In our ‘How To’ series, we’ve talked about a number of supportive lifestyle changes, and now it’s time to talk about detox. Detox is discussed at great length within the Lyme community, and rightly so as it’s incredibly important when herxing. What often isn’t discussed, though, is how a detox lifestyle will help to reduce the overall pressure on a struggling body, outside of herxing. So today, we’re going to delve a little deeper into how to detox with Lyme Disease.
There are often two ‘camps’ when it comes to beliefs on detox. The first camp says that the human body detoxes on it’s own perfectly well & doesn’t require our intervention. The second camp believes that our bodies rely on detoxification intervention at all costs. Unfortunately, these two camps are often at odds with one another. Here at TOWL, we take the middle ground.
The Human Body is a Powerhouse
From a medical perspective, the body does indeed detoxify itself (and it does so very well). Kidneys, liver, intestines, the lymphatic system, lungs and even the skin all work together to rid the body of unwanted substances. An otherwise healthy body needs no intervention. They don’t need to go on an expensive ‘cleanse’, juice raw vegetables every day or have invasive flushing procedures. However, when someone has Lyme, their body is under an incredible amount of pressure. What we see time & time again is many bodily systems being compromised because the body simply does not have the resources to do everything. This is when lifestyle changes aimed at supporting your own body really shine.
That’s an important distinction, too. Just because your detoxification may be sluggish, doesn’t mean your body is not detoxing at all. Your body does not need you to micromanage how it detoxes. So please, try to relax. There are many resources out there who present detox as being solely in your hands. I’m saying – trust your body a little and offer it a helping hand. Forgetting to follow a good detox habit for a few days will not result in catastrophic levels of toxins building up. You might feel a bit sluggish, or perhaps other symptoms like sore joints or brain fog become a little more acute.
Our body will always deal with the most pressing issue first. This is why, when you eat bad shellfish, you are vomiting almost immediately. Your body assesses the threat of salmonella and robustly acts to expel the bacteria. It’s also why a mild allergy to something like pollen elicits a fairly mild response in comparison. When your body is fighting Lyme on multiple fronts, other bodily systems can become compromised. That’s why detox with Lyme disease is important.
How To Detox With Lyme
Limit Exposure to Potential Toxins
It goes without saying that the most important thing you can do for your body is to limit exposure to toxins as much as practically possible. You will never avoid every single less-than-ideal substance unless you live in a bubble.
The simplest way to do this and yield the greatest benefit is by following a Lyme Disease diet that works for you. Often, when you have Lyme, you develop sensitivities and mild allergies due to immune function issues. So if you react to gluten – cut it out. If you don’t, then don’t. The same goes for the following list – if you have no problems with an item, then please disregard.
Water
Did you know: most of us are dehydrated? We simply just don’t drink enough water, which affects how efficiently our detox organs can work. Water itself doesn’t flush out toxins, but your kidneys do (it’s their sole purpose). They excrete waste products as urine and use water to do so. The more water we drink, the more often our kidneys can excrete urine and waste products.
Drinking water has also been shown to temporarily increase metabolism by up to 30% for an hour! This helps your digestive system to work as well as firing up all your other bodily processes. Many people with Lyme also experience bladder irritation and increasing your water intake can prevent UTIs from taking hold.
In addition, lots of people choose to filter their water – you can do this if you want to. Filtering solutions range from the relatively inexpensive Brita filter jug to an expensive, fully integrated household system. I personally use a Brita filter jug for my drinking water as it removes chlorine and other contaminants.
Please remember: you can also have too much of a good thing! Water in extremely high quantities can be dangerous, so please stick to around 2L per day and no more.
Infrared Sauna
I love my infrared sauna. It is honestly the best investment I made over the last two years. I even rave about the benefits here. Not only is infrared excellent for pain management and improving circulation, it causes you to sweat which is one of the ways your body excretes unwanted substances.
Borrelia prefers lower temperatures, and consequently many of us have a lower than average body temperature. My body temperature during initial infection dropped to around 35.6 degrees and I’m not alone there. Due to our lower body temperature, many of us don’t readily sweat. This is also compounded by the reduction in movement that comes with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. This lack of sweating is not a Lyme symptom in and of itself, but gradually inducing more sweating via an infrared sauna will yield many benefits.
Dry Body Brushing
A little tedious, but an efficient way to encourage the flow of lymph in the body. Furthermore, when you combine it with some gentle movement you give your lymphatic system a much needed helping hand. The lymphatic system is responsible for taking waste products from your tissues to the lymph nodes to be excreted by the body.
Dry body brushing has the added benefit of increasing blood circulation in your skin which helps to oxygenate the tissue as well helping to warm up extremities if you suffer with cold hands & feet due to autoimmune issues.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salt is simply magnesium sulfate. The interesting thing with magnesium is that it is best absorbed transdermally – through the skin. Additionally, it’s also known to draw out toxins through the skin, which is why Epsom salt baths are a brilliant addition to a supportive protocol. Furthermore, Epsom salt baths aid in reducing pain and warming up cold extremities.
Due to magnesium sulfate passing through the skin so readily, any other additions to your bath could also be absorbed with it. For this reason you should avoid adding bubble bath and perfumed products to your bath.
Red Root & Milk Thistle
Red Root is an excellent tonic herb which helps to improve lymphatic draining. This is especially useful for those who get swollen glands during a herx or flare. Reducing lymphatic congestion has the benefit of improving detoxification.
Milk Thistle is a liver herb. The liver is one of your detox organs, responsible for filtering your blood. Milk Thistle improves liver function and can help to improve inflammation, as well.
Other Methods
There are proponents of many other detox methods out there. However, I’ve chosen examples that are relatively inexpensive and are manageable for people struggling with severe symptoms. I would encourage you to research the benefits of other detox programs and would advise caution for anything expensive & invasive. And above all, we are not aiming to cause further discomfort.
A very common method for detox with Lyme is the use of enemas and colonics. However, I strongly advise against their use. The digestive system is a well-honed machine, with a complex and delicate balance of gut flora. Our gut flora has a huge impact on our overall immune function and mental health (did you know that 90% of your body’s serotonin is made in the gut?).
Our colon also has a protective mucus layer. As the colon holds waste products, we rely on a good barrier to prevent unwanted substances from passing into the blood. The mucus layer plays an important role in this.
Flooding the colon with water (or other substances) strips the mucus lining and disrupts our gut flora. Ensuring that you drink enough water and eat a diet which contains sufficient fibre are far gentler and far more effective at helping to keep everything moving.
Detox with Lyme: My Top Tip
Remember that your body is already a powerhouse that is detoxing itself daily, even with Lyme! All the methods listed in this article are meant to offer your body a helping hand whilst it fights Borrelia – so above all, be kind to yourself!
What do you do for detox? I’d love to hear you thoughts – let me know in the comments below!
