Body Cleansing
culture, excessive detoxification can be equally harmful.
What Is Detoxification? Detoxification is the process of either clearing toxins from the body or neutralizing or transforming them, and hence clearing excess mucus and congestion. Fats (especially oxidized fats and cholesterol), free radicals, and other irritating molecules act as toxins on an internal level. Functionally, poor digestion, colon sluggishness and dysfunction, reduced liver function, and poor elimination through the kidneys, respiratory tract, and skin all increase toxicity.
Detoxification involves dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce the intake of toxins while improving elimination. The avoidance of chemicals from food or other sources, including refined food, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, helps minimize the toxin load. Drinking extra water (purified) and increasing fiber by including more fruits and vegetables in the diet are also essential steps. Moving to a less congesting diet will also induce healing.
Detoxification therapy-particularly fasting-is the oldest known medical treatment on earth and a completely natural process.
Who Should Detoxify? Almost everyone needs to detox and rest their body from time to time. Some of us need to cleanse more frequently or work more continually to rebalance our body. Cleansing or detoxification is but one part of the trilogy of nutritional action (the others being building, or toning, and balancing, or maintenance). A regular, balanced diet devoid of excess necessitates less intensive detoxification. Our body has a daily elimination cycle, mostly carried out at night and in the early morning up until breakfast. When we eat a congesting diet higher in fats, meats, dairy products, refined foods, and chemicals, detoxification becomes more important, particularly to those who eat excessively, and to those who eat excessively at night.
Our individual lifestyle provides clues for deciding how and when to detoxify. If we have any symptoms or diseases of toxicity and congestion, we will likely benefit from detoxification practices. It is like a vacation for our body and digestive tract.
Common toxicity symptoms include headache, fatigue, congestion, backaches, aching or swollen joints, digestive problems, “allergy” symptoms, and sensitivity to environmental agents such as chemicals, perfumes, and synthetics. Dietary changes or avoidance of the symptom-causing agents is usually beneficial. However, it is important to differentiate between allergic and toxicity symptoms in order to determine the appropriate medical care. This detox program, fasting, and juice cleansing can be genuinely helpful in reducing allergy symptoms; however, allergies present a dynamic subtly different from toxicity.
Signs and Symptoms of Toxicity
Headaches
Joint pains
Coughs
Wheezing
Sore throat
Tight or stiff neck
Angina pectoris
Circulatory deficits
High blood fats
Backaches
Itchy nose
Frequent colds
Irritated eyes
Immune weakness
Environmental sensitivity
Sinus congestion
Fever
Runny nose
Nervousness
Sleepiness
Insomnia
Dizziness
Mood changes
Anxiety
Depression
Fatigue
Skin rashes
Hives
Nausea
Indigestion
Anorexia
Bad breath
Constipation
Detoxification and cleansing can contribute to the healing of many acute and chronic illnesses that result from short- or long-term congestive patterns. Detox and cleansing benefits people with addictions to numerous substances.
Detoxification is also an important component in treating obesity. Many of the toxins we ingest or make are stored in the fatty tissues; hence, obesity is almost always associated with toxicity. When we lose weight, we reduce our body fat and thereby our toxic load. However, during weight loss we also release more toxins and need to protect ourselves from nutrient depletion through extra supplementation, including taking additional antioxidants to balance these toxins. Exercise will also promote the loss of excess pounds and help further detoxification.
Problems Related to Congestion / Stagnation / Toxicity
Acne
Abscesses
Boils
Eczema
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Constipation
Colitis
Hemorrhoids
Diverticulitis
Cirrhosis
Hepatitis
Fibrocystic breast disease
Atherosclerosis
Heart disease
Hypertension
Thrombophlebitis
Gout
Obesity
Infections by: Bacteria
Virus
Fungus
Parasites
Worms
Uterine fibroid tumors
Cancer
Cataracts
Colds
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Sinusitis
Emphysema
Kidney stones
Kidney disease
Stroke
Prostate disease
Menstrual problems
Vaginitis
Varicose veins
Diabetes
Peptic ulcers
Gastritis
Pancreatitis
Mental illness
Multiple sclerosis
Alzheimer’s disease
Senility
Parkinson’s disease
Drug addiction
Tension headaches
Migraine headaches
Gallstones
Of course, not all of these problems are related solely to toxicity nor will they be completely cured by detoxification. Still, many conditions are created by nutritional abuses and can be alleviated by eliminating the related