Traditional India Medicines like Ayurveda and Yoga gives a lot of emphasis on whole-body detoxification. In Ayurveda, there is an entire process of whole-body detoxification called Panchakarma. Yoga suggests performing certain asanas or body postures or pranayama or breathing exercises for whole-body detoxification. Whole-body detoxification is very necessary to remain fit and healthy as your internal organs and bodily functions start functioning better after detoxification. But then you might ask, what exactly is detoxification?
Detoxification in simple terms is a process to remove toxins from your body. What are the toxins that get build up inside your body? Toxins are harmful chemicals, free radicals, by-products, and waste materials inside your body that accumulate through various means such as foods, air, water, and physiological process. The food is produced using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, foods also contain preservatives that are nothing but harmful chemicals. We drink contaminated water, even if we drink packaged water, we are adding enough toxins inside the body through carbonated drinks and synthetic juices. Air we breathe contains pollutants.
Interestingly, toxins also accumulate during the physiological process. The body itself produces toxins, by-products, and waste materials. Generally speaking, the waste products are released through the body through sweat, urine, and stool, however, sometimes they get stuck inside along with the toxins we get from food and the environment.
Your body has toxins and when these toxins cannot be released through natural means, such as urine, sweat, or stool, you will have to initiate a process called detox. Thus, detoxification is a process where you follow a certain dietary regime, go through certain activities, and release toxins from the body. Toxins have an adverse effect on your overall health, therefore, your body needs a regular detox so that your bodily systems function properly, your immune system improves, you have a high metabolism, and your energy levels are also high.
Your body needs a regular detox, but when should you actually go through detoxification? Ayurveda suggests that you should go through Panchakarma detoxification twice a year.
When a lot of harmful elements begin to build up and your body can no longer flush out these harmful elements, you begin to feel burned out, you are tired, you feel sleepy all the time, and your body aches. These are some of the common symptoms that indicate that it’s time to detox and help the body flush out toxins and oxidizing agents through the skin, colon, and bladder.
When Should You Go For Whole Body Detox
Here are some common symptoms that indicate that you should detox:
Sleep is hard to come
One of the common symptoms to watch is your sleep pattern. An average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep. If you cannot sleep for normal hours, or have a hard time falling asleep, your body might be asking for detoxification.
You have poor concentration
When toxins and oxidizing agents built up in your body, they not only affect your body but also your mind. You cannot think clearly, you cannot concentrate, and you have brain fog.
You have bad breath
Your body is home to millions of good and bad bacteria. While good bacteria help in your physiological functions, bad bacteria make you sick and ill. The mouth, stomach, intestine, anus, etc. are home to bacteria. Bad breath is generally related to the bad bacteria living in your mouth and stomach. When there is an imbalance between good and bad bacteria, you have bad breath. The imbalance is caused by toxins and other harmful elements in your body.
You develop dark circles, acne, pustules, and dull skin
Your body is what you eat. When you unhealthy foods, the toxins get built up or deposited inside. The result is apparent in your appearance. Your skin becomes dull, you develop pigmentation, pimples, and pustules on your skin. Under-eye dark circles appear. If you see these signs, your body is telling you to detox.
Your body begins to ache
When toxins build up inside your body, your body aches and you experience pain without any reason. Sometimes the symptoms are aggravated by the food you eat, for instance, too much salt or sugar in your food might cause more pain.
Nasal congestion and cough become common
There are certain foods that trigger cough and sinus. If you have been eating such foods, you have to stop eating these foods that aggravate your conditions. You also have to start eating fruits and vegetables that help to cleanse your body.
Cravings for certain food increases
Everyone likes tea, coffee, chocolate, cheese, or wine. However, if you begin to crave these foods, and you cannot stop yourself, this indicates that your body needs a detox.
Tiredness is long-lasting
When you always feel tired, even though you have not done anything to tire yourself, it’s time to detox your body.
How to Detox
Generally speaking, feeling of pain, tiredness, lethargy, etc. are common with you start to grow old. However, that’s not very true. Most of these symptoms can be associated with health complications (disease) or the toxins deposited inside the body. If you begin to detox, these symptoms will go away and you start to feel great again. Even though many people suggest detox for weight loss, detox is not just about losing weight, it is a way to cleanse your internal organs and improve bodily functions.
Most of the detox methods popular these days suggest drinking different kinds of fruit juice, vegetable juice, herbal drinks, etc. However, Ayurveda has the most elaborate processes for whole-body detoxification. Detoxification in Ayurveda can be as simple as oil pulling (swishing oil for a couple of minutes to remove harmful bacteria and toxins for teeth and gum health), dropping ghee inside the nose for nose and throat health, or as complicated as Shirodhara (pouring oil on the head), kativasti (pouring medicated oil on the back, enema (pouring warm water into the large intestine through rectum), etc.
If you are interested in Ayurveda Detox, try finding an Ayurvedic clinic in your area. While you can go through Ayurveda’s whole body detox only by visiting the Ayurveda clinic, however, if you do not find an Ayurveda clinic in your locality, you can also try some simple Ayurveda techniques for detox.