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Detoxification is a metabolic process that converts the toxins in our bodies into waste. That waste is then eliminated, and that activity can be harsh on us. The point of a detox is to ease the release of toxins from our fat storage cells in order to enhance the body's detoxification pathways (especially the liver). Physical detox is great for removing toxins like heavy metals, chemicals, cleaning solutions, cigarette residue, and other environmental elements from our bodies. It can include changes to your diet and lifestyle, as well as some herbal supplements and therapeutic sweating, in places like saunas or steam rooms. Doctors often recommend a detox once or twice a year, due to our overexposure to toxic components in our homes and environments. The body is generally very effective at detoxifying itself. Providing the body with essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients is the best way to ensure proper detoxification. Many diets and trends that claim to “detox” the body are pushing the boundaries of scientific plausibility and may even be harmful.
How Does the Body Detoxify Itself?
The metabolic detoxification process is comprised of three essential steps:
Phase I—Enzymatic Transformation:
Purpose is to chemically transform compounds from lipid-soluble into more water-soluble. Generally carried out by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes.
Phase II—Enzymatic Conjugation:
Purpose is to further increase water solubility and decrease reactivity of phase I products. Generally carried out by UDP-glucuronlytransferases (UGTs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and sulfotransferases (SULTs).
Phase III—Transport:
Purpose is to excrete water-soluble compounds from the cell. Generally carried out by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters.
Excess hormones, vitamins, inflammatory molecules, and signaling compounds, among others, are typically eliminated from the body by the same enzymatic detoxification systems that protect the body from environmental toxins, or clear prescription drugs from circulation. Metabolic detoxification reactions, therefore, are not only important for protection from the environment, but central to homeostatic balance in the body. The diet is a major source of toxin exposure. Toxins can find their way into the diet by several routes, notably contamination by microorganisms, man-made toxicants (including pesticides, residues from food processing, prescription drugs and industrial wastes), or less frequently, contamination by toxins from other “non–food” plant sources. Some of the toxic heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium), while not “man–made,” have been released/redistributed into the environment at potentially dangerous levels by man and can find their way into the diet as well.
Spiritual Fasting is for Focusing on Your Faith:
The physical denial aspect of healthy fasting is necessary to clear the way for finding or restoring spiritual clarity. When you are fasting, you are not focusing on feeding your body. So, you will have more energy to focus on prayer, meditation, or other forms of spiritual contemplation. Spiritual fasting is not about denying yourself what you need. Instead, it is about managing your needs in order to orient yourself toward something greater than yourself. The goal is to focus on your faith and spiritual health. Hunger is easily remedied. Your spiritual wellness often requires a longer view. Spiritual fasting is a way to open yourself up for introspection. Fasting can be done with close personal friends or family. But what follows the act of physically fasting should be left between you and your higher power. Fasting is about cutting out those things that do not serve your spiritual journey or purpose. So, this includes sharing your spiritual fasting work with others. When you have completed your spiritual fast, go ahead and share those things you feel are appropriate. It is perfectly fine to encourage others and to be supportive based on your own experience. But during your spiritual fast you should be focused on your own journey. You may experience some physical discomfort when fasting. This is normal. But physical discomfort should not be the focus of your fast. The discomfort created by fasting is part of how we recognize the needs of our body. But those needs are not as dire as they might feel in the moment. This is part of the point of the fast: to recognize that the needs of the flesh are just one part of us. We also believe that fasting should always include water. You don’t have to go without food entirely to perform an effective fast. If you have other health issues such as diabetes, a carefully monitored moderate fast is probably a good option. Healthy spiritual fasting is a way to find spiritual health as part of overall health and wellness. As such, harming your body not how you get there.