The Complete Detox Guide: 7 Best Tips and 14 Biohacks for the fastest Detox Ever
Oct 06, 2022
FAQs before Detox
What does detox mean?
Detox means a regimen or treatment intended to remove toxins and impurities from the body.
What are toxins?
Toxins are chemical substances that damage an organism — its molecules, cells, and tissues.
Where do toxins storage?
Toxins in the body may be stored in different tissues, mainly in the liver, fat, intestines, and connective tissue.
How the body eliminates toxins?
There are 4 detox systems in the body.
The main detox systems are the digestive system (liver and intestines) and kidneys.
When there are too many toxins in the body, 2 more systems come to the rescue — the skin (sweat and sebaceous glands) and the respiratory system (mucosa of the respiratory tract).
How long does it take to detox?
Toxins accumulate in body for years and decades. Therefore, in order to fully cleanse the liver, intestines, adipose tissue, and other tissues, it may take a long time, which is calculated in months and years. Usually, it takes 6-36+ months to fully cleanse the body and reverse some biological years.
7 Foundational Detox Tips
1. Nutrition.
Poor nutrition is the main source of toxins. Processed food, fast food, sugar, alcohol, variety of food chemicals. Such toxins come to our bodies for decades!
In the first years of life, our body somehow copes with them. But at some point, the processes of accumulating toxins outweigh the processes of detoxification, and toxins begin to accumulate.
The first thing you need to do for a quality and complete detox is to adjust your diet! To do this, you need to avoid toxins in food and consume food that promotes cleansing and detox.
Salads
Fatty spicy coarse fiber salads are the best tool for cleansing and detoxification, due to four reasons.
1. Fatty (olive, flaxseed, hemp, or any other virgin oil) and spicy (pepper, bitter, turmeric) salads stimulate the secretion of bile from the liver and gallbladder into the intestinal lumen.
Bile contains most of the fat-soluble toxins accumulated by the liver.
Thus, spicy and fatty salads stimulate the release of bile into the intestines with toxins from the liver and gallbladder [1, 2].
2. Сoarse insoluble fiber stimulates intestinal motility. So the salad with bile and toxins flies through the intestines, as quickly as possible [3, 4].
The best sources of coarse insoluble fiber are root vegetables (carrot, celeriac, onion, garlic, etc), cabbages, and leafy green. (roots, stems, leaves)
❕ If you add too much oil, or if for some reason your intestinal motility is too slow, toxins will go back into the bloodstream. This can cause symptoms of intoxication — headache, nausea, skin rash, or others. Add oil moderately!
3. Such salads also act like a brush. They clean the intestines from all the wastes adhering to the walls of the intestines.
4. And even more, salads improve your gut microbiome's health!
So eat salads every day! [5, 6]
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and Vegetables are great prebiotics. They Improve gut microbiome health. The gut microbiome helps us detox toxins in the intestines. It improves gut epithelial cells' health, which also helps in detoxification and defense against toxins [7].
Fruits and vegetables contain many antioxidants and other biologically active molecules, which help our bodies recover from the effects of toxins and promote the health of the liver, kidneys, and other organs and tissues.
Also, fruits and vegetables contain very few toxins, so they are ideal for everyday nutrition. Even those with pesticides are much better than processed foods!
Whole Foods
In general, choose organic whole foods, and don’t overtake meat.
Such whole food improves your gut health, gives you the necessary nutrients, and helps avoid food toxins.
2. Water.
Our second most important detox system after the liver and intestines is the kidneys.
Every second kidney filters some amount of blood, taking toxins from blood to urine.
It is crucial for removing toxins to drink enough water constantly every day!
How much water should I drink for detox?
On average, a person needs to drink 1/30 of his mass per day [8, 9, 10].
If you want to enhance your toxins elimination with kidneys you can even drink a bit more — 1/25 of your body weight.
Tea, coffee, and sugar drinks do not saturate the body with water, because they contain many substances that will then need to be filtered out. So the water from such drinks doesn’t go for detox processes.
If your urine while detox isn’t slightly yellow or transparent then you need to drink more!
How to take water for detox?
The best way to drink water for detox purposes is to drink water frequently. Every 10-20 minutes.
The blood can contain only a small part of the toxins that are in the body (to prevent the intoxication of organs). So, as soon as your kidneys filter a portion of blood and the blood is cleansed, a new portion of toxins from the intestines, fat, and other tissues will enter the bloodstream and could be filtered again.
Therefore, for the most effective removal of toxins by the kidneys, you need to constantly add water to the bloodstream, which can be then filtered along with toxins into the urine.
3. Sleep.
Quality sufficient sleep is essential for the health of all body systems, including the detoxification systems — liver, intestines, kidneys, skin, and lungs.
When we sleep our brain cleans itself of the toxic products of its activities during the day [11, 12].
How many hours should I sleep?
You should regularly sleep 7-9 hours every night to promote good health [13].
Sleep Quality
To ensure deep, restorative, and detoxifying sleep you need to:
- avoid any light at night [14]
- avoid blue screens a few hours before bed (even better after sunset) [15, 16, 17]
- eliminate noise [18]
- don't drink caffeine after dinner [19].
4. Physical Activity.
Regular physical activity significantly improves health and well-being [20, 21, 22].
Two types of physical activity are essential for detox — activity aimed at burning fat and cardio training.
Fat Burn
Fat tissue is the second largest depot of toxins after the liver. Sometimes even the first.
Toxins accumulate in fat cells because there they cause the least harm to the body.
Simultaneously with the process of burning fat, toxins are also removed and filtered by the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin.
The less fat, the fewer toxins in body!
Cardio Training
Cardio training significantly increases blood circulation [23], which means:
- More fat with toxins is removed from fat cells.
- More blood with toxins passes through the liver, kidneys, and skin.
- More water-soluble toxins are excreted by the skin with sweat.
Therefore, the more you train — the fewer toxins are in your body!
5. Fasting.
Lots of research have shown that fasting and intermittent fasting cause significant positive effects on health.
Intermittent Fasting
Regular intermittent fasting has many health benefits: weight loss, reducing blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation [24, 25, 26]. All these effects are crucial for cleansing and detox processes.
Also, intermittent fasting reduces the aging process and optimizes cellular repair [27, 28], including cells in the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin.
Prolonged Water Fasting
In addition to the benefits of intermittent fasting, prolonged fasting (more than 36 hours) activates cell autophagy even more than intermittent fasting [29, 30, 31].
Autophagy means, that cells 'eat' and eliminate all their waste, toxins, and microorganisms.
Dry Fasting
Dry fasting can be a very effective method in some cases, but its use should only be under the supervision of an experienced specialist. Improper dry fasting can do more harm than good!
6. Stress.
When you are chronically stressed, your body is constantly in “fight or flight” mode. In this mode, detoxification fades into the background.
In order for detoxification processes to take place effectively, first eliminate chronic stress.
Leverage your stress
To reduce stress throughout the day, expose yourself to strong but positive stress in the morning. Jogging, cold shower or ice bath, workout.
After that kind of good stress, any stressful events during the day will cause significantly less stress reaction in your body.
Supplements
Adaptogens can significantly help to cope with stress: Ginseng, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, Schizandra, and Ashwagandha [32, 33, 34].
To calm down and sleep well you can use: Magnesium threonate [35, 36], Apigenin [37], l-theanine [38, 39], GABA [40], Myo-Inositol [41], Lemon balm, Ashwagandha [42, 43, 44], and Valerian root [45, 46, 47].
Breathing
When you feel stressed — focus on your breath.
If you want to reduce your stress and anxiety really fast — do the physiological sighs [48]:
Double inhale through your nose followed by a long exhale through your nose or mouth. Even a couple of such sighs can quickly reduce stress (better to do 10-30 sighs).
7. Avoid Toxins.
In order to successfully cleanse your body of toxins, it is necessary that the processes of cleansing and detoxification prevail over the processes of pollution by toxins.
To do this, you need to reduce the consumption of toxins!
Alcohol
Alcohol is metabolized by the liver. Liver enzymes metabolize alcohol to acetaldehyde, a well-known toxic molecule that damages liver cells [49, 50].
Excessive alcohol drinking can severely damage your liver function by causing fat buildup, inflammation, and fibrosis [51].
As a result, your liver cannot function properly and filter waste and other toxins from your body as it should.
Drinking less or abstaining from alcohol entirely will keep your body's detoxification system healthy!
Nicotine
Cigarettes often contain toxic chemicals such as arsenic or cadmium. Smoking increases the risk of dying approximately 10 years earlier, as well as heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and bladder cancer [52, 53, 54, 55].
In addition, nicotine constricts blood vessels [56], which means it inhibits the processes of removing toxins from fat and filtering toxins by the kidneys and liver, as well as deteriorating cell health due to a chronic lack of blood and oxygen.
Drugs
Most prescription drugs are xenobiotics for our bodies. In other words, they act like toxins — our bodies have not evolved to deal with such substances. For example, high doses of acetaminophen can damage the liver [57].
Sugar
Cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and cancer — that is the price of regular intake of sugar and processed food with lots of added sugar! [58, 59, 60]
Detoxification processes are significantly worsened in diseases such as diabetes or fatty liver. Avoid sugar!
Food chemicals and toxins
Avoid processed food!
In this article, we have collected the 13 most dangerous Toxins and Heavy Metals in Food.
Consumer goods toxins
Use organic, phthalates-free, non-plastic products.
Here are also the list of 5 most dangerous Toxins in Consumer Products.
Mold
Eliminate all pockets of mold in your home [61]!
14 Best Detox Biohacks
1. Supplements for Liver support.
-
N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
NAC has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, helping to protect liver cells from the effects of toxins [62, 63, 64, 65].
NAC is used in the synthesis of Glutathione — a powerful antioxidant that repairs and extinguishes.
In addition, NAC is good for kidney health [66, 67].
- Glycine
Glycine, as well as NAC, is used in the synthesis of Glutathione — a powerful antioxidant that repairs and extinguishes.
-
Milk Thistle
Like NAC, Milk Thistle has a significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, protecting liver cells from toxins. In addition, silybin (a component of silymarin found in milk thistle) has an anti-fibrotic effect and prevents liver fibrosis [68, 69, 70, 71, 72].
-
Ginger
Ginger has a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Twelve weeks of 2 grams of ginger supplementation showed beneficial effects on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [73, 74].
-
Choline
Choline (from lecithin for example) is crucial for liver health. And here is why:
- Choline is required for the transportation of fat from the liver to cells throughout the body. So it prevents fatty liver [75].
- Choline is an important modulator of epigenetic regulation in liver cells. Thus choline helps to prevent fatty liver, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatocarcinoma [76].
- Choline lowers inflammation and protects liver cells [77].
-
Dandelion Root and Greens
Dandelion root prevents liver fibrosis, inflammatory response in liver cells, and oxidative stress [78, 79].
Dandelion greens is also a great source of vitamins vital for liver functioning, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and is a great source of prebiotic fiber [80].
2. Antioxidants.
Antioxidants are very important for liver health.
When the liver's oxidative/antioxidative balance is disrupted, occurs oxidative stress which produces different liver diseases.
Supplements
Curcumin, quercetin, and naringenin are the most studied beneficial effects on liver health [81].
Berries
Berries contain lots of different antioxidants. And they are great prebiotics.
Leaders in the content of antioxidants (ORAC/100g) are:
Acai (dried powder) (102000), Aronia (16200), Elderberries (14400), Wild Blueberries (7500), Cranberries (7300), Blackberries (5700), Raspberries (4800), and Blueberries (4200) [82].
Other Foods
Other food products that contain lots of antioxidants are (ORAC/100g): Oregano (175000), Rosemary (165000), Thyme (157000), Cinnamon (131000), Sage (120000); Dark Chocolate (20000), Pecans (18000), Walnuts (13000), Hazelnuts (9600), Artichoke (7000) and Cilantro (5150) [82].
3. Prebiotics and Fiber.
You need a healthy gut to maintain a healthy detoxification system. The intestinal cells protect your gut and body from toxic substances by detoxifying and excreting them [83].
Poor diet, antibiotic use, and lots of food chemicals can damage and imbalance your gut microbiome. This can weaken your immune and detoxification systems and increase your risk of disease and inflammation.
Eating foods rich in prebiotics will keep your immune and detoxification systems healthy.
The best natural prebiotics are:
- fruits
- vegetables
- mushrooms
- greens
- algae
- fiber
- spices.
Fiber
Fiber is good for detox for several reasons [84].
- Fiber is a good prebiotic that improves the health of the gut microbiota.
- Fiber helps thin the stool and prevent constipation. During constipation, toxins from the stool are reabsorbed back into the bloodstream, and then again into the liver.
- Fiber itself has the ability to bind toxins and promote their elimination with feces.
4. Binders.
Toxin binders are substances that bind toxins in the intestines and remove them via the digestive tract so they're not reabsorbed into the body.
Binders do not bind toxins tightly, but only superficially. At the same time, binders stimulate the release of bile with toxins. Therefore, their excessive use can cause symptoms of intoxication.
Use binders moderately, starting at 1/8 of the usual dosage, and gradually increasing if there are no symptoms of intoxication.
Binders go well with fatty spicy salads.
Some examples of binders are Activated Charcoal, Clay, Chlorella, Enterosgel, Fulvic and Humic acid.
5. Heavy Metal Binding Foods.
Some foods tend to bind, neutralize and remove heavy metals from the body. For example, tomatoes have been shown to significantly reduce the accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, and Hg) in the liver of rats [84].
Other heavy metal binding food products include [85]:
- berries
- onions
- ginger
- cilantro
- spirulina
- chlorella
- green tea
- probiotics
6. Vitamins & Minerals.
Vitamins are essential for the health of the body's detox systems.
You need almost the entire spectrum of vitamins for optimal detox: fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (C and B vitamins) [86, 87, 88, 89].
Eat whole foods and supplement your diet with high-quality supplements of all vitamins and microelements!
7. Turpentine Baths.
A great and little-known biohack that can help you get rid of toxins much faster.
Turpentine is a liquid mixture of terpenes and terpenoids obtained from the resins of coniferous trees.
It has many health benefits, but the following are especially useful for detox:
- Turpentine baths cleanse the sebaceous glands of the skin. They literally dissolve the dried fat in sebaceous glands — they wash the pores of the skin.
After several turpentine baths, the skin will begin to remove fat-soluble toxins much more efficiently. - In addition, turpentine improves blood microcirculation, which further stimulates the removal of toxins through the skin.
8. IV therapy.
IV (intravenous) therapy uses an IV drip to deliver nutrients directly into your bloodstream. This can help provide your liver and kidneys with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed for their health and detoxification processes.
Usually, in order to detox and improve liver health, the following drips are used:
- Vitamins (vitamin C; B vitamins)
- Minerals (Magnesium, Selenium, and others)
- Glutathione
- Amino acids
- NAD +
- and others
9. Plasmapheresis.
Plasmapheresis is a medical procedure for purifying blood plasma. It is prescribed only by a doctor!
In some cases, when there are a lot of toxins in the blood for some reason, plasmapheresis can be very effective.
During plasmapheresis, the patient's blood is filtered so that all blood cells are returned to the patient, and liquid plasma is microfiltered of toxins and also returned back to the bloodstream.
Plasmapheresis is often combined with IV therapy.
10. PEMF.
PEMF is an acronym for Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field.
These pulsated electromagnetic fields naturally stimulate every level of the body — every cell, tissue, and organ, including the excretory systems we need for detox — the liver, intestines, kidneys, and skin.
As a result of the effects, the body begins to repair and regulate itself to regain its natural balance by increasing cellular metabolism, reducing inflammation [90, 91], blood flow enhancement [92, 93, 94], and optimizing membrane voltage [95, 96].
11. Sauna.
Our body removes excess toxins through the skin.
Fat-soluble toxins go out through sebaceous glands. Water-soluble toxins — through sweat.
Sauna helps at times enhance the elimination of toxins through the sweat glands [97, 98].
In addition, the sauna is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular and metabolic health [99, 100].
12. Cold Therapy.
A 2000 study found that being in a cold bath increased metabolism by 350% [101]. That is, you burn fat up to 3.5 times more efficiently!
What's more, norepinephrine, which is greatly elevated when exposed to cold, turns white fat cells into brown! White cells are useless fat depots. Brown cells contain a large number of mitochondria, which burn this fat and turn it into heat! Therefore, they are brown, due to the large number of mitochondria inside.
All this together: an increase in metabolism, the transformation of white fat into brown, and an increase in energy levels and motivation — greatly help to burn those extra pounds of fat!
And as we know, fat is one of the main depots of toxins in the body. When fat is burned, toxins are also removed from the body at the same time! Thus, cold therapy significantly helps to speed up the cleansing of fat cells from toxins accumulated over a lifetime.
Read the whole article: Cold Therapy Benefits and What to Do After an Ice Bath.
13. Ionic Foot Bath.
Another interesting biohack that will help you improve the condition of your feet and probably remove some toxins.
It is a safe way to relax after a hard day and to help revive circulation in the feet.
14. Detox Juices.
Many people associate the detox process with detox juices, smoothies, and drinks. Unfortunately, the juices themselves will give a very little result. To really encourage detox, you need to follow the fundamental 7 tips given at the beginning of this article! They can be enhanced with different combinations of biohacks, which will only speed up the detox process.
What are the benefits of juices, smoothies, and detox drinks?
- Vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and biologically active substances
- Prebiotic fiber (smoothies)
- Alkalinization of the blood pH and, therefore, improving blood circulation (especially lemons, herbs, and many bitter greens and vegetables)
Interested in this topic?
In the previous articles, we covered the 13 most dangerous Toxins and Heavy Metals in Food🍔 and the 5 most dangerous Toxins in Costumer Products🧼.
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⭐ And here are some amazing Beautifully Broken Podcast Episodes related to this topic:
- #26 Terri Hirning: A major Difference in Detox with Ionic Foot Baths, Autism and Real Food (Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify)
- #63 Toxic with Dr. Neil Nathan (Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify)
- #93 Detoxing, Autism, and Glyphosate Oh My with Glenn Wilhelm (Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify)
- #105 Binding Toxins, Bioactive Carbons and CellCore with Dr. Jay Davidson (Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify)
- #118 LIVE in Las Vegas with The Biohacking Besties (Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify)
- #129 Environmental Toxicity, Diagnostic Testing, and the Rain Barrel Effect with Dr. Stephen Cabral (Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify)
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
