Detoxing is a pretty buzz word. We hear about those detox teas, detox supplements and detox juices that are meant to cleanse our body but what does it really mean to ‘detox’? Todays post is going to answer just that plus signs you may have higher toxicity levels or that your detoxification system isn’t functioning optimally.
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So, what is Detoxification?
Detoxing is simply the process of neutralising and eliminating toxins from our body and we do this every single day no matter. This complex process is very specific and uses a number of pathways and organs with our liver being the main detox organ and then there is also our kidneys (urine), digestive system and gall bladder (bile and bowel movements), the lungs (breathing) and our skin (sweat, tears and different skin conditions such as acne). So we are continuously detoxing and trying to get rid of toxins all the time through these organs.
Liver Detoxification
The liver is our bodies main detox organ but it actually has well over 500 different functions in the body from metabolism, activating nutrients such as vitamin D, hormone balance, storing fats, mobilising fats, making cholesterol and bile and of course, detoxing. When toxins reach the liver for detoxification, they go through two phases of detoxification.
Phase 1 uses different enzymes such as cytochrome P450 group enzymes and specific nutrients such as zink and magnesium to break down toxins to prepare them for phase 2. The process of breaking down toxins can actually create more reactive toxins so it’s important that these toxins are quickly shuttled off to phase 2 so keeping these two phases in balance is crucial to avoid any tissue or cell damage from these toxins.
Phase 2 neutralises toxins into water-soluble metabolites which can be excreted either through urine or it is packed into bile and excreted via faeces. The phase 2 pathways include: Glucuronidation, sulfonation, Glutathione conjugation, Methylation, Acetylation, Amino acid conjugation.
Digestive System and Detoxification
Once the liver has made bile and packed certain toxins into the bile, this will then be stored in the gallbladder until needed. When we consume dietary fats, this bile will then be released into the small intestine to emulsify and help breakdown fats (our bodies are extremely efficient). Now that the toxins and bile are within our digestive tract, insoluble fibre will bind to the toxins and move towards the large intestine to be excreted as faeces. If we don’t have enough fibre or we don’t have frequent enough bowel movements then these toxins can be reabsorbed and re-circulated through our body. This can cause a lot more toxicity and can reactivate the toxins into more harmful compounds. These toxins can also store themselves in our cells and tissues. If the toxins are fat soluble, they may store in fat cells and this is why if you lose weight too quickly, this can release a lot of toxins and cause high toxicity levels and an overburdened liver.
Why do we need to ‘detox’ if our liver already does this for us?
You’re probably wondering, if our liver already does this for us every day then why do we need to detox? Well simply put, we don’t need to specifically ‘detox’ but we do need to focus on enhancing our detoxification system and channels of elimination. If we are exposed to too many toxins, unable to effective eliminate toxins or our liver becomes sluggish then this can cause toxins to accumulate in our tissues, cells and digestive tract and this can affect your metabolism, brain function, hormone balance and how other organs function. Not to mention, toxins can cause inflammation and damage our cells, tissues and our DNA!
What is considered a Toxin?
The word toxin can be miss interpreted quite easily because when we think of toxins, we mainly think of external chemicals but we actually produce toxins internally, known as endogenous toxins from metabolic by-products and excess hormones. External toxins are known as exogenous toxins and these can obviously come from anything outside of our body, including our skin care, perfumes, fragrances, cleaning products, car and industrial fumes, BPA from plastics, medications, foods containing herbicides, pesticides, fillers, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, chemicals in our furniture and even chemicals produced by cooking foods at high temperatures. As you can see, we are exposed to many different toxins and although we can reduce our exposure by using natural products and other lifestyle habits, we can’t prevent every single toxin which is why it’s important to enhance our detoxification system and channels of elimination.
Signs you may have higher levels of toxicity
How do we actually know if our detoxification pathways or excretory organs are not functioning optimally and need more support? Usually our body is great at letting us know through different signs and symptoms although, sometimes these signs may be hidden if we are masking them.
Common signs include:
· Digestive issues; constipation, bloating, gas
· white coat over the tongue with bad breath
· fatigue
· weight loss difficulties
· sensitivity to smells particularly perfume and sensitive to caffeine
· skin conditions; acne, rashes etc.
· hormonal imbalances
We are all different so our body may also react differently so you may experience some of these symptoms or you may not. Keep in mind, these symptoms may also be caused by some other underlying cause so it’s important to seek additional advice from a health care professional.
Even if you don’t experience any of the issues above, I still believe it’s important that we take care of our liver, minimise exposure to toxins as much as we can while still enjoying life and work on enhancing our detoxification system every single day through the foods we eat and lifestyle habits we make. This way we can keep our hormones balanced, inflammation low, metabolism firing, brain and every other organ functioning optimally.
Luckily, there are many ways we can naturally enhance our detoxification system and of course support our channels of elimination because it’s Important to actually get rid of these toxins and not just neutralise them. The best way to detox is to build healthy lifestyle and eating habits that support these pathways. In part 2 of this detox series I will go over different foods, herbs and lifestyle habits you can create to support this process.
I hope this post brought some clarity on what detoxing actually means.
Thank you so much for being here, If you have any questions feel free to drop them below or reach out through my contact forms!
Allison xo
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