[tldr]

• There are lots of detoxes out there, and many of them don’t work.
• Your body is wise does a lot of detoxing on its own, but certain chemicals or a higher toxic load make it tough for your body to clear toxins efficiently.
• Here’s what you can do to help your body’s natural detox pathways along.

[/tldr]

It’s no wonder detox diets are so popular. They promise to give you more energy, help you lose weight, and clear up your skin, among other things. You can use a good detox to bounce back from overindulgence, like a sugar binge or having one too many with your friends.

The trouble is, many common detoxes don’t work. Juice and water cleanses, for example, are often counterproductive because they deprive your body of essential nutrients it needs to function.

A good detox protocol can help you eliminate more stubborn toxins by supporting your natural detoxification pathways. Juice isn’t in the answer, but there are plenty of other ways to assist your body without spending a lot of money or a ton of your time.

[readmore title=”See the detox methods checklist”]

What are toxins?

Yes, harmful chemicals are everywhere. Car exhaust, secondhand smoke, flame retardants, plastic packaging, heavy metals, pesticides, exogenous hormones in conventional meat and dairy, BPA-coated receipts… Unless you’re living in a virgin forest, you’re going to come into contact with some less-than-optimal chemicals pretty much every day.

No reason to panic. Your body is wise and does a lot of detoxing on its own. However, certain chemicals or a higher toxic load may make it tough for your body to clear toxins efficiently.

For example, you eliminate most of the bisphenol-A (BPA) and other plastics you ingest, but a small percentage hides away in your fat cells, messing with your hormones and accumulating over time. It’s the same deal with several mold toxins, heavy metals like lead, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and aluminum, and with certain pharmaceuticals and drugs.

Benefits of detox

No one is immune from the toxic load of modern life. From the air you breathe to the food you eat (yes, even when you’re Bulletproof!), supporting your natural detox pathways can lead to some major benefits.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895516″]

• More energy
• Better sleep
• Clear skin[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3748731/”]
• Fewer cravings
• Lower inflammation[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4856809/”]
• Better digestion
• Weight loss[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3610947/”]

1) Sauna for detox

Sweating does more than cool you off. It also helps you get rid of both heavy metals and xenobiotics – foreign compounds like plastics and petrochemicals – in small but significant amounts. A 2012 review of 50 studies found that sweating can remove lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, especially in people with high heavy metal toxicity.[ref url=”http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/#B30″] Another study put participants in both traditional and infrared saunas and found similar results[ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen_Genuis/publication/47701626_Blood_Urine_and_Sweat_BUS_Study_Monitoring_and_Elimination_of_Bioaccumulated_Toxic_Elements/links/5561456c08ae86c06b64aad6.pdf”]. Sweating also eliminates hormone-disrupting BPA, which accumulates in your fat cells.[ref url=”http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/185731/abs/”]

What kind sauna is best for detox?

There’s debate about the best kind of sauna for detox. A couple studies have shown that infrared saunas are the most effective for detoxing, but the research was funded by infrared sauna companies, so take the results with a grain of salt. Both traditional and infrared saunas are effective for detoxing.[ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen_Genuis/publication/47701626_Blood_Urine_and_Sweat_BUS_Study_Monitoring_and_Elimination_of_Bioaccumulated_Toxic_Elements/links/5561456c08ae86c06b64aad6.pdf”] That said, I prefer infrared saunas for a few reasons:

Benefits of infrared saunas:

• They don’t get as hot. Traditional saunas heat the air around you, while infrared light penetrates and heats your tissue directly. You sweat in an infrared sauna at around 130-150 degrees instead of at 180-200 degrees so you can stay in for longer without feeling like you’re going to pass out. I’ve done 2-hour infrared sauna sessions (drinking salt water the whole time to replenish electrolytes and fluids, of course).
• They’re easier on your electric bill. Again, infrared saunas require less energy, especially if you get a sauna that reflects infrared light back on you. This one, for example, costs about 15 cents an hour to run.
• Infrared saunas are usually cheaper. Not only are the generally cheaper than standard saunas, there are tons of different sizes and price points when it comes to infrared saunas.

I personally use a Sunlighten infrared sauna and love it. If you don’t want to buy an infrared sauna and there isn’t one around you, a standard sauna will work perfectly well.[ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen_Genuis/publication/47701626_Blood_Urine_and_Sweat_BUS_Study_Monitoring_and_Elimination_of_Bioaccumulated_Toxic_Elements/links/5561456c08ae86c06b64aad6.pdf”] There’s probably one in your local gym.

Keep in mind that sweating pulls electrolytes and trace minerals from your body, so it’s important to drink a lot of fluids and get plenty of salt (preferably Himalayan pink salt or another mineral-rich natural salt) if you’re going to use a sauna to detox.[ref url=”https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephen_Genuis/publication/47701626_Blood_Urine_and_Sweat_BUS_Study_Monitoring_and_Elimination_of_Bioaccumulated_Toxic_Elements/links/5561456c08ae86c06b64aad6.pdf”]

2) Exercise to flush toxins

Regular exercise is another way to flush toxins from your body, and through more than just making you sweat. Exercise increases lipolysis (the breakdown of fat tissue), releasing toxins stored in your fat tissue. Lipolysis is especially effective when you combine it with liver and kidney support or adsorbents that can suck up the released toxins. This article focuses on all of the above.

Studies show that people who exercise and lose body fat end up with higher levels of circulating hormone disruptors.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11093288″] Increasing lipolysis through diet does the same thing.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16989697″]

Mobilizing toxins isn’t necessarily a good thing, particularly if you’re unequipped to get rid of them. You want to be sure you’re getting rid of toxins, not just moving them to a different part of your body. Working out addresses the issue to a degree: it improves circulation, providing more oxygen to your liver and kidneys so they can better filter out toxins. You can also give your system even more support and pull out bad stuff with the next two detox tools: activated charcoal and glutathione.

3) Activated charcoal to bind toxins

Activated charcoal is a form of carbon that has massive surface area and a strong negative charge. It’s been around for thousands of years and it’s still used in emergency rooms today to treat poisoning.

Charcoal binds to chemicals whose molecules have positive charges, including aflatoxin and other polar mycotoxins,[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6782748″] BPA,[ref url=”http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es0481169″] and common pesticides.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9482427″] Once the chemicals attach to the charcoal you can pass them normally (i.e. poop them out).

Charcoal can bind to the good stuff, too (i.e. vitamins and essential minerals) so I don’t recommend taking it within an hour of other supplements. Try taking a couple charcoal pills along with exercise or have a sauna session. They should absorb many of the toxins you release into your gut and GI tract.

4) Glutathione to protect your cells

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects you from heavy metal damage, according to studies in both human and rat cells.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/#B20″][ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882944/”][ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16513172″][ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20535554″]. This powerful antioxidant also supports liver enzymes that break down mold toxins and heavy metals. Your digestion will destroy normal glutathione, so opt for a liposomal glutathione supplement that makes it through your stomach. You can also supplement with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha-lipoic acid, which your body can use to build glutathione on its own.[ref url=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540061/”] If you have severe heavy metal or mycotoxin poisoning, talk to a naturopath or functional medicine doctor about intravenous (IV) glutathione. It’s expensive and less convenient than an oral supplement, but it works very well.

5) Calcium-D Glucarate for liver support

Calcium D-Glucarate converts to glucaric acid in your body, supporting a crucial detoxification pathway in your liver. Glucaric acid scavenges your body to bind and eliminate unavoidable toxins that would otherwise wreak havoc on your health and performance.

6) Cryotherapy to stimulate mitochondria

We’ve talked about how heat and exercise can increase fat burning to detox your fat cells. It turns out cold can do the same. Cryochambers are gaining popularity with professional athletes and other high performers for their ability to quell inflammation. It turns out they can help you burn fat – and release the toxins stored in it – as well.

A cryochamber uses liquid nitrogen to supercool your body, stimulating mitochondrial function and decreasing inflammation. Intense cold also destroys fat cells, which has led to cryolipolysis therapy as a way to slim down.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26038367″][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4444424/”] You can use it to detox, too.

Can’t get your hands on a cryochamber? Try traditional cold thermogenesis instead.

7) Ketosis for fat flushing

Quick disclaimer: I haven’t found studies specifically looking at ketosis and toxin load, so you may want to take this section with a grain of (Himalayan) salt.  That said, ketosis is a very effective way to induce lipolysis, particularly if you’re fasting.

When you’re in ketosis and you haven’t eaten recently, your body breaks down your fat stores into free fatty acids, which it then converts to ketones for fuel. That means that, in theory, you should be able to supercharge your detox (and fat loss) by dropping into nutritional ketosis.

The Bulletproof Diet puts you into mild ketosis, which curbs your hunger and sharpens your brain without forcing you to forego carbs entirely. If you want to try nutritional ketosis for detoxing, you’ll have to modify the Bulletproof Diet slightly. Skip carb reefed days for a couple weeks and limit carbs to ~30-50 grams per day. You can use keto urine strips or – even better – a blood ketone meter to test and make sure you’re becoming fat-adapted. Once your levels read around 1.5 mg/dL, you’re comfortably in nutritional ketosis. At that point, fasting will attack your fat stores and mobilize toxins, which you can mop up with activated charcoal or sweat out (or both).

8) Chelation therapy for heavy metals

Chelation therapy is the strongest way to detox heavy metals. It can also be dangerous, so many doctors don’t recommend it unless you have moderate to severe heavy metal poisoning. Chelation therapy uses compounds called chelators that form strong bonds with heavy metals, leaving them unable to further poison your body. Chelators mobilize the toxins, and you can either pass them normally or bind them up with adsorbents like activated charcoal. Chelation therapy is very effective for removing lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, iron, and copper.

If you’ve been exposed to a lot of heavy metals, talk to a functional medicine doctor about chelation therapy. You really want to go to a medical professional for this one, because it’s so effective that if your liver and kidneys aren’t able to process the metals (a common problem in people with heavy metal poisoning) you can get seriously ill.

Bulletproof detox protocol

Each of these 8 methods works well on its own, and you can stack methods for an even greater effect. Exercise and sauna sessions are a good example. Preliminary evidence suggests that exercising and then hitting the sauna afterward will detoxify you better than either one alone does. With that in mind, here’s a sample detox protocol:

• Take 500-1,000 mg liposomal glutathione and 2-3 g vitamin C an hour before exercising.
• Take 500-1500 mg of Calcium D-Glucarate daily.
• Exercise for at least 20-30 minutes (HIIT is a good option).
• Take 3-4 activated charcoal pills.
• Spend 45-60 minutes in a sauna. Remember to get plenty of water and salt/electrolytes.

If you have a lot of fat and you’re burning it off quickly, you’re probably getting rid of a lot of toxins at once, and you may get a headache, digestive problems, brain fog, etc. If that happens try taking more glutathione, vitamin C, and charcoal. Be sure you take charcoal at least an hour away from other supplements, as it binds to vitamin C.

Toxins are a fact of modern life, especially if you live in a city or somewhere with poor air quality, mold, and/or a lot of petrochemical byproducts. These detox methods can give your body a little extra support dealing with pollutants and help you perform your best.