Natural Detoxification Overview

How long has natural detoxification been around?
The idea of natural detoxification has been present in traditional and holistic forms of medicine throughout the world. For example, in Chinese medicine, which has a history of at least five thousand years, we have the accumulations of what are called dampness or phlegm. This is mentioned in the literature as far back as the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine) which dates to at least the second century BCE. These types of accumulations are considered to be toxic. Even after thousands of years of changing medical thought, the author of the Pi-Wei Lun (Spleen-Stomach Classic), which dates to the mid-13th century, ascribed most disease to undigested materials that are ingested into the body, primarily through diet but also through other means. These become the underlying basis for all the other various disorders that one may have to contend with and that can be cleared through natural detoxification.

Natural Detoxification in other parts of the world.
Natural detoxification is also present in the healing modalities from the Indian subcontinent. From this region, we have Ayurveda as well as Siddha medicine, both of which contend that ama, or undigested food material, is one of the primary underlying bases of most medical difficulties and challenges. It is the removal of this ama through various means such as panchakarma, which are five methods of natural detoxification, as well as the enkindling of the transformative quality of the digestion that allows one to form a foundation for overcoming various health obstacles.

Natural Detoxification in the west.
In the west, in the schools of Naturopathy and Natural Hygiene, the concept of natural detoxification is also held in high regard. These schools of thought have the idea that the accumulated debris from less than optimal lifestyle choices, primarily but not limited to diet, as well as from ingestion of other toxic substances such as tobacco smoke, alcohol or other non-life-enhancing substances, generates a kind of deposit in the body of various toxic debris. This debris impedes all of the different organ systems of the body including the kidneys, the liver, the colon and more. In a process called autointoxication, the body is unable to excrete the build-up of improper food choices, these migrate into the blood stream and thence into the lymph, the intracellular flood where it can impede the various cellular functions as well as reduce the efficacy of the various organ systems to maintain and support optimal levels of health and well-being. From this view we can see that natural detoxification is seen as a primary pathway to optimal health.

In short, natural detoxification has been known in various forms of medicine throughout the world as a primary modality for restoring health and well-being. The reason natural detoxification has always been seen that way is because it is understood that human beings will oftentimes make poor choices as to what they put in their body and occasionally the environment they live in are circumstances of exposure to various undesirable substances. When this sort of activity is too much for the body to handle, encouraging natural detoxification is a great way to help the body return to balance.