When I was in school, I had one particular teacher who decided that he would totally debunk the theory of detoxifying the body. He literally said to our class, “ the concept of detoxifying, intentionally, is ridiculous, our kidneys and our pores and our sweat glands are designed to detoxify our bodies for us, we don’t need to “do a detox,” it’s happening on its own all the time.” I think I went through a period of time where I bought into this idea, honestly, because I was enjoying drinking too much alcohol and eating too much processed food, and dairy, God, how I love cheese. I didn’t want to stop. So, I told myself, he was right, my body has its own mechanisms by which to cleanse itself and I don’t need to go through detox or restrictive dieting or a juice cleanse, thank goodness, because that sounded like a lot of work and misery.
As I’ve aged and as I’ve treated many patients who are struggling, I’ve begun to rethink this. I’ve done a lot of research and read far too many books and articles on the function of the liver and the absolute NEED to detoxify on a regular basis. I started an amazing weight loss program 3 years ago and I’ve learned a lot by watching what happens to people when they begin to cleanse their bodies from the inside out. I’ve done a few different detox programs and I’ve felt the difference, it can be pretty shocking!
I had one woman in particular who joined our weight loss program, she had elevated liver enzymes, diagnosed fatty liver disease and high cholesterol (a consequence of fatty liver disease). After our program and following some diet changes and doing some intense cleansing of her liver, her liver enzymes returned to normal, cholesterol went down ( allowing her to go off meds) AND she lost weight!
I’ve learned that if you’re carrying a lot of fat on your body, there’s also fat being stored on the inside, in your organs, that’s essentially what fatty liver disease is, it’s fat in your liver. It affects liver function, causing type 2 diabetes and can ultimately cause cirrhosis and scarring of the liver. Your liver is like a cheese cloth, it filters everything that you put in it. We often connect drinking alcohol with clogging up our liver and affecting its function, but do you know that prescription drugs, daily over the counter pills, processed foods and even over consumption of meat and dairy can cause fatty liver disease? It’s true! Alcohol is not the only cause of fatty liver disease, it can be caused by an over consumption of sugar and fat, just as fast as it can be caused by drinking alcohol.
I often see patients taking a regimen of detox “pills” that they found at the health food store, but they aren’t changing their habits while “doing a detox.” They continue to eat fatty, sugary foods, some even continue drinking alcohol, and they hope that taking these cleansing pills that say “liver detox” on the bottle, is going to improve their health and how they feel. I wish that cleansing the liver was that easy! It takes a lot more time and effort than just taking some milk thistle, especially if you’re already experiencing symptoms of liver overload.
I’m not a fan of restrictive dieting, in fact, I don’t recommend it because it’s not realistic and long term, it doesn’t work. I do, however, think it’s ok to be restrictive for a brief amount of time, in order to give the body a break from harmful substances. I’ve learned, in recent years, that intentional detoxifying, fasting, and cleansing of the body, is not only beneficial, it’s crucial for healthy aging and long term health. If you ever find yourself struggling with bloating, resistant weight gain, acid reflux, IBS, brain fog, chronic fatigue, mild depression, hormonal imbalance, skin rashes and break-outs, it could be a sign that your liver needs a cleanse and your body needs a break.
For 2020, I have a personal goal that I’m going to do a cleanse for each season, 4 per year. In fact, I had a patient of mine who recently asked me to design a detox for her and guide her through it. As I began to do research and plan out her detox, I thought, it sure would be nice if we had a group of people doing this together, at the same time, supporting each other and sharing our ups and downs.
I'm going to start this detox on February 6th. It may seem strange to being on a Thursday, but there's a method here. Day 3 and 4 are usually when I feel the symptoms of the detox the MOST. fatigue, possible headache, etc. I'm setting this up so that those symptoms happen on a weekend, when I can rest!
This 7 day detox will include daily emails from me, with videos, a daily menu, group meetings, daily acupuncture and more. The space is limited, so sign up soon! Email Kasie directly at safetyharboracupunk@gmail.com if you have questions or if you are ready to sign up.
7 Day Winter Detox
Daily emails and videos to inspire and motivate
Group meetings at Calm Community Acupuncture
Guided meditation
A menu plan and specific diet
Acupuncture
Contact Kasie Carlson directly to sign up and join us! safetyharboracupunk@gmail.com