As a wellness counselor, I am very used to being asked why we need to detox. I hope this article can help you understand the reasons I so often suggest detoxing as a tool to use for restoring health and vitality.
Whether you want to cleanse to increase energy, lose weight or improve your health, there are important guidelines you should be aware of and important health tips for easier and more effective cleansing. You will find a wide variety of health care information on the subject of detoxification here at the online wellness library so I hope you'll visit our master list of articles on detoxing the body too.
Recommended Ebook on Detoxing: 12 Steps to a Complete Body Detox
Learn more about Detoxification: Knowing when to and what to cleanse
....How do you know when you need to detox?
Question on alternative health care and healing: Is detoxing really all that important? Doesn't our body know how to detox and keep us cleaned out? And even if you choose to undergo a detoxification regimen, how do you know what is the best detox program to use, there are so many?
Healing facilitation response: I totally understand your confusion over detox programs. It boggles my mind too and I've been a wellness counselor for decades. Over that time, I've also tried many a detox program and there are definite things to look for, in finding a good detoxification regimen that I can share with you but first, let me answer the second question because if detoxing is not that important, you won't need the rest of the answer, right?
Is detoxing the body really necessary?
This is a good question. The body does have it's own built-in filtering systems and they work very well. If they didn't, in today's polluted world, the human race would already be extinct. So why aren't our natural systems enough to keep us healthy?
Let's compare those systems of the body to a factory worker for a moment. Consider a factory worker who works a regular 8 hour shift, doing nothing but taking out waste from the factory. This worker carries buckets of waste from the factory out to a waste dump somewhere, for 8 hours a day. Pretty tiring but most healthy workers can handle it.
Now, let's consider what would happen if the waste load suddenly tripled? How long would that factory worker survive working a triple shift?
So, how might a body triple the toxic waste within it? Oh, there are several ways to create this unhealthy situation.
Sugar Consumption - Refined sugar holds waste in the intestines far, far too long. Excess refined sugar also helps promote an environment in which candida thrives. I personally feel that the consumption of refined sugar is a major contributing factor in the development of colon cancer and of course, the link to diabetes is well-established.
There are healthy alternatives to refined sugar but these do NOT include (in my opinion) high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, saccarin sweeteners or even splenda. Consuming any of those while attempting a body detox is counter-productive, in particular, and I just don't consider them healthy any other time either. My recommendations for healthy sweetening include Agave Nectar (it is truly delicious) and Stevia (choose your stevia brand carefully as some have a bitter aftertaste).
Fat Consumption - Oxidized fat (created in every fast food french fry and onion ring we eat) and excess fat consumption overloads the liver and is very hard on the system, in general. Excess fat contributes to the development of heart disease and high cholesterol.
Lack of Water Consumption - You may have read wildly differing opinions on how much water the body needs to function normally. Here's my two cents on that subject....the human body is mostly made up of water. It is just common sense to me that the body would function and eliminate wastes best with more water than less. Consider using an ionizer system to alkalize water for even better elimination and health benefits. Detoxing the body effectively is not possible in a dehydrated system so hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more when you are detoxing.
I personally still follow the 64 ounce a day rule but I work to drink my water in regular intervals throughout the day and night (I keep a glass by my bed and if I wake during the night, I make a point of drinking more water). And I make sure I'm drinking good water, purified water. I also add something to alkalize my water. There are many options for alkalizing water and you can explore that on the internet. I use several different products. One is called is called Body Alkalizer and another is called Xooma.
Sedentary Lifestyle: If you are one of millions who make their living as I do, sitting in front of a computer all day, the risk of colon toxicity intensifies. There is something about sitting in one position for a long time that interferes with colon function, in my opinion. We were not created to sit slumped down in front of a computer or a tv for hours. The body was designed to move and stretch and walk.
The One Hour Rule:
Beyond the moving every hour rule, of course, everyone knows that moderate exercise 3 times a week can help with a lot of the body's functions including lungs, heart and bowels. There are tons of exercise programs and plans out there, or just walking for at least 12-15 minutes a day is beneficial to the colon function.
But how do I do this at work? I can hear some of you now, saying it's impossible for you to get up from your desk at the office every hour. You don't get breaks that often.
Well, what's to stop you from simply getting up at your desk, stretching for a minute or two, and then sitting back down? Drop a pencil if you have to, but create some reason for getting up from that chair at least once an hour.
Sure, you may get some funny looks but maybe you'll also educate someone else. Make your health at least as high a priority as your job. If you lose a job, you can find another but you only get one body. Taking care of it should be priority number one in the workplace.
Squatting Substitute for More Complete Elimination: Using a short stool in front of us when we eliminate is helpful for getting the colon in the correct position for the best elimination to occur. No one squats to use the bathroom anymore but we used to, and it is still the best position to be in, for promoting full elimination from the colon. By placing your feet on a short stool in front of you, your legs support the bottom of the colon wall in a position similar to squatting.
Lack of fiber - Processed foods are dead energy for the body. Fully cooked foods lack digestive enzymes our bodies need to digest food and prepare it for our bodies to use and to make way for easier elimination. The success of fast food restaurants is testament to how many of us eat dead food every day. Food that has no fiber or enzymes. Fiber helps move waste thru the body. We need fiber and we need digestive enzymes. The body is designed to make it's own enzymes but not enough to handle processed junk foods. They are unnatural to the body.
Going to bed every night with stressful thoughts, as so many do, is a sure way to keep your body from rejunvenating itself during sleep.
Without relief from stress reactions (that fight or flight adrenal rush that is so good in times of emergency and so damaging when no emergency is there to be ran from or fought), the body cannot relax.
Without relaxation, the body cannot sleep deeply and restfully which is why a person can wake up tired, after sleeping all night.
Over-consumption of meats - Red meats, in particular, are hard to digest and given the amount of steriods, antibiotics and other chemicals that animals raised for food ingest, I think red meat has become very unhealthy. If you are going to eat red meat, I'd suggest finding free range beef that has been raised without antibiotics, growth hormones or other chemicals. Also, look for grass fed beef, not grain fed. That beef will have a higher ratio of those beneficial omega 3's and less saturated fat.
To make a long story short (too late, I know), I do believe our bodies are able to detox on their own if we eat healthy, exercise, drink enough water, get enough sleep and maintain healthy mental habits that reduce stress on a regular basis. The problem is that most of us don't do those things. That is why a regular detox regimen (at least once or twice a year) is something I suggest for most people.
There are steps you can take to help make that yearly detox program easier and less likely to spur a healing crisis. Read about how to detox without crisis.
Ready to do a cleanse but have no idea which program to use? I don't think it's possible to point to one program and say that is the best detox program for everyone but there are progams that just stand out by virtue of the synergy of ingredients and the conscious intention of the creators. Read how to choose an effective detox program.
My top recommendation for detoxing the body: Among all the detox programs out there, one stands out in my own mind and experience as superior in every possible way. Not only does it address all the systems of the body, there is an obvious potency to the herbs that I can
smell and feel when I take them. As an herbalist, I can smell freshness in an herbal formula and these are fresh. Potency is vital! Click the herbal detox button for more info ==>
I also appreciate the history of the woman who created the formulas. Martha is not someone who sells herbs. She is someone who has dedicated her life to helping others. That dedication to service shows in the quality of the products. This is the best detox program I have ever personally used.
Please note this 100 percent natural herbal detox formula is a full system body detox as opposed to a cleanse that only addresses colon congestion, parasites, liver congestion, etc. Also note that I usually do a colon cleanse before I do a full system detox. To me, this prepares the body to release more waste. I also do a colon cleanse several times during the year, for maintenance. The great thing about this cleanse is that they put colon cleansing first too, with a really powerful cleanse followed by a 21 day sytstematic cleansing of the entire body. If you feel your entire system, from blood to lymph to liver to colon could use a thorough detox, please read more about this remarkable cleanse.
Related Detox Resource: How to succeed with the Lemonade Dietl
On healthy weight loss * What to factor into a weightloss plan
Detox Disclaimer: The body detox information that you have just read is purely for educational purposes. It does not replace medical attention for health conditions involving the colon and bowel, such as IBS, diverticulitis or colitis. Any decision about detoxing that readers might make, based on the contents found in this or any educational health care information, is the right and responsibility of the reader. Please consult with your chosen healthcare professional on questions relating to detoxification and colon health and, if you have an existing bowel problem such as IBS, always check with your doctor before starting a colon cleanse.