It’s a new year … should I be detoxing along with everyone else?
Yup.
Oh, you want some good reasons that are science-based and
reassuring that taking the time to detox will be worth it? Alright, let’s dig in.
Before I was in the field of Nutrition Therapy, back in my publishing
and non-profit days, I had a perception of detoxes as experiences that looked a
few ways. First, in my mind, looked like a group of hippies, participating in
these kind of supernatural retreats that included being barefoot on a commune, guitars
played, people meditating, and lots of sprouts – usually in Northern California.
The second, looked like people in athletic gear; kind of a flesh, muscles,
ponytails, sweat, music, revved and blurry collective in perpetual motion –
usually chugging down a blended green sludge on the way to some form of body
perfection. I heard about filling gallon-size milk cartons with water, lemon,
cayenne pepper and drinking that – only that – for a certain period of time. I
listened to stories of people eating only celery for fourteen days. For real, I
mean, there are benefits in celery juice for detoxification – but…I’m hoping
you agree with me, that fourteen days of celery isn’t going to get you where
you want to go long-term.
I watched the New Year ads – the maddening pendulum swing,
from cozy holiday commercials with stuffing and cinnamon rolls, to promises of
twenty pounds off by Valentine’s Day, to dim living room light by the fire
commercials, with family sipping hot cocoa, slamming into industrial lights, a
single hollering head and neon weight loss logos causing me to squint in the
glaring demand to “do more, be more, all while you weigh less in the New Year.”
Are you awake to this media swing too? Manipulating much?
I am assuming that maybe you’ve heard these things about detoxes and listened to them as well. Maybe you are in the swirl of detox perceptions as I was before I sat down and took my digestion and detoxification course that changed all of these perceptions into a science-based, clear understanding.
All the hype around detoxification is worth it because it is
important. What is also important is understanding what you are trying to do
for your body, why you are trying to do it, and how you can do the work
successfully.
We are trying to remove toxins from the body because our
environment is overloaded with toxins and those toxins like to hide in our
bodies, especially gravitating toward our fat cells which means that when we
detox we not only eliminate toxins, but also the fat that is harboring it.
I see you there – asking yourself “Am I really at risk? Do I
really need a detox?”
The short answer is yes. We all do. You may be exposed to
some or all of the following toxins on a daily basis:
Air toxins
from factories, auto exhaust, paint and cleaning products, heavy metals Lifestyle
toxins from cosmetics, skincare (America allows 3000 more chemicals into beauty
products than Europe does), alcohol, over the counter drugsWater toxins
including bacteria, mercury, metals, solvents, pesticide run-offFood and
soil toxins from artificial food additives, colorings, preservatives; meats
that contain hormones and antibiotics; pesticides, herbicides, insecticides Cleaning
products with petroleum ditillates, phenol, cresol, formaldehydeInternal
toxins from bacterial, yeast, fungal overgrowth, undigested food, stress,
unresolved trauma or abuse (In 2006 the CDC reported that the average umbilical cord blood contained
217 neurotoxins!)
We certainly live in a world crowding with more and more
toxins.
Fortunately, without even thinking about it, we are already involved
in detoxification. Our bodies make a tremendous effort every day especially
when we are exposed to 100 chemicals just in the time it takes to get ready in
the morning! Our liver is a wonder at handling the toxic load we navigate. Intentional
detoxification efforts are our opportunity to collaborate with our bodies to
enhance the work that it is already doing.
This is the kind of work we do here at Cornerstone. We help
the “livers” of our community. =)
We recognize that it is important to periodically restore
the body’s ability to cleanse itself and eliminate toxins while also helping
the body to detox more effectively and efficiently in the future. Here at
Cornerstone we do a 14-day detox where we guide people in not only removing
toxins from the diet, but also cutting back on lifestyle commitments,
minimizing stress, prioritizing eight hours of a sleep per night (and adding
naps!), notching back activity intensity to milder, gentler movement, and
leaning into relationships and connection.
You may be asking, “Exactly how does our body detox and what
actually is detoxification?” Well, it
is the work of taking external burdens off the body (and thus the liver) by
minimizing external toxins so that the body can target the internal toxins and
thus be eradicated.
So what’s happening in your body during a detox? How do the
internal toxins get eradicated?
The liver eliminates toxins through a two-step enzymatic
process:
Phase One is where Cytochrome
P450 (a series of enzymes) chemically changes fat-soluble toxins into a more
toxic substance called an “intermediary metabolite”. This intermediary
metabolite is often more toxic than the original fat soluble toxin, hence the need
for Phase Two.Phase Two is the addition of
specific molecules onto the intermediary metabolite making it non-toxic and water-soluble so it can be excreted
through urine or stool.
In order for this kind of Phase One and Phase Two
detoxification to happen, the body needs specific nutrients in significant
amounts that many people do not have in abundance in their bodies. These
nutrients, supplied through supplements and an intentional diet, boost the
capacity and support the liver so that during the 14 days when we are limiting
our external toxin load – the liver can go gang-busters and focus on eradicating
the internal toxic load. It is awesome.
We run the Orthomolecular 14-day Core Restore Liver Detox
out of our office several times a year. I run a workshop that lays out the 14
days of the detox, teaches about toxicity and the good work of detoxification,
and passes around tips and tricks to make the detox more comfortable. I also
provide a meal plan and recipes. We establish an online support group for the 14
days and in that space we share resources, articles, recipes, and humor. We all
support each other as we go through the ups and downs.
Yes, there are typically ups and downs in a detox. Day one
and two of the particular detox that we do are “fasting days” that include a
morning shake and an evening shake. It can be challenging to withdraw from
caffeine, sugar and the comfort foods we have as regular companions. We can get
headaches. We can feel weaker than we are used to feeling. We can definitely
experience hunger, which is unusual for many of us. As we move into day three
and four, delicious, clean, real, whole food is brought in, as well as the
largest hit of symptoms. The first days of a detox, our bodies are just
starting to engage with the nutrients and pull toxins from our cells. By day
three and four, there is a significant flow of toxins careening about our
bloodstream as they have been pulled from our cells and into our system. This
can lead to flu-like symptoms and I encourage folks to focus on clearing their
day three and four so that they can rest and let the detox do its excellent
work.
By day five, I generally see folks turning a corner toward
greater mental clarity, symptoms are smoothing out, and energy is on the upward
swing. Through the rest of the detox, the continued limitation of external
toxins and eradication of internal toxins finds the liver happily chugging
along with its super-mix of nutrients fueled at top efficiency. Of course,
symptoms, timing, comfort, or discomfort of the detox varies for every
individual. These are just general brush strokes.
Many people find symptoms like fatigue, skin disorders,
bloating, allergies, irritability, joint pain, and insomnia let up, disappear
and improve after a detox. They also turn corners toward health when they are
working through complex issues. I see it. It is a beautiful thing and a joy for
me to support people in the process of improving the quality of life
experienced.
Obviously, I have come a long way from my hippy-dippy,
fad-like-lycra impressions of detoxification (no offense to hippies or high
intensity athletes – I dearly love many folks in both categories). It is just
that this is science my friends. Science. When you collaborate with a
science-based program, it is maximizing the mechanisms of our bodies to clear
toxins and set the terrain of our bodies into a healthier environment for
long-term well-being.
Because our livers work hard, I encourage folks to consider
doing a liver detox annually. Kind of like changing the oil in your car, it
helps everything run better. I encourage people to recognize the way that doing
a detox helps reset the palate and lifestyle rails that we ride. It causes us
to look around at how well we are taking care of our bodies. These are the
bodies that we get, the only ones; we’ve got a lot of places to go and things
to do.
Happy New Year! May it be happy, healthy and less toxic for
all of us!
To learn more about participating in a detox, give us a call at 720-452-7420.