Detoxification is a basic natural health solution. It is particularly important in this day and age when toxic chemicals are in our homes, our food, our air and our water – and of course, spring is a great time to think about cleaning.

A toxin is a substance that creates irritating and/or harmful effects to the body. Toxins tend to overwhelm our bodies and undermine our health over time. Signs of toxicity include lack of energy, forgetfulness, insomnia, digestive problems, arthritis and other joint related problems, bad breath or offensive body odor, acne, allergies, colitis, lower back pain, depression, neurological problems, etc.

There are currently over 80,000 chemicals that are licensed for commercial use, with approximately 2,000 new chemical compounds being introduced each year. What most of us fail to realize is how and where these toxins are used. Many of these chemicals are in products we are exposed to every day. Much of our food contains chemicals that do not have to be disclosed.

The Sinatra Health Report published a list of 20 toxins found in everyday life which are as follows: insecticides, prescription drugs, alcohol, air pollution, cigarette smoke, formaldehyde from carpets and processed wood, soft drinks made with phosphoric acid, trans fats in many prepared foods, char-broiled meats, hair dyes, cosmetics and other personal products, petrochemicals, heavy metals, nitrates found mainly in processed meats, radon, gasoline, chlorine, mercury contaminated fish, industrial chemicals in home cleaning fluids, and phtalates from plastics.

The list of toxic chemicals and their effects can go on and on. If you are interested, read about them. I like Dr. Don Colbert’s What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You and Ann Louise Gittleman’s The Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet.

There are many good detoxification plans. I like using herbal detox products that clean the body’s basic channels of elimination such as the colon, kidneys, skin, lymph system, liver, and lungs. There are also cleanses for heavy metals such as lead and mercury. There are products that help remove xenoestrogens which are toxins that mimic estrogen causing many problems including cancer.

One of the most fascinating aspects of toxicity is that the toxins can store as fat in the body. Many practitioners are beginning to blame the obesity epidemic on the toxicity of our food.

For spring cleaning, I recommend the herbal cleanse along with added fiber and an omega 3 oil. This herbal cleanse helps detoxify the organs of elimination and cleanses at a cellular level too. I have not found a better, gentler cleanse than the one we sell – there are many copy-cats, but have never seen great results with any of them. Customers report results that include feeling great, being regular, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, no more gallbladder attacks, weight loss, and more.

And you can always follow a basic cleanse with a heavy metal cleanse to get rid of more stored toxins.

Try some spring cleaning. Now is a good time to detoxify at a cellular level – and when your cells feel good, you do too.

Written by Margaret Durst for The Green House, March 3, 2014.

~ The Author ~
Margaret Durst has been involved with natural health for over 20 years. In her early 30s, she was faced with a medical diagnosis that recommended a lifetime of prescription drugs. In her heart, she knew that there must be an alternative way to healing and health and thus began her journey into natural health. Along the way, Margaret has trained with many different natural health practitioners and earned a degree in Naturopathy. She established her nutritional consulting practice and opened The Green House in 2003 to enable her mission of helping people navigate the natural health maze. People have praised Margaret for intuitive ability to help people address their health issues and goals with diet and lifestyle choices and successfully take responsibility for their health and wellbeing. This comes from Margaret’s deeply held beliefs in the body’s innate ability to heal and in the tools nature provides for health and healing.

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