Weight loss doctors’ facts about natural body detox
The role of detoxification in the body cannot be overemphasized. The reason, if you will ask, is not far-fetched. Your organism becomes toxic when a natural method of excreting metabolic waste has exceeded the threshold of what the body detoxification system can carry. So, as weight loss doctors are saying, it is highly important that you flush toxins out of your system.
While many people think detoxification is a strange or scary thing that should not be experienced or undergone, we would like to prove to you that they are wrong. Scientific research shows that detoxification has never been so important. Today, human bodies carry much more toxins than 50 years ago. In fact, toxicity makes us sick, it can be a trigger for serious health problems. And if we do not take any action concerning it, it can affect our entire body system. Therefore we believe detoxification is vital to our health, it is a physical and spiritual necessity.
The body’s detox system
The body detox system comprises three primary organs, the liver, the colon, and the kidney. These organs work hand-in-hand to remove toxins from our body.
Here is how they operate:
- The liver: The liver is the first line of defense against toxins. It helps filter and detoxifies food particles that are not meant to be in the body. In addition, the liver makes use of oxygen and enzymes, a process known as oxidation, to burn out these toxins. And, therefore, making them more water-soluble. Why is it necessary? It is necessary because toxins can be removed easily when they are soluble in water.
- The colon: The colon, also called the large intestine, plays a very important role in the whole process. It flushes out toxic chemicals before causing you any harm. Additionally, it helps with issues such as constipation or irregular bowel movements.
- Kidneys: Kidneys help filter toxins and wastes from your blood. It also adjusts the body’s acid/alkaline balance and regulates the amount of fluids in the body. It processes 200 quarts of blood daily just to filter out 2 quarts of excess water and wastes.
Having understood how the body’s detox system works, we will quickly take a look at some weight loss doctors’ opinions about natural body detox.
The first person on our list is Mark Hyman, M.D. He is a practicing physician, a ten-time New York Times bestselling author and the founder of The UltraWellness Center located at Lenox in Massachusetts. You can follow him on his social media pages if you want to know more about him.
Dr. Mark Hyman said that throughout his life as a functional medicine doctor, his first priority has always been to guide his patients through a simple, safe, realistic, and pleasurable transition into healthy eating. He also added that by detoxifying your body you will be able to free yourself from sugary, chemical-laden, fatty deposits, etc. which are bad for the body. He further talked about how to know when you are toxic and need to be cleansed.
He wrote: “Usually, a constellation of complaints can lead the doctor in the right direction. And help determine whether you are toxic or not.”
These are some of the examples and symptoms that might indicate a toxic system:
- Stubborn fat and excessive body weight
- Constipation, gas and bloating
- Food allergies
- A lifetime of consuming the SAD diet
- Inclusion of an excessive amount of tuna, swordfish, shark or other large fish in the diet
- Consistent use of NSAIDs such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
- Mercury fillings and dental amalgams
- Skin abnormalities such as rosacea, acne, or eczema
- Hormonal imbalances and consistent use of hormone replacement pill or progesterone cream
- Persistent headaches, nausea, muscle fatigue, and muscle aches
- Belly fat or excess fat around the abdomen
Dr. Mark Hyman also advises on how long you should stay on cleanse/detox – typical detox that harnesses the body’s natural processes for filtering and removal of waste can be tolerated for longer periods of time.
He explained that a safe detox is one that doesn’t make you starve yourself, or makes you take potions, fancy pills, or expensive drinks. He also said that safety means allowing your body to do what it does naturally with just a little assistance from guided-healthy eating.
He further stated that he often encourages his patients to do cleanse for a duration of six weeks or longer as it would benefit their health. He also talked about preparing for cleansing and stressed that it’s very important for one to plan ahead before starting out.
Dr. Hyman outlined some key things to plan for:
- Recommendations about taking basic measurements before starting out so as to track your progress. He further stated that, if weight loss is the goal, you can start by measuring out your hips, waist, and weight. And if it is migraine, you can determine the intensity, duration, and frequency. He advised getting a journal so as to be able to record each progress.
- Recommendations about making lists, organizing pantries, gathering recipes, and sketching out weekly menus.
- He explained that detoxification is a slow process, therefore you are advised to take your time and persevere till gradually everything falls in place.
- He encouraged gathering supplements as prescribed by your instructor before starting out.
Dr. Merrell Woodson
The second among weight loss doctors on our list is Woodson Merrel. He is the chairman of the department of integrative medicine at Manhattan’s Beth Israel Medical Center. To find him on Facebook, click here.
He has a stronger view of detoxification. He believes that problems often seen in patients cannot be solved by taking a detox diet as it only puts your body in an unbalanced state. He explained that detox happens naturally with or without any special diet or weight loss program, whatsoever – detox happens in your body cells every second of our lives.
This process is most obvious in the liver. The best way to support detox in our body is by eating good food and not by starving ourselves. If care is not taken, enrolling in a diet program can be counterproductive. In addition, he said, by depriving your body of some essential nutrients which are supposed to aid the neutralization of the toxins you absorb from water, air, and food, you are affecting your diet plan consciously or unconsciously.
- Merrell holds two schools of thought as far as food is concerned: his first claim is that we detoxify our body by simply eating nutritious foods and second, we detoxify by avoiding foods with excess sugar, preservatives, or saturated fats.
- His recommendation is that we should be having a 3-day liquid diet of nut, fruit, and veggie smoothies. By doing so, we will be having a fusion of digested solid food and fruit diets such as phytonutrients, minerals, and vitamins- a concept that is not yet embraced by many medical practitioners.
- Then after that, we should set four days apart for the vegan diet (a mix of liquid and the easy-to-digest food).
- Then another optional two more weeks filled with a limited quantity of clean animal protein (skinless poultry, mostly eggs, and nonfat dairy). Merrell’s opinion is that after his 21-day program, you are set to have the best food template for the rest of your life.