How to Harness Detoxification: Understanding Your Body’s Cleansing Mechanisms

In our modern world, we are constantly bombarded with toxins from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the products we use. Thankfully, our bodies are equipped with diverse detoxification systems designed to eliminate these harmful substances, to keep our body functioning well.  The concern is growing around the sheer number of toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis, the effects those toxins have on our body as they build up in the tissue, and our inability to sufficiently clear out and eliminate the toxic burden.

Where are we exposed?

We encounter a wide range of toxins in our water (e.g. chlorine, heavy metals), air (e.g. pollution, off-gassing from materials), homes (e.g. cleaning products, mold), and food (e.g. pesticides, food additives). It's impossible to avoid toxins entirely in the modern world, but we can take steps to minimize exposure.

If you have not already done so, check out EWG.org as a great resource to start understanding your exposure risk.

Why should we be concerned anyways?

Many toxins are capable of damaging DNA. Detoxification helps protect DNA integrity and supports the expression of helpful genes related to anti-aging, disease prevention, and longevity. A buildup of toxins, on the other hand, can contribute to DNA instability and increase disease risk. This is the center of epigenetic function.

Think of this more simply as the buildup of toxins, impedes or breaks our cellular biochemistry pathways, accelerating aging. For those patients of mine who are using the Organic Acids Test with me, you can see the mitochondrial function markers start to become impeded with toxin buildup.

What is Detoxification….. Really?

Detoxification is the elimination of harmful toxins and waste products. The liver is the primary detoxification organ. It carries out two phases of detoxification that are utilizing a ton of key nutrients (amino acids, B vitamins, Magnesium, and more).  It filters toxins from the blood, neutralizes them, and prepares fat soluble toxins for elimination. 

Then the gallbladder takes over and concentrates the bile, to help carry away the fat soluble toxins. Bowel movement motility is then activated once the bile hits the small intestine, producing that glorious poop. This is why gall bladder support is so important when we go through any treatment for metals, plastics, and mycotoxins. 

The kidneys use millions of filtering units called nephrons to cleanse the blood. They filter waste, excess fluid, and excrete water soluble toxins into the urine.

The lungs remove waste gasses like carbon dioxide, and bring in oxygen to fuel our cells. You may have heard the phrase ‘take a cleansing breath’, but did you know that your lungs are actually an important organ for detoxification?

With every deep breath, oxygen floods our cells and tissues - allowing them to function at a more optimal level and to process and metabolize waste better.

The skin contains the sweat glands that allow us to perspire, and believe it or not, function as a major detoxification organ (but secondary to the liver and kidneys). We will see a lot of skin blemishes arise, when your primary detoxification organs are not functioning up to snuff.

More about the skin  . . your skin is actually the largest detoxification organ in your body. Even though sweat is almost entirely water, studies have found that some toxins - including heavy metals and bisphenol A (BPA) - are excreted in the sweat. 

And finally, the vagina. . .yep, your heard me right. . . It is also a route of toxin elimination through the menstrual blood.

What does it look like when you have healthy detox status?

Healthy detoxification is essential for feeling your best. Some signs that your detox systems are doing great are . .

✅ Fresh breath (without needing gum or mints!)

✅ Clear skin (without rashes or outbreaks)

✅ Easy bowel movements (every day)

✅ Sound sleep (without waking at 3am)

✅ Mental clarity (without brain fog!)

Issues like bad breath, skin breakouts, constipation, poor sleep, and brain fog can indicate the detoxification system is overburdened. If you can’t check all those boxes, don’t worry. There are simple things we can do with food, lifestyle, and functional medicine to support detoxification and get to the root cause. 

What’s the connection to detoxification and metabolism?

While toxin buildup can be sometimes frankly hard to see unless you are running labs that actually look for it, one area that is of a common concern is the metabolism. Toxins disrupt the metabolic process and contribute to issues like weight gain, insulin resistance, and other metabolic problems. Supporting detoxification helps restore healthy metabolic function, and there is a reason why I will promote a guided detoxification plan with patients who want to balance their hormones and improve their metabolic health. This is because the organs involved in detoxification, like the liver, also play crucial roles in regulating metabolism and blood sugar. But also as we improve the cellular function, DNA turnover, we are also improving how our organs function, receptor function, and improve immune balance . . . the greater orchestra of how the body moves as a whole  - blending our systems together.

I will be diving deeper in upcoming blogs and Thrive Live for diet and lifestyle tips to optimize your everyday detox pathways. While a physician guided cleanse is safest and most effective when it’s individualized to your body, and guided by a skilled practitioner, everyday detoxification habits and practices can benefit anyone for sustained health.

In our upcoming group program on balancing hormones, we have a whole section that is just devoted to detoxification. Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming free workshop announcement.

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