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Supporting a Gentle Detox with Essential Oils

By Jodi Cohen

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My dear friend Izabella Wentz releases her amazing NEW Hashimotos Protocol today.  Izabella has been a key mentor in my own healing journey with Hashimotos in remission.  Detoxification and liver support have been the key to my recovery so I was thrilled to see that her new book prioritizes gentle detoxification as the first step to healing the thyroid.

 

Gentle Detoxification

Supporting the organs of detoxification, including the liver, gall bladder, lymphatic system, lungs, intestines, kidneys and the brain by trigger the Parasympathetic® state – opens the pathways for the toxins to exit the body, instead of being recirculated and moved around.

 

Gentle Detox v. Forceful Detox

A Gentle Detoxification can reduce our exposure to food and environmental toxins while supporting the organs for the faster clearance of toxins out of the body.

In contrast, forceful detoxifications — including juice fasts, chelation, or even the aggressive application of essential oils (more than 3 times daily) — can make many people feel worse, especially when done without medical supervision.  This is because they can pull toxins out from storage within the body at an aggressive rate, which can overwhelm the detox pathways that are already overburdened.

Like many of us, Izabella learned this lesson the hard way when an aggressive detox effort led to painful pimples on the inside of her eyelids.  She notes that “if your gut and adrenals are impaired and you’re lacking nutrients, the toxins jump ship from the organ where they live and head somewhere else.”

 

Symptoms of a Forceful Detox

If you mobilize toxins too quickly when detoxification pathways are impaired, you might experience some of the following symptoms:

Headache: When we mobilize toxins out of the tissues, they need to be carried out of the body either via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.  If you suffer from poor circulation to the extremities (think cold hands or feet and/or brain fog), it is a sign that circulation to the brain might be impeded.  Supporting lymphatic drainage (on both sides of the neck) can help to move toxins out of the brain.  When the lymphatic system is congested or not flowing smoothly, toxins can recirculate and present as symptoms like a headache.

Nausea or Dizziness: Our bile, which is produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder, helps to carry toxins out of the body.  If the bile gets viscous it doesn’t flow as efficiently and toxins (like old hormones) can get reabsorbed and assimilated.  When these additional toxins are dumped into bile that is not effectively moving toxins out of the body, it can present as symptoms like nausea or dizziness.

Digestive upset: including cramps, bloating, constipation or diarrhea – When toxins are mobilized but not yet moved out of the body, the increased bacterial activity can contribute to the putrification of old material in intestines.  The intestinal tract is a key channel for elimination and it is extremely important to ensure that elimination channel is optimally functioning before dumping more toxins into the system (i.e. Fix constipation issues before detoxifying!)

Chills or Flu like Symptoms: The kidney drain water based toxins and if other channels of elimination are not functioning optimally, the extra burden of detoxification can fall to the kidneys.  This is one of the reasons it is important to take a supplement to bind toxins like psyllium, charcoal or chlorella as that helps to mobilize the toxins through the digestive system (assuming constipation is not an issue) and alleviate the extra burden on the kidneys.  The eGFR blood work marker is helpful for assessing the estimated glomerular filtration rate of the kidneys.

Skin eruptions, including rashes, itchy skin and redness:  The skin is our largest organ and a key channel for eliminating toxins.

Fatigue:  As the organs of your body are working hard to clear toxins you may experience a decrease in energy.  A normal amount of fatigue is common with any detoxification effort.  Excess fatigue can be a warning sign that gentler detoxification approach might be beneficial.

 

Essential Oils to Support a Gentle Detox

To avoid overwhelming detoxification pathways that are already overburdened, consider preparing for your detoxification effort by gently supporting the following organs of detoxification with essential oils.

 

Parasympathetic®  — It is only in the parasympathetic state that our body is able to detoxify and heal.  We often get stuck in the “fight or flight” sympathetic state of the nervous system, where toxins can accumulate as the immune system and detoxification pathways are  effectively turned off.  When we drop into the parasympathetic state by applying the Parasympathetic® blend behind the ear lobe on the mastoid bone to gently trigger the parasympathetic response in the body.  In the parasympathetic state, toxins can finally be eliminated.

Parasympathetic® also triggers the digestive cascade, including motility and is an ideal blend to remedy constipation issues prior to a detoxification effort.   It can also be added to a healing bath to help pull toxins out of the skin.

 

Lymph™  – Your lymphatic system removes waste from every cell in your body. It works as the body’s septic system, removing the byproducts and wastes created from metabolizing nutrients.  Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system does not have a central pump—it only moves as the muscles squeeze it along. So the lack of movement makes the lymphatic system congested and stagnant, with waste accumulating and excessive toxins building up.

To help the lymph fluid flow and move toxins out of the body, liberally apply 2 to 3 drops of Lymph™ to the sides of the neck, the lymph nodes under the arms, and around inguinal ligament (bikini line area—think where your leg creases when you lift it).  For best results, apply Lymph™ blend for a week before beginning a detox or healing protocol to ensure optimal drainage and health.

 

Liver™ – The liver is the primary organ of detoxification. It filters toxins and bacteria from blood and neutralizes the toxins in preparation for elimination. Before dumping more toxins into an already overworked liver, be sure to support the liver with the energy and vitality it needs to keep up with the increased toxic burden.

Applying 2 to 3 drops of Liver™ directly over the liver (right side of the body, under the breast) two to three times daily can help support the optimal health and vitality of the liver. This is a great blend to support a detox cleanse, any kind of digestive repair effort that would release extra toxins (like yeast die-off ), or for anyone who demonstrates liver stress symptoms like sensitivity to smells (smoke, perfume, etc.) and or chemicals, or those who are easily intoxicated or hung over.

 

Gallbladder™  – The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, which helps to emulsify fats and carry toxins and old hormones out of the body. Interestingly, healthy gall bladder function and the free flow of bile plays a key role in eliminating constipation.  When bile flows from the liver (releasing toxins with it) through the gallbladder to the small intestine, where it breaks down the fat for the body to absorb, it acts as a natural irritant to the lining of the intestine, which stimulates peristalsis that promotes bowel movements.

Unfortunately, stress, toxicity, hormones, or diets too low or too high in fat can make the bile thick, viscous, and stagnant, which impedes its ability to flow both to the small intestine and out of the body.  To support the flow of bile and, with it, toxins out of the body, apply Gallbladder™ on the right side of the body under the bra under-wire or along and slightly under the right rib cage two to three times daily.

 

Resources

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Jodi Cohen

Jodi Sternoff Cohen is the founder of Vibrant Blue Oils. An author, speaker, nutritional therapist, and a leading international authority on essential oils, Jodi has helped over 50,000 individuals support their health with essential oils.