“Do I need to detox?” It is one of the most asked questions that we hear from our patients. The term "detox" is filled with connotations, many of them negative. What does the term "detox" mean anyway?
Detox certainly means different things for different people. Celebrities often make headlines when they go to alcohol and drug treatment centers to "detox". Some lucky people spend weeks at 5 star spas to "detox". Other people, whom we would argue seem less fortunate, blend mysterious herbs and sea plants in their Vitamixers to concoct shakes in what should be illegal shades of green when they do a "detox".
Even Wikipedia is murky (no pun intended) on the topic of detox! It says that detox is the "real or perceived act of removing toxins from the body". If you are like us, we have no desire to load up on herbs whose names that we can't pronounce to just to convince ourselves that we are doing something healthy.
To make matters even more confusing, the terms detox and "cleanse" are often used interchangeably. The word "cleanse" is often preferred because it may have less negative connotations. Yet, even "cleansing" has some negative associations. Some people have been led to believe that a cleanse requires days of close proximity to a toilet and that the goal is to clean the bowels. This is because some ineffective cleanse formulas have been made up of only laxative herbs. While it is important to have more frequent bowel movements during a detox, having sustained bouts of loose stools is both unnecessary and unhealthy.
Here we will use the terms detox and cleanse interchangeably. The cleansing process refers to cellular detoxification of bio-contaminants that have accumulated in the body through food and environmental exposure. Cleansing can be a time to disrupt our unhealthy patterns and overcome addictions.
The truth is that most of us have some kind of addiction. Fortunately, the majority of us aren't dealing with the addictions and excesses that we read about in the celebrity magazines. Yet, we may be addicted to sugar, salt, caffeine, nicotine, too much wine or processed foods. Detoxing can help us move away from those addictions and toward a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, we live in a dirty world. We eat, drink and breathe in thousands of toxins every single day.
So, yes, it probably is good to "detox" once in a while. Many healthy people choose to detox twice a year, often in the spring and fall as the seasons change.
It generally takes about 28 days to wean from an addictive substance, which makes a month long detox a good goal. However, even if you can only commit to a shorter detox, you can still benefit. For example, using a week long detox kit can convenient and provide a jump start to getting back on a healthy track. Some of the positive results that you can expect from a detox include:
- Increased energy and a feeling of vitality
- Weight loss (if this is a goal)
- Improved mood
- Better cognitive function
- A drop in cholesterol levels and a decrease in blood pressure
- Loss of unhealthy cravings
- More effective digestion and elimination
- Clearer skin
- Reduction in allergy symptoms
- Improved athletic performance
Fortunately, the body usually does an amazing job of detoxing. There are four major organs involved in the detoxification pathway: skin, kidneys, lungs and liver. Additionally, the G.I. system is very important in the cleansing process. Promoting these organ pathways is key for detoxing the body. For proper detoxification, supporting the liver during a detox is especially important. The liver is your largest internal organ. It uses a two phase method of detoxification. Ideally, during a detox you will want to use a botanical product that supports both phases of detoxification.
As a word of warning, you may feel worse during the first few days of a detox. Symptoms like fatigue, moodiness and headaches are common. For this reason, you may find it helpful to ease into a detox the first week.
For a simple, yet effective detox, we suggest the following goals:
- Drink ½ of your weight in ounces in purified water each day (i.e. a 150 pound person should drink 75 ounces of water per day).
- Avoid all processed foods.
- Avoid all dairy (including eggs) and red meat.
- Replace ordinary salt with celtic sea salt.
- Consume at least 30 grams of fiber per day.
- Eat only organic produce and poultry.
- Limit sweeteners to small quantities of xylitol, stevia, rice syrup, and fruit sweeteners.
- Get at least 30 minutes of gentle exercise (walking for example) during your detox.
- Sweat it out. A dry sauna can be your best friend during the detox process. An electrolyte formula can be an excellent way to replenish vitamins and minerals.
- Consume 2 daily “detox” shakes per day.
- Consider adding a liver support supplement.
- In addition to the daily shake, we suggest using fish oil, a probiotic. extra fiber and a liver support product during any detox.
We have many detox products available to make the detox process easier We wish you a happy detox!