Spring is a great time to think about cleansing and detoxing. This time is about renewal and rejuvenation! And I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use a cleansing of this past year! Most of us have done a cleanse or detox in some form – maybe fasting for a day, or drinking liver detox tea or greens juices in earnest for a few weeks. But when you think about it, do you really know what exactly you are trying to detox from?
Even if it is not targeted (such as a hormone balancing detox), a general cleanse is still super valuable. But think about how much more beneficial it could be if you knew specifically what you needed to gently push out of your body.
You can likely begin to guess by looking at your family and personal history. Where did you grow up? I have a patient who grew up near a Uranium mine, and now in his 60’s, we measured and he still has high levels of Uranium in his system (this holds true in my experience for military personnel as well). Did you play with mercury as a kid (shiny!)? Do you have mercury (aka, silver) fillings? Live/lived in a moldy house? Work in a manufacturing plant (which tend to be higher in exposure to toxic fat soluble chemicals, lead and cadmium).
Once you run through a quick assessment of possible exposure, the next step is choosing which test would work best for you.
Areas of possible toxic exposure:
- Chemical exposure in environment (herbicides/pesticides)
- Skin (eg, Aluminum in Burts Bees and Aveda’s Ultra Moisture lotion)
- Heavy metal exposure (old smelter in Everett – released high lead and arsenic into Everett area); Mercury fillings; Old lead paint exposure
- Food (eg, McDonalds coats fries with toxic preservative so they don’t age -will kill humans if exposed to potato within the first 5 days of applying the chemical); GMO foods
- Cookware – Cadmium in dishes from China, plastics, Aluminum cookware
- Mold toxin exposure from water-damaged areas in the house/old mold-infested buildings
Best tests/sites to help you identify current levels and exposures (we have these in office):
- US Biotek Environmental toxin panel for chemicals (https://www.usbiotek.com/tests/environmental-pollutant-profile)
- Genova Labs Urine Toxic Element Panel for Heavy Metals
- Great Plains Labs Mycotoxin panel (for mold toxin exposure)
- Skin: EWG (Environmental Working Group) skin deep website (https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/)
- Genova Labs Nutr Eval: will evaluate all vitamins, minerals, amino acids, basic chemical and heavy metals levels (a fantastic overview, one I highly recommend!)
Educational Resources/Books:
- Book:Clean & Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Home – Nancy Birtwhistle
- Book: Food Forensics: The Hidden Toxins Lurking in Your Food and How You Can Avoid Them for Lifelong Health – Mike Adams
- Book: Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods – Jeffrey Smith
- Book: Mercury Poisoning: The Undiagnosed Epidemic First Edition – David Hammond
- Book: HEAVY METALS DETOX: The fast-track to a healthier version of YOU! – James Lilly
- Podcasts: The Mindbodygreen podcast; Broken Brain Podcast; Bulletproof Radio
How do you begin to cleanse this from your body?
Part of me was hesitant to write about all of the ways we can overload our bodies, as we all have so much on our plates these days. But I came to the realization that even during this time of pandemic, there is always value in taking care of ourselves and moving our underlying wellness towards its highest potential.
There is great power in knowledge. While knowing you have high levels of lead in your body, or plastics might not move you now to take action – you have planted a seed of future action. And many times I’ve found that seeing those high values is usually enough to drive someone to want to learn more, and to take positive steps.
Step 1: Identify potential current and past exposures.
Step 2: Take the relevant test associated to your exposures.
Step 3: Meet with us or an integrative medical physician to create a targeted detox plan.
Step 4: Begin your detox!
Some detox ideas to begin:
- We love a 3-4 week liver and lymph detoxification cleanse (we have a great overview here: 9 Tips for A Spring Detox on what to do to begin a detox from our very own Dr. Anastasia Jones and a review on Detox Options for You.
- Add in Infrared Sauna – 10 visits x 30 minutes at 140-160 degrees (I do a review here)
- Add in Ozone insufflation x 10-15 treatments for the ultimate detox (Review the Benefits of Ozone here)
- Super cleanse: Incorporate a Super Energy B-shot with L-carnitine that will help give cells the energy to move chemicals out of our body
- Next level: Boost IV Vitamins with the Super antioxidant L-glutathione – 1-2 sessions per week x 10 treatments
- Herbal support: Begin a daily Liver Herbal blend such as Milk thistle or a Liver Detox Blend (like Protocol’s Liver Detox) (you can find our recommendation here – for patients only, access discounted supplements: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/sageintegrative)
There are so many things we can do together to make 2021 a better year! We believe in community, and would love to be a part of yours.
Please reach out if you have questions or want to share your story!
In love, health and light,
Dr. Angila Jaeggli, ND
Phone: (425) 835-0359
Sage Integrative Medicine Clinic, PLLC
110 James Street, Suite 103
Edmonds, WA 98020
info@sagmedclinic.com
Instagram: drangilajaeggli
Youtube: Sage Health TV
