Optimizing Detoxification and Your Skin Health

/ Skin RNI - Skin Rejuvenation Clinic & Spa/

The new year is a time when many of us embark on health goals and aim to start a new “health journey”.

The most common thing I hear is “I am going on a detox!”

It is important to remember that our bodies are continually detoxifying; in fact our entire blood supply is filteredand detoxified in the liver every 3 minutes! The analogy being that the carpet in your home is being vacuumed every 3 minutes; what an amazing organ our liver is.

What we need to remember is that we want to “optimize detoxification”. The steps involved in optimizing detoxification are different for everyone; it depends on your current state of health,your health history, symptoms you may or may not be experiencing and many other factors.

Everyday we are making choices that either bring us closer to health or closer to disease. These choices consist of what we eat, our intake(or lack thereof) of essential nutrients, artificial food additives & chemicals in our environment we come into contact with, movement & exercise, sleep,how we process information (our stress response) and many more. Our bodies “retain” all of these choices, year after year in our cells. Our predisposition to disease does not just happen overnight; it takes years of bioaccumulation of these toxins before we start to see symptoms.

However, the biggest increase in toxic overload in our bodies has come is in the last 50 years from the start of “the Industrial Age” with the increase in synthetic toxins in the form of pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals,drugs, inhalants and plastics and of course in the production and our consumption of processed foods.

How do toxins cause damage to our bodies?
Toxins cause oxidation and the production of free radicals, the inhibition of enzymes (essential for reactions in thebody), damage to our DNA and damage to cell membranes and disrupt our hormone balance.

How do we get of toxins in our body and how do we optimize this process.
The first thing we need to look at before we start to optimize detoxification is how to optimize the eliminationchannels of toxins from the body or we are in fact increasing our toxic load and we can become very ill from this.

Our bodies have five “channels of elimination”.

  • Skin

  • Kidneys

  • Bowels

  • Lungs

  • Mind

The process of optimizing these channels is very detailed and specific but important to evaluate prior to any sort of detoxification program. For example; if you are not having regular bowel movements, the toxins will accumulate in the bowel and stay in the body for longer periods of time where they can have harmful effects.

Note that the skin gets rid of about two pounds of toxins per day through sweating. Heavy metals, persistent organicpollutants so having healthy skin is vital for optimal detoxification.

 The Mind may surprise you as a channel of elimination for detoxification but this is a key factor in our health. Take for example the individual who is in a chronic state of high stress; who is continually releasing high levels of adrenaline (a neurotransmitter) and cortisol (a hormone). Neurotransmitters and hormones have to be detoxified by the bodyand eliminated. So if you are experiencing long periods of high levels of stress your liver is in constant toxic overload! This shows up in many different areas of your body and is most visible in our skin.

Where does detoxification take place in our bodies?
The “first pass” of detoxification actually takes place in our small intestine! This amazing 21 foot organ harbors 70% of our immune system and is responsible for detoxifying many harmful chemicals that we ingest. This takes place in the cells lining the wall of the small intestine and is also highly dependent on a strong, healthy microbiome. (If you are experiencing dysbiosis which is an imbalance of the healthy gut microbiome then beginning a program to optimize detoxification is not the right choice for you.

The second place (and biggest) organ of detoxification is our liver. This process is very complex and intricate. We have the ability to increase the rate and efficiency of how our liver detoxifies by optimizing our intake of key nutrients!

The third organ of detoxification is our lymphatic system. The biggest way to stimulate our lymphatic system is to move your body - everyday!

 What is vital for optimal detoxification?

  • To reduce exposure to toxins - this requires finding where your overexposure is coming from; not as easy as it sounds given that the average person has over 90 chemicals in their body!

  • A diet rich in key micronutrients required for the detoxification pathways in our body - often we have to utilize strategic supplements to optimize this. If you are eating the Standard American Diet for example you will be very low in zinc (and many other nutrients) vital for detoxification.

  • A diet rich in macronutrients as detoxification is highly energy dependent - optimizing detoxification will not happen if you are on a low calorie diet regime.

 If your body’s ability to detoxify optimally is being hindered this can show up in our skin as skin congestion, acne, dull skin, under eye puffiness & dark circles.

If you want to learn more about optimizing your body’s detoxification and how this will affect your skin health contact us to set up a nutritional consultation.

Yours in great skin health,
Carmen Edwards, BSc, FNP
Skin RNI Owner & Founder