Everyday we are exposed to toxins in the air we breath, the foods we eat, the products we clean our homes with, and the things we put on our body. Although our bodies were designed to filter toxins, they were never meant to have to deal with the enormous amount that we are now exposed to.

The body eliminates what it can but the rest accumulates leading to unwanted side effects and over time possibly disease. Your best defense against this build up is to put in place daily habits that will increase your bodies ability to cleanse these unwanted toxins.

In today's blog I will Give you 20 simple and effective cleansing techniques you can add to your life to give your body that extra help it needs to stay clean and balanced.

Lemon water: First thing in the morning when you awake drink a large glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon. This will help flush all of the toxins in your body that you accumulated overnight and alkalize your system. Drink several glasses of lemon water throughout the day to stay alkalized and to continue to flush toxins.
Juice: Juicing fresh green juices provides a powerhouse of nutrients and helps to alkalize the body. The greener the veggies the more chlorophyll, the more nutrients, and the more detoxifying they are.
Whole Raw Foods: Include as many whole unprocessed raw foods into your diet as possible. Raw foods contain more nutrients and most are easier for the body to digest. Foods in their pure raw form are as nature intended for us to eat and take less resources to digested freeing up those much needed resources to address more important things like fighting disease and eliminating unwanted toxins.
1 Day juice Fasting: Choosing 1 day during each week to take a break from digesting food and flood the body with concentrated vital nutrients allows sort of a reset to the system. Many people find that single day weekly juice fasting gives them better energy and clearer thinking all week long.
Oil Pulling: One of my favorite detox techniques! Oil pulling is a simple and effective way to bind and eliminate toxins. Oil pulling simply involves taking a spoon full of coconut or sesame oil and swishing around in mouth for 10-15 minutes without swallowing (oil is extremely toxic at this point) and spitting into toilet then rinsing mouth or brushing teeth with baking soda. This will help clean bacteria from gums and whiten teeth as well.
Dry skin Brushing: My other favorite cleansing technique! Dry skin brushing involves using a natural bristle brush and brushing skin before shower in a circular motion toward the heart working from the feet up. Dry skin brushing helps remove dead skin cells for better elimination of toxins through pores, increase blood circulation, and stimulate lymphatic flow (lymph system is your waste disposal system).
Eating only organic foods and drinks: Many of the toxins that our body has to deal with come from the foods we eat. Pesticides, GMO's, and other chemicals reside in and on our conventional foods so eating only organic will significantly reduce your daily exposure.
Switch to organic skin care products: Your skin is your largest organ of elimination and conversely your largest area of toxic absorption. What you put on your skin ends up inside your body. A good rule of thumb is if you cant eat it don't put it on your skin! Most convention skin care products are almost completely comprised of toxic chemicals. There are many natural organic choices out there and you can even easily make your own with just a few simple ingredients.
Sweat: Move your body! Get some form of exercise every single day that makes you sweat even if its only for 10 minutes. Just as your skin can absorb toxins it can also release them through sweat. The more you sweat the more toxins your body can eliminate. Not only do you benefit from sweating but exercise stimulates lymphatic flow and blood circulation which I mentioned earlier is vitally important to detoxification.
Filter your water: This means not only drinking filtered clean water but also cooking with it, rinsing your produce off with it, and bathing with it. A whole house water filtration system would be your best option of course but not everybody has that option. There are simpler yet still effective options out there for smaller individual water filters for both your drinking water as well as shower and bath filters that are easy to install and work very well. The water system especially here in California has many chemicals, bacteria, and pesticides. Make sure whatever filter you buy can filter out both chlorine and fluoride which are two of the worst and most concentrated chemicals in the water.
Periodic massage: No massage is not just a luxury! Massage helps to release toxins from fat and tissue so that they can be eliminated through the blood, liver, and kidneys. Massage also helps stimulate blood and lymph flow as well.
HYDRATE: Hydration is probably the MOST important of all. Even if you think you are drinking enough water you probably aren't. Proper water intake can contribute to clearer skin, properly functioning organs, and a more effective circulatory, respiratory, and digestive system and help eliminate waste via kidneys.
Eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods: Ugh did i really just tell you to do that? YES!! These items cause the body to become acidic and acid is a perfect environment for a disease state. They can also cause mineral depletion and inflammation which will naturally affect your body's ability to detoxify normally.
Eliminate processed sugar: Sugar as well causes mineral depletion , acidity, and inflammation. Natural sugars from fruits, raw honey, and some starchy vegetables are fine.
Increase fiber: Fiber helps to bind toxins and move them out through intestines.
Get proper rest: Sleeping for 7-8 hours a night allows your body to repair and recoup. It helps keep stress levels down, immune system up, and hormones balanced. Sleep in itself acts as a daily detox.
Reduce electronic exposure: Disconnect from electronics when possible. Do not sleep with your cell phone next to your bed, TV on, or computer in room. Electronics emit energy that interferes with your own body's electrical system and can often times cause imbalance and inflammation.
Eat fermented foods: Eating a few tablespoons of fermented foods such as kimchi or sauerkraut with each meal provides a powerful dose of probiotics supporting gut health and alkalizing the body.
Meditate: For those of you unfamiliar with meditation try setting aside at least 10 minutes first thing in the morning to relax and set your intention for your day. The more you do it the better at it you will get.
And finally last but not least.....reduce stress: We live in such as fast paced world these days that we often don't even remember to breath properly. Stress creates a huge host of problems in itself and once you find a way to reduce your stress level you will see that life gets a whole lot better for you in all areas. There are many ways to reduce stress such as yoga, meditation, taking a relaxing bath, sitting down with a good book and an herbal cup of chamomile tea, shopping with a girlfriend, Deep breathing exercises, long stroll on the beach, disconnecting from electronics and media for the weekend, and so many more. Find what works for you and make an effort to reduce your stress level everyday.

Whew, that's a lot of techniques! Please don't feel overwhelmed by this list. This is simply a list of things that you can start to incorporate into your daily routine and I certainly don't expect that you will use all of them. You can even mix them up and try a couple different ones each day.

The more of these simple techniques you use the healthier your body will become! Even just incorporating 1 of these into your day will provide huge benefit. Remember what I have said in the past. Small changes create lasting benefits. Every positive thing you do in your life will make a difference no matter how small it seems to you.

Please please please feel free to share this with your friends and family so they too can benefit from a healthier, better life!

As always......in good health and happiness,

Brandy Augustine PhD