Demystifying detox: The science behind it, and how it will work for you

With the holiday season over and New Year resolutions in full swing, many people choose January as a time to detox their body and mind from stress and overabundance. However, there are many misconceptions about what a healthy and balanced detoxification process includes. Dr. Meena Malhorta is the lead medical doctor at Heal n Cure, an integrative facility in Glenview that specializes in functional medicine. Their team of physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and aestheticians work with each patient to collaborate on a tailored plan to meet their health and vitality goals by looking at the body as an integrated health system. Malhotra says that detoxification is a highly personalized process that can be adjusted to meet the needs of each patient depending on their current health and lifestyle.Detoxification is an essential function of our body. Many people associate detoxification with starvation, liquid diets, or juice cleanses, but those methods don’t allow the body to heal and repair. A proper detoxification starts with establishing your baseline health and needs.

Detox is a natural processAt all times, multiple metabolic processes are taking place simultaneously in the body to maintain homeostasis. Detoxification is one of these metabolic processes. In simple words, it’s a process through which the body eliminates the unwanted substances through sweat, breath, mucus in the airway, stool and urine. Under "normal" circumstances the body is self sufficient in taking care of this process. But our life is far from the "normal" of thousands of years ago when our metabolic processes evolved. We now eat processed foods laced with chemicals to improve the shelf life instead of whole foods. We do not follow the sun cycle with which our circadian rhythm is tied. We are awake and eating when the sun is down and sleep when the sun is shining brightly. We apply anti-perspirant and deodorant to minimize sweating as the odor is socially unacceptable. And the list goes on… As you may have already concluded, avoiding all toxic exposure is not possible with our modern lifestyle.An overloaded detoxification pathway may lead to clinical patterns such as chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, chronic constipation, mood disorder, sleep disturbances, or endocrine disruption. Food and nutraceuticals that support liver biotransformation may help alleviate toxic burden, allowing the body to operate more efficiently and improve resilience. In resistant cases, genotyping can assist in deciding appropriate diet, food preparation, and eating patterns to induce the appropriate phase I and phase II enzymes responsible for balanced detoxification of exogenous molecules and biotransformation of endogenous metabolic by-products.Detox must be personalized

Before you begin this rejuvenating process of detox, it’s prudent to understand that detoxification is a highly personalized process that needs to be adjusted to meet your needs depending on your current health and lifestyle. If you are suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc. you need a thorough evaluation and careful follow-up through this process. In the clinic, we can do blood and urine tests for biomarkers that indicate areas of deficiency. People can also do a self-assessment to determine if they have a toxic overload. If they are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, foggy brain, diarrhea or constipation, bloating, cravings, and eczema, those are indications that the system isn’t in homeostasis.

The Heal n Cure Detox Food Plan benefits patients by helping them eat more of those foods that support pathways in the liver for healthy elimination, as well as reduce additional exposures to toxic compounds. We utilize the phytonutrient-dense Detox Food Plan to support intestinal and liver function during the metabolic detoxification process. Cruciferous vegetables, berries, soy, garlic, and spices like turmeric support the biotransformation of polychlorinated biphenyls. There are no caloric limits with this eating plan, but rather the focus is on the quality of healthy fats, whole grains, legumes, abundant greens, and other vegetables to ensure that metabolic detoxification processes have a good nutritional foundation. Consuming phytonutrient-dense and diverse food aids the detoxification process. The bottom line is that while green, non-starchy vegetables are essential for detoxification, it is important to eat a rainbow of colors every day. A healthy detox gives you nourishment from eating whole foods in a systematic manner, including lentils, nuts, produce, and whole grains. These foods supply the macronutrients you need for energy, and fiber to encourage regular digestion. Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense and contain prebiotics, probiotics, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and phytochemicals that help support the liver. Micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, can also come from supplements, herbs, and essential oils. Giving the body proper nutrition is the best way for it to begin to repair and heal, as well as build up healthy gut bacteria.