Detoxing has become a popular trend. You can’t visit your local drug store or watch television without seeing an advertisement for a new detox product. Detox teas, vitamins, and foods promise to rid your body of toxins, improve your overall health, and promote weight loss. Toxins are pollutants, synthetic chemicals, and processed foods that harm your health.

Your body is a sophisticated machine that rids itself of toxins through the combined efforts of your liver, kidneys, digestive system, central nervous system, skin, and lungs. These organs must be healthy to do their job correctly.

Detox diets don’t do anything that your body doesn’t already do, but you can enhance your body’s natural detoxification system. 

Below is a list of ways you can remove stress and toxins from your body.

Limit alcohol consumption

Your liver metabolizes 90% of the alcohol you consume. Liver enzymes metabolize into the cancer-causing chemical acetaldehyde. Your liver then converts it to acetate and eliminates it from your body. Excessive drinking damages your liver and disrupts this process, so your body is unable to reduce waste properly. Years of excessive drinking leads to alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD). The liver becomes inflamed and swollen. This damage causes scarring called cirrhosis, the final stage of the disorder. Approximately 8 to 10 percent of Americans drink heavily. Of those, 10 to 15 percent will eventually develop ARLD.

Limiting or abstaining from alcohol consumption is the best way to keep your liver functioning properly and enhance your body’s detoxification system. The recommended number of drinks is one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. There are reports about the health benefits of drinking, but if you don’t currently drink, don’t start. The health benefits do not outweigh the importance of optimal liver function.

Sleep does the body good

Sufficient quality sleep is necessary to support your body’s natural detoxification system. While you are asleep, your brain recharges itself and eliminates toxic waste byproducts that have collected throughout the day. A protein called beta-amyloid is one of those waste products. Beta-amyloid contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. If you do not experience adequate sleep, your brain does not have enough time to perform this vital function, and toxins will build up and affect your health.

Sleep deprivation causes memory issues, lack of concentration, mood changes, weakened immunity, high blood pressure, weight gain, and an increased risk of diabetes. The recommended hours of sleep for adults ages 18 – 64 are 7 – 9 hours a day. There are several ways to ensure that you get enough sleep. Some of them are limiting or eliminating daytime naps, refraining from caffeine past noon, going to bed and waking up the same time every day, avoiding heavy meals two hours before bed, and not using electronic devices right before bed.

Increase water intake

Water not only quenches your thirst, but it has many health benefits. It detoxifies your body by removing waste. Without water, the contents of your colon can get stuck and cause constipation. It softens stool and promotes the evacuation of the bowels. Our kidney system removes waste from the blood, eliminates toxins in the urine, and receives water-soluble toxins from the liver for processing. It is dependent on water to work correctly. Water also regulates your body temperature, lubricates joints, and helps facilitate digestion and nutrient absorption.

Daily fluid intake is essential for our bodies to function efficiently. We’re told to drink eight 8-ounce cups of water a day, but the amount you need to stay hydrated depends on you and your lifestyle. 

Some tips to remember are:

  • Drink when you’re thirsty.
  • Stop drinking when you’re no longer thirsty.
  • Drink enough to compensate for fluid lost during high heat and exercise.

Reduce sugar and processed foods

Eating high sugar and processed foods can cause obesity and other chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These conditions hinder the body’s ability to detoxify by harming organs such as the liver and kidneys. Sugary beverages can cause a fatty liver. Sugar zaps your energy, increases your risk of depression, and contributes to poor dental health.

Cutting sugar and junk food will reduce your health risks and make you feel much better, but it isn’t easy. When you detox your body of these foods, you will experience withdrawals. Withdrawal symptoms include sadness, tiredness, cravings, and increased irritability for the first two to five days. These symptoms eventually diminish after those initial few days. Replacing high sugar and processed foods with healthier choices such as fruits and vegetables will help with the detox process.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care can help you in many ways. We typically think of chiropractic care as a treatment for back pain, headaches, neck pain, and arthritis. However, an adjustment can also help release toxins from your body. The vertebrae of the spine are put back into their proper alignment during a chiropractic adjustment. Since your central nervous system can then work correctly, it sends the message to your body to rid itself of toxins.

When looking for a chiropractor, you must consider their experience and approach to patient care. You want a chiropractor that has expertise practicing chiropractic medicine to treat a variety of concerns. It is also essential that they have a well-rounded approach and can provide individualized care for their patients. The team at Align Integrated Medical includes a nurse practitioner and chiropractic physicians with over 30 years of combined experience in the medical field. They provide patients with the very best in chiropractic care, physical, regenerative, and functional medicine, and rehab. Their team approach to wellness addresses your overall health needs. By considering every aspect of a patient’s condition, they can treat the root causes, not just patch the symptoms. Making sure your body is in total alignment will relieve aches and pains, increase energy levels, and enhance your body’s natural detoxification system.

Detoxing isn’t just a fad. It’s the way our bodies are designed to keep us healthy. We have allowed our lifestyles and environments to hinder this process. These five tips are designed to help you jump-start your journey to a healthier you. Your body is capable of amazing things. However, you must do your part to ensure it is functioning correctly.