Ever contemplated a detox?

Before embarking on anything that involves your health and your body, isn’t it worth having a good understanding of what it is you’re trying to achieve? I think so, and with so many tempting “celebrity detox diets”, “mastercleanses” and “uber-washouts”, here’s my low-down on safely and effectively cleaning up your diet, your body…. and your mind! Whether you want a physical clean-out, a mental clear-out, or some cleansing food, it’s all here… just read on and follow any links that grab your eye!

Understanding Detoxification…  
Cleansing the body of dietary excesses, winter sluggishness and old energies ensures the body’s cells continue to produce plenty of energy, our immunity stays strong, and we feel vibrant and alive. The body’s detoxifying organs (the gut and liver), as well as the eliminatory organs and channels (skin, kidneys and bowels) must be working efficiently to allow for optimal energy turnover in the body’s cells, and the cell’s constant flux or exchange of nutrients and waste. Signs of poor detoxification include chronic headaches and fatigue, constipation, bloating, poor skin and acne, sensitivity to chemical fumes, caffeine or alcohol, and often food sensitivities too. Impaired detoxification has been linked with a number of diseases such as chronic fatigue (ME), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia and arthritis.
 
The liver and gut keep a check on, and deal with anything we might eat, or be exposed to. Substances, microorganisms, chemicals and toxins are either taken straight out via the bowels (and kept “in check” in the bowels) while others, within the body are “detoxified” in the liver, made safe, and then released, transported and taken out of the body via the kidneys and urinary system, or with bile, and the stools.
In one sense, the most important organ here is the gut. The intestines should support regular bowel movements to eliminate a build up of waste, toxins, unhealthy bacteria and other unwanted organisms. The gut also provides a barrier to prevent “leakage” of toxic materials into the main circulation. Probiotics (beneficial bacteria) are very important in this respect. Constipation is unhealthy for the body and soon leads to toxic build-up in the bowels, causing inflammation and poor digestion. In a very unhealthy bowel, when the wall of the gut (intestinal lining) weakens and becomes “leaky”, toxins, undigested food particles, and other unwanted guests escape into the general circulation, leaving the liver to deal with the “leftovers” – or the work that the bowels should be doing. Over a long period of time, the liver can become very sluggish, overworked and overloaded. Signs and symptoms of “whole body” toxicity will be visible. 

The “food” that is very helpful in cases of constipation and “leaky gut” is FLAXSEED (or linseed). Taken in the ground form (2 tablespoons per day) with warm water as a watery “gruel” provides soluble “gel-like” fibre (mucilage) and fatty acids, which a) helps to promote regular elimination, b) soothes and heals a damaged, leaky or inflamed gut lining, and c) provides the main omega-3 fatty acid, ALA, helping to reduce inflammation. Flaxseed really is nature’s gift to a toxic colon! The very nature of this food aids in “soaking up” unwanted toxicity, and therefore ideal if someone is “detoxing”. Aloe Vera is another of my favourites with regard to super-healthy insides!
 
If a person begins heavily “detoxing” (for example through juice or water-only fasts), without first ensuring that the main eliminatory channel is regularly “open”, it’s very likely to make the body more toxic! If waste can’t get out, it simply gets reabsorbed back into the body through the walls of the gut.

The Liver’s Role in cleansing…  
The liver is an amazing organ, in the functional sense, performing a myriad of tasks to keep the body, and blood clean. Inside the liver’s cells are sophisticated mechanisms that break down and detoxify hundreds of toxic substances – drugs, chemicals, additives, pesticides, hormones, alcohol, caffeine, chemical sweeteners, and many more!

A healthy liver is rather like a top of the range Dyson hoover – filtering and hoovering toxins all day long. The liver relies on you to eat a good wholesome diet full of fresh wholefoods, to provide a variety of nutrients and antioxidants, and plenty of purified or natural spring water to perform it’s daily detoxing duties. If the liver’s supply of nutrients is in short supply, the liver’s detoxification ability can be overwhelmed, and chemicals are unable to pass through the liver, and safely get “deactivated” or cleanly detoxified. They will then remain in the body. Chemicals and toxins have to be “dumped” somewhere, and the safest place in the body is fat tissue! However, toxins also get dumped in nervous tissue, or the brain – hence the link between poor detox capacity and neurological disorders. Toxic exposure results in increased free radical production, and a greater need for antioxidants. Unless these demands are met, free radical damage to the cells occurs – commonly known as disease!
 
N.B. Drink plain clean water throughout the day, until you “clear” your urine to reveal a pale straw colour. This simple act will immediately boost energy and “cleansing”, and will even “fire-up” your fat-burning furnace!

The journey of a toxin… 
In a healthy person with healthy intestines, fewer internal poisons flow to the liver – most are excreted in the faeces. A person with a “leaky gut” and poor digestion however, produces more internal toxicity, and also releases more to the liver. As chemical or toxic substances enter the liver, they are firstly transformed to an “intermediate” substance, via a series of enzyme reactions (Phase 1 detoxification), and then move on to be neutralised by combining with a “safe” compound (Phase 2 detoxification), to render the substance harmless to the body. It’s then ready to be released back into the circulation, and eliminated via the kidneys and urine. The Phase 1 detox process actually produces free radicals, so it’s very important that we get lots of antioxidant nutrients in the diet to ensure these free radicals get “zapped”. Many drugs can impair Phase 1 detoxification, such as oral contraceptives, antidepressants and anti-ulcer medications. If the liver is not functioning well, Phase 1 and Phase 2 toxins are not completely detoxified. They leave the liver as “reactive” substances and recirculate in the bloodstream. They will store in the fat, nervous or brain tissue and lead to long-term poor health, as I indicated earlier.

How to support the liver with the foods you eat!

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