How to Detox Quickly and Safely from Toxic Overload

We all have an innate ability to heal ourselves, but one of the biggest things that get in the way of that natural process is toxic overload.

It doesn’t matter how much nutritious food you eat or how much you workout. In the post-industrial world¹, no one is safe from an enormous toxic burden².

Like the Imagine Dragons song lyrics, “Radioactive” say,

“I’m waking up to ash and dust

I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust

I’m breathing in the chemicals (deep inhale). . .”

While this writers of this song have taken some poet license, it really is an accurate description of the modern world.

Here is a list of just a handful of the literally tens of thousands of chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis in our food, air, water, manufactured products, and soil:

– BPA
– Phthalates³
– Pesticides⁴
– Herbicides
– Radiation
– Lead
– Mercury
– Arsenic
– Carbon Monoxide
– Ozone
– Sulfur dioxide⁵(gas emitted from petroleum production)
– Particulates
– Chlorine
– Fluoride
– Aluminum
– Pharmaceutical drugs⁶ (in our water)
– Hormones
– Nitrates
– Chemical fertilizers⁷ – Industrial byproducts
– MSG
– Azodicarbonamide
– Sulfides
– Nitrates
– MSG
– BHA/BHT
– Anti-freeze
– Parabens
– Carrageenan
– Aspartame
– Saccharin
– Chemical food colorings⁸, flavorings, and dyes
– Preservatives
– Paint chemicals
– Cleaning chemicals

And more

A true detox⁹ to rid your body of all these toxins involves several different bodily systems.

Let’s Start with the LymphIf you are going to effectively remove toxins, it needs to happen in a way that won’t cause your body to get sick because it can’t eliminate toxins fast enough once they are removed from their hiding places, like in your fat cells and bile, for example.

To effectively detox you need a healthy lymph system. You can think of it like the body’s drainage system. It takes unhealthy blood full of toxins and pathogens away to other organs for removal.

It is important to note that the largest concentration of lymph tissue is around your gut. This is another reason that having a healthy digestive system is vital to detox.

For a fast, safe, and easy way to get your detox going, use a far-infrared sauna, as it can open up one of the biggest detoxifying organs of your body – your skin.

Deep breathing yoga and high-quality supplementation can also aid the lymph system. Inversions and exercise also get your lymph moving so it can usher toxins out of your body. You can also try lymph massage.

The Kidney’s Role in Detox The kidneys have a part to play in detox, too. They help extract waste from our blood and keep our body fluids in balance while sending out the “garbage” in the form of urine. To make sure the kidneys can do their part to help detox your body, drink plenty of purified water, and eat foods that are high in potassium like bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, and peas.

How the Liver Helps You DetoxThe liver is perhaps the most important organ of detoxification. It creates bile which helps us to both absorb nutrients and get rid of toxins. When it is congested, it cannot get rid of the toxic bile that gets trapped inside of it. To help remove this clogged bile, try coffee enemas, or herbs like milk thistle and dandelion tea. Also be sure to eat plenty of leafy greens as they help support the liver.

Antioxidants that support liver detox include:

Saint Mary’s thistle herb (Silybum marianum)
Schisandra herb (Schisandra chinensis)
Turmeric root (Curcuma longa)
Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale)
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Selenium
Carotenoids

Count on Your GutFinally, your gut is a big part of detoxification. If it is inflamed, you can’t digest properly which means you are missing out on vital nutrients your body can’t absorb, and toxins tend to get stuck in or even “leak out” through micro-tears in the intestinal lining, thus the term “leaky gut syndrome.”

One of the fastest ways to heal your gut is through intermittent fasting. This allows the gut flora and microbiome to restore itself, which will improve your immunity, weight loss, improved signaling to the brain, and yes, DETOX!

You can also increase your consumption of foods like kombucha and fermented vegetables like pickles or Kim Chi, and add a quality probiotic to keep the healthy bacteria in your gut happy.

Cellular DetoxificationAll true detoxification must occur at the cellular level FIRST. If you don’t detox all the way down to your cells, then toxins will recirculate in your blood and metabolize into your cells. Without the use of substances that truly bind to toxic substances, all you will do is stir up the gunk at the bottom of a muddy river.

For example:

A good colon cleanse is extremely helpful as an initial protocol to get rid of toxins and clear the path for more toxins to exit the body, but the detox is usually rather confined to just your colon.

Chlorella is excellent at helping to detox, but it isn’t a true binder, so it can leave toxic residue behind. You should absolutely use it because it is beneficial but you need something more.

To get in there and really dig out the toxic gunk from your body, your cells need to get clean. Bentonite clay, zeolite, silica, humic and fluvic acids, and citrus pectins are good binding agents¹⁰ for different toxins.

Summing it Up:

To detox properly, you need to clear all the pathways of toxin removal – the skin, the liver, kidneys, and gut. Once this is done, the cells can start to detox themselves, and you will experience a thorough detox that doesn’t just recirculate toxic garbage in your body.

References:

National Academies Press (US). The Challenge: Chemicals in Today’s Society. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK268889/
Mercola. (2008, July 10) No One is Safe From Chemical Overload. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/10/no-one-is-safe-from-chemical-overload.aspx
Schwartz, A. (2012, June 26). How to Avoid Toxic Chemicals? Drop Out of Modern Society. https://www.fastcompany.com/1680073/how-to-avoid-toxic-chemicals-drop-out-of-modern-society
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Find the Repellant that is Right for You. https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/find-repellent-right-you
Ezpinoza, R. (2014, October 7). Toxic Chemicals That Impact on Air Quality. https://blog.idrenvironmental.com/top-toxic-chemicals-that-impact-on-air-quality
Freshly Squeezed Water. What’s in your drinking water? http://freshlysqueezedwater.org.uk/waterarticle_watercontent.php
University of Arizona. (2017, September 10). How toxic soil has become a public health issue at home and abroad. https://mphdegree.arizona.edu/resources/articles/how-toxic-soil-has-become-a-public-health-issue-at-home-and-abroad/
Public Health Analysis. 50 Jaw-droppingly Toxic Food Ingredients & Artificial Additives to Avoid. https://mphprogramslist.com/50-jawdroppingly-toxic-food-additives-to-avoid/
Pompa, D. [Dr. Daniel Pompa]. (2010, September 15). What is True Cellular Detox and Cellular Detoxification [Video File] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NHUYwD1Hrk&feature=youtu.be
Wilson, T. (2017, July 29). Sophia Nutrition. Are You Detoxing With the Correct Binders. https://www.sophianutrition.com/blogs/sophia-life-blog/are-you-detoxing-with-the-correct-binders