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Detox Naturally

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Accumulated toxins and waste products depress and deteriorate all tissues, causing degeneration (aging) and decay, thus impairing cells, glands and organs from their natural actions. Detoxification is a natural, ongoing process that the body uses to remove any chemical toxin that can harm it. This is, essentially, the way the body keeps you healthy and/or restores your health. 

With industrial processes, we’ve created pollutants containing heavy metals, hydrocarbons, dioxins and a whole array of other toxic chemicals. We’ve also created toxic chemical solvents used in many commercial goods such as plastics. Bisphinol A and thylates are two known endocrine disrupters that affect hormonal balance in men and women. This means that they disrupt our hormonal balance and affect our development. They have been associated with decreases in testosterone levels, birth defects and other developmental problems. Also, our foods contain serious chemical toxins such as steroids, growth hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals, pesticides and artificial chemical preservatives, and prescription drugs are also a major source of liver and kidney toxicity. 

The good news is that we are self-cleansing organisms.  The body uses the lungs, skin, kidneys, lymphatic vessels, liver and colon to detoxify on a daily basis. These organs work 24 hours a day to remove chemical waste and maintain a healthy state. 

The skin is the body’s largest organ and it is also the body’s barrier to the external environment. Because there is a layer of fat underneath the entire surface area of the skin, and the toxins we must worry about the most are fat- soluble toxins, it is very important to support skin detoxification of fat-soluble toxins by engaging in activities that facilitate perspiration.  Of course, excess fluids are flushed out through the kidneys, solids through the colon, and then there is the liver.  It is important to support all of these organs of detoxification so that toxic waste does not accumulate in these vital organs. 

Nature has given us all of the necessary components to support the natural process of detoxification. If we eat plenty of live vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and herbs, then we can flood the body with all of the phytonutrients necessary to support all of the organs of detoxification.

In addition to all of the phytonutrients in herbs, the bitter properties of certain herbs are central to detoxification. Herbs like burdock (pictured above), sheep sorrel, Turkish rhubarb, thistle and watercress can stimulate the bitter taste buds on the tongue and activate the contractions of the digestive system, and thus the flow of all of the digestive juices. This starts the flow of enzymes, hydrochloric acid, saliva and bile. In essence, this kick-starts the digestive process. This is why bitters are referred to as “aperitifs” and are recommended before the meal is started to get the digestive system going. 

Bile is made in the liver and although it’s important for the digestion of fat, its flow also gives the liver an opportunity to dump the toxins it filters out of the blood (into the bile) and detoxify itself.  The bile (now carrying the toxins) will then go to the gallbladder and the intestines. Once in the intestines, the bile can get trapped in any fibre that is present and be escorted out of the body during a bowel movement. This is why it’s important and beneficial to eat fibre with every meal. Fibre is the cellulose in plants that we can’t digest, and as it passes through the intestines it gathers unwanted fluids containing toxins, heavy metals, fats, cholesterol, sugars and bile.

Herbs like Turkish rhubarb contain anthraquinones that help the contractions of the intestinal tract to improve bowel movements and the ability of the colon to remove toxic waste.  There are herbs like blessed thistle and red clover that help skin detoxification. Eating a combination of fibre, bitter herbs and herbs that support the organs of detoxification can be an extremely beneficial habit in removing unwanted toxins, lowering cholesterol, reducing blood sugar and limiting total caloric intake for more effective weight loss.  One thing to keep in mind is that the organs of detoxification such as the liver, kidneys, colon and lungs can’t take a day off.  They are working continually to detoxify the body and maintain a healthy balance, so it is imperative to consume foods and herbal products every day that can support their important processes.

 

Alberto Trujillo , B.S. Cellular Biology, CSU-Fullerton
is the National Education Manager for Flora Manufacturing and Distributing Ltd. For more information, visit www.florahealth.com.

 


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