Detoxification

Detoxification is a frequently cited concept, especially in the context of promoting various foods, dietary supplements, different devices, or general supportive methods aimed at ridding the body of undesirable substances that harm human health in various ways. As a result, the principles of detoxification have become trivialized and, above all, not entirely understood. In a simplified form, it makes sense to perceive the whole issue of detoxification as follows:

Throughout life, an enormous amount of various substances—nutritional, anti-nutritional, toxins, etc.—enters the body through various pathways (diet, drinking, breathing, medication). Their quantity depends on factors such as:

• environment in which we live,

• type and amount of food we consume,

• functionality of the digestive tract,

• ability of the excretory system to perform its work effectively,

• use of a range of medications,

• use of cosmetics and many others.

When discussing detoxification, the focus is primarily on substances that should not be in the body. These are substances that, in some way, "harm" (burden cellular metabolism, damage DNA, etc.).
It is not meaningful to list all the substances circulating in the environment that should not be there. In summary, the spectrum of these substances (pesticides, phthalates, heavy metals, dioxins, hormones, antibiotics, etc.) is demonstrably co-responsible for the emergence and development of obesity, chronic fatigue, disorders of the immune system (allergies, asthma), reproductive disorders (especially in the male population), cancer diseases, hormonal disorders, inflammations, and many others. These functional disorders of our health occur in situations where the body's homeostatic systems are exhausted and unable to perform their work fully. This means that there is no effective elimination of all substances (ingested from the external environment, products of our metabolism), resulting in a situation referred to as "intoxication" or the accumulation of substances in depot organs and tissues.

It is therefore natural that methods aimed at supporting the detoxification of the body have emerged. Opinions on them vary significantly in practice; it always depends on whether their scientifically proven effectiveness and safety are taken into account or merely personal experiences are passed on.
In a very simplified concept, supportive detoxification methods can be divided into two basic groups:

1. Mechanical Processes:

These are based on methods that support the "cleansing" of the digestive tract in a mechanical way. Aside from eliminating certain foods (most commonly dairy products or preserved meat products), this mainly involves increasing the proportion of fiber in the diet, which supports peristalsis of the intestinal tract and simultaneously acts as a "mechanical brush" in the intestines.

So-called colon hydrotherapy (colonics = flushing the colon) is gaining popularity. Care must be taken when handling this technique as there are risks of mechanical damage to the intestine or introduction of infection, and complications like disorders of peristalsis or intestinal microflora colonization are not uncommon.

An intriguing possibility is the ancient yogic technique known as shankhaprakshalana, which is based on drinking salt water and simultaneously performing a series of exercises leading to increased intestinal activity and subsequent elimination. In comparison with colon hydrotherapy, it is used sporadically in our conditions.

2. Biochemical Methods:

In relation to diet, it involves a targeted and systematic change in habits with a specific goal, which may be, for example:

• altering the acid-base balance of the body's internal environment, which serves as a triggering impulse for the proper functioning of other systems in the body,

• intake of some substances that have the ability to selectively detoxify the organism of certain undesirable chemical compounds or prevent their absorption. For instance, zinc prevents lead absorption, vitamin C promotes the excretion of cadmium, or selenium enhances mercury excretion. Targeted supplementation in this respect supports detoxification.

The fact is that manipulation with these methods should always be under the supervision of a specialist. Unfortunately, in practice, things are often different—the lay population tends to fall for promises of quick solutions to their problems. Thus, conditions of overdose with various preparations commonly arise, leading to intoxication instead of the desired detoxification.

Natural detoxification systems of the body can also be supported with saunas or lymphatic massages.

In practice, we often encounter the combination of different methods in the belief that a greater effect will be achieved. Such approaches can be dangerous because, in the area of eliminating toxins from the body, there are certain rules, failing to respect which can be risky, especially with regard to health (temporarily increasing the concentration of eliminated substances in the blood, to which the individual systems of our body react very sensitively).

Fasting holds a specific place in the area of detoxification. Fasting is essentially the most effective method of complete detoxification of the body. Millions of people around the world engage in fasting, not always with the correct approach. The proper definition of fasting involves a significant restriction or complete omission of food for a certain period, during which time we also focus on meditative techniques. The majority of fasters fail to understand this, confusing fasting with starvation. The only difference between fasting and starvation are the mentioned meditations, which aim to cleanse and develop one's mind (i.e., constructively working with emotions). Starvation is only capable of cleansing the body, whereas fasting, through meditation, provides an added value in the area of eliminating the consequences of stress and everything related to so-called psychosomatics.