Feeling Sluggish? Tired? Slow?

How are your energy levels these days? Are you feeling energized when you wake up? What about the rest of the day? How efficient is your digestion? Are you having two bowel movements a day? Yes….two !! Now how does one do that?

One reason your body might feel a bit slow or off is because the process of autophagy could be slackening

What is Autophagy?

Autophagy is an important and natural process within cells. It’s generally thought of as a cellular recycling factory. The etymology of ‘autophagy’ comes from the Ancient Greek autóphagos, which means “self-devouring” or “self-eating”. It was coined by a Belgian biochemist Christian de Duve, in 1963. He discovered the lysosome, while he observed unneeded cellular structures and degraded proteins being engulfed in a big bubble and transported to this waste disposal unit in the cell.

Typically, autophagy works quietly behind the scenes in maintenance mode. It plays a more active role when your body responds to stress and regulates cellular function (1). Autophagy helps to recycle unnecessary cellular components, such as damaged mitochondria or proteins, which may prevent cells from dividing and functioning normally. It also helps to eliminate pathogens and toxins at the intracellular level.
This clearing helps your body to regenerate new and healthy cells more effectively (2).

Studies on Autophagy

Only as recent as 2016, autophagy was found to have a key role when the body responds to starvation and infection, and it has become linked with specific conditions, including cancer and neurological disease (2). Years of impressive research and study by Yoshinori Ohsumi led him being awarded the Nobel Prize in this emerging field.

It’s hardly surprising that autophagy is important for long-lived cells such as neurons. Unlike other cells, neurons do not cellularly divide and do not die off to be replaced by new ones. This makes them vulnerable to degradation and may negatively impact learning and memory (3).

A recent UCLA study, printed in Toxicological Sciences in May 2020, investigated the effects of diesel exhaust on the risk of Parkinson’s disease. It showed that increased exhaust exposure increased the prevalence of Parkinson’s, and decreased the efficacy of autophagy (4). What was really interesting with this study is that these researchers were able to investigate the process of autophagy in real time by using transparent zebrafish as their subjects. They could actually watch the process of autophagy, or lack thereof, happen right before their eyes. With such novel techniques, the future of research in this area is full of promise.

A Scientific & Holistic Perspective

With the rise in popularity of detox programs, products and gimmicks there is much warranted debate and push back around certain claims from the detox industry. It’s easy to dismiss the detox movement when most of what is being sold to us has very little or zero scientific evidence to back it up. Yet cleansing practices have existed for thousands of years, so why is that? Are we even toxic? Is detoxification a real process in the body? Do any of these modern detox programs or products actually work? All valid questions in this debate.

The fact that our bodies have an in-built detoxification process is often noted as reason to dismiss all detox programs. This may be true but then the question arises, is that process working to the best of its ability to support our health to the fullest?

In this article we’ll look at what toxins we are being exposed to in the modern world, why they can cause issues, our body’s natural ability to eliminate toxins and what we can do to support this, both with an evidence based detox program and in daily life.

What are toxins exactly?

Toxins can be grouped into a number of categories:

• Toxic elements e.g. mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead, generally transmitted through water, food, dust, dental fillings and various consumer products
• Naturally occurring toxins e.g. mold or aflatoxins (found on crops such as corn and peanuts), and any allergens from animals, plants or food
• Pesticides e.g. insecticides, fungicides and herbicides
• Persistent organic pollutants e.g. dioxins, furans, Teflon and polychlorinated biphenyls
• Volatile organic compounds e.g. gas or petrol, solvents, paint, formaldehyde or benzene
• Plastics e.g. phthalates, BPA and PVC which leach out via UV radiation, heat and chemicals

With around 140,000 chemicals on the global market, exposure in today’s world is unfortunately inevitable. According to UN Environment, the size of the global industry exceeded US$5 trillion in 2017 and is projected to double by 2030, with urgent action required to reduce further damage to human health and economies. “Despite commitments to maximize the benefits and minimize the impacts of this industry, hazardous chemicals continue to be released to the environment in large quantities. They are ubiquitous in air, water and soil, food and humans.”¹

An interesting area of study that is growing is around the Exposome² which measures the total impact of environmental exposure (pollution, toxins, stress, lifestyle, nutrition) even before birth. Many studies have also been done on newborn babies with hundreds of these toxins showing up in their fetal cord blood, for example the Environmental Working Group study which found 287 toxic chemicals in fetal cord blood of 10 newborns.³

While it does seem that exposure to toxins is unavoidable, what will vary is an individual’s personal toxic load and how that plays out in their life. This will obviously depend on a number of factors including total exposure throughout their lifetime, current environment, diet and lifestyle, and the efficiency of their body’s ability to process and excrete toxins.

Why are toxins an issue for us?

The human body is highly intelligent with built-in detoxification pathways in many of the tissues, not just the liver, known as the main organ of detox, but also in the kidneys, lungs, intestines, skin and testes. Toxins can only be excreted via these pathways when they are water soluble however, at which point they are excreted naturally via saliva, tears, urine, feces, sweat, or are exhaled. Fat soluble toxins, on the other hand, tend to accumulate in the body, mainly in fat cells but also in other tissues. Toxic elements such as metals, for example, tend to accumulate in the brain, kidneys, liver and bones. This is one issue.

Another issue can be impaired detoxification abilities within the body. A person’s detox capacity is highly influenced by their diet and lifestyle and will most certainly be impacted if any liver or kidney issues, gastrointestinal health issues or micronutrient deficiencies exist, or if there is toxic overload.

Our bodies, therefore, are not necessarily naturally getting rid of these toxins that we are being exposed to, but the real issue is the resulting health problems including serious disease if toxins are allowed to accumulate. Persistent organic pollutants, for example, have been associated with diabetes, obesity and endocrine disruption. Volatile organic compounds are considered highly neurotoxic. And plastics are known to cause endocrine disruption. Large global organizations such as the World Health Organisation⁴ and the Endocrine Society are actively studying the real risks of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

According to the WHO, “just over one third (35%) of ischaemic heart disease, the leading cause of deaths and disability worldwide, and about 42% of stroke, the second largest contributor to global mortality, could be prevented by reducing or removing exposure to chemicals such as from ambient air pollution, household air pollution, second-hand smoke and lead.”⁵ And approximately 19% of all cancers are estimated to have a direct environmental exposure cause.⁶ It is now understood that causes of complex diseases like cancer are not solely based on genetics but also the effect of environmental factors such as exposure to chemicals, as well as aspects of lifestyle.

This information helps us understand that toxic exposure is a real issue especially as it’s correlated with serious disease, and that even early life poses risk of exposure, meaning we all most likely already have a burden that needs to taken care of. It might be in our best interest then to ensure we are supporting our bodies in doing its job of excreting that which is not needed.

How do we support detoxification?

The good news is that it is possible to get rid of the fat soluble toxins that are stored in our tissues via the body’s own detoxification process, which is essentially the biotransformation of fat soluble toxins into water soluble toxins so we can excrete them. The problem with most detox programs or products is that they are not considering the full detoxification process from mobilization to excretion, rather looking at one isolated area. Or, the actual process is simply not understood.

At a cellular level, the four phases of detoxification are:

• Phase 0, the intake of a fat soluble toxin into the cell.
• Phase I, the process of oxidation/reduction reactions which turns the toxin into a free radical
• Phase II, the addition of reactive metabolites with an endogenous compound e.g. glutathione conjugation, which creates a water-soluble toxin that is no longer a free radical
• Phase III, the excretion of the water soluble toxin from the cell

First the toxins must be mobilized. Then only after all four stages of detoxification are complete are the toxins water soluble and can be excreted via sweat, tears, urine, feces or breath.

As mentioned in a previous article, an effective detox program therefore must include:

• mobilization (removing stored toxins from tissues and cells)
• detoxification (biotransformation of toxins through the four phases)
• excretion (the elimination of toxins from the body)

All this can be achieved by calorie restriction, very specific foods and supplements, as well as exercise and sweating.

This clear understanding of what detoxification actually is, as researched and being taught by people like Functional Medicine doctor, Dr. Bryan Walsh, unfortunately debunks many of the detox products and practices out there as they are either incomplete or simply have no evidence as to their effectiveness.

Prevention is better than cure

Ideally we aim to prevent accumulation of toxins, and therefore the risk of disease from the inevitable exposure, with what we can control – our lifestyle. Traditional systems like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine are designed to work towards prevention of disease with a more holistic approach than modern medicine, by focusing on maintaining the body’s natural healthy state.⁷ Cleansing practices that are either done daily to support overall health, or as part of a detox program have also always been part of Ayurvedic and Yogic traditions.

The key really is what we do every day to take care of our bodies. Naturally, a person who is active, eats well, stays hydrated, sweats, sleeps well, breathes well and spends plenty of time in nature will likely not have as high a toxic load as a person with a terrible lifestyle living in a congested city. All the elements have to be managed.

We will continue to cover practices and tips for managing daily life in our educational blogs and articles, but specifically for detox some helpful practices to incorporate include:

• Eating a whole foods diet⁸ with plenty of cruciferous vegetables
• Intermittent fasting
• Exercise and movement
• Staying hydrated
• Sweating regularly
• Practicing breathwork
• Spending time in nature

Conclusion

The detox debate is important as who would want to waste time and money on something that doesn’t work? At Samahita, we draw upon the holistic wisdom of ancient traditions, but also invest considerable time in studying the latest research in health, to provide genuinely effective tools and the right environment to our guests, so they can maintain or move towards good health and vitality. All that we offer is based on years of personal and guest experience, ongoing yogic studies along with scientific research, to provide an environment, programs and nutrition that offer a natural detox.

Bottom line is – we are undoubtedly exposed to toxins, we may need the help of a detox program, but lifestyle plays a huge role in managing the effects of modern life. Let’s help our intelligent bodies do the work to detox, and let’s apply some discernment with our choices, also.

In Ayurveda this has likely been understood for thousands of years, as sweating therapy is a key part of panchakarma, the Ayurvedic detoxification program that is still popular today. Panchakarma patients undergo swedana (sweating therapy) to help mobilize toxins into the GI tract for elimination, as well as out through the skin, in preparation for other treatments within the program.

These days, it has been backed up by scientific research specifically on the elimination of toxins through blood, urine and sweating, that induced sweating is indeed an effective method, and often more effective than other methods for eliminating certain toxins such as metals from our bodies.

At Samahita, while we honour ancient wisdom and practices, we also look to the latest scientific research for validation, to ensure the highest quality of our programs, and to continuously improve them to support modern day life. One of the best updated and researched functional medical approaches to detox is Dr. Bryan Walsh’s detox program. Samahita’s programs are similarly aligned in that we offer induced sweating as well as yogic practices, exercise, specific nourishing food, and healing body and mind therapies, all beneficial for detoxing in a natural way.

We will look closer at types of toxins we are being exposed to and the detoxification process within the cells in further blogs in this series. For now, let’s say it’s clear that today we are all exposed to many toxins whether from the environment, food, water and household products. The affect of these really depends on the health of the person. Someone with a good diet, who exercises, eliminates well, sweats, has a fairly healthy lifestyle and maintains a good weight will likely not hold on to as many toxins as someone who doesn’t. Toxins that are not water soluble are typically stored in fat cells, tissues and sometimes bone, and have the ability to cause cellular dysfunction, by damaging DNA, mitochondria, and disturbing epigenetic expression.

What the research shows is that an effective detox program supports the full end-to-end process, starting from the initial mobilization of the toxins, to the detoxification process within the cells, including the biotransformation of fat soluble to water soluble toxins that can be excreted, and finally the excretion of the toxins once they are out of the cells, through various pathways.

What the Research on the Effectiveness of Induced Sweating and Toxin Elimination says:

Sweating helps eliminate phthalates

Phthalates are chemical compounds that are used frequently in plastics, household products and cosmetics.

“The phthalate family of chemical compounds are components of innumerable everyday consumer products, resulting in a high exposure scenario for some individuals
Some parent phthalates as well as their metabolites were excreted into sweat.”

The study concluded:

“Induced perspiration may be useful to facilitate elimination of some potentially toxic phthalate compounds including DEHP and MEHP. Sweat analysis may be helpful in establishing the existence of accrued DEHP in the human body.”

Sweating shown to be useful for elimination of BPA

BPA stands for bisphenol A — an industrial chemical that is used to make certain plastics and resins.

“In 16 of 20 participants, BPA was identified in sweat, even in some individuals with no BPA detected in their serum or urine samples.”
The study concluded that sweat analysis and induced sweating should be considered for analysis of BPA levels and its elimination:
“Biomonitoring of BPA through blood and/or urine testing may underestimate the total body burden of this potential toxicant. Sweat analysis should be considered as an additional method for monitoring bioaccumulation of BPA in humans. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of BPA.”

Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury levels shown to be higher in sweat than urine or blood

This review focused on heavy metal excretion during induced perspiration and found that the concentration of toxic metals in sweat sometimes exceeded plasma or urine concentrations, and that arsenic and cadmium were especially concentrated in sweat.

“In individuals with higher exposure or body burden, sweat generally exceeded plasma or urine concentrations, and dermal could match or surpass urinary daily excretion. Arsenic dermal excretion was severalfold higher in arsenic-exposed individuals than in unexposed controls. Cadmium was more concentrated in sweat than in blood plasma.”

Note also how repeated sauna use brought mercury levels back to normal:

“Mercury levels normalized with repeated saunas in a case report. Sweating deserves consideration for toxic element detoxification.”

Sweating helps eliminate toxic trace metals

This study shows how sauna therapy was helped eliminate metals such as nickel, copper, zinc and lead.

“Sweating is a demonstrably significant route for excretion of trace metals, and sweating may play a role in trace-metal homeostasis. Essential trace metals could conceivably be depleted during prolonged exposure to heat; conversely, sauna bathing might provide a therapeutic method to increase elimination of toxic trace metals.”

Toxic elements preferentially excreted through sweat

This study again shows how certain toxins showed up in sweat that did not show up in blood or urine, therefore must have been stored in the body.

“Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat. Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of many toxic elements from the human body.”

We can conclude from the scientific literature that induced sweating may be a very effective method to support the elimination of toxic trace metals and certain compounds. While not all compounds are effectively eliminated by sweat, it seems imperative to induce sweat daily as part of a well structured detox program, in order to support both the initial mobilization and the elimination of toxins from the body.

At Samahita, we provide a complimentary steam room to all guests every evening, and have two saunas, a full-spectrum infrared sauna plus a pure near infrared sauna, that guests can book, which are automatically included as part of our wellness programs.