Detoxification is talked about more often than ever before. Detoxification is all about removing the toxins that are in your body. We are exposed to chemicals in our food, cleaning products, air, water, personal care products, etc. In a perfect world our bodies perform detoxification to keep us toxin free. However, our detoxification systems (liver, kidneys, skin, etc) are overloaded in today’s world.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the average person now has 212 environmental chemicals in their blood ( things like mercury, lead, cadmium and industrial chemicals). The World Health Organization has studies claiming that we each have over ~700 chemicals in our bodies. It does not matter what the exact number is, what matters is that we are aware of the toxin overload that we all have and take measures to detoxify our bodies.
Why is detoxification important??? The toxins in our bodies are believed to be the trigger to inflammation, auto immune diseases, cardiovascular disease, dementia, etc. Our current medical therapy is focused on treating you once you are diagnosed with a disease. Isn’t it much better to prevent the disease? And if you already have an issue or disease, doesn’t it make sense to treat the root cause? This is why detoxification is important.
Things you can do to detoxify:
- Drink adequate water on a daily basis. Try to drink from glass and not plastic since plastic has chemicals. Drink at least half of your body weight in ounces (ex. If you are 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water) Avoid alcohol, soda, and other drinks if you can. If you must drink alcohol keep it to a minimum amount, such as a max of 1-2 per week. Alcohol consumption has been linked to liver disease, breast cancer, weight gain, etc. You need a healthy liver to detoxify properly. Minimize the chemicals that you put into your body so that your liver can detoxify what you already have.
- Breathe deeply and slowly. Meditation and yoga can be great ways to help you to breathe properly. Our lungs are wonderful detox organs.
- Eat a healthy whole food diet that includes a lot of vegetables. Vegetables contain a variety of wonderful nutrients to assist detoxification. Of course eat organic vegetables to avoid introducing more toxins. In addition make sure that you are eating plenty of fiber, about 30-40 grams per day as fiber helps your intestines to remove toxins. For specific detox nutrition advice, please consult with Joseph Montgomery of Brilliance Nutrition.
- Take a magnesium salt bath. Magnesium is a wonderful mineral that helps us to calm and relax. It also assists our body in detoxification. The Float Experience in Temecula is fabulous if you want an hour and a half of enjoying a magnesium bath while detoxifying your mind and body by floating in a peaceful, sound free, gravity free environment.
- Go in an infrared sauna on a regular basis. Infrared saunas have been shown to assist your body in detoxification and also assists in lowering inflammation. There is one located in suite 203 in our building if you do not have access to one.
- Get a Meyers Cocktail IV plus Glutathione IV at the office. This IV combination boosts your body’s natural defenses against illnesses band also assists in detoxification. You can get these IVs weekly or as needed. You can also increase your daily consumption of oral vitamin C as this assists your body in detoxification.
The bottom line to remember is to be aware of the chemicals that you are putting into your body on a daily basis and to reduce the toxin load wherever you can. Replace the products that you use and consume on a regular basis with safer ones when you can. Do things on a regular basis, such as those listed above, to assist your body in detoxification. Please get medical advice from an Integrative medical practioner if you need guidance or additional help (such as chelation, etc).