Help Your Body Detox
Your body is detoxing all the time—how are you helping?
Detox has become such a buzzword, hasn’t it? One might imagine that detoxing requires expensive and extreme diets or protocols but that isn’t always the case. Your body is designed to detox; it’s constantly purging and detoxing from harmful substances and toxins all the time. While there may be a time and a place for more immersive or extreme detoxes, I do believe that we can help our body in its everyday detoxing efforts. It’s important to note that multiple organs play a critical role in the detoxification process; from the skin, to the lungs, to the liver.
Let’s take a look at some of your body’s key detox players and explore ways to support these systems as they work to keep you thriving and healthy:
THE SKIN. The skin is the body’s largest organ, and one that’s constantly in contact with the external environment, so it’s no surprise that the skin plays a massive role in keeping toxins, pathogens, and other contaminants out of the body. Your skin also expels toxins via sweat. We can support this system in a number of ways. First of all, keep your skin clean. Your skin is in constant contact with environmental pollutants, toxins, and pathogens, especially the face and hands, so it’s important to shower or bathe regularly using natural, mild soaps (Dr. Bronner is a favorite in our home).
Allowing the skin to “breathe” and sweat efficiently is important, too, and often times heavy lotions, anti-perspirants, make-up, and even sunscreen block the pores and keep the skin from functioning adequately. Keep your skin (and the vital role it plays in the detoxification process) in mind when selecting washing detergents, cleaning solutions, make-up, soaps, shampoos, and even clothing. For added support, consider regular sauna or infrared sauna use which help the body expel stored chemicals, including heavy metals, through sweating.
THE LUNGS. The lungs pull waste, or carbon dioxide, from the blood, which is what you expel when you exhale. When you inhale, the lungs supply fresh oxygen to the blood, which then travels throughout the body—and to all the other essential detoxification organs. We don’t think about breathing much thanks to our autonomic nervous system but when you actually do pause to think about it, you’d recognize that taking longer, fuller inhales would supply the blood with more oxygen per breath, and that longer, deeper exhales would expel more waste than a shallow exhale. This is why breathwork or the practice of diaphragmatic breathing is gaining traction in the West. This type of mindful, rhythmic breathing not only supports the body’s gas exchange, but it also stimulates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system (that’s you, rest and digest). As the diaphragm expands and contracts, it massages the body’s lymphatic system—another essential component in the detoxification process. TRY THIS: Take 5-minutes a day to practice mindful, rhythmic breathing. Inhale through the nose until you feel your belly fill up with air. Hold here for 3-seconds. Exhale through the mouth, slowly and completely.
We can also support our lungs by being mindful of the air we breath. Clean air is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, we can’t eliminate all the pollutants and toxins from our air. It’s important to treat your home like the sanctuary that it should be. Swap out the harsh, traditional, and toxic cleaners for the something more natural (our go-to, easy-to-find natural cleaning products are Seventh Generation). Invest in an air purifier to help eliminate airborne allergens like pollen, pet dander, mold spores, microbes, dust, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cooking and smoke. We love our Winix Air Purifier with an advanced 3-stage filtration and PlasmaWave® Technology. Diffusing essential oils naturally and effectively purifies the air in your home or office, too. We use tea tree and peppermint often.
THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM. The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in detoxification and immune response. The lymphatic system is most simply described as a comprehensive drainage and fluid-balancing network consisting of the lymphatic fluid (which transports infection-fighting white blood cells), the lymph nodes (there are about 600!), lymphatic vessels, the thoracic duct, the thymus, the spleen, bone marrow, the tonsils and adenoids (the first lines of defense against foreign invaders), and the appendix (good for something, eh?). A sluggish lymphatic system is no good and can cause extreme fatigue, swelling or weight gain, frequent colds or sinus infections, brain fog, and depression to name a few. So what causes a sluggish lymphatic system? Over-exposure to toxic chemicals, a sedentary lifestyle, a poor diet and dehydration are often to blame.
Nurture your lymphatic system by moving your body daily, drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, and eating a clean, minimally processed diet. Other things to try: trampolining, dry brushing, lymphatic massage, and herbs like red clover, echinacea, and astragalus. For an individually tailored Ayurvedic approach to lymphatic health, you may want to consider a session with Ayurvedic practitioner, Ashley Rarick, of Ayurvedic Vitality.
THE LIVER. Talk about a powerhouse! The liver is responsible for over 500 vital functions in the body, from the production of bile, which helps break down fats in the small intestine, to the conversion of excess glucose into glycogen for storage, to purifying the blood from harmful drugs and other substances, including bacteria. Once these harmful substances are broken down by the liver, the by-products are excreted in the bile (which enters the intestine and are excreted as feces) or blood (which gets filtered by the kidneys and is excreted as urine). Clearly, the liver is a crucially involved in the detoxification process. Support your liver with a clean, minimally processed diet. Remove hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, and conventional lunch meats from your diet, as these create inflammation in the body. Amp up the potassium-rich foods (like beans, bananas, spinach, and tomatoes) and be mindful of your alcohol and over-the-counter drug consumption.
THE KIDNEYS. These two fist-sized, bean-shaped organs are well-known as the blood’s filtration system, but they also help balance the body’s fluid levels as well as regulate electrolytes as well as release hormones that help regulate blood pressure. They filter and recirculate 200 quarts of fluid in one day! In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are known as the root of our life-force and the foundation of health, vitality, and longevity.
Help support the optimal function of your kidneys by understanding your risk. Has anyone in your family suffered from kidney failure? Are you on medications that may damage the kidneys when taken long-term (prescription or non-prescription)? Are you diabetic, overweight, or at-risk for cardiovascular disease?
Show your kidneys a little love by staying hydrated, frequently stimulating blood flow to the area through gentle kidney massage or yoga postures like spinal twists, back bends, and forward folds that you hold for longer periods of time (Yin Yoga), and foods like bone broth, miso, seaweed, beans (black and kidney), and fish.
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR BODY IN DETOXIFICATION:
Scrape your tongue first thing in the morning. Have you heard of a tongue scraper? This nifty, easy-to-sanitize device is designed specifically to clean your tongue, unlike a toothbrush. A tongue scraper is essential in maintaining optimum oral health and hygiene. A tongue scraper effortlessly scrapes away the toxic build-up on your tongue that your body has worked to purge and push out overnight. It’s essential to brush your teeth and scrape your tongue before consuming any food or drink which can carry those toxins right back in. If you need to brush, rinse or floss again after eating breakfast, then by all means, do. Our family uses Dr. Tung’s Stainless Steel Tongue Cleaner.
Get your sleep. Not only is sleep essential for clearing toxins from the visceral body, but sleep also helps clear toxins from the brain! The space between your brain cells increases as you sleep, allowing fluid to flush through and clear out anything that doesn’t belong. Our body needs sleep, and far too many struggle with it. For more tips on getting better sleep, read Seven Steps to Better Sleep.
Give your body less to detox. For all that we can’t control, there is so much that we can. For example, we can’t usually control what pollutants we come into contact with as we walk down a busy city street, but we can consciously choose to eat a healthier diet by eliminating packaged and overly-processed foods (and eating organic when possible), just as we can make the choice to switch to more natural-based cleaning and personal care products in support of our health.