Guide on Detox The Ways Our Body Has Its Natural Detox Functions
Natural Detox
The primary aim of performing a natural detox is to allow the liver, the major organ responsible for detoxification, to rest and recuperate. You can do this by restricting your diet and taking herbal supplements which will help to eliminate toxins already in the body and reduce the number of new toxins being ingested.
The Natural Detox Diet
The majority of natural detox diets are composed of raw foods and in particular vegetables, nuts and fish. The organic nutrients and high levels of food enzymes present in many raw vegetables and whole grains help to naturally detoxify the body. These food types also provide a good source of fibre which speeds up the elimination of toxins in your waste products.
Nuts are a great source of vitamins B and E, magnesium, potassium and the invaluable antioxidant selenium while fish provides essential omega 3 oils and a good supply of protein.
In all the natural detox diet supplies the body with all the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that it needs and when water is drunk in large quantities as well, the cells become fully hydrated and the toxins get washed away. A natural detox diet only needs to last for two to three days for you to feel the benefits which include more energy, better cognitive functioning and an all round feeling of health and well being.
Herbal Supplements
Combining natural herbs and plant extracts with a good detox diet can literally double the beneficial effect. A number of herbs and plants act as antioxidants, diuretics and laxatives in the human body, for example:
- Milk thistle
- Dandelion and Burdock
- Green tea
- Celery powder
In addition, supplements such as garlic powder, spinach powder, beetroot juice powder and Spirulina help to balance the amount of good bacteria found in the digestive system so that they protect against subsequent toxin attacks but don’t overpopulate the digestive tract and start to cause a problem.
Many people think that because the diet is so restrictive all they can do is munch carrots all day and drink lots of water however there are loads of easy and tasty recipes in vegan cookbooks that are suitable for a detox diet and this means that there is absolutely no excuse for not trying it yourself.
More resources Natural Detox
Copyright 2006, Leroy Fong and Detox-Guide.com
Reprinting this article is allowed provided all references and acknowledgement to the author, the website, and the URL remain intact.
Leroy Fong
Detox Guide | Liver Detox | Colon Cleanse
Detox Guide Understand Why We Need to Detox
Unfortunately, the vast majority of us live in the hustle and bustle of today’s city-orientated society where overworking, food on the go and social niceties i.e. the friendly consumption of alcohol, mean that we rarely get time to rest and recuperate our tired and weary bodies. When added to air pollution and cigarette smoke that have become part of our daily life, many of us find that we suffer from a huge number of minor but annoying ailments.
These can include such things as:
- Headaches
- Skin complaints including dull, dry skin and dark circle under the eyes
- Poor sleep and difficulty waking up
- Sluggishness and fatigue
- Allergies
- Wrinkles
- Digestive problems such as constipation, gas and indigestion
- Bladder complaints
- Lowered immunity
- The impairment of cognitive functions such as a loss of memory, confusion, lack of concentration etc
- Mood swings
But why does our lifestyle and in particular our diet affect the way we feel so drastically?
Many of the foods we eat and the beverages we drink are thought to contain high numbers of potentially harmful toxins. Toxins are chemicals that are known to be poisonous to our bodies, thus when they are allowed to accumulate they start to affect the way in which our body’s function. The use of pesticides, insecticides, fertilisers and artificial preservatives all add toxins to our food and although the liver, kidneys and skin naturally detoxify the body, they are often thankful of any help they can get.
A detox diet cuts out many of the food groups that are thought to contain these potentially harmful toxins so that only healthy foods are eaten. These speeds up the elimination of toxins from the body so that many of the problems mentioned above disappear. Unfortunately sticking to a detox diet can be difficult as it normally involves giving up many of your favourite foods for between 7 and 14 days depending on the length of the detox programme.
However with a bit of will power and a good detox cook book you will hardly notice you have drastically changed your eating habits, that is until you suddenly feel more energetic, alert and generally much healthier and you develop a beautiful radiant glow.
Understand more about Benefits of Detox
Copyright 2006, Leroy Fong and Detox-Guide.com
Reprinting this article is allowed provided all references and acknowledgement to the author, the website, and the URL remain intact.
Leroy Fong
Detox Guide | Liver Detox | Colon Cleanse
Cleansing and Detoxification of the Body
“What is the purpose” and “why would I want to cleanse or detoxify” are the questions I hear most often. Additional questions are “how do I go about getting a cleanse accomplished” and “how will it affect my lifestyle / do I have to go on a special diet?”
Before we talk about the purpose, we should answer the question of “why should I cleanse”. We should realize by now that there are some bad things in the environment that we just can’t avoid (without becoming a hermit and retiring to some remote mountain in Tibet). The cars we drive emit emissions that are detrimental to our health. When we fill up at the gas station, we breathe in the fumes of the gasoline, which adds toxins to our body. When we take a shower, our bodies absorb the chemicals (fluoride and chlorine) that have been added to purify and keep the water from developing bacteria and other harmful critters. Body lotions have known carcinogens such as (DEA or TEA), and other chemicals like propylene glycol (anti-freeze). When the lotion is applied to the skin, these chemicals are also absorbed through the skin. These and many other toxins are floating around in our blood streams, stored in our fat, clogging up our livers, and causing problems with our elimination (resulting in constipation or diarrhea).
Whether you want to get rid of allergies, cure exhaustion, eliminate kidney problems, tumors or anything else, a place to start is a detoxification or cleansing of the body. The bloodstream is probably the most heavily-laden system in the body, when it comes to toxins. As food is digested, the nutrients and toxins are absorbed into the bloodstream. Toxins pass through the skin and are picked up by the blood for disposal or storage. Fat in the body is very soluble and is able to store many of the toxins taken in.
The Liver is the organ responsible for neutralizing foreign substances, breaking them down into inert products before dumping them into the intestine via the bile acids. There they can be eliminated from the body via the normal elimination process. That will happen as long as the small and large intestine are not all clogged up. If the Liver is sluggish or slow, then the toxins will remain circulating in the bloodstream. These toxins will continue to contaminate the cells instead of providing the nourishment that the cells need.
By the same token, if the small and large intestines are not functioning efficiently, you won’t be able to absorb or assimilate the nourishment that the cells need. The way to tell if your small and large intestines are functioning efficiently is via the transit time. Your transit time is the time it takes for a bite of food to go from the mouth, through the digestive system and be eliminated. The transit time in a normally functioning digestive system should be less than 21 hours. The average person eating a normal western diet will have eight full meals of undigested food and waste matter within their digestive system. This indicates that the transit time is over 21 hours and the potential for reabsorbing and re-circulating all of those same toxins via the blood is a good possibility.
To do a proper cleanse we must start with the Colon cleanse first, then cleanse the Liver and finally detoxify the blood. At the end of the process we can start a weight loss program and start eliminating those toxins stored in our fat layers.
Some people make detoxification a complicated ordeal, however detoxification can be a very simple process. For an Herbologist, choosing herbs that provide specific characteristics is a simple process. Choosing ones that have a synergistic effect and work well together can be more challenging and requires an expert in the field. The Cleansing Tea we’ve chosen for the bowel cleanse, was formulated by experts and contains the following herbs: Senna Pod, Senna Leaf, Frangula Bark, Barberry Bark, Chinese Rhubarb Root, Ginger Root, Chamomile Flower, Raspberry Leaf, Fennel Seed, Lemon Grass Herb, Peppermint Leaf, Orange Peel, and Cayenne Fruit. Maintaining your regular diet and adding two to three cups of tea per day is simple, easy, and uncomplicated. You adjust how fast your cleansing process happens by steeping your tea bag more or less, adjusting and adapting the cleansing process to your body and digestive system.
After a good colon cleanse, it is time to thin the bile acids and get the liver optimized. This is accomplished using some herbal tablets formulated to enhance the liver function. The proprietary blend of Dandelion (root) extract, milk thistle (seed) extract, blessed thistle (herb) extract, plus some Vitamin A, C, E, and calcium synergistically and gently work to bring the liver back to a full functioning condition.
Once the liver detoxification has been accomplished, it is time to start removing the toxins from the blood and the body. We use another tea formulated for just that purpose. This ancient formula comes from an Indian tribe in Canada. A Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, working with those tribes found it to be very beneficial for many ailments. Following with tradition and with something that works, we have utilized the basic formula. Burdock Root, Sheep Sorrel Root, Chinese Rhubarb Root, Slippery Elm Bark Powder are the major ingredients. It is suggested that you drink in one quarter cup amounts throughout the day allowing a gentle detoxification to transpire.
Folks it can’t get any simpler than that. No complicated formulas or diets or brews to concoct. Some people prefer their tea hot and some cold and some like sun tea, once again it doesn’t matter. Use the process, allow the body to come into balance, start to assimilate the nutrients it requires and watch your health improve. Remember, it’s the process that counts and the journey will take as long as it takes. Enjoy it when you can. May your life be filled with much health and abundance!
Michael McCright is a Holistic Health Practitioner, educator, coach, and motivational speaker. His website: http://www.bodymindconnection.com covers a variety of health concerns. Michael is co-producer of an informative and educational DVD: “TMJ Relief”. For information and holistic solutions regarding TMJ disorder, go to: http://www.holisticspecifics.com
© 2005 Michael McCright - Reprints allowed as long as copy is complete with last paragraph and copyright information.