I thought this week I would share with you additional ways to support your seven channels of elimination both as you cleanse and beyond. To refresh your memory, those seven channels are the liver, lungs, kidneys, colon (or bowel), skin, blood and lymphatic system.

Perhaps the most effective way to enhance your cleanse is to modify your diet in a way that supports your health goals. Toxins can’t be eliminated if they continue to enter the body. Doesn’t that just make sense?

Supplementing your diet with extra vitamins and minerals, particularly those with antioxidant properties (vitamins A, C, E and the minerals selenium and zinc) and B vitamins, may prove beneficial as well. A multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good support for the body as it purges toxic chemicals.

Because the kidneys are unable to function properly without sufficient water intake, drinking plenty of water during a cleanse is also a necessity. Consuming a high-fiber diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains is also important. Fiber helps to absorb and eliminate toxins and waste as it passes through the digestive tract.

Did you realize that the skin is your body’s largest organ? Waste is effectively eliminated from your skin through perspiration. Heat causes toxins to be released from the cells into the lymphatic fluid. Because sweat is manufactured from lymphatic fluid, the toxins from the lymph are released when the body perspires. Saunas (dry heat) or steam baths (wet heat) create sweat intentionally to help release toxins from the skin.

Exercise certainly promotes detoxification – not only through perspiring, but also through increased respiration and circulation. Breathing deeply helps remove toxins from the cells, for ultimate removal by the lymphatic system. A fully functioning lymphatic system, being part of the immune system, can also help enhance your immunity. Definitely a win-win!

To many people, the most obvious channel of elimination is the colon. And sadly, the incidence of constipation is much more widespread in America than you would care to imagine. When a person is constipated, the toxins that are produced from normal metabolism along with those that are encountered in daily life rather than being eliminated, are recirculated into the bloodstream, increasing the body’s toxic burden and adding to general inflammation and discomfort throughout the body.

An excellent way to support your colon is through a process known as colon hydrotherapy, the therapeutic application of water into the colon, stimulating elimination and cleansing. Done in a comfortable setting by a trained professional, colon hydrotherapy can help to overcome issues of chronic constipation. Unlike chemical laxatives, colon hydrotherapy actually helps to tone the bowel so that it resumes normal function. Colon hydrotherapy also helps to rehydrate the body.

These toxic times necessitate ongoing detoxification. As you learn to work these simple cleansing practices into your daily, monthly and yearly routines, you will notice increased energy, boosted immunity and more mental clarity as happy results.

From Brenda Watson

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