DETOX – Myths And Facts

To start, there are always things you don’t want to hear; especially from a physician.

As one, I have a little more knowledge about our bodies and how they function, and for me, knowledge and responsibility come hand-in-hand. As a consequence, it’s my responsibility to tell you the truth about “detox”:

The only thing that can “detox” your body… is your own body!

But, wait…

Typically in our day-to-day lives, our bodies are working 24/7 to remove toxins from our cells; mainly, this is done through our lungs, liver, kidneys, colon (large intestine), and lymphatic system.

Thus, our body is perfectly designed to detoxify itself, keeping us alive!

For these reasons, I have my own definition of the word detox; for me, “detox” is a way to help my body to do its job as best as it can, so every time detox is used in this article, this is what I mean.

Thinking this way, you can detox your body naturally by making a few simple changes to your lifestyle.

So, let’s learn more about simple changes and some different ways to help our body “detox”!

SAY NO TO TOXINS – ADOPTING A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

There are two main types of toxins in our body: 

• Internal Toxins – produced by your body, such as lactic acid, urea, etc.
• External Toxins – come from the environment, such as pesticides on food, drugs, alcohol, pollutants, harmful substances present in cleaning and self-care products, etc. 

P.S. – Toxins can also be created by harmful bacteria.

The external chemical toxins can have various effects on the human body depending on their concentration, kind of substance, and time of exposure.

Our bodies are not necessarily equipped to cope with the increasing amount of toxins we unknowingly consume every day.

Hence, a contaminated environment can easily overwhelm detoxification systems, leading to toxic overload.

You experiences this when your body is unable to handle the amount of toxins that have been taken in. When this happens, damage can occur. 

Learning about the products that we use in our daily lives can help us keep some chemical toxins as far as possible.

Remember that all substances can be toxic at a high enough dose, including water!

“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.” 

Paracelsus

Some Ways to Avoid External Toxins:

• Many organic plant-based foods such as turmeric, wheatgrass, milk thistle, Garlic, Green Tea, Curcuma, Quinoa, avocado, tomato (to support the liver), kidneys, and digestive tract so that they can “detoxify” the body. 
• Choose organic foods and products as much as possible
• If it’s possible, plant something at home like your own herbs
• Avoid some pesticides to kill weed. Agriculture, highways, parks, and playgrounds are commonly sprayed with Roundup to kill weeds. Glyphosate (part of Roundup) nowadays is an important source of toxins.
• Be aware of the products you are using; most of them are full of harmful substances
• Take care of products used in pets
• Get as much fresh air as possible
• Avoid secondhand smoke
• As much as possible, avoid processed foods
• Eat plenty of fiber
• Don’t consume to much alcohol
• Drink more water; it is essential to help your body cleanse itself
• Read warning labels on medications. 

Learn more about – How to Switch to Non-Toxic Skincare Here

KEEP YOUR TEETH HEALTHY

Many people tend to not consider this, but your oral hygiene affects your general health.

You may be at risk for various diseases and conditions if your oral health is not good, such as:

• Endocarditis
• Cardiovascular disease
• Pregnancy and birth complications
• Pneumonia and other respiratory diseases

HEALTHY MIND

Additionally, it is also necessary to detoxify the mind and learn new ways to manage your stress to detox the body. It’s fundamental!

With toxins, you need to keep in mind that stress itself releases substances that are harmful to your body (if at high levels, such as epinephrine or adrenaline).

•  You can start practicing yoga, meditation, mindfulness, or a new hobby; in resume – keep challenging yourself!  
• Make it a habit of learning something new every day.
• Listen to your body! One way or another, our bodies always tell us when something is wrong. For example, constant sickness, low energy levels, fatigue, pain, stress, insomnia, etc.

TEA TIME TRIUMPH – DITCH CAFFEINE FOR THESE DELICIOUS BREWS

Tea is an amazing beverage, loved by many and universally accepted by science as healthy.

A good start would be to replace morning coffee with green tea.

Green tea doesn’t contain nearly as much caffeine as coffee, so you will enjoy the caffeine benefits without risks.

Green tea also offers important antioxidants and it’s loaded with healthy compounds, such as: 

• polyphenols 
• epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)
• small amounts of minerals
• amino acid L-theanine

Studies have shown that the antioxidants present in green tea may have a protective effect on Breast Cancer development and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

More Benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory activity
• Antioxidant activity
• Anti-carcinogenic properties, green tea may help prevent cancer
• Skin photoprotective effect
• Great for your mouth because of the catechins that kills bacteria known to cause bad breath and plaque; consequently, it generates extra protection against cavities
• Helps you to stay focused, stimulated, and relaxed because of the caffeine and l-theanine, increase chemicals that promote feelings of calm, such as serotonin and dopamine, and decrease chemicals linked to stress and anxiety
• Lowers your blood pressure
• Improves blood sugar control
• Increases fat burn because it increases metabolism and fat oxidation; so it may help with weight loss
• Affect cholesterol levels by lowering the LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood
• Catechins have also been proven to protect brain neurons. Cognitive impairment and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are reduced
• Studies have shown that drinking 3-5 cups of tea a day has an increased lifespan

**little note: I’m craving a cup of green tea as I’m writing this right now and am going to get myself a cup. I suggest you do the same if you have any lying around 😋

EXTRA TIPS:

1. Avoid drinking during your main meals because it may affect iron absorption.
2. Don’t add green tea directly to boiling water as it destroys the healthy Catechins.
3. Avoid the decaf because the decaffeination process can destroy the nutrients found within green tea.
4. If you drink your tea with lemon, you will be able to absorb some nutrients better, they are also both high in antioxidants that are beneficial to a healthy immune system.

HYDRATE TO ELEVATE

Each person’s body contains a different amount of water. To give you an idea babies are made of approximately 78% water. After around a year, that percentage lowers to about 65%. Adult males have an average body water content of 60%.

Therefore, the amount of water that a person needs to ingest will vary according to their age, sex, and weight.

One thing is certain though, water is vital for all the functioning processes of our bodies, including the entire “detox” process.

“In time and with water, everything changes”

Leonardo Da Vinci

DREAMSCAPE

It is believed by researchers that your body removes more waste from brain cells during sleep, particularly during the third and fourth phases, so a good night’s rest will detoxify your mind. 

If you are losing sleep, identify the cause and try to solve that problem; sleep is very important as to how you behave and process things throughout the day. 

Avoid not sleeping as it is not possible to have a healthy lifestyle if you are not sleeping well!

RISE, SHINE, AND EXERCISE

Another good way to help detoxify your body is to perform physical exercises. This assists some of your organs in becoming more efficient at the naturally occurring detoxifying process by:

• Increasing blood circulation
• Increasing available oxygen levels. For example, Yoga breathing with strong exhalations allows the lungs to empty of unwanted carbon dioxide, allowing more oxygen to enter the body, nourishing the cells
• Increasing your metabolic rate
• Exercise Lowers Inflammation (remembering that chronic inflammation is highly toxic to the body)

To maintain a healthy metabolism, exercise is essential !

PEEL MORE, UNPACK LESS

If you are not sure about what to eat, remember: peel more, unpack less! This will help you to make the best decision, and with a healthier diet, your body’s detoxification will be inevitable!

A diet rich in whole foods, free of additives and preservatives, will make a huge difference in your health and detox process!

PROBIOTICS

Probiotics can help your digestive system continue to work properly by balancing out the quantity between good and bad microorganisms in your digestive tract.

Clinical studies have also shown that probiotics may also:

• Reduce liver cancer risk markers
• Reduced the absorption of pesticides absorbed by the body and their toxic effects
• Reduce the intestinal aluminum absorption
• Prevention of symptoms of lactose intolerance
• Treatment of acute diarrhea (caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites)
• Attenuation of antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal side effects 
• Prevention and treatment of allergy manifestations
• Prevention and treatment of urinary and vaginal diseases
• Attenuation of skin conditions, like eczema

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT 

The constant use of electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, and computers has become an indispensable part of everyday life, as most people cannot go anywhere without taking a device with them. However, it has potential health effects, because of this, the “digital detox” has gained more popularity.

Some of these health effects are:

• Melatonin deficiency – the blue light in the smartphone impairs the production of melatonin when used at night, so the melatonin will not reach the level necessary to fall asleep and the lack of melatonin will affect your ‘’detoxification’’ and immune system
• Vision problems, known as digital eye strain
• Addictive behavior disorder
• Increases in stress and anxiety
• Sedentary behavior and obesity
• Increased occurrence of migraines and/or headaches
• Children between 0 and 4 years old who spend more time on screens have adverse cognitive outcomes, with more significant delays in language development, vocabulary, number knowledge, and classroom engagement.
• Social interaction impairment – In order to deepen relationships with people around you, your surrounding environment, and yourself, avoid keeping your head buried in your devices, detox your mind. It’s an important part of the process!
• Less time spent in nature – In addition to improving your emotional wellbeing, spending time in nature reduces blood pressure, muscle tension, heart rate, anxiety and stress hormone production.

Wellness comes from balance, so keeping your whole body and life healthy and not just a part of them is the main key to maintaining its self-cleaning system of “detox” working pretty well!

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Resources used in this article:

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32598326/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5813803/

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/71/6/1698S/4729659

https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijo.18.6.1307

https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(15)00134-X/fulltext

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/brain-may-flush-out-toxins-during-sleep

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6027933/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6683051/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26610803/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16597207/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563215300704?via%3Dihub

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/MHAW21_NATURE%20REPORT_ENG_web.pdf

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