Let’s Detox About It
There are so many different reasons why a detox is beneficial to the body.
It can clear symptoms, remove toxins, help with diseases, and combat weight loss, just to name a few.
Some do it to rid the body of everyday harmful toxins that are taken in on a daily basis. Some do it to cleanse the liver since this is the most important organ responsible for clearing out toxins from the body. Others may be trying to rid the body of heavy metals, food poisoning, unhealthy eating, drugs, spiritual renewal, rest organs, purification, rejuvenation, reduce symptoms, flu/sickness and even prevent future diseases.
As you can see there are many harmful things that our body deals with that a detox can help with.
Let's delve into a few different ways to detox.:
1. Fasting-fasting is a form of detox that has become quite popular in the last few years. Giving your digestive system a break will allow your body to divert its energy and focus on healing. There are different types of fasts such as intermittent fasting, water fasts, autophagy type fasts and even spiritual fasts. Many diseases occur from a stagnation in the body and this congestion or stagnation may be cleared from the body through cleansing and detoxification. Giving your body a break can result in healing the body in the most natural way.
Some of the benefits of fasting are better sleep, reduction of allergies, weight loss, improvement in the microbiome, balance of sex hormones, repairing the immune system, increase in ketones and autophagy and it can even help with conditions like asthma, fever, back pain, cancer, indigestion, diabetes and tackle SIBO.
There are very important factors to consider before doing a fast. Preparing yourself before is crucial and also knowing how to break a fast is essential. Please do not just go in blind and try to do a 3 day water fast. There is so much information on how and when to fast and I highly suggest looking into Dr.Mindy Pelz who has a plethora of great information on how to do many types of fasts.
You can find great information if you click the link below.
https://drmindypelz.com/
When dealing with a flu, congestion or a cold, the first thing I would recommend is to stop eating. The body is trying hard to fight off whatever infection is ailing it. The last thing you want to do is add food into that battle. Digestion takes up a significant amount of energy and you want to conserve it all to fight off that sickness. But make sure to drink lots of liquids and keep hydrated.
2. Sauna- is a great way to let off some steam, haha. I have been lucky enough to use an infrared sauna for a few months now, and I love it. So far the results have been promising. Since I started using this form of detox, I haven’t gotten sick and a lot of the inflammation I was having has subsided. Infrared saunas use light to make heat. Instead of the air being heated, the infrared lamps heat your body directly, creating a deeper and more effective sweat. For detoxification purposes they can help flood out harmful toxins by opening up the body’s pathways naturally through sweat. Can you see that I am into using the most natural ways to heal our bodies? Environmental toxins can affect our energy, mood, sleep, gut, and even our mental health. By routinely working up a sweat we can prevent the buildup that occurs in our organs and keep keep our system healthy and moving properly. We can help our bodies get rid of and prevent build up through natural detox therapies that support the body’s natural detox work of the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin.
Other benefits of a sauna detoxification are weight loss, boost to the immune system, enhanced circulation, skin benefits, muscle and joint pain and mental stress.
Sauna use is another one of these ancient remedies that has been used for decades. Saunas are a cultural tradition in countries like Finland, Sweden, Turkey and Japan. I’ve heard that there are about 5 million people in Finland and about 3 million saunas! They incorporate it into daily life and even call it a “poor man’s pharmacy”. They not only believe it aids in healing diseases and sickness, but also aids in mental relaxation.
3. Coffee Enemas- I first learned of this procedure through the Gerson Therapy Institute, but its origins date back to WW1. The Gerson Institute has done extensive research and found great healing using coffee enemas. Constipation can lead to problems and diseases in your gut and If you are not having regular bowel movements then you should consider a coffee enema. It is through elimination that our body detoxes daily. In addition to regular bowel movements, a coffee enema has shown to help eliminate toxins, cleanse the colon walls, increase bile flow and stimulate and detoxify the liver. While the coffee is being held in our gut, the body’s blood passes through the liver. In this process the exposure to caffeine increases bile flow and ultimately eliminates the toxins from your body. Some people also experience relief from pain after performing an enema.
Here you can find how to perform one at home. (There are also colonic centers if you prefer not to do it on your own)
https://gerson-research.org/coffee-enema-procedure/
4. Lymph detox- the lymphatic system is our body’s natural detoxification system and its most important function. The lymph is a critical part of our immune system that helps fight off pathogens and protects us from inflammation and illness. It is also a circulatory system that acts like a vacuum and removes foreign debris like viruses, bacteria and toxins from the tissues by dumping it into the bloodstream to be broken down and then eliminated. The liver and kidneys then remove these from the blood. The lymph is made of white blood cells called lymphocytes. Our bodies actually contain more lymph than blood, so it's important to keep it healthy. The lymph system has no pump and relies on muscle activity and exercise in order for it to circulate. I will repeat, that is why we must always be active!
Some symptoms of a sluggish lymph system are fatigue, retaining water, bloating, headaches, brain fog, swollen stiff joints, inflammation and weight gain to name a few.
Reasons for a swollen or sluggish lymph system:
Chronic Stress
Gut issues
Disease
Dehydration
Infections-both acute and chronic
Toxin accumulation
Sedentary lifestyle
Here are 3 ways to detox the lymph:
Dry brushing is a technique that dates back to ancient times. A dry bristle brush is used to slowly stimulate the lymphs and drain the toxins out. There is a very specific way to dry brush by using soft gentle strokes.
This diagram shows the direction of the strokes. Start from the bottom, working towards the heart. Take 5-10 strokes on each portion and then move to the arms, to the neck, working back down to the stomach. This is best done before a shower and done on dry skin. If you experience pain, please stop.
Here are 2 links to give you some more guidance on how to properly dry brush:
https://primallypure.com/blogs/blog/video-tutorial-dry-brushing-how-to-benefits/
2. Rebounding- jumping on a trampoline is a free and easy way to get your lymph system moving. The only thing that activates the lymphatic system is movement (sound familiar?). Rebounding is the only exercise that opens our lymph system effectively. Three minutes, three times a day can stimulate this system and can help prevent diseases. Easy.
3. Lymph Massage- this is similar to dry brushing, but instead of using a brush, you will use your hands. This is a more localized approach and can also whelp when lymph loss are swollen. The lymph system balances bodily fluids which moves from the top of your head all the way to your toes and to many lymph nodes located all over the body. Doing a gentle lymph massage can once again help stimulate and improve fluid flow.
Here is a great video on how to do a lymph massage:
