Detox

Detox Daily For Optimal Health

by DR. SANDRA OLIC on MAY 15, 2011

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Would you brush your teeth or shower only once or twice a year?

Assuming your answer is no, then you probably wouldn’t want to cleanse the inside of your body only once or twice a year either. Yet, every spring and fall there are all sorts of sexy short-term detox programs being promoted and cleanses being advertised.

The nice thing about these programs is that you probably lose a few pounds and see what it’s like to really feel good because they often eliminate inflammatory foods.

Unfortunately there is no magic pill, potion or 1 week program that is going to get the job done long term. Detoxing, or cleansing, is something we need to do everyday- just like brushing our teeth.

Toxins that come in daily have got to come out daily. Otherwise they will be stored in our organs, bones and fat tissue, which can lead to an increased toxic body burden. Various types of symptoms and disease can occur once your burden reaches its’ threshold.

Issues you may think are normal like fatigue, weight gain, constipation, allergies, skin problems, moodiness and brain fog can actually be signs of toxicity. This can lead to more extreme conditions like infertility, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, cancer, ADHD, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

The good news is that you can decrease your total toxic body load by following these guidelines on a regular basis:

Avoidance

The liver is the main detoxification organ of the body and filters toxins from the blood. So, it is important to avoid substances that compromise liver health such as sugars, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, caffeine and other drugs. It is also important to maintain a healthy weight so that fat deposits don’t accumulate on the liver, a condition known as “fatty liver.”

Avoid tobacco smoke, chemicals from cleaning and personal products, as well as preservatives in cosmetics, which impact hormonal health. Use only natural products on your skin.

Eat Organic Foods

Eat as organic as possible to avoid pesticides, hormones and antibiotics from food.

You could be ingesting 50-60 different pesticides when you consume the following “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables: Apples, bell peppers, potatoes, celery, cherries, imported grapes, spinach/kale/collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pears, strawberries and blueberries.

The following foods are those you don’t need to lose sleep over if organic is not available: Asparagus, avocados, cabbage, eggplant, kiwis, mangoes, onions, papayas, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, pineapples, sweet corn, sweet peas and sweet potato.

Follow an anti-inflammatory diet

Follow the anti-inflammatory diet outlined last week and include adequate protein from wild salmon, turkey, beans, raw nuts and protein powders like whey, rice, pea or hemp. Your liver needs protein for efficient detoxification.

Start loving your fruits and veggies! Focus on lots of cleansing green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower and cabbage). Try fresh green vegetable juices or powdered greens and include fruits like berries and apples.

Drink green tea, which is full of antioxidants and increases the excretion of fat-soluble toxins.

Hydrate - Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of clean, filtered water to help flush out toxins. Your urine should be light yellow to clear. If it’s darker, you are not drinking enough water. Add lemon or lime to your water to support cleansing.

Eliminate - If you are not having a bowel movement at least once a day, toxins that should be on their way out can be re-absorbed. Increase your bowel function by drinking enough water, eating high fiber foods and exercising. You may need to add a fiber supplement as well as some supplemental magnesium and probiotics if these alone don’t help.

Sweat – Your skin is your largest organ. Sweat regularly with exercise or sauna to help remove toxins through skin.

Breathe – A large percentage of cellular waste is removed via deep breathing. Detoxify AND de-stress with your breath.

Move - Your lymphatic system is basically your body’s sewage system. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a pump like the blood has the heart. You have to move the body to move the junk out.

I believe yoga is the perfect exercise, combining movement, breath and sweat. A well-balanced yoga class brings circulation to every muscle in your body and helps not only rid only the body of toxins, but also rids the mind of toxic thoughts and worries. 

Living a healthy and non-toxic lifestyle can be challenging, and sometimes unhealthy and toxic seem like they can be fun. However, after you follow these principles for a while and start to feel and look great, toxic loses its charm and an after work, yoga class becomes more appealing than happy hour.

And remember, nobody is perfect and you may not be able to follow these guidelines 100% of the time. I personally probably live this way close to 80% of the time and don’t feel guilty when I don’t. Guilt is just another toxic emotion.

Live moderately and be happy.