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 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
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:
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.
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.
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
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.
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….
Drink water with lemon within 30 minutes of rising
Get sunlight on your skin within 30 minutes of rising
Take 5-10 minutes to meditate
Have a *smart* cup of caffeine
Have a savory breakfast
Bring in a serving of cruciferous veggies x day
Eat 2 Tbsp seeds x day
Have a lil citrus during the day
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
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