Detoxification Will Improve Your Health
A toxic body can lead to chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, depression, digestive disorders, infertility, hormonal imbalances, allergies, and even cancer. Therefore, it is important to detoxify your body on a regular basis to promote optimal health with an integrative approach.
What is Detoxification?
When most people hear the word “detoxification,” they think of uncomfortable programs that eliminate substances from your body. This may mean drinking green juice or lemon water followed by painful withdrawal symptoms. While there are a variety of specific—and some aggressive—plans that address detoxification over short periods of time, there are a variety of diet and lifestyle choices you can make daily to improve your body’s ability to detoxify naturally.
Substances (toxins) from our daily environment, food supply, and lifestyle habits can compromise our health. Natural detoxification is a constant bodily process by which the liver filters and removes these harmful substances. Our body must process internal toxins created from normal daily metabolism (digestion, hormones, energy production) as well as external toxins, such as those we take in from the outside world (pollution, heavy metals, chemicals, processed foods, preservatives).
Our body’s process of self-cleansing also requires adequate nutrients; therefore, any macro or micronutrient deficiencies can impair this process. For example, people with a low protein status in the body often have difficulty with the safe and effective elimination of toxins. This is why most formal detoxification programs include some type of nutritional support.
Think about your environment and any personal habits that may increase overall toxicity. Your likelihood of developing chronic health problems may increase with regular use of toxic substances applied to your skin, ingested with foods, or inhaled.
Where Your Body Absorbs Toxins
When your body absorbs these in abundance, it can overwhelm your system. You can gradually change your lifestyle to promote healthier, non-toxic living. The first step is to become more aware of the common toxins in our every day world.
- Medications (over-the-counter and prescription)
- New carpets and furniture
- Household cleaners
- Laundry detergents and dryer sheets
- Cosmetics and nail polish
- Lotions, deodorants, and hair products
- Dry-cleaned clothes and unwashed new clothes
- Processed and convenience foods
- Plastics of all types
- Bug-killers and pesticides
- Lawn and garden products
- Microwave radiation
- Paints, dyes, and tattoos
- Bedding and mattresses
- Artificial sweeteners
- Mold
To reduce toxins through diet, start decreasing your intake of processed foods and increasing whole foods. For example, have a large green salad daily with olive oil and lemon (or vinegar) to put you on the path to healthy eating. Another option is to start your day with a whole food shake with water, a few fresh nuts or nut butter, berries, coconut shreds, lemon, flax seeds, avocado, and ginger. Once you begin reducing or eliminating your exposure to everyday food toxins, you may experience more energy, fewer cravings, and clearer thinking. The goal is to do a little each day to enhance your overall health and give your body what it needs to remain healthy for life.
There are simple steps you can take to get the toxins out of your body. Learn more about our detoxification program at Progressive Medical Center!