Demystifying Detoxing

If there is one thing the multi-billion dollar diet industry is good at, it's ruining things like hope, humans and relationships. Detoxification is high on the list of things the industry has ruined for the sake of making money off those in need. 

There's one group of people who can't shut up about their latest detox and another group of people pointing out that our livers naturally detoxify our bodies and have since the beginning of time. The clamor of both groups going back and forth is so damn loud that you cannot hear the voices of reason explaining what detox actually is.

Oh hey. I'll be playing the role of 'voice of reason,' here and explaining what detox is and what it isn't. Hopefully this will spare you some drama, trauma, time and money. ​

Before beginning it’s important to know what detox actually means and what it entails.

For starters, here’s what it’s not.

Detoxing is not magic. It doesn’t need to cost a lot of time. You don’t have to tell everyone you’re doing it and it’s not something you constantly need to do for the rest of your life.  Psst… your liver has been doing it for your whole life already. That’s it’s job.

Here’s what detoxing is.

It is what it sounds like – removing toxins from your body, such as seasonal allergens, inflammation, byproducts of inflammation, environmental toxins and toxic food additives that have accumulated in your body causing, exaggerating and perpetuating your health issues, inclusive of excess weight.

Key Things to Know about Detoxing:

It’s like removing a nail from a tire.

Toxins get embedded in our tissue and that’s why our bodies get so darn mad and out of whack.  Like a nail getting in your tire. Note that we’re not talking about the side wall here, in which case you would need a new tire. Note about that note, growing up my dad owned an auto-salvage and I went through a decade long phase of driving over nails... so my tire analogies run deep y'all. 

When you have a nail in your tire it slowly deflates.  You can fill it up with air a few times, but eventually you’ve got to get it patched or you’ll end up with a completely flat tire or worse, a dangerous blowout while going down the road.  If you pull the nail out without patching it your tire deflates completely.

Same thing with toxins, you can get by for a while continuing with them in your body, but inflammation starts to stack up and the immune system gets really angry.  Eventually, if you want to truly feel better and avoid getting major sick at the worst possible time, you’ve got to get rid of the toxins. 

For the most part your body naturally does this all the time.  Let us give thanks to the liver, as it’s the main detoxifying organ in our bodies.  Thank you liver.  Once the liver breaks down toxins, it then sends them on a journey to be sent out of the body, namely through skin, urine and feces.  Our kidneys help with the detox process, as does our skin, ears, eyes, nose and throat.  If it’s an orifice something can get out of, your body will use it as a way to get toxins out. Lovely, right?

That’s why when you choose healthy habits to detox, you’ll notice not only an increase in the number of trips to the bathroom, but also the volume you’re detoxing.  Next time your trendy friend is shouting out about their latest detox at the table, you now know that if they’re really doing it, they’re pooping a lot.  You’re welcome.

You may also notice a day or three of increased and/or unpleasant odor in your sweat, urine and feces.  That’s those toxins coming out.  This too shall pass.  Stay the course.

Back to the tire analogy.  If you remove all the toxins at once without putting back healthy nutrients to patch the tissues, you’re going to have issues.  The headaches that some people get from the first few days of oil pulling are a great example - too many toxins leaving all at once without the nutrition there to heal and patch things up.  A great example of why starting off slowly and building your way up helps.

If you’ve been putting toxic food additives in for a long time, especially excess sugar.  Expect some discomfort for a few days and make sure to eat healthy food and get plenty of rest to allow for the ‘patching’ process to take place.

Don’t keep putting nails in your tires. 

When you get a nail in your real tire, there seems to always be this super sleuth moment where you’ve got to figure out where the nail came from for some reason or another.  Was it those pesky kids?  Is someone sending you a gentle nudge to get the heck out of dodge?  A few conspiracy theories later your tire is patched and you move on with life.  However, if you’re driving through a construction zone frequently, have a house that has recently been roofed or notice a lot of nails in your parking lot, it’s a good idea to scoop up the nails to prevent further flat tires, stress and safety issues.

That’s why it’s important to stop putting crap in your body.  While you have very little control of the environmental toxins you’re expose to (other than filtering your water, planting trees, being environmentally friendly and contacting your representative to support environmentally friendly policies), you can control the environment in your vehicle, home and office, for the most part.  You can also choose what foods you put into your body.

​Tire metaphor aside, detoxing is the process of reducing or eliminating toxins that go in your body, flushing out existing toxins with plenty of fluids and healthy, natural foods and beverages, and allowing your body time to heal.  Even with detoxing for seasonal allergies, there will still be the aforementioned side effects.  They’re short lived and your quality of life improving long term is worth it. 

If you're interested to see how a detox can help you with your allergies, get the FREE 14 Day Seasonal Allergy Detox below. 

14 Days Seasonal Allergy Detox

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