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‘Toxicity’ refers to the degree to which a substance is poisonous; and ‘detoxification’ is an important metabolic function that the body automatically undertakes to prevent substances from becoming poisonous. Detoxification is one of the most powerful tools a Naturopath has in their wellness toolkit.
There are primarily five channels used by the body for detoxification and elimination – colon (faeces), liver (bile), kidneys (urine), lungs (gas exchange) and skin (sweat).
Between individuals, toxicity can occur from different biological mechanisms such as:
- oxidative damage (free radical production)
- molecular mimicry – hormones or neurotransmitters
- blockage of nutrient absorption
- blockage of receptor sites
- blockage of cellular transport mechanisms
- interference with enzyme function
Sources of Toxins
There are external (exogenous) and internal (endogenous) sources.
External sources include – occupational, personal care products, car fumes, diesel particle emissions (DPEs), lead from lead pipes, alcohol, nicotine, pesticides, herbicides, radiation, food additives, solvents, heavy metals, pharmaceutical and recreational drugs.
Internal sources include – poor dietary choices, metabolic by-products (including hormones, adrenalin, cortisol, carbon dioxide, urea, lactic acid, intermediary detox metabolites, inflammatory cytokines), undigested foods, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), stress, excess fat/adipose tissue, polymorphisms and genetic predispositions.
Health Effects of Toxicity
Some conditions and symptoms resulting from a greater ‘toxic load’ include:
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Symptoms |
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What can you do?
- Keep your liver and gall bladder healthy. The liver has metabolic pathways that help to detoxify toxins depending on the type (eg. aspirin is detoxified in a different pathway to paracetamol). Each pathway is reliant on specific nutrients to efficiently ‘detoxify’ them and make them ready for excretion by the body. Some nutrients that can help include – St Mary’s Thistle, globe artichoke, green tea (organic), fibre, garlic, onions, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts), spirulina, chlorella, glutathione, and probiotics.
- Drink water (filtered if possible).
- Open your bowels daily and urinate when the urge requires.
- Exercise daily.
- Minimise exposure to any of the above sources of toxins.
- Detoxification is personal. Seek professional advice for conducting detoxification programmes. Trying to eliminate metabolic toxins when all the channels of elimination are not working properly can lead to recycling of toxins (auto-intoxication/endotoxemia) or deposition in certain tissues (e.g. brain or fat tissue), which may result in more harm than good.
