Body Matters – Detoxification
'Body Matters – Detoxification'
I’m sure most of us will agree what we put on our skin is as important as what we put in our mouths. Like many people we find some products just don’t go well with us particularly when it comes our internal physiology and external practice for body care. But that’s not the whole story.
Today our bodies are constantly bombarded with stressors like harmful chemical and environmental toxins, some of which are inadvertently self-inflicted through lack of self-awareness or knowledge of the potential impact. We end up with internal biological systems that are out of balance. How we deal with this imbalance and modern-day stressor assault can be multifactorial and may incorporate a period of abstinence or fasting from foods and or products. This often allows the body time and space to reset and rebalance metabolic or hormonal resources.
It also gives space for metabolic reset to devote resources to cellular clean-up, detox and repair work to vital organs. These organs such as the gut, liver and lymph which are primarily devoted to immune function detox and drainage are constantly working overtime alongside other biological systems which get overtaxed by these stressors. If these imbalances are not addressed mindfully over time, they often lead to chronic conditions that end up being treated with prescriptive medication that does not tackle the root cause of the imbalance.
Harmful or Helpful?
To take a typical example, you might not be into cosmetics, but you certainly don’t miss those areas of personal care that you can’t go a day without – Such as body deodorant…right!
Essentially, we need to sweat to release toxins and waste products from our bodies. However, some important questions to consider may be:
- Is it Chemical free?
- Pure, Organic, sustainable, ethically produced?
- Will it cause me harm or irritation, now or in the future?
- Should I be concerned about the use of anti-perspirant?
- What should I look out for when reading the label ingredients?
It seems that people are becoming more and more hypersensitive to cosmetic and personal care products as well as foods. This may be due to the levels of toxicity that pervades our environment, aside from food and drink intake and what we put on our bodies.
Recent research has shown that women in particular will apply up to 25 different chemicals to their bodies before leaving the house each day. Many of these have damaging endocrine disruptors that can cause hormonal imbalances which a number of research studies have shown to be connected to some forms of breast cancer.
The largest organ in the body is the skin which absorbs much of what we put on it. Marketeers and manufacturers are very clever at attracting customers to their products primarily through our senses of sight and smell. This is especially so with cosmetics and personal care products. Your task is to navigate through this minefield of petroleum, parabens, benzoates, salicylates, synthetic preservatives, aromas and colours with your health still intact.
One chemical should set our alarm bells ringing – aluminium, a chemical commonly used in most anti-perspirant deodorants, which studies have also linked to cancer. It seems best to avoid placing these substances close to sensitive organs and tissues.
Many practitioners and researchers as well as people are now turning their attention to the power of fasting as a direct health intervention to manage many symptoms they are experiencing. This includes metabolic imbalances, digestive issues, allergies, fatigue, cloudy thinking, and unexplained weight gain.
Now we see a strong evidence base for prolonged fasting growing rapidly year on year. Much of this research relates to the science of slowing down the ageing process, but also the health benefits without the hunger or side effects of a strict water based fasting regime more than 5 days. Much of the interest revolves around turning on self-correcting, self-regulating programmes within the body.
Naturally speaking every process within the body is perfectly designed to supply the body's particular needs, every tissue is perfectly designed to carry out its special functions, every organ is designed to complement the function of other tissues. All systems work hand in hand to make sure the body meets his daily nutrient and energy requirements as well as efficiently removing any waste and toxins that result from these processes.
Given the toxic load placed up on these systems from modern day living, it’s never been more important to consider a body reboot or reset to allow the body to recover and reclaim these self -repair mechanisms.
You can find out more on how to begin your fasting journey and create a cellular reboot with a 1 day fast using ReSet or the prolonged 5 day Fasting mimicking diet (FMD) here.
In addition, below are just a few useful websites to visit with plenty of helpful information on clean non-toxic products:
You will find a number without the nasties that are not only kind to you but also the planet available from your local Waitrose, Revital or online.
As with all personal care products its important to find out which ones work best for you. Some may cause irritation due to certain allergies or sensitivities, so try them out to see which ones suit you the best.
