DETOX SERVICES

DETOX

Detoxification has been practiced since the times of the ancient Greeks. Hippocrates, proclaimed as the father of western medicine, recommended fasting as a form of detoxification to improve health. Any compound that has a detrimental effect on cell function or structure is considered a toxin.

Our bodies are exposed to an increasing number of toxic compounds in the environment, as well as to a growing variety of drugs. Given these exposures, the individual’s ability to detoxify is now recognized as a key factor to overall health. A significant body of literature suggests an association between the ability of the body to efficiently detoxify and etiology of various puzzling chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivities, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Furthermore, recent research supports the link between chronic neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s, as well as certain types of cancer, with the subject’s ability to adequately detoxify.

SCIENCE OF DETOX

All ingested and microbial-produced toxins are presented to the first-pass clearance system. First-pass clearance involves the biotransformation and clearance of a chemical from the body before it reaches the systemic circulation. This clearance may take place in several organ tissues including the intestinal mucosal wall and the liver.

The liver is the body’s primary detoxifying organ. Here, detoxification is carried out in two related processes known as Phase I and Phase II. Phase I serves to biotransform substances through oxidation, reduction or hydrolysis, using the cytochrome P450 mixed-function oxidase enzymes. This process increases the solubility of molecules and prepares them for Phase II reactions which will further increase their solubility.

The Phase I reactions are necessary for detoxification, but the resulting production of reactive oxygen species can at times be very damaging. Thus, the liver needs to be able to generate oxidation capacity when needed, yet at the same time generate no more than what is needed. Perhaps this is why Phase I systems are inducible by different compounds.

In Phase II, conjugation reactions add a polar hydrophilic molecule to the metabolite or toxin, converting lipophilic substances to water-soluble forms for excretion and elimination.

Phase II reactions may follow Phase I for some molecules or act directly on the toxin or metabolite. Major Phase II pathways include glutathione, sulfate, glycine, and glucuronide conjugations. Individual xenobiotics and metabolites usually follow a particular path. This makes assessment of the metabolic status of each of the major processes essential for complete understanding of the body’s capacity to detoxify foreign substances.