Blog

Detoxification- Is it really necessary?

What to consider before starting a cleanse.

I won’t lie, when I was studying nutrition, and was introduced to the idea of detoxification back in my undergraduate days I was not convinced that this was something we needed as human beings. By nature, I am an open minded skeptic, and so naturally I didn’t write the entire idea of detoxification off, but I didn’t understand why people did it, or rather, needed to do it.

Moving forward many years later, I realize that my hesitation around detoxification was the cookie cutter nature that I witnessed, the replication of celebrities committing themselves to extreme fasts or juice cleanses, and the use of enemas or laxatives without any assessment or supervision. 

It wasn’t the idea of the detoxification that had me turned off, it was the marketing behind it. 

In practice I am putting people on detoxes very regularly, but they aren’t called detoxes or cleanses, but are in the form of food elimination diets, IV therapy, hypo-allergenic diets, setting boundaries in relationships, hydrotherapy practices, utilizing botanicals for elimination, regular infrared sauna sessions etc. It is important to recognize that detox comes in many shapes and forms, but an alteration in what you are currently doing is in essence a very gentle detox. However, detox extends beyond diet, it also can mean detoxing from toxic people, toxic habits such as drinking regularly, smoking, using your phone when you are with company and the use of toxic materials such as detergents, cleaning agents, plastics and more. 

Detox means, getting rid of unwanted toxins, and frankly in a world that is in no short supply of toxic accessibility in all shapes and forms, labelling something as a detox, to force you to have intention and accountability might be one of the best things you do every year. 

So let’s let go of the word, and focus on the why. There are many reasons why our body needs a break. We are ON, 24/7, 365 a year, for our entire lives. This is a beautiful thing, but depending on the life we choose to live, our exposures mount up. On one extreme, pathologies begin to show up when our toxic burden has reached its max, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, the focus on supporting our body regularly can also be highly beneficial. Ultimately our cups are all different so naturally some people can manage a greater toxic burden than others, and some of us just get used to our baseline of feeling a certain way. This is not just about physiology but about environment- physical, environmental (epigenetic,) mental and emotional. 

The practice of fasting, which is prevalent in almost all major religions is a form of detox. Lent is a form of detox. Hot and cold therapy is a form of detox. As a society, we have always given our body a break, recognizing that this is what we need.

Detox for a specific concern such as addressing heavy metals may require chelation and more specific directions. Detox as a form of reset, however, can be tailored to you, for your needs, and what your body can handle.

So before you begin a detox, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you be more successful.

1. Determine what your body can handle
   I regularly will say to my patients, that if you are running on fumes, detox is not the priority. Re-building and nourishing your body is. This is really important, because our personal motivation to cleanse is different, but detox is a stress on the body. If you are already stressed, have poor immune health, feel depleted or low energy, or have medical concerns, your cleanse needs to be tailored to what you can handle. Sometimes, the detox is purging emotions that have been stuck, while focusing on rest and repair. Other times it may be a water cleanse, with rest, a bit of brown rice, sauna and meditation. And even other times it may be the removal of high inflammatory foods. Everyone is different, doing a one-size-fits-all detox is not smart. You really need to do what is going to benefit you, and more extreme doesn’t always mean better. 
   
   
2. Your Emunctories
   You are probably thinking, what is she talking about! We have 5 organs of elimination- maybe 6 if you’re a menstruating female. These are: sweating (skin), urination (kidneys), bowel movements (gut), Lymph (follows blood on a vascular level), and Liver (processing); if you are a female your menstrual cycle is also a method of elimination. Your periods can tell you a lot about what is going on in your body! These need to be working, well. This is the starting point before doing any detox or cleanse, because if your process of elimination isn’t great, then you really should be starting here first. Get your systems warmed up and working first, no athlete runs a marathon without training and a warm up first. The same goes for a cleanse, particularly the more aggressive it is, the more your body needs to be aligned.
   
   

3. Lifestyle
   Detoxification is dependent on what you already do. If you are the type of person who doesn’t pay attention to diet, cannot sweat, has gut concerns and drinks more coffee/soda/juice then water, you need to start with supporting your natural body’s process of elimination. Our body is highly metabolic, there is a process of constant building and breaking down. Understanding that small changes over time can yield great benefit, particularly when lifestyle needs to be addressed, should be the start. Habits take time to form, and also to break. If this is an area that needs support, and you are motivated, set yourself up for long term success. If your lifestyle is inclusive of healthy habits, then you are in a great position to explore other options. The goal is improvement in your health, your mindset, the “why,” needs to be explored.
   
   
4. The Mind-Body Connection
   Many detox programs focus on elimination and restriction, but a very important aspect of detox is emotional. We live in a society that is highly motivated, fast-paced, superficial and most of us are carrying emotional energy that has not been dealt with. The compounding effect of this is draining to your spirit, your soul and your sense of self. The most outwardly appearing healthy individuals may not be healthy inside, even though they eat greens, meditate, practice breath work etc. We are more than the physical, and an emotional and mental detox is just as important as a physical one. If you are looking at cleansing, there should be some aspect of personal work included in this. We get accustomed to feeling a certain way, handling things or suppressing them (internally or with medication), and the disconnect between our mind-body continues to get more pronounced.
   
   

Lastly, always remember that your body truly is on your side. Your body wants to help you, and supporting yourself, is a form of self love. 

Most of us don’t admire how resilient we are as human beings, the amount we can handle, how we can be adaptable and so much more. Support that, embrace it, celebrate it and love your body. If you are thinking about a cleanse, take the time to understand why you need it, from all aspects of your life; and even if you cannot think of why, there is no limit to how much love you can give to your self. You don’t need a reason, but if you have one, then better even to be specific about what your needs are at this time. And always remember, if you don’t know where to begin, that is ok, and actually very normal. Seek a health care practitioner that you resonate with, that can help you cleanse appropriately, that is what they are here for. 

#Letscleanse

By: Dr. Mashael Mawji, ND
BSc. FNH (Hon)

Mens Health- Is it more than just testosterone?

Naturally, as men age, their testosterone declines. As human biology dictates, we expect this, and a natural decline in sex hormones occurs in both men and women. Younger men, however, are presenting with symptoms of low testosterone, even in their 20’s. The key word here is symptoms of low testosterone, but when we test their testosterone levels, we often see that they are within the range they should be for age and sex (in many young men.) So why are so many young men showing up with symptoms of low sexual desire, trouble with morning erections or less spontaneous erections, low mood, depression and fatigue?

I have definitely heard my fair share of gym bro talk, and some of this information is harmful and incorrect. Knowledge sharing is important, but when it comes to our health, I do not believe that a one size fits all approach is ideal. General health recommendations are the starting point for good health, but when there are concerns, identifying the cause should be the beginning. Hormones are powerful, which is why when they are out of balance, low, or even high, we often experience symptoms. Keeping that in mind, there are lots of things to consider before starting on testosterone replacement therapy that you should be discussing with your prescribing physician. 

So, what are some other reasons you may be feeling symptoms of low testosterone, when in fact your testosterone levels are ok?

Estrogen

We live in a world where our exposure to household products, detergents, fillers in food, diet and plastics, promote an estrogenic state in our body. Often times, we supplement with so many things, but do not take time to address our gut microbiome or liver metabolism which play a strong role in the detoxification and elimination of our hormones. Testosterone has many pathways, and one of them is the formation of Estradiol. This is through a process called aromatization. Some men feel that they don’t have enough testosterone, but hormones behave relative to each other. A higher level of estrogen for a man can definitely make his testosterone feel like its low, when it isn’t.

Stress

The main producers of testosterone are the testes and the adrenal glands. During periods of stress, our pituitary gland sends out a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) that acts on our adrenal glands to produce cortisol. This helps us cope with stress, but the feedback is to inhibit another hormone called Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH.) This is the relationship between the HPA (Hypothalamic-pituitary axis) and the HPG (Hypothalamic- pituitary gonad axis.)  Recall that stress comes in different forms, and as individuals, our ability to cope is individual. As children we are programmed differently to deal with stress, and some people may have experienced stress earlier in life and now it is impacting them in the present day. Other forms of stress people often don’t think about are when we get sick. Our immune health can also be a cause of stress. Most people today experience stress due to work-life balance and the demands of society. I find many of my patients benefit from support here, particularly using nutrition and botanical medicine! 

Body fat

We are all genetically different but depending on your personal baseline, body fat can be contributing to feelings of low testosterone. One reason is because the hormone androstenedione that is made in adipose, breast and axillary fat, can convert to either testosterone or estrogen. Studies show that peripheral aromatization is favored (in both men and women) which means that the favored conversion is to produce estrogen. This is often why people will say that fat is estrogenic. Extra adipose tissue also has an impact on other hormones such as insulin, adiponectin and leptin. Having a healthy body weight is important for so many reasons, not just your hormones!

Diet

The focus here really is on diversity. Our gut and liver really are so important for us to process and eliminate effectively. Most people are not getting enough vegetables, particularly cruciferous and leafy greens. A lack of diversity in our diet also has implications on the beneficial bacteria that support our mental health, hormonal health, immune health, digestive health, skin health and more! Eating late at night influences our growth hormone as well, which affects our ability to build, regenerate and repair. I always tell my patients that it is what we do 80% of the time that shows up in our life- this includes our exercise routine, the food we consume (and I am talking about realfood,) the time of day we are eating, the diversity in our diet and so much more! 

Nutrients

There are a plethora of reasons that people are low in different micronutrients. There are micronutrient tests which I will sometimes use to understand exactly what the concern is, especially in the patient that seems like they are doing a lot of things right. However, there are common vitamins and minerals that most people are low in, and this can be for a variety of reasons such as: poor diet, gut health, chronic stress, medications they are taking, age, genetically being predisposed to certain deficiencies, other comorbidities, a lack of dietary diversity and more. Re-building requires the right building blocks, and nutrients play a significant role in our ability to produce hormones. 

This article is meant to be educational, and to provide a perspective that I feel is often missing when we approach men’s health. There are many different ways to treat symptoms, but treating symptoms is not always the right approach. Managing symptoms, starting with foundations in supporting the body and trying to understand where the problem is coming from, I believe should be the primary approach. 

Written by: Dr. Mashael Mawji, ND
BSc. FNH (Hon)