How does your body deal with toxins?

With the media constantly informing us of the increasing levels of obesity, chemicals in our food, the dangers of eating too much processed/fast food and drinking excessive amounts of fizzy drinks, it is worth thinking how our bodies deal with all of this. Our internal organs are constantly battling to eliminate harmful toxins from the body, so as to ensure it remains healthy and operates at maximum efficiency.

Everything we eat & drink is broken down to release the bits our body needs while the unwanted by products & toxins are converted into waste so that they can be expelled as urine, faeces, sweat and carbon dioxide.

Ordinarily a healthy body is very efficient at performing these tasks but when it is faced with an onslaught of things it does not like being fed into it, it can be become over burdened with toxins, finds the removal of them harder to complete so the toxins begin to be stored within the body itself.  As the levels of harmful toxins become ever higher, the organs of the body start to function less efficiently, the immune system begins to suppress itself and our overall state of well being drops.

SYMPTOMS OF TOXIC BUILD UP;

• regular headaches
• constant fatigue
• poor complexion, dull hair & eyes
• high levels of catarrh, congested sinuses
• cellulite, water retention, bloatedness
• sluggish digestion, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
• mood changes, depression and anxiety
• weakened immune system

So let's have a look at the organs that deal with toxin removal and how they can be impaired;

The lymphatic system; basically our toxin removal road network that runs parallel to our veins.  Toxins and waste drain into this network and are transported to specific sites called nodes where they are filtered out.  NB: these toxins are transported only by muscular contractions in our body eg walking etc.  Someone with a very sedentary lifestyle will transport toxins less efficiently than an active person.  When there are high levels of toxins in the body, the lymphatic system slows down leading to toxin build up.

The skin;  every pore in our body eliminates waste be it sweat or sebum (oil). The state of your skin is a mirror of your health, as stress, poor diet, toxin build up in the body manifest as a poor complexion.

The kidneys work together to filter our blood, removing toxins and getting rid of them as urine.  They also  play a role in regulating the amount of fluid in the body and processing any by products from our digestion.  Excessive alcohol and persistent infections from a weakened immune system can cause kidney damage.

The lungs filter out any airborne pollutants such as carbon monoxide enabling oxygen to enter the bloodstream and carbon dioxide to be removed.  High levels of toxins in the body can lead to recurrent health problems such as catarrh, an indicator of a weakened respiratory system.

The liver processes everything that enters our body.  It has many functions including the removal of toxins from the bloodstream.  Harmful substances are neutralised by the organ, turned into bile and sent to the intestines where they are expelled as faeces.  If the liver becomes overworked, rather than neutralise toxins, it begins to store them.  This can lead to problems and can be the cause of diseases such as diabetes, hepatitis & liver cirrhosis

Digestion; as food passes through our body, all the nutrients are absorbed whilst any waste & toxins are expelled when we go to the toilet.  Helpful bacteria in our guts are important to the absorption of nutrients.  If these become depleted due to poor diet, toxin overload, antibiotics, then food remains in the intestines, half digested.  This can lead to a number of conditions such as constipation, irritable bowel, and painful wind.  

As you can see, this is the kind of damage a poor diet can wreak on our body and demonstrates all the more the importance of a well balanced healthy diet whilst avoiding highly processed foods.  Small changes now, can lead to big health benefits in all our futures.