What are toxins?
Every year, new chemicals are put into our environment, our food and water supply, and it’s simply impossible to avoid them all.
According to a report by the World Health Organisation, there are several chemicals that have been shown to negatively impact our hormones.
With increased exposure to chemicals, our bodies detoxification abilities are constantly put to the test, but the catch is that certain people just don’t have the detoxification stamina to keep up.
Depending on the types of genes that have been passed down from your parents, you could either be very good at eliminating certain toxins, or you may have a reduced ability to process heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and persistent organic pollutants, causing toxic accumulation in your body.
There are three main reasons why toxins build up in your body. Read about them here.
Toxin reduction tips and tools
Water – Be sure the number of litres of water you drink per day is equal to at least half of your body weight. As a general rule, men need about 10 cups of fluids every day and women need about 8 cups. In the autumn and winter, it can be especially helpful and cleansing to drink warm water. One way to ensure you’re getting enough water during the day is to use a drink bottle with measurements to enable tracking.
Lemon Water – This is a gentle yet effective way to support and cleanse the liver, kidneys, and colon, and helps alkalise the body. It assists in breaking up mucus and provides energy via enzymes, vitamin C, potassium, and trace minerals. Please use fresh, ripe lemons, not prepared lemon juice. Make lemon water simply by squeezing the juice of ½ a lemon into a glass of water. For variety, adding mint, cucumber, ginger or any other enjoyable flavour (not sugar), can break the routine but try to drink it every day.
Body Brushing – This is one of the best ways to stimulate the lymphatic system. This is beneficial because it assists the lymph nodes in keeping blood and other vital tissues detoxified. It is energising, assists in breaking up cellulite, removes dead skin, stimulates circulation, and strengthens the immune system. To do this, you will need a natural bristle brush, which can be purchased at most health food stores or pharmacies. Start at your feet and work up the body in long strokes towards your heart. Be sure to cover the whole body, but skip the face and the breasts. Do not feel like you need to spend a tremendous amount of time on this, 2–3 minutes prior to your shower is fine.
Toxin Elimination Bath – Each evening, place 2 cups of Epsom salts and one cup of baking soda in the tub, run the hottest water you can stand, and add 8 drops of lavender oil. Soak for 20 minutes and allow yourself to sweat. When you are finished bathing, wrap yourself up in towels, go under the covers, and sweat some more. You should feel very relaxed and sleep soundly.
Exercise – Moving will be a key component to your program. Tune into what kind of exercise feels appropriate, rather than just doing what you usually do or what you think you should do. Walking, yoga, swimming, tai chi, hiking, biking, and strength training are all great ways to get moving. A powerful exercise for removing toxins is using a mini-trampoline or rebounder to help enhance your lymphatic system. This is called Lymphasizing; see the end of this document for more details.
Fibre – Getting additional fibre as we cleanse is vital to supporting the colon in its role of toxin elimination. In addition to lots of fresh vegetables, ground flax seeds and chia seeds are recommended. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the quickest way to increase your dietary fibre, as well as providing plenty of vitamins, and minerals.
Castor oil packs* – This can be a self-administered and inexpensive way to nurture and support the liver while you cleanse. It is incredibly healing and relaxing. Castor oil is said to be able to penetrate deeply – as much as 4 inches – into the body. These packs can be used to stimulate and detox the liver and gallbladder.
*Note: If this is your first time using a castor oil pack, we suggest doing it for 15 minutes to see how your body responds. You can then gradually increase it over a period of time if you’d like.
Directions:
You will need 100% pure, cold-pressed castor oil, an old T-shirt, and a hot water bottle (or heating pad).
- Put on an old shirt, so you don’t get the oil on your nice clothing.
- Rub castor oil on your abdomen, being sure to cover the area where your liver is.
Lie down on your back, and place the hot water bottle or heating pad on your abdomen, on top of your shirt, for one hour.
Alternatively, you can rub the castor oil on your back, being sure to cover the area where your liver is. Then with your T-shirt on, lay on top of the heating pad or hot water bottle.
This is a safe regimen to continue throughout the spring season, especially if you suffer from liver-based symptoms like eye problems, menopausal irritability, mood swings, bloating, tender breasts, hot flashes, anxiety, migraines, skin rashes and breakouts, angry outbursts, or tension between the shoulders.
Additional ways to reduce your toxin exposure:
- reduce your alcohol intake
- avoid sugar, salt and processed foods
- focus on sleep
- supplement your diet with prebiotics
- use natural cleaning products and natural body care