Toxins exist both externally (outside our body) and internally (inside our body). Through food, toxins exist when there are chemicals, pesticides, food addictives or drugs. Through the environment, air and water pollution are the chief areas of toxins. We get these external toxins when we eat, breathe or touch.

Internally, our bodies produce toxins as a normal everyday function. For instance, perspiring and clearing our bowels are important eliminative functions. A body breaks down when it cannot handle the normal eliminative processes well due to an overload of toxins. This is also when the body also becomes susceptible to bacteria, yeasts and parasites entering it. The result is infections and diseases and the inability of the body to cope.

To help achieve better health, it is important therefore to detoxify and cleanse. How much you wish to detoxify is really dependent on yourself and how “cleanse” you want your body to be. In fact, any simple changes to your diet that prevent and clear your toxin built-up is helpful. For instance, drinking eight glasses of filtered water is something easy that you can do on a daily basis. Other changes to your diet like eating more green leafy vegetables and high fibre foods can also be made.

A more drastic measure of cleansing your body is to do complete fasting. Complete fasting helps to give your body organs a much needed rest. In fact, Hippocrates (the “Father of Modern Medicine”) believed that the body needs not only physical rest but chemical rest. Chemical rest refers to withholding food, thus giving the organs of the body an opportunity to discharge accumulated waste products and thereby cleanse themselves.

However, before you embark on any serious detox or cleansing regime, you are well advised to seek professional advice. Over-detoxification can also occur in some cases, when some people go to extremes and essential nutrients from the body are lost.