At one time, I was really sick. So sick that I couldn’t cook, clean or take care of my children.
Housework was a family affair. It involved everyone, except for me. My preteen daughter made our meals. My husband did the dishes. This was in addition to the other chores he did early in the morning, before leaving for work.
My illness came on suddenly. Then, it progressed rapidly. For a few years, I could barely walk. I wondered when I’d need a wheelchair. Unfortunately, that day didn’t seem too far off.
Something had to change. Or else I’d likely spend the rest of my life as an invalid. I knew I needed to do something drastic. My body was filled with toxins. I needed to get rid of them.
Easy Ways to Detox Your Body Naturally
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What resulted was a drastic overhaul of my lifestyle. Two things helped immensely. One was diet changes. The other was homeopathy. Herbal remedies and essential oils played a role too. I’ll explain here what I did to regain my health, and to detox my body. But first, I need to add a disclaimer.
I’m not a doctor. I can’t give medical advice. Nor can I claim or promise that anything I did will help anyone else. We’re all unique. A natural remedy that’s good for one person may not necessarily help another. Also, one person may need to take multiple remedies. Or, they may need to switch them around.
Unfortunately, there’s virtually no scientific research about detoxing. Mainstream medical professionals tend to scoff at the idea, even though it’s widely promoted by holistic healers.
I had no way to measure the effects of “detoxing.” So I could only go by how I felt. Gradually, I began to feel better.
Here’s a really important point. People with chronic medical problems absolutely must work with a doctor before attempting to do anything that resembles detoxing. I encourage my readers to work closely with a healthcare provider, preferably with a holistic mindset.
How to Detox Your Body Easily
Natural healing is an art as well as a science. I’ve been blessed with wonderful homeopaths. I’ve also had access to excellent chiropractic care.
But, even with that kind of help, I was pro-active about detoxing. I’m an advocate of safe and easy detoxing. So my efforts centered on taking herbs (in moderation) and homeopathic remedies (in moderation).
This was coupled with eating organic food, and avoiding environmental toxins. Emotions are another area to detox. I did this with homeopathy and essential oils. (There are special essential oil blends designed specifically for stress reduction.) I always have a few of these in the house.
My lifestyle underwent a comprehensive overhaul. It took years, and a lot of trial and error. If you’re interested in exactly what I did, I compiled this information in an easy-to-follow online course, which includes both text and videos. (Click on the image below for more information.)
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How to Detox Your Body With Homeopathy
Homeopathy made an enormous difference in my health. If I measured it day to day, it didn’t seem so. Healing takes time. Looking back, month to month, I could see great improvement.
At one point, I couldn’t climb stairs using alternating legs. But one day, after taking a certain remedy, I could. Since then, this hasn’t been a problem.
However, homeopathy alone wasn’t enough to restore my health. Those of us who use homeopathy need no convincing that it works. (It’s also believed the right remedy can help your body rid itself of toxins.)
But I needed more. My diet was atrocious. Poor food choices, I believe, worked against the remedies I took. I didn’t see big gains until I gave up wheat, dairy and GMOs. (We now know that genetically modified food causes cancer in laboratory animals.)
How to Detox Your Body Using Food
Giving up my favorite foods wasn’t easy. I can’t eat hot fudge Sundaes. No more knock-off Longhorn lobster and shrimp dip.
Clean eating means cooking mostly from scratch. This was one of the toughest hurdles. That’s because I wasn’t feeling that well when I started. I also needed to negotiate a learning curve.
Fortunately, I knew someone who walked me through the process. People who aren’t used to cooking from scratch may want to check out Real Plans, a healthy, low cost meal planning service.
Signing up for a month or two of Real Plans should be enough to get past the learning phase. The subscription includes chat and telephone support on how to eat healthy.
How To Detox Your Body Slowly
Not long after I started eating meals made from real food (as opposed to nutritionally devoid processed junk) my energy started to rebound. I don’t think I’ll ever have the same energy level as someone who’s never been sick. But I have enough energy to live a normal life again.
I paid particular attention to getting GMO’s off the kitchen table. I’d been hearing a lot about genetically modified organisms. But, once I learned the reasons for genetic modification, I was appalled.
How To Detox Your Body from Junk Food
In America, most of our corn and soy has been tampered with. It’s grown from seeds that contain foreign DNA, which make it survive a potent herbicide called glyphosate. Glyphosate has been linked to a number of health problems.
Also, glyphosate is widespread throughout the environment. I decided I didn’t want to eat this chemical in my kitchen. The good news, from what I’ve read, is that glyphosate leaves your body after three days. Detoxing meant avoiding this ubiquitous compound. I assume most processed food found at the grocery store contains GMO’s, unless it’s organic or the label specifically says it doesn’t.
There are safer substitutes for everything, including soy sauce. Now, I use a GMO-free soy sauce substitute called Liquid Aminos. It looks and tastes exactly like regular soy sauce.
How To Detox Your Body of Fluoride
Unfortunately, I love in a community that adds sodium fluoride to our water supply. This chemical is known to interfere with the thyroid. It’s been linked to cancer, as well as other diseases. Sodium fluoride is toxic. So I try to avoid it as much as possible.
Most of the time, I buy bottled water. I’ve also used a simple counter top filter that removes most, but not all, of the fluoride. The Tap Master Jr. is very easy to use. Unlike pitcher-style filters, it removes tiny sodium fluoride molecules. Filtering your water is less expensive than buying bottled water for cooking and drinking. I have no way to test my bottled water for contaminants. I wish I did. But I already know my tap water contains fluoride. So I’ll stick with bottled.
How To Get Fluoride Out of Your Body
My favorite way to detox from fluoride is not drinking fluoridated water. (Or bottled juice made from fluoridated water.) I also make sure to use an all natural fluoride free toothpaste that can be ordered online. (Because non-fluoridated toothpaste is difficult to find locally, at least for me.)
Fluoride accumulates in the pineal gland. It’s believed that various dietary supplements, such as spirulina, can help move it out. However, I can’t say this for sure, as studies are lacking. I do believe our bodies are always trying to rid themselves of toxins. We can help the process by avoiding problematic chemicals, such as sodium fluoride.
How To Detox Your Body From Mercury
Aluminum and mercury are toxic heavy metals that don’t belong in our bodies. For me, avoiding aluminum was much easier than avoiding mercury. That’s because I had a mouthful of “silver” fillings partially made from mercury. Every time I ate or drank (especially hot liquid), mercury was released. So my silver fillings had to go.
But learn from my mistakes. I went to a local dentist. He didn’t use the correct protocol. So my health deteriorated. It took me a good six months to recover from this episode. Getting mercury out of your mouth is a good thing, overall. However, you need to choose an experienced dentist.
How To Detox Your Body of Metals
Some people with heavy metal poisoning do something called chelation therapy. This is done intravenously, while working with a medical doctor.
However, I’m a big fan of letting the body take care of toxins on its own. So I didn’t feel the need to do this. Plus, chelation therapy has potential risks and side effects, especially for those already in poor health.
It is important to avoid heavy metals. That’s because alternative health experts believe they contribute to chronic inflammation. If you’ve read this far, and you’re looking for ways to naturally detox, you likely have a problem with inflammation. Excess inflammation fuels the disease process. So think of it as your enemy.
How To Detox Your Body Using Herbs
During my recovery, I took a number of herbal remedies. I have no proof they moved toxins and heavy metals out of my body. But they did make me feel better. We’re all different. Some people with chronic pain find great relief with turmeric as a dietary supplement.
However, this herbal remedy did little for me. Instead, my body responded much better to tulsi. This is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Herbs.” Oftentimes, at night, I’ve drank tulsi tea. I also take a supplement called Oregon’s Wild Harvest Stress Guard, which contains tulsi. I don’t take this every day. Just occasionally, and it makes me feel calm and relaxed, without being drowsy.
How To Detox Your Body With Home Remedies
Through the years, I tried a number of other home remedies to gently and safely move toxins out of my body. They include:
- Earthing. This was simple. It involved sitting outside and putting my bare feet on the ground. If you’re looking for scientific proof this is helpful, you probably won’t find any. However, some alternative health professionals believe the direct contact with the earth helps your body release positively charged free radicals.
- Epsom Salt Foot Soaks. This is a really easy way to detox through your feet. Again, I have no proof that it works. But there’s a long therapeutic history of soaking in mineral salts. Sometimes, I soak my feet in Epsom salt, baking soda and a few drops of lavender essential oil.
- Mustard Powder Foot Baths. Soaking your feet in warm water with mustard powder added is a cheap and easy home remedy for detoxing. However, don’t do this if you have chronic health problems, unless you check with your doctor. (No one should put their feet in warm mustard water for extended periods of time. Limit this to 20 minutes per soak.)
- Bentonite Clay. This can be used to detox certain parts of your body, such as your face, your feet, under your arms or right above your liver. Again, check with your doctor if you have chronic health problems.
Detoxing Your Emotions
There’s another component that’s often overlooked in detox protocols. That is your emotions. It’s long believed that negative emotions take a toll on your health. Now, there’s mounting scientific evidence this is the case.
From listening to my readers, as well as my personal perspective, I believe many people with chronic pain and other chronic conditions have experienced narcissistic abuse. That’s why I devoted an entire section of this site to Narcissism and Your Health. If you click on that link, you’ll find a list of articles to check out.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils or herbal or homeopathic remedies unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.