Coming Clean in a Toxic World
The body uses a great deal of energy, processing and eliminating the vast number of toxins that our body produces each day. The bodies elimination system does not occur by chance, but by a chain of biochemical step by step proces. Any break in this chain of biochemical processes can result in an altered elimination of toxins from within your body.
A greater absorption of toxins will be absorbed as well as an increase in toxic stress.
Toxins generally enter the body through the intestine and are sent straight to the liver to be processed and eliminated as waste.
Most toxic waste products whether they be produced inside or outside the body, go through a process that reduces the toxicity of the waste product. This therefore makes the toxins more easy to eliminate from the body. This is done by sending the toxins back into circulation and either being removed by the kidneys or eliminated with other waste products through the intestines.
The liver detoxifies most drugs and toxins through this process. To begin with, enzymes within the liver oxidise the toxins, making it less toxic and more water soluble. This allows easier excretion through the kidneys or gut, and means that these toxins are less likely to penetrate cell membranes, stopping them from building up within the bodies tissues and/or organs, this is called Phase I detoxification.
The liver then produces even more enzymes which then connect other molecules to the oxidised toxin, further increasing the toxins water solubility, allowing other cells to grab onto it and remove the toxin from within the body.
This is Phase II. For this process to work and for efficient detoxification to take place, the process must occur step by step as a sequence of events.
Signs and symptoms of Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification pathways not working efficiently are:
- Urine has strong odor after eating asparagus
- Ill feeling after consuming small amounts of alcohol
- Sensitivity to foods containing tyramine such as red wine, cheese, bananas or chocolate. As well as caffeine, MSG, onions or garlic
- History of exposure to chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides or organic solvents will lead to an imbalance in detoxification pathways.
Many people these days have a deficiency, whether it is inhertited or acquired, in one or more of the liver enzymes, resulting in a high risk for adverse drug reactions and making them more open to harm from other environmental toxins such as car fumes, industrial waste, food chemicals and additives.
Bad lifestyle factors can result in sluggish liver activity, however regular exercise increases the overall size of the liver, allowing it to be more efficient in the detoxification of toxins.
We know that alcohol, junk food and a toxic bowel can put enormous stress on the liver, which also reduces the effectiveness of the liver to detoxify.
Nutrients are essential for the liver to efficiently process toxins. During the process of detoxification the liver produces a large amount of free radicals which eventually extend out into the circulation. These free radicals can be damaging and result in the free radical activity adding to the toxic burden on the liver and the body.
Antioxidants, especially those that concentrate in the liver, are important to protect against free radical damage. Green Tea and Grape Seed extract as well as Lipoic Acid and St Mary’s Thistle are highly effective liver antioxidants.
A substance that plays a major role in the livers detoxification process is glutathione. Inadequate levels of glutathione in the body means toxins will not eliminate properly, ageing will accelerate as well as free radical damage increasing dramatically.
Glutathione is not absorbed well taken orally, however products such as broccoli sprouts and green tea extract as well as lipoic acid are known to increase glutathione production.
Here at Ballina Naturopathics we use Live Blood Analysis to determine the toxicity of the blood as well as Colonic Irrigation to help with the removal of those unwanted toxins from within your body. The toxins contained within your colon have the potential to pollute the brain and nervous system, causing you to become depressed, irritable, tired and unmotivated. Overall, these toxins can overload the organs, deeply affecting their ability to perform their roles in maintaining good health.
Live Blood Analysis can show us whether there is an increase in toxins or a decrease in the bodies antioxidant defense, as well as any free radical damage. Colonic irrigation increases circulation, resulting in greater bathing of individual cells. This in turn dilutes toxins and flushes them out. As well as cleansing the colon, elimination is increased through the kidneys and skin.
This generally assists the cardiovascular and circulatory systems to become more efficient. By request, with a colonic you can have a coffee implant (employed in Gerson Therapies for cancer and other nutritional programs) which purges the liver, generating both a liver and colon cleanse simultaneously. By breaking the cycle of self-poisoning, Colonic Irrigation gives the body a chance to rebuild and regenerate itself. Colonic irrigation is recognised as an important step in maintaining and regaining health.
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