A Guide to Detoxing Your Body

28 Days of Decoding Your Body: The Hormone Balance Challenge 🕯️🍵🕊️ Day 20-21

I was born with jaundice.

I then spent over a decade drinking more than I should have.

Followed that with 10 years on a cocktail of birth control, spironolactone, and doxycycline.

And grabbing for a Tylenol or Excedrin every time an ache or headache came on

So, yeah….safe to say, my liver has been through it.

It’s really no surprise, then, that I have had a history dealing with acne, sluggish digestion, and painful periods.

It isn’t random or just genetics. It was my body waving red flags, asking for support, trying to whisper “ma’am, we gotta cool things down here and move things through”

Now, I know the words “cleanse” and “detox” have become wildly polarizing in the wellness world. For some, they conjure up images of juice fasts or gimmicky supplements. But that’s not what I’m talking about here.

The liver is one of the body’s main detox organs, so when things get backed up, it can show up in all kinds of ways - like acne, irritability, or even bursts of anger. When the liver’s under stress, your body finds other ways to let you know it needs support

The truth is: detoxification is a daily, built-in process. Your body is always working to eliminate what it doesn’t need - through your liver, gut, kidneys, lymph, skin, and lungs. The real question isn’t “Should I do a detox?” but rather:
“How efficiently is my body currently detoxifying?”

And in my case, the answer was: not very.

So when I began supporting those pathways with nourishment, minerals, gentle binders, liver-loving foods, and slowing down enough for my body to feel safe again -it made a real difference. My skin cleared. My digestion improved. My cycle softened.

So Today We’re Covering:

• Is “detoxing” even a real thing?

• How to tell if your body needs detox support + the signs & symptoms to look out for

• How to actually support your liver/gut/lymph

And for the first time when I started taking this seriously, I felt like my body and I were on the same team.

Today’s Hormone Balance Action Steps:

💪🏼 Action Step:

• No Alcohol for 2 x weeks (it’s a big one for some, I know)

✍🏼 Reflection: A release practice and reflection to help let go

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Is “Detoxing” Even a Real Thing?

I’ve done it all:

• The juice cleanse

• The Sakara “detox” diet

• The parasite protocol

• Intense infrared sauna sessions

All in the name of "cleaning out" my body. And I’ll just set the record straight that I’m not against any of the things above. They have a time and place and purpose. But they’re not a “detox”

Because detoxing is not something that a 3-day broth cleanse or a restrictive diet that leaves you hangry and nutrient-depleted can do.

a detox is not a purge

It’s a deeply complex, always-happening biochemical process your body is working on 24/7.

But here’s the truth: most of those detox trends fall into one of three buckets:

1. They deprive your body of the nutrients it needs to actually detox - like amino acids, B vitamins, and carbohydrates - while dramatically slashing calories and carbs, leading to short-term water loss and long-term stress on your system.

2. They try to "kill off" pathogens or bacteria without first supporting your body’s ability to eliminate what’s released - which can backfire and make you feel worse.

3. They drain your wallet with no real return.

Giving them a bad wrap and making most doctors, dietitians, and health professionals raise eyebrows.

Because the truth is, our body inherently knows how to remove toxins and detox….we’ve just been overburdening it so we need to know how to support the detox process that is already there.

See your body is already equipped with powerful detoxification systems - the liver, intestines, kidneys, skin, lungs - all working together to keep you in balance.

They process and eliminate waste (and hormones!) through:

• Bowel movements

• Urination

• Sweat

• Exhalation (yep, cool right)

But here’s the deal: we are exposed to more toxins than ever before. Compared to our grandparents (who would prob laugh if you said the word “detox” to them), we now face a daily overload of:

• Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (plastics, fragrances, pesticides, which also bump up estrogen load)

• Medications and synthetic hormones

• Polluted air and contaminated water

• Ultra-processed food and heavy metals

So while our detox systems are built in, they’re often overburdened and under-supported.

So when we talk about a detox today it’s not about restriction and depriviation.
It’s about rejuvenation and revitalization

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The Detox Organs + Hormonal Health Connection

Detoxification is KEY for hormone health because one of the things we must eliminate properly is estrogen.

When detox pathways are sluggish or overwhelmed (think: sad liver like me, or chronic constipation), estrogen can recirculate in the body instead of being excreted, leading to:

• Breast tenderness

• Mood swings

• Painful or irregular periods

• Fibroids or cysts

• Acne and skin issues

• Constipation

So your liver and gut are the MVPs here and that’s what we want to support when talking about detoxification:

So we have 3 phases of detoxification 🧄

Phase I: Processing (Liver)
This is when the liver transforms fat-soluble toxins (from food, hormones, meds, etc.) into intermediate compounds. This step requires

• B vitamins (especially B2, B3, B6)

• Flavinoids

• Antioxidants (like glutathione and vitamin C)

Phase II: Conjugation (Liver)
Then these intermediates are then bound (or “conjugated”) to substances that make them water-soluble so they can be excreted. This phase needs:

• Amino acids (glycine, taurine, glutamine, etc.)

• Sulfur-containing compounds

• NAC

Phase III: Elimination (Colon, Kidneys, Skin)
Toxins are now ready to exit via

• Stool (primary route for excess estrogen)

• Urine

• Sweat

If any of these exit routes are clogged or sluggish (hello, constipation or dehydration), toxins can get reabsorbed.

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Signs You Might Need Detox Support

So honestly, everyone should be supporting detox just all the time IMO. Especially if you’re working on your hormonal balance

Support your → liver if you have…

• Fatigue or sluggishness

• High estrogen symptoms (irregular cycles, PMS, breast tenderness)

• Sensitivity to alcohol or caffeine

• Headaches or nausea after fatty meals

• Skin issues (acne, rashes)

• Waking up in the middle of the night

• Anger and irritability

Support your → lymph/sweat/kidneys if you have…

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Excess body odor

• Feeling sick or tired after dry brushing, sauna, or massage

• Low sweat response

• Brain fog

• Acne around the lymph nodes (armpits, next to era, jaw)

Support your → digestion if you have…

• Bloating or constipation

• Floating or greasy stools

• Food sensitivities

• Skin flare-ups (eczema, psoriasis, acne)

• Excess gas

• History of antibiotic use or poor digestion

Remember: these are all just clues but can tell you a great deal about where things are getting stuck and what kind of TLC your body needs

Your Detox Support Guide

1/ Go For the Bitters: One of my favorite ways to support the liver is through bitter foods. Bitter foods help to stimulate bile production, which is key for fat digestion and preventing stagnation. With that, bitters can help support phase I and phase II detoxification processes in the liver and support blood sugar which can reduce the burden on the liver. My favorites include…

• Bitter greens - dandelion greens, arugula, endive, radicchio (these are the best)

• Broccoli rabe

• Grapefruit

• Artichokes

• Bitter melon

• Dandelion Root

• or consider bitter tinctures, like from Organic Olivia (code Roots for 15% off)

2/ Give the Liver Some Love: by making its job easier. Include the bitters above, consider things like Castor Oil packs, limiting alcohol and unnecessary OTC like Tylenol (which is a leading cause of liver damage in the US just btws). Give the liver a break by pressing pause on some of these habits, even for a few weeks.

3/ Take note of the Toxins: similar to the above, but if you’re struggling with detox and where to start, it’s here. Aim to:

• Limit alcohol

• Use a NSF certified water filter

• Be mindful of fragrances

• Source organic

• Limit plastic

• Quit smoking (yes, weed too)

4/ Drink Plenty of Water + minerals: water = key for lubrication, hydration, lymph, digestion etc. Aim for 2-3 L x day + a mineral rich drinks to help support stomach acidity and digestion

5/ Eat Detox Supportive foods: to help support that phase I-II detoxification. Lucky you, if you’ve been doing the challenge, you’re already like 5 steps ahead 😏 but this could include:

• Berries

• Brassica veggies

• Matcha or green tea

• Onions and garlic

• Turmeric

• Ground flax

6/ Consider Supportive Herbs + Supplements: this will depend on each person, but some of my favorite liver supportive herbs + supplements include

• Turmeric

• Milk Thistle

• NAC

• Dandelion Root

• Licorice Root

• High quality B-complex

• Calcium-d-glucarate

For access to some of my favorite supplements, check out my Fullscript.

7/ Support circulation: this is important but honestly, all the above take precedence in my opinion, but sweating and moving lymph is key (but btw, if your other pathways aren’t open…lymph support can feel pretty crappy cause those toxins aren’t going anywhere). This is like the sprinkles on top but saunas, dry brushing, rebounding….all wonderful for general detox and circulation

Put It Into Practice

Stop Alcohol for 2 Weeks

One of the best things you can do for your body is to limit things that bring it down.

And honestly, there aren’t many…but alcohol is a biggie

Not only does it stress the heck out of your liver, lead to all sorts of blood sugar fluctuations, and can impact hormones and fertility….but it also leads to a cascade of mood fluctuations, sky rocketing anxiety in the day after

In an effort to support your hormones, commit to 2 weeks without a drink.

The best part? You get to focus on your hydration and experiment with fun mocktails (See below)

So now in your line up you have….

1. Drink water with lemon within 30 minutes of rising

2. Get sunlight on your skin within 30 minutes of rising

3. Take 5-10 minutes to meditate

4. Have a *smart* cup of caffeine

5. Have a savory breakfast

6. Bring in a serving of cruciferous veggies x day

7. Eat 2 Tbsp seeds x day

8. Have a lil citrus during the day

9. No alcohol for 2 weeks

You’ve got this 💪🏼

Time to Reflect:

Cause we need to learn that let that shiz girl my girl

This is a meditation practice + reflection, so give yourself a solid 20 minutes. You’ve got this