Detoxification Overview

 

 

Toxic substances are everywhere: in the air, the foods that we eat, the soil that grows crops, water that we drink & the medications we take, etc. These toxins are one of the root causes of our modern-day diseases.  Aches & pains, autoimmune disorders (Eg: multiple sclerosis & lupus), chronic fatigue, digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea or bloating, migraines, premature aging, premenstrual syndrome, skin conditions, etc are the results of toxic buildup in our body.

 

 

Each of us has one hundred times more heavy metals and environmental toxins in our bones and deep tissue compare with our ancestors.  Today scientists estimated that most people carry at least 700 contaminants within their body. The effects of most of these contaminates are not well understood.

 

 

Detox or detoxification is the removal of toxic substances from our body. In conventional medicine, detox can also be achieved artificially by techniques such as dialysis and chelation therapy. In alternative practices, colonic irrigation, food therapies, natural remedies, nutritional supplementation, meditation, etc are used which are natural & safer. From Detoxification, it helps you to replenish your energy & improve your chronic disease or illnesses symptoms.

 

 

In traditional Chinese medicine’s theory, its perspective on detoxification is to go with the flow of nature and use its unlimited power and healing wisdom to achieve & maintain a healthy, balanced body.  East-West or Yin-Yang Food Dietary Therapy is based on observing external factors: air & weather, any chronic illnesses or medications, internal factors: body’s condition and understanding the energetics of food, you can choose the right food choices to speed your body’s healing progress.

 

The Five Element Theory serves as a major diagnostic and treatment tool in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It is based on the observation of the natural cycles and inter-relationships in the environment and within ourselves.  There are five environmental elements – fire, earth, metal, water and wood – each corresponding with certain body organs, such as the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach, urinary bladder & gall bladder.  The five different elements are associated with different times of the year: fire with summer, Earth with late summer, metal with autumn, water with winter & wood with spring. TCM practitioners believe that a person should cater his or her diet to the seasons because each season is associated with certain body organs, therefore it is important to have a diet that strengthens and cleanses its related organs.

 

When To Detox?

 

 

If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing autointoxication (a process whereby you are poisoned by substances produced by your own body as a result of inadequate digestion and elimination), and therefore you need to check which organ is affected before you apply any type of detox program:

 

• Allergy or intolerance to certain foods.
• Bad breath and foul-smelling gas & stools.
• Cold hands & feet or poor circulation.
• Constipation, diarrhea, sluggish elimination & irregular bowel movements.
• Frequent congestion, colds & viruses.
• Frequent headaches for no apparent reason.
• Health problems: depression, diabetes, digestion problems, heart problems, high blood pressure, liver & gallbladder problems, etc.
• General aches & pains that migrate from one area to another.
• Low energy: Loss of vitality for no apparent reason.
• Lowered resistance to infections.
• Memory problems: brain fog, short memory or poor memory.
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), breast soreness & vaginal infections.
• Weight loss or weight gain.
• Skin problems: acne, boils, pimples & rashes.

Preparation Before Detox Program

 

 

• Shall your immune system is weak, strengthen it before you start any detox program.
• 2 weeks beforehand: advisable to adopt a healthy food diet like fish, wholegrains, fruits & vegetables.
• Avoid alcohol, animal fats, caffeine beverages, canned foods, carbonated beverages, dairy products (butter, eggs & milk, except yogurt), oily foods, processed foods, salt, seafood, spicy foods, sugar, white flour foods, white rice & smoking, etc.
• Get plenty of rest. You will undergo physical, emotional, and mental changes as you detox your body, and these changes may cause sleep disturbances. Make sure you are well rested before you begin your detox.
• Before your start a detox program, check out with your health expert which certain organ system you want to detox & how long do you need to detox.

During Detox Program

 

 

• During detox program, we need to replenish our body with nutrients as detoxification will cleanse off some of our body’s nutrients together with the toxins waste. For daily balanced food diet: take ½ plate of 5 color fruits & vegetables, ¼ plate of proteins (fish, chicken), ¼ plate of whole grains (cereals, nuts, seeds, black rice, brown rice, millet, quinoa and 8-10 glasses of water including juices & soups).
• Sometimes our bodies have a strong response to the detox program, and some may experience mild side effects. The most common side effects are nausea, fatigue and diarrhea. If you experience any of these symptoms, decrease the amount of the program you are using and drink plenty of water until your condition improves. In some cases, individuals may have very strong reactions such as severe abdominal pain, fever, bloody stools, persistent vomiting, rashes or allergic reactions. Stop the program and consult your health expert if conditions do not rapidly improve.
• Stop eating three hours before bedtime. Strive to go to bed by 10:00 p.m. This will help your body reestablish a natural circadian rhythm, which helps greatly with detoxification.
• Complementary to detox food therapy include: (1) Meditation which will calm an agitated mind, creating optimal physical, mental health & restructures the mind.  (2) Regular exercise for 20-30 minutes daily is essential to detoxification because they augment the circulation of blood and lymph in the body.
• Complete your detox program before using natural remedies to strengthen your immune system.
• Most individuals benefit from detox once or twice a year, and those with chronic health problems may want to consider a quarterly detox.

The major detoxification systems of our body in priority are:

 

 

The detoxification systems of our body need to be in priority order because each organ need to cleanse its toxins or the toxins will spread to other organs.  The major detoxification systems of our body in priority are

(1) Lungs detox  (2) Gastrointestinal system detox  (3) Kidneys detox  (4) Pancreas detox  (5) Liver & Gall detox  (6) Blood detox  (7) Lymphatic System detox and (8) Skin detox.  Do remember to follow the Recommended Food Sources of these Organs’ Imbalances related to each pattern.

 

Identifying your body constitution type eg: heaty (Yin Deficiency), cold (Yang deficiency) or low energy (Qi deficiency) can help to improve your health problems’ symptoms and strengthen your immunity better by choosing the right food diet.  Find out more at: Body Constitution Types And Right Food Diet Facts