Your body is like a finely-tuned machine – with every cell in your body working in harmony to keep you alive and maintain a delicate equilibrium. But, in our modern world that’s a whirlwind of chemicals, stressors, and sedentary living, even the most finely-tuned systems can use a little support. That’s why supporting your body's ability to essentially “take out the garbage” or detoxify is so essential. 

So today we’re going to dive into exactly what detoxification is and how supporting your natural detoxification pathways can invigorate your health and fortify your overall well-being. And most importantly, we’ll cover some simple and effective ways you can support and amplify your body's natural detoxification abilities. Let’s start by defining what it actually means to “detox” in the first place.

Detoxification Defined: What Is the Purpose of Detoxification?

So, what exactly does the term “detoxification” even mean? Detoxification is sort of like your body's built-in clean-up crew that breaks down toxic compounds and packages them up into a form that’s less toxic so they can be eliminated and transported out of your body. 

You see, we inevitably come into contact with a glut of toxins on a daily basis. And in a perfect world, our body's natural detoxification pathways are designed to neutralize and eliminate these troublesome toxins – clearing them from our bodies just as quickly as they come in. So, the idea behind boosting your detoxification is simply reinforcing and enhancing these natural detox pathways. 

Now let’s zoom in on exactly what these detox pathways are and how your body is actually able to remove toxins.

How Exactly Do You Flush Toxins Out Of Your Body?

Your body relies on four major organ systems to support and carry out the important job of detoxification. These primary detox pathways include:^1,2,3,4

1. Your liver: Your liver scrutinizes the compounds floating around in your bloodstream. When it detects a toxin, your liver flags it, breaks it down, packages it up, and ships it off to your digestive tract to be eliminated.
2. Your digestive system: Your digestive tract is arguably the most obvious detox pathway – with toxins and wastes being eliminated alongside undigested food when you have a bowel movement.
3. Your kidneys: Your kidneys are like a giant filtration system – trapping toxins as they flow through so they can be carried out in your urine.
4. Your skin: Your skin also plays a pivotal role in detoxification by releasing and  eliminating accumulated toxins when you work up a sweat. 

These organ systems all work in tandem to remove toxins from your body. But these toxins must undergo a distinct detoxification process before they can effectively make their way out of your body. So let’s zoom in even closer and explore what happens at the cellular level when it comes to detoxification.

What Happens To Your Body When You Detox?

Detoxification is an ongoing process that takes place throughout your body continuously. In order to be broken down, packaged up into a less toxic form, and be removed from your body, toxins must undergo a 3-phase process that goes something like this:⁵ 

• Bioactivation: Think of bioactivation like your body's way of “bagging up” any “garbage” that’s hanging around. Your cells modify the structure of toxins into a more manageable form so they can be more easily removed. 
• Conjugation: If bioactivation is like bagging up the garbage, then conjugation is like tossing that garbage bag into the waste bin. The conjugation phase adds a chemical group to bioactivated toxins that make them water soluble and therefore more easily transported out of your body.
• Transport: The final transport phase is exactly what it sounds like – when toxins (aka the garbage) are picked up and transported out of your body.

So if your detoxification systems are continuously performing their job in the background, why bother worrying about detoxifying at all?

What Are the Benefits of Detoxing Your Body?

In a perfect world, our bodies would have no problem keeping up with the natural flow of toxins coming into our bodies. But unfortunately, when it comes to toxins, we don’t live in a perfect world – far from it. You see, our modern world is overflowing with toxic compounds that bombard us from every angle. 

Toxins can be found quite literally everywhere – from the air you breathe and the water you drink to the furniture in your home and the self-care products you slather on each day. Pair that with modern-day lifestyles that put a damper on our detox pathways (like poor diets, sedentary jobs, and lots of stress) and you’ve got a recipe for toxin overload. And this overload of toxins can result in toxins accumulating within your cells and tissues where they continue to wreak havoc on your health by:

• Spiking inflammation
• Disrupting your immune system
• Throwing your hormones and neurotransmitters out of whack

And this underlying disturbance in your body’s equilibrium can add up to some serious consequence for just about every facet of your well-being – with an overload of toxins triggering countless conditions ranging from endocrine disorders to infertility and from severe allergies to autoimmunity. So the benefits of enhancing detoxification are exponential and impact every aspect of your health, happiness, performance, appearance, and more.

So how can you best go about detoxing your body?

What Is the Best Way to Detoxify Your Body?

The very best way to detox your body naturally is to optimize your natural detox pathways while simultaneously minimizing your exposure to environmental toxins. Here are some practical and powerful ways to accomplish this:

• Eat a “clean” diet: Food can be a major source of toxin exposure thanks to the widespread use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers as well as contamination with mycotoxins. So, it can be helpful to opt for organic fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and animal products as often as possible.
• Switch to less toxic products: Many conventional cleaning, home, beauty, and personal care products are teeming with toxins. Swapping over to less toxic products can drastically reduce the amount of toxins in your environment.
• Purify your air and filter your water: Air and water are two of our most basic necessities for survival. And unfortunately, they can both be tainted with an array of health-disrupting toxins. That’s why filtering your air and water are foundational to lowering your exposure to toxins and supporting your detox pathways. 
• Support a happy healthy gut: A happy healthy gut is essential for proper detoxification. You can keep your gut in tip-top shape by minimizing processed gut-irritating foods, promoting a diverse and thriving microbiome (the ecosystem of microorganisms that live in your belly), and ensuring you’re regularly going to the bathroom.
• Work up a sweat: Sweating can be a potent way to mobilize and eradicate stored toxins. While working out is great for working up a sweat, you can also get a good sweat going by incorporating infrared sauna therapy to really supercharge detoxification without having to lift a finger.
• Recharge your cellular batteries: Your cells rely on electrical and chemical energy fields to help them carry out their detoxification duties. You can recharge and boost your cells' natural “batteries” and supercharge their ability to detox by incorporating PEMF therapy. 

While all of these strategies are crucial components when it comes to helping your body detox, there’s another powerful way to shortcut your way to accelerated detoxification and improved health. 

Introducing the Detox Bundle: The Best Way to Remove Toxins From Your Body Naturally

The accumulation of toxic compounds is one of the most overlooked aspects of health. Simply minimizing your exposure to toxins and giving your body a little extra support in the detoxification department can work wonders. To help you take the guesswork out of detoxing and help you shortcut your way to feeling, looking, and performing better, I’ve created a powerful protocol to help supercharge your body’s ability to detox. 

My Detox Bundle follows a strategic 3-phase process that goes like this:

Phase 1 – Toxin Mobilization: 

Phase 1 is all about helping your body draw out toxins, transport them across cell membranes, and package them up so they are ready to be flushed out of your body. To accomplish this, I’ve incorporated a dynamic duo of nutrients – Glutathione Essentials and Liver Essentials. By pairing glutathione (a potent antioxidant and master detoxifying agent) with all of the key nutrients your liver needs to transform and package up toxins, toxin mobilization is maximized. 

Phase 2 – Toxin Excretion:

Once toxins are mobilized, it’s time to get them out of your body. To prevent these mobilized toxins from being reabsorbed and recirculated, they need to be bound to molecules that help escort them out. These binding molecules have an electrostatic charge that attracts toxins and traps them – allowing freshly packaged and mobilized toxins from your liver to be delivered to your gut via a substance known as bile.

Phase 2 incorporates a blend of binding agents (like zeolite, activated charcoal, and humic and fulvic acids) to ensure toxins mobilized in phase 1 are bound up tight so they can be properly and completely eliminated. 

Phase 3 – Replenishment and Nourishment:

Toxins can take a toll on your body and deplete you of essential nutrients. And while detoxification is essential, it can also be a major drain on your energy and nutrient reserves. For those reasons, it’s crucial to ensure you’re replenishing and nourishing your body in equal measure (with plenty of water, electrolytes, and healthy food full of vitamins and minerals) as you undergo any type of detoxification protocol. 

This potent blend of strategically combined supplements can jumpstart your detoxification – especially when paired with some of the detox-boosting lifestyle adjustments listed above. You can grab your own Detox Bundle through my online store. You can even get 15% off all orders of $400 or more!

Ready To Detox Your Way To A Healthier, Happier Life?

Detoxification is one of the most important – and most often overlooked – pillars of overall health. If your primary detoxifying pathways aren’t firing on all cylinders or your natural detox systems are jamming up, your body simply can’t function at its best. So whether you’re trying to heal an underlying imbalance, grappling with an ongoing diagnosis, or simply looking to optimize your health, you can’t afford to ignore your body's ability to detox.  

The steps outlined in this article and My Detox Bundle are excellent places to start when it comes to supporting and supercharging your body's own natural detoxification capabilities. If you enjoyed this article and are looking for more ways to create a foundation of vibrant health, happiness, and purpose, I’ve got you covered. 

I’ve got hundreds of science-backed and value-packed resources available on my blog and YouTube Channel. I drop new content weekly, so be sure to sign up for my email newsletter by entering your name and email into the form at the bottom of this page. And if you want to learn how I transformed my health and my entire life from rock bottom to thriving, you’ve got to check out my new book Unexpected: Finding Resilience Through Functional Medicine, Science, and Faith. I share my struggles, my triumphs, and most importantly, the exact steps and tools I used to reshape my life so that you too can create an extraordinary life of love and resilience.

Now it’s time to hear from you. Were you surprised to learn how important detoxification really is? What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for detoxing? Leave your questions and thoughts in the comments below!

Resources:

1. What Does the Liver Do? | Children's Pittsburgh (chp.edu)
2. The Kidney Dysfunction Epidemic, Part 1: Causes – PMC (nih.gov)
3. Modulation of Intestinal Functions by Dietary Substances: An Effective Approach to Health Promotion – PMC (nih.gov)
4. Decreased Skin-Mediated Detoxification Contributes to Oxidative Stress and Insulin Resistance – PMC (nih.gov)
5. Phases of Detoxification – Cincinnati Health Institute