It’s natural to try to jump into a detox regimen quickly. When we don’t feel right, our first instinct is to fix the problem with the quickest solution.

I often see these as detox supports in the form of supplement regimens or fasting. Many of my clients who come to me saying they did a short water fast or liver cleanse end up feeling much worse after!

Why would that be?

Two big reasons:

First, what ever is causing the symptoms is not being addressed. So there is still continuous exposure occurring!

Second, one or more of the body’s pathways that naturally excretes these toxins is not properly eliminating them.

So when we are pushing detox too quickly, at a rate our body is unable to maintain with excreting, symptoms can become worse.

The third, and often not considered, reason: if we have a hyperactive mast cell response, this can making detoxing very hard as well as worsen symptoms. MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) is when our body’s first line of defense, mast cells, are now over stimulated and will respond to many things in our environment.

Mast cells release hundreds of different mediators, a well known one being histamine. Our mast cells job is to protect us, so if they are feeling threatened by us pushing detoxification too early, it can result in mast cell flare ups.

Not so shameless plug in… listen to episode #2 of the Holistic Hub Podcast!

I interviewed my good friend and colleague, Dr. Josh Helman. He is a Harvard trained physician, with a practice solely focused around longevity, toxins, fasting and more.

We talked about what chemicals we are being exposed to that can be affecting our ability to fully resolve symptoms and ways to aid in natural detoxification.

You can watch the episode on YouTube, or listen on Apple and Spotify.

So how do we support our body’s naturally?

We have six different detoxification organs: lungs, skin, gut, liver, lymphatics, and kidneys. We can support these in a variety of ways, but I’m going to hone in specifically on our skin & lymphatics.

Many “toxins” preferentially get excreted through our skin: pesticides, heavy metals, BPA & PCBs. We even see mycotoxins excreted through this pathway too.

Best ways to support this pathway:

1. Exercise with working up a sweat! In a lot of cases, when under a toxic load people do not feel they have the energy. So with this, best to consider below options

2. Sauna therapy! Either traditional or InfraRed sauna use. With my most sensitive clients, IR Sauna seems to work the best as it’s heating up the body from the inside out. You can do this at a very low temperature and still get those benefits. Best solo sauna brand: Sunlighten (code DRPEACOCK for $100 off)

3. A nice, warm soak in a bathtub for about 20 minutes, enough to work up a sweat.

Another elimination pathway is our lymphatic system, here are some ways to support:

1. Dry brushing, movement, decreasing use of tight clothing, and deep diaphragmatic breathing

2. PEMF mats: my favorite is from Therasage (use that link for 15% off)

3. Red light therapy! My favorite is from LumeBox, use that link for $280 off

Definitely tune in to the Holistic Hub Podcast for all the great info we cover on all this!

Looking to work with me for mold illness, MCAS or chronic SIBO?

You can sign up for a discovery call or email [email protected] 

Health & happiness,

Stephanie