By Kate Barnes
I blissfully believed we were uniquely designed to efficiently eliminate toxins. Our bodies, finely tuned machines that silently and almost miraculously metabolise, absorb, digest, detox and eliminate without question. And they are.
However…
After having children my protective mama instinct kicked in and I started paying closer attention to what we were eating and exposing ourselves to. I researched, read and asked questions. I became curious.
What I learned shocked me. While our bodies are brilliantly designed and miraculously efficient, they are carrying a very heavy toxic burden both physically (especially in our children), and emotionally.
How can this be?
We are exposed to far more toxins than we realise.
The two most common sources I’m aware of:
- Physical:
- Inherited. The toxic load we inherit at birth through the placenta and mother’s breastmilk. A load that generally accumulates from one generation to the next unless we consciously detoxify.
- Environmental. The microscopic chemicals and insidious heavy metals we are exposed to daily through our food, the air we breathe, medications, dental amalgams, personal hygiene products, household cleaning products, gardening products, electromagnetic radiation and so much more.
- Emotional:
- Thoughts and beliefs we tell ourselves each day that have the power to zap our energy, misdirect us and create dis-ease in our bodies.
- The subconscious beliefs that drive our behaviours on autopilot each day and that again, can misdirect us and keep us from playing the bigger game that we’re really here for.
A gloomy picture? Not really. I share this reminder to create awareness, not alarm.
As they say, with knowledge comes power, but I believe when it comes to our health – with knowledge comes freedom. Freedom from fear of illness.
“When we nourish and detox our bodies deeply and quieten our overactive nervous systems, fear of illness can become a distant foe and freedom a welcomed friend.”
Illness doesn’t happen overnight. There are silent clues our body gives us everyday – quietly telling us what it needs. But in our busy lives and disconnection from nature and her rhythms, it can be hard to stop or slow down enough to actually tune in and listen.
14 signs we need to detox:
- allergies we never used to have, such as hayfever or eczema
- food sensitivities
- poor sleep
- regular headaches
- PMS symptoms that have become heavier or more noticeable
- cysts, lumps and growths
- easily irritated and quick to get angry
- joint pain
- fluid retention
- increased belly fat
- skin irritations, e.g. itchiness
- thyroid issues
- cravings
- lagging energy at the end of the day or it’s harder to get out of bed in the mornings.
See next page for 7 simple and effective detox strategies…
