Cleansing is a really popular topic and can be quite overwhelming when you start to dive into it.
The unfortunate part is that there’s so much false information out there that’s muddying the water to help people understand what may actually be helpful and for what.
Environmental illness is actually super common, and much of what I see in practice could likely be linked to exposure to toxicants and toxins. Here are only a handful of common symptoms that have been linked in the scientific literature to environmental illness:
(SOME) Common Symptoms of Environmental Illness
- Sensitive to chemicals, supplements or medications
- Chronic Infections
- Asthma
- Allergies (seasonal allergies too!)
- Autoimmune disease
- Diabetes
- Infertility
- Brain Fog
- Migraines
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
- Obesity and Weight Gain!!
- Fatigue
- Fibroids
- Endometriosis
- Low Testosterone
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Thyroid Issues
- ADHD
- Mood Disorders (including anxiety and depression!)
- The list could go on and on and on…
THIS IS WHY IT’S KEY TO SUPPORT OUR BODIES AS BEST AS WE CAN!
To start, here are some common myths that I want to clear up:
Your body does this all by itself and doesn’t need any help.
MYTH: I wish this were the case, but unfortunately we’re exposed to so many different toxicants literally multiple times per day, and our bodies are struggling to keep up with it all. This is why I see environmentally ill patients in practice…their regular detoxification and depuration systems aren’t functioning to the level that they’re being exposed. Anyone who says that the body doesn’t need support has clearly never had training in environmental illness and the effects of toxicants on the body.
A week long cleanse or a daily detox tea is all my body needs.
MYTH: There are a lot of cleanse products out there and unfortunately most of them aren’t going to provide enough support. For healthy people who want to do a cleanse a couple times per year, they may do a bit of something, but with how much we’re exposed to daily, I would always suggest working with a practitioner who understands your health concerns, can help you decide which cleanse to do based on what you’re trying to rid your body of and support you through the entire process.
The dose of things we’re exposed to is often so low that it doesn’t matter.
MYTH: This is also very unfortunate. Science is absolutely showing that even in tiny, TINY amounts, there are some toxicants that can still be negatively impacting the body. The other huge issue is that science is only barely scratching the surface on what these toxicants do in our bodies when they’re COMBINED with each other. Sometimes we see that 1+1=5 and it can really mess with our bodies.
The worse I feel on the cleanse, the better
MYTH: This is something I definitely disagree with. If you aren’t feeling well while you’re cleansing (think headache, nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramping, etc), it could be that you’re pushing detox pathways too quickly and your body is struggling to keep up. The exception to this is if you’re avoiding caffeine that you normally have and the lack of that is causing a headache. Best to start working on decreasing your caffeine amount ahead of time to ease your caffeine withdrawal.
Important Things To Know
Cleanses Can’t Cleanse Everything
A cleanse or detox will not get rid of everything that’s considered a toxin or a toxicant from your body. It’s just not how it works. There are certain requirements depending on what you’re trying to remove and this is KEY to understand. For example, heavy metals will require very different support and protocols than trying to rid the body of BPA or phthalates.
AVOIDANCE IS KEY
Cleansing is all well and good and if it’s something you’d like to do 1-2x/year, that’s great, but EVEN BETTER, is to work to avoid the toxicants or toxins in the first place. If you have more questions about this, definitely let me know…there’s a lot to work though.
Want to Cleanse with me?
I’m going to be announcing a January group cleanse in the coming weeks and would love for you to join me. You’ll learn all about my favorite effective ways to support your body while you cleanse and current patients will get a bonus too! Stay tuned!