THE DETOX ROADMAP

Deep cleaning, or detoxing the body is essential for your body to stay alive. While you have organs in place to ensure this happens, like the liver and kidneys, our modern world is accumulating toxins faster than we can handle and our detox organs simply can’t keep up. Heavy metals are in the water we drink, glyphosate is sprayed on the food we eat, endocrine disrupting parabens are in our skincare and chemicals are in the air we breathe. Day by day and little by little we are exposed to these toxins which accumulate in the body creating imbalances and deficiencies which can eventually lead to dis-ease. While symptoms of a toxic body can feel like they appear over night, the truth is they have been brewing under the surface for quite some time. This means the detoxification process is not an overnight fix; it’s a process, not a pill. You simply cannot detox a decade in a day, but every day you can take small steps to decrease your toxic burden.

Common Symptoms of a Toxic Body:

Acne, Eczema & Skin Itchiness

Nausea & Headaches

MCAS/Histamine Intolerance

Hormonal Imbalances

Digestive Issues (Leaky Gut, Bloating, Constipation, Loose Stool)

Low Thyroid Function

Weight Issues

Recurrent infections (viral, bacteria, candida, SIBO, etc.)

Waking Between 1am and 4am

Chemical Sensitivity

Stagnant Lymph (cellulite)

Ringing in the Ears

Muscle Twitching

Joint Pain & Body Aches

Weakened Immunity (getting sick often)

Receive Static Shocks (doorknob, light switch etc.)

Anxiety/Depression

Chronic Fatigue

Swollen and/or Puffy Face & Body

Chronic Inflammation

Brain Fog

Skin Doesn’t Sweat

While these symptoms have become increasingly common, they are just that: symptoms. They are not the cause. These symptoms are occurring due to a deeper imbalance somewhere in the body, and it’s almost always due to an underlying toxicity issue.

Common Root Causes of a Toxic Body:

Parasites

Heavy Metals

Mold & Mycotoxins

Lyme & Co-infections

Viruses

To determine what root cause(s) could be affecting you, I like to use functional medicine blood chemistry and lab testing combined with signs and symptoms and a complete health history to piece together what toxic exposures could be at play. You can check out the blog post on different labs offered here and can schedule a consultation with me to order and review any labs here.

The Detox Roadmap

Once your root cause(s) has been established, it can be tempting to dive right in and begin detoxing it. However, to ensure safe and effective detoxification, there is an order of events, or roadmap if you will, to follow. Detoxing in the wrong order can lead to the frustrating return of many symptoms and have you feel like you’re running in circles.

Foundations

Detoxification requires energy. It needs nutrients, in the form of vitamins, minerals and amino acids to carry out the processes effectively. For example, liver detoxification has two phases, both of which require different cofactors to be completed. Phase 1 requires a variety of B vitamins, such as B2, B3, B6, B9, and B12, whereas phase 2 requires NAC, Glycine & Glutamine. Without enough supply of these nutrients, liver detoxification cannot occur optimally. Similarly, the body needs various electrolytes, such as sodium & potassium to make energy. These minerals can only be consumed through diet and should a deficiency occur, energy production is weakened and various detoxification processes cannot occur. All this is to stress the importance of consuming a nutrient dense, whole foods diet rich in plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds, sources of omega 3 fats, plant based proteins, clean meats and wild fish to support your body at a foundational level.

Drainage

Next up is ensuring the drainage pathways are open. While detoxing is the process of grabbing onto all the harmful toxins and pulling them out, drainage refers to the different pathways in the body that support the elimination of all the toxins. As you can probably guess, drainage must come first. If the drainage pathways are not supported and are clogged, then the toxins have no way of escaping the body, and they can become more harmful and exacerbate present symptoms as they are pulled into the bloodstream with nowhere to exit. There are five drainage pathways which need to be addressed: colon, liver, lymphatic system, organs/tissues & cells. For more information on each pathway, refer to this post here.

Parasites

Parasites are the first stop on the roadmap, after foundations and drainage of course. This is due to the fact that parasites hide inside biofilms, which act similar to a home’s security system. Parasites must be addressed first because of their ability to house other toxins inside the biofilms. For example mold and mycotoxins live within parasites and parasites can absorb anywhere from 6-8x their weight in heavy metals. Parasites are a host for viral infections, as well as a host for bacteria and candida. If you’ve struggled with candida overgrowth, SIBO, or Lyme that keeps returning, parasites might be your missing key. It can be tempting to address your particular root cause right away, such as heavy metals, but if you’re going after heavy metals at the same time parasites are absorbing them, you’re running a race with no finish line. 

Metals, Mold, Bacteria, Yeast, Lyme/Co’s

Once the parasite biofilms have been busted open and parasites are addressed, then you are able to grab the other toxins released into the bloodstream. This includes heavy metals, mold, yeast and bacteria, such as Lyme. Since they are no longer hosting on the parasites, they can be more efficiently targeted and safely removed from the body. It’s important to tackle these toxins following the removal of parasites as they once were hidden from your immune system in the biofilm and now are active in the bloodstream.

Viruses

Stress has been known to reactivate dormant viruses, and since detoxification can often be stressful as toxins are moving around the body, viruses can reactivate. It can be helpful to sprinkle in viral support throughout any protocol (foundations, drainage, parasites, metals, mold, bacteria, etc.) but the majority of viral infection can be addressed last since it is done at the cellular level. 

Rebuild

After detoxification is complete, then you can begin rebuilding the body. This will look different for everyone, but could include leaky gut support to help rebuild the gut lining, replacing vitamins and minerals depleted during detox, strengthening mitochondria, etc. It’s during this time that hormones have the ability to rebalance, thyroid and metabolic function improve, skin begins to glow, hair and nails begin to strengthen, and so much more magic. Amazing things happen when the body’s toxic load is emptied and energy can return at full capacity again.

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