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the body and plays a big part in getting rid of toxins. Some toxins are eliminated in your sweat, others in your skin oils and others via the shedding of dead skin cells.

Foods that help the skin to detoxify are water; fruit and vegetables; flaxseeds; essential oils (flax, walnut, pumpkin seed) or pumpkinseeds

The Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system is like the drainage system. It is a series of tiny vessels that run into all areas of the body and transport nutrients in a fluid known as lymph. The lymphatic system also helps to detoxify by removing waste products from the body. toxins that are too large to enter the bloodstream are processed in the in the lymph nodes and then passed back into the blood stream where they are taken to the liver to be detoxified

The main food that helps the lymphatic system to detoxify is water. Lymphatic drainage, dry skin brushing and Epsom salt baths are also know to help

Lungs

The lungs remove carbon dioxide from the body as well as other toxic gases that you breathe in.

Foods that help the lungs detoxify are fruit and vegetables (especially apples, onions, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)

Detoxification is a complex process and needs to utilise its natural detox system to avoid being poisoned not only by the chemical toxins mentioned above, but also the natural toxins, including waste products from food, dead bacteria and debris from the millions of new cells produced each day.

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews