It’s a common phenomenon to deep clean your house at a certain time of year because over time our living spaces become unhealthy with dust and germs. But did you know the same could be said about our bodies?
No, our bodies don’t collect dust over time but they do get exposed to things that are unhealthy for us. Every now and then—for our bodies to be the healthiest they can be—we need a deep cleaning to essentially reboot our health.
The way we achieve this “reboot” is through detoxification, otherwise known as a detox. A detox helps our bodies become refreshed as toxins roaming around inside our bodies are eliminated. Your health status is replenished after your body is cleaned out from the inside.
What Is A Detox Program?
Detoxing takes a similar approach as dieting, where it can be done as a group effort or as an individual. What we mean by this is sometimes people come together and collectively agree to commit to a diet plan, or a person makes the decision for themselves to alter their eating habits. The same can be said for detoxes, but the only difference being that detoxes go beyond just shifting what kinds of meals you partake.
Detoxing helps you get your foot in the door toward better health. It’s a non-extensive program because all it entails is flushing out harmful things roaming in the body and replacing them with healthy nutrients.
With a detox program, the detox is broken down on a week-by-week basis starting from a basic cleanse. As the program progresses, the body will go through a deeper cleanse as supplements and diets shift.
Additionally, a detox program acts as an educational tool when it comes to diet, lifestyle, and support. While going through a detox, the person is educated on healthy eating so in the future they can recognize which foods increase their health and which food should be avoided. Another part of protecting our health is ensuring our organs (like the liver and kidney) have the proper support. A detox program helps to communicate how to achieve this support.
Our lifestyles greatly affect our health, but not only from our diet. Most people assume healthy lifestyle choices are the same as dietary choices. Although your diet is a huge part of living healthy, there are other things within our lifestyles that could affect our health. For example, certain household products could be more damaging than some may realize.
A detox program is not just a way to refresh the body, but it’s also a method to learn how to live a healthy life and what further steps can be taken to optimize our health.
Why Do I Need To Detox?
You may have heard a saying similar to, “it’s hard to get healthy but even harder to stay healthy.” This is due to the fact that as we go through our daily lives, our bodies are exposed to harmful elements that deplete our health. This can be anything from eating junk food or even breathing in polluted air.
In today’s world, we are consistently surrounded by things that harm our bodies. For example, our lifestyles usually result in toxins building up in our bodies. Over time, as these toxins build, our bodies need relief. This is where the detox comes in.
Detoxing cleanses the body to help replenish our health. Essentially, anything harmful to the body is flushed out while vitamins and minerals that will benefit the body are put in. A detox is a deep cleaning of the body, replacing what is gross and unhealthy with what is nice and healthy.
Eliminate Toxins
As our bodies overload with toxins, we become more prone to getting sick. The main purpose of a detox is to help our bodies eliminate toxins, which in turn prevents sickness. We are exposed to toxins more than we realize, which is why our bodies need maintenance with a nice deep detox cleanse.
Toxins can be found not only in the food we eat but also in our environment. Breathing in polluted air or pesticides can cause toxins to linger inside our bodies. Toxins can also arise from the biochemical breakdown as our bodies try to digest our foods.
Toxins in our bodies cause numerous negative effects to our health from stress, anxiety, poor sleep, and an irregular gut. Toxins can cause people to feel more lethargic or have less energy for activities. It has even been said that an overload of toxins can compromise the immune system.
Toxins damage our health because our bodies are made to produce healthy minerals and vitamins, but the presence of toxins overrides this function. Our health is affected further by toxins due to our bodies being unable to eliminate them when we are in an unhealthy state.
As our body builds up in toxins over time, we become run down easily and are more vulnerable to illnesses. The more toxins within our bodies, the more sick and tired we feel. This is why a detox is a beneficial tool for regular body maintenance. With a detox, toxins are prevented from overloading the body and any toxins currently roaming around within the body are eliminated.
Benefits Of Detox Cleanse
A detox cleanse results in many different kinds of benefits from learning healthy habits, eating a well-balanced diet, and lowering the body’s chances of getting sick. As stated before, toxins in our bodies can make us feel sick. However, detox benefits don’t stop at toxin elimination.
Our body’s functionality is affected by the strength of our immune system. Without a strong immunity, we become more susceptible to harmful things we encounter in our lives. Detox programs are designed to not only flush out toxins but to help protect our immune system.
Vitamin D plays a major role in supporting the immune system, which is why detoxes include this mineral (usually through detox supplements). Most people are vitamin D deficient as they rely on sun exposure for their vitamin D intake. Although the sun is a natural resource, it’s not always the best way to get vitamin D as some climates lack sunlight or not enough time is spent outside.
One of the best ways to take in vitamin D is through food, which is why the detox helps to benefit the immune system. As someone goes through a detox they are increasing their vitamin D intake, which means they are adding support to their immune system.
In addition to the physical benefits, detox cleanse also benefits us mentally. Going through a detox program encourages healthy habits from eating schedules to even exercise. Because of this, detox programs encourage new patterns that will benefit our health in the long run. These patterns teach our brains how and what we should do to remain healthy.
Detox Program In Utah
In October, Integrated Wellness Bountiful will be launching a brand new detox program. The Integrated Detox System, otherwise known as DETOX 360, will provide the opportunity to cleanse and refresh the body in preparation for the holiday season.
At Integrated Wellness, we will be taking the DETOX 360 program a bit further by having our health coach collaborate with our functional medicine doctor. Referred to as The Functional Medicine Detox Plan, participants will be able to take their detox further with before and after metabolic blood analysis labs and weekly health coaching sessions.
The detox plan is designed to be intimate for the individual as Dr. Chris Frogley, our functional medicine director, will do a one-on-one evaluation of the blood labs. The main purpose for this is to have a documented analysis of the body’s health state before and after the detox. This is not only to compare the two labs, but to also see the participant’s progress as they increase their health with a detox.
Health coaching is beneficial to any person as they receive professional support and motivation to work toward their health goals. The Functional Medicine Detox Plan was designed to create a community of health support through group health coaching sessions.
By working within a group, there will be accountability, teamwork, and a group effort during the detox. Health coach Cori Behrends explained it best when she said, “It’s always easier to do something hard when you have support and a team.”
Rather than just receiving support from one coach, the detox plan participants will be surrounded by others who are committed to the same detox cleanse that they are. This detox community will result in a friendly and supportive environment as the group works towards getting their bodies healthier.
The great thing about this particular detox plan is that the materials the participants receive (workbook, kit, binder, etc.) can be reused for a future detox. In addition to cleansing the body of unhealthy toxins, the detox plan will also educate people on how to detox.
As stated before, we are exposed to toxins in our daily lives so every now and then our bodies need a detox to get back to being healthy. After going through our Functional Medicine Detox Plan, you’ll know everything you need to detox again at a later time.
How Long Is The Program?
The detox plan at Integrated Wellness is only a four-week program, which means it’s only thirty days! Looking at the grand scheme of things, thirty days is not that much of a time commitment. Within the detox plan, the diet changes each week so by week four the body can have a deep cleanse.
Because we all have busy schedules, weekly Health Coaching meetings, will be presented via video and will be recorded for participant access at their convenience. Other than the blood labs before and after the detox, the remaining time spent on the detox can be done at home. It’s a small amount of sacrifice to have amazing outcomes that will benefit your health.
With time, the detox will get easier. Not only for the first month but for any detoxes in the future. After committing to eating right and living healthy for thirty days, your body and mind will get set on a rhythm. This rhythm will help to create a new habit that will let you continue to live healthier.
How Will I Feel After Detox Cleanse?
During the first 5 to 10 days of the detox participants may experience tiredness, but that is a sign that the detox is doing its job. The benefits of a detox outweigh the one week of low energy as the body is working to get it back into a healthy state.
After the 30-day detox cleanse, participants can see improvements in their sleep, energy, weight, blood pressure, and skin. In addition, lifestyle changes will be learned that can be adapted for the future to prolong the health benefits that come from a detox.
How Do I Know If I’m A Candidate?
Sometimes health programs have specific qualifications, but that is not the case for detox programs. Anyone and everyone is a good candidate for detox because we all need a good body refresher. There is no harm in cleaning the body to replenish health, which is why any person can participate in a detox.
There is no question about whether or not a specific person could detox. If you make the choice to detox, all that is left is to commit to the detox program so you can begin to live healthier and feel better.
However, those with preexisting health conditions may find a detox more beneficial as they experience improvements in their health. For example, detoxes can be especially helpful for anyone who feels run down or fatigued, has digestive issues, or has a weakened immune system. Detoxing can even help reduce inflammation within the body.
A Detox can help a wide variety of people who have a wide variety of symptoms or conditions. This is because detoxes are known to address:
- Respiratory Health
- Skin Health
- Gastrointestinal Health
- Kidneys, Liver, and Lymphs
- Circulatory Health
Conclusion
Just like your house, our bodies need some deep cleaning too. Whether or not you are feeling lethargic or in specific need of a refresher, a detox can be beneficial for everyone.
The number of times we are exposed to toxins during our daily routines could be surprising, and sometimes they aren’t always avoided. As we take in toxins, we eventually need to clean them out with a detox cleanse.
From eliminating toxins to learning healthy habits, detox programs aid people in their journey to feel their best and protect their health. A wide variety of benefits come from a detox, which includes strengthening the immune system with vitamin D and even improving digestive health.
A detox can be for everyone, no matter your health conditions. Detoxing in a group can be helpful for the support system, but a detox can also be done at any time the individual chooses.
At Integrated Wellness we strive to help everyone live well and be at their best health. One of the ways we help people accomplish this is by providing the opportunity to detox. Our detox program will consist of a dedicated group who all have the same goal: to be their healthiest self.