Detoxing isn’t just for former child actors or heavy-metal drummers. But seriously, you know what kind of detox I’m going to talk about here. Through a variety of natural ingredients, supplements, and healthy elimination modalities, you can remove harmful environmental toxins and heavy metals from your body . . . and have a fun time doing it (unless you detox too quickly, but we’ll get to that in a minute!)
Unless you’ve lived your entire life on a pristine desert island, you’re going to need to detoxify your body at some point. Every day, you can accumulate a buildup of toxins from things like artificial food ingredients, pharmaceutical drugs, heavy metals, waterborne pollution, and crazy things like nuclear fallout. Now, this may sound like science fiction, but your body is being constantly bombarded with this stuff. All. The. Time. Prolonged exposure to toxins can create a serious overload of them in your system.
To achieve any level of longevity, you need to detox your body from these chemicals and eat the right foods to protect your cells from retoxing. Yes, retoxing is a real word – go ahead and check UrbanDictionary.com if you don’t believe me. It’s usually used to describe what happens when someone who finishes a weeklong raw juice cleanse to start the New Year immediately falls off the wagon with a deep-dish pizza and craft beer. That is the typical detox/retox cycle that, unfortunately, a LOT of people fall into. Before I get into my recommended dynamic detox protocol and my personal cleansing regimen, behold the complex issue of chemical exposure in our everyday lives:
- More than 6 million pounds of mercury and 2.5 billion pounds of other toxic chemicals are released into the environment in the U.S. each year
- 80,000 toxic chemicals have been released into our environment, and very few have been tested for their long-term impact on human health
- In 2007, Americans spent more than $28 million on detoxification products
Even if you eat well, exercise, and keep your immunity strong, you may still be susceptible to the cacophony of chemicals in the food supply and the general environment.
So let’s take a look at some of the big sources of heavy metal toxicity and key practices for heavy metal detoxification:
Common sources of heavy metal toxicity
These are the primary sources in the modern world where most of our heavy metal toxicity comes from:
- Mercury amalgam dental fillings
- Paints, coatings, industrial materials
- Air pollution & groundwater contamination
- Military & corporate waste products
- Consumer products like cookware, utensils, electronics, building & construction materials
- Foods like ocean fish, crustaceans, mollusks (mercury, PCBs & dioxins)
- Most common toxic heavy metals: mercury, aluminum, lead, arsenic & cadmium
Primary Practices for Heavy Metal Detoxification
These are my top ways to help you detox from heavy metals and other environmental pollutants:
- Catabolic practices (these speed up & accelerate detox)
- Fasting, drinking green juices, chlorophyll, tons of spring water, traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic herbal remedies/formulas
- Supplemental far infrared sauna therapy, colonics, dry skin brushing, deep tissue massage, aerobic exercise, vigorous sweating
- Consuming MSM, ALA (alpha linoleic acid), zeolites, fulvic acid, Shilajit, enzymes, probiotics and natural chelators like chlorella & fresh cilantro
Supplemental Practices to Help Slow Down your Detox Symptoms
If you happen to be detoxing TOO quickly and having symptoms of fever, headaches, weakness, swollen limbs or face, faster pulse, nausea, vomiting, pain, skin rashes or eruptions – try these practices slow the detox process.
- Anabolic practices (these slow down your detox symptoms)
- Anaerobic exercise like weight training, strength training, muscle building
- Consuming fatty foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, coconuts
- Take activated charcoal tablets & lemon water
- Using Celtic sea salt, cooked starches like pasta, grains, rice, potatoes – use these foods if your detox symptoms are starting to overwhelm you
Detoxing from heavy metals and environmental toxins doesn’t have to be a scary, intimidating or overwhelming process. Start slow, gradually incorporate a few practices on the list above and be very, very gentle with yourself throughout the process!
