Detoxification (detox) can take several shapes and forms from a colon cleanse to fasting and changing lifestyle choices. The body has the ability to heal itself when given the tools and nutrients it needs. Unfortunately, the Standard Western Diet doesn’t provide those nutrients and most manufactured vitamins aren’t as bioavailable as we’d like them to be. Bioavailability means that the vitamins are available to the body to use in the same way that the nutrients are from food.
Detoxification basically means cleansing the body from toxins and chemicals that prevent it from obtaining optimal health. By removing impurities, or helping the body to clear these impurities, from the blood, liver, kidneys and intestines, the health of every cell in the body improves. A detox program will rest the organs of the through fasting, stimulate the liver, promote elimination, improve circulation and enable the body to refuel with healthy nutrients.
The first step in the detoxification process is to lighten the load your body must endure. Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars and saturated fats. All of these things are toxins and obstacles to the healing process. You should also minimize or eliminate the use of chemical based cleaners and personal care products which leach into the body through the skin and mucous membranes.
Mary Lee Mills, RN, MSN, MPH, CNM, was born in 1912 and raised in a rural area outside Watha, in North Carolina. She was one of 11 children and the granddaughter of slaves. Her education began in a school house that had one teacher. Segregation was the law and educational opportunities limited or none existent for Americans of African descent. She started from poor beginnings and went on to achieve international acclaim as an African American nurse while providing health care, education and inspiration to the people she met.
