Elimination pathways and bowel movements
We don’t talk enough about the importance of elimination pathways and regular bowel movements. In order to detox the body, we must be pooping! Elimination from the bowel is extremely important. In addition to the bowel, there are other elimination pathways and organs that play an important role in detoxing the body. As highlighted by Dr. Bernard Jensen (the bowel master), if any of our elimination pathways are not working optimally, the others become burdened as they attempt to compensate for the lack of elimination that the jeopardized pathway is failing to achieve.
So, let’s consider some of the elimination pathways in the body and how we can be supporting their function on a daily basis.
The Colon (also known as the Large Intestine)
The colon is a major elimination organ. 5ft in length, and generally not taken into consideration when stuffing our mouths, the colon can get clogged up! From the time we start eating solid foods, a little bit stays behind. Keeping the colon clean and eating for health will get you your best detox results.
Watch what you eat: Your food choices have the greatest impact on colon health, lowering your risk of colon cancer and enhancing your overall health.
Add High fiber foods: Increasing both soluble and insoluble fiber can help with a wide range of gastrointestinal problems, including constipation, diverticular disease, and colorectal cancer. The typical person consumes about 15 grams of fiber a day, but you need 25-30 grams. If there are no gluten issues, add sources of both insoluble fiber, such as cereal and whole grains, and soluble fiber, such as bran, some fruit, some vegetables, and oatmeal. If there are gluten sensitivities, you may consider colon cleanses. They have been known to support absorption and reduce the likelihood of allergic reactions to foods.
Avoid: Keep away from tobacco, limit your red meat intake, and think twice about how much alcohol you consume to lower your chances of colon cancer.
Get screened: Get screened for colon cancer by age 40, even if you don’t have a history. Colon cancer is on the rise because of our diet choices, so hereditary considerations are no longer a good measure. If your doctor has not recommended a colonoscopy, please ask them to book one.
Our organs… namely spleen and liver
The spleen and the liver are two crucial organs in your body that perform a wide range of functions. They maintain the immune system by removing toxins; regulating fats and sugars; producing iron; activating enzymes and producing bile, etc.
The Spleen
The spleen is a vital organ that doesn’t get the attention it merits. A weak spleen can cause dyspepsia, diarrhoea, and poor appetite among other things.
Spleen health requires mindful eating. Eat small, slow, and frequent meals without overeating. It is recommended to chew properly and slowly to optimize the body’s ability to digest food easily. At the same time, skipping meals for long intervals hampers spleen health. When possible, eat small meals every 2-3 hours.
Introduce a small amount of protein to your diet. Protein enables the spleen to digest and absorb nutrients from food and provide strength and energy to the body.
Add natural warm foods and spices like ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon that help clean the spleen and provide antioxidants. Also, cooked and warm meals decrease the digestive system’s work, reducing pressure on the spleen.
Avoid an excessive use of refined sugar, processed cold foods, and alcohol. Sugar, processed foods and alcohol make it tougher for the spleen to work efficiently and process food well, and let’s face it… sugar is actually poison.
The Liver
How important is the liver? VERY!! For starters, it is responsible for cleaning our blood, our life line. It also metabolizes fat, balances sugar levels and assists with absorption of nutrients. To name just a few…
Add fiber-rich food to your daily diet, including beetroot, berries, apple, sprouts, broccoli, cruciferous green vegetables, carrot, almond, citrus fruits, lentils, and cauliflower. Nutrient and fiber-rich foods support digestive tracts naturally and help them to eliminate toxins easily
Include herbal detox drinks and coffee enemas such as green tea, white tea, kombucha, and other ayurvedic teas helpful in liver disorders conditions.
Add anti-inflammatory spices like Turmeric and cumin. They are best known for their anti-inflammatory properties, also helping to stimulate bile and glutathione production. These natural substances help keep the liver and associated digestive tracts healthy.
Take out time to exercise. Sweating off excess fat lessens the burden on the liver. A simple 30 minute walk each day helps improve liver function and even boosts your body’s production of Glutathione.
Manage stress. Since stress has a major impact on how you digest as well as liver and spleen diseases, a change in lifestyle is necessary. Take a break from the routine and practice self-care. Opt for some aromatherapy, deep breathing, and other activities that relax your mind and body, ultimately preventing digestive and autoimmune diseases.
The Lymphatic System
Exercise. The most important thing to know about the lymphatic system is that its operation is completely dependent upon us. This is because it requires care and movement of the body in order to successfully do its job to eliminate by picking up waste and toxins circulating throughout the body. As if we needed another reason to exercise daily!
The Skin
Dry brushing, infrared saunas, cold exposure! The skin is another detoxification pathway and it is also the biggest pathway. No surprise there though, right? Detoxing via the skin can be done in a couple of different ways – it can be done by breaking a sweat daily (exercise – hint, hint!) or by a practice referred to as skin brushing which involves exactly that – using a special brush to brush the skin in a rhythmic motion. What is cold exposure? And why would anyone do this? Well, it is known to revitalize the skin (a major elimination pathway), it activates metabolic pathways, blood flow and circulatory responses. Great for elimination!
The Kidneys
Ah the kidneys! The kidneys eliminate waste and toxins via pee pee (or urine). Keeping these two bad boys in tiptop shape is rather simple…. drink clean filtered water!
The Lungs
The lungs remove waste and toxins from the body when we breathe. So, when you think about it, the lungs clear the body of waste and toxins every few seconds. Support the lungs by incorporating exercise into your daily routine and avoid inhaling toxic substances (ie: smoking/vaping).
There are endless amounts of options to support and increase the function of any and all of these elimination pathways to assure proper function and thus, effective detoxification. Remember, if one pathway is sluggish, it is very likely that they are all taking a hit!
So, to repeat myself, we don’t talk enough about the importance of elimination pathways and regular bowel movements. In order to detox the body, we must be pooping! If you are not pooping, maybe it’s time to book an appointment at Vitalife and find out why.
