The holistic health community is obsessed with reducing toxic load. Unfortunately, toxins are hidden just about anywhere that a person turns, and try as one might, they cannot be completely avoided. Now, this news does not have to be devastating, because there is amazing hope. The hope is this:

Our bodies have been designed with the innate wisdom to self-detoxify. 

This leads to a very countercultural point: You DO NOT have to go on a crazy juice-cleanse-liver-detox in order to get rid of toxins. In fact, doing so may actually inhibit the detoxification process instead of support it. 

Why do I say this? Because, the body already knows how to detoxify, and we only need to support it in order for this process to happen. It is not an overnight fix either, and can take some time. Like most things that take time to implement, however, it is absolutely worthwhile, and you will probably be able to notice small changes the more you support your body in its natural detoxification.

Today, you are going to learn what toxins are, what toxic load is, some symptoms of toxic load, reasons to reduce toxic load, why a juice cleanse or strict diet may not be the answer, and how to ACTUALLY support the body’s natural detoxification processes.

What are Toxins and their Impact on Toxic Load?

Simply put, toxins are substances that are harmful to the human body. These toxins can be found all throughout the earth. In fact, the textbook definition of a toxin is any substance POISONOUS to an organism.

When you think of toxins entering your body, do you think of toxins poisoning your body? This is not said to scare you, this is simply said to give the picture of how harmful toxins truly can be if they get out of hand. 

There are external toxins, which can come from pesticides, processed foods, pollution, home issues, etc. 

There are also internal toxins like stress and inflammation, much of which can come as a result of an overload of external toxins. 

A list of toxins:

Unfiltered (or not properly filtered) water, fragrances, beauty products, processed foods/food additives, nonstick cookware, plastic, heavy metals, mold, chronic stress, fungus/bacteria/yeast, hormonal imbalances, unresolved trauma, and unfortunately more.

Before going any further I again want to stress: OUR BODIES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED WITH THE INNATE WISDOM TO ELIMINATE TOXINS. 

So do not despair, there is so much more to the story, if we learn how to support our bodies for this process.

What is Toxic Load?

Now that you know what a toxin is, we can dive into what toxic load is. Simply put, toxic load is the amount of these harmful substances that build up in the human body over a period of time.

Picture the human body as a bucket. While one drop of a toxin might now add too much weight, hundreds of drops will. Soon enough these drops weigh the bucket down completely, and spill over causing a mess. 

In this scenario, Your body is the bucket. The drops falling in are toxins. When there are too many toxins, your body becomes overloaded and unable to expel all of the toxins that it needs to. This causes both internal and external stress.

There are many different things that can contribute to toxins building up in the body, causing a high toxic load. The way your body handles the toxins in your environment and within your body will depend upon the factors listed below:

• Poor Diet/Poor Nutrition Choices
• Allergies 
• Poor lifestyle choices 
• Poor mental state
• Lack of movement 
• Poor gut health
• Mineral deficiencies
• Environmental factors

Symptoms of Overload in Toxic Load

Quite honestly, most of us are currently, or have previously, or will eventually, experience toxic overload. Keep in mind as I list the symptoms below that though these are symptoms of toxic overload, they are also symptoms that can be related to a variety of other health issues, including hormonal issues. Please speak to your doctor if any of these resonate with you.

• Chronic Fatigue 
• Digestive issues such as bloating, heart burn, GI issues
• Migraines and headaches 
• Anxiety and depression 
• Brain fog
• Insulin resistance 
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Blood pressure issues
• Skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea
•  Painful periods among other hormonal imbalances 

Reasons to Reduce Toxic Load

By reducing the body’s toxic load, the bucket being weighed down will feel much lighter. In other words, by reducing toxic load you will be able to support the body’s natural detoxification processes as the system is no longer backed up by an overload of poisons. This will lead to greater health from a whole body perspective, for both the short and long term.

How to Actually Reduce Toxic Load

Like I noted above, true detoxification will take time. There is not a magic pill that fixes things, nor is there a cleanse that gets rid of all your toxins overnight. Playing the long game is the best way to go in order to fully support the innate wisdom of your body. Keep in mind that your body has most likely been accumulating toxins for years. Please be patient with it as you go through the healing process.

I am not going to give you a week-long liver detox juice cleanse, because honestly, this won’t work. If you do a juice cleanse and then go back to the same old lifestyle, your body will still have toxic overload. In fact, your body needs NOURISHMENT to heal, and without proper food intake it cannot detoxify well. An intense cleanse merely forces the body to do something that it instead needs support on. The body is SO SMART. But, it needs support.

Like most aspects of healing, detoxification is a long process. Yes, you will gradually feel better as you heal, but no, you won’t detoxify overnight. This simply puts your body into an even greater state of stress.

The good news is that even though this is a long process (because, if we’re being honest you’ve probably been exposed to toxins since the day you were born) it is very attainable and worthwhile. 

Because it can be done slowly…

It does not have to cost you a fortune...

It does not have to be overwhelming...

You do not have to make your body feel miserable...

It does not have to take over your whole life...

It does not have to be a one-size-fits-all solution...

As I am constantly saying, healing is not linear, it is a journey. Be excited about what you get to learn, try, and implement along the way!

Here are my top tips that you can easily implement to support (not force) in your body’s detoxification process. You can go full-force and implement everything at once, or you can take one-step at a time until each piece becomes a lifestyle, instead of a week-long habit.

Eat Whole Foods

Processed foods are packed full of toxins.

Avoid seed oils/eat out less

Check out my post here on eating whole foods

Support Your Liver and Digestion 

Heal your gut health by checking out this post

Lean how to balance your minerals

Learn to be in a state of rest and digest before meals

Replace Toxic Items in Home Slowly

Filter your water- Here is a great way to see what is in your tap water 

Replace plastic with reusable products 

Replace cleaners

Replace cosmetics 

Replace soaps, shampoos, etc

Replace mattress, blankets, and pillows 

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Stress is a toxin in-of itself.

While there are healthy amounts of stress out on the body (i.e. proper exercise), too much causes inflammation in the body

Try to say yes to one less thing

Take an Epsom salt bath 

Do something you love that does not involve technology 

Quality Sleep

The body does the bulk of detoxification when it is asleep. Getting 7-9 hours as an adult will support this best.

With this, supporting your circadian rhythm ensures quality sleep

Get exercise/Movement

Sweat is an excellent tool that our body uses to detoxify 

Movement gets out lymphatic system flowing which helps move toxins where they need to be

I know that this initially may look like a lot, but when you begin implementing these things slowly, you will discover that you love the switches you made.

It was not too long ago that I first began learning about toxic load in the body, and I am still in the process of eliminating as many toxins as I possibly can *ahem organic mattresses are expensive.

But, I have implemented a lot of the principles above. 

I no longer eat processed foods, I work to support my liver, I make all my own cleaner, I’ve switched over cosmetics and toiletries, I try to reduce stress, I exercise, and try to prioritize sleep.

While it’s been a journey to get where I am now, I have begun feeling lighter along the way. My body is able to support itself in a way that it has never been able to in the past. You can do the same, and you will feel a difference as you drain your bucket bit-by-bit.

To recap:

–there are so many toxins in the world that can overload our bodies

-thankfully, our bodies are extremely smart and we’re designed to detoxify as we nourish them properly 

-we can support the body’s detoxification process through:

Eating Whole Foods

Supporting Your Liver and Digestion 

Replacing Toxic Items in Home Slowly

Getting Quality Sleep

Getting exercise/Movement