Detox Naturally
All Natural health healing remedies recommend some type of detox diet.
Mother Nature protects us from everyday exposure to toxins with our detoxification system. When our detoxification systems are working well, our body can handle our basic everyday exposure to toxins. Eat a detox diet with plenty of water and fiber, and your body will detox naturally.
Highlights of Detox Naturally:
- Our detoxification systems provided by Mother Nature protect us from everyday exposure to toxins.
- The human body will detox naturally if given enough pure water and fiber.
- Fasting and colon cleanses are not required for detoxification or even recommended. The body has detoxification systems that work best under conditions of regularity.
When our detoxification systems are working well, we have excellent natural immunity and our body can handle our basic everyday exposure to toxins.
DETOXIFICATION SYSTEMS
| Respiratory | lungs, bronchial tubes, throat, sinuses, and nose |
| Gastrointestinal | liver, gallbladder, colon, and the entire GI tract |
| Urinary | kidneys, bladder, and urethra |
| Skin and dermal | sweat and sebaceous glands and tears |
| Lymphatic | lymph channels and lymph nodes |
The human body has evolved to withstand low-level toxic insults. Our bodies are strong and can detoxify potential carcinogens or repair genetic damages at rates sufficient to neutralize a low dose of toxic insults. Our bodies have the following protective mechanisms: repair, cellular shedding, detoxification, and dietary antioxidants.
Anything that supports our body's elimination of waste can be said to help us to detox naturally. The human body is designed to detox quite well, if given enough pure water and fiber. Fasting and colon cleanses are not required for detoxification or even recommended for a healthy lifestyle.
Nothing kills life quicker than a lack of water!
Simply increasing liquids and decreasing fats and proteins in our diets will shift the balance strongly toward improved detoxification, elimination, and less toxin buildup.
Increased consumption of filtered water, herb teas, fruits, and vegetables and other fiber rich foods and reducing consumption of fats, red meats, and milk products will also help you to detox naturally. Adding fiber to your diet will help the body detox by promoting regularity. Fasting and colon cleansings are not required for detoxification or even recommended.
Water is an important detoxifying agent in your body. It helps clean us through our skin and kidneys, and it improves our sweating with exercise. Eight, eight-ounce, glasses (i.e., 64 ounces) a day[2] (depending on our size, air temperature, and activity level) of clean, filtered water is suggested.
Detox Naturally
Those desiring to cleanse their body periodically should try eating an all raw food diet for just one week, while drinking plenty of pure water.
Drink More Water, to detox naturally![2],[4]
- Get in the habit of taking a drink of water on the hour, every two hours. You could even use a timer to remind you.
- Try to make drinking water more convenient, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Leave bottles of water in strategic places, such as next to your bed, computer, and television.
- You will drink more, if you keep your water cold.[3]
- Anybody who asks "How much" or "What kind of water" is missing the point! Get into the habit of drinking fluids. Worrying about the details is nothing but another excuse to procrastinate.
- Do not worry about "How much" or "What kind of water" until you have been in the habit of drinking water regularly for a couple of years.
Many people are dehydrated without realizing it. If you drink only when you feel thirsty, it is too late. You are already dehydrated. In addition, as you get older, your sense of thirst does not work properly. It is only when you start to hydrate your body that you will begin to realize how bad you felt before!
Most of us are chronically dehydrated. We have to discipline ourselves to drink enough water. The key to proper hydration is that you must schedule your water intake. Most of us do not naturally drink the amount of water necessary for good hydration. We go about life with chronic borderline dehydration. Thus, we suffer poor detoxification and a variety of global health conditions. Remember that you must make a consistent, conscientious effort to drink more water to properly detox! A good rule of thumb is to drink a glass of water every two hours during the workday.
You will rarely need to increase your salt intake. While Salt is an essential mineral, you probably are already eating a high-salt diet. Your mineral requirements can usually be safely met through a combination of diet and mineral supplements. There is no need to add salt to the water that you drink.
Newspaper articles, health and beauty magazines all advise drinking at least 8 full glasses of water a day totaling 64 ounces for optimal health -- an approach called "8x8" by proponents. But Dr. Heinz Valtin of Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire reportedly said that there is no scientific evidence to back up this advice, which has helped create a huge market for bottled water.[5]
Scientists like to play word games. And, the game that Dr. Valtin is playing is that he is talking about Fluid Needs (for individuals eating the standard Western diet) rather than Health Risks. When you eat a healthy diet, you eat a lot of fiber. This is even more so for those who eat a lot of raw vegetables. Inadequate amounts of water with a high-fiber diet can easily result in constipation. Further, "Studies in animals have shown that the frequency of urination is inversely associated with the level of potential carcinogens in the urothelium. In humans, an increase in total fluid intake may reduce contact time between carcinogens and urothelium by diluting urinary metabolites and increasing the frequency of voiding. ... RESULTS: Total daily fluid intake was inversely associated with the risk of bladder cancer; ... The consumption of water contributed to a lower risk ..., as did the consumption of other fluids ... CONCLUSIONS: A high fluid intake is associated with a decreased risk of bladder cancer in men."[4]
To improve elimination through the skin, regular exercise is important to stimulate sweating. Exercise also improves our general metabolism and helps us overall with our efforts to detox naturally. Regular aerobic exercise is a key to maintaining a nontoxic body.
Regular bathing is essential to cleanse the skin of the toxins it has released and to open the pores to eliminate more. Saunas and sweats are commonly used to help purify the body through enhanced skin elimination.
In Conclusion: fasting and colon cleanses are not required for detoxification or even recommended. The body has detoxification systems that work best under conditions of regularity. Eat a healthy diet with adequate amounts of water and fiber, and your body will detox naturally.
Fasting is nothing but another word for starvation that comes complete with protein and fat catabolism. Fasting abuse can result in damage to your heart muscle. The negative effects of fasting are greater in lean than in obese individuals.[1] In lean individuals fasting results in a deterioration of glucose tolerance.[1] The notion that stored toxins in fatty tissues are released during a fast requires a fast of seven to ten days. Any fasts longer than three days, requires medical supervision in some type of inpatient facility. Therefore, it is not something that you can safely do at home.
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References:
- Göschke H; Thölen H. [Carbohydrate intolerance during complete fasting]. Schweiz Med Wochenschr, 1977 Dec, 107:49, 1847-50 PMID: 337474
- Kleiner SM. Water: an essential but overlooked nutrient. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999 Feb;99(2):200-6. Review. PMID: 9972188
- Hubbard RW, Sandick BL, Matthew WT. Voluntary dehydration and alliesthesia for water. J Appl Physiol. 1984 Sep;57(3):868-73. PMID: 6490470
- Michaud DS, Spiegelman D, Clinton SK. Fluid intake and the risk of bladder cancer in men. N Engl J Med. 1999 May 6;340(18):1390-7. PMID: 10228189
- Valtin H. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 x 8"? Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2002 Nov;283(5):R993-R1004. PMID: 12376390
