The Art & Science of Detoxification – Part 1: Skin
Learning the art and science of detoxification is key to supporting to your EBV healing journey. In my case, I usually experience the viral flareup after heavily stressful life events (such a grieving loved ones and dealing without childcare during a pandemic in my most recent experience). While my body fights the higher viral load, my physical pathways get bogged up and the viral die-off seems to recirculate and make everything worse. Now that I’ve been through the pattern many times, I notice this is usually the starts of fatigue and brain fog and double-down on detoxing routines to get things moving and prevent a bigger crash.
While I’m not a medical professional, I’m here to share what I’ve learned about the pathways of detoxification and how you can apply rituals in your life. When fighting Epstein-Barr or any other pathogen, it’s important to give your body the support it needs to flush the garbage out. The six key detoxifying pathways are: Skin, Lungs, Kidneys, Digestion, Lymphatic and Liver. These systems work together to rid your body of toxins your skin, breath, stool and urine.
Please, I beg of you, don’t go googling any wild and crazy fad cleanses. Especially you have chronic illness, these kinds of cleanses can be extremely dangerous. It’s important to take small and steady steps forward, being kind and gentle to yourself. You don’t need drastic or expensive measures to make a big difference.
Where to Start:
My favorite place to start is the largest organ of your body: the skin. Detoxifying through the skin is easy and feels great! Here are my favorite Skin Detoxing tips:
Daily sweating – this can be done with exercise, infrared saunas or even just a super hot bath (sitting in the bath to let the top half of your body sweat it out). Make sure to shower immediately after or your skin will reabsorb the junk.
Hydrate Well – If you are going to “sweat it out,” you need to make sure your body is well hydrated. I aim for two liters of filtered water each day. (If you find yourself feeling super sluggish or getting faint headaches, electrolytes can be beneficial. I love LMNT.)
Daily dry skin brushing – this is nice to do either first thing in the morning (pre-shower) or right before bed when you are already undressing. The technique is fairly straightforward – you simply brush your skin in long strokes toward your heart. Here’s my favorite long-handle brush.
Detoxifying facial mask – given these only cover a small area, I don’t find them particularly helpful on a systemic level, but they always feel nice and leave my face feeling better than ever. My personal favorite is the Beautycounter Counter+ Charcoal Facial Mask
Daily Epsom Baths – my VERY favorite self care ritual. Make sure you get regular Epsom salt, with no additives. If you really want a fragrance, simply add a drop of a skin-safe organic essential oil. Personally, I avoid additional fragrance when I’m feeling like my system needs a break. The most common mistake is to use too little salt - you need about 1-2 cups per bath.
Cut the Junk - Speaking of giving your skin a break, this is a good moment to consider the things you put onto your skin. Especially if your body is struggling to detoxify, reconsider your deodorant, body lotions, oils and even makeup and facial care. (I call this “Pre-Toxing” and will share more in a series to come.)
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