The human body has the ability to constantly eliminate toxins from all systems in a natural way.
However, in these modern times where people are exposed to toxins from the environment throughout the day and with their practice of consumption of processed foods packed with chemicals and artificial compounds, they cannot avoid toxicity and in situations like this, it is not unusual to put extra pressure on the liver and digestive system.
In order to learn more about this problem and how to solve it, we must point out that there are two types of toxins – fat-soluble and water-soluble toxins. The so-called water-soluble kind can easily be eliminated from the body through the kidneys and blood. However, the fat-soluble kind is more stubborn.
Food additives and preservatives, heavy metals, contaminants, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, and some other chemicals found in our environment belong to the group of fat-soluble toxins. In order to remove them from the body, we must first turn them into water-soluble toxins.
This process takes place in the liver, but in case the digestive and detoxification paths are not working properly, some of the fat-soluble toxins will leave the liver unprocessed, and with the help of the blood, they can reach the fat cells and brain. These body parts can exist for years creating an environment suitable for the emergence of different health issues.
Experts claim that if people are able to maintain harmony and balance between levels of stress, digestion, and detox pathways, they will be able to protect themselves from numerous harmful chemicals and toxins that will otherwise start accumulating in the body.
Shortly after we consume the food, the process of digestion starts. Once we start digesting any food, the harmful toxic and nutritional fats are dragged through our stomach right into the small intestine. This is where the bile released from the gallbladder and liver converts into an emulsion.
How is This All Happening?
The small intestine contains a huge number of tiny lacteals and villi – structures that look like grasses or mucus membranes to be more precise and they are here to clean the gut and aid the absorption of nutritional fats and deliver the harmful toxic fats straight to the liver where they can be processed.
In case the detox pathway we have described here is not working in the right way, our body will start accumulating some of the toxic fat instead of eliminating them.
The Crucial Half-Inch of the Human Body
The lymphatic system of the human body starts with the part known as GALT or Gut Associated Lymphatic Tissue a structure that wraps the intestinal tract. So, this is the crucial half-inch of the human body at least when it comes to detoxification because this is the location where the lacteals aid the body’s efforts to soak and refine toxic fats and nutritional fats.
In order to finish this process properly, the lacteals and villi on the ¼ inch on the inner side of the wall of the gut must be working optimally and the ¼ inch located on the outer side of the gut (representing the lymph tissue) should not be overwhelmed.
Our lymphatic system surrounding the gut will redirect the absorbed fats (both nutritional and toxic) to the liver again and this is where the useful fats are used to create cell membranes, cholesterol, brain cells, hormones, skin, and other crucial structures.
All the toxins are broken down with the help of the liver and marked for removal. But, in case the lymphatic system is blocked, the process of removal of bad fats and the use of good fats will be undermined.
Symptoms and signs of a clogged GALT disturbing the lymphatic system:
- Bloating
- Keep additional weight on the belly
- Removal problems
- Itching and skin rashes and irritations
- Breast tenderness and swelling while the menstrual cycle lasts
- Swollen feet and hands
- Frequent headaches
- Hypersensitivity
- Joint pain and stiffness.
Elimination and Removal
The truth is that numerous factors including poor diet and extra stress can lead to intestinal villi irritation and disrupt the work of our bowels. High levels of stress can lead to drying of the intestinal villi and ultimately lead to constipation that occurs from time to time.
If constipation occurs on a regular basis, the villi (mucus membranes) can completely dry out and they will start creating reactive mucus.
In case there are high amounts of mucus, the stool should look completely normal (between one and three standard bowel movements on a daily basis), but the fact is that the person will probably be unhealthy, have belly weight, and feel bloating. In case of extreme amounts of mucus, the stools will appear loose, similar to diarrhea and people will visit the toilet more often.
In case you notice mucus in the stool, you must take some action immediately. In situations like this, the villi are overwhelmed.
In other words, the supply of useful fats, the removal of toxic fats, the regular immune response, and the intestinal skin’s health which serves as a blockade for the toxins is compromised. If everything is normal, the toxins that are soaked directly in the lymph are counterbalanced by the white blood cells found in more than five hundred lymph nodes in the system.
However, if there is the presence of excessive amounts of mucus, the toxins are returned to the liver.
If you want to prevent the return of toxins in the liver, you must take care of the condition of the mucus membranes located in the intestinal tract. This means that the membranes can be very wet or very dry – they must be balanced well. The intestinal villi can be affected by a few other things like anxiety, stress, processed foods, food preservatives and additives, soda, coffee, and excessive acidity.
What Happens to The Toxic Fats?
Having the best possible bile circulation from our liver is vital for our health. Bile hunts down fats all over the body and helps the immune system whenever there are suspicious activities in the digestive tract. Bad bacteria, pesticides, herbicides, parasites, heavy metals, harmful microorganisms, and a huge number of chemicals that lead to different health issues are some of the things that the bile consumes.
In case your diet is rich in fiber, the packed bile will be carried to your toilet. In case the diet lacks fiber, about 95% of the bile together with the toxic load is redirected to the liver for recycling. In cases like this, the liver can easily become clogged because it is not “programmed” for reprocessing toxic fat cells.
If this situation continues for a while, the liver can become clogged and the bile usually turns into a wet and thick structure that is not very efficient when it comes to breaking down pieces of foods especially processed foods and fast foods packed with fat-soluble toxins.
So, once a certain amount of time passes and the situation remains the same, the bile will become very thick and wet to keep the stomach acids in place and they will penetrate the small intestine. The stomach acids will additionally irritate the villi and the body will create an additional amount of reactive mucus.
As a result, the bile will turn into a more thick structure capable of completely clogging the circulation of enzymes from the pancreas in the small intestine. The gallbladder and pancreas use the same bile duct and in case the flow is blocked or slowed down, the process of digestion can be ruined.
What are The Consequences of Overwhelmed Liver?
Once the tubes used by bile located in the liver become clogged with very wet, soft, and thick bile and harmful toxins, the liver is trying to redirect the fat-soluble toxins directly to the bloodstream. The fat-soluble toxins are able to penetrate fat cells and they can stay there for years and lead to oxidation and deterioration.
Toxins are able to accumulate in fatty tissues found in every body part and even in the brain. It is not unusual for toxins to turn into neurotoxins and accumulate in the fatty tissues found in the brain. Needless to say, these neurotoxins can result in cognitive issues and other health problems.
Burning Fat Leads to Elimination of Toxins
That’s the reason why one of the basic activities mentioned in Ayurveda is to make the body focus on burning fat. So, it is not weight loss in the focus, fat metabolism is the mechanism used by our body to detoxify itself and it is extremely important for every individual to cleanse the fat cells so they can work properly and eliminate toxins.
When the nervous system is working properly, our body will be able to burn fat naturally. In other words, the lifestyle and diet that we practice can help us burn fat. In addition, there are a few other techniques like breathing techniques that support the process of burning fat.
So, what we are saying is that there is more than one good method to eliminate fat and that the lifestyle we are following has one of the most important roles. Most of the detoxification and fat-burning activities are directly affected by the condition of the lymphatic system, digestive system, and bile flow.
Food Intolerance and Allergies and Lack of Ability to Use Good Fats
There are many people who can’t break down and use good fats due to the fact that their lymph located around the gut and their villi are clogged.
In addition, this is another reason why so many people today experience soy, dairy, and wheat allergies. It was proven that these foods are much more difficult to digest and they are packed with mucus content. In case you already have extra mucus in your gut, and the gluten you’ve consumed was not dissolved in a proper way in your upper small intestine and stomach, the gluten content can lead to irritations in the wall of the intestines and lead to increased release of reactive mucus.
The final result is the extremely ruined capacity of the intestinal wall that won’t serve as a health barrier for any body part. Many people have stayed away from certain foods for a while, but most people find it difficult to eliminate dairy products and wheat from their diet forever.
Recap
The assimilation and detox pathways can be greatly damaged in case you experience loose stools or constipation from time to time if you notice mucus in the stools, have to stay away from specific foods, or must eat specific foods to keep proper elimination.
In case you feel that a meal packed with fat or generally heavy meal is just sitting inert in the stomach or you feel nausea or pain after you are done eating, then you probably have improper bile flow and you are keeping toxic fats in your body. This is something that each of us should know because if this situation continues for a long time you can witness many different health problems.
The followings are some suggestions and tips that can help you combat these problems with the help of Ayurvedic scripts.
In case you have noticed any of these problems:
- Frequent constipation – check the Elim I script.
- Unwanted belly fat – check the Elim I, Amalaki, and Manjistha.
- Very soft stools – check the Elim II.
- Slow liver and clogged bile – check literature about the liver repair.
- Mucus found in stools – check the Amalaki and try the slippery elm prebiotic product.
- Sensitivity to gluten – check some digestion guides.
- Feeling nausea after every heavy meal – check beet cleanse and liver repair literature.
- Clogged lymph – check the manjistha.
Deep Detoxification
When it comes to Ayurveda, most of the therapies and diagnostic tools are created to boost the condition of the intestinal tract’s skin, cleanse the lymph and keep the liver and bile moving and working.
There are several detox programs that include the oleation process which supports ghee ingestion in order to cleanse the bile and establish proper fat metabolism. You must assess and optimize the channels used for detoxification like the liver, lymph, and digestive tract.
Via Piedmont
Sources NCBI | NCBI | NCBI | NCBI | NIH | NCBI | NCBI | NIH | Guyton and Hall. Medical Physiology. p.785. Saunders. 2011 | Douillard, John. The 3-Season Diet. Harmony: 2001. | Douillard, John. Body, Mind, Sport. Harmony: 2001. | NCBI | NCBI
