WHAT ARE THEY AND HOW DO WE GET RID OF THEM?

By Camille Lawson R.N., B.A., M.Ed.

We hear the words, “toxins, toxicity, detox, and detox diet” everywhere we turn these days which is very confusing for the average (and even the not so average!) person. Health professionals have varying opinions and there are literally hundreds of products on the market promising to “detox” us with miraculous results of improving every health complaint that we have. Yet, most of us understand that our world is much more toxic to our bodies than it ever was before and we are anxious to learn more and do the right thing for ourselves – the question is what?

Most experts do agree that, just like the junk drawer in your kitchen, our bodies also collect “junk”, aka, toxins. They come from the water that you drink, the air that you breathe, pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, caffeine, alcohol, pollution, preservatives, food additives, cigarette smoke – just to mention some of the noxious materials we encounter in our environment, home, workplace, and food supply that are altering our bodies in fundamental and detrimental ways. It is the job of the liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, lungs, intestines, blood, and skin to filter these toxins from your body. When your body becomes overloaded with toxins, as most of us living in our world today are, your body becomes inefficient at filtering them out. This is similar to a furnace with a clogged filter – it collects the dirt, but cannot process it and in time breaks down.

We spend time and money cleaning our furnace, air conditioner, spa, and car filters: we need to cleanse our bodies to eliminate toxins or else our well-being is compromised. Symptoms such as the following are often common signs that you need to detoxify your body: weight gain (and difficulty losing weight), allergies, fatigue, poor digestion (IBS, constipation), difficulty sleeping, food cravings, mental fog, moodiness, low libido, dull skin, bloating, joint pain, and general lack of well-being. Many times we are prescribed medications to combat these symptoms and, while sometimes the medications are of course necessary, often they simply contribute more toxic chemicals to our bodies while masking the symptom. Medical studies reveal that toxins and chemicals stored in our fat cells can make us gain and retain weight, as well as, contribute to premature aging, loss of energy and numerous chronic degenerative diseases.

There are some ways to reduce and rid the body of toxins effectively and many methods in the marketplace and literature that are ineffective at best, dangerous at worst. Some that are popular are not backed by any research, some are simply fads, some are sound in theory; many are not, some work, while many do not. No wonder we as consumers are confused! The methods range from the mild, such as, ion cell footbath, infrared sauna, massage, body brushing, juice fasts, liver flushes, colon cleanses, cellular body cleanses to the more extreme – water fasts, master cleanse, colonic irrigation, bowel enemas, and chemical laxatives/purges. I will briefly outline what some of these methods are supposed to accomplish in detoxifying our bodies.

Skin brushing:
The theory is that by using a dry brush made with soft vegetable bristles and brushing the body from the chest to the soles of the feet in a circular motion for 2 minutes before a shower that this will remove old skin cells, stimulate the lymph system and draw out toxins through the skin.

Ion Cell Footbath:
The theory here is that by soaking your feet in warm water where the process of reverse osmosis with negative and positive ions works to allow the toxins to bind and then be leached into the water. There is often a change in the colour of the water and sediments accumulate from the pores on the soles of your feet. The idea is that your body will mobilize residues and waste, and then detoxify after the treatment.

Infrared Sauna:
Infrared rays are one of the sun’s rays. The theory is that they penetrate deeply into your skin and dissolve toxins accumulated in your body. The deep heating action activates the sweat glands so that you can better eliminate toxins.

Fasting:
There are numerous variations of fasting, or providing the body with limited or no nutrients for a period of time – the theory is that this allows the organs to rest and therefore, be better able to remove toxins as they heal and function better. Some are based on water or water mixed with lemon, cayenne, maple syrup that is consumed for a few days or up to 21 days, depending on the program. Juice fasts usually require you to juice many healthy vegetables and/or fruits to consume every 2-3 hours throughout the day and can last similar lengths of time as fasting. The difference is that with the juice fasting you are giving your body some nutrients and with fasting you are not.

Colon Cleansing:
These are probably the most popular and well-known of cleanses on the market. The theory is that as we consume more processed food and absorb toxins, our colon (designed to remove the wastes after they are filtered by our other organs) is unable to effectively eliminate the waste and toxins. As they sit in our colon they may cause many of the symptoms commonly described (see list above). There are many products in the health store and drug store counter to help eliminate the accumulated waste – some are nothing more than harsh laxatives, while some are quite effective in doing their job gently. Colonic irrigation is performed by a specialized practitioner to clean out the colon using a water-based solution.

Cellular, Whole Body Cleansing:
The theory with detoxifying the body on the cellular level is that you cleanse all the organs and filtering systems which then allows the body to begin functioning as it was meant to – detoxifying naturally and putting itself back into a balanced state. These programs use cleansing nutrients such as aloe vera, herbal teas, vitamins, and trace ionic minerals to detox, and then add in other nutrients to replenish the body. A typical program will be between 7-30 days in length and usually achieves sustainable and significant results.

In conclusion, sifting through the mountains of information is a challenging, yet important task for health-conscious people. It is wise to consult with a heath practitioner that you trust and speak to people who have tried various detoxifying systems and get their opinion as well, since new products continually flood the market. Based on my background as a health practitioner and my own research, I believe the safest, most effective cleansing and detoxifying system is the cellular, whole body cleanse. The program you choose should supply high quality nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, and fats, trace minerals, natural anti-inflammatories, and digestive enzymes while also providing the products to adequately cleanse the body on a cellular level of toxins. There should not be any chemicals or stimulants in the products and the program needs to be 7-30 days in length. For most of us, easy to follow and a convenient fit within a balanced life is VERY important too! Best of luck achieving the superior level of health that may be obtained through ridding the body of toxins, whichever methods you choose.