Is Detoxification Safe?

It is ironic that when we start a detoxification program to improve our health and feel better we may often end up feeling worse! If that happens to you during the detoxification process, do not be alarmed. According to experts, detoxification side effects are just a normal reaction of the body to rapid changes occurring while it is releasing toxins.

Not everyone experiences uncomfortable side effects, and different people usually experience different symptom severity. Those who don't get enough sleep or have relapsed into unhealthy eating patterns, or are in stressful situations, usually have a harder time during detoxification. You may or may not experience any of the following:

• migraines
• mood swings and irritability
• depression and sadness
• anxiety and restlessness
• body and joint aches
• cravings for carbohydrates
• menstrual irregularity and spotting
• diarrhea
• nausea
• increased urination
• bloating and excess flatulence
• flu-like symptoms
• sore muscles
• nasal discharge and sinus pressure
• fatigue
• dizzy and lightheaded
• excessive ear wax
• sweating
• spots, pimples or skin itches

We can embrace these symptoms because they are actually signs that our body is trying to cleanse itself and the detox program is working. Experts advise us not to take relieving medication to subside detox side effects, since it might withhold our body from eliminating and add more toxic waste. Give your body time to adjust to the changes and, in most cases, after 2-3 days these symptoms are gone.

Even though cleansing the body is safe and all the above symptoms are normal, caution should be taken in the presence of certain medical conditions and circumstances. Before you start a detox program, it is important to consult with your doctor, particularly in these cases:

–if on medications of any kind
–kidney or liver concerns
–colon problems including IBS, colitis, diverticulitis, Crohn's or colon cancer
–compromised immune system
–recovering from debilitating illness
–anemia, high blood pressure, or diabetes
–nursing mothers
–children
–patients with chronic degenerative diseases, cancer or tuberculosis

How to Detox Without a Healing Crisis

A lot of people would like to detoxify their bodies but they are afraid of the infamous healing crisis. However, things you can do prior to a cleanse can reduce healing crisis during detoxification.

About one week before you start your detoxification program do the following:
Eat a healthy diet with plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, as advised in Dr. Suzanne’s book “Top secret fat loss secret”. Avoid foods such as alcohol, caffeine, soft drinks, refined sugars and saturated fats. Drink plenty of purified water, vegetable and fruit juices or herbal teas. Eat only light meals and consume more fiber. Organic flax seed is a good source of fiber and healthy fats you can add to your diet to help with constipation.

Try to rest when you are feeling tired. Exercise a little, but do not overdo. Your body needs the energy to eliminate the waste. Pumper and love yourself. Avoid cigarettes and stress. Stress releases hormones that, in large amounts, slow down detoxification enzymes in the liver and interfere with the detoxification process.

Dry brush your skin. According to Dr. Chopra, dry skin brushing stimulates the lymph flow and enables the body to eliminate the waste, saving in us from a lot of undesirable side effects.

While the above steps may reduce detoxification symptoms, a healing crisis may be inevitable for some depending on the amount of toxins in their system.

Remember that the Good Outweighs the Bad

We wrote all the possible negative symptoms we found in literature, which are a part of the healing process. At the end you will feel stronger, healthier, and have more energy. You will sleep better, have more clarity of thought, and a more optimistic attitude about your life in general. This is the price you have to pay to rejuvenate! If you keep the right perspective, you will be more determined to finish your detoxification program and be on the road to optimal health.

Once you have personally experienced the health benefits of detoxifying your body, you'll actually begin to look forward to incorporate it into your lifestyle. We are advised by the medical professionals to repeat the process once or twice a year. The more you embrace a healthy lifestyle, the less you will suffer in the future from detox symptoms.

While detoxifying, I personally experienced fatigue, sinus pressure, a little malaise and headaches. Part of the problem was caused from pushing myself too much to work and exercise. I used DrNatura’s three month popular colonix and toxinout cleansing program, which is a mild but effective. I am still in the process of detoxifying while writing this article.