DETOX CHALLENGE
​
​
​
The human body was perfectly designed to handle normal exposure to natural toxins. However, there is nothing natural or normal about the constant exposure to air and water pollutants, medication, processed foods, preservatives, pesticides, fertilizers and heavy metal exposure.
​
What exactly does it mean to detox? How does it work? Who needs to detox?
​
In the medical field the word detox is often referred to when describing the weaning from medication. In alternative healthcare the word detox refers to the cleansing of toxins built up in the body. Conventional medicine routinely discredits these types of detoxification programs, offered by natural health experts as unnecessary, pointing to the natural and efficient processes in the body, as being perfectly designed to detoxify the human body. The liver, kidneys, lungs and are skin do a great job of detoxifying our body, under normal circumstances.
​
Unfortunately, the onslaught of pollutants, medications, metals, processed foods, preservatives, household cleaners, pesticides and fertilizers hinder the bodies natural detoxification process, making it beneficial to detox for optimal health. When the exposure to toxins is combined with inadequate nutrient requirements, to support the natural process of detoxification, poor overall health is the result.
When these toxins aren't processed efficiently, they are stored in the body. Toxins have an affinity for fatty tissue. They get deposited in your fat tissues. Having a high toxic load and dieting can release those toxins into your system at a high rate and create symptoms like headache, body aches and fatigue, as your body tries to eliminate these as fast as they are being released.
​
A proper detoxification system will help support natural detoxification pathways and make this transition faster and easier. The body needs certain nutrients to support the different phases of detoxification.
​
Even if your diet is clean, the odds of getting the nutrients necessary to properly detox are slim, especially while dieting, as calories are being cut.
Supplementation is an absolute necessity and a detoxification protocol may be your best chance of seeing optimal results. The major cause of 'diet plateau' in our office is the lack of detoxification, making detoxing a must before and during the diet.
​
Your body is in a constant state of renewal. Every second of the day you are breaking down old cells, while new ones are being created. New proteins are formed as others are expended. When a cell has reached the end of its useful life, it undergoes a process called apoptosis (or programmed cell death). This is an orderly process to rid the body of cells which are too old, damaged or mutated for repair. The cell is broken down into component parts
and then packaged up for “garbage collection” by various immune cells.
But there are other times when only certain parts of the cell need to be replaced – like replacing a dead battery or broken belt in a car.
This process is called autophagy – a metabolic process where old, weak and broken cellular structures are repaired, recycled and renewed through a form of self-cannibalization.
It is this intelligent breakdown of cellular waste that explains why fasting is so effective. Research has shown that autophagy has a positive effect on cell aging. It also plays an important role in the prevention of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, liver diseases, autoimmune disorders and infections.
With autophagy stimulation, the brain is better protected against oxidative stress. Calorie restriction ensures better insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of DM2.
The increased fat burning lowers the risk of being overweight and heart disease.
For our general health, it is important to regularly detox or follow a certain form of fasting regimen.
​
Your soul
Fasting is a wonderful opportunity also for a spiritual cleanse. It can be a unique opportunitu to adjust your goals and create new ones.
Why detox?
There are many good resons to do a detox:
​
• remove the toxins
• Cleaning the intestines
• Promoting metabolism
• Strengthening the imuune system
• Losing some kg
• A start to a healthier life
• Self reflection
​
After a few days of fasting, the elimination processes of your body are noticeable: stinking dark urine, dark stools or diarrhea, sweating, bad breath, white tongue, nausea, dizziness, stronger menstruation, colds, runny nose and so on. These are all natural, innocent methods of cleansing the body. These symptoms disappear automatically.
During the detox, it is important to support the body with nutritional supplements. The liver needs micronutrients to be able to detoxify properly. That is why the detox package contains supplements that support the liver, kidneys and intestines.
​
The detox program consists of 3 phases:
• Phase 1
This phase consists of 3 days. During these 3 days you prepare for the fasting. This means that you no longer use coffee, alcohol and sugar. The use of grains is being phased out.
• Phase 2
This phase consists of 3 or 6 days. This depends on what you have discussed with your detox specialist. During these days you will no longer use solid food. You "eat" 3 times a day a juice or a smoothie consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables. You can also drink as much water and herbal tea as you want.
• Phase 3
This phase lasts 3 days. During this phase you let your body slowly get used to solid food again. After 3 days you can resume your "normal" eating pattern. During this phase, it is important to listen carefully to your body and to stop eating when you are saturated.
A detox specialist and an orthomolecular therapist Katka will explain all the steps of the program and for those interested will measure all the participants and the beginning and at the end of the program.
​
The measurements are done on Tanita, a scale using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, also called BIA method. Thanks to this advanced technique, we can monitor body composition over a period of time including, such as total body water, fat %, muscle mass and visceral fat (among others).
Detox program is a beautiful tool to help your body feel better, healthier and happier!
