Definition:

Detoxification is one of the more widely used treatments and concepts in Functional Medicine. It is based on the principle that illnesses are often caused by the accumulation of toxic substances (or toxins) in the body. Eliminating existing toxins and avoiding new toxins are essential parts of the healing process.

Purpose:

Detoxification is helpful for those patients suffering from many chronic diseases, conditions, and symptoms including autoimmunity, allergies, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, chronic infections, depression, diabetes, headaches, heart disease, high cholesterol, low blood sugar levels, digestive disorders, mental illness, hormonal imbalance, adrenal fatigue/exhaustion, thyroid imbalances, pain, and obesity. 

It is helpful for those with conditions that are heavily-influenced by environmental factors, such as cancer, as well as for those who have been exposed to high levels of toxic materials due to accident or occupation.

Detoxification is useful for those suffering from allergies or immune system problems that conventional medicine is unable to diagnose or treat, including autoimmunities, chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental illness/multiple chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, and many others.

Symptoms for those suffering from these conditions may include unexplained fatigue, increased allergies, hypersensitivity to common materials, intolerance to certain foods and indigestion, aches and pains, low grade fever, headaches, insomnia, depression, sore throats, sudden weight loss or gain, lowered resistance to infection, general malaise, disability - really any and all symptoms have been traced back in many instances to toxic exposures and poor detoxification pathways in the body.

Detoxification can also be used as a beneficial preventative measure and as a tool to increase overall health, vitality, and resistance to disease - and EPIC recommends to return to this simple dietary structure once every quarter (for instance for the entire months of January, April, July, and October) to help reset your system and nourish your body with the nutrients it needs to be vital and symptom free.

We also recommend looking at your BIG WHY every single day - print it out, hang it all around your house, in the bathroom, on the refrigerator, at your work. And remember that YOU deserve to be happy and healthy - and those around you, that depend on you, deserve you to be at your best for them as well.

Origins:

Detoxification methods of healing have been used for thousands of years. Fasting is one of the oldest therapeutic practices in medicine and is, in fact, where we get the term “breakfast”, which translates as “a break to the overnight fast”. Hippocrates, the ancient Greek known as the "Father of Western Medicine," recommended fasting as a means for improving health. Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional healing system that has developed over thousands of years, utilizes detoxification methods to treat many chronic conditions and to prevent illness. And at EPIC, with many private clients, we teach them specific fasting techniques to use during flare-ups or as a kick-off to a restorative and nourishing detoxification diet, like the EPIC “No-Detox” Detox you are doing right now!

Detoxification treatment has become one of the cornerstones of Functional Medicine and even conventional medicine notes that environmental factors can play a significant role in many illnesses. In fact, Environmental Medicine is a field that studies exactly how those environmental factors influence disease.

Additional Suggested Reading:

Detoxify or Die, by Sherry Rogers

Tox-Sick, by Suzanne Somers