Did you know you might be due for an internal cleansing? We are exposed to environmental situations every day that can lead to the buildup of toxins in our bodies. This can result in sluggish energy, mood swings, stress, and low self-esteem. The good news is, many of these toxins are avoidable and there are simple lifestyle changes you can make that will leave you feeling healthy and confident.

PlumbTalk Women spoke with David Katz MD, founding director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and promoter of holistic medicine, to learn about detoxification methods that improve overall health. To our surprise, Dr. Katz didn’t have us run out to buy the latest cleansing product. Instead, he offers an approach to detoxification that includes three natural behaviors. But before we get to these, let’s explore the cause of toxin buildup.

What Causes Toxins to Buildup in Your Body?

The first step of detoxification is acknowledging the habits that cause you to feel sluggish, tired, or irregular.

  • Over-exposure to the sun
  • Stress
  • Tobacco use and alcohol consumption
  • Eating processed foods
  • An unbalanced diet
  • Limited time spent engaging in physical activity

Each of these behaviors allows for toxins to remain in your body, and in the long-run can leave you feeling unmotivated and unhealthy.

Flushing Out the Bad

David Katz MD sheds light on healthy ways to detoxify your body. His advice is twofold.

  1. Stay Natural

    “The body already has a natural detoxification system; this consisting of the liver, kidney, and spleen. These organs work to flush your system regularly.”

    It is important to support the body’s natural process of detoxification by keeping these organs healthy.

    Medical writer Kathleen Zelman underscores this advice by saying, “There is no basis in human biology that indicates we need fasting or any other detox formula to detoxify the body because we have our own internal organs and immune system to take care of excreting toxins.”

  2. Maintain Emotional Balance

    In addition, a healthy lifestyle means adopting good habits for the long-term. It’s about maintaining a mindset that enjoys making healthy choices, flushing out the bad, and embracing the good.

As Dr. Katz says, “a healthy lifestyle can only be accomplished through getting adequate sleep, making efforts to decrease lifetime stress, and by loving others [and] being loved.”

As one Livestrong.com article puts it, “A healthy lifestyle generally includes living your life in a way that keeps you physically and mentally healthy, no matter your stage of life.”

Keeping the Liver, Kidney and Spleen Healthy… The Natural Way

Dr. Katz enlightens us on several ways to start flushing out the toxins.

  • Choose foods that are “close to the ground,” such as plant foods which are high in fiber and good for digestion.
  • Purchase organic fruits and vegetables if possible.
  • Wash produce thoroughly to reduce the risk of exposing the body to pesticides and toxic substances.
  • Exercise regularly to increase blood flow to your body’s detoxifying organs.
  • Stop Smoking
  • Limit alcohol consumption, which is a habit that is hard on your body’s detoxifying organs.

Three Factors that Promote Natural Detoxification

Dr. Katz recommends focusing on healthy lifestyle principles. More specifically, he emphasizes the importance of targeting three key factors in your life:

  • Sleep-

    Adequate amounts of sleep allow your body to naturally repair itself.

  • Stress reduction-

    Stress has a negative impact on the body. Reducing your stress level is imperative to overall health.

  • Love-

    Engaging in loving relationships is a natural “antitoxin” which supports your efforts to remain healthy.

Taking care of our mental and emotional health is just as important as maintaining our physical health. In fact, these three personal components cannot be separated when we consider our overall wellness.

Are You In Control?

PlumbTalk Women is devoted to helping women boost their self- esteem by encouraging healthy lifestyle habits. If you want to increase your energy, better your relationships, and experience great self- esteem every day, detoxify all of your life! In the words of Dr. Katz, “We can be in control of our medical destiny.”

To learn more about detoxification and healthy habits, please feel free to contact Dr. David Katz at: [email protected]

Resources:

-2006 Consumer Report Article “When it pays to buy organic” http://www.greenerchoices.org/organics/GCOrganics.pdf

-Natural Resources “Newsletter” by John Weeks: http://www.intergrativepractitioner.com/dfault.aspx

-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Website: http://nccam.nih.gov/

References

Lynn, D. (2011). Healthy Lifestyle Management. Livestrong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/542170-healthy-lifestyle-management/

Zelman, K. M. The Truth About Detox Diets. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/detox-diets-purging-myths

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