To Detox or Not?

January is the month for weight loss, joining the gym and detoxing. As a naturopath I cover weight loss approaches and detoxification. In fact detoxification through fasting was THE method employed the naturopaths of old, and it was extremely effective in curing all manner of diseases in those times. However, times have changed and detoxification, and calorie restriction weight loss plans, now come with complications. This is down to the fact that we have a lot more to detoxify. The foods we eat, the air we breath, the products we put on and in ourselves all contain man-made chemicals that our bodies have not really evolved to recognise, it is actually amazing that we do have some sort of mechanism in place that can cope with them at all. So detoxification (and it also occurs in rapid weight loss too) is the release of all these toxic chemicals that are stored in the body, usually somewhere the body has wisely decided will keep them out of trouble. When detoxification occurs successfully the toxins come out from hiding and are correctly processed by the organs of detoxification (liver, bowel, kidneys, skin) and excreted to the outside. However, what can happen if there are too many toxins, or some of the organs are below par, is that a healing crisis occurs; basically you re-intoxicate yourself. This can be a good sign if it is controlled and you feel great after, but if it is too strong and you feel really quite unwell you may have to cut your detox short and then you find all the toxins are floating around again! Strong detox's would include fasting or juice type cleanses so go careful with these after Christmas. It is much better to support yourself initially with good healthy nutritious food before you try something stronger, and even better to seek some naturopathic guidance to target specific areas of weakness you may have. This way when it comes around to doing a gentle detox you can achieve it with the minimum of side effects.