Detoxification isn’t normally one of the first things a person thinks about when considering gastrointestinal (GI) health, but it probably should. In addition to providing a physical barrier between us and the largest source of toxins we are exposed to (i.e., the things we put into our mouths everyday), the GI tract is responsible for about 20-25% of the total detoxification that occurs in our bodies every day. Therefore, providing proper support for detoxification can be a fantastic method to help almost anyone with GI disorders – including acid reflux, indigestion, IBS and/or constipation – improve their GI health.
GI Health and Detoxification
As we said above, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract provides a physical barrier between us and the largest source of toxins we encounter every day; namely, those things that we eat and drink. Many of us consume things that are known to be toxic – including alcohol, medications, recreational drugs, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors/flavors, high sugar/high fat foods, fried foods, and/or large amounts of red or processed meats. Even those people that avoid most of these things are still exposed to large amounts of toxins through their diet in the form of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides from non-organic foods; bacteria and other microorganisms on foods; and chemicals that have been leached into our drinking water.
A large majority of the population has some form GI upset – ranging from constipation and heart-burn to irritable bowel disease to chronic acid reflux. These imbalances put an added stress on the liver not only because of poor digestion and malabsorption of nutrients, but because a GI tract that is not healthy forces the liver to deal with even more toxins that it would under ideal circumstances.
Therefore, periodic detoxification can very often help people with a wide variety of GI disorders improve their health because a well-planned detoxification program provides large amounts of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, water and other phytonutrients the GI tract needs to rebuild and repair. Not only will detoxification help improve GI health, it will allow the body to eliminate any stored toxins as quickly and easily as possible, leading to an improvement in overall health and vitality.
Non-GI symptoms That May Indicate a Need for Detoxification
Toxic burden can take on many forms and the body is usually very good about sending us signals if we know what to look for. If you suffer from more than one of the following conditions, it may be an indication that a detoxification program may help you: chronic fatigue, low endurance, constipation, acid-reflux, hormone imbalances (PMS, hot flashes), weight gain, low energy, mood swings/imbalances, chronic inflammation and/or pain, irritability/easily agitated and/or auto-immunity (i.e., thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc.).
Proper Detoxification Support
Because detoxification is such a nutrient-dependent process, it is often best to use supplemental support along with specific dietary recommendations to fully support all the necessary functions of detoxification. Not doing so can lead to a wide variety of symptoms, including lethargy, heaviness, poor focus and concentration and many symptoms commonly referred to as a “healing crisis”. While you may need to slow down as part of detoxification program (as we want most of your energy to go toward improving your overall detoxification) you should not “feel worse before you feel better” if a detoxification program is designed properly
We have used the Clear Change 10-day Detoxification Program with hundreds of people with excellent results. It provides a specific dietary program (including recipes) along with the supplementation necessary to promote balanced detoxification.
Most people will benefit from doing a periodic 3-10 day detoxification program every quarter. If you are actively trying to lose weight, following the detoxification dietary guidelines every day could be very helpful and doing a formal 7-10 day detoxification program every month should help prevent the dreaded “weight loss plateau” and keep you losing body fat. No matter how often you chose to do a detox, take the time to enjoy the process, get back in touch with eating simply and really feel what it’s like to live healthfully.
