Toxicity is a Major Problem
In this day and age, it’s impossible to keep harmful toxins out of your body since they are virtually everywhere, largely due to industrialization. To make matters worse, you may have a poor diet that significantly lacks the nutritional value to fuel your body’s detoxifying capacity. All of these factors can contribute to an accumulation of toxins, called toxic overload or toxicity.
Where Do Toxins Come From?
Toxins can derive from chemical and environmental pollutants, heavy metals, mold, pesticides, solvents, plastics, chemical cleaning compounds, drugs, alcohol, particleboard, vinyl flooring, carpets, hair dye, cosmetics, and food additives. The list of toxins goes on and on, while new ones are being discovered like EMFs (electronic magnetic frequencies). However, toxins can also come from normal metabolism and intestinal build-up of unhealthy bacteria within your own body.
How Toxicity Can Affect Your Health
A number of symptoms and conditions have been associated with toxic exposure and toxicity including:
- Headaches and Migraines
- Hair Loss
- Obesity, weight gain, and inability to lose weight
- Fibromyalgia
- Diabetes
- Insomnia
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chemical and food sensitivities
- Hormone imbalances
- Digestive problems
- Joint and muscle pain
- Cognitive decline and brain fog
- Cancer
- Parkinson’s
- Alzheimer’s
It’s pretty scary. While there’s no way to completely escape these toxins, we do have 2 options:
- Reduce our exposure to them.
- Enhance our bodies’ innate ability to break down and detoxify them.
The term detoxification (or detox for short) refers to your body’s ability to transfer and remove toxins. Detoxification represents a broad spectrum of bodily processes that help maintain the body’s health when exposed to harmful substances.
Support Your Body’s Detox Process to Remove Toxins
Detoxification of Stored Toxins Involves 3 Stages
Only substances that are easily dissolved in water or water-soluble can be effectively excreted from the body. Toxic compounds are typically stored as fatty molecules that accumulate in fatty tissues and therefore, do not mix well in water. The detoxification process transforms these toxic, fat-soluble substances into harmless, water-soluble molecules which can then be excreted out of the body. The primary organs of detoxification are the liver, intestines, kidneys, gallbladder, and skin.
Many Benefits of Detoxification
In addition to feeling better – safe and regular detoxification can play a huge role in slowing the aging process. It may improve energy, digestion, mood, and skin tone. It can also modulate inflammation and balance hormones. It plays an enormous role in enabling easier weight loss that is sustainable.
Healthy Detoxification Requires Healthy Nutrients
To boost these detoxification phases, it’s crucial to eat ample amounts of organic vegetables and quality protein. Garlic, cruciferous vegetables, and other sulfur-containing antioxidants are important for the phase 2 enzymes. Stay hydrated because without sufficient water – soft drinks and coffee and not substitutes – your body’s metabolic processes will begin to slow and eventually shut down. In terms of the detox process, fluids are necessary for removing toxins through the urine and stool.
There is Nutritional Support for Detoxification
Studies have shown that the overall detoxification process is heavily nutrient-dependent. Key steps are fueled by vitamins, minerals, and other major food components. These are a few nutrients that help to maintain and improve detoxification:
- Zinc, pantothenic acid, and probiotics
- Vitamins A, B3, B6, B12, C, E, and beta-carotene
- Amino acids L-glutamine, N-acetylcysteine, and taurine
Long-term Fasting May Do More Harm Than Good
Since the detoxification process needs a lot of energy, fasting with water or juice has been shown to be both ineffective and can be even dangerous. Prolonged fasting may weaken muscles and other organs, eliminating the essential nutrients required for healthy detoxification
How We Can Help
At Fortitude Functional Nutrition, we offer a number of advanced methods along with laboratory testing to identify optimal detoxification options for each client based on their specific needs and goals.