Who Should Detox? 
With such a fast-paced lifestyle and stress that seems to be endlessly piling up, your health might have taken a backseat somewhere along the way.
Nowadays, quick-fix detoxes and nutrition and lifestyle programs are popping up everywhere. You might be wondering if you should give one of these programs a try.
Understanding the why, how and who behind detox can feel confusing and overwhelming, so we want to take the guesswork out of it.
So far in this detox series, we’ve explored what detoxification is, why you should detox and different ways to detox. In this article, we’ll explore who should detox and how it can be incorporated into a long-term personalized nutrition plan.
Stress and Detox
Stress impacts the body’s need to support detoxification. We usually think of stress as mental and emotional in nature, such as relationship conflict or a high-pressure job.
However, there are other forms of stress that most people face daily, and the body reacts with the same physiological response to each.
The individualized and some of the cleansing courses at Solaris Whole Health incorporate some form of our Four Pillars of Stress™ which encompass the body and minds performance and reactions to genetics, life events, lifestyle choices, and the environment.
The Four Pillars of Stress™ include:
1. Physical Stressors
These stressors might include not sleeping through the night, not feeling rested when you wake up, chronic heartburn, over or under exercising or skipping meals throughout the day to name a few.
It could also result from repeated exposure to foods or other compounds that you are sensitive or allergic to.
2. Mental and Emotional Stressors
The most obvious kind of stress is mental and emotional. This could range from a death or birth in the family, a dysfunctional relationship, moving to a new home or area or an overly demanding work schedule.
Acute (short-term) stress is normal, but chronic (ongoing) stress can put undue strain on body systems, including detoxification organs and processes.
3. Chemical Stressors
We are exposed to chemical toxins on a daily basis. Food is a chemical; carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. When ingested and absorbed it activates, signals and becomes our cells, our organs and even our thoughts.
As food is fuel for our body, culprits like hormones and antibiotics in commercially raised meat and animal products, genetically modified organisms in non-organic produce and processed and packaged foods that contain refined sugar and artificial ingredients can wreak havoc on the functions and natural homeostasis of our body.
These unfortunate standard American grocery and food offerings can create an undue stress on the body that can be avoided however is difficult to do consistently in this fast paced on-the-go food culture we live in.
Other major contributors to chemical stress include medications, personal hygiene and home care products.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 25% of women use 15 or more personal care products each day. Examples include shampoo, body wash, makeup and deodorant.
Many of these products contain well over 100 chemicals. Some of them bog down your detoxification pathways, increase inflammation and use up valuable nutrients to detoxify and eliminate.
To learn more about your cosmetics, check out the EWG’s toxic 20 chemicals and contaminants in cosmetics list.
4. Environmental Stressors
Environmental stressors vary in nature. Some of them are harder to control, such as toxins in the air, water, high tension wires and cell phone towers.
You have more control over others, including amounts of television and cell phone use, cell phone handling and other forms of blue light, toxins that can be filtered out of drinking water, and mold.
5 Signs You’re Ready to Detox
The decision as to whether a detox program is right for you at this time should be come to without judgment, pressure, or comparing yourself to others.
Unlike weight loss programs, a detox can be the first step to everlasting changes to your permanent nutritional weight and wellness plan. Join the Solaris 28-Day Cleanse to detox your way to a healthier life!
You might consider a detox if you want to:
1. Re-Center Yourself Emotionally, Mentally, and Physically
A detoxification is a perfect opportunity to re–center yourself on all levels. Along with omitting toxic foods, a detox includes avoiding chemical-laden products in our bodies and homes.
The SOLFUEL Clear Cleansing System recognizes that an effective detox program not only supports the releasing of physical toxins that burden the liver, but also the emotional and spiritual toxins that can profoundly slow down its chemical reactions.
2. Reclaim Healthy Habits
On some level, you probably already know what it means to live a healthy life, and what to do in order to feel energized, strong and vibrant.
A detox program is a chance to reboot and reclaim healthy habits you already know work. It allows you time to transform unhealthy habits that have crept into your daily life.
3. Learn New Tools for Healthy Habits and Make Them Sustainable
We don’t see detox as a quick-fix solution, but instead the beginning of an important change of course on your personalized nutrition and health journey.
The Solaris Whole Health detox is not only aimed at the physiological process of detoxification. It also shows you what habits are most important and effective for detox, and how to make them sustainable.
4. Feel Stuck in Routines That Don’t Serve You
To be human means to sometimes feel stuck in routines or personalized diet plans that don’t serve you.
This might include spending too much time on screens, eating fast food or sugary processed foods, not having time to exercise, feeling distant from loved ones, getting down on yourself for how you look, and much more.
Whatever these routines look like for you, they are probably weighing you down and making you feel stagnant and stuck.
A gentle yet effective detoxification plan provides a myriad of tools to move out of these toxic routines and begin shaping new ones that are aligned with your goals.
5. Have the Following Symptoms:
Many common symptoms that point to impaired detox pathways include:
- Brain fog
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Sluggishness
- Hormone imbalances
- Increased irritability and moodiness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty losing weight or unexplained weight gain
- Digestive symptoms, such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation or bad breath
Who Shouldn’t Detox?
Even if now isn’t the right time for you to detox, that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be down the road.
Remember, health and wellness aren’t about pushing, judging or comparing your body to others.
Instead, it’s a process of tuning into your body’s innate wisdom and cues and learning what it needs and when.
A Detox might not be right for you if:
1. You want a quick-fix weight loss solution.
Many people have reported losing weight on the Solaris Whole Health detox program. However, doing a detox is not a quick-fix weight loss solution.
The number on the scale is one marker to track, but others equally as important to consider are energy levels, body composition (inches, for fat versus lean muscle), skin health, signs of inflammation, digestive symptoms, sleep quality and lab work.
The Solaris Whole Health approach encourages you to trust in the process and give your body the tools it needs to safely detoxify ultimately decrease stress on your body so it can function more effectively, naturally, and sustain ably.
2. You’re not quite ready to look at the bigger picture.
A detox is the first step to a lifetime of better nutrition and wellness. If you enter a detox thinking of it as a crash diet that you do for a short time and then go back to your old habits, this program probably isn’t for you.
One of our top focuses is looking at the big picture: your goals, reasons for wanting to be the healthiest version of yourself, habits and symptoms that have held you back in the past, and how this detox can be a strategy to jump start long term goals and visions of health.
The Solaris Whole Health plan asks you to take time to prepare for your detox, fill out a few key questionnaires to personalize your plan and recap afterwards to determine effective strategies to move forward.
If this doesn’t resonate with you right now, our program might not be the right fit.
3. You’ve just come off a restrictive diet plan.
If you’ve just recently come off a restrictive diet plan, such as the ketogenic diet, a low-calorie diet or any other very restrictive diet or cleanse, this is not a safe time to embark on a detox.
Instead, take a month or more to focus as best you can on a whole foods diet that does not overly restricting calories to avoid over-stressing the body.
Additionally, if you are under the care of a healthcare provider, have any medical conditions or are taking medications, it’s important to first check in with your practitioner before starting a detox.
Conclusion
A true mind-body detox is a gentle and loving way to press the restart button. It’s another way to think of a healthy lifestyle with a few key components to safely accelerate the process of creating lifelong change.
You might want to consider a detox if you wish to re–center yourself, get back to good habits, or reduce inflammatory symptoms. You might also be a good candidate for a detox if you have hit a plateau or feel stuck in your everyday routine.
For more information about the best detox dietary nutritional supplements, check out the complete 14-day SOLFUEL Clear® Cleansing System.
