Unfortunately toxins are everywhere in our society and it is getting harder and harder to avoid them. Some reports are stating that over 1,000 new toxins are being added to our food, water and air each year without our knowledge or consent. These toxins wreak havoc on the body and have been linked to everything from fatigue, hormone problems and even cancer. However there are many simple, easy and inexpensive ways to detox them out of your body.
1. Oil Pulling. Oil pulling is a great, easy way to get rid of toxins. You can use sesame seed oil, coconut oil or olive oil. What you do is take about a teaspoon of the oil and swish it around in your mouth and through your teeth for 15 minutes. The oil will pull toxins out of your mouth and gums. I personally do this every morning with coconut oil and if I have had a toothache, it always gets rid of it. Many people believe that it can prevent root canals. When you are done swishing, spit it out in the garbage. Do not swallow it as it is filled with toxins. Also, do not spit it out in the sink as certain oils such as coconut oil can clog the drain.
2. Sauna or Steam Room. Our skin is our largest organ of the body and we can release a lot of toxins through our sweat glands. Infrared saunas therapeutically are the most effective at detoxing; however some people prefer the wet heat of a steam room. These are not effective as an infrared sauna but they are still good for detoxing. I recommend this infrared sauna. This one is the only one is low in EMFs and inexpensive. For steam, I recommend this one. Both of these are portable and easily fold up. I personally have this one and love it. If you don’t want to buy your own, many gyms and health clubs have these.
3. Detox Tea. This is an herbal tea that works on the kidney and liver detox pathways. I recommend this one.
4. Dry Skin Brushing. This is another great, easy way to release toxins through the skin, and it is very inexpensive. First you need to get a dry brush, like this. Before showering, you simply brush your skin all over towards your heart for about 5-10 minutes. You start with each leg, brushing towards the heart. Then your arms, then your abdomen, back, chest and neck. This helps to open your pores so toxins can be released. It also helps to increases circulation and get rid of cellulite.
5. Detox Bath. This is a great way to relax and release toxins. What you do is run a hot bath and put in it, 2 cups of epsom salts and 1/2 cup of baking soda. According to my one of my teachers from Nutrition School, this is particularly good to do after air travel or at other times when you are highly exposed to EMFs as this will detox them out of your body. This will release other toxins as well.
6. Coffee enemas. Coffee enemas are a great way to detoxify the liver. They also are very energizing, give you tons of mental clarity, and help to get rid of joint pain and stimulate the immune system. Click here for more information.
7. Hot and cold showers. What you do is stand in the shower and turn the water to hot and let it run over your back and spine, then switch to cold, to hot and back to cold. This stimulates your circulatory system and allows you to release toxins through the skin.
8. Castor oil pack. This is a pack that goes over your abdomen. The castor oil draws out toxins from the liver. To do this you need a bottle of castor oil (like this), a piece of flannel, large enough to cover your abdomen, a plastic bag, a towel and a heating pad. What you do is saturate the flannel in castor oil and place it over your abdomen. Then cover it with plastic, then the towel and then the heating pad. Leave it on for an hour.
9. Hot water with lemon. This is a great thing to do when you first wake up in the morning. Our bodies are naturally in cleansing mode when we first wake up in the morning. This makes a good replacement for tea or coffee. You just take a cup of hot water and add the juice of one lemon and drink it. This helps to cleanse the liver.
10. Juicing. This juice is very detoxifying to the liver. You need to use a juicer, not a blender. I recommend this one. Use 1/2 beet, 1/2 cucumber, handful of parsley, and 2 ribs of celery to make one serving.
11. Deep breathing. This is very detoxing to the lungs. You simply close your eyes and focus on your breath, breathing deeply in and out for 5-10 minutes or longer.
12. Colon Cleanse. This is a simple colon cleanse that you will drink 3 times a day between meals for 2 weeks. You use 2 T of bentonite clay (I use this one), 2 T ground flaxseed or chi seeds, 2 T cranberry juice concentrate (like this), all mixed in 8 ounces of water.
13. Cranberry water. Mix two tablespoons of cranberry juice concentrate (like this) into an 8 ounce glass of water. Drink 3 times a day. This will cleanse the kidneys.
14. Rebounder. This is a mini trampoline and it will cleanse your lymphathic system. Your lymphatic system does not have a pump and this gentle bouncing movement easily moves waste through and out of this system. You can do it for as little as 3 minutes 3 times a day or several times a week for 20 minutes. I recommend this one.
15. Drink extra water. If you normally drink 8 glasses of water a day, stepping it up to 12 glasses will help to flush out toxins.
16. News fast. A discussion about toxins would not be complete without talking about toxins and the mind. The news is full of bad news. Really good things happen in the world everyday, but the news chooses to focus on only the bad things. Constantly being inundated with this kind of negativity can be very stressful and depressing. I recommend from time to time, taking a news fast. Simply do not watch, read or listen to any type of new for 2 weeks. Don’t worry that you won’t be informed if something bad happens, people will tell you. Some people choose to disconnect from the news permanently with the exception of reading a news summary once every couple of weeks. Most people feel more peace and a greater sense of well being when they do this.
17. Toxic people fast. Toxic people are another toxic influence on the mind. There are definitely some people that you just cannot cut out of your life like your boss or mother in law, but from time to time, you can limit your exposure to them.
