Frontline Health

#121 - From Toxins To Balance: Rethinking Detoxification

• Troy Duell

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We reset how we think about detox by showing how the liver, kidneys, and lungs already do the work and how simple changes help them do it better. No crash cleanses or extreme regimens, just steady support with sleep, hydration, nutrients, and smart supplementation.

• what detoxification really means and why it is continuous
• the liver’s two-phase pathway and nutrient needs
• everyday exposures that strain detox systems
• kidney filtration, hydration, and electrolyte balance
• the lungs’ role in removing CO2 and irritants
• practical habits that reduce load and improve function
• a three-month plan to support liver, kidney, and lungs
• how breathwork and better air quality aid recovery
• why gentle support beats aggressive flushing

Visit www.centurion.health to learn more about safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA
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SPEAKER_00:

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I'm I'm very grateful too of what the FDA is currently doing by actually looking at some of those food additives that we know are not good for us. As a matter of fact, Europe is way ahead of us and they've outlawed quite a few of these that we're continuing to use. Because the amazing thing is the average person is exposed to about tens of thousands of synthetic chemicals over a lifetime, which the liver has to process those chemicals and it starts to be a drag. And then if you add in not just those things that we come in contact with on a daily basis or through our food, but if you add in alcohol or you add in those ultra-processed foods and medications, then the liver really starts to get strained and it becomes an issue.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Frontline Health Podcast, where we share health news, tips, and insights to help you take ownership of your health. If you're listening to this one in the new year or prior to the start of the new year, chances are you're getting you're thinking about one word that gets thrown around a lot right now, and that is detoxification.

SPEAKER_01:

Detox certainly seems to be just about everywhere. You've got the detox teas, detox cleanses, detox challenges. And really, because there are so many, it can be a little overwhelming and even a little confusing on what actually works.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I think a lot of people think of the word detox as like this extreme reset, this almost unnatural process that you have to impose on your body. Like you've got to do these things where you suffer for a week, you're drinking weird liquids that you don't normally drink, you're flushing things out of your system that have been stuck there. But today we're really going to talk about how it actually is a natural process that we can support that your body is already doing.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. And it doesn't really have to be much more than that. And we don't want to get too complicated with it. So looking forward to talking about this today.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, today we're really going to slow down and break down exactly what detoxification means, how your body's already doing it every single day. And we're going to talk about three major systems that do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to detoxification in your body. And that's your liver, your kidneys, and your lungs.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and really what we're going to concentrate on after we go through that is kind of the supplements that can help support those systems. It's not going to replace them, it's not going to do some magic, but it's really going to support those systems to get your body in the best place to really detoxify itself and give you the best New Year's health reset that you can possibly have.

SPEAKER_00:

Really interesting stuff. Let's jump right in. So, Troy, to start with, when people say I need to detox, what are they usually thinking? And what does detoxification actually mean?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I think most people, when they think of detox, they're thinking about removing any toxins they may have in their body that have been built up, that maybe have gotten stuck in there. But in reality, what we're talking about is how the body works to kind of identify, process, and eliminate those substances that it doesn't want or doesn't need and try to keep us in the best health possible.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and we know this is a process that is happening constantly in our bodies.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And I think one of the things that is most important is our sleep. So we know that sleep is a reset for our bodies, for our minds, but it also happens while you're eating, while we're breathing, uh, and it happens all year long, not just at the new year time. So it's something we need to be cognizant of through throughout the year.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and it's something that our bodies are designed to do. They already have a detox system built in.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. So uh a good approach to detox is really not trying to override the system, but in uh the best kind of way to do it is how do we support it? Uh, especially when we have so many things going on around us, so many different diets, and kind of on the go, we need to figure out ways that we can support that detox system for our body to be as healthy as possible.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I think it's really interesting how aware people are now of how many toxins we're exposed to in our environments, right? Processed foods are a topic that come up all uh the time when people are thinking about exposing their body to things that we don't need. Alcohol, as we were discussing even before we started recording today, Gen Z is moving away from alcohol because people are becoming aware of some of the negative effects. We have lots of medications people are now aware that have additives that we don't really want, environmental toxins, poor air quality, and even things like stress in our lives.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, all those things certainly have an impact. And one that that we didn't mention that I I continue to blow my mind every time we think about it are the microplastics and understanding that you've got a credit card sized uh or plastic the size of a credit card in our brain. So we are definitely being introduced to a lot of those things, and we have an increased load on all those detox organs because of everything that's there. And when we get overwhelmed and our body starts to get stressed out, you can feel it through getting lower energy, through that brain fog and not being able to think right. You get bloating, uh, you can't sleep as well. And a lot of times you have the inflammation that goes along with it as well.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so when we're talking about detoxing, we're not talking about punishing your body and just filling it with these things that are nasty and that are make you suffer. We're talking about supporting the natural systems that are in your body to do what your body was meant to do, which is get rid of things that don't belong.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. And I think it all starts with the liver because we know the liver is the body's main detox organ and it continues to work. Everything that we take in, everything we consume, goes through the liver, and our blood goes through the liver, obviously, to help do that. And it performs about 500 different things which relate directly or indirectly to detoxification itself.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I don't know if I on an individual level can uh can complete 500 known functions. Uh, it's pretty wild to think about one organ doing all of that work.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh absolutely, and you know, everything that we eat, drink, or absorb, including medications, especially medications, they're actually going through our liver. So alcohol puts a serious strain on our liver. Food additives and then other environmental chemicals also pass through the liver first, and that's the first wave of detoxification that we're talking about. So keeping your liver healthy is super important.

SPEAKER_00:

So you say that all of these things get they pass through our liver. Can you explain what exactly is happening here and what the liver is doing to remove those toxins?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so basically the liver's having it, having all these substances pass through it and is breaking it down into a form that our body can either eliminate or absorb in order for it to be beneficial to our body or to be uh thrown out of our body and eliminated. And really, there are two phases to this detox process.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, could you go into that a little bit for us?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so phase one uh really is using enzymes. And you may have heard, or other people may have heard of the cytochrome P450 system. That's one that if you read any of your uh medications and some of the side effects or places where it's metabolized, you always see this P450 system. Whenever you see that, you know that it's going to be a strain on the liver as you're reading it. And what ultimately it's trying to do is um it's trying to remove those um toxins from your system. And it's the first place that it comes in, those enzymes come in and start to attack those toxins that the body thinks is a toxin, then turns it into a form that hopefully we can eliminate.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that sounds sounds bad if things are not working well in that phase two process or that phase one process.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so then phase two, uh, which you just mentioned, is really where the liver attaches some of those broken down compounds to molecules like glutathione, amino acids, and sulfur. So they can then be excreted through the bile or through urine or even through uh just uh fecal matter. So you're trying to get rid of it all.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so we know just like any other organ in the body, the liver needs certain nutrients to be able to perform its function of detoxification here. What happens if someone is not getting the nutrients that they that their liver needs to be able to perform this process of detoxification?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so if they're not getting the nutrients they need, then some of those toxins can actually linger longer than they should in the body. And over time, we know that if those nutrients or uh those toxins stay in your body, then you're gonna have increased stress. Uh, you're gonna have increased inflammation, you'll have hormones that start to get disrupted, and you could even have some metabolic issues, which certainly cause lots and lots of problems for us all.

SPEAKER_00:

And this is making me so grateful uh for a healthy liver as we talk about these things right now. Um, I mean, we've already mentioned it, but modern life is just not easy on the liver, especially this time of year when we're consuming things knowingly that uh that we know are not too good for our body. And without the liver, we might not be able to enjoy the holidays as much as we should, uh, or even be able to like sustain a healthy life with all of the toxins we're exposed to on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I'm I'm very grateful too of what the FDA is currently doing by actually looking at some of those food additives that we know are not good for us. As a matter of fact, Europe is way ahead of us and they've outlawed quite a few of these that we're continuing to use, because the amazing thing is the average person is exposed to about tens of thousands of synthetic chemicals over a lifetime, which the liver has to process those chemicals and it starts to be a drag. And then if you add in not just those things that we come in contact with on a daily basis or through our food, but if you add in alcohol or you add in those ultra-processed foods and medications, then the liver really starts to get strained and it becomes an issue.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and this makes you know so much sense. One of the big problems that we solve with a lot of our different products that we have here at Centurion Health are for people who have a lack of energy. They feel sluggish, they have brain fog, they have inflammation that they're constantly dealing with. And understanding all of this really helps that make a lot of sense.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I think the more you understand it and the more you put the pieces together to help support that uh liver detox pathway that we just talked about, either uh phase one or phase two, then it's gonna help the liver uh function in the best way it possibly can and hopefully keep up with the demand that the liver has been put under and make it a little bit healthier for them.

SPEAKER_00:

That is great information. Thank you for sharing that. Um let's shift gears. And we've been talking about the liver and its role in detoxification, how it does the heavy lifting. We know that your kidneys are also involved, particularly when it comes to fluid balance and filtration.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, the kidneys are probably the second most um utilized organ in our bodies when it comes to detoxification. Your kidneys are filtering about 150 to 100 liters of blood per day, which is close to 50 gallons. So you think about that big 50-gallon trash can, and that's how much blood is inside that 50-gallon trash can that your kidneys are going through each and every day. So they are constantly working for sure.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's insane. I didn't realize I had that many gallons of anything in my body.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yeah, um, so the the good thing is your kidneys are cycling it several times. You don't have 50 gallons of blood in your body, but you do have the amount of blood that cycles through there the equivalent of 50 gallons per day. And it's looking your kidneys really are all about taking out urea, creatinine, any excess minerals, medications, anything like that that may cause some issues, but it's trying to leave in those things that are really beneficial for us. So they're not just flushing things out. They're not. It's really about if your kidneys are working well, it's gonna kind of create a balance for you. So it's gonna balance out the electrolytes, it's gonna balance the pH in your body, uh, hopefully help with blood pressure and your fluid levels. So, really, what it's doing from a detox standpoint is it's creating an exit route for some of those things that you may have too much of, which is why if you uh have lots of vitamins in the morning, especially vitamins that aren't necessarily bioavailable and getting into your bloodstream, then you will end up being a golden yellow because you're getting rid of all those extra nutrients that your body doesn't need.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. So when the kidneys are not working optimally, if that filtration that you're talking about slows down, what problems do we have?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well, I mean, obviously those waste products are gonna start to accumulate in our body. And when that happens, we know that studies show kidney uh if you have reduced ability of your kidney to flush all those toxins, the same thing happens that you have with the liver. You're gonna have more fatigue, you can have more inflammation and swelling, you'll have some changes in your blood pressure, and you'll have more metabolic stress on your body even before someone has been diagnosed with kidney, kidney disease.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. Yeah, this is this is super interesting. Um, talking about what we put into our bodies and how it affects these organs and processes, we know that hydration is really important for the kidneys to be able to do their jobs. Can you explain the role that hydration plays here with the kidneys filtering these substances in your body?

SPEAKER_01:

It is huge because even just a little bit of dehydration, dehydration can really affect the filtration efficiency of your body or of your kidneys because, and it's kind of interesting. It seems like of late we've become much more attuned to needing the right minerals, the right electrolytes, everything along those lines, which is super important because if you're dehydrated, your mineral balance will be out, you start to get affected inflammation levels, and you start to have greater oxidative stress on your body because of poor kidney health.

SPEAKER_00:

Hmm. This explains why people who maybe do some type of detox that does not involve getting the appropriate hydration or minerals that they need can actually make them feel worse.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, ultimately what you're wanting is you want your kidney to perform the best way possible. You don't want this aggressive flushing that's going on, but instead you want that gentle filtration that your kidney was designed to do.

SPEAKER_00:

Because as we know, your kidneys are constantly working, trying to do the work of detox 24-7, not just when you decide that you want to go on your new year detox.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right. Because we know that if it's supported well, ultimately your kidneys are going to work and function much, much better.

SPEAKER_00:

Wonderful. Well, let's move on to the final system that we want to talk about today that is uh often very overlooked when it comes to detoxification and especially relevant probably for a lot of people today who are taking things in that they shouldn't be that are harmful, uh, and that is the lungs.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, the lungs are super, super important. And most people don't think of breathing as that detoxification role, but that's really one of the first places that we start to get around certain toxins, and we have to be careful of that because ultimately your lungs are taking in something, and it's taking out the waste and leaving you with the good stuff that you're putting into your blood.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, right. It's it's something that we learn in elementary school science class. We're taking in that oxygen, we're breathing out carbon dioxide as a waste product. So we know this, we just don't necessarily think about it as detoxification.

SPEAKER_01:

That is very true. That's right. CO2 is produced every time our cells generate that energy. And if it doesn't get removed, then it can affect our blood, it can affect oxygen levels, and it can really affect our metabolic function overall.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so this isn't something that you can opt out of, right? We we breathe to survive, and as we're doing that, your body is constantly detoxing.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, most people who opt out of this um don't fare well um with life. So it pretty much ends life at that point. So yeah, you also have to remember when you go into a very dusty place, uh, you can take in those contaminants. You go into a place that maybe has some uh chemicals or fumes, which is why it's so important to wear masks if you're around um VO2 uh type things that are putting off emitting lots of strong odors and fragrances, fragrances. They can be super, super um damaging to our lungs. You know, even smoke. If you take in too much smoke, it's not good for our lungs, and your your lungs are having to work overtime to get it out of our system.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and you know, I I had this experience personally one time, Troy. I'm going a little bit off script here, but uh I was working moving around some dusty boxes, and I inhaled a lot of that through the process of moving that around, and I actually broke out on my skin with hives that had never happened to me before. But I think that really showed me just how much your lungs are trying to do, and when they're overwhelmed and can't do that detoxification process, it really does affect the rest of your body.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And I I think there are plenty of stories of people who are burning bushes, whatever it is, uh grass, leaves, and they get some poison ivy in there and they inhale that. And it's amazing that that poison ivy can then break out within the body as well, um, just because they breathed in the air of um some of that. So, yeah, there's uh the lungs are super, super important. And it's not just outside air. We have to understand that the inside air is almost as as bad. The EPA actually says that it's about two to five times more polluted than the outdoor air because of all the chemicals, the fragrances, the mold, the stuff that comes out of the carpets, and uh new uh furniture and other things. Like that, that we're all absorbing throughout the day when we breathe that stuff in.

SPEAKER_00:

So, what could it mean for someone if they have poor lung function or they're experiencing chronic inflammation?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is you'll have greater fatigue because you won't be able to get the oxygen levels that ultimately you need. We know that that's gonna create oxidative stress, it's gonna reduce the detox efficiency of your body overall. So it's your lungs are gonna help support your liver and your kidney as well. So all those things come into play. So if you've got poor lungs, your liver's not gonna function as well, your kidney's not gonna function as well, and you're gonna be even more fatigued because you have all those things kind of compounding on one of each other.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and it's it's really interesting. A lot of people will do like breath work, or I don't know if you're familiar, Troy, with Wim Hof and the Wim Hof method. He takes people through like these breathing exercises.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm not I'm not Win Hof uh knowledgeable, so no, this is uh this is new to me.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know how scientifically backed it is, but uh talking about just breathing and um and doing deep controlled breaths like before you go to bed or um just getting more oxygen in in your system, it does sound like there's something to that.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And I think there's a reason why on all the Apple Watches they have the opportunity for you to get up and breathe every hour or so, and that's because we know that it's gonna improve oxygen levels in our body. If we breathe uh in the good air and we take some time, you're gonna reduce some inflammation, and ultimately you're just gonna calm your body down where it's not pumping blood near as fast and requiring even more oxygen, which is why it's so important they tell you if you get into a scenario of uh panic, if you can stop, breathe deep, then you're gonna think better, you're gonna operate better, and you're gonna be able to move through that scenario much quicker.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's that's really fascinating. And there's been so much good information in this episode. Um, why don't we go ahead and summarize and just kind of put a bow on this?

SPEAKER_01:

Detoxification, I think we have to understand it's not really a crash diet or a cleanse. It's really helping your body do what it was designed to do, which is give it the right support and your body will take care of the rest.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and just to summarize, we talked about how your liver processes toxins, your kidneys filter and eliminate eliminate waste throughout your body constantly. Your lungs help remove metabolic byproducts and support oxygen balance. And we know all of those are very important for detoxification.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. And I think we can all attest to the fact when those things are not functioning well, we feel it. We feel it with greater inflammation, we feel it with more labored breathing, we feel it with fatigue. So it is super important to make sure that you're supporting each of those areas of your body the best way you possibly can.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and we really wanted to be able to help people who are looking to detoxify their bodies in the new year to be able to support these organ systems the best way that they possibly can with high quality bioavailable nutrients, which is why we put together our detox bundle. You want to tell a little bit about that, Troy?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so we've got the Defender Detox, which is for the liver. We have a kidney cleanse to help support the filtration and kind of the fluid balance of our bodies. And then we've got a lung cleanse, which is there to support respiratory detox and making sure that all three of those organs are functioning as best as we possibly can get them to function by giving your body what it needs to make those things happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so for anybody who's looking to detoxify each of these groups, we would recommend getting the bundle. Month one, you can do the fender detox. Month two, you can do the kidney cleanse. Month three, you can do the lung cleanse. And what better way to start off the new year than knowing that after three months, you will have supported your these systems, these organs to detoxify your body the best way that they can.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and I think when you throw in good hydration, which we've talked about, when you throw in a good diet and you're getting the sleep that you need and exercise, all those things put together will certainly allow you to get off to a great start for the new year.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Simple advice: don't fight your body, don't do some crazy thing where you're putting things in your body that you don't like, just support it and give it the nutrients that it needs to do its job of detoxification.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion. As always, if you want to learn more or check out safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA, visit www.centurion.health. Thank you for listening, and we'll see you next time on the Frontline Health Podcast. Go out today, take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider leaving us a review. We would love to hear your feedback and connect with you further. You can also follow us on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA, visit www.centurion.health. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.