The Real Skinny on Detoxification
Thursday August 1, 2019
Pathogens and Accumulating Pathogen Load – Detoxification
Going through a detox or cleanse has become a common, almost trendy, aspect of our diet and a popular wellness technique. For the most part, people understand that a detox is removing toxins from their body even if they don’t understand entirely what that looks like or how it works – or even why it’s important. The benefits of a good detox are quickly apparent as participants report that they feel better, have more energy, can access greater mental focus and their sleep improves.
For most, that’s reason enough to detox on a regular basis. However, it doesn’t work for everyone and the results can vary depending on the individual. Some people report actually feeling worse after detoxification. In those cases, how and why detox works becomes more relevant.
Detox Pathways
No one physical body is the same and each person tends to respond to detox differently. Much of this has to do with the person’s immune system and how efficient it is at actually getting rid of the toxins in the system.
There are various routes toxins can take when it comes time to leave the body and these are the most common elimination pathways.
- Liver: This organ exists to detox chemicals from the blood to keep them from moving into other parts of the body. If there are too many toxins to break down, they could become stored or lodged in other areas, leading to the body not functioning properly or even progress into illness symptoms.
- Bowels: Once the liver has done its job, it hands off the end results to the digestive track to get rid of the toxins for good. This area of your system is where toxins hang out and if the body isn’t functioning well, not all of them will get eliminated. Having healthy and regular bowel movements is a sign of good health.
- Kidneys: These guys are your body’s filtration system. A properly hydrated person, with a normal amount of toxins to filter out, will find that the kidneys work well and won’t give them any problems. An overload of body toxins, however, could clog or damage the kidneys which is bad news for anyone. Proper hydration combined with staying on top of your toxic load is the key to keeping these healthy and functioning well.
- Skin: Sweat is another way your body works to remove toxins, making exercise not only good for your muscles and cardiovascular system, but also a natural detoxification activity.
- Breathe: Taking deep breaths, fully inhaling and exhaling, is another way the body removes chemicals and toxins.
- Mouth: Your tongue has a role to play in getting rid of what your body doesn’t need making it important to clean or scrape your tongue regularly.
Lymph System
Another tool in the arsenal of keeping your body healthy is the lymphatic system. It exists to take toxins and waste and pull it away from your delicate tissues and into the blood. The lymph system has a dual purpose of cleansing toxins from external and internal sources, making it a key player in your body’s detoxification process. Once those yucky chemicals get into the bloodstream they are sent to the spleen to be purified. The spleen is the body’s infection-fighting defense system and it works in conjunction with your lymph nodes and network to push red and white blood cells through the body, fighting all the big baddies that don’t belong and building up the immune system in the process.
Metabolic Pathways (Creating Our Own Antioxidants)
In the health and wellness community, you hear a lot about metabolism and its important role in a body’s ability to process energy. Metabolism is a chemical reaction that impacts cells in a positive way, enabling them to grow and divide.
Our bodies use a chemical known as ATP to create energy. The way the body processes this chemical is broken down into 3 metabolic pathways.
- Phosphagen – This refers to activities that create the highest amount of power – usually lasting only 0 to 30 seconds at a time.
- Glycolytic – In the middle, this pathway is in charge of moderately-powered activities – in the 4 to 6-minute range.
- Oxidative – Low powered activity, from more than 6 minutes and going up to several hours at a time is controlled by this pathway.
Not only do these pathways process how you use energy, metabolism also releases free radicals during its process. While these serve an important function, too many can be harmful to the body. This is where antioxidants come in. Antioxidants are the body’s way of keeping the free radicals in line. To increase the number of antioxidants your body has to work with, you’ll need to be deliberate and intentional about what you eat and how you care for your body. Eating antioxidant-rich foods or supplements, as well as exercising regularly and getting enough sleep, are a few of the most powerful and effective ways to keep your system operating optimally.
As you can see, there are many factors that go into determining whether or not a detoxification process is successful. The right approach is multi-phased and focuses on eating the right foods, exercising regularly, and keeping the body hydrated and rested.
The overload of health information available today is really confusing. I get it. If you are struggling on where to even begin in order to start feeling better, I’d love to talk to you. You can book a session with me here and get on the path to health today!