Are we really so saturated with harmful substances that we need to cleanse our bodies anew every spring … at the risk of going too far in this? Let’s look at what feeds our desire for (ideal) purity.
Ever since the legendary progenitors of mankind were expelled from paradise, our self-image has been marked by original sin. According to legend, impure blood flows in our veins – and many religions of the world prescribe ritual ablutions, fasting for the purpose of bodily and spiritual cleansing for believers. This is how the myths are maintained. And even today we are not ready to completely abandon the idea of some kind of primordial impurity that must be expelled from ourselves, cleansed, washed away. This is the role that detoxification, in a quite logical way, plays in our modern ideas – a set of procedures designed to free us from everything that interferes with the normal functioning of our body. The guilt of the biblical fall has now given way to an army of enemies that we have to contend with. We no longer feel like the bearers of a long-standing sin, but victims of our bad habits and the world around us with its stress, pollution, malnutrition, cigarettes, alcohol … The list is growing, every day more and more fueling our fear of wallowing in toxins. And fears and feelings of guilt for an “unrighteous” way of life deposit even more harmful slags in our unconscious …
Therefore, if we are talking about detoxification, then the first reasonable step towards it is to part with the idea that we are initially poisoned by some invisible substances. “In our body, waste products (respiration, digestion …), which are colloquially called toxins, are constantly formed in our body, and this is natural for him,” reassuring therapist Tatyana Zaletova, specialist of the clinic of the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, expert of the League of Health of the Nation. “These substances are processed and removed, the system is well-established, and it is difficult to knock it down.” So, we should just accept the fact that a certain amount of potentially toxic substances is always present in the body and this does not pose a danger to us. Excess is the real harm.
Fantasy or necessity?
So that toxic substances (both products of natural metabolism and those from outside) do not accumulate, our body uses an effective detoxification mechanism. “Practically all of its systems – blood, lungs, liver, intestines – are involved in the process of renewal and purification,” continues Tatyana Zaletova. – So, the liver produces enzymes that are involved in the breakdown of these substances to the smallest components, ready for safe removal from the body. Our liver is a self-replenishing and self-healing organ. It has a colossal defense mechanism against environmental aggression.” For example, during the digestion of meat, ammonia is produced during the accompanying biochemical reactions – a deadly substance. However, with the help of enzymes produced by the liver, it is converted into urea, which is easily excreted from the body by the kidneys.
What does it mean?
- Toxins – this is how we used to call substances that were formed during the life of the body or entered it from outside and which, if accumulated, can disrupt the functioning of its systems.
- Toxic substances, in other words poisonous, poisonous, can be both inorganic and organic in nature.
- Intoxication is the so-called disease state of the body caused by the accumulation of toxins in it to a critical level.
- Detoxification – the process of removing toxic substances from the body – natural or therapeutic. Initially, the English word detox meant cleansing procedures included in the course of treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.
Overload protection
Meanwhile, in order to naturally get rid of toxins, our body systems need to work without failures – and they do not always have such an opportunity. “In the diet of a modern person, there is often a deficiency of essential minerals and vitamins,” says nutritionist Valery Sergeev, a specialist at the Telo’s Beauty clinic. – This happens, among other things, because we prefer products that have undergone severe heat treatment, which destroys useful substances. The uncontrolled intake of drugs can also negatively affect the digestive system, which is fraught with a violation of the absorption of nutrients. All this as a whole can upset the balance of the body: as a result, its cells are renewed more slowly, and it becomes more difficult for us to recover from stress, we get tired faster.”
Our defense system can become overwhelmed if too many “external” toxins enter it – for example, chemicals that come from food. “The body is not adapted to their processing,” explains Tatyana Zaletova. – Substances such as pesticides and nitrates can accumulate, causing harm to the body: for example, nitrates lead to a decrease in hemoglobin levels. However, the damage becomes significant only when we receive a certain dose of the same toxic substance on a regular basis – which happens to us quite rarely.
Trust your body
Proponents of some areas of alternative medicine are convinced that headaches, fatigue, malfunctions of the digestion and immune system clearly indicate the “contamination” of our body. To get rid of these ailments, they propose to ease the work of the liver and regulate the excretory and digestive processes with the help of procedures that should put the body in order. What? Hydrocolonotherapy (colon cleansing), a strict diet, and even better – fasting. However, doctors consider such a radical detoxification pointless, and even harmful from a physiological point of view. “During hydrocolonotherapy with water, beneficial microflora is washed out of the intestines,” explains Tatyana Zaletova. “It is better to improve the functioning of the intestines by increasing the content of fiber, fermented milk products, non-thermally processed vegetables in the diet,” agrees Valery Sergeev.
Perhaps the most reasonable thought is to trust your body, which itself knows how to get rid of everything that interferes with it. Drink about a liter of pure water a day to help your kidneys work, exercise to wake up your body after winter, choose fresh and light foods to give you energy …
In Chinese medicine, the liver is considered the organ of spring, and this is no coincidence, because spring is a great time to take care of yourself.