Central to any good detox regime is the need for increased levels of key vitamins, minerals and herbs to help the liver, kidneys and other organs deal with the sudden influx of toxin that the body has stored up over time. This approach may also require simple dietary/lifestyle changes which can help your body detoxify gently along with an increased intake of the supplements, some of which are listed on the right. These serve to add fuel to the detoxification process and may make the cleansing of your liver and other body systems more thoroug h and therefore long lasting.
An effective detox may help you:
Lose weight
Lose inches and also reduce bloating and the feeling of uncomfortable fullness
Change your shape
Get rid of some cellulite
Stop feeling generally unhealthy
Stop feeling tired and slug gish all the time!
Why could I need a detox? Many people who decide to undertake a detox do so because they want to improve their feelings of lethargy and fatigue - many saying that they were tired of constantly 'feeling under the weather'. Also, they often reported that their energy levels had bottomed out and each day took more and more effort to get throug h - this is very common in terms of liver overload!
An overloaded liver has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you gradually with many symptoms presenting themselves in increasing amounts over several months like aching joints, pains that are hard to describe, tiredness, sudden or gradual, hard to shift weight gain, headaches and declining skin condition. - all of these could be signs that your liver may not be coping with toxicity too well and may well be overburdened.
Also, if you have let good eating habits, exercise and sound sleep lapse - perhaps due to a period of sustained stress - or want to get past the excesses of Christmas then a good thoroug h detox may be just what you need.
Other factors which can affect long term liver function are alcohol, smoking, a high fat diet, periods spent on medication and pharmaceutical drug s and a high intake of coffee and tea (both contain caffeine which the liver finds hard to deal with)
What can a detox actually achieve? A good detox of both liver and kidneys has been shown to effectively alter the way you feel and the way you look - both for the better! Those who have undertaken one, shout their successes. You may lose significasnt weight as lifting the burden of heavy toxins throug h detoxification increases metabolic rate and the body starts to burn stored fat that before you found so hard to shift.
Your body will go into a period of 'rebalancing' as all the hormonal and metabolic functions which control detoxification find their optimum levels. This may be shown in:
Improved physical appearance
Inner calm and better response to stress
Better weight management
Better and more productive sleep
All round improved health free from headaches and general aches and pains
Longterm this may significantly reduce your risk of exposure to chronic illness like heart disease, lung disease, adult onset diabetes and arthritis amongst many
So what exactly are Toxins? Toxins are harmful to the body and come in many shapes and forms. Perhaps the most common forms of toxins are those present in the environment as pollution and in our food chain as additives and colourants. These are all foreign substances to the body and as such, once there have no use to our body systems. It falls to the liver to grab hold of them and excrete them from the body before they can do us any harm.
Unfortunately, there are so many different toxins we are exposed to today that very often our bodies simply buckle under and over a long period we slowly become less efficient in our ability to deal with toxins and our load of stored toxins (in the liver and fatty tissues) builds to dangerous levels.
This then presents itself as many of the symptoms outlined above and if you recognise these in you, then maybe it might be time to give your body a helping hand.
How does detoxification work? The body has several organs which collectively deal with detoxification. The liver is the main one which deals with many of the main toxic loads but also the kidneys for all water based toxins and the lungs also help us remove many toxins too.
When we are toxic, we often see it reflected in our skin condition as this too is a major organ of detoxification. Skin erruptions and bouts of unexplained spots can also therefore be an indicator of compromised liver function.
Once the toxins have been identified by the various organs of detoxification, they are chemically altered and prepared for excretion via the faeces or urine. We can also secrete toxins via sweat glands and throug h the oil secreting glands just below the skin's surface
About the nastiest and most toxic substances are the so called heavy metals like lead, aluminium and cadmium. Unfortunately these are everywhere today - from the food we eat to the water we drink and wash in. Long term they can cause many serious problems which is just one more reason why detoxification is a good thing
Is it dangerous for me?In most cases detoxification produces only positive results but to be on the safe side, it is always advisable to check with your GP or primary healthcare provider before embarking on a detox regime.
The detox may not be suitable for everyone. Pregnant women should be excluded as well as anyone undergoing longterm medication or currently suffering from a medical condition
