by Dr. Teri Jaklin ND, IFMCP
This time of year we’ve been cooped up all winter, eating and drinking and not moving. Energy is low, mood may be a little blue as we anxiously await spring. It’s no surprise that the buzz is all about detoxification – a spring cleaning for the body after the long hibernation of winter. But let’s face it, a two week detox kit couldn’t possibly clean up the mess we make every winter let alone balance the “re-toxing” that’s done on a daily basis.
Before “natural marketing” made it the newest fad, detoxification referred to activities or pathways in our cells that inactivate toxic material and remove them from the body. It is a NATURAL process. Our bodies are built to do it every day!
Problems arise when our systems are overwhelmed or insufficiently functioning. When not detoxified and excreted promptly, many toxic substances are stored in tissues and organs and behave with a mind of their own. Since each of our systems is intricately connected to others, impaired detoxification in any one system will lead to low energy and decreased vitality overall.
The main goal of natural detoxification is elimination, a 24/7 plan to maintain a clean internal environment. The lungs handle around 20% of body elimination. Breathing deeply helps to improve the volume and the cleansing power of the lungs. Our skin, clears another 10% through sweating. The kidneys literally flush out about 30% of the body’s elimination. And then there’s the digestive system – complex and highly coordinated. Remember, one bowel movement for every meal is ideal for preventing toxic build up in the bowels. The longer waste sits in your gut, the greater the opportunity for toxins to be reabsorbed into the body – especially if the gut has already been compromised by poor eating habits, food sensitivities, poorly managed stress, alcohol, coffee, and medication use – particularly antibiotics.
The liver, our master detoxifier and one of our most precious organs performs so many vital functions: It filters harmful chemicals and bacteria from the blood, breaks down and eliminates hormones, helps in the management of blood sugar and creates bile which is used to break down fat and carry away waste in the bowels (to name a few). And finally the lymphatic system, a network of vessels that drain toxins from between the cells in every corner of the body, delivering waste back into circulation, destined for elimination.
As you can see this complex interaction of organs and tissues is much much more than a commercialized 2 week, do it on the fly, quickie detox can handle. This spring, do it right, renew your understanding of detoxification. Create a personalized detoxification plan for the spring and focus on year round support of your natural routes of elimination. That’s what your self care practices are all about – dry skin brushing supports the skin and lymphatics; castor oil packs nourish the digestive system and enhance lymphatic and liver functioning; hydrotherapy showers circulate blood and lymph.
Join us this year for our all new Spring Detoxifcation Workshop – Don’t Just Detox! Detox with the Docs.
