Examples of toxins include heavy metals, food preservatives, pesticides and herbicides, chemicals in our drinking water and personal care products and other irritants.
Thousands of new toxic chemicals and substances are released into our environment every year. In fact, experts say that we're exposed to more toxins in one year that our grandparents were in their entire lifetime.
While our bodies were designed to do some toxin removal, the amount we're exposing them to today is overwhelming.
When the body is exposed to more toxins that it can safely handle, toxicity develops and our bodies start to break down. We may feel tired, get headaches, feel depressed and lethargic.
We may gain weight, develop respiratory problems, feel bloated or develop cellulite. We may feel spacey or 'out of it', experience increased PMS symptoms, have trouble sleeping, develop allergies or even a serious disease like cancer.
Fortunately there is a way to fight back and help your body deal with the multitude of dangerous chemical toxins thrown against it.
Strategies For How To Detox Include:
- Detox diets (raw food diet, juice fasting, wheat grass, etc.)
- Herbs or Kits for Colon Cleansing or Liver Cleansing
- Exercise & Deep Breathing
Some methods of toxin removal are better than others. For example, I personally don't recommend the foot patches. There really isn't much evidence that they work and they can be expensive.
Detox diets are all the rage - with new ones coming out every year. The benefit is that the proper detox diet be a huge factor in helping you remove toxins, lose weight and regain your energy or health.
The downside is that it can be quite a shock to the system and difficult to change your diet. Plus not all detox diets are equal - there are some really quack-like plans that may end up hurting you rather than helping you. Go slowly and check with your doctor before you do anything.
Colon and liver cleansing kits can help detox specific organ systems and be a valuable way to start a deeper detox.
Skin brushing is quite easy. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. According to Brenda Watson C.N.C. in her book "The Detox Strategy", the skin eliminates more cellular waste through the pores than your colon and kidneys combined.
This is also why exercise and sweating is a great way to remove toxins.
Finally there's the infrared sauna - my favorite way to detox because it's not only easy, it's far more relaxing than any other method above. (In fact, experts say that a single sauna session can burn as many calories as a 5 mile run!)
A far infrared sauna uses direct infrared heat (which is very safe - it's the same heat used by the sun and even our own bodies emit infrared heat).
This heat can penetrate up to 2 inches deep into the skin and helps our cells release toxins in the form of sweat. Unlike traditional saunas, infrared saunas run at much lower temperatures. So it's more comfortable and you can stay in longer.
Infrared saunas are particularly good at removing stubborn toxins like heavy metals. Plus they're a much more comfortable way to detox for many people than wheatgrass and juicing.
While they don't substitute for a clean diet, saunas can definitely help with a detoxification and healthy lifestyle plan.
