Detoxification - when supplements might not be enough

One of the many negative aspects of the developing world is the production of toxins that eventually enters the human body. From ingesting processed food filled with a myriad of preservatives, to heavy metals all the way to bad air quality filled with chemicals, our body is constantly exposed to substances that are unnatural to the body. The result is that it accelerates aging due to chronic inflammation. Often, it can be hard to avoid these unnatural substances that enter our body, whether it be due to geographical, environmental or socioeconomic factors.

 

 

Thankfully, our body is naturally adept at removing these substances that accelerate aging, through a process called detoxification. Detoxification is the body's natural process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins and waste products. Various organs and systems work together to ensure that harmful substances are effectively processed and expelled. Key organs involved in detoxification pathways include:

          - Liver - The liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxification. It filters blood coming from the digestive tract and metabolizes drugs, alcohol, and other toxins. There are 2 main phases of detoxification. Phase I involves enzymes that convert fat-soluble toxins into less harmful forms. During phase II, the liver further processes these intermediates to make them water-soluble, allowing for easier excretion through either urine or bile.
          - Kidney - Our kidneys filter blood to remove waste products and excess substances, producing urine that carries these toxins out of the body. This form of filtration occurs non-stop which also helps to regulate fluid balance and electrolytes.
          - Lungs - The lungs filter incoming air (which can contain pollutants and microbes) and expel carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism. Breathing helps remove volatile toxins from the bloodstream, ensuring that we get enough oxygen supply along with expelling carbon dioxide which is a product of pH buffering in our blood. 
          - Digestive System - The digestive system plays a vital role in detoxification by processing food and expelling waste. A healthy gut helps eliminate toxins through regular bowel movements. Fiber-rich foods help aid  this process by binding to toxins and promoting their excretion.
          - Lymphatic System - This system helps transport lymph fluid, which contains white blood cells that fight infections and remove toxins from tissues.
          - Skin - Not much has to be said, our skin acts as a barrier against toxins and facilitates detoxification through sweating, which helps eliminate heavy metals and other waste products from the body.

Detoxification is an ongoing process that constantly takes place in the human body. Despite the fact that our body has an incredibly efficient detoxification, external toxins and environmental factors can overwhelm the rate and efficiency in which we can eliminate and neutralize these toxins. In these instances, the need for external support may come in handy and while we may not feel the acute effects of these toxins, long term accumulation is sure to accelerate the aging process of our body. Detoxification has therefore become a mainstay recommendation and treatment at Celmed clinic. 

Detoxification can be assisted as easily as making lifestyle modifications such as; drinking more water to help improve kidney function and filtration, exercising more to improve lymphatic function in order to help remove pathogens and toxins, sweating to help expel waste products from our body, all the way to eating more sulforaphane rich foods such as cruciferous vegetables to aid the phase II detox pathway in the liver. If you’ve done this, great, but what happens when you want to go further within improving your body’s detox processes. 

Supplements such as N-acetylcysteine do have their place when it comes to supporting the body’s natural detox pathways such as the liver. When it comes to heavy metals, supplemented minerals such as magnesium and zinc (preferably in their chelated forms or amino bound forms) are effective in displacing these toxic heavy metals and helps our body excrete them, but are they enough? The benefits from supplements may differ from person to person taking into account many factors so do we really know what works? Is there anything else beyond this when it comes to detoxification? The answer is yes. When supplements are not enough, there are other effective procedures that supersede our body’s ability to detox. These procedures (all backed by science) directly remove and clear our body from harmful substances. 

 

 

Colon Hydrotherapy

Ozonated Colon Hydrotherapy is a specialized variation of traditional colon hydrotherapy, incorporating ozone-enriched water to provide additional benefits. This procedure involves infusing the colon with ozonated water to help provide oxidative properties for detoxification, antimicrobial properties to help eliminate pathogenic microorganisms in the gut and helps reduce inflammation. By getting rid of harmful substances and removing waste products, ozone hydrotherapy can improve nutrient absorption, reduce gastrointestinal symptoms and contribute to a healthier gut profile and clearer skin through internal detoxification.

Chelation therapy

We are exposed to a myriad of heavy metals throughout the course of our daily lives, whether it is from the air we breathe, the food we eat, as well as the water we drink. These heavy metals include; lead, aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, tin and mercury amongst many others, Overtime, these heavy metals accumulate in our tissues and contribute to oxidative stress and are essentially toxic to our body. IV chelation therapy is a proven and safe procedure that involves the usage of a chelating agent known as ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (or more commonly known as EDTA) to bind to heavy metals which are then removed from our body via our kidneys in our urine. 

Benefits of IV chelation therapy include:

          1.Detoxification: Chelation helps eliminate toxic metals that can accumulate in the body and contribute to various health issues.
          2.Cardiovascular Support: Chelation therapy may improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of heart disease by removing calcium deposits from blood vessels.
          3.Reduce inflammation: By decreasing oxidative stress (caused by an imbalance of excess free radicals and inadequate anti-oxidants) and inflammation, IV Chelation therapy can enhance overall wellness and energy levels.

 

 

Plasmapheresis (DFPP) 

Plasmapheresis, also known as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) or double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a medical procedure originally designed to treat autoimmune disorders, blood disorders and neurological conditions. It works by filtering out proteins such as autoantibodies, protein bound toxins and antibodies from the patient’s blood plasma. This process involves initially separating the plasma from blood cells, filtering out unwanted proteins and allowing the freshly filtered plasma to return to the patient. 

Plasmapheresis is particularly effective in managing conditions such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, myasthenia gravis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and other disorders where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. By removing autoantibodies causing these attacks, this procedure can reduce symptoms, slow disease progression, and improve overall quality of life. While originally used as a specific type of treatment for certain conditions, plasmapheresis is increasingly used as an anti-aging procedure to help purify our blood, which is helpful in removing elevated proteins such as D-dimer, Lipoprotein a, Ferritin, lipids and blood cholesterol.

Plasmapheresis is a delicate procedure that must proceed with caution. Rest assured, Celmed provides all relevant and needed personnel to aid you with your treatment throughout the entire procedure. 

By: Sinthu Kosasih, M.D (Celmed Clinic)