Author: Theresa

Things You Didn’t Know About Detoxing.. the internal cleanse craze—and how to do it the healthy way.

The detoxing trend, as championed by certain members of the holistic wellness community, is it really having a moment while dietitians view it with a critical eye. We’d like to say make sure you do your research and clearly understand not all approaches are suitable for everyone. Some researchers will be quick to tell you, the trendy juice cleanse and its two week fasting processes are scientifically dubious and some methods of “detoxing” are healthier then others.

People often associate the term detoxification with alcohol, drug, and substance addiction, though it’s also a common method for losing weight: thus the catch phrase a diet detox. Put plain and simply, the aim of detoxification is to eliminate all the negative effects on the body from the environment: industrial chemicals, pesticides, additives in our food, secondary smoke, pollutants, and heavy metals included. The current trend for people is adopting internal detoxification—targeting organs like the kidneys and colon—to keep their body systems in peak condition. This is done with herbs, teas, a change of diet and a couple of different approaches:

Detoxification as a holistic way to keep your mind and body healthy. It can be applied to many different types of health plans. Some benefits include improving and/or reducing headaches and back pain, fighting against memory loss, strengthening your body against allergic reactions, and flushing dangerous chemicals out of your system. Another benefit of certain types of detoxing targets organs i.e. liver, kidney, and includes blood purification that wouldn’t occur on a regular diet. This approach stimulates the immune system, the hormonal system experiences a boost too thus reducing the body’s dependency on substances such as sugar, caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol.

Short-term detox is the most popular but often the least successful. For example, short-term detox programs which can include a 24-hour juice fasting, chelation therapy which is a treatment for removing heavy metals from the system, a colon cleansing commonly known as colonics, skin cleansing done with facial, and intravenous injections. Dangers in following any short-term fixes and trending fad diets is that they eliminate key nutrients from your diet, like juice fasting, without directions on how to counter-balance in other ways to meet your daily requirements. Bottom line is that it is never a good idea to deprive your body of protein or fiber of any nutrient for that matter.

As for colonics, doctors suggest that unless you’re undergoing a medical procedure like a colonoscopy, attempting the method for the purpose of detoxing is unnecessary and can be very harmful, increasing your risk of contracting infections and leading to bowel perforations.

Creating healthy habits over time will produce the best results. One of the better long-term detox programs is to focus on moderation rather than simply avoiding a food group, cutting out carbohydrates, or sweeteners, etc. A healthy lifestyle is born out of a collection of healthy habits, and creating a new habit takes time period. If you are approaching a lifestyle of change or weight loss with a program that you cannot follow for the rest of your life, you are are heading for failure.

Drinking fluids—water, vegetable and fruit juice, herbal tea—and taking vitamins or supplements can help to boost the immune system and keep your body regulated, while exercise such as yoga and tai chi and meditation to help regulate stress and energy levels, too have a proven track record. Take care of yourself with regular Alternative therapies—such as homeopathic remedies (natural medicines), Reiki, Massages and Acupuncture —are also popular ways to relieve stress and tension

Before starting at-home detox treatments, PURE recommends that those looking to seriously detox and improve their overall health and wellness receive a medical consultation for their detox needs first so they can truly discover the root of their symptoms and receive the best treatment regime. The below detox routines are good “starting off” points, but they will not produce long term results. Holistic healing is a process and not a onetime fix.

1) Epsom Bath Salts a favorite, while epsom salt baths can be a natural way to soothe the body and detox the skin, plus aid with muscle relaxation.
2) People hoping to curb sugar cravings, believe to increase their energy levels (zero sugar crashes to blame) and lose weight, too. A detox involves —killing all dessert options, sweetened beverages, and processed foods from ones menu.
3) A healthy balanced diet will natural detox the body with no special diet program.

Truly, the best way to protect your body from toxins .. eat a diet rich in the foods that can keep your digestive tract and organs healthy. Research has shown that when you feed your body right, build the immune system, your body is prepared for battle. Fruits, vegetables, high-quality protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and probiotics all play a role in building a strong body from the inside out.

And if you’re really concerned about cleansing your colon of toxins, opt for the gut health by stimulating daily doses of pre & probiotics over epsom salt or lemon juice.  If that works for you… always.. always .. Study up!