Symptom: Constipation
Colon hydrotherapy
Infusions of filtered, warm water into the colon quickly reduce toxic load, according to Walter Crinnion, ND. Get a professional colonic once a week until you feel better.
Fiber
Fiber helps move out fat-soluble toxins. Mix flax meal into smoothies, and eat fiber-rich foods like pears, lentils, and peas. Aim for 35 grams of fiber per day.
Magnesium
Chemical overload often coincides with magnesium deficiency, resulting in dry, hard stools, says Crinnion. Take 300 mg daily. If you get loose stools, lessen the dose.
Symptom: Dry skin, rashes
Sweat
Sweating releases toxins and helps lessen the liver's and kidneys' workloads. Sit for about 20 minutes a few times a week in a conventional sauna. If you don't have access to a sauna, taking a hot bath twice a week will also help your body release toxins through sweat.
Brush skin
Helps circulation and lymph flow. Lymph fluid helps deliver nutrients to cells and collects cellular waste for elimination through the circulatory system. Before showering, brush your entire body with a skin brush (available at natural products stores), stroking toward your heart where lymph fluid joins the circulatory system.
Symptom: Shortness of breath, asthma
Glutathione-s-transferases (GST)
This enzyme, which cruciferous vegetables (brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) and asparagus help to produce, aids in fighting lung inflammation and wards off damage from air pollution or smoking. Because excess toxins can use up GST reserves, take 1,500 mg a day of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which the body metabolizes to GST.
Breathe
Breathing stimulates lymph flow — and the deeper you inhale and exhale, the better the effect. Sit straight, inhale through the nose for a four count, hold for a second, and exhale through the mouth for another four count. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
Vitamins C and E
A combination of vitamin C and vitamin E seems to protect the lungs against damage from ozone, a pollutant in smog, although these antioxidants don't fix damage already done. Take at least 3,000 mg vitamin C and at least 500 IU vitamin E per day to protect lungs from further harm.
