katherinecroftonUnfortunately, the world we live in is full of toxins. Indoor and outdoor air pollution, first or second hand smoke, pesticides, and artificial food products all find their ways into our bodies. Also unfortunately, many will never leave. So our health depends on steps we take to flush toxins that have built up. (1)
The only way to remove some of these toxins from the body is to flush them out. Even if you eat a diet that’s as healthy a possible, you may still need to actively push toxins out of your system. And this isn’t a one-time thing. In fact, you should include steps to detox as part of an on-going strategy.
But how do you know if you’ve got toxic buildup in the first place?
If you have these symptoms, you may want to flush toxins regularly.
Insomnia
Toxin buildup (especially estrogen buildup) is a common cause of insomnia. If you find it difficult to sleep at night, it is time to look into a liver cleanse. Insomnia is linked with liver problems. As part of your liver cleanse eat and drink the juices of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. (2)
Lethargy
Let’s face it, if you eat sugars throughout the day, you know about sugar crashes. And those crashes leave you feeling tired or lethargic. So simply improving your diet will help. But remember that the body stores toxins in fat cells to get them out of circulation. The more you need to carry around extra weight, the more fatigued you may be. However, high amounts of toxins in the body causes it to work less efficiently. This also causes lack of energy. (3)
Headaches
Everyone gets headaches, and they are a total pain. However, chronic headaches that always seem to come back may be a sign of toxins in the body. According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, “The major cause of both tension headaches and migraines is the retention of toxins or tissue irritants within the central nervous system.” Including strategies to flush toxins will help. (4)
Skin Problems
The skin is two things: the largest organ and the last to be affected by internal toxins. If there is a buildup in the body, it may try to flush toxins out through the skin. In fact, if the other avenues of elimination can’t keep up, then the skin will step up. That can appear as rashes, acne, or other skin irritations. Thus, many skin conditions are signs that the body needs to flush toxins. (5)
Yellow or White Tongue
Say Ah! The tongue gives us a huge sign of how much toxicity is in the body. For one, toxic foods mess with the delicate mucus of the digestive system, and this includes the tongue. If a tongue has a white or yellow film, the digestive system is, more than likely, fighting toxins. (6)
Increased Belly Fat
Toxins ingested and inhaled have been shown to increase belly fat. Why is that? Well, when the body can’t immediately remove toxins, it has to do something with them. If the body can’t get rid of them, then it has to store the toxins somewhere. Basically, the body puts toxins “away,” so they can’t cause harm (think stress and inflammation). So where do toxins go? Fat cells, specifically visceral fat (that’s your belly talking!). Now you may see why it’s so important to flush toxins out. (7)
Feeling Hot
You probably know the usual ways the body eliminates things. You know, the lungs, the kidneys, and the colon. But another way is through sweat. The body, in its wisdom, will turn up the heat to sweat out certain toxins, trace minerals in particular. Exercising to work up a sweat or enjoying a sauna both help stimulate your body’s sweat reflex if you don’t do these regularly. So let your body overheat a bit – it knows how to help lessen the toxic load. (8)
If a person is experiencing any of these signs, they likely need to flush toxins out – and that means a detox. There are a lot of methods out there that one can easily find, but David Wolfe has some great advice on the subject!