You want to detoxify your body? We explain the five most popular detox methods and what else you should know about detoxing.
Why detoxify the body?
Some people fast, others use detox - both want the same thing: Detoxify the body, erase the consequences of poor nutrition and harmful environmental influences. Our well-being and general health should be improved as a result. We indeed have our own detox police: organs such as the liver, kidneys, and skin remove harmful substances such as environmental toxins. But if these get out of hand, we look tired, feel listless, and are susceptible to illness.
What happens when we detoxify the body?
Researchers have found that during a period of fasting, around five percent of damaged body cells are broken down, making room for new cell material. Toxins stored in the fatty tissue are released from the cells by abstaining from food and excreted via the detoxification organs of the liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, and skin. The intestine is vigorously cleaned. The appearance of the skin, especially cellulite, can often be significantly improved by the drainage of the connective tissue.
It must be said that, from a medical point of view, it is usually not necessary to detoxify the body, because it can do this itself with the help of the detoxification organs. However, if one suffers from chronic diseases of the digestive tract, for example, it can be useful to support the intestines with detoxification.
How to detoxify the body?
Various detoxification cures can be used to detoxify the body. Most methods rely on ingesting liquids almost exclusively - if solid food is allowed, it is usually gentle and natural. This relieves the digestive tract and the intestines can focus more on eliminating toxins (for example, metabolic waste products) and other harmful substances.
5 detoxification methods at a glance
The most popular methods to detoxify your body can be found here. If you are still unsure which one suits you best, then start with our detox plan for one week!
1. detoxify your body with the Mayr cure: water, milk, and old bread rolls
The method: Detoxification is done through food combining, tea, and water, abdominal treatments, massages.
Duration: at least 14 days are recommended
Intestinal cleansing: Drink a glass of warm water with dissolved Epsom salt in the morning.
2. detoxify the body with Panchakarma cure: Well oiled.
Method: Detoxification is done with oil (massages and enemas), herbs, and teas.
Duration: 14 days is recommended.
Intestinal cleansing: Per oil enema and ghee.
3. detoxify the body with Master-Cleanse: fasting classic from Hollywood.
The method: Detoxifies with lemon juice and cayenne pepper, energy is in the maple syrup. Six to twelve glasses (300 ml each) of the lemonade are drunk per day. And lots of water. Stanley Burroughs invented the fasting cure back in 1941.
Duration: Ten to 40 days - until the tongue shines again smoothly pink without any coating.
Intestinal cleansing: Per daily laxative tea and a liter of water with 2 tsp dissolved sea salt.
4. detoxify the body with Thalassotherapy: Give me sea!
The method The term Thalasso comes from the Greek (Thalassa: Engl. "sea") and refers to a therapy that cleanses the body with the ingredients of the sea (e.g. algae, minerals, and trace elements such as sodium or iodine). Traditionally, this cure takes place in a center directly by the sea, but you can also do it at home in a simplified form.
How does it work exactly? The purification program consists, among other things, of seawater drinking cures, mud baths, and algae wraps, salt and algae baths, or algae preparations for dietary supplementation. Sea salt and so-called alginates can bind and eliminate harmful substances in the body, and the skin becomes deeply clean.
For whom is the therapy suitable? If the focus is on external applications, anyone can detoxify with Thalasso. If you want to try it at home, you can find bath additives, lotions, or gels with algae and sea salt for purification in health food stores or drugstores. However, caution is advised in case of iodine allergy or thyroid disorders.
5. detoxify the body with detox yoga: get rid of the waste!
What is the basic principle? The comprehensive health benefits of yoga have long been proven. But some postures specifically target physical detoxification because they stimulate blood flow to the liver, kidneys, and pancreas, and thus metabolism.
How does this work exactly? Through special exercises such as "half rotating seat", "pincer" or "shoulder stand", in which the body is strongly twisted and bent, blood is supposed to be "squeezed out" of the internal organs, then enriched with oxygen and flush waste products from the organism. Kapalabhati breathing, a snorting breathing technique, also has an internal cleansing effect.
For whom is the therapy suitable? Anyone who wants to actively detoxify without focusing on strict dietary guidelines is right for Detox Yoga.
The right preparation and follow-up is crucial
Those who want to detoxify their body usually start the process one day before the actual cure. Only small and digestible meals are taken to prepare the intestines for detoxification. Depending on the method, colon cleanses may also be useful.
After detoxification, it is also important to slowly accustom the body to solid food again. So you should not go straight back to hard-to-digest foods such as processed foods or fast food but instead focus on light foods, such as soups. Building on this, you can then gradually integrate more healthy and wholesome foods into your diet.
Why can detoxifying the body improve well-being?
There are some good reasons to detoxify the body, even if you don't necessarily have to from a medical perspective. The following benefits to well-being can come from detoxing:
Due to the gentle diet that relieves the intestines, complaints such as fatigue and digestive complaints such as bloating often subside.
By the renouncement of stimulants such as alcohol, nicotine, or coffee inner tension leaves it and stress is reduced. The cure can also be an introduction to abstain from such stimulants in the future.
Generally, the cure can help to be more conscious with the nutrition in the future and to set the focus more on healthy food.
The weight loss that often results from detoxification can motivate people to eat a balanced and healthy diet in the long term. This also helps to boost the metabolism.
What foods should I generally avoid when detoxing?
While it varies in part from method to method what foods may be included, most do without the following:
Sugar
Sweets
White flour products
Salt
Meat and meat products
Fast food and processed food in general
foods containing gluten
Can everyone do a detoxification cure?
Detoxification is not suitable for everyone. Underweight people, pregnant women, or sick people with immune deficiencies or severe chronic illnesses should not detoxify if they completely abstain from solid food or are generally allowed to consume only very few calories. In general: Before starting a detoxification cure like Detox, you should consult your doctor.