There has long been a belief that to detox naturally means to allow our bodies to detox as a matter of course. In an ideal world where we are eating a healthy diet and leading a healthy lifestyle as our ancestors did then that might be a true statement. Our bodies do indeed have their own detox mechanisms. The gut is designed to prevent bacteria and many toxins from entering the body. When harmful chemicals do enter the body the liver acts as an extraordinary chemical factory to make a water soluble compound that can be excreted by the kidneys. This the body detoxes naturally. The body should be able to be re-hydrated with ordinary tap water and be refreshed with a good nights sleep.

Unfortunately in our present day and age the health of the gut cannot be taken for granted as a protector. More and more we are seeing health problems caused by increased permeability of the gut wall, which means it is not as capable of preventing toxins from entering the body. It is also unlikely that our liver is working at 100% efficiency as the excesses of our current lifestyles put an increasing burden upon it.

Understanding Fasting as a Method of Allowing the Body to Detox Naturally

Some people are of the opinion that to detox naturally requires a period of fasting and abstinence. Fasting for a short period of time on a regular basis has been a way of allowing the body to recover and replenish for many years, especially where this has been part of a religious practice. However for somebody who leads quite an unhealthy life, who wants to embark on a once or twice a year detox, this would not be the most advisable detox for them.

The body enters into a state of fasting approximately 8 hours after the last meal. During a fast, the body glucose that is stored in the liver and the muscles is used up first to provide energy. The body will then use up fat stores as its source of energy and during that phase, toxins that are stored in the body fat will be removed from the body. Thus allowing the body to detox naturally during the fast

However the problems arise when the period of fasting continues and the body is then required to breakdown muscle as protein as a source of energy. It is therefore probably wise to ensure that you not only concentrate on the foods you won’t be eating during your detox period, but that you also give some serious consideration to foods that you do need to eat.

It is vital, when aiming to detox naturally, to ensure that you drink at least 1.5 to 2 litres of filtered water per day, to enable the body to keep the electrolyte balance relatively constant. It is also important to include some gentle exercise to keep the lymph moving during your detox regime and aim for at least 7-8 hours sleep a night.

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews

Embarking on a detox is usually our attempt to make up for the times when we have abused our bodies with fast foods, alcohol, too many chocolates or simply not enough health promoting foods. And so we detox for health!!

Although this is very commendable, many people fall into the trap of believing that their detox for health will automatically result in them feeling fit and healthy and ready to take on the world once again. This is always the case. It is important to be aware that as the body is working hard to detox you may be feeling decidedly unwell and unhealthy. Remember that toxins are being transferred to your various organs of elimination and the presence of them can make you feel very ill indeed.

The type of unpleasant symptoms that you may experience during your detox for health, are:-

• Frequent headaches – often due to dehydration
• Hunger
• Low blood sugar
• Withdrawal symptoms from caffeine or alcohol
• Constipation due to a lack of fluids and fibre

Dehydration is a common occurrence during a detox and care must be taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen as it can lead to very unpleasant symptoms caused by a disturbance of your electrolyte balance.

People who Should not Detox for Health

It is not a foregone conclusion that a detox for health is in everyone’s best interest and certainly there are many categories of people who either shouldn’t embark on a detox or who should only attempt it with the backing and support of their medical practitioner

So who would not be advised to detox?

• Anybody who has any form of acute illness
• Immediately prior to or post surgery
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, as detoxification will potentially result in the toxins passing through the unborn or newly born child.
• Anybody with an eating disorder – such as anorexia.

People who should seek medical advice before detoxing are those with:-

• Diabetes
• Other chronic illnesses
• On prescription medication

An unsupervised detox for health is essentially for people who are already relatively fit and healthy, but even so, it should not be undertaken lightly. Remember that regular meals are essential to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Suitable snacks such as fruit, raw vegetables, nuts and seeds are ideal to maintain balance and in order to avoid the unpleasant effects of dehydration at least 1.5 to 2 litres of filtered water should be drunk each day

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews

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