The other day I talked about detoxing the body if you want to lose weight. I talked a little about why our bodies are toxic and some basic ways to start cleaning up the mess.

Today lets talk about where to body stores the toxins and why you want to get rid of them. Also I am going to tell you what I am doing now for my personal detox.

Toxins that are found in the body include: alcohol, tobacco, pesticides, solvents, and food additives. Heavy metals include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, and aluminum. (Did you know that the new low energy light bulbs contain mercury?!). There are more.

Some of the symptoms for toxicity, heavy metals or pesticides include fatigue, muscle pain, headaches, poor concentration, indigestion, constipation, dizziness, skin problems, cold symptoms and more.

Toxins art stored in the body in the fat cells, in the organs like the brain and kidneys. If there are a lot of toxins, the body will add fat and water to dilute the toxin for storage.

Yesterday I talked about drinking pure water and eating clean food to help your body detoxify itself. Frankly, this is the easiest way to detox. It is the least stressful on you and your body.

This is what I am doing this year. I have started a kidney cleanse. Why? Well I have deep circles under my eyes which is an indication for kidney issues. Also I had some uric crystals on a live red blood cell analysis. I also have done a series of liver cleanses. Andreas Mortiz in “The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse” recommends that you do a kidney cleans every 3-4 liver cleanses. He has a detailed description of this cleanse on page 136 in the aforementioned book.

I bought my herbs (marjoram, cat’s claw, comfrey root, fennel seed, chicory herb, uva ursi, hydrangea root, gravel root, marshmallow root, and golden rod herb from a reputable herb store in Pennsylvania. I keep them in the refrigerator as it is too much for one cleanse.

I take 3 tablespoons of the mixture and soak them in 2 cups water over night. Then I boil the mixture in the morning. You are suppose to sip on this during the day. The tea is very bitter. Do not add any sugar, honey or other sweetener.

Also I am refraining from animal products (meat), dairy (cheese, milk, cream, ice cream, eggs, coffee and tea (caffeine), alcohol, carbonated beverages, chocolate. Also do not consume any food or beverage that contain preservatives, artificial sweeteners, etc. This will be followed for 20 days. (Oh, I miss my coffee!)

I started off with a 24 hour water fast with one glass of beet juice. I have been drinking the prescribed herb kidney cleanse tea and a modified whole foods diet. I am attempting to eat 50% macrobiotic meals.

The first couple of days, I experienced a migraine. That is to be expected. Just grin and bear it. Also I was very tired. I would get up in the morning, meditate and then need a nap. I would get up and exercise and need a nap. I wasn’t really starting my day until noon time. Oh, well. I have the time to give my body the rest.

The first five days, my urine was pretty funky. That means the herbs are doing their work. I am cleaning out my kidneys. I am not aware of having any kidney stones. There are no problems in that area.

We live in a world that has pollution. We take in toxins by breathing, eating and putting in on the skin/hair. Help your body. Detox.

Blessings, Mary Pat

Mary Pat FitzGibbons RN, MS writes on weight and health issues effecting Baby Boomer Women, helping them to get healthy “One choice at a time.”