Detoxing Made Easy
Well the process doesn’t have to be scary. There are other ways to Detox beside harsh cathartics and water only fasting. In fact, the body is constantly going through the detox process naturally every day, automatically without your having to even think about it. That’s what it was designed to do to keep you healthy. Unfortunately, the older we get the less efficient the body is at detoxifying so the more help we need. Let’s look at how the body works to detoxify and simple tricks to help assist your body in this natural process.
The skin is the biggest organ in the body.It allows things you are exposed to to move across the skin barrier and into your body. It also allows toxins inside your body to be excreted through perspiration to get out of your body. Your lungs are another detox organ allowing the air you breathe to enter the body and with each exhalation, toxins and metabolic byproducts are eliminated. Other detox organs include the liver and kidneys which help eliminate toxins, chemicals, medications, and byproducts not needed for energy and system support.
Here are a few simple steps to help your body detox and do what it is designed to do:
- Breathe in Breathe out.
The more stressed and anxious we are the shallower our breathing becomes. This causes carbon dioxide to build up inside the body which can lead to multiple health problems. Try once an hour to sit back, close your eyes for a minute and concentrate on slowly breathing deeply and exhaling fully. (Don’t do this while driving!) The goal is to exhale twice as long as you inhale. This will help your body eliminate carbon dioxide and help detox.
- Drink more water.
Start your day with a glass spiked with fresh lemon juice to help the liver detox. You can even add a little apple cider vinegar to it for an added health benefit. The goal is drinking one half your body weight in ounces of water daily. This is your base-line. If you are perspiring or outside during the day, you will need more. This helps flush out toxins through your kidneys and replace body fluids.
- Dry skin brushing.
This process helps the lymphatic system to eliminate toxins. Using a dry bath brush
or loofah
before bathing, start with brushing the legs, feet to thighs towards the groin several times. Then your arms, hands to shoulders always moving up towards the heart. Front and back sides of legs and arms. (Cellulite can be an accumulation of toxins causing the fibers to bulk up and cause pockets of hardened tissue making the skin dimple). On the abdomen in a circular motion around the navel. In the breast area, outer breast up and towards the under-arm lymph nodes and under the breasts towards the middle of the chest where lymph nodes are located. Jumping on a mini trampoline, called rebounding, also helps move lymphatic fluids to detox the body.
- Oil pulling
.
Take a spoon full of organic coconut oil
or olive oil and swish around in your mouth for 20 minutes. Spit out and brush your teeth after pulling. This removes bacteria and virus’ that can hide deep in the oral cavity.
- Tongue scraping.
Toxins, bacteria, fungus, and virus’ can build up on the surface of the tongue. You can purchase an inexpensive stainless steel dental tool
to do this or use a disposable wooden tongue depressor. Scrape at least 7 times, then brush your teeth.
- Eat more green leafy vegetables
like kale, spinach, parsley, arugula, cilantro, and celery to help the liver in detoxing.
- Take Chlorophyll
which is the green pigment found in algae and plants and comes in supplement form. This green pigment helps detox the body from heavy metals that can accumulate over time.
- Consider taking an Electronics detox
by unplugging for a few hours or even for one full day a week. The Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) from electronics can impede the body’s natural detox process, causing sleep problems, ADHD, and anxiety. Some people are more sensitive to EMF than others. Make sure your bedroom is far away from any SMART meters on the outside of the house which have large EMF discharges or modems.
- InfraRed Saunas.
Spending 20-30 minutes in an infrared sauna can help your body burn up to 500 calories. This type of sauna also works like a fever does in the body to kill virus’ and bacteria and then be eliminated through perspiration. Be sure to shower or towel dry afterwards, otherwise, all the toxins eliminated through sweat will just be absorbed back into the body. Try to sauna at least 3 or 4 times a week. Build up slowly to the maximum amount of 30 minutes at a temperature no more than 120 degrees.
- Aerobic exercise
. Make time for at least 30 minutes of daily walking, stretching, or aerobic exercise. These increase breathing, causes perspiration, increases circulation, and helps with lymphatic detoxification. It’s also a great stress reducer!
- Do Yoga.
The stretching and breathing are excellent for stress reduction, stretching tight muscles, and detoxifying.
- Eliminate or reduce toxic relationships
that drain you emotionally and stress you out. If you come away from being with someone and you feel mentally and emotionally exhausted, chances are it’s a toxic relationship. Instead, spend more time with people who encourage and lift you up; the ones you walk away from feeling refreshed, loved, and happy! Toxic relationships are dangerous to your health!
- Hot shower with a one-minute cold water burst at the end.
Great for revving up circulation to get rid of toxins. The warm water is relaxing, and the cold will be invigorating.
- Give up sugar.
Not only is it addictive but eating sugar can reduce immunity for up to 2 hours after eating it. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel after the first 3 days when you get over the cravings! Sugar is not only in desserts but sweeten drinks, soda, fruit juices, breads, and pastas.
So, these are a few easy tricks to help your body eliminate accumulated junk, all the Holiday extras, and detox without having to take harsh drinks, pills, or fasting diets.
Consider using specialized Detox meal replacement shakes containing ingredients like green tea extract and milk thistle to help the body detox. These meal replacement shakes can also help with weight loss. My favorites are
MediClear SGS from Thorne
and ClearChange from Metagenics.
(Both are available from my website E Store).
Sometimes, difficulty losing weight is a symptom that the body is not detoxifying efficiently causing fat cells to enlarge. Take steps to make sure you are having daily bowel movements to help with detoxing too and start the New Year off feeling lighter and more energetic.
Here's to feeling better!
Pattie Rose
Medical Disclaimer:
Pattie Rose serves as a functional medicine consultant along with your current health care provider. She is not considered a replacement for your primary care physician. All the recommendations included in this website are not meant to diagnose or replace supervision by a medical professional. If you should experience any adverse reactions, please contact your primary care physician.
Affiliate Disclaimer:
Please know that Pattie only recommend products she would use herself and all opinions expressed here and in the program are her own. This post and others may contain affiliate links and she may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
