Why Detoxify?
Toxic chemicals abound in the world today- they easily find their way into our body through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. We also ingest foreign chemicals when taking medicinal or illicit drugs, or when using alcohol or tobacco. Although the body is designed to eliminate toxins, it cannot always handle the overload present in today's environment. Our bodies absorb and then excrete the water-soluble chemicals to which we are exposed. The fat-soluble chemicals are absorbed, but not excreted. They accumulate in our fat cells and cell membranes and become internal toxins. When the body is under stress, it releases these chemicals from the fat to circulate in the bloodstream.
Toxins not only come from external sources, they are also produced from within the body during normal metabolism. Nutritional imbalances, insufficiencies and food allergies can compromise detoxification pathways, allowing the progressive build-up of toxins to impose a significant, and sometimes overwhelming burden on the body.
When the body experiences an overload of toxic substances, the consequences can manifest in a number of ways: headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, irritability, depression, mental confusion, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal tact irregularities, cardiovascular irregularities, weight gain or loss, flu-like symptoms, or allergic reactions including hives, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and coughing. In addition to these symptoms, it has been suggested that toxic overload may also contribute to more serious conditions such as autoimmune disease including inflammatory and rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
Food allergies are related to metabolic toxicity resulting from problems in the intestinal system and may result from reduced enzyme concentrations and from intestinal bacterial endotoxins. A detoxification diet is the first step in healing the intestinal system and treating food allergies. The most common allergenic foods are gluten containing grains, dairy products, caffeine, yeast, and citrus fruits. Avoidance of these foods has lead to relief of symptoms in many individuals. By re-introducing these foods back into the diet individually, one is able to see clearly how these foods affect one’s health.
Learn more about detoxification by attending Dr. Flynn’s lecture on
Thursday May 17, 2007 from 6:00pm- 7:00pm at 1904 Third Ave., 2nd Floor conference room. RSVP by email,
contact@drdawnflynn.com or by calling (206) 382-7274.