What happens when you detox?

Detoxification or cleansing is very misunderstood. Cleansing allows the body to eliminate used wastes and toxins and helps improve our health as it removes harmful substances we in-hail, ingest and are exposed to every day.

Most people think of a cleansing program or detox as a way to purge their system of the poor food they have eaten and think of this a away to lose weight. While it certainly helps with weight loss, cleansing or detoxing is also a valuable and healthy process for those who have undergone heavy pharmaceutical intravenous drugs, or who have been hospitalized. It' also a must for anyone who has (or suspects they have) any food intolerance's and always essential if you've been diagnosed with yeast overgrowth (Candida)

What are the benefits?

All detoxing programs that are worth their salt so to speak must include a remove and replace component. This means taking out foods that are really garbage & non-foods as well as those foods that are know to be reactive (those foods like gluten, dairy, soy etc.. that commonly cause an allergic immune responds). These non- foods/toxic foods are replaced with whole foods (think lots of fresh green and brightly colored  produce) healthy fats and proteins and of course plenty of filtered water. This helps your body process metabolites better because your reducing the load on your liver when your doing a detox. Cleansing or detoxing also helps re-balance the body due to consumption of more alkalizing foods. Any safe detox program needs to be done for several weeks and should include specific therapeutic and supportive supplements to ensure proper removal of toxins through the two stages of the process.

More about what actually happens when you detox -

While the body is always naturally detoxing these days our bodies are exposed to many more contaminates than ever before due to commercially farmed food, processed foods, pharmaceutical medications, stuff we put on our bodies and all the pollutants in our environment; both in the home and outdoors. Over time this overload slows down the body's ability to process and remove toxins and they build up - especially in fat stores. 

The skin, lymph, lungs, kidneys and liver are all major pathways of the body for detoxifying, but the liver does the heavy lifting. When the liver is over worked and over burdened by medications, alcohol, caffeine; poor food choices and environmental toxins proper digesting of the food you eat is much more difficult. When you don't digest properly you don't get the nutrients from your food to nourish your body which not only leaves you feeling crummy but also puts you at greater risk from invading pathogens. Anyone who frequently get sick with colds, flu migraines, experiences nausea, constipation or diarrhea will most certainly benefit form cleansing. Likewise anyone who has difficulty with concentration, ADHD, arthritis, GUT issues or allergies should absolutely do a clinically supervised detox program.

Remember that the liver is not only the body's main detoxifying organ it also has a dual role in proper digestion of food. This is why so many people find it very difficult to lose unwanted weight - there livers are overloaded and fat loves to hold on to toxins!

When we detoxify our body’s liver must convert fat soluble nutrients to water soluble nutrients (Phase I and Phase II) before they can be eliminated. It's a complicated process to convert these fat soluble toxins to water soluble ones and involves a number of steps in the metabolic process. And frequently when people move too quickly, or have problems with some part of this conversion process they end up with toxic metabolites that are fare worse than those they were trying to eliminate in the first place. In effect they re-intoxify them self. This is why the Master Cleanse is NOT a safe way to go about cleansing and I do not recommend it to anyone.

Bottom line - if you've been thinking of changing your diet and want to learn how to eat more healthfully a detox can really help you get on the right path. 

Shameless plug:
There is still 7 days left to register for my ReBoot 21 day Group Detox program. This is the most economical way to experience the benefits of a clinical detox program. If you were to work with me individually I'd need to charge you at least $600 for what I am offering for just $358. You'll get three one hour sessions with me; all the clinical strength support supplements you need to make your program safe and effective; a 7 day meal plan, recipes and tons of tips on how to supercharge your experience to get the maximum from the program. Plus you'll meet some other great people who want to get healthy too. Reboot Program Detials & Registration details

Is there any beneifit to detoxing? & why I detox

I used to think detoxing was some kind of ritual reserved for those extreme "health nuts". I simply could not understand why anyone would put them self through what sounded like sheer torture to me.

Now I detox two or three times a year. But hold on - I am not talking about the Master Cleanse or consuming only raw juice type of detoxification program. In fact I have personally seen how dangerous the Master Cleanse can be having helped people recover from the damage caused by this type of crazy detox!

First you need to understand a little about what the body is doing all the time to detox. The body is constantly, naturally removing toxins. This elimination process is done through the skin, lungs, kidneys, lymph and the liver - with the liver doing the lions share of the job. It's a two phase process where (and this is a huge simplification of a very complex process) fat soluble nutrients are converted to water soluble ones so they can be excreted from the body.

If it's happening all on it's own then why, you ask, do you need to do a detox at all? Good question and it's one I wondered too. Quite simply the answer is because our bodies are over burdened these days! With all the fast food, rancid fats, excessive sugar, preservatives and chemicals plus all the environmental pollutants our livers are not able to do both the job of detoxifying and food digestion. Once the liver becomes over loaded these toxins accumulate and re-circulate in many cases becoming more damaging then they were initially. Holistic practitioners believe that this sets the stage for chronic disease states. And in the case of someone who is chronically unwell or who suffers with RA, Lupus, Cancer, GOUT, IBS, migraine headaches, skin disruptions; like acne psoriasis; and even diabetes and CVD, until you clean up the liver your progress to health is impeded.

The best way to help your body do its job of detoxifying better is to reduce your toxic load. Look around your home, office and in your pantry, refrigerator and clear out the processed and toxic products. And don't forget that everything you put on your body goes into it. So pay attention to all the health & beauty products ingredients. If you have a Smart Phone you can down load an app called GoodGuide that will help you know how safe or unsafe a product is. Good Guide App


Want to know more about what you can do now to prepare before you begin a detox program?

Come to my free lecture January 18th, 2011 @ ABC Wellness in Sterling Heights, MI. Contact me here to RSVP:nourishnutrition@comcast.net

And if your interested in a safe, affordable detox program I am leading a Small Group Detox Program January 30, Feb. 6 and 13th. For details and how to register - Click on this link ReBoot 21 Day Group Detox Program info.