What comes to mind when you think of the word “detox”?

Air pollution. Dirty water. Contaminated food.

Toxins are the “bad things” that get into your body. Detoxing is how you remove them.

You probably then think of juices and juicing as a way to “cleanse” your body. Or fasting. Or a specific, restricted diet. Or air purifiers. Or enemas. Or exercise. Or even meditation.

These are all ways to detox. But what if you could just take a pill and help detox your body – without having to do all these things? If so, I have good news for you. That pill does exist – and you’ll learn about it soon enough; but first a bit of background info…

What can toxins do to you and your body? They can cause:

Cancer. Neurological disorders. Alzheimer’s disease. Fatigue. Nausea. Abnormal heart rhythm. Damage to blood vessels. Impaired fetal brain development. Reproductive disorders. Chloracne. Skin rashes. Skin discoloration. Parkinson’s disease. Miscarriage. Nerve damage. Birth defects. Endocrine system damage. Eye irritation. Headaches. Memory impairment. Scarring of the lung tissue. Mesothelioma. Sore throat. Coughing. Eye irritation. Rapid breathing. Narrowing of the bronchi. Wheezing. Blue coloring of the skin. Pain in the lung region. Lung collapse. Reproductive damage. Birth defects. Dizziness. Fatigue. And more…

Where do the toxins come from?

Drinking water. Fish. Farm-raised salmon. Vaccines. Pesticides. Preserved wood. Antiperspirant. Building materials. Dental amalgams. Chlorine plants. Animal fats. Bug sprays. Commercially raised meats. Foods. Plastic. Paint. Deodorants. Cosmetics. Dry cleaned clothing. Flooring insulation. Ceilings. Water pipes. Heating ducts. Household cleaners.

What if you dig deeper? What are these toxins?

Heavy metals. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Dioxins. Pesticides. Pthalates. VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Asbestos. Chlorine. Chloroform. Lead. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Arsenic. Cadmium. Non-metallic inorganics. Synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs). Radioactive materials. Chlorine and its by-products. Fluoride.

What’s the solution to ridding yourself of all of these toxins?

Unfortunately the honest answer to that question is: it depends. It really depends on your situation and the source of your toxins. Ideally you want to remove the toxins from your environment – or remove yourself from the toxic environment. That means that you avoid putting toxic things in your body – especially by way of what you eat and what you drink.

After removing the toxins, you still have to address the toxins that get into your body – because, let’s face it, in our ever-increasing toxic lifestyles, there’s no way to completely avoid toxins.

If you want to do a proper detox, you can read my article about my experience doing a 3-month detox program by Dr Daniel Pompa and Ben Greenfield.

But that’s not why you’re here. You want the easy solution. You just want to pop a pill…

Your simple detox solution

This solution has been used by traditional healers since at least 1500 B.C. when it was mentioned as a remedy for so-called unpleasant intestinal odors.

In modern medicine it is typically used to treat accidental poisoning with toxic chemicals and can also be used as an effective remedy in cases of food poisoning.

It’s non-toxic and can be purchased at most drug and grocery stores.

So what is this magical pill? It’s activated charcoal.

How does activated charcoal work?

You can think of it as a kind of sponge that adsorbs toxins. Thus, when you eat something that may be toxic, it binds to the activated charcoal and bypasses digestion that would otherwise absorb the toxins into your body.

But isn’t that what my liver is for?

Sure, your liver’s job is to do this detoxification. But think of charcoal as an additional filter that relieves your liver and kidneys of their responsibilities to have to detox everything.

Activated charcoal works well as a tool in general detoxification to remove toxins from low quality, processed food and some environmental contaminants.

What are the other benefits of activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal is also used to aid in digestion issues, gas, bad breath, body odor, skin ailments, bloating, heart health, and anti-aging.

When should you take activated charcoal?

whenever you eat out at restaurants or eat low quality foods like processed junk foods

when you drink bad coffee

when you drink alcohol

if you suddenly feel stomach upset, tired or moody

to clean your teeth

But…remember not to take activated charcoal with prescription medications

How do I use activated charcoal?

I use it as part of Dr Pompa’s True Cellular Detox program every evening just before bed. And whenever I know I’ve consumed something toxic – like processed food or alcohol. And whenever I have gas or upset stomach.

And, once again, if you want a more complete detox program and my experience with it, check out my article on Ben Greenfield and Dr Daniel Pompa’s True Cellular Detox.

What do you use to detox? Or what do you use activated charcoal for?