Absolutely everything you wanted to know about how to detox

Is it necessary to cleanse the body or should it not interfere with its work in its own mode? Even opponents of diets and weight loss programs usually believe that toxins that accumulate in the body should be periodically disposed of, confirms estet-portal.com. There are many detox programs – salon and home, with the help of medicines and folk remedies, and there are also many questions about how not to harm the body by cleansing it. Some of these questions were answered by general practitioners, nutritionists.

How do I know if I really need a detox

"Needs a detox" – No doctor can make such a diagnosis. Simply because, whether we like it or not, toxins live in our body all the time. They act in two ways: with the food we eat and with the air we breathe. Fortunately, the body is "equipped" with kidneys, liver, lungs and skin – they detoxify it 24 hours a day. If they didn't work, we would die of intoxication. However, a sober look at what a modern resident of a metropolis eats and breathes suggests that periodically helping the body cope with toxins will not hurt.

When to use a detox 

Therapists recommend detoxing if you are prone to chronic fatigue syndrome:

• sleep for eight hours but don't get enough sleep;
• take care of yourself, but constantly get sick with the flu,
• You are suffering from a headache,
• grey complexion does not go away even after the weekend.

Indirect signs of the need for detox can be any rashes on the skin. They testify to the problems of the internal environment of the body, because the skin – this is the organ by which the body most easily sends the SOS signal.

Even cellulite cannot be eliminated without detox. This is because toxins tend to “sit out” in adipose tissue. Fat layer – like a barn in the country: our body dumps everything that it doesn’t like there. Once in this layer, toxins contribute to stagnation in it – hence the bumps that are difficult to manage even if you go on a low-calorie diet and exercise.

If your joints start to hurt and you "creak" with all parts of your body, this also means that it's time to detox. Salt deposits have appeared.

It is important to understand that detox – this is not a complete refusal to eat and not hydrocolonotherapy, which is carried out for medical reasons and only in the clinic. However, detox requires medical supervision, especially if you regularly take pills for a chronic disease. Because the goal of any detox – remove foreign substances from the body. And if you're on medication, the detox powders or drinks you take can flush the drugs out of your body along with the toxins before they can be absorbed and act.

Read also: 6 ways to detoxify the body: remove toxins

How to do a light detox yourself

But still, there are general guidelines that you can follow on your own to give yourself a light detox:

• avoid sweets and alcohol,
• processed foods (fast food),
• Get a face and body drainage mask or drainage massage from a specialist.

After traveling to different countries, where it is difficult to resist tasting the local cuisine, rashes on the skin often appear, and weight increases.

To help the body on your own after trips:

• eliminate processed foods, white flour products, and soda from your diet. In addition to toxins, they contain yeast that causes unnecessary fermentation in the stomach.
• Reduce your meat intake to twice a week and keep it organic. The vast majority of meat products that are on store shelves all over the world have an excess of hormones and toxins that exceed the nutritional value of meat. There are much fewer toxins in fish, and even more so hormones.

At international medical congresses, doctors often talk about the concept of detox being very close to the concept of treating inflammatory processes. Saturated fats and proteins found in butter, dairy products and red meat almost always stimulate inflammation in the human body. The stomach is especially affected. Replace them with whole wheat pasta, spinach, beans. Drink coconut milk instead of cow's milk. Opt for avocados and nuts instead of cheese and butter.

Eat fruit after breakfast, lunch or dinner – one of the most harmful habits that wear out the body. They should only be "refueled" on an empty stomach or separately from other foods, otherwise they cause severe acidification in the stomach. The break between a fruit snack and other meals should be at least 45 minutes. In this case, fruits significantly reduce appetite and help if you are on a diet.

Please note that – it is also a fruit or vegetable, but devoid of dietary fiber, which is called fiber. And fibers – an important element that helps the process of digestion of fruits or vegetables that you have eaten. Fibers work as a trap for toxins and remove them from the body, plus – slow down the absorption of sugar.

Consumption of various fluids during detox

The debate about whether coffee retains fluid in the body has been going on for a long time. So far, most scientific minds are still inclined to believe that yes. But, knowing full well that many patients find it difficult to give up coffee or reduce their consumption to two cups a day, we often advise each glass of coffee (as well as tea) to be alternated with two glasses of water in order to improve the drainage functions of the body.

Patients often ask about alcohol during detox. Ideally, it should be excluded, but if it is difficult to completely abandon it, take strong drinks – whiskey, cognac, calvados, but in small doses.

Read also: Detox water: truth and speculation about the benefits of a fruit drink

Water – basic detox

The logic is simple. The main goal of detox – removal of toxins from the cell to the outside. If water does not circulate through the body in the proper amount, toxins leave the cells into the interstitial fluid and remain there. Therefore:

• It is because of the lack of water in the body that the head can hurt. Toxins enter the blood and lymphatic system, changing their composition. Only clean drinking water can completely remove them – not boiled and not carbonated! Doctors on every corner trumpet that you need to drink at least two liters of water a day, but in the case of a detox – this is a necessary condition. Otherwise, the cleansing of the body simply will not take place.
• The second argument in favor of two liters: our food bolus (chewed and saliva-moistened food) is quite liquid, and as it moves along the esophagus, through the stomach and into the intestines, it gives off water. If the body is dehydrated (for example, you consume a lot of salt or drink too much coffee and tea), it tries to provide itself with water by any means, and first of all, by absorbing it from the intestines. Because of this, the food bolus dries up, which leads to constipation. People are ready to drink a laxative to solve this problem, but the simplest and most correct way – simply increase your water intake to eight glasses a day.

It is absolutely impossible to reduce the amount of water you drink after the course of purification. We cannot dictate to the body where to expel toxins from in the first place. With the help of detox, we only create all the conditions for him to start this process. For example, two weeks after the start of the "cleansing" your skin may shine, because the body had the easiest time to clean it first. It is logical that you will want to stop the detox and return to your usual way of life. But it is important to remember that the body may not yet have had time to cleanse the liver. And so that the detox process does not go back, you need to continue to continue to drink plenty of water.

Contraindications for detox

Some foods and detox supplements can affect blood pressure in different ways, and during a cleanse you may experience:

• great weakness,
• dizziness.

If you are prone to such reactions, detox only under the supervision of a specialist and be sure to inform him in advance that you are hypotensive.

People with low blood pressure are advised not to use diuretic drugs in cleansing programs. Such medicines are often added to detox droppers. They can lower the pressure even more. It is believed that in such cases the most gentle detox – it is a light but balanced diet. It is necessary to eat in small portions (200-300 g) food enriched with vitamins of plant origin and microelements such as zinc, selenium, copper and iron. This food normalizes metabolism and cleanses the body of any person, including hypotension.

Consume simple, but high-quality products prepared without prolonged heat treatment. And for extra help, take spirulina, goji berries.

Allergy sufferers need to be more careful. Often, detox programs include fruit and vegetable mixtures, and allergy to citrus fruits – one of the most common.

And of course, detox is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, their diet should be clearly balanced – even a weekly avoidance of a full-fledged diet can lead to irreversible consequences.