Detoxing Your Body

How Does Detoxification Work?

Detoxification means cleaning the blood. It does this mainly by removing impurities from the blood in the liver, where toxins are processed for elimination. The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin. However, when this system is compromised, impurities aren't properly filtered and every cell in the body is adversely affected.

How to Detox Your Body

The ideal way to detox your body is to begin with a 24-hour fast, if you feel up to it and are not on any medications. Seek your doctor’s or nutritionist’s advice if you are unsure. Choose a day when it is not necessary to be very active – preferably a day when you are not physically challenged. You also need to drink lots of fluid during a fast, as dehydration must never be allowed, but drink only water or hot water and fresh lemon juice. To aid inner cleansing, a very good health habit is to both begin and end the day with a drink of hot water and fresh lemon juice. This has a cleansing effect on the liver and kidneys, as well as the rest of the digestive system. Eat as much raw food as possible for the rest of the week. Raw fruit and vegetables are not only the easiest food for the body to digest, and the means of getting the most nutrition from food, but they also have a brilliant cleansing effect on the body. The high fiber content of fruits and vegetables is excellent for flushing toxic residues out of the body. If you try this approach, you will see an improvement in your overall health. By including Pranayam (Yoga's deep breathing exercises) you can have improved circulation of blood, which would bring more oxygen to your blood leading to the expulsion of toxins through the bloodstream.

A Detox Program Can Help The Body's Natural Cleaning Process By

• Resting the organs through fasting
• Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body
• Promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin
• Improving circulation of the blood
• Refueling the body with healthy nutrients

Detox Action Plan

Begin your detox at the weekend or during a time when you don’t have too much going on.

Walk for at least 15 minutes every day.

Drink at least 2 liters of water a day – purified, distilled, filtered or bottled. You can also drink dandelion coffee or herb teas.

Have ½ liter of fruit or vegetable juice – either carrot and apple juice (you can buy these two separately and combine with one-third water) with grated ginger, or fresh watermelon juice – a day. The flesh of the watermelon is high in beta-carotene and vitamin C. The seeds are high in vitamin E, as well as the antioxidant minerals zinc and selenium. You can make a great antioxidant cocktail by blending fresh fruit and seeds in a blender into a great-tasting drink.

Don’t be surprised if you feel worse for a couple of days before you start to feel better. This is especially likely if you are eliminating foods to which you are dependent.

Take a double dose daily of quality multivitamin/mineral supplements, plus two 1,000 mg vitamin C capsules and antioxidant complex.