How detoxification works

Your body has its own methods of detoxifying. However, unless you are living in the perfect environment, leading the perfect lifestyle and diet with no stress and toxins (which is near impossible in this modern world) you may need a little help strengthening your organs which work hard to eliminate toxic build-up. 

The liver is the major detoxifier in the body, and we need to give extra love to the liver when we are dealing with the detoxification process.

I don’t believe in one magic pill. Just like everything else, consistency and a holistic approach to detoxification are needed. 

SYMPTOMS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE

• Weight gain
• Autoimmunity
• Brain fog
• Digestive issues
• Nerve tremors
• Skin breakouts or inflammations
• Fatigue
• Muscle Pain

TOXINS YOU MAY HAVE IN YOUR BODY

When we are discussing detoxification, what toxins are accumulated in your body? 

The National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals is a series of ongoing assessments of the U.S. population’s exposure to environmental chemicals. 

Each year additional chemicals get measured. From 1999-2004 a total of 212 compounds as measured in blood and urine. 

These things are in your water, air, food, makeup, skincare, furniture, and stationary…. Everywhere 😰

Obviously, I couldn’t list them all here but here are the main ones. 

Acrylamides – fried food, tobacco, construction, cosmetics

Cotinine – tobacco

Trihalomethanes – by-products of the chlorination process in tap water.

Bisphenol A – plastics, packaging items.

Phthalates – personal care products

Triclosan – personal care products

organophosphate pesticides _acephate, dimethoate, DEP etc)

Pyrethroids – pesticides

Heavy metals )arsenic, lead, mercury etc)

Aromatic hydrocarbons – files, paints, detergent

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers – mattress, textiles, furniture

benzophenone – sunblock, fragrance, plastic coatings

Perfluorocarbons – non stick coatings, refrigerators

A host of other polychlorinated biphenyls and solvents

DETOXIFICATION PROCESS

Let’s dive into how the detoxification process works. 

The body has many built-in detoxification centres, mainly the liver, kidneys, skin, and colon. 

There are three phases of detoxification.

The first two stages occur in the liver. 

The fat-soluble toxins are transformed into small fragments, due to cytochrome p450 through the chemical processes of oxidation, reduction, hydration, dehalogenation, and hydrolysis.

These fragments are bound to water-soluble compounds so that they can be excreted through stool, sweat, or urine.

During phase 1, free radicals are created and if kept in this stage for too long these reactive oxygen species can lead to inflammation and tissue damage. You may also experience severe detox symptoms. 

That is why it is important to support the processes, especially the phase 2 by obtaining specific nutrients for these processes to work as efficiently as possible. 

 In Eastern medicine, we talk a lot about detoxification in spring, as it is a season for the liver. I wanted to bring up this topic during the holiday season as well because it tends to be the time for overindulgence. Overeating, drinking more alcohol, staying up later than usual, exposed to more toxins through smoking can create a lot of burden on your liver.

Here are a few of my favourite detoxifiers from our store.

DETOXIFICATION SUPPORT

TRIPHALA 

Because of its high nutritional value and ability to cleanse and detoxify up to the deepest tissues, Triphala is one of the most valuable herbal formulations in the world. And unlike other natural laxatives which can deplete the body’s reserve of minerals and Vitamin Bs, it does not deplete the body of its nutritional reserves.

SCHISANDRA 

Schisandra berry is known for its ability to support liver function. As one of the body’s key detoxification organs, the liver is responsible for ridding the body of excess wastes and toxins. 

We have wild harvested Schisandra extract or organic whole berries

DOKUDAMI

Dokudami, also known as Heartleaf is a highly regarded traditional healing herb. Known as a “cure-all remedy” and “ten drugs in one” It cleanses the system by acting as a mild laxative and diuretic, moving the toxins out of the body in a gentle way.

CHARCOAL

Charcoal is used to aid gut health like flatulence and bloating. It is also used to medically help extract toxic substances

Cosmic Hemp Charcoal (CH) comes Miyakojima Island, Okinawa, Japan. The process of producing Cosmic Hemp begins with carbonizing hemp stems at an anoxia state at a considerably high. The resulting charcoal is then mixed with an enzyme solution containing many beneficial microorganisms including yeast fungi, lactic acid bacteria, and photosynthetic bacteria. This mixture is left to dry in the sun for more than 3 days, to assimilate vibrational cosmic energy. During this time, the microorganisms get settled into the hemp cavities and lay dormant until the right environment of humidity and temperature where they become active again.

MSM

Sulfur is vital for supporting proper cell structure and reversing free-radical damage to cells. MSM can assist detoxification by donating sulfur groups needed for the formation of important sulfur detoxifying agents.

NUTRIENTS AND FOODS TO SUPPORT YOUR DETOXIFICATION PROCESS