The 5 Paths of Detoxification
You want to know one of the most miraculous things about your body?It has built-in mechanisms to detoxify all of the crazy chemicals and toxins you encounter every day—even though many of these compounds didn’t even exist through human evolution!
Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Just because we can’t avoid exposure to all environmental pollutants doesn’t mean they need to harm our health. We just need to make sure our body’s natural detoxification systems are working at peak performance. Let’s review the 5 ways your body detoxifies EVERY DAY…
1️⃣ Skin. Your skin is the largest organ of your body! It’s also an excellent outlet for your body to excrete toxins. You can actually excrete some toxins through your sweat that are difficult to eliminate any other way. That’s why sweating it out at the gym or using a sauna are both excellent for your health.
2️⃣ Lungs. Lots of people don’t realise that breathing is another way the body can cleanse. Deep breathing exercises, yoga, and exercise are all excellent ways to boost detoxification through your lungs. Bonus for breathing in fresh forest air.
3️⃣ Liver. Your liver is the central hub of your body’s detoxification processes. Hundreds of enzymes work day and night to neutralise harmful toxins and convert them into forms that you can easily eliminate through the kidneys or bowels. The liver executes so many biochemical pathways that depend on vitamins and nutrients that nutrition is key to supporting liver function.
4️⃣ Bowels. Your bowels don’t only eliminate fibre and bits of undigested food. They also eliminate toxins that have been processed by the liver and prepared for disposal from the body. Regular daily bowel movements are KEY to detoxification. Ways to support this include eating more fibre and drinking plenty of water.
5️⃣ Kidneys. Whereas some toxins tend to be eliminated from the bowels, others are eliminated through urination. This is why it’s so important to stay hydrated. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces (and more if living at a high altitude or exercising).
There you have it! Five cheers for the miraculous methods of your body.
10 Nutrients for Liver Health
Your liver is central to your body’s detoxification systems. It neutralises toxins and processes them so they are ready for your body to excrete. To do this, it relies on hundreds of enzymes, nutrients, and biochemical pathways.
To overcome the burden your liver faces in our increasingly toxic world, it could use a little help. Nutrition and supplementation is a great way to support liver function. Here are some top nutrients for liver health:
1️⃣ Vitamins A, C, D, E
2️⃣ B Complex
3️⃣ Magnesium
4️⃣ Selenium
5️⃣ Zinc
6️⃣ Omega-3s
7️⃣ Amino Acids
8️⃣ N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
9️⃣ Choline
🔟 Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Basically—your liver needs all the essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to function. It also benefits from a big boost of antioxidants, which can come from fruits and veggies or supplements.
Don’t want to take piles of pills? No problem. There are some excellent and high-quality supplements that are formulated with many of these nutrients to support daily detoxification. If you’d like to know more, get in touch!
How to Dry Skin Brush
Dry skin brushing is a traditional practice that’s gaining popularity and some surprising health benefits! Brushing off the skin exfoliates dead skin cells, promotes blood and lymph circulation, and gives you a moment of self-care.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it right.
1️⃣ Choose the right brush. The correct type of brush to use will have soft bristles and can be found in most bath and body stores or online.
2️⃣ Choose the right time. I recommend doing the dry skin brush just before a shower. That way you’ll be naked already, and you can wash off the exfoliated cells in the shower.
3️⃣ Start at the feet. The direction of brushing should intentionally follow the pathways of blood and lymphatic circulation in your body. Use strokes that move up your legs to help the circulation return to your heart. Then do the same from your arms—from fingertips to heart.
4️⃣ Finish from the neck down. Again, you’ll be brushing in the direction of your heart. End with small circular motions over your heart.
Once you’re finished, you’ll feel invigorated and fresh. Shower up, and you’re good to go!
Why to End Your Shower on Cold
I know it sounds crazy, but ending your shower on cold is one of the EASIEST ways to get your day off to the right start and set the stage for better health. Here’s why…
➡️ Hot water causes blood vessels to dilate at the surface of your body and increases circulation to your skin.
➡️ Cold water has the opposite effect. Blood vessels constrict at the surface, and blood circulation moves to your internal organs.
The practice of alternating between hot and cold water treatments is a classic naturopathic practice. It’s called hydrotherapy. The alternating hot-and-cold creates a pumping action for your circulation, which stimulates better blood flow and detoxification.
You can get the benefits of hot-and-cold therapy by taking an alternating hot-cold shower (3 minutes hot—30 seconds cold—repeat 3 times) or by simply ending your shower with a brief 30-second burst of cold.
Try it out and let me know how you feel!
If you would like 1:1 support with your health goals give us a free call to see how we can help!