Immerse yourself in the wellness world even a little bit and you’ll see the concept of detoxing everywhere. There are hundreds of different ways you can cleanse your body of dangerous toxins. From sipping on bone broth to doing a Whole30 diet, there’s a detoxification advice out there for everyone.
With the world becoming increasingly toxic, choosing to detox isn’t so much a matter of what as a matter of when. In this article, we’ll look at ten warning signs you need to detox and tips to get started now with gentle detoxification tips. Individuals are unique and what works for one person might not work for the next person. Have you ever gone on a detox and felt like you were dying a slow death or flat out with the Keto flu? Well, there is definitely an art to ensuring that your body is adequately supported during a cleanse in order to accomplish the goals you have set out to achieve.
Brain fog and constant fatigue may be reasons to consider a cleanse or detox
Copyright: fizkes / 123RF Stock Photo
Your Detox Pathways
Your body naturally cleanses itself of toxins every day. However, the toxic load our bodies are under is higher than it’s ever been. Research shows that there is a link between our increased toxin exposure and autoimmune disease.
How do you deal with this abundance of toxins? Or have you even thought about it? For many people, you don’t know what you don’t know.
Your body has four detoxification organs that work to keep the body happy and healthy. We discussed these four detoxification pathways in depth in the first part of this two part series. But to recap, the four organs are the liver, kidneys, skin, and digestive system.
When your normal detoxification pathways fail, your body begins to react in several tell-tale signs. Before we get to your body’s warning signs, let’s go over some common toxins found in our everyday household items.
Common Toxins
Toxic chemicals are found in everything from the shampoo you used this morning to the plastic Tupperware container that you stored your leftovers in last night. It’s a sad fact of life in today’s world that we are constantly overwhelmed with chemicals.
It’s not just any chemical, though, chemical compounds that are foreign to our bodies and could cause an immune response are called xenobiotics. These chemicals are implicated in the initiation, progression, and exacerbation of autoimmune disease and many other health issues.
We often think of harsh cleaners as the culprits of many of the toxins we should steer clear of. But, did you know your makeup and beauty products can have just as many toxins! I wrote an entire blog post on the five most dangerous toxins in your personal care products and how to avoid them.
The following contains a list of dangerous toxins you may be exposed to in day to day life:
- Soy
- Pesticides
- BPA (found in many plastics)
- PFOA (non-stick)
- Triclosan
- Fragrance
- Phthalates
- Parabens
- Dioxins
- Flame retardants
- Heavy metals
10 Warning Signs You Need to Detox
While our body has natural detoxification pathways, environmental factors and poor lifestyle choices can clog those pathways. Even if you live a mostly clean lifestyle and eat organic food, you are still exposed to many unwanted toxins in the environment (what the heck, right!?). It has even been found that babies are now born with over 200 industrial chemicals and unnatural compounds in their blood.
So, how in the world do you know when you need to detox? Let’s take a look at several symptoms you may experience that are signs of a heavy toxic burden.
Constant Fatigue
Constantly feeling exhausted is not normal. Whether it is due to increased stress or feelings of depression, it’s not how your body is meant to function. In fact, some cases of chronic fatigue lasting six months or longer are known as an illness called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This syndrome has been linked to an experience of toxin exposure. Additionally, increased levels of cortisol due to excessive stress and toxin buildup can also be the culprit of your exhaustion.
Insatiable Sweet Tooth
Persistent sweet cravings may be a sign of nutrient deficiencies and a reason to complete a cleanse.
Insatiable cravings are a sign that something isn’t right. Normally perpetrated by a diet of processed foods, insatiable cravings can mess up your blood sugar levels and leptin hormones. Your brain helps regulate the food you crave so unnatural levels of blood sugar and hormones can make our body crave food even more! Organic, whole foods rich in hormone balancing nutrients will help satiate that sweet tooth.
Stressed and Overwhelmed
Not all detoxes focus on food! You may have a great diet and impeccable lifestyle but still exhibit autoimmune symptoms, depression, or GI (Gut) issues. Stress is a major contributor to chronic disease and toxin build up. In fact, I would even venture so far as to call stress a toxin itself! Some stress can be good for us, but without a healthy mindset it can easily overtake us. Sometimes you need a detox from toxic relationships, social media, and negative thoughts.
Brain Fog
Brain fog is the experience of forgetfulness or difficulty focusing. Also known as mental cloudiness, it’s a sign of toxin buildup. When your body can’t expel toxins quick enough, it causes a buildup of inflammation. Yep, inflammation in your brain can happen too! It affects your protective blood-brain barrier and is known as “leaky brain.”
Allergies are No Longer Seasonal
As an extension of your digestive system, your sinuses are a good indicator when something is not working properly. Allergies that are no longer seasonal are a sure sign you may need to detox. The health of your gut directly impacts inflammation, if you have poor gut health you’ll have poor immunity as well.
You’re Experiencing Skin Problems
Our body likes to give us clues when it isn’t feeling well. Being that our skin is an organ we can see, it is often the first to reveal if something is off. If you are overloaded with toxins your body will try to expel those toxins through pores in the skin. It may become itchy or flaky, or you may experience acne or breakouts, mild rashes, and other blemishes.
You are Sick All the Time
If you are always the one to get sick it could be a sign you need to detox or cleanse. If you pick up every bug, virus, and common cold out there, your immune system does not function as it should. When your detoxification pathways are on overdrive due to a high toxin build-up, it takes energy away from your immune system, resulting in a poor immune response.
Digestive Issues
Digestive issues are one of the more common signs that you need to change your diet and help your body with detoxification. Symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, gas, and constipation are not only uncomfortable, but also a sign that your GI tract is not functioning properly.
You Struggle to Lose Weight
This one may be surprising but when we have the mindset of, “get healthy to lose weight,” instead of, “lose weight to get healthy,” it makes more sense. While lifestyle choices do impact weight problems, excessive belly (visceral) fat is also a sign your body needs to detox. Toxins can be stored in your fat, making it much harder for your body to break down the fat cells. In fact, numerous studies show the link between toxic chemicals and weight gain.
You Experience Joint Pain
Ongoing inflammation from toxin buildup can affect your joints and muscles and may be a reason to cleanse. Constant aches and pains, that are not caused from going to the gym, are a sign you need to detox. Chronic inflammation is most likely the culprit so a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods will help cure those aches.
5 Tips to Help You Detox
Hydration is imperative for successful detoxification.
Now that you’re examining your body and thinking about possible symptoms you have that mean you need to detox, let’s talk about five tips to help you detox. Don’t worry, friends, I’m not going to leave you hanging! Here are five things you can do right now to start supporting your body’s natural detoxification pathways and cleanse efficiently.
- Only use green, non-toxic cleaning supplies, especially those with plant-based ingredients.
- Use essential oils instead of toxic fragrances.
- Use non-toxic personal care products.
- Eat more green leafy vegetables like kale, collards, spinach, and chard and drink plenty of water.
- Grab a friend to go on a cleanse with!
Ready to change your health for good? As a Certified Holistic Health Coach I work one-on-one with clients to help them achieve optimal health through a joy-filled, no-stress process. Get started by filling out my connect form!
