Is Detox a dirty word?

Terrain-Centred Nature-First Naturopathy

Recently I felt inspired to review the detox space. Myths and misconceptions around detox abound, detox diets can be done really badly, often leaving you feeling worse than beforehand, be totally ineffective and a complete waste of time and money. On the other hand, if done well, enhancing your body's in-built detoxification systems (see related blog) is a sound investment in your health, has the potential to hugely improve your wellbeing and can change the course of your health journey.

Detox- What does it mean?

When I say detox, I am referring to the innate blueprint for health and healing that we all have. What I mean by detox essentially involves getting out of the way of your body's powerful self-cleaning processes and lightening their toxic load going in, so the net effect is a reduced toxic load.

Why Detox?

Your body is an amazing creation. Daily, all the processes of bodily metabolism work to remove toxins.

Toxins can be auto-generated. For example, from the breakdown of old dying cells, or the putrefaction of poorly digested foodstuffs, or exogenous- from engine exhaust we breathe in the air.

There are times when we become overwhelmed and overburdened by a backlog of toxins, and when they can't be eliminated quick enough they will be tucked away somewhere in your body (this is the mechanism of tumour formation).

Stored toxins can be found in your fat, in your brain cells, in blood cells, in neurological tissues, in your liver, in your bones, everywhere in fact.

How to Detox

Everyone will require a slightly different approach to their detoxification plan depending on their current state of health and lifestyle, plus past or present exposure to toxins.

After all, we are all unique.

A detoxing lifestyle is designed to reduce the amount of toxins entering your body whilst actively encouraging toxin removal. We do this by:

• Removing white & processed foods

• Avoiding alcohol & red meat

• Eliminating sugar

• Increasing raw food intake

• Tailoring a strategy specific to you

Additional detox strategies may include but are not always suitable for everyone:

• Dry skin brushing

• Sweating/sauna- can be overly stimulating for some.

• Fresh air and sunshine

What to watch out for

Contrary to what the marketing machine says- there are no one-size fits all treatment protocols.

 "most supplements are actually made in a chemistry lab from synthetic ingredients, and would never be found in nature"

Detox protocols that encourage heavy use of supplements, binders and nutraceuticals are working against Nature's Intelligence and are 'forcing' your body to take action.

What is even worse, one of the best kept secrets in the natural health industry is that most products are actually made in a chemistry lab from synthetic ingredients, and would never be found in nature.

They are then prescribed in doses that are also never present in nature AKA natural foods.

Binders- most, if not all, bind indiscriminately. That means they equally remove the nutrients your body requires for self-cleansing . Also, many binders have been found to contain high amounts of the very heavy metals they claim to remove- they bind them in the environment too.

Supplements & Nutraceuticals- most supplements are synthetic imitations that claim to offer what your body is lacking, however, not a single one of us is deficient in a 'supplement' made in a lab, by a process that starts with a petrochemical. The same goes for most expensive 'practitioner only products'.

"Binders also remove the nutrients your body requires for self-cleansing"

How long should one cleanse? This depends again on your individual set of circumstances. How long is a piece of string?

That said, any amount of time invested in reducing your toxic burden is beneficial. The longer the better for most of us!! If you've been unwell for a while and your general health is lacking, anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks dedicated to enhancing your inner healing potential can really help to move the needle. But beware any claims of 'complete' detox within a timeframe...this is a fallacy.

How often should I detox?

Your body is designed to constantly and continually be eliminating. Every day your body 'detoxifies'. Creating the ideal conditions in your daily habits avoids toxin build-up.

When is the best time to detox?

Anytime you decide to reduce the amount of toxins going in your system is the perfect time.

There are no hard and fast rules...most people will be motivated by a serious health crisis or by just feeling pretty crappy.

So start when you feel the call.

Be wary of one-size-fits no-one protocols.

"Creating ideal conditions in your daily habits is the best way to avoid the build-up of toxins"

Symptoms are Signals-Let's decode them together!