DETOXING ISN’T ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT, IT’S ABOUT DRAINAGE.
You’re all probably thinking like “wtf is drainage?”
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The act of detoxification has been muddled over the past couple of years. People think skinny teas, laxatives, diets or juice fasts, when in reality, detoxification is the process that our bodies do to convert toxins (heavy metals, pollutants, hormones, mold, etc.) into less toxic compounds so we can remove them from the body.
That’s it.
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HOWEVER, no one talks about HOW to actually remove them properly, meaning how do we actually DRAIN them from the body.
This is called drainage, and it is usually done by our emunctory organs such as our liver, lungs, gut, lymph, kidneys, skin and colon. It is vital to support these symptoms when trying to remove unwanted compounds from the body, all the while making sure we are well nourished for the process (check a few posts back on my post You Can’t Detox If You’re Not Well Nourished)➡️
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In MOST cases, individuals who are not well nourished and are struggling with a low metabolism are incapable of opening up their drainage pathways because their body has no energy to do so. Remember, our metabolism is the rate in which our cells absorb and utilize energy, and if we don’t have enough energy to process through the fundamentals to keep our bodies working, we are in trouble!
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❗Note: Metabolic functions are not solely based off of calories in calories out. Rather, nutrients, like minerals are the spark plugs to catapulting enzymatic reactions that our bodies run off of!
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Signs in which our drainage pathways aren’t open are:
Inability to sweat
Not having 1-3 bowel movements a day
Skin issues like rashes, eczema, psoriasis, acne
Inability to lose weight
PMS, heavy periods, clotting, mood swings
Cellulite
Fluid retention, edema
Allergies, histamine issues
Digestive issues
Not sleeping well or extreme fatigue
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Sounds like most of us, eh?

HOW TO OPEN UP YOUR DRAINAGE PATHWAYS AND HAVE THEM WORK⬇️
⚠️Reminder: Detoxification is the process that our bodies do to convert toxins (heavy metals, pollutants, hormones, mold, etc.) into less toxic compounds so we can remove them from the body. Drainage is the action in which we literally remove and secrete toxic compounds out of the body
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🌱Liver: Your liver requires amino acids, b vitamins, antioxidants and more in order to function which is why nourishment is so imperative. You can support both the liver and gallbladder with plants that have a bitter taste, to help secrete enzymes and connect with the vagus nerve to prepare for digestion, as well as use supplements like TUDCA
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💦Kidneys: Extremely important to make sure one hydrates properly in order to keep the kidneys moving- but most importantly managing mineral balance: particularly sodium and potassium levels. Conversely, in order to avoid over calcification and the formation of stones, make sure one is ingesting adequate vitamin K2 to direct the calcium to bones and teeth. Nettle is a great supportive herb for it acts as a nourishing diuretic
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🫁Lungs: Opening up the lungs and making sure air is circulating is crucial, thus steam therapy or even turning on a hot shower can do the job! Breathing in fresh air is essential. Another tip is nose breathing, for our nasal passageways warm air we breathe prior to being pushed down the respiratory tract, protecting our lungs. Via our mouth, it can irritate the airway and lungs. Nose breathing also filters airborne particles via mucus and nose hairs, protecting us! If you need extra support, mullein leaf is a great expectorant
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🏃‍♀️Lymph/Skin: Our skin is our largest organ, thus moving our lymph via exercise and sweating a bit daily is necessary! Using a sauna to optimize sweating if you can’t sweat easily is a great hack if this pathway is blocked. Dry brushing is also a great lymph mover- just remember to always brush toward the heart/chest where the lymph system drains.

💤Sleep: A sleep routine is imperative in getting our bodies to expect when it is time to REST. Adding in the limitation of blue light 2 hours prior to going to bed, sleeping in a dark cold room, limiting our exposure to EMFs and learning how to nose breathe via mouth taping can optimize our sleep’s ability to trigger our glymphatic system and detox our brain
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💩Colon: Your goal should be to have a bowel movement 1-3 times a day. This looks like EATING enough, including enough fiber (raw carrot salad is helpful in binding to endotoxins here!), hydrating properly, and using binders like fulvic and humic acids
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🩸Uterus: Ladies, making sure you’re bleeding every month is essential, so make sure you’re ovulating and nourished well. Castor oil packs help with the detoxification of estrogen, as well as vitamin E, and raspberry leaf is a great plant to nurture the uterine lining.

CONTINUE READING IF YOU WANT MORE DESCRIPTIVE WAYS ON EACH DETOX PATHWAY

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LIVER DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Let’s make one thing clear, our liver is a bad ass organ.
Particularly noted as our main detoxing organ, our liver does a ton more work such as neutralizing harmful substances and help carry them out of the body by producing bile. This bile is used as a way to bind to bacteria/pathogens/hormones to help excrete them out.
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Our liver also helps produce hormones (particularly thyroid), is involved in regenerating tissue, stores minerals, glycogen and balances blood sugar.
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Ways in which we can support this drainage pathway is to
1️⃣Eat enough bioavailable protein from a variety of animal sources because we need amino acids for Phase 2 of detoxification of the liver.
2️⃣Eat a variety of b vitamin rich foods for Phase 1 of liver detoxification like grass fed dairy products, eggs, liver, kidney, meat and fish.
3️⃣Consume enough antioxidants for the intermediate part between Phase 1 and 2 of detoxification where our system is breaking down toxins which can release free radicals and damage cells. Antioxidants prevent this damage by neutralizing them. Foods like ripe fruit, squash and some vegetables are optimal.
4️⃣Minerals are also vital for this intermediate process of liver function-particularly selenium, copper, zinc and manganese which are abundant in animal foods.
5️⃣EAT ENOUGH CARBS. Can’t stress this enough as our liver runs off of GLUCOSE, and at a minimum requires 120g.
6️⃣Reach for bitter/sour foods which help stimulate bile flow, enhance the production of digestive juices and signal to the vagus nerve to prepare the liver to work.
7️⃣For extra support, consider supplementing with milk thistle or TUDCA. Milk thistle is a plant that is concentrated in a particular antioxidant like silymarin which is liver protective. TUDCA is a bile acid that supports digestion and the utilization of fats, as well as is supportive to mitochondrial health.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR KIDNEY DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Your kidneys are your filters and there to cleanse the blood of unwanted waste which is then excreted via urine. To keep your kidneys filtering, energized, and clean so as to not have any blockages, here are some tips to keep this pathway open
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1️⃣ HYDRATION is key, but note here that the source of hydration is what matters. But considering our water sourcing today is not the greatest, investing in a good water filter is recommended. Our water today contains contaminates from heavy metals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, pathogens, etc. Looking towards something like an @aquatru
Is a good idea!
2️⃣ Balancing minerals for hydration like sodium and potassium are essential in regulating fluids, blood pressure, and calcium levels. Potassium actually helps calcium reabsorption, for calcium is essential in mitochondrial function.
3️⃣Be cognizant of other nutrients like vitamin D, K and phosphorus. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and regulation of this mineral via kidneys. Again, calcium is very important for cellular function, but too much of it can actually create stones within the kidneys, thus vitamin K is imperative to have to direct calcium towards the bones and teeth rather than accumulate in our filtering organs. Conversely, the kidneys are regulators of phosphorus in the body and are responsible for maintaining appropriate levels, it is not surprising that when renal function begins to decline, this homeostasis is disrupted and serum phosphorus begins to increase. An increase in phosphorus causes parathyroid hyperplasia leading to secondary hyperparathyroidism and ultimately bone disease.

4️⃣Opt for some nutraceuticals that can help gently cleanse the kidneys and filter them out like nettle, horsetail and cherry stem! Nettle is extremely mineral rich, high in calcium, potassium silica, as well as vitamin K. Horsetail and cherry stems are natural diuretics, thus increasing urine production but not dehydrating due to the high potassium (and other minerals) content in both plants.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LUNG DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Many people don’t consider lungs as a drainage pathway, but if you think about it, that is exactly the function of exhaling:removal of waste product. When we inhale, we allow oxygen to enter our lungs, but we also inhale potential harmful substances. Once we exhale, carbon dioxide is removed, and this is the process we call gas exchange.
Here are some tips to keep your lungs healthy and open:
1️⃣Steam therapy can help open up our airways-especially if one feels congested. Doing a typical salt rinse can be useful in clearing out the sinuses and minimizing the chances of bacteria and viruses to thrive-particularly because salt water rinses balances the pH in our sinuses and pathogens thrive in acidic environments. In terms of diffusing essential oils, ones that are useful for opening up the airways and combatting bronchial issues are eucalyptus, thyme, ravintsara and a variety of mints.
2️⃣ Consider a quality air filter because a lot of what we breathe INSIDE can actually be toxic. According to the EPA, one of the top 5 environmental threats to public health is our indoor air. Therefore, what we breathe inside our homes are directly impacting our health. Things that can be considered toxic is paint, nail polish, fragrances, perfumes, varnishes, inorganic furniture, etc. Conversely, at a MINIMUM, try and go OUTSIDE and get some FRESH AIR to at least have a change of air quality and take in some oxygen straight from nature.
3️⃣STOP mouth breathing and START nose breathing. This helps stimulate our parasymapthic nervous system, helping us calm down. Furthermore, our nasal passageways warms the air we breathe in prior to it being pushed down our lungs. This protects our respiratory tract from harsh temperatures. Nose breathing also filters air borne particles via mucus and nose hairs, protecting us, where as mouth breathing lets more in.
4️⃣If one needs to supplement, things to have on hand are NAC, which can be utilized as an expectorant, loosening mucus in the lungs and reducing inflammation in the bronchial tubes. Mullein leaf, in tea or tincture form, can be used for the same thing, as well as licorice root and yerba.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR LYMPH/SKIN DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Many people don’t recognize the lymph as a source of drainage, but it is the fluid that flows through our lymph vessels and intervening lymph nodes. Its main function is to return fluid from the tissues to the central circulation. Interstitial fluid, also recognized as the fluid between the cells in body tissues, enters the lymph capillaries. If our lymph isn’t moving, we can accumulate waste that was originally made to travel from lymph to tissues, to organs, and out of the body.
Conversely, our skin is our largest organ, thus lymph and skin work in synchronicity!
Ways to drain are:
1️⃣Exercise: Moving helps the lymphatic system move fluid through the capillaries, so any type of exercise will help.
2️⃣Dry brushing: In the same light as exercise, dry brushing is you mechanically moving lymph rather than your whole body. Note here to always brush towards the heart/chest for this is the direction the lymph drains.
3️⃣Legs up against the wall: If you’re just tired from exercising, putting your legs up against the wall and lying there is a cute tip because it allows things to drain towards the heart (as mentioned in the dry brushing tip)
4️⃣Sweating: Vital for releasing toxins from the system. Aside form urinating, having bowel movements and exhaling, sweating is important to removing unnecessary and unwanted agents from the body such as alcohol, cholesterol, pollutants like BPA and more. Consider a hot bath or sauna!
5️⃣Clean beauty products: Note here that if we over burden our skin with things like toxic chemicals, like parabens, phthalates, laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl, etc., it can clog our pores, slow our lymph system, intoxicate our liver, or affect any other organ system which can then create a dominoes affect on our skin. Switch to cleaner beauty products with simpler and safer ingredients.
6️⃣Supplements: Butcher’s broom has been shown to expand smaller blood vessels, allowing fluid to move easier. Then there is columbine flower, acting as a “blood purifier”, helping remove toxins via lymph and skin. Lastly, red clover has been shown to help relieve many skin disorders and act as a lymph mover.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR SLEEP/BRAIN DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Did you know that when you sleep you are also signaling to your body to help detox your glymphatic system which directly impacts brain health? Aside from regular exercise, thought stimulation (like reading, listening, kinesthetic learning), sleeping is a huge element to consider when it comes to brain health.
Not sure how to optimize sleep? Here are some tips:
1️⃣Sleep routine: I cannot stress this enough, but your body LOVES routines, and if you create a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time, your body will eventually fall into a pattern that will follow suit. Signaling to the body it is time for bed will have it know when it is time to wine down.
2️⃣Limit blue light exposure: We want to make sure we are NOT constantly stimulated by blue light for it stimulates the nervous system and signals to us to produce more cortisol for energy as well as downregulates melatonin. Tip here is to get off ALL electronics 1-2 hours before bed and/or invest in blue light blocking glasses (Use code BARBARA for 15% off when shopping @blubloxofficial by clicking the link in my bio)
3️⃣Sleep in a cold room: Our body temperature naturally drops before going to bed. By keeping the room cooler, we reinforce our body’s natural instinct to sleep. Ideally, you want the room to be between 15-20 Celsius, which has been shown to help increase melatonin production.
4️⃣Mouth tape: Learning how to nose breathe via mouth taping can optimize our sleep’s ability to trigger our glymphatic system and detox our brain because it stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system.
5️⃣Reduce EMFs: Turn off your wifi in your room (better in your home), at night. This is helpful because EMFs force magnesium out of our cells and try to push calcium into them, thus disrupting the health of our heart, brain, and metabolic function to rest and repair.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR COLON DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Ideally, we want to be having 1-3 bowel movements a day. Easy, well formed, not smelly and brown in colour. If you do not feel like you are not emptying yourself properly, despite going everyday, you are still considered constipated.
Ways to optimize colon drainage is:
1️⃣Fiber: Did you know the RDI for fiber here in North America is 25g only?! Crazy how tribes in Tasmania are eating approximately 100g of fiber a day and here we struggle to even get a quarter of that. Reaching for fruit, root vegetables, squash, properly soaked legumes, grains and seeds are all great sources of fiber. Insoluble fiber is what bulks our stool, and soluble attracts water turning it into gel, helping our muscles contract and move waste down. Pro tip is to include raw carrots as a source of fiber, for they particularly bind to endotoxins and excrete them out.
2️⃣Hydration: Making sure to stay hydrated is essential in moistening the bowels so we don’t have difficulty passing our bowel movements.
3️⃣Fulvic and Humic acids: These constituents are natural decay from plant and animal matter which have been shown to help transport nutrient benefit and act as binders in removing toxins from the body. Fulvic acids particularly have been shown to benefit the microbiome and one’s mineral status whereas humic acids act more as a compound in attaching to unwanted particles and leaching them out of the body.
4️⃣Exercise: Speeds up one’s breathing and heart rate, helping to stimulate the contraction of muscles in one’s intestines. Food that takes too long to move through the intestines causes too much water to be absorbed through the body leading to hard, dry stools which are much harder to pass.
5️⃣Supplements: Magnesium, particularly citrate, is best to help stimulate intestinal movement. Senna tea can be helpful in contracting the intestines- just keep in mind prolonged usage can cause the body to become lazy and habit forming. This remedy should be opted as an emergency only. Cascara Sagrada, another helpful plant, stimulating peristalsis, and is not as habit forming as senna.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR UTERUS DRAINAGE PATHWAY:
Ladies, this is for you. This is why we out live men- because we have another drainage source. In a world where we are now bombarded with crap, we need to make sure we’re draining that crap, and your body has got your back! Granted, our menstrual cycle is more important than that (like improving bone health, brain health, heart health, etc.) So how do we support this system and make sure we are bleeding adequately and regularly every month?
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1️⃣Monitor stress on body: For my girls who struggle with no period or light periods, this is for YOU. Any type of stress on the body, whether it be under eating, over exercising, nutrient imbalances, mental stress, environmental toxins, medication, etc., can cause the body to prioritize other bodily functions over menstruation. EVALUATE YOURSELF AND GET REAL. Find the source and fix it because you NEED your period
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2️⃣Balancing estrogen and progesterone: Optimize progesterone levels through blood sugar balance, thyroid optimization, supporting the nervous system, keeping the liver working AND help mobilize estrogen out of the body
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3️⃣Vitamin E: A super fat soluble vitamin that helps reduce estrogen dominance by binding to toxic fatty acids, lowering the synthesis of prostaglandins, protecting cells from free radicals and supports the production of progesterone
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4️⃣Castor Oil Pack: Supports liver detoxification which helps with the elimination of elevated estrogen levels, increases blood flow and circulation which is vital for detox and metabolic purposes with a healthy lymphatic system (making sure we have our nutrients getting to where they need to go and removing what we don’t need). Also eases blood flow during our time of the month, reducing clotting and heaviness
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5️⃣Raspberry leaf: Traditionally used as a uterine tonic to help strengthen and tighten the uterine muscles due to the tannins it contains. Its leaves are astringent, helping with heavy periods and reduce clotting. (This doesn’t shorten the period, but the blood flows easier).

If you’re looking to work with someone to optimize drainage and balance your hormones CLICK HERE TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME.