Sodium and chloride

Usually a package deal, sodium and chloride are the major extracellular electrolytes in the human body, sodium providing the positive charge and chloride the negative charge. In addition to providing balance to one another, these ions are essential for maintaining blood volume and pH (Schauss, 1998). 

Sodium and chloride also happen to be the main electrolytes lost in sweat, especially during prolonged exertion in warm and hot environments. Though the average American consumes substantially more than enough sodium chloride, there are some individuals and situations in which these electrolytes should be supplemented. 

Those who experience higher than average sweating, either through recreational activities such as long-distance running, professional athletics, or mining, construction work, and the armed forces, need to replace both their fluids and their electrolytes (especially sodium and chloride) to maintain a healthy balance.

Drinking water alone can sometimes be counter-productive, as it will decrease the osmolality (concentration of ions) of the extracellular fluid, signaling the kidney to let go of even more fluid to find a balance. This “diluted blood” also tends to shut off the thirst mechanism. 

Because strenuous exercise actually requires fluid replacement to be slightly above fluid loss, thirst is a key way to assure that individuals will replace an adequate amount of fluid. 

Eating solid food is an effective way of replacing sodium and chloride, however there are many instances when this would be impossible or impractical. 

Therefore, adding sodium and chloride to the water of individuals who regularly sweat will not only replace the loss of these essential electrolytes, but will also help maintain proper blood osmolality, assuring thirst and kidney mechanisms to maintain adequate blood volume and hydration (Maughan and Shirreffs, 1997).

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Body Detox at Home - Get Rid of the Poisons!

There are toxic substances all around us. They are in the air, in the water, in our cosmetics and toiletries... even in our food. These toxins include chemicals, additives, carcinogens, hormone disruptors, poisons and contaminants. It's scary, I know. Fortunately, there are ways to rid your body of these harmful substances.

The theory behind doing a body detox home or anywhere else is to rid the body of these harmful substances. The toxins that we ingest, through whatever method, are normally stored in body fat. The kidneys, liver, lungs and skin are designed to process environmental contaminants and expel them from the body. However, many people believe, and research is confirming, that not all of these toxins are being properly processed.

There are three major ways to detox your body: detox diets, body wraps or patches, and nutritional supplements or pills.

A detox diet normally consists of refraining from most of the foods we normally eat. It may involve going through a liquid fast, where you only drink liquids, instead of eating solid food. It may involve eating certain foods which would be organic and very high in fiber. Most body detox proponents claim that the majority of the toxins and up in the colon, where they cause 90% of all diseases.

A detox diet should consist of avoiding white sugar and processed flour, as should any sensible eating program. The detox diet goes a step further however in restricting intake of most other foods as well. Fruits and vegetables should be a significant part of the food intake. Drinking a lot of water is also important, as is limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption.

Fasting may take the form of water fasting, or one only drinks water, or juice fasting, where one can get some nutrients by drinking juice. Juice also has a lot of fiber which helps with the colon cleansing. Stick to organic, natural juices, and not highly processed concentrates or flavored sugar waters labeled as juice.

Body wraps involve wrapping the body in healthy substances in an effort to draw the toxins out of the body. These substances may be things such as herbs, sea salt, and various clays. You can pay a lot of money for a body wrapped in a spot, or you can create your own at home.

Foot patches work similarly, in that they draw the toxins out of the body. The foot patches are normally applied to the bottom of the foot and worn during the night while the wearer is sleeping. In the morning, the patch is removed and is noticeably darker, from the toxins it has removed.

Doing a body detox at home often consists of taking pills or supplements. These are generally designed to help cleanse the colon. They may be taken for three to four weeks then not taken for another three to four weeks, until the cycle is repeated. There are also supplements that will help replace the nutrients lost during a fast or a restricted eating plan.

Whichever method you decide to use, you can detox your body at home, and save expensive trips to doctors, alternative health care providers, or other detox practitioners.

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