Nutrition Tips

Cleanse & Detox

Our bodies are overloaded with gunk, and sensible detox programs offer an effective way of lightening our toxic burdens.

It’s true that the body has a robust detoxification system built right in. The liver snags environmental toxins that circulate in the blood, the kidneys flush out digestive byproducts like uric acid and mineral buildup, and the lungs filter the air we breathe and expel the junky bits through exhalation and coughing. The skin eliminates toxins through sweat, while the intestines host huge colonies of bacteria that neutralize toxic substances before evicting food wastes.

But it’s also true that our bodies aren’t always up to the detoxification challenges we modern humans throw their way, and that they tend to respond better to early, preventive care than to late, dramatic interventions.

Holistic health practitioners point out that long before our organs show signs of failing, they show signs of overload and stress. Given the unprecedented number of environmental and food related toxins we all encounter on a daily basis, they argue, strengthening and supporting the body’s natural detoxification systems makes good common sense. It’s an effective way to protect and improve overall health an vitality, and may even help the body resolve longstanding health problems. Done right, they say, a good detox program can be a boon to our well-being.

“Clearly, a healthy human body can handle certain levels of toxins”, says Elson M. Haas, MD director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif. “The concern we have is with excess intake of toxins or excess production of toxins or a a reduction in the elimination process.” Such toxin-eliminating problems, Haas argues, are at the root of many chronic health complaints - from headaches and foggy thinking to digestive problems and excess weight.

Mark Hyman, MD, medical director of the UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Mass., and author of UltraMetabolism (Scribner, 2006), agrees. He explains that under our current cultural conditions, our physical systems simply can’t keep up. “Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle exposes us to an increasingly complex (and deteriorating) environment, so that our detoxification systems must work overtime just to process the toxins we encounter in everyday life,” he says. “Many of us have exceeded our capacity for cleansing.”

In short, our impressive elimination systems need supplementary help in tough times.

Should we detox? We can all benefit from some level of detox in todays toxic environments. Unfortunately, those of us who are too depleted to start cleansing programs right away are usually the ones who need it the most. Haas states that if your system is congested from years of overexposure to toxins, whether it’s from eating processed or allergenic foods, or experiencing chronic stress or carrying accumulated pounds from emotional eating, a supervised cleanse might be in order. But for most of us, unsupervised mild detox programs and even daily rituals offer a range of benefits. If you experience chronic headaches, low energy, bloating and skin outbreaks, for instance, it’s possible that your body is not processing toxins efficiently -- in which case there are a variety of healthy detox approaches that can be helpful. These range from mild interventions, like adjusting your diet to include more nutrient and fiber rich whole foods and eliminating all things processed, to more intense ones, like briefly fasting with juice or broth.

The right approach for you will depend on the current state of your health, your time availability, and the problem you want to solve. “The key to proper treatment is to individualize your program,” says Haas.

The right approach also includes developing a healthy mindset. Your biggest aid in detoxing is clear intent and commitment, this allows you to be guided by healthy intentions rather than driven by fear or a compulsive deprivation.

“Fasting is generally too temporary an approach for overweight dieters and my even generate a feasting reaction coming off the fast,” says Haas.

Weight loss can be a side effective of clearing the body’s “organs of elimination”, he explains, since the body will store toxins in fat to protect vital organs when it can’t eliminate them effectively. But if weight loss is to be maintained, making an overall lifestyle change is the healthy and effective answer. “A better solution would be more gradual change of diet that will replace old dietary habits and food choices with new ones,” Haas says.

The Detox Process.

Experts call the total amount of toxins stored in the body at a given time our toxic “body burden.” When our total body burden passes a certain point, organs of elimination slow down, kind of like your water filter when you haven’t changed it for a while.

“A toxin is basically any substance that creates irritating and harmful effects in the body, stressing our biochemical or organ functions, says Haas. These include airborne pollutants like diesel fumes, synthetic household cleaners, and inflammatory food substances like refined sugar and caffeine, as well as common food allergens like gluten, and dairy products. Elimination diets can be quite helpful, as in taking a couple of weeks’ breaks from sugar, caffeine, alcohol, wheat and dairy products.

But it’s not just what you take our of your diet that counts, it’s also what you put in. Take fiber, for example. “Previous generations of Americans ate 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day,” explains Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, award winning diet and detox professional and author of the Fast Track Detox Diet (Broadway Books, 2005). “Our current average has dropped to less than 12. So the food we eat can sit in our colon for weeks.”

(My own personal thought when I read this.... “That’s Nasty!”)

All detox programs work to clear out this gunk and replenish these organs. Off-the-shelf detox kits usually contain some combination of fiber, with a chelating substance like bentonite clay, to absorb heavy metals.

Gittleman recommends an 11-day program, with a seven day period of nonallergenic whole foods, followed by a one-day juice fast and a three day recovery with replenishing probiotic foods.

Hyman instructs patients to follow a program that eliminates allergenic foods and includes supplements, Epsom salt baths and yoga to help their bodies detox, but the length and frequency of the program varies according to the person’s needs.

Experts also agree that certain side effects are likely to accompany any detox process, both because the flood of toxins being released into the bloodstream can produce neausea, headaches and low energy, and because ceasing the intake of substances like coffee and sugar can lead to physical withdrawal.

Symptoms ranging from fatigue, headaches and irritability to potent breath, body order and skin eruptions are all signs that the detox process is working. These will usually disappear after the first few days of cleansing, as the release of toxins reaches and apex, and the body’s toxic burden starts to dissipate.

A magic cure it is not, but as a practical support for the body’s own intelligence and healing systems, a good detox program is hard to beat. Keep the big picture in mind, detox for vitality rather than control and purity and you’ll be on the right track to a healthier, happier body!

More info on Psyllium Husk

Psyllium husk is believed to cure or reduce the effects of many troublesome problems. Researchers believe psyllium relieves constipation, reduces troublesome diarrhea, helps lower blood sugar levels, relieves IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), helps rid the body of fat by absorbing it and passing it in waste, and may help stem obesity. Used in many bulk laxative products, psyllium is supposedly safe and effective, but some serious problems can develop from using too much.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYLLIUM AND DIGESTION

As with fiber, psyllium cannot be digested by the human body. In addition, it can retain huge amounts of moisture. This property makes psyllium husk popular with men and women of all ages. Ground psyllium powder cannot be digested, either. Instead, the water and husk moves into the bowels where it helps waste matter remain soft and easily passed as stool. This property prevents a person from becoming constipated.

PURPORTED BENEFITS OF PSYLLIUM

Additionally, some individuals persist in believing psyllium husk can help prevent or relieve:

Abscesses

Boils

Bronchitis

Cancer

Excessive bleeding during menstruation

Gallbladder disease (including gallstones)

Heart disease

Hemorrhoids

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Incontinence

Psoriasis

Ulcers

Urinary tract infections

Scientists have found the bad fats in your blood are readily absorbed by psyllium. Those who regularly use psyllium find their bad cholesterol levels drop. Understandably, doctors are beginning to urge people with high cholesterol to add psyllium to their diets. There is not enough evidence, however, to prove these remaining beliefs one way or the other. Regardless of what you may read in the newspapers or online, you should consult a doctor if you are experiencing any of these conditions or aliments. It’s far better to pay for a doctor visit to find out you’re okay than to delay necessary treatment.

For the most part, psyllium husk is believed to aid digestion. Doctors also recommend psyllium for those who are about to undergo surgery for hemorrhoids. For this reason, many doctors recommend commercial fiber supplements containing psyllium. In most instances, psyllium may not be as safe as believed.

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