Episode Details

The Investigation

I hear it all the time. Someone goes on a cleanse to feel better but they end up feeling worse. 

Detox reactions, die-off reactions, or Herxheimer’s reactions are caused by a variety of factors such as toxin exposure, viruses, bugs, yeasts, and parasites. Cleansing or detoxing can be incredible for our health but some people do experience symptoms like headaches, fatigue, gas, bloating, congestion, and flu-like symptoms. 

Why We Experience Detox Reactions

When your body has more toxins or infections present, or if it is a first cleanse, you may experience more physical reactions as there is more to clear out. 

Secondly, genetics can affect how someone reacts to certain factors involved in a cleanse. The way you detoxify, and how your detoxification pathways work can be related to genetic factors in your metabolic pathways. 

Thirdly, some people are simply more sensitive. It may be tougher for some people to cleanse, or they may need to take a different approach. Being sensitive to changes in the body and environment can make it hard to tolerate even the milder side effects of a cleanse but there are ways to mitigate it.

Overall, it’s still very beneficial to do a cleanse as it assists your wellbeing and thankfully there are things you can do to reduce the potential for detox reactions. 

The most popular cleanses are a full-body toxin cleanse (liver or gallbladder) or a GI (gastrointestinal tract) cleanse. In this episode, I review each. 

What is a Liver Cleanse?

Liver cleanses usually involve herbs like milk thistle and dandelion as well as nutrients like NAC and glutathione. They work by pulling toxins out of the cells and making them water soluble and then should be binding them up and excreting them. Typically the more toxins you have, the more that needs to come up; and if those toxin pathways are blocked, reactions will happen.  

Most liver cleanses come with diet instructions but I find that not everyone follows them. It’s super important to listen to the instructions if you want the cleanse to be effective.

Steps for a Successful Liver Cleanse:

1. Eat a clean diet (whole foods, avoiding all refined and processed foods for the duration of the cleanse). 
2. Make sure your bowels are moving (you might want to try magnesium citrate or Oxi powder if they are not).
3. Be aware of sulfur-based supplements. You can do an organic acid test to see if you are able to handle sulfur well, as many cleanses use sulfur-based supplements like NAC and Glutathione. (If sulfur is an issue, try using molybdenum and doing epsom salt baths, and using herbs instead of sulfur-based supplements).
4. Start slow. Some people like doing a half dose of supplements, then working up to the full dose. Doing a little bit and feeling good is still doing work, rather than doing a lot at once, and feeling unwell and then stopping. 
5. Find a cleanse that has a binder or add your own binder. Binders are like sponges, they absorb things by pushing the toxins out and catching them to carry out of the body. You can add charcoal, clay, or fulvic acid - I also like using Ultra binder by Quicksilver or Biotoxin binder by Cell Core. Try taking this first thing in the morning or at bedtime, and away from food as much as you can. 

Following these steps will ensure you are assisted when doing a full body toxin or liver cleanse, and help make things a lot more tolerable.

Steps for a Successful GI Cleanse

If you are working on your digestion and have Dysbiosis