Functional Medicine Detox Program in Chicago
Functional Medicine Detox: Which Detox is Best For Me?
Detox can mean a couple of different things, but the core concept is the same. The word detox comes from the Greek words deo, meaning god, and toxikon, meaning poison. It refers to the process of removing poisons from the body. There are lots of different detoxification protocols out there, but here we are going to discuss functional medicine detoxification and metabolic detoxification, which occurs naturally through our lymphatic, kidneys, and liver. When we consume processed food or are exposed to environmental pollution/chemicals, our natural detoxification can get “clogged,” and our bodies may not be able to remove these substances efficiently. This leads to the accumulation of pro-inflammatory toxic waste products in the body.
Ideally, We should be supporting our bodies all the time by eating clean whole foods & water. As we know, this is not always possible due to life circumstances and the consistent nature of being exposed to more than what our system was designed to handle. A functional medicine detox program is an excellent way to help your body “unclog” and remove toxins efficiently.
Detoxification is your body’s natural process of eliminating these toxins from its cells. A Functional Medicine practitioner’s job is to guide the person with the correct protocols to help their body safely and effectively eliminate toxins.
What is a Functional Medicine Detox?
Functional medicine detoxes help your body to carry out its natural detoxification process. It works by providing your body with what it needs to eliminate toxins efficiently through your urine, sweat, breath, and stool. The metabolic detoxification process in your body involves removing toxins from your blood, liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, muscles, bones, and brain. You may think about everything you are exposed to in a day and be concerned that your body may need some help. Functional medicine detoxes help your body to carry out metabolic detoxification. As a result, it helps reduce your body’s accumulation of toxins and harmful chemicals by reducing exposure where possible and encouraging healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices that supports metabolic detoxification.
Metabolic detoxification is an organized process that occurs in three stages or phases – bioactivation, conjugation, and transport. Each phase requires your body to function well. Providing your body with the nutritional support it needs is essential during each step. A functional medicine expert is uniquely aligned to guide you through this process.
Let’s take a deeper look at how your body metabolically detoxes from daily life and how your functional medicine practitioner can help you support the process.
Phase I: Bioactivation
Phase I, or bioactivation, occurs in the liver. It involves transforming harmful and lipid-soluble molecules into less dangerous products that the body can excrete efficiently. Several enzymes catalyze the transformation. They come from cytochrome p450 (CYP450), a superfamily of enzymes that helps produce prostacyclins, steroids, cholesterol, etc. These enzymes aid the transformation by conducting several chemical reactions, merging a reactive group with a toxin, and generating a reactive site.
While the chemical reactions are reduction, oxidation, hydrolysis, hydration, and dehalogenation, the reactive groups include amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl. Since free radicals are formed when converting toxins into reactive intermediate substances, your body needs specific nutrients to neutralize them immediately. Polyphenols, bioflavonoids, silymarin, ascorbic acid, carotenes, and thiols are excellent examples of nutrients that can neutralize them. Your functional medicine practitioner will work with you to ensure your body has enough nutrients available to support phase 1 detoxification so that it can do so efficiently.
Phase II: Conjugation
Phase II, or conjugation, aims to convert the by-products of phase I or reactive intermediates to less harmful, water-soluble products. This process is made possible by enzyme superfamilies such as sulfotransferases, N-acetyltransferases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, and glutathione S-transferases; the conjugation process of the enzymes include sulfation, acetylation, glucuronidation, and glutathionylation, respectively.
These processes add a substance to a phase I by-product. Therefore, nutrients such as amino acids are required for the process. If bioactivation and conjugation go well, your body can remove toxins via its bowels and kidneys. However, if phase II or conjugation gets impaired, it can lead to inflammation due to a build-up of the reactive intermediate substances of phase I. This is a common cause of inflammation and a precursor to disease states. Therefore, supporting this with the proper nutrients your body needs is crucial.
Phase III, TRANSPORT
Finally, phase III, or the transport phase, involves an anti-porter or transport protein system in your body that promotes the movement of foreign or toxic compounds away from the cell and into detoxification organs that will eliminate the harmful substances through the skin, urine, feces, hair, etc.
All three phases are necessary for a continuous and successful detox. And having read through them, you will observe that specific nutrients aid the detox phases. In other words, eating the right food and supplements can support detoxification.
Why Choose a Functional Medicine Detox?
Functional medicine Detox can be done on a 7, 14, or 21-day program, depending on your lifestyle and goals. At Ravenswood Chiropractic in Chicago, this can be adapted into several programs that are just as individual as you are. They may include recommendations on drinking fluids, eating specific foods, movement or exercise recommendations, and nutritional supplements.
Who Could Benefit From a Functional Medicine Detox?
A functional medicine detox seeks to address the root cause of the issues, so it goes the extra mile.
Is A Functional Medicine Detox Right For Me?
A person with digestive issues, skin issues, low energy levels, hormone imbalances, brain fog, and a poor immune system can benefit from a healthy functioning metabolic detoxification process. Besides, a functional medicine detox may be the most appropriate solution if you have trouble losing weight or severe cravings for salty or sugary foods.
Functional medicine detoxes do not cure disease or treat illness. However, it does help your body with its natural metabolic detoxification, so you have a better foundation for health. If you have issues with your immune system or gastrointestinal tract, our functional medicine team may recommend digestive testing, food sensitivity testing, or other investigation to aid your success.
Why Is a Healthcare Professional’s Help Essential?
Healthcare professionals are at the center of detox programs to guide you through the junk science and support you through your wellness journey’s ups and downs. Unfortunately, several detox programs and brands exist that we would not recommend to our patients because some are medically unsafe. To determine which is best for you, seeking qualified functional medicine practitioner support is vital.
