Natural Body Detoxing
The first thing you need to know about detoxing is that your body actually has a whole detox system of its own. It has to, otherwise it would become poisoned by natural toxins, including waste products from food, dead bacteria and debris from the millions of new cells produced each day. To appreciate how the detox plans work, you need to understand the basics of this system.
The Liver
Food is processed in the stomach and the small intestine. Useful products are absorbed and waste products sent to the detox system. Seventy-five per cent of these pass through the liver, where harmful toxins, which are not water-soluble, are neutralized by natural enzymes, so they become water-soluble, and are passed to the kidneys or bowel for excretion.
Fat Stores
If the liver is overwhelmed by toxins, it can't process them. So, instead the body pushes the toxins into the fat stores, where they do less damage.
The Kidneys
The kidneys filter the blood, removing excess water and water-soluble toxins, that are then passed out in the urine.
The Skin
The skin, the largest organ of the body, also has a role to play in detox. Like the liver, the skin produces enzymes that make some of the toxins entering through it water-soluble.
These pass into the bloodstream and are excreted in urine or in sweat. Sweating also draws other toxins from the bloodstream.
The Lungs
The lungs remove carbon dioxide from the body and contain low levels of antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals. They also convert some toxins into water-soluble substances that can be exhaled.
The Lymphatic System
This series of tiny vessels runs into all areas of the body and transport nutrients in a fluid known as lymph. The lymphatic system is important in detox because it removes waste produced by the body; it's also a vital part of the body's immune system.
The Bowel
Harmful ingredients from the stomach are filtered out here and sent to the liver for processing. The bowel's main role is to excrete processed toxins in the faeces. If the bowel's function is sluggish, the faeces linger there and toxins can actually be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.