Whether you are spending a 'Dry January' away from alcohol or are ditching processed foods - the transition into a healthier lifestyle can be a little bumpy.
Here are some quick tips to ditch that groggy feeling in the morning, afternoon migraines or sleepless nights that are standing between you and your goals.
1. Use Activated Charcoal
One of the quickest ways to reset your clogged detoxification organs is by taking activated charcoal.
It can help eliminate toxins in the intestinal tract that are either coming from your diet, environmental chemicals, or toxins made by the 'bad' bacteria in your gut called endotoxins.
Endotoxins are very common and are often responsible for symptoms of joint pain, bloating, brain fog, and food sensitivities.
Activated charcoal binds onto these poisons to get out of the body.
Bamboo-derived activated charcoal, also known as 'takesumi,' is the best form of activated charcoal as it does not deplete the body of minerals as quickly as other forms of activated charcoal.
Be aware that charcoal is a temporary solution and that the cause of the detox symptoms should also be addressed.
Activated charcoal is best taken in short bursts.
2. Take Milk Thistle Or Another Form Of Liver Support
The liver's job is to clean your blood from toxins that buildup in your body.
For those living a healthy lifestyle in a clean environment with minimal stress and no processed foods or chemicals entering your body - they may never need to take supplements to support liver function.
For the rest of us, the near-constant onslaught of chemicals, preservatives, pollution and synthetics entering our body - most of which, even those added to our food, are not tested for human consumption - the burden on our liver is significant.
Read more about Toxicity
This means that once we initiate a lifestyle change, like drinking fresh vegetable juice in the morning, engaging in daily exercise or quitting processed foods, it can create turmoil in the body.
This shift to a healthier lifestyle sends a signal to your body in the form of increased nutrients that you are 'cleaning house' - and your body is really excited to help out.
Toxins stored in tissues are released into the bloodstream to be filtered out and eliminated by the liver.
If you are losing weight, chemicals that have been stored in your fat are also released into your bloodstream.
Green juices contain powerful components that tell your body to release toxins even faster.
With all of this going on, your liver can get 'backed-up'.
Symptoms of a backed-up liver include:
Headaches/Migraines
Neck and Shoulder Pain
Swelling Behind The Knees
Sleep Disturbance (Especially Between 1-3 am)
Dizziness
Irritability
Stomach Pain
Diarrhea/Constipation
Hot Flashes
With a few steps, you can assist your liver (and other detoxification organs) to function at full capacity again.
Milk thistle offers powerful short term support for whole-body detoxification.
Ask your doctor if Milk Thistle would be right for you to take as, rarely, those with ragweed allergies can have a severe reaction and this supplement may not be best for everyone.
Other powerful detoxification supplements include:
Dandelion Root
N-Acetyl-Cysteine
Basil
Artichoke Extract
Cucumber Juice (particularly if hot flashes are one of your symptoms)
3. Increase Water Intake
Your minimum intake of water should be roughly half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Be sure that the water you are drinking is purified as many sources of tap water are contaminated with lead and cadmium which would increase the toxic burden of your body.
4. Engage In Physical Exercise
The lymphatic system (the pathway that escorts toxins out of the body) uses the movement of your body to operate.
Unlike your circulatory system, which has your heart as a pump, the lymphatic system relies on muscle contractions to function normally.
This means that when you are detoxifying it is very important to walk, stretch, jog - anything to assist your body in expelling toxins.
Compression stockings (like the ones you wear on long plane rides) can assist in this process.
5. Eat Regularly (And Get Enough Fiber)
Low blood sugar can strain a body that is already working so hard to clean house.
Make sure you get enough dietary fiber as this is an often-overlooked component to a healthy diet.
Dietary fiber helps escort toxins out of the body and promotes healthy elimination - both of which are key to any detoxification process.
Remember that your healthy changes should be integrated into your lifestyle permanently and any changes that are too extreme wont be sustainable.
How Functional Medicine Can Help
If you experience detox symptoms often or they are severe, it could be a sign of a larger issue.
You may have a genetic variant that makes it more difficult for your body to detoxify or you may be deficient in a few key vitamins and minerals.
Functional medicine testing can pinpoint why you are having these symptoms and can use natural treatments to help you get better.
Feel free to schedule a Free 15 Minute Consultation or call or text my office at 913-728-5291.
My clinic offers functional medicine appointments as well as manual chiropractic treatments. I do online consultations for those out-of-state or outside of the United States.
If you think that you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information. Nor should you ever delay seeking medical advice or treatment due to the information contained on this Website.