Just days ago, Prevention magazine published an article citing that the “air in your home can be five times more polluted than the air outside.” Startled? I know I was! The truth is, whilst we try our utmost to keep our homes tidy, an enemy lurks. The enemy isn’t the dirt we vacuum from the carpet or even the grime we wipe away from the kitchen sink. The enemy is much more elusive than that. The enemy’s name is: Toxins.
In the modern world, these toxins unleash relentless daily attacks on our bodies. The air in our houses contains pollen, mold, and ozone that seep in from the outdoors. Household cleaning products, which are meant to keep our homes clean, end up adding airborne toxins (dioxins, PCBs). The problem is further compounded by toxins which are released from weatherproofing materials (4-PC). The combinations of toxins that we ingest from food and water (pesticides, ripening agents), toxins that we absorb through our skin from cosmetics (formaldehyde, petroleum distillates), and toxins from everyday plastic (bisphenol A), all equal one thing – major toxin overload.
Considering we spend about 60% of our lives in our homes, it’s not just time to clean the air but also, to clean our bodies. Fortunately, our bodies naturally combat toxins with a detoxification system that comprises of the digestive and urinary systems, skin, lungs, pancreas, and liver. It is a perfect system in which the organs supplement and complement each other. There is, however, a limit to how much it can be stretched. When this happens, the liver is unable to filter the toxins and they begin to enter our blood stream – impacting the body organs systemically. This causes a myriad of ailments – symptoms of low energy, joint pain, anxiety, irritability, heartburn, digestive issues, autoimmune diseases (arthritis, fibromyalgia), and chronic fatigue syndrome.
These signs and symptoms are the body’s urgent call for help. This is where we step up and make the ultimate decision to care our bodies with proper detoxification methods. In a society riddled with complicated, expensive, and even dangerous detoxification methods, it is absolutely necessary that you empower yourself with knowledge about detoxification.
If detoxing for the first time, you can start out by simply drinking an extra quart of water every day. Then, begin to get more exercise, start a healthy nutritionist-approved fasting program, change your diet, and seek out natural detoxification products that are gentle on the body.
There are certain herbs and supplements that encourage the body to eliminate metabolic wastes and return to a state of optimal functioning. When using detox herbs, they must be taken with adequate water and soluble fiber such as ground flaxseeds or psyllium seeds, which serve to carry the waste products out of the body. Without adequate fiber, the dislodged waste products are reabsorbed into the body. There are now natural detox products that include the adequate fiber necessary.
Some of the most effective detoxification herbs include burdock (known to help with urinary tract infections), dandelion root (a proven diuretic that helps promote the flow of water and bile through the body) and yellow dock (recognized as a treatment for constipation and also as a blood cleanser). Nutrients that support liver health are vitamins C, E, B complex. Other nutrients that help the body protect itself from various toxins are zinc, selenium and the amino acid L-cysteine.
By Petronelly Grindea
