How to Encourage the Body to Release the Toxins Making you Sick

By Nicole Aivazoglou (co-founder of The Living Fuel)

What does the word “detox” really even mean? When I used to think of detox, I would think of the well-marketed skinny or fit teas, or 5-day juice cleanses meant to reset your gut or metabolism. Detox is more than just a popular buzzword, though, and is so much more important to overall health than just a momentary fast or cleanse. In fact, ongoing, intentional detoxification has become central to my wellness practice, especially since experiencing the negative impacts that mold exposure made on my health.

Detoxification

Detox is short for detoxification which essentially means to remove toxins or unhealthy substances from the body through the organs that are designed to flush toxins and waste out of the blood, cells, and tissues. The practice of a focused detox or a purposeful attempt to remove toxins from the body is by no means a new concept and has been practiced for thousands of years. It is important to note that a normal, well-functioning body is fully capable of detoxing toxins as part of its natural processes, but when the immune system is suppressed and the body becomes overburdened, the detox pathways can become sluggish and can need some extra support.

Detox and Mold

You may be wondering how does detox relate to mold? Optimal detox is essential in getting rid of mold toxins or mycotoxins, the secondary metabolites produced by some molds, from the body to lower your overall toxic load. Mycotoxins can be particularly burdensome to the body, because when not excreted, they get stored in the fatty tissues, including the brain, and can cause many symptoms that eventually can lead to illness and disease. Mycotoxins can also be tricky, because most people who are struggling with detoxing them are being exposed to high mold counts in an indoor environment at school, home, work, or somewhere else they spend a lot of time every day. Thus, most exposures to mold are ongoing and constant.

How do I know this? As for some background on me, in June 2019 I was diagnosed with Lyme disease after experiencing some scary neurological symptoms like numbness in my legs and arms, bell’s palsy, crippling vertigo, and noise and light sensitivity. Fast forward to over 3 years of healing and working hard to get my body back into balance. I was doing “all the things” but not getting fully better. I was tested for mycotoxins by a new doctor I was seeing. At the time I was having crazy food sensitivities and allergic reactions to almost all foods and supplements. Luckily my doctor recognized my increased sensitivities as a sign of mold and ran testing. I came back positive for several strains of mold and my life was forever changed.

Detox the Environment FIRST!

The first step was moving out of the moldy environment that was making me sick. The environment is EVERYTHING when it comes to mold, so detoxing the environment comes first. Then, once I was in a healthy environment and out of the exposure, it was time to start detoxing my body.

How to Begin

Most of my clients who have mold toxicity have sluggish detox pathways to begin with. Many of them have the MTHFR gene which is a gene that prevents the body from efficiently processing and detoxing toxins. It’s a genetic issue that is more common than you would think. In fact, over 25% of people actually have this gene. There are also genetic markers that indicate impaired biotoxin detoxification. When people have both genes, mycotoxins and bacteria from Lyme are particularly difficult for the body to handle. But genetic susceptibility or not, exposure to elevated levels of mold on a routine basis is not healthy for anyone! Genetics just usually means that some people are impacted more and get sicker faster than others.

Healthy Ways to Detox Mold

Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for supporting your detox pathways and for encouraging your body to get rid of toxins, mold especially:

Sweat and Saunas

Sweat, sweat, and then sweat some more! My favorite way to sweat is through infrared saunas. They pull toxins out 7x deeper than a regular sauna and help regulate the nervous system as well. We love our therasage sauna,. It is by far the best purchase I have ever made and the best money spent on my healing. If it’s not in your budget, for now, you can still get the benefits of sweating through a workout, dancing, a walk, or a regular sauna.

Lymphatic Drainage

The lymphatic system is how your body gets rid of waste and unwanted toxins. Mold can contribute to a sluggish and clogged lymph system. Some of the ways to detox through your lymph is a local lymphatic drainage massage. More cost-friendly options include dry brushing, rebounding, or bouncing in any way.

Diet

Eat a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, which are grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, vegetables, lower-sugar fruits, and any whole foods in general. If you want a more individualized detox meal plan you can book a session with me!

Epsom Salt Baths

Who doesn’t love a good bath?!! Epsom salt baths are a great tool to help open your detox pathways and replenish your body with magnesium. Use 1 to 2 cups of Epsom salts in warm water.

Healthy Bowels & Urination

Peeing and pooping are essential in detox and to properly rid your body of mold and other toxins you need to be regular—as in pooping and peeing regularly. You should be having 1-2 normal bowel movements a day. If you aren’t, you can investigate supplementation, coffee enemas, or colonics. Please consult your doctor before starting any of these.

Detox Your Environment

EMFs are electromagnetic frequencies that are emitted from Bluetooth devices like phones, computers, TVs, Wi-Fi routers, and even microwaves. EMFs have been said to make mold grow way quicker as well. So, our game changer for our home was the Somavedic. This device harmonizes the EMFs in your home. I IMMEDIATELY felt significantly better since plugging it in. It is a health staple I couldn’t live without.

We also love the EC3 line of mold cleaning products to continuously detox our home and keep it mold-free.

Supplements

Everyone is extremely bio-individual, so I will not be blindly recommending any supplements in this article. But generally, Micro Balance makes extremely high-quality supplements that can really help support detox pathways that I absolutely love. If you want an in-depth supplement protocol, you can go ahead and book a session with me here.

I wish I would have known about mold and the importance of detox from the very beginning of my health journey as it would have saved a lot of my time, money, and effort and that is why I have made this my life’s work. If you need more individualized care, or a specific nutrition or supplement protocol, you can go ahead a book a session with me here or a discovery call if you would like to see if we are a good fit!

Nicole is co-founder of The Living Fuel, a health a wellness consultancy. She devotes her time and energy to helping others get to the root cause of the things in their environments and diets that are holding them back from living their best life.

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