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#1 Reduce Toxins
The Cause Most people are either completely unaware of the damage chemical toxins are doing to their bodies or they have become completely addicted to the convenience or pleasure associated with the chemicals that they ignore the risks associated with their use. These toxins are all around us and are overloading our body's ability to eliminate them and before they damage the body. These toxins contribute to weight gain, low energy, mental sluggishness, severe Allergies and increased risk of one or more chronic diseases such as Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Arthritis. There are two basic approaches to reducing the toxins in our bodies.
Preventing Toxins In an effort to combat this fundamental health issue of epidemic proportions, the Nutrition Education Center has joined the movement (led by the Environmental Working Group) to spread the word that there is another way to live a healthier toxic-free lifestyle. The EWG has tools and resources to help you in your efforts to reduce the toxins in your environment by preventing your exposure to them. They test products that are on the market and provide each a scorecard to indicate their levels of toxicity. They even provide enough detail for you to determine the precise chemicals and the effects of them on humans. These test results are provided in Four easy to use databases on the EWG web site. You can use these databases to check the products in your house to determine how toxic they are. Using products that score on the lower end of the EWG toxic scale is an obvious goal. So if the products in your house are toxic, all you have to do is search the EWG databases for products that are safe, which you can buy to replace your toxic ones. Go visit the Environmental Working Group site and begin your detoxing your life. Eliminating Toxins
In addition to preventing the toxins coming into our bodies, we need to also increase our body's ability to eliminate the toxins that make it into our body. If you are not able to eliminate the toxins, then the body may encapsulate it in fat and store it in the muscle tissue. So high toxicity levels can lead to significant weight gain. The primary organs used to remove or neutralize toxins from our body are the Liver and the Kidneys. Other organs that play a role in the transport or elimination of toxins from our bodies, are the skin, the lymphatic system and the lungs. The Liver filters or neutralizes toxins as part of the digestion process. It then secretes a liquid called "bile" to transport the toxins along with other digestive enzymes into the small intestines. After traveling through the small intestines, the large intestines remove most of the water for reuse by the body, leaving behind solid waste for elimination from the body. The lymphatic system draws out cellular waste and debris toward the heart where it is reintroduced into the circulatory system. The Kidneys filter the toxins from our blood, after which it is eliminated from our body through the urine. Here are several ways that we can support our body's built-in toxin elimination system. |
Diet
One of the simplest ways to assist our liver and kidneys in maximizing their function is by eating foods that contain the enzymes that support the body's detoxification systems. Raw foods contain more live enzymes than food that has been cooked. Raw organic fruits and vegetables contain the most enzymes and should make up the majority of a persons daily diet. Juicing and Blending are popular and convenient ways to increase an individuals intake of raw fruits and vegetables. Not everyone has the time to do their own Juicing or Blending. So in this case the use of commercially available organic Juices and Smoothies are a valuable substitutes. Exercise The Lymphatic System is a part of your body's circulatory system. It uses a clear liquid called "Lymph" to remove toxins and waste from the cells in the outer regions of your body and transports them toward several key locations in the interior of body that empty into the lymphatic ducts, which then drain into veins where the blood circulation delivers them to the liver and kidneys for removal from the body. The lymph is moved along the lymphatic vessel network by either intrinsic contractions of the lymphatic passages or by extrinsic compression of the lymphatic vessels via external tissue forces (e.g., the contractions of skeletal muscles). The contraction of the skeletal muscles squeeze the walls of lymphatic vessels to push lymph through a series of one-way valves and towards the center of the body where the action of the diaphragm (while breathing) aids in the movement of lymph. So keeping the body physically moving (contraction of the skeletal muscles) is important to keep the lymphatic system flowing and removing toxins. That means that the opposite is also true, that sitting around all day working on the computer and then sitting around all night watching TV, will minimize the movement of your Lymph in your body and the removal of toxins. Lymphatic Drainage Massage This specific massage therapy is designed to help circulate the lymph fluid through the body's Lymphatic System. For individuals who do not have a regular exercise program, this massage can be very beneficial in helping to keep the lymphatic system flowing and removing toxins. Colon Cleanse The main job of the colon (large intestine) is to absorb water and nutrients from food and remove waste and toxins. Over the years the colon walls can become encrusted with non-eliminated waste, making it sluggish and inefficient. The waste encrusted on the walls of the colon may putrify over time and begin to produce toxins that are absorbed back into our blood. This can also lead to constipation which is damaging to every cell and organ in our body, not just to our intestines Certain fruits, vegetables and herbs also aid the body in increasing the body's ability to eliminate toxins from the body. Commercially available detox supplements are also an alternative for helping to support your detox efforts. Just be warned that you may need to be near a restroom when taking them, as the body's process for eliminating toxins/waste will be in overdrive. Many health practitioners recommend periodic enemas as a method to flush waste out of the colon. It's not such a bad idea when you consider that the average person may have up to 10 pounds or more of non-eliminated waste in the large intestine! |