Detox: A Natural Process – Ways to Support Your Body
What do you think of when you hear the word “detox?” Maybe it is a rehab center that helps people detox from an addiction. Could be detoxing your body of toxins. This is the one we’re going to take a peek at in the post.
What is Detox?
The Merriam Webster dictionary’s 3rd definition defines detox as “a regimen or treatment intended to remove toxins and impurities from the body.” In general terms it is the process of removing toxins from the body. This is something our bodies do on their own.
There are two organs that do a lot of the detoxification work for our bodies. These are the liver and kidneys. Both have many jobs, but cleaning toxins out of the blood is one of them. Read more on the liver and kidneys from Cleveland Clinic. There are other systems in the body that do some detox work too like the lungs and intestines.
Detox a Fad?
You see a lot of detox related content out there saying detox your body by doing this or that. A lot of time fasting is part of a detox. Then there is drinking juices or green smoothie concoctions for some many days. There is even cleaning out the intestine track by taking things like laxatives. You may have seen sweating out those toxins in a sauna. Do these help? Probably not, but then again there is little research on the subject.
Help Your Body Reduce Toxins
You can do things to help your body with toxins. A lot of it comes down to what you put into your body. It’s about trying to eat healthy, which isn’t always easy especially when on the go. Do your best to limit processed foods. They can contain all kinds of preservatives (chemicals). Check out the “Dirty Dozen” of food chemicals to avoid. We know we should limit or avoid alcohol particular for liver health. It’s what we’re always told to do; eat healthy and exercise.
There are some herbs that may improve or promote healthy liver functions. Dandelion root could improve liver function in particular with acute on chronic liver failure based on a study on rats [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8063808/]. Then there has been a study looking at turmeric with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It showed turmeric could be a helpful management of the disease by decreasing serum level of liver transaminases [https://dmsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13098-021-00731-7]. Milk thistle is another herbal ingredient that has shown potential in improving liver function due to NAFLD [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541075/]. They still say more studies are needed on these herbals, but there is at least some data to go on.
Conclusion
You probably don’t need to do a detox. Your body already has the built in systems to remove toxins from your body. But you can do things to promote those systems to work better. Focusing on a healthy diet and exercise. Some herbal supplements could improve the workhorse of detoxification in our body, the liver.
Other articles to dive into Detoxes
“Detoxes” and “Cleanses”: What You Need To Know [National Library of Medicine]
Should you do a cleanse? [UCLA Health]
6 Ways To Detox Your Body After Holiday Festivities [Vogue]
Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work? [Healthline]
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