What is the best cleanse?
I've waited too long to answer this because it is pretty involved. I am learning that it is easier if I have the person right there to ask defining questions to and narrow it down.
Sooooo- on the subject of cleansing- ideally- the daily diet provides continual cleansing. The body possesses some powerful tools for self cleansing. Enzymes, glutathione, liver, kidneys and lungs and bowel all are tools of detoxification along with other pathways.
Apoptosis is a type of detoxification- the natural destruction of partially damaged cells. A varied and natural diet supports these pathways. Several things happen to inhibit or slow or damage these detoxification pathways in the body. It has to be a well ordered and managed train. All of the tools are there if the diet supports it. Genetics do play a role but all that means is that you have more work to do and have to baby certain pathways if you have a predisposition to certain poorly functioning pathways.
It is what makes some people predisposed to alcoholism (as an example)- do you lie down and just go with the predisposition or do you take certain precautions to avoid getting caught in the trap? Do you eat sugar like it's going out of style with a predisposition to diabetes or do you carefully eat to delay the progress or even avoid the development of the disease?
One of the most powerful detoxifying agents in the body is glutathione. If you are careful to get enough omega 3's they up regulate the production of glutathione in the endothelial tissue according to recent studies.
So the general lifestyle we lead can be a great boon to the daily management of our detoxification pathways or our "detoxification train". What comes first in a train?- the engine. Our engine is our liver- if it is not working properly nothing else is going to get pulled along correctly- so a good cleanse will address this issue of proper liver function and support. Our heart is our pump- an integral part of the function of the liver. Without good pumps- no engine can function properly so our fuel and water pumps have to work properly too.
Excellent hydration habits keep our engine cooled- without it we start overheating and burning out some of the other systems. Our fuel pump can't be clogged either- keeping cardiovascular tissue smooth and un-inflamed and un-clogged will assure that our fuel pump keeps the engine working. Our exhaust pipes( lungs and bowels) have to get rid of the waste and by products of fuel burning. Our skin is also the second largest detoxicification organ in the body after the liver. Some toxins only leave the body through sweat. If we do not exercise to the point of sweat or if we are constantly blocking this pathway we will retain certain toxins that will not leave through the bowel or lungs. Exercise is multifaceted, health promoting detoxification.
On the subject of cleanses- products that promote cleansing- most people are feeling "clogged up" so they are looking for some kind of a bowel cathartic. When I educate people on the subject of consitipation there are a number of things involved in proper elimination through the bowel.
To name a few: proper hydration ( water drinking to be specific because it thickens the bowel wall and the stomach lining), sufficient fiber (both soluble and insoluble and gives bulk), magnesium sufficiency ( it pulls water to the bowel wall and increases peristalsis), probiotic sufficiency ( over 400 clinically studied human sourced strains), are some of the things involved in proper elimination.
There are some addressed by diet- some by lifestyle and some by supplement. The probiotics alone stimulate proper immune function by stimulating the immunoglobulin production in the body, increasing nutrient absorption without making any change in the diet, and making some important nutrient conversions (vitamin K) and producing some vitamins( B-12, folic acid, etc.) for you. They keep you from developing "leaky gut" and effect your normal peristalsis( primary and secondary muscular movement) in the intestinal tract.
You can see why I didn't know where to start! I am going to leave this as is for now and hope you will submit another question with some general history attached so I can be more specific. I apologize for the delay in answering your question as I was struggling with how to approach it. Thank you for your inquiry- please follow up with another inquiry so I can answer your question more thoroughly.