DETOX: 02. Why do it?

Hello all and welcome to the second post in my 'detox series'.

When I started my very first cleanse I had only a vague vision of why I needed it. I was in my early 20s and lead an active & fun life - I still do btw :) - and really didn't delve too deeply into the matter which lead to quite a few failed attempts with poor results. 
Over the years I have gained more insight to the functions of our bodies and how these impact on our well-being and every-day health.

In an ideal world our bodies would be able to cope just fine without the aid of special diets, detoxing and supplements. In fact detoxing is part of the body's natural functions and every day it actively works to neutralize and shed itself of toxic waste through the lungs, liver, colon, kidneys, skin and lymphatic system. 

However, due to the every-day toxins and pollution we are faced with in today's world our bodies find it hard to cope. And I don't even mean the bodies of people who live in large cities, lead tangibly unhealthy lives or suffer substance abuse. I am referring to the 'average person' out there who may even be reasonably fit or eat a relatively healthy diet.

The scary truth is that the food & drinks we consume, the air we breathe, the water we wash in, the products we apply to our bodies, the medications we take and the electro-magnetic fields we surround ourselves with radically affect our health and well-being whether we like it or not. It can't be avoided because of the nature of our lives and the state our planet is in since industrialization and mass production started.

Add to this the stressful lives we lead which often drive us to compensate lack of time with 'convenience' which tends to mean eating too much processed and artificially produced foods, drink caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, as well as too much sugar and the wrong kinds of fats. 
Actually I think it is true to say that 'convenience' (even laziness and ignorance at times) is the biggest threat & enemy to good health, and by default and by nature humans tend to seek the 'easiest' route forward in lives. This means we tend to take the car when really we should walk or hop on the bike, we eat take-away when we should be cooking ourselves, we use pre-fab when we should use raw or wholefoods, we drink caffeine and eat sugar to boost energy so that we can compensate for lack of sleep & rest, we pop a painkiller to eliminate a headache that really is the result of not drinking enough water etc etc.

Slowly our bodies and health start to decline and we begin to experience a raft of symptoms that frighteningly are deemed 'normal' and part of life - fatigue, headaches, poor digestion, insomnia, depression, anxiety, mood swings, restlessness, poor memory, irritability, joint ache, rashes & skin problems, pimples, hair loss, hormone imbalances, allergies, blurred vision, dizzy spells, infertility, bloating, inflammations etc etc. The list is long and to many much too familiar..! And as our bodies signal something is wrong through all or any of the above we tend to eliminate or suppress the symptoms by consuming more of the wrong things or by taking medication. The vicious circle is closing..!

Numerous scientific studies have shown that newborn babies (in developed countries) carry somewhere between 200 and 300 known chemicals in their bodies!! All passed on to them from their parents and environment. 
With the not yet developed ability to process these poisons and waste products in their organs they run a higher risk of disease. This is part of the explanation for the rise of chronic illnesses such as asthma, cancer, inflammation, behavioural & developmental disturbances amongst children etc etc. 
To be blunt, this scares the hell out of me as a parent and I am therefore motivated to do what ever it takes to minimize the exposure to toxins in our daily lives. I also try my hardest to live life by good example as to educate my children to make better choices for their future. 'They do as you do, not as you say' is the motto I try to live by!

I really don't mean to scare you or come across as dramatic through this post, but I want to give you a truthful picture of the impact a deemed 'normal life' has on our health. And because we are already born with so much toxic waste in our system it is important imperative that we take action to support our bodies in their work to keep us healthy and well
If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for your children or grand children. In fact science dictates that it takes 4 generations to reverse or compensate inherited damage / DNA!

THE GOOD NEWS is that our bodies are capable to clean out waste and unwanted toxins! In fact they were designed for the job and they have an impressive ability to self-heal if only we help it to do so! Some parts of our bodies can restore functions within a matter of days, where as others take longer. The importance is that it is never too late to make changes and that everyone can make them!
There are several wonderful examples of people who have been cured from serious illness by changing their diets and lifestyles. Those of you who have read books like 'The Journey' by Brandon Bays, 'Chemical Free Kids' by Dr Sarah Lantz, or Dr Alejandro Junger's 'Clean - remove restore rejuvenate' will know what I talk about here. 
If you live in Sweden I highly recommend you attend a lecture or book yourself an appointment with health guru Zarah Öberg, who you can read more about HERE. 
Also, HERE is a great reference site for healing foods that I use regularly. 

So the more I learn about all of this the more driven I become to look after myself and my loved ones. And importantly since I am not willing to compromise completely by living a raw-diet vegan life in the remote countryside in a part of the world that is least exposed to radio-magnetic pollution etc I do what I can within the reams of a relatively 'normal' life. So I try to be smart about it and aim for long term health and balance! To be honest it shouldn't have to come to a point of serious illness before we take charge and I am much more a believer in 'proactive' rather than 'reactive' health meassures. And this is why I have such passion for eating organic foods, using toxin free hygiene and cleaning products, detoxing etc. It's as simple as that really!

A good two to six week detox a couple of times a year is enough to support your body's natural ability to clean and heal. Add to that you do your best to maximize nutrition and minimize chemicals & toxins and you are well on the way! It's all common sense and the old saying 'you are what you eat' is the truth!

OK sweeties that is it for today. I know this post was heavy and full of scary facts, but it is important to have a platform to work from. From here on it will be all about the positive aspects of being healthy on the inside and how to achieve it!

Have a lovely weekend ahead and enjoy life!

xx Charlotta