Detoxification is one of those personal choices that have been embraced by individuals with different lifestyles. There are several natural ways to detoxify and selecting one over the other is dependent on individual preferences. While detoxification can be viewed mainly as a lifestyle choice, it is a crucial naturopathic treatment recommended by many nutritionists.
What is Detoxification?
Detoxification refers to the physiological process of eliminating toxins that can harm the body. These toxins are mostly external but can also emanate from the metabolic processes within the body. The body uses the kidneys, skin, and the liver to excrete unwanted chemicals from the body. Unfortunately, the lifestyles adopted by many people in the modern world are increasingly burdening these organs, making detox a vital aspect of life.
How Toxicity Manifests
Body toxicity is inevitable. Toxicity manifests differently in different people because it can show through the skin, nervous system, or muscles. Nonetheless, there are general signs of toxicity that include fluid retention, exhaustion, allergies, infertility, low libido, and one can be prone to infections. On the skin, toxicity can manifest as dry or itchy skin, acne, puffy eyes, sweating, and flushing. The digestive system is also affected greatly and can lead to bloating, flatulence, constipation, nausea, halitosis, hemorrhoids, and loss of appetite. Too much waste substances often lead to excess mucus, irregular urination, and congestion of the sinus. One should also watch out for muscular cramps, respiratory infections, joint inflammation, and nervous issues because they are some of the toxicity symptoms.
Toxicity usually occurs at different levels, which determines the type of detoxification one should undertake. These cells include:
- The cells
- The lymphatic system
- The liver
- The kidney
- The skin and lungs
The Cells
The cells play a central role as the body’s powerhouse. Therefore, it’s crucial that they have an efficient balance of nutrients and a system of waste removal. Heavy metals like lead and mercury affect the operation of the cells leading to dismal functioning. It’s also important for the cells to be in the right PH conditions for optimum performance. Detoxification, in this case, helps to balance the cellular conditions to improve their functions.
The Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system works as a circulatory system, making it an essential part of the body. The system has capillaries that help to remove waste from the body cells. Different chemicals can affect the lymphatic system and cleansing is crucial.
The Liver
The liver processes and breaks down toxins to enable their excretion through the kidney or the digestive system. Some lifestyles such as excessive consumption of alcohol affect the liver, which ultimately affects its functioning. Therefore, it’s important to support the liver to ensure good health.
The Kidney
The kidney ranks as one of the key organs that aids in the excretion of toxins. The kidney releases excess sodium and potassium to achieve a good balance. Again, our lifestyle and diets can disturb this balance, forcing the kidneys to work extra hard to maintain homeostasis. Detoxification helps to prevent the kidney from overworking because of the toxins overload.
The Skin and Lungs
The skin and the lungs are crucial in eliminating most of the water-soluble toxins. Through the naturopathic detox, these organs can improve their efficiency.
Despite the natural aspect of detoxification, it is essential to seek professional advice from a practitioner. In fact, you shouldn’t detox if you’re breastfeeding, pregnant, on medication, or convalescing. All said and done, the best way to detox is to avoid toxins. Therefore, a change of lifestyle is highly recommended to improve the overall functionality of the body organs.
