6 Different Ways to Detoxify Your Body

Every day we dump toxins into our bodies through food, alcohol, tobacco and stress. Modern lifestyles provide little respite for our body and diminishes its ability to process and cleanse itself from harmful toxins.

Our immune system, lungs, kidney and liver provide a natural defence against toxins and do a respectable job at preventing self-inflicted damage, but how can reverse some of the damage we’ve already done to ourselves?

There are a number of suggested benefits from detoxification methods and cleanses in the medical community. Although the effectiveness of some of the more ‘out-there’ methods is still dubious, there are still some widely accepted ‘detoxification’ methods which are also affordable and can be carried out as part of our busy, daily routines.

Detoxification #1
Warm Lemon Water

Effort: Low
Cost: $

Drinking warm water with a healthy amount of fresh lemon squeezed into it has multiple benefits. Two of the key benefits are that it aids digestion and helps reduce inflammation in the body, the latter of which is now being blamed for many of the health related issues out there.

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Warm lemon water stimulates and detoxifies the liver, which is one of the most damaged organs in modern society as a result of toxic additives, chemicals, and drinking. Author A.F. Beddoe believes that the liver produces more enzymes in response to water with lemon than to any other food.

There are also radical ‘lemon water detoxes which can last for up to 7 days, however we’d prefer to simply drink lemon water on a daily basis, first thing in the morning. By drinking warm lemon water in the morning, it triggers our livers into producing more healthy enzymes, allowing for the faster breakdown of food and a healthier digestive system.

Detoxification #2
Dry Skin Brushing

Effort: Medium
Cost: $

Did you know that your skin is actually the largest organ on your body? Your skin is a complex system made up of nerves, glands, and cell layers, when healthy they serve as a boundary that helps protect your body from temperatures and chemicals. Importantly, one third of your body’s toxins are excreted through the skin and dry brushing helps to unclog pores and excrete toxins that become trapped in the skin.

Dry skin brushing also stimulates your lymphatic system, aiding in detoxification. When your lymphatic system is not in an ideal state, waste and toxins can build up in your pores making you sick. Dry skin brushing not only improves the appearance of your skin by eliminating dead cells and helping new skin to regenerate but it also stimulates blood circulation.

Detoxification #3
Alkaline Foods

Effort: Medium
Cost: $$

An alkaline diet bundles together alkaline foods such as whole fruits and vegetables and certain whole grains, which are low in caloric density. The body includes a number of organ systems that are adept at neutralising and eliminating excess acid, but there is a limit to how much acid even a healthy body can cope with effectively.

The alkaline foods cleanse includes uncooked fruits and vegetables, combined with smaller amounts of raw nuts, seeds and sprouts. This is an excellent way to detoxify the colon, liver and other bodily systems. It reduces the body’s need to constantly attempt to alkalize the acidic nature of the blood, from eating a modern, non-alkaline diet. The sole aim of an alkaline cleanse is to flood the body with an abundance of easily absorbed and assimilated alkalizing nutrients so that the body can detoxify, cleanse and rebuild itself.

In basic terms, you give your body all the good stuff it needs, and none of the unhealthy stuff that harms it, in a way that it is as easy as possible for your body to digest and use.

Detoxification #4
Liver Cleanse

Effort: Medium
Cost: $$

Like the alkaline foods cleanse, additional ways for cleansing the liver include eating more bitter greens and drinking chlorophyll juices such as wheat-grass and dandelion greens. Other positively liver-loving foods include carrots, celery, limes, lemons and beets. Spices that offer cleansing effects on the liver include turmeric, rosemary, cayenne, cumin and curry. It’s important to avoid ‘acidic’ foods like coffee, milk and soft drinks. Stick to tap water, purified water and/or apple juice.

For a great write up about which foods are perfect for an alkaline cleanse, check out this article.

Detoxification #5
High-Intensity Exercise

Effort: High
Cost: $

Exercise is the best remedy of them all, which is why it’s always worrying when I hear from someone “I just can’t find just 15 minutes a day to exercise”, bullshit. Studies have shown that if you perform high-intensity exercise during the day, it’ll help you sleep more deeply and achieve a greater number of REM cycles.

Disregard what Napoleon said about men needing only 6 hours of sleep per night. To perform at our peak, it’s recommended that our bodies get a good 7-8 hours a night to recover and rejuvenate, so anything that will help you meet this quota will give that detox process a helping hand.

As well as feeling much better rested, those high-intensity exercise sessions will have you feeling pretty happy as well. Doctors state that doing high intensity exercise for over 30 minutes will give you that natural high you get from your body’s production of endorphins, boosting your mood and improving your productivity and drive.

Detoxification #6
Colonics or Colon Cleanse

Effort: High
Cost: $$$

What goes in must come out. When it comes to food, everything that goes into our mouths ends up in our colons, where our body absorbs nutrients as well as any toxins that came along for the ride.

If you’re unsure what a colon cleanse, it’s the water-based flushing of your colon. Though enemas and colon cleanses may seem terribly uncomfortable, cleaning the colon on a regular basis is considered by many colonoscopy doctors to be essential in maintaining an internally clean, healthy digestive system. Colonics may not be for everyone, so as an alternative a high-quality colon cleanser could be the preferred choice.

Although colon cleanses are in fashion right now, US-based Dr. Marrero notes that colon cleansing isn’t the thorough purification that many people may think it is because the procedure flushes out only the colon, not the small bowel. “The only way to clean out the small bowel is eating a healthy diet of fruits and veggies,” Marrero says.

In case you couldn’t tell, we at Lucid are passionate about body betterment, neuro-enhancement, productivity & focus. To be kept up to date on any other blogs or infographics, add yourself to our community mailing list.