It’s detox season. And many people are on some sort of detox protocol or cleanse, ranging from liquid diets and juice fasts to the latest super-food based fad diets. There are certain benefits to these but before you jump on the bandwagon - consider this.
What’s the purpose of detox cleanses anyway? Before detox became a health and wellness buzzword, it was associated with drug or alcohol rehab treatment. These days it’s synonymous with dieting and cleansing the body’s systems. The goal of detoxing is to get rid of toxins via waste elimination and to support your body's natural detox organs. You probably already know that our bodies naturally clean themselves internally every day through its various systems: respiratory, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal, and lymphatic systems and the skin. When our systems become overloaded they don’t run smoothly and our body might show signs that it might benefit from a cleanse.
As good as these protocols might be, they fall short in that they don’t address some of the main sources of toxicants in the first place. Environmental Toxins Expert & Educator and Certified Holistic Health Coach, Laura Adler illustrates it with “the story of the man who was asked to mop up the water from a leaking faucet… hours later he was still mopping up because he never bothered to shut off the tap!" When we don’t address chemical toxins coming into our bodies we’re constantly in a state of “mopping up.” Wouldn’t it be smart to stop, or significantly reduce the flow of toxins into the body in the first place?
Toxins enter our lives in different ways and fill up our bodies and environment with countless numbers of chemicals. From harmful substances in our furniture, cookware, and personal care items, to tainted food and water, to chronic stress - these pollutants end up in our bodies and are linked to disorders and cancers. It makes sense that we would want to detox!
As good as these protocols might be, they fall short in that they don’t address some of the main sources of toxicants in the first place.
Let's get to the point. Before you think about doing another detox, consider stopping or reducing the inflow of toxins first. Take small steps to clean up your home and skincare (we're partial to our facial line and bar soap). Shut off the tap and stop the inflow of toxins. And THEN mop up: get sleep, exercise, support your body’s natural detoxification with clean food and clean water and don’t sweat the rest. After all, any amount of effort for health is a step in the right direction. By reducing the flow of toxins into your body you just may eliminate the need to detox in the first place!
To care for your body in any form is a way to limit your exposure to toxins.
With love and a less toxic life,
