Healing the body’s natural mechanisms for breaking down and eliminating a whole range of chemicals that come from our food, our hormones, our metabolic processes, and also environmental exposures (toxins, medications, etc).
Effective Detoxification
Things can happen that interfere with effective detoxification, leading some of these harmful chemicals to either get stored in our bodies, or to linger, recirculate, and cause havoc in the form of damaging free radicals and other harmful substances. The most significant of these factors is that we have tens of thousands of “new to nature” chemicals in our environments — molecules that we did not evolve with and which our bodies have no idea how to recognize and process.
These chemicals overburden our intrinsic detox systems and damage our cells. Another factor is poor diet.
Age, stress, and illness can weaken our detox processes.
The 6 Week Digestion Detox
Weeks 1-4 Elimination
Remove food triggers including gluten, sugar, dairy, eggs, soy, coffee, soda, and artificial ingredients and in particular any food cravings including craves such as sugar, carbohydrates and salt
Check with your doctor regarding whether it is possible to stop reflux medications, NSAIDS such as ibuprofen and antibiotics.
For reflux, consider using DGL licorice. It safely heals the stomach without the potentially serious adverse effects of some medications.
Eat plenty of fibre from fresh vegetables and drink plenty of water to prevent constipation.
If you can, take daily supplements such as flax seed, psyllium, and magnesium citrate
Week 5 Replace:
After 2-4 weeks on the Elimination Diet, introduce a good quality digestive enzyme product.
Week 6 Support
After another week, add in a good quality probiotic.
Weeks 7 – 10 Heal
The following supplements can now be taken for about a month (up to 6 months in more extensive cases) to help to heal the intestinal lining:
- Tumeric
- Aloe vera
- Marshmallow root
- DGL licorice
are some of the most effective herbs for healing the gut lining.
They are best taken in capsule or extract form, though tumeric can also be added to foods. DGL licorice is available also as chewable lozenges which helps with reflux.
- Zinc citrate: 25-40 mg/day
- An antioxidant supplement containing vitamins A and carotenoids, C, E, and selenium – can be found in a multivitamin.
Liver Detoxification
Phytonutrients in vegetables, fruits, and botanicals can also be used to support the natural liver detoxification.
Phytonutrients in the Brassicacae family are especially important for supporting detoxification and they also contain fibre that assist elimination.
These include broccoli, kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, and cabbages.
Break a sweat on a regular basis, whether through exercise or saunas can also assist the detox process.
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