Detox Diets, Detox Juices, Water Detox, Skin Detox, Stomach Detox, Gut Detox and even Digital Detox…Detox Detox Detox is what I hear everywhere…it is as if Detox has become the new replacement for ‘hey whatsup’…people seem to greet each other saying ‘Hey what detox?’ Detox has become the new spiritual chant word. As a Detox Specialist, of course I am thrilled to bits that Business is booming… I am also thrilled to have more clients calling in asking for a Gut cleanse or a Liver Flush, even when they have no alarming health challenges as opposed to when I began my practice, I had to clarify to many callers that I am not a rehab center – deaddiction center…because back then…that was what Detox Centers were sort for.

However when I see clients extremely excited about beginning their Detox journey I am always a bit wary…Many truly believe that Detox is the one miracle pill that would drive away all their demons…all the aches and pains would vanish and of course the 10kgs that piled up along their waist line, when they were busy working from home, would miraculously melt into thin air quite like camphor. While they are not completely wrong in their expectations, since most of the health challenges do stem from toxic overload in the body…it is the ignorance behind not knowing what and why Detox, that sets them up to face extreme disappointment or in some cases, extreme theatrics like my client Susie (lets just call her that). This was Susie, post a 3 day Detox Juice Diet she did based on her friend’s recommendation, “I agreed to take up the 3 day juice detox challenge because my best friend convinced me that Detox was ‘THE ANSWER’ to all my life’s problems. I assumed if it was just drinking juices for 3 days…it would be a cake walk. She never told me what happens on day 3. I experienced what I could only refer to as an Anal Birth! I had a holy blow up in a public restroom and I could’ve sworn I pooped out my x-boyfriend who I had vindictively roasted and chewed up after he cheated on me (maybe that was part of her mental detox). Of course I lost 5kgs and now I feel sooo rejuvenated, that, I am looking out for new best friend!”

At my Detox Center, especially with clients like Susie, I ensure the entire bandwidth of What, Why, How and When of Detox KT (Knowledge Transfer) happens thoroughly.

Detox isn’t just about getting rid of the greasy oil that your last evening’s ‘finger licking good’ snack was garnished with and Detox certainly isn’t just about losing those love handles…Of course the pleasant side effect of Detox could be weight loss…how much and how soon…is an extremely relative phenomenon.

It is quite obvious that unhealthy lifestyle choices plagues your body with diseases. Does that mean, those who lead a perfectly healthy lifestyle, have a perfectly functional body that doesn’t require any rejuvenation?

You follow every rule in maintenance of your car…the driving, the daily cleaning clean and the diligent annual maintenance. Would that be insurance that you would never face a break down or even the slightest alarm pops up on your dash board? That would be ridiculous…

Everybody should and must Detox periodically…with or without any visible signs of alarming symptoms. However, Detox and following a healthy lifestyle isn’t an insurance to prevent general wear and tear and aging…

I do have a lot of clients saying, “Dr, I am a teetotaler, a vegetarian (sometimes a vegan too), I consume only organic food, I sleep peacefully for at least 8hrs at night and at the crack of dawn I am on my 45 min walk, which I don’t miss rain or shine. I fast once a week and I even give myself an enema once a month. Why do I have digestive issues?”

When I delve deeper into their medical history…I hear: – “I used to take pain killers for my migraines” or “I used to smoke but I quite a while back” or “my mother used to have similar problems” and one…which takes awhile for clients to open up about – “I briefly had a turbulent emotional phase” – Anger, Hatred, Fear or Anxiety being the star of the show. Then they all say, “but its all over now…and I am following a healthy lifestyle now…but the issue isn’t getting sorted. Consider this…your car’s windshield wipers are designed to run on a wet surface. When you repeatedly run them on a dry surface it will damage the rubber on the wiper and will eventually rip off. If you do choose to rectify your habits, will the damaged wiper rubber heal? Will it prevent further damage? Probably not…either.

I hear this statement, “Detox is all about rejuvenating your body to do what it is meant to do.” and I realize why people are quite often disappointed with outcomes of Detox. What does that statement even mean? Isn’t your body doing what is it supposed to do…your heart is beating, your brain is thinking and you’re eating and pooping. Detox isn’t meant to make any off these organs function any better.

Detox opens up blocked waste management pathways that could’ve been caused due to many reasons…indulgent lifestyle choices are not the only source. Your thought process could be the source too…despite all the yoga, meditation and even monthly enemas. If your gut walls are cemented with dry dehydrated fecal matter, your monthly enemas can do very little to clean this up. Only repeated sessions of Colon Hydrotherapy would elegantly and most thoroughly clear this issue. If you have been a smoker and clogged your lungs with heavy metals like cadmium, deep breathing techniques alone won’t clear out your lungs…you would require Detox protocols that include infrared therapy coupled with chelating agents to rid your body of heavy metal toxicity.

Detox retriggers your body’s cellular mechanism that has gone dormant. What’s that??? Let’s pick drinking water for example…I have clients complaining of many symptoms indicating dehydration, despite consuming over 2L of water a day. This is probably because although the body is receiving enough water the cells are not…this could be either because of an electrolyte imbalance or a blood sugar imbalance or a cell wall damage.

Detox acts as a catalyst in enhancing production of those healthy juices that ooze from all your glands and organs to keep your body running in top condition. Liver flushes, for example, trigger the production of fresh bile to rid your liver off stored fatty toxins. Ozone therapies trigger your immune system to boost the activity of your soldier cells.

Different Detox protocols address different aspects of your highly complex body function. Just like filling your fuel tank in your car isn’t going to ensure the brakes oiled and well maintained. Supplementation, good food and good sleep isn’t an assurance of perfect digestion.

Fasting, for example is quite like blocking a busy road to fix a pot hole. While blocking of, the road alone isn’t going to fix the pot hole, fasting alone isn’t going to fix your digestive issues. Understand what each Detox protocol does. Then, fasting has no benefits? Of course it does…it gives the body a chance to focus on healing…but does your body have the required ability to heal? That’s a question to ask your Doctor – one who is willing to patiently review your blood work and scan reports and look into all parameters…not just the ones that and marked bold, indicating out of range.

Oh…and ensure when you do take up a Detox session, to ask…How? Else you might be in for a rude shock…quite like my client Zain (Just call him that). Despite the language barrier, with all the aid from visual images, videos and sign languages and some broken English, Zain was briefed on the benefits of Detox and the procedure. At the end of, what felt like the most exhausting 45mins, I got a thumbs-up from him, indicating he was all set for his Detox enema. I sent him to the therapy room. In less than 5 mins, I heard him screaming and running out…so terrified, that he ran outside the clinic and reached the middle of the street. I calmed him down and tried to understand what happened…all shaken…he responded…in sign language and broken English…that the nurse had asked him to take off his pants! Well my dear…how else could she give you an enema?

Detox by all means my friends. You might just find change and old jewellery you swallowed when you were 2.

The author of this article,
Dr. Ashmita Boopathy Moturi, is a Doctor of Naturopathy, a PhD. in Psychology and has completed her Masters in Medical Engineering. She is the founder of NineO2 Detox Center and the Director of Wishing Well Center for Integrative Medicine