Decide to Detox

By: Andrea Sipcic

We have heard once or twice, or a few hundred times, about the importance of detoxing and all the many foods and supplements that are deemed so essential for this. Some foods and diets have even become the newest “trend” to make essential in our daily lives, seemingly leading us to the healthiest we can be. A few examples include: eating only plant based foods, paleo and keto diets, low sugar and carb diets, and fasting. Many people have even done days long, more strict forms of cleanses as a way to detox their body.

With all this talk over the years about all the different foods, supplements, and what seemed to be “ magic potions ” for detoxing, I finally had to start asking some questions. Do we really need all that detoxing? Why? Our bodies have amazing abilities; they ’ re equipped with their own, natural mechanisms and capacities to detox and cleanse themselves. So why is it so essential for us to rely on all of these foods and products to do it for us?

While it is true that our bodies have a natural ability to cleanse itself, there are several factors when considering if you may benefit from some sort of physical detox. The first that most have likely heard of are the effects of the environment which most of us live in, with pollutants and potential toxins found pretty much everywhere; our air, food, and even water, to name a few. With the daily and constant exposure to these effects, it is a wise idea to periodically engage in some sort of detoxification to help keep your body in balance and enhance its natural cleansing process. It’ s also important to remember that over the years and decades, we have been increasingly exposed to more chemicals and potential toxicities that humans were once not facing. While our bodies are quite impressive at adapting to our environment, it may not be ideal to go months and years without aiding it in some way. Just the way we give our home a deep clean or “Spring cleaning,” we can do the same for our body.

The other possibility to consider is that some factors such as major/consistent stress and other health challenges can have a large impact on the body ’ s natural cleansing system. This oftentimes requires outside sources to help maintain balance and harmony within.

The following are a few excellent foods and remedies to aid the body in detoxification.

Lemon

- High in the antioxidant Vitamin C, fighting free radicals

- Has an alkaline effect on the body, helping to restore the body ’s ph

- Beneficial to the immune system

- Helps to cleanse the liver

Ginger

- Cleanses by stimulating digestion and circulation

- Clears build up of waste and toxins from the colon, liver and other organs

- Has anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects on the gastrointestinal system

Cabbage

- High in sulfur, helping your liver break down toxins to be expelled

- Has diuretic properties to help rid the body of excess liquid, along with toxins

Milk Thistle

- Helps protect the healthy cells in the liver from free radical damage or inflammation caused by toxins

- Stimulates the regeneration of new healthy cells and aids in expelling toxins

- Helps to increase glutathione production, the body ’ s major antioxidant

Epsom Salt

- Contains sulphates which draw out toxins and heavy metals from the body through the skin

Water

One often underrated and overlooked substance for detoxing is water. This is actually another one I had in question; why aren ’t people speaking more about the detox effects of water? They ’ re amazing! Drinking plenty of good quality water (emphasis on good quality) may seem like such a simple thing, yet plays a very important part in the optimal functioning of our body. Staying well hydrated is so important for detoxification, as water transports waste products, efficiently removing them through urination, breathing, or sweating.

When considering the process of detoxing, I found that focusing on physical detoxing was a lot “easier,” as I didn ’t have to face any deeper, emotional challenges and disharmonies within me. However, I have often found the need to also flush out mental and emotional stresses and even discovered them to be the root cause of nearly all my disharmonies and problems. So as challenging as it was at times to address, this has been my number one.

Here are some suggestions of what I have found to be of great help for cleansing the mind and spirit:

- Meditation

- Affirmations

- Meditation music of specific hzs (528, 432, 417, etc.)

- Writing/journaling

- Subliminal affirmation meditations

- Burning incense

- Being outside in nature

- Using and working with crystals

- Working with a healer for guidance and assistance