Detox is a trendy term, and “cleansing” regimens abound. But many people go about it the wrong way, leaving them feeling worse than when they started. When considering all the toxins people pick up in the air, water, and food — not to mention the ones generated by unwelcome microbes — your instinct may be to detox as fast as possible. (1)

But that approach to detox could backfire. It’s crucial to support the body’s pathways for toxin elimination first to help effectively remove toxins from the body. Think of the body as a vast city. Each house is like one of the cells. What if every homeowner took the garbage out, yet the trash was never collected? It would pile up and create problems.

The same thing could happen in the body. If you start pulling toxins out, but there’s no place for these toxins to go, they pile up. And that could heighten the very symptoms you are trying to improve. Below is the drainage funnel — the order in which the body moves fluids to remove toxins. As a healthcare practitioner, you’ll also get a clearer understanding of why it’s so important to have drainage pathways open before ramping up detox. Keep the following graphic of the drainage funnel in mind as you read:

The Colon

The large intestine or colon is at the bottom of the drainage funnel. If the colon is backed up, everything upstream from it can become backed up as well. That can happen when constipated. 

If people are constipated, they’re not efficiently removing the wastes and toxins their body needs to clean out. Pushing detox without first supporting this drainage pathway can set you back. (2)

You can explain constipation is like a waste processing plant in a city that doesn’t empty its tanks. Similarly, if you try to force upstream detox when the outflow isn’t moving, issues will pile up. 

So, you need to poop regularly. That makes room for wastes and toxins that are upstream to flow downward for elimination via stools.

If you are trying to detox and restore their health, they need to poop two or three times a day. That doesn’t mean watery stools but gentle elimination without straining.

Some ways for you to support regular elimination are:

  • Bowel-moving herbs: Ginger root, aloe vera leaf, and other intestinal-moving herbs help stimulate the movement of your gut contents. That helps combat constipation. 
  • Carbon Technology: Made from natural extracts of fulvic and humic acid, Carbon Technology binds toxins so you can eliminate them. These unique carbons also may promote a healthy microbiome. That could encourage regular elimination as well. 
  • Fiber-rich diets: Fiber bulks up the stools, making elimination easier. Good sources of fiber in a healthy diet are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other plant-based foods. Foods that may cause constipation are alcohol, gluten, processed grain, dairy products, red meat, and fried or fast foods. (9, 10) 
  • Physical activity: To help combat constipation, make sure you are moving your body regularly. Even gentle forms of exercise, such as walking and qigong, may help. (11) 
  • Regular hydration: A shortfall in fluid intake could contribute to constipation. Be sure that you drink plenty of water and other healthy beverages. (12)

If you have had a long history of significant constipation, you’re initially looking for progress — not necessarily perfection. If you are stuck and showing little improvement over time, you may need to address other factors, such as parasites. These critters are often at the root of constipation since they influence their host’s body and interfere with the colon to lessen healthy bowel movements. (13) 

Since the colon is a major detox organ, all of this is part of efforts to stay within their host and avoid elimination.

Liver and Bile Ducts

 Just above the colon in the drainage funnel are the liver and bile ducts. The liver is like the reservoirs that collect the wastewater from the entire town. The liver works to separate the water and wastes, and then the water can be cleaned and sent back to the houses for reuse. 

As for the waste, the liver filters toxins from the blood and processes them for elimination. These are then deposited in the bile. 

The bile is released through the common bile duct into the small intestine during digestion. Some of the bile is caught up in stools and eliminated. That helps lower the toxin level in the body. (14)

Overall, it’s a good system. But sometimes harmful factors disrupt it.

Blocked bile ducts

Just like the drains in the home can get clogged, so can the bile ducts. As a result, toxins and bile acids can stagnate and accumulate in the liver, potentially damaging the organ. (15, 16, 17, 18)

On top of that, stagnation breeds sickness. If you are not moving toxins out efficiently, these toxins can contribute to chronic illness. (18)

Several factors can lead to bile duct inflammation, damage, narrowing, and blockages. Some of these triggers include:

  • Bacteria: Several types of bacteria, including Klebsiella and Pseudomonas, may invade the bile ducts. This can lead to inflammation and obstruction of these tubes. (19) 
  • Drugs: Certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and antidepressants — among several other types of drugs — can disrupt bile flow. (20, 21, 22, 23)
  • Excess estrogen: Increased estrogen levels — such as from birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy — may increase your risk of gallstones. And those can lead to bile duct blockages. (24, 25, 26)
  • Parasites: Parasitic worms — including Ascaris lumbricoides (a roundworm) and Fasciola hepatica (a liver fluke) — can obstruct the bile ducts. (18)
  • Toxins: Glyphosate and other chemical toxins can trigger reduced bile production and flow, according to animal studies. Do what you can right now to limit your toxin exposure, such as encouraging them to choose organic foods more often. You can also recommend they take binders designed to bind chemical toxins, like HM-ET Binder. (19, 27, 28)
  • Viruses: Some hepatitis and herpes virus infections can cause bile duct inflammation and the destruction of the bile ducts. (19)

Sometimes the inflammation and scarring caused by the above factors result in dysfunction of the sphincter of Oddi.

Blocked liver

Where does the toxin-laden bile go if the liver and bile ducts are backed up? If it can’t flow down through the drainage funnel, it could flow out into the tissues and organs instead. That could lead to uncomfortable symptoms and may damage other organs. (29, 30)

When the liver can’t push bile into the bowels, a “trapdoor” opens to release it into the bloodstream. The toxic bile acids may end up in other organs, including the: (31, 32)

  • Kidneys
  • Lungs
  • Skin

This can damage the linings of the lungs and kidneys, including delicate tubes in the organs. That may be due to increased levels of damaging free radicals and inflammation. (29, 30, 33)

In the skin, bile acids can trigger pruritus or itchy and inflamed skin. This may be due in part to the activation of mast cells, immune cells that release histamine and cause itching. (33, 34, 35, 36)

If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may think that they should jump to liver support. But remember the order of the drainage funnel and make sure that they are pooping first. That way when they start moving bile, it will have somewhere to go.

The sphincter of Oddi malfunction

The body has a muscular valve called the sphincter of Oddi that controls the release of bile into the small intestine. Its unusual name comes from a medical student, Ruggero Oddi. He identified the valve back in the late 1800s. (37)

Not only can scarring interfere with this valve, but so can a shortfall of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). Besides its importance for the thyroid, thyroxine also triggers the sphincter of Oddi to relax and enables bile to flow through. (38, 39, 40) 

If you don’t have enough thyroxine — such as in hypothyroidism — the sphincter of Oddi may not open when it should. As a result, toxins and bile acids could back up in the liver and bile ducts. (38, 41)

Hypothyroidism may increase your risk of gallstones as well. When bile isn’t moving as it should, the cholesterol in it becomes more concentrated. When that happens, it’s more likely to crystallize and form stones. (38, 42)

So, how can you prevent such glitches in this vital part of their drainage funnel?

Promoting liver and bile duct drainage

Avoid toxins building up in the liver and bile ducts. Ways you can aid this part of their drainage funnel include:

  • Advanced TUDCA: Also known as tauroursodeoxycholic acid, TUDCA is a protective bile acid that may help improve bile flow and guard against bile duct damage. Check out Advanced TUDCA to maximize your liver and digestive health. (43, 44)
  • Coffee enemas: These are an age-old tool for liver detox. Do a coffee enema, which could encourage your bile ducts to dilate, supporting the release of bile. (45)
  • CT-Iodine: Humans need this trace mineral to make thyroid hormones, including thyroxine. An important nutrient, CT-Iodine is also used as part of the protocol. This tells the sphincter of Oddi to relax, releasing bile into the digestive tract. (46)
  • CT-Minerals: Plant-based minerals, such as selenium and magnesium, can support liver detoxification. With over 69 naturally occurring, plant-derived trace minerals and twelve amino acids, CT-Minerals is highly bioactive and can perform numerous biochemical and metabolic detoxification functions. (14, 47)
  • KL Support: KL Support contains herbs such as milk thistle, parsley, and ginger to support liver and kidney function, which is essential to any detox protocol. (48, 49, 50, 51)
  • Zinc: This crucial trace mineral supports liver detoxification. Zinc may also help protect the liver cells from damage. (14, 52)

These supportive strategies for your liver and bile ducts will help prepare them for a smoother detox journey.

Lymphatic System

The next step up in the drainage funnel is the lymphatic system. Though often overlooked and neglected, it’s of vital importance. The lymphatic system includes a network of vessels that drain fluids from body tissues. (53)

This system also covers most of the body. Rich lymphatic vessel networks supply the skin dermis and mucosal membranes covering major organs, including the respiratory tract, nasopharyngeal cavity, intestine, mesentery, diaphragm, heart, and lungs. (54)

Recent updates in research also show that the lymphatic vessels play more of an active role in major physiological and pathophysiological processes rather than a passive one. (54)

Blood vessels “leak” fluid into the tissues — several liters a day. One of the lymphatic system’s jobs is to collect the fluid and return it to the blood. But first, the lymph nodes filter out bacteria, toxins, and viruses so immune cells can deal with them. (55)

Unfortunately, the lymph doesn’t always flow as much as needed. Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymph has no pump like the heart pushing it where it needs to go. (55)

Poor lymphatic movement results in tissue swelling. If you ever had fluid buildup in their ankles, you’ll know what this lymph stagnation looks like. (56)

Sluggish lymph movement is also linked to increased cellulite, as the lymph can get “stuck” in fat tissue. This is particularly common in women. (57, 58)

Some ways to support the lymphatic portion of their drainage funnel are:

  • Herbs: Certain herbs support lymphatic flow or promote lymphatic system function in other ways. LymphActiv has essential herbs, such as astragalus and burdock root, within the supplement to support lymphatic drainage. (59, 60)
  • Massage: you can also move their lymph by getting a lymphatic massage. In the Ayurvedic tradition, a dry brushing self-massage technique is thought to help move lymph. This technique involves using a stiff brush to stroke the skin towards the heart. (61, 62)
  • Movement: Physical activity, such as going for a walk, helps move lymph. Because there’s no pump for the lymphatic system, a key way the fluid moves is by the muscles contracting. (63) 
  • Sauna: Sitting in a far-infrared sauna “warms up” the lymphatic fluid and helps get it flowing better. Start with just a few minutes and build up their time slowly. (64)

Organs and Tissues

Above the lymphatic system in the drainage funnel are the organs and tissues. The brain is a key focus here. It doesn’t have a true lymphatic system. Instead, it clears cellular wastes and fluids from the brain through the glymphatic system. (65)

The glymphatic system is a recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system that also facilitates brain-wide distribution of several compounds such as glucose, lipids, and amino acids. Researchers have also found that this system functions mainly during sleep. This then helps enable the elimination of potential neurotoxic waste from the body. (65, 66)

Keeping with the garbage analogy, the glymphatic network in the brain works like a fleet of garbage trucks, collecting the waste in a city. Then the garbage is delivered to the lymphatic system for removal. (67, 68)

The caveat is that waste removal in the brain mainly happens when people sleep. During the day, the brain is busy processing information, so garbage collection is a low priority. (69, 70)

Adequate sleep is the best way to support this part of the drainage funnel. Sleep is like fuel for all those little garbage trucks in the brain. Possible signs that the brain isn’t draining well are brain fog, headaches, and memory issues. (68, 70, 71)

Make sure you are supporting their brain’s glymphatic drainage by getting enough sleep. Most experts recommend at least seven hours of sleep per night. As practitioners, make sure you are getting an adequate amount of sleep to help with the elimination of waste products. (72)

Cells

The cells are at the very top of the drainage funnel. Cells are like houses in a city. Each home has waste products from tubs, toilets, and trash cans. The cells have toxins and other wastes they need to get rid of too. 

Some of the wastes or toxins the cells accumulate come from external sources. These include air pollutants, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and pesticides. These toxins may cause mitochondrial dysfunction, so you need to get rid of them. (73)

The mitochondria generate the energy needed to support detoxification. They also play a role in immune defense and DNA repair. So, people need them to work well to support the detox journey — and to reduce the risk of disease. (74, 75, 76, 77)

However, the solution isn’t for you to push the detoxification of contaminants on the first day of their detox journey. If all the drainage pathways aren’t flowing, ramping up detox isn’t wise. 

Upregulating detox without first supporting drainage would be like setting out the garbage several days before the neighborhood’s trash collection on a hot summer day. The waste would sit and stagnate, stinking up the community. 

So, it’s important to lay the right groundwork to start detoxing and healing at the cellular level. That means tackling the drainage funnel from the bottom up, which ultimately impacts the cells. 

To further support the cells, consider having you take polyelectrolyte extracts of fulvic acid. Products such as BC-ATP help support mitochondrial function and promote the mitochondria’s ability to supply energy for drainage and detox. Just remember to go slow when starting mitochondrial support.

Stagnation Breeds Sickness

If your health is less than optimal, starting with drainage is the right track to detox. As toxins stagnate in the body, the toxins could wreak havoc clear down to the cellular level, which could lead to dysfunction and disease. Remember, stagnation breeds sickness. 

When people have constipation, a clogged liver, and sluggish lymph, they can’t detox well. If any of these areas are stagnant or clogged prior to detoxification, risk toxins being reabsorbed into their bloodstream and travel to other organs. This has the potential to cause serious damage to their health in the long run.

To promote the elimination of toxins, start with drainage. This includes you taking these actions:

  • Having 2–3 bowel movements a day 
  • Getting the bile flowing, such as with the help of TUDCA 
  • Maintaining normal sphincter Oddi function, including getting enough iodine
  • Moving the lymph with lymphatic-supportive herbs 
  • Supporting energy and mitochondrial function with polyelectrolyte extracts of fulvic acid

If you nurture all parts of the drainage funnel, they’ll be better equipped for deeper cleansing.