Diving Deeper into Detox

Did the word 'detox' pop up in your list of New Year's Resolutions? Not surprising if you've found yourself struggling with skin rashes, breakouts, allergies, hormonal concerns, breathing issues, or gut troubles. But what does it mean to ‘detox’, and how can my functional medicine provider help?

The term 'detox' literally means to get rid of toxins. People often equate the term with things like juice cleansing and fasting. While those are useful methods, there are other strategies that are more effective. 

One often-overlooked tactic is to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins on a daily basis. Your body naturally removes toxins, but if you are continually re-exposing yourself, it makes the job that much more difficult.  The best approach is to simultaneously reduce your exposure to toxins and support your body’s natural detoxification processes. 

Here are some ideas for reducing harmful exposures.  We will talk about supporting your body’s processes in another blog.  

Detox Your Home

Water can be a source of harmful toxins. Water quality in Denver and most of Colorado is pretty good, but you shouldn’t take anything for granted: Test, don’t guess! Most cities and states offer water testing for lead. I know this is true in NYC, where it is a free service run by the city.  My family recently tested our Denver city water and found a fairly high amount of lead. We installed a home water filtration system and can now be confident our water is safe. The water from your sink, no matter how new your house, can carry mercury, lead, chlorine, chloramines, and several other toxins. Test your water and use the proper filtration system to ensure you're not unknowingly increasing your bodily levels of these toxins.

Another source of toxins can be the air we breathe, especially in cities like Denver or New York City, where pollution levels can be high. Make sure your home has the best possible air quality to reduce exposure. One of the best (and prettiest) ways to boost indoor air quality is to grow lots of plants.  They pump fresh oxygen into your space and do a great job of removing toxins. It’s also a good idea to help the plants out by placing high-quality air purifiers throughout your home.  We use Blueair purifiers and think they’re great. Ideally, you should have a purifier in every room (except perhaps for bathrooms and other small spaces), but at the very least, you should have one in each bedroom.

Also, avoid scented products. Recent studies have shown air fresheners can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toluene, formaldehyde, and more. Certain candles and fresheners don't have these in them, so they are ok, but check before you purchase.

Detox Your Body

This is a huge topic, but to start: you should listen to your body’s signals–your body wants to detox and will tell you what it needs if you know how to listen. This is often easier said than done, and it can be difficult to pinpoint what is causing discomfort (often a sign to help identify detox strategies). That’s when seeking integrative medicine, or functional medicine may help. Talk to your holistic medicine doctor about advanced testing to move this process forward.  Sometimes taking a food sensitivity test may be the best way to find out what’s disrupting your gut health or hormone system. 

Personal hygiene items can also be a source of toxins. They are largely unregulated and can contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals that interfere with your natural hormones. This can cause breakouts, hormonal imbalances, and diseases down the road. On average, women use 12 personal care products daily, exposing themselves to over 168 chemical ingredients. Men use about 6, exposing themselves to 85 chemicals of varying degrees of harm. Personal care products can be cosmetics, makeup, fragrance, lotions, toothpaste, body wash shampoos, and deodorant. To find products that won’t cause harm, this website has a list of vetted brands. 

Detox Your Mind

While it might not literally remove toxic chemicals from your body, “detoxing your mind” is an important part of overall wellness.  Get rid of things that take up space in your brain in a negative way. Make time for the things that bring you joy and relaxation.  Paid time off and vacations are meant to be taken! No matter how fast your life is moving, don't forget to hit that pause button. In Denver, we found an integrative wellness center that is perfect for recharging mind and body: ​​Restore Hyper Wellness.  They offer a variety of holistic health treatments in multiple locations around Colorado, including cryotherapy, infrared saunas, and red light therapy. They have several locations in New York City as well.  

Explore Functional Medicine with Tendwell

The first step towards detoxing your life is becoming aware of the toxins that surround you. If, after making these changes, you still experience skin rashes, breakouts, allergies, congestion,  hormonal concerns, breathing issues, or gut troubles, it might be time to seek options for alternative medicine in Denver. Search ‘best functional medicine doctors near me’, or click back to our home page to get started.