The Bad Wrap On Detoxing & The Correct Order To Detox Your Organs
It's a terrible experience, right? Like, extreme fatigue, moodiness, flu like symptoms and uncontrollable bowel movements that leave you not far from the toilet. That's a detox, right?
Ya, not quite! It's not to say this never happens, but it's to say this isn't supposed to happen if you are cleansing appropriately. If you have experienced, or have heard of someone experiencing these symptoms while detoxing, this is what we call a healing crisis.
Clients come to me wanting to lose weight and "detox" all the time. Some have read and heard of extreme detoxing methods and even some gentler methods, but if you have never detoxed before, there is a certain pecking order that needs to take place.
Understanding how the body eliminates toxins
Remember that there is only so many ways for toxins in the body to leave the body. I can promise you that since you are evicting these bad guys, they will not be leaving without a sight, smell or sound, but the severity of this all depends on how quickly you try to flush the little buggers out.
Toxins will eliminate through the body through either urine, bowel movements or sweat through the skin. When we initiate the elimination of toxins at a rapid speed, OR our toxic load is high and our bodies are not able to eliminate these toxins quickly enough, we begin to experience healing crisis symptoms. This is not a life threatening situation and can be remedied fairly quick. You have two choices,
1. Slow down your cleanse to therefore slow down the elimination process. This will give the body the ability to balance the elimination of it's toxic load.
2. Speed up and push on through (of which I don't typically recommend). This will eliminate toxins faster, but if you push the body too far you can make things far worse before they get better.
Order of cleansing and detoxing
A healing crisis, can be completely avoided. If you have never done a cleanse before, starting with a full organ flush is probably not ideal, unless you enjoy hugging toilets, then by all means go for it! While I believe in a custom approach for everyone generally speaking this is a great way to ease your body into cleansing:
Phase 1: Food Based Cleanses (like my 10-Day Body Reset Detox. Get it HERE)
These types of cleanses allow us to go in and reset the body. Eliminating inflammatory foods, food sensitivities, processed or highly refined foods, gives the body a chance to reset and rebalance. The volume of nutrients that are supplied to the body through whole foods forces the toxins out of the cells. These types of cleanses provide fabulous results like reduced gas and bloating, regular bowel movements and even weight loss. Food is a powerful tool and this is a great place to start your cleansing journey.
Phase 2: Colon & Kidney Cleanse
Bowel cleanses are so important! Before thinking of cleansing any organs we must address the bowels. Since the colon and kidney are the two main sites of elimination of toxic waste, we best make sure they are working optimally. Bowel movements should be happening 1-2 times per day. If you are not going poop daily, then we've got some work to do! Shaking up toxins in the body without proper elimination creates a toxic storm and skipping this step can cause more harm than good.
Phase 3: Liver & Gallbladder Cleanse
With the liver involved in over 500 different functions in the body, giving this organ a little love is going to benefit just about every part of your body. Both your liver and gallbladder can be cleansed through herbs that support the detox pathways.
Phase 4: Blood & Lymph Cleanse
The blood and lymph are the transporters of the body. Playing a key role in circulation, transport of nutrients and elimination of toxins makes focusing in on these systems is integral to health. Since the lymphatic system has no pump, movement is essential to keep things moving. Dry skin brushing, inversions and even exercise all are great supports of these two systems.
Phase 5: Skin & Lungs Cleanse
The skin can be a great reflection of the function of other internal organs. Since it's role is to eliminate toxins that the other organs failed to, when skin break outs occur, going back to early cleansing phases can greatly improve skin health.
The circulation of oxygen through the body via the blood is certainly a life source and one that we need to thank our lungs for.
While we may have our own agenda for our body, know that our organs will detox at their own rate. We are complex systems and layered much like an onion. The best approach to cleansing and detoxing is listening to the messages from your body. Utilizing these symptoms (aka messages) will allow you to better facilitate a healing process for your body by providing it with a custom approach.
There is certainly a roll and an importance in supporting each of your bodily systems. Creating a whole foods approach to daily cleansing by building a healthy relationship with food is definitely the key to long term health and success with your goals.
To help you kick start that journey, I'd love to share one of my recipes from my 10-Day Food Based Body Reset Detox.
Check it out below...
Vanilla Maple Chia Pudding
Ingredients:
3/4 cups chia seeds
4 cups almond or coconut milk
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp maple syrup
pinch of himalayan sea salt
Method:
In a large mason jar, add all your ingredients.
Secure jar with life and give it a good shake. alternatively, you can add everything to a blender and blend together for a few seconds, then pour into your mason jar.
Leave in fridge overnight, or at least 20 minutes.
In the morning, shake again really well, then pour out desired serving into a bowl.
Top with your favourite superfood ingredients.
Notes:
This also makes a great healthy dessert! Add a tablespoon of raw cacao powder to the mix for a chocolatey boost!
Enjoy!
Looking for daily support in your health journey? Join our FREE (private) Love Your Guts- IBS Support Group here.
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