8 Tips to Ease Detox Discomfort

Hey everyone, welcome back to my Weekly House Call, your chance to ask me your questions and this week's question is, Hey Dr. Hyman, every time I start a detox, I feel like crap and then I give up. All these foods that are supposed to be making me feel better actually make me feel worse. So what gives? Well it's not an uncommon thing to have the body have a strong reaction when you stop feeding it the processed foods and chemicals and sugar that it's accustomed to or when you get off inflammatory foods or foods that you're addicted to. This is what many call a healing crisis or a detox crisis. You see, most people are trapped by food addictions and these foods have been chemically engineered by the food companies to keep us biologically hooked on their sugary, salty, processed, food-like substances. When you're cleaning out your system of these toxic foods and drinks, Just like any detox, that can sometimes cause uncomfortable reactions, things like feeling achy, flu-like feelings, irritability, nausea, headaches, brain fog, constipation, hunger, itchy skin, fatigue, rashes, even sleep difficulties. Now these things occur also when you get off heroin or cocaine because they're addictive and the same way you have to kind of go through this short period. These symptoms can occur for a lot of reasons. First, eliminating allergies and un-junking the diet causes reactions similar to withdrawal from other addictive substances like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, even heroin. There's also a chemical reaction that happens when you get off allergens or foods that you're sensitive to that gives you a brief flu-like feeling because your immune system's trying to attack all that stuff and there's not there and it creates this big immune reaction. And then you get achy and that can last a day to three days. Also, there's toxins in your gut or digestive tract that can make us feel ill if we don't eliminate them. It's really important. So, you know, I've seen many patients go through this. They kind of get frustrated sometimes in the first few days, but if I warn them, they typically feel better. And they kind of complain that three days, I remember by day three, I had the entire Cleveland Clinic executive team. The CEO asked them to do the 10-day detox and get off of all the sugar and processed food and caffeine. and I actually had to go give a lecture to the whole team on day two or three and boy were they not happy. But then by day five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, they were just ecstatic. They felt great. They had tons of energy. Weight loss was happening. Their brains cleared up. They had no more brain fog. On and on and on. So the good news is that the discomfort usually passes within a short amount of time. And I noticed that the average time it takes to get over this crisis is about 48 hours. First and foremost, give your body time to adjust. If you can do this, I encourage you to start your detox or protocol on the weekend when you have some time off and you can just chill, go to bed, watch Netflix or whatever just to kind of relax. You can also get a really strong negative reaction to detox when you just do severe calorie restricted programs, things like a juice detox or a juice cleanse. That's why I always recommend food-based programs like my 10-day detox diet to avoid detoxifying too quickly. Also, prep days or transition weeks are great to get your body slowly into it and slowly out of it and adjust to eating different kinds of foods. Also make sure you're eating the right kinds of foods. When you cut out the sugar and the flour and the unhealthy carbs, you might find that the cravings start to really kick in. Fat cuts out the cravings, so you have to eat plenty of healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, wild fatty fish that helps keep the cravings away and keeps your energy up. Also be sure to support your body by doing things to help flush out all the toxins, things like a sauna, massage, gentle stretching, yoga, that flushes out your circulation, flushes out your lymphatic system and helps your body detoxify. Also make sure you're pooping. You want your elimination system to be running really well. If you're backed up, so too will the toxins that you're trying to flush out because they all come out through your liver and your bile end up in your poop and if you don't get rid of them, they get reabsorbed and you get really sick. So first and foremost, be sure you're drinking enough water so you clean out your bowels and then try sprinkling ground flax seeds in your salads or smoothies, like a tablespoon or two even. They're high in fiber, they absorb a lot of water and they help you go to the bathroom. Also, if you get stuck, you can take magnesium citrate, which is a special form of magnesium that helps your bowels. It also can help with sleep and aches and pains and stress. I also encourage you to get moving. Exercise is a great way to kickstart your elimination system. If nothing works, none of those things work, well you can take an herbal accident, things like Cascara, Senna, Rhubarb at bedtime for a short time, not too long because you get dependent on it and it's bad. It creates a lazy bowel. There's a few other strategies to reduce your detox symptoms. I'd get naps or 10 minutes of just laying down, close your eyes, breathing, very simple. de-stress. Also, don't wait until you're starving to eat. Balance your blood sugar by eating foods with good quality protein, good quality fats every three to four hours. Have some protein like baked or broiled fish, lean poultry, chicken, meat, beans, all these things can be very helpful to help balance your blood sugar. And most of all, remember that when you clean up your diet and you eliminate those toxic substances that have been holding you back from optimal health and weight, you're going to maybe experience a few withdrawal symptoms. But believe it or not, these symptoms are actually a good thing. As they're a sign your body is detoxifying and your inflammation is cooling down. So don't give up. If your symptoms persist for a longer period of time, it may mean that something deeper is going on. In that case, I recommend the help of a functional medicine doctor or practitioner. But give yourself a few days, 3-4-5 days, that period of adjustment is really common. Usually it's only a day or two. Now I want to hear from you. How did you deal with your healing crisis when you upgraded your diet? What helped? What worked? Share with us below in our comment section or on my Facebook page. And if you like this video, please share it with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. And send your questions to DrHyman.com and maybe next week I'll make a house call to you.