Every day we hear about new man made chemicals, toxins and pollutants being released into the environment that are polluting the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Although the toxicity of our environment sounds terribly alarming, the good news is that the human immune system (our main method of fighting off threats to the body) is incredibly robust and very good at dealing with many of these poisons. The body also has its complex excretory system whereby it can eliminate toxins - through breathing, sweating, urinating and defecating. It is only when these elimination processes are impaired or compromised that we accumulate toxins in the body and have to endure the resultant debilitating symptoms.
Problems arise when you are in contact with toxins all the time, ingesting them bit-by-bit, often in minute amounts. It is their cumulative effect over a long period of time that is dangerous and can eat away at the body's strength and core stability. If combined with stress, irregular sleeping patterns and eating hollow foods, the toxin will start to weaken your body, thus making it more prone to disease.
Strong and efficient though your immune and excretory systems are, you probably have (most of us do) a body that is suffering from toxic overload and are desperately in need of a detox.
How often, then, should you detox? If you are constantly absorbing these toxins, you need to be getting rid of them just as frequently. Should detox be a way of life? Yes, it should. If you have thoroughly cleansed your body but you are still exposing it to the same pollutants as before then, every so often, you need to embark on an internal spring-clean to remove all the particularly stubborn toxins.
A concentrated, deep-cleansing detox once or twice a year will keep your body's level of toxicity under control and ensure that the more intransigent toxins are eliminated. You'll notice the difference: as your bodily functions improve, you will, for instance, suffer far less feeling bloated or tired and those headaches will most probably vanish. Your digestive process will improve, your liver and kidneys will function more effectively, your blood will purify itself more easily and your hormone levels will find their perfect balance.
The effect of a full body detox diet is to allow your body to cope with external evils more easily; but, to achieve that, you have to stop putting them into your body in the first place. Because you can do nothing about toxins such as traffic fumes, over which you have no control, the basis of a healthy detox is to eliminate most of the toxins you ingest for a minimum period of three weeks. This has the effect of giving your body a rest from struggling to digest and eliminate poisons and also helping it to remove those already stored.
A healthy detox diet is a twofold process. First: you are going to alter the habits (eating, drinking and smoking) through which we all abuse our bodies and thereby create those symptoms of sluggishness, tiredness, hormonal imbalances, aching joints, headaches etc. This means eliminating potentially harmful toxins from your diet.
Second: you are also going to ensure that you use fewer chemicals in your make-up, homes, workplace, car, etc. You know that CFCs (those chemicals containing atoms of carbon, fluoride and chlorine which are daily released by such objects as hairsprays) are doing untold damage to the ozone layer, so imagine what they must be doing to your liver!
There are plenty of simple steps to take to minimize the damage. One of the easiest ways of reducing toxins coming into the house is by taking your shoes off and leaving them at the door. Studies have shown that one of the main transporters of lead into the home is the shoe. It is extraordinary how seldom we think about the toxic-laden tarmac, dirt and other unknown substances found in the street that we pick up on the soles of our shoes and then cheerfully distribute through the home.
Discover the secrets the celebs use when it comes to healthy body detox diet programs that cleanse and detox your body and help burn fat at the same time. Learn how a simple milk thistle liver detox drink can rejuvenate your health and improve your complexion.
