By Ana María Aguirre A.

Cat lady without cats. Obsessed with music, cosmetics and NYC. Always politically incorrect. When I was little I thought I was She-ra (Master of the Universe), but at most I got a Master's degree in public communication of science (among other novels). I want to change the world through education.

The "detox", more than a reality, is a necessity. The human body needs to detoxify so as not to die. The question is, how?

The body is a perfect machine, designed to self-clean and detoxify itself through its own filters, through its organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and then eliminate waste through the intestines, urine, or sweat. .

If our organs and digestive system are inflamed, do not function well, or there is a dysfunction, they will not be able to carry out their work, causing us to become poisoned and then sick.

If, on the other hand, we fill our body with toxins, eat a poor diet, are exposed to pollution, heavy metals, and lead a lifestyle with poor sleeping habits and stress, we are not going to allow our body to do its job. Our natural filters are not going to be supplied and will end up becoming saturated or breaking down.

What should we do?

Take care of the liver.

It is possibly one of the most important organs in our body. That is where toxins are filtered, glucose, fats, and many other processes are processed, which are vitally important for our health.

How do I do it?

These are the foods that contribute to the health of our liver, they help detoxify the body, and many also have anti-cancer molecules and act as chelating agents (they trap and remove metals to be excreted through the liver in the bile or kidneys. in urine)

Sulphurous Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, Broccoli Sprouts, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts.

Sulfurous vegetables: mushrooms, onions, garlic.

Algae: chlorella, spirulina, phytoplankton.

Spices: Ginger, turmeric.

In general, the best type of diet is one high in vegetables of all colors. It is necessary to vary the vegetables consumed daily, as well as their cooking, it being always better to consume them steamed al dente, raw green leaves, or sautéed in butter or ghee.

Avoid:

Coffee

Alcohol

Trans fats (fried foods)

Sugar

Processed

The antioxidants

Antioxidants are those that will prevent the damage caused by free radicals at the cellular and mitochondrial level. By doing this, we are avoiding the aging of cells and therefore, diseases.

Antioxidants are mainly in fruits that are colored on the inside such as all red fruits, kiwi, orange, mango, papaya, pomegranate, etc. As well as in animal protein, especially in organs such as the heart, which contains the largest amount of coenzyme Q10, one of the most powerful antioxidants and the main food of the mitochondria.

Avoid toxic chemicals.

The main ingredients of industrial personal care and cleaning products that we have to avoid are the following:

• Formaldehyde: (enamels, hair straighteners) Carcinogenic. It causes allergies and irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract.
• Formaldehyde releasers: they cause the same effects as formaldehyde.
• Dibutyl phthalate: hormone disruptor, damages the male reproductive system.
• Isobutyl, Isopropyl, Butyl, Propyl Parabens: (preservatives in cosmetic, grooming and cleaning products) hormone disruptors, carcinogens.
• Mercury: is a heavy metal that is absorbed through the skin. It damages the kidney and impacts the nervous system. Especially harmful to the development of the fetus.
• Phthalates: (makeup, cosmetics, cleaners, etc.) hormone disruptors, carcinogens. These may be present hidden in ingredients such as perfume, fragrance.
• SLS: (Shampoos, soaps) sodium laureth sulfate
• Toluene: (enamels) toxic to the brain and nervous system, damaging the development of the fetus.
• Triclosan: (toothpastes, detergents) Affects the thyroid and reproductive hormones.
• Carbon black: (makeup) carcinogenic.
• Asbestos: found in other contaminated raw materials such as talc. Produces lung diseases if inhaled, carcinogenic.
• Lead: affects brain development in children and causes permanent damage to the nervous system. It damages other organs such as the cardiovascular system and the heart, and chronic lead poisoning can be the reason for many health problems that are difficult to diagnose.

Maintain good sleep hygiene.

Sleeping well and resting is as important for health as eating healthy and exercising. Not sleeping adequately generates fatigue, stress, raises cortisol and leptin hormones, also causing weight gain and illness.

During sleep, the body also detoxifies, cells regenerate at all levels.

To have good sleeping habits, try:

• Sleep at least 7-8 hours a day
• Avoid waking up
• Avoid artificial light and screens at least 2 hours before bedtime to start producing melatonin and between 10pm and 4am.
• Maintain a comfortable temperature in the room.
• Keep the room completely dark.
• Disconnect electronic devices.
• Eat at least 4 hours before bedtime.
• Do a short meditation or prayer before sleeping to relax your mind.
• Do not do activities in bed. That is, leaving the bed alone to sleep.
• To regulate the circadian cycle, watch the sunrise between 4-9 am and sunset. The light and colors received through the eyes send this information to all the cells in the body to raise cortisol in the morning to have energy and then begin to decrease it in the evening.

If you have insomnia problems, seek professional help. You may have a deficiency of vitamins, minerals, iron, etc.  Avoid sleeping pills unless prescribed by your doctor.

Avoid and eliminate heavy metals.

As I indicated previously, chronic poisoning with heavy metals such as lead or mercury can cause many health problems and be very difficult to detect.

To avoid further contamination, chelating agents can be used that cause the toxic to adhere to it, then discarding it through stools. One of them is chlorophyll or chlorella. However, it must be clear that these chelators will not eliminate the toxins that are already in the brain.

If you suspect that you may have heavy metal poisoning, see your doctor or a functional medicine doctor.

What else helps us eliminate toxins?

The urine

Drinking plenty of water helps us dilute pollution. Don't forget that it is also important to replace the electrolytes that the body consumes, mainly sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride.

Regular bowel movements

Imagine that your organs are doing their job filtering all the toxins... but what happens if the pipe through which you have to throw them away is damaged?

Constipation can also lead to intestinal infection due to bacterial overpopulation caused by not eliminating waste. Ideally, it should be done once a day. Keep your posture in mind, if the toilet is very high, you are not in a correct position, you can choose to have a stool on hand where you can put your feet to elevate your legs.

You should stay hydrated, exercise regularly, and stay active.

Incorporate vegetables and green salads into your diet daily and at every meal. Vegetables also work by trapping heavy metals in the intestine and keeping the intestinal flora in good condition so that toxins such as lead or cadmium are prevented from being absorbed. You can make green juices if you like them, just remember that just drinking green juices will not prevent poisoning by itself or produce a “detox”, but it will help you because of the fiber and vitamins that are antioxidants.

The sweat

You can achieve this through exercise or a sauna. In both ways you eliminate toxins. Cadmium in particular is excreted much better through sweat than urine.

Detox Tea... do they work?

Although “detoxes” alone are not going to cleanse your body, there are herbs and spices that can help you because they act as chelators or because of their anti-inflammatory power.

Just as green algae (chlorella, phytoplankton) help as chelators, you can also eat turmeric (which is also my favorite for its anti-inflammatory power), garlic, cilantro and gingko biloba.

What will never benefit you are laxative teas since they will cause dehydration, inflammation in your digestive tract and alter your intestinal flora.

Avoid excess mercury in fish

If you consume a lot of fish, try to get those that are wild caught, and those that have less concentration of mercury such as catfish, wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, canned tuna in water, trout, cod, white sturgeon and shellfish such as shrimp, oysters, mussels, crab (yeiiiih!).

Larger, predatory and older fish have a higher percentage of methylmercury, so if you are pregnant and even if you plan to be pregnant within a year, I recommend that you consume fish that are low in mercury, since the damage is great in babies and children.

Avoid fresh or frozen swordfish, shark, and tuna, as these have the highest levels of mercury.

Avoid plastic

Plastic contains phthalates and other toxins that are released especially with changes in temperature. Use glass, ceramic, and stainless steel containers, especially for cooking and eating. Store water and food in glass containers, and by no means heat food in plastic containers and even less in foam ones (already banned in the US and European Union because it has been proven to be carcinogenic).

Phthalates are endocrine disruptors and cause autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's and thyroid problems.

Reduce the use of microwaves and electronic devices.

Pure water

Filtering the water after boiling it will be helpful since drinking water is generally contaminated with cadmium and lead from pipes, especially old ones, and contains chlorine that inhibits the absorption of iodine, causing damage to the functioning of the thyroid. . Boiling water only eliminates bacteria and parasites, but not heavy metals.