Dr. Karen Sun: Detoxification Support

We live in a very toxic world. Toxins get into our body everyday from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breath and through skin contact. The older we get the more toxins have accumulated in our body. Toxins can trigger inflammation, which leads to all types of diseases,such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, and weight gain. This is why limiting toxins from getting into your body, and supporting your body's own detox system can help make a difference in your health.

Sources of toxins:

1. Food

a. Pesticides in fruits and vegetables

b. Hormones in animal meat and by-products such as eggs, milk and cheese

c. Mercury in big fish

d. Plastics in plastic food wraps, bottles, and containers

e. Processed foods contain preservatives, sweeteners, MSG, and artificial food color

2. Water: Our water has a number of unhealthy chemicals, including chloride, fluoride, plasticizers and chemical contaminants.

3. Air: Chemical contaminants such as car exhaust, gasoline, diesel fumes, sprayed pesticides, sunscreen, perfumes, cleaning solutions and paint.

4. Skin Contact: Our skin can absorb chemicals from cosmetics, shampoo, hair dyes, laundry detergents or cleaning solutions.

How to avoid toxins:

1. Always buy organic fruits and vegetables, whenever possible.

2. Buy grass fed beef, free range chicken and eggs, and organic milk and cheese.

3. Reduce or stop eating seafood high in mercury.

4. Drink water filtered by a multistage carbon filter, and use glass or stainless steel containers instead of plastic water bottles

5. Avoid heating food in a plastic container or using plastic cups and containers for hot food or drinks.

6. Do not use pesticides in your garden or lawn.

7. Avoid products that contain aluminum, such as antiperspirants, antacids, aluminum foil or pots and pans made of aluminum.

8. Try to use natural products for shampoos, cleaning solutions, hair dyes and cosmetics.

How the body detoxifies

The liver pathway: The liver is our body's first and major detox organ. It has phase I and phase Il detox pathways, which involve multiple chemical reactions. Phase I consists of hydroxylation and oxidation, phase II consists of methylation, sulfation, glucoronidation, and glutathione conjugation. Phase Il is more important than phase I, as the detox process does not get completed if phase Il is not done. We need a lot of vitamins, minerals and amino acid to complete those chemical reactions. Many herbs such as turmeric, cilantro, parsley and ginger helps with the detox pathways too.

2. The kidney pathway: Once the liver is done with the detox pathways, the toxins become water soluble and ready to be excreted. The kidneys are the filtering system, absorbing the water and nutrients we need, while getting rid of the toxins through urine. Drinking water helps the kidney detox pathway.

3. The colon pathway: The colon serves as a holding place for the undigested food and toxins entering from the bile duct after the liver has completed the detox work. If we are constipated, the toxins continue circulating in our body longer and can be reabsorbed back into our body. We need about 20gm of fiber daily to help the elimination process.

4. The sweat pathway: Another way the body eliminate toxin is through perspiration. That's why exercise and sauna sessions help our body to detox.

In summary, to help our body detox, we need to:

1. Drink a lot of good filtered water, half of our body weight in ounces.

2. Sweat regularly by exercise or using a sauna.

3. Increase fiber intake by eating more whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables of all colors.

4. Eat more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts to help our body detox xenohormones and excessive estrogen.

5. Use herbs such as cilantro, parsley, garlic, ginger, rosemary, turmeric and curry for

detoxification and anti inflammation actions.

6. Take detox support supplements such as InflamDetox Multi, which has all the vitamins,minerals and herbs to help the phase I and phase Il detox pathways. InflamDetox Powder helps to heal the gut and can be used as a meal replacement for weight loss. Xenoclear, as the name implies, focuses on helping eliminate xenohormones. Homocysteine Factor helps

specific methylation in phase Il detox and to reduce homocysteine levels.

7. Make sure you have one to two bowel movements each day. If you are constipated, take Bowel Ease which has fiber to make the stool softer and feed the probiotics. Use CALM powder or Chelated Magnesium to help the bowels move faster, and Smooth Move to increase movement of the stomach and small intestine.