The Center for Integrative Health and Healing

by Korey DiRoma, Naturopathic Doctor

Our body is exposed to many toxins every day, which tend to accumulate in our bodies.  A toxin is a substance that produces any adverse biological effects and can be absorbed into our body through our skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract.

What are the sources of these toxins? There are many and include the obvious, such as tobacco smoke, gas fumes, paint, and cleaning chemicals. The not so obvious may include new carpets, pressboard furniture, and dry-cleaned clothes. Exposure also occurs through our food, such as fish (especially the large carnivorous fish, like sword fish), dairy products, and fruits and vegetables.

How are all these various toxins cleared from our body? Our liver is able to detoxify most substances by conjugation reactions or oxidation reactions. These toxins are then excreted and eliminated through our urine or stool.

What is the purpose of a cleanse? The goal is to reduce the toxic burden in our body. The most obvious and most important way to do this is to reduce and/or remove the exposure! Now we can’t remove all the exposure unless we go to the North Pole or Antarctica (though there is even evidence of pollution there as well!), but what about that significant other who’s smoking in the house? Or all those cleaning chemicals you use to clean your house with?

How to reduce toxic burden: There are many ways we can reduce our exposure, but there are two major processes that I like to facilitate to physically reduce toxic burden. The first thing I do is to enhance liver functioning to optimize the detoxification process. I accomplish this by resting the liver through diet, and supplementing with key vitamins, nutrients, and herbs   that will support liver detoxification. Secondly, I want to support the elimination process, by excretion through urine, stool, and sweat. This is accomplished by drinking lots of water, using fiber with high binding capacity, and using infrared saunas.

The Benefits of a cleanse: The benefits of a cleanse include increased energy and mood, but also has physical effects as well. It helps to strengthen your immune system, decrease antigen-antibody complexes, and increases healing time.  Because it can decrease antigen-antibody complexes, a cleanse can be beneficial for those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, but can also be of benefit for those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.

It is best to do cleanse during the spring when it is warm outside, but can be done any time of the year.

To set up your appointment for your individualized cleanse program, call the Center for Integrative Health and Healing at 518-689-2244.