How your body handles toxins
How your body handles toxins
Your body is designed to cope with toxins, and neutralizes, transforms, or eliminates them, the liver is the main organ of detoxification, transforming toxins into harmless agents so that they can then be eliminated. The kidneys filter out waste products from your blood into your urine. Your intestines propel potential toxins and indigestible material from food into the bowel for excretion, the lungs expel gases such as carbon dioxide, which are produced in the cells, and filter out poisonous gases you breathe in. the skin eliminates toxins via sweat and sebum (skin oil) and by shedding dead skin cells. The lymphatic system carries waste products that are too large to enter the bloodstream to the lymph nodes for processing. They are then returned to the liver via the bloodstream for detoxification.
A toxin is any substance that causes irritating or harmful effects in your body. We acquire toxins from our environment by breathing them in, by ingesting them or through physical contact. Every day we are exposed to new and strong chemicals, are and water pollution, and radiation. We use more drugs, eat more sugar and refined food, and turn to damaging props such as alcohol and tobacco to help us deal with rising stress levels.
Internally, our bodies produce toxins through normal everyday functions. Biochemical, cellular, and bodily activities generate substances that also need to be eliminated. Other factors such as lack of sleep, exercise, or fresh air, and even negative attitudes, are thought to enable waste products and toxins to build up in the body and upset its self-regulation.
If your body is working well, with a good immune system and eliminative functions, you can deal with you everyday exposure to toxins.
However, if you are taking in more toxins than you can eliminate, your body will reach a state of toxicity. If your digestive system is not functioning properly, there may also be an overgrowth of destructive bacteria that encourage even more toxins to proliferate. A sluggish liver blocked skin pores, and congested lungs all add to increased toxicity.
Signs of toxic overload. Dry, blotchy, spotty skin, headaches, fungal infections, lack of energy, joint pain, allergies, wind bloating, constipation, or generally feeling under the weather may be all indications that your body has more toxins that it can handle and that you would benefit from giving your system a good clean out.
Many of these symptoms may be linked to food intolerance, whereby it is thought that over time your body fails to digest certain foods properly. Food cravings or headaches after withdrawing a food from your diet may be signs that you are intolerant to a particular food, the most common being whet; cow’s ‘milk products; citrus fruits; soy; coffee; tea, and other caffeinated drinks; and peanuts.
Adverse effects of stress. Stressful situations trigger your body´s fight-or-flight response, a primitive biochemical reaction that puts your body on red alert. If stress then continues, physical and mental health can be undermined as the stress hormones adrenaline and hydrocortisone disrupt the functioning of the immune and circulatory system. Thus your body becomes less efficient at eliminating toxins, and your toxic