Transcript EP 294 – Dr. Taz’s Take: Detoxing 101

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Dr. Taz: Welcome back, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Super Woman Wellness, where I’m determined to bring you back to your superpowered self.

Dr. Taz: All right. We’re going to break down a topic many of you have asked me questions about, detoxing, and do you need to do it? Who’s it for? And why in the world is it even important? I’ll never forget an unnamed television show where I was a guest, and the host said, “Well, detoxing is not real, right? It’s not something that the medical community believes in.” Well, maybe not conventionally, but nothing could be further from the truth, because more and more, we are learning and finding out that many of our diseases of today are really tied back to our toxic load. Now, this is a concept I keep mentioning over and over again. You guys are probably tired of it, but on my website, there is a quiz where you can determine your toxic load and a guide to help you navigate the subject.

Dr. Taz: But a toxic load is really referring to that cumulative load of toxins that we get exposed to at any given moment. And that could be everything from the air outside, the water we drink, what we’re putting on our bodies, the quality of food we’re eating, and so many other variables and factors. It’s not a hidden fact that our environment is becoming increasingly more toxic over the decades and over the years. We know that everything from soil doesn’t have the quality of nutrients that one’s had. Our planet is warming. So that means different things for our bodies, in terms of what we do and don’t get exposed to. And, after about a hundred years of industrialization and westernization, toxins, manufacturing byproducts, the byproducts of medications, all of these have become really mainstream for each and every one of us.

Dr. Taz: I don’t know if you guys caught the recent article from the Environmental Working Group, where toxins that were previously deemed safe in our water supply are now, almost 30, 40 years later, being labeled as dangerous, unhealthy, and probably linked to disease. We’re seeing this over and over again, whether it’s talc in baby powder, linked to ovarian cancer. Whether it’s asbestos and what it did for lung health. I could go on with the examples, but there’s so many toxins that we assume are safe, but we find out years later that they’re actually impacting our health. And then layer on top of that, the United States of America, where we allow more toxins than Europe and many other countries around the world. We’re in trouble, guys. We have to understand the central concept of toxicity.

Dr. Taz: All right. So let’s break it all down. I’m going to get really chemical and I’m going to move back out to the big picture. Please bear with me. I know it can get boring when we get super science-y and geek out on this stuff. But, toxicity, for us doctors, refers back to Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification. These are pathways in the body that really connect to how we take in whatever it is we’re taking in, good stuff and bad stuff, package it, break it down, move it over to the liver and get rid of it, as it circulates into the bloodstream, the intestines, your urine and all these other places, right?

Dr. Taz: In an ideal world, there’s balance. The amount of toxins you inhale, consume, ingest, get exposed to is equivalent to the work that your Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification pathways are willing to do. But when that balance tips, and the toxic load gets too high, that Phase 1, Phase 2 detoxification, well, it can’t do its work anymore. And it peters out and starts to create inflammation, or what we will eventually label as disease.

Dr. Taz: And there’s so many different diseases. I can’t even say it’s one. Of course, cancer has been linked to this concept, but so has autoimmune disease, so has so many different hormone issues and disruptions and fertility, low sperm count in men. We’ve got so many conditions and diseases that link back to the central idea of an accumulated toxic load and issues with detoxing.

Dr. Taz: There are four, maybe five, key organs of detoxification. So this is where I hope you’re taking notes, because we’re really now going to dial into the how-to and what you can do to help toxicity. Number one is going to be the liver. I call it the laundromat. Brings things in, pushes things out, cleans things up, sends it out to the rest of the body. It’s that washing machine that is spinning and spinning and spinning and trying to do the work for you. So the liver becomes very important. What happens to the liver when we drink too much, take in an excessive amount of medications, really do things like stay up all night or not really take care of ourselves, or even have chronic stress? Well, all of those things get stored in the liver.

Dr. Taz: Now in Chinese medicine, we know that emotions like anger are stored in the liver. And even though that’s an energetic hit to the liver, it still matters, guys. We get to see this in practice every single day, where all of this gets stored in the liver, impacts how the liver is able to function, which AKA means you’re not able to detox. Phase 1 and Phase 2 detox pathways air out. Anger is bad for you. Emotional upheaval is bad for you. Chronic stress is bad for you, but bad for you chemically, down to the cells that live in places like your liver. So the number one organ, of course, is the liver.

Dr. Taz: Number two is the gut. And you guys know I talk about the gut all the time, but the gut is one of those key detoxification organs. It’s responsible for taking food and using the millions of bacteria in the gut to help break things down effectively, move them to where they want to be, even your estrogen levels. There’s an estrobolome, and that estrobolome is made up of millions of microbes that are responsible for taking estrogen, breaking it down, deconjugating is the word we use, and then recirculating it out, hopefully to be excreted. And if it’s not working well, it goes right back into the bloodstream, and boom. The next thing you know, you’ve got estrogen dominance. So the gut’s really important.

Dr. Taz: And issues with the gut, whether it’s reflux, constipation, bloating, belly pain, diarrhea, not having good bowel movements, any of those things, should not be taken lightly, because this is now a detox issue, not just a gut issue.

Dr. Taz: So we’ve got the liver. We’ve got the gut. What else is involved in detoxification? Let’s move on to a system that’s not talked about very much, your lymphatics. Remember, your lymphatics run throughout the entire body. They’re its own micro circulatory system, picking up toxins, circulating through lymphatics trying to get rid of them. When we get puffy or swollen, our lymphatics are working too hard. You may have noticed it. Maybe after a night of having a little too much fun or eating too many high salt foods, you look swollen, right? That’s your lymphatics really struggling to move some of the stuff through the body. So your lymphatics matter, and paying attention to that is critical.

Dr. Taz: Now, how do you improve your lymphatics? Well, again, a movement is a big part of it. Hydration is a big part of it as well, and getting the right electrolyte balance matters too. So lymphatics become a part of the detox equation also.

Dr. Taz: All right. We still got a couple more. We have your skin, the largest organ of the body. We’re absorbing things through the skin all the time. We’re putting things on our skin, right? Whether it’s fragrance or lotions or bath soaps, who knows, we’re putting lots of stuff on our skin. The skin is absorbing that. It becomes one of our biggest contributors to a toxic load, when we’re using products that are high in things like parabens, phthalates, all of these different endocrine disruptors that then absorb, enter our bloodstream, and in turn, impact our body’s ability to function effectively.

Dr. Taz: All right. We also know, other than skin, the kidneys, right? Eliminating your urine, kind of staying hydrated, all of these are detox concepts. Because when we’re not doing it, we’re building up that load in the kidneys as well, and in turn, increasing the body’s cumulative toxic load.

Dr. Taz: All right. So those are the five organs of detoxification. We know that they’re critical because we have an increasing toxic load in our environments today. Paying attention to these five organs is a sort of hack, a key way to make sure you’re not going to be vulnerable to toxicity. And here’s yet another variable. There’s some genetics that are tied to less of a toxicity tolerance. Do you know what your toxicity tolerance is? Now, for example, if you have MTHFR, I might have talked about that gene before, that’s a gene that’s involved in the process of methylation, moving nutrients, chemicals, hormones through the body effectively and efficiently, moving them to the right places and not having them build up in a way that’s harmful to the body. Folks with MTHFR, and all the different SNPS and different variants, have a really hard time with this. They’re not able to do this effectively. So that’s a gene that kind of puts you behind, rather than ahead, of the toxicity equation. But if you never knew that, you wouldn’t know that you have to pay attention to this more critically.

Dr. Taz: There are genes that are connected to heavy metal buildup. They’re genetics that are connected to being low in an antioxidant called glutathione, right? NAD, SOD, these are some of the alphabet soup of genetics that we like to talk about. But with those particular genetics, your body doesn’t have the fundamental raw materials to make Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification efficient. So what do you do? You build up that toxic load, and it presents as so many different symptoms. So understanding your genetics is a big part of the equation, just as much as understanding the different organs of detoxification.

Dr. Taz: Now, what if you’re listening to me and you’re like, “I got this. I know my organs. I know my genetics. I do all the right things. I don’t need to worry about this.” Well, here’s some signs and symptoms of toxicity that you should be aware of. Number one, headaches, really getting frequent headaches, feeling foggy, low energy, weird rashes, chemical sensitivity, hormone imbalances, joint pain and joint inflammation, I could keep going, but all of these are actually signs of subtle environmental toxicity, your body not working effectively. So again, if you’re suffering from a lot of these symptoms, please get your toxic load evaluated. If you don’t know where to start, head over to my website and maybe do the quiz. Maybe that’s your starting point. Go to doctortaz.com and go to Start Here, and there’s a toxic load quiz for you guys to take, and maybe we can figure it out from there.

Dr. Taz: All right. So, those are the symptoms. Those are the organs, the genetics. Maybe here’s a mini treatment plan to take this all home, right? We’re going to try to address it all in the next five minutes. Really take some notes. Here we go. What do you do to keep those five organs of detoxification functioning well, and at a cellular level, keeping Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification right where they need to be? Here’s your treatment plan. We start with food. Every treatment plan I write starts with food. Number one, hydrate. 100 ounces of water a day. I don’t know if I’ve met my quota today. I probably need to go check on that. Number two is making sure you have a diet high in anti-inflammatory food. So lowering the gluten, lowering the dairy, lowering sugar, all essential for keeping inflammation down, improving your body’s ability to detox.

Dr. Taz: Number three, here we go, the eye roll, limit your alcohol, people, please. You need to stay under four drinks a week. Alcohol burdens the body, and especially burdens the liver, wears down Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification, contributes to that toxic load, and leads to high insulin and inflammation, which again, perpetuates the cycle of toxicity. Lower alcohol, these are basic baby steps to really start when it comes to diet. Sugar would be the next. We know that sugar plays a big role. And then salt. Really, if you can do that much, you’re probably almost 60% of the way there.

Dr. Taz: But if you want extra credit, and if you’re an A student like, my husband jokes, I’m always gunning for, then here’s some other things you can do when it comes to food. Add in one green smoothie every single day. We know the greens help with detoxification. It ups your internal glutathione levels, that antioxidant that provides oxygen to the cells, helping the cells move out the bad guys. Essentially, it’s probably the best way to say it. Add in a few cups of dandelion tea every single day. That’s another great way to support the liver. And play with herbs. We know that everything, from celery root to parsley, cilantro, all of these are liver supporting herbs that aid the body’s natural detoxification process.

Dr. Taz: All right. Let’s move on from food to some supplements. Some of my favorite supplements include things like milk thistle, doing about 200 milligrams a day. That helps the body detox, and supports the liver. I love using glutathione and the oral form of NAC, or in an IV form of glutathione or topical liposomal glutathione. That’s very helpful as well. Vitamin C, we know, plays a really big role in detoxification. That’s another one you can add in. And in addition to that, really making sure the hormones are getting broken down effectively, and sometimes, if you’re running estrogen dominant or you have very high stored estrogen levels, maybe adding in things like calcium glucarate or DIM, which help to break estrogen down effectively. When we think about the gut, think about adding in probiotics and prebiotics, and digestive enzymes that help to move things right on through. Those are helpful supplements. Again, I don’t want you doing all of these, but these are a couple of ideas to support the gut, support the liver, to help with the process of detox.

Dr. Taz: For your skin, sweating is going to be great, so try to sweat. I get a good sweat two or three times a week. I think infrared saunas are helpful as well. And of course, for your lymphatics, making sure you are moving throughout the day. This is going to be super helpful for detoxing. Inverting is helpful too. Movement is key. Rebounding, jumping on maybe a trampoline or something like that, those are all different ways to get your lymphatics moving.

Dr. Taz: All right. Last, but certainly not least, check your markers of detoxification. Where are you? Do you know where you stand when it comes to how well your body is moving things through? Yearly, I would actually recommend maybe screening for some of these toxins. Where is your body when it comes to heavy metals, environmental toxic exposure, mold exposure? We didn’t even talk about that. That’s probably another whole hour long podcast. But these are things that you can screen for to help you understand where your body is, at any age, when it comes to your toxic load.

Dr. Taz: And this is becoming increasingly important, especially for women thinking about getting pregnant, because we know a lot of these things are passing into breast milk, and they’re actually also passing in utero to our babies. And it could be the cause of a lot of the sensory issues that we see in children nowadays and in pediatrics, a lot of the cognitive issues we’re seeing, and even some of the hormone shifts that we’re starting to see in this generation as well, precocious puberty, gender issues, all of these different things. So toxicity matters, and paying attention to it is a really big deal.

Dr. Taz: Remember, the five organs of detoxification, understand your genetics, start my mini treatment plan, but know that everything, from a cellular world to your external world, determines your cumulative toxic load.

Dr. Taz: Okay, we’ll do another episode, really breaking down the common toxins that you should be aware of. But I wanted to start out here today. And, if you guys like this topic, let me know. Email me at hello@doctortaz.com. Or if you have something else you’d love for us to be talking about, let me know. But for all of you, thank you for watching and listening to this episode of Super Woman Wellness. Please remember to rate and review it, and share it with your friends. We’re on Spotify and Apple iTunes. And if you do, I will send you a free bottle of Boost. Just screenshot it, email it to us and you will have it in the mail. All right. Thank you, guys. I will see you guys next time. Take care.