Detoxification: top protocols with amazing benefits
Your body is bombarded every day with toxins that break down your immune system, damage your cells, and increase your risk for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and early death. These toxic compounds come from the environment, from the products in your home, and from what you eat and drink. While some of the sources of these deadly substances are well known, others are labeled “harmless,” even “beneficial” to your health and well-being.
The first step to full body detoxification is to know where the toxins originate so you can stop your exposure. During cold and flu season, if you’re like most of us, you “sterilize” your house after an outbreak. You wash all your linens, increase nutrient consumption to help you ease symptoms and shorten sickness, and isolate the person who is sick to avoid spreading their germs to others in your family.
Removing toxins from your life is a similar process. You need to “scrub” your diet and lifestyle, “boost” your system, and “isolate” the sources so they are no longer a threat. Here are 10 tips for keeping your body toxin-free:
- Drink plenty of water filtered with an excellent system. A good rule of thumb is a ½ ounce for every pound of body weight. (Example – if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water daily.)
- Exercise every single day for 15-30 minutes. Your lymphatic system is powered by breathing and muscle movement. When you move, it moves – removing impurities from your body as it goes.
- Go “green” in your home and office. Get rid of toxin-laden chemicals and choose natural ones instead. Replace non-stick pots and pans with ceramic, steel, or glass. Use a hypoallergenic mattress pad and always wear covering on your feet if you can’t replace your stain-resistant carpeting. Avoid being too close to electronics, appliances, and office equipment.
- Get plenty of fiber. You need fiber to maintain a toxin-free body. It slows digestion, enabling you to absorb more nutrients, and it improves your bowel movements so that you can get those gathered toxins out for good! You can get fiber from foods such as beans, berries, nuts, artichokes, broccoli, avocados, pears, flax seeds and chia seeds.
- Make time for a good dry brushing. This simple and effective technique is easy to do right before you get in the shower. Simply use a long-handled, soft-bristle brush and run it over your skin. Start from your feet and hands, working toward your heart. It is going to feel amazing and is excellent at stimulating your lymphatic system!
- Give your gut good bacteria. Include probiotics in your yogurt, such as yogurt, pickles, miso, and kefir. This will boost good gut flora and keep bad gut flora in check.
- Choose organic every chance you get. You will experience a significant drop in pesticide levels from this one change. Buy locally grown products when possible to boost your immunity to local flora and lower your risk of allergens.
- Practice coconut oil-pulling. Remove the toxins in your body through the soft tissues of your mouth with this ancient Ayurvedic practice. Swish coconut oil in your mouth for 10 minutes, spit, and brush your teeth as usual (don’t forget to brush your tongue!) for outstanding oral hygiene.
- Be picky when it comes to what you put on your body. As important as what you put in your body is what you put on it. The cosmetic industry is abundant in dangerous toxins that seep through your pores to your bloodstream. Choose organic. If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you probably shouldn’t put it on your skin.
- Meditate and pray to remove stress from your life. A body that is persistently stressed is a source of rampant inflammation. Stop and evaluate what the “stressors” are in your life and take steps to remove them, starting right now. Meditation and deep breathing calm the mind, stimulate the lymphatic system, and help you focus.
By following these simple protocols, you can help your body eliminate toxins while preventing future toxic buildup. Not only will you feel better; you’ll actually reduce your risk of disease! Here are some of the benefits of detoxification:
It is important to take out the “cellular trash” on a daily basis. This is what the cells of our bodies are designed to do as we sleep, move, sweat, drink clean water, and consume high water content foods (i.e., veggies), among other things. The cells of our body automatically cleanse and detoxify by eliminating accumulated waste products. If the body is unable to eliminate toxins fast enough, compared to the amount of toxic waste coming in, cells start malfunctioning and the disease process begins.
This is the underlying reason to detoxify. The accumulation of toxins greatly contributes to cellular damage and disease formation, and thus the elimination of toxins can prevent and even cure disease. Detoxification has been used for thousands of years, long before pharmaceutical-based medicine became the accepted treatment for disease.
Even though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 80% of disease has lifestyle and environmental causes, modern medicine tends to ignore toxins as damaging and does little to address the underlying causes of disease.
Instead, the medical establishment relies on prescription and over-the-counter drugs to treat diseases once they develop.
In a healthy body, toxins are eliminated continually and consistently, which allows genuine healing to occur. But if the body is constantly inundated with a stream of toxic material, the body has difficulty keeping up with elimination, and toxins begin to accumulate.
This bombardment of daily toxins can have many adverse effects and take a toll on our health over time. They damage our cells, weaken the body, create chronic illness, and can even lead to cancer. And unfortunately, conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy flood the body with additional toxins that can keep it from healing. By practicing detoxification (and limiting your exposure to toxins), you can help support your body’s innate immune system, combat disease, and live a happier, healthier life!