The Detox Connection
The liver, known as the body’s detoxifier, has well over 500 functions including controlling blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The key to its health is to support its 2 phases of detoxification – phase 1 and phase 2. This is a complex pathway for toxins to be converted and neutralized so that they can be safely eliminated out of the body. From a diet standpoint, eliminating allergic and inflammatory foods is necessary and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts), garlic, and high chlorophyll green drinks (wheat grass, barley grass, chlorella, spirulina) are important to support the phases of detoxification in the liver. Herbs such as dandelion, ginger, green tea, milk thistle and curcumin are essential components to keep the liver functioning well. In addition to toxin overload, dysfunctional liver activity is now strongly linked to an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension, which are core components of Metabolic Syndrome. Furthermore, evidence from studies in humans suggests that uncontrolled blood sugar is related to and can increase blood pressure, inflammation and increased risk of developing associated diseases ... it’s all connected!
In addition to the liver’s role in detoxification, the health of your intestinal tract is paramount to the cleansing and purification of the body. The intestinal tract is lined with millions of immune and nerve cells that help keep your body functioning well. So, when the intestinal tract is damaged from inflammation or sluggish from toxin overload, it will have far reaching negative effects on all organ systems in the body. The key to intestinal tract health is also elimination of allergic and inflammatory foods, and maintaining a healthy microbiome (probiotic healthy bacteria). High chlorophyll beverages (as mentioned above) help to chelate toxins in the intestinal tract and provide for a nice alkaline environment that is essential for its health. Additionally, the role of probiotics and prebiotics is critical to maintaining intestinal health. Remember, we have more bacteria in our body than we have cells! Understanding that there are many family members of these good bacteria such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces, etc., it is important that you choose a probiotic that contains as many of these strains as possible. Probiotics can be found throughout the body and on many organ systems. Their activity is not just limited to digestive health, but also for the health of your liver, lungs, brain, and heart.
Conventional medicine has shunned the idea that detoxification is important, but many studies have indicated that poor detoxification is a major cause of symptoms and disease in the body. There are many benefits of detoxifying for both your mental and physical health. It undoubtedly ignites your path to a healthier lifestyle with the added benefit of reducing your susceptibility to illness.






