The Detox Dilemma

Lately I’ve been asked by many people “what’s your opinion on detoxes/detox diets etc...”. I can see why this is a confusing subject, as the word ‘detox’ presents a relatively new concept. I’ll attempt to clarify these ambiguities.

What is a detox?

The commercial version of the practice of detoxifying the body has become a lucrative industry in the last 5 years or so, and continues to increase in popularity. Detox–at–home products promise instant results and celebrities promote their favourite detox programme, while nutritionists often question their benefits, or even warn against them. Whom do we trust? The answer depends largely upon your definition of detox, and what you’re hoping to achieve. There are now so many different ways to ‘detox’ available that it’s difficult to know what to choose. When a juice bar product, a day spa treatment, a ten day DIY kit, a week’s health retreat in the country and all betwixt is called a detox, how do we decide what’s right for us?

To ‘detox’ in this context simply means to enable or assist the body’s existing elimination pathways, in particular the liver, in removing the non useful, potentially harmful things from within itself. These things might be drug residue from prescription or recreational drugs, the effects of smoking, caffeine or alcohol, build-up from atmospheric pollutants, or toxins from the shortcomings of the modern western diet. ‘Detoxing’ can be taken to an infinite number of levels, depending on how and how long we approach the process. For my part, I believe there is a place for detoxing in our lives, but it’s important to be informed enough to separate a useful, healthy approach suited to your body from the glitzy marketing of many quick fixes.

Why should we detox?

Imagine that your home is for sale and you’re opening it for inspection. You usually clean the house to a respectable level each week, but now it must be perfect. You clean more thoroughly and for longer, including areas you might not normally cover like walls or windows. The end result makes you wish you’d done it sooner! This is how a true detox should feel. It’s a deeper clean than your body can usually perform unassisted in the modern world, which results in a cleansed system which functions a it’s designed to.
I believe it is ideal to cleanse the body annually at least in some small way. You may decide you’d benefit from a detox due to one or more of the following signs and symptoms;

Weight gain
Unexplained fatigue
Sleep problems
Allergies or skin eruptions including adult acne
Right sided discomfort / pain
Raised liver markers (blood test result)
Morning nausea (other than pregnancy)
Lack of appetite in the morning
Aversion to fats / pain /nausea from fats
Bad breath
Migraines and headaches
Constipation
IBS
A yellowed sclera (whites of eyes)
Elevated LDL cholesterol/triglycerides


These and other symptoms are or can be the effect of an overwrought liver. They will all benefit from some form of liver cleansing programme. I believe it is important to bear the principals of detoxification in mind at all times when choosing food for ourselves and our families, but I also realise that the reality of modern life makes a truly clean lifestyle very difficult. This is why I would recommend periods of this style of eating, particularly to assist the treatment of health difficulties and to determine whether intolerance to a food is a factor in illness.

What should I expect a detox to be like?

Usually a detox ranges in length from about 4 days to 2 months. The type of detox will determine how long you maintain it for. If you are fasting, 4-5 days is the norm, but if you are using a clean diet, 2 months is recommended.

Detox diets all have one thing in common, which is to eliminate all processed food. These types of foods have only been introduced into the diet in the last 50 years, which means we evolved as a species without them. Our ancestors gleaned all their nutrition from the basic food groups, or primary foods; fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, honey, meat, fish, and much later, whole, cultured dairy. They were not assaulted by pollution and only occasionally used mind altering substances, often for ritual purposes. Their bodies were therefore able to perform detoxification continually, unhindered by onslaughts of toxins as ours are.

Often detox diets advocate the removal of meat for a period of time. This is because meat takes longer to pass through our digestive system and puts extra strain on the liver. It may also contain a high concentration of toxins such as pesticide and herbicide residues, antibiotics and synthetic hormones. If the diet is a short term one, say a month, removing all meat won’t cause any harm, provided you use high protein plant foods like nuts, legumes and quinoa. However if you’re going to be on the diet for longer than this I would advocate the inclusion of fresh fish and some organic chicken a couple of days each week.

Some detox diets recommend fasting, which is extremely controversial for obvious reasons. My belief is that this can be very useful for some people, but should only be undertaken under the supervision of a sensible, qualified naturopath, for a short time period, and vegetable juices should be included for vitamin and mineral content. I disagree strongly with any system that removes all sources of nutrients, as this can cause harm. I believe too that one should remove to quiet accommodation outside of the city. I certainly don’t recommend fasting while continuing to work, drive and look after children. Besides the risk of low blood sugars, it’s very difficult. Fasting is, of course, an extreme method, and though it is incredibly rewarding when practiced carefully, it can be just as effective to use some foods, but a longer period of time will be necessary. If you are going to fast, keep exercise very gentle, but regular. Also make sure you perform it in the AM. Yoga and some gentle walking are ideal.

A common element in most detox programmes is the use of herbs or nutritional supplements. Many employ one or a combination of the liver cleansing herbs. These are plant extract that have properties that help the liver to eliminate more efficiently in some way. Some are more powerful than others, and they all work slightly differently. This is why I believe it is important to consult a qualified herbalist to select those that will be best suited to your needs.

Another commonly used supplement is a bowel cleansing agent such as psyllium husk. This is essentially a faecal bulking agent which helps to sweep the intestine clean of matter that may have become lodged there. This may occur if the diet is deficient in fibre containing foods like fruit, veg and legumes. Matter stuck to the intestine wall can leak toxins into the body as it putrefies. To prevent this, I believe it’s a great practice to take a fibre supplement like psyllium whether you’re detoxing or not. There are many proven benefits to this, including a reduction in re-absorption of cholesterol.

A bowel purge is a routine start to a fasting detox. This serves to clear the system of food on its way through the alimentary canal. Another way to cleanse the bowel is to use some form of colonic irrigation. Obviously this isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but I can’t recommend it highly enough as a therapy. It can help to achieve dramatic health results for weight management, migraines, the skin and the digestive system.

These, plus some antioxidants like vitamins, minerals and other plant extracts, are often the ingredients of the ‘pills and potions’ that come with a home detox kit. One problem with these is that they often come in tablet form, which might be poorly absorbed. Here again a qualified practitioner can help by providing good quality supplements and taking absorption into account.

What do the critics say?

Many critics argue that it’s ‘unnatural’ to purge and fast the body. My response to this is that it wouldn’t be necessary if we didn’t eat refined sugary, packaged, processed foods or food containing non-food additives like dyes and preservatives. These very low nutrition foods build up in the body in several ways. Processed foods like cured meats, starches; breads, pastas, cakes, biscuits, and much confectionary, are low in fibre and when eaten often can build up on the intestine walls. This build up leaks toxins into the body, and may also lead to cancer of the bowel. Fibre in the diet serves to prevent this build up, but studies show our fibre intake is falling far short of what it should be. The absorbed portion of these ‘non-foods’ are sent to the liver for disposal. Our livers evolved during a time when we ate real food, so they aren’t well set up for a constant onslaught of strange molecules. The effect on the liver is measureable after some time, and research shows that a diet free from refined, additive filled foods will lower elevated liver markers significantly.

To return to the argument that fasting is unnatural, our ancestors, even as recent as 50 years ago, ate far less food per day than we do. Earlier ancestors would often have had periods of food scarcity, particularly at the end of winter, when they would have been obliged to eat a mono-diet of whatever vegetable, grain or fruit was still available. Because the memory of this routine still exists in our DNA, late winter is a perfect time to seek out a professionally organised cleanse.

It’s entirely up to you to decide your opinion on detoxification. However if you are curious, or suffer from some of the aforementioned symptoms of a full liver, consult a naturopath who will be able to assist you with individualised treatment. Many health retreats specialise in ‘detox weeks’ or weekends, where you can experience the myriad health benefits first hand, which I would highly recommend. I would be very cautious, though, about using a detox at home kit if it asks you to fast while living your normal day to day life. However the benefits of using a book or a guide to 'clean up' your diet for a number of weeks are immense, and you may find you retain some of the principals long after the cleanse is completed, like permanently reducing your intake of refined foods. This can only benefit your health.

Remember, when in doubt, see your naturopath. Happy cleansing!