The means and ability to maintain health and cleanse your system of impurities or “toxins” has become one of today’s most debated areas in the health and wellness space.
Wikipedia defines detoxification (‘detox’) as: “The physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver.”
There are many theories and sources regarding toxic accumulation and a large body of information for cleansing and detoxification methods by medicines, exercise, heat (sauna) regimes, liquids, herbs and diets. In general, experts agree that physiological and medicinal detoxification methods are extremely beneficial for good health.
The healthy body mainly utilizes the liver to do the heavy lifting in removing toxic substances, and the liver is assisted by the kidneys, lymphatic system, intestines, skin, and lungs to remove impurities.
What Are Toxins? Drugs and alcohol are toxins – and the beneficial medical detoxification treatment of people with drug and alcohol addictions is well-documented.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published 212 toxic chemicals found in people’s blood or urine, of which 75 were never before measured in the American population. These newly observed toxins and their everyday sources included:
- Acrylamide (formed in foods baked or fried at high temperatures, also a byproduct of cigarette smoke)
- Arsenic (many home-building products)
- Phenols (plastics and food packaging) and triclosan (an antibacterial deodorant agent)
- Lead and mercury (building products)
- Perchlorate (airplane fuel, explosives or fireworks)
- Perfluorinates (non-stick cookware)
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PDEs in fire retardants in mattresses)
- Volatile organic compounds (paints, air fresheners, cleaning products, cosmetics, fabrics, carpets)
These common toxic chemicals represent a dangerous toxic burden that can accumulate in blood, urine and tissue, and potentially cause problems if your liver and kidneys are overburdened, not functioning properly or compromised due to a poor diet.
Physiology of Toxin Filtration
The kidneys filter your blood and help remove wastes and excess water from the body. The liver further filters and uses a two-phase process to help break down certain chemicals. During Phase 1, toxins are neutralized and broken into smaller fragments. During Phase 2, toxins are bound to new non-toxic molecules to be excreted in your bile, urine or stool. In order for your kidney and liver detoxification to work properly, your body must have adequate nutrients (diet) to support both pathways. The skin, lymph system and the lungs also filter and release toxins.
General Health & Wellness via Skin Sweating
Sweating as a result of heat exposure (i.e., wellness sauna) and/or exercise has been practiced for purifying “cleansing” and healthy wellness through the ages. Traditional heat-sweating customs have included Roman baths, Native sweat lodges, Scandinavian saunas, Turkish steam baths, Russian dry Banya and new wellness methods including today’s dry-heat, infrared and thermo-fusion saunas.
When the body is heated, blood vessels in the skin dilate to allow more blood to flow to the surface. The sweat glands are also activated, and perspiration on the surface of the skin cools the blood via the evaporation process. During this sweating process, heat and toxins are drawn from the skin and lymphatic systems resulting in toxic dissipation and cooling. A good sweat uses the skin as a “third kidney” and helps remove body wastes – and toxic chemicals – through the perspiration process.
A recent U.S. study in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health1 identified 122 toxins (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) in human sweat. The study concluded that sweating significantly assists in removing toxic elements from the body. The review stated that “Sauna is generally well tolerated by all ages,” and sweating also increased elimination of additional toxicants, as observed in New York rescue workers and fireman, including persistent flame retardants (PDEs) such as bisphenol-A. ν
1 Sears, M., Kerr, K., Bray, R., Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Volume 2012, Article ID 184745 (2012)
Sweating as a result of heat exposure (i.e., wellness sauna) and/or exercise has been practiced for purifying “cleansing” and healthy wellness through the ages.
