Water helps to detoxify the body. Water is Toxin Avenger
Detox products like detoxing water, detoxing supplements; colon cleansers and detox baths have become phenomenal craze… AND people say they work too!
While you can gain immense health benefits by simply using water as a detox aid, one thing you should remember is that detox is an ongoing process. It will never be an instant fix for health problems. Please consult a wellness consultant to know what may work for you.
We are what we drink, eat, breathe, touch and can’t eliminate…
Breath, feces, urine and sweat are the four main pathways that help remove environmental and internalized toxins from the human body. Most of these toxins are removed from the body by these natural elimination processes BUT a small percentage of these toxins (can) remain stuck in the body system and can lead to accumulation of ama ‘the systemic toxin’ .
1/5. Drinking Warm Water helps to Detox the Body…
2/3rd of our body is made up of water and water is nearly 70% of our body weight… Maintaining baseline hydration status is important for adequate functioning of each and every cell and organ of our body. It is impossible for our kidneys, heart, nervous system, metabolism, digestive system and muscles to work efficiently without adequate water.
Moreover drinking warm water on an empty stomach immediately after waking up can provide enormous health benefits for curing a multitude of health conditions, ranging from joint pain to autoimmune health issues.
You should limit your daily intake to 5 glasses maximum, initially, and modify later, according to the expert advice and your body requirement.
Health benefits of drinking water on empty stomach
1 :: Water helps to purify internal organs.
2 :: It cleanses GI tract, enabling it to absorb nutrients from the food.
3 :: It can help produce new blood (Hematopoiesis) and muscle cells.
4 :: It helps to boost metabolism thereby leading to weight loss.
5 :: It can purge toxins from the body and gives you a healthy, glowing skin.
6 :: Regulates functioning of lymphatic system and thus improving immunity.
Although mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of water therapy has not been explicated, yet drinking warm water on an empty stomach has been proved to be a cure of diseases like…
- Headache.
- Body ache.
- Arthritis.
- Obesity.
- Gastritis.
- Diarrhoea.
- Vomiting.
- Meningitis.
- Constipation.
- Haemorrhoids.
- Eye diseases.
- Cell mutations.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Bronchial asthma.
- Urinary tract diseases.
- Menstrual disorders.
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Diseases of ear, nose and throat.
Procedure of drinking warm water on an empty stomach
It is advisable to take physician consent especially for the following before start practicing it…
1 :: Patients with kidney disease, hypertension and organ transplantation.
2 :: Person on medications like that to cure hypertension.
3 :: Persons passing urine less than three times a day.
The procedure…
- Drink 4X160 ml glasses of water (warm) after you wake up, before doing anything else, including brushing your teeth.
- You can clean and brush your teeth after drinking water, but refrain yourself from eating or drinking anything for next 45 minutes.
- Beginners, sick and elderly people can start the process slowly and then can gradually increase to 4 glasses at a time.
How much time it may take to show health benefits?
Drinking water on empty stomach, if followed regularly, can slow the progression of following diseases
- Hypertension- 30 days.
- Gastritis- 10 days.
- Diabetes- 30 days.
- Cancer- 180 days.
- Constipation- 10 days.
- Patients suffering from arthritis should follow this therapy for 3 days only in first week and then can progress gradually to a daily regimen.
Why Warm Water Detox?
It is said that cold water consumed after meals can solidify the oil/fat component of the food, makes it hard to metabolise and eventually can slow down the digestion.
Our stomach acid reacts with this “sludge” and breaks it down into simpler forms. This can get attached to intestinal mucosa and is known to cause peptic ulcers and even cancer.
On the other hand warm water provides a myriad of health benefits like:
- Helps Cure cough and cold.
- Ameliorates pain.
- Provides relaxation.
- Prevents oxidation.
- Aids in Detoxification. Eliminates Ama
- Prevents premature aging.
- Slows the spread of Free radicals.
- Helps in digestion and Natural Weight Loss.
A word of Caution: Besides having tremendous health benefits, drinking large amount (more than 800 ml) of warm water at one go can lead to a condition called Hyponatremia (abnormally low blood sodium concentration).
This rapid dilution of sodium may cause significant intracellular swelling leading to many complications like nausea, vomiting, headache, memory loss, lethargy, irritability, seizures and coma. This can be fatal if not checked timely.
2/5. Drinking water helps the Liver flush out most of the body toxins.
Phase 1– Transform toxins into chemical form that can be metabolized by enzymes.
Phase 2 – Water solubility of toxins are increased by conjugation of toxins with other water soluble compounds.
Phase 3 – Transport of inert water-soluble toxins via bile into intestines.
Phase 1 reaction takes place under the influence of cytochrome 450. If it becomes overactive (by ingesting excessive amounts of toxic chemicals, it can produce extremely toxic free radicals, which is usually checked by antioxidants like glutathione.
Bile containing toxins are picked up by dietary fiber and are excreted out of our body in the form of faeces. Water acts as a natural lubricant and promotes easy evacuation of the bowels.
Some of the toxins get transported back into blood stream for further processing in kidneys.
Our kidneys filter 400 gallons of blood each day. It filters toxins from the blood and excretes them out as urine. Adequate water hydration is required to optimize kidney function.
Other than this, water also acts as an electronegative enhancer as it allows lipid cells to dump toxins into blood stream for elimination. Drinking large amount of water increases electro negativity of blood and through osmosis lipid cells release toxins into blood stream, wherefrom these toxins are flushed out through urine and faeces.
So in short water act as a solvent, transporter, lubricant and an electronegative enhancer, aiding in detoxification.
Besides drinking plain water at room temperature hot/warm water, infused water or lemon water has also shown some health benefits.
3/5. Warm lemon water for Detox and Weight Loss.
Ancient Science always believed so and the western medicine is slowly waking up the benefits of these ancient detox and weight loss remedies.
Drink a cup of warm lemon water every morning before breakfast, to gain following health benefits.
- It can balance blood PH.
- It boost immune system.
- It enhances mood, promote healing and freshen breath.
- Lemon helps to loose ama, or toxin into digestive tract.
- It also contains saponins, which has antimicrobial properties.
- It contains pectin fiber, which helps to chain down your appetite.
- Citric acid present in lemon also aids functioning of liver enzymes.
- Vitamin c in lemon boosts absorption of other minerals and iron from diet.
- It Stimulates gall bladder contraction and allows bile to be secreted out of liver.
- It contains potassium which stimulates nervous system and helps to control blood pressure.
- It acts as a diuretic – by increasing frequency of urination it helps to flush toxins at a faster rate.
- Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C which helps body to produce glutathione – a powerful antioxidant.
- It improves digestion. American cancer society recommends lemon water for stimulation of bowel movement in cancer patients.
- Lemon contains an antioxidant d-limonene, which activates liver enzymes and facilitates phase1 and 2 detoxification processes.
Although there is no evidence in support to efficacy of lemon water with regards to its property of countering toxic substances, howbeit addition of lemon to water helps you to consume more water, which is also of great importance.
4/5. Infused Water helps the Detox process
Water infused with fruits, vegetables or herbs can be an easy way to increase your water intake.
You can make your own detox recipes by infusing lemon, apple cinnamon, mango, ginger etc with cold water, besides these infused water recipes are inexpensive, having zero calories and are of your favourite taste too.
The most important thing of infused water detox is that you can make any recipe of your choice as long as it allows you to drink more water.
Like with every other Detox modalities, make sure you do not drink more that a few glasses a day and let the body get used to this form of Detox.
5/5. Steam Bath aids Detox
It is an effective way to flush out toxins and diseases through sweating. As we know that skin is the largest organ of our body with numerous pores present on its surface.
- Toxins are carried out with sweat in a heated room and disposed off through pores.
- Steam baths by increasing blood circulation helps in fast disposal of toxins and fats.
- It aids in skin cleansing and provides relaxation to mind and body.
Detox Bath… It is based on the techniques described by Louis kuhne of Leipzig. Toxins that does not eliminate via urine or stools can be eliminated through skin via sweat.
Mixing salts in hot water, which allows you to sweat more, can make detox baths. When you soak yourself in detox bath, hot water helps to open up skin pores and draws toxins to the surface of the skin. As the water cools down gradually toxins gets eliminated from the body by the principle of osmosis.
Typically detox bath should be taken for 2-3 days /week. Some examples of salts used in detox bath are:
- Sea salt- known for its healing properties.
- Epsom salt- decreases inflammation and helps to draw toxins from skin.
- Apple cider vinegar- soften skin, helps to relieve infection.
- Ginger/hydrogen peroxide- alleviates congestion, body aches, allergies.
- Mustard powder- reduces infection and ache.
It is wise not to mix two different bath ingredients. Consult a physician before commencing detox bath if you are pregnant, have low blood pressure or have altered sensation.
Read on…
[2] Signs your Liver needs a Detox.
[3] Try Periodic Food Fasting Detox.
[4] Signs your Body needs a Detox.