Headaches, fatigue, irritability, bloating, gas, constipation, weight gain, bad breath, excess body odour, acne or other skin problems.

These are just a few of the symptoms you might experience when your body is overloaded with toxins.

Toxins are substances that irritate or have harmful effects on the body, undermining our health by stressing our organ functions. Many people associate substances such as alcohol, drugs, caffeine, cigarettes and environmental pollutants as being the primary toxins of concern, but overindulgence in fatty foods, refined carbohydrates and processed foods are the most common causes of toxicity.

Detoxification is the process of clearing toxins from the body and is vital to its proper functioning. Our skin, colon, liver, kidneys and lymphatic system all play vital roles in eliminating toxins. When detoxification is compromised, we begin to build up unsafe levels of toxicity in our bodies. Over time, this toxic build-up can manifest itself as undesirable physical and emotional symptoms and eventually lead to more serious health problems. Helping our bodies to clear out toxins on a seasonal basis can take a load off our organs and systems, allowing them to function more efficiently.

There are many different types of detoxification programs. Some involve food – following a specific diet to release toxins from the body. Others involve fasting – usually juice fasting (complete fasting or just water is not recommended, even juice fasting is not for everyone). Most detox programs include using specific herbs or a combination of herbs known for their cleansing properties. Which herbs you use will depend on your individual symptoms and the area of the body you are focusing on cleansing. There are many detox kits out there to be careful of as some include certain herbs that will have you running to the bathroom. Not only can this be very uncomfortable, but it may be potentially harmful to those with weak or sensitive digestive systems.

Here are some general guidelines to follow:

1. Women should never detoxify when pregnant or nursing and should avoid detoxing while menstruating.
2. Do not start a detox if you are constipated. While detoxing you must ensure that you are having a bowel movement at least once a day or the toxins released will not be able to leave your body quickly enough and will be reabsorbed.
3. Drink plenty of pure or filtered water to flush out the toxins.
4. Adding extra fiber to the diet helps remove the toxins from your body.
5. As much as possible, eat a natural, organic diet. Avoid fried food, red meat, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed food. Reducing the amount of toxins you're putting into your body while detoxifying will make the process easier and more successful.
6. Get plenty of rest and exercise moderately.

Seasonally cleansing your body of excess toxins is a great way to improve your overallhealth, optimize digestion and elimination, increase your metabolism and increase energy and focus.