Your body has an amazing built-in self-cleaning system that does a fantastic job detoxing the body.
That is, your detox system works great when you eat a healthy, nourishing diet and exercise regularly.
But when that doesn’t happen and your habits get off-track, your internal detox system – which is comprised of your liver, kidneys, skin, lungs and intestines – can get clogged up by junk food, stress, and toxins from the environment.
And, needless to say, a detox system overwhelmed with excess toxins doesn’t functional optimally. In fact, it’ll even send you warning signs.
There’s good news, though: in addition to getting a healthy diet and exercise program in place, you can rev up your detox system using these seven techniques that don’t require a single change in your diet.
Detoxing the Body Without Dieting
1. Dry Brushing Cleanses Your Largest Organ
Dry brushing is just what it sounds like: brushing your skin with a soft brush.
Fact: Your skin is the largest organ in your body and is responsible for dispensing almost 15 percent to 20 percent of your waste.
Dry brushing is an excellent way to clean, clear and cleanse the skin over your entire body.
It removes dead skin cells, exfoliates the skin, stimulates circulation, wakes up the hormonal glands, helps strengthen the immune system, aids in digestion, and revs the nervous system.
How to dry brush your skin:
- Use a long-handled brush with soft, natural fiber bristles. Alternately, you also could use a soft loofah or washcloth.
- It should be done first thing in the morning to rejuvenate and kickstart the metabolism.
- Dry brushing should be performed before you take a shower or bath. This helps to discard all the dead cells that are dislodged during the brushing.
- Beginners may take up to fifteen minutes to dry brush their entire body, but after several sessions five to seven minutes will be enough.
- You always should brush towards the heart for better lymphatic clearance and improved circulation.
- Use circular and clockwise strokes with a light pressure in the beginning. Once the body becomes adjusted to the brush, then a firmer stroke can be used.
- The strokes on the abdomen should be circular and on the extremities, they should be longer. Be gentle on the chest to avoid scratches.
- Start from the feet and brush robustly in a long, circular and clockwise motion and move up towards the calf. Continue brushing, and cover the entire leg. Move to your arms, elbows and hands. Then, brush the abdomen, chest, neck, back of the neck and the entire back.
2. Rebounding for Lymphatic Clearance
Rebounding is a low-impact exercise that involves jumping up and down on a sturdy mini-trampoline.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s when rebounding first sprang into popularity, researchers discovered that it is more effective in biomechanical stimulation of the body when compared to any other exercise routine (1).
Why is this important? The lymphatic system is our body’s drainage system. Lymph literally washes out every cell and collects the waste products for elimination.
Movement of the lymph is totally dependent on muscular contractions and the body’s movement. The main lymph vessel moves from the legs to the upper parts of the body, which is why the jumping movement on the trampoline helps move the lymph. As your muscles contract, they pump the lymph so that it can come up into the detox organs for elimination.
Rebounding should be done first thing in the morning for about 15 to 20 minutes, and can be done as frequently as two to three times a day. The jumping movement should be light and, for safety, any stunts should be avoided. 😉
The benefits of rebounding include:
- The detox effect. Jumping contracts the leg muscles, pumping lymph to upper body. The liver and kidneys get an upsurge of the lymph, which boosts the clearance of the toxic wastes.
- Better digestion. The jumping motion literally jolts the intestines into movement, stimulating peristaltic activity.
- Improved circulation. Studies have proven that jumping on a trampoline is more effective in biomechanical stimulation than other activities such as running. The muscular contraction caused by rebounding invigorates the circulatory channels and improves circulation.
- Boosting the metabolism. The exercise ramps up the metabolism, burning fat and releasing energy.
- Cleansing the skin. The ramped-up metabolism allows the skin to sweat and breathe, opening pores and improving skin cleansing.
- Improved immunity. A strong lymphatic system is synonymous with improved immunity.
- Helping with balance. Jumping also helps with posture and coordination.
3. Saunas Provide a Deep Cleanse
Generally, a sauna is seen as a way to pamper yourself, something you treat yourself to at a spa day or maybe at the gym after a workout.
Well, aside from the beauty and self-pampering advantage, saunas have some amazing detox benefits.
- Saunas help sweat the toxins away. The heat from the sauna penetrates the skin and stimulates the subcutaneous fat to release more toxins. In a sauna, your skin sweats 7 times more than normal.
- Sweating helps cleanse the skin. When it comes to your skin, the effects of a sauna are comparable to those of a workout. It improves the circulation to the skin and opens up the pores.
- Heat helps with cell rejuvenation. The core body temperature increases in a sauna. This aids cellular function and helps cells fight off infections. Studies show that abnormal and cancerous cells are sensitive to heat and using heat might be effective in destroying abnormal cancerous cells (2).
- Your mood is improved. Saunas reduce cortisol levels, helping you to relax and improve your mood. Studies have found that the hyperthermia caused in a sauna is effective in relieving the symptoms of major depression (3).
4. Liver Massage for a Better Detox
The liver is the most important detox organ in a human body, responsible for a wide array of functions.
A simple technique known as “liver massage” can help it. A liver massage should be done early in the morning to help “wake up” the organ as well as initiate the detox process.
The liver is situated right below the diaphragm in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen. Here’s how to do a liver massage to help with detoxing the body:
- Lie down or rest the back on a firm surface. Relax the abdomen. Place the pads of four fingers of the right hand over the liver. Press slightly in and massage using gentle and circular motion.
- Next, lie on your left side, and with your right fist, gently thump or strike the area around the liver to help stimulate it.
- Then, using the pads of the four fingers of the right hand lightly press in and out around the liver.
- Do this every morning for 5 – 10 minutes.
5. Soak in an Epsom Salt Bath
A detox bath is an easy and safe way to help detox. Plus, it’s very relaxing.
Here’s how to make your own Epsom soak:
- Add two cups of Epsom salts to a hot bath. The water should be hot enough to create a good sweat.
- Soak in the water up to the neck. Soak for at least 20 minutes and maximum up to 30 minutes.
- Come out of the bath slowly, and take a shower under cool water, avoiding harsh soaps or scrubs.
- Dry your body and apply a natural moisturizer.
6. Try an Ionic Foot Bath
An ionic foot bath entails immersing the feet in a water-filled basin in which a salt like a sea salt is added. Then, an electric module or an ionizer is placed in the basin, which delivers a slight electric charge or a current to the feet.
One session generally takes 30 to 40 minutes and is quite relaxing. Some people may feel a slight tingling or tickling sensation in their feet.
The negative and positive ions in the bath system energize the body and the circulation, stimulating lymph vessels in the leg to improve lymphatic flow.
The session also helps sooth inflammation in the joints and muscles.
7. Eliminate Toxins with Colon Hydrotherapy
Colon hydrotherapy or colon irrigation involves injecting warm sterile water into the bowel via the rectum using special equipment.
Some practitioners of alternative medicine mix special herbs or enzymes with water for a better cleanse. Once the water is in the intestines a light massage of the abdomen may or may not be performed and then the individual expels the water like a normal defecation.
The colon hydrotherapy helps remove excess mucus, impacted stool, gas, undigested food and meat, toxins, and pollutants from the colon.
Colon hydrotherapy improves the immune system, expels toxins accumulated over the years, helps in losing weight and some people say it improves their mental health (4).
Building Healthy Habits Into Your Life
Your body has an amazing self-cleaning system in place, and taking action to keep it healthy and strong starts with treating your body well with a nourishing diet and exercise.
Layering in other techniques such as those listed in this post can help support your body so that you can eliminate even more harmful toxins. Plus, most of these techniques require you to slow down and take some time to focus on yourself, which goes a long way with helping beat stress.
Detoxing Your Body, Naturally
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