Scientific medical doctors believe this whole toxin business is junk medicine. When I get chemotherapy, I do take in toxins. The drugs themselves are toxic in various ways. One of them was neurotoxic and it caused nerve damage in my extremities. What do I do to get them out of me ASAP? Drink water. Lots of water. That's it.
Our bodies are very good at cleansing themselves of various toxic chemicals, not so good at cleansing itself of others. What the various herbal therapies do is make herbal therapy sellers a profit. The colon cleansing crowd are even worse because frequent enemas can weaken the colon's ability to perform peristalsis and it removes the mucous on the walls of the colon which serves to protect it and help move poop down the chute smoothly. An enema every once in a while won't harm you but some people go two or three times a week and that is bad.
Your colon, when it's not digesting food, is really quite clean. It's designed to do a job and it does that job very well.
If you have a good diet, exercise adequately, and watch your intake of foods (like some fish) which can carry heavy metals and real toxins, then you're doing enough. That doesn't mean that everyone does well on the same diet. Heredity and other factors can cause negative reactions to certain food. Some people are lactose or gluten intolerant, for example. I'm a big believer in following cravings. If you crave something, it's because your body wants something from that particular food though that isn't always for the best. Sugar junkies find themselves craving sugar when deprived of it and they'll feel tired and foggy for a few days until their body adjusts to the lack of sugar in the diet. After chemo I'm anemic and find myself craving red meat and other iron-rich foods. I hate spinach and usually only eat red meats once in a blue moon, but after chemo I find they taste much better than I usually find them. That's my body wanting more iron. Similarly, I try to take in good foods like ginger and garlic, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and fruit, red peppers, mushrooms, monosaturated fats, nuts, and whole grains. That didn't prevent me from getting cancer, but they did slow its progress. Now, after chemotherapy, I have to be careful to not eat high anti-oxidant foods because anti-oxidants help preserve all cells, the good and the bad. Since chemo seeks to destroy bad cells, I don't want to counteract their effect by eating foods which prevent the chemo from working. It's complicated.
The problem with all the detox claims is that none of them are backed by evidence that they actually do what they say. Flushing out your colon doesn't seem to do any good. Neither does massage or yoga or sauna or reiki or foot pads! These practices and products might make you feel better, but they don't rid your body of toxic chemicals. Some of the practices, like yoga, do help keep your joints healthy by keeping them limber and promote the production of synovial fluids. Massage can help releax muscles, ease pain, and promote blood flow to extremities (which is healing in itself). A good sweat can help open pores and, followed by a good exfoliating treatment, reduce blemishes. But none of them have ever proven that they can help your body rid itself of toxic chemicals.
That's not to say vegan diets are bad. They can be very healthy for you and there is evidence to show reduced incidents of some cancers. If you love the way a massage feels or you want to get an enema every other month or so, or if you feel reiki aligns your chakras, then by all means do them! They can give you plenty of psychological and physical benefits which promote good health.... but they won't leech bad chemicals out of your body as much as drinking enough water to keep your urine clear.
