Detox: Essential Tool or just a lot of hype?

A guide to an evidence based, Integrative Medicine approach

by Brenna Erickson, DC

People either cheer or cringe when they hear the word “detox.” Those who stand behind it claim it eliminates their symptoms—everything from brain fog to joint pain and fatigue—while others strongly assert there is no need to detox, and it is just marketing hype. Why such polarized views?

“Detox”  isn’t a unified term, and it has been used to mean many things, which may be part of the reason for the discrepancy. To some, it might simply be abstaining from a few foods or vices, for others it can be drinking lemon juice in water, sitting in a sauna, or maybe doing a juice fast. However, within Functional Medicine, detox has a specific definition: it is the process of reducing the body’s toxic load by lessening exposure to harmful chemicals we are taking in, while simultaneously implementing nutrition and lifestyle strategies to promote efficient elimination of toxins from the body.

When we talk about “toxins” we are speaking about consistent exposure to low levels of toxic or irritating substances.  These include herbicides, pesticides, vehicle exhaust, microplastics, endocrine disrupting chemicals, artificial fragrances, artificial food dyes and flavors,  VOCs (volatile organic compounds), heavy metals, preservatives, pharmaceuticals, etc. Normally, our body is able to clear these irritants from our systems, but over time, the constant exposure to low amounts of toxins can begin to accumulate in our bodies and reduces the efficiency of our own detoxification systems, other factor can contribute to impaired detoxification including nutrient deficiencies, prescription medications, and stress. 

The first step of detoxification can be done, in part, by lessening the immune system load by removing reactive foods from the diet. The gold standard for this removal is the aptly named “elimination diet,” which is a simplified list of foods to eat and foods to exclude as part of a detox program.

Typically, common allergenic foods and beverages containing corn, soy, wheat/gluten, eggs, dairy, shellfish, and peanuts are omitted from the daily diet in conjunction with caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and red meat for 10 to 28 days, depending on the duration of the program. In scientific literature, using an elimination diet in various formats has historically been used to address various conditions  with differing levels of success.

In Integrative Medicine, the elimination diet is often used as the first line of therapy for immune and gastrointestinal issues since it can help with reducing toxic load and cooling down any immune reactivity to foods. Your Stockheart providers might use lab testing to determine which foods you are sensitive to and guide you through an individualized treatment plan to address any gut/immune issues. It typically includes nutritional changes and nutritional or herbal protocols. 

In conjunction with removal of foods, it’s best to take a complementary approach to bolstering the body with specific nutrients to help fortify its pathways of detoxification in the liver, so toxins can be easily removed. For example, it is well known that certain vitamins and minerals—like B vitamins and iron—are required to assist in the activity of these enzymes.  Coupling nutrients together with an elimination diet (through their inclusion as whole, plant-based foods and as scientifically formulated dietary supplements) is perhaps the most robust protocol for a medically supervised detoxification regimen.

In support of this approach, Lamb et al. showed that a 4-week elimination diet—together with nutrient supplementation—was helpful in reducing symptoms in women with fibromyalgia.

In conclusion, detox has a very specific and science-based definition within Integrative Medicine.  In practice, Stockheart Whole Health clinicians use programs that modify dietary intake and supplement nutritional co-factors that support the body’s endogenous detoxification pathways can mitigate toxic burden to reduce incoming toxic exposures, and, at the same time, equip the body with nutrients known to support the body’s natural capacity to shuttle toxins out.

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