How to Detox Naturally: Supporting Essential Organs Through Toxin Overload
Key Points:
- There are mixed thoughts on whether detox support is necessary. But it’s important to remember that we face more environmental toxins and chemicals than ever before. Enhancing our detox pathways helps us manage those toxins.
- Some symptoms that indicate you may need to detox include acne breakouts, unexplained weight gain, low energy, bloating, swollen lymph nodes, brain fog, and trouble sleeping.
- The best way to naturally detox is to support the function of your detox organs. When faced with toxin overload, your liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system may need extra nutrients.
Detoxing is one of the biggest trends in wellness — and it’s getting a lot of pushback.
Maybe you’ve heard people say, “Why would you need detox supplements when you have detox organs? Isn’t your body supposed to detox naturally?”
And, that’s an excellent question.
Our bodies have multiple organs and systems specifically designed to remove toxins.
So, why are so many of us struggling with heavy metal toxicity, mycotoxins, and even microplastics in our bloodstream? And why are more people being diagnosed with these toxicities every day?
It’s because our detox organs can’t keep up with the onslaught of environmental toxins.
Think about it. In the last hundred years, we’ve introduced thousands of chemicals into everyday life. From personal care products to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the toxic building materials that make up our homes, we’re surrounded by toxins.
If you’re starting to experience unexplained symptoms and discomfort related to your environment, it’s time to work on your detox pathways.
Let’s learn how to detox naturally and safely by supporting our detox organs.
Table of Contents:
Signs You Need to Detox
Symptoms aren’t just present in your body to make you miserable. Symptoms are your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right. These common signs you need to detox can help you stay in tune with your body’s signals.
- Acne and skin breakouts. Sometimes toxins are eliminated from the skin when they can’t be released in other ways.
- Unexplained weight gain. Toxins can be stored in adipose tissue (aka fat) when they have nowhere else to go.
- Trouble digesting fats. A sign that your liver and gallbladder need some extra support!
- Low energy. A sign that your mitochondria aren’t functioning optimally.
- Bloating and constipation. This may point to excess toxins blocking the liver and bowels.
- Estrogen dominance. This could indicate that your liver can’t process estrogen well.
- Brain fog. Toxins may not be draining from the brain during sleep.
- Swollen lymph nodes and puffiness. This could indicate there are too many toxins traveling throughout the lymphatic system.
- Trouble sleeping. Waking up throughout the night could be the result of blood sugar issues or potentially a sluggish liver.
Detox Organs and Systems in the Body
Detox supplements and cleanses are the most popular recommendations for detoxing and relieving symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and digestive issues, but they may come with side effects. Certain binders, for example, help trap and render toxins ineffective in the body but are a temporary measure. For most people, once they stop binders, their symptoms return.
At BodyBio, we encourage a different approach. We prefer to strengthen detox organs with nutritional support at the cellular level — empowering the detox pathways with the tools they need to succeed. This approach may take more time, but it’s less risky, uncomfortable, and more customizable.
Let’s explore the detox organs and how you can support them.
Liver
While every detox organ plays an important role, the liver is arguably the most essential to our overall health. It works by filtering and removing toxins and waste byproducts from the bloodstream. Those toxins are then excreted through urine or the bowels. The liver also produces bile to convert dietary fat into energy.
How to Support the Liver: Eat whole foods, limit environmental toxins like microplastics and cleaning chemicals, supplement with phospholipids for liver cell support and bile production, try castor oil packs, supplement with TUDCA and glutathione, limit alcohol, and use natural bowel movers (as needed) to keep digestion going.
Kidneys
The kidneys also work to clear everyday waste from your system. They filter toxins out of your bloodstream and excrete them through urine. This is called the glomerular filtration process, and it’s also responsible for metabolizing minerals and water-soluble vitamins.
How to Support the Kidneys: Regular hydration, liquid mineral supplements, root veggies, chlorophyll, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and limiting alcohol intake.
Lungs
The lungs are particularly vital for eliminating airborne chemicals and toxins. People who come into contact with chemical spills, mold exposure, and even smoke inhalation know how dramatically the lungs can be impacted. The lungs primarily use immune cells and mucus as the primary resources to keep toxins out of respiratory pathways — and out of your body.
How to Support the Lungs: Diaphragmatic breathing techniques, neti pot rinses, glutathione, and bee propolis for the sinuses.
Skin
Or more specifically, sweat. In multiple studies, researchers found heavy metal concentrations in the sweat of study participants. The exact concentrations of these heavy metals depended on the exercise method used. Infrared saunas are also well known to detoxify heavy metals and other toxins through the skin and sweat.
How to Support the Skin: Frequent dry brushing, lymphatic massage, detoxifying salt baths, topical magnesium, sauna use, and switching toxic personal care products to more natural products.
Lymphatic System
The lymphatic system is an amazing detox system that runs throughout your entire body. If you’ve ever noticed a swollen lymph node after a cold or infection, this is your lymphatic system doing its job.
The lymphatic system is the ultimate fluid transport system — collecting both nutrients and toxins and moving them through the body. If your lymphatic system isn’t draining properly, you’ll notice swelling of the extremities, poor fluid balance, sinus issues, and hardened skin.
How to Support the Lymphatic System: Frequent dry brushing, rebounding, sauna use, lymphatic massages, homeopathic lycopodium, and liver support.
Glymphatic System (Brain)
The glymphatic system was only just discovered in 2012, so there’s still a lot to uncover about it. Working closely with the lymphatic system, the glymphatic system uses convective fluid to clear waste out of the brain.
This system only activates during restful sleep — and may be one explanation for the increase in brain fog and neurodegenerative disease development in people who don’t get enough rest.
How to Support the Glymphatic System: Prioritize restful sleep, dry brush, craniosacral therapy, lymphatic massage, supplement with phospholipids, stay hydrated, and use liquid minerals.
Mitochondria
The mitochondria are your detox secret weapon. Although not as well known as other essential detox organs, the mitochondria remove toxins from your body on a cellular level — working to eliminate free radicals and reduce oxidative stress.
Fat-soluble toxins can actually hide in the cell membrane of the mitochondria — so it’s important to address detox at the cellular level. Supporting your mitochondria is the best way to restore your cells during the Cell Danger Response.
How to Support the Mitochondria: Red light therapy, amino acids, phospholipids, minerals, glutathione, methylated B vitamins, essential fatty acids, and butyrate.
Give Your Body the Right Tools to Detox
The best way to support your detox organs isn’t to put them under more stress.
For years, supplemental binders have been the standard approach for detoxification — and sometimes they are necessary.
But as we learn more about environmental toxins and how our bodies process them, we’re finding better and more supportive avenues for healing.
Namely, nutrients that supercharge our detox organs — empowering our own bodies to do the heavy lifting rather than supplements.
The BodyBio Foundation Bundle does exactly this. Phospholipids (PC), essential fatty acids (Balance Oil), and butyrate combine to nourish and revive the organs and cells, allowing them to function optimally and detox naturally.
References
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). (2006). In brief: How does the liver work? In InformedHealth.org. Cologne, Germany. Retrieved June 26, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279393/
Raila, J., & Schweigert, F. J. (2001). Zur Bedeutung der Nieren im Vitamin-Stoffwechsel [The role of the kidneys in vitamin metabolism]. Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift, 114(7-8), 257–266.
Reddam A, McLarnan S, Kupsco A. Environmental chemical exposures and mitochondrial dysfunction: a review of recent literature. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2022;9(4):631-649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00371-7
Reddy, O. C., & van der Werf, Y. D. (2020). The Sleeping Brain: Harnessing the Power of the Glymphatic System through Lifestyle Choices. Brain sciences, 10(11), 868. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10110868
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