When you have an MTHFR polymorphism, detoxification can be difficult simply because methylation, which is directly linked to our slow MTHFR enzyme, is decreased and therefore toxins that need to be methylated can accumulate. This includes heavy metals such as arsenic, estrogen and estrogenic compounds, histamine, dopamine, phenols, and carcinogens from cigarette smoke, perfumes, dyes, and pesticides. Not only is detoxification by methylation impaired, but often glutathione production is lower in people with the MTHFR gene mutation and so glutathione conjugation can also be impaired. This affects the detoxification of pesticides and herbicides, mercury, lead, cadmium, mycotoxins, alcohol and acetominophen.
For these reasons, detoxification is necessary for MTHFR folks and should also be approached with caution and consideration. It is best to do this detox when you are not facing any major known deadlines or big life events during the six weeks. Life is unpredictable, but if you know you have a wedding scheduled, then maybe hold off until after the honeymoon. Let's talk it through week by week.
Six-Week Detoxification Goals
Detoxification is designed to help you get toxins out of your system, but it also has many other health benefits.
Weight loss (8 - 12 pounds is not uncommon)
Better energy
More balanced blood sugars
Reduced toxic burden
Better skin
Better sleep
What You Will Need
Himalayan salt or another clean, mineral-rich salt like dead sea salt.
Lots of filtered Water
NAC or liposomal glutathione supplement
A good blend of soluble and insoluble fiber. This could be as simple as a 50/50 mix of ground flax seed and psyllium husks or a pre-made powdered product.
Food-grade bentonite clay or food-grade diatomaceous earth - you will make what is called a "slurry" from these products. Mix 1/4 cup clay or diatomaceous earth with 1 cup filtered water in a glass jar and shake well. Make sure the clay or DE is fully mixed into the water. This is your slurry and from this you will measure your amounts. Shake well before serving.
Good basic multivitamins with methylated B vitamins if you tolerate them (methyl-free if you don't).
Organic castor oil and either flannel, a pre-made castor oil pack, or castor oil pajamas.
Epsom salts
Symptom Tracker (you can find a great one in the MTHFR Library in Genetic Rockstars, or join the mailing list to receive it for free)
Magnesium supplement (if needed)
Journal (optional)
Weeks One and Two
This week is preparatory to help ease you into the full detoxification process. It's a time to cut down on your addictive categories of foods and behaviors, begin to adjust your schedule, and generally get into the best mindset to support your detox efforts. If your diet doesn't normally include much fiber, then expect some rumbling and gurgling as well as stool changes while your body adjusts. Fiber supports the growth of beneficial bacteria so there's a minor turf war going on internally. Ease into it, using weeks one and two as a transitional time to help your body get ready. Here's the schedule for these two weeks:
Begin your symptom tracker. This will give us a baseline for everything you normally experience.
12:12 Eating pattern. This means that for 12 hours of every day, you fast, and during the other 12 hours, you can eat. Most people choose a 7:00 am to 7:00 pm or 8:00 am to 8:00 pm eating window, but do what works best for your real life. Try to begin your fasting window two hours before bedtime.
Multivitamin with first meal of the day
NAC or glutathione - 600 mg once daily away from food (bedtime works well)
Eight 8oz glasses of water daily with 1/8 tsp full-mineral salt in each
8 oz water with 1 tsp fiber mix between breakfast and lunch (away from food).
2 oz clay or diatomaceous earth slurry between lunch and dinner (away from food)
Cut your caffeine intake by half
Gentle exercise 2-3 times weekly
Cut all sugars by half (this includes honey, agave, cane sugar, artificial sweetners, monk fruit, everything sweet).
Start to eliminate processed foods, junk food, everything pre-made. The goal is to have them completely out by the end of week 2.
Journal (optional) - write down how you feel about this, how you feel physicall, what emotions this brings up for you.
Weeks Three to Six
These weeks are the true detox and you can adjust this based on your needs and your level of detox experience. This is just a simple framework, and it is easy to customize to your own needs. These weeks are active detox so be sure to rest more, sleep more, take it easy on yourself. Detoxifying is hard work. If you are a detox pro and want an extra detox boost, avoid wheat, dairy, corn, and soy during this time as well.
Keep symptom tracking. This will give us a baseline for everything you normally experience.
Choose your eating pattern. Go by how you feel best, and feel free to change eating patterns mid-detox if the one you choose first isn't feeling good to your body.
14:10 - This is the easiest pattern to follow if you have never fasted before. This means 14 hours of fasting and a 10 hour eating window every day.
16:8 - This pattern involves 16 non-eating hours and 8 eating hours. When I have done this, eating from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm works best for my household, but choose the 8-hour eating window that works best for you.
Mixed 12:12 and 24-hour fast. This means 12-hour fasting and 12-hour eating windows 5-6 days per week and a 24-hour fast (from dinner one evening until dinner the next evening) one to two days per week. If you haven't done a 24-hour fast before, start with one the first week and see how you feel. If you're lightheaded, dizzy, or shakey then 24-hour fasts might not be the best thing for you at this time.
Multivitamin with first meal of the day
NAC or glutathione - 600 mg twice daily away from food (first thing in the morning and bedtime works well)
Eight 8oz glasses of water daily with 1/8 tsp full-mineral salt in each
8 oz water with 1 tsp fiber mix first thing in the morning and between breakfast and lunch (or twice daily away from food).
2 oz clay or diatomaceous earth slurry between lunch and dinner and before bed (or twice daily away from food).
Limit yourself to one caffeinated coffee or tea daily (no soda or energy drinks).
Avoid sugar and artificial sweetener (this includes honey, agave, cane sugar, artificial sweetners, monk fruit, everything sweet).
Avoid processed foods.
Eat 1-2 servings of veggies with each meal
Eat three meals per dayand no snacks
Eat a good source of protein with each meal - quinoa, beans, lean meat, fish, nuts
Add herbs and spices everywhere (these will bost your dietary antioxidants).
Gentle exercise 3 times weekly
You can have fruit or 70%+ dark chocolate in small amounts after meals if you want something sweet.
Journal (optional) - write down how you feel about this, how you feel physicall, what emotions this brings up for you.
Castor oil - topically, three nights per week. This can be a traditional pack, or Dr. Amy's Lazy method.
Detox Symptoms and How to Manage Them
This is a very gentle detox, but it can still stir up some symptoms like fatigue, irritability, bad breath, digestive disturbance, skin reactions, and constipation.
Constipation is the most serious of these because it will stop the detox process and make all other symptoms worse. This can usually be fixed using magnesium before bed. Find the dose that gives you an easy bowel movement in the morning. Too low a dose and you won't see any bowel effects, too high a dose and you'll have a loose stool. This is highly variable so use what works for your body.
Otherwise, support your body through rough patches by using these tools:
Extra rest, naps, more sleep
Extra castor oil packs
Hot bath or hot bath with epsom salts
Warm water with lemon or apple cider vinegar
Did I mention more rest?
This is a simple framework, and it's easy to modify based on your individual needs. We will be doing group detoxes in Genetic Rockstars, so if you want to do something like this as a group with more support around healthy recipes, Q&As, and more.
Yorumlar