My Body's a Toxic Waste Dump?...Ewww, That's Nasty!!

The removal of waste from the human body is not a topic that most people dwell on much; however, one of the first steps to knowing how to take care of your body is to understand how it works.

As people, most of us fight against our bodies on a daily basis. We consume all the wrong things (i.e.: refined sugars, white flour, meats overloaded by antibiotics, etc), we slather every toxic (though heavenly smelling) beauty product onto our skin to be absorbed into our bloodstreams, we do not drink enough water and to top it all off we also do not get enough sleep!

Now, imagine that your body is a small city with each organ being a flourishing factory. As these ‘factories’ thrive they also produce waste which must be disposed of properly or things may start to get a little funky (for lack of better words). Therefore, they employ workers whose job is waste management. Now imagine that these workers don’t take their jobs seriously. Think of all of the gook and muck that would be left behind to further deteriorate and promote illness & disease amongst the other employees and even the neighboring businesses. It would be absolutely disgusting! With this scenario in mind, just as the workers within a factory must labor to keep things up to code by disposing of waste & cleaning properly, we must eat and drink the right things in order for our organs to function effectively by properly disposing of the waste that resides within us. Waste management (on any level) is never a pretty job, but it is so necessary!

There are many ways that our bodies work to remove waste, but there are 4 particular ways which I find very interesting & necessary for folks to know about. Here’s my breakdown:

 SKIN: The Skin is the largest organ on our body. Skin is comprised of numerous blood vessels, pores, nerve endings & sweat glands. Throughout the surface of our skin are about 3 million little pockets called sweat glands which press out perspiration. This perspiration or sweat is particularly used to cool the body, however although sweat is made up of mostly water it also carries waste away and out of the skin.
When toxic products (i.e.: some deodorants & antiperspirants) are rubbed into our skin, they are absorbed and taken into the bloodstream where the toxins can subsequently affect our organs. It is important to pay special attention to the ingredients of which these products are made. Gracing your skin with natural and organic products (especially deodorants, toothpaste and skin care products), drinking 6-8 cups of water/day and even a luxurious massage once a week can help keep your skin healthy & allow for ample toxin removal.

 BOWEL MOVEMENTS: Okay, so we all know that the foods we consume are converted into waste after going through an extensive process within our bodies where nutrients are removed (and put to good use in the body) from the food & the rest is sent off to be purged. Assuming that the average person eats 3 meals/day, then the average person should move their bowels at least 3 times/day as well. Bowel movements are an essential part of a healthy system. When we don’t move our bowels often enough the waste from the foods we consume just sit there, eventually start to rot and can even be reabsorbed within our system. It is this rotting waste that poses so much danger and leads to disease. When this waste is not regularly swept away from our systems, things like colon cancer can begin to brew {Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US}. However, there are tons of little things that we can do to motivate our systems to release this waste like, drinking plenty of water, eating more roughage and consuming less alcohol & over processed foods.

 KIDNEYS:  Kidneys are bean sized organs that help the body to rid itself of waste by processing about 200 quarts of blood (each day) which in turn filters about 2 quarts of waste & excess water. This waste & water combo is removed from the body by way of urination. The kidneys are our body’s natural filtration system and need to be treated with respect. If it were not for the kidneys, waste products would build up in our blood, linger and most certainly lead to death. The most effective ways to keep these vital organs healthy is to drink plenty of water, drink alcohol in moderation (or omit it altogether), be careful of certain OTC drugs (specifically analgesics) and watching out for frequent Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s).


 MENSTRUAL CYCLE:  Menstruation is the natural occurrence within women that normally happens once/month for about 3-5 days. It occurs when the blood, tissue and unfertilized egg leaves the uterus and passes through the vagina in order to exit the body. A women’s menstrual period helps to rid her reproductive organs of waste as blood delivers necessary nutrients to the body then transports the waste away. Since this is a special way in which our body helps to keep things in balance, we should try to avoid introducing foreign objects (ie: Tampons) into our body which may obstruct the flow of our menstrual period. Whenever possible do your best to use sanitary napkins (pads) to control your menstrual flow (also, ensure that the pads are un-fragranced as introducing perfumes to that region of the body can have some very adverse side effects). The body is trying to get rid of this blood for a reason, let it do its job naturally.
I am also aware that some doctors say that having a regular period is not necessary and therefore prescribe drugs like the birth control pill that only allows you to have 1 period/yr. I am very against this! I have nothing against using the pill as a way to take control of our body and when/how many children we bare, but it is important to consider the nature of some of these drugs and the effects that they can have on us as women. Try not to introduce too many hormone laden products into the body (whether it be via birth control pills or certain placenta hair conditioners). Keep it as natural as possible.

Bottom Line: Be good to your body now & it will reward you in the long run.