5 Ways To Detoxify Your Body
By Erin Schumacher
In 2000, more than four billion pounds of chemicals were released into the ground and almost two billion pounds of chemical emissions were pumped into the atmosphere! Our bodies have developed sophisticated detoxification mechanisms over many thousands of years to eliminate most of the naturally produced toxins they encounter on a regular basis.
What is detoxification and why MUST you do it!
Detoxification is a normal process within the body as it neutralizes and eliminates toxins through the major organs such as our colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system and skin. Our bodies do it naturally every day, in fact it is one of our most basic automatic functions. But sometimes our bodies get overloaded with toxins and it needs help in its detoxification job. Our livers work extremely hard everyday to protect us from adverse effects from toxins and often it is easy for our livers to become overworked compromising our health significantly.
“But I eat only organic and I’m a vegetarian!”
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This is one reply I hear from people.
Even if your diet is pure, what about the environmental toxins we are bombarded with daily? Chlorine and fluoride are in tap and shower water. Flame-retardant chemicals are in the mattress you sleep on and in the carpet you walk upon. Toxins found in plastics and plastic wraps (that cover our produce) frequently find their way into our foods. The chemicals in plastic may be carcinogenic, hormone-altering, and, at the very least, a cause of allergic reactions ranging from skin irritations to breathing problems.
The Industrial Revolution and its resulting synthetic chemicals found in places such as food, water, soil, air, household and workplace materials, and medicine have created a new dilemma for the human body. It’s too much right now. Our bodies simply cannot handle the onslaught of synthetic chemicals we throw at them. We may be able to handle some of these toxins but over time, the large amount consumed, drunk, inhaled, or absorbed by the average person greatly exceeds his or her body’s capacity to detoxify them.
Many of these toxins are held onto by the body in its fat cells. The fat cells act as a buffer, protecting your body from the harmful effects of the toxic chemicals.
So, what can you do?!
1. A Liver Flush
Supporting your body by following an internal cleansing program to cleanse the liver is a fantastic way to eliminate all the man-made toxins that your body is holding onto. The liver has quite an important job. Help it along by doing a liver flush! The next one starts on September 8th.
2. Juicing
Juicing is a fantastic way to help the body release held-onto toxins. Drinking freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juice floods the body with healthy vitamins and minerals. As a result, the body feels ‘safe’ to let go of held onto toxins that it has been storing. This can also lead to weight-loss, more energy and a better overall mentality.
During my 40-day juice cleanse, my body went through two major detoxifications. I was literally in bed feeling horrible for a 24-hour period each time. My body was letting go of long-stored toxins that for a short period of time made me feel lousy. However, this short-term discomfort was definitely preferred over some type of debilitating illness in the future such as cancer. Any ‘sickness’ in the body is actually a detoxification process. The body is a smart machine and knows what it is doing. Being ‘sick’ is actually a blessing as the body simply performs a routine cleansing. Juicing supports your body in this process by easing the digestive load while at the same time putting in easily absorbable nutrients.
My delicious e-book 40 Days of Juicing is always available for $3.99! I also have a hardcopy and paperback version if you prefer the book placed right next to your juicer for easy access! Start to feel better than ever before by using juices to help your body detoxify! And stay tuned for my upcoming SUPERhero Juice Cleanse! A 7-day program including all that you need to safely and easily cleanse over a 7 day period!
3. Yoga
There are many ways in which yoga can help support your body’s detoxification efforts.
First of all, yoga stimulates the GI (gastrointestinal) tract’s vital force. A GI tract that is weak leads to poor digestion, weight gain and toxicity in the body. A sluggish liver will be an obstacle for your metabolism. On the other hand, a strong liver helps you to digest foods better, leading to less wait time in the GI tract and less overall toxicity in the body. All types of back-bending postures in yoga exercise the entire abdominal area in addition to flexing the spinal cord to create more overall flexibility and proper alignment. Also, twisting postures help to remove unwanted toxins from the body. Just like wringing out a washcloth removes the dirty water, twisting the body helps to release and remove toxins from the body.
4. Clean Up Your Home and Personal Care Products
It’s has been proven that the air quality in our homes is more polluted than the air outside of our homes! This is true even in big cities. Scary, huh? Protect yourself and loved ones by: eating organic foods, using organic care products, and making your own environmentally friendly cleaning products. These simply changes will reduce your toxic load by quite a bit!
5. Enemas and/or Colonics
“Imagine that you have a garbage can in your kitchen and it doesn’t have a plastic bag in it, it’s just a can. Every day you throw your garbage into the can and then you take it out to the dumpster and dump its contents. Even though you are dumping the contents, imagine all the residue that builds up along its walls. What would that garbage can look like after a month, 1 year, 10 years, 50 years?”
It’s a disturbing thought when you actually think about it.
Enemas are a fantastic way to help you remove toxins naturally from your body, especially as part of a detox program. They also help you lose weight, improve the immune system, enhance digestion, and prevent illness. Puma St. Angel shows how to give yourself an enema in the video below. She uses the ‘typical’ pink enema bag. However, over time (and many enemas) I find the bucket to be easier. I have a clear see-through bucket which is really nice for showing you how much you have left to go. A bit of a motivating factor in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMa4wIQ7ts
We live in a dirty world. Make sure that detoxification is part of your routine. I like to do 4 big cleanses on a yearly basis. I highly suggest you adapt the same!
Erin Schumacher is a Certified Natural Health and Holistic Nutrition Practitioner (CNHP; CHNP) She specializes in detoxification programs, internal cleanses, and helping clients build strong immune systems. She also travels internationally to do raw food workshops, yoga retreats, and personal coaching. In addition, Erin is a Certified Power Yoga Instructor and a Certified Raw Food Chef from the SunKitchen. For more information, visit PureRadiantSelf.com.
