A sad fact in today’s modern culture is that everyone’s body is toxic. More than 80,000 hazardous chemicals pollute the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, skin care we use, and household cleaning products we use. We are flooded with these contaminants and our bodies struggle to flush out the toxins. Maximizing health in the 21st century requires periodic cleansing cycles to help clear these toxins from our systems.
Researchers propose that the average person carries more than 700 known toxins in their body within all organ systems including blood, skin, brain tissue, liver, fat tissue and digestive tract. Any one of these toxins may increase the risk of developing chronic illness and cancer.
12 Strategies to Get the Best Detox Cleanse Possible
Before you begin any cleansing fast or body detox to eliminate the contaminants you’re carrying, here are 12 ways you can prepare to get the most benefit from your cleansing strategy.
1. Get Your Mind Right
Preparing your mind is the first and one of the best things you can do before beginning a cleansing fast or detox. Cleanses can be difficult as they generate both mental and emotional triggers which can be challenging. Create a supportive environment by sharing your intentions with family and friends and approach the fast with peace of mind.
2. Eat Healthy Protein and Fats
Eating a balanced diet loaded with healthy protein and fats is a great way to regulate blood sugar levels and avoid a spike in stress hormones during a detox. Prepare your body before a detox cleanse by eating such foods as grass-fed beef and butter, organic poultry and eggs, as well as olives and olive oil. Combining these fats and proteins with a variety of vegetables and herbs will set you up for a much more tolerable cleansing period.
3. Limit your Carbohydrate Intake
Stabilizing your blood sugar during a detox cleanse is the best way to avoid mood swings, cravings and stress and also to suppress your appetite. Both simple and complex carbohydrates stimulate the release of stress hormones and should be avoided. In order to achieve a healthy and successful cleansing fast, prepare your body by eating a low-carb diet for no less than 3 days before you begin your detoxification regime.
4. Drink Fermented Beverages
Fermented beverages are an awesome way to supplement a cleansing fast with tools your body needs for detoxification. For example, coconut water kefir is loaded with potassium, enzymes, probiotics, and organic acids which stimulate immunity and assist the body in flushing out toxins and waste and healing the gut walls with a healthy balance of intestinal microflora.
5. Allow Additional Time to Sleep
A successful detox cleanse will leave you feeling fatigued and probably a little bit more moody as your body is focusing on cleansing and healing. Through a cleanse, individuals can begin to feel energized from the fast and may only be able to sleep up to 6 hours at one time. Be sure to take a nap during the day if your schedule allows or leave extra time in your night for receiving sufficient rest.
6. Hydrate with Plenty of Water
Proper hydration is essential for a healthy cleanse. Drink at least half your body weight of water in ounces throughout a detox. During the summer months especially, drink a minimum of a gallon of purified water. Drink only purified water such as water from a reverse osmosis system. Add back in pink salt for added nutrients in the ratio of approximately ¼ tsp per gallon.
7. Practice Dry Brushing Before You Shower
Dry brushing is a strategy which stimulates the movement of lymphatic fluid below your skin’s surface. Before you get into the shower, use a light bristle brush and in a circular motion, brush your skin starting with your toes and moving upwards towards your heart.
Then, start from the neck and brush down towards the heart making sure to get all extremities. This gentle detox practice will remove dead skin cells and help open up pores before your shower.
8. Stock Up on Organic Herbal Teas
Real herbal teas are powerful superfoods containing phytonutrients and antioxidants which promote a healthy cleansing fast. Herbal teas utilize natural immune boosting ingredients such as peppermint, dandelion, and licorice root which enhance the detoxification of the body. Traditional Medicinals makes a variety of herbal teas. One specific tea called “Smooth Move” acts as a laxative to clean the bowels.
9. Avoid High Intensity Exercise
High intensity exercise such high cardio training or heavy weight lifting causes the body to produce stress hormones which a detox program cannot manage. Instead, it is recommended to engage in low intensity exercise throughout the cleansing fast. Look to participate in 30 minutes of yoga or walk around your neighborhood throughout your detox cleanse.
10. Relax in the Sauna or Natural Sunlight
Allowing your body to sweat during a cleanse enables your body to detoxify from the inside out through opening up pores. Saunas allow heat to penetrate deep into the skin’s layers and pull toxins to the skin’s surface. If the sun is shining bright and the weather is nice, sitting outside in the sun will not only allow your body to naturally soak in natural vitamin D, but can help relax your mind, boost immunity, and deep clean the toxins from your skin.
11. Invest in a Shower Filter
You might assume that after you shower you are the cleanest that you can be. However, tap water is contaminated with chlorine and other environmental pollutants of which some are purposely added to our public water supply. Investing in a shower filter is a strategic purchase you can make to avoid unnecessarily contaminating your hair and skin daily.
12. Get Rid of Waste Using Enemas
Enemas are highly effective strategies are removing waste matter as well as toxins from the colon. Flushing out the toxins in your colon creates an environment for beneficial bacteria to flourish and stimulate the health of your whole body. Try a wheatgrass juice enema, organic coffee enema, or stick with a simple water enema to flush waste for your colon.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2016. It has been updated and republished in December 2019.
Article Summary
Researchers propose that the average person carries more than 700 known toxins in their body within all organ systems including blood, skin, brain tissue, liver, fat tissue and digestive tract. Any one of these toxins may increase the risk of developing chronic illness and cancer.
Maximizing health in the 21st century requires periodic cleansing cycles to help clear these toxins from our systems.
Before you begin any cleansing fast or body detox to eliminate the contaminants you’re carrying, here are 12 ways you can prepare to get the most benefit from your cleansing strategy:
- Get Your Mind Right
- Eat Healthy Protein and Fats
- Limit your Carbohydrate Intake
- Drink Fermented Beverages
- Allow Additional Time to Sleep
- Hydrate with Plenty of Water
- Practice Dry Brushing Before You Shower
- Stock Up on Organic Herbal Teas
- Avoid High Intensity Exercise
- Relax in the Sauna or Natural Sunlight
- Invest in a Shower Filter
- Get Rid of Waste Using Enemas
Please give examples of fermented beverages ?
Richard – in this article here I go over the best fermented foods and beverages. For the beverages, you will see things like coconut water kefir, kombucha, apple cider vinegar, water kefir and more.
Here is the article: http://drjockers.com/fermented-foods-optimize-your-health-with-natural-probiotics/
Hi David – could you please post any information you have on coffee enemas I have wanted to start these but I just don’t know enough to feel comfortable about it. Many thanks Alicia
What is the best detox program? And the best shower filter?
Hey Rachel, here is some info for you on how to get started: http://drjockers.com/detoxify-body-coffee-enemas/
Can you please suggest a complete detox product line. I have been looking at BaselineNutritionals. My husband had colon cancer surgery a year ago and we are looking at doing a whole body cleanse.
Have a look at Blessed Herbs.
My family and I are currently on our 12th day of a month long cleanse called OptiMaxx by Dr. Axe. Doesn’t make you run to the bathroom, only requires 2 capsules in the morning and 2 in the evening with plenty of water throughout the day. It’s designed for 14 days cleaning of the Colon and Lymphatic system and 14 days for the Liver and Kidneys for a total of 28 days but safe enough to continue up to 3 consecutive months. So far, we are all feeling lighter and more energetic!
Which kind of enema will work fastest and safest? I want to avoid side affects.
Check The Gerson Therapy. The Bible for coffee enemas.
What about just Fasting for 20-24 hrs as a complete cleanse? Water only fast are great!
Is green tea allowed or recommended during a detox?
This article talks about preparing for a cleanse, what then would be the description of the detox cleanse itself, a fast, or etc. ?
Thank you TTAC!! As usual you feed the need for healthful information that can make such a positive improvement to our bodies and lives!! It is greatly appreciated!!!
All wonderful directives. The Coffee enemas are the best for detoxing the liver…truly awesome.
Is about kambucha? I imagine that would qualify.
I drink essiac tea twice daily…is it considered as good as kambucha? I have researched the product and though tedious to prepare, I’m sure it cleanses my system.
In addition to the above article, we have found a specially formulated herbal formula has tremendous benefits in detoxification. It not only detoxifies, but assists the colon to remove the impacted material from the colon that prevents the absorption of nutrients. Some people with colon cancer have even had the cancerous tumors expelled by this special herbal formula.
It is available from the Educational Health company… called “Herb Cocktail”… http://IdealHealth4Life.info
So, eating such foods as grass-fed beef and butter, organic poultry and eggs, are easier for my GI tract, making less harmfull stuff during digestion, and better for detox than eating fruits and vegetables from my own organic garden, blending raw soups from beets, carrots, spinach, apples, frozen berries, with some green herbs(mostly carbohidrate as Energy substrate) etc… and eating meat only once per day? Also, as I know autophagy can be an important process in detox(from lesson of Juleen Zierath, prof of Integrative Physiology and president of Nobel Prize comitee for Medicine and Physi…), but you recommend lot of proteins and fats… Do you have real and accepted scientific explanation for that?
Regards
Can you explain why to drink Reverse Osmosis water? Does the salt make it alkaline? Even though it is 99% pure water, I’ve heard it referred to as dead water. Thank you. This is great information!
The article is very helpful. Good to know tht there are so many natural ways to detox our bodies. I have started juicing myself and the results are great.
Drjockers has offered some great suggestions for consideration. With any treatment there are always concerns about side effects and allergies for anything we may ingest, induce or apply to our body. Even Cannabis oil can have these issues. So is there something we can all safely use that is not only effective but has no negative side effects or allergies?
The patches mentioned below have no negative effects and could be recommended as a consideration no matter what conditions you are attending to or what maintenance procedures you are planning. One very important molecule for everything!
GLUTATHIONE The risk of low Glutathione levels
High glutathione levels are associated with longevity – in fact, healthy people over 100 years of age have significantly higher levels of glutathione than the general population. There are over 90,000 studies published on different aspects of glutathione, on everything from Parkinson’s disease, to cardiovascular damage, to cancer treatment and prevention, to autoimmune diseases, to even autism and related disorders. I could write the rest of this page on diseases for which glutathione is crucial.
Unfortunately, in the presence of disease, environmental exposures, and genetics, our body’s ability to make this critical compound diminishes greatly. With certain genetic inefficiencies, glutathione production can be reduced 50% or more, and it is estimated that nearly 1 in 3 people has this genetic variant! Age reduces glutathione production, too. By age 40, we are making 30% less, and by 65, as much as 50% less – and that is in healthy individuals. Anyone with liver stress or disease is going to be making significantly less. Since glutathione is so powerful, and the lack of adequate levels is associated with too many diseases to count, why don’t we all just load up on glutathione every day?
The answer is simple. Glutathione loses its super powers with digestion. It becomes oxidized, and then it adds to your body’s oxidative stress burden. It is not a matter of enteric coating, or stomach acid – it is the digestive process itself that transforms glutathione into its unfavourable form. That’s why elite integrative medical clinics give this life-saving compound intravenously (directly into the bloodstream), sometimes at a cost of thousands of dollars to their patients.
Low cost Lifewave Glutathione patches are designed to be used ON the skin, on acupuncture points. No chemicals enter your body. The patch helps your own body make its own glutathione, and is clinically proven to raise glutathione by 300% within 24 hours. Use a new patch every day during acute situations or when travelling, and use a new patch every third day for maintenance.
Glutathione is also the body’s MASTER ANTIOXIDANT and will not only provide a massive boost to the immune system but can also remove harmful toxins and heavy metals from the body. This is particularly so with the Lifewave Glutathione patches where the glutathione level is raised higher than any other method known today. Plus glutathione produced naturally by the body when using the patches can reach EVERY cell in the body – something other methods are not so effective in doing.
DISEASES WITH LINKS TO LOW GLUTATHIONE
NEURO and BRAIN
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Huntington’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Migraines
Autism
ADHS/ADD
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
IMMUNE and CANCER
HIV and AIDS
Cancer (Breast, Lung, Cervical, Colon, Ovarian, Leukaemia)
Lupus
Viral Infections
Asthma
Acne
Lyme disease
Allergies
Gingivitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
CARDIOVASCULAR
Atherosclerosis
Angina
Erectile Dysfunction
Hypertension
Stroke
THYRIOD and PANCREATIC FUNCTION
Diabetes
Pancreatitis
Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism
OTHER
Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Accelerated Aging
Arthritis
Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Cystic Fibrosis
Infertility
Eyesight issues (Including Macular Degeneration)
Gastric Ulcers
Please ask if you have any questions on this important molecule for reaching and maintaining an improved quality of life. wellnessplus@adam.com.au
How do I use glutathione?
Antonietta, the patches I mentioned are placed on specific acupuncture points on the body or even on top of clothing. They allow the body itself to raise its own glutathione level and keep it raised to a high level over a considerable time, unlike ingested IV induced manufactured products that do raise the level but only for a very short time. As the body is in control of the level when using the patches there is no risk of overdosing and because no drugs, chemicals or other substances are introduced into the body there are NO harmful side effects -ever! It is the raised level of glutathione produced in the body by the effect of the patches that is having such an outstanding effect on improving the life of so many people (and animals).
My stomachs been kind of crampy on this. Maybe I should be eating lighter
I have liver problems so is this true. I love coffe!
POr lo general los hongos de todo tipo, inclusive lacteos-quesos-levaduras-yoghurt, me dan alergia, ( al instante ya lo noto en mi lengua!usted hace referencia a estos fermentados?, que otros puedo tomar entonces que no sean hongos?, gracias.
Review Dr Robert Morse and Dr. Sebi’s detoxification protocols.before following some of this questionable advice. I will just politely leave it at that.
I love what you said about avoiding high-intensity exercise to reduce stress hormones prior to participating in a detox program. I think that total body cleanse programs allow one to reset the balance in their body’s chemistry. My friend and I are considering participating in a detox program, so we’ll be sure to find the best one to benefit us the most.
Great article David!
One thing I’ve focused on diligently over the past few years is sleep! You can not underestimate the restorative effects that sleep has on the body. Great job calling that one out in your post.
Thanks for the great read!
I drink lemon juice in the morning before I get up and that helps me eliminate feces in the morning.
Looking for means to get Glutathione into body. On Warfarin so NAC is out (I think) need a Liver cleanse not contra to Warfarin. TY
Here’s a great article about glutathione that includes some great foods and supplements to increase glutathione levels: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/what-is-glutathione/. Remember that each body is unique, so make sure you work with your doctor to find the best plan for your specific needs.