Our bodies encounter and process thousands of toxins on a daily basis. There are those we ingest from food and drink, inhale from pollution in the air around us, electro-magnetic fields, digital screen time and those we encounter from plant and mineral sources in the environment. Most of these toxins, in sufficient quantities, are harmful in some way or another, but the good news is that our body is pretty good dealing with toxins. So long as, that is, we support our natural detox processes with a healthy diet and lifestyle practices.
There are things we can do to support the body – so-called detox practices – and those that actively harm us, or reduce our ability to deal with toxins. This article is an introduction to straightforward detox practices that can be incorporated into a daily lifestyle. Most are common sense, and none involve the use of so-called detox diets, which should be done under the supervision of a qualified health practitioner, otherwise they may cause more harm than good, and are rarely sustainable long term.
1) Limit Or Eliminate Alcohol Intake
Much as we hate to admit it, alcohol is linked to a wide range of short-term and long-term health problems, from an increased risk of depression, gastrointestinal problems, decreased liver function, high blood pressure, and increased risk of certain cancers. This being said, the liver is good at dealing with alcohol so long as it is consumed in moderation, and paced out with plenty of water and non-alcoholic healthy drinks. Reducing or eliminating your alcohol intake is a great detox technique, as it not only reduces the alcohol in your system, but also enables your liver to better deal with other toxins. Sessions in a hyperbaric chamber can potentially help your body process alcohol safely, by increasing the flow of oxygen to your liver and enabling faster and more efficient detoxification.
2) Try Home Hyperbarics
This last point about alcohol detox brings us onto hyperbaric wellness itself. A crucial part of a whole body detox is increasing the uptake of oxygen throughout the body. It is common knowledge, the more oxygen your organs receive, the more efficiently they function, and the better they get rid of toxins. Regular mild hyperbaric wellness increases the volume of oxygen carried in the blood and, by compressing oxygen molecules so that they are smaller in size and can be picked up by the blood plasma, allows oxygen to be carried to the organs faster, and in higher amount. This has the potential to support other efforts to detoxify the body and improve general well-being.
3) Ensure You Get Enough Sleep
Along with the right type of food, enough water, and enough oxygen, sufficient good quality sleep is one of the main pillars of a healthy lifestyle. Sleep problems – caused by stress, too much screen time, alcohol, or insufficient exercise – may impede the general functioning of the body, and lead to a loss of appetite, low-energy, poor skin, and internal inflammation– leading to a greater build-up of harmful toxins.
4) Drink Enough Water
A common metaphor employed when talking about detox is that of ‘flushing out’ toxins from the system, by drinking plenty of water. While this isn’t a strictly accurate explanation, it does capture the critical importance of water in sustaining a healthy whole body detox. We each need a minimum of 2 to 4 L of water per day in order to sustain optimum liver and digestive system functions, and more if it’s hot, when feeling poorly, or after exercise.
5) Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise, and keeping active between exercise sessions, is one of the best ways of detoxifying your body, as well as increasing your mood, energy levels, and long-term health. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore, or even particularly rigorous, to be beneficial. Choose an activity you enjoy and that fits in with your lifestyle; swimming, cycling, walking, jogging, dancing – they’re all good. Exercise brings a whole host of benefits, but in terms of detoxification, it speeds up the metabolism, enabling your body to dispose of toxins more easily and quickly, without them impacting your health. Bad toxins literally pass through the body more quickly, before they cause mischief. Home hyperbaric wellness may support regular exercise by aiding relaxation and recovery and preventing injury among people engaged in strenuous sports.
6) Eat Healthily
It goes without saying, that the fewer harmful toxins you take into your body, the less hard your body has to work at detoxing! It’s not that difficult to reduce your toxin intake, simply by eating less sugar, gluten and fewer processed foods. On the positive side of the equation, you can actively enhance your body’s detox capabilities by eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, especially broccoli, spinach, kale, and other rich green vegetables.
Supporting Your Health
OxyHealth are the world’s leading suppliers of portable home hyperbaric chambers to support wellness and healthy lifestyles. With a range of chambers available to suit different fitness goals, home layouts, space and budgets, our solutions bring the reported health benefits of hyperbaric wellness to anyone interested in improving their overall wellbeing. To find out more, please get in touch today.
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