7 Ways to Prevent Detoxification Symptoms

How to Avoid Bad Breath, Greasy Hair, Crankiness, and More ...

Mercury poisoning from dental fillings, chlorine hazards from the water we drink, steroid issues in the meat we eat ... it's no wonder many of us are scrambling get on a detoxification program!

There are hundreds of different ways to detoxify your body but most methods share one thing in common: detoxification symptoms. If you have ever done a detox regimen then you know all about these symptoms, which can include:

- bad breath
- skin breakouts
- greasy hair
- tiredness
- irritability
- bowel irregularities

Need we say more? Yuck. The good news is that if you do plan to do a detox regimen, there are steps you can take to prevent these symptoms from occurring, or at least lessen their effects. These steps are simple and easy to incorporate into your daily schedule.

7 Ways to Prevent Detoxification Symptoms

1. Drink Plenty of Water to Flush Toxins
As your body goes through detoxification, it uses water as one of the primary ways to move toxins through and out of your body. Therefore, when you're detoxing, you need to drink more than the usual eight glasses of water. I suggest people drink ten to twelve glasses of water. If you have difficulty drinking so much water, try adding salt, mint, or lime to your water. In addition, you can also try warming the water and adding honey or lemon to taste. Drink only non-chlorinated water, of course.

2. Take Enzymes

Enzymes help your body break down and flush toxins. People usually take enzymes with meals to aid with digestion, but if you take enzymes between meals they will actually assist your body with cleansing. They act as scavengers and trash-cleaners around the body when not needed for food digestion.

3. Avoid Stimulants

Although you may feel tired when doing a detox regimen, avoid taking stimulants like caffeine, if at all possible. Your body has to work doubly hard during a detox, and physical resources are already stretched to the limit. Stimulants like caffeine will only further overburden your system, not to mention stressing your adrenal system. In addition, although caffeine will give you an extra boost of energy, it will steal resources from your body's detox efforts to do so. If you need extra energy, turn to high-energy supplements like blue-green algae, wheat grass, or even freshly juiced apple-celery-carrot juices. You might need to visit your local juice bar for the juices.

4. Add Acidophilus and Bifidus to Your Regimen

Acidophilus and bifidus are the "friendly bacteria" in your gut that not only help you digest your food but also help your body flush toxins. To avoid any constipation, diarrhea, and other digestive issues during your detox, add 2-4 capsules of high quality bifidus and acidophilus to your daily regimen. Buy the kind that has to be kept refrigerated and comes in capsules. This kind tends to be more highly concentrated and powerful because it is freeze-dried. Trusting your morning yogurt to have enough of these kinds of good bacteria won't get you the quantities of acidophilus and bifidus you need.

5. Don't Overwork

Although adding many of the supplements mentioned here will help with detox symptoms, you also want to plan to take it easy while your body detoxes. Depending on how long your detoxification program lasts, you may want to rearrange your work and social schedule so you don't overwork. You may feel tired and irritable during the detox, and it can be a real struggle to work through low-energy periods. Plus, overwork has the exact opposite effect that your detoxification program is trying to achieve, which is a cleaner and healthier body.

6. Add Fermented Foods

Adding fermented foods like Japanese miso and ume plum balls (pills) to your daily diet can really help if you are doing a detox during the cold winter months. Another source of fermented food is Vegemite (sometimes called Marmite or Vegex). Fermented foods can help you feel warmer and more nourished during a detox, while not interfering with the cleansing process. Most of these products are available in your health store, although Vegemite and Marmite are international (British) products. and may have to be ordered online.

7. Sleep In

Whenever possible during the detox, sleep in. Get as much rest as your body asks for because detoxification is hard work! Sleep is one of the most nourishing acts you can do for your body. You relax body, mind, and spirit when you sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, you can try taking some valerian root herb or try the homeopathic chamomile.