More About Detoxing

I hope this series of posts on detoxing is helpful for you. Here's Part 2, from something I posted a few years ago.


Understanding the Detoxing Process (Part 2)

In Part 1 I shared three things I've learned about detoxing. Today I'd like to add a few more insights.


1) The detoxing process involves symptoms.

Before I started detoxing, I had symptoms all the time; they were symptoms of illness. After I began detoxing, some of my symptoms improved, but then new symptoms came up.

However, most of the time when I told my doctor about a new symptom, she'd say "That's a good thing!" She helped me learn how to distinguish symptoms of illness from symptoms of detoxing.

For instance, at different times I've had symptoms of ravenous appetite, skin rashes, inflammation, etc. But as long as I knew they were symptoms of detoxing, then I didn't worry about them. I just kept doing my detoxing routine, knowing they would eventually resolve.

A lot of people begin a detoxing program and then feel worse. Instead of realizing this is a GOOD sign, they get frustrated or discouraged and give up.

Note: It's very important to have a trusted health advisor/professional to help you through the detoxing process, because though usually you'll feel worse simply from detoxing, sometimes it's because something is wrong. You need someone who can help you discern which it is.
Also, some people have an inability to detox, which means that doing certain detox therapies can make them much worse. I'll write more about this in next week's post.

So if you're beginning a detox program, be prepared that you will have symptoms. As the body cleans out the bad stuff, you will feel it. But if you persevere with the right program for you, you should eventually see signs of improvement.


2) Detoxing is like peeling an onion.

Some people have fewer layers than others. If we were comparing "onion" sizes, mine would probably win the prize at the World's Fair. =)

For the first three years of detoxing, I mostly detoxed chemicals, toxins, medications, etc. Then after a while, I started detoxing old infections. I still can't believe how many ear, sinus, throat, strep, bacterial, viral, and fungal infections I had to detox!

Apparently since childhood I had a low-functioning immune system. So even though I "got over" various infections, most of them didn't truly heal. They just relocated somewhere else in my body and manifested with different symptoms. Once my body cleaned out a lot of toxins, it began seeking out those infections and working to finally get rid of them.

Your top layer may be chemicals, followed by a layer of infections, followed by a layer of heavy metals, followed by another layer of more infections.... Your body will detox one layer at a time, so don't get discouraged if it seems like you've detoxed a lot but then you hit another layer. It's a good thing! =) I'm thankful God created our bodies with this ability to keep peeling back layers until we're healthy once again!


3) Detoxing is like a stair-step process.

When I began detoxing, my body was so weak I couldn't talk or get off the couch. But after a few weeks, I was able to stand up and do stretches for about 45 seconds. As I kept detoxing, my body got strong enough that I was able to handle physical therapy. After a few months I could sit up in bed for a half hour. Etc, etc.

If you're like me and you begin at the literal bottom of the stairs, be encouraged that your body will start where it can to get rid of toxins. Gradually as you have less toxins weighing you down, your body will feel stronger. Then it will target more things to get rid of.

By the second year of detoxing, whenever I'd finish getting rid some particular toxin, I'd usually have a day or two where I felt pretty good. I'd think, "Wow, I'm getting better! This is great!" Then the next day I'd suddenly feel much worse. My doctor explained that when I had days of feeling good, it was a sign of how much stronger my body was. And since I had gotten stronger, the next thing my body would do is go after more toxins/infections!

So even though it can be frustrating, I've learned to be positive about this stair-step experience. I feel better (up a step). Then I feel worse (fighting the next thing). Then I feel better (up another step).

Now I'm at the point where I sometimes have 5-6 days of feeling good in between detoxing "steps." Hopefully I'll soon be at the top of the staircase! =)

Also, each person detoxes at their own pace, so try not to compare the length of your "stairs" with others.


So, does this make sense? Do you have questions about the detoxing process?

What Is Detoxing?

When my health crashed in 2004, I didn't know what "detoxing" was. People in the health arena talk about it all the time, but it took a while for me to learn what it really involved.

In simple terms, detoxing is getting rid of "toxins" - which can be anything your body sees as unnatural or harmful to it. But the detoxing process itself is not a simple one. So I'm going to do a series of posts to hopefully help you better understand detoxing, since it is a vitally important component for everyone's health!

This first post is one I wrote a few years ago, and I think it's a good place to start. =)


Understanding the Detoxing Process - Part 1

For years my body has been in a detoxing/healing process. I never dreamed it would take this long, and I had no idea about all the strange experiences I'd have along the way.

Often when I'm telling someone about my latest detoxing phase, their eyes glaze over like they have no clue what I'm talking about. If I hadn't lived through the last several years, I wouldn't understand it either.

So I thought it'd be helpful to explain a little about the detoxing process. Hopefully it'll help you in your own situation or at least give you better understanding and compassion for others.

When I first started detoxing, I was extremely ill. I couldn't speak or move off the couch. I had so many things wrong with my body that it seemed I'd never find a place to start. Thankfully, after we started doing the lymphatic massage and detox baths every day, my body began its own healing process.

Here are some things I've learned since then:

1) The body usually detoxes more recent toxins first.

One of the first things I detoxed was asphalt. I'd had a terrible exposure to asphalt a few months before we started the massage. So after a couple weeks of the massage, I noticed that my clothes and hair smelled like asphalt. That was the first thing I detoxed.

Many months later I was detoxing things I'd been exposed to in childhood.

For me the detoxing process has mostly worked backward (sometimes called "retracing") - detoxing recent exposures first then gradually working back to earlier toxic exposures.


2) The body detoxes through the lungs, liver, kidneys, bowels and skin.

While the lungs and liver are somewhat "invisible" detoxing organs, the kidneys, bowels and skin usually show more noticeable signs of detoxing.

As I said, my clothes and hair smelled like asphalt while I was detoxing it, because it was literally pouring out through my skin. This is one reason detox baths can be so helpful.

If you never have any changes in your urine, bowels, or skin, you're probably not detoxing effectively. There should be rather obvious signs that your body is getting rid of toxins. 


3) The body is extremely thorough in its detoxing process.

I have been astounded at how many things my body has detoxed in the last several years! Everything from mercury, formaldehyde and pesticide, to immunizations, viruses, and bacterial infections, to perfume, shampoo, lotion, and much more!

When the body deems something as unhealthy or over-abundant, it detoxes it. Praise God that this is how He has created our bodies! When we provide the assistance the body needs (lymphatic massage, detox baths, herbs, supplements, deep breathing, etc.), it is very faithful in "cleaning house" and getting rid of the bad things that have accumulated.

Sometimes I wish I could "turn off" this detoxing process for a few days and take a break. =) But really, I'm very thankful my body continues to work on detoxifying and healing every day.

Well, I think this post is long enough for today. =) There's more to share, so tune in next week for Part 2 of understanding the detoxing process.


Any questions so far? Do you have any insights to share about the detoxing process?