What does it really mean to detox?

Have you ever been confused about what detox is and is not?

It's quite the buzzword. And if you ask ten people, you'll get ten different explanations of what detox is. So let's talk about what detoxification precisely is and what that looks like on a real basis.

What is detox?

So, first off, what's the definition of detox? It's a process or period in which someone rids the body of toxins or unhealthy substances. So first, what is it not? It's not an event. It’s important to understand that there's not one thing that will detox the body, like juice cleanses, a juice fast or a sauna, or infrared. Those things are part of a plan to help detox the body, but they are not detox.

The role of our organs in detoxing our body

Now, what organs are involved in detox? It is important to know because there are specific organs that aid in this process: our bowels, our liver, our lymph, our lymphatic tissues, and then our cells. you can picture this as a funnel where our bowels are at the bottom, then right on top of that is the liver, the lymph, tissues, and cells. And as all that funnels down first, we have to be able to eliminate it. 

If we're not pooping, we're not going to be able to detoxify. So diarrhea or constipation are signs that the lower part of your funnel is not working well.  These are the main organs that help to filter out toxicity. Your lymphatic system is what takes all the debris from the body and helps circulate that to your liver in your kidneys to weed it out then. What are we going to keep? What are we going to eliminate? The remaining toxins are stored in your cells and tissues.

Toxins?

Where do the toxins come from? Well, they start pretty much the minute that we're born. We are born into a toxic world. There are chemicals. There are pathogens, parasites, metals, and all these things, we get inundated within our environment. Some are passed on, through our parents. Others we contract or get in, just as soon as we're born.

So if we look at the question again, what is detoxification? It's a process by which we are helping support these organs, intestines, liver, kidneys, and lymph detoxing from all the different toxins in our bodies.

The way to detox

And then what exact toxins are we detoxing from? You can't detox everything at the same time. We may need to detox from pathogens, heavy metals, chemicals, and mold, and not all of that will happen simultaneously. So you have to have a systematic approach by which you are going to work on specific pathogens and certain toxins. By detoxing We are supporting those organ systems. It has to be a plan. A program you are incorporating into your lifestyle enables your body to become a detoxing machine, which it's naturally able to do. But because of the environment that we live in, we get overloaded, and our funnel, our drainage funnel, backs up and is overwhelmed.

So by supporting these organs, targeting mold, parasites, chemicals, and heavy metals. We are engaged in that process of detoxification. And as we think of it as a plan and a lifestyle, we incorporate it into what we're doing. So it's continuously happening because toxins and pathogens aren't going away. Therefore detox is more of a lifestyle, a plan, and we can pulse it through different stages of the year, for different time periods. So it's not an event. It is a process or a period of time that we are engaged in supporting these organs. And things like saunas, infrared, and all these other modalities can be used as part of that plan to help our body detox.

So it can return to its normal optimal state of function. If you need help with this, because it may sound complex, you can book a free consultation call to the office at Total Body Wellness clinic, and we'd love to be able to support and help you through your detox journey.