Did you know that winter can contribute to increased inflammation?
During the colder months, people often change their diets, consuming more processed foods, refined sugars and alcohol. Reduced sunlight exposure results in lower Vitamin D levels, and many individuals tend to be less active in winter.
Fortunately, your body has a powerful system to detoxify naturally, involving the liver, kidneys, skin and lymphatic system. These organs work tirelessly to filter and eliminate toxins, but supporting these natural processes with healthy habits can enhance their efficiency.
Here are a few reasons why your body may be working overtime and could use a boost now that winter is over:
Environmental Toxin Exposure
Heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic) can be found in water, food and air pollution, while pesticides and endocrine disruptors can enter your body from treated agriculture and plastics. It's estimated that, on average, humans have about 5 grams of microplastics in their body, which is equivalent to a credit card!
Diet & Lifestyle Choices
Many Americans eat ultra-processed foods that often contain too much sugar, preservatives, additives and inflammatory seed oils while overconsuming alcohol, which can burden the liver. Additionally, sedentary lifestyles can limit lymphatic drainage and toxin elimination.
Stress & Poor Sleep
Chronic stress increases cortisol, impacting liver function and detoxification. Sleep deprivation can also impair the glymphatic system, which clears toxins from the brain.
Why Does Detoxification Matter?
Substances like heavy metals, processed foods, chemicals and pollutants can hurt your health with free radicals. These unstable molecules cause harm to your cells through “oxidative stress” and play a role in several diseases, including:
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Premature aging
The Ultimate Spring Detox Guide
Fortunately, our experts put together these simple lifestyle practices to help enhance your body’s natural detoxification.
Eat Naturally Detoxifying Foods
Eating a diet rich in antioxidants, prebiotics and other naturally detoxifying properties can support your body's detoxification process, and it may help protect against damage from toxins.
Foods rich in antioxidants include:
- Fruits like berries, currants, grapes and apples
- Vegetables like broccoli, kale, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and cabbage
A large part of the detoxification process relies on a healthy digestive system, which can be bolstered through the inclusion of probiotic foods and prebiotic foods, those that feed the healthy bacteria in your gut.
Some examples of probiotic foods include:
- Pickles
- Cheese
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
- Miso
Prebiotic foods include:
- Oats
- Tomatoes
- Bananas
- Asparagus
- Onions and garlic
- Artichokes
Stay Hydrated—and Avoid Alcohol
To flush toxins out of your system, you have to ensure you’re properly hydrated. Increase your water intake to help aid digestion and nutrient absorption and support your body’s detoxification of waste products.
One thing that can greatly hinder both your hydration and detoxification efforts is excess alcohol consumption. Around 90% of the alcohol consumed is metabolized by the liver, and overconsumption of alcohol can damage liver function, which includes filtering toxins and waste from your body.
Incorporate IV Drip Therapy
Need help getting more hydration and nutrients? IV Drip Therapy can provide adequate hydration to help flush out toxins by delivering a powerful dose of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals directly into your bloodstream. Eating and drinking can provide 15-20% bioavailability of nutrients, while intravenous therapy can provide 100% bioavailability.
You can choose from our extensive IV menu or work with a Restore Nurse to customize a Drip that contains detoxifying properties, such as:
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that has been shown to prevent the build-up of toxins, decrease bloating, aid in immunity and reduce oxidative stress.
Glutathione
Known as “the master antioxidant, ” Glutathione, helps neutralize free radicals, support liver detoxification, promote antioxidant levels and enhance immune response, reduce inflammation and counteract the effects of toxins and oxidative stress.
Vitamin C
Along with being a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C is known for its detoxifying properties, reducing oxidative stress and playing a vital role in white blood cell function, which helps the body defend against pathogens.
Make Sleep a Priority
When you’re sleep-deprived, your body doesn’t have time to properly recharge and remove toxic waste byproducts accumulated throughout the day. This can lead to everything from stress and anxiety to obesity, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and if you’re having trouble, try incorporating these 18 tips into your sleep routine.
Stay Active
It’s no secret that regular exercise is important for overall health, but it’s also important to aid in the detoxification process. Along with the natural process of sweat, exercise helps to reduce inflammation, allowing every system to function properly.
Sweat It Out in the Infrared Sauna
A study from the Journal of Environmental and Public Health states, "No person is without some level of toxic metals in their bodies," noting that using a sauna and exercising should be used as therapy and that "sweating deserves consideration for toxic element detoxification."
The gentle heat from an Infrared Sauna can help your body sweat out heavy metals and encourage detoxification by promoting sweat production and circulation. Along with boosting natural detoxification, studies suggest it supports immune function, improves recovery and sleep and can help remove both bisphenol A (BPA) and other potentially harmful chemicals like perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Improve Detoxification & Put a Spring in Your Step
With the addition of some simple lifestyle practices and science-backed therapies like Infrared Sauna and IV Drip Therapy, you can help your body naturally detox and welcome spring—looking and feeling your best from the inside out.
Book your appointments today!
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