Spring is officially here! As you clean your house, you also need to help cleanse your body. The liver is responsible for detoxifying all the chemicals that we are exposed to through our diet, water, personal care products and the environment. Every spring your liver attempts to detoxify all the toxins that have been stored over the winter.
What causes Toxicity?
We live in a toxic world. Four billion tons of chemicals are used all over the world each year. Our amazing liver performs 500 functions.. Spring is the best time to help the liver work more efficiently. The liver is located under the rib cage on the front right side of the body.
The liver will store toxins in body fat if it cannot neutralize and eliminate them. This creates unwanted body fat that is difficult to get rid of. The liver is an efficient fat burning organ, but when it is overloaded with toxins, it cannot burn fat, resulting in weight gain.
There are 60 thousand chemicals today in the USA. Besides living in a toxic environment, we also ingest toxins as well. All of these chemicals are toxic to the human body and produce stress on the liver and the entire system.
Cleanse Your Body
When detoxifying you want to avoid the detox symptoms of nausea, feeling sick, headaches etc. It is essential whenever detox is done to make sure that you have specific foods and herbs to bind the toxins and to remove them from the body. Making sure the toxins are removed safely eliminates discomfort during detoxification.
Fasting can mobilize toxins, but it can also release them too quickly. Using protein powders can help facilitate detox by reducing caloric load, which mobilizes toxins from the fatty tissues. Supplementing with herbs to bind and remove the toxins is essential to preventing a detox reaction. Detox herbs that can help improve liver function include red clover, yellow dock, dandelion and milk thistle or silymarin.
The organs of elimination also need to be functioning when doing any kind of detox. Support for the colon needs to be included when detoxifying if your bowels are not moving several times a day. Less than optimal bowel function is related to body hydration and mineral deficiencies, and sometimes, hormonal imbalance. Improving elimination frequency is key to removing the toxins that the liver will be releasing from the stored body fat.
The nutrients and fiber from organic fruits, vegetables, and particularly organic sprouts of cruciferous vegetables aid in the entire detox process. Cruciferous vegetables include kale, broccoli and brussel sprouts. Beets, onions, garlic, asparagus and radishes are more foods that assist in liver detoxification. Increasing your water consumption is essential to help flush the toxins out of the body. Drink good filtered water, minimally 1/2 your body weight in ounces daily.
If eating these foods causes digestive distress, there are gentler ways to help the liver detoxify using homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic detoxification is a gentle, effective way to ease the burden on your liver and to help improve digestion and elimination. Combination detox kits are available with specific liver and digestive support for easy use.
There are several physician supervised detoxification programs combining diet, customized nutritional support, and lifestyle modifications that can result in weight loss, and improved liver enzymes as measured in the blood. Dietary changes to avoid sugar and processed foods are always helpful to the liver, as well as reducing your exposure to environmental toxins.
Ionic detox foot-baths and infrared detox are another way to help cleanse the liver and the whole system. These detox methods enhance the functioning of the detoxifying organs, including the liver, kidneys, colon, skin and lungs by facilitating capillary micro-circulation. The increased microcirculation helps to increase oxygen and blood flow through out the body.
Detox massage can improve blood and lymphatic flow, helping the liver and the entire body. Gentle chiropractic can improve brain communication to the liver to enhance liver function. There are specific liver reflexes that become activated during these procedures that aid the liver in its spring cleanse. Take advantage of the natural cycle of nature and use springtime to give your liver some help and cleanse your body.
Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, B.S., D.C., N.D.
