Toxins build up in your body over time. These poisons can show outwardly in your skin and hair and can also affect your inner workings. They can also affect you overall, manifesting in just a general, not feeling great, way. So what are the signs your body is screaming “I need a detox”?
If you can’t lose weight, even when dieting, then it may be an indicator that you have an excess of toxins in your body that are stored in your body fat. An overload of these toxins, called lipophilic toxins, means that it is much harder to lose weight.
If your body has a high toxic load, your cortisol levels will be unbalanced. As it is the hormone cortisol that helps to regulate your stress and encourage you to sleep, this could seriously affect your night times. If your cortisol level is out of balance, you will find yourself feeling restless and unable to sleep properly.
And vice versa, if you are indeed getting the recommended eight hours sleep a night and are still feeling exhausted during the day, it could be blamed on toxins. High toxic levels lead to adrenal fatigue which leaves you feeling constantly run down and without energy.
It may be time for a detox if you are experiencing frequent and unexplained headaches. Toxins from additives like aspartame and MSG can contribute to regular headache symptoms, as well as additives such as artificial food colorings, preservatives and some heavy metal components.
Though toxins such as aspartame and MSG are often found within products that profess to be good for you including sugar free beverages, toothpastes and many diet foods, they can actually combine to make you feel a little bit spaced out and ‘fuzzy’. What you might mistake for an energy boost from a sugar free energy drink could be something more serious.
Bad smelling breath or particularly bad smelling gas or bowel movements are a big sign that your toxic load is too high. The bad odor is an indicator that your colon and your liver are having a difficult time of ridding your body of the amount of toxins it holds. This can be helped by supplementing with milk thistle or even having a coffee enema.
Mood swings are a result of a hormonal imbalance, which can sometimes be caused by toxins called xenestrogens that are a synthetic compound but act exactly like estrogen within the body. Sources include industrial compounds like PCBs, BPA, and phthalates so a simple way to reduce your xenestrogen load is to avoid plastics.
Of course, muscle pains and aches can occur through natural and explainable means, but if your pain seems to be present for no reason, then it can again be a sign of high toxic load. Toxins act to stimulate our pain receptors, which can lead to aching feelings and muscle spasms when we have done nothing to warrant them. If you are unsure, keep a note of your daily exercises to see if the pain matches up.
Eliminating the waste in your body via bowel movements is vital to a healthy system, so if you are not regular, then the toxins will be absorbed back in to the bloodstream and can cause nasty problems. Keep hydrated and work on increasing your intake of fiber to help ease the symptoms of constipation.
If you are exhibiting these signs in unison you need to get your toxins back to a manageable level. You have the option to do a cleanse or detox – but please understand it before you do a juice cleanse or other program. Or you could just eat clean, preferably organic food, drink lots of water and exercise to get rid of the toxic build up.
Do you detox?