How our detoxification systems work

Toxic materials are substances that may cause harm to an individual if they enter or are produced by our bodies. And our bodies have multiple built-in systems to identify them as undesirable and move them to an exit route. Like a complex engine, raw materials come in, get used for energy, and what remains as waste is eliminated through detoxification.

Macro-elimination pathways are the ways our bodies move waste through the major organs of elimination. As the main exit route, the bowels or small and large intestines are fundamentally the most important part of our detox system. Our liver and kidneys are complex filtering organs which are designed to sort out the toxic materials and separate them from what our bodies need to survive. Once filtered, the liver empties toxins to the bowel, while the kidneys dump them into the bladder whereupon they are eliminated. The lungs have their exit route through respiration. The skin is the largest organ of the body and also involved in detox by backing up the blood, lymphatics, lungs, and even the gut.

Micro-elimination pathways are pathways usually on the cellular level that involve metabolic pathways monitored by the immune system, generally dependent on our genetics. On the micro detox pathway level every cell in our body has detoxification capacities, such as methylation and sulfonification. Each cell cannot be effective at clearing waste if the liver, lymphatics, spleen, and blood are not clearing. And they are less efficient if the bowel is overloaded.

Click here for more information on how our genes are determining factors of detoxification.

Macro and Micro levels of detoxification defined

Everything in our body, especially the detoxification system is about flow. The organs of our detox system are like a river, where the beginning of the river is the cell and the end of the river is the bowels (small and large intestines). We are much healthier and feel better when these systems are moving. Our body does not do well with stagnation. To optimize health we need to find where the flow of elimination is blocked, then we support the stuck organs/systems with its corresponding support organs, thus reducing the Total Toxic Body Burden. If we are unable to keep the river flowing, the systems backup and we are left with inflammation.