4 Tips to Support Natural Detoxification!
There is SO much hype in the holistic health space around detox practices. But how do you know which ones are helpful, necessary + actually useful??
The truth is that your body has numerous natural detoxification systems in place including your liver, gut/bowels, kidneys, lymph, lungs, skin and more - each of these systems are designed to help support, process and remove toxins that you encounter from pollution to chemicals to toxins.
Annnd we are living in such a toxic world that, even if we avoid all of the harsh endocrine disruptors, it can be helpful to choose additional regular practices to support our bodies in their detoxification.
I personally prefer to use detox practices that are gentle, natural and supportive of my body’s own innate detoxification rather than harsh cleanses or fad trends. So for those who are curious…
These are my favorite, go-to, natural detox practices!
1. Drink Filtered Water + Stay Hydrated.
I know this sounds ridiculous but it is key to aiding your body in its detox. We have to flush the toxins and the best way to do this is by drinking at least half your weight in ounces of water per day (eg if you weigh 150lb you should drink at least 75oz of water per day!), more if you are exercising, sweating a lot, or not seeing pale yellow urine. And the sad truth is that most of our tap water is polluted beyond below with toxins and chemicals that only add to our body burden and wreak havoc on our hormones. Please avoid plastic bottles and consider a quality water filter to decrease further toxin exposure! The Berkey water filter is the most amazing out there and what I would recommend as a first choice.
2. Castor Oil Packs.
Castor oil is an amazing resources when it comes to detoxification. It increases blood flow, supports lymph drainage and liver detoxification, and has been found to be incredibly supportive for numerous women’s health and digestive conditions. State tuned for an upcoming blog on how to do castor oil packs but you are basically putting a high quality cold-pressed organic caster oil on cotton flannel and placing it against your abdomen. You can either create your own castor oil pack with oil from a reputable herb store like Mountain Rose Herbs or Queen of Thrones makes some fabulous done-for-you packages that have the oil and pre-made castor oil packs.
3. Dry Brushing.
Dry brushing is just what it sounds like, brushing your skin with a dry, stiff-bristled brush. Using this as a daily practice (or as much as you remember) can help to increase blood and lymph circulation, aid digestion, get rid of dry or flaky skin, add a glow to your skin, soothe the nervous system, and so much more. SO fabulous for your body! Upcoming blog on how to dry brush but if you feel impatient know you can google it. I love the “Kitara dry brush”! (and their yoni steaming sets!! Again, blog coming but their “Engraved Space Saver Bundle” is what I have and am obsessed with because I can travel with it too)
4. Bitter Herbs + Digestive Bitter.
Our liver and bowels are KEY players in removing toxins from our systems. Literally that is what your sh*t is for! Bitter herbs like arugula, dandelion greens, parsley, and cilantro or digestive bitters are amazing resources to help stimulate your natural digestive enzymes/juices and aid in detoxification and healthy hormone clearance. I personally like to take digestive tinctures prior to each of my meals to aid my body in it’s natural digestive + cleansing processes. “Dandelion tincture” or “Liver Health tincture” both by HerbPharm are my favorite and can be found in my online Fullscript dispensary (the herb + supplement site I use personally and with all my clients) for 15% off. Just search the names in parentheses to check out the ones I use!
I would love to hear how you like these practices if you try them! Share with me via email or on social media
To your wellness!
Dr. Mona
