Your mitochondria are largely responsible for turning the food you eat into a form your cells can use. Basically converting your food to energy.
These beautiful, living batteries power nearly everything you do. If they aren’t fully “charged,” or you don’t have enough of them, every bodily process may suffer. What’s so fascinating is that your mitochondria even have their own DNA, separate from the rest of your cells. They can replicate without your cells dividing!
And mitochondria generate the energy needed to support detoxification. They also play a role in immune defense and DNA repair. So, you need them working well to support your detox journey — and to reduce your risk of disease. When your body is experiencing these factors, they can reduce your mitochondrial number and function:
- Pathogens
- Parasites
- Heavy metals
- Medications
- Severe oxidative stress
This is when we start to see hormonal imbalances and thyroid issues.
When you have constipation, a clogged liver, and sluggish lymph, you can’t detox well. If any of these areas are stagnant or clogged prior to detoxification, you risk toxins being reabsorbed into your bloodstream and traveling to other organs. This has the potential to cause serious damage to your health in the long run.
To promote your body’s elimination of toxins, start with drainage. This includes taking steps to make sure you are:
- Having a bowel movement 2–3 times a day
- Getting your bile flowing
- Moving your lymph with supportive herbs and dry skin brushing
- Supporting energy and mitochondrial function
If you nurture all parts of the detox pathways above, then you’ll be better equipped for deeper cleansing and functioning of all of your hormones and metabolic pathways.
