Learning how to detox your body is very important to your overall health and well-being. Everyday, we are being inundated by the toxins in our environment: air pollution, chemicals in our food, chemicals in cosmetics, and chemicals in our water supply just to name a few. Fortunately, your body is perfectly designed to filter out those toxins. However, as we get more bombarded with chemicals and other impurities, our organs can get overloaded with toxins, causing the body to be more vulnerable to sickness and diseases. Fortunately, there are several things you can do internally as well as externally to help your body achieve its intended optimal state.

Fasting is one of the oldest and most effective ways to detoxify your body.  People have been fasting for thousands of years, for both religious and dietary reasons, and its effects are proven. Fasting is so effective for detoxification process because the absence of food in the body causes the body to resort to using the fat reserves for energy.  The fat reserves used then release the stored chemicals built up in the fat into the system, which then is filtered an expelled through the kidneys, colon, liver, lungs, lymph nodes, and skin.

A strict fast would require abstinence from any food substance or liquid, except water.  That said, you don't have to do a strict fast to get the benefits.  Juice fasting is the most popular variation.  With a juice fast, you would be abstaining from all food and drink with the exception of water, fresh fruit, and fresh vegetable juices.  Another variation of fasting is a vegetable fast.  This fast allows small amounts of solid food, which would consist of raw fruits as well as raw and steamed vegetables.  Another type of fasting is a brown rice fast.  This is when brown rice is the only food substance eaten.  Brown rice is eaten for a week while drinking plenty of water.

The Spring season is the most desirable time to fast because of the variety and availability fresh produce.  Unsupervised fasts should last no more than two to three consecutive days.  Long fasts, especially if you are new to fasting, can be dangerous.   If you want to fast more than three days, consult your doctor or natural health care practitioner for guidance.

Eating a healthy diet is the most important aspect of a full body detox.  Unlike fasting, eating a healthy diet is ongoing; there is no time limit for eating nutrient dense foods. For maximum effect, you should increase foods with high fiber content.  This includes green leafy vegetables and most fruits.  Fibrous foods ensure bowel regularity.

Because conventional food is often laden with pesticides and hormones, try to consume organic food as much as possible.  Ingest probiotics to encourage healthy bacteria of the digestive system.  Avoid or limit the intake of meats such as pork, beef, and lamb. It is also reccommended to minimize your intake of dairy products, high sodium and refined sugar.  Be particularly careful to avoid high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

One way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables is by juicing.  Juicing is an easy way to get the reccommended 5-7 fruits and vegetables daily,  Juicing is also easy on the digestive system since there is very little to break down and the vitamins and nutrients are instantly absorbed.  If you want to incorporate juicing into your diet, invest in a low speed masticating juicer.  Masticating juicers do not get heated, taking care not to destroy the nutrients and digestive enzymes.

Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of pure water throughout the day.

There are a variety of products marketed towards specific cleansing.  For instance, there are colon cleanses, parasite cleanses, candida cleanses and liver cleanses.  There are also some whole body cleanses that combine all of the different cleanses together.  These cleansers basically consist of herbs typically combined into capsule form.  You can also research herbs for the particular cleanse you are interested in and take them individually.  Below are examples of some commonly used herbs you can use to detox your body:

Colon detox herbs: Psyllium husk power and Cascara  combined can be taken at night to detox the bowel. The husk is a rich source of fiber that cleans the colon and absorbs the toxins as it passes through the bowel. Cascara is a natural laxative that helps tone up the colon muscles.  

Liver detox herbs: The most popular liver cleansers are milk thistle and dandelion root. Dandelion root aids in removing toxins and water from the gall bladder, kidney, and  liver.  Milk thistle is an natural antioxidant that helps to block  the negative effects of drugs/medication, alcohol and chemicals.

Kidney detox herbs:   The juniper berry is known to impart strength and aids in cleansing of kidneys, bladder and urinary tract.  Nettle and couch grass herbs are natural diuretics.  Couch grass also helps soothe and reverse inflammation in urinary tract.  

Lymph detox herb: Cleavers is one of the most effective herbs for drainage of lymphatic fluids and removal of toxins. Burdock Root cleans lymphatic fluids and blood and is known to detoxify the body of heavy metals.

There a few ways you can detox your body externally. Your skin is the largest organ of the body, and some toxins are able to come out through the skin. One thing you can do is exercise. Strenuous exercise leads to the sweating out of the toxins. Another way to sweat out the toxins is by sitting in a steam room or sauna. Skin brushing is a way you can remove dead skin cells and improve circulation.

Getting a massage regularly is another detoxifying tool, and improves overall well being if done regularly. You can also take alkalizing baths for full body detox. To do this, use a cup of baking soda in your bath or use a cup of sea salts/Epsom salts. Lightly scrubbing with the salts can give your skin a fresh glow and make you feel very relaxed. Now that's a great side effect!

Learning how to detox your body is like riding a bicycle: once you master it, you will never forget it. The key to keeping a body healthy is consistency.

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