Cleansing – From The Inside Out

So far I’ve talked about cleansing from an external perspective, outside your body.   The next few articles will be about cleansing your body from the inside out.   There are many cleansing programs and regimes available, I will be covering just a few of these.  Cleansing is not a one size fits all process and it’s important for you to know your body and recognize how you are feeling on a day to day basis.   This way you can identify how you feel when detoxing and adjust accordingly.  I am not a holistic doctor and cannot prescribe treatments,   but I can offer you information and some firsthand experience.  One of the most important factors in cleansing is “common sense”.   If you don’t have any, you should start gathering some before going any further.

Natural Cleansing Our bodies were designed with several ways to eliminate toxins.  Some of the obvious routes are through our breath (so keep breathing), our skin (anti-perspirants stop this process and should be avoided, most also contain heavy metals that enter right into the blood stream and lymphatic system), and our systems of elimination (keep yourself hydrated and “regular”).  If any of these basic functions are not working optimaly, toxins can build up in your system.

Breathing helps eliminate toxins so it is important to breathe regularly.  This may sound simple but pay attention to your breath patterns over a couple of days.  In yoga classes I teach breathing exercises.  Adjusting your breath can affect many body systems.  Breath can calm you down (when you exhale more than you inhale) and energize you (inhaling greater than your exhale).  For daily activities it is simply important to breathe regularly and not hold your breath.  This often happens in points of stress or anxiety when breathing is exactly what your body needs to settle down.

What is your skin drinking in? Skin is another point where toxins should naturally be released.  We have, however, created our own problem with this when we apply chemicals to our skin that introduce toxins into our bodies via the bloodstream.  While some substances could be absorbed as quickly as 26 seconds into the bloodstream after being applied to the skin, the reality is that some are absorbed into the skin and then slowly continue to release into the bloodstream for hours or even days even after a product has been washed off.   Check out www.safecosmetics.org for a quick view on all the chemicals we may be subject to simply from the body products we use day to day.  With layers of soap, shampoo, lotions, perfumes, hairspray, make-up, etc. it  doesn’t take long for us to become covered in a chemical cocktail, making it even more important to clean up your environment.   If you lessen your exposure to these outside influences, you give your body a fighting chance to eliminate toxins via the skin (mostly in the form of sweating).

Help your body naturally eliminate The last area our bodies eliminate toxins is through our major organs. It is essential that the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and digestive tract are all operating at their best to help this process along.  If any of these organs becomes sluggish in function, the toxin removal will be compromised.  The easiest area to maintain is the colon, through regular elimination.  Constipation slows down the body’s natural method of cleansing and allows toxins to build up in the system.  Staying hydrated and eating plenty of good quality fiber are two easy ways to keep things moving along.  Enzymes and whole foods keep your digestive tract healthy. 

Supporting your body’s natural methods of cleansing  will help you feel better day to day and make any cleansing program you take on more effective.  Watch for the next article on cleansing:  Fire & Ice, which includes detoxing with hydrotherapy – and I promise I won’t be covering colon irrigation.

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2 Responses to Cleansing – From The Inside Out

  1. Susan P May 3, 2013 at 2:26 pm #

    Absorption rates do vary in chemicals depending on the chemical, the skin rate and the age of skin. While it may be too general to list an absorption rate of all chemicals at 26 seconds since the science of skin absorption is complex, the reality is there are hundreds if not thousands of research articles continuing to be published verifying the absorption of chemicals via the skin.

    The point this comment misses is the fact that chemicals are absorbed into our blood, often times for hours or days after they are applied.

    My point in focusing on quick skin absorption rates is to help readers be aware of what they are putting onto their skin, it does matter. The reality is that the cosmetic industry is not regulated by the FDA (nor tested by the FDA, the cosmetic industry is self-regulating) and cosmetics are a huge source of chemical exposure to consumers whether it’s in 26 seconds or 26 hours.

    Quick absorption time probably doesn’t matter as much in the big picture, as most cosmetics are worn for hours at a time. Even more importantly, what matters in the end is chemicals are absorbed into the skin, and often slowly released into the blood for hours or days even after washing the skin. The big questions that still remain are: what chemicals are neutralized? Which ones are being made more toxic by skin enzymes activity? What are the long term affects?

    My site is devoted to educating consumers so they can make informed choices and encourage them to use common sense. All of our body systems are connected, they are not individual systems which have no impact on the other. Our skin is filled with blood vessels and what we put on our skin, breath and eat will end up in our blood, though we don’t always know how. Whether or not we agree on the rate issue, there are plenty of studies showing these chemicals are showing up in our blood. Scientists have known this for decades, even back to the 1970’s when hexachlorophene was used in baby soap and found to cause brain damage. Parabens and phthalates are just a couple of the recent chemicals (plus many more too numerous to mention here) still used in cosmetics that do show up in the blood. The cosmetic industry is producing more products and chemicals than the system can safely test, and often takes a wait and see perspective on safety. The problem is compounded when consumers layer personal care and cosmetic products where a chemical cocktail ensues and even practiced chemists could not predict the result.
    If you want to be an informed consumer and read the research proving what cosmetic chemicals are absorbed into the body I’d recommend these non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting consumers:
    http://www. EWG.org for specific chemicals, research and to find out the safety of products you use.
    http://www.safecosmetics.org
    Plus a good article on the science of skin and toxic absorption:
    http://bit.ly/107TZ0M How Thin is Your Skin, New Scientist magazine

    The use of any personal care product requires a dose of common sense and assumed risk as you layer

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  1. Identify toxins in your life « Pure Home and Body LLC - May 9, 2011

    […] Detox your body Using essential oils will help your body gently eliminate toxins.  Just drinking Young Living lemon or peppermint essential oils in your water each day is an easy way to start cleansing your body of toxins that have built up in your system.  Be careful to avoid any beauty products with petroleum products in them like mineral  oil as therapeutic grade essential oils from Young Living draw out toxins when they are applied to the skin.  If any skin irritation occurs it could be from toxins being pulled out of the skin.  Some oils like citrus oils will cause photosensitivity and may result in sunburn if applied within 12 hours of sun exposure. […]

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