What is a detox?

Eating healthily is only part one part of an effective detox.

It seems to be the fashionable to "do a detox" periodically to correct the consequences of too much rich food, drink, coffee and bad living, to correct all aspects of diet and living to help the systems of the body to recover and operate more effectively.

The idea is to get rid of toxins. Toxins are anything that can be harmful or hazardous to the body, or that affect the balance of the body.

Today, more than ever, there are more toxic substances being released into the environment. Toxins can include air pollution, amalgam mercury fillings in your teeth, skin creams, paint, dyes, batteries, heavy metals in seafood and pesticide contamination of vegetables etc.

Over a lifetime, these toxic substances can accumulate and the toxic burden can contribute to a variety of health problems.

On top of this, there are the normal by-products of cell metabolism. Poor diet and lifestyle, and excessive alcohol, coffee and saturated fat intake can slow down detoxification in the body and cause these internally produced substances to accumulate.

The emphasis is given to "liver cleansing" because the liver is the main organ of detoxification.

Up to 80 per cent of all the processes of the human body are for detoxification - this mainly occurs in the liver.

The liver's role is as the body's primary distributor of blood. It also plays an important role in storing sugar and insulin and has important roles in regulating hormones, fat metabolism and cholesterol in the body.

The liver's major job in detoxification is detoxifying drugs and any other chemicals or products of normal cell metabolism by neutralising them and ultimately sending them on to other organs of elimination (skin, lungs, kidneys, bowels).

The process of neutralisation/ detoxification involves phase one and phase two.

Phase one detoxification takes the toxic product and often converts it into something more harmful . This needs antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids (protein building blocks) for proper functioning. If this pathway does not have enough of the raw materials, it will not work efficiently and the accumulated - more harmful - products will harm the body. Substances that slow this pathway down include alcohol, caffeine, saturated animal fats, drugs and pesticides.

Phase two detoxification in the liver takes this initial harmful substance and then breaks it down into something completely inert and ready for elimination out of the body via the gut and the kidneys. This pathway also requires antioxidants, vitamins and amino acids.

If either phase one or phase two detoxification is overloaded, the result is a build up of toxins in the body.

In addition, if the kidney and gut are not functioning properly, an overload may be caused.

This extra strain on the liver reduces the liver's capacity to be able to do all the other jobs that it needs to do in balancing cholesterol, blood hormones, sugar, blood pressure, etc.

So, it sounds like it is actually a good idea for all of us to be doing detoxification, but rather than living badly and then going through a process of detoxification once or twice a year, it would be best to be able to live a prudent lifestyle all of the time.

The fundamental principles are in relation to the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat.

Some of the benefits of an effective detoxification programme can include:

* Reduction of an illness.
* Improvement in physical and skin appearance.
* A boost in physical and emotional well-being.
* Sharpening of mental clarity.
* Enhancement of digestion and elimination of food.
* Eradication of addictions and allergies.
* Weight loss.
* A huge increase in energy.

How to do your own daily detox programme:

1. Get enough sleep.
2. Ensure you breathe correctly, from the low abdomen. If not, get help from a breathing physiotherapist.
3. Do daily aerobic and some resistance exercise.
4. Eat a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol, saturated animal fats, with an emphasis on whole foods and fresh fruit and vegetables.
5. Filter your water to block out chemicals like chlorine.
6. Take Probiotics( friendly bacteria), especially when you have eaten poorly.
7. Get massages - weekly if you can afford it.
8. Do regular stretching exercises or Yoga to stimulate the relaxation response and help circulation.
9. Employ regular meditation/ relaxation techniques - these stimulate the immune system as well as circulation and lymphatics.
10. Dry brush your whole body 2-3 times a week with a loofa. Taking off the top layers of skin stimulates the lymphatics and circulation.
11. Give yourself the "body shock' in the shower 2-3 times a week. Before you leave the shower, give yourself one minute of cool or cold water to stimulate circulation.
12. Have regular saunas - sweat out the toxins from the largest organ of the body.

- Dr Frances Pitsilis
drfrances.co.nz

Pictured above: Eating healthily is only part one part of an effective detox.