Q. What is a Toxin?

A. A poisonous substance that can cause harm to the body

Have you ever thought about the number of toxins you encounter on a daily basis?

In the 21st century, more than at any other time in history, you are bombarded with toxins. In addition to environmental pollution, there are many toxins in the food you eat, including pesticides and even hormones in intensively farmed meats. Your body is dealing with substances for which it wasn’t designed. Add to that the toxic waste your body also generates through normal processes like digesting food and creating energy.

Although detox is a normal process your body does day in, day out, your system can quickly become overburdened. The detoxification machinery is not always able to keep up with demand. Anything that cannot be eliminated and excreted is locked up safely in the fat stores.

We are constantly exposed to toxins through the air we breathe, the food we eat and through our skin. These toxins may come from plastics, petrol fumes, toiletries, cosmetics, household cleaning products, heavy metals, pesticides on the food we eat, non-stick pans and many more. The list is endless.

If you find you have allergies or food intolerances, frequent headaches, sensitivity to chemicals and environmental pollutants, chronic digestive problems, muscle aches and inflammatory conditions, you may have exceeded your body’s capacity to detoxify. And now is when you’ll start to do something about it.

Some people are more susceptible to toxicity than others…

This largely depends on the levels of toxins you’ve been exposed to, the kinds of helpful (or otherwise) nutrients in the food you eat, as well as your genetic disposition. Some people are simply better detoxifiers than others!

This is just your external sources, but what goes on inside your body?

Your liver is one of the hardest-working organs in your body, though it has a little help from the kidneys, the digestive system, your skin and lungs.

How does detoxing work?

Essentially, detoxification is a two-step process. The main work is carried out by your liver, and it involves a complex set of chemical reactions designed to turn toxic chemicals into harmless ones, which are then safely eliminated.

The different steps in this process rely on a number of nutrients to help.

Detoxification happens in two stages, known as Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Phase 1

This first phase prepares the toxins for elimination, turning fat-soluble toxins into some that are more easily excreted using enzymes. The more toxins you’re exposed to, the faster these detox enzymes (called P-450 enzymes) have to work.

Caffeine, alcohol, pollutants, cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, high-protein diets, preservatives and chemical fertilisers, paint fumes, damaged trans fats, steroid hormones and charcoal-barbecued meat make this phase 1 process much harder.

 Phase 2

This second phase of detoxification binds the end products of phase 1 detoxification to specific nutrients, depending on what is being detoxified. That might mean glutathione, sulphur or carbon groups, and this sends the toxins down four specific pathways called conjugation, sulfation, methylation and glucuronidation.

The two detox phases work together, and in the end, the toxins are excreted in your sweat, urine, and in your stools.

Autumn is a great time for a detox. As the days get shorter many people find they have less energy and I find my 14 day programme gives me the extra energy I need as I approach shorter and darker days

 Sound good to you? Then join my 14 Day Detox Programme.

More info and booking link on my website.