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We absorb more impurities than ever. Here’s how to use everything from green tea to steam showers to clear your system from debilitating toxins.
No matter how diligent you are about your wellness routine, your body remains a repository for dangerous toxins from the environment and everyday products. Worse, food and beverages, even some labeled "natural" or "healthy," are full of preservatives, nitrates, antibiotics, and hormones.
Besides the obvious sources of contaminants (e.g., air pollution, hormones in factory farm foods, pesticides in produce, etc.), some of the most harmful toxins are hidden in packaging and other places you'd least suspect them.
How Toxins Enter the Body
Toxins can enter your body in several different ways. Even when you least expect them. Knowing where to look can help you take better control of your quality of life.
Inhalation
You can inhale gasses, chemicals, and poisons when breathing. No matter how healthy your lifestyle is, you inhale toxins every day.
Dangerous manufactured particulates in the atmosphere can cause serious health consequences, especially if you live in heavily populated areas. WHO estimates that 4.2 million people die worldwide every year from outdoor air pollution.
After you inhale these toxins through your nose and mouth, they travel to your lungs and get absorbed into the bloodstream. Next, these toxins can cause damage to the organs that receive contaminated blood.
Ingestion
Toxins can enter your body with the food you eat and the water you drink. These toxins can include heavy metals, food additives, herbicide residues, and meat antibiotics.
For example, tuna and swordfish accumulate mercury that enters your body when you eat your favorite fish dishes. When ingested in high quantities, it can cause neurological problems.
Absorption
You're not even safe from toxins in your own home. Cleaning supplies that keep your home spotless and bacteria-free can be abundant in dangerous particulates.
According to the American Lung Association, many cleaning products are filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), even if the products are labeled "natural" or "organic." These chemicals can cause respiratory illnesses and are particularly dangerous for those suffering from asthma and pulmonary disease, according to research.
Besides getting into your lungs, these toxins can be absorbed through your skin. It can take less than a minute for the products that touch your skin to enter your bloodstream, which carries toxins to your organs. That's why it's so important to vet the skin products you use and wear gloves when handling chemicals.
Injections
Toxins can also enter your body when you inject medications or beauty products. Thankfully, these methods are usually easier to control than the rest. That's why getting professional medical advice before opting for beauty injections is so essential.
Your body has a natural detoxification system that filters toxins out daily. However, these processes may not be sufficient to keep harmful substances out of your body. That's where detox home remedies may help.
Endocrine Disruptors
Some of the most dangerous toxins are endocrine disruptors. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) defines endocrine-disrupting chemicals as "environmental contaminants that interfere with hormonal systems, including reproduction." These include non-household names like bisphenol A, phthalates, PBDE, etc. But these obscure-sounding chemicals are found in everyday products, such as plastic bottles, plastic wrapping, suntan lotions, and flame-retardant chemicals that cover furniture, clothing, and other items.
Here's the scary part: According to the AACC, these endocrine disruptors can cause neurobehavioral and reproductive diseases that cost Americans $340 billion annually in health care services and lost wages. These endocrine disruptors you are exposed to every day can lead to actual harm.
No matter how careful you are, there's just no escape from the bad stuff.
You may think you can avoid exposure to endocrine disruptors and other contaminants by eating well. Unfortunately, not only are foods often packaged in containers with endocrine disruptors, but even pesticide-free organic produce contains "natural toxins."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), natural toxins are natural defense mechanisms plants develop. Unfortunately, while they protect the plant, they can adversely affect humans and other mammals, including damage to immune and reproductive systems. Some natural toxins are carcinogens.
Listing this information isn't meant to alarm you but to inform you. Despite your best efforts, you will be exposed to toxins that can harm you and your family. It's no wonder so many people are turning to "detox" treatments to help rid their bodies of harmful chemicals.
What Is Natural Detoxification?
Natural detoxification involves using natural ingredients and practices to support the body's detoxifying processes. Since your body tries hard to eliminate toxins, your goal is to help it get the job done. Learning how to detox your body naturally at home can become integral to supporting your health and well-being.
Simply put, no health and wellness regimen is complete without a concerted effort to detox your body somehow. With that in mind, we've collected some of the most effective and accessible natural detox remedies to help rid your body of endocrine disruptors, air pollutants, VOCs, and other tiny irritants you encounter daily, all day.
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10 Ways to Detoxify Your Body at Home
Past civilizations had their own detoxification systems, including bloodletting and leeches, so we've come a long way in discovering less invasive and healthy ways to cleanse your body (leeches have made a comeback in some medical circles, but that's a different story).
The rewards are many. You won't just be healthier if you detox, you'll have more energy, boost your immune system, and improve your cognitive abilities. With that in mind, here are ten ways to cleanse your body of harmful chemicals and toxins.
1. Drink Green Tea
It's not a myth that green tea has potent antioxidant effects. Antioxidants help the body counteract "free radicals," dangerous compounds resulting from toxic influences.
One study found that smokers who drank green tea every day for four months enjoyed a 31% reduction in DNA damage by the toxins of smoking. Another study demonstrated that green tea can reduce blood pressure which has also been linked to toxins exposure.
To perform a thorough green tea detox, some experts suggest drinking 3-6 cups per day for several weeks.
2. Try Fasting
Before going backward (eliminating built-up toxins), you have to put on the brakes. Fasting helps you do this. It's like a reset, just as you'd do with a computer slowed down by a virus or other problem.
Besides preventing harmful food chemicals from entering your body, fasting and appropriate hydration, help clean out your vital organs, including your liver. Some research suggests that a fast (about 58 hours) can help increase antioxidants and help anti-aging effects. For purposes of detox, keep your fast between one to three days.
3. Exercise
Regular physical activity helps the mind and body in so many diverse ways that you should just do it, as the ad campaign says.
Exercise helps make your lungs, heart, and physiological systems more efficient, meaning it will help your body's natural defenses in combating dangerous toxins that have invaded your body. It can also improve your mental health and help you achieve your weight loss goals.
4. Drink More Water
Like exercising, drinking plenty of water is an evergreen health booster in numerous ways. Water helps eliminate chemicals from your intestines and kidneys, which makes it an ideal complement to fasting.
To get enough hydration, think of the 8-by-8 rule: eight glasses of 8 oz. of water per day.
5. Consider Dry Brushing
Many natural product stores, both online and brick-and-mortar, sell dry brushes that remove stubborn particulates from your skin. While not as thorough as a steam shower (see #10 below), dry brushing can be a great way to achieve a quick spot detox and get you ready for a deeper clean, such as steam therapy.
6. Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Many great detox diets can help you avoid nitrates, hormones, and antibiotics from processed foods. Many of these limit meat and dairy products from factory farms.
In general, choose organic (make sure it's real organic food—check labels), and avoid sugar, alcohol, and foods that are loaded with impurities. According to Harvard Health, anti-inflammatory foods include tomatoes, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish (e.g., salmon, tuna), fruits, and green, leafy vegetables.
7. Take Probiotics and Prebiotics
Not only should you put a priority on fiber and other foods that aid the digestive system, but you can also consider adding prebiotics and probiotics to your nutrition supplementation.
These "good" bacteria deliver numerous benefits to gut function, a key aspect of boosting the immune system. One study from the Canadian Journal of Microbiology found that probiotics can bind to heavy metals like cadmium and lead that are found in food. This makes it easier for your body to expel them from your system.
8. Get Quality Sleep
Yes, sleep itself can offer a kind of small-scale nightly detox. At issue is the glymphatic system, which, according to the National Institutes of Health, is a "macroscopic waste clearance system" that eliminates harmful metabolites from the nervous system.
One study discovered that poor quality sleep can impair the glymphatic system. Considering all the health benefits provided by 7-9 hours of sleep per night, it's a good idea to prioritize sleep in your detox lifestyle.
9. Supplement With Milk Thistle
Liver toxicity is one of the most severe results of damage from contaminants. That's why detoxification treatments that target the liver are essential.
A herb called milk thistle, available over the counter, has shown liver detox effects in research, including one study that discovered milk thistle's ability to help protect against liver damage caused by medications, alcohol, and other toxin-induced harm.
10. Take a Steam Bath
This should be the capstone of every successful body detoxification process. Steam showers help provide cellular-deep elimination of stubborn toxins in your body. Steam utilizes multiple mechanisms in helping to clear out your body of the bad stuff while leaving you refreshed and revived.
Let's look at how steam therapy helps deliver a successful detox.
HOW STEAM COMPLEMENTS—AND COMPLETES—ANY DETOX SYSTEM
The most apparent elimination method of steam is through sweating. The sweating mechanism flushes out toxins deep inside your epidermis, improving skin circulation. This is an essential end game in removing toxins from your body. Some popular detox treatments listed above may dislodge impurities but not altogether remove them from your body. A steam shower will help complete the process and complement every other cleansing method.
One study found that a sweat response consistent with a steam bath may remove heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury. As the study states: "Sweating offers potential and deserves consideration, to assist with removal of toxic elements from the body."
Besides dislodging and eliminating impurities through sweating, the hyperthermic effects of steam therapy can help remove the buildup of lactic acid from muscles after exertion. This is important if exercise is part of your wellness lifestyle (and it should be!). Steam heat can also help dilate small blood vessels, thus increasing circulation, an vital part of transporting toxins out of your body. In fact, according to research, blood flow out of the heart "increases by two or more times after a 10-to-15-minute steam room exposure."
Steam can also help aid the sleeping process. Research has found that "manipulating body temperature before sleep onset may improve sleep quality in the elderly." Hyperthermic effects from steam may also raise levels of endorphins and serotonin, neurochemicals that promote relaxation and will help you sleep deeper.
Steam rooms can also help enhance your respiratory system, which is essential in expelling toxins from your body. Because steam is a natural expectorant, regular sessions in a steam room will help remove mucus and open up airways, which supports multiple health functions, including detoxing. Deep breathing detoxification is promoted by some alternative health experts, and steam can help you breathe deeper and more easily.
Again, making steam baths part of your regular wellness routine will help your overall detoxification program and help your system eliminate any impurities you encounter on a daily basis. It's the perfect addition to any natural detox.
HOW YOU CAN BRING STEAM THERAPY INTO YOUR HOME
It's easier than ever to make steam part of your lifestyle. Residential installations of steam rooms and steam showers are more affordable than ever. Technological advances developed by engineers at MrSteam have created many innovative techniques that bring state-of-the-art home steam systems that won't bust your budget. You won't have to do significant reconstruction or clear out substantial space in your home to accommodate a MrSteam home steam system.
To see how easy it is to install a steam shower in your home, check out some of MrSteam's case studies or visit a dealer showroom.
