Pillar 3 for Optimum Health: The Importance of Detoxification (from The Guidebook to Optimum Health)

Cars

Put your hand up if you own a car? I have my hand down, since I haven’t owned a car since 2001 (but I do own a very fast 110cc scooter ;-)). Does your car run better after you have it serviced? And do you get a MAJOR service after your car has run for X number of km’s (or miles)? But it’s only a car. A hunk of metal and stuff. Bloody handy, but still not great for conversation, love & intimacy (although some may disagree on this one), and making a difference in the world.

You on the other hand are a work of art. Infinitely creative and with the ability to make an amazing difference in the lives of others. Something that special deserves a lot more attention, support and maintenance so it can shine most brightly. This is about taking deeper care of yourself.

The number 1 detox method

This is for those with a short concentration span. I will share the biggest tip now, but for those that want to make a huge difference in their life you might want to read on to the next section.

I have talked about this before and will mention it again. It is the famous Green Drink. Click here for a great recipe. This cleanses the body by adding healing micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes), and fibre for elimination (pooping) plus aids in insulin management.

The environment

The fact of the matter is we live in an environment that has a lot of foreign toxic chemicals that our bodies just cannot process. We also have a number of toxic chemicals secreted in our bodies through normal metabolic functions. So the aim is to reduce the amount of foreign toxins coming in, and aiding the elimination of toxins from our bodies.

This topic is much bigger than I have time to go into here; so I am just going to list a number of key points for you to take away and consider.

What you need to know

1. Great nutrition is the best line of protection and optimization of health. Whole-foods (naturally occurring), as opposed to processed foods, is ALWAYS the better choice and will naturally aid in detoxifying your body.
2. Eat organic food where possible. In the vast majority of cases organic produce will be better for your health.
3. Reduce the amount of chemicals in your household. Because something is sold at a supermarket does not mean it is safe to use. Buy natural cleaning products or make your own. We use baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar for most of our cleaning.
4. Be a ‘conscious’ consumer. The more sh_t we use or buy, the more environmental pollution we create. Everything requires energy, or has toxic by-products or waste, or ends up as landfill – so we can reduce the amount of external toxins, which eventually impact us personally, by consuming consciously.
5. Stop consuming flavoured drinks and excess sugar. The waste they create in the body and the load they put on the liver and the creation of insulin resistance makes it extremely hard for the body to be healthy (and not fat). It’s sugar that makes us fat, not dietary fat.

The gut

There are a number of functional medicine practitioners and more educated physicians that realise gut health is essential for whole body health. If the internal flora of the gut (essentially the balance of good and bad bacteria) is out of whack there are a multitude of illnesses that will result. The gut is also called our ‘second brain’ as it is packed with neurons similar to the brain. So time to take care of it and it will take care of us.

Some of the basics of how to take care of it follow:

1. Eat non-processed food.
2. Know that most prescription drugs affect the internal flora and health of the gut – in particular antibiotics, which are often over prescribed. So avoid them if safe to do so, or be extra diligent with your nutrition after finishing a cycle.
3. Eat Probiotic Foods which are packed with healthy bacteria. Examples are: miso, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, kimchi, kefir, and micro algae. I am not such a fan of yoghurt as most now have added sugar, are overly processed (which lessens their effectiveness) and most people over-consume them thinking they are good for them. Have you ever tried to over consume miso or kimchi (Korean pickled and spiced cabbage)? Not likely to happen.
4. Eat digestive enzymes, which include: green leafy vegetables, aloe vera, apples (the whole version), papaya, mangoes, and pineapple, to name a few.
5. Reduce your consumption of sugar. Or have I already mentioned that? 😉 Sugar is toxic for the body, over a very low limit, but very profitable for a lot of players in the food industry. They don’t care about your health, so you need to.

In summary (and Resources)

Some of the best detoxification for the body comes from being a lot more conscious about what we put in our bodies. You also want to be conscious of what you put on your body – especially in sensitive areas like under your arms (I stopped using antiperspirant in 2000 and don’t recall being told I stink). Reduce the chemicals in your household too as they are affecting your health and the potency of your immune system to fight off illness and reduce recovery time.

If you want a deeper dive on doing a formal detox there are a number of resources I have found useful:

1. Global Healing Centre with Dr Group
2. The Clean Program with Dr Junger (he also has two great books – Clean and Clean Gut)
3. The Eleven Eleven Centre with Dr Frank Lipman (author of Revive and Total Renewal)
4. The Detox Strategy by Dr Brenda Watson

Make sense? Ready to get that service? Want a hand getting your health back on track? Just leave your comments below or get over to my Facebook page to connect up.